Stasis – chapter 5

Silently waiting in the ghost zone, twelve ghosts were there to work toward a single goal. They all huddled together in an old shelter that had been abandoned many centuries ago by the armies of Pharia Dark. Vlad had called them from their ghostly lairs that day, and told them of his plans to make Danny join their side. They had all agreed, and were now there, waiting for him to arrive with their instructions.

Among the ghosts gathered were The Lunch Lady, The Box Ghost, Skulker, Technus, Youngblood, Spectra, Bertrand, Ember, Johnny 13 and his girlfriend Kitty, Desiree, and Walker. Their hatred of Danny Phantom was their only goal. So long as they could agree on that, they could get along.

Well, sort of…

“Who does this punk think he is? I’ve got better things to do than wait around here all day for him to show up! I have a prison to run,� Walker complained. After all, they’d been waiting there for more than a half hour already. That was half a day too long in his book.

“Chill ya old geezer. Vlad said we had to wait to attack the kid until we get the signal from him. The stupid idiot is giving dipstick a day to make his decision,� Ember scowled, strumming a few chords on her guitar out of boredom.

“I, Technus shall -�

“SHUT UP!� all the other ghosts yelled in unison as Technus began his ‘take-over-the-world’ tirade once again. Waiting in the cold had left them all irritable. One thing was for sure. If Vlad didn’t get there soon, there would be no ghosts left to fight for him. They’d have already attacked each other.

A hallow laugh could be heard in the distance. The ghosts turned silent when they heard it, since they all recognized the voice immediately.

“I see that I didn’t come a moment too soon. Technus doesn’t realize how taxing listening to his speeches can be,� the blue-tinged, vampire-like ghost laughed as he floated down toward them from the ceiling of the abandoned shelter. He quickly surveyed the scene before him, and apparently found it to his liking. The ghosts all turned and looked toward him for instructions.

“Here’s what I want you to do. Fly to New Jersey and get into your positions. Make sure that you are not seen or caught. If you do, you’ll have me to answer to,� He threatened. “One in position, wait until I give the signal to attack. And be ready, I don’t want to have to repeat myself,� Vlad said, looking around at the group. “Well, what are you waiting for?� He shouted, “Get going!�

With that bit of encouragement, all twelve ghosts flew as fast as they could away from him. They headed in the direction of the nearest ghost portal that lead to the human world, which happened to be the Fenton Ghost Portal. Luckily for them, they knew that the Fenton weren’t monitoring it.

“I’m surrounded by incompetent fools, but they’re fools that do the job nicely,� Vlad remarked to no one in particular as he faded away into the darkness.

Pennbrook Plainsboro Hospital

House walked as quickly as he could manage with his bad leg through the halls of Pennbrook Plainsboro hospital. When Cuddy had forced him to take the case in the first place, the only thing that had been even remotely interesting was who the kid’s family was. Now… well, now he was forced to admit that this case was becoming more and more baffling by the minute. There was no way that he should be alive if what that chart indicated was accurate.

“I still think that we should run some more tests to see if the charts were right. The school nurse could have just written down the temperature wrong or…something like that. I mean come on, it’s only on one chart,� Chase insisted as he, Cameron and Foreman rushed to keep up with House.

“I highly doubt it. Not even overpaid school nurses are that incompetent. And it wasn’t only on one chart,� House said, tossing a second sheet in the file to Chase. “In his last visit to the doctor’s, before he got sick with guillian barre, they found the exact same thing,� He pointed out. At first he had though it was the error of a nurse as well, but there was no way two professionals would make that same mistake. Not without someone catching it.

The three doctor looked at the chart. Sure enough, House was right. The doctor had charted Danny’s temperature at 95 degrees as well. In the chart, the doctor noted the low temperature and attributed it to faulty equipment.

“So he either has a three degree fever right now, or his temperature went back up to normal. I want to know which,� House stated as he continued to walk down the hall. “And if it is back to normal now, what can cause his temperature to drop three degrees and then go back up?� House continued, oblivious to the three following him.

“Nothing…well, nothing besides an extreme case of hypothermia can cause that. But that’s impossible since It was just a normal checkup, he wasn’t even feeling cold,� Cameron said, looking over the charts once again.

“Only one way to find out,� House stated as they reached their destination. He used his cane to open the sliding door into Danny’s hospital room.

There were three people in the room. One was obviously Danny, and, from what House knew of the Fenton family, the red-haired girl was Danny’s older sister, Jazz Fenton. The third person in the room he didn’t know, but assumed that she was either a friend or girlfriend of Danny’s, not that he cared about details like that.

The two Fenton siblings were obviously in the middle of a heated argument.

“Forget it, Jazz!� Danny shouted at his sister, surprisingly loud for someone with limited lung strength. It just showed how mad he was. “It’s my decision to make, and I’m standing by it! So stop trying to change my mind!� He continued yelling.

Jazz growled in frustration. She was patient, but sometime her brother could get on her nerves. “You are the most stubborn person on the planet! You know that? You can’t even admit that something I suggest might actually be the right thing to do! Fine! I give up!� she screeched, flinging her hands up in the air and walking out of the room in a huff. She didn’t even seem to see the four doctors as she passed them. But while she didn’t, Danny and Sam noticed the four doctors standing in the doorway.

“Care to explain why both your school nurse and doctor charted that you had a body temperature of 95 degrees when you went for you annual checkup last spring?� House asked, getting straight to the point in his usual manner.

“Who the heck are you?� Danny asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to figure out who the man who’d come barging in was. If he was a doctor, he wasn’t nearly as polite as the other three. And shouldn’t he be wearing a white coat…Or at least be cleaner?

“Danny, meet Dr. House, he’s-� Cameron began, but House cut her off before she could continue with the introduction.

