Okie doke gang, welcome to the finale of Learning to Fly. I'm sorry to end it, but this was supposed to be a oneshot, the last short wasn't well received, and I want to move on to other projects. So, I want to thank all my readers for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the series. And perhaps, someday, I'll post a new story here. So don't fret. Also, sorry I've fallen behind on reviews, I'm gonna try to catch up soon.
And now, the finale.
"How interesting... how interesting indeed."
Vlad Masters stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully at the footage he had just acquired from his bounty hunter Valerie Grey. The foolish teen had no idea that her goggles not only helped her see, but allowed her benefactor to see whatever she did. It showed his arch nemeses, the accursed "Danny Phantom" and "Sammy Spectre" locked in brutal combat with, well... what looked like "Danny Phantom" and "Sammy Spectre."
"So, it seems young Daniel and Samantha have... anger issues," he mused aloud as the footage cut out from Valerie's being knocked unconscious. "Most interesting. Most interesting indeed. I must harness this energy of theirs. And, perhaps, my recent tinkering may prove useful..."
"What's with the bracelets?" Tucker asked with a raised eyebrow.
"They're the coins Phantom and Spectre dropped when they were destroyed," Sam replied as she held aloft the partially molten coin and a chain. "To remind us to never let that future happen. Ever."
"Yeah," Danny nodded, fidgeting with his. Tucker frowned sympathetically.
"Really shook you up, didn't it?"
"What, knowing we were originally destined to destroy the world? No, Tuck, no. Not worrisome at all," Sam growled.
"Just sayin' is all," Tucker shrugged.
"Yeah, we know," Danny sighed.
"Well, if it means anything to you, guys..." Tucker said as he put his arms around both their shoulders, "I have faith in you about that pledge."
"Thanks, Tuck," Sam blushed.
"Yeah, it means a lot," Danny nodded.
"Well, good," Tucker grinned before frowning. "Now, where's Jazz? I thought she said we were meeting for pizza to celebrate your surviving and our truce with Valerie..."
"She's Jazz. She's probably sticking her nose in someone's business again," Danny huffed with crossed arms.
"Danny, stop it. You know we'd be enslaved, or cats, or even DEAD if it weren't for her, as you said, 'sticking her nose into our business.'"
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Danny replied.
"No, but you should appreciate it," Sam countered.
"All right, fine," Danny huffed. "I'll try to keep that in mind."
"That's a good Danny," Sam smirked, playing with his hair. "Oh, look, here comes Jazz now..." she nodded towards the approaching car.
"'Bout time, I'm starving," Tucker grumbled as it slowed to a stop. Jazz's perky face greeted them from the driver's seat.
"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late, stuff happened," she shrugged.
"That's okay, Jazz," Sam replied as the three piled into the back seat. "You're probably busy these days."
"Oh, yeah, tell me about it," Jazz nodded. "But, for right now, time for some breathing time. We all set?"
"Basically," Danny said. "Valerie said she was going to meet us at the pizzeria, so we might as well just go there..."
"Meeting Valerie?" Jazz asked.
"Uh, yeah," Tucker said with a raised eyebrow. "How else is she going to join us for pizza?"
"Oh yes, silly me," Jazz grinned, closing her eyes briefly. "Welp, if everyone else is ready, let's go get some pizza." With that, she pulled out of her parallel parking, and drove downtown.
Valerie Grey tapped her foot impatiently and checked her watch. Where the heck were those guys? They were supposed to be here ten minutes ago. Not the best way to ingratiate yourself to a new but shaky ally. She was starting to muse to herself jokingly about calling off the truce on the ground of punctuality when the car pulled up.
"There you guys are," Valerie scolded as they got out.
"Sorry, Jazz was held up," Sam replied.
"Oh," Valerie nodded in understanding before frowning. "You guys were any later, and I'd have called off our alliance," she added in a teasing voice.
"How nice of you," Danny muttered.
"Oh, for-- Danny, she's kidding!" Sam snapped.
"Yeah, yeah," the boy huffed. "Can we eat now?"
"I know I'd like to," Valerie said. " I haven't had much all day, and..." She trailed off as mist escaped Danny and Sam's mouths. "What, you cold?"
"No... foreseeing guests," Sam replied as she and Danny looked around quickly. She suddenly squinted to the north and pointed.
"...Danny..." she urged.
"I see it. Looks like some of Vlad's goon birds."
"Vlad? As in Vlad Masters?" Valerie blinked.
"Yeah, he's our archenemy," Sam replied.
"Why?" Danny asked.
