Categories > Cartoons > Danny Phantom > Changes of Opinion
Danny's face felt as if he had been thrown into concrete. When toxic green eyes drearily took in his surroundings, he realised that he thirty metres away from where he'd last passed out. Great. His body ached and Danny couldn't help but notice that something smelled burnt. Oh yeah, him.
"Reminder to self, never get struck by lightning again," Danny groaned before rising shakily to his feet. Vortex had already gotten to work on ruining the weather. The skies were an ominous black and Danny could feel the sharp stings of freezing cold rain pelt his skin. Taking a look at himself, Danny grimaced when he saw the electrical burns covering his body. His jumpsuit was badly damaged and was unsettlingly crispy.
Danny's left eye was swollen and puffy, and he could feel the stickiness of dried ectoplasm on his cheek and neck. He wiped it off as gently as he could, realising that the whole left side of face was very badly bruised. He glared at the red tinted ectoplasm.
"Vortex, when I find you, you're gonna get crap beaten out of you," Danny snarled, frowning at the destruction caused by Vortex. He raced up into the sky, squinting as the rain hammered into his face. He caught sight of the glowing of the town's ghost shield. Underneath the dome, the inhabitants of Amity were huddled, fearfully spying the rampaging weather ghost. Streets were covered in ice, buildings had been blown apart by high winds and Vortex was physically tearing structures to bits.
Total mayhem.
A hushed whisper fell over the townspeople. Their gaze was focused on an overturned car. Danny vanished from sight, praying that Vortex would not detect him. He flew towards the car and his breath caught in his throat. A small family trembled behind the battered vehicle. A man and woman, most likely the parents of the little boy grasping them, were hiding. They looked worse for wear, with small scratches and darkening bruises forming. Danny rushed to them, appearing before their eyes with a finger on his lip.
"Shush, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," he murmured, looking over the terrified group.
"Danny Ph-Phantom?" the woman stuttered, her face a ghastly white.
"Yeah, look I'm getting you outta here, but I need you guys to be really quite. Can you do that?" he got some hesitant nods.
"Is anyone hurt? Can you all walk?" Danny questioned, concern leaking across his face.
"I need you all to hold on to each other, whatever you do, don't let go," Danny gently grasped the man's shoulder. He saw them shudder as they turned invisible.
"What happened?" the man's voice was high pitched with stress.
"I've made us all invisible, you'll stay that way as long as you're touching me," Danny replied, brow furrowed in concentration.
"We're going to walk over to the ghost shield, you guys will be safe there," he got a small "Okay" in response.
They hurriedly made their way to the shield, desperately trying to stay quiet. Of course, nothing ever goes right for Danny. He paused mid step glaring up at the looming form of Vortex making his way up the street.
Crap.
"Why, something's bothering you little fleshlings," Vortex's annoying voice grated on Danny's sensitive hearing. Vortex hovered closer and the town watched on in horror, not knowing that the family was on their way to safety. Danny couldn't see the family, but he could hear their breathing quicken and felt a death grip tighten on his arm.
"Just stay quiet, he can't hurt what's not there, he can't see us, but he can hear us," Danny whispered, hoping that the panicking family could remain unnoticed.
They remained painstakingly still and Vortex floated past them, unaware. They were only twenty metres away from the shield. Then someone tripped on a piece of scrap metal. The offending clatter rang out. Vortex turned around abruptly, red eyes narrowed, his face splitting into a gruesome grin.
"Well then, not everyone made it to that infernal ghost shield. Now who would be stupid enough to be out in this awful weather?" A shuffle of back-pedalling feet could be heard.
"Invisible are you? Ah, Phantom. I was wondering when you'd get here, as you see I have been busy. No smartass comments? You must not be feeling well. That can happen when struck by lightning," chuckling, Vortex advanced further.
Danny felt himself getting tugged backwards. He tried to pull back, knowing that Vortex was looking out for any movement. The family were probably too terrified to think straight. Another surprisingly strong pull sent Danny sprawling to the ground. They broke contact and the invisibility flickered away revealing them to the malevolent ghost.
"Aha found you!" potent ecto blasts lit up Vortex's palms and he threw them with deadly accuracy. The targets froze. Danny rushed to his feet, stretching his arms outwards. Sizzling energy materialised from his hands and the shield created blocked the incoming blasts.
"Run!" he yelled, straining as repeated blasts slammed into his barrier. He could hear the screaming of the people behind him encouraging the family to keep going. His arms started shaking. Sweat poured down his face.
He was still weak and sore from earlier. The blasts become stronger with fury, as their creator grew more enraged.
Danny dropped to one knee vaguely registering the excited cheers. They made it. Vortex snarled as he reached forward and grabbed Danny harshly. He yelped as long fingers crushed his body.
"Hello Ghost Child. You're all alone now. No annoying friends to help you get out of this one, and let me assure you, I have not forgotten last time!"
