Happy late Valentine's Day to you all!
This chapter took more work to develop than I thought, because I had developed the events following this to be in chapter 09, but realized I needed more of a transition/development to get there. We finally find out what Danny's been up to, too! It feels like this chapter needs a little somethin' more as far as action goes, but all of this is setup for the coming drama/complications/action.
Also, quick shoutout to Arrested Development for making it so hard for me to write this chapter's drama seriously. I rarely audibly laugh; this show had me forcing myself to stay quiet to not wake up my flatmates at 1:00am.
[Author's note 5 hours after publishing: The discussion with Clockwork felt a little too...trope-y. Some dialogue was added to clarify a little bit better that his motivations go beyond the simple "Clockwork interferes" go-to plot point.]
General Notes:
"This is dialogue."
"This is alternative dialogue, meaning whispered or spoken from a distance such as on the phone."
'This is thought.'
This and THIS and *this* are emphasis. The *this* emphasis is more along the lines of the snarky or sarcastic.
[This is digital text, such as notifications on a computer or smartphone.]
I do not own Danny Phantom or Young Justice.
Ch. 09 originally published: Friday, February 15, 2019
RECOGNIZED
Chapter 09
Fruit Loop
"There's something I need you to do."
Dani squinted in suspicion and glanced briefly at the scene behind him. "What?"
Clockwork revolved to face the screens, focusing on a room where Dani could recognize younger versions of the Fenton parents. "March 20, 2002: Daniel James Fenton was prematurely born mid-afternoon at a hospital in central Paris. He was immediately taken to the NICU—that is, the Natal Intensive Care Unit. Minutes later," he continued, focusing on another screen, "Richard Grayson and his as-yet unnamed twin—gypsy magic failed to predict the second son—are born on schedule, but Richard fell ill. Both twins were taken to the same room of the NICU as Danny-" he turned to a third screen "-and put in a shared isolette for treatment."
"So what do you need me to do?"
"If nothing is done, the boy we know as Danny will die. I need you to go back in time, switch the babies wearing the blue and yellow beanies, then switch the beanies back so no suspicion is aroused."
"Wait…WHAT?!" Dani squawked, thoroughly scandalized. "No way! What the hell is wrong with you? I can't just go switch two unsuspecting parents'…kids…"
Her protests died off when a new set of scenes overtook the displays. Even at first glance, something about them made her skin crawl. Some showed death, destruction, enslavement; one even showed the shattered remains of what used to be Earth with a glowing green asteroid continuing uninterrupted on its path through the solar system.
"Is that-?"
"The future, should Danny and the Grayson boy not be switched." He released a deep exhale. "It is a cruel fate for those boys; a life of deception, heartbreak...confusion, perhaps. But they will have lives; they will meet amazing people and save the world on countless occasions. Without the role of 'Danny Fenton' filled, there would be no Phantom. There would be no portal. The Fenton parents would be so disheartened that their research never develops, and the family of three would have been cast into obscurity. The Graysons would have settled rather than travel the world with the circus, preventing the tragic accident in the first place and depriving an entire generation of future heroes of their eventual leader.
"So, you see, humanity will owe its continued existence to these two boys because of the events which will unfold. I do not exaggerate when I tell you the fate of the Earth will be put in jeopardy no fewer than twice over the next three years alone. Do you understand?"
Dani stood shell-shocked. "I—y-yeah, I guess. It just doesn't feel…right."
"It isn't," he admitted. "It is one of the worst possible things to do to young parents. I wish there were another way, yet...for the sake of the planet..."
"For the sake of the planet," Dani parroted.
Clockwork gave a small, fond smile. "Remember: you yourself would not come to exist in the present without your own intervention in the past."
"We can debate the value of my personal existence later," she growled drily. "But if you say this will help Danny and Dick Grayson and, like, *all of humanity,* then," she sighed and held out a resigned hand, "I'll do it."
Clockwork's smile grew full as he handed over the lanyard. "You will have your own impact on humanity—and its out-of-this-world saviors—too."
"Alright." Dani put on the fateful medallion. "Put me in, coach; I'm ready to-
"-play." Dani shut her mouth instantly, realizing that she was already back in time. She found herself in an omnipresent deserted broom closet. She shook out her limbs, stretched her neck and gave herself a single nod of assurance. "Okay. Let's do this."
Danielle became invisible and phased through the door, finding herself in a bustling hallway. She recognized French being spoken, though she couldn't understand what was being said. 'Weird, it doesn't *feel* like the past…'
As if on cue, a passing businessman's pager went off.
