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Chapter Text

June 10th

—

“You,” Danny Fenton said, “are such a fruitloop.” Danny was standing in the middle of his living room with a smirking Vlad Masters. Only the presence of his parents in the next room kept him from punching that grin off his stupid face. Danny huffed. 

One corner of Vlad’s mouth turned down, eyebrows furrowing. “Please, Daniel. Don’t you think that name is getting a bit old?”

Danny scoffed, “not as old as you.” Vlad’s eyes flashed red for a brief moment and Danny grinned.

There were several jibes that always got Vlad riled up. The fruitloop nickname, and jokes about his age. Danny’s grin only widened as he could see he was getting to Vlad. His hands itched, wishing he were in his ghost form and fighting the older man with his fists instead of his words. 

“Just a sec, V-man!” Jack Fenton bellowed from the kitchen. A crash and screech of metal followed the announcement. Danny rolled his eyes, only to realize Vlad had also done the same. Their mutual irritation at his father’s antics only managed to make Danny even angrier. 

He turned toward the sounds of crashing in the kitchen, hoping to see what was going on and get away from Vlad at the same time. But just as he turned he felt heat near the bottom of his foot and smelled burning rubber. Before he realized what had happened, he took a step forward. 

And promptly fell flat on his face. 

Vlad had sent a small ecto-blast out of his finger and melted the rubber of his shoe to the floor. Danny’s eyes flashed green as he scrambled to his feet, sans his left shoe. 

“Oh it is on, fruit loop.” 

Vlad merely laughed in that haughty way he had before walking past a seething Danny toward the kitchen, patting him on the head. “Is it, dear boy? Oh I am so scared.” He made an expression of mock fright as he walked forward. 

Suddenly, Danny’s father was in the doorway of the kitchen and Vlad had to come to an abrupt halt before running right into him. Jack had a giant grin on his face, arms outstretched toward his supposed best friend. “VLADDIE my man!”

Vlad looked absolutely peevish, as he always did in Jack’s presence, before covering it up with a fake jovial smile. “Oh Jack, how great it is to see you!”

It sounded so false to Danny’s ears. It was absolutely beyond him how his dad could fall for Vlad’s fakeness and mockery. Despite what many thought, his dad was not stupid. But naive? Well, that was a different story…

“I’m doing great, V-man! Just working on some anti-spook tech in the kitchen since the lab is currently a mess.” He sent a pointed look at Danny and Danny promptly looked away.

“How interesting,” Vlad said, completely uninterested. “What about dear Maddie? Does she happen to be aro-“ He was cut off by the appearance of a hooded and goggled head poking out around the corner under Jack’s arm. 

“Ah-“ Vlad brightened, “Madeline! There you are, how great it is to see you!”

The goggles covered much of her expression, but Danny could see her mouth pinch. She had almost as much distaste for Vlad as he did. Almost. But ever since the incident with Pariah Dark and Vlad “saving his life” she had become much more tolerant of the man, unfortunately. If only she knew, Danny thought. Though, if she knew everything, then things would go badly for not just Vlad, but him as well. He suppressed a shudder at the thought. 

“Hello Vlad. What brings you here?” 

“Yeah, V-man! It’s been practically years since we last saw you!” Jack said. 

Vlad raised an eyebrow, “ah, I’m not sure it’s been that long. Considering I just saw you all last week. But I know how bad you are at math…and anything else requiring brain cells.” 

Vlad conspicuously ignored the venomous glares being sent his way from both Maddie and Danny. Jack paused for a moment before bursting out laughing like he thought Vlad was joking—which he probably did. 

“Anyways,” Vlad deflected, looking at Maddie, “would you believe me If I said I just wanted to stop by and see my good friend Jack Fenton?” He placed a hand over his heart. “I do so enjoy all of your company, I simply wanted to come by and catch up is all.” 

The further downshift of Maddie’s mouth said she didn’t believe that one bit. But she backed down, saying, “Ah, well, if that’s the case, let me go make some coffee for our guest.” 

Jack wiped away what Danny highly suspected was a very real tear before saying “that means a lot Vladdie! And boy if I do not have some tech to catch you up on! Come on into the kitchen and I’ll show you-“ he slapped a large hand on Vlad’s shoulder, guiding him. Vlad stared at it venomously but said nothing. Danny smirked. 

Whatever Vlad’s plans were, they must be pretty important to him for him to willingly spend time with his father. Danny sighed internally as he saw their backs retreating into the kitchen. He was seriously regretting even opening the door, or at least regretting not slamming it in Vlad’s face as soon as he saw it was him. 

He plopped down on the sofa, not even bothering to follow them into the kitchen to suss out Vlad’s latest scheme. It was always something with Vlad and lately Danny had grown tired of it.

Danny was just about to resign himself to a night spent in the presence of Plasmius before his pocket started vibrating. He pulled out his phone and flipped it open…it was Tucker. “Hey man, you still coming?” Danny nearly groaned out loud as he remembered that he was supposed to be hanging out with Sam and Tucker at the Nasty Burger right now. 

He briefly debated the pros and cons of leaving his parents alone with Vlad. His mom was more than capable of defending herself against whatever schemes Vlad might have up his sleeve…and his dad? 

Well, his mom was more than capable of protecting him, too.

But their ignorance of the entirety of the situation, or the very real danger his dad was in whenever Vlad was around, is what made Danny’s gut churn. But Vlad seemed to have the worst luck out of any of Danny’s enemies, and not a single one of his plans had ever panned out in his favor. That made Danny more confident that he could leave for a few hours without any harm done. 

Danny’s fingers hovered over the keyboard before responding, “sorry, got held up. Be there in 10.” 

He made his way to the kitchen doorway. Vlad was sitting at the table with his dad as he ranted about his new weapon that would “tear that ghost boy apart molecule by molecule!” Vlad sent a look at Danny in the doorway at that statement, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

Danny clenched a fist, gut tightening. He avoided looking at either his dad or Vlad as he said, “hey mom, I’m gonna go to the Nasty Burger and hangout with Sam and Tuck.” He told her more so than asked. This was a normal occurrence for him so he knew his parents wouldn’t really care. 

“Okay sweetie, just be careful and be back before 10:00.” She said as she poured a cup of coffee for Vlad, “accidentally” spilling some on his hand. Vlad hissed in pain and yanked his hand back, shooting Maddie a look. 

She said nothing, but winked at Danny when she turned around. Danny smothered a smile. His parents would be just fine if he left for a few hours. 

“Bye guys, love you!” He said, completely ignoring Vlad’s presence. 

“REMEMBER! BACK BEFORE CURFEW!” His father bellowed behind him. 

Danny raised a hand in assent before exiting. With his back turned, he didn’t see Vlad’s widening smile as he left, as if Danny leaving him alone with his parents was the absolute best case scenario. 

Slipping on a new pair of shoes since Vlad had ruined his favorite pair, Danny made his way to the door. 

As the front door slammed behind him and the cool summer breeze ruffled his hair, his worries started to ebb away. It was one week away from being summer break! It was a nice night and he was going to hang out with his friends.

This night was turning out better than he’d expected. His anxieties regarding Plasmius began to lessen until he became convinced nothing would truly go wrong. 

Besides, how much damage could Vlad possibly wreak in the few hours he’d be gone?

—

“WHAT!?” 

“Danny, calm down. It will only be for a couple of weeks,” Maddie said soothingly. 

“But I- how could you-why would you—“ Danny sputtered, unable to articulate just why he was so angry.  

“Yeah, Danny-boy! It’ll be alright. It’ll be fun!” Jack said, unsurprisingly, shoving a piece of fudge into his mouth. 

Danny stood in front of his parents, gobsmacked. His father not understanding the situation he understood…but his mother? He honestly felt betrayed.  

“Spending two weeks with “uncle” Vlad is NOT my idea of fun,” he thought. His mother must really believe that Vlad had his best interests at heart after the Pariah Dark incident, despite her misgivings about the man. And his dad? Well, there was no arguing about Vlad’s merits, or lack thereof, with him.  

He decided to take a different approach. “This is my summer vacation! Don’t I get a say?” His tone of voice must have finally clued his parents in on just how angry he was. 

“C’mon, Dann-o, this is a great opportunity for you! I thought you’d be excited to go on a business trip with Vladdie to Japan!” 

“As if,” Danny had to stop himself from saying. He just furrowed his eyebrows instead, glaring daggers at the ground. 

“Oh Danny,” his mom said in a softer tone, “we really thought you’d be excited! Vlad even offered to take you to the Tsukuba Space Center while you were in Japan.” She smiled at him, “doesn’t that sound fun?”  

“No,” he deadpanned.  

In reality, it did sound fun. Just with anyone but his arch-nemeses. They didn’t understand. They could never understand just why this was so terrible. And unless he was to reveal everything to them, he knew he would never get out of this. His parents had already made their minds up. And if there was one thing he knew about them, it was that once they made their minds up, it was useless to fight it.

He knew in his heart that they thought this was what was best for him and that it was a wonderful opportunity, and that he was just being a bratty child. Their cluelessness about his life and him as a person is what really hurt the most.  

He sighed heavily, looking up at them. “Do I really have to go? I already made plans with Sam and Tucker…” He said, in one last ditch effort.  

His mom pinned him with a steely gaze as she engaged her “mom” voice. “Yes, Danny. You have to go. We already promised Vlad, and it will be good for you to get out of this town and see some of the world. And it’s only 2 weeks. You’ll have plenty of time to spend with Sam and Tucker during the rest of your vacation.”

Danny’s face darkened even further. 

“Oh Danny, it won’t be that bad. Vlad can be a lot sometimes, I know. But he’s not that bad.” Her face almost betrayed her own words. Danny sighed.  

Jack looked between the two of them, puzzled. “What do you mean by that, Mads? Vladdie’s great!” 

Maddie gave him a small smile, patting his arm. “Of course he is, Jack. Don’t worry about it.” Jack looked at her dubiously before shrugging and grabbing another piece of fudge.

“You’ll have fun Danny, mark my words!” He said, mouth full.  

“That,” Danny thought, “I highly doubt.” 

He couldn’t stop himself from glowering. “Can I be excused now?” 

Jack opened his mouth, as if to drag on the argument before Maddie placed a hand on his arm and slowly shook her head. His eyes flicked between his son and his wife, realizing there was some nuance to this argument he was completely missing. But he trusted his wife’s judgement, so instead he said, “of course, son.”  

Danny sent one last pleading look to his mom, but she merely smiled softly and shook her head. He sighed dramatically before making his way up the stairs to his room.  

He didn’t even blame his parents for this. This was all the fruitloop’s fault. He vowed that next time he saw the other halfa, he owed him a nice dose of ectoplasmic ray right to his pompous, stuck up, jerk face. 

—

June 17th 

This was it, the day he’d been dreading all week. The first day of summer break. What was supposed to be, arguably, the best day of the year. Instead- 

“Danny!” His mom called, “are your bags packed? Vlad will be here in 15 minutes!” 

Danny huffed angrily, sloppily piling clothes haphazardly into his duffle bag. He knew he’d likely forget something important but didn’t care. Whatever, if I forget something the stupid fruitloop can buy it for me. Not as if he’s lacking money or anything. 

Ever since the announcement, and ensuing fight, about his trip with Vlad things had been pretty tense in the Fenton household for a few days. Eventually things had cooled to a simmer. Danny had ultimately decided it wasn’t exactly his parents fault. They didn’t have all the details. They didn’t—couldn’t— understand just why this was not only unenjoyable, but possibly even dangerous for Danny.

But then, even that was a point of contention for Danny’s already churned up mind. They were his parents, and they didn’t even know about one of the biggest parts of his life, his other half-his ghost half- and he wasn’t even sure he could trust them with that information. His heart gave a tight squeeze at that thought. 

He sighed and zipped up his bulging duffle filled with crumpled and unfolded clothes, slinging it over one shoulder. The truth of the matter was that if he did trust his parents with his ghost half he would have told them already. But he simply didn’t…thoughts of his father screaming about “tearing the ghost boy apart molecule by molecule” flashed into his mind before he determinedly squashed them back down. 

So, for now, his parents wouldn’t have the whole story about Vlad. To them, he’s just a well-meaning old college friend doing Danny a favor. So it’s not as if he can truly blame them for all of this. 

Vlad, however…

Danny’s fist clenched angrily around the strap of his duffle bag as he stomped down the stairs. His mom stood at the bottom, raising an eyebrow at him and he quickly lightened his steps. Once he was away from his parents and out of earshot, then he would give Vlad a piece of his mind. And quite possibly an ecto-ray to his ass while he had his back turned. 

With that thought, Danny’s mood did lighten a bit as he descended the final stair. If that fruitloop thinks he’s gonna screw with me during this trip, he’s got another thing coming! I’ll give as good as I get. 

As he made his way outside with his parents only a few steps behind him, he saw Vlad leaning on a sleek red convertible corvette. What a showoff Danny thought to himself, all the while giving the car an appreciative once over. If nothing else, Danny was a teenage boy, and he could appreciate a nice car. Even if its owner was a complete jerk. 

Vlad opened his arms wide as they approached, a broad smile on his face. “Hello! I was beginning to believe I may have been stood up.” He said with a pointed look at Danny. 

Jack bustled to Vlad’s side, slapping a hand on his shoulder and ignoring the blisteringly cold look Vlad shot his way. “Of course not, Vladdie! We would’ve made sure Danny got out here even if we had to drag him kicking and screaming!” At that, Vlad rose an eyebrow and smirked over Jack’s shoulder, which Danny promptly stuck his tongue out at. 

Maddie only seemed to catch Danny’s transgression and elbowed him sharply in his arm, whispering in her “mom” voice “behave yourself.” 

Danny said nothing, only giving a halfhearted grumble and rubbing his arm, eyes cast to the ground. 

“Well, Danny-boy, let’s get this party started!” Jack said, reaching and hoisting Danny’s duffle like it weighed absolutely nothing. “Do you want this in the back seat or the trunk V-man?” 

“The trunk is fine, I made some room,” Vlad said, leaning over the side of the door and popping it open. He then rounded the car and opened the passenger side, giving a sweeping arm gesture to motion Danny in. 

Danny glowered at the car like if he got in, he’d never get back out. He felt like he was quite literally being forced into enemy territory. He could deal with Vlad, he knew that. Despite his best efforts the man had never truly won any of their fights. But the thought of leaving Amity in general pulled Danny’s gut into knots. 

Sam, Tucker and Jazz had assured him they’d take care of the town while he was gone, but a lingering sense of impending doom weighed down on him nonetheless. Despite all the threats that constantly plagued the town, Amity was his safe space. His haunt. Leaving it felt wrong somehow. And leaving it to spend two weeks gallivanting around the world with Vlad of all people just made it ten times worse. 

As Danny plunked himself down in the passenger seat, he felt like his fate was sealed. 

He exchanged goodbyes with his parents. Maddie leaned into the car, giving him a quick peck on his forehead and a “be safe honey, I love you.” His cheeks heated as he mumbled, “yeah I will. I love you too, mom.” 

Jack gave him a rousing slap in the shoulder and said boisterously “Love ya, Dann-o! We’ll miss you around here, but I know you’ll be having a blast!” 

Doubtful, Danny’s mind supplied unhelpfully. “Thanks dad. I love you too.” 

As his parents turned their attention to saying farewell to Vlad, Danny tuned it out. Silently scheming all the ways he could get back at Vlad throughout this trip. It was almost enough to lighten his mood. Finally, Vlad settled in the driver’s seat, slamming the door and starting the car. 

Surprisingly he said nothing to Danny, merely pulled away from Fentonworks without a backward glance. Danny found it oddly ominous and glanced in the rearview mirror to see his parents huddled together, all broad smiles and waving arms. 

Danny had a very disturbing feeling that this would be the last time he would see his parents for a long, long time. Even though logically he knew it wasn’t true, it didn’t stop his gut from churning. 

As they sped away from Amity, Danny stared at the landscape melting away in front of them. Thinking of the long trip ahead of him and feeling like he couldn’t turn back now even if he tried.

Chapter Text

Danny practically crept onto the plane until Vlad roughly shouldered past him saying “It’s only a plane, dear boy.” He gestured at the lush seating arrangements, “and a very nice one at that. You don’t need to act as if I’m ushering you up to a guillotine.”

Danny pursed his lips and grumbled, “I’d probably prefer the guillotine.”

Vlad merely scoffed and made his way to a plush looking seat, setting his briefcase on the table in front of it. Danny awkwardly hovered. The plane was nice, he’d give Vlad that. He’d never been on a private jet before, and the furnishings were much different than any plane he’d ever been on. He could practically hear Sam ranting about wasteful emissions and the use of real leather for the seats.

Danny’s eyes wandered to what looked to be an open bar, with a mini fridge and a rack full of liquor. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Vlad. He supposed that he didn’t really know Vlad well enough to know if he was much of a drinker, but with all this expensive stuff he had, Danny supposed he had to at least drink occasionally.

Vlad seemed to sense where Danny’s attention was and grinned, “would you like a drink, little badger?”

The question startled him out of his reverie, and it took him a minute to process it. Was Vlad asking…?

“I’m only 15, fruitloop! I’m too young to drink,” he blustered.

Vlad shot him a deadpan look and sighed deeply. “Really Daniel? Did you think I was offering you alcohol? I meant, did you want something nonalcoholic to drink?” 

He gestured at the mini fridge, which Danny could only conclude contained the aforementioned nonalcoholic drinks.Vlad smirked, “A nice juice box perhaps?”

He could feel the tips of his ears reddening. Of course Vlad hadn’t been offering him alcohol. He might be a depraved villain, but even he wouldn’t do that…probably.

“Oh.” Still processing Vlad’s last comment, Danny scowled and said “and no! I don’t want a fucking juice box.”

Vlad’s face darkened. “Language, Daniel. I won't tolerate that kind of behavior on this trip.”

Danny finally plopped himself down into a seat—the furthest one away from Vlad in the relatively small cabin— and chuckled darkly. “Really, Vlad, taking the moral high road, are you? Aren’t you the guy who tries to beat up a teenager on a regular basis, and you get mad when said teenager says a “bad word?” he made air quotes at that. 

Danny plowed forward, getting out some of the frustration that had been building for weeks now. “You and I both know that this trip isn’t as cut and dry as you made it seem to my parents. Don’t try to act like some responsible adult mentor to me, because you and I both know it isn’t true.” Danny let out a deep breath following his tirade. He felt a bit better after letting out some of his emotions but was supremely discomforted to see Vlad merely sitting there stone faced, staring at him.

After nearly a minute of silence, Danny broke the tension with an almost nervous, “well, fruitloop? Nothing to say to that?”

Vlad pursed his lips, and surprisingly to Danny, almost seemed to be parsing his words. “Well, Daniel, I can’t say you’re entirely wrong.” Danny’s eyebrows shot up at that.

“Despite everything that’s happened between us in the past, and what may happen in the future, I do just plan for this trip to just be about business and showing you Japan. I have no ulterior motives.” 

Danny had absolutely no clue how to respond to that. It sounded genuine, but also one phrase stuck out to him and what may happen in the future…Did that mean Vlad wasn’t giving up his evil, scheming ways in general, but just calling a truce for this one trip? 

It made absolutely no sense to Danny. So he said, “Vlad, you make absolutely no sense.”

At that, Vlad’s eyes seemed to glint with humor as he gave a subtle smile and said, “what can I say? I’m an enigma.”

Danny huddled down further into his seat, crossing his arms and grumbled, “you’re something alright.”

