I'm sorry I didn't update for a few days. I'm afraid you might have to get used to less-frequent-than-every-day updates, because we're getting into the part of the story that isn't as well... planned out as the start. I don't want it to suffer because I'm stuck, you see. That being said, I hope this chapter is okay. /worries

R&R, and don't hesitate to point on anything wrong! =D

Vlad floated in front of the group of rescuers and frowned. There were too few. It was a pity they couldn't gather more ghosts to help, but Daniel had made many enemies in his year as a halfa. Most ghosts were too bust rejoicing to even consider assisting. It was ironic that they were happy about the freedom to go to the human world, when both permanent portals had been destroyed, and natural ones were far too unpredictable. Ghosts were stupid like that. He cleared his throat lightly, and everyone quietened to hear him speak.

"We all wish to remove Daniel from the clutches of the GiW, for whatever reason," Vlad shot a look at a smirking Youngblood, "but they are highly dangerous, and will not give him up without a fight. We need to take the time to-"

"We aren't going to get him now? But he might be hurt!" Dani butted in. Vlad resisted the urge to blast the girl.

"That may well be so, but we can't just barge in and expect to-"

"You said we were going to rescue him, and that's what we're gonna do! C'mon!" Dani called to the other ghosts, who cheered.

"You can't just-"

"Let's go get Phantom so I can pulverise him!" Youngblood yelled. Wulf ripped open a portal to the human world and one by one, the group dove through, leaving a steaming Vlad.

"Why couldn't I have cloned someone who actually manages to listen?"

Agents O and K dragged Danny down a pristine white corridor. The halfa didn't have the strength to stand and walk, so he just let the two men haul him along. The tests had been arduous and quite painful. The medical, which had come first, had been fairly routine, until they asked him to transform into his human half. Then back into his ghost half. Human. Ghost. Human. Ghost. They demanded the change happen faster and faster, until Danny collapsed to his knees, exhausted. When he had regained some of his strength, the tests continued. Danny supposed he should be grateful that he had even been allowed to rest, but he wasn't.

The next test had measured his strength, in both forms. Danny was grateful that his powers manifested in his human form as well. He had managed to lift five of the strange grey boxes in is human form, and doubled it in his ghost form. Although it had impressed the scientists, they had shown their appreciation by piling more and more boxes into Danny's arms until his body gave way and he collapsed. Now he was covered in bruises, which were stubbornly refusing to heal at the enhanced rate his ghost half provided. Danny suspected one of the injections from the medical, which he had been told was a routine vaccine, was actually designed to short out most of his ghost powers.

After O and K had dug him out of the boxes (none too kindly either - Danny had heard them sniggering), his agility was examined. Dodging anti-ghost rays without the use of intangibility - the loss of it increased his suspicions about the jab he'd been given - left Danny panting for breath. Even when a particularly nasty blast caught him square in the ribs, the scientists showed no sign of relenting. Eventually, the guns shut off, and Danny was able to sink to his knees. When the scientists called down for another test, he stayed where he was, unable to move. Not even the threat of the shock collar could rouse him. Danny had heard the scientists debating what to do, until Hartley's voice had cut in, instructing O and K to take the halfa to his cell. Danny had let the shackles be re-attached to his wrists and ankles, before shutting his eyes with a sigh, leaving the two agents to half-carry, half-drag him to his new room.

Danny was brought back to the present with a very literal jolt when the two agents dropped him to the floor. O trained a gun on him while K tapped something into a keypad that was randomly placed in the middle of one of the seamless walls. Danny watched with vague interest as a thin line appeared in the shape of a door, until he realised it actually was a door when it slid open to reveal yet another white room.

"Have you guys ever considered using colours in this place?" Danny remarked. Neither agent made a move to use the shock collar, but they did throw him unceremoniously into the room. Rolling to his knees, Danny looked back up at O and K. O pressed a button beside the door and the room was illuminated by a soft green glow.

"That colourful enough for you? It's a shield designed to keep humans and ghosts contained. It also keeps them out. Only Arc personnel can turn it on and off. And if anyone tries to get in while it's on, both they and you receive a nasty shock." K smirked.

