Me: I don't want to!
Friend: You have to! You're already here, and you probably won't be able to finish all of them in time.
Me: *Sigh* Fine. *Turns to semi-controlled mob* Okay everyone, here's the deal. I was planning on having a new chapter for every one of my stories-including the ones on hiatus- up by Christmas. Obviously, that didn't happen. So I decided that I would try to get it done before Christmas break is over, but now that's seeming a bit out of reach. So here's what I'm gonna do. Now that you guys know I'm lifting the hiatus, I will update each story as I finish it's chapter. *Looks at friend* How was that?
Friend: Good. But you forgot one thing. *Points in a not subtle way at my PM's*
Me: *Blushes* Oh, right. Regarding my update schedule, the reason there are such long gaps between the chapters published is because I'm writing all my stories as I go. Unlike the actually smart people on this website, I usually upload the first chapter of a story without any plan on where it's going or what will happen. Yeah, I'm a little silly that way.
Friend: If by silly you mean you're a total idiot, I agree.
Me: Hey, don't be mean! Don't forget who saved you from that almost fatal arrow wound!
Friend: It's your fault I was shot in the first place!
Me: Besides the point! What I mean is I don't have a release schedule for chapters because the chapters aren't written yet. This is also the reason I usually end on awful cliffhangers.
Friend: You also do it to torture your audience.
Me: SILENCE! *Awkward cough* Hopefully that answers all your questions. Enjoy the chapter! *Teleports with friend to brand new fallout shelter I received for Christmas* Merry Christmas! Cake for all!
Wally sat with his head in his hands, his heart lower than a stone. That was by far the worst scolding that they had ever received from Batman. Usually he could get over a scolding pretty fast. Heck, he made it his mission to be as lighthearted as possible. But the one he had just gone through? It was going to take a lot of bad puns and junk food to make him feel okay again.
The door swung open, and Wally quickly changed his stance to one of unworried laziness. Whoever was coming through that door, there was no need for them to see him down. He was, after all, the shining star of positivity in this group. At least, that's what he liked to think.
It was M'gann. Wally grinned to himself. She always seemed to be there when he needed someone to talk to. "Well hey beautiful. How's life treating you?"
M'gann jumped, turning to look at Wally. "Oh, Wally! I- I didn't see you there!" She bit her lip.
"No problem babe." Flash said cheerily. "How's it going?"
M'gann sighed. "I'm worried about the boy we rescued. What if the league hadn't been there when we came out?"
"We wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble." Superboy had come in as well, still a bit miffed that Aqualad had been the cause of such a tongue lashing.
"He'll simmer down." Flash said carelessly.
"As long as we don't make the same mistake again, yeah. He will." Flash jumped and turned to see Robin. How had he gotten in without anyone noticing? Flash nearly facepalmed. Right, Batman's prodigy.
M'gann shrugged. "I guess you're right. I guess I'm just worried about Danny."
That put a damper in everyone's mood. They had only just met the kid, but they all felt a deep sense of responsibility for what had happened. That maybe he wouldn't have been in such terrible condition if they had been more responsible.
"You need not worry, friends." Aqualad entered the room, followed closely by Artemis. "Daniel is going to recover."
M'gann perked up. "He's okay?"
Artemis snorted. "If by okay you mean konked out in a hospital bed for the next several hours, sure."
M'gann took that as a good sign, sighing with relief. Kid chose that moment to jump into the conversation, asking, "Can we see him?"
Artemis scowled, clearly unhappy. It was Aqualad who revealed why. "No, Batman said that he needs to wake up on his own."
-Line break-
So, his body had seen fit to knock him out again. Whoopty freakin doo.
Danny opened his eyes, instantly on alert as he realized that something was different. Firstly, he was in a bed. The GIW never let him near anything even vaguely this comfortable. Secondly, it smelled like anesthetic. The day that the GIW gave him anesthetic would be the same day the Box Ghost ate tofu. (It's a great comparison, shut up.) Thirdly- well, there were way too many things to keep narrowing it down to a list.
