Sins
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Teen Titans, or anything DC-related. If I did then it wouldn't be as popular as it is.
The story was written & developed by Nightmares Around Winter. The story is based on 'The Forgotten Hero' by TheWhiteTitan.
Beta read by Leaf Ranger
Author's Note: So some of you may have noticed that I deleted most of my stories, leaving this one and Devil Dog (a My Hero Academia story). Well, that is due to me having less and less time to write fanfics, I figured it would be best if I limit my stories to the ones I am looking forward to working on. So every so often I will do a few chapters of Sins and a few chapters of Devil Dog, or DD. Will I start other stories? Yes, in fact I have a poll set up on my profile so you can help with potential stories, but once again will only do so when I think the current stories have made enough progress, or if an idea really takes me. Hopefully, you all enjoy this chapter, and sorry for the long wait.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Demonic/other-worldly voices or thoughts"
Chapter 17: A Rose-Colored Jester
Raven's eyes darted around the room; it appeared to be the same living room in Titan's Tower but there was something off about it. She turned around just as the door was opening, only to gasp loudly as she saw something she thought she would never see: a smiling Starfire. The friendly Tamaranean's jade eyes lit up with that joyful spark that was long snuffed out. "Friend Raven!" She greeted happily. "And how are you on this joyful day?"
Raven could only stare at her, finding no words for her question. Her black and white clothes were now purple and her hair was combed back. She wore her smile openly and honestly, like before they betrayed Danny. "I-I am fine...Starfire." Raven finally responded as she took in Starfire's appearance.
Starfire smiled once more. "That is wonderful to hear!" She said warmly. Raven allowed herself to smile at the alien; she had forgotten how much she truly missed this Starfire.
The door swung open again as Beast Boy came in while arguing with Cyborg. "Look man, all I am saying is don't knock it till you try it!" He proclaimed. Raven's purple eyes were wide at seeing BB, now shorter wearing his black and purple uniform again.
Cyborg rolled his organic eye. "And I'm telling you, there is NO WAY TOFU ON PIZZA WOULD EVER WORK!" He shouted back. Raven turned to him, taking in the cerulean and white machinery. "Pineapple is one thing but that's because it works so well with the HAM! You can't have pizza without meat!... Except for maybe cheese. Hey Raven," Cyborg greeted them as he and the changeling walked by her to go to the couch. Raven could only stare at the two as they continued their argument.
"Are you okay, friend Raven?" Starfire asked concernedly. Raven turned to her and saw the alien's eyes inches from her face.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She reassured her as she started to rub her forehead. "I-I just have a slight headache." She added as she tried to think. Was this some illusion?
"What's this about a headache?" Raven felt a sudden rush of emotion course through her that caused her power to flash for a second and made the drawers in the kitchen to swing open, startling the other titans. Raven slowly turned to the source and was greeted with a sight that filled her with both happiness and heartache: Danny phasing through a nearby wall. His white hair and glowing toxic-green eyes stared into hers along with the white-black jumpsuit. "Raven?" He called out to her. "Are you okay? You look out of it." He asked.
Raven gazed into those green eyes. A million thoughts ran through her mind. Here he was: Danny Phantom, here and back with them like nothing ever happened...as everything should be. She placed her hands on the sides of his face causing the ghost boy to blush slightly at her touch. "D-Danny?" She asked. Her quiet voice broke as tears welled in her eyes. "Is...is it you?"
Danny placed his hands on hers. "Yeah, it's me," he laughed uneasily. "Raven, you're starting to scare me. You're acting like you haven't seen me in years." He said with a kind smile as he took her hands into his own.
Raven's face turned a bright red as she just realized what she had done, turning her face away from his in a rare moment of embarrassment. "I-I am sorry! It's just that-."
"YOU DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE ME AGAIN...RIGHT?" He asked, his voice suddenly distorted and watery. Raven quickly looked up to be fixed by Danny's face twisted with rage as those bright green eyes faded into empty black voids. "YOU THOUGHT THAT YOU LOCKED ME AWAY FOR GOOD...THAT YOU WOULD NEVER SEE ME AGAIN..." Danny asked once more as his hands clenched painfully around hers, causing the Sorcerer to gasp out in pain. In a panic, she looked around to see the other titans and the room shifted into an empty void. "WAS IT WORTH IT? RAVEN?"
"P-Please! Stop!" She begged as she started to weep. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I-!"
