Chapter Thirteen
“Vlad‘s Newest Plan”

Deep in his underground lab in Colorado, Vlad Masters was reviewing the past videos of the Phantom Twins.  He was trying to find out how they are able to fight so well, but mainly to find out what was the secret that held his former pawn, Danielle, intact for a month.

“What is your secret, Danielle?” he asked himself as he watched the videos.  “How can you survive that long when I made sure that your condition worsened with that Rapid Aging Program?  All I know is that the Program malfunctioned when you reached Daniel’s age, and I can’t find what secret is hidden in the Program?”

He had taken the Program from her when he had her brought to him, and she didn’t have a clue about it until he told her.  Vlad had hidden the Program behind her left ear when he had created her as a failsafe just to be sure that she was destroyed if she betrayed him.  Now, he was regretting his decision since he didn’t believe that she would survive that long despite her being unstable.  Also, he couldn’t study what was left of her if she lost had her stability since there was no way to reserve the process that made her stable.

“What is it?!” he asked himself again as he slammed his fists on the console.

Vlad had studied every detail in the Program and found nothing conclusive.  It recorded her neurological readings, her metabolic readings, her heart rate, and various other readings that he kept tabs on her just in case he found her dissolved into ectoplasm.  A smile crept across his face since he might know of a way to find what secret is hidden that allowed his clone to survive so long.

“Maddie,” he said sweetly and a holographic image of his love appeared before him.

“What is it, Dumpling?” she asked with Maddie’s own voice.

“What can you conclude from these findings?” Vlad asked pointing at the screen.

The hologram looked at the screen and pressed a few buttons as she studied the screen.

“Inconclusive, Dumpling,” she replied and he growled turning his back on her.

“Clockwork,” Vlad whispered as a grin crept across his face.

“What did you say, Dumpling?”

“Nothing.  Continue your research since I have to visit somebody,” he replied transforming into his ghost form before flying into the Ghost Zone.

Vlad had previously listened in on Daniel and his prodigal “daughter’s” conversation just before the year ended, and whoever this Clockwork was; he might just be able to help him get what he wants.  Even if Daniel said that he was cryptic; he always liked to flex his intelligence at times, and he even disregarded that Danielle kept thinking of seeing Daniel again as a way for her to keep going and she wasn’t that smart.

Vlad flew through the Ghost Zone where most of the ghosts avoided him since he was infamous for certain events in the past that Daniel doesn’t know about.  He asked several ghosts that he past where Clockwork resided, but they either ran off croaking his name or ran from Vlad himself.  He finally found the information he was looking for, but the ghost wouldn’t show him for he just pointed in the direction where he needed to go.

He crossed into a realm where Time itself seemed to have halted.  The clocks that he had passed seemed to move at various intervals.  Some of them were ticking at a very slow snail’s pace while others moved at a rapid rate as if it was an hypnotic spiral.  A large looming fortress was approaching and he entered the fortress through on of the open windows where he was met by the ticking of a clock and the grinding of gears.

“How may I help you, Vladimir Masters?” a voice met him as he landed and an elderly ghost turned to him holding a staff with a clock on the top of it.

“I would like to speak to Clockwork,” Vlad politely said so as to not insult whoever this ghost was and also not to insult Clockwork for being rude.

“I am Clockwork, and you came for assistance, Vladimir?”

Vlad had a second thought entered his head when he looked intently at the ghost and his staff.  If that staff the ghost was holding held the power to control Time like some of the ghosts had said; then Vlad could control Time itself to suit his needs, and get what he finally wanted since this ghost didn’t look up for a fight.  He fires an ecto-blast at him and made a move to teleport behind him, but, unknown to him, the ghost presses a button on top of his staff.

“Timeout.”

His blast returns to his hand before the ghost presses another thus returning the passage of time to normal.

“Time in.”

Vlad puts up his hand to fire an ecto-blast but hesitates since he felt like he’s done it before.

“Déjà vu, Vladimir,” the ghost said as his form shirts to that of a child.  “I assure you that I am Clockwork, and you came to me for a reason that you needed my guidance.”

“What can you tell me about Danielle?” he asked changing his actions to his previous plans.

“Which one?” he humorously asked as a grin crept onto his face.

Vlad was getting annoyed that a ghost like this is the infamous Clockwork, the Master of Time, and he didn’t know which Danielle he was talking about.

“The one I created,” Vlad replied trying to keep his anger quelled.

“You created her as one of your first steps to create a half-ghost son of Danny Fenton.  She soon betrayed you and you lost your ‘son’ that was in stasis due to Danny‘s Ghostly Wail.  She soon returned--”

“I don’t need a history lesson, Clockwork!  I need to know how she survived that long!” Vlad roared that his voice echoed throughout the complex.

“Why didn’t you say so?” he replied in a humorous tone and Vlad was beginning to dislike him for being so childish.  “It’s quite simple,” Clockwork’s form shifts to that of an adult, “it was her heart that kept her going, and that is something you would not understand.”