"Uh, funny you should mention that..." Valerie hemmed. "See, Vlad's the guy who..." She was cut off as the buzzards suddenly landed before them.
"A little hello from Mr. Masters to his favorite enemies," one said as a massive weapon suddenly materialized between them, humming in charging.
"Uh oh," Danny managed, realizing they were caught. He and his squeeze winced for their end.
"No!" Jazz cried, suddenly diving in. The blast hit her dead on, sending her sprawling down the street.
"JAZZ!" Danny cried as he and Sam ran to her side. He found his big sister lying on the sidewalk, a large hole in her, dazed. "Oh, jeez..." he whimpered.
"Danny? Is that you and Sam?" Jazz croaked weakly.
"Yeah, we're here," Sam nodded, tearing up as she took one of her hands.
"It's okay," Jazz smiled. "I did it for you guys. Make me proud and..." Jazz's eyes fluttered close, and she slowly went lax. Tucker and Valerie ran up to them, skidding to a halt at the sight that greeted them.
"Oh no," Valerie gaped, hands over her mouth. Not knowing what else to do, Tucker gently came up to his tearing friends and put his hands on their shoulders.
"Guys? Are you... okay?" he managed. Danny and Sam stayed silent for a moment, then terrified sorrow faded into murderous rage, clenching their hands so tightly Jazz's fingers broke. With a strangled growl of anger, the two stood up as they went ghost, then blasted off straight into the air. They did so with such force that windows shattered, car alarms went off, and the people below were blown back. On their backs, Tucker and Valerie watched the angry blurs scream through the air for Wisconsin.
"He killed her..." Valerie blinked before closing her eyes. "I was such a fool for taking that stuff so freely!"
"Don't blame yourself, Val," Tucker urged as they got up. "I'm sure she wouldn't have held it against..." Tucker trailed off as he saw Jazz's body. Turning to ask for the rest of his sentence, Valerie also found herself staring at the mangled for.
"Does this look like what I think it looks like?" she asked.
"Do you have your ghost suit?" he finally managed.
"Yes," Valerie nodded as she activated it.
"Then get us to Danny's house. QUICK," Tucker demanded as he jumped onto her surfboard. With that, they flew for FentonWorks.
"A pity," Vlad frowned mockingly. "Not only are they going to foolishly try to foil me, but it seems dear 'Jasmine' has been all bashed up. Fortunately," he continued as he walked towards a cage, "I have a packaged spare lying around."
"Let me out right now!" Jazz's muffled voice barked from within the large, squirming potato sack sitting in the cage.
"My, my, such behavior is very unbecoming of a young lady," Vlad scolded.
"Your goons threw a bag over my head and dragged me off," the teenager growled. "I wouldn't be giving lectures on misbehavior."
"Perhaps. Perhaps. But, console yourself in this, dear Jasmine... you'll see your little brother and his girlfriend soon enough." Jazz's struggles stopped slowly.
"...what are you talking about," she asked.
"Well, it seems your Daniel and his Samantha have... anger issues."
"How do you know about..."
"Let's just say someone told me," Vlad sniffed. "Anyway, I'm sure your heroes on their way, now that they've fallen for my ploy. I was afraid I didn't get the hair quite right on my double's head..."
"You sick freak," Jazz growled.
"Quiet, you! I'm not done gloating!" Vlad spat. "As I was saying... when your little heroes arrive, they shall have a very... rude reception. And then, I'm going to see what makes them tick. And by that, I mean 'ticked off.'"
"...don't do it," Jazz begged.
"Aw, don't want your little Daniel hurt?"
"Or Sam for that matter. But, you don't understand what happened when their ghost halves went rouge..."
"What, did they kill the little brats?"
"No... they absorbed them, and destroyed the world. You want that on your hands? The end of civilization? Billions of deaths? Do you? Really?"
"You're lying, Jasmine. And even if you weren't... I have ways of making them... compliant. Trust me when I say that I have everything under con--" Vlad's gloating was cut off by a tremendous explosion from behind. He whirled to see an enraged dragon smashing through his castle walls.
"PLASMIUS!" it roared in rage.
"You called?" Vlad smirked as he transformed into his ghost form. For their part, Danny and Sam separated into their more human-like halfa forms. Their eyes blazed so brightly, their enemy may of burst into flames if he were closer.
"You monster," Sam growled.
"Murderer," Danny added.
"Me? A monster? Moi? I believe your mistaken, Samantha. I've seen the future for you two... none too bright, is it?" Danny and Sam's eyes drained.
"...we negated it," Danny hesitated.
"Yeah... we destroyed our future selves."
