Hi chapter 6!
DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN DANNY PHANTOM ETC. ETC. NOW, ONWARD!
Chapter 6
Danny woke up with a bad stomachache. He had already tried getting out of bed, but miserably failed. Pain shot up through himeven when he only moved the slightest bit.
He had been staring at the ceiling for hours, unable to sleep. Danny remembered the vivid dream he'd had that night. It was oddly familiar, as if it had happened before at some point, but when Danny tried to recall when this could've happened, his mind drew a blank, as usual.
Flashback
The laptop screen showed a house with various equipment on its roof and a neon sign that read 'Fenton Works'. Moments later, it blew up. Danny felt glad that it was only on the laptop.
"And that's why you should never forget to change the Ecto-Filtrater every six months," Jack announced proudly.
Danny smiled and elbowed Jack. "And you shouldn't forget this: I'm really proud of you Dad; I can't believe you beat that ghost all the way into the Ghost Zone!"
"So from here on in," Jack began, walking with Danny, an arm around his shoulder.
"I'll remember my chores," Danny continued.
"And I'll remember that my actions will always affect the people around me, especially my family," Jack finished.
As they left, Danny could've sworn he heard voices from inside the weapons vault. It sounded something like:
"Jack!" "Dad!" "Jack!" "Dad!" "Jack!" "Jack! Man, that's cool,"
End Flashback
Danny contemplated the dream, but still couldn't figure out why he had called the man in his dream 'Dad'. Vlad did not wear an orange SPANDEX jumpsuit, and had a much smaller girth.
Danny sighed. Ever since he woke up in Vlad's castle, he'd been confused. Confused about who these familiar people were, it was right on the tip of his tongue! Confused about what had happened, and most of all, confused about who he really was. Danny sighed again and slid his hands under the pillow. His fingers hit something hard. Danny winced at the pain, but slid the object out anyway.
It was Vlad's college yearbook. He still hadn't returned it to its original place yet, Vlad's private study.
'I should return this sometime; Vlad will notice that it's missing soon.' Danny thought.
The book's yellow and green cover gleamed, and since he had nothing better to do, Danny found himself flipping through the pages of the old book. Several papers stapled together fell out of Vlad's college yearbook.
Danny looked on the front page.
He whispered aloud, "Vlad Master's Report on-" Just then, Danny heard footsteps nearing his door. Quickly, he stuffed everything back under his pillow and pretended to be asleep.
"Daniel," Vlad said softly. 'I thought I told him not to call me that,' Danny thought. "Are you awake, son?"
Danny faked a groan.
"Are you sick, Daniel?" Vlad crooned, putting a hand on Danny's forehead. Danny thought he detected a small hint of glee, but quickly pushed the thought out of his head.
"Now, I have some business to attend to, so feel free to stay in bed today, training starts tomorrow, so get well soon," Vlad continued. Danny nodded weakly. Vlad exited the room and closed the door softly.
Another 'I have some business to attend to' always meant another day of exploring the castle to Danny.
Despite the now receding pain, Danny slowly got out of bed and exited his room.
Danny had pretty much memorized the basic outline of the castle, plus he had ghost powers. Therefore, if someone were coming, he could quickly get back in bed before someone found that he was missing.
Today, Danny decided to wander around and explore the second floor. Here, the walls were once again lined with green and gold. Various football-related items were displayed in glass cases on the walls or placed on small pillars for show.
A certain object caught Danny's eye. A lone football mounted on a small, white pillar. As Danny got closer, he realized that it had been autographed by the famed football player, Ray Nitschke. Something was familiar about the item, and as Danny touched it, he felt his mind cloud over.
Flashback
"Cool!" Danny exclaimed, eyeing an autographed football. Vlad walked over and gently picked up the football.
"Indeed," said Vlad. "This football was autographed by Ray Nitschke. It's my prize possession."
"Heads up V-man!" shouted a voice. Danny watched as Jack tackled Vlad to the floor and grab the football.
"Heh, see you still got the old moves there," Jack chuckled, studying the football.
"Give me that!" Vlad retorted, snatching the football out of Jack's hands. He marched over to the pillar and gently put the football back in its original place. Then, he turned back to Jack and continued angrily, "I never had any 'old moves'! All those years in the hospital robbed me of that!"
Danny blinked. 'This guy sure has his mood swings' he thought.
End Flashback
As soon as his mind had cleared again, Danny began thinking. These flashbacks were becoming more frequent, but Danny didn't know they were actually flashbacks. To him they were just vague scenes that played in his head at the most random times. Though the scenes were strangely familiar, he couldn't identify anyone else in them besides him and Vlad.
Danny had recognized the man named Jack from his dream. He had noticed the two other figures in the background as well: A woman in a blue jumpsuit with light brown hair and a girl wearing a black shirt with teal jeans. There was something painfully familiar about them, but where he had ever seen faces he couldn't even name was something that had confused Danny from the moment he had first awakened in Vlad's castle. The voices that swirled around in his head, shouting various phrases as soon as he woke up, there was no doubt that Danny had heard them at some point as well, but who did the voices belong to? One sounded as confident and loud as Jack's, that was for sure, but all the others came up as blanks in his mind.
Danny sighed. Everything was so confusing. Things didn't add up. Why had he called Jack his father when Vlad had clearly announced that Danny was his son? There was doubt eating at the edges of his mind.
He's lying to you. A hateful voice whispered. Using you for his own gain; You can see it in his grin. The lying hypocrite! Flee while you still can, he's planning something-
Vlad has given you hospitality like a real father. A soft, comforting voice reasoned. Its resonant sound, like a choir of angels on its own, quickly eased Danny's mind. He hastily pushed away all his worries, including the doubts resounding from the hateful voice. Vlad has told you only the truth, and has cared and comforted you in your pain. The enchanting voice droned on. The wicked whispers came back.
Don't listen to it! It hissed loudly, snapping Danny out of his brief trance. Vlad is a vile snake! He poisoned your food! Did you not hear the cracking sounds as you ate! They were probably poison-
Don't let those evil whispers get to you Danny. The heavenly voice chimed. They don't want you here because they don't want you to get the royal treatment. They're just jealous, but listen to me. Let me guide you.
Danny's eyes dulled and a sleepy smile stretched across his face.
Let me control you…
Danny silently floated into his room, phasing through the floor. He landed softly on his bed and pulled the covers up.
His mind was foggy, but to him, the angelic voice was his savior and all he had to do was follow it. Let it control him.
Danny's eyes slid out of focus as he let the voice take control. Calming tranquility flooded his mind, carefree and refreshing. All thanks to the voice. Confusion and panic washed away. And Danny let it continue. The voice would do no wrong, right?
The voice was his friend.
Obey…
"Obey," Danny repeated softly. Then he calmly drifted into a peaceful slumber, oblivious to the world around him. That included Vlad's plot.
Below, hidden in his underground lab, Vlad smiled a demonic smile as he watched the nanobots' effects take hold.
"Yes Daniel," he cackled. "Obey."
Crows as black as night flew away as Vlad's merciless laughter echoed throughout the surrounding area.
A little short yes, and very late,but I had a BAD case of Writer's Block. Unfortunately I need my privacy when I'm typing my stories. I suffer from a bad case of Writer's Block if I'm disturbed in the middle of my chapter, and Mom just happened to barge in at the time, demanding that I put the juice back in the refrigerator. Rolls eyes Sorry for the late updates! Hope you liked it. Feel free to send some ideas too. R&R!
PS: Check out my other story: Eidolon: Double Agent Halfa! My Writer's Block isn't as bad there. (And the story isn't exactly what the title suggests! Or the summary for that matter.)