trans_9 | From Science, With Love

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From Science, With Love

Honestly, Dustin hadn’t really thought of doing something like this until Danny forced him to prod at areas he shouldn’t be prodding at. Of course now that he had, it was possibly the best idea he’d thought of so far for solving The Major Issue.

Yes, capital letters. It is that important. It is important enough, in fact, that Dustin was risking another potentially dangerous encounter with the Command Crew and some self-righteous ghost child to achieve his ends—not to mention, a second crack at Stacy’s programming.

That would be the reason for why the scruffy man, a crazed look on his face and cellphone in hand, was running at top speed towards Neuropathy before he met opposition.

A quick check to his Omnicom told him that he was too late; Shitface and this Kennedy fellow were already on his tail. Frankly, those two were the least of his worries. Unless they were able to squeeze through the vents (or they were already in the area when the notice went out), Dustin had a healthy head-start on his target and should be able to get inside the Engineering Core without opposition.

So far that theory had gone according to plan. Dustin could see the door now, open and beckoning him inside; he could almost hear the AI whisper quaintly in his ear, ’I look forward to having you hack into my mainframe and temporarily shut down my internal physical defenses, it would be my pleasure to make this task as easy as possible for you…’

The haggard genius picked up his pace, a crazy glint in his emerald eyes. “See, Dustin?” he panted to himself just as he was about to cross the threshold, “That wasn’t so hard, was it?—“

((ooc: Mainly for Dustin and Danny, but I already know Security is going to pop in here, and onlookers are always welcome~ One main thread would be nice, though.))

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And that was right about when the door frosted over.

||Danny Fenton. Freezing the ship's doors has earned you 1 violation. Please do not do that again||

Like any distracted, arrogant mastermind at the threshold of world domination, Dustin ran into the frozen door. Fleshy intestine makeup or not, the impact was similar to colliding with a giant, refrigerated steak, and was thusly plenty powerful enough to stun him for several seconds.

Dustin recoiled dizzily, clutching his oversized, already crooked nose, quite aware of what body that blast belonged to. At least, he suspected he knew who it was. Hard to say when the guy was hiding from him!

“Why don’t you show yourself, you coward!” the scruffy man muttered dangerously, immediately reaching for his cellphone. Said device was repaired well enough that some scanning functions were working well; one such scan was of the thermal variety, and was what Dustin set it to. If the kid really was a ghost (and if he’d recently used any ice-based abilities no less), then there should be a nice patch of negative heat sitting close by.

“…Better yet, why don’t I find you instead?...”

The boy’s shape locked on to the screen, Dustin threw a nasty grin in his general direction.

“You’re late.”

Danny faded into view at the right side of the door, a shit-eating grin pasted on his face.

"Actually, I've been here for a whole minute. Timed freezing right before you ran into it intentionally."

So he was only a kid…a ghost, yes, but still a kid. Reminded him of a slightly younger version of Thalia (without the host body and mind to keep her company)—though now that he thought about it, could Thalia have been from the same universe that this one was? It was statistically extremely improbable that there would be only one dimension reserved for all the spirits of every conceivable universe, but in a way it almost made sense.

That is, unless the kid wasn’t really dead and this was an extreme form of an ability that Dustin never encountered before (such as the powers seen in Shades and other such entities)—or, you know, something similar. And that would be what had the genius so curious to see what he could do.

Dustin chuckled contemptuously. “Only a minute? Even after I told you exactly where I was going? I’m disappointed in you, kid—though I’ll admit, that cryogenic blast was mildly impressive. It certainly wasn’t first on my list of expected spectral abilities.”

He kept his phone out, in case the child turned invisible again.

“I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

"It's Danny," the halfa replied, crossing his arms.

Okay, so he wasn’t impressed with him. Not surprising.

“As if you want to know, my name’s Dustin,” the scruffy man replied dryly, taking on a swaggering stance. Still nobody around; if he had timed this correctly, then Shitface and the rest of the crew wouldn’t show up for at least ten more minutes. That should be plenty of time to get this over with.

