"Jazz says the vultures should keep him busy for a bit." Tim said, after he finished relaying what had happened.
"Man, I really wish I could have seen Vlad's face!" Danny groaned, knowing it must have been funny.
"We'll wait on Danny and Jaybird to catch up then. Keep us posted." Dick responded.
Jazz made her way over to the pods, to get a better look at them while Tim was talking. Her parents were suspended in a clear liquid that bubbled. She pressed her hand on the glass while depressing thoughts of the situation was seeping in.
Tim walked over to the computers, glancing them over. It looked like Plasmius was collecting data. They knew he was going to try to clone their mother. But why would he need DNA from their father?
One thought came to mind, as it recalled the clone Dick, Danny, and Jason found. Tim shivered in disgust at how creepy that was. Tim shook it off while Damian stared at him questionably.
He ignored Damian's stare and started working on opening the pods by shutting down the systems.
"How comfortable are you handling the.. ca..bles...?" Tim trailed off his question as he noticed the look on Jazz's face.
"I grew up in a lab-around a lab... They had one in the basement before I was born! ..Is.. what I'm getting at." Jazz quickly clarified as she realized how bad that sounded.
Tim nodded as he turned back to the machine. "Okay then, start with the large cables to the right of the pods, feeding into the display there. Wait for the display to shut down."
Jazz nodded as she glued her eyes to the screen. She didn't hesitate to unlatch the thick cables from the machinery when it turned black. The anxiety rising.
They might be alive, but that didn't mean that they weren't injured. What if the pods were keeping them alive, what if. She bit her lip, shaking off the thoughts. She saw their vitals. They were fine. It was fine.
Damian noticed Jazz was stumbling around and her body was shaking, despite her saying she was fine with handling the cables. She would end up shocking herself if she didn't get a handle of her emotions. Damian didn't understand how Jasmine could be so pathetic one moment, then... resourceful the next.
Damian pushed off the wall he was leaned against, and went to help her with the wires. Not to help her specifically. He just didn't want to waste his time saving Jazz for her to needlessly shock herself.
Jazz sent a soft smile towards Damian, calming down a bit as he went to help. Damian just clicked his tongue in response.
They worked quickly, managing to get the machines ready to pop open.
"The pods are draining. They should open up soon, so you might want to stand back." Tim said, specifically was gesturing to Damian, who was standing in front of the pod with their father. He was pretty sure the demon might either get hurt if the man fell on him.. or worse try to stab Jack instead.
Damian stood back with Jazz, as they waited for the pods to open. Jazz couldn't help placing her hands on Damian's shoulders, squeezing them lightly. It was a comforting gesture she normally gave to Danny, but it gave her just as much comfort.
Damian froze and stiffened at the contact, but didn't fight it. He could tell by her eyes being glued towards the pods, it wasn't intentional. He would let it slid, this one time.
Just as Tim predicted, the large man in orange fell out of the pod once it was open with a loud thud. Jazz and Tim flinched at the sound, and watched him cautiously.
As the smoke cleared, the man pushed himself up with a groan. Hand on his head. "Ugh. That sneaky slimy spook! When I get my hands on that ectoplasmic scum-"
"Dad?" Jazz called out, trying to get his attention.
"Jazzirincess!" His eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet with a giant grin on his face. Jack scooped all three of them in his arms, giving them a bone crushing bear hug while nuzzling his cheek against them.
"Too tight.." Jazz whined, even though she was more prepared for her Dad's hugs. They still squeezed the air out of her lungs.
Tim thought he was going to pass out, as he was seeing spots in his vision. Damian was squirming, trying to fight out of the man's arms. He was was hitting his fist, against Jack's arms and was very tempted to gnaw his way out.
"We were looking everywhere for you kids! We thought that-...When did we have two Dannys?" Jack squinted looking down at the two dark hair children in his arms.
"I don't believe either of them is Danny, dear." Maddie stumbled out of the pod, hand on her head, but smiling amused at her husband.
"They're not?" Jack questioning getting a good look at them.
Damian was trying to gnaw on Jack's arm to free himself, but was finding out the man's arm was just thick solid muscle. Tim couldn't keep his head up as he counted the stars to keep from blacking out. Jazz was squirming a little to find a more comfortable position to breath in. She very envious of Danny's abilities at the moment.
"Dad.. can you.. put us.. down? Please?" Jazz squeezed out.
Jack put them down with an 'oh', a smile still on his face as he scratched his head with his hand. Trying to figure out who the boys were if they weren't Danny.
Tim almost fell over after being put down, as he gasped for air. Damian immediately ran once free, jumpingg behind the computers to block him from the Fentons. Peaking around it, he glared at them.
Jazz let out a sigh of relief, hand over her abdomen. Maddie walked over to her daughter, gently placing her hands under Jazz's jaws.
Maddie was trying to get a good look over of her daughter to make sure she was alright, before placing a kiss on Jazz's cheek. She pulled Jazz into an embrace that was snug, but not restricting at all.
"My baby girl, I was so worried!" She rocked Jazz in her arms, making Jazz blush.
"Moooomm.. I'm 18." She was embarrassed, but melted into the hug.
"Doesn't matter if your 8, 18, or 92 you will always be my baby." Maddie petting Jazz's hair.
"And you will always be my little princess!" Jack chimed, "So who are these two kids?"
"And where's Danny?" Maddie asked pulling away, concern in her voice.
"Oh, these are vigilantes from Gotham. Danny's with the others." Jazz pointed out. "That's Red Robin and he's Robin."