—

Vlad glanced over at the boy, who had shoved earbuds into his ears and pulled a hood far over his head shielding most of his face from view. The sound from his earbuds sounded atrocious. Vlad wasn’t even sure it was music if he were to base his guess off the sound of screeching instrumentals and screaming coming from the other side of the cabin. 

He sighed, readjusting his gaze to his laptop where he’d been attempting to get some work done. Another glance at the boy and he sighed again, shutting the laptop. He’d never been good at actually getting work done on planes, and Daniel’s added presence wasn’t helping matters. He eyed the liquor rack but decided he ought to at least try to set a good example for the boy. He’d brought this on himself, really. While Daniel was a distracting pain in the ass, it had been his idea to bring him along.

And despite Daniel’s assertions, Vlad really did have no ulterior motives to this trip. He fingered the metallic device in his pocket.

Well, mostly.

The thing was, business trips were just so tedious and boring. It was mind numbing, really. And who better to spice up a trip than one (self-proclaimed) “arch-nemesis?” Even Vlad had to admit, he got enjoyment out of their bickering occasionally, and Daniel was nothing if not entertaining. And…well. If he could get the boy to warm up to him even just a little, it’d be worth it, no?

But, as Vlad knew from plenty of experience, the boy’s powers would get in the way of anything beneficial happening. He ran a finger over the smooth metal in his pocket again, pondering. He was sure the boy would be mad. Beyond mad, his brain supplied. But without his powers there was nothing Daniel could do, really. He’d be a normal, helpless fifteen-year-old under the care of his adult guardian on a trip. 

Everything as it should be. No ghost powers, no fist fights in the streets, no ecto-blasts to the ass when Vlad wasn’t looking…Yes. The boy may even be cowed. 

Vlad grinned a little. He really did just want to spend a little quality time with the little badger. But if he also got to put him in his place at the same time too?

Well, that’d just be an added bonus.

—

The wind outside the plane was howling viciously, rain cascading in buckets and causing turbulence the likes of which would make many passengers sick.

Anthony McGee was an experienced pilot, however. It didn’t faze him.

He had switched shifts today and swapped with one of the less experienced pilots. He knew if he flew Masters today, he’d get home in time to see his daughter’s graduation ceremony. He’d been flying for over 30 years, first starting out as a commercial air pilot and then moving over to the more lucrative private companies.

Among them, Vlad Masters was notorious. Not that he was a bad customer, per se…just…different. Many of the pilots that worked for Anthony’s company generally avoided him. Not because the man was rude, but because he tended to exude an air that put them ill at ease. The young man that Anthony had switched with even went so far as to say that he “sent shivers down his spine.” 

Anthony didn’t have any such issues with the man. In fact, he generally found him to be pleasant, if a bit peculiar. Masters paid well, even if he didn’t actually choose to fly all that often. Which was another point of contention among the staff at the Private Air company…many noted how they always saw Masters on the news in different countries, but he hadn’t seemed to have flown there. 

Apparently, this was a running conspiracy theory on a website called “Reddit” that Anthony was not at all familiar with. Many of the young pilots had been gossiping about it when this particular flight had been scheduled. Anthony hadn’t managed to care enough to find out the particulars of all these “theories.”

This flight had been convenient, and it paid well. That’s all that really mattered.

Anthony shrugged off these thoughts as another bout of turbulence rocked the plane. His years of experience had allotted him a certain mental fortitude when it came to storms. He had never made a mistake when flying, and this shining record had made him a favorite amongst rich travelers and his employers alike. He came stamped with a “safety and swiftness” guarantee that afforded him the peace of mind that he would be able to send his little girl off to college without the worry of debt clouding her mind.

This thought came to a screeching halt, however, when Anthony came to a very sudden realization that made his stomach drop into his knees.

He was almost a hundred miles off course. It seemed he had subconsciously skirted the storm a lot more than was actually needed. He was experienced, yes, but all those years of experience had accumulated into a belief that his instincts would lead him correctly. That he could let his mind wander. A mistake he knew would have never happened to a newer, more vigilant pilot. 

All of his interactions with Masters had been cordial, but he knew the man valued punctuality. This was his main request every time he flew, “just get me there on time.” The man had never raised any complaints toward the company before, even after a few very minor mistakes on other flights. But this? Anthony’s heart pounded. With how off course he was in addition to the storm, they could be a full 4 hours behind. Even more if he ended up having to schedule a layover to re-fuel because of this stupid mistake.

Anthony wasn’t very in touch, but even he knew Vlad Masters was a very rich, very powerful man. This mistake could very well cost him his career. Any hopes he had of sending his little girl to college would be gone. Steeling himself, Anthony did the only thing he could do in order to make up for lost time.

He vowed that Masters would never find out. He silently redirected the plane.

Right into the heart of the storm.

—

As he silently observed the raging storm outside his window, Vlad felt as if something was not quite right. He had concluded that their flight was behind due to the storm, which was really no one’s fault. Usually, he was on a strict schedule. But this trip was planned to be a bit more relaxed, so he could afford to be a few hours late. His eyes scanned over the rapidly darkening and turbulent sky. It truly was a sight to behold. Large clouds towered into the sky intermittently lit from within by savage bolts of lightning. It was really quite beautiful, in a savage, terrifying sort of way. 

What had initially bothered him was the rapid pace in which the storm worsened. The sheets of rain slung down, battering the plane more and more as vicious claps of thunder rumbled, shaking the plane so hard it threatened to sling him straight out of his seat. Vlad gave a mental shrug. If he were a normal person, this may very well frighten him. But with his powers, he could easily fly himself out of here if anything were to go awry.

A glance over at Daniel told him the little badger wasn’t faring quite so well as him, though. Daniel looked shaken and upset. He kept nervously glancing out the window, knuckles white with the force of which he gripped the arm rests of his chair. His face was blanched white, and he looked like he might be sick. 

Vlad nearly raised an eyebrow at the sight. Like him, Daniel had nothing to worry about due to his powers. But the boy’s distress did stir something shockingly similar to empathy in Vlad’s chest. This, however, was quickly overpowered by a more pressing feeling of opportunity. Vlad was never one to deny his more nefarious impulses and reached into his pocket to finger the device in his pocket again. 

Daniel was extremely vigilant, and while Vlad didn’t want to admit it, a very good fighter for both his age and inexperience. This would be the perfect opportunity while his defenses were down and he was both distracted and vulnerable. Internally, Vlad knew it was awful to take advantage of the boy in this state. But he reasoned that Daniel would be in no danger, and the consequences could be talked out and reasoned with at a later time. 

He had to seize this opportunity now.

While Daniel’s attention was directed outside the window with his eyebrows furrowed and mouth set in a grim line, Vlad silently unbuckled his seat belt. He got up and walked on silent feet toward the boy, pulling the gleaming metal object from his pocket. This was, of course, when the boy’s damnable instincts kicked in and he quickly turned his head to where Vlad was standing, a mere foot away from him.

Eyes wide as saucers, Daniel’s gaze first alighted on Vlad’s grim face, and then, his hand. Vlad saw the exact moment recognition struck as lightning flashed outside and the lights inside the plane flickered. 

In that brief moment, all Vlad saw was the wildness of Daniel’s white-rimmed eyes as they stared at the gleaming object in Vlad’s hand.

It was the Plasmius Maximus.

This was when several things happened at once. With a wordless cry Daniel phased out of his seatbelt and was on his feet, summoning the bright white-blue rings that signaled his transformation. 

Seeing the beginning of Daniel’s transformation Vlad lunged forward, bringing forth his own black rings and pressing down on the Plasmius Maximus. It activated, causing a whining electric whir to flood the air. The lights in the cabin were flickering in time with the rocking of the plane as the two Halfa’s lit up the interior with their transformations.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion.

Vlad stuck out his arm with a full force blow that contained his entire weight behind it. Daniel was only halfway through his transformation when the prongs of the Plasmius Maximus made contact. Vlad’s own rings were still not up the entire length of his body as he felt the prongs thud into the boy’s abdomen.

At the same time as this, lightning struck the plane.

Normally, Vlad knew lightning striking a plane was harmless. But the electricity still had to travel through the plane and be released somewhere. And while this was usually an external source, the Plasmius Maximus was an admittedly untested bit of technology in this regard. It was created to disrupt the flow of electricity and power within a body, and when mixed with the lethal force of lightning, instead of being misdirected harmlessly throughout the plane, it was attracted to and absorbed through the Plasmius Maximus. 

To do this, of course, it had to travel through the bodies of the two halfas it was connected to first. 

Vlad felt a vicious, excruciating pain start in his heels and quickly travel and bloom throughout his entire body, ultimately exploding in light and heat in his right hand. The one that was holding the Plasmius Maximus.

This seemed to last both seconds and hours at the same time. As the Plasmius Maximus exploded in his hand, he felt a shockwave radiate through him. The plane gave an ominous, violent shudder as the lights slowly flickered out for good and everything went deathly quiet. Vlad at first thought the issue was with his hearing, until he realized what he could no longer hear was the engine of the plane. 

He staggered, glancing around wildly for Daniel until he saw him kneeling, hunched over on the floor of the cabin. That’s when he felt a tremendous shudder and was slammed violently to the ground as the plane began to nosedive. 

Panic filled him as he desperately grasped for his ghost powers. He could fly himself and Daniel to safety. Everything would be okay.

This was when he realized that he felt a distinct emptiness in his mind where the pull of his ghost powers would normally be. His black rings failed to appear.

His stomach lodged firmly in his throat as fear threatened to overtake him. He had not been this afraid or in this much pain since his accident.

His powers were gone. And the plane was going down.

—

Danny felt like his head was stuffed with cotton balls. His ears rang and everything was muffled and sounded like he was a mile under water. All he wanted was to drift back off into sleep. 

That was impossible, however, when suddenly his hearing came back full force, alive with the sounds of screaming metal and rushing wind. Heart leaping to his throat he attempted to lunge to his feet.

The plane seemed to be falling apart, bucking back and forth dangerously. The sounds of thunder and screeching metal brought Danny suddenly back into focus. He heard someone screaming wildly, animalistically. It took him a moment to realize it was him. His mouth snapped shut with a click as his body was violently jostled to the side, almost sending him careening down the center aisle. 

Attempting to steady his feet, he lurched upward, frantic eyes darting back and forth and attempting to gather his bearings. Wait, his first coherent thought, Vlad…Where’s Vlad? And then, Oh right, I have ghost powers! That thought gave him comfort, until he tried to reach for that cold spot in his brain that summoned his white transformation rings. He could fly out of here, grab the pilot…and Vlad, if he needed it, and— the transformation never came. Danny felt the distinct urge to scream and then throw up, or throw up and then scream, the order didn’t really matter. 

His stomach clenched into an icy fist. He’d felt fear, he’d even felt death…but the first time he’d died he hadn’t even known it was coming. And this time, he wagered, would be quite a bit more permanent. His mind began to white out with fear just before he was flung to the ground once more.

He clutched to the side of a seat, screaming, “Vlad! Vlad, where are you!? Fucking hell ohmygod— “

”Daniel!” He’d never been so grateful to hear that fruitloop’s voice. He peeled his eyes open, finally spotting the older halfa. He was on his feet, frantically searching for something. Stumbling around ripping open cabinets, what could he possibly be doing—? Ah, Danny understood right before Vlad made a satisfied, terrified, honest to god yelp while tearing open a cabinet near the back. 

Parachutes, of course. Vlad turned, eyes wide. Danny thought this was the first time he’d ever seen him well and truly afraid. The thought did nothing to settle his own panic. 

—

A terrifying crash interrupted Vlad’s raiding of the cabinet. An alarm started to screech. A little late for that, Vlad thought, morbidly. A sickening lurch brought Vlad to his knees. It’s too late, too late for the parachute, too fucking late—

He grabbed the other occupant of the parachute cabinet and crawled, on his hands and knees, to where Daniel was hanging, white knuckled, to the side of a seat. Gravity was betraying him, as it hadn’t in almost 20 years. Every inch was a mile, every second hard won and still too late. 

Finally Daniel seemed to understand what Vlad was trying to do, and with a terrified, determined set to his eyes, he let go of the seat and was sent careening into Vlad’s waiting arms with a bone jarring thud. 

Danny clung to Vlad, tears streaming down his face. He didn’t even care that it was Vlad, he just wanted comfort. 

Vlad started to shove the life jacket he’d snatched from the cabinet over Daniel’s head, not having time to do the clips. Daniel stared at him, lashes wet, mouth ajar, totally uncomprehending, “What are you do-“ Another jump of the plane and they stumbled, Vlad braced his legs and forced the life jacket the rest of the way over Daniel’s head.

Instinctively, Vlad knew they were about to crash into the water. That he had maybe ten seconds—fifteen if he was lucky—to ensure Daniel’s survival. 

He gathered the boy in a bear hug and launched them into the area behind the seats. Daniel clung to him, heaving and hiccuping all the while, fear making him act his age for once. Vlad, for his part, was also afraid, and contemplating why he was giving up his life for his supposed “arch-nemesis.” 

He didn’t have long to think about it, however, as one final, terrifying crash of screeching metal finally pushed them into the depths of the ocean. Vlad felt the back of his head hit the wall with a sickening crunch, and everything went black. 

—

Anthony McGee felt when something was wrong. Then the lights in the pilots cabin flickered and went out, and the world went sickeningly quiet. When everything flickered back to life he just knew. The downward tilt of the plane despite his yanking upwards on the wheel. The vicious sounds coming from the left side of the plane, and finally, the alarms blaring and red lights glaring from above. He knew. 

The left engine was down, and the right was struggling to keep up. Putting up a sputtering fight, sure. But it wouldn’t last. Anthony clenched his eyes shut and his throat clogged with emotion. He had never been a man to lie to himself. And he knew. He knew, he knew, he knew. 

The plane was going down. 

All his 30 years of experience, his talent, his intuition, wouldn’t save him. 

The plane was going down.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

But he could…maybe he could minimize damage. Maybe he could save the lives of the passengers. Masters…and that boy. God, he’s just a kid. He thought, as his hands gripped the wheel with renewed determination. 

He yanked upwards and to the left on the wheel, trying to stabilize the nose dive. They were careening toward the ocean at a stomach-churning speed. If he could just land the plane on its belly maybe the passengers could have a chance. A last ditch effort—literally—as he tried a ditching maneuver in order to land on top of the water instead of nose-first. It was the only choice. But the chaos of the storm and his quickly diminishing right engine made it nigh-on -impossible. 

Sweat cascaded down his brow as he flipped a few toggles, and steadied his breath and hands. He could do this. He could do whatever it took to try to save them. 

But not himself. Call it intuition, but he knew. He would not walk away from this. 

Through the chaos happening outside the window, he saw the ocean approaching at a breakneck speed. With a last, gut wrenching heave he pulled upwards on the wheel as the belly of the plane smashed into the water. Anthony’s neck snapped backwards, smashing his head into the seat. 

Tears streamed from his eyes as he had an eerily premonition-like thought of his daughter, standing on her graduation stage and looking, looking, looking for him. 

But he wasn’t there.

Then his forehead met the wheel with a sickening crunch. 

And he thought no more. 

—

Vlad’s ears were ringing and when he tried to pry his eyes open his vision was blurred. The overhead emergency lights began flashing like strobe lights. Vlad groaned. His head felt like it might explode, a concussion, most likely. He assessed in a daze. As soon as the plane hit water, he was sure they would be goners. But as he came to, he slowly realized that Daniel was still clutched in his arms. He looked down. The boy was breathing heavily, eyes clenched shut, and he was pale. But he was otherwise unharmed. 

Vlad felt a knot of worry quickly unfurl in his chest, and determined that that was a feeling he would categorize later. As it was now, this situation they had found themselves in was still not over. 

Because the plane was sinking. Oh, and it was on fire, too. And…yeah, his ghost powers were still gone. Vlad clenched his teeth. The warm spot in his brain where he usually reached for his powers felt weirdly hollow. The hard way it was, then. 

“Daniel!” Vlad screamed, trying to extricate himself from the boy’s vice-like grip. 

“Ughhuhh,” the boy groaned, still dazed from shock. 

“DANIEL!” Vlad tried again, shaking him. “There’s a way out! The door! We have to go NOW! Daniel…DANNY!” The boy’s eyes snapped open. 

“Whaa, Vlad?” He looked up, head wobbling, woozy. 

Vlad sighed with relief, and hoisted Daniel onto his feet. Slinging one of the boy’s arms around his shoulder he supported his weight and half-carried the boy to the door. Fire was quickly encroaching from the left engine and wing. Excruciating pain tore down Vlad’s right arm as he batted away a piece of rubble blocking the door, and he felt a pinch in his side but thought nothing of it as his adrenaline raged through his veins. 

When they stood at the edge of the door, Vlad faltered. It was still above sea-level, but quickly sinking. The smell of salt was heavy on the air, and the vicious sound of the waves was none too appealing. The sudden problem of staying above the waves and not drowning assaulted Vlad’s mind. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

The question was simple, really. 

Did he want to die now, or later? 

He chose later. 

He bunched up his knees, preparing to launch himself and Daniel into the water. 

“Vlad?” Daniel’s voice interrupted his thought process. The boy was looking at him, pain and fear evident across his face. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and his skin held a sickly pallor. He looked like hell, and Vlad was certain he didn't look much better. “You…You—“ 

“Yes, Daniel?” He paused in readying himself to launch into the vicious waves. 

“You called me Danny.” The boy said simply, confused. 

The tips of Vlad’s lips tipped upwards and he shook his head. Of course. 

“Hold your breath,” was all he said in response. 

Then he put his remaining energy and power into his legs, and launched them from the burning wreckage of the plane into the cold, unforgiving depths of the ocean. 

The shock initially paralyzed him. It was freezing. He tightened his grip on Daniel’s shirt and began paddling toward what he thought was the surface. Thankfully, he felt Daniel begin to pull his own weight and begin paddling furiously upwards. Thank the ancients, because Vlad had quickly realized he couldn’t do it alone. 

He broke the surface, Daniel’s shirt still grasped firmly in his fist. 

Salt water. How foul. 

He started coughing to clear the wretched substance from his lungs, Daniel doing the same beside him. Then he looked around, assessing their situation. To say it was abysmal would be an understatement. He did, however, spot a particularly buoyant looking piece of wreckage from the plane floating nearby. 

He maneuvered himself and Daniel closer to it. Panting heaving, ragged breaths, he rested on the wreckage and looked at the plane. It was being devoured by flames. Vlad briefly wondered how something could be burning and sinking at the same time. But found he didn't have the energy to contemplate it, and was just happy he was floating away from it instead of still being trapped inside. 

Daniel stared at the spectacle with wide, red-rimmed eyes. His face was illuminated by flame, and Vlad realized how close they were to the wreckage. He could feel the heat wafting off the demolished plane. 

“…Perhaps we should further ourselves from the plane.” Daniel nodded, eyes still wide and fixed on the spectacle. “Though,” Vlad continued, “it could be dangerous to be-“ before the words died in his throat. 

“What?” Daniel prodded. “Too dangerous to be what?” 

Vlad let out a small laugh, part giddy, part relieved. Daniel drew back, as if he never expected to hear any sort of genuine laugh from Vlad Masters. Which was probably true. 

“What are you laughing about? Vlad? Did you hit your head too hard?…Now you’re smiling. I’m getting creeped out.” 

Daniel reached a hand out, almost as if to check Vlad’s temperature, before Vlad said, “land, Daniel, land.” 

Staring into the distance, wide smile, blood caked and grimy, and  illuminated by light from the raging inferno behind them. Daniel’s gaze followed his, slack-jawed. He narrowed his eyes and seemed to catch sight of what Vlad was staring at and smiled. A dark smudge against an even darker sky. It was almost impossible to make out, and Vlad briefly wondered if they did retain some of their other-worldly abilities even in this state. A conundrum for another time. 

