And here's chapter two. So people know, Dani is sixteen years old and this is after the end of Season Two, so Brainiac 5 is organic. We'll be getting some more plot in here, though it's a bit subtle at this point.
Thanks goes to GhostKing666 for reviewing.
Chapter Two: No Such Things As Ghosts
"I feel sick," the girl said, stumbling out of the Time Bubble as soon as it stopped, stumbling to the nearest table, using her arm to keep her balance as her own face turned a slight shade of green.
The little green dog ran over to the girl, barking at her worriedly.
"We left them behind!" Triplicate Girl cried, picking up Brainiac 5. "We have to go back!"
"That...may be a problem," Brainiac 5 said.
"A problem? What are you talking about Brainy?" Bouncing Boy asked, a frown forming on his usually jovial face.
"Since the time distortion affected the alignments of time and space within the Time Bubble upon entrance into the zone, serious alterations had to be made to the Time Bubble's core temporal diviner. With access only to inferior technology, the chances of a return trip would not be permitted as the strain between inefficient-" Brainiac 5 started.
"Brainy, summarize," Bouncing Boy said.
Brainiac 5 paused a moment. "The old technology would have caused a short in the new technology that would make it impossible to go back without making a new Time Bubble."
"You mean...they're STUCK back there?!" Bouncing Boy cried. "Oh man, oh man, I let our people get left behind!"
"Now Bouncy, don't be like that. We can just go back to the moment we left, right?" Triplicate Girl asked, looking at Brainy with a hopeful look.
"Precisely. However, we do have another problem...." Brainiac 5 said, pointing to the girl.
The girl was looking a little more stable, managing not to throw up on the console, but still looking a bit pale. She looked about sixteen, with long black hair drawn back in a ponytail except for some bangs that managed to not completely hide her face and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a blue tank top and loose fitting blue jeans held up by a belt and tennis shoes and a red bandanna in her hair.
Odd. Brainiac 5 remembered white hair and green eyes. Then again, it had all happened quite fast.
"That....was time travel, wasn't it?" The girl asked, looking over at the three, a hand still over her mouth.
Now that was a surprise. A girl who seemed so...normal, aside from little green dog, could actually tell what had just happened to her.
"Yes. You're in the future," Brainiac 5, taking a step forward, just in case the girl did still throw up. He didn't want it on hi-the console. It wouldn't be his anymore. He had to remember that.
"Right. That's why I feel like my insides got turned inside out," the girl muttered, looking away.
"Excuse me, but...who are you? Are you saying you time traveled before?" Bouncng Boy asked.
"I'm Danielle Fenton. I prefer Dani. With an i." Dani said, straightening up, slowly moving her hand away. "And...yeah. It's a long story. Crazy family. If you were in Amity Park, they're th ones who own the house with the neon sign, 'FentonWorks' and the Ops Center on the roof," she explained.
"Oh, hey! They're the ones we got some of the parts from," Triplicate Girl said. "We didn't see you though."
"I've been in Colorado the past week on a personal trip. I was just coming back today," Dani said and the dog at her feet barked. "With Cujo. He was a good dog and helped protect me," Dani said, kneeling down to pet the dog.
"That's not important," Brainiac 5 said. "How did the transporter pick you up?"
"Transporter? Is that what pulled me to you guys?" Dani asked.
"It was keyed into incorporeal forms. You are not," Brainiac 5 said.
Dani paused, looking a bit nervous before she grinned and picked up Cujo. "But you might have picked him up," she said. "He's a ghost. That's why he's green," she said and paused, looking at Brainy. "Aren't...you a ghost? Why didn't you figure that out?"
There was a long, long moment of silence in the room as everyone processed what Dani just said. Ghost? She was claiming her dog was a ghost? And saying Brainy was one? Triplicate Girl and Bouncing Boy looked over at Brainiac 5 to see how he reacted to this rather...odd accusation.
"Ghosts do not exist." Brainiac 5 said flatly.
