Ch.24: Doing It Wrong
Danny absently stared at his computer screen with blue eyes. His bored face looked ready to drop dead any minute. Even though he could now go outside freely, he found there wasn't much he could do outside anyways.
Digging into a box of cereal that he had stolen because stealing money to buy food took longer than just stealing the food, he put a handful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in his mouth and chewed. The cereal tasted like cardboard and his stomach told him that he didn't need food. He continued to eat anyways cause he was still bored and eating cereal was like eating chips. One could eat three thousand boxes and still not feel totally full.
His stolen stereo blared his usual heavy metal but he wasn't feeling it. Danny didn't really feel hyped by any of the music he played and found himself wishing for a new band. But that sounded even more boring for his troubled mind and dismissed the thoughts of doing such a thing.
Danny was almost tempted to call one of his two friends but didn't do it. He knew Tucker was working on a new android for some guy named 'High Tide' and, though the cocoa-skinned boy was willing to talk while he worked, Tucker's head was never with the conversation when he was in 'work-mode'.
Sam was visiting their old buddies from the Black Panther Society. She always did it once a year and, as the society's rules, she wasn't allowed to bring along any devices.
The girl had asked if Danny had wanted to tag along but the ebony-haired teen, remembering his time with the Panthers, decided against it.
Danny, when he was training with Sam, had been a little troublemaker and a huge pain in the arse for the Panthers. He had always done a good job of sneaking in electronics, being loud and obnoxious, and was continually making tiny time bombs and hiding them under peoples' beds.
To say they threw a party when he left was an understatement. Sam had told them they had thrown one of the biggest parties in the world. She had never seen so much dancing, streamers, and balloons in one place before. Especially since the society didn't have the biggest hideout one could have.
Danny had never been so touched at anything in his life.
The teen looked up briefly at his TV. He had turned on Ghost Whisperer out of boredom and found it was both interesting and hilarious. Interesting because of the point of view it had but hilarious because that wasn't even close to what death really was.
Normal people amused Danny.
Mouthing along with the words to the stereo, Danny laid his head against the back of the couch, closing his eyes tiredly. He had slept through the night before peacefully but found that boredom was draining and left you tired in an irritating way.
Doing nothing all day was becoming a pain. He found himself wishing for jobs, even though he knew that would result with his head on a pike and guts on the pavement if Olsen or Batman ever found out. And Danny knew Batman would because he had to call the hero every night or face certain suspicious.
Speaking of Batman, their relationship was rocky at the moment. They were both having trouble letting their last fight go. They weren't angry, per say, but things were awkward and straight to business. Their calls at the end of the day were brief with only small questions and one syllable words following as answers. Even though this type of relationship irked both parties, they had yet to figure out how to make the ice thaw.
Since neither was socially active, it only made things worse.
Danny would never admit it aloud but he really did miss casual conversations with the Dark Knight. It always made his days brighter and put a smile on his face. It also eased whatever boredom he had away and made him relaxed, of all things.
With his eyes closed, Danny thought of all the things he could've done differently, could've said and could say that could make things all better again. He tried to fix everything he remembered, everything he did wrong that actually mattered to him.
With the music wafting through the apartment and his thoughts acting like a dark lullaby, Danny drifted off into sleep with his head lying against the back of the couch, his hands resting still on his keyboard, and a blanket wrapped around his legs.
Over the hours, the light peeking through the closed curtains turned from a bright and warm yellow to a sleepy orange. The sleepy orange came about to be loving pink until that turned to a deep purple before that became solid black.
The lights in the apartment were off but it was still bright, as the TV was still on, the various clocks around the room were still blaring green numbers, and the stereo played on. Through all the noise, Danny remained peacefully asleep and oblivious to the world about him. The cacophony of noises was his little sleep-aid.
Near one in the morning, the laptop awoke and began buzzing. The words 'Incoming Call: Batsy' flashed across the screen.
Danny stirred, blue eyes opening as the laptop vibrated against his legs. Squinting and rubbing his eyes, Danny read the message across the screen before pressing 'enter' and leaning back against the couch again. He waved to the black-clad figure on the screen.
"Hey Bats."
"You forgot to call me." Batman stated dryly.
Danny hummed in thought before replying "Actually, I've been asleep since two… Or, at least, I'm pretty sure it was two. Time is my enemy when I'm bored."
