Work Text:
The evening had been quiet—too quiet for Tucker Foley’s liking. He had been tinkering with his tech in the comfort of his room when his phone buzzed on the desk. Picking it up casually, Tucker froze at the sight of the message.
“I’m in trouble, come quick.”
It was from Danny.
Tucker’s heart skipped a beat. Deep in Tucker’s gut alarm bells rang that something had gone very wrong. He trusted his gut with his life. Tucker’s hands moved on autopilot, tossing his stuff into a backpack as he sprinted out the door, heart hammering in his chest.
It wasn’t a long run to Fenton Works, but the growing knot of anxiety in his stomach made the journey feel like an eternity. He tried calling Danny twice, but both calls went straight to voicemail. No answer. No sign that Danny had even seen the messages Tucker sent back.
By the time Tucker reached Danny’s house, the sun was sinking low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the street. The familiar shape of Fenton Works loomed before him, and Tucker’s stomach churned at the sight of green light seeping through the tiny basement window. The ghost portal. Had something gone wrong with the portal?
Bursting through the front door, Tucker barely paused to catch his breath as he descended the stairs into the lab. The moment his feet hit the basement floor, the hum of the ghost portal surrounded him. The air was thick with an unnatural energy, sending goosebumps prickling across his skin.
But it wasn’t the glowing portal that made Tucker’s heart stop.
It was Danny.
He was sprawled out in front of the portal, unmoving, his body limp against the cold metal floor. His white and black hazmat suit was torn, his face pale— too pale —and his chest wasn’t rising. There was no mistaking it. Tucker had seen death before, but never like this. Never Danny.
Tucker dropped his bag and ran to his friend, dropping to his knees beside Danny’s lifeless form. His hands trembled as he touched Danny’s wrist, then his neck, desperately searching for a pulse.
There was nothing. No heartbeat. No warmth. Only cold, stiff skin.
“No… Danny, come on, man, wake up!” Tucker’s voice broke as he gently shook his best friend, hoping for some sign, any sign that this wasn’t real. “You can’t—this can’t be happening!”
But Danny didn’t move. He was dead—had been for hours.
Tucker’s breath came in ragged gasps, his mind reeling. How had this happened?
And yet here he was—cold, lifeless, gone.
Tucker wiped at his eyes, his vision blurring with tears. The ghost portal behind him thrummed ominously, casting an eerie green glow across the room. It was on.
The portal was working.
His parents had been trying to get it operational for years, and somehow… somehow it had activated.
Tucker’s stomach twisted. Had Danny been caught in it? Had the portal malfunctioned? The possibilities raced through his mind, each one worse than the last.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Tucker blinked, momentarily confused. With shaking hands, he pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.
A new text.
From Danny.
“Where are you? Hurry.”
The blood drained from Tucker’s face. He stared at the screen, his mind unable to process what he was seeing. It couldn’t be real. Danny was dead. Dead. His body was lying right in front of him. How could he be sending texts?
His phone buzzed again, the noise slicing through the heavy silence of the lab like a knife.
“Please, hurry. I’m still here.”
Tucker’s breath hitched, and he glanced back at Danny’s body. His best friend hadn’t moved. He was still pale, still cold. Still dead. Tucker’s hands trembled as he looked between Danny’s body and the glowing ghost portal.
“Still here…” Tucker whispered, his voice barely audible.
Another buzz.
“Please, Tucker. You need to help me.”
Tucker wiped at his eyes again, determination settling in his chest as he stared at the swirling green vortex of the portal.
His phone buzzed one last time.
“Please. I’m scared.”