Happy early St. Patrick's Day, AND happy early birthday to Danny and Dick lol.

I honestly could spend months perfecting the first scenes of this chapter because the interactions between Roy, Danny and [the person he's taking Danny to see] have such wonderful narrative and character depth potential. Alas, we must keep the story moving along and keep publishing on schedule; I will do my best to include them more later on. If I do end up modifying or adding to this chapter in the next couple weeks, I will include specific callouts or content in the author's note at the start of chapter 11 so you followers don't accidentally miss it.

Enjoy this latest installment! Fair warning: It's not as exciting as past chapters, but it's a lot of setup for the craziness to come...

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. 10 originally published: Friday, March 15, 2019

RECOGNIZED

Chapter 10

Golden Rule

It had been plaguing Artemis for a week now. She was almost certain that the 'annoying little troll' at Gotham Academy and the 'annoying little troll' on her team were one and the same. But, there was very little she could do.

There was an unspoken guideline amongst heroes, a "golden rule" of sorts, that one never outs another hero's identity, even to themselves. Any small change in behavior around either Dick or Robin would risk confirming who he was to the rest of the team, each member clearly having their own suspicions after Danny's arrival.

The only other teammate who had been there when Danny broke into the cave was Aqualad; well, Wally was too, but she would be surprised if he didn't know Robin's identity with the way they acted around each other.

But while Aqualad didn't officially know, he was morally upstanding enough to not even discuss the similarities between Robin, Dick Grayson, and the wild card that was Danny Fenton. Any attempt at broaching the subject was swiftly diverted before any of the other teammates could become suspicious.

This was the dangerous grey area of having a dual identity. Other people can easily see the resemblance; they are not blind, nor are they oblivious. The safety net on which heroes fall is truth being stranger than fiction. A circus-orphan math-geek media-loved socialite moonlighting as the serious, aloof protégé to the leader of the Justice League? Preposterous; positively preposterous. Very nearly as preposterous as this truth meaning the billionaire playboy caring for Dick and sponsoring her attendance at Gotham Academy was Batman.

Artemis was…not even going to go there.

It was close to 11:30 PM now, but Artemis had just finished the last question on her calculus homework and was getting ready for bed. Already in pajamas, she brushed her teeth and walked back down the hall to her room as quietly as possible.

The second she switched off her overhead light, two shadows formed in the window, silhouetted by the street lamps outside. She jolted minutely but quickly composed herself since this was not the time to forget her training. With only her bedside lamp providing illumination, Artemis grabbed a baseball bat for defense and cautiously approached the drapes. '3…2…1…' she counted down and then threw back the curtains.

She instantly recognized the taller figure as her former rival. Artemis rode the wave of emotion which took her all the way from relief to heartbreak to confusion and anger. She tossed the bat onto her mattress and unlatched the window so he could come inside.

"I have a door, you know," she greeted drily.

"You also have a mother who's too curious for her own good," Red Arrow replied and quietly stepped down off the ledge. He then made room for the second figure. "Besides, I brought a friend."

When the second, smaller boy came inside and slipped into the light of her bedside lamp, both he and Artemis recognized each other instantly. "You?!" they both cried. Artemis paled slightly when Danny, who had only met her in her uniform and mask, obviously knew who she was. He seemed just as nervous and reluctant to call her out, almost as if he understood the so-called golden rule.

"You know each other?" Arrow prodded accusingly.

"Yes/No," they answered, Danny in the negative. They both thought to correct themselves. "No/Yes." Both grimaced. "Sorta?"

Artemis decided to play dumb just in case Danny still had any doubts. "I go to school with him. Besides, doesn't half the world know who Dick Grayson is?"

"Oh, come ON," Danny hoarsely whined. "I'm not Dick Grayson!…I don't think."

Arrow quirked an eyebrow at him then turned back to Artemis.

"This here's Danny, but he is looking for Dick Grayson, or the Boy Wonder, and I know you know at least one of them," Arrow insinuated knowingly. "Can you be a doll and get them in touch?"

"Why don't you?" Artemis prodded. "You know them just as well as I do."

"You know why," Arrow growled, suddenly aggressive. "I- I can't."

"Yes, you can, and you should," she answered unfazed, then sobered and pulled him aside. "I know he cares about you. They- we all do."

"He shouldn't."

"Roy," she whispered and made to continue before she was interrupted.

"That's not my name," he murmured.

"Look, kid," she acquiesced as cynically as possible, pulling him a bit farther from Danny, "you are still you. Okay? Maybe you were supposed to have been someone else, but ever since then, you've lived your own life. Made your own decisions. Become who you wanted to be."

