"I'm only human, I've got a skeleton in me, but I'm not the villain despite what you're always preaching." ~Hayley Williams
Titans Phantom
Chapter 12: Mad School
Danny felt through the haze in his mind, which kept trying to drag him back into unconsciousness, he groaned when the blinding florescent lights came on showing the Teen Titans all chained to tall, thick posted chairs bolted to the floor. Everyone awoke, each trying to resist their bonds: Robin's hands were cuffed to the chair's arms, Starfire's hands bound by glowing red energy, Cyborg secured around the chest with a heavy metal lock, Raven's chest swirled around in white energy, and Beast Boy's chest was crossed with two red X's making it impossible for him to transform. And looking down Danny noticed he wasn't fairing any better, his legs weren't bound, but both his hands were; he jerked fighting the bonds. Beast Boy was the last one to wake up, noticing their predicament. He looked at Danny then over to the other Titans.
"Am I the only one who has no idea where we are?" He asked.
"Why you're right where you belong, my ducky," a man said in a British accent. Everyone looked up to see a man at the grand entrance, two marble staircases leading up to him.
"You're in school!" The man said jumping on the railing and sliding down to land a few feet away from them on the checkerboard floor, Danny nearly laughed at the man's appearance. For he had flaming red hair in a bob cut, blue half glasses that matched perfectly with his shirt that was the British flag and white bell bottom pants. All in all, he looked like a rejected Beetle singer, complete with a red jeweled cane that he loved to twirl like a king. The man leaned in gazing at the teens intently, a smirk on his face.
"That's right lad and ladies; you're the only students in Mad Mod's Institute for bratty teenage do gooders," his voice booming the accent really ticking off all the teens, Mad Mod threw his cane and caught it in his other hand before throwing himself forward like he was the hero.
"And it's high time someone taught you sporgs a lesson," he said his cane crackling in white electricity; the Titans began to struggle again.
"My star-bolts are useless!" Star cried as Mad Mod got right in her face, his breath smelling like bad tea.
"Specially designed chairs, love. Cun't have those nasty superpowers disrupting my lecture, now can I?"Oh gosh, he sounded worse than Mr. Lancer, Danny thought his eyes beginning to glow, Starfire shifted in nervousness trying to turn away from the man.
"Get away from her!" Robin snapped Mad Mod turned faster than Danny thought possible, and he watched as the jeweled cane released electricity into Robin's chair make the teen slam his mouth shut to stop himself from screaming, Mad Mod leaned forward into the leader's face.
"Now don't get your knickers in a bunch, my little snot," the red head reject beetle said, stepping back letting Robin catch his breath, Mad Mod observed the teens.
"It was a stroke of luck that I didn't have to fill your Tower with knock out gas, and I didn't go to all the trouble of building this school just to finish you off lickity split," Mad Mod said.
"Then what do you want?" Raven snapped.
"Just what I said, deary…"Mad Mod got way to close for comfort in Danny's and the Titans' opinion, "to teach you lot a lesson. Yes, I've been watching you children misbehave, and I hate misbehavin' children," the man said, Danny scoffed, like he hadn't just seen that idiot scratch his butt!
But to prove his point Mad Mod pointed to three pictures which flipped over to reveal the Teen Titans in different actions.
"Fighting crime," the picture showed the Titans going up against the Thunder Brothers.
"Saving lives," Robin and Starfire saving some animals from a fire.
"Um when did you guys do that?" Danny asked motioning to the cute picture Robin blushed and Starfire was about to reply when Mad Mod hit Danny over the back of his head.
"Ow!"
"No interrupting! And interfering with the plans of hard working villains," a picture of Beast Boy as a basset hound pulling down some bad guys pants; Danny actually did laugh and got hit in the head yet again.
"Hey!" He snapped, Mad Mod growled.
"Why you lot are nothin' but a bunch of trouble makers!"
Fury exploded around Danny and the Titans, all of them really wanting to pumble the man in his red haired face.
