The Daily Planet must be the oldest building in Metropolis. The other towers shine in the morning sun, and for a moment, they appear to be made of pure silver. Danny looks down, and he sees that same magical light die on grey stone walls. The only part of the building that shares the life of the city is the bronze globe that balances beneath him.

When the Fentons finally approached the city on Saturday, the sun had almost disappeared for the night, and Danny had mistakenly thought the Planet was what made Metropolis shine, like a candle placed amongst jewellery.

As they drove closer, and the light faded, he realized his mistake. He saw that the Planet was not the heart of anything; in fact, it was an anachronism, like an engine from the 1930's somehow fixed into the workings of a Delta IV rocket.

Danny spent the rest of the night thinking about the Daily Planet.

How could such a thing survive in Metropolis? How does something so old and obsolete survive in the city that is always changing, always moving forward? In Metropolis a dozen new businesses can open their doors, close them, change their names, change owners, get sold, then get demolished, and only a week will have passed; but somehow the Daily Planet presses on.

For years now, Sam and Tucker have both happily told Danny that print was dying. It was one of few things that pleased them both. Sam would extol the enormous benefit to the environment, while Tucker always likes to boast about the superiority of modern technology.

But once again, it looks like Sam and Tucker are both wrong. A newspaper lives at the centre of the City of the Future, and judging by the amount of people who rushed inside the Planet at seven o'clock this morning, it's not going anywhere soon.

At about quarter to seven, Mom and Dad went off to City Hall to meet the Mayor and to try and set up a conference with the Justice League. Mom had made a lot of calls during the drive, and she may have set a meeting, but Danny doubts there's a city official in the world willing to work on a Sunday. So either the Mayor is taking them very seriously, or Mom and Dad forgot what day it is.

Danny prays for it to be the latter.

Mom and Dad wanted Danny to come along, but it wasn't hard to convince them to let him stay in the RV.

As soon as they left, Danny transformed and flew off to make the call he should have made two days ago.

The roof of the Daily Planet just seemed like the most sensible place to go. Aside from being the oldest building in Metropolis, it was also the most recognizable. It's easy to get lost in the glass maze of the Metropolis skyline.

Danny reaches into his bag and pulls out his communicator. It's still beeping – a sign that his beacon is still active. He had turned it on to let the League knew where he was, and that he wasn't in any kind of danger. They hadn't tried to contact him, so they must have got the message.

Either that, or they all flew off to go fight evil in space. They do that sometimes.

Now slightly worried that that he will hear Flash say"the Justice League isn't on the planet right now, please leave your crisis at the beep", Danny clicks the centre button.

Thankfully, he is immediately connected to the Watchtower, and J'onn greets him.

"Congratulations, Danny," he says, "on officially joining the Justice League. I am glad that you are finally receiving proper recognition for your efforts as a protector of Earth."

"Um. . Thanks, J'onn," Danny says. "I'm glad you guys. . uh. . let me join."

Danny pauses, uncertain. That's not exactly what he meant to say. But he didn't expect J'onn to be the one to answer him. He had planned some of what he wanted to say, but he had planned with Superman in mind.

Danny has only actually spoken to J'onn once, and it was the very definition of uncomfortable. And it was mostly his fault.

In his defence, Danny is used to being around expressive people. Bright colours, loud personalities; strange habits, and even stranger catchphrases. Those are the kind of people in Danny's life, ghost and human.

But despite having green skin, red eyes, and a ridiculous outfit, J'onn is unlike anyone Danny has ever met. He is quiet, he is thoughtful, and he shows emotion like a desert shows water.

Finally, Danny decides to just go for it.

"About the League. . . " he starts. "Do you know why nobody asked me to join first? I mean, I don't mind surprises, but this a lot more important than a birthday party. I think I should have had some say."

J'onn says nothing, so Danny keeps talking. "Maybe it was a mistake. I don't know. Maybe you asked me to join telepathically and I was asleep. Is that it? I sometimes have dreams like that, it makes sense. . ."

"No," says J'onn simply, after a moment of consideration. "It was not a mistake. The decision to publicly announce your membership to the Justice League, without your prior knowledge, was discussed and carefully decided upon."

J'onn does not continue, and Danny starts to get annoyed. There is being a mysterious alien, and then there is just being a dick.

"Well?" he pushes. "Why didn't you ask me?"

"I'm sorry, I was just speaking with Superman. He wishes to explain to you in person, and is on route to your beacon. He should be there shortly."