'Okay, I stand corrected.'
As she passed down the hall, multiple people shivered briefly from the feeling of her passing through their bodies. The youngest halfa found the appropriate NICU room and phased through the wall. As expected, there were the three babies in two isolettes.
It was not a moment too soon. The Fenton baby's EKG was flatlining, and both of the Graysons' pulses were weak. She watched on in barely-contained horror as Daniel Fenton didn't respond to any of the staff's attempts at revival. The three staff present worked tirelessly, but alas, to no avail.
Eventually, the nurses and doctors refocused on the twins. Dani took advantage of their preoccupation to disconnect Danny from the already-blaring monitors in preparation for the switch. All she needed was a distraction. Now…what was distracting enough…
'…Ah, yes: falling glass.'
With an invisible smug grin, Dani flung open the door of a cabinet and shoved a handful of beakers and unused needles to the floor. Sure enough, the staff momentarily tore their attention away from the Graysons.
Dani used the opportunity to gently but swiftly lift the lifeless Fenton baby and place him in the Grayson's crib. A quick swapping of blue and yellow beanies, and the two babies were reconnected to each other's respective machines.
The return of 'Fenton's' heartbeat distracted the staff from discerning what had caused the glass to fall. Dani wasn't sure what was said, but it was certainly joyous. Half the gathered staff, though, noticed the now-flatlining 'Grayson'—formerly Daniel, now James—and began attempting to revive him as well. Little did they know that they had already tried everything.
A fleeting feeling of guilt overcame the invisible girl, but she shoved it aside for now. Danny must know a good counselor by this point, if only Jazz. No, she had to stay for a few moments and make sure nothing happened to 'Danny' so it wasn't all for naught. The room's emotions seemed to stabilize into that of overwhelming sadness as the futility of 'James' ' revival was realized. The staff soon morosely walked from the room after assuring that Danny and the remaining Grayson would be fine.
The vacant room allowed Dani a couple minutes of sober reflection, so she hovered next to the Fenton crib and rested a hand on its shielding. 'I'm so sorry you have to go through this, though Clocky says it's for the best,' she thought. Dani looked over her shoulder at the true Fenton, already departed from this world mere minutes after having joined it. 'I hope he's right.'
Dani took a few steps back to the corner to watch. Fiddling with the lanyard of the medallion, she observed the two boys who would apparently change the fate of the world. Two innocent babies, completely unaware of their significance, completely unaware of what she had done. Dani nearly cursed herself for agreeing to help Clockwork, but if what he said was true...
A sort of serenity filled the room. The machinery of the deceased 'James Grayson' had been silenced, so the only sounds remaining were the silent rush of climate control and steady beeping of the EKGs. It was nearly unbelievable to the girl that such a globally impactful event should have gone off without a hitch. Dani couldn't help but take a moment to mourn the passing of the real Danny Fenton, doomed to instant obscurity with his uncelebrated burial under a false name. The poor boy never had a chance.
Neither would Maddie, if nothing had been done to replace Danny with a living baby. There was little which Dani knew about her original's mother, but one thing eminently apparent was the ferocity with which the woman loves her children. Losing a son would break her. Though, she felt, that was hardly justification for the strife under which the true mother would suffer from the loss of one of her twins. If only Mary Grayson had lived long enough to discover her second son had survived after all.
It was just as Dani had accepted her role and started to lift the medallion from around her neck that she felt something she most certainly should not have: her ghost sense. In her invisible, intangible state, she saw another ghostly figure enter the room; a figure which she knew all too well and couldn't help but address.
"Vla-
"-d?!"
But that short squawk of a name was all she managed, as the surprise had caused her arm to twitch and remove the medallion's lanyard the rest of the way, returning her to the present. She looked from the screens—soundlessly continuing to play the now frantic hospital scene—to the medallion in her palm, to her host with mouth agape. Clockwork waited expectantly.
"The hell was that?!"
"Your first impact on humanity," the elder ghost replied.
"But Vlad-?"
"Yes." Clockwork sighed and, taking her medallion, joined the girl in observing the frozen hospital scene. With a shift to his oldest form, he continued, "Vladimir Masters-turned-Plasmius will have his own roll to play because of the…admittedly *mistaken* impression this day left on him. He has already played a part, actually."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Your reaction moments ago is proof enough that this particular detail was best left excluded from the briefing. Your knowledge of his presence would risk the entire operation. In fact, your moment of surprise is what set the rest of it into motion."