"And you'll learn your place soon enough. You see, I'm older than you, so I'm bigger, bader, and beutter."
"Say What? OW!" Cyborg yelled as Mad Mod hit him with his cane.
"You're in my world now, and you won't be gettin' out until you've learned some proper respect!"
"Hey Moddy, why the heck did you kidnap me?" Danny asked although he was pretty furious at the guy for a number of other reasons, one forcing him 'back in school'. Mad Mod turned red in the face and strode up to Danny his jeweled cane looking more like a weapon than anything else.
"Why? Because, lad, you're turnin' into one of 'hem I saw you earlier, seems to me like your already a do gooder, and I cun't be havin' you join their lot," he said gesturing to the Teen Titans who looked very murderous at the moment. "That's why you're here, ladie, and besides ya look like a hero."
Danny bristled at those words, and he could feel his powers humming beneath his chest.
"We will get out, and when we do we'll…" Robin said while Mad Mod raised his cane, the first bell rung.
"Oh dear, there's the bell, my ducky's, off to clauss," he said and with this, the tiles under their chairs opened and everyone screamed as they fell through the floor.
Danny landed with a hard thump on the checkered floor below, a white chalkboard at the front of the class Mad Mod's face appearing in black on it.
"What the hell?" Danny said struggling, not wanting to blast himself out of the chair and give away his powers.
"Now, now, watch your mouth, don't you know it's rude to talk to your elders that way," the chalkboard face said, Danny let out a huff.
"Fine, what the hell, tea case?" Danny thought about saying nut case but revised it at the last minute watching as Mad Mod growled at his lame insult.
"You need to learn some manners, one of my hypo—screens ought to fix that," Mad Mod said and the teen quickly looked away when the board began to swirl.
"No way am I looking at that," Danny growled shaking off the wires from the top of the chair that were trying to hold his head in place, thinking fast, he swung his legs forward raising himself off the chair enough to get his feet underneath him onto the seat and standing up Danny placed one foot on a wooden arm, his other foot still on the seat and pulled, the wood snapped, freeing one of his arms. Ignoring the strain in his shoulders from the harsh pull, he snapped the wood encasing his other arm and jumped out of the chair.
"Naughty, naughty, if you're going to destroy school property, school property is going to destroy you."
Danny ran when the rocket tore through the screen, racing down a black and white illusion hallway, he met up with Robin who seemed to be having similar problems, the two rockets hot on their trail. As the teens drew closer, neither had to think, only react, they never stopped running only pressed their palms together once they met, they jumped using the others weight to propel themselves backwards high into the air and over the rockets that exploded upon impact. Robin and Danny slammed into opposite sides of the walls. Both stood, brushing the dust off their suits, the boy wonder sighed.
"There goes my shot at perfect attendance."
"At least that's better than having 'proper manners'," Danny said in a British voice, Robin tried not to laugh at the look of pure horror on the other teen's face.
"Now, don't be so sure, my little duckies. You may be out of the classroom, but class is never dismissed," Mad Mod said standing in front of a swirling illusion, both teens charged at him but the crazy brit ran up the wall.
"Next lesson, physics!" Both stopped in their tracks.
"Huh?" They said in unison.
"What goes up, stays up!" Mad Mod yelled laughing, running down the corridor.
"Until we take it down!' Robin snapped and both teens chased after the man. Danny never noticing the 'we'.
They ran up flights of steps that seemed unending, certain times gravity seeming to flip flop, sending Danny and Robin falling to the new floor. Mad Mod simply hopping over them and racing on. The boy wonder was so mad, he never thought to use his weapons, and the halfa so annoyed, he never thought to use his powers. Both of them just really wanted to punch that crazy Brit in the face.
Mad Mod ran down a square illusion that both teens hit like a wall, both stumbled back in confusion.
"How did he…" Robin asked.
