Chapter 9- Denial:
Third Person:
Danny was still a bit tense around the team. Megan was too cheerful that it caused him to lock up a bit- it was just a bit too friendly for his tastes and Superboy's glare usually was a sign for him to back off. After the comment about finding a new family, he was a bit more hesitant about the team than he was before. Though a part of him was glad that Megan welcomed him so warmly. Still, he wasn't used to so much social interaction yet and made a habit of locking himself up in his room- something that Robin and Kaldur usually got onto him about.
However, he found that combat training helped him loosen up. If only because it helped him squish the urge to kill. He had to be careful. So there he was sparring against Superboy. Superboy was the one Danny related the most too- though Danny was working on his temper and patience. The two weren't that close, but they tolerated each other.
Danny found he actually liked all of his new teammates- especially now he had gotten to know them. Artemis was the most hesitant, but even she even warmed up to him after their little 'aiming competition' with her arrows and him with his ectoblasts. Robin was like an annoying little brother, smart but annoying. Him, Wally and Danny bonded once they found out they all played DOOM and other video games. Megan and him bonded over recipes.
Danny hated to admit it, but Kaldur was quickly becoming one of his favorite teammates. He seemed to be a good leader even if Danny hadn't seen him in action yet… Though he had seen his fighting skills in combat training just as he had seen Superboy's.
"Combat training initiating in three…two…one."
Danny began to spar with Superboy as soon the okay was given. Unlike Superboy and Kaldur, Danny preferred to fight with his shirt on to hide the scars. The two were quickly engrossed in a sparring, Danny taking it easy and dodging more often than hitting. Both were unaware of Artemis and Megan's conversation nearby.
"So Danny's uh nice, don't think," Artemis teased, "Handsome. Mysterious. You should totally ask him out."
"He's like a brother to me, but you know who would make the cutest couple? You and Wally?"
Megan looked over to Wally,
"You're so full of passion and he's so full of…"
"-It," Artemis continued.
The two laughed just as Danny and Superboy finished their spar. Danny landed on the ground with a thud.
"Fail- Spirit."
Superboy wiped his hands off with a small smirk, Danny laughing,
"Good shot!"
"Black Canary taught me that… The spar would have lasted longer if you went offense and not defense," Superboy pointed out.
Danny shrugged as he got up,
"Maybe, maybe not."
Red Tornado emerged from the opening, causing all of them to rush over slightly eager to see if it was a new mission.
"You got a mission for us," Wally asked eagerly.
"Mission assignments are Batman's responsibility."
"Well the Batman is with the Robin doing the Dynamic Duo thing in Gotham, but you're headed somewhere right? Hot date or a mission?"
Danny face palmed at Wally's stupidity, causing both Megan and Artemis to laugh.
"If we can be of help," Kaldur chimed in.
Red Tornado seemed to accept the offer as he turned around, bringing up a screen of an older man with a staff. Danny's brows furrowed in confusion, wondering who it may be.
"This is Kent Nelson, a friend," Red Tornado explained, "He is one-hundred-and-six years old."
"Guy doesn't look a day over ninety," Danny whispered to Artemis, "Must be taking some of those special vitamins."
"-And he has been missing for twenty-three days. Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society, a precursor to your Justice League."
The image changed Kent Nelson into Dr. Fate, causing Danny's eyes to widened. Dr. Fate… Woah… He knew about Dr. Fate. Clockwork had told him about the Doctor, mostly good things, though according to Clockwork Dr. Fate reminded him a bit too much of the Observants to be considered a good friend. Though he mentioned he was once good allies with the original Dr. Fate.
"Nabu," Danny whispered, causing Superboy and Red Tornado to look at him briefly.
"Kent Nelson was Earth's sorcerer supreme," Kaldur realized, "He was Dr. Fate."
"More like Dr. Fate," Wally scoffed, "Guy knows a little advanced science and Dumbeldor's it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes."
Danny rolled his eyes, makes me wonder what his reaction will be if he finds out I'm a ghost,
"For a self-proclaimed scientist, you sure are close-minded."
"What do you mean by that," Wally said, offended.
"A good scientist should be open minded to multiple theories," Danny said, quoting his mother.
Wally, more than offended and a bit defensive, maturely stuck his tongue out in reply, causing the two to soon enter a battle of funny faces that only ended when Kaldur glared at them.
"Kent may simply be on one of his walk-abouts," Red Tornado continued, ignoring the two, "But he is caretaker to the helmet of Fate, the source of the Doctor's might and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded."
"He's like the great sorcerers and priestesses of Mars," Megan said, awed, "I would be honored to help find him."
Wally's head whipped in her direction,
"Me too! So honored I could barely stand it! Magic rocks!"
Danny felt his eye twitch in annoyance. Artemis put her hand on his shoulder,
"I know," she synthesized, "But he's just Wally."
