AN: First, a thank you to stick_fight3, GhostKing666, Soului, Stormgirl415, and 100GreenSun for reviewing.
Second, some people might think there's a plothole going on, but it's just part of the plot. Internet cookies for those who figure it out.
Chapter Three: Not Human
Technus laughed manically as he continued to fire at Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf. "You will not be able to escape me! And after you two, the ghost boy! Then with this anti-ghost technology, the world will be mine! Now perish, ghost girl, and let the ghost boy's mourning bring his doom!"
Phantom Girl kept her hold on Timber Wolf, letting another electric blast go through them. There had to be a way out of here! Why weren't her powers working?!
"Except you have ten seconds before the shield runs out of juice, or did you forget to pay attention to power levels?" An echoy voice said from outside the shield as a young man appeared in a black and white hazmat suit with snow white hair and glowing green eyes, floating in the air.
"Power levels? There is plenty of...oh," Technus started before the shield finally started to fade and then die. "Curses! This vehicle lacks the fuel efficiency for my evil plans!" Technus shouted, the RV glowing before Technus appeared above it.
"Try the new model. It gets ten more miles to the gallon. Now, Dani, want me to deal with him or should I....you're not Dani," the floating boy said with a frown.
"Timber Wolf, you want to take a bite out of him?" Phantom Girl asked, looking at her fellow Legionaire, ignoring the obvious statement from the floating boy after she turned tangible again. It was a relief that she could finally stop, the RV no longer a danger. However, she could both feel and hear Timber Wolf's obvious annoyance at the mad scientist wannabe.
"My pleasure," Timber Wolf growled.
"You think your puny claws will do Tec-" Technus started.
"Look! A portable energy stabilizer with a cup holder!" The young man said, pointing away from Timber Wolf.
"What? Where?!" Technus asked, looking away from Timber Wolf to get the jump on him before he could turn intangible. "AH! THE PAIN! THE CLAWING PAIN!"
"Awww, he's having fun," Phantom Girl said with a grin.
"Hey, is he a ghost?" The young man asked. "Your friend, I mean."
Phantom Girl looked at him in confusion. "No..." she said. "Why?"
"Didn't want to suck him into the thermos," The young man said, pulling out a thermos from seemingly nowhere. "Hey, wolf dude, keep him there!"
Timber Wolf nodded, pouncing on Technus as he tried to crawl away. The young man aimed the thermos at the two and in an instance and a flash of bright light, Technus was sucked into the thermos. Timber Wolf looked at the thermos, following Technus' departure. "That's handy."
"Very," the young man said, touching down on the ground, looking between the two. "Judging by the clothes, I'd say you're superheroes. So what's the visit for? Dani and I've got Amity Park covered."
"We're just passing through," Timber Wolf said.
"That is before that guy attacked us," Phantom Girl said and pressed her belt buckle. "Hey, Brainy, we're on our way," she said and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"Brin, try your communicator. I'm not getting through," Phantom Girl said, frowning.
"Hey, you guys there?" Timber Wolf said after pressing his own belt. Still, no response.
"You guys okay?" The young man asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh no....we missed it!" Phantom Girl lamented, smacking her forehead.
"Missed what?"
"Our ride," Timber Wolf growled.
~ ~ ~ Page Break ~ ~ ~
"That was SOOO cool!" Dani declared, beaming happily. "You just went 'WOOSH' right in and started taking out the guys after making them all blind and then I elbowed the leader and Cujo....Cujo, you had lots of fun, didn't ya boy?!" Dani asked, kneeling down to look at the dog.
Cujo barked happily.
"Such a good doggy~!" Dani cooed, patting his head.
"This is a very serious matter, Danielle," Brainiac 5 said in his lecturing tone. "You should have stayed behind."
Dani rolled her eyes. She seemed to enjoy that, Brainiac 5 noticed. "Should have? And let you fight them off yourself? No way," she said and started to walk down the street. "Come on, I still want to see more of the city!"
"Danielle, I don-" Brainiac 5 started again.
"It's Dani," Dani said, stopping and shooting him a look over her shoulder.
"I didn't give you permission to call me Brainy," Brainiac 5 retorted with a bit of his own glare. It was a right reserved for people he might be willing to call friends.
"Then I'll call you Brainiac 5. But if you keep calling me Danielle, I'll call you Brainiac," Dani said with a cold look.
Brainiac 5's glare increased. "You will not," he said flatly.
Dani quirked an eyebrow and looked forward, crossing her arms. "Thought as much. Brainiac is some sort of relation to you, right? You're sensitive about that guy with how you reacted," she commented.