"WAS IT WORTH IT?! BETRAYING ME FOR A FREAK IN A BOOK!? A MONSTER WHO ONLY WANTED TO USE YOU?!" His distorted voice roared at her, crashing into her very soul like tidal waves against a cliff. Raven struggled against his hold desperately as she started to cry.
Raven's eyes shot open as her bed came crashing down onto the floor, breaking it apart. Panting and looking around her dark room in a frantic panic, she started to slow her breathing as she realized that she was just dreaming. Dreaming so vividly that her powers were leaking out of her and affecting the real world as she slowly crawled out of her now-ruined bed. She rests her head in her hands as she closed her eyes, the cold sweat drying on her body as she gathered her thoughts. Danny's gone, it was their fault, and there was nothing they could do...except try to bury the guilt deeper.
She reached a moment of calm just as there was hysterical knocking at her door. "Raven?! RAVEN?!" She sighed as she recognized the voice. Holding her hand out to summon her hood hanging on a nearby chair, the sorceress floated to the door, opening it to see the green changeling there, fear and worry plain on his face. "Is everything okay?! I heard something break!" Beast Boy explained.
Raven nodded. "I'm fine, I was just...practicing magic," she lied.
"Oh...um...okay..." Beast Boy could only say, his green eyes darting around as if trying to come up with something else. "Well um...it's almost noon, wanna go get some lunch?"
Raven shook her head. "Not right now, I am in the middle of something." She said. As Beast Boy was about to say something Raven closed the door on him. Raven had her back to the door as she heard him curse under his breath and loudly slap his forehead as he walked away. 'Was I too harsh?' Raven thought to herself as she frowned. Beast Boy was always quick to find a new girl to chase after. Blackfire, Terra, he even had a thing for Argent when she first showed up. Yet Beast Boy was always willing to let things go when it was obvious it wouldn't work. 'So...why is he so invested in me?' She thought. It could be that because, unlike all those girls, she and he were together. They went out, they kissed, and they even had sex.
It wasn't a bad experience, yet somewhere in the back of her mind, it all felt so...wrong. He simply wasn't what she wanted and she wasn't what he needed, why couldn't he see that? Her eyes glanced over to the bookshelf, and out of the many books, one stood out to her. Floating over to it, the hooded mage drew it out with ease as it was emptied out and blank, making it a spot for all the things that were precious to her. A medal that was given to her by her mother, a crystal from one of her first meditation lessons back in Azaroth, yet few brought out the most conflicting emotions than the raven's skull made out of purple un-melting ice.
The ice seemed to be so cold that it hurt her delicate fingers, yet she still wouldn't release it. He gave each one of them a memento that day when they betrayed him, and at first they kept it as a reminder of being careful of whom they can trust. Each one of them was so convinced and assured that the ghost boy was hiding was some sort of darker nature...and it was her who spearheaded that fear. Not a day goes by when guilt didn't fester in her soul, and this purple raven of ice might as well be a dagger stabbing into her chest. Yet at the same time, it was a transport to better times. The times when they were proud to call him theirs, and he was proud to call them his. They were his team, his friends, and his second family. He had been through everything they have been from the start and all it took was 'a freak in a book' to shatter it all.
Meanwhile
Danny sat on his throne, overlooking his massive chamber as his skeletal soldiers led groups of visiting ghosts into his tower. He allowed himself a small smile on his hidden face as the spirits looked around in awe at the palace yet shift to unease when they met his gaze and the looks of his two companions: Desiree standing to his right and Fright Knight to his left. "They seemed nervous," he commented.
"Lord Pariah destroyed their homes and cast them out into the living world without a thought," Fright Knight replied. "They have no idea what to expect of you."
"It's common to compare rulers to their predecessors," Desiree added, "so why shouldn't they fear the man who defeated and took everything from the king they feared before?"
"Then I guess I should start by calming those fears," Danny replied as he stood up. The whispers of the crowd fell silent as he looked among the crowd. "I am Fenrir," he stated as he started to approach the audience. "I doubt that most of you have heard of me before, and those who have only did so because of my defeat of Pariah Dark. So let me start by saying this: I am NOT like him. He only wanted you to bend the knee, subjugate yourself before him, and when he had no use for you, you would be displaced, and have everything that was yours taken for his own greed. Especially those of you who came to this plane after your deaths in the other world."