"There's no excuse for being so…two-faced," Danny growled, his patience thinning for the speedster.
"Use this, it's the key to the Tower of Fate," Red Tornado said, handing Kaldur a key.
"What are the chances we'd both so admire the mystic arts," Wall flirted with Megan.
She gave him a sideways glance, but no reply.
Danny was still seething by the time they reached the coordinates that were given to them by Red Tornado. Artemis and he tried to get Wally to slip up somehow, to clue Megan in on the fact that Wally was lying to her. He was getting so fed up with the speedster. He didn't like liars. Finally, Danny just nudged Wally roughly with his elbow,
"Dude, tell her the truth before I tell her for you," he whispered harshly as they landed.
"Just let me have this one," Wally begged, "I swear I'm not doing anything wrong!"
"Lying is wrong," Danny pointed out, "But if you're so determined. Go ahead, but remember that I will not help you when Megan finds out the truth and goes all pissed-Martian on your butt."
Wally didn't seem that concerned as he stared adoringly at Megan, causing Danny to huff.
"There's nothing here," Kaldur announced, confused.
Danny turned to him confused,
"What do you mean? It's right there."
His teammates turned to him, all of them confused. In the background, unknowingly to them, Klarion turned to Kent Nelson,
"Interesting that the little ghost can see your tower…"
"The tower limits itself to be seen by those pure of heart, enough purity in their soul and good intentions…Something you obviously don't have."
He smirked, but the comment caused Klarion to kick him. Kaldur turned to Danny,
"Danny, can you…see it?"
"'Course I can, the real question is, why can't you?"
Danny pointed to the tower in question. He furrowed his brows. Maybe it's a ghost thing or some sort of mystic thing… He took the key from Kaldur and used it to open the door, causing the tower to become visible to them. Danny opened the door and they all walked in, slightly awed. The door shut behind them, causing Superboy to wonder,
"Where'd the door go?"
"Probably some mystic thing," Danny shrugged, "Could be in Purgatory or Limbo for all I know."
A mystical-like hologram of Kent Nelson appeared before them. Danny furrowed his brows as he examined the figure, my ghost sense didn't go off? So it's a hologram?
"Greetings," it announced, "You have entered with the key, but the Tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent."
Wally stepped forward, to Danny's annoyance,
"We are true believes," Wally said dramatically, "Here to find Dr. Fate."
The image disappeared with a forlorn expression as the floor crumbled beneath them. They all fell, heading towards the lava. Megan swooped up to catch Wally as Danny grabbed Artemis and Kaldur, tossing the former over his shoulder easily. Superboy used his nails to slow and stop his fall, but his feet got dipped into the lava, causing him to carry out as his shoes melted off.
"Those were my favorite boots," Superboy said to himself, angered and annoyed, "This Nelson guy better be worth it."
"Wally," Danny growled, "I'm so going to send you into the afterlife!"
"We have no time to argue," Kaldur announced, "We have to get out of this hole."
Danny created a dome around Kaldur and Artemis to float them down with him as he went to get Superboy.
"Having trouble maintaining altitude," Megan gasped, "So hot…"
"You certainly are," Wally said.
"Wally," Danny and Artemis snapped.
"What?! We're about to sizzle to death and I'm entitled to speak my mind!"
"My physiology and M'gann's are sustainable to extreme heat. We have to get her out quickly."
"Hello Megan," Megan announced, "We never truly answered the question!"
Danny nearly face-palmed. Why didn't I put that together? Especially after so many years with Clockwork.
"Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the helmet were safe," Megan announced as loudly as she could.
Just like that, the lava was replaced with a real floor again. Danny brought Kaldur and Artemis down. Superboy landed with a loud THUD. Wally and Megan collapsed.
"The platform, it should be hot, but it is cool to the touch," Kaldur pointed out as he touched the ground.
"Don't worry Megalicious, I got you," Wally said as he put an arm around Megan.
At that, Danny's last chord snapped in half. He growled and he felt his eyes turn red as he slammed his palm into Wally, sending him back with an OOMPH,
"That is enough! You nearly got everyone killed! What kind of hero are you to do something so stupid, so selfish!?"
Artemis nodded in agreement in the background, but Wally wasn't as convinced.
"When did this become my fault?"
"When you lied to whatever that was and called yourself a true believer," Artemis pitched in.
Danny growled again and was about to hit him, but Superboy grabbed his arms and held him back. Kaldur looked between his teammates with a sigh. Megan looked to Wally, a bit hurt and confused,
"Wally? You don't believe?"
"Fine! I lied about believing in magic! Magic is the real lie, a major low!"
Kaldur continued to examine the ground,
"Wally I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. The mystics created my water-bearers."
"Dude ever hear of bio-electricity? In primitive cultures, fire was considered magical too! Today it's all just a bunch of tricks!"