"And that is why you will not call me Brainiac. I am Brainiac 5," he insisted coldly.
"You're sensitive about Brainiac. I'm sensitive about Danielle," Dani said calmly and starting walking again.
Brainiac 5 studied her for a few moments before following. Sensitive to a common name? Yet another odd thing about her. Though not as odd as she had been. Time travel? Could beat up more than the average criminal and relished in it? Somehow moved in an impossible move?
Impossible for a normal human.
Not to mention the green dog. Then something odd she had said, when she first hit Brainy. Ghost sense. What was a ghost sense? Not that ghosts were real, but she seemed surprised it wasn't present when she saw him.
Then there was the fact he STILL imagined her with white hair and green eyes.
No, there was something Dani was hiding, he knew it. And he was going to find out.
"I wish to speak with you about the Time Distortion," Brainiac 5 said that evening after dinner. He had volunteered to show Dani and Cujo to a guest room, which caused quite a stir from everyone else that Brainiac 5 actually VOLUNTEERED to show around a girl who was not the type he usually tolerated. She made jokes and sarcastic remarks, was quite outgoing, and hardly seemed the type to talk physics. While not as annoying as she could be, Brainiac 5 usually preferred people who weren't so...spunky.
Why he did this then? To talk with her alone. He believed he'd get more information out of her that way.
"Hm, not a good idea," Dani said. "I was gonna tell Bouncy about it."
"I am the one who is constructing the Time Bubble to get you back. It is best if I know what conditions we will be going into," Brainiac 5 insisted.
"You won't believe me if I tell you," Dani said.
"You sound certain," Brainiac 5 commented.
"Because it was a ghost," Dani said simply.
"Ghosts do not exist," Brainiac 5 retorted.
"Precisely why I knew you would not believe me. Because ghosts do exist, and there's a ghost whose causing the Time Distortion. His name is Clockwork," Dani said.
"That is impossible. Ghosts do not exist. There is no scientific proof," Brainiac 5 explained like he would to a small child. She honestly could not be serious.
Dani stopped, glaring at him. "I am not a kid and I was sick of hearing that voice when I was one," she growled.
Brainiac 5 scoffed. "You could not remember things from when you were one year old," he said.
Dani smirked. "Says the guy with the big brain. You really want to underestimate the mind?"
Brainiac 5 raised an eyebrow. "Do you propose yourself to be of a higher intellect?"
"No. Actually, I'm pretty stupid. I just have a great memory for things that mean something to me," Dani said, tapping the side of her head.
"Even at age one?"
"Yep."
"Perhaps part of why you are not a normal human?"
Dani paused at that, looking surprised. "....you saw? And you still don't believe in ghosts?"
Brainiac 5 frowned. "What have you done that would make me believe in ghosts?"
"Wait..." Dani looked confused. "What makes you think I'm not human if you didn't see?"
"The green dog that shape shifts and phases and time travel says you're not normal without going into the details. What do you think I saw?" Brainiac 5 asked.
Dani crossed her arms, tilting her head thoughtfully before she smirked. "You know what...I think I'll keep it a secret what I am, since you clearly wouldn't know. I guess we were too small time to be recognized in history."
Brainiac5 glared. "We can't trust you if you are going to play such childish games on serious matters."
"You don't have to trust me," Dani said, turning and starting down the hall. "After all, I can't have a plan if you're the one who teleported me to the Time Bubble. What plan can I have? Now where's my room?"
"The one on your right," Brainiac 5 said coldly, still glaring at her after a momentary pause.
"Thanks," Dani said, turning into the room.
What plans indeed? She was right. Brainiac 5 had been the one to transport her to them. She had no way of knowing about them. However, there was something about her. There was something wrong with this girl. Very, very wrong.
~ ~ ~ Page Break ~ ~ ~
"What choice do we have, but to keep her here? We spirited her away from her home," Bouncing Boy said, using an old term from one of his ancient movies.
"She is not a normal human, Bouncing Boy," Brainiac 5 insisted, following Bouncing Boy down the halls. "She has experienced time travel before and claims that a ghost of all things was making the time distortion. She claims to have the capabilities to remember when she was one year old. Not to mention she somehow dodged a shot that was impossible to dodge by normal means. I theorize that she is really from a time more advanced than the one we picked her up in. A time where she tried to time travel and got stuck there and caused the distortion to get back to the future. It could have drawn the Time Bubble to that place instead of a wrong numerical point being put into the coordinates."
"Then why doesn't she just tell us and ask us to drop her off?" Bouncing Boy asked.