"Wait, so…why is he there if I'm the one that switched the babies?"
"Ask yourself this, Danielle: did you enact the only interference that afternoon?"
Dani glared, realization dawning. "Hold up, you're saying…he switches them again? Did I mess it up? Did he?!"
"Danielle, look around you. You are here; you exist. This is not an alternate time stream. What happened that day has already happened the way it should, including your meddling. Having you volunteer to go back merely made sure of it."
"So-wait, then Vlad was-?"
Clockwork glanced back at the screens before giving her a knowing look. "Perhaps a firsthand account would be more useful on this occasion?"
Without another word, the elder disappeared. Dani groaned and flew towards the door. "I hate it when he does that."
"Oh—oh, no," Maddie moaned. Her eyes began to glisten. "Jack, look at tomorrow's date."
Jack looked at the corner of the lab computer screen. It currently read Monday, March 19. "Oh."
"What kind of parents are we?" the worried mother asked and sniffled. "Our own son will be running from home on his own birthday!"
"But he's not our son!"
Maddie went back to aggressively fiddling with the Fenton Tracker. "Oh, sure, now you accept that he isn't the real Danny, and without any hesitation whatsoever."
Jack spun around in his desk chair to face her. "Will you make up your mind already?! Am I supposed to be happy or not that that person—that thing replaced our son?"
The tracker clattered onto the workbench. "I spent years going to counseling because you all thought I was crazy back at the hospital! Don't get on the high horse now, mister."
"That was different," Jack impatiently tried to explain. "You had just given birth, and we thought we were going to lose him, so we just assumed it was the stress and hormones. Turns out we did lose Danny, and you were right after all. Congratulations!"
"Look, I want to find out what happened to our real son just as much as you," Maddie spat. "But in the meantime, this Danny is hurting and alone in some strange city, and feeling abandoned and attacked by the people he holds most dear! Never mind the fact we've been unknowingly hunting him for months in his ghost-" Her rant stalled, and she focused on the discarded tracker. "His ghost form! Jack, the ectosignature. We can use that to find him and bring him home!"
Jack immediately opened their files of every ghost recorded visiting Amity Park. It didn't take long for him to discover something amiss. "I don't understand it, Mads," Jack muttered, mostly to himself, as he hunched over the lab's main computer. "There is no evidence of us ever having had Phantom's ectosignature on file. Every other record appears to be intact."
"I wouldn't put it past Jazz or one of Danny's friends to have deleted it once he ran, which means the kids are much deeper in this than we could have hoped." Maddie huffed. "And it's not like we can confront them about it without tipping off their parents, and there's no way we could do that without outing Danny's…"
"Ghostliness?" Jack finished for her, unable to stop the growl that always seems to accompany that word. "No. We need to try and contain this until we know what the hell is going on and where the hell our real son is."
"One step at a time, Jack. Let's go see if Jazz kept a backup."
She didn't.
Tucker, however, did.
"Still no sign?"
"Not since Pittsburgh," Tucker answered Sam as he put away the *borrowed* Fenton tech. They rounded the corner into the lavish Polter Heights neighborhood. "He must be staying out of his ghost form just in case. We'll have to hack the Fenton satellite and temporarily boost its strength since his ectosignature is so suppressed in human form. But, I can only do it for seconds at a time due to the amplification, and then the fuel cells will need hours to recharge the supercapacitors in order to cope."
"Will Mr. and Mrs. Fenton know that?"
"Probably." The pair tried to act nonchalant at the passing of a car. "But either way, their hands are tied without his signature. Otherwise, the satellite will only be showing every ectosignature in the northern hemisphere with no idea how to identify Danny's in particular."
"Hopefully they don't figure out you were the one to delete the file. The last thing we need is a determined Mrs. Fenton on our tail."
"True that," Tucker drawled, pulling Sam down to hide behind a shrub in front of the Masters property.
"This would be so much easier with Danny here," Sam hissed.
Tucker shifted to a more comfortable crouch in their hiding spot. "We wouldn't *be* here if Danny were here," he deadpanned in reply and took out his smartphone.
"So get us in already!"
"I'm not a magician, Sam! I can't just magically wave my hand and get us past any security in the world!"
Sam looked at Tucker.
Tucker looked at Sam.
"Can you get us in or not?"
