Evil

Chapter 1: The Music is in Me

"The Phantom." The voice of the Council head boomed throughout the Council Room. Its single eye stared him down. The eyes of the entire Observant's Council glared down at him, as he stood in the center of the Council Room, far below the judgement of the high-seated council. Behind him, seven of the Ancients blocked the door, six hovered just beneath the Council head.

A normal ghost would have been intimidated- scared shitless in many cases. But Phantom was not a normal ghost. What struck him wasn't the intimidation technique, but the name they had used. Arrested for the first time, they had used his name 'Daniel James Fenton'. But now they used his real name- the one he earned only a few weeks ago. It was just a little odd that they had thought to use the 'the' part of 'The Phantom'. He wasn't sure if they really expected him to say anything, but he felt his long stare back was answer enough. He wasn't intimidated- he knew as well as they did that in an all-out brawl against the ancients, he probably wouldn't win. But in a fight like that there wouldn't really be any winners at all. Not so long ago the Observants were a little frightening, but now the fear had faded away.

"Do you know why you have been brought before us?"

"I have a pretty good idea." Phantom responded without hesitation. The mechanical double-echo of his voice had faded to a slight edge. The glare of the council intensified, but he bore it and met the glare of the council head directly.

"We are here to determine whether you shall face charges of…"

"Existing?" The pressure in the room intensified, but he was not cowed.

"The council has convened to discuss your rather serious transgressions."

"We both know why I'm here- why don't we just cut to the chase?" A few voices murmured from all around the council seating. They were not exactly kind murmurs. "You're afraid of me." Phantom said boldly, the mechanical undertones of his voice grating. The stunned and angered looks in the single eyes of each Observant told him he'd hit the nail on the head. Interference in the land of the living was, at times, a serious offense. But he had proven his right to pass between the worlds.

The ancient ghosts tensed, readying themselves. As one, the entirety of the Observant's council stood, hovering high above him. They were silent suddenly, their collective consciousness snapping into place at his veiled threat.

But The Phantom knew what to do. It wasn't something that he wanted, but his mentor and friend Clockwork knew best. The claiming of his territory turned heads and drew eyes, and his battle with his alternate self heralded a new age. The dead and the never-born could no longer hide from the living. It hadn't been his intention, but Clockwork claimed everything had happened as it was supposed to happen. So the next step was necessary.

"I submit to the authority of the council." He bowed low to the council head, and for a few moments all was visibly tense.

Clockwork had submitted to the rule of the council when it was formed. It was a show of faith to the rest of the ghost zone. Pariah Dark did not. Clockwork knew better than anyone just how much the council feared another Pariah Dark, and saw the potential in Phantom.

"Y… you submit?" Phantom pulled himself up to his full height, and nodded briefly.

"I do." The council all looked around at each other, at a complete loss for words. Clockwork submitted only after days of debate. Pariah Dark almost destroyed the building. Most ghosts summoned before the council needed either cajoling, or at times, imprisonment before submitting; or needed to be picked up off the floor. Phantom managed to floor the council instead.

"Well, good." The council head said, stuttering a little. The rest of the Observants sat back down awkwardly. "As for the charges…" Phantom fixed him with a glare, and even the confused ancients seemed to shrivel just a little. "You have, I suppose a right to interfere among the living." He cleared his throat, and returned to his seat. The looks shooting across the room made him think that they suddenly no longer had anything to talk about.

"Now as for the conditions under which I submit…"

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He was going to be late. Which was saying something considering that he was able to teleport, and open portals. But all that didn't matter when he woke not ten minutes before he was supposed to be on campus. Jazz was just going to have to live with it, she should be used to it by now anyway. He had enough time to dress himself, brush his teeth, and teleport across two states to get to his sister's school. The problem was the simple fact that in order to teleport somewhere, he had to know where it was. Tracing Jazz and popping up wherever she happened to be was a bad idea. He learned that the hard and embarrassing way. So he would have to do it the old fashioned way- by walking.

Graduation just couldn't come soon enough, and then before he knew it, it was over. It was with a mix of dread and excitement that he realized he had no idea what he was going to do next. His childhood dreams had fallen by the wayside, but not unhappily. He had already done what he had dreamed about doing, and the experience jolted him into an entirely different way of thinking. His wasn't going to be the normal path. Anything he wanted to do from now on was going to have that little kink. He more or less was learning quickly how his existence as a ghost was going to go. But finding out how he was going to live- that was another can of worms all together.

