Ch.8: Where Loyalties Lie
Danny looked at the other children, hardly noticing how few there were in such a big building. There were probably more hiding somewhere, but this fact never occurred to the young boy. It also never occurred that playgrounds weren't meant to be indoors, but nevertheless, there was a playground just feet away, placed smack dab in the lobby of the building. More children were climbing on the jungle gym or pumping their feet as they lulled back and forth on the swings. The swinging children were going noticeably slower than they should be, and the kids on the jungle gym seemed stilted, but again, it was as if everything was as normal as watching TV.
The little, black-haired child had been told by his parents that he was going to be able to play with the children, and though he consciously knew he was going to have fun, Danny felt no excitement. This did not register as wrong, though, even if he knew he should be feeling some sort of emotion. Danny turned to his parents, and instead of voicing the strangeness of the situation, the boy asked, "Are you going to watch me, Mama? Daddy?"
Unlike Danny, Mommy and Daddy seemed to be overcome with emotion. The corners of Daddy's lips were trembling, and his cobalt eyes were misty. Over than those minuscule details, however, the man was perfectly composed. Mommy was less so. A few tears were running down her face, and her smile wavered as she looked down at her son. She answered him, "No Baby, Daddy and I won't be able to watch you play."
For some odd reason, this did not scare Danny. Normally, he was a clingy child, but here, it was like he couldn't feel at all. Still, Danny pouted as if this upset him and asked, "Why not, Mommy?"
Mommy chuckled hollowly at her son's pleading question, her laughter hitching with something that Danny could not describe, something that Danny could not understand. The orange-haired woman replied, "Daddy and I have to go to the grocery store, Baby, and you know that's no fun for you! At least you'll be able to play with other kids this way. Won't that be fun?"
Danny nodded without any hesitation. "When will you be back?"
Another tear rained down the woman's face, sliding down quickly before pausing at the tip of her chin. It should've dripped, but it stayed, dangling from her flesh instead. Mommy crouched down beside her son, the teardrop swaying back and forth. She placed her hands on the sides of Danny's face, and the boy didn't hesitate to place his small ones over her bigger ones. Mommy's watery smile began to break apart as she said, "Soon, Danny. We'll pick you up soon. I promise."
Satisfied, Danny nodded and smiled. His cheeks still gently pressed against his mother's palms, the oblivious little boy said, "Ok, Mommy. I'll see you later. I love you!"
"I love you too, Baby. I love you too…"
Danny awoke gradually from his slumber, feeling numb. His eyes saw the room around him, but he was still too far lost in his dream that it didn't click in his brain that he was home, he was safe. Danny was still scared and tiny, terrified of the kids that might try to pick on him. He was still physically incapable of deciding his own fate outside of what he wanted to eat or drink or watch on TV. To Danny, he was still four-years-old, trapped in an environment he didn't know how to handle, forever wishing for his Mommy and Daddy to come save him.
Unfortunately for the four-year-old, saving never came.
For a long while, Danny remained cooped up on his mattress, hidden from the world. His senses slowly returned to him, reminding him of his huge progress in life. But no matter what Danny told himself, he couldn't quite shake off his dream. He had had similar ones over the years, with similar ludicrous visuals to the one of the playground in the building lobby and different variations of the conversation. But one thing never changed: "Soon, Danny. We'll pick you up soon. I promise." What a lie that had proved to be.
Crawling out from under his desk, Danny crawled into his chair, pulling himself up to his desk. It was a task that required no thought, and neither was his next task. In his typical routine, Danny began the usual checking of message boards, private chats, any current phone-conversations, and the new addition to the list, his ectoplasmic radar. However, for the time being, nothing was keeping his interest. He was too bothered by his dream; an idea kept nagging at the back of his brain, calling too loudly for anything else to snag his attention. It became so distracting that Danny eventually caved to his brain's nagging with an irritated sigh, spinning his chair around to his least favorite hologram. He opened his bookmarks, scrolled through the list, and found the one currently on his mind. The teen boy blinked twice, the translucent hologram hovering over his eye selecting the option. In milliseconds, the bookmarked page was up, glaring at him cruelly.
The formatting for Las Vegas' biggest orphanage taunted him with its familiarity. Danny had to have looked at it hundreds of times before this, for it was a surefire way to both torture himself with its sad, pathetic statement and sternly remind himself of how far he had come. Today, though… He wasn't here to do the latter. He was here for the former, as pitiful as it was. Danny just couldn't find it in him to resist, though.
Just as the formatting did, the name stamped across the top of the record jeered at him, breaking down the self-esteem Danny had successfully built over the years with ease. 'Fenton, Daniel James.'
