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Summary: Chess is one of the most entrancing and complex games that exist. A great Chess player is patient, they don’t rush to defeat or win a step ahead of their opponents; they wait till the moment is right. A Great Chess Player also strategizes; they watch their opponent’s moves and exploit them to their advantage, in turn making their own moves accordingly. It takes years of practice and intelligence to master such crafts, but in the end the player obtains what they want; victory over their opponent. By saying two words the player marks their hold on their rival; a hold that can’t be broken by any move, because in truth the captive has none left, except to give in to defeat. Checkmate, the word that define the whole game; a word that only the better player is honored to say…..
Danny’s fifteenth birthday is coming up; His friends and family plan a surprise party for him, However his fun, ghost free birthday, comes to a halt when Jazz mysteriously collapses during his party. Now Danny has to deal with his sister’s sick state and ghost hunting. But Danny is faced with an even greater problem when Vlad comes to vist. What will Danny do when his sister’s life depends on one choice from him?
A little weird, but It will make sense later…
Author's Notes: Hello everyone! This is my first DP story and the first story I write in about nine years. I have always enjoyed writing but school has cut that pass time. I got this idea as I watched “Secret weapons” and “Kindred Spirits.” This story plot has been nagging at me for a while and until now I decided to listen to it. I’m not sure how long this will be but I got most of the plot figured out, so I know were its going for the most part. The story won’t have any pairings and will not contain any OCs. There might be some hinting on pairs but nothing that the show doesn’t show. Spoilers for the show will be mentioned every so often in the story. I’m hoping to finish this story in about a month which is what I have before I get back to school. Since this is my finals week I’m probably not going to update until next week. With that said, I welcome any kind of comments and advice. Please let me know what you think; you know, likes, dislikes, and most importantly if the characters are “in character” Like I said I am really rusty at writing so it might not be all that great, but if I didn’t get this story plot out of my head I was going to go Crazy! Thanks for Reading
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom; Butch Hartman is the sole owner of the show and therefore of all its characters.
Checkmate
Thoughts in Italics
Prologue:
The sun was beginning to set on the town of Amity Park. For the citizens of Amity this meant the end of a busy day and a time to unwind from the days activities. For Danny Fenton however his activities were far from over. You see Danny is no ordinary 14 year old; almost a year ago an accident changed all that.
Danny is a freshman at Casper high, and like all boys his age, he is going through puberty, so at the time he isn’t what one would call built; in fact he is quite the opposite. His baggy blue jeans and baggy white and red T-shirt makes him seem slimmer then he really is, but what Danny lacks in body, he makes up in face. One look at his large, ice blue eyes and one can’t help but be mesmerized by their depths. His wavy jet black hair falls every so often on his face making his eyes the more alluring. Overall the young teenager portrays an air of innocence and boyish charm. His looks however do very little to help his status in high school. Being a shy and clumsy teenager, Danny is considered an outcast or a “loser” among his fellow peers. His only friends Tucker Foley and Samantha better known as Sam Manson are the most loyal and supporting friends Danny could ever wish for, so in the end he is happy with having just two friends.
In the presence of his two friends was when his life changed forever. It all started about a month after his fourteenth birthday. Danny’s parents being professional ghost hunters made it their life’s work to capture and study ghostly organisms. Their “career” dates back to when they were college students. Over the years they built weapons and other technological equipment for this sole purpose, however, none of their inventions compared to one; the ghost portal. Its purpose was to open a door into the spirit realm, but unknown to his parents, the portal marked the beginning of Danny’s many trials.
Unable to make activate the ghost portal Danny’s parents were heart broken and considered giving up on the idea all together. Later that day Danny and his friends decided to investigate the strange contraption his parents had spent years making. With a little help from Sam, Danny’s curiosity was peaked. Deciding to take a closer look Danny geared up and walked into the portal. It was then that Danny’s clumsiness would prove to be his worst enemy. As Danny walked in he unknowingly placed his hand on a button inside the portal; also unknown to him, the portal was still plugged into the electrical outlet. Danny was instantly bombarded with ectoplasmic energy, but all Danny knew was indescribable pain and then….. darkness.