“I’m the doctor who’s trying to figure out what’s wrong with you. Who knows, I might just end up saving your life in the process!� House scowled, hoping that the teen would be smart enough to know not to mess with him. He found patients who disagreed with him annoying, and he wasn’t in any mood to deal with annoyances. “Now if you could answer my question, that’d be great. The faster you do, the faster I can leave.�

After arguing with his sister for the past hour over whether or not he should tell the doctors about his ghost half, Danny was in no mood to put up with Dr. House’s attitude either. He wasn’t going to be kind if House wasn’t going to show him the consideration of being polite.

“I have no idea why my temperature is that low! That’s just the temperature that the nurse told me when I went there. You’re the brilliant doctor, why don’t you go figure it out for yourself?� he spat back. “Why does it even matter?�

House looked at the stubborn teen in annoyance. ‘I’m going to need a stronger painkiller soon if this kid doesn’t stop being so frustrating,’ he thought as he reached into his pocket and took one of his vicodin. He had a feeling he was going to need it to get through the day.

“Why is it that teenagers always think that the world revolves around them?� House started to rant, “Do you have any idea what usually happens when a person’s body temperature drops to 95 degrees? It’s called hypothermia. If the temperature isn’t risen to 98 degrees within a half hour, it usually gets you a one-way ticket to the morgue. Therefore, we need to know if your temperature really is that low, or some idiot nurse wrote a 5 instead of an 8,� House stated. He didn’t like the fact that this kid thought he could talk back to him, and he wasn’t going to put up with it.

“Well, it sounds like you have the answer already, doesn’t it?� Danny snapped. He knew his temperature was low. It came with the territory of being a half-ghost, but the doctors didn’t need to know that.

“Look,� Chase said, attempting to stop House from screwing things up while talking to a patient, “We needed to make sure because if your temperature really is that low, then that means you have a fever right now. Knowing that will help us figure out what’s causing all your symptoms. You may not think so, but it is important.�

“It would really help us out,� Cameron added to Chase’s statement, hoping that Danny would see reason.

“If the kid wants to be a stubborn jerk, then he’s not going to listen to a word you say,� House interjected before Danny could answer.

Danny glared at him, then turned to Cameron. “Fine, but only because it’ll help you and you asked politely,� he said, directing the last sentence to Dr. Cameron, and hoping that the smirking Dr. House would get the hint. “The answer is yes. My temperature is normally that low. It has been ever since last year,� Danny answered finally. He knew that any lie he told would be found out, so he didn’t see any reason to bother.

“Why did it change?� Foreman asked.

For once House decided to stay silent and let his colleagues talk. His use of reverse psychology had worked well. If he stayed silent now, he might just hear something interesting.

Danny and Sam exchanged a look that House recognized as deciding whether or not to tell the truth about something.

“No idea, it just did. It changed sometime in March, I believe,� Danny answered finally. Sam nodded, her gothic mask of indifference not slipping once. It was a half-truth. Danny got his ghost powers in march, so that was when his temperature shifted.

“Fine,� House said abruptly after taking another two vicodin. He stood up and left the room without a second glance.

The three other doctors looked at each other. As if silently agreeing, Foreman and Chase left to follow him while Cameron stayed behind.

“House didn’t tell you, but there is some good news,� Cameron finally said one her colleagues had left.

“What is it?� Danny and Sam asked at the exact same time, hope evident in both of their voices.

“We found out what’s causing your muscle weakness and diminished reflexes,� She stated, “It’s a rare autoimmune disease called Guillan Barre. Basically your immune system starts by attacking some virus or disease, but when the disease is gone the white blood cells don’t stop, and start attacking healthy cells. In the case of Guillian Barre, they start to attack the lining of the nerve cells, which limits the ability of the nerves to send signals from the brain to the rest of the body. It is temporary though,� she finished expalianing.

“How temporary?� Danny asked, trying to understand all the medical terms she had used. He thought to himself, ‘Please say a day, please say a day.’

“It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. It seems you’re progressing much slower than usual, but we can speed up the process by starting you on IVIG. The IVIG lowers your white blood cell count until it’s back to normal. Usually we’d start you on plasmapherisis as well, but I don’t recommend it until we find out what’s causing it,� She said. She wisely decided not to mention that it was Dr. House who didn’t want them to treat him with plasmapherisis.

“Wait, isn’t it the cause?� Danny asked, confused by her statement.

“Yes, but it doesn’t just happen on it’s own. Usually it’s caused by a particularly resistant viral or bacterial infection. We haven’t found out what caused it yet. Since you’re fever is still up, it could indicate that a virus or bacterial infection is still present.�

“But you can find out what it is, right?� Danny asked.

“We’ll try, but so far all the tests have some back negative. If you can think of why your temperature was so low it could help us a lot.�

“Can you tell my parents and Jazz?� Danny asked her, then joked, “I don’t think I can remember all of those scientific explanations.�

Cameron laughed. “Sure thing. In fact, I’ll go find them right now.� With that, she left the room and headed down the hallway.

“So, you’re not telling them?� Sam asked as the door closed.

“They know everything they need to,� Danny added, then shouted as he turned invisible.

“So what are you going to do about the whole Vlad situation?� She asked, shutting the curtains so that no one could see that he had turned invisible. “You can’t exactly warn your parents, because they’ll want to know who told you, and you can’t just go fight him off yourself.�

“I don’t know, Sam,� Danny sighed, “I really don’t know.�

Chapter 6 -

Dr. Cuddy sat behind her desk and let out a long sigh. She had a headache the size of Montana due to dealing with complaining patients all day, and the two doctors arguing in front of her weren’t helping it any. It was times like this she envied House’s ability to skip any and all work he didn’t like without guilt.

“Can’t you see that he’s still sick?� Cameron shouted at her colleague.

“Every test we’ve run has come back negative!� Chase yelled back.

“You’re unbelievable! He still has a fever, something is obviously wrong!� Cameron argued. “I say that If we run the tests again, and check for any false negatives, I’d feel a lot better about telling a kid with a three degree fever he’s fine!�

“Yes, I agree. Something is causing his fever, but that something that isn’t going to show up by doing another round of the same tests,� Foreman added.

