Dannies, Death, and Dates

Chapter 18

"This is pathetic Dani," Danny laughed. He flew through the warehouse, listening for sounds of a fight. 

"Do you seriously need help fighting the box ghost? That's the most embarrassing thing I've ever-"

He stopped in mid flight. A patch of gleaming green blood sprayed the surrounding floor and crates. An edge of nervousness creeping into his voice now, he called,

"Dani? Are you okay?"

Silence screamed back at him.  Moving faster now, he dashed through the building. There were no other signs, no other clues. 

"Dani!" He yelled, bursting onto the roof. 

Maybe she's at home, his panicked thoughts assured him. Maybe she's not feeling up to patrol after that leg break. 

But as he bolted through the sky, his heart sank lower and lower. Dani was never too tired to fight ghosts. Something was very very wrong. He skimmed over the rooftops, eyes darting left and right for clues or comfort. 

A flash of green caught his eye. Banking into a tight turn, he scanned the area. The color flashed again, threading down an alleyway. Danny felt his limbs tighten in suspicion as he recognized it. 

Gage. 

He readied the Fenton Thermos as he darted after the weaving figure. The kid had gone out with Dani the night before. He was a new ghost, and one that Dani couldn't be trusted to judge. Time to find some answers. 

Danny swooped down on Gage, turning the thermos on him. Gage shouted in surprise as he was sucked inside. His skateboard sped onward, finally crashing through a wall and vanishing. 

"Alright talk!" Danny growled, shaking the thermos. 

"Dude, this makes three times. Do you have any idea how cramped it gets in here?" he complained. 

"Yes, I do know what it's like. And you'll get very familiar with the inside of this thermos unless you give me some answers. Where is Dani?" 

A moment of shocked silence. 

"Dani? You can't find her? Where was she last?"

"Hey!" Danny said, agitated. "I'm asking the questions here!"

"I don't know where she is!" Gage protested. "Last time I saw her was when I dropped her off last night. I swear! What's going on?"

"We were on patrol and she went off to fight that idiot box ghost. It's been half an hour, and she hasn't come back."

"Let me go look," Gage implored. "I can cover ground fast, and you can search the air."

Danny hesitated. Could he really trust anything this ghost said? He was an unknown. 

"Come on!" Gage pleaded, a note of desperation breaking his calm tone. 

Dani trusted him, and her trust didn't come easily. Danny grudgingly flicked the reverse switch and shot Gage out. The teenager looked disoriented as he shook his arms out.

"I still don't trust you," Danny warned. "And if you have anything to do with this, I'll make sure you never see the outside of the ghost zone again."

"Less talking more searching," Gage snapped, clicking his fingers to retrieve his skateboard. It sped up to him, and he shot out of sight. Danny nodded and returned to the sky. Some part of him whispered that they had to find her fast.

Or else.