The campus in late spring was quite pleasant. The trees shaded the brick walkways, and the college students milled among the old stone buildings, some with modern window faces, and others marble entryways. A tour group passed him by as he studied a map under glass in front of the library. He had four minutes to find the building and the classroom. According to the map, he was on the wrong side of the campus.

"What are you looking for?" The small voice came from his right, a short blonde boy, no more than ten years old. Large earphones hung around his neck, and he wore thick glasses.

"Showalter Hall." Danny said. The boy started down the brick walkway and motioned for Danny to follow.

"I'm going there too, I'll show you where it is." Danny followed his short guide obediently. It would have been faster to find it on the map and fly there, but he didn't need to draw any attention himself. The fallout after his rather public battle had been sizable. Hence his visit to his sister's school. She sold him out to her professor, who leapt at the chance to be the first to wrangle him into a classroom. Danny wasn't sure if they expected him to lecture, or not struggle when strapped to a lab table.

"What are you listening to?" Danny asked to fill the silence. The boy fiddled with his playlist, but never put his headphones on. He shrugged at the question.

"Disturbed. My dad put a whole bunch of crap on here for me, so I have to go through it all to find what I want." Danny chuckled.

"My dad doesn't even know how to put music on one of those things. Is it really bad, or just not what you usually like?" The boy shrugged again. Danny's developing senses could feel the emotion coming off the boy. A lingering sadness seemed to be a constant undertone.

"I guess it's not bad. It's just that I have to hear my dad play them a million times a day and then talk all about their 'symbolism' and crap. You just kind of get tired of it. It's only been like a month, and it feels like years."

"He teaches here?" The boy nodded.

"Yeah. I couldn't wait in his office anymore- so I thought I'd come listen to the class for a while. It's kinda cool sometimes- just not when you have to hear about it all day."

"I think I know what you're talking about." Danny deadpanned. Every young teenager thought their parents were loud and irritating- even when they weren't. Danny's sensitive hearing picked up a few familiar notes, and the dormant voices of the collection started stirring just a little. The boy sighed and switched the song again.

Mary Annette knew the song pretty well- seeing as how it was hers. Danny started to feel for the kid even more, he wasn't going to get it any easier after his visit today.

"Your dad must be professor Ewing." Danny said. They turned a corner towards as large brick building, ornate marble stairs and antique looking stone molding around the roof.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" The boy put the music player back in his pocket with another sigh.

"I could hear your headphones. Seems like that would be something he'd listen to. I'm actually headed to his class now. I think I'm going to be a little late again."

"So you like that kind of stuff huh?" The boy actually sounded a little disappointed. "It's pretty cool, I guess. It's just… sad. My dad doesn't seem to get it, but all these songs are just… sad."

"You're a pretty perceptive kid. I'm Danny, by the way."

"Trevor." The two awkwardly shook hands as they walked along the sidewalk. "Are you in my Dad's class?"

"My sister is. I was just going to see her." Trevor eyed him for a minute, and then sighed.

"Yeah I heard there would be a few extras today. I hope there will be a seat left for me." The news wasn't so comforting. A class full of students obsessed with ghosts was okay. But a huge crowd might be more than he'd intended to sign up for.

"Yeah. Hopefully." Danny said. He'd had his fill of talking to crowds. As phantom, it was easier- people learned to listen to Phantom, and ghosts knew to pay attention to ghosts more powerful than they. But college students listening to a stupid teenager; that was an entirely different matter.

"This is the building." Trevor said, pointing to their right. The old hall, all brick, and marble, and ivy, still had the old ironwork fire escapes on the back side, on the front side a grand staircase and walkway beneath the school's picturesque archway. A sign overgrown with rosebushes and Virginia creeper proclaimed its name. "My Dad's class is in the auditorium on the first floor."

"The auditorium?"

Trevor led him through the building and down a short flight of stairs to a pair of doors. Jazz was waiting just outside, smiling widely when she saw him. He hugged her immediately, and she had to stand on her toes to reach him.

"Sorry I'm late." He said.

"You're not, actually. My class doesn't start for another fifteen minutes. I just knew you would be late, so I gave you the wrong time." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Of course you did."

"You're not allowed to complain if it actually works Danny. Who's this?" Trevor, back at his player again, glanced up at her and tried to hide his blush. That sadness Danny had felt when he met him had kicked up just a little to fear. He was shy.

"This is Trevor, your professor's son. He made sure I found where I was going. This is my sister, Jazz." Trevor glanced again.

"Hey." He said very quietly. Jazz gave her brother a look, who shrugged back at her. He had a thing for kids, especially the shy ones. Jazz opened the door for them and took them inside.

"I think you may have tricked me into something." He said as they turned down the narrow hall and into the auditorium.

