Ghost Hour Chapter 1
by ~Zolem

"Step on it Grandpa, he's getting away!" Ben Tennyson shouted. The kid was quite anxious as he stood at the front of the old RV camper, looking out the front window. Few would assume that this ten year old kid was one of the greatest heroes to grace our fair planet. With the aid of the Omnitrix, a watch like device strapped to his wrist, Ben could change into a variety of alien species and use their natural abilities to fight crime. In fact, one of those forms was the reason they were there right then, going fifty over the speed limit.
"Don't worry Ben, he won't be getting away." Max stated. Max Tennyson was Ben's grandfather, advisor, and driver since his feet couldn't reach the peddles yet. He was also a retired intergalactic cop in an organization known as the Plumbers.  This rather exciting summer had all started when he'd taken the kids camping and the Omnitrix crashed into the forest where Ben had picked it up. "He can run, but there's no way he can outrun the Rustbucket…uh oh." That last part was brought on by the flashing lights in his rearview mirror and the wail of sirens. Not wanting to make too much trouble with the local law enforcement, he was forced to pull over.
"Oh great, the police. What are we supposed to tell them, that we were driving ninety because we were chasing a ghost?" Gwen, Ben's cousin asked. The last member of their three man (and woman) band, for a while she hadn't had much to contribute to the team. However after the recent defeat of the witch Charmcaster and the theft of her spellbook Gwen had been gaining some magical prowess.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this." Max said as he rolled down his window. "Hello officer, what seems to be the problem?"
"Sir, do you have any idea how fast you were going?" the officer asks in a bored, professional tone.
"It's not his fault it was an emergency!" Ben chimes in with his usual lack of tact or patience.
"Oh really what sort of emergency kid?" the officer asks, bemused.
"Well um…." Ben is at a loss for words not sure what to say.
"We saw a ghost and ran." Gwen provides in a total deadpan.
"What really? Um, hold on a second." the officer replies, heading back to his car and pulling out his radio. Max, concerned, turns on his own police scanner to turn into one of the last conversations he would ever expect to hear.
"Hello base? Car 613 here. Yeah we got a motorist calling in fleeing from a ghost at high speed, please advise."
"Car 613 this is Base that is a code 4LR89G Unsafe Driving due to Ghost Fear, are they from out of town?"
"Yep, out of state even."
"Alright give them a warning then and keep an eye out for the ghost. Need any backup?"
"Nah, can't be much of a ghost if they outran it in a beat up old RV. Car 613 out."
After giving them a warning and waving them along, all of them in a state of somewhat shock. "I can't believe that actually worked." Gwen noted, her shock clear in her tone of voice.
"Never mind that, we lost Ghostfreak. Now how are we supposed to track him down?" Ben complained.
"I think I have the solution to that problem well in hand." Max noted, pointing to the town ahead and the sign out front that welcomed visitors. The sign read 'Welcome to Amity Park! As long as you're not a ghost in which case please please please go away we have enough of you guys already!"
"Oooh a haunted town. How fake can you get? I bet that guy thinks we got scared by some trick they set up and didn't want to get in trouble." Ben noted. "I mean, like there's such a thing as real ghosts."

Meanwhile….
"Beware! I am the Box Ghost! Lord of all that is square and containing!" the translucent blue pest bellowed in an overly dramatic fashion that was quite frankly humorous as he levitated a large shipping crate above his head.  "And within this place I shall crush you with the belongings of...Shnapford Photoframe Corporation of Lower Milwaukee! Bua ha ha ha ha ha!" he stated more than laughed, sending the large crate at his target.
