Chapter 21: Games

Time is a bitch.

This is a realization the average person realizes at one point or another in their lifetime, whether it be at the very end of an exam and you realize there's still 15 questions you haven't answered or waking up at 7:56 when you need to be at the office by 8:00 which gives you just enough time to do nothing.

Of course, these could remind those of when time seems to be moving too fast. There are also the times when it doesn't seem to go fast enough. Just ask a student stuck in Chemistry Class, or an employee stuck in a board meeting.

Then, there are the rare times when time seems to be moving too fast, yet not fast enough at the same time. This is exactly where Batman's situation fell. Of course, being trapped in a small cell with nothing inside in an unfamiliar territory and no plans at all could make time crawl by.

But then there were the thoughts of what would happen when those agents actually did come back. What would they do? Who would they do it to? Would he be able to do anything to stop it? Whatever they were planning couldn't be good for anyone involved, meaning these moments alone were ones to be savored, making the time seem to speed by too quickly at the same time.

Crazy, right?

Thoughts like these continued to plague Batman's mind as he let out another breath, reminding himself to keep a leveled head as he tightened his grip on the sleeping teen in his arms.

It had been at least a day since Danny had been left in the cell and after his panic attack, the teen still had not awoken from his troubled sleep. He would continuously twitch and let out small whimpers as he slept, making Batman try even harder to comfort the teen.

The cell floor was now covered with specks of dried blood, Danny's injuries having healed as best they could with the inhibitor collars still wrapped around his neck and wrists. Batman narrowed his eyes as his fingers grazed over the bloodied metal. Through the dark stains, he could tell the metal was strong and the tech was impressive.

They weren't coming off anytime soon.

Glancing around, the man noticed similar collars had been placed around the necks of the other Leaguers, including himself. The notion puzzled him slightly. What did he need a power-dampening collar for?

"Bruce?"

The man jerked his head to the side and met Diana's gaze, his thoughts stopping him from realizing the Amazonian had stirred. "Are you alright?" She asked from the cell next to his.

The man let out a small sigh. "Super." He muttered before his gaze drifted down. Danny let out a small groan as the teen's eyes scrunched tighter and his hands curled into fists tightly gripping Batman's bloody cape.

The Dark Knight placed a comforting hand on the teen's head as he began to run his fingers through the boy's matted hair, whispering calming words all the while. After a moment, Danny fell still once more.

"How long do you suppose until people begin to wonder where we are?" The princess asked.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure they already are. The lowlifes will probably notice first, considering there's nobody to stop them from doing whatever stupid things they're planning." The man explained.

Diana let out a sigh of her own before her gaze drifted over to Danny, which instantly filled with pity. "How's he doing?"

The Dark Knight shut his eyes as he continued to run his fingers through the teen's hair. "Exactly how you'd expect him to be." He muttered.

"That bad, huh?"

The man shook his head. "I just need to make sure he keeps a level head. The more he panics the worse it will be." He stated.

Diana nodded her head. "That makes sense. Hopefully it will be a while before they try anything."

Suddenly the main doors of the room quickly slid open, making everyone's eyes flash open wide. Batman cast the woman a sidelong glance, to which she responded with a nervous smile.

"Good morning! I do hope you're well rested because we have a very busy day ahead of us." Vlad exclaimed as he walked into the room, at least five agents present behind him, each heavily armed.

Danny lifted his head and instantly regretted it as he caught sight of the people in the doorway. His breath hitched as he leaned closer to Batman, the man quickly wrapping a protective arm around the boy.

Vlad payed no mind as he reached behind him and pulled out a clipboard with various pieces of paper attached to it. "Let's see here. A few of you lucky dogs will get to perform a few tricks for us." He said with mock enthusiasm.

GL narrowed his eyes as he leaned closer to the cell wall. "If you think for one second that we're going to just fall in line and do whatever you say then you can just-"

"OH, but you will be doing whatever we want." Vlad sniped, a large smirk spreading onto his face. "I mean, it's not like you actually have a choice." He chuckled as he reached into his suit and pulled out a small remote with a slick red button in the center.