"Well, some of the students were pretty interested, and I figured you wouldn't mind if we opened it up to those that couldn't take the class. Besides, you owe me after almost getting yourself killed." He couldn't really argue with that. His whole family was still getting used to the idea, and the stress of the ordeal hadn't really faded yet. He had a lot of classroom visits, new wiring, and clean dishes to get through before they forgave him for being dumb. He didn't even want to think about all of the things he'd have to do for Valerie.

Trevor was looking up at him with suspicion, and as he went to sit down in the front row, and Danny climbed the three steps to the hollow carpeted platform with his sister, he had started to understand. He blushed furiously and tried to make himself small in the seat closest to the door, which was not hard considering the much larger college students milling all around the room. Still a good ten minutes before the class started the wide, long rows were filling up fast, and Danny stared a little.

"I think this is more than a few extras Jazz."

"The turnout is pretty impressive." She said with a smile. "Listen, just tell them the story, go over the video and play some of the music. That's all Dr. Ewing has been after since this quarter started and that whole stunt of the football field happened. And I promised his that he could record it for his other classes."

"Jazz…" He sighed.

"What? You're used to it by now anyway. Did you have to wear the jacket?" She tugged at the dingy yellow jacket that now he wore almost always.

"It shows up when I teleport; I just got used to it." It creeped Jazz out a little; the jacket that was also a part of his ghost form. She was fine with it at first, until she found out it could move on its own and appear and disappear at will.

"You must be Mr. Fenton." A voice said. A smaller man, blonde, beginning to bald, with poor posture trotted over from the camera tripod at the opposite door. Jazz smiled wide and pulled Danny over. In the corner Trevor was trying to look inconspicuous.

"Dr. Ewing, this is my brother Danny. Danny, this is my professor." The man grasped Danny's hand firmly.

"It's really wonderful to meet you, I am so glad that you could come in for us today. Jazz has told us so much." With his wide smile and round glasses he reminded Danny of a large dog who'd just made a new friend. He continued to babble just a little, and seemed determined not to let go of his hand. Apparently Dr. Ewing was a rabid 'phan'.

"No problem. I owed Jazz one anyway."

"I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the room."

"Actually, your son brought me here. I was afraid I was going to be late again." The professor shot a look to his son, a mix of pride and disappointment. Danny got the feeling that Trevor was probably supposed to stay in the office. The boy looked away and pretended he hadn't noticed the look.

"I'm glad he was helpful." He said. "I can get the computer set up for you, if you plan to use it."

"That would be great. I brought some of the music- Jazz was telling me you were interested in it." From behind her professor, Jazz gave him a thumbs up. If all went well his sister would get an 'A', make a good impression on the whole department, and he would get a free pass on his next debacle.

The professor slouched behind the podium, very slowly booting up the computer and projector and tapping out his username and password. With a confident look back at him, Jazz sat down next to Trevor and pulled out her little foldable desk under her armrest. Many others in the crowed had done the same.

A good portion of the crowd looked like they'd be right at home with his parents. Another portion, his girlfriend. But most of the students looked perfectly normal- notebooks open to blank pages, pens and pencils ready for notes. Very average. Very human. He could be here one day- or at least a place like it. It was something expected of a human being his age. But the comfort and warmth of the jacket he wore and the hum of voices in his collection were a constant reminder that he was not entirely human. In the ghost zone, he would not be expected to study in any university, or have a career, study for an exam, save for retirement. He had other duties.

Balancing the expectations was not going to be easy.

He stood back as the projector lowered and the students began to settle in. The clock ticked closer and closer to the beginning of class. Dr. Ewing, with the computer finally ready stepped to the edge of the platform and waited patiently for the murmurs to die down and those still standing to find their seats.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." There were a few responses from around the room. A few students yawned, and Danny fully understood the feeling. "Thank you for coming- to all of those who are visitors. And thank you to all of those whose grade depends on being here. We have a very special guest with us today. Daniel Fenton, also and perhaps better known as Danny Phantom, has agreed to come and speak to us about the video I'm sure has been on the mind of every student on this campus for weeks. So if we can have your attention- please welcome Daniel Fenton." There was a raucous applause from the filled auditorium as he stepped forward. Enough that he was actually startled just a little. He waved nervously.

"Hello everyone, I'm Danny." There were waves and even a few cheers. "I don't know if this is going to be as exciting as Dr. Ewing made it sound." He said. "But I'm here to explain to you a little bit about what everyone saw on the football field in Amity Park. But before I do that- I have to tell you a story or none of it is going to make sense. So my sister Jazz," he motioned to her, sitting in the front row. "You know her as the one who keeps ruining the curve for everyone, is going to stop me if I confuse everybody, and I can answer some questions when it's over."