Dani blinked. Then smirked. "You...were in Amity Park? And you say that? What are you, time traveling tourists?" She asked, chuckling a bit with a shake of her head.
"We are not time traveling tourists. Time travel is not something to be taken lightly," Brainiac 5 said, annoyed that the girl decided to actually LAUGH at his statement. Ghosts did not exist, plain and simple.
"I know. Like I said, I've done it. Though I was hoping the desire to throw up a whole week's worth of food wouldn't be something that happens everytime. Though I had hoped I only had to do it once too," Dani said with a shrug. "So, I can't go back right away, huh? Well, if you're not a ghost, then you're a superhero person, right? Not so sure about you two, but that's definitely a superhero outfit," Dani said, pointing at Bouncing Boy.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Bouncing Boy demanded. The tone sounded a bit too know it all to make it seem like anything good.
"Just that you look more superhero than them. How can you say you're a superhero without skin tight outfits people only wear to conventions if they aren't one?" Dani said. "It's pretty cool, actually. Nice, basic jumpsuit type with goggles. And didn't overdo it with a cape."
"Oh. Well, um, thank you," Bouncing Boy said, a bit surprise by the sudden compliment.
"You two, you could just be normal future people fashion. At least it looks future. This stuff looks more advanced than mom and dad's lab," Dani said, looking around the control room as she put down Cujo. "The only thing weird is you're green." Dani said, pointing to Brainiac 5. She frowned a bit before her eyes suddenly widened. "And if you're not a ghost..."
Brainiac 5 found his personal bubble suddenly invaded as Dani crossed the space between them quickly, took his hands, and her eyes practically SPARKLED as she stared at him.
"You're an alien, aren't you?! Oh my gosh, I've always wanted to meet an alien! You're from outer space? Or are we so far, aliens are born on Earth? Is your species in the solar system no one has been able to see or are you from farther out? Which planet? When did space travel become easy for all of humanity?" Dani asked in rapid succession.
"Yes. Yes. Yes, but I'm not one. I'm from out of the solar system. Colu. And I'm not answering that for the sake of not disrupting the timeline. Please stop invading my personal space," Brainiac 5 answered her questions in order before making his annoyance obvious.
"If aliens are born on Earth...then they're probably everywhere! You have to show me! Pretty please with sugar on top?!" Dani asked.
"I really don't think that would be a wise idea. The effects on the time str-" Brainiac 5 started.
"I can tell you what caused the time distortion. You haven't figured it out, have you? And with the way you talk, I bet that just drives you insane," Dani asked, a knowing smirk on her face.
Brainiac 5 froze. How did she know he didn't figure it out? However, the fact was, he didn't and, admittedly, it did drive him a bit crazy that he couldn't.
"So you know about the town? What about some RV called Technus? Two of our friends got held up by him," Bouncing Boy asked seriously, wanting to know what threat Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf were dealing with.
Dani blinked and rolled her eyes. "Geeze, he took the RV again? I wouldn't worry about it. My cousin, will get him out. This is the fifth time it's happened and he's not far behind the RV. Guaranteed," she said with a dismissive wave. "Besides, if they're heroes, the RV won't do much damage. It's geared to fight ghosts."
"Ghosts do not exist," Brainiac 5 said again.
Dani shook her head. "Sure, sure. But don't worry, they'll be fine as long as they don't get run over. So, can I get a tour?!" She asked, beaming brightly again. "I'll tell you everything you want to know about the Time Distortion and everything~."
"....fine," Brainiac 5 said. "Triplicate Girl ca-"
"I think you're the best person for the job, Brainy," Triplicate Girl said. "After all, you two hit it right off."
"But I have to work on the Time Bubble," Brainiac 5 insisted.
"First we got to get the material. Leave that to us," Triplicate Girl said, dividing into three.
"Boucning Boy, you can't honestly expect me to babys-" Brainiac 5 said, turning to Bouncing Boy.