"Well, yeah, but that's not the point! You need to lower your expectations." The boy then made quick work of remotely accessing the Masters mansion's security system and temporarily disabling the motion detectors and locks. "Alright, we have a thirty-second window. Go!"
The pair raced across the lawn to the kitchen door around back and made it inside just in time for the system to re-engage. They snuck through the house to the upstairs study where Vlad was sure to be at this time of evening. Sure enough…
"Aha!" Tucker shouted when they burst through the door.
Vlad, thoroughly unamused, merely swirled the brandy in his glass as he stared into the blazing fireplace. "I was wondering how long it would take you to come. I've practically been on the edge of my seat since I saw that young Daniel was missing."
"What have you done, Plasmius?" Sam demanded, hand fingering the lipstick blaster in her pocket.
"I don't know what you mean," Vlad replied. He strode gracefully to his desk and sat down with his back to the plate glass windows overlooking the lawns. The rising moon cast long blue pools of light into the subdued room.
"Paris, 2002. We know you were there," Tucker spat and tossed a printed copy of the police report onto the desk.
Vlad took up the document and appraised it. "Ah, yes, Officer Raincomprix. Good fellow. Not much of a brain, easily overshadowed and manipulated."
"Why did you do it?" Sam asked.
"Well, I couldn't have this investigated, could I? Not before the world was ready to hear of ghosts."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" she shouted. "What were you doing at the hospital on the day of Danny's birth?"
"Ah ah ah, now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" He leaned back with a smug grin and took a sip of his liquor.
"We demand answers, Fruit Loop," Tucker said. "What did you do to Danny and the Graysons?"
Before the man could formulate a reply, his ghost sense went off. A glowing figure phased through the glass and landed with her back to the teens.
"Alright, Plasmius, I never wanted to see your ugly mug again, but I need…answers." The newcomer's forceful speech died upon realizing she and the billionaire were not alone. "Sam? Tucker?"
"Danielle?!" the pair chorused.
"It's Dani, wi-"
"-with an 'I,' " they finished, and Sam continued, "Yeah, we get it."
All three turned expectantly to Vlad. "Why were you at the hospital?" they asked in unison, then comically turned to each other and added, "Wait, you know too?"
"We saw a police report," Tucker said.
"I was actually there," Dani explained, then added, "Clockwork."
Everyone present immediately understood.
Vlad, ever the NFD (Need for Drama) patient, turned his back to them to stare out over the sprawling gardens. After a long pause, he finally intoned, "I see there is no avoiding this delicate topic which has admittedly plagued me for almost sixteen years." A movement outside caught his eye. "Though unfortunately, our time is limited. It appears I have been found out. Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" Sam asked.
"I'll tell you what I know, if you come rescue me."
"Rescue?!"
Vlad heard stampeding in the hallway, so he thrust open one of the windows. "Yes. You three, go, now, before they see you with me. You won't have a chance with all the Light's forces by yourselves," he said in a harsh whisper and slammed a button on his desk. Everyone present heard a heavy lock bolting in the door. "I can't run now without them getting too suspicious of my being Plasmius. Our only chance is if you take them by surprise later. Go!"
Unable to form much of an argument, Dani took Sam and Tucker in hand and flew them outside just as the door burst open under the force of an explosive.
"What the heck is going on?!" Sam whispered.
"Sounds like Vlad has some enemies," Tucker said. "Dani, can you loop us around to see if we can find their escape vehicles?"
"Sure."
The trio looped around the property and its entry points. Soon, they found a fleet of black, armored SUV's parked on a dirt access road in the forest behind the property. Tucker didn't even need to take down the license plates to determine their affiliation. After all, the insurgents had used bright yellow paint to inscribe 'CADMUS' on their vehicles' sides.
Tucker sighed and crossed his arms. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"No," Sam answered, head in her hands. "But what other options do we have? It's not like the three of us can save him."
"We've saved Danny before," Tucker offered.
"And you saved me too," Dani added, reclining further on Tucker's bed with chip bag in hand. "Now it's three of us against whoever."
Sam looked up. "What did Vlad mean by 'the Light'?"
"I mean…it's not even for sure, but…"
"But what?"
"There was rumors of an underground, international criminal network calling themselves the 'Light.' The online data acquisition community-"
"Hacker community?"
"-*data acquisition community,*" Tucker repeated for emphasis, "has been working for years to try and expose them, to no avail. Rumor has it they operate on their own private communication networks, which means they have to have some big players working with them to be able to design and afford the tech."