Danny sighs. "Okay. Thanks." He moves to end the call, but then J'onn says:

"I feel should mention that I voted in favour of publicly announcing your membership. I believe it was the best course of action considering the possible alternatives; however, I recognize that we disregarded your autonomy, and for that I apologize. I hope you will forgive me."

The sincerity in J'onn's appeal shocks Danny.

"Yeah. Thank you, J'onn. I gotta. . . I'll talk to you later."

Danny cancels the call. After a moment he realizes he didn't forgive J'onn. Danny hopes he doesn't take it personally. He simply couldn't catch the right words. He's not at all mad at him.

Although, apparently the League took a vote on Danny. It's good to know they didn't screw him over haphazardly. That's a relief!

Danny catches himself and shakes his head. He wants to know what happened, but he's also trying to be more optimistic. And that means no more bitter and sarcastic thoughts. Tough though that may be.

All Danny can do now is wait for Superman. Then he can get his answers and start to figure out what to do next.

While he waits, Danny lazily swings his legs against the side of giant bronze globe, and thinks about Mom and Dad. He realizes that he probably got away from them a little too easily. They barely pushed at all.

Obviously, they know something is up with him – in the RV, he wasn't exactly hiding his anxiety, or his frustration. If Mom starts connecting his moodiness to Phantom or the Justice League, that could be a real problem.

But that's a problem for later, he decides. Danny closes his eyes, leans back, and relaxes along the curve of the globe. It could even be a problem for never. That would be much better, wouldn't it? Danny can turn his head, and all of his worries can fade away like a dry cloud.

Whoosh. Gone. No more clouds. No more rain to drown Danny's parade.

An easy smile floats across Danny's face. He is in the Justice League now. That's incredible! He's one of Earth Mightiest Heroes. They can do anything.

Doesn't that mean Danny can do anything?

Maybe Sam was right. If he can get Mom and Dad to sit down and talk to the Justice League, and make them really listen, why can't they join team Phantom? They are not stupid, no matter what people like to say. They're just stubborn. But they can't be that stubborn, right?

Danny laughs loudly into the bright blue sky. He stares up, and looks for faces in the puffy white clouds that slowly twirl high above him.

His communicator gently beeps from inside his bag, which he casually holds by the strap as it hangs off the side of the globe. He wasn't expecting another call, and at first he doesn't recognize the sound, thinking it something carried on the wind, or from the building below.

When he does realize what he's hearing, he scrambles to pull the communicator free from the bag. His Fenton-Thermos rolls out and Danny quickly snatches it before it falls off the roof.

He floats from the globe, and puts his feet firmly on the flat rooftop.

"Hey," he says, "what's going on? Has something happened?"

"Don't worry, everything is fine." Superman's voice is as calm and confident as Danny has learned to expect. It's good to hear.

Normally when the League calls Danny, it means he has to fly somewhere very far away, very, very quickly. He likes to help out, but it gets pretty stressful. Now that he's officially a member, he should ask about getting his own Javelin. Or maybe Batman can design him a personal rocket! Yeah, that would be better. But back to Superman.

"Well, where are you then?" asks Danny. He laughs. "When J'onn said you were on your way, I thought you would only take a few minutes. It's been like half an hour."

"Sorry about that. There's –"

"You know, when Flash said you were only as fast as a speeding pizza delivery guy, I stood up for you! What's the hold up?"

"There's been a change of plans. Batman has asked for my help in Gotham. Diana has offered to come meet you instead. She shouldn't be long."

"What's going on in Gotham? Is it big?" Batman never asks for help – not if he thinks he can go it alone. The one time Danny went to Gotham, some cult was trying to open a portal to Hell so they could summon an evil army. It turns out they were just a bunch of hooded lunatics with a creepy book. Dangerous, but not world-ending.

Still, if Batman wants help in Gotham, it's only because he expects the worst.

"It's nothing that requires the League, so don't worry," Superman insists. "Batman suspects a kidnapping might have some ties to Metahuman research. He wants me to help search. It shouldn't take too long."

Danny sits down at the edge of the rooftop. He gets ready to do some more waiting around. But before he hangs up, he asks, "So Wonder Woman will explain everything? J'onn said you wanted to do that yourself."

The wind on Superman's end grows quiet. He must have arrived in Gotham.

"I do want to talk to you about this myself, but that will have to wait. For now, just know that we care about you. Every one of us is on your side. We each made our decision with your best interests in mind."

"Gee, thanks. I'm glad everyone knows what's best for me."

"Diana will explain as best as she can. I'm sorry, but I have to go. " He pauses, but doesn't end the call.