The fingers tightened and Danny bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming. He turned intangible falling to the ground. He made a break for it. Danny didn't get far. Red hot electricity surged through him and again he collapsed to the ground. Getting struck by lightning had that effect on people. The only thing he focus on was to stop the warmth of his transformation rings from washing over him. They continued to waver over his stomach before he managed to pull them back completely.
"Ah yes, you still have that little secret, don't you?" Vortex picked Danny up again, holding him upside down by one foot. Danny was barely conscious, his eyes dull.
"We have an audience Phantom. We should give them a show," Vortex shook Danny about a bit, not caring as his taloned hand dug into the halfa's leg.
"I wonder how much electricity it would take to end your half life hm?"
"Don't even go there Vortex," Danny snarled weakly trying to kick the offending ghost.
"Phantom you're not really in the best position now are you? I hold all the cards, I practically have the entire town as my hostage and you are at my mercy whelp." For a half ghost Danny was quite tanned. Vortex smirked as Danny's face visibly paled.
"Maybe I should take a page out of Skulker's book. How about I skin you? But that sounds a little boring and I love a bit chaos. Maybe I should test that insufferable ghost shield's endurance, see how long it lasts till I can crack it open th-"
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!" Danny exclaimed kicking furiously "They have nothing do with this. Just leave them alone," he finished quietly, locking eyes with Vortex's, a mask of determination etched onto his face.
"Your niaveity amuses me. If you want me to leave the puny humans alone, make me child," Vortex spat slugging Danny in the stomach. Electricity buzzed again and Danny let out a strangled yelp. A traitorous ring formed and Danny hurriedly stamped it out of existence.
"You like your secrets, don't you Phantom. Maybe I could loosen you up a bit. Wouldn't you like Amity to know? It is your pathetic haunt after all," Vortex radiated smugness. He hovered right up to the ghost shield allowing the wide eyed crowd to get a close look at Danny. If he changed now there was no way he could undo the damage. Practically the entire town was staring at him. He looked through the crowd hoping to spot his family. They weren't there. He didn't see Sam or Tucker either.
Pure panic seized him. Where were they? Are they hurt? Did Vortex get them? Question after question raced through Danny's brain.
Were they dead?
No. No stop thinking that. They're at FentonWorks. They have to be. The Fenton Ghost Shield would've protected them. Danny looked through the mob again and spotted Valerie with her dad. Damon probably wouldn't let her out of his sight. That's one problem he didn't have to worry about.
It was just him and Vortex. A very unhappy, revengeful Vortex.
This sucks.
"Reminder to self, never get struck by lightning again," Danny groaned before rising shakily to his feet. Vortex had already gotten to work on ruining the weather. The skies were an ominous black and Danny could feel the sharp stings of freezing cold rain pelt his skin. Taking a look at himself, Danny grimaced when he saw the electrical burns covering his body. His jumpsuit was badly damaged and was unsettlingly crispy.
Danny's left eye was swollen and puffy, and he could feel the stickiness of dried ectoplasm on his cheek and neck. He wiped it off as gently as he could, realising that the whole left side of face was very badly bruised. He glared at the red tinted ectoplasm.
"Vortex, when I find you, you're gonna get crap beaten out of you," Danny snarled, frowning at the destruction caused by Vortex. He raced up into the sky, squinting as the rain hammered into his face. He caught sight of the glowing of the town's ghost shield. Underneath the dome, the inhabitants of Amity were huddled, fearfully spying the rampaging weather ghost. Streets were covered in ice, buildings had been blown apart by high winds and Vortex was physically tearing structures to bits.
Total mayhem.
A hushed whisper fell over the townspeople. Their gaze was focused on an overturned car. Danny vanished from sight, praying that Vortex would not detect him. He flew towards the car and his breath caught in his throat. A small family trembled behind the battered vehicle. A man and woman, most likely the parents of the little boy grasping them, were hiding. They looked worse for wear, with small scratches and darkening bruises forming. Danny rushed to them, appearing before their eyes with a finger on his lip.
"Shush, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you," he murmured, looking over the terrified group.
"Danny Ph-Phantom?" the woman stuttered, her face a ghastly white.
"Yeah, look I'm getting you outta here, but I need you guys to be really quite. Can you do that?" he got some hesitant nods.
"Is anyone hurt? Can you all walk?" Danny questioned, concern leaking across his face.
"I need you all to hold on to each other, whatever you do, don't let go," Danny gently grasped the man's shoulder. He saw them shudder as they turned invisible.
"What happened?" the man's voice was high pitched with stress.
"I've made us all invisible, you'll stay that way as long as you're touching me," Danny replied, brow furrowed in concentration.
"We're going to walk over to the ghost shield, you guys will be safe there," he got a small "Okay" in response.