"Come on!" Danny said pointing down the other square hallway, a glimpse of red disappearing into a hidden black door. Both dashed through it, back into the grand hallway with floors of doors and stairs the grand entrance right up top. Mad Mod standing by another door.
"You may as well chuck in the sponge, laddies, you can't catch the likes of me!"
Robin and Danny jumped on the railings of the stairs in perfect synchronization, they landed on the steps which turned into a backwards escalator, keeping them in the same place even as they continued to run.
"Now what did I tell you? Children today won't listen to their, betturs, haft ta learn everything on their…"
Danny smirked when Robin's boomerang shaved off some of Mad Mod's bright red sideburns.
"Hey! Oae, no throwing things while teacher is talking!" The Brit yelled disappearing into the double doors. Robin fired his grappling hook the same time he grabbed Danny's arm and yanked them forward into yet another room, the same one they had been in.
"What?" Robin exclaimed.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Danny yelled his eyes momentarily flashing bright green.
"NO!" Star screamed both teens instantly on high alert trying to locate her. They ran towards a door that led to the library and raced up ladders to reveal a maze of stacks, the glimmer of a hypo-screen being used.
Starfire struggled in her chair, the red energy swirling around her arms, her forest green eyes shut tight.
"I will not read your book of meanness and swirls," she yelled the chair extending two arms latching onto her head, forcing her to gaze at the book.
"Now, now, luv, it's for your own good nothin' teaches disrepending respect like a brain erasing trance," Mad Mod said somewhere, his accent making it hard to understand what he was saying. Star shook off the trance, but the chair forced open her eyes, the ceiling opened up revealing a large stamp the word 'overdue' written in red, it came crashing down destroying the front row of chairs the word stamped into the floor.
"Besides if you don't stop squirming, I won't stop squashin'!" He yelled the machine moving onto the next row and destroying it. Starfire struggled more trying to get away, it destroyed the next row and looking up, her green eyes widened at the giant overhanging stamp, it came down as she screamed. Robin dove pushing her out of the way and slamming them both into the far book stacks. Danny leapt down to join them, destroying the hypo-screen with his sword.
Robin began picking the locks as Danny joined them, his sword raised.
"Are all the schools on your planet this horrible?" She asked the locks snapping open, her star-bolts coming to life in her fists.
"Depends on your definition of horrible," Danny said as the Titans stood. Books began to fly off their shelves and explode, aiming for the three teens.
"Come on!" Robin shouted, he grabbed Star's hand and pulled her towards the shelves. She took to the air while the Danny and Robin began to climb, the halfa having to remind himself that he couldn't use his powers at the moment. They reached the top, jumping on the stacks heading for the only door marked exit in the library, battling the books that soared at them like kamikaze pilots. Star blasted them away twisting in the air with ease while Robin destroyed them with his weapons, and Danny with his sword, all working together like a well oiled machine. The teens made it to the exit and slammed the door closed right when fifteen books dive bombed. Danny let out a sigh of relief as Robin marched ahead. Starfire floating beside Danny, appreciation in her eyes.
"Robin, I wish to thank you for rescuing me!"
"Don't thank me yet, Mad Mod still has us right where he wants us. I know we could take him if we could just get our hands on him, but every time we get out of one trap…" a hoard of Mad Mod's statue podiums on wheels surrounded them, weapons protruding from their eyes, mouths and ears, " there's another one waiting," he finished really ticked off. Robin took a defensive position.
"Uh, I think we should run," Danny suggested as the machines fired various weapons. The teens high tailed it out of there, Mad Mod's voice coming over the intercom laughing bodacious.
"Run, my duckies! Run all you like, but you'll never get out!" They neared an optical illusion that spiraled into a swirl, gravity seemed to shift and the teens screamed as they fell down the hole where a trap door opened landing them into a chemistry room. It was filled with giant chemicals and test tubes, the ceiling tiles showing the periodic table and on the white board was a hypo-screen, Beast Boy in his chair, a white dunce hat on his head.