"Are you single?" A female voice called from the back row, and a male voice echoed her. The students laughed.

"Can we keep the questions relevant to the topic please?" Dr. Ewing said. Danny, pretty much used to the outbursts only smiled.

"No, I have a girlfriend. Sorry." The class quieted down and eyes turned to him expectantly. It was time to come out into the world as the person he'd turned into. The rumors in the ghost zone had spread and multiplied until they were almost unbearable. The dead were terrible gossips. He had a chance to nip that in the bud in the living world right now, and he needed to take the chance. Pretty soon he'd set the record straight in the ghost zone, but for now he had to focus on the living. Everyone looking at him now were normal human beings. When he said 'transformante' they didn't know what the hell he was talking about. He hadn't until a few weeks ago. When they saw his new visage they didn't have the ability to read his signature or feel him out the way other ghosts did. They couldn't see or feel his mission just by getting close to him.

He liked his secrets, all ghosts did. But the ability change instead of stay the same was what made him such a powerful ghost. And it was time that people understood him better.

"So as it turns out," he began. "Time travel is totally possible." And he told them the story.

He edited the personal bits out, nor did he name the restaurant. But through the confusion of time travel, a quick definition of 'collection', and the horror of a child murderer and evil robots, the class kept up fairly well. And when it was over he wasn't sure if he'd made someone cry, or if Dr. Ewing would have him committed.

"Maybe you can explain to us how you can be a ghost and alive at the same time." The quiet question from the professor was not what he expected. But the man looked totally focused, pen and paper ready as though he'd be the one tested on it later.

"Well, I'm not sure I can- I don't really know how it works. Technically I'm called a hybrid. There are only three of us in the world, and one of us isn't even a true hybrid. I do know that I in order for it to work, I already had to have been a good candidate for a ghost. I had to die, briefly, but not stay dead. It works if you die slowly too, but I don't know what the actual mechanics are. I can tell you that it hurt though. A lot." The room remained quiet.

"How did you die?" The timid voice he recognized as Trevor's. He was blushing and his father was shooting him a glare. Jazz was giving him a supportive look. Danny could feel something heavy coming off the boy- a quiet and gentle kind of sympathy not everyone had.

"I think that may be a little too personal…" Dr. Ewing said before Danny interrupted.

"No, it's okay. I can't tell you exactly, since it has to do with how I ended up half a ghost, and people really don't need to get any ideas. But I can tell you that when your third grade teacher tells you not to stick a fork in the toaster, you should listen." The mild tension faded as the class laughed. "That 'please unplug before servicing' sticker on your appliances is there for a reason." Even Trevor laughed. Jazz shook her head, but she giggled along with him. She had lived with him long enough to see the funny side- their parents hadn't quite learned yet.

"Maybe you could tell us about the fight on the football field. Who was the ghost you were fighting?" The class continued to laugh, but Danny's humor faded a bit. This was the other half of the story, and this one hurt a little bit more. He kept it vague, but told the story anyway.

"So basically you were just going to turn into some badass motherfucker no matter what?" The voice was lost in laughter that even Danny appreciated. Dr. Ewing turned in his chair to give the students threatening looks.

"Let's cool it with the language, please." He scolded. "Tell us about the other ghosts, the collection. And maybe, the music that played in the stadium?" Danny nodded and moved behind the podium to plug in his player.

"I think now is a good time to talk about that. Now that you kind of understand where the music came from. The collection is made up of the ghosts of people that died in the restaurant, but also spirits, which are basically things like ghosts that were formed by other ghosts. It takes a lot of power to make one, let alone more eight- but my collection kind of has a secret weapon. She's also where the music comes from." Danny looked to Jazz to gauge her opinion. He promised to keep things at a dull roar, but Mary had been whispering in his ear since he arrived, and she knew the music far better than he did. Jazz gave him a skeptical look but nodded. She liked Mary- but knew just how slack a leash Phantom kept on her.

"Do you want to meet her?" There were nods and a few affirmative responses.

"Of course." Dr. Ewing said with enthusiasm.

There was a little flash of light in the center of the platform, and the little red and white box rose up as though it had always been there. A few students gasped, and some shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They remembered watching her work. The lid swung open and Mary Annette popped out with her blonde, curly pigtails, black lacey dress, and black and white striped leggings. She smiled at the crowd and waved silently, bouncing on her toes.

