Deep in the Ghost Zone stands a clock tower with a huge, oaken door in its center. Pushing through the door one finds themselves in a realm filled with gears, coil springs, pendulums, cogs and other miscellaneous clock parts in all shapes and sizes, moving in harmony with each other. Assorted clocks of every color, size and type also occupy the realm, some running fast, some slow, some backwards; no two with the same time on their faces. Chimes occasionally ring out through the infinite space, signaling some significant event to their owner.

And that individual stands in a room at the center of the massive realm, staring intently at a green swirling portal not unlike a video screen. He appears to be an incredibly ancient ghost, cloaked all in purple with a scar running down his cheek from his left eye. Several wrist watches adorn his arms, and he carries a staff with a stop watch at its apex. But none of these characteristics are more startling than when his form shifts to that of a teenager, similarly outfitted and looking like a younger copy of his previous incarnation. Or when he shifts again, becoming a man just past middle age, yet still recognizable from his previous forms.

His name is Clockwork, and he is the ghost of time itself.

Currently, he was viewing the events occurring in the Amity Park Mall food court parking lot. As he watched Danny Phantom scream out Sam's name in anguish he could feel the cry resonate throughout the Ghost Zone. The cries we so emotionally charged that they threatened to change the very fabric of the zone, possibly destroying everything in the process. As he observed the scene in the portal his face appeared to be a mask of indifference, but underneath his calm, cold exterior he grieved for the boy…

…and for a future that may yet be.

A noise behind him only confirmed what he already knew; the Observants had arrived.

"Can I help you?" Ancient Clockwork said, not bothering to turn around.

One of the Observants glided forward and pointed at the viewing portal. "Daniel Fenton is again about to become the force of evil that we had forewarned you of."

"May become," cited Teenaged Clockwork, "only may. The decision is his."

The second Observant floated over to its compatriot. "Your previous meddling in his affairs has only delayed the inevitable. This time the dark forces will consume him completely, and he will be more powerful, more dangerous than before. He must be destroyed before this can come to pass."

Middle-aged Clockwork sighed, trying not to let the frustration he was feeling rise to the surface. "Time must be allowed to show the truth. You cannot see all of the possible outcomes…"

"We have seen enough Clockwork!" The second Observant interrupted. "This is the second time that Daniel Fenton will turn toward the darkness within him. How many more times must he threaten the very existence of our worlds before you act?!? He is YOUR responsibility and …"

Ancient Clockwork turned and faced the two beings, a look of barely contained anger crossing his features. Both Observants were brought up short by the venom in his voice. "You forget you place. I am well aware of my responsibilities regarding the boy, just as I am cognizant of my duties to the universe as a whole. You Observants would do well to remember where your authority starts, and where it ends."

Teenaged Clockwork floated away from the two and over toward a shelf full of various oddities. He resumed his cool, detached demeanor immediately. "If circumstances should dictate the destruction of the boy then I will do so, but only when absolutely necessary."

Both Observants looked at each other with their huge eye, then back to a Middle-aged Clockwork. Before either could say anything, they felt the inexorable pull of a portal taking them back to their domain.

"I believe you know the way out."

Ancient Clockwork sighed as he felt the Observants fade from his realm. He knew he should not have dismissed them so abruptly, but he'd had enough of their attitude and ignorance. If only they could see the infinite threads of probability concerning Daniel, and know that no single action would set his path in stone. Unfortunately they could not. For all that they were creatures of temporal ascendance like he was, their view of time was extremely limited.

Still, Teenaged Clockwork acknowledged their concerns with a glance to a rather dusty item on the shelf. It was made of a silvery metal in the shape of a cylinder and had the word 'Fenton' written in green along its side. Several dents marred the surface, apparently made from inside the container. One such dent that stood out from all the others was in the shape of a face; a face that represented perhaps the greatest evil to have almost plagued the Ghost Zone and Earth.

A face that at this moment was grinning from within the Fenton Thermos, plotting revenge against all who had opposed its existence.

Look for Part Two, "A Poison That Blinds" coming soon!