"Oh, you tell yourselves that. But, think about it... though your ghost halves are benevolent now, that's no guarantee that they'll remain that way forever. Perhaps they never were? You don't know. And perhaps, just perhaps, you'll find out... the hard way." Vlad smirked as he saw his younger adversaries stiffen; he knew he had pressed the magic button. Surely, images of mass destruction and genocide now played in their heads. With them distracted, he phased through the floor. Just as he did, the potato sack burst open, and Jazz squirmed out, diving towards the side of the cage closest to them.
"Guys! Run! Please!" she begged. This shook them awake.
"Jazz?" Danny blinked. "Wh, what are you doing h--" He never got an answer, as Vlad phased up from behind, and thrust his arms between. Searing pain tore through the small halfas, and they crashed to the floor. They reverted to humans as they landed sprawled like rag dolls.
"Kids today," Vlad smirked. "Never pay attention to their big sisters..."
"Valerie, we can't."
"Tuck, do you want Danny and Sam to die!"
"Well, of course not, but we can't tell Danny's parents!"
"Why not?" Valerie demanded. "They're ghost fighters! They have the weapons, brains, and know how!" She paused. "Well, Danny's mother does..."
"Sure, all valid points, but that's the reason Jazz and I haven't told them; Danny and Sam think that if they fight out, his parents are gonna cut them open!"
"You gotta be kidding," Valerie gaped as she removed her hood.
"Wish I was," Tucker sighed as the girl shook her hair loose. "They've already had close calls. Just last week, Jazz had them possess her so they wouldn't get sucked into some kinda ghost vaporizer."
"Yeesh," Valerie muttered. "Tucker, Danny's parents aren't going to kill them, or torture them, or dissect them..."
"Tell that to Danny and Sam," Tucker replied.
"I'd love to, but that kooky millionaire has them locked up somewhere... or worse. Tucker, it's that simple. We HAVE to tell them."
"Well, when you put it that way..." Tucker sighed. "All right, c'mon, let's go," he relented, leading her inside. "Mr. Fenton! Mrs. Fenton!" he cried, looking around. Before he could take another step, both were finding themselves smothered under a thick, neon green hemp net.
"Oh, darn," Maddie huffed as she jumped out from her hiding place. "It's only Tucker and Valerie."
"Or, perhaps ghosts..." Jack sniffed, aiming a weapon at them.
"Mr. Fenton, we are NOT ghosts!" Valerie spat.
"That's what you want us to think, isn't it?"
"Mrs. Fenton!" Tucker whined.
"Jack, stop it," Maddie groaned as she ripped off her hood. "It's Tucker and Valerie. All right?"
"Oh, very well," Jack grunted as he deactivated the net. The teenagers threw it off of them and jumped up, almost wild eyed. Maddie frowned.
"Kids? What is it?" she asked.
"It's about the others," Tucker said.
"Others...?" Jack asked.
"Yeah," Valerie nodded. "Vlad Masters has Danny, Sam AND Jazz."
"What!" the Fentons gaped as one.
"Jack, get the Speeder... we're going to Wisconsin," Maddie growled like an angry mother wolf. Jack needed no force; he was already doing so by the time she finished. Tucker shook his head.
"Guys, wait!" he cried.
"What is it, Tucker?" Jack asked, poking his head out of the door frame.
"Mr. Fenton, Mrs. Fenton," Valerie hemmed. "There's... something you need to know about Danny and Sam..."
"What do you think, Jasmine? Isn't it marvelous?"
"Marvelous if you're a perverted psychopath," Jazz growled as she stared at the massive machine before them. It was twenty feet tall, hissing, clanking, and humming. Within were four large, cylindrical liquid-filled vats. In two were Danny and Sam, unconscious, suspended by a manner of wires and a respirator. In the other two, there was nothing.
"What's with the other two? Shoddy designing flaw?" Jazz sniffed.
"No, not so much," Vlad smiled. He pressed a button. The wires attached to the teenagers lit up, and their captives began to spasm violently from side to side, surrounded by green and purple auras. Slowly, the glows died away as green and purple energy was sucked up through a pipe above and squirted into a vat each. Soon, Jazz found herself staring at Danny Phantom and Sammy Spectre, also unconscious and being hooked up to wires.
"Isn't it grand, Jasmine?" Vlad trilled, clasping his hands together. "I'm going to have two new minions, and my revenge at once!"
"You... you can't do that!" Jasmine sputtered. "Danny's been this way for a year! It's what saved Sam from withering during a ghost virus! They're probably dependent on their ghost sides to live!"
"Irony, isn't it?" Vlad smiled. "When Valerie was filled in on the story, I heard everything. They were going to die either way when they were split in the future. Or past. Whatever. Either way, I get the pleasure of seeing them slowly waste away."