"Well, what makes you any different?" A familiar voice spoke out. Danny turned to see a girl with blue flames for hair and a guitar on her back. "We were fine without a king, so why should we listen to you?" Ember McLain said just as a certain, nervous biker couple was gesturing the rocker to not antagonize him.
"Simple, I defeated the last king and since he had no heirs, I decided to take his place." He said as he approached her. Other ghosts backed away from her, leaving her alone to face down the king with her arms crossed and a defiant glare, but an observant eye like Danny's cybernetic one could detect the unnatural stiffness in her stance hinting at the unease within. "Though I claim my power as a reason for leadership, that doesn't mean I want that to be my only claim to it."
Ember raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"I call myself a king, but I am not a heartless tyrant. Unlike Pariah, my goals extend beyond conquest for my ego." He explained. "Everyone will retain the right to their personal freedoms and everyone's happiness and desires will be a priority for me. After all, a kingdom is only as strong as its most loyal subjects, and subjects are more loyal to a king who cares for their wants and needs."
Ember scoffed at his comment. "Pretty words there. Yet why should we trust you?"
"You mean, why should YOU, in particular, trust me?" He asked as he leaned in next to her ear and whispered. "Then how about trusting in an old 'dipstick' from the past?" Ember's eyes went wide as she locked eyes with him. Danny merely responded with a wink as he turned away from her and addressed the crowd as a whole. "You all have your reasons to not trust me, I understand. Yet I still ask you for the opportunity to prove myself. If you have problems then I will do my best to solve them. If you have issues then I will do my best to resolve them. However," he said as his glare became harsh and an aura of ice and shadow gathered, "if you dare challenge my right to rule then that is when YOU will have to prove yourself to me. For I gained this throne through my might, sacrificing my eye and arm for it." He said as he gestured to his metal limb and his shining eye. "So if you want to take it from me, then I expect you to do much of the same." He said as his tone began to soften. "Now then, I bid you farewell. Be sure to tell your fellows that Ghost King Fenrir welcomes them to his hall." He said as gestured for his skeleton warriors to lead them out of the chamber, only to pause.
"Wait," he said right before he pointed at Ember, the rocker ghost still staring at him. "You can stay, I am sure you have more things you want to ask of me."
Kitty and Johnny looked at Ember in concern. In turn, Ember merely nodded towards the bikers assuredly as the Skeletons continued to lead them out with the others. Once Danny sat down at his throne, Ember approached with a sneer. "So what are you doing here, you dorky little punk?" She snapped.
"Well hello to you to Ember," Danny said as he removed his face-covering. "It's nice to see you haven't changed much. Though then again, it seems most ghosts only really changed when they undergo extreme trauma. Trust me; I learned that the hard way."
Ember looked him over; his red eyes, both cybernetic and organic, seemed more off-putting to her now that his familiar face wasn't hidden away. "You disappear for several years and now you're going around claiming yourself king?! Since when did the goody-little-two-shoes Danny Phantom go on a power trip?"
"I have my reasons, reasons that I don't think I can share with you just now but...reasons regardless." He said.
Ember only seemed to be getting angrier as her hair flared furiously and she gritted her teeth. "Well, I don't care! You're not going to order me around like some sort of peasant!"
Danny raised an eyebrow at her. "Ember, I don't recall demanding you to do anything. I offered to let you stay and you did."
"Well I-."
"And I am not forcing you to stay," he interrupted, "so...if you're not going to stay here and ask me questions, then I got one for you: Do you want a job or not?" Ember stared at him with a pout, her arms were crossed and her fingers tapped as she contemplated. There was no way that dipstick ghost boy became this domineering bastard. She glanced over to the Fright Knight that was staring her down with his hand close to his sword as if he was expecting her to do something stupid. Then over at Desiree who simply smiled at her. If he somehow got these two to work for him then he must have done something to earn it, especially Desiree. "If you work for me then I can offer you anything as long as it's within my power," he spoke once more. "In fact, I think I know what you want...a way back to the living world right?"
Ember's eyes flashed toward him again. "W-Wait...that's right, you're not dead...and the Fenton Portal was closed...so that means that you..."
Danny merely gestured his hand and a sudden green portal opened right behind Ember. Ember turned around as a swirling pool of green light appeared behind her, as Desiree and the Fright Knight stared on in marvel at the sight as the energy cleared, giving a view of a city familiar to the Halfa, Ember, and Desiree: Amity Park. "I learned how to make portals through dimensions." He said. "With that, I can go anywhere on Earth." He made another gesture causing the portal to disappear once more. "Of course, that isn't the only benefit: money, fame, power...as long as it's within my power, I can grant it." He said. "All I ask, if you accept, is that you work for me loyally, and understand that betrayal is unforgivable." Ember turned to him once more as Danny held his hand out to her. "Do we have a deal, Ember McLain?" He asked.
