Chapter Text
Danny was having a no good, horrible, very bad day.
It started with his parents nearly mauling him at the breakfast table, which made him egregiously late to homeroom, where he was kindly given another detention. That mixed in with the test he knows for a fact he bombed, and the Lunch Lady and Box Ghost teaming up to beat him up during lunch really was the cherry on top.
That’s why he had come to the Zone in the first place. He was beaten up and pissy, and with his busy schedule this week this was going to be the only time he was able to release the two far enough into the Zone where it would take them at least a few days to find their way back and get out again.
But then the day went from bad to worse.
“Maybe this time you’ll be able to put me out of my fucking misery,” Danny grumbled as he dodged another blast from Technus. With how often he hijacked Danny’s video games it was a surprise his aim was still absolute garbage.
“Awe, is the ghost child not having a good day?” Technus mockingly said. “Maybe I can help!”
He sent out a bolt of green lightning which Danny barely dodged. But he was so busy trying to dodge that one he didn’t see the new thing Technus pulled out of his coat.
By the time Danny righted himself in the air, Technus had already pulled the trigger.
The shot itself went through Danny. It didn’t hurt, but it didn’t feel nice either. It was oddly warm and uncomfortable, and his core protested. He rubbed his chest uncomfortably before returning his attention back to Technus.
“Really cool invention, Technus,” he said. “Maybe by the next time we fight it’ll actually work.”
“I wouldn’t count your eggs just yet, ghost brat!” Technus threw more lightning at him, and Danny wasn’t so lucky with the dodging this time. His core was still feeling a little funky, and it made his movements jerky and slow.
Danny screamed in pain as he was hit square in the chest. He flew back, trying to breathe through the pain coursing through his body. His eyes were squeezed shut but he could feel the temperature go from the neutral cold of the Ghost Zone to bright and warm. The wind that usually didn’t exist in the Zone whipped around him.
Danny forced his eyes open. He only had a second to register that he was free falling before he slammed into some concrete.
He laid there, dazed as the green portal in the middle of a bright, cloudless sky disappeared out of sight.
Fuck.
He was not going to make it home for curfew, which meant another grounding.
Fuck.
Danny decided to take a second to just rest. His body was still sore from the fight at lunch, and now with Technus’ lightning attack, his whole body was wanting to reject him. His core was burning, sending pain signals throughout his entire body. When he tried moving his arms under him to get up, they shook and buckled, and he collapsed on the ground once more.
Where was he? Around him were tall buildings with large glass windows, all perfectly monotonous and indistinguishable. But he was in the middle of the street in the middle of the day. Where was the traffic? Where were the pedestrians? Where was the media riding his dick about being a ghostly menace? Nothing about this seemed right. Something in his gut churned at the offness he felt from this place. Whatever was going on, he did not want any part of it.
After a few more minutes of his healing factor kicking in and his core settling, he managed to shakily get to his feet. His vision went blurry a few seconds before his knees buckled. He fell on them, but managed to stay awake, and even coherent until his vision cleared.
Everything hurt. Fuck, even breathing hurt. Were his ribs cracked? He wouldn't be surprised if they were, he did fall from a pretty big height. God, Jazz was going to kill him. Or at the very least give him a very stern lecture and another dozen video links on the art of dodging.
Fuck.
Once he was sure he wasn’t going to collapse as soon as he got to his feet, he tried again. He wobbled on shaky legs, but his vision didn’t go fuzzy and his knees weren’t protesting against him. Well, not more than usual, anyway. Fifteen and already he had knees like Mr. Lancer. How tragic. Maybe they can put that on his headstone when he finally kicked it. Danny Fenton. Beloved son. Death by bad knees.
Danny sighed and rolled his neck and shoulders to loosen up. His core was still aching, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been a few minutes ago. After a series of satisfying pops, he turned around, taking another look at the city.
It really was empty. Not a single soul in sight. It felt a little apocalyptic, and if there was more destruction he would have probably believed it was. But there wasn’t a speck of trash on the ground. It was as if this place had never been lived in at all. But it was a city. People had to be here, right?
