Disclaimer: Not mine!! I wish I could come up with something so great as this ... but alas, I am stuck with simply finishing the original ... YES, I AM DOING THIS WITH HER PERMISSION! So no flamers on that part. Bleh ...

Original Asylum fanfiction: http : / / www . fanfiction . net / s / 3257071 / 1 / Asylum

Original Asylum Comic: http : / the-alchemists-muse . deviantart . com / art / Asylum-pages-1-2-42255315

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Light spilled onto the floor, breaking up the almost ever-present shadows. A low rumble sounded through the tiny room and the heavy mechanical door unlocked itself to allow a solitary human to enter. She had her battle suit fully activated, save for the helmet and weapons they had made her leave behind. Her black and red suit glowed a little, although whether or not it was a play of light on the shiny metal or just the suit was unknown. Her hair was the same length, give or take a few inches, it had been all those years ago, held back by what looked to be the same yellow bandanna.

Valerie Gray stood in the doorway, feeling rather than hearing the pneumatic hiss of the door closing firmly behind her. It was slightly nerve wracking not have an exit route just in case, not that she would need it, however they couldn't take the chance of him escaping. Not that that she would let him, even if he could. They had reassured her that his restraints more or less paralyzed his powers, reducing his enormous strength inherent to his kind to the point that he was barely able to stand, let alone do much else.

The gloom of the room was broken only by a few dim lights built into the ceiling, illuminating the padded walls and the single figure kneeling in the center of the room. Eyes closed and head bowed, he looked a bit as if he was praying. Of course Valerie knew that wasn't the case. She hadn't seen him in eleven years, almost no one had, and she had only caught a quick glimpse of his new form before he was finally captured. As such, his appearance might have changed as though a human's would, though she doubted it. He probably looked as he did that fateful day.

She cleared her throat to catch his attention. His head whipped up to look at her, and she caught a glimpse of those eyes. Valerie looked into those eyes, slightly disturbed by their seemingly new appearance. The irises still retained their acid green color, but that was the end of the similarities. Where his eyes had been white, they were now black. In the light, the green revealed flecks of yellow and orange, and the bags under his eyes stood out starkly against his skin, taking on a more bruised affect than anything else. While his hair still fell in his face the same way, it had grown in length considerable, now ending just slightly below his shoulders. His hair certainly showed the need of some care and faded into a dark crimson red at the ends. The sides of his hazmat suit had been slit open down the sides, allowing the bright green bandages to show through, the color matching the different belts and chains adorning his arms and legs. Despite all this, the most surprising thing was the lanky adult that now replaced the kid she once fought.

She took a step closer and noticed for the first time the white straps crisscrossing his chest, his crossed arms, running around to the back, holding him as though he were in a straitjacket. Essentially, that was what they were, a form of straitjacket for a ghost.

Phantom cocked his head to the side after taking her person in, staring at her with those eyes. She stared back at him, not one to back down, despite the chills that eerie gaze sent through her.

"Huh." His voice was deeper than she had expected and in the flat air of the room, the echo rebounded on itself. "Are you … here to forgive me and get me out or-" here his neutral expression changed to one of solemn anxiety, "-did you come to rip me apart in vengeance?"

How she wished she could enact the latter of the question, but the GIW would be rather pissed if she took out their most prized possession. Valerie decided not to acknowledge him with an answer and raised her arm to deactivate the suit. The light from the reinforced window built into the door caught on the alloys in her armor. Phantom drew up his shoulders in defense, expecting her wrath to fall upon him suddenly and swiftly. Valerie almost wanted to smile when she saw his reaction to her, old animosity fueling the triumphant feeling coming from the knowledge he was afraid of her. She held her position for a moment, reveling in the fear from Phantom before scowling a little.

"None of the above, ghost. Your lucky day."

Vibrant rose whirls of energy surrounded her, the ecto-nanotechnology in her suit reducing it to nothingness until she needed it again. Phantom blinked in shock and raised his head from where it had dropped, surprised that she would offer a gesture of truce such as this. Both were powerless now, in a sense. No one had the advantage, Valerie having free hands aside. She brushed off the non-existent dirt off her shirt and decided she had wasted enough time. She'd never been especially patient and today was certainly no exception to the rule.