The rocker looked at his hand, before looking at those red eyes of his. While one was cybernetic, the other one stared her down. For a second she had a flash of memory when those eyes were a vivid green and narrowed in determination. Now it was looking her down with patient expectation. She smirked at him before nodding. "Okay babypop," she said as she shook his hand noting the annoyed look on his face, and giggled. "Oh sorry, how about King Babypop?"
Danny sighed heavily. "Guess it's better than dipstick." He muttered as his cybernetic eye flashed as a message appeared on his retina. Skulker found her. "Talk to Desiree, she will figure out where best to use your talents. I will call you when I need your services." He said before turning to Desiree herself. "I have business in the human world, you're now in charge Desiree."
The genie nodded and had a small smile. "As you wish," she said.
Ember couldn't help but notice the smile; she couldn't remember a time when Desiree smiled like that towards a man before but then a more important thing came to her. "Wait...she's in charge while you're away? What does that make her? Queen or something?" Danny quickly pulled his cover up to hide the flush on his face while the genie herself could only look away.
"N-No I am just his regent and advisor." Desiree quickly clarified.
"Yes, besides I already have...I have said too much." Danny stopped as he opened a portal and quickly left the throne room.
As the portal closed behind him the Rocker turned to the Genie, "So...that dorky halfa that kept getting in our way is back. Only big, scary, and kinda sexy," Ember started. "Got any comment on that?"
Desiree sighed tiredly. "Don't start Ember."
Danny entered the Gotham City sky as Skulker floated in wait for him. "Where is she? He asked.
The hunter pointed to a rundown apartment complex. "She set up shop there," he said. Danny hovered closer to the building, closing his left eye as his cybernetic one scanned the building, detecting only one heat signature.
"Good job." Danny complimented. "It's nice to see you haven't lost your touched."
The metal ghost merely flashed him a toothy grin. "Just because I wasn't able to hunt you down before you became...this doesn't mean I ever, ever lost my touch."
Danny scoffed in reply. "Careful now, you are talking to your king. Make any comments like that and I'll think you may be challenging my right to rule." He chuckled. "I can handle things here, go back to the Ghost Zone. Talk to Desiree, she will tell you what is expected of you. She is in charge when I am not there."
Skulker's grin faded. "You...left her in charge?"
Danny turned to stare blankly at him, "Do you have a problem with that?" He asked cooly as a shadow tendril coiled around his arm.
"...No...No I don't." He answered.
"Good," Danny said as he summoned a portal for him. Skulker left without a word leaving Danny to stare at the building. "Welp, time to recruit an eco-terrorist." He said to himself before going invisible as he flew to the building. Phasing through the roof, Danny was instantly greeted with a sight of lush, vivid flora; it was like he went from a concrete jungle to a real one within a heartbeat without a portal. Though it was obvious due to the beauty of the woman standing in the middle of it.
Danny would admit that from her mugshots, the woman formally known as Pamela Isley was beautiful but seeing her in person made him stop and admire her as she walked amongst the plants delicately. Her skin had a noticeable but light green tint with her hair a vivid red that made her stand out like a rose, though the leaves covering the more risqué parts of her body certainly helped the comparison. Humming a soothing tune to the plants as if trying to calm an uneasy child, Danny watched as she stopped at a particular large yellow-purple flower. "Hush now, everything is okay. I am here," she whispered to it. "Nothing that can hurt you is here…wait...you feel...cold?" She asked.
"That is probably my fault," Danny said as he revealed himself. Ivy's quickly turned to him with her eyes flared in shock as she had vines try to reach out and grab him. Yet Danny merely phased through the plant's attacks as he held his hands up. "Relax, I mean you and your...garden no harm." He said calmly.
Poison Ivy stared him down as she seemed to have ordered her plants to back away from him. "Who and what are you?" She asked, on alert as the closer she got to him the more she felt the cold that her plants were telling her.
"I am Fenrir," he stated, "King of All Ghosts, and I have an offer for you."
Ivy tilted her head in curiosity. "And tell me, oh King of All Ghosts, what brings you to my home?"