It didn’t seem too far away. The perfect place to wait to be rescued. Vlad briefly considered the possibility of sharks and the unfathomable depths of the ocean lurking beyond his treading feat, and suppressed a shudder. A night, or days, spent treading water in the ocean may have very well killed them both. This was luck on a level he could hardly wrap his mind around. 

Daniel let out an exuberant little laugh, tinged with a bit of exhausted madness. It seemed the little badger was feeling similar emotions to him right about now. 

“We better get going,” Vlad said, looking down at Daniel. 

For once, the boy didn't argue. 

—

It was a grueling process. They seemed to swim for hours, albeit with the aid of their buoyant little piece of wreckage. Everytime Vlad looked up, they seemed no closer. If not for Daniel next to him, he may have given up, his body and mind were beyond exhausted. But every once in a while, Vlad would look down and see Daniel determinedly paddling away, a look of grim determination etched across his face. And he knew he would never give up. A tenacious little badger indeed. 

As time went on, Vlad realized he was taking on the brunt of the paddling. With their adrenaline rushes wearing off, Daniel seemed to nod off more and more. At the start, Vlad’s entire body was alight with pain. But as the night wore on, the cold, pain, and exertion began to numb him. He felt a weight shift at his side, and saw Daniel had gone limp. His heart lurched before he realized the boy had fallen asleep, or more likely, fallen unconscious. 

Vlad merely pulled the boy closer so he wouldn't fall off, and kept going. “Don’t worry, little badger. I’ll get us there. I promise.” It was easier to say when the boy was unconscious, he reflected. 

An eternity seemed to pass. From the wreckage of the plane, the island had seemed so close. But actually traversing that distance was another matter entirely. He seemed to disassociate. He felt separated from his body, from his pain and exhaustion. Because one moment he was a lifetime away from the island, and the next, it was right on top of them. He looked up, panting, teeth chattering, and stared at their saving grace. Their oasis. 

He should have been elated. Giddy, relieved, shocked, anything. But his brain had numbed along with his body. He silently wadded up the shore, unaware of the sharp shoals ripping up the bottoms of his feet. He carried Daniel to the beach, bridal style,and left the piece of wreckage behind. The boy was still dead to the world, but thankfully, thankfully still alive. Still breathing. 

As his feet hit the sand, he dropped to his knees. He did it. 

He placed Daniel gently on the ground…

Then promptly fell to his side, exhaustion already pulling his muddled mind under. 

He had a brief thought that perhaps he should’ve gotten them further up the shore. But he was too tired to act on the thought. They’d figure everything out…Tomorrow.

Chapter Text

“This is all your fault, fruitloop.” Danny said, wiping a smudge of…something off his face. He was grimy and he felt generally crusty with dried salt water. His body protested every movement, a hundred small injuries blending into one relentless, full-body throb.

He brushed a hand down over his eyes and sighed deeply. His head throbbed. He’d woken up mere minutes ago on the sandy beach, his legs partially submerged in water as the tide rose. He’d had to wake Vlad and practically drug him further up the shore. The man was a hell of a lot heavier than he looked. And, as Danny was loath to remember, he still didn’t have his ghost powers. Which made the task much harder than it would normally be. 

Fed up, Danny settled on his haunches and leveled a scathing glare on Vlad. Who, for once, was keeping his mouth shut. “Take a look around, Vlad!” He gestured outward, “you got us into this mess, with your stupid freaking scheming. Well, congratulations, you’ve won a fabulous prize!” He stood and spun around with an angry flourish, panting, “A wonderful, one-way, tropical vacation! In the middle of NOWHERE!” 

His breaths began to come in jagged gasps as he looked outward toward the sea. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They were deserted. No food, no water, no shelter. No ghost powers. And no way home. 

Danny stomped his foot in frustration and nearly spasmed from the pain of it. Holy hell was something wrong with his feet. “Well?” He asked, “you got me into this mess and can’t even answer when I say something to you? God, Vlad, you really fucking piss me off.” 

Vlad’s throat bobbed, and Danny noticed his jaw was ticking. Danny felt a slight pang of regret-

“Language, Daniel.” Was all he said. 

Danny wanted to throttle him. He settled for snark, instead. “English, Vlad. I thought you were supposed to be smart.” 

Vlad took a deep, hitching, breath. “We need to be mature about this, Daniel-” 

“We need to be mature about this, Daniel.” Danny mocked, pitching his voice an octave higher, rolling his eyes. “FUCK being mature, Vlad. LOOK what you’ve done. You–this…it’s too far! Even for you, this–” his voice broke and he couldn’t continue. This was too much. 

Danny took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. Just like his mom used to tell him to do when he was small. His chest clenched at the thought of her but he pushed it away. He was a survivor. He had to survive this. But to do that…he cast his gaze over to Vlad, who was sat propped against a tree, curled in on himself.

He clenched his fist. Once, twice, three times…another deep breath. “We need to work together.” Breath in…out through the nose. “We need to work together,” he repeated. “Do you get that, Vlad? Because if we don’t we could die. Like for real this time. Like actually-” 

“I get it Daniel.” Vlad wasn’t looking at him. He had his arm clutched across his middle and he was staring off into the ocean. “I agree. We don’t know how long we could be…stuck here. We need to figure out some of our basic necessities.” He shifted with a grimace and Danny gave him a long, hard look. 

“...Like food, water, and shelter, you mean?” Danny said. Vlad finally turned his gaze toward him, eyebrow raised. Danny scowled. 

“Don’t look at me like that, fruitloop. I’m not an idiot.” 

Vlad sighed and looked away again. “I never said you were, dear boy.” 

Danny scowled again at the epithet. “Well, with your look it was implied. Anyways, I watch tons of survival shows. So I know water is a priority, then food, then shelter…” He cast a critical gaze over to Vlad. The man was looking wan and haggard.The left side of his face was a mess of swollen bruises and cuts. His left eye was completely swollen shut. And just the way he held himself was worrisome…Even with all of their fights, he’d never seen Vlad this injured.

“But first,” Danny said, “I think we should categorize our injuries and at least try to treat them.” 

Vlad stilled. “I’m fine, Daniel.” 

Danny raised an eyebrow, “Well, I wasn’t talking about just you. But if the shoe fits…” 

“Daniel…”

“Vladimir” Danny parroted back at him. To his surprise, Vlad let out a short, soft laugh followed by a pained grunt. 

“What, fruitloop? Don’t like when your moves are used against you?” 

“Not quite,” Vlad’s mouth curved into a small smile. “You’ve just made a common mistake. That’s not actually my full name.”

“Wha-” Danny started, but Vlad waved him away. 

“It’s not important. Let’s get back to the task at hand. As you said, categorizing our injuries should be the first priority. You start.” 

Danny wagged his finger, “uh-uh fruitloop-” He fixed Vlad with a glare, “If you’re gonna change the subject, YOU start.” He crossed his arms against his chest to really make his point. “And you CAN’T say no.”

“No,” Vlad said. 

“Goddammit, you sonofabitch-” 

Vlad scoffed, “Just tell me your injuries Daniel. The faster you do the faster this will be over with.” 

Danny stomped his left foot then nearly screeched with pain. “FINE.” He pointed at his foot, “Let’s start with this. The bottom of my feet feel like they’re on fire.” He plopped down on the sand and reluctantly removed his shoes and socks, stretching his foot for Vlad to inspect. The older man’s face darkened. Danny looked down and saw that his feet were both black and blue, and the bottom of his heel was blackened and charred. Badly burned. 

He swallowed thickly. He’d been running on adrenaline up until now, and his feet had hurt in a dull and aching sort of way. But somehow sitting down and really looking at them made it even worse. 

“Well,” He said, “that doesn’t look too great.” 

“Indeed…it must be from the electricity traveling through our bodies in the plane. Our feet were the entry point…you can walk on them?” Danny slowly stood back up, grimacing, and took a few tentative steps. 

He nodded, “yeah, I can. It hurts but I have a high pain tolerance…” He shot a look at Vlad’s feet, which were somehow still in his shoes. “What about you?” 

“We’re not talking about me—don’t interrupt me Daniel— We’ll get to my injuries later. Sit back down…We’ll have to try to keep the open wounds on the bottom of your feet clean somehow…We’ll deal with it later…what else?” 

Danny sighed dramatically as he sat. “Honestly, that’s the most major thing I think.” He gestured at his body, “mostly just some gnarly bruising and some shallow cuts.”He held up his left hand, “A few of my fingers are jammed. But nothing was broken,” he ran his tongue along his teeth, “And one of my teeth is chipped.” He shrugged, “All in all, not too bad. I’ve had worse from Skulker during a Tuesday afternoon hunt. The only bad thing is that I don’t have my ghost-powered healing.” 

He cast his gaze over Vlad, who was in considerably worse shape. His memories of the crash were blurry. But he remembered the life jacket, and Vlad shielding him with his body…he shook his head. Vlad had gotten them into this mess to begin with. The least he could do was take the brunt of the damage. But still, something in Danny’s chest seized when he looked at Vlad. Damn his basic human empathy. 

“Well, your turn. Don’t keep me waiting, old man.” 

Vlad scowled and shifted minutely, grimacing. He remained silent. 

“Vlad…” 

The older man sighed, defeated. “Just from what I can tell based on what I feel…my feet and heels are in similar condition to yours.” He shifted his right leg, showing Danny the blackened, blown out bottom of his loafer. “My face, obviously, is a mess. My left eye in particular. One of the cuts reached the eye, I think. I also have a head injury. I remember slamming it as I fell, and it hurts, but I can’t tell anything besides that.” He paused, gathering breath. “Some bruised ribs, too, I think. And, like you, general bruises and scratches everywhere.” He averted his eyes. 

“…Is that all?” Vlad didn’t reply. “Vlad.” 

“My right arm is broken. Quite badly, I think. And…burnt. When I was holding the…” He paused. Cleared his throat. “The…Plasmius Maximus. It exploded in my hand. I think it’s…bad.”

Danny blinked, perturbed by how Vlad was acting. “O-kay…well. It’ll be alright. We can make a splint, and find something to use as bandages and…what?” 

Vlad shifted again, finally lifting his arm from where it had been clutched. He slowly unfurled from the almost fetal-like sideways position he had been in. Danny gasped. 

“There’s also…this.” He looked down at his torso, seeing it properly for the first time. He’d felt it, of course. A small piece of shrapnel stuck out of his side, surrounded by a ring of blood. It had been covered by his suit jacket before he lifted it, gingerly, with his left hand to show Daniel. 

Danny rushed to his knees at Vlad’s side.His hands hovered helplessly over the wound.

“VLAD! Why didn’t you say anything?” He stared at the blood. “This is… it’s still bleeding.”

“I wanted to make sure you were alright first. This is…well. To be quite blunt, without my ghost powers, this is a bad wound. I didn’t…if you were more seriously injured, you couldn’t deal with this.”

Danny had seen a lot of blood in his 15 years. Mostly his own. Well…all his own, actually. And sometimes it was green, but that's besides the point. This was someone else’s blood. Vlad’s blood. And quite a lot of it too. How had he not noticed? And…they were on a shitty, deserted island. With no medical supplies, no help, and- 

“Breath, Daniel. It’s alright. With the shrapnel still in, It’s not bleeding too badly. And I don’t think it punctured anything vital.” 

Breath in…hold it…and out through the nose. Danny steadied his trembling fingers and fixed Vlad with a hard stare. “You are NOT dying and leaving me here alone on this shitty freaking island, fruitloop. Tell me what I need to do.” 

Vlad huffed out a small laugh. “Well…the shrapnel is staunching the bleeding, but it can’t stay in.” Danny nodded. He knew that much. “So all we can do, really, is take it out…and hope for the best.” Danny began to protest before Vlad continued. “We can use my jacket as a bandage. And soaking it in salt water is all we can do to help keep the wound clean.” 

At the look on Danny’s face, Vlad’s voice softened. “If it stays in, I’ll die. Taking it out is the only way…unless you’d prefer that option?”

“Shut up. Idiot. I just said you are not gonna die. Aren’t you listening?” Danny clenched his teeth and a determined glint entered his eye as he got up, grabbing Vlad’s suit jacket and limping toward the water. 

Once he was back, he settled beside Vlad with the wet suit jacket. He’d torn the insides out into smaller strips. It was a lighter, more airy material. Perfect for bandages. 

“Okay, frui-Vlad. Are you ready?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” Vlad tried to feign an air of nonchalance. But Danny could tell he was nervous. Danny’s hands trembled. His heart raced. He couldn’t do this…what if he killed Vlad? What if-

“I have a theory.” Vlad said, out of nowhere. Danny’s spiraling thoughts paused. 

“What?” 

“I think we still have some of our advanced healing. I have an exceptionally high pain tolerance, but if I were a normal human, I think I’d be in much worse shape with these injuries. I thought the same thing on the plane.”

Danny looked down at the slowly widening ring of blood around the shrapnel. He didn’t feel convinced. 

“It’s more than a theory,” Vlad insisted. “We…we’re not human, Daniel. No matter how much we want to pretend to be. I’ve had 20 years to study it. We have ghostly cores. Ghostly anatomy, it…it’s not something that can just be turned off. The Maximus…it suppresses. The thing with the electricity and the plane, it messed it up. Extended the time period. Cuts off our powers. But it didn’t take them away. Not technically. It can’t. Because we’re not half-human, half-ghost…we’re something else…we’re…” his brain was fizzling. For all this talk, his head injury was starting to get to him. 

“Oh, butter-fucking- biscuits…what I’m trying to say is…I’ll be fine, Daniel. Just do it.” 

Danny said nothing. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a sodden leather wallet. He held it out to Vlad. “Here, bite this.” 

Vlad furrowed his eyebrows but didn’t refuse. It was a good idea. He bit down on the wallet. Hard. 

Danny locked eyes with the older halfa. “You ready?”

Vlad gave a tight nod. 

Danny pulled. 

One second…two…three…The shrapnel was longer than Danny had anticipated. His heart started to thunder in his chest. 

He heard muffled groaning from Vlad.

Then he felt a slight tug from the shrapnel as the suction let it free with a pop. And it was out. Danny felt a swooping relief fill his chest. 

And then he felt hot, warm liquid run between his fingers. He looked down and the ring of red was growing at an alarming pace. He shot a glance at Vlad’s face, which was pale. His eyes were clenched tight and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. Danny didn’t have time for indecision and he quickly wrapped Vlad in the sea-soaked bandages. They soaked through quickly, but he pressed the heavy fabric of the suit jacket to the wound to staunch the bleeding. It didn’t soak through. 

Panting, Danny lightly slapped Vlad’s face with his unoccupied hand. Once, twice…Vlad opened his eyes. “Hey. You’re not gonna die. Remember?” He was surprised at how choked his voice was. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. “Okay, Vlad? You’re not gonna die. You can’t leave me here all alone. Okay? Promise?” 

Vlad spit out the wallet and it slid away as he panted huge, gulping breaths. They became more shallow and even after a few moments. The wheezing was concerning, however.

Danny clutched the older Haifa’s uninjured arm and stared into his eyes. “Promise me.” 

Vlad gasped. “I promise...” 

Then his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he was out. 

Danny’s stomach plummeted. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he quickly lifted the suit jacket to see if the bleeding had spread. It hadn’t. He checked Vlad’s pulse. It was there, weak, but there. Danny nearly signed with relief. Maybe Vlad’s little theory was correct. Whatever the case, it was going to be a long day and night waiting for the older man to wake up. 

Danny settled himself at Vlad’s side, readying himself for his silent vigil. 

—-

Danny cracked his left eye open and felt a sickening, nervous clench in his stomach. Panicked, he jerked upwards, swinging toward where Vlad lay beside him. He’d fallen asleep, he was supposed to be watching Vlad—what if Vlad had died, what if—

The older halfa’s chest rose and fell and he let out a soft sound, which may have been a snore. 

Danny relaxed. 

Vlad looked vulnerable. It was a strange sight. As much as Danny loathed the guy, he respected him in an odd way. Every time they fought Danny couldn’t help but envy Vlad’s control and understanding of his powers. Seeing him laid this low, even if it was all his fault, gave Danny no pleasure. Watching Vlad sleep, pale and sunken, he couldn’t help but wish things had been different between them. 

He sighed. The past was the past, the present is now, and the future will be the future. It was something his mom liked to say. He couldn’t dwell on it. He could only focus on the now. A wry smile curled his lips. If there was one thing he could do, it was compartmentalize. 

He began a list in his head. Water, food, shelter. Water was the most pressing issue, of course, but the rumbling in his stomach drove him to his feet in search of something edible. He tried to do some mental math on the last time he ate. Two days, three? He couldn’t remember. The more he thought about it, the worse it got. What he wouldn’t do for a Nasty Burger right now, with a side of loaded chilli fires and a large cherry Coke- 

He stopped in front of a large palm tree, squinting upwards at it. His eyes flitted across the large, spanning leaves looking for-ah! He gave out a small whoop. Coconuts. 

He hadn’t been sure he’d find any. Geographically, he had no clue where they were. They’d been heading to Japan. So, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. But he had no clue what kind of environment he’d find here. The potential topography of the island was a mystery to him. What he’d seen of it so far was sparse. Black, jagged cliffs hung ominously off to one side surrounded by dense forests. 

He suspected he may be able to find some sort of drinkable water further in but had no idea what kinds of potential predators, if any, could be lurking. But he couldn’t explore now, regardless. He didn’t want to stray too far from Vlad. He’d have to ask the older man when he awoke. Maybe he could surmise more. For now, the coconuts were a boon. A saving grace. Food and water all rolled into one, perfect, little ball. 

There was only one problem, however. This was a tall tree, and the coconuts were at the very top. 

Daniel James Fenton was not one to be deterred. He metaphorically rolled up his sleeves and got to work. 

Halfway up the trunk he began to realize he may have miscalculated. His hands trembled and his thighs shook. The bottoms of his feet screamed in pain. His human form wasn’t as weak as it seemed. Recently he’d begun to put on some muscle and finally hit his growth spurt. But he was still aching from the crash, and feeble from lack of food and water. 

He began to slowly slide back down the trunk. The rough bark dug into his skin and caught at his clothes. His grip loosened even further against his will and- 

He hit the sand below with an “oomph.”

He did a quick mental scan of his body for any additional injuries. Thankfully he hadn’t broken anything, but his back was sore. He groaned and dug the back of his head into the sand. What a waste of time and energy! It was just then he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He grinned. 

A bundle of coconuts had fallen off the tree from all his shaking as he fell down the trunk. Lucky on two counts, he thought to himself. That now he had the coconuts, and they hadn’t hit him in the head as he fell. 

As he made his way back to Vlad with his prize clutched securely in his hands he was surprised to see the older halfa awake. He was sat slumped against a small outcropping of rock. Danny could see the marks from where Vlad had dragged himself to the rock to prop himself up, but decided not to comment on it. 

Danny was also surprised to see that Vlad was…smiling at him? It was then that he realized, with a dawning realization of mortification, that Vlad had seen the whole thing. He felt the tips of his ears heat. 

He glared at the older man, “if you don’t stop staring at me, I’m not going to share with you.”

Vlad chuckled, “that’s quite alright, dear boy. If I wanted coconuts, I'd simply get up, walk over there,” he slung a thumb over his shoulder, “and pick those fallen ones up from the base of that tree.”

Danny’s eyes followed where Vlad had indicated and sure enough, there were many coconuts just laying there. The rest of Danny’s face heated. How had he not noticed? 

