Written for sapphireswimming (originally on tumblr)

Work

The new recruit walked into the most securely guarded room on the premises with a sense of purpose and a smirk he could not wipe off his face. He flashed his badge to every guard in sight, even though he was already through, and walked into the immense chamber.

The walls were made of reinforced steel, coated in a sickly green slime that sort of flowed endlessly around them. There were tubes and wires of various colors—though all dingy and dark somehow—and, most prevelant of all, a huge plastic-looking dome that held the agency's most important project. With just a hint of hesitation, the newbie grasped the handle on the door that led to the dome's treasured content, and he pulled.

He was not the only one in here. No one was every alone in here with that thing. There were always doctors and scientists and agents like him scurrying around everywhere. The scientists and doctors worked together to perform various experiments. And the agents? They were there for added security and protection. Just in case the bubble, the slime, the steel, and the security measures throughout the rest of the building weren't enough.

Because a few times, they hadn't been.

That's why only the most elite officers got to actually work inside the bubble. This was where the real danger was. One experiment gone wrong – one person out of place, and there was no telling what Project 724 would do.

Putting on a confident front, Agent Baxter sidled up next to one of his trainers, holding his weapon casually and watching the scene play out in front of him. His mentor cocked an eyebrow at him, difficult to see behind dark sunglasses.

"They let you in here already?" the gruff voice asked, almost as if he were impressed.

Dash shrugged. "Guess I'm a natural at this stuff."

He huffed proudly. Everyone told him he would never amount to anything outside of high school. And looking at his record card, he'd dimly remembered believing that was true. But then he'd been offered this position –specifically suited for his unique abilities as a quarterback. Protector of the team. He never quite knew why they'd called him up, offering him a job on a silver platter. But Dash wasn't one to question silver platters, so he'd quickly jumped at the chance and worked his way up the ranks faster than any other recruit. Most agents never saw the inside of the bubble – but here he was merely two months later.

He rocked back and forth on his feet, craning his neck to see over the white lab coat of a scientist in front of him. His comrade smirked.

"These eggheads are always in the way. I wanna see some action," he said, fiddling with his weapon as he shifted its weight in his arms.

"I just wanna see Project 724," Dash admitted. "I've haven't seen him."

The smirk on his trainer's face disappeared, and he cleared his throat.

"He's dangerous," his voice was low and serious. "People used to think he was a hero back in the day, but….well, you've seen the videos the press released. He's been a menace all along."

Dash looked away, hiding a flush that ran across his face.

Danny Phantom. That used to be the name of Project 724. Before…everything. A part of Dash still refused to believe that the ghost had been a bad guy all along. He'd been a hero – Dash had seen it firsthand. And no matter what anyone said, he still vaguely believed that deep down inside, there was that familiar town hero he'd come to admire and whom he'd once even considered a friend of sorts.

But then…then things started happening. The media kept releasing footage of Phantom stealing things and breaking things…and then hurting people…and worse. Some of his classmates adamantly argued that it was all fabricated evidence created by the government to slander the ghost's name. And Dash had wanted to believe that but…there was just so much evidence. And then the government had offered him this job, and…well, he couldn't afford to believe what he wanted to anymore.

But he hadn't seen Project 724. Not really. Hadn't seen Danny Phantom since his late high school days, in fact. He remembered the ghost's jovial attitude and free-spirited demeanor. But judging by the various machines that beeped and whined and the tubes that ran around the room…he imagined the ghost looked quite different nowadays.

At last, with a sense of anticipation, Dash noticed the lab coat in front of him put down his research and start to move to the side. This was it, then. His first clear view.

It started with the hair. He recognized that right away. Bushy and messy and glowing with a weird light that fell across his face, accentuating how emaciated and worn he had become. His ghostly skin stretched tight, and he looked dirty with traces of green specs dusting his general appearance. His tell-tale black jumpsuit was torn beyond repair, and there were so many tubes sticking out of him that Dash could barely make out the frail body beneath it all.

What was even stranger, though, was that over top all of the tubes were heavy-looking restraints. Chains that glowed that same eerie green as the walls encompassed his limbs and his waist, securing him to the table and then securing said table to the ground. There was even a restraint around his neck and some kind of rope-like gag over his mouth. Dash could sense the grimace of horror deepening on his face, and though he wanted to act casual, he had a sudden urge to throw up. The ghost was moaning constantly, and as he turned over in obvious anguish, Dash finally got a good look at his eyes.

They were dead. Just…completely dead and empty and gone, and he suddenly felt very wrong.

"It's pretty intense, isn't it?" his mentor finally spoke, noting the expression on his young charge's face. "The power this facility has. The power we have."

Dash blinked a few times, doubt suddenly encroaching on his mind.

"He looks so…broken," he whispered at last, his voice betraying his sentiments.

He felt strong hands grab him by the shoulder, and suddenly he was looking at the sunglasses of the man next to him.

"It took a lot of work to get him this way," he said forebodingly. "And it's our job to make sure he stays like this. Do you understand, Baxter?"

There was a calm threat underlying his question, so Dash merely nodded, wondering suddenly what the hell he had gotten himself into.