"Do you remember the night you escaped from Arkham?" He asked as he floated closer to her. "The cells opened as the asylum was under attack by a-."
"'The Arkham Assailant.'" Ivy said. "I heard about it on the news, was that your doing?"
"That was me." He said. "During that time, I was fighting Batman. I almost had him but he managed to get to the botanical gardens where he got hold of some plant. A flower."
That seemed to have gotten her interest. "A flower?"
He nodded. "Red roses. Black stems and leaves with purple trims. When I got close they released some sort of vapor and it hurt...it hurt me enough to force me to retreat."
Ivy's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah yes. That sounds like Blood Blossoms or Rosa Cruenta Mors. A very rare, very precious flower. Possibly more so than I thought."
"So you're familiar with it?" He asked.
"Yes, my affinity for plant life has made it so most of the Arkham staff won't take me there. Yet sometimes someone who's very sweet to me will sneak me there. Those plants in particular were my recommendation." Ivy explained as she walked past the ghost king and over to a shelf. Danny's eyes wandered down to her hips and waist as she sways before shaking his head just as she pulled a book off the shelf. "While I have never seen it, that flower has had a long history in occult practices. It was believed to ward off spirits in the same way that garlic and wolfsbane would repel vampires and werewolves." She said as she walked back towards him with the book. "Some even believed that they bloomed in areas where the blood of a virgin was spilled. Though if you are what you claim to be, I guess there is a bit more truth to those legends."
"I want you to help figure out what causes those vapors...and how I can counteract them." He said.
Ivy looked up from her book towards him, and then back toward her book. "And why would I help you? Just because you're after the bat? I don't help anyone for free, even if we have a common enemy."
"Just name your terms, and I tell you what I can or can't do," he responded. "Money isn't a factor. You got a problem, then I have solutions."
Ivy stopped reading her book as she pondered his words. "Very well, there is a favor I need you to do."
"Go on."
"I have someone very dear to me." She said as she looked up from her book. "And she's in trouble."
"What sort of trouble?" Danny asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"She believes she's madly in love with a dangerous and terrible man," Ivy answered, "a man who torments her physically, mentally, and emotionally and she is so absorbed with him that she can't see it."
Danny frowned slightly. "I see. So you want me to kill him?"
Ivy smirked in momentary thought. "As much as I would want that, what I really want you to do is bring her here. If I can keep her away from him, and talk to her, then I think I can help her. Besides, Joker-."
"'Joker?'" Danny asked. "As in...'The' Joker?"
Ivy frowned. "Yes, she works for him. Worships the ground he walks on while all he ever does is treat her like a toy to be broken."
"I heard of him, he's a real bastard. If this girl of yours is that involved with him then maybe it's best that I go ahead and kill him. Who knows, maybe someone will give me a medal."
She smiled at that. "A dead Joker does sound tempting, but him being alive would mean Batman has bigger problems to deal with than little ole me, thus buying me more time to research the Blood Blossom. Just bring her here, away from him and his influences, and I can snap her out of it. And we can see how well this partnership between us works out." She came in close, pressing herself against him while breathily saying that last statement.
"Nice try, Doctor Pamala Isely. But I've read your file and I know about your seductive powers." Danny said making the plant woman frown as she backed away from him. "But I will admit, you do it well...so, this girl. This special someone, what's her name?" He asked.
"Doctor Hareleen Quinzel, she goes mostly by Harley Quinn these days."
"'Doctor'?"
"She used to be a psychiatrist."
Danny's eyes went wide. "A psychiatrist?!" Danny gasped out, making the former botanist glare at him. "I...sorry...tell me where I can find her, and I will bring her here."
Ivy's glare softened at his apology. "Thank you. I don't presume you happen to have one of the flowers hidden away do you?" She asked.
"No...after Batman saw what they could do, I'm certain he took all of the ones at the Aslyum back to where his little hole is. But first things first, where can I find Joker and this Harley Quinn of yours?"
"If I had to guess, check the warehouses at the docks. Then the Ace Chemical plant, after that maybe some of the abandoned fairgrounds and carnivals."
"Very well." He said as he phased through the ceiling out into Gotham. Ivy allowed herself a small smile; who knew a ghost could be so...lively.