Huffing in anger, Danny said, “oh yeah? Well I don’t think you’re getting up and walking anywhere any time soon.” He stared pointedly at the marks from where Vlad had drug his body to the rock. Danny knew that this was, as Tucker would say, a low blow. 

And it certainly hit. Vlad’s eyes darkened and his upper lip curled slightly. He started to stand up, bracing his good arm against the rock behind him. He got about half way there before he all but collapsed, breath heaving in his chest. Danny made to move toward him before he saw that the dark look in Vlad’s eyes had faded. It was something sadder. Something resigned. It was not a look Danny recognized on Vlad and he didn’t know what to do with it. 

Vlad said nothing and refused to make eye contact. Danny didn’t know what to do. He could fight and argue with Vlad all day long. But…comfort him? Help him? It was a foreign concept. 

He decided to change the subject. “We need to do something about your arm.” 

Vlad grunted but did not respond. 

“C’mon. Work with me here, Vlad. Your arm is broken and your hand is burnt. We can clean both of our burns out with salt water, and I can get stuff to make a splint for your arm.” Danny was a doer. He needed something to do. Talk to Vlad about his feelings? Hell no. Fix his arm? Well, he could at least try to do that. 

 Vlad remained silent. 

Danny huffed, “fine, be that way. You sit there and stew and I’ll go be helpful and find what we need.” He paused, and when he sensed no response was forthcoming, he sighed and walked away. 

—

Vlad was feeling thoroughly defeated. He was many things, but he rarely felt useless. Daniel had been right, Vlad had gotten them into this mess. And now he was invalid, and couldn’t even move enough to gather coconuts for Christ sake. He tried to gently maneuver his arm and sucked air in through his teeth in pain. 

He was downplaying it for Daniel, but this pain was horrendous. 

He’d broken bones before, and he felt reasonably certain something deeper was going on. He just hoped that a modicum of his advanced healing would come through like it had for the wound on his side. 

He let his head thump backwards and sighed. This whole situation was a mess, and he couldn’t even shirk off the blame and responsibility onto someone else as he was so often wont to do. He ran his uninjured hand through his hair, shaking. This couldn’t be blamed on Jack, or on bad luck. No matter how he tried to twist it in his head, he felt a feeling he so rarely did: guilt. 

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. He then realized that Daniel had wandered out of his sight. He felt a pit open in his stomach. What if something happened to the boy? What if he fell and injured himself? Or died?—Vlad was having trouble breathing. At first he thought it had something to do with his bruised ribs, but as the nausea rolled in and the static tingling began in the tips of his fingers, he understood. He hadn’t felt this since college. 

He was having an anxiety attack. 

It had been so long he had almost forgotten the feeling. After the hospital, whenever he felt one coming on or began to feel guilt or regret, he simply shifted into his ghost form. Something about his ghost form was a balm for his anxiety. His ghost form was powerful, fearsome and steadfast. Everything he was not. 

Without it, he felt lost. Set adrift in a miasma of torrential feelings too vast for him to quantify. 

He heard footsteps crashing through brush, and tried to quickly get himself under control. He couldn’t let Daniel see how out of sorts he felt. He was, after all, the adult in this situation. Despite how capable and independent the boy was he was still just that, a boy. 

He had evened out his breathing by the time Daniel appeared carrying two flat branches of approximate length. 

“Hey-o, V-man!” Daniel said, clearly impersonating his father. 

Vlad unconsciously scowled. Leave it to this boy to crash in like this in the middle of his anxiety attack. He ran a hand down his face and squashed the last of his panic. Mostly. His fingers were still tingling. But he had always been a good actor. 

“Hello, Daniel. Did you get what we need?” 

“Oh, you’re talking to me now?—Don’t scowl at me like that—Yes, I did,” Daniel turned around and paused mid step, “woah, dude! You’re really pale, are you okay?”

”I am not your “dude,” and yes, I’m fine.” Vlad tried to rearrange himself into a more natural position. At the look Daniel was giving him, he had clearly failed. 

“Alright, whatever you say, dude.” Daniel gave him a challenging glare, but Vlad let the matter drop. 

Daniel settled down beside him and started tearing more pieces off Vlad’s suit jacket. “Okay, it’s gonna hurt, but you gotta hold your arm out at a natural angle. Holding it curled up like that will make it set incorrectly.” He sounded as if he was reciting from memory. 

Vlad gave him a strange look but acquiced. He nearly couldn’t straighten his arm due to the pain, but with Daniel watching he wasn’t going to make a fuss. Daniel began making the splint. He wrapped his arm in pieces of jacket first, then set the two pieces of branch on the top and bottoms of his arm. He finished by tying strips of jacket around the splint. Not too tightly, but not loose, either. 

Vlad raised an eyebrow and Daniel shrugged, saying, “Jazz has had to do this for me a few times. I usually heal within a few hours, but I learned the hard way not to let it heal at the wrong angle. So whenever I break my arm, Jazz makes a splint for me. Though, usually with better supplies than this.” He grinned, as if what he just said was completely normal. 

Vlad felt that pit open in his stomach again and felt a well of emotions surging up that he didn’t understand or know how to deal with. How many times had that broken arm Daniel spoke of been because of him? Despite what Daniel may believe, he did always pull his punches when fighting with the boy, but—

“Uhh, earth to Vlad, you okay?” Daniel said, waving a hand in front of Vlad’s face. 

“Yes—yes. I’m fine. And…thank you, Daniel. For helping me.” It was stilted and awkward, but Vlad hoped it sounded sincere. 

Daniel looked mortified. “Oh my god. Are you gonna die? Is the world gonna end?” He looked to the sky as if the heavens were about to crash down around them. 

Vlad furrowed his eyebrows, “I’m merely thanking you.” He sniffed, “I have manners. I’m not a monster.” 

“Says the guy who’s ghost form is literally a vampire,” Daniel muttered under his breath. 

“Hmpf, you won’t be feeling so high and mighty once you get your fangs.” 

“Get my—what!?” Daniel looked at him, eyebrows furrowed and mouth open. 

“Well, my ghost form looked a lot like yours when I was newly formed. It changed as I matured, but that’s not important. We have other, more pressing matters to attend to.” Vlad said, rummaging his good hand through his pockets. 

“More important? You’re telling me that in a few years I’m gonna be running around rocking the Dracula look, what’s more important than that!?” 

Vlad merely gestured to the island around them with a raised eyebrow. 

Daniel nodded, “Ahh, right. Deserted island, no powers, potentially dying of starvation or dehydration. I guess that’s more important. But eventually we’re gonna circle back around to the me-eventually-growing-fangs-thing.” 

Vlad rolled his eyes, “right…anyways. We need to talk, Daniel—“ 

“Sorry, V-man, but my dad already told me about the birds and the bees.” Daniel said blithely. 

Vlad stopped and stared at him, then pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand and sighed. “I’m not even going to reply to that.”

Daniel smirked, saying, “you just did.” 

Vlad looked at him, face inscrutable. Then, suddenly, “empty your pockets.” 

“Uh, what?” Daniel said, puzzled. 

“So we can see if you have anything of use on your person,” Vlad said while unloading his own pockets. 

“Ah, that makes sense. Okay.” Daniel began unloading his pockets. A leather wallet, keys, and two peppermints. 

Vlad eyed the items and Daniel sighed, saying, “well. I’m not much use here. The keys could be helpful, there’s some mini nail clippers on them…and my wallet has permanent imprints of your teeth and is probably covered in your saliva.”

Vlad winced at the reminder as Daniel unwrapped one of the mints, shrugging. 

“What about in your wallet, anything of use?” 

Danny sucked thoughtfully on the mint as he rummaged through his wallet. “My school ID, some cash, and…” he pulled out something, it’s back to Vlad. Danny sucked in a sharp intake of breath. 

“What is it?” Vlad asked, carefully. 

“It’s just…a family photo. Not…not useful.” He ran a thumb over it, before carefully tucking it back into his bedraggled wallet. 

The following silence was awkward, so Vlad changed the subject. “Well, I may have some items of use.” He spread them out in front of them. 

Daniel raised an accusatory eyebrow, “Cigarettes? Tsk tsk, Vladdie, that’s bad for you, dontchya know?” He said in a shockingly accurate impersonation of the dairy king. 

“Well, considering I’m not even human, I’m not sure the health risks are applicable to me. And you should be glad for my bad habit, Daniel. Because now, we have this.” He held up a regular black blick lighter with a flourish. He thought he’d never seen anything so beautiful. 

Daniel clapped, “nice! Does it work?” 

Vlad flicked it, once, twice…three times, and it sparked, but nothing more. He began to think maybe the water had ruined it, but gave it one last try. It lit, one unwavering flame floating above his thumb. Vlad grinned, and was heartened to see a similar expression on Daniel’s face.

“Well,” Vlad said, “that takes one thing off our to-do list. And the coconuts can suffice for both food and water for now. Though we will need find a freshwater source eventually, we can focus on shelter—“ 

He stopped abruptly, tilting his head. 

“Vlad, what—?” Daniel started to say before understanding began to dawn on his face. 

There was a distant rumbling sound, faint but unmistakable. 

A helicopter. 

Daniel whipped around, eyes tracking the distant horizon. Vlad spotted it just as he did, a black speck amongst the foggy haze. 

The boy leapt to his feet and began racing to the shoreline, waving his arms wildly. Vlad ignored his injuries and staggered upward for the first time in days. His heart pounded. Not in his wildest imagination had he thought they’d be rescued so soon. He trudged after Daniel, meeting him at the shore line. 

Daniel was hooting and waving his arms erratically. Instead of excited he looked terrified. Vlad understood the feeling well. The helicopter was miles and miles away. If they had a fire built with a smoke signal, maybe it would see them, but—

“No no no no, NO!” Daniel yelled as the helicopter began to turn toward the opposite direction. 

“HEY! We’re here! We’re right here! COME BACK…come back!” 

The helicopter flew out of their sight.  

Danny collapsed to the ground, panting. Fists clenched, he punched the sand. 

Vlad didn’t know what to do. He’d never been the comforting type. He crouched down and laid a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. The boy flinched away from him violently. His head whipped around and his eyes bore into Vlad’s, accusatory. 

“Don’t touch me, you fruit basket! This is all your fault! Why couldn’t you just leave me alone? Now I’m stuck on this stupid island, and I’ll probably never get home. And the worst of it? I’m stuck here with you!” He flung that last bit with a venom Vlad had hardly heard from him before. 

Vlad slowly moved his hand away, hurt. But he honestly couldn’t argue the point. He felt that hole open in his chest once more. Daniel was right. They were in a hopeless situation. And it was all his fault. 

He slowly moved away from the boy as Daniel began to shake. His head was turned from Vlad, but he was clearly crying. Vlad didn’t know what to do. He was the adult in this situation. He needed to step up and take care of Daniel, but he felt more lost than he ever had. 

“Just go away! Leave me the fuck alone!” Daniel’s voice was thick with tears. 

Vlad swallowed around a lump in his throat, and looked to the horizon instead of down at the boy.

Vlad said quietly, “okay…I’ll go get started on the shelter.” 

As he walked away, he heard Daniel’s crying intensify into hiccuping sobs. He felt a wetness gather at his own lashes but silently willed them away.

Chapter Text

It had been a day since the helicopter, and Daniel hadn’t spoken a word to him since. 

Vlad had since made a reasonably tolerable lean-to shelter from branches and palm leaves, but his injuries limited his movements. He had thought several times about asking Daniel for help, but was unwilling to break the tense silence. 

He’d never thought of silence as a weapon, but it certainly cut deeper than any words the boy could utter. 

Daniel did his part. He gathered coconuts, brought the leaves and branches for the shelter, and tended to the fire. But he said nothing. 

Vlad sighed internally and looked around at their meager surroundings. It was passable for now, but he worried that they couldn’t survive on it for long. The coconuts, for one, were getting very old. He had spied Daniel trying to catch fish and crabs on the shore and selfishly wished the boy would succeed soon.

A sickening, nauseous pit had formed in his stomach from what he could only assume was a mixture of hunger and his bowels irritation at the constant influx of coconut flesh and milk. It would not be enough in the long term. 

And water. Water was a pressing issue. It had rained the night before and they had put out the coconut halves to gather the rain. But he knew they could not depend on the weather for freshwater. 

As he sat, peeling yet another coconut with the shard Daniel had pulled from his side, he looked over at the boy. 

Daniel sat with his back to Vlad, staring out at the turbulent, pitching waves of the ocean. His hair and the ruins of his shirt whipped in the wind. It was, overall, a melancholic picture. 

Vlad’s hand slipped as he carved and the shard pierced the side of his calf. Peeling a coconut with only one good hand was certainly not easy. He stared down at the offending object as he plucked it from the meat of his leg. Not a deep wound, but irritating nonetheless. If it wasn’t of such use, he would have thrown the damnable object out to sea for the waves to devour. 

As he watched the blood slowly gather in the crook of his knee, he said to Daniel, “I’m worried about freshwater.” 

Daniel’s posture stiffened at the words, but he said nothing. 

Steeling himself, Vlad continued, “we can’t continue to depend upon the rain. And the coconuts are a diuretic, if we keep going like this, we’ll dehydrate before-“ 

Daniel abruptly stood up and started walking away. 

Vlad was speechless for a moment before continuing, “wait! Daniel, we need to talk about this. Where are you going?-“ 

“I’ll go search for water further into the forest.” Daniel said, and then he disappeared into the trees. 

“Wait! Daniel! No, it’s dangerous—“ But the boy was already gone. 

Vlad slammed the coconut he’d been peeling to the ground. That damned, stubborn boy! He’ll get himself killed out there, he thought. Daniel was capable, sure, but they had no idea how large this island even was. Anything could happen. 

Vlad staggered to his feet intent on following Daniel into the forest. As he made his way toward the trees he realized that he would never catch up with the boy. His arm still screamed in pain at the slightest movements, his side burned, and his right eye was still swollen shut. Daniel had a much better chance of making it back to the camp than he did. It was a sobering thought. 

His stomach now churned with more than nausea as panic tried to set in. He shook his head, willing it away. 

He began to walk toward the shore, ignoring the way his body protested and limped. For some godforsaken reason, he began to think about his accident in college and his time in the hospital. It had been a long time since he’d felt this unwell in his body, so it was hard not to liken the two situations. 

He was an old hand at pain and helplessness. But it had always been his own. He’d never had to worry about the welfare of someone else. Daniel was outside his reach. Outside his control. 

And Vlad Masters did not like feeling out of control. 

As his breathing became short, he staggered to a stop. He sat in the sand facing the ocean, trying to regain his composure.

It wasn’t working. 

As his heart constricted he felt his vision in his remaining eye going black around the edges and his hearing begin to dim. A feeling of overwhelming doom began to encapsulate him. 

As his breaths turned ragged he tried to remember how he’d gotten through this in college whenever it happened. 

His fingers gripped the loose clumps of his hair. I’m fine-I’m fine-I’m alive, right? It’s okay it’s okay it’s okay—

None of this is okay. It felt like his blood was on fire, as if he’d been poisoned. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t breathe. 

“Just breathe, Vladdie. One big breath in, one big breath out. Slowly. That’s it, just like that. It’s okay.” A hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles. “It’s okay. Just open your eyes. What do you see?” 

Vlad took one deep breath in and slowly let it out. Over and over again until the racing in his heart subsided. “What do you see?” 

He slowly cracked open his good eye and was blinded by the brilliant light cascading and reflecting off the ocean. The waves were gentle, lapping at the shore. He could see the brilliant blue of the ocean, smell the salt, and hear the waves and caws of birds high overhead. 

His heart slowed, and the roar in his ears lessened to a dull throb. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” 

That voice was low and soothing. The hand was gentle on his back as it held him. Who was that? Who had it been?

Why couldn’t he remember? 

As the tingling of his limbs lessened, he brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them. What was wrong with him? He remembered having small attacks in college, but never like this. Or was he wrong? Had they been this bad and he just didn’t remember?

“Just breathe, Vladdie.” Suddenly, a face materialized in his memory. Black hair, kind eyes, his most hated enemy. 

Who else could it have been, but Jack? His breath shuddered in his chest. Jack was a blundering oaf! An oblivious idiot! He’d never helped Vlad like that. He’d—

Another memory materialized. It was freshman year, and Vlad had just received the call that his father had died. Jack had held him on the floor of their shared dorm room as he sobbed. He drove him all the way home to Wisconsin, he’d comforted him in the aftermath. He’d only known Vlad for two months at that point. They’d been inseparable after. 

Vlad shook his head. What was this? False memories? It wasn’t as if he’d simply chosen not to remember these moments, but like he’d…he hugged his knees tighter to himself. His arm and side screamed in pain, but it grounded him. 

For the first time in twenty years, he was without his ghost half. And for the first time in twenty years, he remembered the good parts of his friendship with Jack Fenton. 

Vlad shuddered. The correlation couldn’t be ignored. 

But neither could it be dwelled on. 

He had bigger issues at hand. His crumbling mental state and his numerous physical injuries couldn’t hold him back from keeping Daniel alive. 

With one more deep breath, he stood with exaggerated care, as to not jostle any of his wounds. He began to walk down the shore away from the camp. 

Maybe he could try to catch some of those crabs Daniel had been trying to get, and clear his mind with a short walk. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

As he advanced upon a small, shallow pool, he bent and inspected its inhabitants. Small fish and crabs darted around its crystalline depths. He gave a small smile. If this whole situation wasn’t so horrific, this island would be rather relaxing. If nothing else, it was beautiful. 

He contemplated ways to catch the fish and crabs, like cutting off their way of escape back to the ocean. The end of the small pool tapered off and flowed back toward the sea. He began to think of a few ways he could lure fish into a smaller area and be able to come back to harvest them later. Much like a snare used on small game. 

He was an engineer at heart and having a problem to work on and solve always cheered him.

It was then that the breeze blew towards him, bringing with it a dreadful smell. He nearly gagged with the force of it, whipping his head away.

It smelled of death and decay. 

He briefly wondered if a dead whale or some other animal had washed up down the shore, the smell was that rancid. 

Some sort of morbid curiosity drove him further up the shore, toward the smell. He covered his mouth and nose with what was left of his white dress shirt. It grew stronger as he approached a small outcropping of rock that was being battered by waves. 

He drew up short as he caught sight of something behind the rock. He stared at it, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. As the image before him materialized and comprehension dawned on him the world seemed to tilt underneath his feet. 

There, sticking out from behind the rock, was a polished leather shoe. 

He advanced further, unable to help himself. His eyes traveled along the shoe, up a khaki clad leg, and up to—

Vlad gagged and expelled the contents of his stomach, meager as they were, right then and there. 

In front of him, bloated and rotting, lay the corpse of the pilot. 

—

Danny trudged through the forest in what he hoped was the direction of the camp. If the sloping lean-to and small fire could even be called that. 

He scowled and whacked a near-by palm tree with the walking stick he’d foraged. The underbrush was dense beneath his feet and it was hard to navigate. He’d kill for a machete right about now. 

He’d kill for a lot of things, actually. Like being home with his family and friends, and not stuck on a deserted island with Vlad Masters. He sighed as he circumvented yet another small outcropping of rock. 

The incident with the helicopter had been nothing short of soul-crushing. He hadn’t actually expected it to spot them, but he’d hoped. And there was nothing as disappointing as hoping. 

He had to come to terms with the fact that they may never be rescued. They may have to wait until their ghost powers came back…and if they didn’t? Danny couldn’t even think about it. The thought of being stuck here for months or even years was completely demoralizing. 