They hurriedly made their way to the shield, desperately trying to stay quiet. Of course, nothing ever goes right for Danny. He paused mid step glaring up at the looming form of Vortex making his way up the street.
Crap.
"Why, something's bothering you little fleshlings," Vortex's annoying voice grated on Danny's sensitive hearing. Vortex hovered closer and the town watched on in horror, not knowing that the family was on their way to safety. Danny couldn't see the family, but he could hear their breathing quicken and felt a death grip tighten on his arm.
"Just stay quiet, he can't hurt what's not there, he can't see us, but he can hear us," Danny whispered, hoping that the panicking family could remain unnoticed.
They remained painstakingly still and Vortex floated past them, unaware. They were only twenty metres away from the shield. Then someone tripped on a piece of scrap metal. The offending clatter rang out. Vortex turned around abruptly, red eyes narrowed, his face splitting into a gruesome grin.
"Well then, not everyone made it to that infernal ghost shield. Now who would be stupid enough to be out in this awful weather?" A shuffle of back-pedalling feet could be heard.
"Invisible are you? Ah, Phantom. I was wondering when you'd get here, as you see I have been busy. No smartass comments? You must not be feeling well. That can happen when struck by lightning," chuckling, Vortex advanced further.
Danny felt himself getting tugged backwards. He tried to pull back, knowing that Vortex was looking out for any movement. The family were probably too terrified to think straight. Another surprisingly strong pull sent Danny sprawling to the ground. They broke contact and the invisibility flickered away revealing them to the malevolent ghost.
"Aha found you!" potent ecto blasts lit up Vortex's palms and he threw them with deadly accuracy. The targets froze. Danny rushed to his feet, stretching his arms outwards. Sizzling energy materialised from his hands and the shield created blocked the incoming blasts.
"Run!" he yelled, straining as repeated blasts slammed into his barrier. He could hear the screaming of the people behind him encouraging the family to keep going. His arms started shaking. Sweat poured down his face.
He was still weak and sore from earlier. The blasts become stronger with fury, as their creator grew more enraged.
Danny dropped to one knee vaguely registering the excited cheers. They made it. Vortex snarled as he reached forward and grabbed Danny harshly. He yelped as long fingers crushed his body.
"Hello Ghost Child. You're all alone now. No annoying friends to help you get out of this one, and let me assure you, I have not forgotten last time!"
The fingers tightened and Danny bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming. He turned intangible falling to the ground. He made a break for it. Danny didn't get far. Red hot electricity surged through him and again he collapsed to the ground. Getting struck by lightning had that effect on people. The only thing he focus on was to stop the warmth of his transformation rings from washing over him. They continued to waver over his stomach before he managed to pull them back completely.
"Ah yes, you still have that little secret, don't you?" Vortex picked Danny up again, holding him upside down by one foot. Danny was barely conscious, his eyes dull.
"We have an audience Phantom. We should give them a show," Vortex shook Danny about a bit, not caring as his taloned hand dug into the halfa's leg.
"I wonder how much electricity it would take to end your half life hm?"
"Don't even go there Vortex," Danny snarled weakly trying to kick the offending ghost.
"Phantom you're not really in the best position now are you? I hold all the cards, I practically have the entire town as my hostage and you are at my mercy whelp." For a half ghost Danny was quite tanned. Vortex smirked as Danny's face visibly paled.
"Maybe I should take a page out of Skulker's book. How about I skin you? But that sounds a little boring and I love a bit chaos. Maybe I should test that insufferable ghost shield's endurance, see how long it lasts till I can crack it open th-"
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!" Danny exclaimed kicking furiously "They have nothing do with this. Just leave them alone," he finished quietly, locking eyes with Vortex's, a mask of determination etched onto his face.
"Your niaveity amuses me. If you want me to leave the puny humans alone, make me child," Vortex spat slugging Danny in the stomach. Electricity buzzed again and Danny let out a strangled yelp. A traitorous ring formed and Danny hurriedly stamped it out of existence.
"You like your secrets, don't you Phantom. Maybe I could loosen you up a bit. Wouldn't you like Amity to know? It is your pathetic haunt after all," Vortex radiated smugness. He hovered right up to the ghost shield allowing the wide eyed crowd to get a close look at Danny. If he changed now there was no way he could undo the damage. Practically the entire town was staring at him. He looked through the crowd hoping to spot his family. They weren't there. He didn't see Sam or Tucker either.
Pure panic seized him. Where were they? Are they hurt? Did Vortex get them? Question after question raced through Danny's brain.
Were they dead?
No. No stop thinking that. They're at FentonWorks. They have to be. The Fenton Ghost Shield would've protected them. Danny looked through the mob again and spotted Valerie with her dad. Damon probably wouldn't let her out of his sight. That's one problem he didn't have to worry about.
It was just him and Vortex. A very unhappy, revengeful Vortex.
This sucks.
Sign up to rate and review this story