At That Time
Shayera Hol, or better known to the public as Hawkgirl, watched the clip on the screen intently. The clip was of the Titans fighting a giant fire demon approaching Jump City; the footage came from a news chopper recording the event. Naturally, the issue was resolved and the statement given to them by the Titans was that two minor demigods were tricked by Slade who used their gullibility to wreak havoc on the city. She came across it after going through the archives about Jump City, trying to find any clues or hints of a breakdown in the team...anything to suggest a division in their dynamic that would lead to his betrayal. Yet partway through her search she became distracted, as now she was just watching Danny.
A small but sincere smile was on her face as she saw him. Flying around determined to distract the beast before the rain will douse it. At this point the Titans were defeated; Robin was going after Slade, but Danny still remained as the last one willing and able. She watched on as he shot at the fire demon with his green energy blasts, phasing in and past attacks as he led it away from the city. Pride was swelling in her chest as she watched her boy do his best. Yet, there was also the tinge of guilt at the thought that he was there because she suggested he join them.
As she watched on, an image in her mind flashed before her eyes. The sight of Danny when Kara and her first encountered him. Those bright green eyes were glazed over with dark rings from lack of sleep that stood against his pasty white skin, his lips curled into an indifferent frown, his ghostly white hair disheveled and unkempt, a broken young man with no purpose. She didn't know what it was about him exactly that compelled her to take him under her, metaphorical, wing. Maybe she recognized his potential? Maybe it was because she was still trying to make up for not being able to help Solomon Grundy, the man cursed to resurrect again and again as an undead brute without a soul. Or maybe it was just maternal instinct working their ways on a woman who used to suppress those feminine inclinations?
Her train of thought came to an end when Danny gave one final blast to the flaming giant, powerful enough to force the beast on its back as the rain from the thundering clouds doused it. As he looked at the sight, he flew off away from the news helicopter most likely going to check on his friends. She leaned in closer, resting her head against her hand as the clip cut to a different one. Danny seemed to be talking to the other Titans as a woman in an olive-colored suit came running towards them.
"Ghost boy! Ghost boy!" The eager reporter called out to him as she ran toward him. Danny seemed surprised as his bright green eyes went wide. The Titans seemed to be surprised by this as well. "What can you tell us about what happened here?"
"Ummm...well...I..." Shayera smiled fondly as Danny tried to gather his thoughts, looking back at the other Titans before turning to face her. "I guess the only thing I could say is that it was summoned by an unknown person. That's all I think I can say." Of course, he knew more than what he was letting on, he was just trying to make sure he didn't cause people to panic.
"I see, well we saw how you held that monster off. Tell me, were you scared?"
Danny chuckled uneasily as he scratched the back of his head. "Well yeah but I mean...I did what I had to do...we all did." He said as he gestured to his friend.
"Well it was very impressive either way," the reporter said, "But tell me why have you left Amity Park? And what brought you here?" She asked.
Danny visibly looked uncomfortable as the other Titans seemed to give him strange looks behind his back. Looks that made the Thanagarian narrow her eyes at the recording.
"I have no answers." He said as he quickly flew off as the clip ended. Shayera set the clip back to the moment the reporter asked that final question. While she may not be able to read people like Batman or read minds like Martian Manhunter, their looks were as plain as day. Starfire seemed more concerned while Raven seemed curious; Cyborg and Beast Boy seemed more confused. However...Robin was glaring into the back of his head as if trying to drill into his skill. Shayera narrowed her eyes at the Boy Wonder. If anything did happen to Danny then Robin or Nightwing, as he goes by now, was behind it.
Back in Gotham City
Danny silently hovered over to the Ace Chemical Processing Plant. He had no luck at the docks, leaving the fairgrounds and the said plant. Danny didn't know why but the building seemed to have a negative energy. The building and its large smoke stacks were blackened but quiet as if they hadn't been in use for a while, but the sight of cars parked behind the building suggested otherwise. 'Looks like I found them,' he thought to himself as he stealthy phased the ceiling.
He scanned the area, seeing thugs scattered around the inside and patrolling the area. Large vats of ominous liquid stirred beneath unsecured walkways, leading to him using his cybernetic eye to scan the liquid. Concernedly, the eye couldn't figure out most of the compound but noted that a large amount of the solution was various acids. Invisibly he flew closer, the chemical fumes threatening to burn his nose as he searched for the girl.