Vlad turned his back on Clockwork where he began to think.  A smile soon crept across his face since he now had a plan to get what he wanted, but it would take some time to implement his plan since his other plans would need to change.  If he couldn’t have Clockwork’s staff, then his previous plans would suffice since he now saw Clockwork as someone who should be respected even if his form shifting can be deceiving and even if he allied himself with Daniel Fenton.  He began to leave only for Clockwork’s voice to stop him.

“A fair warning, Vladimir,” Vlad turns to face the Ghost of Time, “the plans that are formulating in your mind will only bring pain to you and hatred to those that oppose you.”

Vlad left Clockwork’s fortress letting the warning sink in, but he left prematurely since Clockwork had something else to add to his warning.  It is unknown if Clockwork intended for his last words to be heard by Vlad or not since he had always been one mysterious specter.

“For they are all doomed to fail even before you start them.  For you see, Vladimir Masters, I know everything!” as he turned his attention back to the screen he was watching which currently showed the Phantoms in a heated battle with one of their newly created ghostly enemies, SkulkTech.

Danny was thrown to the ground and into a dumpster where he groaned in pain.

“I got you now, whelp!” SkulkTech shouted as he pointed a blaster at his downed victim.

He didn’t get a chance to fire since he was broadsided in the head by a pair of fists that sends him into the pavement leaving a rut in the street.

“Back off!” Dani shouted after sending SkulkTech into the pavement.

SkulkTech launches a series of missiles at her in which she dodged them as they whizzed past her.  The missiles turned around in a wide arch where they zoomed back to Dani, who only dodged again when she heard them coming towards her; however, they turned in a wide arch back at her again and she had to take evasive maneuvers as she led them away from the street below.

Danny knocks SkulkTech’s missile launchers off of his shoulders with an ecto-blast before laying a few punches and kicks on him.  SkulkTech grabbed him with one of his mechanical tentacles before firing an electric current through Danny’s body before he encased him in an ecto-net.

“I’ve got you now, whelp!”

Danny fires ecto-beams out of his eyes that blinded SkulkTech before he fired an ecto-blast at his chest cracking the screen that showed Technus’ face.

“I’ve lost visual!” Technus complained as he screen was cracked in a spider web fashion just as Danny launched ecto-webs at his ghostly opponent.

High above the city of Amity Park, Dani Phantom was trying to out fly the missiles that were locked on her.  She tried to destroy them with her ecto-blasts but they fail to detonate as if they had a Ghost Shield around them.  She makes a wide U-turn as she led them back towards where SkulkTech was hoping that she can get rid of them by turning them against their creator.

“I’ve got you now, whelp!” SkulkTech announced as he finally grabbed Danny around the midsection where his arms were pinned against his body.

Danny tried his ecto-beams again but he couldn’t focus his power since those tentacles were interfering with his powers.  He soon heard the sound of a whooshing sound, and he saw Dani still being chased by the missiles.  He struggles harder to bring a foot up while emitting a green cloud and was able to slash through the tentacle breaking SkulkTech’s grip.  Danny then fires a series of ecto-webs pinning his opponent where he stood like some webbed statue.  Dani whizzes by SkulkTech where she rejoined Danny.

“Missiles approaching,” Technus voice rang out despite being muffled by the webbing.

“Nice try whelps,” Skulker’s voice said as he turned intangible with the ecto-web still on him.

“There is one problem.”

“What is it, Technus?”

“They will detonate even if they were intangible.”

“What?!  Oh--”

The missiles impacted on SkulkTech’s body as ecto-web splattered all around the streets and the Phantoms.  He fell to the ground where his back revealed a huge gash with his circuitry exposed. He strained to get up but the mechanics in his suit strained to move like he was a mythological bronze statue brought to life.  SkulkTech didn’t get the chance since the Phantoms unleashed a powerful Ghost Stinger at the exposed circuitry that disabled him and caused Technus to go offline.  Danny sucked up SkulkTech into his Thermos while Dani wiped sweat and ectoplasm from her face.

“Are you okay, Dani,” Danny asked her.

“I’m okay except for being a little hot,” she replied.

“Funny,” he replied while he also wiped sweat off his of face, “I’m also a little hot.”

Clockwork watched them vanish towards the horizon before waving his staff blanking the screen.  He lets out a small smile as he reflected on what he had seen, but that was irrelevant for he knew what was to come.  He lets out a sigh just as a pair of ghosts that he knew too well appeared in the room.

“How may I help you?” he asked them as he turns to face them.

“You allowed him to continue with his plans?!”  the first Observant asked enraged.

“We allowed you some leniency in the past, Clockwork, but allowing you to continue your ways could upset the delicate timeline,” the second calmly said.

“You Observants just observe the timeline,” Clockwork informed them reinforcing their jobs just as his form shifts to an elderly man.  “You also jump to conclusions too soon.  You thought Danny Phantom should be eliminated from existence but he survived his encounter with his Dark self thus avoiding that destiny.  You thought that Danielle should be eliminated when she left for she represented another possible threat to the timeline, but she overcame her obstacles to fulfill her needs to survive.  I do not misuse my powers to benefit others‘ needs.  I just point them in the right direction.”