"I became who he wanted to be," Red Arrow spat. "Nothing about me is original. Not my skills. Not my motivations. Not my preferences. Nothing."

Artemis sighed. "It's a…unique situation," she said, unsure whether to keep her arms awkwardly hugged to her torso or reach out to place a comforting hand on Roy's shoulder. "Though we both know your drive to rescue the original Harper probably doesn't come from Cadmus. Could prove…inconvenient for them."

At the thought of seriously destroying some Cadmus facilities and causing significant setbacks for Luthor in his continued search, Roy let the ghost of a half-smile dance across his features before he schooled them back into position. In a moderately normal tone, Roy continued, "Got any first aid handy? Kid got pretty beat up."

Artemis smiled and, doing what she thought normal people would do if this were a normal heart-to-heart conversation, allowed her right hand to finally stretch out and give Roy's upper arm a small squeeze. The discussion would have to continue another day. "Stay here," she ordered and left the room.

"How do you know Artemis?" Red Arrow asked.

"How do you know Artemis?" Danny countered.

"I asked first," Arrow growled.

"I asked second."

Arrow groaned. "You two were made for each other."

"Who? Dick, Robin, or your best bud Artemis?"

"All of the above. We've seen each other around. Your turn."

"We've seen each other around," Danny parroted. Arrow's permanent frown deepened, but he internally smirked at the return of wordplay to his life.

"Murdering each other won't help his wounds get any better," Artemis quipped as she reentered. She tossed the kit onto the bed and rummaged for some antiseptic and bandages. "So what's the deal?"

"Do you wanna tell her, or should I?" Red Arrow asked as Artemis unflinchingly stripped Danny's t-shirt to get at the wounds. She clicked her tongue at the injuries and began peeling away the cloth.

"I-I'm having a bit of a trust and—and identity crisis," Danny said.

"You're not the first doppelgänger in history, you know," she commented in a dry tone.

"No, but after I got in-" He paused and glanced at Red Arrow. "-s-somewhere where I shouldn't be able to, I started to wonder. Then my parents did a DNA test and found out I'm not their son, so I ran away."

"What, did they shoot you as you ran?" Artemis joked. But, upon noticing Danny's crestfallen expression, she added, "Wait…seriously?"

Danny's head bowed, though he lifted his arm to provide her easier access to the new wounds. "My parents are… They over-react. They hunt ghosts."

"And they thought you were a ghost?!"

"'s what happens when you have ectoplasm in your blood," he quipped.

"When you have what?!"

Danny's eyes darted between the two others before returning to the floor. "Long story."

Artemis and Roy shared a silent look and ultimately decided to move past it for now. "Well," Artemis said, "I don't know about Robin, but I go to school with Dick Grayson. I guess I can take you to his house."

"That—that would be great. Thank you," Danny said.

"Sure. It's not like I cared about tomorrow's Calculus midterm which is worth 20% of my grade, anyway."

"So, you think you're related to Dick Grayson?"

"Honestly," Danny replied over the roar of the motorcycle engine, "I'm pretty sure I'm his clone. Though…I can't tell you why…"

Artemis already knew, but Robin would kill her if she spilled the beans about his secret identity to a civilian under suspicion.

"I hope I didn't blow your cover back there," Danny continued.

"Red Arrow is already very aware of who I am, thank you very much. But I appreciate the gesture."

"What's his deal anyway? He didn't talk much on the way to your place."

"He's a clone, too," she answered frankly. "It's not exactly a secret since it comes from Cadmus' pre-reform days, but the Justice League doesn't like to broadcast it. Get it?"

"Got it."

"Well, that's Dick's house up there," she said and nodded to the right. A massive, opulent Gothic Revival mansion sat atop a hill at the end of a long, winding driveway. Lawns sprawled around it leading to the waterfront and surrounding forests.

Artemis slowed her bike to a halt at the mansion's wrought-iron gates and pressed the call button on the intercom. After a few moments, a distinguished Englishman spoke.

"Are you children even remotely aware of the concept of time? The notion of day and night?"

"No, but I'm a big fan of time merely being a human construct," Artemis quipped and rolled her eyes, thankful for the privacy her motorcycle visor offered. "Look, please just tell Dick Grayson that a couple friends from Gotham Academy need to see him, and that it's an emergency."

There was a moment of silence. The Gothamite shifted in her seat on her civilian motorcycle, Robin's doppelgänger straddling it behind her. Their ponchos were doing little to protect them from the raging storm. Finally—

"Proceed to the main entry."