“I want to make a deal with you.”

"Unless the deal is you give yourself up peacefully and wait for Security to get here so I don't punch you, sorry, but no." Danny said, his tone not sorry in the least.

Dustin smirked. This might be easier than he first thought.

“I would ask if you have telepathy, but if you read my mind, then you’d be dead,” the scruffy man quipped, “So I’ll call it a ‘lucky coincidence’. Yeah, that’s my side of the deal: I’ll go peacefully with Shitface and his cronies, and I will…”

He gulped, wondering if he could get away with leaving it off there. Eventually Dustin decided that Danny was smart enough (and had enough experience) to know that his wager was far from long-lasting. Besides, dealing with all this dramatic crap from the Command Crew was really starting to get on his nerves, not to mention it was severely restricting his available research areas.

“…I will no longer attempt potentially dangerous investigations on the ship without permission from the parties involved. Ever—unless not acting immediately could further endanger said people.”

Uggh. That was almost worse than working with politicians.

“In exchange for my continued cooperation, I want you to spar with me.”

Wait, what?

Danny facepalmed.

"For the last time no. You're probably trying to use it as a way to figure out what my powers are, which honestly I don't have a problem with, but it isn't a question of that. With how powerful I am, I can severely hurt someone, maybe kill them, if I'm not careful and they don't have some kind of physical advantage. And yes, I'm well aware that intelligence can take down someone superpowerful, but my worst enemy is a genius and has most of the same powers I do, and has more experience using them, and I still manage to regularly take him down."

Danny sighed, and continued. "So, again, take no for a damn answer already."

Dustin raised a thick brow, which was more laborious a task than it sounds.

“Why should you be concerned with my personal wellbeing?” he inquired skeptically, “If I had my weapons then I would still use them against you without worry for physical injury. Frankly the field’s even as long as I don’t have them.”

Cue an extremely arrogant grin.

“If you want to take the chicken’s way out, then fine. I’ll need a full description of your abilities, when they manifested, how they developed, and where you got them from, as well as DNA and blood samples. Then you’ll need a physical. Then I need to know everything else about your universe while I’m at it, just to be thorough.”

Part of this was just Dustin being difficult, but mostly…well, he’d have to get that information out of Danny at one point or another. Hopefully before Codi woke up.

"Uh huh. Weapons are really supposed to threaten me? I can name a ton of people straight off the top of my head who use weapons specifically designed to harm ghosts, some of them supposedly well-trained government operatives, and they still haven't managed to get anywhere near capturing one."

Danny got straight up in Dustin's face, his eyes flaring as Dustin spoke.

"DNA, blood samples, and a physical are out. You already proved you're unethical, and I've already been cloned once. While I do like one of the clones that came out of that mess I really don't want it to happen again."

Dustin again threw him the skeptical stare.

“Whoever said I wanted to clone you?” he blinked, remaining firmly planted, “The last thing I need is another person like you to deal with, not to mention it wouldn’t do me much good.”

In more favorable circumstances Dustin might’ve actually accepted the idea of making a clone—mostly to appease Codi’s ethical wrath—but studying a clone was like studying a photocopy of an ancient document. They weathered differently, the ink might not show up in places; it just wasn’t the same, ya know?

“Now look, I’ve given you all the available alternatives,” the scruffy genius held out his arms in mock apology, unfazed by Danny’s threatening proximity, “Either you choose my second option and this all resolves itself peacefully, or we spar, I get my information, and then you can stop worrying about me. If you choose neither, then I’ll struggle and you’ll have to fight me anyways, which gets us both in trouble with the AI. So what’ll it be?”

Danny lifted his hands, smirked, and blasted Dustin's feet with the blue glow of his ice powers, affixing the feet to the floor.

Dustin’s emerald eyes widened momentarily, a blast of cold rushing through his legs and up his spine. He…huh. He should’ve been expecting that.

