AN: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING

This is not actually a plot update. There is information here relevant to what happened to Danny when he was captured, but it is not to what's occurring at the moment within the story.

1) When reading, I set this as a T+ in my mind. If you think it should be mature, please comment if you think so!

2) Before you get scared with the first comment, no I'm not abandoning this story. Again, more information is at the end on what's going on.

3) And with that here's a little bit of content because I couldn't stand to update without something to give you guys.

Trigger warnings: Torture, electrocution, psychological torture

I do not own Danny Phantom. All rights go to Nickelodeon studios. Please support the official release.

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Interlude

Common Knowledge
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He couldn't stop shaking.

Every muscle in Danny's body ached from overuse. He stopped counting the number of things they tested on him (strength, durability, how long he could stay in each form, if he could get stronger-), and just grit his teeth to get through it all. Today, they batted him around like a pinata to see how long it would take to see first blood. An hour later he was wheezing in the ground and glaring at the spots the hidden guns peeked out.

His mattress hadn't appeared yet, and other than the B telling him and the guns to cease he hadn't heard an order from her in… well, who knew how long. For all he knew, the B was just going to let him inwardly and outwardly bleed until his super healing kicked in. That was probably the point, the more he thought about it.

Danny didn't really care what the B was doing; let her play her mind games. He just wanted to sleep…

"Danny, keep your eyes open, child," a staticy voice called out from all around him. Danny cracked his eyes open (he didn't know he closed them) to glare at the white walls. "There we go. You're too injured to sleep just yet," there was a sound of shuffling, pointed by the clicking of a pen. He could practically hear her smile, as she purred, "and there's a lot more to do today."

"Joy," he mumbled, wincing when he realized he snarked back.

"Isn't it?" She replied. He let himself take a breath when he realized she didn't take offense. The B continued with an excitement in her voice, the pen scratching softly in the background, "Two agents will be in your room shortly to heal your wounds. We have a serum that heals ghosts quickly by triggering the system that regenerates their bodies. However, due to your status, it is unknown if it will work on you.

"So, we're testing a non-fatal wound today to make sure the serum works for future use." A painfully familiar metal table started rising in the middle of the room. "Please sit on the table until the scientists arrive."

Danny turned his head to glare at the table silently. He pressed his lips to swallow down the nausea building up in his throat. His head was already dizzy from the pain and blood loss, but it was nothing compared to the anger making his hands shake.

"Danny? Do you understand?" There was a sweet, 'compassionate' edge in her tone that made him want to puke.

"Yes, ma'am," he said quietly, slowly trying to stand up.

"Very good, now can you get on the table by yourself?"

_No_, he thought when flares of pain shot through his legs. He bit his lip, as his bruised muscles protested. "Yep," he hissed back.

"If you're so sure," she replied, sounding amused, "They will come in once you're sitting on the table. Just ask if you need some assistance."

Danny held his side. The blood dried enough to seal the wound, but how long would that last? He took a shaky breath. "Will do," he muttered. A heavy layer of dread washed over him when he realized how far he'd have to walk to get to the table.

It was a slow process and Danny may have blacked out a bit once or twice. Every step made him want to scream and every breath shot another stab of pain through his lungs. The wound in his side pulsed unpleasantly oozing blood not three steps in. Somehow he found his way to the table, but with sweat dripping down his forehead, a heavy haze of numb heat clouding his mind, and the aches twisting into an outright screech, he didn't know if his pride was worth the struggle.

Danny blinked slowly at the white walls. The cold metal pressed against him uncomfortably, and he had to hold both of his hands now to keep his side from bleeding. Yet, he found himself staring vacantly, overcome by crushing tiredness.

"You should have let them carry you. It would have saved both of us the trouble" the B tsked, bringing Danny out of his thoughts. She sounded more disappointed than irritated, and she huffed shortly into her mic. "But that's just something to note for next time. Now, lay down. We don't have all day."

"I do," he grumbled even as he moved to lay down, moving slowly to keep the pain low. He shut his eyes tightly and forced a heavy groan away. Surprisingly, his head didn't hit metal when he finally made it, but rather a nice fluffy freshly poofed pillow. He didn't know if someone was kind enough to actually leave something nice enough to leave such a gift or if the rightly suspicious part of his mind was right not to trust it, but he was too tired to really care either way.

"Comfy?" The B asked kindly, suspiciously (they were both the same for her). At Danny's small noise, she chuckled lowly, making him open his eyes just so he narrow them at the ceiling. "Perfect," she purred. Danny twitched in irritation.

There was a sound of whooshing followed by a loud clank. Two sets of feet clomped in time with the high pitched rings of metal bouncing against metal and the soft pings of plastics. A second later, two white coated, masked people came into his field of vision. Danny didn't even have time to react when they reached for him. They forcefully pressed his hands and feet into the upper and lower shackles of the table, locked him up, and pressed something cold into his side before Danny even had time to yelp. The pain caught on quickly and before he could bite his lip, a loud gasping, scream hissed out of his mouth.

