DP: M. of the Spirit Gems ch15

Within two hours, the museum had not only closed, but the sun was gone and the streets were emptying. Although the warmth of summer was still lingering in the beginning of autumn, it was beginning to cool down.

Sam, Jazz and Tucker got what they needed from the mayor's house—spy gear, ghost defences and Tucker's portable Ghost Portal which he had finished creating the night before. Maddie and Jack went to the Fenton Residence to gear up as well, including bringing the RV and setting up communications, and especially not forgetting Fenton Thermoses, including the very same Danny used so often to capture Ghosts.

And considering they had to keep a low profile, Sam, Tucker and Jazz wore black clothes: Sam put on a black top and skirt, along with matching boots; Tucker wore black pants, a black sweater, and only traded his red beret for a darker one for that mission; as for Jazz, she had on a black jumpsuit, and a black turtleneck.

After meeting up with Johnson and listening to what he and Andy had to say about the expo, Sam tightened her utility belt and looked at everyone. They had parked the RV and Tucker's SUV across the park, keeping the museum in full view yet remaining hidden. "Okay, gang," she said, "Here's what we're going to do: Tucker, Jazz and I will come in from the top over the exposé while Mr. and Mrs. Fenton will keep track of the security guards down the other halls. Once we're on the roof, Tucker will crack into the security system and rewire the cameras in that room to make it look like nothing's happening. Then he'll rewire the others and send a signal back to the RV, where Dr. Johnson will keep a watchful eye over the entire progress, as well as control the communications. Once we've got the jewel, we get back out as fast as we can before they recognize Tucker. We'll set up his portable Ghost Portal and slam that gem into place. Am I clear?"

"Crystal!" Jack replied as everyone gave her the thumbs up.

Sam looked at her son, who was sitting quietly on a chair in the utility van. "You stay here with Dr. Johnson, okay, Sweetie?" she said. "It's too dangerous for little boys to go out."

Andy was quietly playing with his Danny Phantom toy while swinging his legs. He looked up at his mother and nodded, but no smile reached his lips. "Okay," he said, though anyone could tell that he was not very pleased about missing out on a rescue mission.

Johnson turned in his chair and looked at the boy. "Tell you what; you can help me keep an eye on the cameras, and when they come back, you can help your Uncle Tucker put in all the gems," the British man announced. "How does that sound?"

Andy looked up at him as he spoke and then looked down at his toy again. "Sure," was all he said.

Jazz tucked a Thermos in her belt and pulled out a grappling gun. "Then let's put this rescue mission to work, Team Phantom!" she said boldly.

*****

They arrived discretely at the museum; Jack and Maddie immediately split and ran to different sections to keep an eye on the security guards; Tucker rewired the outdoor cameras and gave them the appearance of watching nothing; and then he, Jazz and Sam shot up their grappling hooks, snagged onto the roof and scaled the building.

Arriving at the top, Tucker led them to the skylights which overlooked the Ghost expo. They crouched down while he pulled out his night vision goggles and placed them over his glasses.

"That's a long way down," Jazz muttered.

"It'll feel a lot longer than it looks," Tucker added, removing his goggles. He looked at Sam. "There are lasers all over the place in there, Sam. They shoot out from every painting, every display unit, every wall. We're talking about spaces large enough to fit our foot, if we're lucky."

"Then we'll just have to redirect them," Sam said, holding up a small mirror.

"Where the heck did you get that?"

"I may be goth, Tuck, but I'm still a woman. I need a mirror to see where I put my makeup, Birdbrain."

"Just asking."

Sam looked through a window while Jazz was busy cutting one out of its frame. "There's the gem," Sam announced, pointing at its display. "If it's still there, then the ghost who framed Tucker mustn't have come after it yet."

"That's good and bad," Tucker announced as Jazz removed the first piece of glass. "We still need to get past the security system, and what's worse, I still don't know what the combination of the code to the display is. If I get caught, I can get us all in boiling water, never mind get sent to jail."

Jazz and Sam looked at each other for a moment, contemplating on the consequences that could occur, and then shrugged the matter aside before getting back to work. "I can live with that," Jazz announced.

"Can't be any worse than spending detention with Mr. Lancer," Sam added.