Perhaps he hadn’t because he didn’t think Danny was such a cowardly cheater! Instant rage boiled up in Dustin’s chest and he began to struggle wildly, only to realize seconds later that this sort of approach wouldn’t do anything for him. Actually, Dustin remembered with a smug, toothed grin, his ASIS would be taking care of this problem shortly. It would be longer than just taking a shot at the ground with his V-12, but since he didn’t have that readily available, then that wasn’t exactly a resource Dustin had at his disposal.

He just needed to stall and make sure Danny didn’t leave.

“Crude, but I’ll give you credit,” Dustin sniffed, an involuntary shiver running up his back, “It’s just a shame that we couldn’t come to a consensus. When Security comes, and I go to the brig for a while, and they let me back out, I’ll be just as stubborn as ever. This escapade is earning neither of us anything—only wasting valuable time that could be better used learning about your abilities and being helpful towards the crew.”

"I'd like to point out that the people I actually trust, and are smarter than you? Know what my abilities are and have access to DNA samples. Anything you could do with my DNA that could help they can do a million times better."

Dustin again raised his brow.

“…Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear,” he quipped, using busy hand gestures to keep Danny’s eyes away from his feet, “I’m not using you to help the crew—by all means, you are the best user of your own abilities, even I know that much—no, having a full understanding of your powers is only for my benefit and curiosity.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

“And getting that information out of these supposed ‘smarter’ individuals would not only be inaccurate and idealistic at best, but it’d also take the fun out of things. Plus, what kind of dignified scientist mooches off the research of others?”

Just a little bit longer...

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Uh, all of them? I may not be able to carry on the Fenton tradition of being a genius, but I have at least looked at my parents' scientific journals. And I'm pretty sure every paper in there had a section for Works Cited."

He could’ve laughed at him, but that would’ve been too much.

“Not mine. All of my research is original, even with fundamental laws and theories—you’re parents just aren’t as smart as you think they are, you poor child you. Give them a few generations, they’ll catch up.”

…Dustin had another few seconds. That was enough time to rub it in a little more.

“—Oh, but you’re not as smart? Did the genius gene skip a kid? You have other siblings, don’t you?” he grinned contemptuously, “How does it feel to listen to everyone else in your family have an intelligent conversation while you’re at a complete loss of understanding? Pretty unnerving, isn’t it, knowing that they’ll use that information to become rich and famous while you rot in obscurity…Well, assuming they’re still alive. Too bad; what a waste of a collective mind…”

Danny burst out laughing. "Really, that's the best you can do? I don't give a crap about being famous, and If I actually did? Have you even BEEN in the statuary? There's a 12 foot tall statue of me in there."

And that was just the distraction that Dustin needed.

Over the past few minutes, the ASIS had steadily increased the flow of blood through Dustin’s legs and feet, rapidly heating up those areas by several degrees. Changes in the ice probably weren’t that dramatic, apart from a few droplets of water trickling down the sides and a mild draining of color from his face, but the end result was certainly noticeable. Shifting his weight slightly, Dustin detected that his solid prison was moving with him. Now would be a good time to take advantage.

The scruffy man suddenly lurched, his feet breaking clean through the ice; his momentum sent him barreling forward in a flying leap for the exit.

Yes, Dustin was running. The Sensoriums weren’t too far from here; if Danny was really so intent on keeping him in one place, then he should try to stop him. Not to mention that, if the action was quick enough and Danny didn’t have time to properly avoid/phase through it, Dustin might’ve actually tackled him.

Really Dustin, if you haven't learned by now? Danny CHEATS. As he so shows by freezing the floor beneath Dustin. Running on an ice slick? Not the best idea.

The ice made Dustin’s fall harder than he would’ve liked, but otherwise his momentum kept him sliding forward until he was near the end of the hall. He shakily lifted himself, using the high friction of his overcoat to his advantage by scooting it under his knees.

“…You really like that ice ability of yours, don’t you?” Dustin sniffed, venturing to stand. If only he still had his shoes…these plantsuits were to ice as soap was to expensive glass plates! “But honestly, is that the best you can do? Freezing flesh is hardly creative enough to earn any merit with me. Why don’t you try something more creative?”