He thought back to his interaction with Vlad before he left. He knew it would be for the best in the long run to get along with the man, but he certainly wasn’t wrong for blaming Vlad for all of this. Let the fruitloop stew in his own thoughts for a while. But Vlad had been right about one thing, they needed a fresh water source. And while Danny hadn’t found one this time around, he did find signs that there may be one nearby. Many birds were congregating in the area, and he’d thought he heard the distant sounds of water but hadn’t yet nailed it down. 

But it was growing dark and he wanted to make it back before he could no longer navigate. 

As he walked he tried to direct his thoughts away from his homesickness, but the feeling was pervasive. It was like a sickening weight in his heart. He thought of the family photo in his wallet and itched to get it out to look at it again but feared somehow ruining or losing it. 

Nearly thirty minutes later he finally broke into the clearing that held their camp. He was rather proud of himself for finding his way back. He’d always said he had a great sense of direction and now he had proof. 

Danny looked around, eyebrows furrowed. Vlad was gone. 

Something akin to anxiety stirred in his chest. Where could he have gone? While he was still angry with the older man, he had remained worried about Vlad’s injuries. While Vlad could get around and had done his best to make a shelter, it was clear he was in immense pain. So where could he have wandered off to, and why? 

Danny looked toward the sky. It was quickly darkening and great, towering clouds gathered along the far horizon, covering the sun as it made its slow descent west. 

It figured he’d have to go save Vlad. Who knows what trouble he’s gotten himself into Danny thought as he tried to mask how worried he was with anger. 

It wasn’t quite working. 

As he made his way toward the shore he sorely wished for his ghost powers. He’d never realized how much he took them for granted. He yearned for the open sky and the wind in his hair. If he could fly, he could scout the island and find Vlad in an instant. 

But then, if they had their ghost powers, they wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. While he couldn’t teleport—yet—Vlad could, and they could be home in moments. Albeit with a lot of explaining to do, but still. 

He’d decided Vlad probably hadn’t followed him into the forest, and hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking. He thought that Vlad would have enough sense not to risk it in his condition. If anything, the man was smart. So he made his way along the shore, hoping he was going in the right direction. 

Images of Vlad collapsed and dying flooded his vision and he tried to push them away. It wasn’t just that he’d be alone if something happened to Vlad, though that was part of it. But despite everything, he couldn’t truly bring himself to hate the man. Vlad was the only other member of their entire species. Before he’d met Vlad, Danny hadn’t thought about it. But ever since the mess at the college reunion he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. 

Vlad had been right a few days ago. They weren’t human. And for as much as other ghosts called him halfa, that wasn’t quite it, either. Only Vlad understood what it was to be caught in the in between. Only Vlad could understand what it meant to be dead and alive, and neither, all at the same time. 

And god, how often did Danny wish that Vlad wasn’t such a selfish ass. That they could just get along? How often did he wish that things were different…

He stopped as he saw a moving figure about quarter of a mile down the shore.

He squinted as he moved closer. It looked like Vlad was dragging something. But that didn’t make any sense at all. 

He decided to make himself known, so he didn’t scare Vlad, and in a way, to let the older man know that his silent treatment was over. 

“Hey! Vlad!” Danny waved his arms about to get his attention, “what the hell are you doing?”

Vlad startled and dropped what he was dragging with a yelp. Danny raised an eyebrow, he didn’t know if he’d ever seen the man so frazzled. The object was long, and Vlad had dropped the majority of it behind a rock so even as he drew nearer, Danny couldn’t identify it. 

“Stop!” Vlad’s voice was hoarse and frayed. 

Danny stopped in his tracks immediately at the sound of it, shocked. “What, what’s wrong, Vlad? You don’t sound very—“

Danny took a few steps forward. He was only about twenty steps away now, and Vlad stepped in front of the portion of the object that stuck out from behind the rock. 

“What are you doing? Why are you so far from the camp, what’s wrong?” 

Vlad looked pale, and his good eye was red-rimmed, like he’d been crying. Danny had no clue how to interpret this situation at all. 

“Are…are you okay, Vlad? What’s going on?”

”Just go back to the camp, Daniel. I’ll be back shortly.” Vlad sounded so tired. His voice was raw in a way Danny hadn’t even been sure Vlad was capable of. 

It was then that Danny let his eyes travel downward, and he caught a glimpse of the object between Vlad’s legs. It didn’t make any sense…it was a leather shoe. But Vlad had his shoes on…so, a shoe had washed up on the shore?

It was then that his brain began to catch up. The object Vlad had been dragging had been long, and judging by the way Vlad had been moving, heavy. And poking out from behind the rock was a shoe. 

Horror began to set in as Danny realized what was going on. 

It must’ve shown on his face because Vlad said in a broken voice, “go back to the camp, Daniel.” 

“But-but…“ Then the breeze changed direction, and he smelled it. He retched as it hit him. Death. There was no other explanation for it. 

Danny began to back up frantically the escape the smell, saying, “but…who—“ 

“Go back to the camp,” Vlad repeated. 

Then he understood…the pilot. How had he never considered it before? He’d been so caught up in his plight, and Vlad, that he’d never even thought of the pilot. He’d never thought once of the third person on that plane. 

“Daniel,” Vlad’s voice sounded as if he were forcing it to remain steady. “Go. I’ll take care of it. Just…go. Please.” His voice broke on that final word, and he turned his head away, throat bobbing. 

For once in his life, Danny took the advice of Vlad Masters. He turned fast on his heel and made his way back to camp.

Chapter Text

June 28th

—

Jazz paced the perimeter of her bedroom. It had been ten days since their family had received the news that Danny’s plane never made it to the airport in Japan. 

She had been so caught up in the end of the school year and filling out college applications, that when Danny had told her he was being forced to go to Japan with Vlad, she hadn’t fought her parents about it. She’d reasoned it away and helped soothe Danny that she, Tucker and Sam would take care of Ammity. That he would be fine. That he would be safe. 

Tears gathered in her eyes as she sat on the edge of her bed, head in her hands. 

For all the times she’d attempted to psycho-analyze Vlad Masters, she’d never quite nailed it down. He was a narcissist, to be sure. An egotistical, power-obsessed man with a god complex. But she’d always sensed something else lurking below the surface. His weird obsession with her mom and dad had always seemed like a ghost-obsession manifested in its most toxic form. 

But for all he touted about killing her dad and marrying her mom, he’d never once successfully harmed Jack. And in all his fights with Danny, he’d never gone too far. He wasn’t bluffing when it came to his own power. He was powerful. So how come he never won? Why did he always let Danny beat him? 

It was fascinating, if she distanced herself from it. And rage-inducing if she didn’t. She had tried to examine it from all angles. And ultimately, she’d ascertained that he would never truly harm Danny. Or…kill him. 

Her heart pounded now as she thought that she’d never been so wrong. 

She should have fought her parents tooth and nail to keep Danny here. To keep him home. To keep him safe. 

She had to believe that Danny was still out there. That he was alive. He was the toughest person she knew, but him being gone this long just didn’t make sense. If he had his ghost powers, he should be able to get out of most any situation. Unless he was being held somewhere against his will. 

Her parents, of course, believed the police report of events that the plane must have gone down somewhere in the Pacific. But that also didn’t make sense. If that was the case, Danny and Vlad would have no problem escaping that and somehow making their way back. Her parents didn’t have all the facts. 

She had contemplated telling them, even if it would probably be near impossible to convince them. But the chance that Danny was out there stopped her. She couldn’t betray his secret like that, even now. 

So, what can I do? She thought to herself. Her leg jumped up and down as she thought. She’d been in contact with Sam and Tucker, but they felt just as helpless. 

Think, think…Suddenly, an idea came to her. Vlad had contacts in the ghost zone, didn’t he? Surely someone there might know if he’d been planning something. 

And if all else failed, Danny had told her of the time ghost, Clockwork. He had said Clockwork was impossible to find unless he wanted to be found. She didn’t much care. If she had to search the entirety of the ghost zone to get her baby brother back, she would. 

With trembling fingers she got out her phone and dialed. 

“Sam? Get Tucker and meet me at Fentonworks tonight. I have a plan.” 

—-

She waited for her parents to go to bed. It took a while, her mom had been going through photo albums and Danny’s baby pictures, sobbing, late into the night. She’d heard her and her dad speaking. 

“He didn’t want to go, Jack. We should have never forced him to go.” Jazz had never heard her mom sound so broken. 

Her dad had been walking around like a zombie, like he was unable to comprehend what was going on. Unable to even entertain the idea that he may have lost his son forever. 

After her parents had finally retired to their room, Jazz quietly snuck out to the back door to let Sam and Tucker in. 

They all made their way on silent feet toward the lab. Once there, Sam finally broke the silence. 

“Okay, what’s the plan?” Her mascara was smudged and she looked like she hadn’t been sleeping. 

Tucker, likewise, looked like he had hardly slept in the ten days since they heard the news. But both had a determined set to their face. Jazz, not for the first time, felt grateful that Danny had found such loyal friends. 

“We’re going to take the Fenton Speeder into the ghost zone and question all of Vlad’s contacts. We can start with Skulker first, since he works the most closely with him, from what I can tell.” 

Tucker raised an eyebrow, “and he’s not gonna, y’know…shoot us down? Or hunt us for sport and hang our pelts on his wall?” 

Jazz shrugged, “maybe he’ll try. But the Speeder is well equipped. And he’s been more…amicable, with Danny lately. So maybe we can get him to talk first and shoot later.” 

Sam sighed out her nose, “it’s worth a try. I can’t keep just sitting around waiting for news. We need to do something.” 

As they sped through the ghost zone, Tucker calculating the coordinates to Skulker’s lair, Jazz looked out at the alien expanse beyond the window. It wasn’t her first time in the Zone, but it always awed her. Sam and Tucker seemed more at ease here, but she couldn’t help but think of how they were essentially in an alternate dimension. 

She’d been fascinated with the human psyche since before she could remember. But since learning of Danny’s ghost half, and meeting numerous spirits, she could almost say she was even more transfixed by ghost psychology. Though, it could be argued it was simply human psychology but…twisted. They were the spirits of the dead. 

She tapped her fingers on the dash of the speeder, contemplating. Ghost traits tended to just be human traits but…more. All emotions were dialed up to ten, and each ghost seemed to have some sort of obsession. These obsessions drove them to extremes. Often, exploiting the ghosts' obsession in some way, or manipulating their heightened emotions, was a guaranteed way to defeat them. This seemed to apply to all ghosts. 

Even Vlad…and Danny. She had her suspicions about her little brother's own obsession, and the extremes it drove him to. But hadn’t had the courage to bring it up with him. 

Now, she regretted not sharing her every thought with him. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She missed Danny. She missed her baby brother. 

“We’re here,” Tucker said, startling her out of her reverie. 

Before them stretched miles of dense, tropical forest. She could just make out the top of the demented skull that marked the heart of his lair. Skulker’s island was larger than most ghost lairs, and Jazz knew he enjoyed playing some twisted version of The Most Dangerous Game here. 

“Seems…quiet.” Said Sam, eyeing the island. 

“HOW DARE YOU ENROACH UPON MY TERRITORY, HUMANS.” 

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Tucker deadpanned. 

Tucker’s hands flew over the buttons on the dash of the speeder. As he did, a giant megaphone extended from the side of the hood and turned toward Skulker. Jazz raised an eyebrow. Her parents really did think of everything. 

Tucker handed her a small radio with a wire running up and under the dash. “Here, so we don’t have to get out to talk with him.”

Jazz nodded, “That’s probably…wise.” As they spoke, she saw several small rocket launchers rise out of Skulker’s wrist as he aimed it at them. She clicked the button on the side of the radio and said, “WAIT! We just want to talk to you.” 

Tucker leaned over and said into the radio, “Yeah, man! We come in peace!” At that, he held up a Vulcan salute toward the windshield. Sam face palmed and reached over with her spare hand to yank Tucker away from the radio. 

Jazz cleared her throat, “Yeah…what he said. Look, Skulker, we just want to ask you some questions real quick, and we’ll leave. We don’t want any trouble.”

The ghost slowly lowered his hand and inspected them through the windshield. “What could I POSSIBLY have to discuss with you, puny humans?” 

He then floated even closer and seemed to inspect the inside of the speeder. “Where is the ghost boy? I was excited to hunt him and hang his pelt on my wall.” He paused, “Or at least get in a good chase with him. He is my fastest and most interesting prey.” He said this with what seemed to be grudging respect. 

After a deep breath, Jazz said, “That’s actually what we came to talk to you about. Danny is missing. We wanted to ask you—“

”It wasn’t me!” Skulker interrupted, “If it were, I would have greeted you wearing his pelt as a trophy!”

”Ew, dude,” Tucker grimaced. 

“Ugh, yeah, gag.” Sam agreed. 

“Uhm…anyway,” Jazz said, deciding to ignore the comment. “He went missing while on a trip with Vlad. We know you work closely with him and wondered if you knew if he had any plans, or if he was up to anything before the trip.”

Skulker stilled. Jazz’s heart began to pound in her chest. He knew something. She could tell. 

“And even if I did know something, pray tell, why would I tell you? Do I look like I want to get on Plasmius’s bad side?” 

“Oh, come on, man,” Tucker pleaded. “Vlad’s not that scary! Danny beats him up all the time.”

The ghost gave them a hard look, and Jazz sensed that this was as serious as she’d ever seen the hunter ghost. “Just because Plasmius pulls his punches on the ghost boy and his little…crew,” He gestured at them, “does not mean he would do the same for any of us.” Skulker said, gesturing backwards toward the rest of the ghost zone. 

This wasn’t an unexpected response to Jazz, but she saw that Sam and Tucker looked confused. 

“Look,” She ventured, “We don’t know for sure if Vlad is behind it. For all we know, he could be in danger too, and we’d be helping him.”

Skulker raised a skeptical eyebrow at that, and Jazz winced. It wasn’t her most convincing argument. 

She sighed and tried again, “Skulker, please…We just want to find Danny. If you have any information that could help us, please tell us. If it turns out that Vlad is behind it, we’ll never tell him we got any information from you. We promise.” 

She shot a look at Sam and Tucker, and they began to nod vigorously. 

Skulker seemed to be mulling her statement over and began to float in loose circles, his version of pacing, she assumed. Her leg began to jump up and down in anxious, stuttering bursts. If Skulker refused to help, they’d be right back where they started. She didn’t know if her heart could take it. 

Suddenly, the hunter ghost came to an abrupt halt and floated close to her window, scrutinizing her. He nodded, once, seemingly coming to a decision. 

“Fine…I believe you. And I’d be pretty disappointed if the ghost boy weren’t around for me to give chase to.” He paused, “I can tell you two things. One, that I don’t think Plasmius or Phantom have kicked the bucket, or at least, that they haven’t had their second deaths. If they had, they would come back to the Zone as full fledged ghosts, and that’d be big news, I can tell you that. But I’ll put my feelers out and let you know if that changes.”

Jazz’s eyes began to fill with tears. She hadn’t even thought of that, but Skulker’s words lifted a weight from her shoulders she hadn’t even realized she was carrying. Sam and Tucker seemed similarly affected.

“Thank you, thank you so much, Skulker. You don’t even know how much that means to us–”

The ghost put up one of his gauntlet clad hands, forestalling the rest of what she was going to say. He looked distinctly uncomfortable. 

“Yeah, yeah…save the blubbering for when you’re away from me.” He brought a finger down upon the window sill and tapped, once. Then twice more before saying, “The second thing is that about three weeks ago, Plasmius came to me, and asked me if there was any ghost I could recommend to him when it came to technology. Other than Technus, that is. Those two have had beef for years. I told him that Technus was the only one I knew of, and the best. He didn’t seem too happy about that, and he left. That was probably a few days before he left for that trip with the ghost boy. That’s it, that’s all I know. I’d check in with Technus to see if Plasmuis ever made contact with him.” 

Jazz sat and took this in, “What did he want help with though?”

Skulker scowled, “Didn’t you hear me, whelp? That’s all I know.” He wrapped his knuckles against the door of the speeder, hard, startling the three inside. “Now you all better get out of here. Scram, before I decide you’d look better hanging above my mantle.”

Jazz swallowed thickly, then nodded. “Thank you, Skulker.” 

“Pff. Whatever.” He began to float backwards and before turning around said, quietly, “Good luck.”

Before Jazz could respond, he was gone. 

Sam let out a long, low breath. Tucker’s fingers moved rapidly upon the dash as the megaphone rescinded into the hood of the speeder. 

“Well…” He began, “It is good to know for sure that he’s not–that Danny’s not…” He couldn’t get the words out. Sam rubbed his shoulder as he began to turn the speeder around, away from Skulker’s island. 

“Yeah,” Sam said quietly. “He’s alive. That, at least, made this trip totally worth it.”

Jazz nodded absently. She was still digesting the information. Why would Vlad need the help of someone good with technology? No, not just someone, a ghost. It had to have something to do with ghost tech, of that, she was sure. 

“Well, what now?” Tucker asked, clearly directing the question at Jazz. 

She sighed, “I don’t know, really. We have to speak to Technus, that much is for sure. But I don’t know if we should tonight. We may need to prepare a bit.”

Sam nodded, “Yeah, Technus is a nasty piece of work. The speeder won’t protect us from him if he decides not to cooperate. And we don’t know for sure where his lair is.”

“You don’t?” This shocked Jazz, as she knew that the ghost hunting trio that was Danny, Sam, and Tucker, had been making it a point of cataloging and mapping the ghost zone. Specifically, the lairs of their most common enemies.

Tucker sighed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he began flying them toward the Fenton’s ghost portal. “Yeah, well, Tehnus never stays in one spot for long. We have a few locations we know he frequents, so we can try those. But it’s not as cut and dry as it was with Skulker.” 

“Hmm,” Jazz looked out the window, contemplating. “Okay. We’ll make a game plan tomorrow. And if we come up with something we think will work, we can come back tomorrow night. What do you think?” 

The other two nodded and voiced their agreement. 

Despite the trials ahead of them, Jazz’s heart felt lighter than it had since she’d heard of Danny’s disappearance. Her little brother was alive, and she was doing something proactive in order to get him back. It wasn’t a question of what she would do to get him back. But what she wouldn’t do. 

As they sped through the ghost zone the green blurred in her peripheral into one big, jumbled mass. I’m moving forward, she thought.

Jazz took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Hang on, Danny. I’m on my way. 

Chapter Text

Vlad had been silent almost an entire day. It made Danny uneasy, especially since he had been the one giving the silent treatment not so long ago. The silence made him realize how cutting the lack of interaction was, being the only two on the island, and he began to regret his earlier refusal to talk to Vlad. 

Especially now that the man looked so downtrodden. It wasn’t a word Danny had ever thought to use for the other halfa, but it was apt nonetheless. 

They sat before a fire. It was a meager thing, small and puttering, but it was much needed. Both for warmth and light. Danny was surprised by how bitingly cold the nights were getting, and he feared that someday the warmth it provided wouldn’t be enough. 

Danny’s eyes flitted across the flames, scanning Vlad’s frame. It was clear he was still in physical pain based on the way he held himself. But the shadows gathered under his eyes and the downward cast to his gaze made it readily apparent that he was doing just as bad mentally. If not worse. Before this whole ordeal, Danny would’ve argued that Vlad Masters was incapable of feeling emotions such as guilt or regret. But he was quickly reevaluating that opinion. 

Danny also felt guilt regarding the situation, mostly about how he’d never even given a second thought to the pilot. He was supposed to be a hero, how had he never even thought about it? A shiver went down his spine as he remembered the shoe, Vlad’s red rimmed eye, and that awful, nauseating smell. 