"It's no good procrastinating really," Mad Mod said on the intercom. The teens ran forward to their friend. "Because sooner or latur you'll all end up like him."
"Beast Boy!" Robin yelled looking at his friend who had drool running down his mouth.
"Ah yes, a model student that one. Luvly, sits there quietly, never thinks about misbehavin', matter of fact, he never thinks at all! Ha!" Mad Mod yelled, Danny sliced through the red bindings with his sword.
"Beast Boy, awaken your friends are here. Beast Boy?" Starfire asked before she looked at the screen and charged her star-bolts aiming to fire at the device Robin dashed forward,
"Wait!" He said grabbing her wrists, "trust me." All of the chemicals seemed to bubble over and spill onto the floor one sick green liquid moving towards them dissolving everything it touched, Robin picked up Beast Boy and handed him to Starfire.
"Here's your hall pass, we'll meet you outside," he said and with this Star took off for the door Robin looked over to Danny who nodded.
"After you," the halfa said and Robin took off jumping on the bubbling chairs and other objects around the room Danny right behind him, only instead of landing on them he seemed to hover, his feet only lightly tapping them because he was pretty sure if he used all of his weight the wood would splinter and Danny really didn't want to add acidic burns to his long list of injuries he's sustained. Once they got to the door the three teens smiled and slammed it shut. The halfa never noticed Starfire's eyes lingering on him for a moment longer.
The four teens found themselves back in the main room, the two staircases leading up to floors upon floors of doors not that it mattered, for they stood at the foot of the stairs trying to get Beast Boy to wake up and stop garbling nonsense words.
"Beast Boy, it is I, Starfire your friend, please speak to me, Beast Boy? Beast Boy? BEAST BOY?" She yelled making Robin and Danny cover their ears, the halfa thinking she was louder than his wail.
Robin shook his head trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears.
"Ah, Star, I don't think that's working."
"But we must do something or he will remain this way forever!" She said her voice slightly panicked. All of them jumped when they heard the opening of a door.
"Mad Mod, come on," Robin said crouching down behind one staircase. Starfire and Danny joined him, the Tamaranean holding the unconscious Beast Boy in her arms.
"We'll hide here and then take him by surprise," Robin said both teens nodded and waited the only sounds coming from BB, the boy wonder felt his eye twitch in annoyance.
"Any way to keep him quiet?" Robin asked, Starfire slapped her hand over the changeling's mouth and 'eeped' as drool coated her hand, Danny was seriously grossed out. Robin saw a shadow and all three teens lunged forward to attack.
The effect was instantaneous, Robin was suspended by black magic above Cyborg's head, who had his sonic cannon pointed at Starfire's chest, her own fists glowing green inches away from his chest, Danny's sword hovering away from Raven's throat, who had coated it in black energy everyone relaxed dropping their stances.
"Cyborg, Raven, how glad we are to see you," Starfire said.
"This place is making me crazy!" Robin said standing by Cyborg who nodded in agreement.
"Tell me about it Mad Mod's wacked out computer lab nearly crashed my hard drive," he said. Starfire looked over to Raven who had a scowl on her normally stoic face.
"Where did our captor send you?" She asked looking to the other girl who opened her dark blue cloak to reveal bright numbered clothes.
"Gym," she said engulfing them in black and tore them away to reveal her black suit and red and gold belt underneath.
"At least he didn't send you to a beauty pageant," Danny commented. Raven's purple eyes widening in horror at the thought.
"Anyone seen BB?" Cy asked with this they all looked down when they heard the gurgling sounds of Beast Boy as he slid across the tile floor.
"Mad Mod's hypo-screens, we can't snap him out of it, we've tried everything!" Robin said.
"Did you try this?" Cyborg asked bending down and burping in BB's ear. The teen instantly started to laugh, Cy smiled and stood looking pleased with himself.
"Nice one! Uh, how did I get here and why am I covered in drool?" Beast Boy asked standing and wiping off his mouth.