“Obviously we’d try other tests as well,� Cameron responded. “I just want to make sure we didn’t miss anything the last time.�

“As much as it pains me to say this, miss compassionate over there has a point.� House said. “If we missed something the first time around, I want to know. Chase, I want you to re-check the less accurate tests for any false negatives. Once you’re done with that, I want you to test the accurate tests, but make sure the results were read right. Cameron, you’ll be testing the kid for the less common bacterial and viral infections. If you can think of it, test for it,� House finished.

“Foreman, while Chase and Cameron are running and re-running tests, I want you to go find the kid’s parents, and ask them if they’ve noticed anything strange about their son since last march. It could be behavioral, a change in how often he gets sick, any thing. Listen for anything in particular anything that would explain his change in temperature,� House ordered.

“Fine!� Chase snapped as he walked out of the room in a huff. Of course House would shoot down his ideas, no matter haw much sense they made. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts he didn’t notice that he was followed out the door by Cameron and Foreman.

“House, why are you still in here?� Caddy asked in an exasperated tone. “I haven’t done anything to annoy you lately, so why are you using my office for a differential? Especially on a day when I have so much paperwork due?�

“If I didn’t use your office, then how would I find time to annoy you? I have to multitask – I’m a very busy doctor,� He responded, twirling his cane through the air.

“Get Out!� Cuddy yelled, rapidly loosing her patience with House.

House smirked as he left, having fulfilled his goal of annoying her. He nearly bumped into Wilson as he walked through the door.

“What is it now?� Cuddy asked, annoyed. He annoyance faded, however, when she saw the look on Wilson’s face. Very few things could make him worried.

“I though you’d want to take a look at this,� Wilson said as an explanation. He placed a file down onto the desk in front of her. It wasn’t a medical file, but a read-out from one of the machines downstairs.

Cuddy looked through the file. The more she read, the more worried she became. Finally, she stood up and said, “This can’t be documented right…but if it is we have a serious health code crisis on our hands.�

“We think something’s messing with the equipment down in the oncology department. All of the radiation detectors we have to keep watch on cancer treatment are picking up some high-frequency energy. I can tell you right now we have no idea what it is or where it’s coming from. All we do know is that the energy is, thankfully, not radioactive. It’s also coming from a source pretty close by, but not in the hospital.�

“Well…shouldn’t we be calling in a Hasmat team to get rid of it or something?� Cuddy panicked. “This could seriously endanger the patients!� she shouted.

“According to the report, it’s not any danger to the patient. Well…directly, anyway. It’s messing with the equipment, which is messing up our results,� Wilson explained.

“Do you have any idea what could be causing this?� Cuddy asked, still in a state of shock.

Wilson shook his head, “I’ve never seen anything like it before.�

House’s office

While Cuddy and Wilson were talking, House went back to his office to de research. If the Fentons were right, and Amity Park ran ghost drills, surely there would be reports of any ghost activity in the newspapers. He sat down in his chair, and a few minutes later he was looking intently at the computer screen in front of him. It showed a newspaper website.

The article he was reading was titled ‘Mysterious Spook Inviso-bill appears in Amity Park.’

Danny’s hospital room

The next morning had arrived and Dr. Cameron and chase were there in the room, taking some more vials of blood for testing. Sam was dozing in the chair next to Danny’s hospital bed. He smiled at the fact that she hadn’t yet left the room except to get food. Jazz and Danny’s parents would be there shortly. They were probably driving to the hospital from the nearby hotel they were staying at. It was early in the morning so they hadn’t arrived yet.

Suddenly they all heard the door shut. Danny looked up, and Sam awoke from her nap. Vlad was standing in the middle of the doorway.

“Well, Daniel, it’s so nice to see you again. I enjoyed our little chat yesterday. I hope you’ve thought it over,� Vlad said, walking into the room almost exactly 24 hours after he had left.

Cameron and Chase looked at each other, confused. This man obviously knew Danny, but they had no idea who he was. Judging by the hatred showing on Danny’s face, they weren’t sure they wanted to.

“Dr. Cameron, Dr Chase, this is Vlad. He’s not worth your time or your breath. He just doesn’t know when he’s lost,� Danny said bitterly, glaring at his archenemy.

“So I take it that’s a no on what we talked about earlier?� Vlad smirked, knowing he had the upper hand. Danny cared too much about people in his opinion, and would never want to see the hospital attacked.

“You should have expected it,� Danny responded with a glare.

“That I did, my dear boy. That I did,� Vlad smiled, then added, “Pity, though. I had so hoped that you would see what the right decision was. Then again, you always were stubborn. Just like you father.�

“Just ignore him, Danny,� Sam said, hoping her friend would listen.

“I told you yesterday and I’m telling you today. Get out,� Danny said with a deadly calm in his voice. It was obvious he was close to loosing his temper.

“As you wish, young Daniel. Just remember that my offer always stands,� He said. After that, he walked out of the room without a backwards glance.

“What was that all about?� Chase asked as he changed the IV fluid. The IVIG was almost gone.

“He’s just an insane creep who doesn’t know when he’s lost a fight,� Danny said. “He was friends with my parents in college. He doesn’t like my dad though, blames him for ruining his life. He sent him to the hospital, where he missed out on all his college years,� Danny explained, deciding it couldn’t hurt to tell them that.

“That’s too bad, though if I heard right he’s pretty successful right now. Anyway, it looks like were just about done here,� Cameron said. She now recognized the man as Vlad Masters, one of the richest men in America. “Do you have any questions?�

“Yeah, actually, I do,� Danny said. “Have you figured out what’s causing the guillian barre yet?� Danny asked.

“Not yet. Unfortunately, all the tests we’ve run have come back negative. That’s why we’re running some more. Don’t worry though,� She said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “We’ll keep looking until we find it. No disease is undetectable.� With that, the two doctors left the room.

A few second later, Jazz and Danny’s parents walked into the room.

“Did the doctors have any news for you?� Jazz asked, setting her stuff down on a nearby chair. She’d seen Cameron and Chase walking from the room.