Hovering past the guards and through the walls, Danny saw many things that piqued his interest: a makeshift lab where the Joker must have made several chemical weapons, a small armory of various weapons from simple guns and knives to strange clown-themed weapons like a gun with a boxing glove or a large cartoony hammer, to even a large room filled with notes and plans, yet no sign of the former psychiatrist. He muttered to himself in annoyance as he heard the bang of a gunshot ring off. Danny quickly flew through the walls back to the main area with the chemical vats where he could only stare on in wide-eyed shock.
The Joker was exactly what Danny expected and a little bit more. The pale white skin, large pointed nose, and red eyes reminded the half-ghost of Freakshow, but more unhinged. His dark green hair was disheveled, adding more to his crazed look, with the only thing that seemed put-together was his gaudy purple suit. He had to admit it was one thing to hear of the 'Clown Prince of Crime' in Gotham City, but it was another to actually see him in person. "You failed me for the last time, HARLEY!" He growled as he held a smoking gun.
The woman he shot must be this Harley Quinn that Poison Ivy had him searching for. The name seem to match as she was dressed in a skin-tight black and red checkered outfit with a white collar and cuffs with a hood split into two ends with little white puffs. Her face was coated with white pancake makeup and thick black lipstick and makeup around her wide, terrified blue eyes. She held her side, feeling the bullet wound as blood gushed into her hands. Whether in shock at what just happened or from the sudden pain, Harley could only stare on as she felt her legs give out as she fell into the vat of chemicals.
Rushing to her, he phased through two guards who felt the sudden coldness of him passing through them and responded with a shout of surprise as they accidentally fired their guns into the air. Danny, whether or not he planned it, used the momentary distraction to phase the vat, causing the chemical to pour out of its container into the floor. He quickly picked up the injured woman in his arms and flew out of the building.
"Shit! Shit! SHIT!" Danny cursed as he flew in the air. Glancing down at her, he could see her makeup peeling off her face but her skin was just as pale as blood escaped from her mouth. "HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" He yelled out. Harley didn't respond but her faded eyes seemed to look into his, acknowledging his voice. "YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY! YOU UNDERSTAND ME?! YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY!" He shouted out to her, only to see her close her eyes once more.
His lips curled into a frown as he locked eyes with Ivy's hideout. Wasting no time, Danny phased through the ceiling. "IVY!" He shouted causing the botanist to jump and turn to him. Her eyes went wide in fear.
"Harley?!" She shouted before turning to Danny, rage and horror in her eyes. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"
Danny floated down to her level. "Joker shot her and she fell into some chemicals! I need a flat surface!"
"A what?"
"A flat surface!" Danny shouted. "A bed, a table, anything! Whatever she took a spill in is entering her bullet wound; I need space to work on!" Ivy nodded and had the vines wipe a table surface clean. Danny placed the clown girl on it and quickly tore her outfit off, revealing her skin being bleached into an uncanny white and her sunny blond hair turning more platinum white.
"Do you think you can save her?!" Ivy asked as she took Harley's hand and caressed it.
Danny looked over the bleached woman. "I'm not a medical doctor," he said as his cybernetic eye scanned her body. Her vitals were failing from blood loss but the main concern was the chemicals seeping into her body. He turned to Ivy. "But I can take out the bullet easily and stitch the wound, but whatever she has in her system will kill her."
Ivy nodded as she left Harley's side and went away to retrieve an injection gun with a dark red vial. "I think I have something to help with that. But she will be in extreme pain."
Danny nodded. "Then let's hope your girl is tough." He said as he forcibly opened her eyes. The iris turned to him, leading to him sighing in slight relief. "Considering she is still conscious after all that, maybe she is tough enough."
END
So that is the end of this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. If you'd liked to please leave a review telling me what you think and what you would like to see. I am sad to admit that I am getting less and less time to write fanfics due to life throwing me curveballs and my inability to be creative when stressed, but reading reviews from guys, be they positive or negative. usually gives me that drive to make more. I also am cross-posting stories over on an Archiveofourown, so in the case of stories get taken down here they will show up over there.
Also, I have been getting some personal comments from people saying that they are a bit confused as to what Danny's abilities are for this story and how they differ from canon, so I am going to leave a list of those abilities below. These are the powers he CURRENTLY has so nothing here is a spoiler.
Enhanced Body/Brain
The direct result of Lex Luthor's genetic splicing when creating a new body for Danny.
-Enhanced Strength (Strong enough to lift and carry one ton)
-Enhanced Intelligence and Memory (Genius-level intellect)
-Limited access to ghost powers.
