The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

by James Patterson



Twelve years after the murder of his parents, fifteen-year-old alien Daniel X has taken up the task of his parents as Defender of Earth. In the sewers of Portland, Oregon, he defeats number 19 on the List of Alien Outlaws on Earth, Orkng Jllfgna, in hopes of working his way up to number 1: The Prayer, the alien who murdered Daniel's parents.

Daniel then leaves to go to Los Angeles in search of number 6 on his List, Ergent Seth. While traveling, he spends a night in the woods, camping with the "friends" he conjured up with his powers: Joe, Willy, Emma, and Dana.

The next day, Daniel arrives in LA. With the help of his "family", which he created, he rents a house. The next day, Daniel decides to go to school, a first in his life. At the end of the day, he bumps into Phoebe Cook, who is also new to the school.

Daniel decides to search the city for clues about the whereabouts of Seth, and stumbles in upon a child-slave and drug-dealing operation.

The following day after school, Daniel walks Phoebe to his house, which he finds destroyed. Soon after, he is contacted by Seth, who again warns him to leave LA.

The next day, Daniel goes back to school and, so as not to seem too smart, purposely flunks a history test. After the test, Phoebe tells Daniel why she had changed schools. A few months before, Phoebe's sister, Allison, had been abducted without a trace. Daniel suspects it to be the work of Seth and hurries home.

After his house is compromised again, Daniel feels it is unsafe to return, so he goes to spend the night with Phoebe. They plot to go to Malibu the following day to investigate Allison's disappearance.

The next morning, Daniel awakens to find Phoebe missing. He finds Phoebe near the school. He talks to her, and she transforms, revealing herself as Ergent Seth in disguise. Seth deactivates Daniel's powers, shoots him, and drags him into a spaceship. The ship flies away from Earth as Daniel is put into a cell for the duration of the trip. He summons his friends, who begin reconnaissance.

Daniel is taken to the bridge as the ship comes to Alpar Nok, Daniel's home world. It has been taken over by Seth and his henchmen, killing or impoverishing most of the inhabitants. Daniel escapes from a landing party and flees under the wreckage, where the few survivors live. After regaining his strength, Daniel goes after Seth again. During the fight, Daniel turns into a tick and enters Seth's head via his ear. He transforms into an elephant inside Seth's head, killing him instantly.

Daniel leaves Alpar Nok and returns to Earth.