"I have questions, ghost," she said. "My employer told me your have the answers I need. That means I'm going to need you to be in one piece ... at least to start with."

Phantom stared up at her from his spot on the floor, his face more or less emotionless for a moment before cracking into a gigantic grin.

"Well, that's great! In that case, I'm really, really glad to see you!" Valerie almost fell over in shock.

"What?" Whatever she was expecting, it hadn't been for Phantom to react this way. The ghost immediately began to blabber on a bit, cheer seeping into his voice.

"Well, it's not like there are a ton of people to talk to around here and I can't exactly go looking for someone to have a conversation with." He sort of shrugged with his arms, indicating the straps that bound him. "Really, I'm happy to see just about anyone, but I'm real glad it's a friend," he said with a happy little grin, head cocked to the side again.

Even though Valerie knew that he was just playing mind games with her, she fell for it hook, line, and sinker and gave into her temper. "Friend? What the hell are you talking about?"

Phantom's expression turned nostalgic in a way as he gazed ahead. "You know. You're my friend and I'm yours. We used to play a game together all the time. Years ago. You made it up and started it and we'd play, but I was the only one you ever played with ..."

Valerie felt herself tense in anger at the concerned tone his voice took at this last sentence. He acted like it wasn't his fault at all that she'd been rejected from the popular group. And Phantom's false pity was incredible. He continued to speak though, as if unaware of Valerie's irritation. "I was glad when you stated hanging out with other people too. Like that Star girl."

She suddenly didn't like the way this conversation was going.

"Or Sam and Tuck-uh!" Valerie's foot connected with his right cheek before he could finish, sending the spook flying back, landing hard on his side. He laid there for a moment, clearly stunned before lifting his head to peer at her through his hair.

"Uh ... w-what did you do that for?" he muttered in a wounded tone. He struggled to stand without the use of his hands as Valerie watched, hands clenching into fists.

"Don't you dare speak of things in which you had no involvement, and act as though you know me," she said quietly, anger dripping from every syllable.

Phantom finally managed to get back on his knees, his back to her, when her words reached him. The white-haired man paused for a moment. "No involvement?" His voice was incredulous, but at the same time, Valerie could have sworn she could actually hear the smirk hidden in it. "Heh." Phantom started chuckling as he climbed to hi feet. "Heh. Heh heh. Heh ha. Haha. Ha!" The ghost burst into laughter as he turned to face her, seemingly in outright hysterics.

Valerie stared at the insane ghost, remembering just who she was dealing with until Phantom broke her train of thought. "So ... you said you wanted to ask me something?"

"Uh ... yeah, I did." She'd actually forgotten her purpose for coming here for a moment. She paused, carefully wording together her next words. How to ask? Better to do things her usual way. "You, did you ever hear of a ghost named Clockwork?"

The change that came over Phantom's face was almost fascinating to watch. His eyes went as wide as possible, looking as if he'd been suddenly punched, his face twisting into an expression of something that Valerie just couldn't explain. It might have been outright horror, or anguish maybe. Whatever it was, it was tinted with some ghostliness that made his face seen almost grotesque.

"Clo-Clockwork?" Phantom rasped, his voice suddenly sounding dry and choked. Valerie crossed her arms and waited for the ghost to say more. If that expression didn't say 'guilty,' she didn't know did. Phantom drew his shoulders up once more around his ears, staring at Valerie's feet as he stuttered, obviously no order to his thoughts.

"Ah ... I-I ... Ca- ... I don't ..."

Valerie watched him for a moment before an idea struck her. She'd just play his weaknesses. With this thought, Valerie turned on her heels and started towards the exit with a "hmph" just loud enough for the ghost to hear. "Fine, don't answer. I'll just go. See you never." She grimaced before muttering under her breath, "What a waste of my time."

It seemed to work, for Phantom's head snapped to attention the moment she showed signs of leaving.

"Ah! W-Wait! Hey, d-don't leave!" he yelped, an almost hysterical not creeping into his voice. Valerie stopped, standing not an inch from the door. Phantom only took a few seconds to compose himself somewhat before attempting to a question of his own, still stammering slightly.

"That name ... Where did you hear that name? Clock-um ..." Phantom stopped halfway through the name as if unable to continue.

"Not that I pay attention or anything, but a few of my targets have been muttering that name." Valerie answered without turning around.

