Danny Phantom - The Next Chapter

A Matter of Succession

Danny gritted his teeth as he struggled to maintain his hold on the Infi-Map with one hand and keep the crown from going flying off into the Ghost Zone with the other. Around them, the yeti were keeping pace in their ships, and Danny tried not to focus on the injuries he could see. He just hoped that everyone had made it back again. He wasn't sure his conscience could take it if any of them were destroyed because of him.

'Where are we going?' Danny shouted to Frostbite over the wind.

'I do not know!' Frostbite replied, 'The map is taking us to where it thinks we need to go!'

Danny clenched his eyes shut, focusing entirely on the map clenched in his fist.

Take us to Amity Park. Take us to Amity Park.

He had no idea where it was taking them; probably to the Far Frozen where it belonged, but as he was focusing, he felt a slight shiver in his hand. Suddenly, they were changing direction, veering to the right so quickly that the crown almost went flying. The yeti struggled to maintain their positions around them as they adjusted to their new trajectory and Danny just hoped that maybe the Infi-Map had heard him.

A new portal opened before them and suddenly Danny was blinking in the sunlight.

'Where are we?' Frostbite asked.

Danny looked around the cityscape around them and grinned.

'Back home. Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team.'

They hadn't made it more than three metres towards FentonWorks before they seemed to trip some kind of anti-ghost defences. As they passed over a rooftop, an alarm suddenly blared, making Danny jump in surprise and freeze. Around them, roof-mounted missile systems suddenly activated and pointed up at them.

'Fenton Lockdown Defences activated,' Jack's voice announced, 'Thanks for volunteering to be the test subject for these babies!'

'Woah, Dad!' Danny shouted back, 'Calm down with the missiles! It's just me!'

He had no idea if the missiles even had a way of talking to FentonWorks but after a tense moment where he debated if he should bring up a forcefield, the weapons seemed to deactivate. He released his pent-up breath and beckoned to the yeti to follow him.

He wasn't expecting the fully armed welcoming party that greeted them as they landed outside FentonWorks and he was relieved that their weapons were pointed anywhere but his collection of ghosts.

'Danny!' Maddie exclaimed, stepping forward hesitantly, 'What's... going on?'

'Sorry about the short notice,' he replied sheepishly, 'But things sort of... happened while I was gone. You guys remember Frostbite, right?'

He directed this to Sam, Tucker and Jazz who nodded, looking both confused at the sudden appearance of the Far Frozen yeti, and concerned at Danny's battered appearance.

'Okay what is going on?' Sam asked, 'You disappeared into the Ghost Zone three hours ago.'

'And is that Pariah Dark's crown?' Tucker asked nervously, pointing down at the crown Danny still had clutched in his hands.

'Yeah... so bad news about that. But I figured out who's creating those halfas.'

Saw what you would about the Fenton's ability to fight ghosts, but when it came to amassing their artillery in the face of a genuine threat, they became a hive of efficiency. Immediately after Danny had explained everything that had happened with the Guys in White and Pariah Dark, the city-wide lockdown procedure was initiated for the second time in as many weeks. The newly installed ecto-powered turrets on the surrounding rooftops were primed and began scanning the vicinity for any signs of ghosts. Tucker's drones were airborne and sweeping over the city, blaring out instructions to civilians on designated safe areas they could evacuate to.