"Because she was doing it for less than noble reasons," Brainiac 5 said.
"She seems like a perfectly nice girl," Bouncing Boy said. "Besides, can you imagine a villain fangirling over superheroes and aliens? Lightning Lad's head grew three times it's size from the praise she gave him."
"It's obviously a ploy. Why else lie about what the RV does? Why with hold information about what makes her not human? Why be evasive whenever anything is asked about her?" Brainiac 5 demanded.
"As I recall, a certain someone didn't like us prying into his past either," Bouncing Boy pointed out.
"That's different. All of you knew the most important part," Brainiac 5 said flatly.
"Your ancestor is hardly the most important part. Except for the fact you can download his memories, your relation to him has no impact on who you are. I mean personal things. Brainiac 5's, YOUR, history. You didn't let anyone get close," Bouncing Boy explained.
"Well, that's because it...wasn't something you needed to know...." Brainiac 5 started, looking away.
"You didn't want to talk about it. Maybe this girl is the same way," Bouncing Boy suggested.
"But the suspicious behavior-" Brainiac 5 started.
"You're being overly paranoid, Brainy. You're listening to instinct, which will be good for you, but for now, try and think about it calmly and rationally, without any suspicions, okay? If you still believe it whole heartedly after you do, then I'll look into it," Bouncing Boy said, putting a hand on Brainy's shoulder. "But you've been through a lot. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Even if she's some evil mastermind," he reassured and then stepped to the side to pat his shoulder. "Now, go on. You're on patrol with Matter Eater Lad."
Brainiac 5 scowled, but left without protest. He had to admit to himself, Bouncing Boy may have had a point. For one thing, he kept feeling like someone was watching him when no one was around. If that wasn't a sign of something off, what was?
"So.....you are planning something with me slowly driving him insane?" Dani asked a minute later from the corner they passed.
Bouncing Boy jumped. "You were there?"
"I'm sneaky," Dani said with a shrug. "So, what's with the act? I told you all about Clockwork. Why not tell him?"
"The same reason you didn't. He won't believe me," Bouncing Boy said with a shrug. "We'd need to show him scientific proof of a ghost. Or so many ghosts he has to accept it."
"That is the odd thing. I haven't been sensing any ghosts," Dani said, looking around.
"You sense ghosts?" Bouncing Boy asked.
"Part of that 'not quite normal' he was talking about," Dani said.
"You gonna tell me what that is?" Bouncing Boy asked, walking back to her hall to give her a raised eyebrow look.
Dani looked at him from her place leaning against the wall. "...I'll tell ya when I tell him. Or there's some dire need I need to tell," she said with a shrug.
Bouncing Boy looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded. "Fair enough," Hr admitted. "Though I'll warn you now, Cosmic Boy might not be so lenient with secrets. I'm only in charge till he get back."
"That's fair. I'll talk to him if it comes up," Dani replied.
"Anyway, there's never been proof of ghosts. There's been speculation and circumstantial evidence, but nothing solid," Bouncing Boy explained.
Dani looked surprised for a moment before she frowned. "Oh. I guess that would make sense for some of it," she muttered, rubbing her chin.
"What would?" Bouncing Boy asked.
"Something Clockwork said. I'd have to look into it," Dani said and stood up straight. "But don't worry. I have no intention on hurting anyone. It's not my style," she said with a wink.
"You know...saying it that way makes me wonder if it is the right idea to trust you," Bouncing Boy said, crossing his arms and quirking an eyebrow.
"Exactly why I do it. Never said I don't like messing with people," Dani said a smirk she threw over her shoulder as she walked away.
~ ~ ~ Page Break ~ ~ ~
"You can't save him."
"I have to kill him if he can't win?"
"He'll die."
"Vlad Masters is a good man."
"I can't accept that!"
"Imperfect."
"You're not meant to exist."
"A mess he won't clean up."
"You must go."
"You live to serve me!"
"You're not human."
"I won't fight you."
"I can't abandon him!"
"DANIELLE!"
Dani jerked awake, bolting upright, breathing heavily. She looked around as she panted, panicking for just a moment as she tried to remember her surroundings. She looked to the side when she felt something wet on her hand and saw Cujo licking it.
She let out a soft sigh and patted his head. "Did I scare you boy? Sorry." she said. Cujo looked at her before climbing into her lap. She smiled, continuing to pet him as he curled up in her lap. "Good boy," she said.