Danny screwed up his face and sluggishly went through his memory, trying to piece together how he'd come to be on something so deliciously soft. Let's see- blood blossom extract, crazy escape plan, stupid ghosts, Skulker-
It all came rushing back. The other kids- were they okay? Had they all gotten out? With a gasp of recognition, he rolled to the side, falling off the bed in an attempt to get up faster. He scrambled up, only to fall over again as his legs caught in the blanket.
Danny paused and took a deep breath. Okay, this wasn't working. He had to calm down, or he was going to continue making a fool of himself to the person behind the camera. Of course, he couldn't be sure there was a camera, but it was better to just assume.
Danny took several deep breaths. Okay, time to try again. He slowly pulled his legs toward himself, disentangling himself from the sheets. He started to stand, feeling around for something to guide him. His fingers collided with a desk corner, and he pulled back with a pained hiss. With a growl of frustration, he moved even slower than before, gripping the edge of the table and pulling himself to his feet. He makes mumbled a few Esperantion swear words under his breath, cursing the fact that he had to move like a grandma to keep from hurting himself. Seriously, why did things always seem to be in his way now that he couldn't see?
He hesitantly felt around the desk, searching for clues about how he got there. He could probably safely assume that they had gotten away and taken him someplace else, but where? And was he really safe? Could this all just be some elaborate ruse by the GIW to lure him into a false sense of security? They weren't usually that clever, but it wouldn't be too much of a stretch.
Danny's hand felt a vase of flowers, a paper, and a syringe. Nothing to give him any insight on the current situation. At another time, he might have been able to read the paper, but that obviously wasn't an option. He needs to find something else, something more informative.
His stomach had other idea's. The second he took a step in another direction, he felt it begin to heave. Danny fell to his knees, shaking as he vomited on the floor. He knew what his body was doing. It was trying to expel all of the chemicals that Z had stuffed inside him. He also knew that he was likely going to be in this position for awhile, considering what Z had done to him. He threw up again, eyes shut tight against the waves of pain coursing through his body. Getting anything blood blossom related out of his system was akin to having red hot needles pumped through his bloodstream, and ghost nip was definitely in that category.
He heard a door open, but he was too busy to look up. He started to throw up again, but there was nothing left in his stomach. He retched violently, eyes pooling with unshed tears.
He felt a hand on his back, and he jerked slightly, his heart thumping. It felt like a gloved hand, and it was strong. Stronger than he was right now, at least. The hand rubbed his back comfortingly, and although he didn't know who it was, he was grateful that they were there. He coughed, bile making his mouth burn. He shivered and continued to cough, his body wracked with increasing pain as his body tried to rid itself of the toxins inside it. There were two hands now, one on each of his shoulders. They pulled him slightly more upright, making the coughing just a little less painful. Whoever this person was obviously wasn't there to hurt him. If they were, they'd probably be laughing and pushing him to the ground, and then kicking him while he was down.
He wasn't sure how long it was before he stopped dry heaving, but it felt like forever. He panted, almost wishing he'd pass out again so he could have a break from this pain. He took a shuddering breath, finally managing to croak, "Sorry... if I... got any bodily fluids on you clothes."
"Don't worry about it." The voice was deep and husky, the kind of voice you hear from someone in authority. Ordinarily, Danny might have been wary of that kind of voice. But considering that he hadn't taken advantage of Danny when he was at his weakest, he figured it was okay to trust for now. "Who... who are you?"
"My real name is for me to know. You can call me Batman."
If he wasn't so weak, Danny probably would have collapsed on the floor laughing. As it was, he could only manage a few weak chuckles. "Batman? You can't be serious."
Instead of answering, Danny was lifted up off of the floor. He wanted to protest, but he couldn't bring himself to care. If something bad was going to happen, so be it. It probably wasn't half as bad as what the GIW would do when they found him.
He was set on the edge of the bed, and he almost fell backward before he jerked upright again. Now wasn't the time for premature napping. He could hear the man,"Batman", moving around the room. He tried to track which way he was going, but his increasing wooziness made that impossible. He vaguely heard a tap running, but even that was hard through the fog in his head.
