At first things were going dandy for Tim and Cass. They were just making it up the staircase, using the grappling hook to speed up the time. They were racing each other to the top.

Cass had initiated the challenge by grappling up first and making a peace out sign, as a tease. Tim following behind, until a vulture popped out of the wall while they were scaling up. Cass swung and hid behind the railing at the top while Tim had to drop down and hide under the stairs a floor below.

"I thought I heard something." The vulture huffed glancing around, with squinting eyes. He flapped their for a moment, Cass preparing to shoot it, while Tim was shaking his head no at her.

They both rolled back into hiding when the vulture turned to glance their way again, with sigh. "eh.. I'm getting to old for this."

"Better than being turned into goo," Said another one as it flew through the wall out by Tim, not having noticed him at all.

Tim tried to stay low and out of sight, crouching towards the nearest door. Hoping to sneak behind it. He motioned to Cass what he was doing, who gave the thumbs up. She kept her blaster trained on the two ghostly birds.

"At least as goo we wouldn't have to hear about his backstory for the hundredth time. I'm two thousand years old and I've never repeated a story as much as he done."

"That's because you can't remember them all. Feather brain."

"Who are you calling a feather brain-"

Tim cursed as the door echoed in the stair way. He was afraid of that, but waiting on the old ghost vultures wasn't ideal either. So he swiftly ran for it, trying to create as large of a distance as he could. He swerved around corners, hoping to lose the trail.

"Red Robin, you think you can help me with this?" Tim heard over the comms.

"Uh... little busy-" He tried to reply in a whisper but was interrupted by a vulture screaming in the halls.

"INTRUDER! INTRUDER!"

Tim stiffened up his shoulders then he moved trying to stay away from the noise.

"What was that?" Batman asked.

"Vultures. Ghost vultures, they talk unlike the other animal ghost we found." Tim keeping his voice to a whisper.

"Do they have a stupid fez hats?" Danny asked, loud enough to be clearly heard over the comm.

"Uh... yes?"

"Frootloop employs them for his schemes, he does that with a lot of ghosts. They're push overs though... as long as you don't let them peck at your face."

"Noted."

"Is Orphan still with you?" Dick asked.

"No, we got separated. I don't know what floor I'm stuck on. I think the coast is clear." Tim peaked around the corner trying to double check.

The hall was empty and he couldn't hear the birds anymore. He wondered if they went after Cass. Tim took the time to examined where he was, he couldn't read the writing on the wall. He stood up fully, deciding to peak into the room beside the writing.

The room was filled, floor to ceiling with cages. Most were empty, some held glowing green rats. Just one or two filled with wild game. Damian would be furious if he caught sight of this.

"Red Robin?" Batman called from the com. Tim must have went too quiet. Bruce, when not in the action becomes more paranoid then ever.

"Still here. Just came across one of the rooms, where he kept all the animals in. I'm guessing before most of them became ghosts. Most of the cages are empty, except for some ghost-wait are they ghost? Green maybe ghost rats, a couple rabbits, and a deer."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing to note." Tim stated as he passed by the cages, examining the room.

"Think you have enough time to help me decode these files. I thought they were in ghost, but Danny says they're just corrupted. I did a restore, but the files are left unchanged. However, I can open source codes for it." Dick explained quickly.

"So it was corrupted manually?"

"Way its looking, but it gets stranger, its still not in English. The characters are though."

Tim hummed as he stood by the rats. "Probably made it so that each letter is at least one letter off from another."

"Must have an easy way of scrambling it, and unscrambling it then." Typing could be heard over the com.

"Might be hidden in the file itself-" Tim was walking as he spoke, until his foot accidentally bonked a cage. It caused the animals to screech with life, "Shhhhhh shhh-"

"Ah! I knew you couldn't keep things quiet for long, little badger." The voice silenced the animals as it echoed from the hall.

He sounded like a smug bastard, Tim noted.

"Plasmius." Danny's voice was heard over the comms.