"What is with you guys and shocking me?" Danny muttered.

"What was that, Phantom?" O asked, frowning.

"Nothing. Just mumbling to myself." Danny sighed. The agents looked at each other before O pressed another button and the door slid shut once more.

Danny pushed himself to his feet and looked around the small cell. There was a bare shelf protruding from one wall, that he realised was his bed. It seemed to be the only thing in the room. Danny turned around a few times before noticing the camera and speaker that were secreted in one of the upper corners of the cell.

"Where's the bathroom, or did you run out of planning permission?" Danny spat irritably. A sharp jolt from his collar made him yelp in pain.

"If you require use of the lavatory facilities, there is a small button next to your bunk that alerts one of the Arc personnel to come down to your cell and escort you. Do not press it without reason, or you will be punished." A monotone voice filled the room. Danny snarled angrily at the speaker before slumping onto his bunk. A thought filled his head.

"What about food?"

"What about food? You're a ghost." The voice replied snippily.

"I'm part human too! I still need to eat." Danny glared up at the camera. Silence descended on the room.

"Does a lack of nutrition affect your abilities?" There was genuine curiosity this time.

"Yeah. I need energy to pull off my powers." Danny realised he was probably revealing too much.

"But our studies show that ghosts are able to take energy from the Ghost Zone and turn it into energy they can use. Can't you do that?"

"One, I am half human. Not full ghost! And two, I'm nowhere near the Ghost Zone! How am I supposed to magically take energy from it - which I can't do - when I'm not in it?" Did these scientists know anything? There was another lengthy silence. Danny shifted uncomfortably on the bunk. The floor looked more comfortable than it felt.

"You will be fed two to three times a day. You will not receive food at any other time. However, you may request extra fluids. Press the button by the door twice if you need something to drink."

"So, when can I expect mealtimes?" Danny looked up at the camera.

'I might as well get as much info about my day to day life as I can. I'm going to be here for the rest of my life.' Danny thought miserably.

"Breakfast will be sent to you at 6.00am sharp. Lunch will be sent at 12.00pm sharp, unless you are being tested. Dinner will be sent at 6.00pm sharp. When it is mealtime, you must stand in the corner furthest from the door, so the tray can be placed inside the door safely. You will have fifteen minutes to half an hour for meals. After that time, you will be expected to place your tray by the door and stand in the corner so Arc personnel can remove it from your cell. Failure to comply will result in punishment."

"Yes, Mother." Danny smirked, before shrieking when the collar was activated.

"Attitude like that will result in punishment. As you've just found out." A smug undercurrent was present in the voice.

"Jeez, sorry. Hey, speaking of punishment, can I not have these shackles off? They're kinda awkward to wear..." Danny indicated to the bunk and then to his ankles. The bulky shackles and chains meant it was hard for the teen to get comfortable.

"The shackles are connected to the collar. They cannot be separated. Also, they help you to control your powers, and prevent you from using them in a way that could potentially harm you and others."

"So that's a no, then..." Danny sighed and leaned back against the wall, wrapping his arms clumsily around his knees.

"If that is everything, I will proceed to shut down the intercom for the night. You will be given food in precisely one hour, and then you will be expected to retire for the night when you are done. You will be given a five minute warning when personnel are about to enter your cell, so you can move to your designated position." There was a short buzzing sound, then silence. Danny let his head fall to rest on his knees. He bit back a sob. There was no point in crying now. Nobody would comfort him.

"Might as well try and sleep for an hour..."

Hartley stood and watched the boy on one of the CCTV screens. As a human being, it pained him to see Danny so upset, but this was a huge breakthrough for the paranormal community and as a scientist, he couldn't let this opportunity pass. When they were finished, he would free the half ghost, but until then...

There was research to be done.

O sat in the staff cafeteria and ran a tired hand over his face. Phantom was surprisingly heavy when he was Fenton. A polystyrene cup full of coffee was placed in front of him and he cast a grateful smile to K.

