Broken Phantom

-Maddie-

The cold, dimly lit room reeked of ectoplasmic residue and iron. The walls were thick with reinforced ghost-proof steel, humming faintly with anti-ectoplasmic energy. It was a prison, one designed to hold creatures of the undead—but for now, it held her. Maddie Fenton sat against the cold metal, her mind working as sharply as ever, not in fear, not in regret, but in unshakable conviction.

The cold of the dungeon seeped into my bones, but I refused to show weakness. Not here, not now. Jack sat slumped against the wall beside me, his bulky frame unnaturally still. His usual bluster was gone, replaced by a silence I'd never seen before.

She had been captured, humiliated, and restrained by the very creatures she had sworn to eradicate. It was a setback, but nothing more. She would not be here forever. She would not be kept like an animal by ghosts and their traitorous allies. The mere thought of her children—no, former children—turning against her made her lip curl in disgust.

"The ghosts must have poisoned their minds," Maddie whispered to herself, her voice sharp as glass. "Danny, Jazz… they were weak. I should have been harder on them. I should have ensured they understood the truth."

Her fingers twitched with barely restrained fury. Danny was always a disappointment, and now he had become the very thing she had sworn to destroy. A monster. A plague.

The name Phantom burned in her throat like bile. That abomination, that thing masquerading as her son, had fooled everyone. But not her. Never her. Phantom was nothing but a parasite, a creature playing human, a liar infecting everything he touched.

She had spent years studying ghosts, dissecting them, and understanding their weaknesses. Her work, her mission, was holy. Her hands were clean because her purpose was righteous. And soon, she would prove it.

They had been moved from the first dungeon to this one a while ago, After that Abomination had come to Interrogate them.

Flashback starts

The chains were tight around Maddie's wrists as she was dragged through the eerie, pulsing halls of the Ghost Zone stronghold. The air crackled with raw energy, the unnatural green glow of the torches casting long, flickering shadows. The chill of the Ghost Zone bit at her skin, but it was nothing compared to the fury boiling in her chest.

Now, they were being brought before him. Phantom.

No, not Phantom.

Danny.

She clenched her teeth as the ghostly guards flanking them pulled her forward. If Danny thought that locking them up, starving them, and humiliating them would change her mind about what he was—what all ghosts were—he was sorely mistaken.

The ghosts thought they had won, locking her and Jack away like criminals, but they had no idea who they were dealing with. The thought of being held captive by Phantom—by the creature that had once pretended to be her son—made her stomach churn. Danny had been a failure, a pathetic excuse for a Fenton, and now he had become an even worse abomination.

She and Jack had spent years perfecting their research, studying ghosts, and understanding their weaknesses. They were humanity's last defense, the only ones who truly saw ghosts for what they were—monsters. If the world refused to listen, then it would suffer for its ignorance. The only solution was complete extermination.

She glanced at Jack, who was silently flexing his bound wrists, testing the strength of the ghost-forged restraints. His face was set in a deep scowl, his usual bluster replaced with cold calculation.

"They think they will win," he muttered. "They think we're weak."

Maddie smirked. "Let them think that. It'll make our escape all the sweeter."

A loud creak echoed through the chamber as the doors to their cell opened. Ghost guards stepped forward, their glowing eyes unblinking as they motioned for the two to rise. Maddie and Jack exchanged a glance before standing, their expressions unreadable.

This wasn't an interrogation. It was an opportunity.

The Throne Room

The great doors of the throne room creaked open, revealing an enormous chamber bathed in eerie green light. The walls were inscribed with glowing runes, pulsing as though alive. At the far end, sitting atop a grand obsidian throne was him.

Danny—Phantom—watched them with a neutral expression, his glowing green eyes unreadable. To his left, Jazz stood with her arms crossed, a disappointment just like her brother. To his right, Valerie leaned against the wall, a traitor to her own kind. The mere sight of them made Maddie's blood boil.

They were all brainwashed. Puppets to the very monsters that needed to be wiped from existence. And Danny—the thing that dared to wear their son's face—was the worst of them all.

Danny leaned forward, his fingers steepled. "Jack. Maddie." His voice was controlled, almost calm. It sickened her. "Do you know why you're here?"

Jack let out a bark of laughter. "Because you're afraid of us."