Clearly getting Danny to spar with him was out of the question—though running to the Sensoriums would get him in the right place, he’d still have to get his consent before Stacy would allow them to fight without fear for accumulating Violations. No, Danny was only concerned with keeping Dustin from going anywhere, stalling him while Security made its way up to Neuropathy, and there appeared to be no way of swaying him otherwise.

The only way Dustin could figure to get the information he wanted was to play into Danny’s game—continue fidgeting, get him to become more creative with his methods, distract the distractor, that sort of thing. It shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish, considering (if only a little less enjoyable).

So, keeping in line with this new plan, the scruffy genius took advantage of his temporary footing and leaped around the corner, as if still attempting escape.

And an ice wall goes up in front of him

"Come on, I just said I wasn't a genius, not that I'm stupid. You're just trying to get me to use more of my powers. Newsflash buddy, it's not happening. Sides, have you actually paid attention to how humid this place is? Not exactly hard to freeze it, and the less energy I have to expend on your annoying ass, the better."

What he would do for that gun right now! Or, at least a lack of sensors. Dustin really didn’t trust those tentacles.

“Don’t you think Stacy’s getting a little irritated with you freezing her insides?” he folded his arms, eyes darting around as he searched furiously for new material, “Seriously. Have you ever gotten frostbite in your intestines? I’m sure it isn’t pleasant.”

Maybe there was a way to temporarily disable the sensors in this area…no, that wasn’t likely. From what Dustin had encountered, all ship security controls were inside Neuropathy, and the doorway to that was still nice and frozen. If only he had a way to melt it…

…Hmm. No, that would take too much effort. Decreasing the humidity would also take too much work. Then again…

Mind churning with new ideas, organizing them as he went, Dustin first tried the only remaining way out behind the floating ghost child. As soon as he was able to get a firm foothold on the slippery floor, the scruffy man abandoned all ideas of dangerous tentacles and threw himself at Danny in a sudden, flying leap. The kid’s reflexes were fast, but presumably Dustin’s premium-fueled brain was faster; either the two would collide, or Danny would become intangible and the genius would tumble through him. Either alternative was meant strictly as further distraction—and possibly instigation to get him to freeze the exit.

Danny reacted quickly, and tossed a snowball at Dustin's head, hoping that suddenly being distracted by a face full of ice would distract Dustin just enough to keep him from enacting the rest of his plan.

The adrenaline was pumping now. Dustin caught the snowball with the back of his overcoat as he rolled through the air, letting it melt against the rough fabric as he hit the ground. He also pulled his arms out of the sleeves.

Now all Dustin needed was for Danny to come a little closer.

“…You’re not taking this very seriously, are you,” he raised a thick eyebrow, flat on his back upon the icy floor. Regardless, he was still scooting for the exit.

"You haven't managed to get away yet, and I figure we have less than a minute before Security gets here. So, could you explain why I have to suddenly go all out on you?"

…That might be enough time. At the rate that Danny was slowly floating closer, Dustin calculated that he could get this over with before Security showed up. That is, if all went to plan.

“You don’t have to,” he shrugged, lifting himself onto his elbows, “Besides, who says I’m trying to get away?”

Just a little closer…

“If anything, I’ve been drawing you in this entire time.”

Perfect.

Dustin lunged, damp overcoat whipped out in front of him. A collision was expected and imminent. The outcome was completely dependent on what Danny decided to do in order to avoid it.

Danny, mostly due to 2 years worth of using it as his main form of dodging attacks, instinctively went intangible.

Even better!
Of course Danny completely avoided the attack, as it was feeble, incompetent, and completely worthless an onslaught against an incorporeal being (of all things). Dustin went right through him and landed heavily on the floor for…God knows how many times that ice has failed to break his fall.

But where is Danny?