"I think that rings true for most of us."
Danny shrugged in response.
"Did you do anything today?" Batman asked.
"Nope."
"…nothing at all?"
"Yep."
"…alright then…" Batman mumbled.
Danny shrugged again. "I slept most of it so, you know… I didn't do much."
"Wonderful." Batman said sarcastically.
Danny gave him a thumbs up in response, snuggling deep into his seat contently.
The hero and the teen settled into an uncomfortable silence, not sure of what to say or do next. If it were any other day, Danny might've teased the Dark Knight but he didn't know if that was smart. Batman's expression was that of a statue and he couldn't tell if the hero wanted him to say something to make things normal or if Batman wanted the relationship to remain the same.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow night." Batman informed.
Danny nodded. "M'kay."
Batman gave a wave before hanging up. The window closed on Danny's computer, replacing the screen with the view of his expansive network. Shrugging, the teen began looking through it, deciding to amuse himself by playing with the other unsuspecting villains.
Bringing misery to others was always refreshing…
As Danny redesigned Dead Shot's page from dull, plain, and dark to rainbows, unicorns, and marshmallows, the teen knew something was seriously wrong with him since he took an immeasurable amount of joy from it but he waved it off. He had always known something was off in his brain. He just wasn't sure what.
Now he knew it was lack of remorse and guilt.
While he amused himself, he also monitored some IMs, PMs, and video chats. He made sure nothing too illegal was going down, remembering he had to reform and all, before he left the petty criminals be and moved on with his life.
Occasionally, he'd screw with a few because he could before he moved on, leaving the felons to scream and cry and blame the other person on the line.
One would think that by now someone would have figured out it was Phantom playing with the feed… The idiots were still oblivious.
Something caught Danny's attention and he zeroed in on the IM. Hacking into the server, he watched as the two convicts messaged back and forth, one looking for services the other could provide.
The one looking for services was 'Drip' and the one getting paid was named 'Hardwire'.
Hardwire was the team-leader for a group of mercenaries called 'the Rolling Blanks'.
With interest, Danny monitored the messages. Drip, for unspecified reasons, had a vendetta against reporter Vicki Vale. Hardwire was willing to kill the woman for a good stack of bills. But that's where problems arose; Drip wasn't too willing to pay as much money as Hardwire wanted.
Danny rolled his eyes. Criminals…
After much fighting, threatening, cussing, and negotiating, the two were able to come to a shaky agreement and Drip gave the details of the kill to his associate. While Hardwire agreed to the specifications, Danny decided that since he knew about it and was right in the area for it, he'd put a stop to it.
Reforming and all… Might as well try to get started somewhere…
Quickly leaving the dead chat-room, Danny pressed a sequence on his keyboard and the words 'Calling: Sam and Tucker' flashed across the screen since he knew both would be able to pick up, as Tucker was home (always) and Sam was supposed to be back from the Panthers. The two picked up rather quickly.
Sam's screen was blank but he could hear her rummaging off-screen. Tucker was working on his android, staring down at his circuitry, and drinking some water from a green, plastic straw.
Danny smirked and asked "Who wants to go on a date with me?"
Tucker did a spit-take all over his camera while there was a loud BANG from Sam's screen and a loud yelp of pain, followed by a long 'awww'. Danny's two friends looked at the boy weirdly at the same time though, giving him these strange looks.
"Excuse me?!"
Danny smirked wider and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "Great… Now that I have your attention, I'd like to ask for some help on something."
48 Hours Later…
"I can't believe we agreed to help you out with this…" Sam mumbled, hanging off of Danny's arm as she pretended to be his caring, loving twin sister. The girl was faking a pleasant smile but deep in her violet eyes there was nothing but irritation.
Danny was also smiling as he slowly looked around the large ballroom. His smile wasn't fake though. A laughing smile played on his lips while his blue eyes sparked with silent mirth. The teen's arm was linked with his friend's while his free hand rested on her arm.
The boy mumbled "I can…"
Tucker stood beside the two, off to Danny's side. He didn't even bother to try and fake a smile. His scowl and unhappy green eyes chased off any girls in the vicinity. The cocoa-skinned boy had one arm behind his back while he held a drink in his other.