Tim shook off his dizziness and helped explained, "Nightwing and Orphan are waiting on Danny and Red Hood to catch up. They're going to meet us here."
"But you can't be much older than Dannorino! Are your parents okay with you running around in Halloween costumes?" Jack asked confused.
Tim and Damian frowning deeply. Damian was disliking this man, more and more.
"Dad, you eat, sleep, and bath in a hazmat suit." Jazz said with a frown.
"That's different Jazzy pants! Ghosts can get you whenever your most vulnerable, plus its comfy." Jack exclaimed with a proud grin.
"Now Jack, I'm certain their costumes are made from specialized fibers.. or I at least hope so. Its already irresponsible of an adult to allow their children to fight criminals without supervision." Maddie walking over noticing the mark on Tim's cheek.
"Especially against ghosts!"
"Our guardian is here." Damian muttered with clenched teeth, "Not that we need one. Well, not that I need one."
"Hmm, that's a nasty hit to the cheek. Looks like an ectoplasmic charged punch. Does it still hurt?" Maddie recoiling her hand back as Tim leaned away. She put hand on her chin, in thought.
"Not any worse than a regular slug to the face." Tim feeling awkward.
Maddie frowned, pursing her lips. "Well, I sure hope that doesn't happen often. Now where did I put that ecto-salve."
"Your stuff is over there. Plasmius-Wisconsin Ghost stripped you." Jazz pointing towards the weaponry and stash of items that Damian had opened prior.
"Ah! Let's see then." Maddie rummaged through the items, listing stuff off in a hum. Damian getting odd sensations of deja vu.
"Here, now let's put it on the wound before it can cause an ecto-fection." Maddie returning to Tim.
"Ecto... fection?" Tim blinked confused and deeply concerned. He side glance to Jazz as if she could help clear up if it was something to be worried about or not.
Jazz just shrugged in response. Not helpful at all.
"Its a thing... kind of?" Danny stated over the comms. "Don't worry about it."
"Yes, like an infection but ectofied!" Jack loudly explained.
"Don't worry, dear. It'll feel just like aloe vera gel. Cool to the touch though it might tingle." Maddie applying it on her finger before reaching to rub it gently into Tim's cheek.
Tim just flinched at the cold touch, deciding it be best to let them take care of it. Though he wasn't sure which was more awkward.. the fact he learned ecto-infection was a possibility, that these two were concerned about Bruce's parenting, or that Maddie was showing him motherly affection.
Damian snickering was not helping.
"There! That should do it, sweetie." Maddie chimed.
Tim had to admit, the salve did help with the pain considerably. He wonder if that would work on Jason's shoulder. It should work on Cass, but all this ecto stuff seem to act differently to Jason.
"Thanks. Um, does that work on ecto-blasts too?"
"Sure does! We use the heck out of it! Don't know how we use it up so fast. Guess those spooks hit us more than I thought."
Tim and Damian glanced at Jazz, who was turned away from them whistling.
"Did you get hit anywhere else? What about you, dear?" Maddie asked concerned, looking over at Damian.
Damian kept the computer between them, hissing out. "I'm fine."
"Mom, Dad, we probably should get going. Plasmius is still flying around." Jazz interrupted to get her parents attention off of Damian, before they would force their help. Plus, it was true. The quicker they all got out of there safely, the better off they be.
"Oh, you're right!" Maddie put the salve into Tim's hand, patting his hand gently. Then she turned towards the weaponry, tossing items to Jack as she equipped herself.
"We got some ectoplasmic scum to erase from existence!" Jack happily patting the large blaster.
"No, we need to get out of here! He's after you-"
"Exactly why we need to rip that ghost apart molecule by molecule!"
"Jazz, I know your worried about your father and I." Maddie assembling a large gun, that resemble the bazooka Jason had. "But this is our profession. We have to make sure this ghost doesn't harm anyone else."
"Besides, he made this personal! No spook messes with the Fentons and gets away with it!" Jack handing the Fenton peeler to Jazz. "Here, Jazzy. You kids evacuate while me and your mom handle this."
Jazz frowned as she took the device. Stress forming lines in her forehead.
"Jack, I got signal."
"Great Mads! Let's go get that spook!" Jack ran out the door, after giving Jazz a pat on the head.
"Wait Jack! The ghost is-" Maddie reached out towards her husband despite him being far out of reach.
"Having a family reunion, are we?!" Plasmius floated from the ground, growling as he charged his fist. His clothes were tattered and his hair was ruffled.
"Feel the heat of charged ectoplasmic blasts, you interdimensional scum!" Maddie aimed her giant gun at Plasmius who looked at her un-amused.
"Normally I gush over how beautiful you look even when angry, however.. I found out love is a fickle thing, and just like my patience. It has died." Plasmius dodged the blast without much effort sending one straight back at Maddie.
"Mom!"
-owob-
"They're being ambushed." Dick stated as Jason and Danny caught up to them.
Danny knelt over panting, trying to regain his strength as quick as he could. He still was far from well, but he couldn't let it stop him. His family was in danger. He pushed back onto his feet, giving a nod to them that he's ready to keep running.
They ran towards the others, Dick and Cass far ahead of Jason and Danny. Jason was sticking behind Danny to make sure the boy didn't kill over or disappear again.
A tight grip latched around Danny's ankle.
"Woah-"
"Not on my watch!" Jason reached out grabbing onto Danny's shirt as they both fell through the floor.