For a moment, Danny just stared at his name, hating it. Fenton. He had never liked being called it, and he had liked it less when he used it. A last name was a distinction. A last name told people falsely that Danny had a family, which he certainly did not have. If he did, he probably wouldn't be living in a dinky apartment, running the deep-web's best program. The closest thing Danny had to a family was Sam and Tucker, and the three of them didn't need matching names to show people how they felt about each other. If people wanted to know what their association with each other was, all they had to do was watch the way the three teens looked at each other.
The black-haired teen took comfort in the thought of his friends, even if their relationship lately hadn't been quite as strong as it had once been. The three of them would fix it soon enough. Danny didn't worry about that.
Back on the computer, a basic list of things to know about Danny was typed neatly under the boy's name. It told people what his hair color was, what his eye color, etc. It was just general tidbits. All the hardcore information- the names of his parents, for example –could only be viewed by people in certain positions of power, such as the head of the orphanage and such. Even then, it took a lot of string pulling for them to be viewed.
However, if one was an excellent hacker, none of that mattered. And Danny was an excellent hacker.
It'd be so easy to hack into the file, Danny knew. It's not like there was a lot of security placed on a random child's files. And yet, every time Danny found himself seriously contemplating finding everything out, he could never bring himself to go through with it. For a long time, he had wondered why, but in recent years, Danny figured out why, even if he consistently denied it.
He was scared. Danny was terrified of finding out the truth about why he had ended up in the custody of the state at such a young age. Danny clearly remembered his mother and father, looking like death had visited them the last time he saw them. They obviously hadn't been happy to leave him, just as Danny hadn't been thrilled to see them go with little explanation as to why they were leaving him. But what if that was all just made up? What if he was one of those kids that made artificial memories because the real experience had been too traumatic? What if his parents were dead by some accident? Or maybe something even worse than that…
What if they just…simply hadn't wanted Danny?
Danny leaned back in his seat, sighing as he wondered what to do with himself. There was no way he would be able to concentrate on work now that he was on this train of thought and doing something with Sam and/or Tucker wouldn't be able to lift his mood, no matter how much the other teens tried. Looking at the very basics of his file always managed to screw him up for a good couple of days before Danny fixed his attitude, returning his mentality back to what it usually was: the badass supreme of the Dark-Net.
For a long time, Danny remained deep in thought in front of his least favorite hologram. His mind would not stop replaying the phantom words, "Soon, Danny. We'll pick you up soon. I promise." The teen couldn't let go of the fact that the very first part of his life was a story he could access with ease, but instead of reading the whole thing, he remained stuck on the first damned chapter. Not for the first time, it irked Danny how much of a wuss he was being.
After an undeterminable amount of time, one of the holograms began ringing, shutting off the stereo and all of the holograms, except for the one. It startled Danny out of his depressed stupor, and he quickly turned to the hologram, reading the names flashing on the screen: 'Drone' and 'Black Thorn.' For a moment, Danny contemplated coming up with an excuse to avoid talking to them at the moment, but at the very last ring, the boy plastered on a fake smile and accepted the call.
Sam and Tucker's faces appeared on the screen, both looking a little concerned. Danny pretended not to notice as he leaned back in his seat, propping his feet on the desk in front of him. Folding his hands behind his head, Danny greeted the two, "Sup guys. How's life?"
Tucker looked at his best friend strangely, like he expected the boy to suddenly break down or act unlike himself. The dark-skinned boy slowly and cautiously asked, "Is everything ok over there, Danny? It sure took you awhile to answer the call…"
"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I was in the bathroom." The Dark-Net creator said, jerking his head in the direction of the stated room.
Tucker looked curiously over at Sam, who seemed equally as perturbed by the other boy's unusually cool attitude as well. The female mercenary asked, "Seriously Danny, you all good? You're never this chipper when we see you unless something is wrong."
Some of Danny's smile dropped. Sam was right, after all. While he was normally in a good mood when he talked to the two, Danny's attention was never fully invested in the two themselves, unless subject matters pertained to business, gaming, or both. Outside of that, Danny was easily distracted, even if the two teens were his best friends and the closest thing he had to family. Besides, it had never seemed to bother Sam or Tucker much. In fact, they always counted on this attitude, and that's why it was so noticeable that something was wrong with him.
However, Danny had never told anyone, especially not Sam or Tucker, about the way he sometimes contemplated all the haunting 'what if's,' the bittersweet 'what could have been's.' The black-haired teen certainly didn't need them assuring him that his parents' decision (death? accident?) was a good thing, that it led them to where they were now. After all, Danny already knew all those things. It didn't take away the sting, though.