"Are you comfy now?" The B asked again, clearly satisfied with Danny's reaction.

"Super," he mumbled back. The shaking was back but worse. He couldn't move his arms and legs from this spot, and the bleeding was back and making his head foggier than before. Even as he clenched his eyes, he couldn't blank out the feelings in the room. The cold plastic of the scientist's glove poked at his skin, testing the muscles and bruises, probably wanting to see him scream just to write down the reaction on their little clipboards.

Danny glared at the ceiling. "When are you going to put the stupid stuff in me?"

There was another whoosh followed by the distinct sound of heels clacking against tile. The scientists straightened up immediately and moved a small distance away from him. Before Danny could even get a good look at her entrance, the table shuddered, and he hissed under his breath, as his upper body was forced to in an upright position. Whatever the GIW coats put on him somehow stayed on, but that didn't stop Danny from feeling the dizzying pain as the wound opened once more.

"I think we'll find time to inject you soon," the B said from behind him. The heels clacked to his left, and his eyes darted to follow them. Something in his chest tightened, growing bigger and making it harder and harder to breathe as the sound crept nearer.

Then he spotted her, a lab coat same as the others, but underneath a hidden pants suit. Her long red hair was held up tight in a ponytail, pulling her skin tightly, making the sharpness in her eyes and cheekbones even more prominent. Her curled smiled, all teeth, bled across her face in a smear of ruby red lipstick.

Her gaze drilled into him, a soft auburn that didn't fit the calculated way they danced across his body. She chuckled at something but he didn't know what because her eyes met his before he could see where they were.

"Are you happy to see me?" She asked, tone too amused to be friendly.

He glared at her. "Do you want an honest answer?" His voice sounded more strained and soft than he would have liked. The weight in his chest felt like it was clogging his throat.

She quirked an eyebrow at that before shaking her head. "I suppose that answers my question, doesn't it?" The B didn't wait for him to answer and continued smoothly. For the first time since she arrived, Danny noticed she was carrying something. A book, an I-pod, and notebook of sorts. She rearranged the items in her arms to hold out the book. "This is a book on the Russian language. I thought it was about time to start applying your skills to the real world. Since invisibility and intangibility would be great traits in espionage, I thought it would be best to learn a few languages. First Russian to see your potential, and then Korean, Pashto, and Dari if we have time."

He stopped listening halfway through, his mind reeling at her words. "...Real world applications," he muttered. His mouth felt so dry that he practically had to force the words out.

"Well, yes," The B said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "These tests have to have a clear reason, you see. I can't keep experimenting on you without a purpose. Did you think a weapon would only just shoot things?" She scoffed. "That would be a waste, now wouldn't it?"

Danny blinked dumbly at her. He tried to find the words, but it was lost in some jumbled part of his mind. His eyes trailed back to the book in her hands.

"Danny? Are you listening?"

Espionage, she had said. Spying, getting information, and doing… whatever these type of people did. He had pushed away what exactly he was doing this near the beginning after Tucker had-

He swallowed down the pile and pushed away that thought like all the thoughts he kept having.

_"Danny."_

Being a weapon suddenly became much more real when faced with real people. Danny could partially trick himself into thinking he was simply training or in some grand experiment when he was fighting or worked to death. Sure, the B _said_ they wanted to use him, but that idea felt far off in some other future, one where he didn't get out of this mess because _of course_ he would get out of this before things got dire. That was the plan, and until now, training until he could find a way to escape was a good idea.

Seeing the book and other items made it all seem much more real. He didn't know if it was bile or blood, but something sharp and hot rose up his throat and Danny didn't know if he could push it down any longer.

_"Daniel Fenton, answer me now before you suffer the consequences."_

Shakily, Danny looked back up at the B. Her lips were pressed in one red clump, as her eyes drilled holes into his own. In her hands, he noted the button that activated his shock collar, and something about the animosity in her gaze plus the direct and indirect threat brought a sick, burning fury through the acid block.

_"I hate you,"_ he spat. For once he didn't care about the venom in his voice or the consequences of his actions. He needed her to know. Now.

Her eyes widened a bit, but quickly smoothe out into a half-lidded amusement, lips quirking from their pressed state to reveal sharp canines. "And I you, Danny."

Danny narrowed his eyes further. "I thought you found me intriguing?"

"Oh, I do," she confirmed. The B handed off the items to a faceless scientists, but her gaze never left his. She sauntered closer, heels pointedly clacking with her words. "You're fascinating in your monstrosity, Danny. You never should exist, and that's what makes you a perfect abomination." The B was close enough so he could see the individual cracks in her lipstick, and the soft shimmering in her eyes. The bright lights blaring down on them made her skin look even paler, bringing out striking colors in her eyes, lips, and the stray hairs dangling down across her face. "But you're my monster, Danny, and even if they use you as a weapon, I won't let them take you away from me forever. I guarantee it."