"What?" Phantom sounded bewildered and began to mutter quietly to himself, seemingly unable to completely say the name 'Clockwork.' Valerie managed to pick out the phrase "Why would ghosts be talk about Clock-?"

"Ha! So you do know something!" She turned to glare triumphantly at Phantom. He looked stricken, but before he could protest, Valerie closed the space between them and grabbed the front of his suit. " Spill it, ghost," she growled at him.

"Um ... well ... he's, um ..." Phantom smiled sheepishly at her. "What do you want me to say?"

Valerie could feel a vein pulsing on her forehead. "Huh?"

"Clo-he's different things to different people." Phantom said, stepping back as Valerie released him from her grip. "A rescuer. An imprisoner. An employer ..."

"Right. So what is he to you?" Valerie raised an eyebrow at him. She swore he was trying to be difficult.

"For me?" A frown appeared on Phantom's face as he lifted his head to look directly up at the ceiling. "All of that, my teacher, my surrogate parent ..." His voice trailed off and an even more apprehensive look appeared on his face. The next words fell from his mouth as if they weighed a thousand tons. "And if need ever be, my executioner."

Valerie very much wished that he'd start saying some stupid banter or something interesting instead of this completely useless shit he was now spouting with such melodrama. She expressed such a wish by calmly taking off her boot and chucking it directly at Phantom's head. It hit the same spot she'd kicked earlier.

"You're a pain in the ass!" she yelled, angrily clenching her fists. "I mean, don't you ever talk in actual connected paragraphs instead of just random fragments? Ugh!"

Phantom just swayed on the spot a bit, looking dazed by his second head injury in under half an hour. Valerie turned around to leave, sure that she wasn't going to get anymore from him, and yanked open the door that the GIW unlocked merely seconds ahead of time, since they'd been watching the entire ordeal through security cameras. She made a distinct point to slam the door behind her.

Danny flinched at the loud noise the door sent to his over-sensitive eardrums. His already increased senses were tenfold what they had been when he was fifteen. While the padded cell he spent every moment of his life in normally didn't cause problems, lack of exposure to anything seemed to have lowered his comfort levels. He shuddered to think of what the day sun would be like to his twilight-adjusted eyes. It was then that the door creaked open again and Valerie gazed in sullenly, looking for her missing boot. Upon finding it, she quickly darted in, snatching said boot, before departing again. This time, however, she didn't bother to slam the door, much to Danny's relief.

He sighed half-heartedly.

"Ah, well," he muttered, pouting a little. "Maybe I was just hallucinating again." He sat down as best he could before continuing to voice his thoughts. "All she did was kick me and throw a boot at me. The Valerie I knew probably wouldn't have done any less than rip me apart molecule by molecule. Or something like that." He paused for a moment before admitting to the empty room, "Still wouldn't mind seeing her again though. Illusion or not ..." The room didn't have an answer for him. Maybe it hadn't seen Valerie and agreed he was hallucinating.

And then Danny's abused cranium started throbbing and stinging from Valerie's 'eloquent' response to his comments. Danny gritted his teeth and wished very badly that he could rub his head, even if it wouldn't do anything. "Ow, my head hurts ... awfully solid hallucination, that was." Straitjackets were annoying, he decided.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Valerie walked over to where she'd laid her black weapon bag against a nearby wall. To either side of her the brightly lit hallway stretched on, the walls dotted with other containment cells and the occasional machinery and computer console. Everything was either chrome, iron-grey, off-white, or a pale glowing blue. As Valerie lifted her weapons bag from the floor, she was startled by a sudden voice behind her.

"Why did you deactivate you battle suit, Miss Gray?"

Valerie jumped and turned her head to see a pair of wide-shouldered men with shaved heads, dressed in identical white suits, black hazmat gloves, earpiece communicators and sunglasses. The GIW, or the Guys In White. The two agents standing behind her seemed to be the same who were originally assigned to capture Phantom, although given that pretty much all the agents were nearly identical, they might just as well not have been.

She picked up her weapons bag with a projected casualty. "Phantom was nervous as long as I was wearing it. He only relaxed long enough to speak once he felt I was unarmed. "Valerie grinned slyly at the GIW agents. "But why should it matter? Afraid he'd attack me or escape? Didn't you guys inform me before I entered the containment cell that his restraints were modified to drain him, reduce him to barely standing?"