The footsteps approached him, and a hand touched his knee. Despite himself, Danny flinched slightly. The man noticed and said in a reassuring voice, "I've got some water for you. Can you hold it by yourself?"
Danny bit his lip. "I... I don't know..." That was the honest truth. He had no idea if he could hold anything himself.
"Why don't you try?" The man said encouragingly, taking one of Danny's hands and placing it on a cool glass surface, presumably a cup. After a moment of hesitation, Danny brought up his other hand. He took it from the man, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he raised it to his lips. It was very hard to do this, as his body was extremely weak from it's recent purge. As he almost spilled it over his nose, he felt it steady slightly as the man grabbed the edge. The man grabbed it just hard enough to steady it, but not hard enough to make it easy for him. Danny was glad. He didn't like it when something was given for free. You never got anything for free in this world.
After several swallows, he pulled the glass away from his face and felt for the desk. Eventually finding it, he set it down. He laced his fingers together on his lap. "So... you want me to think you're Batman, huh?"
"I am Batman."
Danny rolled his eyes, despite the action being covered by his bandages. "Right. And I'm a freakin shark." He coughed slightly, managing to get it under control before his body tried to eject his lungs though his throat.
There was a moment of silence, then Danny felt his hands being grabbed again. The man lifted them upward, and Danny felt a chiseled face. There was a firm jawline and sharp eyes, and as Danny felt upward, he found a pair of sharp ears jutting upward. He cocked his head to one side. "You've got the costume right."
"I would think so. I made the original."
Danny licked his lips. "Hmm..." He said. "Assuming that you are Batman, why are you here?"
There was a moment of silence. "Do you know who saved you?"
Danny considered for a moment. It was probably safe to disclose this bit of information. "Not really."
Danny heard cloth scraping, and he assumed the man was nodding. "I thought as much. I assume you've heard of the Justice League?"
Danny gave a quiet laugh. "Who hasn't? They're practically gods. At least..." He bowed his head a little, and quietly said, "At least, that's how it was... back home." Tears came to his eyes, and he took in several breaths through his nose. Don't cry, not now. Breath, breath, better.
"Then you would also know of our protégés?"
Danny nodded, still trying to cover up the pain he had unintentionally caused himself.
"Several months ago, our protégés created a covert team. A team to operate on the sly, or a sort of contingency plan should the Justice League fail against a threat. You were saved by this team."
"Okay..." Danny swallowed thickly, before taking a deep breath and folding his arms. "I guess you want me to answer some questions."
"It would be helpful."
"Hmmm." Danny said. There wasn't really much else he could think to say.
"We're trying to form a case to shut the GIW down. Your input could be the difference between losing and winning."
Danny snorted in spite of himself. "My word won't help you much. Everything they did to me was legal under the law."
"Not anymore."
Danny frowned. "What do you mean? Their government. They can do pretty much whatever they want."
"They were expelled from the government nearly three months ago. At the moment, they're being privately funded by Vladimir Masters."
Danny's eyes narrowed. "Vlad." He growled, fists clenching by his sides. He coughed again, the growl having disturbed the delicate treaty his body has made with itself. It eventually subsided, leaving him slightly out of breath.
"I take it that you know him." The man said, deadpan as ever.
Danny scowled. "You could say that."
"Yes, there's quite a bit about him in your file."
Danny stiffened. "My what?" He heard the flipping of pages, then the man spoke. "The file the GIW wrote for you. I imagine it's highly inaccurate."
Danny remained tensed, not sure what to think of the fact that this man probably knew a lot about him. He tried to stay calm, sarcastically replying, "Depends. I'd say there's plenty of accurate information about what my organs look like outside my body."
There was a moment of silence, and Danny got the distinct impression that the man had an eyebrow raised. "I see." Came the reply. "Then I suppose the details on your alter ego are also true?"
Danny's heart froze, and his head jerked upward. Then he deflated, one hand running through his hair. "I suppose it was a bit obvious, huh?" He sighed. Using his first name in both his identities seemed very stupid in hindsight. Should have done something cool, like Spirit or Specter or something. But no, he decided it would be a great idea to shout his first name to every reporter in town. He was lucky almost everyone in town was an idiot.