"Like Vlad?" Dani said.
"Yeah," Sam added, "and Lex Luthor and all kinds of politicians and geniuses and even supervillains. If this exists—which it must, according to what Vlad said—then we're getting in way over our heads. I think this is the only time I'll ever agree with Vlad. We need help."
"So you're asking me to willingly hack the Batcave again, and from my own house at that?"
"Well, how else are we going to get the League's attention? Call the hotline? Get through to the mayor's red landline fresh out of the 1960's?"
"And all of this to find out what happened to Danny?"
"Vlad said the Light was 'onto him," Sam said. "That means he's done something major enough to catch a global criminal network's attention, and I'm honestly starting to doubt whether it has nothing to do with Danny too. I say, let's do it."
Dani shifted to a different position on the bed. "Yeah, and I wanna know what I missed when I left the hospital room. It's not like Clockwork is going to up and change his mind about telling me himself. For all I know, all this is my fault. On a completely unrelated note, does Jazz still need volunteers to practice her counseling?"
Tucker glanced between the two silent, anxious girls, both nodding individually when he made eye contact. The boy sighed and spun around in his chair. "On our own heads be it."
It didn't take nearly as long as before to connect to the ghost server in Wayne Tech's database. Certain they were now being watched, Tucker created a new text file on the server and wrote,
[Attention Batman: Vladimir Masters was abducted from his Amity Park residence at 8:20PM EST this evening. Suspected involvement of 'the Light.' Cadmus vehicles also spotted on-site. Please locate and help us rescue Masters to fulfill our end of an information exchange deal regarding the Fenton-Grayson-Robin situation.]
"You don't think that's being too forward?" Sam asked. "You're essentially telling him we know Robin's secret ID."
"Yeah, wouldn't Batman order a hit on us or something if we found out who he is?" Dani asked through a mouthful of chips.
Tucker sighed. "We've already hacked the Batcave twice and we know they know who Danny is, and they know we know they know. We're in too deep now to keep up the act of innocent teenagers. Plus, now we have to go after Vlad, and Batman and Robin are probably the only ones who know where they might be if not the Cadmus labs themselves."
"So, now what?"
"Now," Tucker said, grabbing a fistful of chips from the girl's bag, "we wait. I reverse-engineered the tracking bug Batman used to find us so now we can find him and access the real Batcave." His computer pinged. "A Palisades, Gotham City address. Big surprise there. But, now we have a crumb trail to the true information so I can start trying to get past the firewalls."
It didn't take much longer for an addition to appear in the text file.
[Try the hotline next time.]
Tucker immediately disconnected.
"So it would appear the children have led us to the 'Fruit Loop,' " Alfred commented, pulling up the cave's extensive records on the missing billionaire. "Though what Masters has to do with the incident report is beyond me. He looks nothing like the figure described at the hospital."
"No, but we have long suspected him of having associations with what we thought were metahumans but are actually ghosts," Bruce mused. "Not to mention his long association with the Fentons. It could be an accomplice, or—or perhaps Masters has a similar biology to Danny Fenton in that he has his own so-called 'ghost form.' He did have a similar accident a couple years before Danny's birth and spent extensive time recuperating in various hospitals. It wouldn't stretch the imagination to suggest he developed capabilities and a second form of his own."
"If this is true, why does he require rescue?"
"I suspect he doesn't, in reality, but cannot escape because he would reveal his powers in doing so. Something I imagine he wouldn't want the Light to find out. Time to start searching Cadmus facilities."
"And what of Master Dick, sir?"
"What about him?"
Alfred hesitated. "His birthday, sir."
Bruce let out a frustrated sigh. "Of course, it's tomorrow. Is everything in order for the celebrations?"
"Yes. And, his driving exam was scheduled for the morning, but perhaps we should postpone on all accounts."
"No," Bruce insisted. "As far as the public is concerned, everything in the Wayne household is fine, albeit with a little added mystery when it comes to the Fenton kid. We have to keep up appearances, as always. With 'Dick' as well, until we know more."
"Certainly, sir. I will remind the young master when he pesters me for his nightly indulgence of biscuits."
Bruce whirled around. "His nightly what?"
"Linguistics. To practice his Romani. Did I misspeak, sir?"
"Didn't you say 'biscuits?' "
"Would you like some, Master Bruce?"
"Some what?"
"Biscuits? Before I do the washing up."
Bruce squinted his eyes.
"Is this really the ideal time to take care of this?"