"It's been a long day, huh?" O nodded in agreement. He cast a critical eye across the cafeteria at the many scientists and other agents chatting, eating and drinking.

"I still can't believe we finally managed to get Phantom. After all this time, he was right under our nose!" K laughed and sat into a chair opposite O. O smirked back at his partner and drank a mouthful of coffee.

"Yeah, it feels unreal. But now we have him in our grasp, we can learn so much more about ghosts."

"Especially since we know he's half ghost." K smiled. Although the two weren't scientists, they were avid enthusiasts of anything ghost related, and were extremely knowledgeable in their specialised area. In fact, there were only a handful of people that were more interested than they. The Fentons and Vlad Masters had been prominent in that handful, until Masters' true identity had been revealed, and the Fentons had suddenly ceased all experiments when their son had been arrested.

"That's right! How ectoplasm responds to human DNA, what powers can be gained from the two being combined... It's a shame we couldn't get Masters though. I hear he was hit with a smaller amount of ectoplasm. Would've been interesting to see the power difference." O mused. K snorted slightly.

"As if we'll ever be allowed near any data. You know fine well we're only around because we've been chasing Phantom so long we know most of his mannerisms. We're supposed to make sure he doesn't get out of control!"

"Good point. But if we don't mess this up, we might get in good with the core team, and get to help out!" O's glee was obvious. K shook his head at his partner's excitement. Sometimes, O was almost as childish as that idiot, Jack Fenton.

"Don't get your hopes up. The Phantom team is small for a reason. They want as few people as possible to be in close contact with him." O sighed, and was about to reply when a huge explosion rocked the Arc. Narrowly avoiding a coffee spill down his crisp white pants, K looked up at O, who nodded in determination.

"Get to Phantom." They said in unison.

Vlad sped after Danielle as she shot through the gap in the ghost shield that Youngblood's pirate ship had created.

"Are you insane, you stupid girl? We don't even know where Danny is being held!" Vlad shouted out. His words were almost drowned in the wail of an alarm and the shrieks of the pirates and Frozen Folk that were onboard the ship and firing cannons into the Arc.

"Are you gonna insult me or are you gonna find Danny and bust him out of here?" Danni snapped back as she evaded a blast from a white-suited agent. A loudspeaker crackled into life somewhere, and Vlad turned part of his attention to it.

"Warning! Ecto-entities are loose in the Arc! I repeat, ecto-entities are loose in the Arc! All armed personnel to the Eden bay! All armed personnel to the Eden bay!" Danni and Vlad flew up higher, just out of reach of the wildly flying guards.

"You have to hurry! I'm nowhere near strong enough to break whatever shields they're got on Danny!" Vlad made an irritated noise, but dropped like a stone towards the main building, alarming several guards until Danni distracted them with some well-placed ectoblasts. Vlad created three duplicates and turned himself invisible, allowing the duplicates to take the attacks while he focused on finding Danny's signature. It was weak, but he could just feel the cool blue trail that Danny always left behind. Vlad left his duplicates behind and followed the trail. It petered out from time to time, but as Vlad flew on, it became noticeably stronger. Looking up, Vlad could see a boiling mass of blue resting in a room surrounded by green.

"Daniel!"

When Danny had heard the alarm, he had woken with a jolt and fallen off his bunk. Then the alert had blared in the corridor outside his cell, and Danny knew instantly that Vlad and Danni had come. His emotions were mixed; on the one hand, he was intensely happy that they had come to rescue him, but on the other hand, it was very dangerous for either of the other halfas to come anywhere near the Arc. Vlad knew that. So why had they come?

"Daniel!" His name was called out from through the wall, and Danny's enhanced hearing just managed to pick it up. He looked up just the door was blown inwards, smashing into the wall just inches from his body. Danny scrambled to his feet.

"Wait! Don't come in the- Agh!" Danny cried out as Vlad touched the shield. He could hear the older half ghost crying out in pain as well. Danny fell back to the ground, panting.

"What... what the dickens was that?" Vlad yelled.