Danny glared back at her, stomach twisting at the repeated words his own mind had said several times before. He arched an eyebrow. "You're torturing innocent victims while I'm here getting cut up for saving people. But sure, I'm the monster here."

She chuckled darkly. "All monsters are human. Why do you think we connect with them in stories? I'm in worst monster you'll ever meet, and yet, society thinks I'm the hero when it comes to the two of us."

"You're no hero," he hissed. He couldn't hold back the flash of green behind his eyes, even if he couldn't do anything with it.

The B didn't even lean back. She simply arched a brow. "Of course not," She drawled, "I know that, and you know that. Yet, you're here, stuck on a metal table about to be subjected to potentially life threatening drugs and I'm being paid numerous of dollars to do that to you.

"This isn't about right or wrong, Danny. It's about societal expectations and playing them to your advantage. In here, it doesn't matter if you did your best to be a _hero_," she said the word mockingly. A too warm, too soft hand gently cupped his face, and if he wasn't already looking at her before, Danny was forced to stare, as her nails clawed into his cheek, "because here, you're valuable as what you are, not who. As long as you retain your identity, as a person, you're never going to be happy.. Because to anyone else, you're nothing but an abomination that should have been scrapped for parts in a long running experiment to destroy the essence of monstrosities.

The full blown toothy grin was back. "But to me, you're _my_ abomination, and as soon as you realize that, you're going to be much happier here."

She believed every word she said with a vile honestly. A glimmer of malice mixed in with psychopathy, only a mad scientist could have.

"I'd say you can go get a pet instead," he muttered back, "but you'd probably kill it for fun."

The B's grin didn't leave, in fact it only grew wider. Her gaze searched his face for a moment, before suddenly retreating, leaving a warm imprint in the otherwise freezing room. The B looked him up and down once again, clearly contemplating something; he didn't know what, but seeing how her eyes twinkled it couldn't have been good.

"I need to punish what's mine, so it can be obeyed," she said finally, "I hope you understand."

Then she brought out the remote to his shock collar.

Danny barely had time to tense. His eyes widened, and he only a glimpse of the incredibly high setting she put the shock on before-

Pain. Burning hot bright burning pain. It started as a soft spark choking his throat before burning and reburning his entire body in a trail of endless aching fire that just wouldn't stop. He screamed out, as the electricity overtook him. The fire seemed to find its way from his throat, into his skin, and slipped to every nook and cranny of his body so no part of him could miss how it felt to die. Every part of him screamed for it to end to stop because he was dying. Dying. DYING. HE DIDN'T WANT TO DIE AGAIN BUT IT JUST WOULDN'T-

The electricity stopped suddenly like it wasn't even there, leaving Danny a gasping, even more aching mess. His wound opened again, but compared to the whining after shocks and the fact he could barely breathe, it didn't seem to matter too much. As he tried to keep himself together, tears of pain rolled down his cheeks without his permission.

A too hot, searing hand gripped his face again, the sudden jolt bringing out a whimper in him. "Look at me," The B said sternly. When he didn't open his eyes right away, her nails dug into his skin tighter. _"Now."_

Danny, despite all his anger, was too tired to resist anymore. So he did.

It was stupid how much effort it took to crack open his eyes. It was like all his energy was shaking out of him through the aftershocks. When he opened them, all he could see was the B, her narrowed eyes, and the scowl on her bloody lips.

"You may hate me, as I hate you," she whispered lowly, "But I want you to respect me. You are mine, and I can give or take anything from you. Whether it be comfort," her free hand pulled the pillow from behind his head and threw it away. "Or pain. I control in your life now and that won't change. The only difference in your treatment is how you treat me and your tasks. You're just making your life and everyone else's life worse by being a brat.

"Do you understand?"

He felt so tired. In pain, sick, and so angry, but everything was blanketed with his heavy layer of exhaustion that he knew a goodnight's sleep wasn't going to cure. He wanted to say no, to spit in her face, anything else but what she wanted, but… but…

Danny looked down and whispered softly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She patted him softly on the cheek, and her hand disappeared.

He kept his eyes trained on her as she moved away, but the B seemed to have lost interest in Danny. After dusting off her jacket and pants suit, she turned away from him completely. He followed her click clacking steps, tensing when she leaned down to pick something off the ground. The pillow, he realized, and his body shook further, as she neared him again.

The B touched the top of his head gently. He froze, heart practically stopping. When all she did was put a light pressure against his head, he hesitantly allowed her to move him. There was a sound of shuffling and something soft pressed against his neck. Then, as quick as it moved him, her hand placed him back.