Although the accident was not fatal, it changed him permanently. The barrage of so much ghostly energy restructured every molecule in his body; Danny was no longer an ordinary teenager; Danny became a human/ghost hybrid. He gained every power a ghost possessed, along with a ghostly side. With concentration Danny could change from human to ghost in a matter of seconds. When transformed to his ghostly side, the change the portal caused in him could be seen visually. His hair was as white as snow and his eyes became Fluorescent green. In his ghost form he no longer wore his t-shirt and jeans. The suit he geared up with when he first stepped into the portal, permanently became attached to his ghost side. His body had a chilling white aurora to it and his voice an eerie echo.
From his accident the portal became operational allowing spirits to cross over onto the human plan. As time passed Danny learned how to use his powers for the most part, and made the decision of protecting his town from the evil spirits. Danny faced many powerful adversaries along the way; as well as discovering he wasn’t the only hybrid. Although he never told his family about his powers; he has his two friends to help him through his battles. One of his more recent and fiercest battles, with an evil version of himself led him to discover that his only sibling 16 years old Jasmine knew his secret, so with her as part of the team, his life became even more interesting.
The quarter moon was also visible, as it waited for its turn to own the darkening sky. Danny’s eyes roamed the world beneath him. Even in ghost mode his eyes never lost their piercing depth, but their air of innocence would become lost to the more dominating fire that seem to burn intensely within them.
“Danny, how are you holding up? Any sign of activity yet?” Danny heard Sam’s voice say through the Fenton phones.
“In order, just fine and no. It’s really quiet out here tonight. I don’t know whether to panic or jump for joy.” Danny stated with a mixture of amusement and sarcasm in his tone.
“That’s what I’ve been debating myself, but since tomorrow’s your birthday I say we take it as a good thing. Have you heard from Tucker yet?” Sam inquired, glancing around the park for any disturbances.
“No I haven’t” replied Danny with a look of confusion on his face. “Wow, there's something really wrong when someone my age forgets their own birthday.. Actually It’s more like I forgot what today’s date is, and that’s including what month we’re on…hmm, that can’t be good..” Danny’s mental pondering was cut short by Tucker’s voice coming in through his Fenton Phones.
“Danny, Sam, can you guys hear me?”
“We hear you Tuck” replied Danny
“Listen, I just finished checking the port and there isn’t even a blip out here. I say we call it a night.” Tucker stated as he walked away from an empty dock, his PDA clutched in his right hand as usual.
“I agree with him, Danny. I think it’s time to head home.” Sam said as she looked down at her purple spider-shaped watch.
“Yeah I guess we should.” Danny replied while turning over in mid air and putting his hands on the back of his head. Danny stared at the vast darkness above him, before closing his eyes and sighing blissfully.
“Yeah man, don’t forget tomorrow is your big day.” Tucker grinned as he headed back to the park where Sam was.
“Too late” Danny murmured under his breath reopening his eyes.
“Hey Danny, do you know if your parent’s are doing anything special tomorrow?” asked Sam.
“hmm…I don’t know Sam; they haven’t said anything and I haven’t noticed anything.” Danny pondered, stopping and floating upright while one of his fingers reflexively tapped his lips in a thinking gesture.
“Of course you haven’t, when do you ever notice what’s going on around you. Laughed Tucker through his PDA which was at the moment being used as his communication device with his friends.
“Hey!” Danny yelled as he landed at the park and transformed back into his human self.
“Stop it Tucker, at least he bothers to try.” Scolded Sam as she made her way towards Danny.
“Thanks Sam that makes me feel so much better.” Danny grumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her.
Smirking she replied, “What are friends for Danny.”
Before Danny could reply Tucker ran up to them. “You know Sam, if you don’t stop sticking up for Danny like that, people will never stop calling you guys love birds.” He teased.
“Tucker!” Danny and Sam simultaneously yelled, their cheeks turning a red hue.
“Ok, ok”, said Tucker as his hands came up in a cowardly way and slowly backed up a few inches. Quickly changing topics before the two bright red teens in front of him could strangle him Tucker said, “So, what do you wanna do tomorrow, dude?”