“They don’t have anything yet, but they said they’d keep looking. I trust them,� Danny said, trying to assure them, and himself, that he’d be fine. He tried to ignore the growing sense of helplessness inside him. He wasn’t supposed to get sick or be to week to even get out of bed. He had a town to protect, and right now he had a hospital to protect as well.

“How are you feeling? Any better?� Maddie asked, rearranging the covers of the hospital bed so that Danny would be more comfortable.

‘How about feeling guilty as heck for leaving Amity unprotected, and not being able to protect this hospital?’ Danny thought to himself, but said to Maddie, “I feel a lot weaker, but the doctors said that’s normal.� Danny again put on a brave face for the sake of his family.

“Look Danny, I made you something!� Jack exclaimed happily, taking out an action figure that looked exactly like Danny.

“Err… thanks, dad. I guess,� Danny smiled, knowing his father meant well. He took the toy from him and placed it on the table beside his bed.

“Don’t think anything of it, I’ve got one for everyone in the family,� Jack responded. Taking out three other action figures that looked like Jack, Maddie and Jazz.

Maddie rolled her eyes at her husband’s antics. “I baked some cookies for you as well. I don’t think this hospital food is healthy. We forgot most of our cooking stuff at home though, so we had to use the hotel supplies. It was slower, but worth the wait,� She smiled, taking out a large plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

“Thanks!� Danny exclaimed, taking a cookie from the plate slowly. After he took it though, it dropped from his hand.

“I’ll just put them on the tray over here, that way you’ll be able to reach them easier,� Maddie smiled, tactfully not mentioning the incident.

Jack sat on the chair, pouting. “I still don’t see why I couldn’t have one of the cookies,� He said glumly.

“Because they’re for Danny and Danny only,� Maddie chastised, “And I made you some fudge already. It’s in the fridge at the hotel.� This seemed to bring his spirits up considerably.

“Hey mom, dad,� Danny said, catching their attention. If he was going to tell them about the impending ghost attack, it was now or never. “I though I should warn you. A ghost came by here earlier, and-� He started to say, but was cut off by his parent’s shouts.

“GHOSTS!� Jack bellowed, standing up from the chair and wielding a Fenton bazooka in his hands before anyone could blink.

“If that piece of ectoplasmic slime tried anything to hurt you, I swear he will face my wrath,� Maddie yelled, also pulling out a weapon from her jumpsuit.

Jazz was fuming. “This is a hospital!� She screeched, “Why did you bring ghost weapons here?! They’re dangerous!� She glared at them. As scientists, they should know better than to bring weapons into the hospital.

“For once, I’m glad they did,� Danny said, surprising everyone else in the room. “The ghost that came by earlier didn’t try to attack me, but he said that other ghosts will. I know enough to take him seriously, too. Since we’re here now the ghosts will try and attack us when we’re down. I wanted to warn you guys so that you’ll be prepared,� Danny finished.

“Don’t you worry, son! We’ll protect you and this hospital from any ghosts that attack! Plus, I get to use my new weapon!� Jack shouted as he and Maddie left the room.

“That was very noble of you, Danny,� Jazz smiled at her brother. “I know that it’s hard for you to place that kind of trust in someone again when you’re so used to relying on yourself. You’re usually the one being the hero,� Jazz said.

“I agree with your sister. I’m proud of you too, Danny,� Sam smiled. “Hey, were you’re powers malfunctioning earlier or something? Ya know, when you dropped the cookie?� she asked.

“No, they weren’t,� Danny sighed, holding his hand up and looked at it. He tried to move his fingers, but they only moved an inch or so. “I just lost my grip. I’m so useless!� He yelled in frustration, laying back into the hospital bed.

“You’re not useless, Danny,� Sam said. “You’re sick right now and there’s nothing you can do about it. Everyone needs to learn to rely on someone else now and then, even super-powered teens,� She smiled.

“So that’s why…� Jazz said suddenly.

“Why what?� Danny and Sam asked at the same time.

“Why you told mom and dad about ghosts coming here. You only told them about it because you had no other option. It’s not that you willingly let them fight the ghosts instead of yourself, it’s that you’ve finally realized that you can’t fight, and the only way to protect this hospital is to let them. By the way, who was the ghost you were talking about?� She asked.

Before Danny had a chance to respond, they heard a loud ruckus coming from the first floor of the hospital. People were running and screaming, and they could only assume that the reason was a ghost attacking.

“It was Vlad. I guess I’ll get to see now if my trust in them was well-founded,� Danny answered. He sighed as he listened to the fight going on below them. A fight that, for the first time since he got his ghost powers, Danny wasn’t a part of.

__________________________________________________ ____

END OF CHAPTER 6
__________________________________________________ ____

Chapter 7 - Ghost Attack, Part 1 -

The hospital was in complete chaos. Twelve ghosts had appeared in Princeton Plainsboro, seemingly from nowhere, and started to do as much damage to the hospital as possible without truly endangering any lives. Those were Vlad’s orders – take hostages, but don’t hurt them yet, and make sure that the Fentons are forced to agree to their terms.

Youngblood and his pirate crew had flown immediately to where they could cause the most fear – pediatrics. He couldn’t intimidate the adults that couldn't see him. He was now just attacking them at random and scaring them.

Technus quickly found the control room for the hospital electric system and from there took over the many machines that belonged to the hospital. Before anyone had a chance to react, he had turned the machinery in the hospital against its own staff. All around the hospital computers, electronic doors, and elevators now refused to work. He hoped that his control over the life support machines would keep anyone from interfering with his plans. The heart monitors were all turned off so the ghost could concentrate his powers on important machinery, but every life support machine worked fine for now.

Ember found her way to where the PA system controls were located. Knocking the people in the room unconscious with one guitar stroke, she put her CD into the system. Soon her song was soon pouring from every speaker in the hospital. All the patients, minus those being terrorized by Captain Youngblood, drifted off into a deep sleep.

The Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady were working together, both wreaking havoc in the place they worked best - the cafeteria. Meat products and untended packages were flying everywhere. They were only minor ghosts to ghosts hunters like Danny and his parents, but none of the cafeteria staff dared to move. The ghost couple created a mess and threatened the workers, but no one had been attacked – yet.

