Danny took a deep breath. He'd told Black Canary all about how he got captured. How the Guys in White learned he was a halfa. He explained why he refused to have anything to help him sleep. Waking up with the all too familiar haziness from sedation reminded him of his ordeal. And that often lead to panic and fear. He told her a little more about the types of experiments the scientists did on him. He avoided the finer grim details but Black Canary had a very good idea of what the teen had been through. It took hours. But Danny told the heroine everything. It felt good to get it out of his head. He spoke in an even tone with little emotion. He had to stop sometimes to gather his thoughts and calm himself down. But he still told her everything.
Black Canary remained quiet, only daring to speak to ask a question or to clarify something. She did feel the air chill at times but the memories Danny spoke of at those times, it was more than understandable. She was surprised by how relaxed Danny seemed. It seemed that he had been right about waiting until now to talk to her. He was ready to talk now. It was a relief for the heroine. She had feared that the teen was trying to repress everything and forget. And repressing such horrifying memories would cause the boy problems.
Danny admitted that every night he had nightmares. Black Canary hadn't known that he had them every night. She knew he got them, often. The haunted look in his eyes some mornings was all she needed to know that he'd had a nightmare. But now, she learned that she'd only realised that after he had his worst nightmares.
Finally Danny explained how his private training outside the cave had been. He explained how his ghost ray wasn't as reliable as it once was. He was afraid of turning into Phantom and so couldn't practice his other powers. The ones he was still confident in. Black Canary could see how disheartening that could be. To only be able to practice the powers that rebelled against you and haunted your nightmares. It would be difficult. Danny also explained in greater depth of his fear of using his intangibility and even explained how despite his love of flying, he was reluctant to try. He was afraid of falling like before.
Danny explained how ghosts worked on emotions and his powers were directly tied to them. If he was frightened and desperately wanted to disappear, he might turn invisible. Cornered and threatened, he could use his ghostly wail without meaning to. Angry, his ghost ray lashed out and his eyes generally flashed green. Ice powers, he suspected it was a defence and calming tactic when he was terrified and overwhelmed. He didn't always know he was cooling the air.
As Black Canary listened, she understood. Danny had distanced himself to practice because he was worried of losing control and hurting someone. The same reason he locked himself away for the night when he had his break down. But she also saw why Danny was so guarded. If his emotions were tied to his powers, if he became emotionally unstable he could hurt someone with his powers by accident. Danny had also explained that his powers were limited in his human form which meant that in a way, it was safer for him to remain human during stressful situations. Not necessarily for him, but for others.
By the time Danny had said all he was willing to that day, it was late afternoon. Black Canary could see that Danny was exhausted. The plate of food had been forgotten and Danny was still holding the now empty mug. He hadn't moved from where they found him. Black Canary bit her lip.
"Danny, perhaps you should get some sleep. Would you like another cup of tea? Or something to eat?" Black Canary suggested, motioning to the plate beside him. Danny shook his head.
"No. I'll be fine. Thanks Black Canary," Danny replied with a small smile. Black Canary nodded and stood up. She debated helping the boy up but he made no move to stand. So she stepped out of the medical facility and closed the door behind her.
Once again alone, Danny put down the cup and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt… a lot better. Getting so much off his chest and out of his head was freeing. He allowed himself a smile. He'd done it. He'd told someone what he'd been through. Jazz would be proud. He gave a soft chuckle. Maybe now he could write home and let them know he was alright. With cracking joints and dull aches from lack of use and hours of being still and tense, Danny heaved himself to his feet. With numb legs, he staggered to his bed. He opened the drawer and pulled out the bundle of letters. He read them and smiled fondly at the words written to him. He didn't remember lying down or falling sleep, but for the first time since arriving at the cave, he didn't dream.
What will this mean for Danny?
Is he better?!
Until the next chapter.