"Give us a second girls," Bouncing Boy said, grabbing Brainiac 5's arm and leading him away as Dani 'ooed' and 'ahed' at Triplicate Girl. "I think you should go," he said.
"I am not a tour guide," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"No, but you're our smart guy. And that girl obviously knows things about that place. Things like why Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf couldn't get away from the RV in the first place and the time distortion. Things we will need to go know when we go back," Bouncing Boy pointed out.
"Then shouldn't it be someone like Saturn Girl?" Bouncing Boy asked.
"Saturn Girl is still on the Pluto Colony with Lightning Lad. Besides, the girl is giving you the same eyes you always had with Superman. She's totally an alien fangirl. She'd probably tell you everything if you just humor her," Bouncing Boy said with a casual shrug.
"Bouncing Boy....this wouldn't be an attempt to make me stay longer by delaying my work since we can go back to the same moment, is it?" Brainiac 5 asked flatly.
"Now you're just being paranoid. Go on. At least she's cute," Bouncing Boy said with a grin.
"She thinks ghosts are real," Brainiac 5 said in annoyance.
"So do I, but you like me. It won't kill you. Just go. That's an order," Bouncing Boy said. "After all, wasn't it you who said you were no longer a Legionaire after we ALL came back?"
Brainiac 5 gave him a rather dirty look, but didn't make anymore protests. "Fine," he relented and turned towards Dani, who was rather intent on looking between the three triplicate girls.
"You make it seem so easy! And you got different outfits too," Dani commented.
"It's a trade secret with our clothing guy," the purple Triplicate Girl said with a wink.
"Danielle, we shall start your tour," Brainiac 5 said. "If you are no longer feeling ill."
Dani looked over and beamed. "Nope! I'm good. But it's Dani. Danielle is too girly," Dani said, practically skipping over.
~ ~ ~PageBreak~ ~ ~
"You really should not ask me how things work," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"I'm not a scientist and I won't tell my parents," Dani said. "I just like to know how stuff works, not necessarily to make it myself."
Brainiac 5 quirked an eyebrow. "Most people wish to know how things work to make things of a similar nature."
"Not me. I just like to know because I want to know. Or maybe because I want to know how to fix it if it breaks, but this is just what I want to know," Dani said with a wave around the city.
"What is the point of knowing how something is made if you never intend to make it?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"What's the point of knowing about a Time Distortion when you don't have to really deal with it ever again?" Dani asked.
"In case I encounter it again," Brainiac 5 replied easily.
"Then it's a 'just in case I have to know it' sort of thing with me too," Dani replied with a cheeky grin.
Brainiac 5 quirked an eyebrow. Either this girl was being rather intelligent....or an annoying pain. He wasn't quite sure. Especially with her belief of ghosts being so strong. "Speaking of the Time Distortion, how about you exp-" Before Brainiac 5 could finish his question, there was an explosion of a nearby building. His head whipped around, looking at the clearing dust, seeing familiar suited forms. "Scavengers!" He declared. "Danielle, you stay here," he instructed and took to the air.
"It's Dani! Not Danielle!" Dani shouted after him.
Brainiac 5 ignored her, looking at the building. It was a part shop. A small heist for them. They had to be getting desperate. Brainiac 5 flew into the hole, seeing the Scavengers already raiding for parts. Telling them to stop didn't work before.
And admittedly, the advantage of surprise would be better at the moment since he didn't have his robotic limbs anymore. At least he had prepared some weapons for this instance. He pulled out a small ball from a pouch on his belt and threw it forward, letting the flash bomb do it's work before he dove to take down the nearest Scavengers. He took down three with a few decisive blows before a rather annoying distraction appeared.
"Brainy! Taking on a group by yourself isn't exactly smart!" Dani shouted, climbing into the hole.
"Danielle, I told you to stay back!" Brainiac 5 shouted, annoyed.
"And I told you to call me Dani!" Dani shot back, jumping down from the ledge the pile of debris had made.
