Broken Phantom

Chapter 7

-Sam-

The air in the Ghost Zone felt heavier than usual—a mix of green-tinged mist and the faint hum of ectoplasmic energy that made my skin crawl. Yet, I couldn't shake the cold coil of unease snaking its way up my spine. Something was… wrong. My hands clenched into fists as I glanced at Tucker beside me, his usual confident demeanor cracked by the same nervous energy I felt.

Why did everything feel so 'off'?

"You okay?" Tucker asked, his voice oddly subdued. His hand hovered over his PDA, ready to pull up some new gadget or weapon at the first sign of trouble.

"Yeah, fine," I lied, my voice sounding hollow even to me. "You?"

"Peachy," he muttered, his gaze darting toward Danny as he walked ahead with Jazz and Valerie as they led the group to the room areas.

They were deep in conversation, their voices too low for us to catch.

Danny carried himself with an air of authority now, his every step purposeful and commanding. It was unnerving to watch—this wasn't the same Danny we grew up with.

'He looks great' a part of her mind whispered.

But then again… were 'we' the same? When had things changed? A buzz shot through in my mind.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog clouding my thoughts. Ever since we'd entered the Ghost Zone, my emotions had been unpredictable, like someone was whispering thoughts in my ear. I found myself glaring at Danny's back, my chest tight with… what? Anger? Resentment? Jealousy? Longing?

Why would I feel jealous?

"He's hiding something," I found myself saying, the words slipping out before I could stop them. That seemed to be happening for a while now. Like I'm fighting myself and my thoughts.

Tucker's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Danny. He's not telling us everything. I mean, look at him! He's acting like … like he doesn't care about us." He should be angry, raging at them like the Fentons. She had expected him to toss them together with the elder hunters.

He hadn't made a move against them.'You haven't made a move against him too' 'Shut up'.

Tucker didn't respond immediately. Instead, he adjusted his glasses, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Maybe....Maybe it's for the best."

I blinked at him, stunned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tucker hesitated, his eyes shifting, then shook his head. "Never mind. Let's just… focus."

Focus. Right. But focus on what? The knot in my chest tightened as I glanced at Danny again. He'd changed so much, but… hadn't we all? I turned my gaze away, but the nagging whispers in my mind refused to be silenced. It seemed to be getting louder as time passed.

-Tucker-

Sam wasn't wrong. Danny was hiding something. But what was bothering me more than Danny's transformation was… myself.

My thoughts had been slipping lately like static interfering with a clear signal. One second, I'd be fine, cracking jokes and tinkering with my tech. The next, I'd feel this overwhelming surge of anger or doubt, and I wouldn't even know why. It was like… like I wasn't entirely 'me' anymore.

Before it was like a clear voice in his head, he knew what he had to do and who to be but as time passed, he started to hear whispers at the back of his mind, like a voice trying to wake him up from a bad dream.

And it scared the hell out of me.

"You've been quiet," Valerie said, her voice pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts. She glanced at me over her shoulder, suspicion etched into her features. Yet there was something else in her eyes than the normal anger he was used to seeing these past few years.

"Just… thinking," I replied, forcing a smile. "This place is a lot to take in."

She didn't look convinced but didn't push. Instead, she turned back to Danny, who was now pointing out landmarks in the distance—floating castles, massive ectoplasmic rivers, and eerie, glowing doorways that led to who-knows-where, as they passed the courtyard. The Ghost Zone was alive in a way no one could truly understand unless they'd been here.

And I hated every second of it. I was fascinated every second.

Danny's voice faded into the background as another thought clawed its way to the surface: 'He doesn't trust you anymore.'

I stumbled slightly, the thought so abrupt and loud that it felt like someone had spoken it directly into my ear.

"You okay?" Jazz asked, concern evident in her voice. 'I don't understand why you care'

"Fine," I mumbled, brushing her off. "Just… tripped."

She didn't look convinced, but she let it go. My eyes drifted back to Danny, and the same thought whispered again: 'He doesn't trust you anymore. Snap out of it.'

I clenched my jaw, trying to shake it off. But deep down, a part of me was shaken by what the hell was happening.

-Danny-

I hated this. Hated every second of pretending I didn't know what was happening to Sam and Tucker.