Tucker looked at them and rolled his eyes. "Fine, who cares," he muttered sardonically. "I mean, I'm only the mayor of Amity Park; I'll only lose my reputation and my house and everything else that came along with it."

"Lighten up, Tucker, it's not like you're actually stealing it," Sam reassured him as they each tightened their belts and fastened their bungee ropes to the roof. "I mean it is your gem."

"Technically speaking, it's the museum's. And I could get in big trouble if I'm caught stealing from the museum, Sam."

"You won't get caught. And neither will we."

Jazz placed her feet against the edge and looked at Sam and Tucker. She smiled boldly. "For Danny," she whispered.

Sam smiled back. "For Danny."

Tucker, finally getting over his concerns, grinned and pushed back his beret. "For Danny."

Together, they leaped into the open space inside and slid down slowly until they were only a few inches over the first set of lasers. From afar, they looked like giant spiders hanging over their web.

"Okay, so far, so good," Sam whispered. "Take out whatever you've got to reflect the lasers, guys."

Tucker and Jazz pulled out anything they had, from magnifying glasses to makeup mirrors or jewellery. Carefully, they lowered their arms into the sea of lasers and placed the objects in front of the lines of red light.

"Okay, here's what we gotta do," Tucker instructed. "Try to redirect the laser at its point of origin. If you hit the target right on, it should deactivate the laser. Don't do all of them, it'll take too long. Just do the ones that will let you get through to the ground."

They set off to work at redirecting the lasers. It was not an easy task, especially if you were keeping an eye on where your body was in comparison to the lasers.

Jazz managed to deactivate her first one. She sighed loudly. "Got one down," she whispered.

Sam did the same with hers. "Me too," she added.

"Me three," Tucker replied, deactivating his. "If you take one more out, Sam, we should be able to get down lower."

Sam did what she was told and then all three of them lowered themselves down to the next set of lasers.

Their ear pieces beeped. "You guys have forty minutes before the security guards come check your area," Maddie's voice whispered. "We'll try to stall them as much as we can, but if they recognize us you're on your own."

"Forty minutes isn't much to work with," Tucker muttered worriedly, wiping his forehead after getting through his next laser. "Man; Danny made this job so much easier by going intangible."

"Well, we can't do that, so we'll have to work with what we've got," Sam replied. She looked up at a security camera and placed a finger against her ear. "How's it looking, Dr. Johnson?"

"Perfect, no one suspects you yet," Johnson's voice replied. "You are doing a magnificent job with the lasers."

They continued on working downward slowly for the next thirty minutes. By then, Jazz, Sam and Tucker had managed to travel down low enough to reach the display unit of the jewel.

"Man, I feel like I'm in a movie!" Jazz said excitedly. "Or a video game!"

"A video game that's about to get hard," Tucker replied, lowering himself down to the case. He landed lightly on his feet. "You girls cover my back while I try to decipher the new code. I'll scan the pad for fingerprints."

Sam and Jazz put away their laser reflectors and pulled out a weapon of some sort. They held it at the ready, looking about for any signs of ghosts.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sam muttered softly, looking around. She held her gun up. "Where's Danny's ghost sense when you need it?"

"Who says you need it, my dear?"

Sam gasped and swung around, just as Tucker and Jazz did the same. Leaning against the wall like a spider, was a black ghost that almost looked like the type of ghost Penelope Spectra was. Only this one was clearly male, and his eyes were filled with even more evil than Danny old enemy.

"That looks like one of the Shadow Ghosts," Tucker whispered in horror. "Those things are not easy to beat!"

Jazz pointed her gun at it. "Stay back, Ghost!" she growled. "We know how to use these things, and we're not afraid to use them!"

The ghost smiled. "Obviously you are, or else you would have shot me by now," he said deeply.

Sam held up her weapon. "Keep working your magic, Tuck," she instructed. She glared at the ghost. "If you really are a Shadow Ghost, then we know you're weakness. Bright lights."

"My, my, you certainly know your ghosts," the black spirit chuckled. "Danny Phantom taught you all quite well."

"How do you know him?"

"Every ghost in the Ghost Zone knows who he is. He's the most powerful spirit in both worlds, known by all, feared by most." The ghost placed a hand on its chest. "But enough about what you already know. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shade, the most feared ghost hunter in the Ghost Realms."

