Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Glitches in Time ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

Chapter 17

Star had watched the arrivals of the future Fenton family and Foley with fascinated interest, this was so cool, but it was too bad that apparently none of them would remember this. Who could have guessed that Fenton and Foley would turn out so handsome? And then when future Danny had transformed into Phantom... drool, he was just so hot!

But what was to happen now? Future Foley and his cute son, T.J. had just apparently finished repairing what ever had to be fixed and that cute ghost Samuel was conversing with the shape-shifting ghost along with his sister, who was also rather interesting to watch because of her silliness... even if they both did turn into creepy reapers.

When was the memory ghost—what was her name—going to show? Was that when all of this fun stuff was going to end? She had to admit, she much preferred this trip into the Ghost-Zone then the one when Amity Park had been taken over by those skeleton ghosts and wanted to stay longer.

Casting glances at her peers, she had to suppress her snicker of amusement at their expressions, green eyes twinkling. Though many would claim that Paulina's face showed no expression, and was as smoothly beautiful as ever the lead cheerleader was having a difficult time coping with everything. 'It must have been quite a shock,' she though sympathetically, 'to find out that the guy you've toyed with is actually the one who you've been desperate to date!'

'Dash isn't faring much better!' Star almost shook her head at the quarterback's blankly stunned expression, 'One would have though that all the times he's beat up Fenton he would have noticed that Fenton was getting hard to bully. But then again he isn't really observant of what goes on unless it pertains to football.'

Kwan she decided was handling things much better then his team mate and Paulina, looking more puzzled then dumfounded. 'Then again, his grandmother is the most superstitious person I've ever meant,' she though to herself, 'and I know he also subscribed to Paranormal Digest. That reminds me, he told me the Fenton's had had another article in it, I'll have to check it out.'

Though Star knew that many of the adults and most of the world scorned the Fenton's and stuff like the Paranormal Digest, all the kids at school were firm, very firm, believers in ghosts and if they didn't subscribe to some paranormal magazine or other, one of their friends did. They also all knew that the only way the magazine was to be trusted if it had at least one article written by the Fenton's per issue. Danny's parents may be crazy according to all their parents, but they knew their stuff.

"This doesn't make any sense," Kwan muttered, muddling though the dilemma that was currently facing him—Fenton's existence.

"What doesn't?" Star questioned curiously, knowing that though Kwan was what others would call 'thick-headed' in a very derogatory way, if he could related the new to the familiar he was remarkably adaptable.

"The Fentons's new article, it says that ghost-human crosses aren't possible," Kwan explained with a frown.

"What do you mean? Cross species are possible, just think of horses and donkeys, you get mules from them. Then there are the big cat crosses, tigons, ligers, jaguleps, lepjags, marozi—"

"I know that!" Kwan scowled cutting off Star's list. "But ghost and humans are different. The Fentons' said that it isn't possible because our energies are different and they can't be successfully bonded to create something new."

Star frowned, trying to fill in the bits that she was missing; wishing that she had had the chance to read this new article he was talking about.

"It's something about ectoplasm being a denser bio-energy then the human electrical energy," Kwan explained, "and how the two forms are incompatible. The denser ectoplasm can't be transmitted through the human nerve system thus it disrupts a human's normal functions resulting in death—even if the initial shock from the ectoplasm blast required for such a transformation doesn't kill them out right."

Star blinked in puzzlement then questioned quizzically remembering her own experience being overshadowed, "If human bodies can't handle ectoplasm, then how come ghosts can possesses us?"

Kwan's frown deepened, thinking harder on other articles especially ones that the Fenton's had written about possession.

"When a ghost overshadows a human, they reduce their power to a trickle of their previous level, thinning the ectoplasm to a level of energy similar to electricity." Clockwork supplied the answer as he drifted by while polishing off another cookie.

The two looked warily at the ghost who had joined their conversation, egger to learn more but greatly hesitant because of multiple bad experiences with ghosts attacking their home.

"That's one of the reasons that when after a possession a human experiences feelings of dizziness and disorientation. It is the consequence of the ghost exercising ghostly abilities such as levitation and lesser ecto-blasts. Though the human body is capable of performing those feats because of the ectoplasm, they aren't natural abilities and the human body doesn't operate at peak efficiency."

"Is that why when possessed by ghosts, the possessed people don't really do much?" Kwan questioned curiously. "Our bodies can't handle the ectoplasm energy?"

"That is correct, and if great manifestations of power is attempted it results in death for the host human."

Kwan nodded, the Fentons' had said basically the same thing, the increase of power couldn't be handled.

"Then… how do you explain them?" Dash questioned, join the conversation and jerking his head towards the original halflings.

Clockwork looked at Danny and Vlad, debating how much to reveal as it would only make more work for Mnemosyne. "In essence they are bonded to the very fabric of this realm."

Three blank faces looked at the Old One.

"Upon their… birth shall we say, they were bonded with a pre-existing ectoplasm entity." At their nod of understanding, the Master of Time continued. "That 'entity' was the Ghost-Zone itself."

"What about the Ghost-Zone?" Danielle chirped as she floated over to them.

"I was attempting to explain how halfa's came to be." Clockwork explained to the girl Phantom.

She giggled, "We are born of the very fabric of the Ghost-Zone, linked to it until death. Our strengths come from it and out abilities are unlimited because of it."

Star, Kwan, and Dash frowned in confusion. They sort of got the part about the Ghost-Zone realm itself being the reason for the halfling's existence, but what the heck about strengths and abilities was Danielle blabbing about?

"I think you just confused them even more little one," Clockwork said with amusement to the eldest twin.

Danielle gave an unrepentant shrug before drifting back to join her brother.

"To clarify," Clockwork continued his explanation, "though initially a halfa is bonded with a 'bit' of the energy from the Ghost-Zone that 'bit' mutates into something separate. The end mutation is the complete halfa, who have their own individual abilities and strengths that aren't limited to something related to a normal ghost's Trigger. But a link remains, giving the halfa a degree of access to the energy of the Ghost-Zone."

The three muddled over it all. Trying to sort it out in relation to what they already knew. Dash was mentally wishing that he had not followed Fenton into his family's lab. All this stuff was starting to really make his head hurt.

Footnote:
The aforementioned theories are purely theoretical and my personal attempt to understand that which governs the dynamics of creating a human-ghost cross.  As various events within the show tend to counter themselves, I will once again state that this is my own personal interpretation at this point in time, more events as the show progresses will most likely change my analysis of the subject.