His stomach flipped uncomfortably. He’d always felt he was well acquainted with death. He’d died once himself, after all. He was half ghost, and interacted with numerous spirits on a daily basis. But this…this was different. He supposed he’d never given thought to the actual process of death. The gruesomeness of it, and the finality it brought to most everyone else but him. 

Even the ghosts he interacted with every day were not what they once were. They were mere manifestations of a limited part of a human consciousness. As far as he could tell, they didn’t have any memories of being alive. At least none he had met did. And he was fairly certain that some had never been alive in the first place, such as Clockwork and the watchers. It was all rather confusing, and he’d only been a halfa for a little over a year, so he didn’t quite grasp the complexities of any of it yet. 

What he did know was that a man was dead. Whether he came back as a spirit or went to whatever or wherever was next, he was gone from this world as he once was. Gone forever. And it was Vlad’s fault.

And judging by the haunted look in his eyes and the way he sat with his knees to his chest, Vlad knew it too. 

Danny didn’t know what to do in this situation. What to say to ease Vlad’s burden, to lighten the mood, or even if he should. It didn’t seem good to let Vlad stew in it. They needed to work together to survive, they needed to communicate. But Danny didn’t even know where to start. 

The fire popped and embers flew. Vlad shifted minutely, seemingly to ease the burden of his bad side. Danny decided to just go for it. To start a conversation and see where it led. 

“Do you have any family?” Danny asked abruptly. 

Vlad’s eyebrows furrowed. “…What?” 

Danny reflected that it was maybe not the most tactful route, but there were so many things about Vlad he’d always wanted to know. Now he had the opportunity to talk to the other halfa, to connect with him, and he wanted to use it. And maybe he could distract Vlad along the way. 

Danny cleared his throat. “Uh—um, family. Do you have any? I’ve, uh, always been curious, I guess.” 

Vlad was silent so long, Danny began to suspect he wouldn’t answer. 

“I do. A sister.” The response was curt, and Danny felt many things went unsaid. 

“Ah. Younger or older?” 

Vlad stared into the flames, jaw working. “Older.” 

Danny’s heart clenched at that. An older sister, just like him. There were so many similarities between them. Almost as many as their differences. 

Danny opened his mouth to ask about his parents, but then thought of Vlad’s age and reconsidered. It was fairly obvious why he hadn’t mentioned them. 

Vlad sighed from across the fire. He stretched his legs out and then crossed them before saying, “Yes, Daniel. My parents are dead.”

Danny stumbled over his response, “Oh—uh, yeah. Well, I kinda figured. I mean—I’m sorry.” This whole “distract Vlad from his guilt and regret“ thing was not going according to plan. 

Vlad rolled his eyes. “Why are you asking, anyways?”

”Well…I want to get to know you, I guess. Who knows how long we’ll be stuck here together, so might as well. And I’ve just been thinking that I don’t really know anything about you. Not really.” 

It was an earnest response. One that clearly got to Vlad, based on the look on his face. 

Vlad was silent for another few moments before saying, “My father died three months into my Freshman year of college. My mother died while I was in the hospital. I was quarantined, so I didn’t get to attend her funeral.”

Despite being the one to ask, Danny didn’t know how to respond to that. 

“I’m sorry.” He said eventually. 

Vlad sighed again. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” 

“Right. Er—what about your sister. Are you guys…close?” 

Vlad’s expression darkened, and Danny again got the distinct impression that he’d stumbled into dangerous territory. He expected Vlad to lash out at him. Yell that it was none of his business and storm off to sleep. 

Instead, Vlad said, “We’ve hardly talked in twenty years.”

That threw Danny. “Twenty years!? But…why?” 

He knew he was pushing his luck asking Vlad so many personal questions, but it seemed Vlad also felt like connecting because he kept answering. 

“She visited me frequently in the hospital.” He paused, cupping a handful of sand and letting it slowly run through his fingers. “A little over a year after I was admitted, my mother died. My…transformation had been happening slowly up until then. Unlike with you, it did not happen all at once. Here and there, I’d go invisible. Or I’d go intangible and drop objects. You know what I mean.” At that, Danny nodded. 

Vlad continued, “But I never had a full transformation. I tried to keep what was happening to me a secret from everybody, because I was afraid of what would happen to me if I didn’t. After my mother died, my health began to decline. It was possibly the most miserable span of time in my entire life.” He paused and studied the fire, brooding, before continuing, “Until finally, months later, I died. One minute, I was gasping for breath in my hospital bed, the next, I was awake and they were using the paddles to shock my heart. I felt a surge of immense pain and heat so profound, I passed out. When I woke up…I was half ghost.” 

Danny took this all in. He’d never heard Vlad tell the story of his transformation. And he was once again dismayed to hear how similar and different it was from his own. 

”When my sister visited me afterward, she said I seemed different. I…my emotions were jumbled, and I was already fighting the obsessions of my ghost half. We fought, and I flung a vase at her. It didn’t hit her, but when she looked at me, I’d transformed. I still didn't have full control over it yet. She called me a monster, a demon, and ran away. I’ve heard from her only a few times since.” Vlad closed his eyes and dug his heels into the sand. 

Danny tried to imagine Jazz having that reaction toward him, and the thought made him feel sick. 

For what felt like the hundredth time that night, Danny said, “I’m sorry.”

Vlad huffed, “I really don’t need your pity, Daniel.”

Danny let that stand. “But you have heard from her since?” 

“She’s reached out a few times, wanting to talk. But I…I was petty, and denied her.” The pain and regret was clear in his voice. 

“Well…how about this. Let’s make a deal, Vlad. When we get off this island, you will contact your sister and finally have that talk. What do you say?” 

Vlad contemplated him, face inscrutable. 

“Well?” Danny wheedled. 

Vlad finally broke, giving a small smile. “Fine, little badger. When we get home, I will reach out to her.”

Danny nodded, satisfied, then paused. “What’s her name?”

“My sister?” 

“Yes.” 

“…Maria.” Vlad said, staring into the fire. 

“Well, that’s settled then. That’s your new goal. One of them, at least. First, we get off this island. Second, you talk with Maria.”

”Pfft. Quite pushy, aren’t you?” Despite his words, it seemed to Danny like Vlad’s mood had lightened, at least a bit.  

Then Vlad made to stand up. “Well. That’s quite enough interrogating for one evening. We ought to get to bed.” 

Danny blinked, “Wait, I just realized…”

Vlad paused, wary. “What now?” 

“If you haven’t talked to Maria in almost twenty years, there’s no way that’s actually your sister’s cat.” 

Vlad scowled and shook his head. Snorting out his nose, he gave a small, huffing laugh. Then he turned and made his way to their humble lean-to.

 Grinning, Danny watched him go. 

—

Vlad awoke the next morning feeling quite ill. By his reckoning, it had been ten days since their arrival on the island. And still, all they’d had to eat were the flesh of coconuts. But the sick feeling in his gut wasn’t just from lack of proper food. 

A hollow feeling spread through his chest as he thought of the pilot. 

Vlad was many things. Selfish, narcissistic, egotistical, power hungry. These were all things he knew about himself, loathe as he was to admit any of it aloud. 

But he’d never been a killer. 

He lied, he stole, he manipulated and he hurt others. But he’d never killed someone. He touted often of his plans to kill Jack, designing and executing them just short of actually committing the deed. In hindsight, if he had actually, truly, wanted Jack dead, he’d be dead. He could have simply poisoned him at the reunion, or defeated Daniel instead of pulling his punches and murdered Jack anyways. Or a myriad of other ways on that day and every day following. But while his obsession led him to fixate on the goal “kill Jack Fenton,” he’d never been able to actually go through with it. 

Invariably, he’d remember a snippet. A fond memory. Him and Jack at a Packer’s game, dressed to the nines, cheese head and all. Him and Jack studying late into the night and their many talks. Him and Jack parked in the driveway of his childhood home the day his father died, Jack’s hand on his shoulder as he cried. 

He’d remember, and he’d pull back at the last moment. Let Daniel defeat him, concoct a cartoonishly villainous plan he knew would never work, or simply fight against his obsession to avoid executing a plan all together, as long as he could. 

Vlad was not a stupid man. He’d spent years studying ghosts. And he was well acquainted with the knowledge of ghostly obsessions, and that he himself operated underneath one. To kill Jack Fenton and marry Maddie. Without his ghost half, and with his obsession currently dormant, he was offered clarity he had been without for many, many years. 

But with clarity came difficult emotions. 

He was now aware that he’d been sub-consciously averting his obsession. Feeding it without following through. But now he wondered if he could have done better. Could he have fought it more actively? 

If he had, would he be in his current situation? The answer, he surmised, was no. 

In all ways, no matter how he tried to think about it, his and Daniel’s current predicament was his fault. It was driven in part by his obsession, his ghost half, but was it fair to blame it all on that? Which half was more poisonous, more despicable? His ghost half, or his human half? His fear was that it had been his humanity that had poisoned his psyche. His immaturity, his fear and insecurities. He had liked Maddie in college, but thinking back on it now, he wouldn’t call it love. His obsession with her was deeply tied to Jack, to hurting him, to taking from him. In that, he had turned Maddie into nothing but an object to be owned. 

In coming to that conclusion, he felt the ill feeling in his gut spread to the rest of his body. He began to break out into a sweat. 

Over and over and over his thoughts cycled, analyzing and picking apart his behavior and actions over the past twenty years. His mind felt jumbled, as the more he thought, the less things made sense. 

And it has all culminated into this. I am the reason that man is dead. 

His fingers began to tingle. 

My mother and father would be so disappointed…no. Disgusted. They would be disgusted. They had been kind people. Hardworking. It was him that had always been selfish, coveting all that he did not have. 

Bile coated his throat, and he was glad Daniel was away looking for freshwater as he began to unravel. His thoughts were going a mile a minute, and he felt powerless to bring them to heel. He began to shake as every time he tried to grasp a thought, no matter how upsetting it was, it seemed to zip away, into the next, even more upsetting thought. 

It was difficult to breathe, and the edges of his vision went fuzzy, as it sometimes did before passing out. His heart began to race as he became truly afraid. What is happening to me? All of his panic attacks on the island thus far had been near-misses, but clearly this one was culminating into a full blown melt down. Like a train barreling forward, he was powerless to stop it. 

I just have to ride it out. Breathe, breathe, breathe. 

His veins felt like they were on fire, like he’d been poisoned. He had just begun to hyperventilate when he heard leaves and branches snapping in the brush behind him. 

“I found water! It’s just a small stream, but its free-moving and seems fresh, so—woah. Are you okay?”

Vlad wished for his ghost form more in that moment more than he’d wished for anything in his entire life. To be invisible, to fly away, even to be able to blast Daniel away—anything, anything would be better than sitting here, feeling this damn vulnerable. His entire body, his soul, felt like an open, festering wound on open display for the whole world to see. 

Except the whole world wasnt here. Just Daniel. And in many ways, that was much, much worse. 

He tried to open his mouth to respond. To placate Daniel, to tell him he was okay. To lie, lie lie through his teeth like he did every day of his life. 

All that came out was a sickening, dry wheeze. His throat was constricted and it was hard to breathe. The embarrassment of the situation wasn’t making it any better. Daniel’s face shifted through several different emotions. Confusion, realization, and finally, the worst of them all. Pity. 

Daniel settled down on his knees next to Vlad and went to put out a tentative hand on his shoulder before pulling back. Hesitant. 

Vlad wanted to snarl. The boy was treating him like a blasted abused dog. 

He wasn’t some cowering, sniveling curr. He was Vlad Masters. Vlad Plasmius. One of, if not the most, powerful people on the planet. 

He was—another, violent tremor wracked his body as his ears began to ring. The constricted, sickening feeling surrounding his heart and seeping to his limbs was not lessening. It was not getting any easier to breathe. 

He was a coward. A villain. A murderer. 

He thought of the pilot‘s desecrated, decomposing face. Thought of the man’s leather wallet. Water logged and unopened. It was currently weighing down Vlad’s left pocket, like a red hot stone. He hadn’t been able to open it. Because if he knew the man’s name…If he knew his name—

Then it was real. But he didn’t know the man’s name, and still, it felt plenty real. 

“What’s wrong, Vlad—ah, well. I know what’s wrong. A lot of things, actually, but. Shit. How can I help?” 

Daniel sounded on the verge of panic himself. For a brief moment, Vlad had almost forgotten he was there. He felt totally disconnected from his body. Wavering in and out of thought as he fought his clenched, panicked body for control. 

“Uh…okay. Okay. How about this? What are five things you can see—“

And that was it, for Vlad. As if a string had snapped, he shot to his feet, stumbling foreward. He thought of Jack Fenton, all those years ago in their dorm room. His hand on his shoulder, Just breathe, Vladdie—

I can’t do this. He thought, not with him. 

Showing this level of cowardice, of weakness, was bad enough. But in front of Daniel? Being comforted by him, like Jack had once done? After everything Jack had done to him?

After everything Vlad had done to Jack? And to Daniel…And the whole damned Fenton family?

Vlad’s head felt like it was going to explode. He heard Daniel moving behind him, slowly. Unsure. Vlad shook his head, still struggling for breath, and began to shamble away. Daniel made to follow, but Vlad held out a hand, shaking his head. His back was still to the boy, but he hoped his intention was clear. 

Leave me alone. 

And Daniel did. Like a wounded animal, Vlad ran away to nurse his wounds. 

—

He made his way toward the ocean, and in his haze, hadn’t even realized where his feet had taken him. He let out a shuddering breath as he looked upon the overturned earth. He’d buried the pilot further inland, where the sand became soil. It had taken hours, and still he feared it to be too shallow a grave. That one day, after a heavy rain had come, he’d come out here and be face to face with the man again. 

It would be fitting, he supposed. Maybe they could have a conversation, one decomposing corpse to another. He sat down, hard, next to the grave he had dug. 

Fuck, he thought, and sighed. 

He thought of his mother then, and her swear jar. He rubbed a temple and mentally sacrificed a nickel to her. 

His whole body ached as he began to unclench. It felt as if he’d just fought the Fright Knight and Priah Dark two on one. He put his head between his knees and concentrated on deep, even breaths. 

No wonder people go to the hospital for panic attacks, he thought wryly. 

He’d never had one that overwhelmingly physical. And it still didn’t feel like it was quite over, like a presence lurking at the corner of his mind. His stomach clenched, and he had little warning before he was leaning over, emptying the meager contents of his stomach off to his left. 

Shaking, he wiped his mouth. “First, I get you killed. Then I throw up on your grave. I’m sorry—“

It was then he realized that he still didn’t know the pilot’s name. 

He breathed in deeply through his nose, bringing his injured hand up to his eyes. He stopped. Blinked. 

He still wore the splint Daniel had made for him. Amid his…mental struggles, he had been tuning out his physical injuries. But after what had just happened, they were all coming to the fore. His hand, his side, his feet, his eye. All of it. One large, unending pulse of agony. 

And at the edge of his splint, a large, angry, red vein. Engorged with blood and surrounded by an angry red rash running downward from his palm. 

He began to laugh. Quietly, at first. Then louder. This was a feeling he was quite familiar with. A manic filled high after a litany of very low lows. 

He silenced himself abruptly and reached into his pocket, taking out the wallet. Almost as if he were in a dream, he opened it. 

Anthony McGee, what a normal name, he thought. The man’s license was blurred from its time in the salt water, but he could make out the man’s image. Brown hair, tidy beard, blue eyes. Middle aged. Average. Much different from the decomposing, water-bloated corpse he’d buried. 

His hands shook as he riffled through the wallet. It was rather empty, aside from a small, laminated card in the main pocket. Vlad swallowed as he held it up to his good eye, squinting. 

It was a ticket. To a college graduation. For someone named Sarah McGee. The man’s daughter, probably, Vlad thought wearily. He felt bile rise in his throat again, but swallowed it down. 

Vlad felt…empty. 

He flopped backwards, laying beside the grave. The ticket was grasped in his bad hand, holding it aloft briefly, before he brought it toward his face again. 

The veins in his wrist were turning a sickening black, surrounded by that flushed angry red. 

Blood poisoning. 

Vlad wanted to laugh again, but found he didn’t have enough energy. Looks like his little theory had been wrong. Or he’d been right, but the healing he had wasn’t enough to stave off infection. 

He’d made a promise to Daniel—that he wouldn’t leave him here alone. He scoffed internally to himself. Who was he kidding? He was Vlad Masters. When had he ever made a promise he could keep?

“Well, Anthony, you may get your karma after all. Doesn’t look like either of us will be leaving this island.” 

He thought of Daniel, all alone, digging a shallow grave for him. Hopefully across the island from here. He didn’t think dear old Anthony would appreciate sharing a plot with him. 

At that thought, exhaustion finally took him. And Vlad Masters fell asleep, side by side with the man he had killed. 

Chapter Text

Danny sipped cool water out of the shell of a coconut and studied the far-away form of Vlad Masters. The older man's silhouette was getting closer as he approached, coming back from his now-nightly foray toward the ocean. 

They hadn’t spoken about it. Vlad’s breakdown, or his ventures to the pilot’s grave. Danny wasn’t exactly sure where the man was buried, but he knew that’s where Vlad was going each night. He wanted to talk to Vlad about it, but it wasn’t exactly an easy topic to broach. 

“Hey, Vladdie, how was your nightly visit to the island’s third occupant?” Or, “Soooo, V-man, I pretty much have been operating under the assumption since I first met you that you were incapable of human emotions like guilt and empathy. But now I know that’s not true! So let's talk! How are you feeling?—No. Absolutely not. 

Danny sighed, setting his water aside. 

As Vlad had his nighty ritual, Danny had his. He brought out his wallet, carefully extracting the family photo. He studied it. First, he looked at himself. The photo was taken shortly before his accident, when he was about 13 and a half. Even though it was only two years ago, he looked so…young. Baby fat and freckles still on proud display. Eyes bright and innocent. He was only 15, so why did he feel so old? 

Then, his eyes shifted to Jazz, her arm slung around his narrow shoulders. Her eyes were closed in the photo, but her smile was so wide and genuine. His mother had chosen to have this one printed despite there being other, more staged options from the photo shoot. Danny remembered his dad making some joke that had made them all laugh, breaking out of the awkward, stilted, marionette-like pose the photographer had had them in. 

Then, he looked at his parents. They were looking at each other, not the camera. There was so much love in that one gaze, his heart ached. 

He agreed with his mom. This had been the best one of them all. 

He glanced aside, noticing Vlad getting closer. His limping form made him seem vulnerable. Human. 

Is this what you saw in him, dad? All those years ago? Is this why you just won’t let go? 

Danny had always wondered at his dad’s earnest love of Vlad. Had his dad seen Vlad’s vulnerability, back in college? His humanity? Had he seen him through hard times—loved him like a friend should? 

He thought of Tucker and Sam, then. He’d been best friends with Tucker since Kindergarten, Sam had joined their group later. But he remembered when, in 5th grade, Tucker’s grandma had died. It had been slow, drawn out, over the course of weeks. Tucker would visit her every day after school. After she died, Tucker developed his phobia of hospitals. Even the mention of them sent him into a panic. 

Once, during recess, in 6th grade, Tucker had cut his hand on a jagged piece of the jungle gym. 

“Looks bad, you’ll probably need stitches.” Sam had said, unknowing. 

Tucker had freaked out, then. Hyperventilating, crying, the whole nine yards. Danny had sat with him until a teacher came, went with him to the nurses office, and was prepared to go with him to the hospital if he needed to go. It had turned out to be a pretty shallow cut that only needed wrapped. But Danny had never forgotten what it felt like to try to comfort his best friend in that state. To be prepared to do anything to help him. 