Back with the conversation, Danny waved his friends' concerns off. "Fine, fine, you caught me. I've been dealing with some personal stuff lately. It's nothing to worry about, though. It will all be resolved shortly. In fact, it's almost entirely cleared up. I'll finish it when we're done here."
It was a lie, but, well, he'd been lying a lot lately.
"Are you sure? Do you need any help?" Tucker asked before pausing. There was a noticeable moment of silence, and then the teen boy hesitantly asked, "Does it have anything to do with Batman?"
The question immediately sparked irritation within Danny, dwindling some of the depression that had been overwhelming him just seconds before. He was less than surprised at the question, but dammit, could his two friends please just drop that matter for one single, solitary conversation? Was that too much to ask for?
(Yes, it occurred to Danny that he would ask the same questions and have the same worries, but it didn't take away any of the annoyance.)
"No guys. This is a Batman-free problem. Can we just drop the subject?" Danny snapped.
Tucker held up his hands in surrender, immediately backing down from digging further. For a moment, Sam seemed to contemplate digging further but at the last moment, decided against it. The mercenary, too, decided it was best to drop the subject, even if she was more sensitive to the Batman fiasco. Despite things being cleared up in the end, Sam had yet to let go of Danny's intervention in her gig, and even though she would've loved to mention it again, the girl wisely kept her mouth shut.
The black-haired boy's fingers drummed against the top of his desk. Danny asked, "So what do the two of you need today?"
"I need an opinion from you, Danny, and Sam, I was wondering if you could tagalong on the gig I'm about to elaborate on, if I end up accepting it." Tucker replied, looking at his friends with interest. Sam told the boy that she wanted the details of the job before she accepted, and Danny gestured for Tucker to continue. The dark-skinned boy needed no further encouragement, launching into a speech about his maybe employer, someone going by the name of Racer. Said employer was asking that Tucker send an android out to assassinate the one and only, Lex Luthor. However, it couldn't just be any android. No! Racer specifically asked for it to be an android of the senator of Nevada that Lex Luthor was going to make a public appearance with later that day. It was a simple scheme but still devious, all the same. Not only would one public figure be dead, but another would have his entire career ruined.
Instead of being shocked by Racer's request, though, Sam asked in astonishment, "How are you supposed to do that? It takes weeks, months even, to build one android, and this guy wants you to do this later today? Why are you even considering this?"
"I already have an android of the senator." Tucker replied, unconcerned.
Danny grinned and cackled some, obviously already in on the other boy's secret. He commented, "You remember that public stunt the guy- what's his name? Smith? -pulled some months ago? He flashed a bunch of people on a random street?" Sam nodded. Danny snickered again. "Yeah, that was Tucker."
Tucker joined Danny in laughing, the two falling into a giggle-fest as they remembered the unforgiving newsfeed that had torn the politician apart that day. Sam shook her head at the two boys, a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. As she waited for the two boys to calm themselves, Sam mumbled, "You guys have all the fun…"
It took some time, but the snickering eventually faded out, both boys breathing heavier than normal. Tucker pushed his glasses higher on his nose before continuing where he had left off, explaining that he was unsure if he was getting paid enough for the job. The boy was not going to ask for full price anyway, especially since he had already decided that he wasn't going to be killing anyone, but the price Racer offered just didn't sit well with the boy. After some discussion with Danny, who was well-versed the economics of criminals, Tucker finally came to a price that he would refuse to budge on. If Racer would not agree with the boy, there would be no deal.
As for what Tucker wanted from Sam in the deal, he merely asked her if she would so kindly keep the real senator locked in his penthouse. It would be a shame if the mission were to be unsuccessful because the man showed up just as the android was making its move. Sam readily agreed once she was told that she would be getting a cut of the earned money. It would be a small cut but a cut, nonetheless.
The conversation quickly came to an end after the three finished discussing the details. They hung up with easy-going smiles. Danny's quickly dropped after their faces were gone, however, and the boy looked to his side, where 'Fenton, Daniel James' once again glared at him. The boy glared right back before turning back to his work, vowing to open the file at a later date when he didn't have things to do. (Another lie, but who was keeping count?)
The next two and a half hours went without a problem. Danny went through and made some updates on Dark-Net's system, just as he did every other month. It was the only routine in his life he had yet to break, but that was mostly due to the fact the system tended to crash if he didn't. That had happened a couple of times during the beginning of the Dark-Net's reign. No remembered the malfunctions, though, because Danny had taken care of them quickly.