The intercom disconnected, and the gates swung open. Artemis revved the engine and blasted up the long drive to the imposing mansion. She parked at the foot of the sweeping steps and led Danny to the front door after securing his helmet to the bike. Before they could even grasp the cord of the ancient knocker, the carved wooden door swung open.

"Artemis!" Dick exclaimed with a touch too much surprise. He turned to her companion who hung his head. "Danny?!"

Danny looked up pitiably from behind his drenched bangs. "The one and only. Heh."

"What are you two doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Dick scolded.

"I think you can guess," Artemis answered.

"Yoooouuuuuu need more calculus tutoring?" Dick suggested.

" 'We'll laugh about this someday'?" She nodded at Danny then gave Dick a meaningful look.

Dick's surprise immediately gave way to understanding and mirth. "Come on in, Arty."

"You know I hate that name," she muttered. The soaking duo trudged inside.

"I thought you'd figured it out," Dick said, completely ignoring her comment. "Well…welcome home!"

The noise of the storm ceased with the slam of the door, replaced by the crackle of a distant fire. Wayne Manor's entry hall was as grand as could be. Twin staircases cascaded down either side, framing a massive chandelier in the center—Murano glass, most likely; the Waynes were known to have visited the islands surrounding Venice during Bruce's youth. A large set of doors to the right was cracked open with an orange glare flickering from behind it.

A butler emerged from a dark corridor and relieved Danny and Artemis of their outerwear. The three teens went into the lounge with the fire and sat down around a tray of hot cocoa. 'Man, that butler works fast,' Danny thought to himself.

"So, Danny, what brings you all the way to Gotham City on a rainy Monday night?" Dick asked.

"Well…uh…" He looked around the room; for motivation, guidance or courage, he would never know. He finally made eye contact. "I found out something about my family. Turns out, I'm not one of them."

"What, like they don't love you?"

"No, like I'm not their son!" he snapped, causing the others to flinch under his sudden intensity. Danny wilted and fortified himself with a long sip of cocoa. "Sorry. But I'm not adopted either. They don't know anything about who I actually am, because they've thought I was a Fenton all this time. But I'm not."

"Oh." Dick glanced at Artemis—who shrugged—and back at Danny. "So, why did you go to Artemis?"

"Actually, I came looking for you. But I, uh, left in a hurry. …Okay, I ran away, and I left my phone. Then I got cornered in an alley, but Red Arrow saved me from the muggers."

"Red's in town?" Dick murmured to Artemis, who nodded.

"I told him I was looking for you or Robin, and he took me to Artemis' house," Danny continued.

"So, why us? What can Robin or I do to help?" Dick asked.

"I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know where I came from. So, I thought I'd start here because I think *one of you*-" he stressed "-may be my brother or…something?"

Dick thought. "Well, Bruce is, uh, *asleep* right now, so why don't I talk to him in the morning and see what we can find out? Until then, do you need a place to stay?" Danny nodded. "Well, then, I'm sure Artemis wouldn't mind giving you the spare bed in her room, would you, Arty?"

"Oh, come on!" she whined. "You live in a literal palace."

Dick laughed. "Chill, Artemis! I was only joking. We have 20 spare bedrooms, so you can take your pick. I'll show you my favorite, though. Artemis, do you want to stay too? It's storming pretty bad."

"Share a house with the most aggravating twerp at Gotham Academy and his photocopy? I don't think so. Besides, Mom would freak if I wasn't home when she wakes up." She stood and downed the rest of her cocoa in a single gulp. "But know this, *wonder boy*: our conversation is not over."

"Sure thing, Arty. Here, I'll walk you out." Dick set down his own mug and stood. As soon as the pair were out of earshot, he continued in a hushed tone, "How did he find you? Did he really figure it out that easily?"

"No. Well, not really," she answered. "Roy found Danny getting beat up in an alley and he asked for you or…well, you, so he brought Danny to me. Danny recognized me on sight."

"So, Roy's in Gotham?"

"Apparently, yeah. He's keeping it together, but…he's not looking good. A little rough."

"The League calling off the search hit him pretty hard," Dick pointed out. "That's the sad side effect for clones: the lingering obsessive tendencies."

"He feels guilty, Dick," Artemis said. "He replaced the actual Roy Harper and no one is willing to work any more to bring the original back. Is that really so surprising?"

"No, I guess not," Dick conceded. "Well, thanks for bringing him here, Artemis. Now we can keep a closer eye on him. I owe you one."

"Oh, boy, do you," she agreed with a humorless chuckle and retrieved her helmet from the table in the entry hall. "And seriously? 'We'll laugh about this someday'?"