Slamming his finger down on the device the Leaguers instantly felt a sharp jolt course through them followed by excruciating pulses of electricity flow through them before they suddenly ceased.

"And that's only level two." Masters grinned before snapping his fingers, the agents behind him quickly moving forward. Superman, Diana and Flash each shared looks of surprise as the front walls to their cells slid into the floor.

Before they could move, Vlad raised the remote again. "Don't even think about trying anything." He growled. "It would be very unfortunate for your friends."

That instantly made them freeze before lowering their heads as they allowed the agents to roughly grab onto their shoulders as they led them out of the room. Before Batman could breath a sigh of relief, he watched as the front wall to his own cell slide into the floor. He and Danny were quickly on their feet, the former pushing the latter behind him as he glared out at the agents.

Vlad let out small snort as he watched the scene. "Oh don't worry. You're both coming with us. . ." He raised up the remote. ". . .or else."

Batman held his defensive pose until he felt a small hand grab his forearm. Glancing down, he met Danny's fearful gaze. But behind the gaze there was also a look of shaky determination.

Are you sure? The man asked silently.

Danny hesitated for a moment before he gave a small nod.

Batman remained unmoving for a moment before dropping his defenses, still remaining on guard as the agents moved forward, grabbing him and the teen as they were led out of the room.

After a while of walking through the brightly lit halls, Batman was escorted into a separate side hall adjacent to the main walkway, feeling dread build up inside his gut as he watched Danny disappear into another room.

Suddenly, a hard shove sent him reeling forward, the sound of a locking door filling the air behind him. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out anything in the dark room. Suddenly, a loud voice cut through the silence through the intercom.

"We'll be with you in a moment. Just be patient."

Great.

Danny cracked open his eyes hesitantly, fully expecting to see a room filled with sharp objects and bloodied tables.

What the shit is this?

Inside, it seemed like an average interrogation room, complete with a metallic table, two chairs and a one-way mirror taking up most of one wall. The teen cast a confused glance towards the agent next to him, only to receive an answer in the form of a hard shove, which ended up with him face-planting on the floor.

The sound of snickering behind him made his hands curl into fists, but he quickly gained control over his anger once more as he heard the door close behind him.

Slowly rising to his feet, the teen warily began to inspect the room. Checking the corners for cameras, the teen made sure to take note of the two he spotted in the upper corners of the walls and the agents that were probably watching through the mirror.

What's the point of this thing? They never bothered to talk to me before. They barely thought I could comprehend speech before! Morons . . . The teen thought to himself as he continued to scan the room.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, causing the teen to whip around.

"Shit cakes."

"Language, Danny. Honestly, it's a wonder you were able to learn basic manners at all."

The teen felt his stomach drop as his father entered the room. Up close, it was obvious to see the height difference between the two, Jack towering high above the scrawny teen. Danny instinctively took a step backwards as the man closed the door behind him and cast him a sly grin.

Shaky hands rubbed the numbers on his arm as Danny stared back at the man, quickly trying to get a grip on the unadulterated fear building up in his gut. Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, the teen met Jack's gaze with a hard glare, instantly going on the defensive.

"What do you want?" He growled out.

Jack stared into the teen's bright blue eyes before smirking. "I just want to talk. We have a lot to catch up on." He stated as he took a seat at the table, placing a folder on the table as he opened it up and began to write in it.

Alright. Small talk with a psychopath. Sure . . . . why not?

"Well, you've finally grown."

"Yeah, six years will do that." The teen quipped, folding his arms across his chest.

Jack smirked, but refused to raise his head as he continued to write in the papers.

Danny had always imagined what would happen if he ever met his father again. Of course, one would suspect he'd want to pummel the man and do as much physical damage as he possibly could. But the opposite was true. Danny always hoped he would never see his father again, and if he ever did, he would run far.

It was a surprising realization to the boy. After living on the streets, the teen had quickly realized that when coming up to a fight, you size up your opponent first. If you can take the opposite, then of course you wail on him, but if it's a fight you know you ain't winning, you run and you run fast.