Danny sighed once more. He didn’t want to risk flying with how bad his core felt from the lightning attack, so walking would have to do. But where would he go? What direction should he walk in?
He was in the middle of an empty intersection. That was four choices, all with possibly wildly different outcomes.
Fuck it.
After a quick round of eenie-meenie-miney-mo Danny chose the path to his left and started walking.
The town didn’t get less creepy the farther he walked. In fact, it seemed to get more creepy, because even though it’s been well established that this place has nobody living here, he has the distinct feeling of being watched. There are eyes burning in the back of his skull, and he has to force himself to not look around to see where this person might be hiding. Instead, he strains his ears and listens.
For a few minutes there’s nothing. But then, there’s a scuffle of a shoe. A hitch of a breath, and Danny doesn’t waste his chance. He whirls around to the sound and sends out a small, quick ectoblast. He aims higher into the alley to his right, knowing he didn’t hit the person following him. But he wasn’t trying to.
“Who are you?” He asks, sounding a lot more brave than he was feeling. He didn’t know if his body, and more importantly his core, was up for a third fight today. “Show yourself!”
“My, my, there’s no need for such violence I assure you.”
Danny’s whole body tenses at the voice behind him. He turns around, keeping one hand pointed in the alley as he faces the person who spoke.
And if it weren’t for the distinct lack of creepy ghostliness (and the fact that his ghost sense hasn’t gone off a single time since being here) he would have assumed they were from the Zone. There was one man who was made entirely out of cement, wearing some kind of body suit. And perched on his shoulder was some sort of bear-ferret thing in a suit.
What the fuck?
“Who are you?” Danny asked. His hand pointed at the alley was still glowing green. He tried listening again for the third person that was over there, but with his attention split between that, the newcomers, and his aching body, he wasn’t having much luck.
“My name is Principal Nezu! My staff and I are dedicated to teaching the new generation to go out and do their best. Plus ultra! But with such a high demanding job, and with all of the incidents last year we are a little more tight on our security. Hence the in person visit! Hello!”
Despite his cheery demeanor, Danny could tell this little rat thing could probably tear his throat out with those teeth without any kind of genuine problem. But he said he was a principal, which usually implied a school. But there was still nobody here. He thinks pointing that out would be a little redundant, though, and if these guys aren’t freaking out about it, it’s probably normal. So that leads Danny to his next question.
“What kind of incident? I don’t remember reading anything in the news outside of the usual stuff.”
Nezu tilted his head to the side, eyes calculating as they looked Danny over. He’s not sure if Nezu found what he was looking for, but after a few moments, he straightened back out again and turned to the building where Danny’s hand was pointed.
“You can come out now, Aizawa,” Nezu said. “I believe this is a conversation better suited for my office.”
Danny jumped a little as a man with long hair and dark clothes dropped down from out of nowhere. He moved the yellow goggles from his face to resting around his neck, looking at them with an almost bored expression with the eye that wasn’t behind the patch. But Danny saw the line of tension in his shoulders. The way his feet were placed, ready to go in either direction if he suddenly needed to. He was like a cat coiled to strike, and the only thing keeping him from mauling Danny was Nezu.
Okay, that might be a little dramatic, but that didn’t make the feeling lessen any.
He had a couple of options, though. He could go with them and figure out what the fuck was going on, or he could risk capture by flying away. But with his core still on the fritz, he was probably going to be caught anyway. It was taking all of his willpower just to stay in his ghost form. If he was able to fly away from these guys, it wouldn’t be very fast or far.
Danny looked between the three men once more. Nezu was more of a quiet threat. Kind and gentle on the outside, but his beady little eyes were cold and calculating, eyeing Danny up and down like he was a new problem he had the pleasure of solving. The rock guy hadn’t said a word, but despite his rocky exterior, he didn’t look like he was itching for a fight. He had a gentle look on his face, and it almost reminded him of Mr. Lancer on the rare occasions he took pity on Danny. And the dark haired one, Aizawa, looked like he was ready for either option. He had a hand in his scarf, and the other was in his pocket. His stance was relaxed but he was eyeing Danny with a carefully constructed calm.