Dick smiled. "We will; just you wait."

"Yeah, whatever," Artemis said, pulling on the helmet. "See you around, bird brain."

Once Artemis had left for home, Dick went back to the lounge where Danny waited on a sofa near the fireplace. He was a pitiful figure, exaggeratedly gaunt and frail in the dim flicker of the flames. "Hey man, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go to bed," Dick said.

Danny wordlessly stood and chugged the rest of his hot chocolate.

Dick led his guest upstairs. "Okay, so most of the guest rooms are up here. My room's down there at the end of the hall. All of them are nice, but I'd personally take one on this side." He gestured to the right. "They have a nice bay view in the morning. This one down here next to my room has the nicest bathroom." He opened the door and flicked on the light switch.

The room was half the size of the Fentons' entire second story. Danny couldn't help but marvel at its opulent decor. The bed was already turned down and ready to be slept in. A set of towels sat at the foot of the bed. "Wow. This is…amazing. Thank you," Danny said.

"No problem! Alright, I'll go raid my closet for some clothes for you, since something tells me we're the same size." Both boys inwardly laughed at the inside joke they couldn't openly share yet. "Then I'll see if Alfred has any emergency Christmas underwear gifts still lying around since I'm not gonna share that much with you."

"Alright. You know where to find me," Danny answered.

Dick disappeared into the shadows of the hallway. A nearby door opened before a second pool of light spilled into the hallway.

Danny walked over to the window and thrust open the curtain. Despite the storm, he could see the entire bay and city of Gotham. City lights danced on the tumultuous water and sparkled in his eye. It was such a beautiful, serene picture of the world, an illusion that everything was fine.

It wasn't.

Danny couldn't help but crumble inside as his emotions overtook him once again. He sank into the plush mattress and slumped his shoulders, unable to stop his tears from gathering once more. A rush of emotionally-charged heat swelled under his skin.

"Hey Danny," Dick spoke softly from the door, "you okay?"

Danny looked halfway over his shoulder before quickly rubbing his eyes and sniffing to clear his nose. He straightened his back and answered, "Yeah, f-fine," without making eye contact.

Danny heard Dick set a small pile of clothes on a lounge chair before coming over to the bed to sit next to Danny. Both boys stared out at the bay in silence.

"What were your parents like?"

Dick smiled when rose-tinted memories flooded his mind's eye at Danny's question. "Oh, they were fantastic. So loving, so supportive. Dad was the coolest. I think he was more comfortable sailing through the air without a net than he was walking on terra firma. Both of them were awesome acrobats; the sight of them took audiences' breath away. And Mom? She was the kind of person where you wouldn't misbehave just because you didn't want to see disappointment mar her beautiful smile…"

"That sure is poetic," Danny commented.

"Yeah, it was-" Dick sucked in a short breath "-it was part of my eulogy."

Danny found himself slightly overcome. "Wow," he croaked. "I didn't know kids could be so eloquent. You were, what, eight?"

"Nine. Alfred helped."

"Ah."

"What about yours?"

"I don't know anymore," Danny admitted. "They're both scientists, if you can call it that. Spectrology, study of ghosts."

"Sounds cool."

"It's not." Danny glared out the window. "They were mocked by the scientific community, and the whole town thought they were just lunatics. But when you're a kid, you don't really know that. You just see their passion and think anything they do is awesome. Until eventually, you grow up, you start listening to talk, you start thinking for yourself until you realize- ...Do you know what it's like spending half your childhood wanting to be like your parents, then spending the second half getting bullied and wanting to disown them?"

Dick shrugged. "We never got the chance for me to reach the age where I hated my parents…"

"Oh…yeah. Sorry."

Dick shook his head in dismissal.

"Thing is, once the portal started working, things got even worse. They started thinking everyone was a ghost. Even my sister. Even…me."

Dick hid his mirth at the potential irony.

"That's why I ran. When they ran my DNA and saw I'm not related, Dad thought I was a ghost who had taken his son's place. He aimed an ecto-gun at me, so I panicked and ran, and he-" Danny let out a single sob "-he shot me as I ran."

"Is that why-"

"My shirt's all bloody? Yep." Sniffling, Danny chuckled humorlessly and pulled at the fabric. "Dad's usually a terrible shot, but he didn't miss this time."

"Oh my god," Dick said. He jumped up and lifted Danny's shirt to inspect the wound. Danny flinched and pulled back.

"Please just leave it. I'm tired of getting fussed over."

"If you say so," Dick conceded with a sigh. "Though Alfred is a master at patching up wounds at this point. As the son of an acrobat and ward of a billionaire with far too much money to spend on dangerous toys, I've sure given that butler enough practice."