Tim looked for a way out, taking another door into a back room. It had an operation like table and straps, a giant spot light in the center. Tim did not like the looks of this room, or being trapped in it.

There wasn't any other exit points, none that didn't look like a chute. Probably to an incinerator, either way, he wasn't testing his luck. He pressed himself against the wall where the door was, hoping to use the door as cover and run out.

"Daniel? Playing hide and seek are we? Honestly, aren't you to old for that?"

Plasmius phased through the door, reminding Tim that ghosts didn't need doors a little too late. Though thanks to the lighting in the room, the darkness concealed Plasmius's peripheral.

Plasmius growled, "I can smell that retched stench off of yooouu-" Plasmius spun around only to see the door swinging back and fourth. The chase was on.

Tim ran out of the two rooms and trying to make his way back to the stairwell, or at least give Plasmius a run around to buy everyone more time. He wasn't sure how well that'll work considering the ghost could fly through walls. He kept hand on his blaster just in case.


-owo-


Dick frowned, as he continued to work on the computer. Keeping an ear open, for any signs that Tim needed help. He kept his voice low, "We don't have much time until Plasmius figures out the truth."

Jason gave a nod, then nudged Danny to help him look around more. Danny stared at him with a defying, skeptical look. He was ready to run off to fight.

Kid had plenty of spunk, even when constantly on his death bed.

"Red Robin has a knack for not dying, unlike us. He'll be fine, but we need your help being our local ghost informative."

Danny raised a brow, but by his cheeks seem to be trying to suppress a smirk. He hesitated before giving a sigh and looking around. Jason was relieved, usually he was the one needing to have his impulses checked.. strange having to keep someone else's.

They explored the room, Danny avoiding the capsules. He had enough looking at them. He didn't want to see his face staring back at him, again. He doubted he be able to look at a mirror anytime soon after this either.

Danny felt a pull on his chest, he pressed his hands on the wall. Something was behind it. It felt like a- Danny glanced for a door or any indication of opening one. "Access denied-"

A voice that sounded like his mom chimed as a sheet of metal glowed beside him. He adjusted his sight to see in the dark, them glowing a faint green. He could see the built in panel better.

"What you found, spirit?"

Danny stuck his tongue out at the nickname, not that Jason could see it behind the mask. "I prefer being called Phantom myself. Back room, there's a hand scanner."

"Phantom? Is it like your hero name?" Jason walking over to check the wall, tapping on it. Judging if it was easier to blow a hole in it or trying to hack the scanner.

Danny jolted, rubbing his arm. "Heh. I guess... Towns people might have different opinions."

"Do you protect people?"

"Uh.. yes." Often.

"Do you fight anyone that harms others?"

"Yes...?"

"Then you're a hero."

"I think you're simplifying it."

"I think you're over complicating it." Jason was simplifying it, as he knew he was more of the antihero type himself. "People often don't appreciate others until they lose them. The fact you're still trying says a lot, kid."

"Do any of you have to deal with the town hating you?"

"...I'm not considered a hero by all, either. Not that I want to be. I want people to know I have a line, and not to fucking cross it." Jason managed to pop out the panel from the wall, with a knife.

"Do you protect people?"

"You're not turning this around on me-"

"Do you?"

"Sometimes.."

"Do you fight anyone that harms others?"

"Depends who it is and fight is an underwhelming word." Jason prefer beat the shit out of them.

"Counts. You're a hero."

"Not how it works kid-"

"You're just over complicating it." Danny said with cheeky tone.

"Smartass." Jason ruffling Danny's hair then shoving it gently from him. "It's not the same. I've killed people."

"And one of my best friends killed me."

"Accidents don't count." Jason grunted as he fiddled with the wiring.

"Second time wasn't." Danny muttered looking off to the side.

Jason paused, feeling heat rise. "Second.. time?"

"Yeah, buuuttt I only remembered it once." As if that dampened the scenario any. "Sam made a wish while the genie ghost was in town, long story short. I wasn't Phantom and Amity needed one, so she recreated how I died. Got a cool logo out of it."

