I don't own Danny Phantom or the characters.

Phantom floated in a cylinder tank. The walls were composed of the transparent material High-Density-Polyethylene-ectoplasm (HDPEEP), which according to Jack could contain a level 10 ghost for decades. Needless to say, the current occupant had no hope of scratching the surface. In addition, the plastic had a high melting point and would lose none of its structural integrity should the temperature get too low, so climate tests were feasible and scheduled for tomorrow at ten o'clock.

Maddie bent over the desk and picked up her clipboard. She had already decided to focus primarily on the psychological aspect of Phantom due to his reputation as one of the more intelligent and talkative of ghosts. Previous specimens were very one-dimensional and too unaccustomed to interacting with humans for a comprehensive analysis. Her preliminary report based on her observations since its arrival in Amity Park noted the apparent craving for attention most likely born of neglect when "he" was alive. Workaholic parents perhaps?

One of the few adolescent ghosts in existence, it certainly acted the part which begged the question: is a ghost's ultimate form determined by its prior human appearance or did their former personality play a larger role?

She jotted down on the paper the date, time, and her first impression of its continuing adjustment to the new environment.

[June 4-0004 hours into detainment] Surprisingly calm considering its captivity, though in the very beginning exhibited signs of depression. Very practical in its exploration of the container; tested the barrier once with an energy blast and then accepted the reality of its imprisonment. However, such little resistance could be an effort to lower my guard for an escape attempt later on.

Checking the monitor she confirmed standard atmosphere; about the same amount of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon as at sea level was being circulated through the cell. The subject's toleration to various gases was scheduled to be tested tomorrow as well.

Thus far Phantom had remained respectfully quiet while she prepared, but evidently even the dead ran out of patience. "Um, you're not going to rip me apart molecule by molecule, are you?" He massaged just above his collar bone as if concerned for the future of his neck.

Under normal circumstances she would never dignify its question with a response. That was Jack's department. However with him in Washington D.C with Jazz, the task of communicating with the subject fell into her lap. In addition, the quality of the data depended on how much it opened up, so for the next seven days she would need to engage in conversation at the very least. Lamenting how tiresome that was going to be, she pursed her lips. "Not this week. I cannot promise anything after that."

As if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he shot into the air, visibly happier. Flying in circles he let loose a "Woohoo!" before finally coming to a halt, face pressed against the wall. "Thanks."

Puzzled by his exuberance, she placed a hand on her hip. Relief would be an understandable reaction. A celebration indicated either it was very easy to please, or it failed to grasp that vivisection was not entirely ruled out. In fact Jack had mentioned dissection a couple times.

Phantom was unique. That much she was sure of from how comfortable it was around people. Whether the differences ranged below the skin, they would eventually find out.

"Weeeeeel, what are you going to do first?"

She scrunched her eyebrows. As evidenced by its childish behavior, Phantom seemed unaffected by the various instruments—most of which were lethal to ghosts—strewn about the lab. Despite its disadvantaged position, Phantom seemed confident even. "A few non-invasive questions. Think of it as an interview."

"Yes! I always wanted to be interviewed, though the Fenton thermos might have been a little extreme. All you had to do was ask." Phantom did a backwards flip and landed on his rear, criss-cross-applesauce style. "Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for the opportunity. It's just I don't like being caged for long periods of time."

Maddie couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. In the past she noticed its fondness of sarcasm, but to what lengths did Phantom go? "Let's begin with your activities in Amity Park. What do you personally believe you are accomplishing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking down the bad guys, the ghosts who interfere with our lives. I know sometimes it doesn't look that way, but my efforts are the only thing between us and chaos.

She highlighted where Phantom associated himself with humans. "Are you aware of your transition into a ghost?"

"Are you asking if I remember how I died? I admit it's kind of fuzzy." (For a moment Maddie swore he looked guilty.) "But I recall this overwhelming heat. I couldn't move or think; too much pain. Electricity I believe. An accident. My fault." He trailed off towards the end.

Shocked to death? She confessed that must have been tragic for the family. The ghost before her, on the other hand, just happened to be formed from the residual consciousness of the victim, a consciousness contaminated and perverted by trace amounts of the toxic compound Lithium Nonacarbon, more commonly known as ectoplasm, in the environment. Nevertheless, this was a tremendous breakthrough. None of the other specimens could account for their passing.

"Are you more at ease around humans or others of your kind?" Maddie leaned in closer in anticipation. If Phantom admitted to preferring the company of people, then it posed a greater threat than she originally imagined.

Phantom looked uneasy. With a hand on the back of its head, it chuckled nervously. "Seeing as how most ghosts don't like me, I'd say humans. But it's not like I stalk them or anything. Humans tend not to attack me." Realizing its failure to take into account ghost hunters, Phantom amended its statement: "For the most part."

Her fears were confirmed. Phantom was addicted to human contact which would explain why the ghost went to such great lengths to "save" people. Ultimately, its role as protector was nothing more than a scheme to garner attention. Of course she couldn't be certain at this point. There was always Jasmine's theory about territory.

"In that case, would you say the ghost zone is less than an ideal place to reside for one in your position?"

"Duh. I mean, have you seen the place? Not exactly the warmest of homes. Plus everyone knows me, so I couldn't hide for long."

Strange. She knew she was deviating from the carefully thought out script, but this was an interesting line of questioning. "Why are they so hostile to you?"

Phantom froze and refused to meet her gaze. "No reason," he said unconvincingly. "I'm a little different, that's all. Can we move on?"

Was it something Phantom did? It was rare for a group to discriminate against one of their own members without a substantial cause. "No, I think that's enough for today."

Exhausted Maddie decided to continue the interview in the morning. Turning off the lights and ignoring Phantom's indignant shouts, she wished Danny a lot of fun camping with his friends.

This is an experiment. I felt really compelled to write some Danny Phantom, so I did. Thanks for reading. If either Maddie or Danny seem out of character let me know so I can work on it. I'm thinking about doing a day 1, day 2...kind of thing. It depends.