Danny Phantom - Gender Bender (Discontinued)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hey look an update! Much wow. Such late.

Frostbite's Palace

Danny huffed. She couldn't think of anything Vlad could possibly be planning. She sat in the middle of piles upon piles of musty and tattered books and scrolls. Clockwork had agreed to given them a time-freeze so the ghost girl and bear could research for as long as they needed. He had said,

"In any normal circumstances, this would be highly illegal. But considering what's about to happen, I'll allow it."

Danny had pressed him for more information, knowingly in vain. Of course he knew what was going to happen, he was the Keeper of Time. And of course he wasn't going to reveal anything, he was the Keeper of Time.

Danny threw another book away and sighed, floating cross legged above the mess. "Nothing." She gave a look to Frostbite showing she was done. "At this rate, we'll never -" she caught her breath and her eyes widened. Dead ahead of her no more than 50 meters away stood Dan, with a devilish grin across her pale lips.

"Danny?" Frostbite inquired. He glanced at Clockwork who just shrugged, looking at the halfa with curiosity.

Danny vigorously shook her head. Dan was gone when she opened her eyes. She looked about quickly. Exhaled. And relaxed. "Nothing. I - I'm just seeing things. My brain is too tired to work properly." She laughed innocently. Frostbite resumed reading an loose sheet of papyrus.

"Aha!" He cried. "Danny, we now know what that ominous metal is!" Danny raced over and hovered over his shoulder. "Here," the bear continued, his finger on the page. "'Latrinite is lethal to nothing but The Phantom and Plasmius.... stable energies.... Exists in neither' I think that says 'Negative'. Uhh..."

"Negative Dimension," Danny helped.

"Ah yes. 'Exists in neither the Negative Dimension nor human...' World? 'Merge energies.... ' And that's all I can make out."

Danny contemplated and drifted to the ground. "Ma'anen cut himself with latrinite, so somehow he was able to get it. It's not in the Ghost Zone, it's not here... Is there a third dimension, Frostbite?"

"None that has been recorded."

"And to what end is Plasmius aiming for?" Clockwork said quickly, almost as a whisper. He gave Danny a quick, soft look.

"Sometimes I hate that you have the benefit of hindsight." Danny shied away, suddenly feeling the hairs on her neck stick up. Her ghost sense tingled.

"I don't," Clockwork corrected with a smile. "At least, not wholly. There are infinite paths your life can take you, Danielle. I just want to make sure you ask the right questions." Danny looked back at him. He may have been smiling, but there was an intensity behind his soft gaze. Anger? Pity? Curiosity? "Time will tell."

"Perhaps he's planning for world domination?" Frostbite helped. "He is power hungry."

"No." Danny crossed her arms. "Vlad is far too clever and calculating to have such a weak goal. Such a typical goal." She paused and began mindlessly pacing. "All of the accounts of Phantom and Plasmius talk of something like a third dimension existing, and a machine of sorts to access it. Perhaps there's something in that dimension - latrinite? - which Plasmius wants." She shivered again. She looked about cautiously, so as to not draw attention, and found nothing. "I gotta go. Half yearlies are next week."

Frostbite said his goodbye to the both of them then retreated to his quarters. Just as Danny was about to take off, Clockwork spoke. "What's bothering you, Danny?"
Danny tensed. She thought for a moment.