“You interfered with her by slowing down Time!” the first accused.

“Time,” Clockwork said as he dusted off his staff since he knew who the Observant was referring to, “is forever constant; to me at least.  It varies from person to person, but it still remains on a constant plain.  Hence the Human World’s phrase: ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’”

“Clockwork,” the second said warningly only for Clockwork to interrupt him.

“You two will return to your post, and don’t come to me except if it’s something important,” the two left while he put on a slight frown.  “They’ll be back,” he said to himself as he waved his staff on the screen revealing Vlad working hard in his lab.

“Bring pain to me and hatred to those who hate me?” Vlad thought mocking Clockwork’s words as he repeated them before he spoke aloud.  “Of course it will bring hatred to those who hate me, but pain to me?  The only pain that I have is loosing Maddie to that oaf of a husband and a friend to took her away from me!  If Danielle’s heart kept her alive; then I shall break it!” he clasped a fist as he said those words.

He types on the console while his Maddie hologram continued its own work.  He decided to go a different approach to get the one thing he wanted ever since loosing his previous clones to Daniel.

“I am my own person!” as Danielle Phantom’s voice rang in his head.  “It was your own fault for giving me a mind of my own and a human form!  I am going to show you what a duplicate can do…”

“And I’ll show you what your creator can do, Danielle!”

“Everything’s ready, Dumpling,” the Maddie hologram announced.

“Excellent,” as he turned away from his station.  “What’s the predicted completion date?”

“ETA is at 50 days.”

“I would like it to be ready by this date,” he points on the calendar of the next month, “sooner if possible.”

“Sure thing, Dumpling.”

“I’ll be upstairs if you need me, and watch over my work until them.”

He walks out of his lab and up the stairs past his secret passage that lead to his lab.  Vlad walks into one of his rooms that overlooked the Rocky Mountains so he could try to relax.  Ever since his other lab was destroyed in Wisconsin, he had to return back to his Rocky Mountain retreat until his ghostly contractors could repair it.  He takes a bottle of brandy that he always liked and pours a glass of it.  He sets the bottle down and inhales the aroma of his beverage before he takes a heavier than usual sip from his glass.

“So Danielle,” he said as the last of the sun’s rays vanished behind the Rocky Mountains, “your heart kept you alive.  Your heart will be broken just like mine was when that oaf gave me that ecto-acne and made me loose Maddie because of his stupidity.  Maddie will be mine, Daniel, and there is nothing that you, your father, nor that expendable clone can do to stop me!”

He takes another heavy swig of his beverage that half empties his glass before he lets out a harsh exhale of breath due to the brandy.  Vlad finishes off his glass before he helps himself to a second helping of brandy.

“--the plans that are formulating in your mind will only bring pain to you and hatred to those that oppose you--” Clockwork’s words re-echoed in his head.

“Bah!” he shouted as he turned his back on the window just as the final of the sun’s rays vanished behind the Rocky Mountains.  “Bring pain to me,” he mocked the words of Clockwork, “I think you’re just protecting them from danger, but I’ll continue my plans otherwise.”

It could be the alcohol talking since Vlad was starting to get a little tipsy as his speech became slightly slurred.  He finishes off his glass and sits down in one of his elegant chairs while putting the glass on a nightstand.  Vlad goes into deep thought as he begins to plan the next phase of his plan to get what he wants and to prove to his prodigal “daughter” that she was nothing more than an expendable creation in his plans for the perfect half-ghost son.

Elsewhere on the outskirts of Amity Park, Jack Frost appeared overlooking the city from a high hilltop.  He stretches his hands out as a cold winter breeze blew past him.

“Perfect,” he said as he rubbed his hands together, “now time to have a little fun and maybe I could get the children to have one of their little Snow Days.”

He begins a motion to travel along the winter air, but he stops when he felt a much chiller breeze pass him.  It was much colder than he was used to and his once joyous face turned to that of shock and horror.

“Not now!” he said as his breathing became labored.

He begins to groan in pain as he fell to his knees clutching the side of his body with his hands.  His temperature began to drop at a faster rate as his once joyous heart began to slowly ceases its rhythmic beat.

“I must get away from here before--” as he tried to teleport away but the pain became too much for him to bear.

Jack Frost grips his head as he lets out an anguish scream just as a cold winter ice began to form around him.  His body became encased in ice, his heart ceased to beat, and his laugh sounded like the moaning wind in a hurricane.  He looked like a living iceberg with a long beard, long claw-like fingers, and red eyes.

“So,” the new incarnation of Jack Frost said with his voice sounding like the wind in a severe Category 5 hurricane, “the fool thought he seen the last of me, but no one can control the will of Old Man Winter’s wrath.  This city will become my new kingdom,” he announced as he overlooked the city that was in front of him, “but first; I need to retire since I tired myself from fighting that fool.  I will embark on my conquest in the morrow for the Ice Age that I deserve to have since I had four chances to rule this world.”

He vanishes from sight so that he can prepare for his plans as the unexpected people of Amity Park slumbered unaware of what was to come the next day.