"Danny, Diana agreed to keep our vote a secret from you, but only because she trusts me. She doesn't fully understand our decision, and she can't. That is, unless you tell her your secret. If that's too much to ask, I understand. You can wait to talk to me if you want. But, if right now, you don't completely trust the me, or the League, know that you can trust her."

Superman clicks off. Danny falls back against the roof, and once looks up to the clouds.

There's a lot to deal with there. As always.

So Superman knows who he is. Danny figured that was the case, but now he knows for sure.

He wonders what gave him away. Was it all the Fenton Tech he gave the League? That could have tipped him off. Or maybe Superman has opposite-colour vision? He does have a bunch of different eye powers.

Something else starts picking at Danny. There was something Superman said. Something that didn't feel right. He can't place what it was. . .

Oh! Yeah. Superman doesn't want him to worry. He said it twice. That's normal enough, but for some reason, it doesn't feel right.

For some reason, it puts Danny on edge.

He decides to go check on Mom and Dad while he waits for Wonder Woman to arrive. He swings his bag over his shoulder, and flies down the street, quickly becoming invisible, just in case anybody is looking out for flying men. It would be best to not let Mom and Dad hear that Phantom has followed them to Metropolis.

First he flies over to the RV to see if Mom and Dad have come back yet. It's parked on the street, about three blocks away from City Hall. It was the closest they could get, and even then, Danny suspects they parked illegally.

He sticks his head through the roof of the RV and finds it as empty as he hoped it would be. He doesn't have to explain where he wandered off to. Although, that means Mom and Dad might actually be meeting the Mayor right now.

The good always comes with bad, doesn't it?

On the other bright side, Danny has more time to see Wonder Woman.

After checking the windshield for parking tickets (none so far, luckily), Danny thinks he might head back to the Daily Planet. It's a pretty sweet spot, and he kind of wants to show it off to Diana.

But Danny hesitates.

Superman wants him to tell Diana his secret identity. Maybe he should. He has no real reason to hide it from her. It's not like she will freak out or anything. She's Wonder Woman. She can definitely handle something as mundane as being half-dead.

Hell, she can probably handle it better than Danny can! She knows all about magic, and spirits, and whatnot. She should know a lot more about the Ghost Zone than what Sam can find in her creepy magic books.

But then, she might not be able to handle Mom and Dad being Ghost Hunters. It's not exactly normal for parents to hunt their own son. She might not understand. Even worse, she might feel compelled to do something about it. Is that what Superman wants?

If there's one thing Danny wants to avoid more than having his secret exposed, its having a righteous, raging Amazon chase down Mom and Dad. No matter how angry they make him sometimes, he loves them. If he has to protect them from Wonder Woman. . .

But that might not even happen!

For the past two days, the only thing Danny has done is guess. He has been led around in circles, followed twisting thoughts and worries and hopes that all run back to the start. He has questioned and considered and figured and distracted himself with pointless frustrations and speculations.

With all that done, he should be finished by now!

But nothing has happened! Since he unknowingly joined the Justice League, Danny hasn't made a single decision that makes any difference.

And that brings Danny back to his question. Should he tell Wonder Woman his secret? More importantly, is this question as meaningless as every other he's asked himself lately?

Before Danny can make up his mind, a chill runs up his spine and his breath suddenly fogs against the windshield. He jolts upright, then shoots up through the roof, still invisible, and scans the sky.

"You're just going gawk at her right in front of me!" shrieks a girl down the street. "You big JERK!"

That voice. . . Oh no. Danny closes his eyes. "Please no," he silently begs. "Not now."

"My BIKE! Oh, god, babe, you scratched it! Why the hell did you have to go and do that, Kitty? I wasn't doing anything."

"Oh, forget your stupid bike! What kind of man ignores his girlfriend? You take me out to the city, and then you act like I'm invisible! Huh, Johnny? See, you're not even looking at me. Here I am, hurtin', and you're too busy caring for that goddamn bike to comfort me! Why is that, Johnny? Huh!?"

Danny will fly away! They won't even know he was here – they haven't seen him! He can just leave. They're not dangerous, anyway. Not really. In no way do they matter.

"'cause my bike never bites my head off for no reason at all!" Johnny yells back. And then he mumbles, "never acts like a bitch, either."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

Kitty and Johnny are 10 yards away. Johnny 13 is knelt down over his beloved bike. His back is to Kitty as he examines a chip in the paint.

In an instant his unlucky Shadow flickers out of sight. He is suddenly alone. Panic jump-starts his long-dead heart.