A lot had changed in six years. He had gotten stronger, faster, smarter. Danny knew he could take his father if it ever came down to it . . . but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to attack the man, no matter how much he wanted to. No matter how much he tried to fight it, all he saw of Jack was the version he saw when he was seven. The man was big, loud and unstoppable, especially to a child. He couldn't do anything to stop him.

The teen knew it was stupid. He knew it was irrational. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking of Jack as he had when he was seven.

Unstoppable. Undefeatable.

A monster.

But despite all of it, Danny had to credit the harsh lifestyle of street-living with one thing. After all, it taught him the most valuable life rule he had learned so far.

Never show your fear to those stronger than you. Always find a way to hide it, preferably in the most annoying, condescending way possible. (Batman having received the brunt of this lesson)

Considering this, Danny hesitantly took a seat opposite of his father and glared in his opponent. "Alright, you wanted to talk. Now talk." He growled out.

Jack stopped writing and slowly put his pen down, raising his head to meet Danny's gaze with his own narrowed one. Silently, the man rose from his seat and took a slow step forward. The eerie calmness that floated around the man made the uneasiness in Danny's stomach flutter angrily.

The man continued to circle around the table until he was standing right behind the teen's chair. Danny's shoulders tensed as he waited for the man to do something. After a moment passed of nothing occurring, the teen dared to take a peek behind him . . .

A large fist slammed into the side of his head, the teen's neck painfully whipping to the side. Before the ringing in his ears ceased, he felt large burly hands grab the front of his bloody shirt and hoist him into the air.

His eyes met his father's calm, dead cobalt ones as the man stared back at him. "Let's get one thing straight here. I'm in charge, meaning I make the rules. Or do you not remember this from all those years ago, Danny-boy?" He sneered before throwing the teen down, his back connecting painfully with the metal chair as it toppled to the ground next to him.

Danny quickly tried regaining control of his speeding heart as Jack backed away a few paces before taking a seat once more. Danny kept his eyes locked onto the man in front of him as he slowly and hesitantly slid back into his chair.

Jack stared at the boy for a moment longer before he let a grin slip onto his face. "Alright, how 'bout we make this a little more interesting? I know I have a good load of questions to ask you, and I'm sure you have the same. So, for every question you answer for me, I'll answer one for you." He placed his elbows on the table and leaned closer, narrowing his eyes as his grin grew wider. "How 'bout it, son? Up for a game?"

Danny felt a shiver go down his back at the man's had taught him that his dad's games were not ones to cheer at. Nevertheless, it's not like he had much of a choice in the matter so he responded with a simple nod of the head.

Jack gave a nod of his own and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Alright, let's get started. First thing's first. How did you escape in the first place six years ago?" The man growled out.

Danny felt a smirk of his own slip onto his face. Figures these airheads would want to know where they slipped up.

"Well it wasn't all me. I actually got some help from the only decent person in that damn place." He explained. "After that, it wasn't hard to slip by all those morons when those collars were off."

Jack narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Danny, however, was not to keen on keeping his mouth shut at the moment.

"Alright, now for you. How did you end up with these guys in the first place?"

Jack let a snort escape as he turned back towards the teen. "Well, after you escaped and the GIW was 'disbanded'-" He started, quoting the air. "I was recruited to join the new secret organization in hopes I would be able to track you down. After awhile, I began to move up in the ranks and before long I was Co-Commander." He explained. "Wasn't too hard. Most of the wind-bags in this place don't have the stomach for what Masters and I do."

"Stomach or lack of morals and decency?" Danny muttered, only to receive a slap to the face. Idiot.

"Smart-ass." Jack growled out before clearing his throat once more. "So, what have you been doing for the past couple years?" Jack asked.

Danny narrowed his eyes at the statement, one that surprisingly sounded like something an average father would say to a son they hadn't seen in awhile. What was he playing at? He can't possibly care about what I've been doing. Maybe he's just trying to get a rise out of me.