"Wonderful, now we need only to locate an exit," Starfire said.
"Or we just keep blasting until we make one," Cyborg replied activating his sonic canon.
"Easy," Robin said holding up his hand motioning for his friend to stop, "last thing I smashed tried to smash me back. I'm sure this whole place is booby trapped," Robin said.
"Then how are we supposed to get out?" Beast Boy asked.
"We're not," Danny said folding his arms and closing his blue eyes before he even thought about transforming into Phantom and just locating Mad Mod himself. But despite himself he couldn't abandon the Titans and he couldn't risk the crazy Brit see him transforming.
"Danny's right. Don't you get it, Mad Mod's just going to keep messing with us until…" Raven said Robin finishing her sentence for her.
"We mess with him. That cane of his controls everything in here, we take the cane…" Cy jumped in,
"We take control…"
"And take him down!" Beast Boy finished.
"Do you guys always do that?" Danny added in amusement, Beast Boy walked forward and tried to look like an evil mastermind.
"Oh I'll find him! That demented idiot is never hypnotizing me again!" He shouted a picture jutted out from the wall and began to swirl BB managing to spin around just in time to avoid looking at it.
"Dang it! How do I avoid those things!" BB snapped marching back to his friends gesturing behind him to the picture.
"You don't. Look in order to avoid being hypnotized you need to keep your mind focused, you rely on your animal instincts to fight right? So use them to sharpen your mind, it'll keep the screen from working you over," Danny said his advice shocking all of the Titans especially Beast Boy.
"Dude, how did…" he trailed off as Danny shrugged.
"Let's just say I've had a run in with mind control before," he said leaving it at that, his eyes telling them to drop it.
"Come on. Don't you lot ever learn?" Mad Mod said emerging from a black tile in the floor, twirling his red cane; everyone was instantly in their fighting stances.
"You're in my world now, duckies," he said pressing the red jewel making the door behind him swing open.
"You caun't win," he said and with this he dashed through the door.
"Titans Go!" Robin yelled and all of the teens chased after Mod.
It was ridiculous, and by far the weirdest chase Danny had ever been on. Mad Mod had been on a moped; hit the Titans in the head with bananas. They'd chased him past a fountain, then turned and were chased as Mad Mod came barreling at them with a giant bazooka. Danny had fallen through big black dots while Robin slammed into them, Cy picking them up, all of them trying different dots, each time getting a different a result that left the teens really annoyed until all of them emerged dressed in eighties clothes that just pissed them off, it didn't help that Mad Mod just zoomed past them on another moped. They ran up stairs that turned smooth like in a bad cartoon leaving Beast Boy, Robin, Cyborg and Danny (who at this point was seriously questioning why he didn't just go ghost and fly) especially when at the bottom of the now smooth stairs was a rock crusher, and Beast Boy had to transform into a giant green octopus. Raven and Starfire grabbing onto his tentacles in order to catch Robin and Danny as they slammed into the green blob Cyborg following and crushing them, he blushed as the two teens glared at him for the ride up. They chased Mad Mod into a hallway that had doors on each wall and no matter which door they entered something always happened. Leaving the teens flustered and running around until Robin stopped them and told them to each take a door, when all of them had been opened they snuck up to the last one. Everyone screamed five octaves above their natural voices as a T-Rex head emerged from the room and roared at them. Danny made sure to slam that door closed very quickly. Out of the corner of their eyes, the teens spotted Mad Mod pushing open the back wall. They approached it a statue of the Brit smiling at them. Robin lifted up the head to reveal a red switch turning it, the wall opened showing the outside world.
"No way," Raven said shocked.
"Is that what I think it is?" Beast Boy said refusing to believe his eyes.
"One way to find out," Robin said and with this Robin and the Titans walked forward. Danny hesitating slightly before he followed not daring to get his hopes up.
"Looks like the real deal," Cyborg said until Robin stretched out his hand and it tore through the paper making the Teen Titans stumble and fall to the checkerboard floor.