"And it'll be deadie if you don't surrender, brainboy, and become our prisoner," said the lead Scavenger, a laser pointed at Dani not five feet away from her.
Dani looked at him in surprise and looked as if about to move.
"I wouldn't try anything, girlie," the leader warned, causing Dani to freeze.
"Leave her alone. She's nothing to do with this," Brainiac 5 shouted, his forcefield activating as soon as another Scavenger tried to get the jump on him. He was already analyzing the situation. Where Dani had come in, she couldn't easily jump back up onto the pile. Too much was around her to move easily and not risk tripping. If she had been a Legionaire, maybe, but a normal human?
"Oh, but she's a weakness for you. She's everything to do with this. But we'll let her go....if you become our prisoner. Why, with you around, our tech would have no equal!" The leader said with a slightly mad tint to his voice.
"I won't surrender to you!" Brainiac 5 declared.
"Then she'll die. You really think some girl could dodge a laser? No belt, no ring, she's a civilian. A fan of yours, perhaps? Though, I suppose you could add another death to the countless ones Brainiacs' have made through the centuries," the leader said with a smirk.
THAT made Brainiac 5 freeze. Another death. Another death because of the Brainiacs. He would cause someone to die. After almost killing how many people, how many that had been his friends, just the other week, could he really...?
"He won't hit," Dani said flatly, looking at Brainiac 5.
"Danielle, the probability of you evading a shot from that model of laser cannon from that short a range is so infinitesimally sma-" Brainiac 5 started.
"He. Won't. Hit," Dani said flatly, turning to the leader. "I know it."
Brainiac 5 had to stare. The girl had absolutely no doubt that the shot wouldn't hit her. How could she possibly have such a strong belief? Even a Legionaire would have a bit of doubt, except for maybe Phantom Girl.
"How stupid are you girl? You really think he can save you so far away now that's he's human? You don't have a prayer if he doesn't surrender!" The leader declared.
Dani smirked. "Then fire. This has nothing to do with Brainiac 5. If you hit, it's because you're a cold blooded killer."
"Awww....are you trying to invoke my conscience girlie?" The leader asked with a mocking laugh.
"Then maybe you're just a coward who can't pull the trigger," Dani retorted, the smirk spreading.
The leader glared. "Coward? I'll show you coward. Your funeral, deadie!" The man snapped, pulling the trigger.
Brainiac 5 watched it, seemingly as if everything was slow motion. The blast from the laser leaving the gun, Dani starting to move to duck under it and start moving forward and he could already see it. She wouldn't be fast enough, the shot was too close, she wasn't low enough, she would be hit...
But she wasn't. The blast was about to collide with her and then everything was fast again as the blast hit the debris behind her as Dani took the few steps to close the distance between her and the leader and slammed her elbow into his solar plexus. "The name...is Dani," she said as the man fell back from the hit.
She looked over at Brainiac 5 with a grin. "Told ya!" She said and then whistled, Cujo appearing through the debris. Well, at least now Brainiac 5 knew the dog could phase. "So, Brainy, how about I provide some back up?" She said and looked at Cujo, pointing at the remaining Scavengers. "Sic 'em."
"WHY DO THE GREEN ONES ALWAYS GROW SO BIG?!" A scavenger was wailing in terror a minute later.
"Quite the dog there," Brainiac 5 commented after he and Dani ended up back to back in dealing with the Scavengers.
"Ghost of a guard dog. Was a ghost because he wanted a chew toy, which is why he's a sweetie, but the beast is still in him," Dani said, using Brainiac 5's shoulders as leverage to send a flying kick at a Scavenger's head.
"There's no such things as ghosts," Brainiac 5 insisted as he pulled Dani out of the way of a side attack and swiped the feet under the Scavenger long enough to bring down a chop at the back of his neck to knock him out.
"Keep telling yourself that," Dani said and they separated again to take down the last few Scavenger's Cujo hadn't made his play toy.