Making the boy angry just so he could punish him for it had been one of Jack's favorite sadistic games to play with his son years ago, one that taught Danny that sometimes silence is the best way to go. Yet Danny knew he couldn't stay silent now. That would only make the psychopath angrier.

Damn, so this is what it's like being stuck between a rock and hard place . . . you know, if the rock was a psychopath and the hard place was . . . another psychopath.

"Oh you know, not much. Just trying to stay alive as a group of crazed maniacs with guns chased me across the country." He muttered.

Jack narrowed his eyes and grinned once more. "So, nothing interesting?" He sniped.

Danny returned with a mocking look of his own. "Well, starvation here, hypothermia there. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I was kidnapped by a sex offender when I was ten. . . . or at least he made an attempt . . . and a pretty horrible one at that. Honestly, I'm still on the fence whether it can even be counted as a 'kidnapping'." He stared back at the man. "But to you, those things probably just build character, ay' Dad?

Jack merely returned his son's hard stare as the room filled with an uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Danny folded his hands underneath his chin as he glared across the table at his father. "Okay, I have one. The people you've been collecting from the town. What are you doing to them? Why are they here? I thought you were only concerned with ghosts."

Jack threw the teen a look of disdain before answering. "Amity Park is one of the most ghost infested areas on Earth, and it's been like this for longer than anyone can remember. Natural portals appear here more than anywhere else, including the Bermuda Triangle. And with all those ghostly entities comes the ectoplasmic radiation from long-time exposure."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "So, what? You think these people are . . . infected or something?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Infected or not, we can't have them running around with a chance of that being true. So we-"

"So you're locking them up like guinea pigs and torturing them?!" Danny shouted.

"It could be worse, Danny." Jack stood from his chair. "We could be treating them like you and the rest of your putrid kind. You're lucky you even get to talk right now instead of going straight back to that table." He growled out.

Danny instantly silenced at that, watching as Jack took a step away from his chair and began to walk around the table. "Alright, I got a good one. How the hell did you get involved with those Justice freaks?" He asked.

Danny scoffed in frustration at the name but lifted his head up nonetheless. "Well after around the six year mark of running for your life, your legs start to get a little tired, so I decided to try and find help." Danny quipped.

"And let me guess, going to a group of superheroes as a fugitive ghost was your bright idea?"

Danny scrunched up his nose and folded his arms defensively. ". . . . . maybe. Alright it wasn't my best idea, but it sure as hell worked!" He shouted back.

Jack let out a booming spout of laughter. "Yeah, who exactly did it work for? The six superheroes who are currently sitting in cells? Or the ghost about five minutes away from an examination table?" The man sneered.

Danny opened his mouth to shout out a retort before instantly clamming up. His eyes frantically flickered back and forth in through, a small detail his father instantly caught. The man let a chuckle slip out as he walked over and placed his hands on the back of Danny's chair.

"Oh come now, Danny. You didn't actually think any of this would work. They're 'heroes'" He quoted with a grimace. "And you're a monster. What did you expect? That they would fight by your side? That they would drop everything to help you? That they would take you in as one of their own?"

Danny lifted his head and threw the man a glare. "They did." He said in a weak voice.

"And look where it got them. Rotting away in a cell." Jack retorted, watching as Danny's eyes fell to the floor. "You've brought them nothing but trouble, Danny. Because that's exactly what your kind brings. No matter how much you try, no matter how much you fight to believe it isn't true, It always will be."

He stopped behind the teen and bent down closer. "You're a ghost. What would they ever want with a thing like you?" He whispered into the teen's ear.

"SHUT UP!" Danny screamed, pushing himself away from the table as he backed up against the far wall, keeping his eyes locked on his father as the man stalked back, a triumphant look on his face.

"PROJECT PHANTOM!" Danny shouted, causing Jack to freeze.

"What?"

"I want to know about Project Phantom!" He snarled, knuckles shaking by his sides.

Jack's fingers twitched.

"Well, Pops? Forfeit the game?"