"But of course, Master Dick," Alfred replied, rinsing the dinner dishes before placing them in the washer. "We must keep up appearances, and despite the confusion involving young Daniel and his apparent connection to you, acquiring your license is paramount in case of emergencies."
Dick inhaled another shortbread. "But I already use the 'Bat-bike,' or 'Bird-bike' or whatever you want to call it."
"Indeed, yet that is reserved for when you are masquerading as an identity-less, masked vigilante." The butler shut off the water and dried his hands. "Consider the possibility of being in an unideal situation far from your gear and bike. You would need to be able to get yourself to their location posthaste."
Dick sighed. "I suppose you have a point," he conceded. "I just wish I knew what was going on with Danny. Maybe we'll get lucky and he's coming to us?"
"One can only hope, Master Dick."
"Ugh, when will we know whether he's my brother or clone? Still no word from Lucius?"
Quirking an eyebrow, Alfred quipped, "Your quote-unquote 'success' as a covert agent is not surprising, considering how bountiful your reserves of patience are."
Rolling his eyes, the boy asked, "So what time is the driving exam?"
"9:15am, so no funny business this evening. Finish your homework, then straight to bed."
"Happy birthday to me," the teen deadpanned and left to go to his room.
It had been a tiring day. Jazz couldn't help but audibly moan in relief when her head hit the pillow, settling into the soft embrace of her bedding. It was far later than she normally went to bed; not quite midnight, in fact, a testament to her otherwise peerless time management skills despite being in college. She set her phone's alarm for the morning and slapped the device face-down onto her nightstand.
Not two seconds after she shut her eyes, an alert buzzed. Jazz immediately snatched the device, hoping for any news from or about Danny. Instead, it was a reminder for an upcoming event the next day: Tuesday, March 20th.
[Event: Danny's 16th Birthday — All Day]
Her heart broke.
It took all of Sam's willpower to not throw her phone against the wall. Instead, she gingerly placed it back on the nightstand and curled into a ball on her side, staring at the device as if Danny himself would come out of it if she stared intensely enough. Hopefully, Tucker would succeed in his attempt to crack the Batcave and figure out where Cadmus was keeping Vlad.
The alert was far less troubling for Tucker, who had succeeded in accessing the true Bat-files. What that could mean for his future once Batman knew, he didn't know; but, it didn't matter at the moment.
A steady rhythm developed as he researched. A fistful of chips shoved into his mouth all at once, furious typing, scanning information, fistful of chips, repeat.
BZZ-BZZ
He tore his eyes from the computer and looked at the calendar notification on his phone screen. It only made him more resolute. He was one step closer to finding Vlad and bringing Danny home.
Fistful of chips, furious typing, scanning information, chips, typing, scanning, repeat.
Danny could have made it to Gotham in less than half a day, as he knew very well from past experience. This trip, however, was much slower in its progression. Danny was far from his prime, and it took a prolonged clandestine stop at a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center location to bandage his wound before he could continue. He took shelter overnight in a vacant hotel room nearby, one of the advantages of having ghost powers to get him past locked doors.
For the rest of his voyage, Danny had elected not to use his powers of flight in order to remain off the grid. He wouldn't put it past his parents to have already deduced his alter ego; they could be oblivious, but they were frighteningly intelligent and had new evidence with which to work. It would only take a misplaced hesitation from Sam, Tucker or Jazz when confronted to confirm he was Phantom. Therefore, flying on as Phantom meant his was a mobile sitting duck. The semi truck carrying him was mercifully transporting mattresses to a warehouse near Gotham, so he was able to recline for a long stretch. Danny was still beyond exhausted when he finally walked the rest of the way into the city.
Clouds had been gathering all evening. They oppressed the already gloomy coastal city without a single break in their cover. The billowing forms were ablaze with the orange glow of streetlights, packed so thick that one might think they could topple the darkened skyscrapers on impact. Lightning was infrequent, but its strikes and following claps of thunder never failed to rattle Danny to his core.
He was lost.
He was very lost, both emotionally and literally. He didn't know who or what to trust after everything that had transpired that weekend. His parents weren't his parents, nevermind the fact that they probably now knew his double identity. His doppelgänger/twin/clone/life model decoy original was either a billionaire socialite's ward or apprentice to the most intimidating hero on the planet, or both. And now, he was aimlessly meandering the sinister streets of Gotham.
