Once Danny had finished recounting his tale, he got up and left the speechless Titans and Dani in favour of some alone time.
"Dude." Muttered Beast Boy, still in shock at what he had just heard. Everyone was pretty much thinking the same thing. Dani had gone to follow him, but Raven pulled her down.
"Not yet." She said softly to Dani. "He's still hurting mentally from what happened. Give him a little time." Dani just grumbled in acceptance. Raven knew how she was feeling; she was feeling exactly the same way. She wanted to chase him and tell him everything will be ok, but Raven knew he would never accept that; she could feel the fear, pain and sadness radiating from Danny as he remembered everything that happened. Raven felt someone stick a warm cup into her hand; she looked around to see Starfire holding one as well, a sad smile on her face.
"Don't worry friend Raven. Friend Danny will be ok." She said softly, giving her friend a hug. "Friend Danny is very strong."
"I know Star." Raven smiled. "I know. Thanks Star." Starfire smiled and walked back over to Robin and started talking to him. She looked over to the other boys and saw that they were playing video games. Probably to keep their minds occupied thought Raven. Her eyes finally fell on Dani, who was curled up on the sofa, tears running down her face. She needs Danny as much as we do, thought Raven. Maybe even more. She made her way over to the crying ghost.
"Hey." She said gently. Dani sniffed and wiped her eyes as she looked at the Dark Titan.
"What?" She asked. Raven gave her a small smile.
"Want to go find Danny?" Dani immediately perked up at this and nodded enthusiastically.
"C'mon. I think he'll probably be on the roof. It's where he usually goes when he wants to think." Raven said, looking up. "Would you do the honours?" Dani nodded; taking Raven's hand, she turned them both intangible and floated up through the ceiling until they came to the roof, to find Danny in Phantom form floating in mid-air, meditating. Raven smiled at the sight; she had been the one to suggest that Danny meditate to handle his emotions when he first arrived. She also knew better than to disrupt Danny when he was meditating. Beast Boy had been the only one to do so, and he had the scar to prove it. Blue rings appeared around Danny's waist, turning him back into Fenton, as he touched back down. Danny turned to face the two girls and gave them a smile.
"So?" He asked. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug?" Dani shuffled forwards, and gave her 'cousin' a tight hug, tears spilling again.
"I'm so sorry Danny." She said through tears. "I'm so, so sorry." Danny just gripped her tighter.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Danielle." He said softly. "There's nothing you could have done. He was simply too powerful for us at that time."
"B...But how do we stop him?" She whimpered. "We don't have a ghost army to help us this time." Danny faltered at this; he had no answer to give her. He was about to say something when a blue wisp escaped Danny's mouth.
"Perhaps I could provide an answer to that." Came a voice from above them.
"Clockwork." Acknowledged Danny, looking up at the Master of Time.
"Daniel. Danielle. Raven." Said Clockwork.
"It seems like we're meeting more and more often Clockwork." Stated Danny, still hugging Dani. "Aren't the Observers hounding you by talking to me this much?" Clockwork just looked down at this.
"They would Daniel, if they were not being kept prisoner in the Ghost Zone under Mortuus' watchful gaze." Dani gasped.
"Oh." Was all Danny could say in light of this new information.
"That, however, is not the purpose for my visit." Clockwork started again. "It will not be long before I too am captured by Mortuus."
"You can't be serious!" Shouted Danny, letting go of Dani and walking up to Clockwork. "You're the master of freaking time. How could you possibly be captured?"
"DANIEL!" Shouted Clockwork. Danny was silenced immediately, slightly put off by the ghost's red eyes in front of him.
"Daniel." Clockwork said again, much softer this time. "You are not a child anymore; you are a General, so you must start acting like one. Mortuus will indeed capture me." He left his staff floating in mid-air as he placed his hand on the troubled teens' shoulder; Danny looked up at this.
"Mortuus has been out of the time stream for so long, there is nothing I can do to stop him Daniel. That was how he gained access to my tower to take the thermos containing Dan."
"I…I" Stuttered Danny. "I can't lose anyone else Clockwork. I just can't. Not after losing my family."