At the end of the day, it was three against one, and Danny was already pretty banged up and exhausted. So against his better judgment, he sighed once more and nodded.
“Fine. To your office, then.”
—-------
Nezu’s office was probably better described as a small apartment. At least, that’s how it felt from just the sheer size of it. The ceilings were tall and the space was wide and minimally decorated with a desk, a couple of soft looking chairs, and a long couch sitting across from the desk. Nezu wasted no time in hopping off of Cementoss’ (his name is Cementoss, oh my god) shoulder and hopping into the big chair behind the desk. He typed a few things on his computer before gesturing for Danny to sit.
He sat in one of the chairs instead of the couch, not wanting anybody to sit next to him for right now. Aizawa was silent but he no longer looked like he was one bad Batman pun away from snapping Danny’s neck. In fact, up close he seemed super mellow. He had heavy bags under his eyes, and in the safety of Nezu’s office, he allowed himself to relax into the couch with a deep sigh. He rubbed tension out of his thigh as he looked from Danny to Nezu, who cleared his throat.
“Now, right down to business,” Nezu said with a clap of his paws. “What’s your name?”
“Phantom,” Danny replied. Nezu typed something in before asking where he was from. “I’m from Amity Park. You know, the most haunted town in America?” But now that his brain had rebooted, he realized this was obviously another dimension. Maybe Amity wasn’t the most haunted town. Maybe there weren’t any ghosts at all except for him.
Nezu typed for a couple of moments before frowning at his screen. But when he turned to Danny a second later, he had that plastic smile plastered on his face, all teeth, as he spoke. “Now, I know this must be quite overwhelming for you, and that you took quite the tumble, but I would greatly appreciate it if you cooperated with us.”
“I-I’m confused. I am cooperating,” Danny challenged, sitting up a little straighter.
“Phantom, Amity Park doesn’t exist,” Nezu said. He clasped his hands (paws?) and put them on the desk in front of him as he looked down his nose at Danny. No Amity? That…That thought hurts a lot more than he ever thought it would. Alternate universe or not, Amity Park not existing had never even crossed as a thought in his mind.
He must have some kind of look on his face because Nezu turns away and types something else into the computer before turning the screen around. It’s pulled up on some footage of the city (the training grounds) they had been in. (Ancients, can this school get any weirder?) Danny watched as the familiar green of the Ghost Zone forced its way into the sky. Watched as a moment later he fell through with green electricity tracing around his body. Watched as he made a small crater upon impact, and watched, helplessly for the second time that day, as the portal disappeared.
Well, there was no way he was getting out of this now. Not without having to give a few answers.
Fuck
He looked at Nezu, who regarded him with that same dark, calculating gaze. He looked to Cementoss who seemed intrigued but gentle. He looked to Aizawa, who was now watching him with a tired understanding. And…Something else. Something Danny didn’t know the man well enough to decipher, but if he had to put a name to it it would probably be melancholy. Pity was a close second, but it wasn’t quite right.
“If you’re not a villain you’ll be safe here, no matter what,” Aizawa says. It’s the first time he’s spoken. His voice is rough and low, and Danny can’t tell if it’s from disuse or if it’s just like that.
“You promise?” Danny asked, looking at Nezu. The rat just gives him a firm nod, and Danny takes a deep breath to steady his nerves. Because he’s not getting out of this without offering some answers, and obviously these guys don’t want to arrest a teenager. But he’s never actually had to tell people his secret. Everybody who knows kind of just found out on their own, or they were there when it happened.
But, well, there was a first time for everything, right?
“I’m from another dimension, I think,” Danny starts, because that’s the easier truth to tell right now. “The green thing I fell through was a portal created by this asshole named Technus.”
“Where does this portal lead to?” Cementoss asked him.
“To a place called the Ghost Zone. I know in some places it’s also referred to as the Infiniti Realms, but I don’t know how universal that is. Anyway, it’s the place in between all other dimensions, where ghosts live.”
“How fascinating,” Nezu says, leaning forward. “How does that work?”