Danny smiled. They both knew there were other activities causing Dick to get injured. But, he'd let Dick have this one, too, for now. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Dick woke up his smartphone and checked the time. "Oh my gosh, it's already almost one AM! I have to get to bed. Big day tomorrow. Or, well, *today.*"

"Why? What day is it?" Danny asked.

"Tuesday the 20th. My birthday, actually!"

"…Oh. Mine, too," Danny mumbled and slumped once more.

"No kidding! There really are too many coincidences when it comes to us. Well, allow me the first to wish you Happy Birthday, Danny." Dick pulled his guest into a quick bro-hug.

"Yeah, same."

"We'll have to work on that enthusiasm," Dick joked. "So I have a driving test first thing, then school all day followed by a mathlete thing to celebrate; the real party is supposed to be this coming weekend. So you'll have to make do with Bruce and Alfred till I get back. Hopefully they can help you start figuring out what's going on, and then we can celebrate your birthday too when I get home!"

"Thanks, man. For…for everything. For the clothes, for giving me a room for the night, for not calling me crazy or blowing me off…"

"Dude, don't worry about it," Dick said. "Besides, we might be family or something! I can't wait to learn all about you and your family."

If anyone could ever embody the smiley face emoji, it would be Dick in that moment.

"Good night, Danny. Sleep tight. Oh, and the laptop on the desk has a guest account so you can use our wifi if you want. I know you said you don't have a phone, so this way you can stay connected."

"Um…thanks." Danny knew instantly that the device must be bugged. But, he could at least contact Tucker to let him and Sam know he was safe and hopefully about to get some answers. "See you in the morning."

"See you. And remember: I'm right next door if you need anything."

And with that, Danny was alone. The opulent room was certainly an improvement over the motel room the night before. Heck, it was an improvement over his own bedroom without question. Danny stripped to his boxers and grabbed the towel, taking a nice, long shower before re-dressing his injuries and emerging into his new room. He created a fake Gmail account in a private window and composed a quick email to Tucker, leaving it as anonymous as possible since he knew Tucker could find the answers himself without leaving a digital paper trail for the police to find Danny.

[I have reached my destination and have been given shelter. Hopefully I will get some answers over the next couple days, if they play ball.

-Clueless One]

It was just past a quarter to 8:00 when Danny first stirred the next morning. A little over six hours' sleep is normally insufficient for teenagers, but for the boy who regularly stayed up late or woke up early chasing ghosts, it was practically sleeping in.

As consciousness gradually overtook him, Danny remembered he wasn't in his own bed. This was a cloud, a massive expanse of comfort and softness which enveloped him in its warm embrace. It was such a peaceful awakening that Danny was unsure whether the past couple days, past week had happened; but, his mere presence in this foreign bed confirmed it.

It took him a few moments of sitting on the edge of the bed and staring out over the bay for him to fortify himself enough to stand and get dressed in the clothes Dick lent him. He opened the bedroom door and realized he had no idea how to navigate the mansion's expansive corridors.

Immediately, Alfred's disembodied voice played over an intercom installed…*somewhere.* "I trust you slept well, Master Daniel." The hallway's overhead canister lights illuminated one by one in rapid fire, creating a chasing pattern traveling down the corridor and to a distant staircase. "A recent addition to the household's systems. Do follow the lights, unless you would prefer a game of 'Hot or Cold.' "

Danny slowly walked down the hall following the path of the lights until he arrived in the kitchen.

Dick was at the breakfast bar just finishing his French toast—an 'unhealthy' luxury only allowed because of the significance of the day. "Hey! Good morning, Danny!"

"Mrnin'," he mumbled still half-asleep and shuffled to the empty barstool next to Dick. Alfred emerged from the butler's pantry and began putting together another plate of French Toast.

Dick swallowed another bite and said, "Happy birthday proper. You got here just in time. I'm leaving in a couple minutes to go to the DMV."

"Great."

"Don't worry; Alfred will still be here to keep you company," Dick encouraged.

'And keep an eye on you,' all three present knew went unsaid.

"Perhaps you might assist me in planning a small get-together of our own this evening, Master Daniel?" Alfred suggested, placing the food in front of their guest. "We would hate for you to feel excluded on your own birthday."

"It's just Danny, actually," Danny corrected. "But, yeah, sure, I guess."

Dick slid out of his seat and passed his dishes to Alfred. "Hey Al, when Bruce gets here could you please tell him I'm getting my paperwork from my room? I'll be back in a couple minutes."