“Sighing Danny shrugged his shoulders.” “Well, someone doesn’t seem too happy considering it’s their birthday tomorrow.” Sam stated her right eyebrow rising in a questioning manner.
“What?...No…. It’s just that...” Danny trailed off in his reply and stuffed his hands in his pocket as he walked towards his house; “It’s just that whatever we do will most likely be interrupted by ghost, so it just doesn’t seem like a big deal, you know.” He replied airily.
“Not a big deal? Dude, your turning fifteen; not to mention it will be a month short of you becoming Danny Phantom, plus it’s Saturday! Do you know how lucky you are; you’re going to have the whole day to celebrate!”
“Tucker’s right, Danny. Don’t be so pessimistic, that’s my job. Plus we’ve never let ghost stop us from hanging out, so tomorrow shouldn’t be any different.” Sam smiled encouragingly at him
“You’re right guys; I just have to make the most of what little free time I get.” Danny replied with a smile as his face brightened once more. “You know I think I’m going to give the town a quick sweep before I head home, that way there is less of a chance of running into ghost tomorrow. “ Danny said, transforming into Phantom again.
“Danny, do you want us to come with you?” Sam asked as she looked up to her now floating friend.
Before Danny could answer Tucker quickly turned to face Sam, a clever smile playing on his face. “Sam, you have to go pick up that poetry book you left in my house, remember?”
Sam gave him a confused stare before catching on; “Oh! Um, right! I have to return it tonight ...at ten? She squeaked as her eyebrows creased inward at the strange pitch her voice took on. “so uh…, do you mind Danny?” she added composing herself by giving him a convincing smile
Danny looked at them like they had just duplicated as "well" as he does. "O….K... what’s up with them? And… I thought the library closed at seven? He thought before shrugging it off. “It’s no big deal guys, I was going to say that I would be fine on my own anyways, plus it’s pretty quiet; it shouldn’t take long”
“Thanks Danny, Give us a call if anything comes up, ok?” Sam replied as they began to separate.
“Yeah man, and be careful.” Tucker added in a concerned voice
“Don’t worry I’ll be fine; see you guys tomorrow.” Danny said as he waved and smiled, before flying off. “See yeah!”
“Bye!” Tucker and Sam replied to their friend’s retreating form.
Danny waved once more before turning his head back around and taking off in the direction of the clock tower.
Sam frowned at the fading form of her friend, “Hey Tucker, maybe we should have helped Danny first before making sure everything was set for tomorrow.”
“I know Sam, but we need to stop at the Fenton’s without Danny being there so that we can make sure they got everything ready, plus this worked better then having one of us drag him all over town to distract him; Danny’s a big boy; he’ll be fine.” Tucker said as he smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.
Giving a wary sigh she smiled at him, “You’re right, lets get going.”
The teens sped up their walk and headed in the direction of Fenton Works; quickly becoming engaged in a detailed conversation of what they needed for tomorrow.
Danny sped up his flight following his ghost sense to where he thought it was pointing to. “Axion Labs?” he questioned to himself. The Vast building was illuminated by outside spotlights, yet it was obvious everyone was long gone by how dark the inside of the building was. Danny went down for closer inspection as he warily floated closer to the building hoping not to run into any ghost security devices. “After all the break-ins this place has had, I know this place has some form of ghost alarm installed.”
Danny landed in front of the building eyeing every corner of the building as if something was going to jump out and attack him, which most likely was the case. It was then a faint buzzing noise caught his attention. “What was that?” Danny jumped as he heard the same noise only louder, but this time he realized that the noise was coming from inside the building. Forgetting about any ghost security Danny phased into the building, giving a relieved sigh when nothing tried to blast his head off. I guess they forgot to turn them on.” Danny thought. Now inside the noises got louder.