"..." This kid was trying to kill him. Jason could feel water boiling in his veins.

"..Sometimes I want to lash out at her for it, but I know she feels guilty about it. I think it be better if we talk, but one, feelings what are they? And two.. I don't think she could handle one." Danny was playing it off.

Awkward silence fell between them, as Jason tried to calm himself. He focused on the task, mindlessly. Danny felt bad for mentioning it now. Internally cursing at himself.

"You should tell her, Danny." Dick spoke. Reminding the two that their conversation was indeed not private.

Jason cursed, remembering Bruce was listening in too.

"Also, I found out how to get into the files. Despite all the new tech, he likes doing things the old fashion way, huh?" Dick was grateful for it, too.

"Yeah, ghosts tend to stay stuck in the past. Kind of in our nature." Danny semi joked as he walked over to Dick.

Jason stayed put, working on the wiring still. The line not loosing significance on him. Danny spoke like there was always a joke. It made Jay wonder if he was a bit more ghostly than zombie, as what Danny mentioned.. felt eerily similar.

Maybe it was a dead thing.

They heard static of a com turn on, as Batman started to scold.

"Robin! I told you not-"

"Father, would you like to explain why you've compromised our identities by outing Richard's name."

"Pfft." Jason choked on a laugh that tried to burst out.

"B, did what?" Steph could be heard faintly over the comms. He guessed where there was more interference where they were.

Jazz was heard in the distance, Damian hissing. "That is not an excuse!"

"Wait, Baby bird. What do you mean?" Dick asked as Danny peaked his head around to look at the files.

"Means, the Fenton girl knows."

"Jazz knows what? Wait! Is she with you, is she ok? How hard do I need to hit Vlad in the face?" Hearing other people on their comms, must have been out of Danny's hearing, at least from what distance he was when they spoke.

"She says she's fine, and that she kicked him in the groin earlier. Which I can confirm, did indeed happen."

Danny let out a breath in relief with a bit of a chuckle.

"Great. That. You. All... are... good.." Tim chimed panting. He didn't think he could keep this up much longer. Once or twice, he had to shoot at Plasmius to get by. Luckily, they were duplicates so he was able to keep the element of surprise.

"Red Robin, what's your situation? Do you need back up?"

"I-"

"Finally cornered you, Little Bad-Wait, you're not Daniel!?"

Shit.


owo


Plasmius floated from his spot, staring down at Red Robin who was stuck at an end of a hall. He had been giving Plasmius a run around through doors and corridors, but he could only run for so long.

"Uhhhh, no. But I can leave a message?" Tim whipped out his blaster, ready to defend.

Plasmius seemed to still be in shock at finding out Danny wasn't the only one running around. He growled, eyes glowing red, as his hands charged with similar color.

Then he howled in pain, dissolving into goo from a struck of green.

Cass standing in his place, spinning her green staff. She gave a nod to Tim, who let out a breath in relief. She must have been taking out the duplicates and ghost while he was on the run.

"Report?" Batman was going to have his share of heart attacks when this was all over.

"Orphan took out the duplicate. Plasmius knows we're here." Tim sighed.

"Hurry up and find their parents."

"Jasmine thinks she saw them a few floors down, we're going to start looking on the 8th floor." Damian stated, as footsteps were heard.

"Jasmine? Not girl Fenton?" Jason teased.

"Don't be ridiculous. It be tiresome to keep referring to her as Fenton or girl Fenton, when they are all Fentons."

"And not being slightly impressed she figured out your identity has anything to do with it?"

"It was partially your fault that she-"

"Enough." Batman grunted.

"Me and Orphan are on our way." Tim nodded to Cass in agreement to start running, as they made their way back to the stairway.

"We'll finish up here and meet you guys upstairs." Dick stated. "Let us know if you need extra hands."

"Frootloop will have clones of himself all over the place." Danny grumbled, as he was being held back.

"More than he had?" Tim groaned. He was already tired of this ghost. Cass just chuckling.