Thinking about the past led Danny to remembering how easy it had been all those short years ago. Back then, everything had made sense. It had just been Danny, Sam, and Tucker, doing what they loved with no one to come between him. As much as the teen liked the Dark Knight, those simple days had been the best, and they were missed dearly. (That didn't stop Danny from loving his life now, even if he kept telling himself he should hate it because of what it had come to.)
Danny's reminiscing was so deep that he didn't realize he wasn't alone until his stereo was abruptly turned off. The sudden, distinct lack of hard rock startled the teen from his thoughts, and the first conscious thing he thought was, 'Hide my records!' Danny wasted no time in shutting down the tab on his least favorite hologram as he turned around, looking frazzled and irritated by the Dark Knight's sudden intrusion. Batman was emotionless as Danny said, "Oh great, look what the cat dragged in." The teen turned his chair back to his main hologram, and Danny asked, "So, what can I do for you today, Bats?"
Batman silently wandered up beside the teen's chair, standing beside the boy. "How much do you know about Lex Luthor?"
At the name, Danny became nervous. He had a feeling he knew where this was going already, but the teen gave his supervisor the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he didn't know anything; maybe Luthor was doing something diabolical. After all, the man was a scumbag, like lots of politicians. Yeah, that had to be it. The offer Tucker got was too last minute for the Dark Knight to catch wind of. This definitely had to be for something else.
"I know he's bald, rich, has an assistant that he's never seen without, and he's rich." Danny commented sarcastically, hiding his anxiousness well as he looked up at Batman, a smirk adorning his face.
The Dark Knight sighed. "You said 'rich' twice."
"I know, but that's, like, the only thing you hear about him! 'I'm rich, and you aren't, bitches! Ha-ha!' That'll totally change when I hack into your bank account, ya douche bag! Ha-ha!" Danny said, dancing a little bit in his seat at his 'genius humor.' Batman just stared at him dryly, and Danny said, "Come on. You have to admit, if he were suddenly hit with poverty, it'd be hilarious."
The Dark Knight did not answer Danny, nor did he make any gesture to signal that he had heard the teen's last comment. Batman immediately dove into the purpose of his visit, asking, "Has there been any talk of assassinating Luthor on the Dark-Net recently?"
…shit. Danny felt his stomach drop as the Dark Knight asked his question. His smirk almost dropped. It took all of the boy's effort to keep it up, keep it convincing while the teen scrambled his brain for a response.
No, no, no, Batman couldn't know anything about Tucker and his gig. He couldn't! It had only been decided a few hours ago, and the only opportunity for the deal to go through was today! Even Danny probably would've missed the job, had it not been Tucker that the Racer guy had contacted. So how the hell was Batman standing beside Danny now, asking him something that should've been completely overlooked until it was far too late to stop?
It didn't even matter, Danny decided, still smirking, despite feeling nothing but despair. The teen couldn't screw with his friends again. He just couldn't. They were already becoming wary of him because of one, single, solitary incident and a few questionable decisions on his part. If Danny did anything to jeopardize this mission, neither Sam nor Tucker would be able to forgive him. And damn it, Danny loved the two of them too much to hurt them like this!
"Uh, if anyone's plotting against Luthor, I haven't seen it." Danny finally replied, shrugging his shoulders casually. "Normally, people are trying to plot with him. I'm telling you, man, the only thing likeable about Luthor is his money. I've got an entire list of users who would agree with me because most of them have tried to get him to fund their worthless projects at some point."
Danny thought he had been doing a pretty job at hiding the fact he knew exactly what the Dark Knight was talking about, but the glare Batman donned told the teen otherwise. The Caped Crusader asked in a dangerously low voice, "What do you know, Danny?"
The black-haired boy quickly returned the nasty glare, his features harsh in the light of the holograms. Mimicking the older's edgy voice, Danny asked, "Why does it matter?"
"Luthor isn't exactly the League's favorite person. I keep tabs on him in case he starts getting the wrong ideas. Lately, though, he's been getting anonymous emails, all of which have been death threats. Luthor hasn't done anything to suggest that he's taking them seriously. However, I have a feeling the sender is being deathly serious when he sends them." Batman explained. "The one writing the notes needs to be stopped if he does plan on going through with what he's been saying."
"Why?" Danny asked suddenly, startling the Dark Knight for a split second before he regained his composure. Danny didn't allow him to answer, though. He kept talking, saying, "Why does that scumbag deserve to live? Luthor is a bastard! Always has been, always will be. If you ask me, Luthor is getting his just desserts."