"It's the new shield they made. It hurts anyone who tries to enter the cell before turning it off. Shocks me, too." Danny managed to pull himself to his feet once more and made his way slowly to the doorway. He was exhausted, and he knew it showed. Vlad growled slightly at the sight of the teen.

"Have they got you shackled?"

"Like you've never done it to me. What's more important is why the hell are you here?" Danny snapped back. He had an anxious feeling that the GiW knew exactly what the reason for the ghost attack was. Although, with Vlad here, it was hard not to figure it out.

"I'm here to rescue you, you ingrate! I see being chained up hasn't taught you any manners, even if it has only been four days! I've half a mind to leave you here!" Tempers rose as old grudges shifted to the surface. But Danny forgot his anger as Vlad's words finally struck him.

"It-it's been four days?" Vlad almost regretted his words as Danny's face fell.

"You don't know how long you've been here?"

"No. I've been unconscious for most of it..." Morose blue eyes met confused red ones. Before either one could speak, Danny's collar beeped once, and let out a powerful electric shock. Danny buckled instantly, screaming.

"Daniel! Daniel!" Vlad shouted uselessly, unable to reach Danny. He knew that if he attempted to get to Danny, the younger halfa would only be shocked more, and that could be the final push needed to end him. Footsteps approaching rapidly caught the vampiric half-ghost's attention. Shifting his gaze between the tortured boy twitching on the ground just inches from him and the shouts coming from his right, Vlad struggled to think.

"Daniel, can you hear me? Tell me how to get rid of this blasted shield. I can't reach you while it's on!" Vlad pleaded.

"Only Arc personnel can turn off the shield." A familiar voice rang out. Vlad turned to face an angry Agent K wielding an ectoblaster.

"You're under arrest, Vlad Plasmius, in accordance with the Federal Anti-Ecto Control Act, article one, section one, subsection-" Agent K was cut off by a green ectoblast from behind. It slammed him into a wall, and his gun spiralled across the floor only to be crushed beneath Vlad's foot.

"Aw, do you guys ever shut up?" Danni called out. Vlad swore under his breath. The stupid girl was far too cocky for her own good!

"Do you ever stop and consider consequences, Elle?" Vlad indicated gently towards Agent K when Danni started to protest at the unusual abbreviation of her name.

"What are you doing here?" Danny muttered. Vlad and Danni turned to look at him. The collar had shut off, and he was trying to get to his knees, but failing.

"Danny! We're here to rescue you! Hang on; we'll get you out of there!" Danni went to fly into the room, but Vlad grabbed her by the leg and threw her down the corridor in the opposite direction of K.

"What the hell was that, Vlad? Are you seriously turning traitor now?" Danni snarled, fists glowing green.

"Think about it, girl! Do you really think I'd just stand here and let one of those fools point a gun at me? They have a shield up around his room! Any attempt to breach it only ends with him and whoever it is trying to reach him getting shocked!"

"That's right! And we also control Phantom's shock collar!" O had arrived, and was helping his fallen comrade. More agents were following. Vlad realised that K had only been a distraction to prevent them from retrieving Danny or escaping while O brought reinforcements.

"Vlad..." Danny's voice caught the attention of the two free halfas. Vlad moved closer to Danny's cell doorway.

"Take Danni and get out of here. I need you to find a way to stop them." Danny's voice was shaking, but him tone was firm.

"Stop them from doing what, Little Badger?"

"They're planning to copy the ectoplasm on my DNA and make halfa soldiers. But they don't realise how dangerous it is! If they succeed..." Danny trailed off. Vlad noticed that Danni looked just as horrified as her original.

"Dark Dan?" The girl whispered. Vlad looked between the two, confused, before darting a glance at the agents. They seemed to be arguing over who was supposed to attack the halfas.

"How did you...? Clockwork." Danny sighed faintly, before nodding to Danni question.

"But he's trapped in the Thermos! How can he take over the world?" Danni's voice rose slightly, but not loud enough to be heard.

"Dark Dan? Clockwork? World domination? What in the name of apple strudel are you two talking about?" Vlad hissed.