"Danny." Clockwork said gently; Danny looked up surprised. That was the first time he had called him 'Danny'.
"Remember what I told you last time?" He asked. Danny nodded.
"Yeah. Something about believing in myself or something."
"Exactly. Don't forget it Danny. In order to succeed, your desire for success must be greater than your fear of failure. Now, onto the second part of my visit." Said Clockwork. "You are going to need all the help you can get. So it is time you swallowed your pride." Danny seethed at this; he knew exactly what Clockwork was referring to.
"Do they have to be involved?" He asked through gritted teeth. Raven was sensing distress coming from Danny and saw flashes of his thoughts; his distress was aimed at the Justice League.
"The League will play an integral part in the up and coming battle. So yes; they have to be involved. Now," said Clockwork, waving his staff and creating a portal in front of them. "I do believe they should be informed of their imminent involvement." With that, he stepped through, leaving Danny with Raven and Dani. He walked over to them and pulled them both into a hug.
"I'll be back soon, ok?" He said to them. "Raven?" She looked up at him.
"Yes Danny?" She replied.
"Talk to Robin. Tell him to contact the Titans East. Something tells me Clockwork is right. We're going to need as much help as we can get." With that, he kissed Raven, hugged Dani again, and jumped into the portal to find himself on a space station. He walked over to the nearest window, turning into Phantom, and gazed at the Earth.
"I remember when I used to dream of being an astronaut." He whispered forlornly, looking up at Clockwork. He took a deep breath before carrying on.
"C'mon then. Let's go find the League." They made their way through the space attention until they came to a door which said CONTROL ROOM. Danny phased through the door, only to catch a green energy ball which had been aimed at his face, Green Lantern standing only a few feet away, his hand glowing green.
"Really?" Asked Danny sarcastically, before clenching his fist, destroying the energy ball. At least he has the good grace to look embarrassed thought Danny, as he looked at him.
"You may want to call your team. We have some things to discuss." Green Lantern nodded, still slightly shocked by the ghosts' sudden appearance, before pressing a button on the console behind him, signalling the other League members to come to this location. Clockwork and Danny took up position on the far side of the room, facing the door, as the rest of the Justice League charged into the room, only to be stared down by the two ghosts.
"Please." Said Clockwork to the heroes. "Have a seat."
"And why should we take orders from you?" Demanded Flash, still sore from the tongue lashing Danny had given them back on Earth. Danny lit his hands with green ecto-energy as a response. Superman leaned over and placed a hand on Flash's shoulder.
"I think we should hear them out." He said, eyes still on Danny's hands. "You know we would have little chance against them if a fight were to break out." Flash grumbled, but sat down nonetheless. The other League members followed suit, leaving only Danny and Clockwork standing, Danny's hands losing their green glow.
"Daniel," Clockwork started. "If you would." Danny sighed deeply, before looking each League member in the eye.
"Mortuus will be here in just under three weeks. We need to be prepared."
"And how do you propose we prepare ourselves Phantom?" Asked Batman, giving him a glare. Danny matched his glare.
"In your current state, all of you would be powerless against Mortuus. Even the Man of Steel here." The League inwardly flinched; if Superman was going to have trouble against the Ghost King, they all would.
"But." Said Danny, cutting through their gloom-ridden thoughts. "I have come up with a solution. But it depends on one crucial factor."
"Which is?" Wonder Woman questioned. Danny looked her in the eye.
"Can you trust a ghost?" Flash just snickered, causing Danny's scar to glow brightly, silencing him instantly.
"It is no laughing matter Mr Allen." Said Clockwork. "We know the League's views on Daniel here, and quite honestly, they are disgusting." Flash just looked down at this as Clockwork carried on. "But the only way you will survive, as well as the rest of this realm, is if you put your lives in Daniel's hands. If not, eternal damnation is your destiny." Superman leaned forward and spoke without a moment's hesitation, not wanting to make the same mistake twice.
"We are indebted to the boy after what he did to the fire beast. We will gladly put our faith in him." This statement calmed Danny down as he looked into the Kryptonian's eyes, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Come to the Tower in a week's time." Said Danny. "I will have some equipment ready for you that may just save your lives." Superman just nodded as Clockwork created a portal back to Earth and they both stepped into it, landing back on the roof of the Tower.