He looked at the photo again, at his dad’s smiling face. Then toward Vlad, who was slowly drawing closer. 

Would you still love him, if you knew everything he has done? Would you forgive him?

It was a question he could not answer. 

As Vlad finally stepped within the illumination of fire light, Danny tucked the picture away. Vlad glanced at it, quickly, then away. 

Vlad settled across from him, and Danny held up the coconut filled with water, eyebrows raised in silent question. Vlad reached across the side of the fire, with his good hand, and grasped it, nodding. 

Danny studied him, as he’d studied the picture. It had been about 15 days, by his reckoning, since they’d been on the island. And without a better way to put it, Vlad looked like shit. They’d made decent progress on the water and food front. Danny had found a fresh water source, and he’d been able to catch some crabs and even a few fish, so they weren’t only surviving off coconuts anymore. The added food and water had done Danny well, and considering their situation, he felt pretty good. 

Vlad, on the other hand, was looking increasingly wan and haggard. Danny watched him drink, slowly, as if he were nauseous. Sweat gathered at his brow even though the air was chilled. The wound around his eye wasn’t as swollen, but he still wasn’t able to open it. Danny didn’t know how his side and hand were doing, since Vlad hadn’t let him attend to them since the first time. He said he was cleaning his bandages and re-wrapping them himself, but his refusal to let Danny help gave him a bad feeling. 

Once, when Danny was 5 years old, their cat Spooky had disappeared one day. She had been old, his mom had had her for many years. She’d slipped out the door one day, and never come back. Jazz had explained to him that injured or sick animals did that, sometimes. Detached themselves from the situation, found a hole somewhere to curl up and die in. It had been a harsh truth, for a 5 year old, but his sister was never one to sugar coat things. 

So, now, he looked at Vlad and thought of Spooky. Was Vlad detaching himself from the situation? Looking to run away, lick his wounds in private, and find somewhere to curl up and die? 

Was he going to give up, die, and leave Danny here all alone? After he put him here. Danny’s heart began to thud painfully against his chest, and he had to clench and unclench his fists in an effort to calm himself. His mom’s voice came to him then, “just take a deep breath, in, in, in, there ya go! Now, slowly out through your nose…good job—now again—“

After his third breath, his heart beat slowed, and he opened his eyes. Vlad was watching him, face inscrutable. 

“…Are you okay, Daniel?” 

Was this fruitloop really asking him if he was okay, while looking like he would keel over if the wind blew wrong? 

Danny took another grounding breath. Interrogating Vlad now would get him nowhere, he knew that. Better than anyone, he knew just how much of a stubborn bastard Vlad Masters was. 

“Well, it’s just that, I’ve been wondering…”

Vlad’s expression shuddered and Danny could tell he was guarding himself. 

“…Which one of us is Wilson, do you think?” 

Vlad’s good eye went totally blank, and Danny nearly laughed out loud. 

“What,” Vlad stated, voice flat. 

Danny cleared his throat. “Like. Castaway, y’know?” He raised an eyebrow, “have you seen it?”

It was hilarious, watching the different emotions cycle through Vlad’s expression. Finally settling on just the one Danny had wanted. Exasperation. 

Vlad sighed loudly, “of course I’ve seen it, Daniel. It’s been a bit hard not to liken it to our situation.” He sniffed, “I’ve just had the manners not to bring it up.” His eyes shifted to Danny for a brief moment before flitting away. “But, if you so insist on your question…you are Wilson. Without a doubt.”

“Hey! Why is that, huh? Because you think you’re the main character, and I’m the sidekick or something?”

Vlad shrugged his good shoulder, “you said it, not me.” 

Danny studied the man again. How a little more life had come into his good eye, how the tightness around his mouth had lessened. And he felt satisfied enough with that that he wouldn’t argue the point that he was the one doing the hunting and gathering, and Vlad was the one who was mostly stationary, and undoubtedly Wilson. Danny could be tactful, sometimes. 

“Well, you are old like Tom Hanks, so I’ll let you have that one.” 

Apparently, his tact only extended so far. 

Vlad sputtered, “he wasn’t even old in that role!”

Danny shrugged, “well, he’s old now, so it still fits. Hey, you’re the one with Main Character Syndrome, so—“

”Main Character Syndr—what the hell are you on about, boy?” 

Danny flapped a hand at him, “never mind, you wouldn’t get it.”

Vlad merely snorted and muttered something along the lines of “kids these days” before settling backward. 

Danny stared into the fire, contemplating. Bantering with Vlad always put the man into a better mood, despite how irritated he seemed. He would guess that his relationship with Vlad, antagonistic as it was, was probably one of the most, if not only, authentic ones in the man’s life. Which was pretty sad. But he doubted Vlad showed his true colors to many others, if anyone. 

Danny’s eyes began to sting, and he blamed it on staring too long into the fire. Closing them, he thought of all the times Vlad had offered to be his mentor. Albeit, at increasingly unhinged and psychotic costs. And despite it all, a part of Danny, a not-so-small part, had always wanted that. Vlad had so much knowledge and experience. So many things he could share with Danny, the only other member of his species, that he offered, but kept behind a locked door. The key to that door being “help me kill your dad and become my son”—which was, of course, fucking ridiculous. 

But Island-Vlad and Vlad Plasmius were starting to seem like two very distinct people to Danny.

“Hey, Vlad?” 

“Mm?” Vlad hummed. His good eye was closed. He seemed relaxed, basking in the heat of the fire. 

Danny was suddenly reluctant to interrupt his fragile peace. But Vlad opened his eye when Danny didn’t continue. The older man slanted a look at him, questioning. 

Danny chewed on his bottom lip. Then, “What do you know about obsessions in ghosts?” 

Vlad blinked, then raised an eyebrow. “...Quite a bit. I’ve been studying ghosts for over 20 years. What…in particular are you curious about?” 

Danny studied the man. Vlad seemed open enough. Willing to share. But in the past, his help, advice, or knowledge, had always come with a price. How much would he be willing to tell Danny–what would he expect in return?

Vlad sighed, tilting his head backwards. He shifted minutely, grimacing as he took weight on his injured hand trying to get more comfortable. 

“I’ll tell you whatever you want, Daniel. Everything. You need only ask.” He turned his head to the side, refusing to make eye contact. “No strings attached.”

“Anything?” Danny ventured. 

“Anything regarding ghosts, ghostly anatomy, what I know about halfas,” He flapped his good hand, “...etcetera.” 

“So, personal questions are still up to your discretion?” Danny joked. 

Vlad huffed, “obviously. Now, ask what it is you wanted to ask. I’m getting tired.” 

“What causes obsessions? Why do some ghosts seem to have stronger obsessions than others? Are there ghosts without them? If so, why? And–” 

Vlad held out a hand, “Woah! Calm down. Let me try to answer what you’ve already asked before you list any more.” He looked up and to the side, seemingly to categorize his thoughts. Danny sat, expectant, practically buzzing with excitement. 

“Let’s start with “are there ghosts without obsessions?” The answer is, yes. The reason for that being that there are, to my knowledge, three kinds of ghosts. First, ghosts who were formally human. These are the ones you’re probably most familiar with. Skulker, Box Ghost, Technus. To name a few.” Danny nodded. 

Vlad glanced at him, then continued, “ghosts who were formally human are the ones who develop obsessions. These obsessions are commonly associated with their deaths. But not always. Sometimes it has to do with some aspect of their personality or life when they were alive. As for why some obsessions are stronger than others, it has a lot to do with how the ghost was as a human. Were they already an obsessive, controlling person? If so, that certainly has an impact. But most commonly, the nature of their death is the most discerning factor. The more traumatic, the higher level of obsession, and compulsions, a ghost will have. Especially if the death was sudden, or if the ghost feels they were wronged by another person, resulting in their death. A lot of it happens subconsciously, however. Most ghosts don’t even remember how or why they died without intense prompting.” 

Danny raised an eyebrow, “and how do you know that?”

Vlad shrugged, “I’ve done a lot of experiments–don’t look at me like that, I’m aware you don’t approve. But I do know most of this for certain through observing newly formed ghosts in a…contained environment, and comparing their exhibited behaviors with their previous life and the nature of their death. Through and through, results have been consistent.”

“Hm.” Vlad was right, Danny didn’t approve of his methods. But lecturing him was useless now. Danny readjusted his position, sitting cross legged, and leaned forward. “So…you said there were three types of ghosts. What did you mean by that?”

“Well, we’ve already discussed the first–ghosts who were once human. Then, we have ghosts that are…manifestations of energy, or pure emotion. These are ghosts that form from heightened human emotions, negative or positive, and bind to latent ecto-energy. So they don’t necessarily have obsessions or personalities.”

Danny blinked, then grinned, “like the little blob ghosts I sometimes see bobbing around?” 

Vlad nodded, “yes, those are a prime example. Probably the most mundane ones, too. The octopus ghosts are another example. Or most animal ghosts.”

“Animal ghosts? What do you mean, they’re not just…the ghosts of dead animals?” 

Vlad shrugged, “not usually. From what I can tell from my experiments, most animal ghosts are actually just emotional manifestations latching on to a recently deceased animal, mimicking its form. There are some cases, however, where an animal soul does manifest into a true ghost. You can tell because they also tend to have a lower-form of obsession or memory of their past life.”

“Ah, like Cujo!”

Vlad seemed perplexed, “...the Stephen King novel?”

“No, he’s–nevermind,” He waved a hand, “it doesn’t matter.” Danny squinted across the fire. “So. Is that what you were experimenting on in that creepy ass cabin of yours you tried to kidnap me and mom in?”

To Danny’s delight, Vlad visibly cringed. Then said, “yes…I was purposefully binding emotional manifestations to deceased animals. It was very…insightful.” He didn’t comment on the rest of Danny’s statement. 

Danny rolled his eyes, and muttered, “I’m sure it was.” 

Vlad cleared his throat. “Anyways…the third category of ghosts are…a bit of an enigma, really. They are ghosts who were never human, and have nothing to do with human energy or emotion. Ghosts that, as far as I can tell, are either native to the ghost zone, or even predate it. Some examples I know you are aware of would be Frostbite, The Fright Knight, Priah Dark…And most notably, Clockwork and the Observers.”

Danny stiffened, “you know Clockwork?”

Vlad raised his eyebrows, as if to say well, duh. “Of course…we’ve, ah, crossed paths on a couple of occasions.” 

Danny sensed there was a story there, but was so overloaded with information he filed it away to ask about later. 

“Huh,” Danny said. “I’ve always wondered about them. I’ve noticed…well. It’s easy to see they were never human. I just…sensed it.”

Vlad nodded, knowingly. “It was that intuitive feeling that made me curious enough to start researching in the first place. However, when it comes to that third category, I still know precious little. None of them have ever felt like sharing, and they’re all too powerful to force into giving away any information.”

Danny gave him a look, “but you’ve tried, haven’t you?”

Vlad just shrugged. “I am who I am.”

Danny scoffed good naturedly, “ain’t that the truth.”

They spent the next few minutes in silence as Danny tried to parse through all that information. Man, he thought, Jazz would have a field day with this. I can’t wait to tell her– his heart sank at the thought. What if he never got to tell her? 

What if he never saw his sister again—Or his parents, or Sam and Tucker? Or Amity Park in general?

Something about the thought of Amity reminded him of his original reason for bringing up obsessions. He swallowed and took a deep breath. 

“Are you okay, Daniel?”

“Yeah. Yeah…I just. Well. Do halfas…have obsessions, too?”

After a moment, Danny looked up to see a strange look pass over Vlad’s face. 

“Vlad?”

The older man cleared his throat. “Yes…we do. You may recall, when I told you about Maria, that I said that even in the beginning I was already fighting against my obsessions.” 

Danny nodded. He did remember Vlad saying that. 

Vlad sighed. It was a drawn out, tired sound. Looking at him now, Danny thought Vlad looked much older than he actually was. 

“Then I’m sure you’ve already surmised what mine are. What they revolve around—who they revolve around.” He glanced at Danny, who nodded for him to continue. “Yes—well. Mine would be classified as an obsession that started with a traumatic death. One that I…blamed someone for.”

Danny frowned. He had…never thought of it that way before. Vlad often said that his dad had “ruined his life”—but to know that when he said that he really meant “he killed me.” The thought made Danny feel ill. 

“I’m sorry, Daniel. I didn’t mean to—I don’t want to make you feel bad. I—“

Danny waved the words away, as if shooing a fly. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and then nodded once. 

“No. Don’t…don’t apologize. I asked. You answered. Simple as that.” 

Vlad nodded, eye downcast. His face was shadowed as he seemed to brood for a moment. 

“There is one thing I don’t understand, though.” 

Vlad seemed surprised that Danny still had more questions, after that. “What?” 

“If you have an obsession, why don’t I?”

Their camp became very quiet. Danny peered at Vlad as the other man went totally still. The fire flickered and popped between them. 

“Daniel…You can’t be serious.” Vlad sounded incredulous. 

Danny blinked owlishly, “huh? It’s an honest question. It makes no sense for you to have one, for every other previously-human ghost to have one, but not me. I mean—“ He stopped as he noticed Vlad shifting, uncomfortably. “What?”

“You do have one, Daniel.” Vlad said it with a grimace, as if he was ripping off a bandaid. 

Danny guffawed. “I think I would know if I had one.” But internally, his stomach was beginning to tie itself in knots. 

Vlad breathed in deeply through his nose. “Do you want me to tell you what I think yours is?” It was an earnest question. And Danny knew that Vlad wouldn’t push him on this, if he asked him not to. 

Danny seriously considered it, for a moment. Even briefly flirted with the notion of getting pissed off. Denying it. But how could he? Why had he even started this conversation in the first place? He thought back to what had reminded him to ask Vlad if halfas had obsessions, and thought he had his answer. But—

“Yes…yes. Tell me what you think.” He braced himself. 

Vlad studied him, then nodded. “Broadly, I would classify it as “protection.” The urge to save and protect, to an obsessive and self-detrimental degree. To narrow it down, I think it specifically relates to Amity Park as a whole. As you know, ghosts tend to have “haunts” or “lairs” and become very territorial over them. I believe your obsession revolves around protecting your haunt, and the humans who reside within it.” The answer was very succinct and clinical, and still, it left Danny reeling. 

Vlad continued, “it…well. Honestly, Daniel, it could be worse. You’re still in your first year but I’m sure you’re well aware how fast a ghostly obsession can spiral. If you get a good grasp on it, it will be one that can be used for good. But…it could turn bad. Either for yourself or others. But I’d say the person most at risk is yourself.” 

Vlad seemed to want to say more, but stopped himself. Danny was grateful for that. It was already a lot to take in. Jazz had lectured him on his “self-destructive behaviors” and how he was letting his grades, his whole life, really, slip out of control. 

“But it’s my responsibility.” Danny said mulishly. He felt like a small child at that moment. 

“Why?”

”Because…well. Because with great power comes great responsibility. Or whatever.” Danny crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You’re not Spider-Man, Daniel.” Vlad said, voice flat. 

“No, but, well…close enough! I have powers, and people need protecting! What else am I supposed to do?” He threw up his hands, frustrated. 

“I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong. Clearly, I’m not the one who should lecture you on this.” A dark look passed over Vlad’s features, “I’m just saying…keep a handle on it, Daniel. You have your friends, your sister…your parents.” I had no one, went unsaid.

Danny scowled. “My parents have no idea—they don’t know. They can’t know.” 

“Have you never considered telling them?” 

“Of course I have, fruitloop! And every time I consider it, I think of whole new reasons why I shouldn’t!” 

Danny realized, then, that it’d been days since he’d called Vlad fruitloop, and that he now only fell back on it in frustration. He huffed, digging his heels into the sand and turning away. 

“Do you think they’d hurt you? Truly?” Vlad’s voice was soft, then. Possibly the softest he’d ever heard it. 

Danny brought his knees up to his chest and hung his head between them. The heat from the fire warmed the side of his ear as he turned his head even further away from Vlad. 

This throat was tight as he answered. “No. I—I don’t think they’d hurt me. But they…what if they’re disgusted. Disappointed? What if they hate me?” 

All was silent between them for a moment before Vlad said, quietly, “I can’t pretend to know for certain, Daniel, but…I don’t think that’s true. I knew your parents once, very well. And from what I’ve seen, I don’t think they could ever hate you. Your mother is one of the most understanding people I’ve ever met. And your father…well. For as often as I insult his intelligence, he’s always been far more emotionally intelligent than me. I used to envy him for it. Maybe…you ought to give them a chance.” 

Danny breathed on deeply, tears gathering in his eyes. Lifting his head, he blinked them away, and turned toward Vlad with a hard stare. 

“Yeah…yeah,” he said, voice rough. “Maybe I will give them a chance, someday.” His jaw worked as he stared at Vlad with red-rimmed eyes. “What about you?”

Vlad blinked, “…me?” 

Danny stood, making his way to the shelter. He paused by Vlad’s side, looking ahead. 

“…Will you ever forgive them?” 

Then he walked away, not waiting to hear the answer.

—

The next morning, Vlad walked along the beach, gathering shells. He laboriously bent to inspect one, and deeming it appropriate, dropped it into the sack he’d made of his jacket. As he trudged along, his breath came harsh and rough. As he paused, he turned toward the ocean. The cloudless blue expanse stretched as far as his eye could see, the sky merging with the horizon. It was a haunting sight. 

Vlad breathed deeply. As the days went on, it became more and more likely that they would never be found. And especially not in time…for him. He unconsciously clenched his bad hand. 

He had several PHD’s, but he was no medical doctor. One thing he knew, however, is that untreated blood poisoning normally took longer to act than this. So the only conclusion he could draw was that he had been right. They did have some semblance of their powers, at least the ones that had an effect on their anatomy itself. Being half ghost was a change down to their very molecular level, not a switch that got turned on and off. As Vlad had tried to describe it to Daniel, it was as if their ghost halves were stuck in neutral. But his powers in this “neutral” mode could only do so much. The poisoning was beginning to creep up his arm, and as the days passed, closer to his heart. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a glinting white chip buried under the sand. He took a step, turning, and bent to pick it up. He examined the shell, then dropped it into his sack. He peered inside the sack, and decided he had gathered enough for this trip. Sweat gathered along his brow, and not entirely to do with the heat of the sun beating down upon him. He was ill. Very ill. But he didn’t know what to do, except keep going forward. 

As he trudged up the beach, back toward the camp, he thought of Daniel. 

“Will you ever forgive them?” 

Vlad swallowed, throat tight. Daniel’s choice of the word them was not lost on him. But he hadn’t thought the boy would have picked up on the fact that Vlad, at least in part, blamed Maddie for the accident as well. The boy had the wits of his mother and emotional intelligence of his father. A dangerous combination. 

He didn’t want to dwell on it, however. He may only have days left, and he wanted to spend them trying to ensure Daniel’s survival. 

He stopped before his current project. He’d woken early, before dawn broke, and had set to work. Three letters, each about eight feet in height, he had dug into the sand. He’d done it further up the beach, so the tide wouldn’t come to erase it each morning. He’d already filled the first letter with bright, white shells, and set to work on the third. More chill-sweat broke out across his body as he felt the heat from the large bon-fire he’d constructed hit him as the wind changed directions. He shucked off his torn and bloodied white-linen dress shirt and set to work. 

When he was finished, he stepped back, hands on his hips, and admired his work. The bonfire was, hopefully, large enough to attract attention from afar. The idea was that they would feed it enough wood consistently to keep it going day and night, the same as their small camp-fire. It would be a lot of work, but worth it, Vlad hoped. 

