Hello! Sorry this took so long, I had a week of finals (I'm happy with those results haha), and then I went on a school trip. So yeah, here's the newest chapter! I have put a huge hint as to how this will end, if you can figure out what all is going on, kudos to you! There's not much going on in this chapter (and it's kind of a short chapter), it's just pretty much what Clockwork is thinking and planning. There's quite a few hints in here (besides the really big one) as to the plot, so enjoy!

Oh by the way, Kimiko1234 wanted me to show a bit more difference between the two Danny's. Daniel is the one that died, Danny is Vlad's son. If anyone has any more questions on that - or anything else - let me know!

And I would like to thank Kimiko1234 and maltese for reviewing last chapter! Review let me know how I'm doing and are always a big help.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Please R&R! Enjoy!

Chapter 17 Start!

Knowledge

Clockwork watched the time stream front of him, although…he couldn't really. It wasn't moving. It wasn't flowing as it should. He knew why. It was his doing after all. He was the master of time, he could make it stop flowing if he wanted to.

He knew the images before him were moving – people were laughing and running, students were working and dozing, wind was blowing and whistling. But, time itself had stopped moving.

Clockwork wasn't concerned in the least. He knew that the boy he currently cared for was concerned about it. He was concerned for different reasons at least. Clockwork could tell that the fact that the viewing portals were honed in on every place the Danny would and could go was bothering Daniel. Clockwork could almost see the gears churning and clanking inside Daniel's head. He could definitely see the emotions that flashed across the boy's face without him knowing it. Confusion, anger, jealousy. Jealousy was a big one.

Clockwork did nothing to rectify Daniel's negative feelings, however. He could do nothing to effect what was happening currently. It was out of his control. He was only the master of time, not this. Whatever happened now was out of his control. But, if things got too out of hand, he could always stop it and still have the knowledge of the outcome of one path. Out of all the paths time could take, he would at least know the true outcome of one.

Many were confused. Many believed that he knew exactly how time would pan out. They believed he knew how time began and how it would end. Well, they were wrong.

Clockwork knew the possibilities. He knew the many different paths that time could take, and he knew the likeliness for time to take a certain path compared to another. But, he did not know exactly what path time would take, what turns it could take. Time was just uncontrollable and unpredictable.

The master of time was not all knowing. He was not a god as many had made him out to be.

He could be destroyed if someone powerful enough were to come along.

He was not invincible. He had people to talk to, he had friends. He did not think himself better than anyone else.

He made mistakes. He was not perfect.

People believed the untruths. They did not question what they were told; they accepted it as fact and moved on.

The point is: Clockwork was not immortal. Even though he was a ghost, he was not inhuman. He was an imprint of his former human self, just like all of the other ghosts in the Ghost Zone.

And just like everyone else, he tried to avoid mistakes, and if he couldn't do that, he would learn from them. Was that a crime? So many people seemed to think so. Clockwork couldn't sway their opinions, nor did he want to. It was not about them.

Clockwork turned and looked around the room. It had always seemed so gloomy and dark, but he called it home. The large and dark brick walls held so many cracks and housed so many shadows, yet they seemed so normal. They were welcoming in a strange way. How Clockwork had come to spend so much time in the fortress, he couldn't remember. It had been too long. His eyes landed on an empty rack. He would usually hang the time medallions on it for safe keeping (and for a feeling of showing off, but Clockwork would never admit that). But, they were gone. He had already distributed them out to people without their knowledge of it. Clockwork had even made more, hundreds more in order to lower any suspicion. He really didn't know what he would do with all of them after he got what he wanted from this idea. He couldn't help but think that it was way too much to go through just to try to avoid an improbable disaster.

Of all the paths he had seen, very few of them ended badly, and it was unlikely that time would take any of those paths. But, Clockwork had found that sometimes, on the very rare occasion, that time had managed to find a path that he did not see beforehand. Things were already beginning to show signs of that possibility.

If he couldn't see the path before it was taken, he would cheat. Yes, Clockwork would cheat time. He was the master of time, after all. And in cheating, he would have no one to bother him about it. The only obstacle here was suspicion. Suspicion could ruin the entire thing, but not if there was no room for it. Clockwork made sure to tie down every loose end to make sure that suspicion could not run rampant. It was almost like a game. It was a practice run. Clockwork would discover every move that each of the players would make and he could remember them for the actual game. He may not have control in this game like he usually does, but he would gain the knowledge needed to master the real game. He would win whether the practice ended well or ended in tragedy.

He would make sure it ended well for everyone in the real thing, but the practice run did not matter. It was merely meant for retrieving information.

He would make sure that everything went well. Time had to keep flowing, despite the fact that Clockwork had the ability to put it on pause. Clockwork just needed to make sure it flowed correctly.

With the knowledge he would gain from all of this, though, there was no way time could take an unfavorable path. Clockwork would have the ability to change things then.

He would know how.

End Chapter 17!