Kaldur paused the movie and looked over to Danielle and Garfield. He and Robin had noticed that there was something up between the halfas and Danny had been gone way too long to be on a bathroom break.
"Sorry guys," Kaldur called to the collective groans and complaints.
"Danielle, where's Danny?" Kaldur resumed. Danielle looked over to the Atlantean.
"Our ghost sense went off. So Danny went to check it out," Danielle admitted and glanced at the clock on the wall.
"I was going to check on him in five minutes," she added.
"Why didn't you guys tell us!?" Wally exclaimed. Danielle shrugged.
"Danny didn't want to ruin everyone's night. This kind of thing is normal for him," Danielle answered. They all knew that. Danny had grown a lot more confident recently and even volunteered stories from his ghost fighting in Amity Park.
"Well, the movie's paused. Maybe we should go check on him," Artemis pointed out. The teens nodded in agreement and turned to Danielle expectantly. She shrugged.
"Danny checked in the cave and didn't find anything so he was checking outside last I heard. Couldn't have gotten far on foot," Danielle informed them as she got to her feet. She changed into her ghost form as they walked out of the cave.
It took less than a minute to spot the glowing green light illuminating Danny and Skulker and a new ghost the team had never seen. He wore a white suit and had dark pointed hair and sharp fangs. The eerie green light made it difficult to make out all the details. They ran over to Danny, wondering why Danny was talking rather than fighting.
"Ah, these must be your friends right Daniel? Going to introduce us?" the new ghost remarked with a frown. Danny narrowed his eyes.
"No," Danny answered stiffly. The ghost smirked.
"Good to hear it," the ghost replied. The team shared confused looks.
"Everything okay Danny?" Zatanna ventured.
"Yeah, they were just leaving," Danny informed them, giving both ghosts a pointed look. The new ghost ignored Danny and spotted Danielle. He sniffed in dislike at her. She shrank away from the older ghost and cowered behind Danny, surprising the team and Garfield.
"You did what you came to do, Plasmius. Go," Danny pointed out with a scowl. Plasmius snarled at the dismissal.
"I wasn't finished Daniel. But if you're not going to be grateful, perhaps I can take my findings to your friends, hmm?" the ghost threatened. Danny's eyes flashed green.
"Do that, and I'll have to share some of my own findings," Danny warned. Plasmius' hand glowed bright pink.
"Is that a threat Daniel?" Plasmius hissed. Danny took a step forward and his own hand glowed brighter.
"No, it's a promise. You share what you know and I'll share what I know," Danny growled. Plasmius laughed mockingly.
"You don't fool me Daniel. Skulker informed me of his last visit. Admittedly, it took a little persuading," Plasmius retorted and gave the hunter an angered glare. Skulker took a small step away from the furious ghost.
"Try it. I'm not like that now," Danny challenged.
Suddenly Robin realised who this mystery ghost must be.
"You're the other halfa? Right?" Robin interjected. Plasmius turned to Robin and then gave Danny a murderous look.
"Sharing secrets I see," the vampiric ghost snarled. Danny tensed, ready for a fight. Danielle gave Robin a fearful look and the boy wonder understood with dread that he'd made a tense situation a lot worse.
"They know there's a third halfa. Not that halfa's identity," Danny explained with a pointed glare, promising that that fact could change.
Plasmius turned to the other teens.
"Run along. I have business with Daniel to discuss," Plasmius ordered condescendingly. The team scowled in annoyance and dislike.
"We would rather stay," Kaldur replied. Plasmius growled in dislike and turned to Danny.
"Daniel," Plasmius growled in a warning tone. Danny scoffed.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not the boss of them," Danny retorted. Plasmius snarled and before anyone could react, Plasmius fired his charged ghost ray at Garfield. A green shield erupted around the green furred boy, blocking the shot.
"I told you. I'm not the same as I was when Skulker was last here," Danny muttered with a dangerous gleam in his eye. The team released sighs of relief at seeing Garfield safe.
Plasmius scowled and dismissed his ghost energy.
"Very well," the older halfa murmured before charging forward and grabbing Danny by the wrist and rocketing up into the sky, Danny's charged ghost ray fired harmlessly into the sky and the shield around Garfield vanished. Danielle gasped in alarm and was about to fly up after Danny when a blast hit the ground beside her. She turned to Skulker.
"Perhaps we should leave them to talk," the hunter suggested with a smirk.
"What do you want?!" Danielle demanded, terrified for her cousin but knowing that Skulker was the threat she had to deal with for now.
"Many things. But right now, my employer isn't a good mood," Skulker admitted.
"Meaning?" Danielle prompted.
"Look, I didn't tell anyone that I found the whelp because I felt sorry for him. But Plasmius wasn't taking no for an answer and when he gets angry-" Skulker began but was interrupted by a scream of pain from above. They all looked up to see Plasmius electrocuting Danny with his pink ghost energy high up in the sky.
"That is for sharing secrets!" Vlad hissed in Danny's ear as he stopped the electricity flow. Danny blinked and gulped down a few breaths of cool fresh air. The fresh air brought Danny out of a number of flash backs.
"I only said there was another halfa. They worked it out. But they don't know who you are Vlad. The only name they have is Plasmius," Danny assured the older halfa panting slightly from being electrocuted. Vlad growled, causing Danny to flinch. Until now, he'd been fine with the angry displays from Vlad. It was just their special relationship. But it had shifted from being an uneasy visit with empty threats and taunts to being an aggressive argument. The anger was reinforced with pain and that brought Danny's memories of the lab to the front of his mind.
"Now, I'm going to tell you what I came here to tell you despite you being an ungrateful arrogant brat!" Vlad snarled, oblivious to Danny's mounting fear in his rage.
"There are people creeping around Amity Park. Following your loved ones. It's not my job to interfere but I did promise to keep an eye out. I'd warn them but they'll take it the wrong way," Vlad resumed angrily. Danny struggled against his terror.
"How… how many?" Danny managed. Vlad shrugged uncaringly.
"I've spotted two individuals but that doesn't mean there aren't more," Vlad answered. Danny nodded stiffly.
"Thanks for that Vlad," Danny muttered nervously, he didn't want to provoke another violent outburst. Vlad nodded in response before bringing Danny closer and stared into the halfa's eyes. Burning red met wide, fearful blue.
"Now listen here. If I hear that you've told anyone, and I mean anyone, about what I am, I'll go public with those reports I acquired from the Guys in White. Understand!" Vlad threatened. Danny nodded mutely, feeling his knees starting to shake.
"That includes your parents Daniel," Vlad added. Danny nodded.
"They… they don't know. Only know about three halfas. Don't know… identity of you or Danielle," Danny assured the enraged halfa, struggling to keep his composure. Vlad nodded approvingly.
"Keep it that way. Oh, and you'll thank me later," Vlad concluded. Danny blinked in confusion.
"For… for what?" Danny whispered with dread and fear building in his stomach.
"I noticed the lack of Phantom around," Vlad answered with an evil grin before dropping Danny.
Gasp! Will Danny be okay!?
What about those people Vlad saw around Amity Park?
Until the next chapter.