All five ghosts awaited their orders from Vlad.

During all this Walker, Skulker, Bertrand, Johnny 13, and Kitty were distracting the Fentons while the others got into place. It was odd to see the five ghost working toward a single goal, but despite the odds all of the ghosts were attacking them at the same time.

Needless to say with the odds being five ghosts to two humans, the ghosts were close to winning.

“Ha! You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if you were a foot away! You call yourself a ghost hunter?� Kitty taunted as she evaded several blasts sent her way by Jack. “Missed me!�

“Not this time,� Jack said as he sent another blast. This time it connected.

“Don’t you try and hit my girl! Shadow, attack!� Johnny yelled. As he went over to check on the fallen ghost, his formless shadow flew into action. A few seconds later, it had wrapped itself around both of the Fentons, successfully trapping them.

Skulker took out a large ecto-weapon and aimed it at them, ready to attack as soon as he wanted. “This will be suitable revenge for all the time the whelp has attacked me,� He muttered so quietly that no one else heard.

“Fighting us and trying to disrupt our mission. That’s against the rules. I’m afraid I can’t let you escape without the proper sentence,� Walker grinned. “Anything you want to say as your last words, humans?�

“Yup!� Jack answered, looking toward a spot behind the ghosts with a grin, “Enjoy your time in the Fenton thermos, ghost!�

“What the-?� Walker said, looking behind him just a second too late. He soon found himself being trapped inside the Fenton thermos. The light faded to reveal Jazz standing there, holding the device.

Both Fentons fell to the ground as the shodow dropped them, apparently deciding that Jazz was a better target instead. Before long, all three Fentons were figting.

“Get down!� Jack yelled as he aimed the jack-o-nine-tails at Bertrand, capturing the ghost in the netting. Jazz didn’t miss a beat as she trapped him in the thermos a second later. Maddie jumped into action, sending a flying kick in Skulker’s direction.

Two ghosts down, four to go.

While Skulker was doing his best to fight off Maddie, the other two were busy fighting Johnny 13, Kitty and Shadow. They seemed to be in a deadlock.

“This is for attacking a hospital, you creep!� Jack shouted as he launched himself at the biker ghost. Jack hit him with a well-aimed shot from the Fenton bazooka, and soon he was trapped in the Fenton thermos as well. Unfortunately his shadow, Kitty and Skulker were still there.

“Light!� Jazz suddenly shouted, remembering what Danny had told her about Johnny 13’s shadow. “This thing hates light!� She managed to shout before Kitty hit her, effectively knocking her out.

“I’ve got it!� Jack announced, jumping into the RV and shining a spotlight on the shadow ghost, causing it to dissolve. He quickly ran over to his daughter, blasting Kitty out of the way. Jazz was waking up.

“She’s going to pay for that,� Jazz said, taking the Fenton thermos and capturing Kitty from behind.

While Jack and Jazz were busy fighting the three other ghosts, Skulker was fighting Maddie. He launched a few blasts at the group, and they were all thrown a few feet back.

While the fight was going on, neither the Fentons nor the ghosts realized that their battle was being watched by four figures in one of the hospital rooms.

Danny’s hospital room

“Do you see what your actions have caused, Daniel?� Vlad said in a fake, overly sad tone. “If only you had listened to me, your family wouldn’t be in danger. The offer still stands, you know,� Vlad reminded him.

“Poor ghost-child, your family is fighting for their lives down there, and it’s all your fault! There lives would be so much better without you, why not give them what they want? A life without a freak in the family!� Spectra taunted, using her powers to drain away what little hope Danny had left.

‘Ignore them. You know she drains negative energy,’ Danny thought, but couldn’t help but feel that deep down, she was right. If he wasn’t part of his family, then they wouldn’t be risking their lives. He shook his head, cutting off that train of thought. ‘I can’t feel guilty. I know they’d do anything for me, just like I’d do the same for them,’ He told himself. But they didn’t stop their tirade.

“You know, I could grant your wish. One sentence from you and all of these ghosts will be back in the ghost zone. You just have to agree to denounce your family, then the hospital and you family will be safe,� Desiree said. “Just one sentence. I promise I won’t screw this one up. When you decide to make the right choice, we’ll all be here waiting.�

“What’s stopping me from doing that now?� Danny asked cheekily. He wasn’t going to let them get to him.

Desiree grinned. “If you ask before agreeing to our terms, then Vlad will just un-wish the wish.�

“Forgot about that,� Danny sighed. It looked like there wasn’t going to be an easy way out.

“Care to watch their impending doom? A doom that you drove them to?� Vlad smirked.

“You’re wrong,� the youngest Fenton said confidently. “Sam and my family are more than capable of defending this hospital against any ghost. They’ll pull through, I know they will.�

“Please, that bumbling idiot? He’s more of a threat to this hospital than the ghosts are! Any success they may have will be thwarted by his stupidity! You’ve always known you can’t rely on him!� Vlad spat bitterly

“Don’t talk about my family like that!� Danny shouted, an ecto-blast forming in his hand and shooting across the room, narrowly missing Vlad. “What the-?� He stopped, looking at where the blast had hit the wall.

Instead of the blast being its usual bright neon-green, it had been a sickly, pale green.

Hospital lobby

Dr. House, Foreman, Chase and Cameron were all hiding behind the reception desk in the lobby. Even though they had never been in a ghost attack before, they were smart enough not to get involved.

“So, believe in ghosts yet, Foreman?� Chase taunted, not able to help himself. He gave Foreman an ‘I told you so’ look, then switched his attention back to the fight.

Foreman glared at his colleague, but the response he was about to give was cut off by House.

“Shut up, you idiots!� House hissed, successfully quieting them both. “I’m trying to listen to what they’re saying! It could be important!� He looked over the counter and observed the Fentons fighting outside. “Did any of you see the twelve ghosts arriving?� House asked the three.

“I did. They came when I was filling out paperwork down here,� Chase said.