The man stayed silent for what seemed like an eternity before he chuckled softly. "You always were a nosy little shit." He muttered.

"Project Phantom is something we devised two years ago, when we realized taking out the ghosts would never truly get rid of them. Where there's one cockroach, there's a whole infestation. We had to take it out from the root."

"I'm sure you remember the ghost portal, Danny. I sure do . . . . and I know your mother and sister remember it perfectly." He growled in a low voice, the teen visibly flinching as he wrapped his arms around himself and tucked his chin into his chest.

"Anyways, we had always wondered about the Ghost Zone. If we could find a way to breach the dimensional barriers and rip a hole through. We have the tools, the parts, the blueprints. . . but we still needed a working power source. And finding a power source that could rival the power of a city generator is not an easy task to accomplish."

"So we brainstormed." He explained, circling around the room, Danny keeping a fixated eye on him at all times. "We wondered where we could find the energy to ignite that spark and rip through the barrier. Finally it came to us." He stated, turning back towards Danny.

"We had to remember what we were building in the first place. A ghost portal. A machine composed entirely of ghostly energy." He explained, stalking closer with every word. "Meaning we needed a spectral power source to power it. But it couldn't be just any random ghosts plucked from one of the cages."

"No, this ghost needed to be different. It needed to be self-sustaining. Not one that merely feeds of human emotions like the common ghost, otherwise it would be reduced to ectoplasmic sludge when we tried to extract the power."

Danny narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before they widened enough to rival saucers as he whipped back up to face his father. "That's why you're taking the humans." He breathed.

Jack turned his head to face the teen, a wicked grin plastered on his face. "The game says I answer the questions, but it says nothing about those answers being truthful." He sniped.

"You don't care about ectoplasmic radiation. You're trying to create . . . create half-ghosts." He gaped.

"Look at that. You're finally starting to learn. Yes, we needed halfas for our portal to work, meaning you get to be the star of the show, Danny." He stated, walking closer. "Come now, those powers are finally going to be put to good use. You should be happy."

Danny quickly ducked underneath his father and scooted over to the other wall, trying to distance himself as much as possible from the deranged man. "You're insane! You can't get rid of the Ghost Zone!" He shouted.

"Why not? Daniel, you still don't seem to understand! You and your kind have no purpose other than to torment and infect the waking world." He growled out, grabbing the teen's wrists before he could escape. "I'm trying to help the world by getting rid of this infestation! Tell me, Daniel. Just tell me one contribution that ghosts have made to the world! Just one!" He shouted.

The teen stared back at the man's crazed eyes, for once, at a loss for words. Jack stared down at the boy in disgust. "Exactly. Who's going to miss you when you're gone?" He growled out, turning towards the door, the teen still in tow.

Suddenly, Danny's eyes narrowed as he yanked his wrists out of the man's grasp. Jack turned back with a shocked face as Danny glared up at him. "Batman. Batman would miss me. Superman would. Wonder Woman would. Flash, GL, Hawkgirl, Sam, Tucker, all of them! You think ghosts are disposable creatures unable to love and incapable of gaining that love, but you're wrong!" He shouted.

"I've met horrible people in my lifetime. But I've also met wonderful people who've reminded me just what I can do. People who care for me. People who love me. People who are much better for me than you ever could. I don't care what you say. I don't care what you do. But you'll never be able to convince me that ghosts aren't worth anything." He shouted, fists clenched by his side.

"You're wrong, Jack. I know you are, the League knows you are, and deep down . . . you know you are. Do you think Mom and Jazz would have wanted any of this to happen? For you to do all these horrible things?" HE shut his eyes tightly before staring hard into his father's emotionless eyes. "You'll never win. Never. And if you think for a second that you have an actual chance, then you can go fu-"

Having the wind knocked out of you is never a pleasant experience, especially when it's done by your own father. He barely had time to blink before the steel-toed boot connected with his stomach. He gasped as all the air was forced out of his body as he doubled over and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Rough hands grabbed his shoulder and he was suddenly on the ground, gasping for breath. Flipping onto his back, he gasped as the boot slammed down onto his chest, pressing his back into the floor.