"Certainly."

"Do you have any birthday traditions of your own, Danny?" the butler asked once they were alone.

Danny shrugged. "I dunno, not dying is usually at the top of my list." At Alfred's slightly scandalized, if not concerned expression, the boy added, "My parents' have always struggled to keep their scientific experiments limited to the lab. Sometimes they test the use of ectoplasm in 'culinary applications.' Basically, they put ghost guts in the food and it comes to life and revolts."

"Well," the Brit sputtered, "I assure you I won't try to animate any of our food, sir."

"Sounds like it's already shaping up to be my best birthday ever," Danny quipped.

Footsteps approached behind Danny. "Dick, are you ready yet?" someone asked.

After a beat of silence, Danny realized the newcomer—obviously Bruce—must have mistaken him for Dick; not a surprise, given their identical appearance and the fact that Danny was currently dressed in his doppelgänger's clothes. He swiveled in his barstool and began, "Oh, I'm not Dick, I'm Dann-"

It was at this precise moment when Danny's brain fully awakened. It determined this would be an optimal time to endow Danny with a realization which should have occurred to him a week ago. If Dick was Robin, then Bruce Wayne must be-

"BAT-!?" Danny fumbled and realized his mistake. "Uuuhhhh, I mean...battery! Better check if your phone battery is charged, in case you want to take photos when Dick gets his license! But yeah, I'm, uh, I'm Danny." He inwardly grimaced at the faux smile he offered the man.

The two older men looked amused, but Bruce decided to show mercy. "Thanks for the suggestion, Danny. I'll charge it on the way. But, welcome to our home!" he said. "And happy birthday!"

"Thanks! But how did you know already? Wait, of course you know already, because you're you. I mean, Dick must have told you?"

"Let's go with the last one," Bruce said bemusedly and patted Danny on the shoulder before striding past. He then addressed Alfred, "I think we'll take the AMG GT. We don't want to show off, but we also don't want them to forget who we are. Then, after he brings us home, we can surprise him with the M4."

"A wise decision, sir," the butler agreed and retrieved the appropriate key from a labeled cork board.

Danny's eyes bulged at the sheer number of keys hanging on the wall. "How many cars do you have?!" he asked before he knew what he was doing.

"Just twelve," Bruce answered, the poster boy for nonchalance. "Well, twenty-seven, but fourteen are reserved for concours d'elegance appearances, and one is Alfred's."

"A humble Range Rover," Alfred clarified. "Perhaps it would be wise to finish chewing?"

Danny realized his jaw had been slack and snapped it shut.

"Master Dick will return once he has retrieved his paperwork."

"Perfect." With a smile, Bruce turned to Danny and clapped a hand to his shoulder. "I hope I can trust you to behave yourself until I get back?" he asked jokingly.

Though with the strength of Bruce's grip, Danny was certain there was no joke about it. "I-I'll do my best...sir."

"Bruce," the man corrected and released his grip. "Please."

"Bruce," Danny repeated with an expression more akin to a cringe than a smile.

Not even exhaustion could keep the victorious smirk from Tucker's visage when he came to school the next day.

Sam immediately noticed. "Did you get in?" she asked, brimming with hope.

Tucker slapped a printout down on her desk in Mr. Lancer's homeroom. "I got in," he answered cockily.

Sam picked up the page—a map with three pinpointed locations—and scrutinized it. "Unbelievable. You actually did it."

"Don't sound so surprised," Tucker grumbled and sat down. "Anyway, based off of accessibility, levels of security, and total square footage, these are the three most likely holding facilities where the Light took Vlad: an agricultural research facility in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, a skyscraper under construction in London's Banking District, and a converted oil rig off the coast of Cape Cod. All we have to do is figure out which one experiences increased activity and electrical usage over the next day or so."

The warning bell rang, heralding the approach of other students and their teacher.

"Okay, look, I trust in your *mad* hacking skills and all, but how the heck are you going to find this out?!"

"I'm not." He stretched and yawned. "I'll just wait for Batman to figure it out and then we can follow along."

"As if-" Sam leaned in and spoke more quietly when other students began filing in the room. "As if he'd just tell us."

"He doesn't have to," Tucker said. "I'll just keep an eye on the 'Batfiles' for a little while."

"I doubt he'll be very happy that a random teenage geek hacked his real system too," was Sam's final comment as classes began.

Bruce was happy to hear an incoming phone call, as it would alleviate his boredom waiting for Dick to finish his exam.

"Master Bruce, I have just noticed an alert that the Batcave security was compromised last night. I don't suppose it's Master Dick getting up to no good again?"