Danny moaned in despair as the rain wasted no time in soaking his jeans and t-shirt completely. He began to wander aimlessly, just as directionless geographically as he felt in his heart.
His current surroundings weren't good; that was the only thing of which he could be certain. The aging brownstones from some decades-old urban projects towered over Danny as he sulked down the streets. He could no longer distinguish between tears and raindrops. An occasional local passed him, though they seemed far more afraid of the bandaged teen than he was of them.
Fast approaching midnight, Danny turned yet another corner and failed to notice a small group of figures in rain jackets up ahead. He merely trudged along, eyes glued to the raindrops' ripples in the puddles at his feet. So it was no surprise when, moments later, his shoulder jostled one of the figures as he passed. Unfortunately, Danny's mind was miles away, somewhere between Gotham and Amity.
"What, no apology, kid?" demanded the man, in his early twenties by the sound of his voice. Danny walked on, so the man turned to his friends. "C'mon, let's teach the little twerp how things are done around here."
Suddenly, Danny was pulled into an alley by the back of his shirt collar, and he jolted out of his stupor, now panicking at his situation. They thrust him against the wall and watched as his reddened eyes widened and ragged breath quickened into near-hyperventilation.
The man he'd bumped aggressively pointed a finger into Danny's face. "What made you think you could just shove your way past me, huh, kid?"
"I-" Danny's voice broke, husky from all the tears. "I didn't mean anything, I w-was just distracted."
He poked Danny's sternum, hard. "You don't get to mess with White Shark, twerp. You get to thank us for letting you live another day. But tonight, though, I feel like your tributes are overdue."
"I don't even live here. I-I mean, I don't have any money with me…"
"I'm sure, kid. I think we can work something out, can't we, fellas?" The main aggressor's friends chuckled.
"B-but I have nothing left! Nothing, okay? Please, just-" He sighed defeatedly and finished in a quiet tone, "just let me go."
The man smiled.
Danny doubled over in pain as the first blow struck his abdomen. A successive kick dropped him to the ground where the thugs continued to assault him. Blood trickled from his nose and his wounds while the dirty drainage in the alley mixed with the pure rainwater already soaking his clothes. The gang's strikes felt like they went on for hours, but it was mere seconds later when the attacks ceased.
The alley went silent apart from the continued pitter-patter of rain on the pavement. A pregnant pause hung in the air before the thuds of falling bodies met his ears. Danny hesitated before uncurling himself and looking up. Even in the shadows of the alley, Danny could see the small glints of light off the darts protruding from each of their necks. He moaned and rolled over to lay flat on his back amongst the fallen, electing to stare up into the clouds above instead of trying to stand. This was his fate, he decided: an overlooked, unwanted teen in the slums of a city far from his home, laying amongst the hopefully-not-corpses of the local gang. It was depressing and defeatist, but with the onslaught of rain continuing to drench him, it sounded far better than trying to stand with the amount of emotional and physical pain he currently faced.
"You okay, kid?"
Danny lolled his head over and saw a single figure standing at the mouth of the alley. A solitary flash of lightning illuminated the scene for a fleeting millisecond, but it was enough for both boys to recognize each other. Danny's savior was tall and well-muscled, his sleeveless red and black uniform showing off the definition in his arms. The hero's bangs hung low, shadowing his scruffy face in a way that made the white eyes of his domino mask seem almost luminous. A large bow rested in his left hand.
'Just what I need: more superheroes,' Danny whined mentally. "Speedy?" he croaked.
The gruff anti-hero rolled his eyes. "My name's been Red Arrow for years. But you know that better than anyone, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Grayson. I know who you are."
"Oh, no, not you too," Danny moaned.
"I have to say, you're the last person I expected to find getting mugged in the projects," Red Arrow said, crossing his arms.
"Well, you still haven't. I'm not Dick Grayson," Danny retorted as he struggled to sit up.
"…You're not?"
"No, I'm-" he hesitated "-someone else. Danny."
"Coulda fooled me." Red Arrow reached down to help him stand. They grasped forearms, and Danny stood shakily. The younger's nose was bleeding and clothes were torn, the bloodstain from Jack's ecto-blast making the fresh damage look worse than it was. "You don't look too good. You staying near here?"
"I guess." He wiped his nose on his arm and frowned at the blood it left behind on his skin. He let the rain wash it somewhat clean and looked up at Arrow defiantly.
"Where?" the vigilante prodded.
"…Somewhere." Danny felt his previous emotions return and broke eye contact in guilt.