"Well," Said Danny. "That went better than expected."
"I take it you are referring to the fact that you did not have to attack any of them?" Smirked Clockwork.
"Maybe." Danny smirked as well, but then his face dropped. "I guess this is goodbye then?"
"Definitely not Danny." Smiled Clockwork, placing his hand on the teen's shoulders. "Until next time. Now you best be going. You have some other team mates to speak to." Leaving a confused Danny, Clockwork created another portal and stepped in, leaving Danny to himself. Danny took a last look at the sky, relishing the fact that at least he had been in outer space once, before slowly sinking through the floors until he came to the main room, where the Titans weren't alone.
As soon as Danny had stepped through the portal with Clockwork, Raven took Dani's hand.
"C'mon Dani. We need to talk to Robin. Would you mind again?" Dani nodded as she turned the pair intangible and sank through the roof and landed in the main room, only to find the other Titans talking to the Titans East. Raven found Robin's eyes.
"How did they get here so quickly? I hadn't even asked about them yet?" Robin just smirked.
"You underestimate me Raven." He said. "I realised straight away that we would need an army in order to defeat Mortuus, and these guys are more than happy to lend a hand. They arrived just as you left to find Danny." Robin said, gesturing to the other Titans, who were looking at Dani confused.
"Ah, yes." Started Raven. "Titans East, this is Dani. Danny's clone. Dani, these are the Titans East. The one in black and yellow is Bumblebee. The twins are Mas and Menos. The one in the mask is Speedy and the one in the black and blue leotard is Aqualad." They all acknowledged Dani with a head nod after their introductions were made.
"So Robin," Started Bumblebee. "I hope you've got some good gear for us. None of us are exactly prepared for a ghost army. "
"You'll have to ask Danny when he comes back. I'm sure he'll have everything you'll need. Speaking of which, where is Danny?" Robin asked Raven.
"He went to see the League." The room became very tense as the faces of the Titans showed extreme anger and bitterness, which the Titans East instantly picked up on.
"What have they done now?" Asked Speedy. Robin just looked at him with sad eyes.
"They wanted to kill Danny." Dani spat out. "Just because of what he is." Aqualad paled at this. He was also a hybrid and it sickened him that the League would be that narrow-minded.
"What does friend Danny wish to speak to the Justice League about?" Asked Starfire, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Clockwork came and told him that we need all the help we can get." Said Raven. She left out the part about Clockwork's capture; she didn't think that would go down too well. "He should be back soon. Has Robin and the others explained the situation to you guys?" The twins just nodded.
"Yeah." Replied Speedy. "He was just catching us up to as to what you guys have been up to since Danny returned. I wish I had been there when he took down that fire beast." The entire Titans' minds thought back to that night; the night Danny's memory had returned.
"He was awesome." Said Beast Boy. Everyone nodded, a chill running down their spines.
"Never seen anything like it." Agreed Cyborg.
"You know," Came a voice. "If ghosts could blush, you can bet I would be after hearing that." Everyone looked up to see Danny floating down through the ceiling, transforming into Fenton as he touched the floor.
"Man," Said Aqualad. "I will never get used to seeing you do that." Danny just laughed as he shook his hand.
"How's it going Fish?" Asked Danny playfully.
"Not too bad Spook." They both just laughed. Danny moved on to Bumblebee.
"Doing well Bee?" As he hugged her.
"All good Danny." She replied. Danny then split himself in two, much to the Titans East's amazement, and went to shake the twins' hands, before forming again and shaking Speedy's hand.
"And I will never get used to that." Speedy laughed.
"I'll be sure to do it more often then." Danny joked, as Dani ran over to hug him. "Now, onto business." He said, as everyone got themselves comfortable again.
"I take it you're all up to speed?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Makes thing easier. We're facing an army. A massive one at that. So to make things slightly easier for us." Danny said, before teleporting out of the room. Before anyone could speak, he teleported back with a large cardboard box.
"I decided to make some ecto-weapons for everyone, as only Raven is able to have any effect on ghosts with her powers." Everyone, especially Speedy was excited that they were getting new weapons.