That was right. She and Cujo were in the future. She looked towards the window, seeing the futuristic city outside. "I didn't want to come here," she muttered. "But of course, he knew that. He knew I'd still end up here." She looked down at Cujo, seeing the dog had already fallen back to sleep. "He knows everything."
She gently set the dog down to the side, getting out of bed. She needed to clear her head after a dream like that.
~ ~ ~ Page Break ~ ~ ~
"You're not supposed to be here."
"You're up this late, huh?"
"I was working in the lab. I can't trust you to not look into your future. I asked the museums to alert me if they saw someone fitting your description," Brainiac 5 said as he crossed the final distance between him and Dani.
"I figured that," Dani said, not looking at Brainiac 5, staring at the list in front of her, looking at a specific name. "I just...wanted to see if he could make it."
Brainiac 5 glanced at the list she stared at so intently. Currently, they were standing in the Air and Space Musuem. The list was of astronauts of great acclaim for one reason or another. "Someone you know wants to be an astronaut?"
Dani nodded. "Danny. Daniel. My cousin. And yeah, my family isn't creative with names," she said. "We both wanted to be astronauts. It was impossible for me, but I wanted to see if he could do it. If he could make it into space," she said.
Brainiac 5 scanned the list quickly, looking for the name Fenton or Daniel, eventually spotting it. Apparently a Daniel Fenton had at some point near her time. "It might not be him," he said, looking at Dani, noting her stance.
She was staring at that name with an almost sad look, her arms wrapped around herself like she was cold. She almost seemed....
"Are you upset?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"That's Danny. I know it is. And he did something that got his name here, something that made his mission special," Dani said, her grip tightening around herself. "It's just...the names of The Challenger and The Columbia are also here..."
"How is that important?" Brainiac 5 asked. Apparently they were ship names, but he didn't know what happened to them. After all, a lot of information of that time had been lost after the Crisis.
Dani turned and started to walk. "The crews died. All of them."
Brainiac 5 had to hesitate at that. So she was worried...that her cousin would die? He frowned and followed her. "How can you make such a claim, that he will be the same?"
Dani didn't answer, continuing to walk.
Brainiac 5 waited a minute before speaking again. "You can't stop him from becoming one. He did something that affected history, if his name is there."
"I know," Dani said. "And I'm not. He made sure of that," she said, sounding bitter, scowling. Which was a surprise because she hadn't sounded so...negative, even when she had coldly addressed him as Brainiac to make a point.
"What are you talking about?" Brainiac 5 asked.
Dani looked at Brainiac 5 with a guilty look before looking away. "...if I say, you'll just be upset."
"If it is something that would upset me, then I have to insist that you tell me," Brainiac 5 said.
Dani hesitated. "I..." She shook her head. "No, even if I say, it won't change anything!" She said.
"Danie-Dani, is this about the Time Distortion?" Brainiac 5 demanded, just remembering to use her preferred name. After all, it was important she answer because it would only be something important that could possibly upset Brainiac 5.
"If I tell, you have to promise to take me back," Dani said, looking at Brainiac 5 with a desperate look.
"I will not make any promises without knowing the situation," Brainiac 5 stated flatly. He wasn't up to be easily manipulated.
"And I can't tell unless I know for sure I'm going back," Dani said, still looking desperate, yet determined somehow. "I mean, you have to go back anyway! You can't make them wait forever, right? Those two?"
"It does not matter when we leave. We'll be going back to the same moment we left," Brainiac 5 said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously before he asked, "how can I expect to trust you when all you have done is withhold information and make taunts?"
Dani frowned. "It's my personality," she said. "It's not like I hide it," she said, looking away. "You're the one who pries too much. I already told Bouncing Boy all about Clockwork. Since he'd believe me."
Brainiac 5 was starting to get very annoyed by this talk of ghosts. "Ghosts do not exist. There is no proof they do or a scientific explanation for them," he said.
"You'd know if we didn't have to get rid of the Disasteroid memories," Dani muttered so low Brainiac 5 wasn't sure he heard her right.
"Disasteroid?" Brainiac 5 asked, looking puzzled. That sounded big, but he'd never heard even a rumor of such a thing.
"Something forgotten in time," Dani said, and started walking, not looking at Brainiac 5 again.
"Dani, explain what you mean by 'you'd know if we didn't have to get rid of the Disasteroid memories,'" Brainiac 5 insisted, following her.
"I'm not human," Dani said and turned a corner into an alleyway, for a second leaving Brainiac 5's sight.
When he turned into the alley, opening his mouth to ask what she meant by her previous and current statement only to find it empty. He shut his mouth, getting that feeling of being watched again. "...you've made that painfully obvious."