"While that may be true, the end does not justify the means." Batman stated, his glare darkening at the teen's flippant attitude of a life being taken. Later, he would wonder why Danny would say such harsh things, especially since he had supposedly been against killing, but for right now, Batman was only pissed, and it showed. It showed like a lighthouse on a foggy night as the Dark Knight said, "If you don't want to help me stop this, fine, but you'll give me the damn details so I can stop it myself. Do you understand?"
The teen didn't answer right away, and it was impossible to tell if he would answer at all. Batman narrowed his eyes, his glare darkening, but Danny just countered it with his own, his eyes fiery. The two became locked in a battle of wills, fighting silently but fiercely. It was a battle that could've gone for an eternity, neither side gaining any ground on the other. And it was going to go on for an eternity, Batman realized. They were going to be like this until the thing they were fighting about was said and done, and that enlightenment had the Dark Knight blurting, "Damn it, Danny! Don't be a disappointment!"
The statement came out of nowhere. It didn't just shock Danny; it surprised Batman too. If he could've, the Caped Crusader would've taken it back, but there was no way for him to negate what he had said. Batman watched, horrified, as Danny's fiery expression faltered at his words before it just…crumbled. The teen's will to fight broke apart, and though Batman watched the boy flounder to erect it again, the pieces just kept slipping through his fingers. It was a losing battle, and as soon as the teen realized this, he gave up. Batman found it disturbing how easily the boy had let his resolve go, all over one stupid statement from his part.
The two remained in silence, and it didn't even matter that there was someone out there that needed their help if he wanted to see another day. The siren called the Present kept the two wrapped up in its deadly, hypnotizing song. There was nothing that neither Batman nor Danny could do to break the Present's spell. It hung over their heads, being the constant, nagging reminder neither of them wanted.
"I've got a headset in the basement that can help us. I'll be back in a minute." Danny said, his voice oddly soft. It didn't sound like the teen at all, but Batman couldn't bring himself to say anything as the teen grabbed the basement keys and got up. Without another word, Danny left the apartment, the door closing softly behind him.
Batman sighed as he reached up to rub the side of his head. The man turned his head to the side to look at all the things Danny had taken the time to create on his own, casually marveling at the time and effort it must have taken the boy to get this far. His own, harsh words echoed in his head ("Don't be a disappointment!"), and the Dark Knight wondered why such things ever left his mouth.
The man's overwhelming feelings led him to staring at the blank hologram off to the side for some odd reason. Batman remembered that there had been a tab up before, but Danny had shut it down as soon as he found out Batman was in the room with him. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered the Dark Knight. People kept certain things hidden, after all. But after what he had said and Danny's quick defeat, Batman worried at what the teen wanted to hide. The man glanced towards the door, where Danny had disappeared, before his eyes found the hologram again.
It didn't take much to figure out how to bring the previous tab up again, and as Batman read the incomplete file, his brows furrowed in confusion. Why would Danny be looking at his personal file from the orphanage? And why would he only look at the very basic information, if he was going to look at his file at all?
Truth be told, the Dark Knight did not have a clear picture of the way Danny grew up. Batman already knew about the boy being in the state's custody from some skimming through a few records, and in previous conversations, Danny had implied in his words that he had done some growing up on the streets (and the Ghost Zone, apparently). Beyond those small tidbits, however, Batman was clueless. In the beginning, when he had first met Danny, he had meant to look into the boy's files deeper but had never found the time to do it. By the time he did have some free-time on his hands, Batman had a greater respect for the boy and had decided to give him some privacy. Unfortunately, Batman was beginning to wonder if that had been such a great idea.
Danny was very strange when it came to getting involved in anything involving heroism. He liked to cherry-pick which ones he wanted to get involved in and which ones he didn't; a prime example of this was the incident with Johnny. Danny had no problem jumping in and stopping his friend, but when Batman had asked the boy to stop a mercenary, the teen didn't want to intervene. At the time, the Dark Knight had chalked it up to the media attention it would get. However, when the invasion came around, Danny once again showed no hesitance in doing the dirty work, despite how big of a story it would be. And now he didn't want to get involved again! Batman could not even begin to fathom what was going through the teen's head.
The Dark Knight closed the tab on the hologram, stepping away from it. He promised himself that he would read the file soon. Maybe there was something in it that could tell him what was going on with Danny.
Speaking of the teen, the doorknob jingled for a moment before it opened, the boy wandering back in and shutting the door behind him. In his hands, he held a headset that Batman vaguely remembered seeing in Danny's storage unit. The teen wordlessly took his earpiece out to slip the headset on as he walked the few steps back to his chair, falling into it wordlessly. Danny situated the headset over his ears carefully before pulling himself up to his desk again. He pulled a keyboard towards him as he bent the adjustable microphone towards his mouth. Once all the setting up was finished, Danny brought up one of his many files, searching through the contents as he tried to find the correct program he wanted.