Danny shrugged off Superboy, who let him go when he noticed Danny's eyes were back to being green. He didn't understand the changing of the colors, but he knew that red eyes were never a good sign. Danny walked up to Wally and gave him a swift punch to the jaw, his eyes downcast,
"You nearly got everyone killed. A good scientist admits when they are wrong. When they don't admit it, they shut up about it so they can continue to work with their team. Because they know that working as a team and getting the job done is more important than their yourself a favor and shut up."
Wally glared heavily,
"You're new on the team, what do you know about teamwork? This is your first mission with us."
"That doesn't mean it's not the first team I wasn't on," Danny hissed.
A silent tension was created as the two glared at each other. Megan sighed deeply and shared a look with Superboy and Artemis. Artemis grabbed Wally and gently pulled him back as Superboy did the same with Danny.
"You two need to calm down," Kaldur snapped at them, "Look."
He opened the door on the ground, ignoring the protests about the backlash of the lava. Snow filled the air around the room, causing Megan to giggle,
"It's snow!"
The team headed through the door and into the artic-like terrain. As soon as they were all through, the door disappeared.
"Well," Artemis said smugly to Wally.
"Ever hear of string-theory? We're in a pocket dimension."
"Dude," Danny shook his head, "I've been to different pocket-dimensions and different dimensions as a whole, I'm telling you it's nothing like this."
Artemis let out a frustrated grunt as Megan headed towards what looked like a floating staff,
"What's that?"
"Maybe it's Nelson's magic wand," Wally rolled his eyes as he zipped over and grabbed it.
Artemis, Danny, and Wally both ended up grabbed the staff at the same time,
"Got it! I can't let go," they announced.
The staff whisked them away into the air, disappearing.
Danny blinked in confusion as he found himself in another area. What looked like staircases were everywhere, leading in every which way. He spotted Kent Nelson on the ground a bit away with who looked like a fake magician and a witch (if the horned hair was anything to go by). The cat looked Danny in the eyes and meowed, causing a shiver to go down his spine.
"Well would you look at that," Kent said as a golden glow surrounded him, bringing him towards the three, or rather to his staff.
He grabbed the staff and quickly created a doorway,
"In here!"
"No, no, no," Klarion said as he zapped the door as it closed.
The teammates found themselves in what looked like an elevator, completed with the music to fit it. Kent Nelson was silent, but he smiled,
"I'm Kent Nelson by the way."
"No duh," Wally muttered, earning him a jab in the ribs by both Artemis and Danny.
"I'm Artemis, Mister Manners is Wally and that's Danny."
Danny gave a small bow with a large grin. Kent eyed Danny with a smirk, but turned to Artemis.
"Well Artemis," Kent said, "We're up against an opponent with tremendous mystic power."
"Abra Kadabra," Wally scoffed, "Flash proved he used futuristic technology to simulate magic. Guy's all show and no bizz."
Danny felt his eye twitched. It was obvious Kent was talking about the boy who had that creepy cat. Both of them gave off a bad vibe.
"Right you are," Kent agreed.
"He is?"
"Abra is a fake, but Klarion the Witch Boy, the kid with the cat is an actual Lord of Chaos, an ultimate enemy to a Lord of Order like Dr. Fate."
"Right," Wally said sarcastically, "You're a Lord of Order."
Danny jabbed Wally in the ribs,
"Dude, he's talking about the spirit in the helmet, Nabu."
"Right you are," Kent said cheerfully, "Though I'm curious how you know about Nabu? Not many people do."
Danny winced as his friends turned to him curiously.
"I have an old friend who was allies with Nabu once. He kind of explained the whole thing to me," Danny said sheepishly.
"Must be a pretty old friend if he knew Nabu," Kent laughed, "Any who, Klarion's after the helmet, if he gets his sticky mitts on it, he'll turn the planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium."
The elevator dinged and they all stepped off the elevator and into what looked like some sort of bell tower. Their teammates came out through a hole in the ceiling, Superboy landing with a thud. Artemis and Danny ran off to go check up on them as Wally stuck with Nelson.
"Friends of yours?"
A few zaps shot at them, causing Wally to knock Nelson out of the way,
"Friends of yours," Wally repeated.
Nelson dragged Wally into the bell tower, Klarion falling close behind, leaving the team to deal with Abra.
Danny was smiling from ear-to-ear as he laughed at Abra, who was stripped to his underwear so he couldn't use any of his toys. He nearly on the ground, clutching his sides,
"Oh man, I haven't laughed this hard in months. I don't even care how he ended up that way, I'm just disappointed I didn't think of it first!"
The team gave him confused looks, but didn't comment as Wally emerged with them again. He was holding the helmet of Fate in his hands, a soft smile on his face. Danny stopped laughing and Wally gave him an apologetic look,
"I'm sorry I was kind of a jerk."
"I'm sorry I nearly punched your lights out," Danny quipped with a smile.