Starfire gasped as Cy yelled 'no' and Robin slammed his fist to the ground.
"Right back where we started," Robin said as the teens got up and looked around the main room, the staircases leading to hundreds of doors. Danny felt his eyes begin to glow, but he pushed his powers back in; it was hard, for it felt like ages since he could feel the coldness in his chest without hurting him, or the ease with which his powers responded without thinking.
"Of course you are my duckies," Mad Mod said the tile floor turning over to reveal the man. It hovered off the floor tapping his cane twice it rose high in the air so the man could look down at the teens.
"Clauss is over, and you lot havun't learned a thing. As a failing grade for each bloomin' one of ya. There's only one thing for it," the door they came from slammed shut, "you'll have to repeat the entire lessun!" Mad Mod screamed the four walls disappearing showing one big hypo-screen, with the floating doors and weapons which quickly surrounded them. The Titans and Danny took up fighting stances.
"Time for clauss, my duckies, everyone back to your seats!" Mad Mod yelled.
"Titans, get that cane!" Robin yelled and they charged, Beast Boy destroying the ground statues his lion form roaring in rage as Raven placed a shield up destroying the mini rockets while Cyborg, Robin and Danny ran through the fire. Robin jumped Cy catching his feet and pushing him in the air, throwing Danny next before the mechanical teen destroyed several flying statues with his fists. Starfire headed straight for Mod, her eyes a fierce electric green she was almost there,
"Hey, no rough housin'! Do I have to separate you lot?" Mad Mod said clicking his red jeweled cane, all of the tiles began to elevate at separate times Star managing to stop in time before slamming into a black tile, Robin wasn't so lucky and Danny barely managed to dodge one, using his powers to let him stop mid air and land on the tile next to him. Robin looked over to Cyborg before the statues attacked, firing red bullets at him, he grabbed onto one, and it sent him high in the air before he managed to flip and reach Mad Mod's floor sparing a glance. The teen noted Danny flipping up onto the tiles steadily making his way towards him. Raven and Beast Boy where on the lower levels destroying the statues when they heard a screaming Cyborg and both dodged his falling form.
"Little help," Raven asked as the teen stood, he nodded and activated his canon they got back to work.
Starfire worked on destroying the aerial statues when she felt one grab her arms, she looked up to see another coming at her with a red saw and growling, the Tamaranean girl kicked it away sending it flying into the giant hypo-screen which ripped like paper revealing something dark and mechanical underneath.
Hundreds of more statue robots were moving on the ground and grabbing one, Cy threw it destroying the perfectly made line, he felt red electricity course through him suddenly, which brought him down and looking up, he saw a statue holding a stun gun the floor dragging him up into a chair.
"No!" Raven screamed battling the arms of another, her black magic being cancelled out, a white ring swirling around her chest. Starfire hit the checkered floor hard having been stunned in the air. Hazily, she fought the hold of the machines binding her into a chair, but it was no use. The three Titans looked up to see Beast Boy racing to their aid, his lion form morphing into a cheetah he hadn't expected a robot to launch a grenade at him. The three Titans screamed his name.
Robin and Danny were battling the crazy Brit as he moved through the air like it was gravity, smirking the entire time.
"Oh give it a rest naughty! You've already lost!" Mad Mod said pointing to the struggling Titans and a weakly resisting Starfire. Robin jumped forward reaching for the cane and both teens were shocked when he passed through it. Danny spared a moment to gaze at Robin before his eyes turned away, searching for something.
"If the cane isn't real…"
"It means Mad Mod is just as fake!" Robin finished Danny's sentence, blue eyes spotted the tear.
"There!" Danny pointed dropping his sword, Robin dashed forward and jumped, the halfa catching his feet and launching him into the air. He had just enough time to see Robin make it into what looked like a vent before he heard the Titans scream.
"BEAST BOY!"