"Their ghost halves will too, you know..." Jasmine warned.
"Yes, so I heard," Masters frowned. "I didn't think of that. I'll have to find something to fuse them with. Oh, I know! I'll simply fuse them with my own body..."
"Are you crazy!" Jazz blurted. "You'll be a ghost!"
"Yes, but a very, very powerful one..." Vlad corrected. "With those kinds of powers, I'll hold domination over Earth AND the Ghost Zone... just think of it..." Behind him, Jazz slowly sank to her rear, almost hyperventilating, slowly clawing her face in stress. She could picture it all right. And there wasn't a thing she could do. As Jazz looked upwards, as if for some divine salvation, she noticed for the first time that while her cage was tall, it did not have a ceiling...
"Them? Danny and Sam are 'Bill' and 'Betty?'" Maddie squeaked. "Oh my..." the redhead breathed in horror, sinking into an armchair. "I... I... I've tried to kill my baby and his girlfriend! I'm a horrible mother!"
"Mrs, Fenton," Valerie begged, "Danny and Sam are still in danger..."
"The girl's right, Maddie," Jack nodded as he helped her up. "We can berate ourselves and give our kids to a foster home after we save them from dying."
"Right, right, yes," Maddie sputtered, standing up again. "Let's go. Kids, you stay here. It's too dangerous."
"Uh, best friend?" Tucker replied.
"New ally?" Valerie added.
"Oh, very well..." Maddie grunted. "Tucker, I'll get you something from the armory. Valerie, I'll..."
"Oh, that's okay, Mrs. Fenton," Valerie assured her as her uniform activated. "You could say I'm... covered in that department. Now, let's go kick some butt."
"Ah, aren't Daniel and Samantha turning the most lovely shade of white?" Vlad smiled, clasping his hands together. "Don't you think, Jasmine."
"I swear, I'll get you for this. I will." Jazz growled like a pit bull.
"Yes, yes, quite," Vlad yawned. "Have your little delusions of vengeful anger if you must. I'll make it better by having you my guinea pig when I'm fully powered," he assured her as he put on a helmet attached to a long pipe stemming from the machine. Jazz scowled.
"What the heck is THAT?" she spat.
"My transference to godhood," Vlad said simply as he pushed a button. The teens' ghost halves writhed as their power was drawn in up into another set of wires and down to the waiting villain. He chuckled as green and purple energies poured into him. "Yes, yes... the power... the power!" he grinned.
"Now's my chance... I hope Mr. Findlay was as good an instructor at Gym as I think he was..." Jazz thought to herself as she took hold of the bars. Slowly, the lanky teenager began to pull herself up by her hands, using her feet for support and propulsion. She bit her lip, seeing Vlad's buzzards had seen her.
"Hey, boss..."
"Quiet, fool," his master spat.
"Boss..." another urged.
"Silence!" Vlad snapped.
"Boss, the girl's--" Vlad shot a bolt of energy into the cage, stunning them. Jazz smiled and continued her climb. Reaching the top, she rolled over the lip of the cage and landed in a graceful crouch. Vlad, too busy gloated and surrounded by humming machinery, didn't hear her. Silently, Jazz grabbed a piece of piping and prepared to take aim... she had to throw this just right... Taking a breath, she hurled it. The pipe smacked into Vlad, and bounced against the controls. He whirled around enraged.
"You GNAT..." he roared.
"Hiya," Jazz smiled, wiggling her fingers in teasing greeting.
"I will show you 'hiya' for your arrogance, Jasmine," Vlad growled. "Just as soon as my machine is done."
"Oh, it's done," the teen scoffed, pointing to the control panel. The man whirled to see it smashed, the level locked in reverse.
"What!" Vlad boggled. He then convulsed in pain as the machine tore his new found energy out of him, funneling it right back into his victims. The short circuiting released all four of the captives, who sank to the bottoms of their tanks. Danny Phantom and Sammy Spectre came to, shaking their heads.
"Where are we...?" the ghost boy muttered.
"I dunno," Sammy shrugged. "Last I remember, we were..."
"Guys!" Jazz cried, pointing frantically to her right. The two whirled to see their human halves in tangled heaps to their left, even thinner than normal.
"Oh, crud..." Danny Phantom gulped. Without a word, the two ghosts forced themselves back through the draining tubes and into their respective hosts. As they phased in, Danny and Sam seemed to inflate like half empty balloons, color returning to their flesh. They shook their heads and awoke.
"What in?" Sam blinked.
"Why are we in here?" Danny asked.