And then next to it, three large, shining white letters. 

SOS. 

Vlad hummed in satisfaction. This would definitely get the attention of any aircraft or boats, whether they were actively searching for them or not. If he’d been in his right mind, and not distracted by injury and the loss of his powers, he would have thought of this earlier…he hoped. He and Daniel had both been convinced, deep in their hearts, that their powers would be fully back online by now. That they weren’t was worrisome, but especially so for Vlad. His time was running out. And Daniel didn’t know how to teleport. He might be able to fly off the island, but finding his way off the island with possibly unreliable powers was not something Vlad wanted to trust. 

Vlad had to come to terms with the possibility that he was going to die here. He thought of the pilot. It may even be fitting—karmatic justice, of a sort. 

The problem was that it had been over 20 days, and still no one had found them. That they were searching still, he was certain. But they must be much more off course than he had originally thought if that first helicopter had been the only they had seen. Vlad had a suspicion that the pilot had tried to skirt the storm, and that they could be anywhere to 100 miles off their original course. He didn’t hold it against dear old Anthony, considering. But it definitely presented a problem. 

Someone had to tell them just how far off course the plane was and that they needed to widen their search. Someone had to relay the information that there was even someone left to find. 

Vlad considered the bon-fire, and thought of adding a second one on the other side of the message. He’d consult with the boy when he got back. It could be advantageous to have two, but not if it added too much of a burden when it came to collecting firewood. Especially since Daniel would eventually be doing it alone. Not that he knew that, of course. 

He suspected, Vlad was sure. The boy was annoyingly perceptive. He knew something was amiss, and that Vlad was hiding something. 

But the thing was…the thing was…someone needed to relay information to the Fentons and the police. And Vlad knew with little room for denial, that when he died, he would re-form in the ghost zone. As a full fledged ghost. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as a headache began to mount behind his forehead. 

Most ghosts took years to get their bearings and become sentient, but he hoped it would be different for him, since he was a halfa. Even if it took days, or months, before he could venture out of the ghost zone, he had faith his plan would work. Daniel was a survivor, he could hold out until then. 

Vlad took one last look at his message, hoping it was visible from the sky. Then back toward their camp, where Daniel was a small smudge, sitting at the camp fire. He was transferring water from coconuts to old glass bottles he found washed up upon the shore and cooking a fish on a flat piece of slate. Vlad gave a small smile. Daniel was more than he knew. Smart, adaptive, creative. He could survive without Vlad. 

And if Vlad had to break his promise to get him home? 

If he had to die to save his self-proclaimed “arch-nemesis?” Well…that was fine by him.

Chapter Text

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Sam said as they sped through the ghost zone, toward the last lair they had yet to check.

“It’s not like we have any other choice,” Tucker replied.

He was right, of course. But the closer they came to the third and final lair, the more nervous Jazz became. The prior two locations Technus was known to haunt had been empty, seemingly abandoned by the technology-driven ghost. 

The thought of him being at the third location scared her just as much as him not being there. 

“I know,” Sam continued, “It’s just…Technus is formidable, especially with Danny not being here…” She trailed off. 

Jazz knew what she meant. She hadn’t been as concerned confronting Skulker, because if they’d had to, they could have out ran him with the speeder. And he’d developed an almost-friendship with Danny in recent months. But Technus…Technus was a wildcard at the best of times. The speeder wouldn’t protect them, and in fact could be used against them. 

But it wasn’t as if they were doing this unprepared. Tucker had created a virus and installed it on one of his old PDAs. Technus was nothing if not suggestible, and if things turned south, she was sure they could convince him to possess it. All they’d have to do is “accidentally” suggest the PDA was some new end-all-be-all technology and Technus would be too intrigued to not check it out. Tucker had said the virus would merely slow him down, but it would give them enough time to escape. Technus was the epitome of a ghost that was easily manipulated by his obsession. 

And if that didn’t work? Well, they had the Fenton thermos as a possible last resort. 

As they came within sight of the final lair, Jazz noted that it decidedly did not look abandoned. It reminded her of one of those hoarded-home properties her family sometimes drove by while on a road-trip. Various objects, all technological in nature, were strewn about the floating island. There were no trees or out-croppings of rock like on Skulker’s island. Just a mound of items, easily 3 stories tall at their highest, formed what seemed to be the mouth of a cave. She couldn’t see past the darkened entrance. Everything from old charging wires, to blenders, to what appeared to be the engine of a car, were used to stack the structure.

There was so much to look at, that the longer she looked, it became almost impossible to identify single objects. Much like the I-spy books she and Danny had read as children. 

As they approached, Tucker said, “well, seems like he may be here. But, it seems pretty quiet—“ 

Just then, a small static shock ran along the speeder. A voice rang through the speakers, high and reedy. “Ahhh, the ghost-child’s little group! I’ve been wondering when you’d finally make your appearance.”

Sam threw a side-long look at Tucker and said, “when will you ever learn not to comment on how quiet it is? You just speak it into existence.”

Tucker just shrugged, pulling a face. 

Jazz’s heart thrummed. He was already inside the speeder? It was very possible she’d underestimated him—but wait. 

She furrowed her eyebrows, speaking into the air, assuming Technus would hear. “What do you mean, you’ve been wondering when we’d make our appearance? You knew we were coming?” 

“Yes, yes, Skulker already informed me you may be seeking me out. Lucky for you! Because Technus 2.0 would not be as easy to defeat as you assume!”

”I hate when he talks about himself in third person,” Tucker muttered. 

“I HEARD THAT!” A sharp buzzing filled the cabin of the speeder. An electrical whine so high pitched Jazz had to cover her ears. It was only increasing in volume, seemingly building up to something. 

“APOLOGIZE TO HIM, TUCKER!” Sam screamed. 

“SORRY! I’m sorry, man! Please just sto—“ the shrieking cut off immediately. 

“Juuuust messing with you, little ghost boy-groupies!” 

“Groupies!? C’mon, we’re—“ 

Sam clapped a hand over Tucker's mouth, shaking her head vigorously, eyes wide. She mouthed the word “STOP.”

A face appeared on the monitor before the trio, digitized to look like a pixilated Technus. “You’re in luck, little groupies! I’m feeling very generous today since my good friend Skulker asked me to help you out.”

Jazz raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t been aware the two were friendly, but it made a certain kind of sense. 

“That,” the ghost continued, “and the fact that the Ghost Child did us all a solid by taking down Priah Dark…” He trailed off. 

Ah, now that made even more sense. She had wondered why Skulker had been more friendly toward Danny lately. In fact, most of his fights in general recently seemed to be more of a good-natured brawl that they had in the past. He’d been coming home injured way less often, almost as if his opponents had been pulling their punches. She wondered if some of the denizens of the Zone, including his enemies, considered him a “savior" of a sort. 

“Thank you, Technus, we really appreciate someone as powerful as you being willing to meet with us,” Jazz hoped appealing to his ego would help. And based on the smug grin blooming across the pixilated face, she guessed she’d hit the mark. 

Yes—well. Flattery will get you everywhere. Fine, Skulker already told me what you wanted, so let’s keep this short, shall we? Plasmius did come to me. We’ve never been friendly, so it surprised me to say the least. He wanted help with a device of his, wanted to make it more powerful and longer lasting.”

“What device!?” Jazz couldn’t help but interrupt. The narrowing of eyes on the screen told her it wasn’t appreciated, but Technus continued nonetheless. 

“Something he called “The Plasmius Maximus”—A ridiculous name, if you ask me. Absolutely no tact. Anyways, it’s a device meant to disrupt and neutralize ghost powers. That that man would make a device that only works to harm himself and the only other member of his species just goes to show—are you even listening?”

Jazz had tuned out after hearing “Plasmius Maximus.” Everything was falling into place. The reason why Danny hadn’t used his ghost powers to escape whatever situation he was in…

”Did you help him?” Jazz said, ignoring whatever else Technus had been complaining about. 

The face on the screen frowned in annoyance, but the ghost answered nonetheless. “I did…it is not a simple thing to deny Plasmius, even despite our…unfriendliness in the past.” He grimaced, and Jazz sensed there was more pain on his end of their transgressions than Vlad’s. “We made it more powerful. He wanted the effects to last longer, so I acquiesced.” 

The way he said it made Jazz’s hair stand on end, and she said, “what did you do?” 

The image wavered in and out before Technus finally answered, “nothing he didn’t ask for! I just may have made it…a bit more powerful than he may have expected. A bit less…stable.” 

“But you just said earlier that you know the only other person it can be used on is Danny! So if you wanted him hurt, why would you even be helping us now?” Sam exploded. 

Jazz didn’t disagree with the sentiment, but quietly shook her head at Sam, who was red in the face. 

But when Technus finally answered, his voice was lower and more serious than she expected. “Yes, yes, I know that! But my intention was for it to backfire on Plasmius. Whoever was holding it would receive equal or worse effects than whoever was being targeted…so, really, I was helping the ghost child! Whatever Plasmius’s plans for him were, the boy should get his powers back sooner than Plasmius would. But if the child has been missing as long as Skulker says…it’s already well past the time limit.”

Jazz’s stomach sank, “how many days was it meant to last?”

“Only seven.”

Tucker’s hands tightened on the wheel and Sam looked pale. Seven…seven days. It had already been twenty, and still, no sign of Danny or Vlad. Did this mean…that Danny really was…

“But if they lost their powers and…and actually died, would it still be guaranteed they’d reappear in the ghost zone as full ghosts? Do we actually have a guarantee of that?” Tucker said, jaw clenched. He was only saying what they were all thinking, but Jazz wished he hadn’t voiced it. 

The image of Technus frowned, “As far as I’m aware, the device doesn’t work like that. The two halfas have cores, you can’t simply “take their ghost powers away” without ripping out or destroying the core. Something like that would prevent them from becoming a full ghost upon the death of their human body…this device only, ah, neutralizes their ghost half for a period of time.” He paused, “All that said, I’m no expert of halfa physiology. Plasmius was the first, as far as I’m aware, and it’s not as if he went about sharing any of that information.”

Jazz stilled, that was a lot to take in. Cores? She’d heard it mentioned in passing by Danny when he’d met Frostbite, but clearly it was something more important than she’d originally thought. But Technus wasn’t the one to ask, and they had bigger problems at the moment.

“So…we can be reasonably certain that they are alive, but trapped somewhere without their powers, well past the time limit for their powers to come back online…is there any way you could have miscalculated?” Jazz said. 

Technus bristled, “Technus 2.0 does not miscalculate.” He paused, “however, something could have happened to destabilize it further to elongate the effects. Large amounts of electricity, for one.”

Jazz’s eyes widened. The police had said the plane had possibly gone down in a storm. Vlad wouldn’t be so careless as to use an untested piece of ghost equipment in the airplane, during a lightning storm…would he? The more she thought about it, the more her stomach tied in knots. For as smart as the man was, he was also selfish and impulsive. 

It was a definite possibility. 

And if it was true–true that Vlad used the Plasmius Maximus, and something malfunctioned, it was even more imperative that they find Danny as soon as possible. Because who knew when he’d get his ghost powers back? Or…or if he’d ever get them back?

Jazz shook her head, trying to physically dislodge such thoughts. She had to focus. She fingered the cool metal of the device she had brought with her and contemplated. 

“Okay…okay. Thank you, Technus, for the information. Things…make more sense now.”

“They do?” Tucker said, raising an eyebrow. 

Jazz ignored him and pressed on. “You’ve already helped us, but I have a favor to ask, Technus.”

The image of him on the screen wavered and vanished. Jazz opened her mouth in shock before noticing movement outside her window. Technus, in his full ghost form, floated outside the window. Despite the darkened glasses covering his eyes, she could feel him scrutinizing her. 

“And if I help you, human, what do I get in return?” The eerie green glow of the Zone cast itself over his features as he spoke. 

“Anything you want.”

”Jazz—“ Sam began. 

Jazz glanced at her, then amended, “Anything you want that is within our power—and that will not cause harm to anybody.” She glanced over to Sam and Tucker, eyebrows raised.

The pair looked at each other, then both shrugged in assent. 

“That seems like a rather small window. But…hmmm—“ He drew closer to the window, peering inside. “Before I agree, tell me your favor. Then I will decide.”

Jazz nodded, “fair enough.”

She then pulled the gleaming metal object out from the bag near her feet. “We need your help modifying a piece of equipment.”

Technus seemed to ponder the object, then pulled a face. “And what exactly is that supposed to be?”

“It’s a tracking device. It can lock on to a ghost’s ecto-signiture…We’ve already tried it, of course, but with Danny’s powers dormant, it wouldn’t lock on.” 

Knowing what she knew now—that Vlad had used the Plasmius Maximus on Danny, made her feel much better about not being able to track him. When they tried it this morning, her heart had sunk. It had been hard to be hopeful that Danny was still alive. But now, she knew there was still a chance. 

Technus tilted his head, “And what do you call this device?”

Jazz’s mouth pulled into a grimace, “It’s…well. My parents call it the “Boo-mereng.” 

She received a blank stare from Technus in response before he scoffed, “What is it with you humans and your contrived naming habits?”

Tucker snorted, “as if you’re one to talk, man.” 

“Tucker!” Jazz gave him a scorching look, then flitted her gaze nervously back to Technus. He looked none too happy about Tucker’s interruption, but was more contemplative than she’d expected him to be. 

The ghost waved his hand in the air, “and what is it you want me to do with this, thing?” He gestured vaguely toward the Boo-mereng. 

Jazz rested the piece of tech in her lap, nervously caressing its smooth surface with her thumb. “We need to figure out a way to get it to lock on to human DNA. So it can track Danny, even if his core isn’t active.” 

“An intriguing idea…though I’m not sure it would work on a regular human. Maybe with more time–”

Sam interrupted, “We thought about that. This Boo-mereng is already locked on to Danny’s ecto-signiture. And when we turn it on, it hums and vibrates like it wants to find him, but can’t. So if we could modify it to also track his human DNA as well, maybe both combined would work?” She glanced at Tucker to confirm. 

He nodded, “It’s something we think could only work with halfas, with the time we have to modify it. It’s not a precise science. The Fentons are weirdly brilliant when it comes to this kind of stuff, and I’m getting the hang of ghost tech, but I’m still not good enough to modify this. And we can’t ask them without revealing Danny’s secret. So…”

Tecnhus nodded, “so you have come to me.”

“Yes,” Jazz confirmed. “So…will you help us?”

Technus was worryingly silent for a few moments before abruptly phasing a hand through the speeder. Jazz jumped back, startled. The hand was making a “give to me” gesture, and Jazz stared at it, thinking. She hugged the Boo-mereng to her chest. It was the one thing that could possibly find Danny. Did she trust Technus enough to hand it over?

She looked to the hand, then to the impatient ghost attached to it. She made her decision, handing the Boo-mereng over. She didn’t necessarily trust Technus, but sometimes in order to make progress, you had to take risks. 

The ghost inspected the tech, then, bringing it closer to his face, he reached up and lowered his glasses to inspect it more closely. Jazz was startled to realize his eyes were just as pitch black as his glasses, with eye lashes lush and stark white surrounding them. 

Tucker leaned forward, mouth agape. “What the…I honestly thought he didn’t even have eyes.”

Sam poked him in the ribs, “Shh–before you piss him off again. And close your mouth!”

Tucker’s mouth clicked shut. Just then, the Boo-mereng in Technus’s hand began to glow, bright white and blue, surrounded by sparking electricity. Jazz’s heart began to hammer. What if something bad happened to the Boo-mereng? What if—

“Ahhh. I see.” The sparking faded and then disappeared completely. Technus held the Boo-mereng pinched between his index finger and thumb, holding it aloft. “This is something I think I can do, little ghost boy-groupies.”

Eyes widening, Jazz leaned closer to the window. “Really!? Thank you so much, Technus—“

The ghost waged a finger with his unoccupied hand. “Ah, ah, ah. I was promised a favor in return. Remember?” 

Jazz breathed in deeply through her nose. This is where they would have to thread the needle. If Technus asked for something they simply could not do, physically or morally…He was now in possession of the Boo-mereng. The ball was in his court, and based on the smug smile on his lips, he knew it. 

“Okay…what can I do for you?”

”Ah, it’s not what you can do for me…but what he can do for me.” Technus pointed at Tucker using the tip of the Boo-mereng. 

Tucker blinked rapidly, looking over his shoulders, then back at Technus. He pointed to the middle of his chest, “Me!?”

”Yes, you, little Tech-Boy-Wannabe.”

Sputtering, Tucker gathered himself for a retort before Sam slapped a hand over his mouth. She addressed Technus, “What do you want from Tucker?”

A thin smile spread over the ghost’s mouth and Jazz’s stomach plummeted. “I need a little…help. With something on these modern “inter-webs.” 

“Helpf wif what?” Tucker said, voice still muffled from Sam’s hand over his mouth. 

“I am trying to procure some items from a website called “eBay.” I have tried multiple times but to no avail.” 

Tucker’s eyes flitted to Jazz, before lowering Sam’s hand from his mouth and saying, “What kind of…items?”

Jazz drummed her fingers against her thigh nervously. This was it…if he requested something that could hurt people, they couldn’t go through with it. Danny wouldn’t want that. 

The ghost readjusted his stance, and Jazz thought it looked a bit like nervous shuffling. “Weeeell…there is a certain item of merchandise for the video game “Doomed” I have been trying to get, but each time I come close, I get out bid! No matter my hacking, I can’t seem to win! Do this for me, Tech-wannabe, and I will re-calibrate this device.” He brandished the Boo-mereng. 

The trio of humans inside the speeder went deathly quiet. Doomed merch? That’s all Technus wanted? Jazz ran a hand down her face. This was a good development but…really?

“Well…yeah. I can help you with that, man. I’m an eBay pro, and I have a whole room full of Doomed collectibles! What specific one are you looking for?”

”The 2002 limited time-only Captain statue with removable phase-blaster! There was a small batch limited run of them and they were all—“

”—hand-painted!” Tucker finished the sentence. “Yeah, man, I know the one! No wonder you’re having troubles. That’s a hard one to get your hands on…” He shifted closer to Jazz, “This could be a problem…it could take weeks to get my hands on one.”

Technus raised an eyebrow, “Well?”

”Yeah, I can help you out, but—“ Tucker began, but stopped when Sam cleared her throat. He slanted a look at her, questioning. 

“Well…I may be able to help with that.” She looked at Technus, “I already have one. It has a certificate of authenticity and everything. You help us find Danny and I’ll give it to you.”

“Pfft…rich kids…” Tucker muttered under his breath, before giving a sharp grunt as Sam elbowed him in his ribs. 

A static shock ran through the speeder and Technus seemed to glow brighter in excitement. “If that is so, then we have a deal!” 

“How long will it take you to re-calibrate it?” Jazz asked. 

The ghost seemed to think for a moment before answering. “Two days, maybe three. I will send Skulker to you when it is ready. We can meet at your portal and trade. This “Boo-mereng 2.0” for the Doomed collectible! Is that agreeable?” 

Jazz did some mental calculations. She wished it could be a little sooner, but it would give them time to plan. And…she had decided there was a need to involve her parents. So it would give her time to prepare for that. She nodded, once, firmly. 

“Yes…that works. That works perfectly.”

Once again, a hand was phased through the door of the speeder. Jazz blinked at it. 

“Well, isn’t this what you humans do? Shake on it?” 

Giving a deep breath, Jazz reached forward and grasped the hand. It was cold, and oddly rough and calloused. “It’s a deal, Technus.”

Just hold on a little longer, Danny, she thought. This will all be over soon.