"Now, everyone will have a spectre deflector to stop possession as that seems to be Mortuus' favourite power. As well as that though," Danny said, before reaching into the box and pulling out a black bow with a small green gem in the middle. "This is for Speedy." He said before tossing the Titan the bow; Speedy looked at it with awe, before confusion set in.
"Umm, Danny?" He asked. "What about arrows?" Danny just smirked.
"You don't need them for this bow. You see the small gem?" He asked; Speedy nodded. "Just pull that and an ecto-arrow will form. Unlimited supply too." Speedy just grinned at this as he handled his new bow, practising pulling out arrows.
"Onto Aqualad. I thought a weapon would be most appropriate for you." Danny reached into the box again and pulled out a five foot, green trident; its prongs slightly glowing. Aqualad just gaped at it.
"This trident is more than just a melee weapon though. Thrust it forwards and a small ecto-blast will discharge from the middle prong." Aqualad gratefully accepted the weapon.
"Now onto Bee." Danny reached into the box a third time and brought out a pair of matching green bracelets. Bumblebee took them as Danny spoke.
"These will allow your sonic blasts to affect ghosts. It will be especially entertaining when used on skeleton soldiers as they are only bone." Bumblebee just smiled at the idea. For the twins, Danny reached in and grabbed a green rope.
"I know you use your speed as a weapon, and I know you need to be connected for it to work." He handed them the rope. "This rope is infused with ectoplasm, meaning it can stretch to great lengths, but still allowing you to move at tremendous speeds as long as you both are holding onto an end. It will also be useful for taking out rows of skeletons." The twins nodded their thanks before testing out the rope.
"Onto my Titans." Smiled Danny. He handed Starfire a similar set of bracelets before turning to Robin.
"You've already got your upgraded Bo staff." Robin just looked dismayed before Danny started laughing.
"Sorry." He said. "Couldn't help it." He reached into the box and pulled out a smaller, metal box and tossed it to Robin. "In that there are around fifty ecto-shooting stars, ectoplasmic grenades and a spare Bo staff." Robin smiled as he caught the box. Danny then tossed a small green gem to Cyborg.
"That will allow you to shoot ectoplasmic energy." Danny said. "It'll save me the trouble of having to charge up your cannons every five minutes." He then turned to Beast Boy.
"BB, I took the liberty of upgrading your pair of gloves. Next time you activate them, sharp claws will extend out of the finger tips; very handy when you are in an animal form which uses claws."
"Cheers Danny." Beast Boy said enthusiastically. Danny then turned to Raven.
"As most of your powers affect ghosts anyway, there wasn't really a lot I could do for you. So what I've done is something similar to the bracelets I gave Star and Bee." He handed Raven an ice bracelet with a green jewel in its middle.
"When wearing it, whatever you use your telekinesis on, the ghosts won't be able to go intangible to avoid it."
"Hang on," Cut in Bumblebee, staring at the ice bracelet. "Why does Raven's look so much better than ours?" A faint blush started appearing on Danny's cheeks.
"Because they're in love." Teased Dani, causing both Raven and Danny to blush heavily. The Titans East just sat there in shock until Bumblebee finally spoke up.
"Makes sense." She said. "The Goth and the Ghost." Everyone giggled at her comment, but the couple were too busy looking into each other's eyes to notice or care. They were so preoccupied, they didn't notice Dani slowly floating over to them.
"GHOST!" She shouted. Danny jerked out of his trance and transformed into Phantom with his hands glowing a dangerous green, all in the space of about two seconds. Danny faltered as the room burst into laughter; even Raven was trying to stifle a fit of giggles. Danny narrowed his eyes at his clone as the room temperature dropped drastically, causing everyone to shiver.
"Umm, s…sorry?" Said Dani, trying to control her chattering teeth. "We were just trying to get your attention." Danny sent her one final glare before turning back into Fenton, taking the coldness back. He opened his now blue eyes as he surveyed the group of heroes in front of him.
"Let's get training."
Sorry if this chapter seems a bit slow; more of a filler chapter for the next one, which will contain plenty of action. Hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless. Until next time.
Lord Pugsy.