Unbeknownst to most people, Tucker had a backup plan in case any of his androids were hacked or had a malfunction of some kind. That emergency plan happened to be Danny. If Tucker should ever be under duress because of one of his beloved androids, Danny had backdoors into the system of every android Tucker had ever made. These backdoors allowed him to fix bugs on the spot, power the androids down, or under extreme emergencies, destroy them.
It also allowed Danny to completely hijack any of the androids and work it to his orders. Tucker had never worried about that option, though. Danny had never given him a reason to believe that the black-haired boy would do such a terrible thing to him.
Danny sighed inaudibly as he found the program for the senator's android. He quickly opened the program, tapping into its live video feed. It immediately showed footage of a sidewalk, people walking by and past the camera as it moved at a moderate pace down the street. The brim of a hat obscured some of the camera's view, but that didn't seem to matter so much. No one noticed the camera as it moved between the hoards of people that came and went.
"What are we looking at?" Batman asked, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.
The teen's voice was emotionless as he replied, "There is a hit out for Luthor, and the one taking care of the job controls androids instead of getting into the field himself. The androids have a reputation of being untraceable and unhackable. Unfortunately for the maker of the robots, no one has ever been able to completely keep me out of their things."
For a long while, the teen and his supervisor stayed enwrapped in silence. They watched the world from the robot's eyes, taking in the sunny day it was. It was weird watching all the people go about their day, to be able to see the sun while being untouched by its rays. It wouldn't have been so out of place, had Danny decided to open his curtains for once to let in the sunshine.
Finally, though, the robot began approaching a hotel where a limo sat in front of the curb, absently waiting for someone of importance to show up. Batman opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Danny beat him to the punch, saying, "The android looks like Senator What's-His-Face, so not only was it supposed to kill Luthor. No! It was also supposed to be ruining another man's life. I guess we're not going to be letting that happen, though…"
Batman noted that Danny's voice sounded dead as he spoke, like he would rather be skinny-dipping in acid than helping to save a life.
"Override code: 42759Z." Danny ordered. The android stopped in its tracks, becoming still in the middle of the sidewalk. A generic, electronic voice said, "Override accepted."
"Relay orders."
"Orders are… One: go to Hilton Hotel on Windswept Road. Complete. Two: get rid of disguise. Incomplete. Three-"
"Erase all orders. New orders are one: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel. Two: enter room. Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed. Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage. End of orders."
"My new orders are… One: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel. Two: enter room. Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed. Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage. Are these my new orders, yes or no?"
"Yes."
"New orders accepted. Currently completing… One: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel."
Danny leaned back in his seat as he watched the android flawlessly follow his orders without a second to spare. He could feel Batman's eyes boring into the side of his head, more than likely leaving holes, but the teen couldn't bring himself to look in the other's direction. Danny couldn't let the older see the shame on his face for doing something that most would say was right. He couldn't let the Dark Knight onto the fact that he was doing something so very wrong and that it was killing him slowly.
"Black Thorn is in on this too?" Batman asked, his voice coming out harsher than he had intended. He couldn't help it, however. Why hadn't Danny told him of the girl partnering on this job with whoever the android designer was?
The teen only hummed a 'yes' in reply, refusing to say anything more for the time. Batman wanted to press, but he knew it would get him nowhere. Thus, the Dark Knight wisely kept his mouth shut.
The two watched as the android rode up one of the hotel's elevator. As soon as it came to its level, the doors opened, and the android stepped off. The robot wandered down the hall, passing numbered doors that were not his target. It took a few minutes, but the android finally came upon Room 375. It grabbed the door-handle and broke it with ease.
"One: go to Room 375 of the Hilton Hotel. Completed. Now completing… Two: enter room."
The door was slammed open, starling the figures inside and huddled in the living room. Batman immediately recognized both the senator of Nevada and the female mercenary from the night Danny had called him in blind panic. They looked to the android simultaneously, both in shock but for different reasons. The robot began walking into the room.
"Two: enter room. Completed. Now completing… Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed."
They could not see the girl's face because of her mask, but they could still feel the glare Batman and Danny knew was on her face. She obviously could not hear the orders being relayed, for she stalked towards the robot, arms outstretched in an outraged gesture. Black Thorn yelled, "What the fuck are you doing here, idiot-stick?! You're supposed to be on your way to the public event already!"