“Did any of them look like a teen ghost with white hair, dressed in black?� House asked, still looking at the fight. The newspapers said the ghost was benevolent, so house wanted to ask him a few questions about Amity Park.

“No, none that fit that description. One had white hair… but it was a mullet, and he was old,� Chase remembered.

“Definitely the wrong one,� House responded.

From their hiding spot behind the counter, they could see the entire fight and hear the dialogue exchanged. Fortunately they were far enough away to not be in any immediate danger.

Outside

“Come on! Surely you can do better than that? I though you claimed to be the best ghost hunters out there!� Skulker laughed as the three ghost hunters rounded on him once again. He and Kitty dodged all of their attacks easily. At this rate, the other ghosts would have control of the hospital in no time.

“Don’t give them too much credit, they have yet to even take a ghost back to their lab,� she told Skulker. Frowning, she then turned back to them and shouted, “But you’re still going down for capturing my boyfriend!�

“You need to develop a better taste in men! Your boyfriend is a jerk!� Jazz responded as she evaded the attack sent her way, and launched one of her own back.

“Why you! Don’t talk about him!� Kitty shouted angrily. Before Jazz could move the ghost lost her temper, and launched herself at Jazz full force. When she was about halfway to where Jazz was, she was captured in a beam of blue light. A second later she was trapped in the Fenton Thermos along with the others.

The three ghost hunters banded together and turned their attention to their final opponent – Skulker.

“What we need is to destroy that suit,� Jazz told her parents, “But it won’t be easy. Once it’s destroyed though, capturing him will be a cinch.�

“I’ve got it!� Jack said in one of his rare moments of brilliance, “The Fenton ghost peeler can destroy that suit!�

“That’s perfect! Great idea!� Jazz nearly cheered. She remembered all too well when she had used the device to defeat Spectra.

“I’ll go get it while you distract him,� Maddie whispered before making a mad dash to the G.A.V.

“Retreating already?� Skulker laughed arrogantly as he watched Maddie escape and the other two turn to face him. He’d been floating there waiting for them to make the first move.

“A Fenton never gives up! Or surrenders!� Jack shouted as he grabbed the nearest weapon he could find (The Jack-o-nine-tails), and launched himself at the 7-foot-tall ghost, diverting his attention from Maddie.

Jazz joined the fight and together they managed to hold their own against Skulker. All Jazz could think was, ‘Danny would be proud.’

“You’ll never defeat me! Not while your precious defender isn’t able to save you!� Skulker taunted, referring to Danny, though only Jazz got the reference.

“Wanna bet?� Jazz shot back, smirking, as she saw Maddie walk up behind the ghost, Fenton Ghost Peeler in hand.

Skulker turned, but didn’t have time to react before his metallic armor was peeled away by the invention, leaving the 3-inch-tall blob behind.

Maddie quickly trapped him in the thermos, and the three all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go get those other ghosts!� Jack exclaimed.

Danny’s hospital room

Danny was grinning in victory. Vlad was pissed, which amused him to no end. “Looks like you underestimated them after all, Vlad,� he taunted. If there was one thing he knew that Vlad hated, it was being bested by Jack Fenton.

“It won’t happen again, trust me,� Vlad assured menacingly. “Spectra, tell the ghosts not to hurt any of the patients yet, but if they come across the Fentons, use every advantage. Don’t hold back.�

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END OF CHAPTER 7
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Stasis – chapter 8

While the Fentons were heading toward the location of the next ghost on their radar, House and the other three doctors finally came out of their hiding spot behind the reception desk.

“House,� Chase said, “mind telling us why you were looking for that specific ghost? Is he connected to the case?� He asked, and all three doctors turned toward House for an explanation.

“While you guys were busy being useless, I’ve been looking into the latest news from Amity Park. The ghost I was looking for just happens to be one of the few ‘good’ ghosts out there. According to the report, he fights off all the other ghosts in the city when they attack. If anyone can answer my questions, he can,� House said.

“What happened to ‘everybody lies’?� Foreman asked, not really expecting an answer from his boss.

‘And exactly what questions were you going to ask this ghost?� Chase asked.

“Questions like why won’t you shut up,� House said, “or maybe what makes ghosts go to Amity Park in the first place? What makes it so different?� House mused, switching into his thinking mode. “And he has no reason to lie. He’s dead. Telling the truth wouldn’t have any consequences.�

“You think the reason Amity Park is haunted might have something to do with why Danny is sick?� Cameron asked.

“Yup. That, and to satisfy my own curiosity,� House responded. “I’m just going on a hunch.�

“You don’t have hunches,� Chase stated. “You’re House. You know things.�

“One thing I don’t know is why there’s a kid up there who’s slowly loosing motor function for no viable reason. He’s still sick for crying out loud! Most patients’ immune systems only attack healthy cells after the disease is taken care of.� House snapped.

“Maybe his immune system couldn’t take care of the disease. It’s obviously still around since he still has a fever,� Cameron suggested.

“I can’t believe you guys!� Foreman shouted. “We’re in the middle of a ghost attack here, and all you can think about is solving the case!�

“What else are we supposed to do?� Chase asked, “We’re stuck here hiding, the ghosts seem to be waiting for something to happen, and the Guillian barre could start to paralyze his diaphragm at any time unless we can figure out what’s causing it. Of course we’re going to use this time to solve the case!� he shouted back.

“Back to the differential. The fever indicates that it has to be an infection of some sort,� Cameron continued, stopping the pending argument before it started. “But one that the antibodies and white blood cells can’t fight off. When they’re produced by the immune system, they attack anything in their path. In this case that, unfortunately, only includes healthy cells.�

House stepped in. “Your forgetting about the disease, if it’s there, why isn’t the immune system attacking it instead of healthy cells?�

“It doesn’t matter. We can’t do anything about it right now,� Foreman said. “Even if we could check up on him, one of the nurses told me that something put all of the patients to sleep. We won’t be able to ask him anything.�

“Let’s go check on him,� House ordered suddenly.

