Broken Phantom

-Danny-

The cold air of the Ghost Zone bit into Danny's skin as he pushed himself forward, holding both Sam and Tucker close as he streaked through the endless void. Frostbite. He had to get to Frostbite.

Sam's body trembled violently in his arms, her fingers twitching as she clutched at her head, gasping in pain. Her breaths were ragged, coming in short, agonized bursts. Tucker wasn't faring any better—his body was stiff, spasming in erratic jerks as pulses of blue electricity flickered along his spine.

Danny's jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. They did this.

Jack and Maddie Fenton.

The names rang in his head like a war drum, his anger swelling with every passing second. He could feel his energy radiating off him in thick waves, the air around him distorting as his emotions churned dangerously. He wanted to hunt them down, to tear through the entire Ghost Zone until he found them.

But Sam and Tucker came first.

FLASHBACK

"Why, why can't I stroll in there and turn their entire base into cosmic dust" he yelled out, looking at the ever-shifting ghost of Time.

"Daniel" he sighed "you can't".

"Oh, I assure you I can" eyes flashing dangerously. "It wouldn't even take more than a few moments".

Sighing again the Ancient of Time turned back to look at him.

"And tell me do you have enough control over your form to save your friends in the process without a probability of their death."

That stopped him in his tracks.

The old stopwatch was right as always, He was powerful but he had only begun to understand his powers and he would admit there were sometimes when he lost himself to them and simply let loose.

That was dangerous for everything and everyone around him.

"You are powerful Daniel, More so than any other, You are Omnipresent in all existence." He said making Danny shift on his feet a little. "You are omniscient, more so than even I. There are places even Time doesn't touch but No place that doesn't exist within a Space"

Clockwork Seemed to take pleasure in always reminding him of just how powerful he really was. And it always frightened him, to be honest. To hold this much power.

"You are only limited because of your Human Thinking and lack of Experience" He shifted into an old man. "but over time you will learn".

"I am advising you against this action not just because of what might happen, but also because I care about you and wish to see you regain what you lost."

He moved towards Danny putting a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eyes.

"Just be patient, It would be painful to watch and wait but after they are within your grasp you are free to do what you want with the GIW".

FLASHBACK ENDS

He sometimes wished he had ignored his mentor and just rushed in to save them.

But he had long learned that when the old Clock gave you advice it's best to listen to them.

Frostbite's sanctuary came into view, the great ice fortress gleaming against the swirling green sky. The yetis outside noticed him instantly, their eyes widening at the sight of the unconscious forms in his arms. They didn't ask questions.

The gates swung open, and Danny barreled inside.

"Frostbite!" he shouted, his voice cracking from its sheer force. "Help them!"

The yeti leader appeared almost instantly, his normally calm expression twisting into concern. Without hesitation, he and his healers lifted Sam and Tucker from Danny's grasp, carrying them toward the infirmary chambers carved deep into the ice fortress.

Danny followed, his breath coming in ragged, furious gasps.

Jack and Maddie had done this. His parents—no, those people—had turned his best friends into nothing more than puppets, playthings to be discarded the moment they stopped working properly. That made his rage burn through him like a blazing inferno.

He slammed his fist into the wall, ice cracking under his strength. "They're going to pay for this."

He had waited long enough, Clockwork had only advised him to wait until after he had gotten them in his hands. Now the plan was going to begin and he would burn everything the GIW, The Fentons, and Vald had built.

He would make them beg for the sweet release of Oblivion.

Frostbite turned to him, his wise eyes grave. "We will do all we can to heal them, Great One. But their wounds run deeper than the body."

Danny's fists clenched. "Fix them." His voice was low, dangerous. "Whatever it takes—fix them."

Frostbite nodded. "We will try."

Danny didn't answer. He was already planning his next move. Everything was already in place.

For weeks, he and Frostbite had been preparing for something like this. Ever since Danny found out what happened to Sam and Tucker.

It felt like a badly written play, betrayed only to find out that they were mind-controlled. A plot twist.

He had laughed, cried, and raged like never before.

Honestly, Clockwork was the only reason that the GIW---hell even the entire earth remained intact.

Frostbite had started gathering research, tracking ectoplasmic anomalies, and working with His healers to develop countermeasures.

Now, that Sam and Tucker were in his grasp the only fate for the GIW and Fenton was complete destruction.

And he would enjoy it very much.

-Maddie-

The Ghost Zone was vast and unending, and yet for the first time, Maddie Fenton felt trapped.

She and Jack had escaped the dungeons but only realized that they had no way of returning to Earth.

She and Jack ran through the jagged wastelands, moving swiftly through the eerie terrain.

Trying to put as much distance from Phantom and them as quickly as possible.

Every now and then, Maddie would glance over her shoulder, half-expecting to see a storm of green energy barreling toward them.

But so far, there was nothing.

Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, but it wasn't from fear.

It was rage.

Jack grunted as he leaped over a crumbling bolder, his boots skidding against the shifting terrain. "We need to get back."

"I know," Maddie snapped, her mind racing. "The GIW. They need to know."

Phantom. Alive. Thriving. Ruling.

It was a nightmare. A ghost—a creature of ectoplasmic corruption—had done the impossible. He had carved out a kingdom, a stronghold of spectral monsters, and was growing--had grown stronger.

This was worse than they had ever feared.

The world was in danger, and no one knew it but them.

Maddie's hands curled into fists as they ran. They had to reach the GIW. They had to warn them. The technology they had developed, the research they had gathered—it wasn't enough. They needed new weapons, and new methods, stronger than anything they had ever created before.

The thought of their failure burned at her. Sam and Tucker—useless now. Broken tools, cast aside when they no longer served their purpose. She had hoped they would last longer, that their programming would hold. But the interference of the Ghost Zone, of Phantom's corrupted energy, had somehow weakened their hold.

What else would cause a sudden malfunction in their flawless works?

She ground her teeth. He was always a problem.

Maddie wasn't blind—she had seen what Phantom was becoming He wasn't just a ghost anymore. He was evolving into something else, something beyond their understanding. A force that could shake the balance of both worlds.

He needed to be destroyed.

And she knew only they could do it.

Jack's heavy footfalls slowed beside her. "Mads… what if we can't get back?"

She glared at him. "We will."

They would find a way. The Ghost Zone was chaos, but there were still rules, still patterns. Somewhere out there was a tear, a weak spot in the dimensional barrier. And if they had to tear open reality itself to escape, they would.

And when they returned—when they came back to this wretched place—it wouldn't be just to hunt ghosts.

It would be to wipe them all out.

Every. Last. One.