"It's a story for another time, Vlad. For now, you need to get out of here and find a way to prevent them from making halfas out of me!" The agents finally decided on a plan of action and several ectoblasters were fired at Vlad and Danni. Casting a last look at Danny, Vlad began to fly away. Danni threw a disgusted look at him before kicking a leg towards the agents, letting loose a thin ectoblast as she did so, before turning to Danny one last time.

"Don't worry, Danny! I'll find a way to break you out!" Danny smiled faintly back, but it didn't reach his eyes. Vlad grabbed Danni and teleported away just as a blast was about to hit her. Danny slumped back onto the floor, ignoring the slowly muffling sounds of people running towards his cell and voices. There was commotion outside where his door had been, and then someone was poking him with a blaster, or a hand. He wasn't quite sure. Danny's eyes slid shut and he fell once more into oblivion.

He really was exhausted.

Vlad reappeared onboard the ghostly pirate ship, a struggling Danni in his arms.

"Let. Me. GO!" Danni tried to use her arms and legs as a lever to break free from Vlad, but he shocked her gently before wrapping a strong hand around her wrists. Red ectoplasm oozed over her hands, binding them tightly. Another shock ran through Danni, this time shorting out her powers. Frostbite lumbered over to Vlad, a questioning look on his face.

"Where is the Great One, Plasmius?"

"Trapped in a cell behind a shield that shocks him if you try to enter, and no way of turning it off short of overshadowing one of those idiots down there, which wouldn't work because every last one of them wears some form of device that prevents overshadowing!" Vlad snapped, thrusting a furious Danni into the snow beast's arms.

"So you intend to abandon him?" There was a threat in Frostbite's voice, but Vlad was too outraged to hear it.

"No! What I intend to do is find some competent ghosts who understand the need for a plan before charging into one of the most anti-ghost places on the planet!" Vlad shot an ectoblast at an agent who was charging towards the ship using a jetpack. The jetpack exploded and the agent fell screaming to the ground. There was an audible thud. All the ghosts stared at Vlad, horrified.

"Youngblood! Turn this damn ship around and head to that stupid wolf thing!" All niceties had left Vlad; he was consumed with rage. At Danni, at Frostbite, at the Guys in White, and at Danny. Why the stupid boy had gotten captured was beyond him.

"Sir Plasmius! You killed that man! I understand we are here to rescue Sir Phantom, but this is no way to behave!" A human-shaped Dora landed firmly on the ship and strode up to Vlad, clearly intending to give him a piece of her mind.

"Oh, really? He died? Well, maybe he'll come back with a modicum of common sense, unlike you! I expected you to at least understand the need to fully foresee all obstacles between us and Daniel, but noooo. You had to listen to the thirteen year old idiot whose ability to lead others into danger is only surpassed by the boy she was created from!" Dora flinched, as did many other ghosts. Youngblood silently withdrew from the Arc, before turning his ship invisible and speeding away. Danni was crying silently while one of the Frozen Folk tried to calm her down. Vlad gripped the rail of the ghostly ship until it cracked under the pressure of his hand. Dora hesitantly approached Vlad, remorse in her red eyes.

"Sir Plasmius?" He mumbled a reply.

"I would like to... apologise for shouting at you. I should have listened to you. We all should have. We... We just wanted to help him; after all he has done for us." There was a pleading note in the monarch's voice. Vlad sighed.

"I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me." Dora took this as the apology it was meant to be, and nodded gently. She turned to walk away, but halted, and looked back at the man.

"Sir Plasmius? A part of you truly cares for Sir Phantom, doesn't it?" Vlad looked away. Dora smiled and walked away. It was clear that Vlad was not yet willing to fully embrace the idea that he cared for Danny other than for his own selfish reasons. Dora hoped that eventually, both halfas would finally admit they needed each other for support. Vlad certainly needed Danny as a moral compass, and Danny needed the experience and wisdom of Vlad. Dora sighed. She only hoped they could find a way to rescue Danny so that the two could discover what she - and most other ghosts - already knew.