He slowly turns his head, and when he sees his rage-filled girlfriend behind him, he laughs, sheepishly.

There are bombs in Kitty's eyes, and an explosion in her hands.

"Uh, Kitty–"

Like an elastic stretched to its limit, Danny snaps between the the two ghosts. In a blink his ectoplasmic shield is shattered and he is thrown back against Johnny's bike, knocking it into the street. But the shield took most of the damage, and when Kitty raises her burning hand again Danny catches it and forces it skyward.

"Kitty, stop!" cries Danny. She looks at him, confused, but the torrent of flame still flares between her fingers.

"AHH! That's hot!" He catches her free hand and forces it up. Any more heat and his gloves will melt, taking his skin with them! "I guess I have to fight fire with fire!"

Danny tries to ignite a fire of his own to protect his hands. He's managed small bursts of flame before, but never anything stronger than a match. It will take all of his focus to smother Kitty's inferno.

Johnny grabs his shoulder. "Don't hurt her!"

"Thanks, Johnny," says Danny, through gritted teeth. "You're a lot of help."

The heat is overwhelming, and Danny wants to scream.

Danny can end this another way. He can let Kitty go – he can push her away. But then he knows he would have to fight her. He would have to hurt her. And despite all the trouble Kitty likes to cause, she's not evil.

Kitty is not a monster, or a crazy person. She's not a super-villain. She's just a teenage girl. And while she's always a giant pain in his ass, Danny kind of likes her.

Suddenly, Danny feels a tingling in his chest. As he focuses on igniting his hands, a shiver rolls up his body. His vision blurs, and Danny knows he is going to pass out.

"Ah!" screams Kitty, and she pulls away. Danny stumbles, but doesn't fall. His white gloves are charred and torn. He looks away before he really does pass out.

He looks up, and sees Johnny holding a shivering, faint looking Kitty. Her hands are trapped in solid blocks of ice. Johnny shoots a green ray and they shatter. Johnny turns to him.

"Hey, thanks man," says Johnny. "Is the ice new? Never seen you do that before."

"Yeah. New power, I guess. Seem to always get them just in time."

"Oh. That's cool."

Danny shifts back and forth awkwardly. Fights don't normally end like this.

The street had emptied when Kitty exploded, but now people are starting to creep back, pushed by their curiosity, and encouraged by the lack of fireworks. Danny flicks back to invisibility. It's probably too late to try and lay low, but it's worth a shot.

"Come on," says Danny, "lets find a rooftop. I want to talk."

"No problem." Johnny nods. He glances at his bike, laying dented and dirty in the middle of the street. "Can you carry Kit–" he stops himself. "I mean, I'll carry Kitty. Can you grab my bike?"

"Good save," mumbles Danny. He walks over and straightens the fallen motorcycle, and forces it into invisibility too. Surprisingly, the bike resists the invisibility before he overpowers it. It is like it wants to be seen.

Together, Danny and Johnny launch into the air and fly through the maze of buildings. They manage to find a two-story factory with a wide roof. The factory is not empty, so Danny reminds Johnny to stay quiet.

When they land Johnny sits on one of those industrial air-conditioners, and he pulls Kitty tighter against him. He whispers in her ear and gently rubs circles into her arm. Danny rolls his eyes.

Johnny needs to play the role of caring, attentive boyfriend for a while, but he's not exactly holding anything back – he has all the sincerity of a man at gunpoint.

Kitty seems to like it though. She sighs happily, and curls up against Johnny. Danny's willing to bet she feels better already. Kitty is playing a role of her own choosing.

"So, how did you two find me out here in Metropolis?" asks Danny. It's not the first question that popped into his head, but it's likely the most important.

Johnny doesn't say anything. He squints at Danny, then turns back to Kitty.

Danny shakes his head. Johnny is such an ass.

"Are you serious?" asks Danny. "I know your brain is like a hamster wheel, Johnny, but can you try and pick up the pace? I beat you pretty hard every time we fight, but I'm sure I haven't done any permanent damage yet."

Johnny scowls. "Listen, punk –"

Danny laughs. "I just saved you! From your very pissed off girlfriend, in case you already forgot."

"Just tell him, Johnny," snaps Kitty. She glares at Danny for spoiling her perfect moment.

"Alright, alright. Cool it." Johnny holds his hands up. "I was going to tell ya anyway. I just forgot for a sec how much I hate you." He looks back to Kitty. "Honestly, babe, I was going to tell him. Didn't I say that, on the way over here, that I was going to do that?"