Danny for his part looked mostly bored. Once a normal high-school kid, Danny was forever transformed by an accident involving his parents experimental ghost world portal. Now, unbeknownst to them, Danny Fenton has the power to become the half-ghost hero known as Danny Phantom. His parents are kinda dumb like that. As Danny Phantom, Danny has access to a wide variety of ghostly powers. Such as intangibility which he uses to let the crate harmlessly pass through himself. "Seriously? Why do you even bother?" he notes, bored out of his transparent skull. Resolidifying, he pulls out his trusty Fenton Thermos and uses the energy beam to such the Box Ghost into it, imprisoning him. "Hah, and Sam and Tucker were worried I might need back up. It's just the Box Ghost, nothing I can't handle." That was when his ghost sense, a breath of cold air that alerts him to the presence of other ghosts, went off. Looking over, he saw a completely new ghost.
This new ghost was quite the sight to behold. A muted purple body ending in a 'ghost tail', long dark claws, and an upside-down distorted skeletal face with one glowing reptilian eye was freaky enough. Add in a chest full of zebra stripped tentacles and the feeling of unusual solidity coming from the ghost, and it just really felt off. "Well never seen you before. Let me guess, your name is Skull Face? Upside Down Guy? Dark Claw? Tentacle Chest? Let me know when I get close." Danny quipped, assessing the situation and hoping to learn more. Lots of ghosts, and not just Technus, loved to rant if they got the chance.
"None. I am known as Ghostfreak. Who, or more precisely what, are you supposed to be?" the odd figure asked.
"Danny Phantom. Half ghost and banisher of those that would haunt the world of the living like yourself. So why don't we skip to the part where I kick your evil butt and throw you back into the ghost dimension with all the other weird ghosts?"
"Others like me you say?" Ghostfreak asks, coming in closer to better examine the half-ghost. "Do you mean just like me or merely ectoplasmic?" he asked, looking deep in thought.
"Um the second one. I've never seen a ghost that looks like you. So, yeah can we cut to the part about your evil plans so I can defeat you and send you back where you belong?" Danny asked, feeling rather uncomfortable about where this conversation was going.
"Evil plans? Why, you wound me dear boy! Do you assume I'm evil just because I look odd?" Ghostfreak asks in reply, a quick and subtle smile crossing his face as Danny tries to stammer a denial. "You claim you'd put me with others like myself, but no. Once again it's just other ghosts, ghosts that will mock me for my appearance, tease me and bully me. Oh I know what you're thinking, I look fierce! But sadly that's all it is, looks. I just want to find a place to belong. Can't you just let me be on my journey?" he bemoans.
"Oh, well, um, geez I don't know what to do, I mean if people see you they're going to panic." Danny counters, trying to keep from seeming like the bad guy in this conversation.
"I'll stay out of sight, I promise! I just need a place to lay low for a bit to escape the ghost hunters."
"Wait, ghost hunters? What ghost hunters?" Danny asks, looking a bit more focused now that it seemed like there was a problem he could handle.
"Oh yes, it's a horrible old man and his two grandchildren that he brings along with himself. They've been chasing me across several states. They want to dissect me to figure out how my powers work so they can add them to their arsenal. The mad scientist has already made his grandson some sort of shape shifter, and the girl practices dark arts of sorcery. I've been fleeing for my after life." Ghostfreak explains.
"OK, that's just wrong. Listen, just lay low. I'm going to track these sickos down and take care of it. Something like that has definitely got to be stopped. We'll talk later." Danny notes, phasing through the ceiling. Then popping right back in to ask "Um, what do they look like?"
"An old man in a Hawaiian shirt, a ten year old kid in a white shirt with black stripes wearing a big green watch thing that he uses to shapeshift, and the girl is a red head with a black cat's face on her shirt. They drive around in what looks like a rusty RV, but it has hidden weapons on it."
"Thanks, especially for the weapons part. Oh, and if you're lying, just know I'm going to kick your butt even harder." Danny notes as he pulls himself back out, flying off to find the ghost hunters.
Waiting a minute to make sure he was truly alone, Ghostfreak then started to laugh. Tricking him to go after the Tennysons had been easier than he could have imagined. Now, on to his evil plans of world domination.