All three wore outfits like they had just come out of a medieval fairytale. But that's the way everyone else was dressed, as well.
"I hate you." Tucker plainly stated, glaring at his guy friend with green eyes.
Danny, still smiling in amusement, patted his friend's shoulder without any remorse. Sam, still smiling, sighed in annoyance but sounded and looked more content than she really was. If one squinted while gazing at the girl, they might be able to catch on to her irked attitude.
"So do you even know what these guys look like?" Tucker asked quietly as he moved to stand behind his two friends, looking around the ballroom with his hand in his dress-suit pocket, a casual expression on his face as his green eyes scanned the area.
Danny hummed a negative. "No. I hacked their computers but they've got no pictures on anything and they don't own webcams."
"Wonderful…" Sam muttered.
"Mm-hmm…" Danny mumbled, eyes gazing at the reporter they were currently protecting under-cover.
Vicki Vale stood off to the side, taking notes and casually chatting with some of the higher up people at the party. The reporter looked like she was having a field day.
Danny's eyes moved away from the woman as she looked in his direction. Danny mumbled "All we have to do is make sure no one too suspicious gets near her."
"Or just watch out and make sure no one with a mask or dressed completely in black gets in." Tucker muttered sarcastically.
His two friends rolled their eyes, still smiling pleasantly so others would think they were having a good time.
As the teens mingled with other partygoers, they made sure to act proudly. Sam and Danny pretended to just adore their twin while Tucker was their best friend, getting in-between the two at times, much to their amusement.
Some people thought the three's relationship was adorable while others thought Sam and Danny's supposed sibling relationship was just a little too close and Tucker was just their cover. No one ever said so out loud but their faces told it all.
As Sam and Danny danced with a bunch of other couples, their eyes scanned the room for the mercenaries. Tucker was slowly walking just outside the large circle and his green eyes were looking every which way as well, trying to find the soon-to-be assailants but he came up with nothing.
Blue eyes slowly looked around the room as Danny and Sam walked in a circle. His eyes caught sight of Vicki Vale again but he looked away as her gaze journeyed around the dancing couples. The boy and his friend continued with the dance, continuing on with their beautifully fake smiles that just glowed with radiance.
"Danny…" Sam mumbled lowly. Danny's eyes moved down to Sam's before following her gaze to a man standing near Vicki Vale. He had red hair smoothed back and his goatee was well-trimmed, as well as the outfit he was wearing, perfectly tailored for the occasion.
The ebony-haired boy's eyes locked with Tucker's green ones. Serious, blue eyes wandered back over to the man and the cocoa-skinned boy nodded, almost indiscernible. Tucker trotted off to the bathroom, where he was going to undoubtedly strip himself of his medieval attire and turn on his war-bot.
Sam and Danny waited impatiently for the song they were dancing to to end before they strode slowly off the dance floor. The violet-eyed girl, smiling cutely, whispered some serious words to Danny before unlatching her arm and gliding away gracefully. Danny, instead of waiting for his 'twin' to come back, walked off and journeyed closer to where Vicki Vale was standing. The man was staring at the red-headed woman with steely eyes as he took a sip from his drink.
As he made sure no one was watching, Danny ducked behind a tall curtain hanging from the ceiling and allowed himself to transform into Graveyard. Turning invisible, he silently walked over to stand in-between Vicki and the man, whom Danny had guessed was Hardwire but wasn't sure.
On the other side of the room, there were multiple gunshots and everyone screamed, trying to rush for the exits. The red-haired man lunged forward and through the cacophony, towards Vicki, but ran into Danny's fist as the teen shot it forward.
The man collapsed to the ground, holding his broken nose while Danny let his invisibility drop. The teen mocked the man, saying "Oh-h-h-h, so sorry. Didn't see you there… Let me make it better."
Danny grabbed the man's hair before launching his head towards his knee. There was a sickening cr-r-rack and the man collapsed, unconscious.
"Whoops." Danny mumbled, smiling darkly, before he turned to the terrified Vicki Vale. He grabbed her arm before beginning to drag her away, the older woman screaming, terrifying. Danny paid no heed before he flung her into a closet.