"Can you get to the point?"

"Easy!" Johnny smirks. "You got a bug on you. A little beeper that follows you everywhere you go.

"See?" he says, as he reaches for a pocket on the inside of his jacket. He pulls out a metal device the size of a calculator. He waves it in front of Danny, and points to the single flashing dot on the screen. "There you are."

The colour vanishes from Danny's face.

"What?" he asks, shocked. He looks himself over, and finding nothing, he throws his bag on the ground. He flips it upside down and his things fall onto the gravel roof. Danny looks inside the bag, but he doesn't see anything. There is nothing there, but the dot on Johnny's device is still beeping.

How is it hiding?

Screw it. Danny throws the bag on the ground. Then he shoots a wide beam of ectoplasm and disintegrates it. The beeping stops.

"How'd you know?" asks Danny, and Kitty jumps up excitedly.

She hushes Johnny. "I'll tell this part! So, you know how Johnny can be a total jerk sometimes?" She pauses, and waits for Danny to nod. "Well, we've had a few fights – like any couple, really – but whenever that happens I usually go to Ember's club. You haven't been, but it's so fun! Really punk-rock! Anyway, Ember and me are tight, and lately she started seeing Skulker and. . ."

"Skulker works for Vlad," interrupts Danny, "and he told Ember who told you that Vlad is crazy, and he's tracking me. Got it."

"Yeah!" exclaims Kitty, "so when we wanted to come see you, me and Johnny snuck into Skulker's lair and nicked one of his tracking devices!"

Danny starts pacing. With everything going so well lately, it makes perfect sense that Vlad wants get involved! Wherever Danny sees trouble, Plasmius sees opportunity.

This is just like the time Vlad released Pariah Dark – he is just waiting for Danny to become so overwhelmed that he can't stop whatever scheme Vlad has planned.

Well, not this time. Vlad likes chess, but this time he's stepped into a game that's out of his league. This time Danny has Superman on his side. And Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Hawkgirl. Green Lantern and J'onn, too.

And not only that, but Danny isn't an amateur – not anymore. He can stay one step ahead of Vlad. He can catch him off guard. He can win.

Wait a second. Danny pauses. He turns back to the spectral couple, who are now making out on top of the air-conditioner. "Wait, why did you guys want to find me?"

Kitty reluctantly pulls away from Johnny. She looks up and smiles. "We just had to come congratulate you! You joined the Justice League! That is so cool!"

Danny laughs. It is pretty cool.

20 leagues away from Metropolis, and nearing fast, a pirate ship races across the clouds. The Captain can be found at the rear of the ship. The hilarious name for this part of the ship is not lost on the Captain, and he often sits there so that his stuffy parrot-partner will have to say it.

"Poop-deck."

It's never not funny!

But besides his parrot, the Captain is alone. It has been months since he last played pirate, and his crew has abandoned him. His ship is dusty, and almost sunk, but it has not forgotten how to fly. It doesn't need a crew for that. Not anymore.

Lately the Captain has been playing Star Wars, and it's just the best! The laser-blasters! The laser-swords! The planet-lasers! It is all so awesome!

The only reason he stopped playing Star Wars is because this morning he found some cruddy treasure map. It's not even a good map! There's no X! X marks the spot – that's the rule! All this map has instead is a stupid little sticker of a stupid looking globe.

The Captain wants to throw the map away and go back to exploring worlds far far away, but he can't. Because the map promises that under the globe there's treasure, and the Captain can't resist the call of treasure.

Though he always changes, at heart, the Captain is a pirate. It's why no matter what game he plays, his name always stays the same.

He can be a cowboy, a ninja, an astronaut or a Jedi, but you can't take the Pirate out of Youngblood.

Arrrgh!

AN: Hello! I hope you liked this chapter, 'cause it was almost all written while I was editing! Basically, everything I intended to write got pushed back a chapter. I just kept expanding different parts until I knew I couldn't go on. At the very least, Diana was meant to show up! Next time, hopefully.

And thank you for the reviews! I appreciate the encouragement, and I especially love comments on the story. You guys see stuff I don't, and you point out stuff I barely considered. What you say really does affect how the story may go! So thank you! If you're still reading, I do have some questions.

Mainly, what do you think of the pacing so far? I've been trying to avoid any info-dumps, but I also don't want to drag things out. And I think this chapter may have been a little stuffed - was it alright, or should I try and cut down moving forward? If you guys have any general criticisms, about the story, or the writing, I'd appreciate them.

Thank you for reading!