A whisper of energy flickered around the throne, a warning. Danny's expression changed, an almost amused look on his face "Now, Why would I be frightened by 2 poor excuses for human life"

She grits her teeth at that, it seemed he wanted to antagonize them but she wouldn't let it get to her.

"Why are we here?".

He leaned back on his chair.

"You are here to answer for your crimes. You experimented on ghosts. Tortured them," Danny said, his voice sharp. "You think that's justified?"

Maddie scoffed. "We studied them. We did what was necessary. Ghosts aren't living creatures. They're parasites, invaders. They don't belong here."

-Danny-

Danny's eyes darkened. "And what about me? I am- was your son, was I not?"

"You chose this," she spat. "You let them consume you."

Danny exhaled, slowly and measured. "I didn't choose to die, Maddie."

Jack's voice rang out with a scowl. "Then you should have stayed dead."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Jazz's sharp intake of breath was the only sound in the chamber. Valerie's hand twitched toward her weapon. Even the ghostly guards shifted uneasily.

Danny didn't flinch. Didn't react. He just looked at them, his glowing eyes eerily calm.

"That's what you really think," he murmured. It wasn't a question.

Jack clenched his fists. "You stopped being our son the moment you became one of them.

Jazz flinched, and even Valerie's confident stance wavered. But Danny? Danny didn't move. He simply sighed and stood, the power in the room surging as he did. The very air vibrated with his presence, thick with energy. The guards tensed, their grip tightening on Maddie and Jack's arms, but the Fentons didn't flinch.

For a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze. Then, Danny stood. The power in the room surged instantly, a wave of energy pressing down on everyone present. The very walls trembled at his presence.

"Take them back to the dungeon," he said coolly. "We're done here, I've heard all I wanted."

The ghost guards stepped forward, gripping Jack and Maddie's arms, but neither of them resisted. Maddie's gaze burned into his face, as if trying to find something. But she found nothing. Just cold resolve.

As they were dragged away, Maddie lifted her chin defiantly. This wasn't over. He knew that.

Flashback ends

-Maddie-

If they thought she would break they were dead wrong she was going to escape even before The GIW got here and destroyed Phantom herself.

She reached into the torn hem of her jumpsuit, pulling out a small, circular device no larger than a watch face. The interface flickered to life, a dim red glow illuminating the screen. The frequency was still connected. Perfect.

"The fools thought they could take everything from me," Maddie murmured, scrolling through the data. "But they didn't check for bio-synced implants."

Her lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Let's see if the subjects are still operational."

She pressed a command key, and the signal pulsed outward, seeking its targets.

-Sam-

The moment the sensation returned, Sam knew what was happening. A sharp, electric pulse shot through her skull, rattling her thoughts and flooding her mind with that voice—that overwhelming, suffocating voice. It was louder this time, more forceful, pressing against every part of her consciousness like a vice. The small, desperate scream that had always resisted at the back of her mind faltered, then went silent.

She didn't fight it. She couldn't fight it.

Her body obeyed without question. Her mind, clouded and heavy, accepted the command as though it had always been her own thought. She blinked slowly, her gaze unfocused but steady. There was something she had to do. A task that had been set before her.

She was entering the tournament.

The ghosts had to be distracted. That was her purpose. That was what had to happen.

She took a step forward, moving with perfect composure. Somewhere, she knew Danny was watching, that he was watching her, that he had no idea she wasn't herself. A distant part of her wanted to scream, to call out for help, to warn him. But that voice—the small, fragile piece of herself—was gone. Swallowed by the unyielding force that dictated her every move.

Her mind is now clear and sound with its mission.

The plan was simple: keep everyone's attention on the tournament. Keep Danny occupied. Make sure no one noticed what was happening behind the scenes.

What Tucker was doing.

She didn't know how she knew, but she did. Somewhere far from the arena, Tucker was moving, following his own orders. He was freeing the Fentons. He was doing exactly what needed to be done. And she wanted him to. It was the right course of action. It was the only course of action.

The weight of the command settled over her like a shroud, pushing down every errant thought, every flicker of doubt.

She stepped into the arena, her body moving with purpose, her expression unreadable. The crowd roared, oblivious to the war raging beneath her skin.

She was ready to play her part.