The unfortunate ghost child will find himself inside a very different place, unfamiliar and churning with thought and memories. In deciding to phase through his attacker, Danny failed to realize that his exposed spirit was highly conductive towards the Water Element clogging up Dustin’s neural passages, which was known for trapping and submitting spirits. It was something that the genius had figured out during his extensive studies on Codi and Muse, a similar human/spirit pair permanently bonded due to Elemental bonds; it was also something he suspected would happen as soon as Danny suggested that he was a ghost, and something that was essential to learning how to further his research on the subject matter (as these pairs were understandably rare).

Now Dustin had absolutely no idea what would happen after Danny was trapped in his subconscious. Experience told him that most astral-projecting beings didn’t exactly favor his mind, since his thoughts were so quick and random and, quite frankly, dangerous to expose another spirit to. If Danny overshadowed in the traditional way that people from Dustin’s universe did, then he ran a great risk of being permanently detached from his physical essence. Otherwise, the barriers and the fleeting memories and the sheer complexity of thoughts flying past at blinding speeds would be enough to deter the occasional trapped specter.

Danny, though not entirely sure how exactly it had happened, still manage to recoginize thanks to prior experience that he was in another person's mindscape. A few experimental tests told him that he was not getting out the normal way, and thus he picked Plan B.

Reeling back, he slammed his fist into Dustin's thoughtstream. He was going to get out, and he was going to make sure Dustin regretted trying to trap him in the first place.

There were a few passing seconds of silence as Dustin waited for Danny to do something. He vaguely wondered if he’d killed him. That wasn’t so much concerning as it was bizarre, since he’d never encountered the full destruction of a spirit before (and frankly he didn’t think it was possible). All in the name of science, yeah?—

POW!

Dustin’s eyes swam, settling crossly by his nose that was beginning to bleed. Yep, Danny was definitely still alive in there.

So he decided to give him a little taste of what his brain—Dustin’s best weapon—was capable of.

There was a thought storm coming. Like a cloud it engulfed his subconscious, a screaming maelstrom of information and disjointed memories, bringing with it all the nastiest emotions Dustin could conjure. Danny would know exactly who he was dealing with.

Danny weathered the storm. Being disoriented was nothing new for him, and neither were nasty emotions.

"Okay, that's how you wanna play it huh?" Danny grabbed ahold of two disparaging thoughts, and pushed them together. If it worked like he was hoping, Dustin would be getting some VERY gross mental images right about now.

Those thoughts were going to cut through Danny’s astral hands like paper if he wasn’t careful; unlike whatever universe he came from, in Dustin’s world, a mishap in a brain was a mishap to the physical form (as evidenced by his bloody nose). Danny was gonna feel that for a while after he got out.

Broken hands or no, the equation for the midpoint of a line and the texture of greasy four-cheese pizza should never be mixed. Dustin’s mouth went dry and his stomach churned worse than his thoughts, brain pounding with the effort of comprehending such an image. If his mind wasn’t made as sturdily as it was, that union would’ve sent him into a small coma.

The storm subsided, only to be replaced by more precise attacks. A fraction of a memory rammed itself into Danny’s spirit, giving him a nice, long look at a cheese grater, covered in dry blood and flecks of skin and flesh. Absolute terror followed close behind.

Phobias were powerful things.

But, all the same, they were Dustin's phobia's, not Danny's. Still, it him fairly badly.

"You wanna play rough, we'll play rough." Danny said, flying upwards at superhuman speeds to ram into the edges of Dustin's mind.

It was like a really uncomfortable game of astral pinball in Dustin’s mind, and by this point he’d had quite enough of it. Any more exertion on either of their parts could result in serious injuries (not to mention Dustin would get into a lot more trouble than he was already in). Besides, he’d already gotten what he needed from this child, so continuing to fight with him was pointless.

It was also really starting to hurt.

”Looks like you win, kiddo,” Dustin thought, opening up a small gap in his subconscious as Danny threw himself at it, giving him an extra push of momentum on his way out, ”Go run along now. You’ve lost your usefulness I’m afraid.”

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