Batman was taken aback by the casually pissed tone Black Thorn used, as if she knew who the original owner of the android was. The Dark Knight glanced down at Danny, but he seemed to not notice the tone of the girl's voice. Batman looked back at the footage, thoroughly interested in what was happening on screen.
Black Thorn stalked forward. Her katanas glinted in the harsh lighting as they hung from her hands. Danny knew the girl wouldn't do anything to harm the robot, but the android read Black Thorn's tense stance as hostile. The mercenary stalked within three feet of the robot and raised one hand as if to slash at the robot. The android reacted automatically, throwing a fist forward. Black Thorn ducked under it before trying to kick the robot's feet out from under it. It was a futile effort, and Black Thorn indignantly yelled, "Drone, what the fuck?! We're allies, you son of a bitch! We're allies!"
The android was unhearing to the girl's infuriated screams. Danny and Batman watched as the robot continued to throw basic punches and kicks in an attempt to dissuade Black Thorn from attacking, but the mercenary was not one to back down. She kept pressing forward, dodging attacks and throwing kicks and punches that caused little damage to the robot's exterior and practically none to the interior.
The poor, traumatized senator that had been off to the side took his chance to run, screaming in terror as he zoomed by the fight. The man was out the door and down the hall within seconds, his terrified yells growing quieter in seconds.
"Three: allow the senator to leave unharmed. Completed. Now completing… Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage."
Black Thorn threw another punch forward, but instead of dodging, the android caught it swiftly. The girl released a surprised yelp as she was pulled forward. The android bear-hugged Black Thorn, oblivious to her swears and curses as she struggled to become free from her captor. Again and again, Black Thorn yelled, "We're allies, Drone! We're allies! What are you doing?!"
"Four: take the mercenary Black Thorn hostage. Completed."
"Add order." Danny said, tilting his head to the side in apparent boredom. Batman couldn't tell that it wasn't boredom at all but detachment and denial of what he was doing.
"What is my new order?"
"Five: take Black Thorn to the Hilton Hotel's rooftop."
"Five: take Black Thorn to the Hilton Hotel's rooftop. Is this my new order, yes or no?"
"Yes."
"Order accepted. Now completing… Five: take Black Thorn to the Hilton Hotel's rooftop." The android responded, lifting Black Thorn farther from the ground. It turned, marching out of the room and into the hall, where people had appeared during the commotion. The audio feed picked up startled gasps and small yelps as the robot passed by the people, the girl still kicking and screaming within its grasp. However, no one made an effort to follow the strange scene, and for that, Danny was grateful.
The android held the black-clad female on the roof until Danny deemed that enough time had passed that Black Thorn would not attempt to save the mission. Danny ordered the robot to allow the girl to run free, pretending not to hear Batman when he told him to keep Black Thorn contained. Danny then ordered the robot back to HQ, and it accepted the order without a moment to spare. The Dark Knight obviously believed they were going to watch the video feed until the robot returned back to its base, but Danny made a show of pretending that the Drone character booted him from the program. In actuality, Danny manually exited out of the programs all at once, giving the illusion that he had been hacked. The black-haired boy feigned disappointment rather convincingly, but Batman didn't seem to be taking the bait. The Dark Knight glared at the young teen, but he let the matter drop, all the same. It would've undoubtedly ended in a fight where all parties would lose. However, Batman vowed that they would come back to the subject one day, when Danny didn't look so utterly hopeless.
As soon as the boy realized the Dark Knight had no intentions of pursuing the issue of his friends for the moment, Danny commented, "At least the disaster was avoided."
"Yes. That's always good." Batman ground out, barely containing the words he wanted to speak. He kept reminding himself the things he wanted to say would come out harsh, and the Dark Knight had already done enough damage for one day. (He had only said one stupid sentence, but it had come out so very wrong.)
To make up for what he had said earlier, Batman added, "You did a good job, Danny."
Had it been any other day, Danny would've felt overjoyed by such simple words, but today wasn't any other day. The compliment made Danny feel hollow and sick. The boy replied solemnly, "Yeah… Thanks."
For a few minutes, Batman and Danny were uncomfortably silent. Neither knew what to say, if there was anything to say at all. Finally, Batman left with a quiet goodbye, leaving Danny all alone in his hauntingly still apartment. Batman promised himself that he would check on the teen relatively soon, and when he would call later that week, Danny would be abnormally cheery and talkative. It would be just like old times, and yet, something would still feel wrong. For once, Batman wouldn't know what to do to fix the problem and instead, he would go along with the teen's act, pretending as if he didn't feel the wrongness either.