He groaned in pain as it pressed deeper and deeper into his chest, forcing him to gasp for air. Leaning down, Jack reached his hand over and grabbed a fistful of Danny's hair, raising the boy's head to look at him. Danny felt himself shake in fear as he gazed at the man's eyes. They were full of unrelenting rage and madness.

"You listen to me, you fucking piece of shit. Nothing about you is worth saving! You're a pathetic, murderous creature that doesn't deserve to breath the same air as everybody else and I'm going to make sure you know just how worthless you really are." He snarled. "GUARDS!"

The back door suddenly swung open as three more agents filed into the room. "Prep the table!" Jack shouted, one guard nodding as he left the room.

Danny's eyes widened in horror as the words reached his ears. "W-what! B-bu-but I t-thought you n-needed me alive!" He screeched, letting out a gasp of pain as Jack pressed the boot harder onto his chest, the feeling of bones bending making Danny's fingers curl against the cold tile floor.

Jack lowered his head and grinned maliciously. "You'd be surprised just how much the human body can handle, especially for someone who's only half-human. And you'll be even more surprised at the new toys we've gotten over the years." He chuckled as he reached down and grabbed Danny's neck, hoisting him back to his feet as he threw him to the other agents, who latched onto his arms.

"First thing you've got to learn is respect!" The man shouted. "And we have plenty of tests to teach that."

"Besides, there are quite a few people around here who want nothing more than to see you on the dissection table. They've been working so hard, I think it's about time they got a reward." He said with a knowing grin and a dangerous glint in his eye.

"No! No, you can't do this!" Danny shouted, only for Jack to grab the side of the teen's neck and lean closer.

"Oh, Danny . . . . who's going to stop me?"

Concussions are fun, aren't they!

Rox: Well next time, don't slide headfirst into home plate with a large catcher blocking the way!

It seemed like a good idea at the time!

Anyway, next chapter is going to be . . . I an't gonna lie it's gonna be pretty bad. Any squeamish people are being warned now!

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Reviews:

5: You are fantastic! Thank you so much for reviewing this! I love it so much!

Kay: You know, it takes me literally twenty minutes or something like that just to come up with a good title name and most of them are pretty stupid so . . . oh well!

Fear the Fuzzy Bear: Aww.. but torture and triggers are the most interesting things! JK, there actually pretty gruesome . . .just look at the next chapter! Hehehehe . . . seriously it's going to be pretty bad!

Beatnix: I apologize for those heart strings. I'll do my best to retie those for you!

sparklydog9: Defibrillators ready! CLEAR! Stay alive, we still have a long way to go! Stay with me, soldier!

: Yeah I keep for getting to add a warning to the very beginning of the story. WARNING: NOT SUITABLE TO READ IN CLASS ~ contains laugh out loud humor.

Minxiboo: Don't worry, chapter 22 will have you throwing up! just kidding, it won't be that bad . . . . I don't think?

Tsukiko K: Ahhh! I know! I'm sorry! THe G.I.W is full of heartless scumbags that don't deserve to walk the face of the earth . . . . that's why it's so fun to write them! Hehehe. I love Danny, too. Which makes all this torture so hard (fun) to write.

YouCanOnlyPretend: I'll bring the plates and napkins!

Bellmitch Kritznovah: Yeah, helplessness is a horrible feeling (Just ask Eliza Hamilton!) And thanks! It took a while to think of a good password.

6BlueSweaters: Yeah, I really miss him. On the bright side, I have three new kittens keeping me company. They're a handful.

Spider-Bat: Yeah, I really hate cars at the moment. And sorry, tortured Danny is best Danny. Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be that bad . . . . I'm a horrible liar.

thatonestranger: Piss Waffles are awesome. They're definitely becoming like a signature.

Zatannagurl: Yeah, my poor little baby was squished. But my new kitten triplets are a handful so they keep me entertained nowadays. Yeah, Vlad is at the top of the list of Most Creepy People In TV.