"I thought that was Skulker?" Tucker muttered.

The Ghost looked at him. "Skulker is skilled, yes," he said. "But any ghost who's been defeated by Danny Phantom is of no threat to me. I happen to be the only one he's never vanquished."

"Probably because he's never met you before," Jazz pointed out.

Shade smiled darkly. "Oh, not true ," he said. "Danny has met me before; several years back, actually. At NASA. Gathering samples and unknowingly floating onto my hunting grounds. He entered my realm, and with the Spirit Gems, he was an even bigger prize."

"So you're the ghost that attacked him!" Sam gasped. "Why do you want him? He destroyed the Ghost Keeper, who was probably a hundred times stronger than you are! Danny could beat you in a second!"

Shade raised his head. "Perhaps when he is whole, he can ," he said. "But unfortunately, his real body is lying in suspended animation, which means that he is not nearly as powerful as he once was."

Sam shook her gun. "Shoot!" she scolded. "Danny's powers must have been split when he lost his body, Tucker!"

"Not split, Sam," Tucker replied without looking up. "Just weakened. He's still incredibly powerful, but without his human half, he's just a ghost."

"A ghost with the only amount of strength to unleash Ultimate Control ," Shade finished. "He's a valuable prize for many, now ." He bared his jagged teeth. "And now that I know of his location, I just need the two last gems and he's all mine. Once I destroy his body, his spirit will weaken and break, rendering him ripe for the picking. Think of all the power I can behold when Danny Phantom meets his Maker! All that energy will be transferred to me!"

"How do you know of his location?!" Jazz gasped.

Shade looked at her stupidly. "I'm a ghost," he said. "I can phase through walls and peep through windows unseen, and eavesdrop on what you silly humans plan to do. I thought you knew that already."

"Great! That's just great! Tucker, are you almost done?!"

"Gimme a break, Jazz!" Tucker snapped. "It's not as easy as it looks!"

Shade crouched and growled. "I have searched for his body since I met him ," he said. "And I will not let a group of puny humans stop me."

Sam pulled out the ghost light from her belt. "Guess again, Ghost!" she said, turning on the flashlight.

The bright light streaked across the room and fell over Shade's body. The ghost hissed and covered his eyes, but after a moment grew used to it and smiled deviously.

Sam stared in dismay. "I don't get it," she said. "You should be doubling over in pain by now!"

"I'm not a mere Shadow Ghost, Dear ," Shade replied. "I've also unlocked many other abilities, including a defence against bright lights. The only light that can defeat me is the one within the most powerful ghost, but considering he isn't here, I don't need to worry about it."

Jazz lowered her gun. "What did you mean by other abilities?" she asked worriedly.

Shade laughed darkly and floated towards them. His body began to take a different shape before their very eyes, one that they all recognized.

Sam gasped and poked Tucker with her gun, catching his attention. "Tucker, I think I just found your framer," she said nervously.

Tucker turned his head in Shade's direction and gasped. "He can morph?!" he exclaimed.

Hovering in Shade's place was in fact, Tucker; the only difference was that he was not only floating in mid air, but his eyes were glowing red.

"He's learned how to shapeshift!" Sam gasped in shock as she and Jazz raised their weapons again.

Shade smiled cunningly. "I bet Danny Phantom doesn't know how to do this, does he?" he spoke in Tucker's voice.

"Great!" Tucker complained, getting back to his work. "Now I've got a twin to worry about!"

"You certainly are a powerful man, Mr. Foley," Shade replied. "Those clerks were stupid enough to actually promise not to tell you the code." The ghost transformed back to its original state and its smile disappeared. "But now, I am through playing games ," he said. "I've come to retrieve the Spirit Gem, and with it I expect to take the other three. Now hand it over, or expect to be attacked."

"Attacked?" Jazz laughed. "It's three against one!"

"Technically, it's two against one, Jazz," Tucker muttered, continuing to work on the code.

"Whatever. You're still out numbered, Ghost! So there!"

Shade smiled darkly again. Just as he did, five other spirits like him, only smaller, phased through the wall.

Sam glared at Jazz. "Next time you want to jinx our luck, do it when Danny's around to lend a hand!" she snapped.

Shade pointed at them. "Stop them!" he hissed. "And bring me the jewel!"

*****