"Breaking news! It was revealed that last night, a daring attempt was made by Vlad Masters, aka Vlad Plasmius to rescue town hero Danny Phantom, aka Danny Fenton. Assisting Vlad were several other ghosts, including a pirate, a dragon, a yeti and a female ghost named as 'Elle' by the GiW, who bears a strong resemblance to Phantom. The Guys in White are refusing to release any details about the attempt, but say that Phantom is still in custody. We'll have more on this later. Next, we have local fashion icon, Cindy Proysen, tells us how she manages to look so-" Sam shut off the radio and lay back on her bed. Vlad had actually tried to save Danny? Her whole world was messed up even more. Next, she'd be wearing pink while her parents insisted she dress more gothic! Sam was knocked out of her reverie by the personal ring tone she'd assigned to Tucker. Flipping open the phone, Sam greeted her friend.

"Did you see the news?" Tucker's excited voice nearly deafened her.

"No, but I heard the radio. Vlad tried to save Danny!" Sam sat up and crossed her legs.

"That's not all he did! Someone saw Vlad and the others breach the Arc's shield and recorded the whole thing! Vlad shot down an agent! He killed the guy!" Sam nearly dropped the phone. Vlad? Kill someone? Sure, it was possible, but the old guy had never seemed to be that vicious.

"Seriously? Are you sure? That doesn't seem like Vlad's style."

"Sure I'm sure. Vlad and Danni left Youngblood's ship-" Tucker was cut off by Sam.

"Wait, wait, wait. Youngblood? Now I know you're pulling my leg!"

"I'm not! Seriously, check it out yourself! Vlad was with Youngblood! Frostbite and Dora were there too!"

"Well, that's to be expected, but Youngblood hates Danny. Why would he try and rescue his enemy?" Sam rubbed her head. This made no sense.

"Sam, Vlad is trying to rescue Danny. Everything is just so messed up!"

"I don't know what to do any more, Tuck. I wish Danny were here. He'd know what to do." A wave of sorrow washed over Sam and she bit back tears. Tucker's voice sounded just as shaky as she felt when he replied.

"I know, Sam. But this time, Danny isn't around to help us. He isn't around to save us. Which is why we have to save him." Sam smiled faintly.

"Anyway, you were saying something about Vlad?"

"Oh yeah! Well, him and Danni flew down into the Arc, and Vlad disappeared somewhere while Danni fought some guards. Then she followed him. And after a really long time, Vlad suddenly appeared on the ship holding Danni, but not our Danny. He did something to Danni that made her turn human - not that you could see properly from the distance this guy was filming at, but after a year of seeing Danny do it, I know when someone's transforming. Anyway, Vlad was ranting, and this agent just appeared out of nowhere with a jetpack. And Vlad just blasted him out of the air! You could see him hit the ground and everything!" Sam bit her thumb. Something bad must have happened to make Vlad lose it that much. From what she knew of the manipulative man, he held a tight rein over his emotions and his powers.

"Tuck, where were Dora and the Frozen Folk?" She asked suddenly, remembering that Danny's allies had been there.

"Dora was in dragon mode, blasting fire everywhere, while the Frozen Folk were on Youngblood's ship, helping the pirates fire cannons at guard towers." Tuck replied.

"Did none of them try and catch the guy?"

"None of them could move fast enough. Dora was too busy stopping some agents from blasting the ship. She seemed really ticked at Vlad, though. Until he yelled at her, though. Even from a distance, his anger is terrifying." Sam could practically feel Tucker shudder. She felt the same. Danny's descriptions of Vlad's temper tantrums were frightening, to say the least. She didn't want to imagine being on the receiving end.

"Sam, ring Jazz, will you? I think we need to all get together and discuss this. I'll get a hold of Val." Sam nodded, before realising that her friend couldn't see her.

"I'll get right on it. FentonWorks?"

"FentonWorks, if we can."

Wow, longest chapter yet! I haven't really got anything to say...

I hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and if anyone gets the sneaky reference I put in there, I'll try to write a oneshot for them. What ever they want, as long as it's set in the DP world.