"Stay here for me." Danny ordered before slamming the door shut without remorse. He then locked her inside so she wouldn't think about escaping and running. As he turned back towards the rest of the huge ballroom, he saw most of the people had fled, though some were still running around like headless chickens. A few innocents had been killed.
There were a few that Sam, as Snowbird, and Tucker, as Droid, had dispatched that were part of the Rolling Bullets. One could tell by the various weapons scattered about the fallen agents.
Danny eagerly joined the fray and dispatched a couple of other agents trying to flee. He used his powers very little because he didn't find that they were needed in this situation. The teen just broke a couple of bones, letting them pass out from pain, before moving on to the next.
Sam and Tucker did the same. None of the teens actually killed anyone because they were acting like a bunch of heroes but that didn't mean they couldn't be harsh to the deserving felons.
Tucker took out the last one with a huge thwack to the agents head with his metallic fist. Danny thought he might've heard a tiny crack but he wasn't sure.
Just as they finished that up, Batman swooped in from a high perch, using the huge skylight above them. He looked around the room, saw all the fallen agents, and turned to Danny questioningly, while Sam and Tucker chose to start dragging the agents into one huge bundle to tie them up, not wanting to deal with the Dark Knight.
"Heh heh… Well… Nice to see you here…"
"How'd you find out?" Batman asked dryly, staring at Danny with tired eyes.
"…Dark-Net…"
Batman nodded and hummed, expecting the answer to come from Danny's mouth. "I had a feeling you lied to me that day…"
Danny pressed his lips together tightly while clasping his hands behind his back. Hesitantly, the boy asked "But didn't my friends and I do good…? Sort of..?"
Batman looked over the room, namely at the downed agents, before replying "We'll work on your all's brutality rate later but, for now… Good job."
Danny beamed and felt that, by doing something mildly good, that he had managed to make the ice thaw between the two. Just as he was about to go join his friends and tell them they got Batman's approval, the closet door Danny had hidden Vicki in started shaking, screams for help emitting behind it.
Batman turned to Danny with an exaggerated face. The teen chuckled nervously, taking a few steps back.
"Oh, I'm going to kill you later, Boy…"
"But we did good, remember?"
"Killing you."
Danny will eventually learn you cannot take people captive and lock them in closets while trying to save them. Not only will they be traumatized but Danny might forget they exist and leave them there. For who knows how long.
Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following: Marco2o, FareyaWH, TheMysteriousOtaku, Thrill-Pair-All-The-Way, Thelightningemperor.
Thanks to these people for favoriting and/or following me: Marco2o, Elinasti0.
Reviews:
SomeItalian: Hope you're spirits are lifted eventually! Dan's not showing up in this fic. No, I have not read the series. :)
Anime Hotty Lover. 18: It's amusing, is it not? XD
YumiStar: Wonderful thoughts right there.
KuriMaster: Oh. I'm stupid. ...hm, gotta stop reading questions the wrong way... Anyways, how I view the situation might be different from yours so bear with me (XD) but since he's got to reform, Danny mostly has to be a hero but his attitude is like "screw you" so he's giving up specific acts that are noticeable while still being a villain under the table... (If you couldn't tell, I suck at explaining things.)
Roselin: Yes. Be conflicted. XD
Guest of Honor: Glad you enjoyed! Danny's not turning a new leaf so easily, my friend. That would be too quick. XD
Scheffelman: I can only bring him in the right situation and GAH! It's hard to work around my perfectly planned out plan! (Well, that was kind of redundant.)
Poohbearmorris: No, because that would be too easy. XD
Grava: *snorts* Yep. That would work.
Marco2o: Aw, thanks! XDD I shall!
KainVixenheim: You people need to start sleeping more. Seriously.
Ninuhuju: Probably not but it's still enough to tick of Skulky. XD
Bibbledoo: XD Glad you enjoyed~!
Shadow: Batsy being evil, Olsen getting attacked, and the first scene is getting a lot of hits... XD ...wow...my writing can NOT be that good.
The Keeper of Worlds: *snorts* Wonderful. Happy fake Saturday! XD
SweetyKinz: Well, he still struggles with self-control but he's working on it! XD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW. LIKE, SO. FRIKKIN. MUCH. YOU'RE A FRIKKIN AWESOME WRITER AND A FANTASTIC BUDDY. THAT DOESN'T COME OFTEN. *crushes you in hug* :D