“Well,” Danny rubs the back of his neck nervously, wracking his brain for a good analogy, “it’s kind of like the solar system? Assuming ours are the same, at least. At the very center you have the Sun. And all of the planets rotate around it. Now imagine each of those planets is their own universe. They’re all completely different, except for the fact that they all lead to the Zone. Whenever someone dies if it’s bad enough or if they’re just not ready to leave the land of the living, they become a ghost and end up in the Zone.
“The Zone works both ways though. It can bring people in from anywhere, and it can also spit them out anywhere. Some jackass with a DIY portal gun could send anybody anywhere or any time. Which is what may or may not have happened to me.”
“I’ll have to ask you more questions about that later,” Nezu said, thoroughly intrigued. He was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of having another conversation like this with Danny. “Moving on, though, you said you came from this Ghost Zone. Does that make you a ghost as well?”
Right. Now time for the hard part.
The words got stuck in his throat, so he nodded his head instead. And then shrugged and waved his hand in a so-so gesture. He glanced at Aizawa, who gave him a small nod to continue. Danny’s not sure why it was so reassuring, but it was and he appreciated it. So he cleared his throat and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
“Sort of,” he said. “Yes and no. I’m sort of a, uh. I’m both. Ghost and human. Alive and dead. The ghosts call me a halfa. It’s-I’m not completely sure how it works, to be honest. Halfas are pretty rare.”
“How did you become a halfa?” Nezu asked. “Assuming you were born fully alive that is.”
“My parents are ghost hunters who build their own equipment, including a portal to the Zone. The energy from the Zone leaks into my world more often than not, and my parents have studied it their whole lives, but it wasn’t enough. So they punched a hole in the fabric of the universe, except it didn’t work. Not at first, anyway.
“I was. I was being dumb. It was broken, but I was old enough to know better than to go near it. But my friends wanted a cool picture, so I suited up and went inside. Tripped and hit the power button that was on the inside.”
“Who puts a power button on the inside of a dangerous machine like that?” Aizawa asks. And he sounds angry, but not at Danny. More like on his behalf, which is honestly a first coming from someone who isn’t Jazz.
“They weren’t the most observant,” Danny admits. “Geniuses in their own rights but they’ve still got some screws loose. Anyway, the portal turned on while I was inside of it. And then I woke up looking like this.” He gestured to himself.
It’s the sparknote version of the story. They don’t need to know his weakness is lightning. They don’t need to know the split second of awareness where he was absolutely frozen with fear before the first sparks touched his skin. They don’t need to know the pain of what it felt like, being torn apart and put back together again but wrong in a way Danny hadn’t thought was imaginable. That was Danny’s cross to bear, and Danny’s alone.
“What did you look like before?” Cementoss asked. Instead of answering verbally, Danny let the white rings wash over him, changing white hair to black, green eyes to blue, and a beaten, tattered jumpsuit to jeans and a red, long sleeve shirt. He wasn’t cold by any means, but he’s got too many scars on his arms now, and if they show then people will ask questions.
“Do your parents know about the accident?” Aizawa asks. There’s something hard and guarded in his tone that Danny can’t decipher. He lets out a big yawn and shakes his head no.
“They’re ghost hunters, so no. I don’t know how they’ll react, so it’s just safer this way. Besides, if I can keep them busy hunting Phantom then that means they won’t go after the other ghosts. I can capture them and throw them back into the Zone without having to worry about my parents hurting them.”
“What about the other heroes?” Nezu asked in a tone that suggests he already knows the answer.
“There aren’t any,” Danny says. And it’s technically the truth. Sam and Tucker do their best but most of the leg work is up to Danny. And Elle usually spends her time in the Zone so there’s less of a chance of her destabilizing, and Valerie falls under the bounty hunter definition more so than that of a hero. Not that she doesn’t do her fair share of protecting Amity, but her solutions with dealing with ghosts are far too permanent than what Danny is comfortable with. “I’m the only one.”
“You mean the only one in your town?” Cementoss asks hopefully, like he’s grasping for straws for there to be literally any other answer. “No, I mean, the only one. Nobody human except me has powers in my world.”