As he flew towards the noise he realized it was coming from behind a thick metal door. Suddenly he gasped as the chilling sensation of his ghost sense filled his every fiber. Danny narrowed his eyes; all trace of wariness in them was scorched by the fire that intensified under the evident threat. Danny phased invisibly through the metal doors; upon inspection he realized the doors contained a giant fridge that was at the least 0°C considering everything was frozen and he could see his breath. This fridge however didn’t contain anything edible; in fact most things inside had warning signs like poison or explosive. He flew pass glass cases that contained either different liquid vials or some strange looking metal liquids suspended in what looked like green jelly. He warily noticed that all the glass cases were illuminated by a strange green and red pulsating hue.
He was almost to the other side of the fridge when he spotted what his ghost sense detected. “Skulker” he growled quietly so that he wouldn’t alarm the other ghost to his presence. He noticed the huge robotic ghost was typing at a key pad in front of one of the glass cases.
“Ug! Do I look like Technus to him?” grumbled the robotic ghost.
“Password and eye scan do not match, Please enter matching password and eye scan” said the computer in a feminine voice.”
"Ahhhh! I’m going to blast this thing to dust!” Skulker shouted.
“What is Skulker doing here? Is Plasmius up to something again? What ever he’s stealing doesn’t seem like something Skulker would use.” Danny thought as he noticed that inside the glass case was a purplish liquid in a small vile; the vile was frozen in what looked like a light blue ice. Around the glass case was the same red and green hue illuminating the display. I better stop him before he gets away with what he’s doing. His plan for attack was cut short with what he heard next.
“CALM DOWN SKULKER!” fumed the voice of Plasmius.
"So Plasmius is behind this!" Danny thought as a low growl resonated from his throat.
Danny could faintly hear Plasmius yelling something at Skulker through a speaker on the robotic ghost’s wrist, but his yelling was no longer loud enough for Danny to make out what the older man was saying.
“Password accepted please confirm identity with eye scan” said the machine. Skulker removed a blue metallic orb from one of his compartments and placed it in front of the eye scanner. “Entry confirmed, Welcome Mr. Dalv. Security and ghost shield shut down for component NBN 3501 completed; defrosting Initiating.”
Danny had heard enough; turning visible he flew towards his enemy at a heart stopping speed; before Skulker could blink Danny delivered a powerful blow to the ghost’s chin. Skulker went flying back as gravity pulled him towards the metallic floor. His metallic body screeched across the floor before slamming into the wall behind him with a loud bang. Danny cringed at the noise; “Wow, I can’t really say that’s music to my ears.”
"I’ll call you back, we got trouble” Skulker growled into his speaker as he got up. “I’m giving you some time off whelp; I suggest you take it.”
“How considerate of you, Skulker” Danny sarcastically mocked as he shot an ecto-blast. Being ready Skulker went intangible right before the assault could hit its target. Skulker‘s metallic suit quickly opened at the shoulders to reveal two large silver guns; both concurrently firing. Not having expected Skulker to recover so quickly from his attack, Danny was now standing wide open for one himself. The blasts sent Danny hurling backwards into one of the many glass cases. “Ahhh!” Danny didn’t know what was worse the blasts Skulker shot him with or the electric shock he was receiving from the ghost shield around the case. The attacks felt like someone was drilling a whole through his back and through his chest simultaneously.
The ghost boy slide down and hit the ground with a thud; His teeth clenched, he desperately tried to blink out the black spots dancing in his vision. As he got up he noticed that the room had taken on a red hue.
“Ghost alert! Ghost alert! Ghost defense initiating in Five.. Four.. Three….” Blared the intercoms around him.
“Great!” Danny angrily said. Seeing Skulker was gone Danny took off. “I so am not sticking around to find out how well their ghost defense works.” Danny grumbled. Once outside, Danny looked around for any sign of Skulker. “Great he got away and with what he came for none the less.” Sighing Danny quickly made himself invisible and sped away, hoping that he wouldn’t run into Valerie.
“Bye kids!” came the voice of Maddie from the living room.
“Bye Mr. and Mrs. Fenton! yelled Sam and Tucker as Jazz walked them to the door.
“Where’s Danny it’s 9:30 and he is still not home; I’ve called his cell and he isn’t answering.” Jazz frowned, worry clear on her face as she looked toward the sky in hope of seeing her brother’s ghostly form.
