27AN: I'm sorry this took so long to write! I've had a very, very busy winter break. When you're assigned two projects and a packet on The Odyssey over break, all for the same language arts class that you'd rather not fail when you're already getting a C grade, your priorities tend to be elsewhere -_-
I hope you all had a Happy New Year! Thanks for the reviews! And sorry if I didn't reply to yours, I think I may have missed one or two.
Wait, why are you still reading the Author's Note? Read the next chapter already! C'mon, you know you want to!
Tucker was strolling quickly, a pace somewhere between a fast walk and a slow run. He would have jogged or ran, even, but Tucker Foley was not exactly known for his outstanding achievements in P.E. That, and he had to lug around a two-ton purple backpack on the way.
"What is in this thing?" the techno geek asked to an empty street corner. He dropped the backpack on the sidewalk and paused to catch his breath. "I mean, I know he's got super strength and all, but does he have to pack it so full?"
Tuck bent down to unzip the pack and flipped it open. Textbooks were inside. At closer inspection, he could see various Fenton inventions lying underneath. He sifted through the gadgets.
"Fenton Thermos, Fenton lipstick, Ghost Gabber... Boo-merang? Huh, I was wondering where that went. Uh, lets see here... Fenton Finder?" He pulled out the dented metal tracking device, bringing it up close to his face to examine. The green tinted screen was dark, but otherwise looked functional. Tucker thought for a moment.
He flipped the switch.
"TWO GHOSTS DETECTED."
"Gah!" he yelped and fell back on the sidewalk.
Tucker stood and wiped dust off his pants. "Well, at least it works," he said sourly. The machine beeped in his hand, drawing his attention to it. Two blips glowed on the monitor. Two ghosts.
Two ghosts.
One was headed straight towards him.
He had just enough time to look up and see a black and white blur flying at breakneck speeds, right where he was standing.
Just feet away from crashing into Tuck, Danny Phantom's wide green eyes saw him. He stopped so abruptly mid-flight that it would have been physically impossible for a human.
Tucker stood there in shock, mouth agape.
The ghost ignored his speechlessness, grabbed a hold of the techno geek's shoulders and yelled, "You've gotta help me! There's some crazy red chick after me!"
Tucker blinked. "Who?"
Phantom looked from side to side before looking Tuck straight in the eyes. "Please! You- I- I mean, you were in the lab- with the others, I mean, and I thought maybe you'd help me, and, I mean, I was just so tired! And I didn't know the drinks were hers, I was just trying to wake up a bit, but then she got some weapons out of nowhere, and- and-"
"Dude! Just calm down, okay?" Tucker shoved Phantom lightly to let go of his arms. "Now say it a little slower, I couldn't understand a word you said."
Phantom closed his wide eyes and took a deep breath. "I was in this restaurant, and-"
"Where'd you go, ghost punk?"
"-HIDE ME!"
His eyes shot open again and Phantom hid haphazardly behind Tucker. It was no use, though; his white hair and glowing aura were still clearly visible.
"The girl in red is back!" He shouted and pointed towards the sky.
Tucker looked up and saw what he meant. The Red Huntress was scanning the area high atop her hover board. And by the looks of it, that wasn't just a squirt gun she was holding...
"Turn invisible!" He whispered to the Phantom.
"...I can do that?"
"YES!"
"Um... ho- how do I-"
"Stay away from him!" Valerie yelled. She started speeding towards them, ecto gun at the ready.
Uh oh.
"How do I do it?" Phantom whispered loudly. He clung to Tucker's shoulders as though his afterlife depended on it. Tucker was frozen in place.
"HOW?!"
Tuck shook his head, "I- I don't know, you just think about it!" he turned to the Phantom, "Look, there's no time! Get out of here!"
Phantom started backing away slowly. He looked from Tucker to Valerie and back again. Then he shut his eyes tight in concentration. Suddenly the ghost was gone, replaced with thin air and an empty sidewalk.
Tucker let out a breath he hadn't realize he was holding.
"You!" Valerie's shout from behind got his attention. "Where's Phantom? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"
He turned around and answered a bit awkwardly, "The... Red Huntress! Boy, am I glad to see you!" He forced a smile.
Valerie didn't seem to notice his slip-up, too intent on the ghost that escaped. "Did you see where he went?"
"Oh...Danny Phantom, you mean? He, um, flew out of here as soon as he saw you. Yeah! You scared him good!"Tucker internally winced. He really needed to better his acting skills.
Valerie's face was hidden behind her visor, but he could imagine the surprise on her face. "...I did?"
"Yeah! Totally! He was going on and on about how doomed he was because you found him. He thought he was a goner!" Which actually isn't that far from the truth...
Tucker could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Oh really? Well don't worry, Danny Phantom won't terrorize this city for much longer. Because this huntress is on the job!" She hovered a few feet above him and went off in the general direction Phantom disappeared to.
"Phew. Glad that's over with. Now..." He reached for the purple backpack on the ground. Which... wasn't there anymore. "Huh?"
The Fenton Finder that he'd forgotten about started beeping in his hand. "Ghost detected within a fifteen feet radius. You'd have to be some kind of moron not to notice the ghost directly in front of you." It stated in a monotone, feminine voice.