After the Dark Knight left him, Danny did nothing at all, for there was nothing for him to do except wait for the inevitable call he knew was coming. The teen slipped his headset off his head, dropping it to his desk, and leaned back, dragging a hand over his face. With dread filling his stomach, Danny waited.
It took longer than the teen predicted, but it still came, nonetheless. The two names flashed across the screen. Once, Danny would've become excited by the names, accepting them immediately. Now he wondered if it was best to hide instead of face the oncoming onslaught he had signed up for when Batman had crawled through his damn window. However, putting off the problem would not save Danny. His damnation would come soon enough, and thus, the teen begrudgingly accepted the call, hiding his eyes behind his hands out of shame. His simple gesture saved him from viewing his two friends' outraged expressions as they appeared on the hologram, which were only enhanced and enlarged by the hologram's top-notch display quality.
"Hi guys." Danny greeted, his voice sounding meek. It was a drastic change from his usually strong tone, but that detail flew right over Sam and Tucker's head.
"Danny, you better have a fucking fabulous reason for flat-out destroying our gig, and don't you dare say 'because Batman told me to.'" Tucker seethed. If the teen wasn't hiding his eyes, Danny would've undoubtedly shrunk under the other boy's intense, infuriated glare. It rivaled Sam's death stare in intensity. Wait, no. Actually, it was worse than the girl's glare, probably due to the fact Tucker was going to get more out of the gig than Sam would have, had the mission been completed.
The pissed teens waited for Danny to answer, but he wouldn't even look at the two. In an uncharacteristic display, Tucker slammed his fist against the desk in front of him while Sam growled. The dark-skinned boy yelled, "Damn it, Danny! What the fuck?! What the actual fuck?! How could you do that to us? And for what? The approval of some damned hero?"
Gathering up the scantest amount of courage, Danny dropped his hand, a serious expression taking over his ashamed one. Calmly, the black-haired boy tried to explain, "It wasn't like that. I tried to get out of it. I did my best to get out of it, but if I didn't do something, he would've stopped you two himself! At least with me, you can get away! You can get away every damn time if it's me!"
"We shouldn't have to be able to get away! We should just go because our mission is done! Not because you intervened!" Sam snapped, violet eyes blazing dangerously.
"How about next time you tell your Racer buddy not to send death threats to the target so Batman doesn't start getting suspicious! Then I won't have to get involved at all! And, you know what? If that's how you guys feel about me saving your asses, what would you rather I do? Please tell me because I'm all ears!" Danny yelled back, suddenly standing up and widely gesturing to the window that the black-clad hero had disappeared through forever ago. Danny's eyes flashed green, but if Sam or Tucker noticed, they didn't care.
"Oh please, Danny! There was always a way out of every scenario! It doesn't matter which way you look at it; there was always a way out! But instead, you've become so attached to Batman that you've sold us out every damn time he asked! Every damn time!" Tucker yelled.
Danny opened his mouth to retort, but there was nothing to say. Anything he said would've been a lie to make himself seem innocent. Tucker was right. There had always been a way out, either by omission or redirection, but Danny had gone and said something anyway, deciding he would rather take a chance that his friends would buy whatever he said instead of letting Batman down.
The black-haired teen's fiery disposition extinguished seconds after Tucker spoke. Danny's shoulders slumped, his outstretched arm dropping to his side. His head dropped, and unable to meet either of his friends' eyes, Danny stared at his desk instead, unseeing to the cluttered mess spread across it. There was nothing to say, so Danny kept his mouth clamped shut. It was obvious in his form that he was admitting defeat, and that probably upset Sam and Tucker the most. Danny was giving up, silently admitting they were right, when the two of them had been so desperate for the teen to snap back and give them unarguable reasons for his actions. But no, Danny knew what he had done it, and he was owning it, plain and clearly.
Most of Sam and Tucker's fire depleted at Danny's defeat. Tucker took off his glasses, dragging his hands across his tired face. Sam sighed inaudibly before saying, "Look Danny… Tucker and I love you. We've been family for years now, and there's nothing that can erase that. But if you keep going this way with Batman, I don't think we'll be able to stay family anymore."
The call ended on that painful note, not only driving a sword into Danny's heart but into Sam's and Tucker's as well. This was, as they say, a family matter. Things were changing, and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it, no matter how much they wished they could. When the smoke cleared at the end of the journey, the trio was either going to be stronger from the experience or they were going to be destroyed. At this point in time, however, it was impossible to say which outcome would be the one to change the trio.
Danny was the only one to hold the power to fix things, and he should've been hopeful about it. Sam and Tucker were giving him a chance to use that power; they were giving him a light at the end of the tunnel, except that light felt like the headlamp of an oncoming express train.