“I’m sure he’ll be home soon, Jazz; he is out scanning for any ghost activity but when we were with him there was none.” Sam stated, hoping to calm the older teen down.
“Yeah Jazz, don’t worry; he told us he would call if he ran into trouble.” Said Tucker with a small smile.
Jazz gave him an incredulous look. They all knew that Danny was the type of person that would try to take on the world single handedly. He would never hesitate to jump in the line of fire for any of his fellow humans, even when said people hated or humiliated him...
“Look Jazz, we worry about him too, but you know how hard headed he is.”
Jazz smiled knowingly at the younger girl as she gave her a look that said, “tell me about it.”
“Let’s give him fifteen more minutes I’ll call you if I see him and you do the same, ok?” Sam suggested.
“OK, but if he’s not back by then I’m going to go look for him.”
“If he’s not back by then, bothof us will be out there with you.” replied Sam with a small, comforting smile. Tucker nodded his head in agreement mimicking the smile on Sam’s face.
Jazz smiled back at them, “I’m glad Danny has such great friends, even if it’s just two.” She thought. “Ok you two, I’ll see both of you tomorrow, and don’t forget, be here early!”
“Of course, we wouldn’t miss Danny’s big day for the world!” said Tucker as they both waved good-bye.
Minutes later, Danny landed in an ally close to his house and transformed back into his human form. He picked up his scooter, which he had hid in the bushes earlier and sped off to his house. “Skulker might have gotten away but at least I’ll be home before curfew.”
Upon arriving home Danny dropped his scooter to the side and went up the stairs. Before he could twist the knob to open the door, the door quickly opened as his sister stepped out and ran right into him,
“Danny! There you are! I was about to go look for you; I’ve been calling you and you haven’t picked up!” Jazz’s Facial expression went from surprise, to happiness at seeing her brother home and finally to an irritated look from keeping her worried.
“Gee thanks Jazz, now I have another bruise to add to my collection.” Danny Thought sourly as he stood up and rubbed his sore bottom from his sister’s run in with him. “Sorry Jazz, I must have forgotten to turn it back on.” he said as his expression changed into an apologetic look.
Jazz smiled at him, her brother could be so forgetful sometimes, but he did have more things on his mind then any teenager his age should have. “Come on, Danny I saved some of mom’s cookies for you. Go clean up while I give your friends a quick call to tell them your home.”
“Thanks Jazz” said Danny as he made his way up to his room.
After a quick shower Danny came down stairs in his pajamas. He sat down at the table where a glass of milk and two large, warm chocolate chip cookies were waiting for him. Danny smiled to himself at Jazz’s attention. “She’s annoying and overprotective, but she’s great; …..Of course I would never admit that to her” he thought mischievously as he took another bite from his cookie.
“Son! You’re home!” Danny turned around to find his dad looking down at him, his expression changing from happiness to a pleading look upon seeing what Danny had on his plate. Danny smiled and sighed splitting his second cookie and giving half of it to his father. His Father shot him a gleaming smile and ruffled his hair saying a mumbled “Thank you” as he ate the cookie.
His mother and Jazz recently walking in and seeing the man’s actions rolled their eyes as he obliviously looked for a cup to pour himself some milk.
“Hi mom”, Danny said as he noticed his mother’s presence.
“Hi sweetie! My little boy is going to be one year older tomorrow!” Danny gave her a shy smile.
“Yeah son, you’re growing quicker then ghost weed! You know... we've had alot of father-son talks. I think it’s time we had our first man to man talk.” Jack gleamed. Danny’s eyes widen and began coughing, his father’s statement causing the milk he was drinking to go down his wind pipe.
“Well look at the time I better get ready for bed!” Jazz quickly said as she nervously began to retreat from the kitchen “Good Night!” Jazz said as she dashed up the stairs.
“You boys enjoy your chat!” Danny’s mom smiled as she quickly kissed both of them good night, and headed for her room herself.
Danny dropped his head on the table with a loud thump, barely missing the plate on his right. “Where’s a ghost when you need it.” mumbled Danny.