Bruce sighed. "I doubt that. Tucker Foley must be more capable than we thought, if he is the first person besides someone with daily access to be able to hack in."

"Indeed. Our data logs indicate him accessing Cadmus' holdings with a focus on the Kansas, London and Cape Cod campuses."

"Funny, those are what I considered most likely based on my own research," Bruce mused. "This kid really is good. We'd better throw a scare into him and bring him onto our side once this business is settled."

"I hate to tell you, Mr. Baxter, that despite the vertebral structure of what we refer to as the 'tailbone,' we are not born with tails which are removed at birth like a Cocker Span-"

A phone call interrupted Mr. Falluca's biology lecture. He sighed, rolled his eyes, answered it and said, "Yes? …What, both of them? Now?!" Another sigh. He glanced over the class. "Very well. I'll send them at once." He hung up. "Mr. Foley, Ms. Manson, please collect your things and report to the administration office."

The two shared a worried look before doing so. Outside, Sam asked, "What do you think's going on?"

"Aw, man, there are so many people we could be in trouble with right now, how would I even know?" he whined.

"Don't be such a defeatist," Sam scolded.

"Says the goth."

"Touché."

The Fenton parents were perhaps the last people Tucker expected to find waiting for them. He thought it would be the police, or Cadmus goons, or maybe even Batman himself. Mrs. Fenton stood when they entered.

"Ah, Mr. Foley, Ms. Manson," Mr. Lancer greeted. "The Fentons have requested to speak with you regarding young Daniel's disappearance. I trust you will be cooperative in trying to bring your friend home?"

The underlying threat was not lost on the teens. "Yes, Mr. Lancer," they agreed.

With a nod, the teacher left, leaving the teens and Danny's parents alone. There was an invisible line drawn down the center of the room. On one side stood Maddie behind Jack, who was seated in a chair and resting his elbows on its arms. On the other, Sam perched on the edge of the chair while Tucker stood like a protective sentry behind her. The teens did their best to appear nonchalant.

"How can we help you, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton?" Sam asked with as much faux cheer as she could muster; quite a lot, after enduring her mother's etiquette-focused upbringing. "We don't know where Danny is, if that's what you wanted to ask."

"Kids, you can drop the act," Maddie began, fatigued. "We saw the lab's security footage from the day of Danny's accident. We know what happened, and we know you were there."

There were a few long beats of panicked silence before the dam burst.

"We wanted to tell you, honest, Mrs. F!" "Danny was so scared; of course we weren't going to tell you-" "It was all our fault, not his, -" "-'molecule by molecule'-" "He was just trying to impress Sam-" "-worked so hard to protect him from his own parents!" "-fragile psyche ever since, according to Jazz-" "How screwed up is that?! A boy, afraid of-" "-the news broke him and-"

"ENOUGH!" Jack barked, and the room fell silent once more. He leaned forward and continued gruffly, "Some punk replaced our son, and we are going to find out who. But first, we have to find the boy who we know as our son, and you two have been interfering. So, give us Phantom's ectosignature. We know you have it."

"We don't know anything about it!" Tucker protested.

"You expect me to believe that?!"

"We don't have it! I don't even know how the file got deleted!"

Jack smirked.

Sam smacked Tucker's arm. "Idiot! He never said it was deleted."

"Oh…" a mortified Tucker said.

"Hand it over, Foley, so we can find that half-boy thing pretending to be our son!"

"N-no! I mean, no," Tucker repeated a little less feebly. "Of course not. You guys are just going to hunt him!"

"Jack, dear," Maddie said and rested a hand on her husband's shoulder, "why don't you go ask Mr. Lancer to bring us some coffee?"

Jack, taking the hint, looked between her and the defiant teens before sighing deeply and leaving the room.

Maddie took his place in the chair, shifting it a little closer to Sam and Tucker. "Listen, kids, I don't blame you. I'm hurt, but I don't blame you. Given the circumstances, I probably would have done the same thing," she admitted. "But, I really want to find Danny and let him know that we only want to figure out the truth, and that he's not alone and we still love him."

Bemused, Sam crossed her arms and sent a meaningful look towards where Jack had gone with a quirk of her eyebrow and pursing of her lips.

Maddie sighed and shook her head. "Jack's…struggling with this. He was always a proud man and a proud father, and to have been fooled for so long by who he thought was his own son has not been easy for him to realize. Plus, him shooting Danny was largely a misfire."

"Alright, let's say we did have Phantom's ectosignature," Sam proposed. "What do you plan on doing with it?"

"Find Danny and show him he has our love and support. He's all alone out there."