“What?� Foreman asked, “Are you insane?�

“Yes, I am, but you all love me anyway. Now get up, we’re going to check on a patient,� House informed the trio, walking through the now empty hallway.

“But we can’t ask him anything,� Cameron pointed out.

“He’d probably lie anyway,� House responded.

Ghost fight

“There you are, ghosts,� Jack whispered as he spotted the Box Ghost and Lunch Lady while they were destroying the cafeteria. All the people there had long since fled, but they didn’t seem to care, or even notice. “No ghost escapes Jack Fenton!� he said enthusiastically.

Jazz, Maddie, and Jack all jumped out from behind the table at the same time, catching the two ghosts by surprise.

“Why hello dears, you three look positively famished,� The Lunch Lady said, taking in their appearance. They did indeed look exhausted. “Would you like something to eat?� She offered.

“Not from you, ghost!� Maddie answered, steeping in before Jack could say anything. Knowing him he’d ask for a three-course meal, and then some.

“THEN PERISH!� the Lunch Lady bellowed in one of her abrupt mood swings, causing the cafeteria supplies to come to life and start attacking the Fentons.

“Go get ‘em! There no match for you,� the Box Ghost cheered for his wife, enjoying seeing the three ghost hunters struggle. Unfortunately, this brought their attention to him as well. “I am the Box Ghost! Beware!� he shouted, flying out of they way of a blast sent by Jack.

…And right into the bright blue beam of the Fenton Thermos. A second later, he was trapped.

“You’d think he’d learn,� Jazz said, putting the cap back on the thermos. She turned her attention to the Lunch Lady and tossed the thermos to Maddie.

“Good job catching that ghost, Jazz!� Maddie shouted proudly as she grabbed the thermos from the air.

“How dare you trap him in that soup container! Face my wrath!� She shouted. “You won’t know what hit you…� She kept shouting as she was trapped in the Fenton thermos as well. Maddie had taken the opportunity to capture her while she was distracted by the rant.

“So, where’s the next ghost at?� Jazz asked her parents.

“According to the Fenton Finder,� Jack replied, holding up the device, “The nearest ghost is down that hallway.� He pointed off to the left.

“Tha… that’s pediatrics!� Maddie gasped, paling considerably. “There are little kids over there, Jack!�

“Then let’s go save them!� Jack shouted, ready to run down the hallway.

“Wait!� They stopped when they heard someone calling to them. The Fentons all turned and saw Tucker standing there, out of breath. “Wait up!� he called, trying to catch his breath, “I came as soon as I heard about the ghost fight. I’m here to help.�

“Wait…you’re in a hospital?� Jazz asked, astonished. “I thought you hated them.�

“Yes, now will you stop saying the H-word?� Tucker responded. “This isn’t a hospital. It’s just a cool video game store. Yup, no medical stuff here,� He started chanting. After a second or two, he snapped out of it.

“Well come on! We haven’t got any time to waste!� Maddie shouted as she led the group down the hallway to pediatrics. When they came bursting through the door, the three Fentons only saw a group of scared-looking patients huddled in the corner, looking up at a point in the air. Jazz immediately knew what was going on.

“It’s that pirate ghost!� Jazz shouted. She remembered their ‘vacation’ when Danny had made her act like a kid, and she had been able to see him. “We can’t see him!�

Youngblood looked smugly at the group. “You four are such lousy ghost hunters!� he taunted, knowing they couldn’t hear him. He did a few flips in the air. “How are you going to save them if you can’t even see where I am?� He laughed, grabbing a few things and preparing to launch them at the group.

“They may not be able to see you, but I can!� Tucker shouted at the ghost. “Quick, gimme something to hit him with!� Tucker said to the Fentons. A second later, he caught the lipstick container Maddie tossed to him

“What’re you going to do, geek, put the lipstick on and make me laugh?� Youngblood laughed. “Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya!� He taunted.

“Nope, and I’m tech-savvy, not a geek!� Tucker shouted, aiming the lipstick at the pirate ghost and firing. He hit him square in the shoulder.

“Hey! That hurt!� the young pirate cried, “You’ll pay for that one!� He said, his voice suddenly turning fierce.

“Let’s see you try,� Tucker responded, launching at the ghost.

While they were fighting, Jack and Maddie were getting the kids to safety. Jazz was trying to get in the right mindset to be able to see the ghost.

‘Think like a kid,’ Jazz thought. Memories from her childhood flooded into her mind. How she acted, thought, and what her opinions were when she was little. When she opened her eyes, she saw the young ghost floating there.

“I’ve got this!� she declared, jumping into the fray and helping Tucker to quickly defeat the pirate ghost. Within a minute, he was trapped in the Fenton thermos.

“But I didn’t get to see anything!� Jack whined, realizing that the fight was over. He wanted to have seen the ghost.

As they walked into the hallway, the kids rushed up to them, and the group was quickly surrounded. Cries of ‘thank you’ and ‘that was so cool!’ were heard all around them.

“We have to go now. But thanks for the support,� Jack said, parting the crowd of children easily.

“I still don’t get why we couldn’t see him,� Maddie mused as they left.

“Because, Mom,� Jazz explained. “He’s only visible to kids.�

“Hey! I’m not a kid!� Tucker protested.

“No,� Jazz responded with a smile, “But you act like one!�

“Jack, where’s the next ghost?� Maddie asked, effectively breaking up the impending fight.

“Upstairs,� Jack informed her. They all followed his lead to where Technus had taken over the power supply to the entire hospital. A minute later, they were in the control room, and Technus was facing away from them.

“You’re toast!� Maddie shouted, pointing an ecto-gun at the ghost.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,� Technus warned, smirking in an even more obnoxious manner than usual. He turned around to face them, and they saw that he was connected to the computer network.

“Give me one good reason why not, ghost!� Maddie challenged, not lowering the gun and firmly standing her ground.

“See these controls?� Technus asked, turning in a circle and indicating the room around them. It was covered in buttons, monitors and controls. “This room controls the electricity to every room in the hospital. Monitors, computers, TVs. Oh, and did I mention, the life support machines?� The ghost grinned. “Make one wrong move, and you can surely imagine what the consequences will be. All I have to do is turn off the power.� He ignored them, and turned his attention back to the monitors.