-Enhanced Reflexes
Standard Ghost Powers
The powers he gained from the Fenton Portal. IE: Basic Danny Phantom Powers.
-Invisibility (Can be detected via infrared, specialized ghost devices or certain other ghosts)
-Intangibility (Can phase through most objects, save for those enhanced by magic or constructs created by power rings with a strong enough charge.)
-Ghost Sense (Can sense ghosts nearby)
-Ecto-energy Manipulation (Able to use the inherent energy in ectoplasm to fire beams of energy. Converting it to concussive, thermal or electrical damage.)
-Flight (Max speed isn't known at the time of this writing.)
-Possession (Can take control of a person by phasing inside of them. Those with a strong will can resist it or outright expel him. Can use it to force a ghost out of a person as well.)
-Limited Immortality (Can't die from old age, however, he can still die from other means. Namely murdered while in his human form.)
-Chemical Immunity (Can't be affected by most chemicals unless specifically tailored to harm ghosts)
-Vacuum Adaptation (Body can survive in the vacuum of space without aid.)
Assassination Training
Gained from training under Slade, AKA Deathstoke.
-Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat (Capable of going toe-to-toe with most individuals, but isn't a master and loses to people with superior training.)
-Marksmen and Firearm Training
-Swordsmanship (Trained in the use of swords, unlike Slade or Rose who uses katana, he uses a claymore.)
-Explosives Training
Magic
Tutored in magic by Cirice
-Portal Creation (Can create inter-dimensional portals. Works best when Danny concentrate on the location, otherwise, may randomly teleport him else.)
-Bindings (Can create spells that can bind powerful supernatural entities like other ghosts.)
-Soul Stealing (Can steal the soul of others. Works best with ghosts as stealing their souls grants him the powers of said ghosts, a list of the individual ghosts is down below, whereas it grants him a fraction of the power of those still living.)
-Curses
-Blood Magic
-Necromancy
Wendigo Powers
Gained by freezing himself while having a strong survival instinct
-Ice Generation (Can create ice at will. Can create basic weapons out of it.)
-Cannibal Curse (Can grow stronger and heal at a much more accelerated rate if he consumes the flesh of humanoids, but refuses to do so in most cases.)
-Wendigo Form (Enhances his ice powers. Grows large claws and teeth, and gains increased durability. Presence can drive people to madness after prolonged exposure. Immunity to the cold. Becomes completely animalistic and ravenous, has cannibalistic tendencies.)
Onryo Powers
Gained by reading ancient magic words powered by hate.
-Darkness/Shadow Manipulation (Can control darkness and form them into tendrils with a sharp point.)
-Anger Empowerment (Becomes stronger the angrier he gets. May cause certain flares to occur.)
- Onryo Form (Enhances his shadow powers. Causes electrical light sources to malfunction when within a certain range. Can teleport short distances via darkness. Presence can induce fear in others. Driven by sheer rage.)
Cybernetics
Gained after losing his arm and eye in the fight against Pariah Dark.
-Cybernetic Eye (Can scan anything to provide information directly to Danny's brain. Information can be incomplete in certain circumstances such as encountering an element not yet recorded. Can also be used to emit a signal allowing him to remotely hack certain technology with his brain. Can be used as a messenger. Can disguise itself as a normal eye in a powered-down state.)
-Cybernetic Arm (Basic design, skeletal appearance. Can have flesh grown over it using blood magic to help hide it. Will be improved down the line.)
Eye of Ah Puch
Embedded in the center of his forehead.
-Knowledge of the Ghost Zone (The gem gave Danny knowledge of some of the workings of the ghost zone; while the knowledge is dormant new knowledge comes clearer when he encounters a trigger for it. Granted him the vision that leads him to a greater mission once he achieves revenge on the Titans.)
-Magical Protection (Grants him protection against certain magics)
The Soul of Pariah Dark
Taken after defeating the King of All Ghosts
- Control over Ghost King's Army (The skeleton army of the Ghost King obeys Danny since they recognize the power within him.)
-Dominion of the Ghost Zone (Able to shift and manipulate aspects of the Ghost Zone on a whim.)
-Increased Strength (Absorbing Pariah's soul increased Danny's vast physical strength.)
So that is it. Now granted, Danny will get more powers and develop more talents in the future. Maybe I will even ask people which kind of powers they want to see Danny get down the line. Either way, if you have any questions feel free to ask me via Review or PM. Take care and I hope to see you next time.