Being Jack, he totally missed Danny’s annoyance and discomfort of what was going to happen next. “Well son, there comes a time in a man’s life were he begins………
Danny shut the door to his room with an exasperated sigh; his father’s explanation about the ghost birds and the ghost bees and why finding the right person is important, still made him shudder. “I think it’s safe to say I can officially explain how lunch box came to be.” Danny shuddered, his insides giving a jolt at the mental images his father’s chat had given him.
Danny sighed once more, his mind drifting on the previous battle with Skulker. “What could Vlad possibly be up to? After the whole cloning thing I’m going to have to be extra careful.” Danny got in bed and turned off his light. He stared at the glowing stars decorating his ceiling. “I guess, I shouldn’t worry about it now, like Sam and Tucker said, tomorrow's my birthday and I want to spend it with my friends and family; I just hope I can spend it as regular Danny Fenton.”With this thought and a smile he drifted off into a blissful sleep.
Vlad Masters, was one of the most revered man of his time; the mid forties age billionaire had a thick air of superiority and finesse. To the world, the bachelor was untainted; Men envied him while women wanted to marry him. Yes, he knew who he was, but none of it mattered when he didn’t have what he truly wanted in his life. To him, Jack Fenton took away everything that was rightfully his. Maddie Fenton would have been Maddie Masters and he would have been the father of her children if Jack hadn’t destroyed his life. For known only to less then a handful of people, Vlad Masters is the first ghost hybrid to ever exist.
An accident, caused by Jack, with a miniature ghost portal gave him his powers over 20 years ago. Like Danny his powers came with a price. While Danny chose to trade his care free days for his powers; Vlad was forced to trade the most important years of his life for his. To Vlad this wouldn’t have meant much if it hadn’t meant that he lost the love of his life in the process. He vowed to take revenge on his once best friend and obtain the love of Maddie, but one sole person stood in his way…..
“Daniel, you are going to regret crossing my path; you have taken away from me what I want for the last time.” Vlad stated darkly. The tall, slim man in a black suit leaned against the wall with one hand supporting him as he faced the fireplace. With his other hand he lifted the framed picture of the Fenton Family that adorned the top of the beautifully crafted chimney. His dull, ice blue eyes showed sadness and longing for the older woman in the picture; next his eyes fell upon the man next to her, his eyes changed so radically that one would think that it wasn’t the same man staring at the picture. His eyes glowed a blood red and his once small pupils were lost to the infinite red sea. But the infinite depth of his eyes could not compete with the infinite hatred they expressed as he stared at the older male.
Finally his eyes fell to the two children in front of the couple. His eyes regained their natural blue hue as his eyes showed a mixture of sadness and happiness; but as he focused his eyes on the young boy; his eyes were flooded with an unreadable mixture of feelings. Both hate and love were evident in them, but which one dominated?
Even he didn’t know the answer to that.
“Of course you wouldn’t understand; you have everything you could possibly hope for, dear boy.” He thought bitterly. The older hybrids eyes filled with pain as he stared at the son that should have been his. The emotion was quickly washed out by anger, as he remembered all the brat had done to him. He was pulled out of his mixed thoughts by a chilling feeling that would have overwhelmed him if he wasn’t so use to it by now.
“Did he find anything out?” He asked, without facing the presence in the room.
“The whelp probably suspects you’re up to something, but I doubt he knows what.” Replied Skulker as he removed the stolen vile filled with a purplish liquid from a compartment on his arm.
“Excellent; let’s get that into storage shall we; there is a lot to be done.“ Vlad replied in his smooth and confident voice as he transformed into his ghostly side, Vlad Plasmius.
Without a second glance to it, Plasmius placed the picture frame back on its rightful place; he then placed his gloved hand on one of the two gold footballs that decorated his fire place and tilted it towards him. The elegant fire place split apart, revealing a fleet of stairs leading to a vast laboratory. From the top of the stairs a green hue could be seen illuminating the room below, upon closer inspection the source of the light could be traced to a ghost portal located at the far end of the room. Placing his hands behind his back Plasmius floated down the stairs as Skulker followed directly behind the older hybrid. With a wicked smirk playing on his face one thought ran through his mind. “If I can’t have love neither will you.”
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