Danny turned, his human heart stopping mid beat, he saw the grenade go flying the trigger pin missing. Five, Danny felt his eyes glow the brightest green, four, his power centered around him, three, white rings spilt his body, two, in the transformation green energy instantaneously formed, one, the grenade exploded and Danny transformed, teleporting in the same instant, his mind blank only pure emotions driving him forward.
Beast Boy felt the heat of the explosion behind his back, so intense it singed his fur, he numbly knew that shrapnel would follow, tearing threw him like butter, but nothing came and in his confusion he hit the ground his four legs giving out and the cheetah rolled across the floor stopping next to his friends. After what felt like ages, Beast Boy changed back and looked up at his friends, who weren't looking at him but ahead and rolling on his side the changeling gasped for Phantom was floating in the air, his eyes a pure green a giant shield swirling around the entire group. Shakily, Beast Boy stood and approached the ghost teen who floated to the ground panting. BB managed to catch him when he saw the teen's legs give out underneath him.
Danny felt arms wrap around him, and numbly he realized that maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to use so much power after just…well technically it was still the third day or maybe the fourth, the halfa wasn't sure how long they'd been knocked out. Tired beyond belief, the halfa managed a smile when, in his blurry vision, he saw Beast Boy freaking out, sighing Danny chuckled.
"What was that about cats always landing on their feet?" Danny asked a blush colored Beast Boy's face the moment he fell into unconsciousness. And it was then BB knew why his friends were still speechless because a white ring formed and split in two, traveling up and down changing Phantom into…Danny?
Mad Mod sat in a chair surrounded by computers and thousands of beeping buttons, only this man was much older, his flaming red hair was no longer, but the color of dusty white, balding on top with more than a couple of liver spots, his skin was drawn and wrinkly, pearly white teeth rotted yellow and he wore a baggy red sweater vest with long black pants. He growled moving the stick in front of him to control the environment.
"This will teach those little ankle bitters some respect, just a tick, I've lost Robin," Mod said pulling down on an overhanging lever. The screens began to go black as the leader ripped the wires out, and the senior citizen yelled out in surprise, his machine going up in smoke. Hastily, Mad Mod stood desperate to get away, only to turn and have Robin yank him forward a scowl on his face.
"Ah, ugh, hullo gov'nuer," Mod said his British accent thick with nervousness.
"Schools out, Mod, and you're looking at about twenty years of detention," Robin said Mad Mod flinched at his fate.
Beast Boy had freed his friends when everything began to collapse, the hologram disappearing as the screens broke and rolled up showing a massive space filled with labyrinths and screens designed for smoke and mirrors. The weapons no longer moving, nothing more than disfigured statues. The Titans turned when they heard their leader coming with Mad Mod tied up.
"Well, he did say he was older," Beast Boy said, Cyborg picking up Danny, Robin raised a questioning eyebrow, but Cy shook his head.
"Let's go home," Robin said and with this they headed up a narrow ladder that opened their prison. Cyborg climbed out emerging onto the abandoned oil station outside the port of Jump City, the sky was shinning blue.
Titan's Tower was completely quiet while Robin tried to process what he had just learned, Danny Fenton was Phantom?
"How is that even possible?" He asked.
"It's not," Cyborg said serious.
"And yet it is. Danny is dead yet alive," Raven said her purple eyes blank, yet her mind was swimming in confusion.
"The question is how?" Starfire asked as the Titans all sat on the couch.
"How about 'it's none of your concern'," Danny said making the Titans jump to their feet and look at Danny who was standing by the door a look of pure rage on his face.
"I beg to differ; you've helped us so many times before, why didn't you just trust us!" Robin snapped moving forward while Danny took a step back his eyes glowing a fierce green making the Titans involuntarily shudder.
"Why should I? I told you I'm not a hero, but no matter what I do, you never leave me alone and now you know, so I hope you understand. I will Never be a hero Again!"