“He’s right you know, there’s no way we can harm him without endangering the hospital,� Jazz whispered. “If we do, all the patients on life support will be goners!�

“We just have to get him to focus his powers on something else,� Maddie said. “That’s the only way we can defeat him.�

“How can we distract him from technology?� Jazz pointed out.

“I have an idea,� Tucker whispered to them, his face breaking into a grin.

“What is it?� Maddie asked.

“You’ll see.� The tech geek said as he walked up to Technus. “I’ll bet this Hospital’s electronic controls were pretty easy for you to hack into.�

The ghost looked startled by the conversation, but turned his attention from the monitors and replied anyway. “Of course it was easy. As if I, Technus, master of all technology, would have problems hacking into a system such as this!�

“Please, a fourth grader could hack into it. I don’t think you could get past the new firewall and anti-virus software on my PDA, though,� Tucker countered casually.

Technus looked offended, “Of course I can, and I’ll prove it!� he snapped as he flew into the PDA. As soon as he did, Tucker immediately ran a fail-safe program that shut down the PDA And trapped all the data inside, including Technus.

“Well, that takes care of him,� Tucker said smugly, dusting his hands off. The three Fentons stared at him, jaws agape. “What?� He asked. “Just because I can’t pick up girls, doesn’t mean that I can’t talk people into stuff.�

“Where’s the next ghost?� Maddie asked, deciding to ignore Tucker.

“Near the P.A. system, I’m assuming,� Jazz said. They all listened and heard the music playing on the loudspeakers, recognizing Ember’s music.

“Let’s go!� Jack shouted. If he had been looking at the Fenton Ghost Finder at that point, he would have noticed that two of the four ghosts in Danny’s room had left.

Danny’s Hospital room

“Damn! How is it that they keep winning?!� Vlad spat angrily. He’d just received news of Technus’ capture from Desiree. “If I have to take care of this myself, both the Fentons and the ghosts who failed me will regret it!� he announced darkly.

“Anger Management, Vlad. Ever hear of it?� Danny laughed, unable to keep a smirk off his face at his parent’s success. The billionaire’s failure was a bonus.

Before the elder halfa could respond, both of them noticed the four doctors walking down the hallway. Vlad became invisible just seconds before House barged in.

“How is everything going down there?� Danny asked. He didn’t exactly need an update, but the doctors didn’t know that.

“Most of the ghosts are gone, but I think that one or two may be left,� Cameron

informed him. “Your parents fought most of them off.�

“Who cares? Since I can’t ask him, you’re going to have to tell me. Why is Amity Park filled with ghosts?� House asked impatiently. “What makes it so different.�

“What’s it to you?� Danny snapped back at House.

“Just answer the question,� Chase said, exasperated. He’d already dealt with a ghost fight that day. He didn’t want to have to stop a fight between House and a patient as well.

“Fine. I’ll answer. It’s because of my parents…I think,� Danny replied, deciding to be honest for once. “After they invented-� He stopped. ‘Should I tell them about the ghost portal?’ he thought to himself. ‘No, they don’t need to know,’ He decided. “Err… a bunch of ghost weapons, I guess the ghosts decided that they were a threat and went after them. Why are you asking me this, anyway?� Danny questioned.

“We just wanted to rule out any environmental causes for your illness,� Cameron said kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But that doesn’t seem to be the case.�

“And now we’re leaving,� House announced, walking out the door before Danny could say another word. The three other doctors looked shocked at his sudden departure, but Foreman and Chase followed him out anyway.

“We’ll be back in a sec,� Cameron said hastily, then left as well. When she was outside, she saw them standing right outside. “What’s with you? I thought that you wanted to check up on him?� She asked.

“I’ve just got one question,� House stated, “Why is he awake when every other patient in this hospital is asleep?�

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END OF CHAPTER EIGHT
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Stasis – Chapter 9 –

“Duck!� Maddie shouted over the loud blast of an ecto-gun, and all four members of the group dove to the floor, managing to avoid one of Ember’s blasts by inches.

“Come on ya old geezers, I’m getting bored over here!� Ember taunted as she struck another chord on her guitar, shooting another blast from it directly at them. The CD forcing the patients to sleep was still playing in the background.

Maddie, Jazz and Tucker dove behind a counter to avoid being hit. They knew they were loosing the fight badly. What they needed was time to regroup and form a plan. Jack had decided to keep on fighting, giving the others that chance.

“She’s tougher than the last two ghosts� Jazz said, looking over the counter at Ember, and firing an ecto-gun at her, knocking the singer ghost a couple feet to the left. She then ducked quickly, avoiding the blast that Ember sent their way. It seemed they were her second priority however, as Ember turned her attention back to fighting Jack.

“Every ghost has a weakness of some kind,� Tucker mused, firing a blast at Ember just as she was about to attack Jack again.

“I haven’t seen one so far,� Jazz said in an annoyed tone, keeping up the volley of blasts at Ember. The ghost threw up a shield to avoid their attacks, and went back to fighting.

“Her guitar,� Maddie said after a few seconds. “If we destroy her guitar, she won’t be able to use any of her most effective attacks,� she concluded. As the other two thought about what she said, Maddie pulled out three pairs of Fenton Phones. “We need to put these in our ears. That way her music can’t affect us� She explained, and then threw them each a set.

“But the song that she’s playing is only effecting the patients. What do we need these for? They wont have any effect� Tucker asked, looking doubtfully at the devices in his hand.

“Because she could change her tune at anytime. As a Fenton, we are prepared for anything and everything!� Maddie responded in a serious voice, ignoring the horrible pun she had just said. She glared at tucker, as if daring him to disagree, and shoot a blast over the counter as well.

“Plus Tucker, even if Ember isn’t trying to control us these still serve as communicators,� Jazz explained and tucker put them in his ears. “What I want to know is how we’re going to defeat her!� Jazz said.