Valerie was right, of course. There was no reason for the GIW to get upset if what they'd told her was true. The agents in questions simply ignored this logic, however, and decided to change the subject.

"Did you get the information you wanted?" asked one agent.

Valerie felt a vein pulse in her forehead. These guys went out of their way to annoy her it seemed, and even more so than Phantom.

"Why do you just change the subject whenever I start to prove my point?"

"Did you get the information?" the other agent asked, and Valerie had to suppress a groan of frustration.

"No. He started freaking out after I questioned him about the name 'Clockwork' and I couldn't get any real facts from him after that."

"Ah! So you found another one of his triggers?" A new voice. Valerie jumped and turned to look towards the source of the voice.

"What's with you people and sneaking ... huh?" Valerie trailed off as she blinked in recognition. "You're-"

"Long time, no see, Valerie," said the Asian man standing behind her, sporting a pair of glasses, and a lab coat over slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie. "Hey guys," he addressed the GIW agents. "Would you mind if I accompanied our guest to the exit? I need to ask her a few questions."

"Permission granted," an agent replied. Both turned on their heels and stomped off, leaving Valerie and Kwan behind. Valerie immediately turned as well and began walking to the lobby of the facility with Kwan in tow.

"So," Valerie peered curiously at Kwan, "what are you doing here?"

Kwan grinned before answering. "Wll, for starters, I work here. I a psychologist specializing in ecto-biology."

She paused a moment before asking, "Ok ... so you're a ghost shrink?"

"Eh, sure, why not?" Kwan laughed.

They reached the lobby, a rather hospitalized version of a waiting room, and Valerie stopped just before the doors leading out. She noted the ghost detector and shield planted over the top of the doorframe.

"In any case," Kwan continued," how did Phantom react to your presence? After deactivating the suit but before he ... 'freaked out,' as you put it."

"Oh, well," Valerie paused, knowing what she was about to say sounded rather unusual. "He acted, well, he acted actually happy. Like he was glad I came."

"He ... did?" Kwan stared at her in shock. The ecto-psychologist turned away from Valerie, mumbling to himself. "Bizarre ... that makes two ..."

"I get 'bizarre,' but what do you mean 'two?'" Valerie asked Kwan's back. He answered her without turning around.

"Phantom normally acts almost feral. When he responds at all, anyway. Most of the time he just seems to be in a bit of a stupor." Kwan looked meaningfully back at Valerie. "But now there are two people to whom he acts human-like and seems happy to see. There's you and me."

Valerie blinked in confusion. While she could tell this fascinated Kwan as a scientist who studied the mentality of ghosts, and it was rather odd, it didn't seem like much of a big deal to her. "Okay, so what does this mean?"

"Kwan grinned apologetically and shrugged. "No clue, other than you and I are the only ones who can talk to Phantom, and even then, only for a little while."

"Why's that?" Valerie decided to sit down in one of the chairs lining the walls, the heavy weapons bag pulling at her shoulders.

"He freaks. Hears the wrong word and ahe goes into hysterics. Sometimes the word, his 'trigger,' is simple and common - I think the term 'left arm' set him off once - and sometimes it isn't. There were a couple of times when he had a hallucination induced by his 'trigger.'"

Valerie's mind turned this over for a moment before the word's impact hit. She jolted straight up in her chair. "Wait, wait, wait. He hallucinated?"

"The GIW agents seriously didn't tell you anything about his mental state at all?" Kwan's troubled expression did nothign to make Valerie feel better. Ignorance is bliss, Valerie, she thought.

"What's to know?" So much for ignorance.

"Phantom has been declared, by myself and others, as having no less than two psychological disorders. Possibly more." Kwan looked more serious than Valerie had ever seen him before. "He has been diagnosed with chronic insomnia, hysteria, oneirophrenia, and possibly some variant of schizophrenia."

Valerie understood what he was saying. Phantom is insane.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Danny Phantom felt the clearness he'd felt when Valerie (Had it been her? Really?) had come start to fade. The sense of the unreality he's spent years at a time in start to return, and with that return, he felt each muscle slacken, his brain unable to tell whether his muscules were responding to its singals or not. He stared dully across the room and waited. Waited. Waited, waited. Waiting.

He couldn't remember what he was waiting for.