On the pillow.

He blinked at the ceiling in confusion, his shaking only increasing.

"For obeying," the B said evenly. There was no affection in her tone, just… a fact.

Without pause she disappeared from his view again. The B must have pressed the button to bring him back down again because the table moved to its original position. Danny tried to look at the B, as she left. As the table clicked back down, he only saw a rush of red and a swoop of her lab coat, before the door slammed closed behind her.

Danny knew he should be focusing on whatever these scientists were doing to him, but… he couldn't, he just couldn't. Now that she wasn't here it was easier to put his thoughts together, even if these thoughts were more rushing feeling than anything.

He hated her.

He hated her so much. He hated the way she looked at him. He hated the way she walked in like she owned everything in the room including him. He hated the fights, the experiments, the torture. He hated the way these things made him feel powerful and how his power grew with each task. He hated how much he liked that little bit of warmth when she patted him on the cheek. He hated how he perked up when he heard her voice because while he hated her with all his might, the B was the only voice he heard _ever_ in this place and he'd go crazy without someone to talk to. He hated the fact he could get out at any moment, but at the cost of everything he ever cared about. He hated how the B knew this too, and used this to her advantage every single time he even tried to be a little bit rebellious.

Danny hated himself for getting into this situation to being with. For not being smart enough. For not being brave enough. For putting his loved one's lives on the line for a simple cause. For potentially hurting hundreds of thousands of others in the future just to keep them safe.

He…he just wanted to go home, sleep, and forget everything.

But as the white coats hooked him up with several IVs filled with a glowing green substance, Danny knew that this battle wasn't ending anytime soon.

Word count: 3464 (not counting intro, outro, or title)

AN: Cool cool, so usually I'd go with my "tell me what you like and tell me what you dislike" shindig, but that's not the purpose of this update. This was more of a "I couldn't just leave a giant message so here's some content guys! :D (please don't kill me)"

Last update, I gave a little note saying I was getting a bit worn down because of this fic and wanted to take a break. That still sort of applies, but now I've got a different reason why this isn't going to be updating a bit. The most common criticism of CoaSP is its terribly slow pacing, and I one hundred percent agree. That's also a lot of the reason why I haven't been updating because even I haven't been interested in writing this slow thing. But now, I have a plan.

CoaSP is getting a major overhaul. Next time it's updated here's what's going to happen:

1) Probably 5000 words edited out just in taking out too much fluff. That will help a lot in the pacing

2) Chapters being rearranged and/or taken out. Again pacing, plus I want to make things flow better. Ex: All the Danny dream chapters will be moved somewhere else in this arc

3) All the extra chapters (like this one) will be cut out. They won't be gone entirely. I might put them as a bonus when I'm done.

4) REALLY IMPORTANT AND WHAT INSPIRED ALL THIS: There's going to be one major plot point that I'm essentially rewriting within this. It won't affect chapter 1 or 2 that much, but from the conversation with Vlad and beyond, it pretty much will affect everything and pretty much change the entire plot of the work (but in a good way that gives me more direction). I won't say what it is, but it'll be pretty obvious

This… is going to take awhile. I don't know how long. It depends on inspiration and time. I want to say by the end of my winter break (so January-ish), but I have a ton of other projects I'm working on as well, so I can't promise that. This rewrite could be done by the end of 2017 to all the way to summer 2018. Who knows at this point.

CoaSP was my first major story, and my most popular story I've written and so far, and while I'm proud of what it is so far, I feel like it could be much, much better. I want to make it a better story, one I'll enjoy writing and everyone will enjoy reading. I've been thinking about a rewrite for awhile now, and at first I thought I would just do it at the end of this arc, but I shouldn't, especially with these new ideas.

For those who stuck it out since the beginning and even new readers today, thank you for reading CoaSP as the mess as it is. You guys are wonderful for sticking it out through it all. For long time readers especially, thank you for reading even when it's been months upon months since I've updated. You guys are the best kind of people.

Now, that that's done. Here's what I need YOU guys to do for those who like to comment:

1) Tell me what you'd rate this chapter in terms of maturity. This is about the level of intensity the story is going to get and it will really help my decision on whether to rate this story M or not.

2) Tell me where you think the pacing needs the most help, and no, I'm not expecting you guys to go back and re-read, please don't. For those who have read the full story recently or those who remember where it felt a little off, just tell me the general chapters you might think won't work well.

And that's it! That's all… for now. (Again this is NOT an abandoned message. I have a full doc of the story ready for editing and everything I swear! Lol)

Again, thank you guys so much for being here and reading. Going into this, I didn't expect this much attention, and it's been amazing so far. Next time this updates, CoaSP will be buff and shiny and ready for reading, I guarantee it.

Until then, thanks for reading. See you next time, my dudes!

LunagaleMaster~