"No, he's not," Tucker corrected without thinking.

"Tucker!" Sam moaned and smacked his upper arm again. "You are the worst negotiator in history!"

Maddie's eyes widened. "You know where he is? You know who he's with?!" she demanded.

"Well, I can't say for sure, but…" Tucker looked to Sam who merely scoffed and shrugged her shoulders. "We think he was headed to Gotham City to find Dick Grayson. I got an anonymous email last night saying he arrived and found shelter. But you're not going to find him."

"Why?" Maddie asked, disheartened.

"Even if you did have his ectosignature, he's probably staying in human form to literally fly under the radar. His ectoenergy is too compressed to register as anything beyond a simple blip of residual energy."

Maddie harrumphed. "You kids sure know a lot more about ghosts and our technology than we thought."

"We have to," Sam spat with a glare.

"Anyway," Tucker continued, "I figure that if we temporarily boost the Fenton Satellite's sensitivity and re-enter Danny's ectosig, it will be able to find him instead of him just blipping as a residual energy amongst thousands of others. But-"

"But if we do that," Maddie interrupted, going into full scientist mode, "it will deplete the energy reserves and it will have to recharge for hours. I suppose we can use it to get to his general location first, and then again to pinpoint him once we're there. This could work! Tucker, this is the first good news I've had in days!"

"Yeah," he said dejectedly.

Maddie sobered and leaned in. "Tucker, Sam, I admire your fierce protection of our son. But please remember that we're on the same side now. We can work together as one."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sam said. "Just don't vivisect him and maybe we'll think about trusting you."

Maddie visibly shuddered.

Tucker took out his laptop and a USB. He downloaded a file to the thumb drive before handing it to Mrs. Fenton. "Here's my spare USB. I'm sure you know what to do from here."

"Yes, I do."

The person known as Red Arrow typically kept to himself, during daytime especially. As a civilian, he was more or less indistinct and could blend into a crowd and at least attempt a normal life. It was only in his other identity where his sense of self suffered. The League never explicitly said they were monitoring him; it was merely an unspoken agreement that they would keep an eye out, for the benefit of everyone involved. After all, Miss Martian had already tried to eradicate any lingering evidence of Cadmus programming from his mind.

It was on his best friend's birthday that Roy needed groceries, superhero or no. He went to the local market, as usual, and came back with his hands full of bags. Unlocking the door to his safe house, Roy bumped the door open with his hip and hooked his foot behind him to close it. Immediately, he knew he wasn't alone.

"I thought you were off of babysitting duty," he grunted and set the bags down in the kitchen. Roy then leaned against the counter overlooking the living room and scrutinized the uninvited guest waiting on his ancient sofa.

"Doesn't mean I don't occasionally serve as the Light's social worker," Sportsmaster quipped.

"Look, I can't beat your ass because I need to put away the groceries, so how about I don't, we say I did, and you go on your merry way?"

"Can't do that just yet," the intruder replied. "First I need some information."

"Who said I know anything?" Roy asked, putting a box of cereal in the cupboard and grabbing the pistol hidden inside.

"I like to keep an eye on my little girl. Make sure she stays on the *straight and narrow,*" he explained sarcastically. "A father notices when his daughter starts receiving gentleman callers in the middle of the night."

"I just needed to borrow a cup of sugar," Roy said. He toyed with the pistol's safety.

"Look, kid, we both know I only need to say two little words to find out whatever I want. But that method takes longer, and I don't like waiting for anyone."

"Ha! You really think 'Broken Arrow' will still work on me? I had my brain cleansed after New Year's, genius."

"Doesn't mean I don't have my ways, punk. Now, last chance: fess up. Tell me what you know about the Fenton kid."

"Never. What do you want with him anyway?"

"You want to be difficult then? Very well." Sportsmaster produced an arrow from his personal arsenal and snapped it in half.

Unfortunately, Miss Martian's mental cleanse had not been thorough enough.

Well, there you have it. That heart-to-heart between Dick and Danny was one of the earliest scenes I drafted when developing this story. I believe this is iteration number 5... I still feel like it could use something more, but whatever.

That last scene there, Sportsmaster uses a visual of a literally broken arrow to send Roy into hypnosis...in case you hadn't deduced what that meant.

No real easter eggs this week. The "Yes/No/Sorta" exchange at Artemis' is a direct rip-off of the dialogue in the DP Secret Weapons episode because it is one of the best pieces of dialogue in televisual history and you cannot convince me otherwise.

I'm loving your continued support and interest in the story! Thanks again for all your feedback. :)

-hiimian