"It was only a theory. Now I know for sure."
Danny face palmed.
The man chuckled. "Although, I still have questions about how a half ghost could exist."
Danny could feel frustration growing inside him. "And what questions are those?" He grumbled.
"How did it happen?"
Danny frowned. He thought that this man was a little to comfortable in his current position. "Why should I tell you?" He said suspiciously, suddenly conscious of how exposed he was to an attack.
To his surprise, the man conceded the point. "I suppose you don't have a reason. I do expect an explanation for your crimes as Phantom."
"That wasn't me!" Danny snapped before he could stop himself. He bit his lip and amended the statement. "Well, it kind of was. Well, actually no-" He groaned and massages his temples, trying to remember what it was like to properly interact with someone. "It's complicated."
"I've got time."
Danny gave a sour laugh. "Well, I guess I have time too." He sarcastically waved his arm. "Ask away, Mr. Batman."
Danny heard another page flip, then the man began. "There was a recorded incident of you kidnapping the mayor-"
"Uuuugh!" Danny face palmed, fairly certain that if there had been a wall around, he would have slammed his head against it. "Okay, here's a question. If you are Batman, supposedly the greatest detective on the planet, then how did you not notice that the mayor's eyes were glowing red throughout the entire exchange!?"
"I did notice, actually. I was about to ask you why that was."
Danny blinked beneath the bandages. "Oh." He said, having the grace to look embarrassed.
There was an awkward moment of silence, then the man said, "You have an explanation?"
Danny hesitated, not sure what to reveal. Then he sighed. If this man knew that he was half ghost, it was safe to assume that he knew a good amount about ghosts in general. "He was overshadowed."
"Overshadowed?"
"Possessed." Danny elaborated. "A ghost named Walker was mad at me for causing his prison to riot, so he decided to 'make my own world my prison'." He felt his heart prick at the memory. "He overshadowed the mare and everyone else, making me a target. Then he possessed the mayor and made it look like I kidnapped him." His throat began to close at the memory, and despite his best efforts, his voice quivered slightly. "With the help of m-my friends, I stopped him." He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to drive thoughts of them from his mind. They're gone, nothing can change that! He screamed inwardly. Stop wishing for something that can't happen!
"So you had many enemies?" The man said, and Danny nodded, still having trouble with his emotions and not trusting himself to speak. "I assume something similar happened with your subsequent robbing of the community."
Danny took a shaky breath. "Kind of." He muttered. He paused, knowing that the man was waiting for an answer but unsure of how to dance around the subject of his family. Finally he said, "There was a ringmaster in a traveling circus. Everyone thought he was just this creepy guy, but he turned out to be this psychotic dude with a ghost hypnotizing staff. He hypnotized me, and made me do all his dirty work. And then..." He trailed off, biting his lip. "My friends broke his control..." He stopped, unable to continue without betraying his feelings.
A small pause. "I see." The man seemed to ponder for a moment. "You seem to enjoy your hero work."
Danny inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "Yeah, I did enjoy it." He turned his head away, seeming to stare off into space. "Back when I... actually did it."
"Well, would you like to do it again?"
Danny, still lost in memory lane, sighed in a resigned way and said, "I would if I could, but my powers are virtually useless without sight."
"I think I may be able to help with that."
Me: Whew, that was hard!
Friend: You skipped one of the most interesting parts!
Me: What? Batman chewing out the team? We've seen it in the actual show, and I couldn't do it justice without copying. Besides, don't you love time skips?
Friend: Not really.
Me: What's that? It's hard to hear you over the sound of only semisatisfied readers!
Friend: Why semi satisfied?
Me: They'll want more from me immediately. It's how things work.
Friend: Well, you better update the other story, then.
Me: That I shall! Guard the fortress while I'm gone!
Friend: *Purposefully pushes vase off desk* Sure thing.
Me: *Sigh* You're never going to forgive me for that arrow thing, are you?
Friend: Nope.
Me: *Sighs again* Well, see you guys later. Happy NEW year!
Friend: Obvious hint on which story will be updated next is obvious.
Me: Shut up.