"Get Vlad!" Jazz cried, pointing to the dazed evil halfa struggling to his feet nearby. Without a word, Danny and Sam turned into ectoplasmic vapor, flowed through the pipes, and reformed outside of the funnels. They frowned, looking around.
"Where'd Vlad go?" Sam asked.
"I don't know, Sam, I..." Danny trailed off as a series of pained gurgles reached his ears. They whirled around to see Vlad holding Jazz in the air by her neck, squeezing it.
"Surrender, or I will crush this insolent fool's neck like a grape," Vlad warned. To make his point, he put a touch more pressure on it.
"Blast the creep..." Jazz managed between gasps and gurgles.
"Jazz, no!" Danny begged.
"Tick tock, Daniel," Vlad scolded, hoisting Jazz higher.
"All right, all right!" Danny cried. "I'll do it. I s--" He was cut off by a serious of blasts. Four figures raised in, weapons blazing."
"Drop my daughter, you backstabbing..." Jack growled, aiming a large blaster at his former friend's face.
"Oh, silence you predictable OAF!" Vlad spat, firing a blast with his free hand. Jack went down with a grunt.
"First my children, now my husband!" Maddie roared. "I'll destroy you, Masters, so help me..."
"Oh, Maddie, my dearest..." Vlad sighed in feign heartbreak. "A pity you've gone to the dark side by marrying that fool. This hurts me... not at all," he finished, also KO'ing the advancing woman. Tucker didn't even get to open his mouth before he went down himself. Vlad was just turning to speak again to his fellow halfas, stunned at everything that had just happened, when several blasts tore into his back. He whirled.
"Et tu, Valerie?" he sighed at the incoming teen. "Then, fall Valerie," he added, jamming her engine with a single plasma blast. Valerie cried out in fear as she haphazardly rocketed across the room before finally crashing to the ground, dazed. "Now, as I was saying..." Vlad started.
"You really are a jerk," Sam snapped.
"Yes, quite," Vlad growled, hurling Jazz to join her family and Tucker. "I can do a lot more to them if you don't surrender to me right now."
"I told you I surrender," Danny spat.
"And I do too... just, don't hurt them!" she begged.
"Yes, yes, quite..." Vlad yawned. As he continued, he didn't notice Jazz, coming out of her daze and breathing properly again, stagger towards Tucker and fish in his backpack. Her face brightened as she found what she was looking for and pulled it free; a Fenton Thermos. Slowly, she crept up behind him.
"Are you quite done?" Vlad finished.
"No," Danny said as he noticed his sister taking aim, "but you are."
"What...?" Vlad asked as he whirled around.
"See ya, jerkwad," Jazz quipped as she activated the Thermos. Vlad, remembering he had been in his ghost form all this time, cursed his forgetting this key fact and was sucked away into the Thermos. Jazz looked down at him with an odd expression on her face. Vlad frowned as he watched her starting to hock back.
"No, you are not going to do what I think you're going t--" He was cut off as Jazz indeed spat into the Thermos. "For the love of Farve!" he growled as she capped the Thermos and pocketed it.
"And that... is that," she smiled, wiping her hands together. "You two okay?" she asked, looking up. She was answered by them glomping on.
"Jazz, you are awesome," Danny smiled.
"'Bout time you realized it," she smiled, ruffling his unruly hair. The sweet moment ended when the others came too, and saw Danny and Sam in ghost mode.
"Mom, Dad, I love you and all, but if you try to hurt us, I will defend myself..." Danny warned.
"Danny, honey, we're not going to hurt you!" Maddie begged as she cautiously walked up to him. Uneasy but willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, Danny lowered his arms and accepted the tight, warm hug from his mother. "I am so sorry, Danny... I am so, so sorry..."
"About what?" he asked.
"Our obsession with killing you... or, half of you," Jack replied, blinking in confusion. "Can you ever forgive us, son?"
"Well, sure Dad," Danny shrugged. "I don't see why not."
"Well, good..." he smiled, hugging him as well.
"Aww," Sam grinned as the group hug went on. Finally, the five separated.
"So..." Danny sighed as he and Sam reverted and led them to the parlor upstairs, "I guess you wanna know the whole story now..."
"It'd be nice," Maddie shrugged.
"I already know it!" Tucker grinned.
"I know... part of it..." Valerie added hesitantly.
"Well, gather around then," Sam chided as they all sat down. Danny took a deep breath with his eyes closed, and began.
"It started a year, year and a half ago. It was after the Fenton Portal failed to work this one time, and Sam thought it'd be fun if I put on a jumpsuit and posed with it for a picture or two..."