"Hey! I'm not a moron!" He scowled at the machine. The monitor had a single blip on the screen now, signaling there was supposedly a specter in front of him. He looked up.
Another very familiar white haired ghost wearing black and white Hazmat was floating a few inches off the ground. He didn't notice Tucker; he was too intent on the plum colored bag he was sifting through.
Tucker gasped. "Danny!"
Phantom stopped shuffling through the purple pack. Electric green eyes met Tucker before the ghost disappeared. The plum colored bag was still visible, however. It hovered in the air a bit before floating by itself down the street.
"Hey! Get back here!" Tucker shouted and ran after the haunted backpack.
Jazz sighed into her Physics book, clearly frustrated. She was in all honors classes, had straight A's, and even received scholarships from the top ivy league universities. So why was this so hard for her to figure out?
Arms crossed over the open book, she let her head fall and let out another audible sigh.
"Need any help, Jazz?"
"Ah!" The red head jumped out of her chair and nearly tripped. She scowled at her brother, placing her hands on her hips. "Danny! What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that?"
He tossed his old, faded purple backpack onto the desk, ignoring her question.
"And why are you in your ghost form? Danny, this is a public library. Just because we're in the back of the building and it's morning, doesn't mean-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Jazz. Sheesh! Nobody saw me. This place is deserted, anyway. Even the librarian is on break."
Jazz sat back down in her chair. "Sorry, I just didn't expect for you to visit me here. You're usually pretty busy on weekends, with your 'job' and all..." She was genuinely curious now, "So what brings you here?"
Danny floated above the carpet behind her desk. "What? Can't a guy plan a surprise visit with his sister every now and again?" He looked down at the pile of books and papers on the table. "What're you workin' on?"
Jazz ran a hand through her hair and sighed loudly for the third time that day. "I decided to take an advanced Physics class, since science is a pretty big deal in our family, you know? And I thought, 'Hey, this will be easy! My parents are scientists; surely I can figure out simple Physics!' Besides, I've done just great in other science courses: Biology? Fine. Chemistry? I flew through that class. But Physics? It's just won't click!"
The Danny she knew and loved would have given her a supportive speech on how she was smart enough as it was, that her getting accepted to Yale was proof enough of her intelligence, that it didn't matter what grade she got in one lousy subject. Or perhaps a simple pat on the back and a hug would suffice. Danny, however, did not do either of those things.
"Oh, wow, Jazz. Physics? That's got to be the easiest subject there is!" And he went and smirked at her.
Jazz scowled at her little brother. "Come on, Danny. I know it probably comes easier to you because you're so fascinated with astronomy, but could you show a little sensitivity? It's not like it's against the law, or anything." She finished sourly, eyes narrowed to slits.
Then, if the insult wasn't bad enough for her, he started to laugh. In her face. "What laws? Newton's laws? Or are you so far behind in your class that you haven't even figured out what they are yet?" He got out between guffaws.
Jazz stood up and got nose to nose with her brother. "You think that's funny?" She jabbed a finger at his chest, "just because you're the town hero and you are smarter than your grades make you out to be, doesn't mean you have to be a jerk about it!" she practically screeched.
In a fit of anger, she snatched his backpack off the table, pulled out a Fenton Thermos, and aimed it at Danny. He barely had time to register what was happening before a blue vortex emanated from the machine, engulfing him in spectral energy.
"And that's what you get for being a selfish, know-it-all BRAT!" Jazz yelled to the Thermos and shook it for good measure.
"Jazz!" A familiar voice shouted. The seventeen-year-old girl whipped her head around to see-
"Tucker? What are you doing here?"
He walked to the desk and leaned on it. "It's... a long story," he panted, "have... you seen ...Danny?"
"Umm..." She looked around guiltily, "...yes?"
"Where is he? Where'd he go?"
Jazz gestured to the Thermos.
"You caught him?" Tucker raised his eyebrows.
"Well, he was ticking me off! I needed help with my Physics assignment, and instead of helping me like a good little brother, he decided to be a total jerk about it! And then he made fun of my intelligence and practically called me dumb! And on top of that, he- why are you smiling at me like that, Tucker?"
The techno-geek's grin only widened more. "Because we just captured our first Danny of the day."
Jazz gave him a look of confusion.
"Again, it's a long story. I'll, er, explain on the way out."
Lesson learned: Don't insult Jazz's intelligence.
Note- I've decided Danny, Sam, and Tucker are fifteen around the time of this story while Jazz is seventeen. Also, the story takes place before season 3; this will be important later on. Any ideas as to why Sleepy Danny didn't recognize Tucker as well as Know-It-All Danny recognized Jazz?
Credit for a smart/stuck-up Danny goes to writers-block-Bgone. Though for some reason he didn't come off as smart and stuck up as I hoped he would... unless that's just me.
Trivia:
We phans all know the DP theme song by heart. But did you know it wasn't the first? Check out the link below w/o spaces and replace the 'dot's with '.'s to watch the original storyboard concept of the theme song~
www dot youtube dot com /watch?v= LNQHKKangls
I have to warn you, though- it's different. And unfinished. But I thought it was pretty cool :)
Miss Chess appreciates feedback ^-^