"What do you mean again?" Cyborg asked his voice harsh though he felt less than that, why was Danny acting this way? A flicker of fear slipped across Danny's face at his slip up, but it disappeared before the Titans could think over it.
"It doesn't matter, now that you know I can tell you this, if you don't stay away from me, the next time I see you, you'll be choking on your own blood," Danny said and with this he turned, and white rings engulfed him, taking flight the halfa paused and from his pocket he drew up a small yellow device and threw it to their leader who caught it out of reflex before Danny turned intangible and sped off into the night.
Staring in disbelief, Robin looked down at the device…the Titan's communicator.
Danny felt the wind burn his eyes as he flew through the air to the location, his mind reeling at what he had said and the looks of pure betrayal on the Teen Titans' faces. Not that it mattered; it was for their own safety. The memory pulled at his mind still fresh and raw.
The halfa woke to the feel of a hospital bed under him, the thin white sheets soft and scratchy at the same time, shaking out of his daze Danny sat up instantly knowing he was in the Tower's infirmary. For a second, fear took hold of his heart, he hadn't known he'd pass out from using his powers and now the Titans knew. Taking a few deep breaths to relax, Danny knew he should start berating himself for letting them find out, but strangely the only feeling the halfa could muster was relief. The feeling settled in his heart and blossomed out, making Danny's chest ace in happiness; it'd been so long since he had people to share his secret with. Fixit didn't count in Danny's mind for the robot reminded the halfa of Clockwork, and while he loved both the ghost of time and the robot very much, the feeling felt more like they were his guardians. But the Titans, they were so much like Tucker, Sam, and Jazz were: pure, trustworthy, fun, and above all else, stubborn. The Teen Titans never stopped trying, they kept Danny grounded when he didn't even realize he'd been sinking. The Titans were his friends. And how they'd wormed their way into his heart, the halfa would never know, but they had and the emotions were so powerful Danny put his knees to his chest and hugged them close to keep himself from drowning in the tidal waves.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise, Daniel," Danny jumped coiling his muscles, he looked around the room but found nothing until his eyes met the computer screen.
"Slade," Danny growled his eyes glowing green, "what do you want?"
"Many things. One of them you can help me with," Slade said leaning forward into the camera, the halfa growled.
"Why would I ever help you?" Danny spat.
"Because if you don't the Teen Titans will die."
Danny's blood ran cold, Slade laughed the screen moving to show the chemical composition of something, the teen moved forward to observe the chemical his mind a whirl wind of panic.
"I'm sure you've figured out what this builds, nanoscopic probes, attached to the red blood cells. You see, with the touch of a button my probes will destroy your friends from the inside out," Slade said the screen changing to show the five outlines of the Titians, each with their name in the corner, health reading on the sides and the flow of the probes in their bodies.
"You're lying, you haven't had the time!" Danny said his voice trembling slightly, his knuckles strained white.
"Oh but I have, have you wondered why Mad Mod found you in the alley though he said the Tower was his target? I did that, Daniel."
The screen changed to show the security video feed across the street from Danny's alleyway showing Slade moving in, pointing a gun at the Titans and fired. The halfa wanted to look away from the picture as each of his friends' bodies temporarily glowed a violent red. The man left, seconds later Mad Mod appeared walking down the street his cane in hand.
The flash he saw, the shadow… that had been Slade. Danny felt his whole body tremble.
"So Daniel, what will it be, helping me, or letting the Teen Titans die?"
The answer was obvious.
As the wind blew past him, Danny tried to pretend it was the cause of his tears, but by the time he arrived at pier forty-one they were long since dried. After all, even though Slade had found Danny's one weakness, didn't mean he'd let the man know it. Walking through the doors, Danny hardened his heart, he wouldn't regret his actions, if Slade wanted him to play the villain he would, even though the looks of betrayal still tore up his already bleeding heart.
"Welcome, Daniel," Slade said the teen's eyes glowed a deathly green. Something telling Danny that whatever the man was planning, this was only just beginning.