Finding out that he wasn't the only one to suffer at the hands of the GIW had been heartbreaking and had drained his anger at Sam and Tucker.

Finding out in Clockwork's Tower that their parents had been captured and used against them, tortured, and had those things put into their backs on their spines to strip them of their free will before outright killing their parents because they no longer had use.

It was something he had blame himself for, because of him his former? friends, had lost everything they had including their families just for the Fentons and GIW to get to him.

He had always trusted them in the past, but the betrayal that day had hurt so much that he hadn't considered anything else.

When he first found out, he was ready to rush out to the mortal world and wipe out every single GIW agent and Fentons. But Clockwork and Frostbite had stopped.

For a year, I've watched them slip further and further away, their personalities eroding under the weight of something I couldn't stop—not yet, anyway. Clockwork's warning echoed in my mind: 'Intervene too soon, and the control will solidify. Too hasty and you could fracture their minds. Wait for the threads to fray, and you might have a chance.'

So I waited. And I hated myself for it.

Sam and Tucker didn't know. Couldn't know. The devices were buried deep, hidden along their spinal cords, entwined with their nervous systems. Removing them prematurely would've done more harm than good, possibly killing them or leaving them empty shells.

But the control was weakening. I could see it in their unsteady movements, their conflicted expressions, the way their eyes flickered with something like recognition before the control reasserted itself. I wasn't sure what was causing the disruption—maybe being back in the Ghost Zone, maybe the growing instability of the tech itself—but it was my only window.

While I had mostly kept out of touch with the Mortal world due to work, and learning my new powers and Position as the High King and the Ancient of Space.

I had made sure to keep an eye on Sam and Tucker waiting for an Opening, This unexpected trip to the Zone by the GIW may have ulterior motives but he couldn't deny it has brought him a chance.

"They're getting worse," Jazz murmured beside me, her voice tight with worry.

"I know," I replied, keeping my tone even. "But worse means weaker. It's a sign the control's faltering."

Her eyes darted toward Sam and Tucker, walking just a few steps behind us. Sam's fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white, and Tucker kept fiddling with his PDA, his movements jerky and unfocused.

"They're suffering," Jazz said softly. "How much longer can they take this?"

"Not much," I admitted. "But we're close. I just need a little more time to be sure."

"Just a little more" my voice a whisper " I have Frostbite ready at any moment".

"Time you might not have," Valerie interjected from my other side. Her tone was sharp, but I could hear the concern beneath it. "If they snap before you're ready, you'll lose them for good. You know that, right?"

"I know." The words tasted bitter.

My gaze shifted to Sam and Tucker again. Sam's eyes were hard, her glare burning into the back of my head. Tucker was quieter, but the way he kept glancing at me like he was trying to piece something together, wasn't lost on me.

"They'll make it. I know they will. They're Strong."

They didn't trust me. How could they, when the devices were likely feeding them false memories and twisted emotions? I'd seen glimpses of it—resentment that didn't belong to them, jealousy that didn't make sense, anger they wouldn't normally feel. And as Much as i want to go to them, I couldn't trust them as they were.

And yet… there were cracks. Sam's glare would soften for just a second before she caught herself. Tucker's hand would twitch like he was reaching out for something he couldn't quite name.

"They're still in there," I said quietly, more to myself than anyone else. "I can't lose them. Not now."

"You're not going to lose them," Jazz said firmly. "We're not going to lose them."

I nodded, clinging to her certainty even as doubt gnawed at the edges of my resolve. The Ghost Zone wasn't helping—the ambient ectoplasmic energy only amplified emotions and destabilized the devices further. It was a double-edged sword, and one misstep could cut deeper than I was prepared for.

"Clockwork said the devices will weaken the longer they stay exposed to the Zone," I reminded them. "We just have to keep them here, keep them safe until the time is right."

"And then what?" Valerie asked. "What if you can't make it to Frostbite in Time"

"Then I'll take them out," I said, my voice like steel. "I'll tear those things out of them if I have to. They're not going to suffer like this any longer than they have to."

Jazz's hand brushed my arm, grounding me. "You're doing the right thing, Danny."

I wanted to believe her. But as Sam and Tucker exchanged a look—one filled with something I couldn't quite decipher—I knew the road ahead wasn't going to be easy. Whatever control was left in those devices, it wasn't going to let go without a fight.

And I was ready to give it one.