"This is Mary. You saw her in the video, doing most of my work for me actually. She and I have known each other since the beginning, pretty much. She's kind of the secret weapon. If she'd been her own ghost she would have been extremely powerful. But she decided to stick around with me." The box disappeared and Mary, entirely comfortable under the gaze of a hundred strangers bounced forward to shake hands with Trevor Ewing who was staring dumbfounded with an open mouth. She pat Jazz on the head, then skipped back to the podium.

"She likes music- she can use the voice of anyone in the collection, and she comes up with the music to keep herself entertained. She has a flair for the dramatic, so she used it to intimidate 'Dan' when she was fighting with him. It worked."

"Is there more music?" Dr. Ewing asked. He addressed Mary, but she ignored him. Instead she tugged gently on the yellow jacket. Danny let it slide off and she wrapped it around herself like a robe.

"Actually, there is a lot more. The kind of powers she has lets her take over my mp3 player- so I listen to it a lot, whether I want to or not." She stuck her tongue out at him, but smiled, and it earned her a few laughs. "Do you want to hear a few?" The nods where universal. And Jazz beamed- it was a sure way into her professor's heart, or more importantly, his grade book.

"I heard that you had to hear a lot about the 'symbolism' and all that about these songs- and I apologize for that." The students laughed. "But this is one song that probably isn't going to need a whole lot of analyzing." He searched through his playlist, Mary standing on her toes beside him and pointing at those she liked the best. He queued up the music and watched for Jazz's reaction.

I really hate you, stop getting in my way.

Mary's light, tinkling laughter joined the others as they listened, even Dr. Ewing smiled. She could be subtle, when she felt the need. But most of the time she didn't feel the need. By the time the song was over, everyone knew exactly the emotion that had created that song. He queued up the next before any more questions arose.

I'm not just a creature, more than a simple feature

I'll stand here waiting until you can't see me

We're all fun and games here, there's no need for you to fear

I'll be here waiting until you grow weary

The laughter had toned down. Some were thoroughly enjoying the music for the music. Dr. Ewing listened closely to the lyrics, and even little Trevor seemed sobered by the feeling. Mary danced a little in front of the podium to her own music.

I'm not the crazed killer you think I am

I'm just here ready to see vengeance through.

Hatred, bloodlust, they're all irrelevant to

The moment when my jaws close down on you…

The air was less humorous, but Mary had a wide smile anyway. She made it just the way she wanted it, it was more art to her than emotion now.

"Tell us, who is that song about?" Dr. Ewing asked gently. Mary remained quiet, and they were getting the distinct feeling she didn't do a whole lot of talking.

"Me, I think." Mary clung to his jacket, grossly oversized on her, and sat on Jazz's armrest, mimicking the serious posture of those sitting around her. "Most of her songs seem to be about me. Like I said, we know each other really well, and I am the oldest part of the collection- so a lot of her songs are about me."

"What about the others? The guards that became part of the collection? Does she make music about them?" Mary smiled and clapped her hands in excitement.

"Yeah- a lot of those are really fun. We like to think we have a pretty good sense of humor." He played the next- Mary's version of a rap battle between the animatronics and night guards, and another entirely from the employee's point of view.

It's twelve am, you're wide awake…

There's a shadow on the wall, stay calm, stay calm…

The lecture had turned into a dance party. Mary, the always dramatic and incurable ham danced while the music played. Students danced in their seats. They cried during sad songs, and laughed during the funny ones. He explained each character- Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, and told them their stories during 'Noticed' and 'Chica's Song'.

By the time Danny ran out of steam, everyone liked Mary better than him, music had been uploaded onto the internet, Jazz had a solid grade, and it was nearly an hour and a half past the end of class.

He promised Dr. Ewing a cd and another class visit, put Mary away while she waved and giggled at the crowd, and hugged his sister goodbye. He flew home rather than teleported.

His transformation was a fact of life. His new duties, new position, and new power was all fact. It was good to not have to keep secrets, to be whole at last, to be himself.

Somewhere, Clockwork was shaking his head. Life is never easy- even life after life.

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I can't believe I actually did it.

Everyone thank HerdingDog1! Without their poking and nagging I never would have finished this chapter. But I am over the roadblock now and ready to move on to chapter two!

Music:

"Die in a Fire"- Living Tombstone

"Jaws"- The Aviators

"After Hours"- JT Machinima

"Stay Calm"

"Noticed"

"Chica's Song"

Sorry, I don't remember the artists on all of them, but they are all on youtube for your listening pleasure. This is going to be about the music, so if you're into it this is the fic for you. If not, plot will not be heavily dependent on it, so you should be okay.

-TheColorsofSand-