"You don't have anywhere to go, do you."
Danny's reply was a defeated shrug.
"Wait a minute; if you look this much like Dick Grayson, then you must be the Danny Fenton kid on the news. So what are you doing here in Gotham?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"M-…myself," he sputtered defeatedly.
Roy's heart twinged in pain and anger at the sentiment. It was something with which he was intimately familiar: the turmoil of not knowing who or what you are. Far beyond the soul-searching of a struggling teen fresh out of high school, Roy had no idea who he was, is and should be. After all, his entire (albeit short) life had been a lie.
"My entire life is a lie."
Roy started at Danny's words having echoed his own thoughts. "What do you mean?"
Danny found himself unable to dodge the truth anymore. It began to bubble up without restraint, secrets and poker faces be damned. "I found out I'm not my parents' actual son, but even they didn't know. And I thought the accident threw me through a loop. Now I don't even know what's going on. But now I have no real family, no phone; my own father shot me, for god's sake!" he cried, gesturing to his side. "What the hell am I supposed to do? What am I anymore?"
This was getting far too close for comfort. Red Arrow passively adjusted his quiver. Surely this couldn't be another clone like him, grown for sinister purposes but with a mind of his own. "Cadmus?"
"Cad-what?" Danny asked.
'So, hopefully not a Cadmus clone then. Well, that's something,' Roy thought. He then said aloud, "So what's your plan, run away and become a vigilante archer? Been there, done that."
Danny couldn't help the small smile that briefly illuminated his gloomy face. "I can't figure out what to do next until I know more about who or what I am. I'm not—I'm not…normal."
"What do you mean? What do you need?" Roy asked before he realized what he was saying. He had enough on his plate, what with the ongoing solo search for the real Roy. Helping a runaway struggling with his own emotions would only prove to be a distraction.
Danny sighed and, avoiding Red Arrow's gaze, nervously rubbed his left elbow. "There are only two people who can help me find answers right now. Do you know where I could find either Dick Grayson or Robin?"
Roy smirked. "Are you thinking you're a long-lost twin or something? Sounds a bit cliché and teenage-angsty, if you ask me."
'More or less.' "I'm keeping my options open. But anyway, can you help?"
Danny stared at him so intensely that he felt as if Danny's very soul were on display. He looked so lost, so desperate. Roy sighed inwardly. If only it were that simple, but he couldn't bare facing his longtime friend and fellow crimefighter. After everything that had happened on the Watchtower the year before, a great crevice had grown between them, a crevice which couldn't be traversed so easily.
But amidst his turmoil, an idea sparked in his mind. He checked the time—just after midnight, a perfect time to visit a high school student with *nocturnal extracurriculars*—and smiled.
"I know someone who can."
[Author's note 5 hours after publishing: The discussion with Clockwork felt a little too...trope-y. Some dialogue was added to clarify a little bit better that his motivations go beyond the simple "Clockwork interferes" go-to plot point.]
Another tidbit of the hospital scene! Some of you may have figured out that the 'squawk' of a noise Danny heard in the segment he observed was in fact Dani trying to call out 'Vlad.' "What on earth happened after she left?" I hear you ask. "The answers shall soon [eventually] be made apparent," I reply. In case you forgot, here is a quick recap of what Danny saw: At the start, the Fenton baby is in blue and the Graysons are in yellow and red, yellow having passed away already. At the end of the part Phantom observes, Fenton is in red and the Graysons are in yellow and blue. But clearly, it wasn't Fenton in blue to start, but the other Grayson. Confusing, I know. Just wait till you hear the whole story.
Not too many Easter Eggs this week. You may have noticed:
- Tucker referring to the mayor's red landline. This is a nod to the trope where city officials had a direct line to the local superheroes, like the mayor in the Powerpuff Girls, the commissioner in the original Batman show, etc.
- Another cameo from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir character, Officer Roger Raincomprix, albeit a brief mention.
Fun fact: Need for Drama is apparently an actual personality trait identified by psychologists.
Anyway, it's Danny and Dick's birthday next chapter! This is probably the largest deviation I am making from true Young Justice canon, since Dick's birthday falls on December 1 according to the accompanying comic series. Dick Grayson was originally supposed to have been born on the first day of spring; I am using this original date instead for the sake of this story.
Feedback is appreciated and considered as always! Let me know if something felt like it was missing (Honestly I can't shake the feeling myself) or if there's something of which you want to see more.
Until next time!
-hiimian