Jazz massaged her temple tiredly. The phone had been ringing all day in response to the article the reporter wrote after speaking to Jazz. Now every reporter in America was under the impression that they could convince the Fenton family into giving comments for more information. There were a few international reporters too. Danielle was forbidden to speak to the reporters. The first time she answered the phone, she had shouted at the reporter angrily. Fortunately Jazz managed to grab the phone from the girl and stop the reporter taking action. Maddie and Jack tended to stay in the lab the entire time which left Jazz to answer the phone.
Suddenly Jazz's cell phone rang and the teen leapt to answer it. She fumbled with the buttons in her haste.
"Hello?" Jazz answered, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Jazz, Kid Flash here. We're on our way to you now," the voice replied.
"You are? Has something happened?" Jazz retorted in confusion and concern.
"Give me that! Hey, it's Artemis. We found Danny," a female voice snapped before addressing Jazz. Jazz gasped.
"You have!? How is he? Did you find James? Where did you find him?" Jazz questioned.
"Jazz calm down. We'll be there soon. We've got James and Danny's… you'll see. Just be ready for him," Artemis interjected, trying to reassure her.
"What exactly are we getting ready for?" Jazz inquired fearfully.
"He's not injured. We'll explain when we get there," Artemis concluded and hung up. Jazz blinked at the opposite wall before jumping to her feet.
"Dani!" Jazz shouted and began dialling Sam's number.
"What!?" Danielle yelled back.
"Get down here! Sam. They found Danny. He's on his way here. Bring Tucker," Jazz informed the girl as the Goth answered the call. Danielle stomped down the stairs.
"I didn't talk to any press. I swear," Danielle grumbled. Jazz shook her head.
"That's not why I called you. Danny's been found. They're bringing him here," Jazz corrected her adoptive sister. Danielle opened her mouth speechlessly. Jazz passed the girl as she rushed through the kitchen down to the lab to inform their parents.
Danielle watched Jazz leave the living room and only snapped out of her shock when there was a knock at the door. Danielle peeked through the peephole and let Sam and Tucker into the house.
"How's Danny? How long until he gets here?" Sam asked worriedly. Danielle shook her head.
"I don't know. Jazz only told me that Danny's been found and is coming home," Danielle retorted. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the back door. Danielle, Sam and Tucker sprinted into the kitchen while Jazz, Jack and Maddie ran up the stairs from the lab. Jazz reached the door first and wrenched it open.
Aqualad blinked in surprise, his hand still raised to knock.
"Good evening," Aqualad offered as he recovered.
"Danny's with you?" Danielle asked hopefully.
"Yeah, he's in the Bioship. He'll be out in a moment," Aqualad replied. The Atlantean gently pushed his way past Jazz into the kitchen.
"But I feel I ought to warn you. Danny's in a bad way. He's not injured but the people that took him have caused an issue," Aqualad began.
"What? What did they do?" Maddie pressed fearfully. Aqualad held up his hands to appease the mother.
"The people who took him have been… there's no easy way to say it, stealing his energy. But to do that they repressed his energy and stored it in his body. They stopped siphoning it off and it has built up. James believes that if we removed the collar supressing Danny's powers, Danny's energy will become uncontrollable and we may be in danger," Aqualad continued.
Jack scowled furiously. Maddie bit her lip worriedly.
"Those people having been violating my son?!" Jack boomed.
"Dad, it's fine," Danny interjected quickly as he jogged into the room.
"Danny!?" Sam exclaimed happily and rushed forward to embrace her boyfriend. Danny quickly dodged her.
"Bad idea Sam. My energy might be trapped, but I'm still radiating cold," Danny warned. Sam paused, hurt and worry flashing across her face.
"Sorry, I just don't want to hurt you. Any of you," Danny added. Sam nodded, giving him a small smile to say she understood.
Maddie frowned at her son as the rest of the teenagers, including Jake and Spud to Jazz's surprise filed into the house through the back door, away from prying eyes. Danny was shivering and bouncing hyperactively on the spot.
"Sweetie, are you alright?" Maddie ventured worriedly.
"Yeah, dude. I've never seen you like this and I've seen you on sugar highs when we were like five," Tucker agreed.
"It's the energy. I have to get rid of it. It's driving me nuts," Danny replied, tugging at his hair in frustration.
"Don't worry. We'll help you. Just-just tell us how," Jazz assured him. Danny began to pace around the kitchen.
"Danny, we can talk about this? Just calm down," Danielle attempted to soothe her adoptive brother.
"Easier said than done. You have no idea what this is like for me. I feel like I'm being electrocuted without the pain. My skin is crawling with the energy in me. I can't focus on anything else," Danny retorted sharply.
"Easy Danny. Just be patient for a little longer," Sam muttered gently. Danny gave a distracted grunt but didn't stop pacing.
"He's been doing that a while. It's the only way for him to slow down the energy build up," Jimmy interjected, hoping to soothe the others.
"How long exactly?" Maddie pressed worriedly.
"Since his leg healed," Jimmy replied.
"Healed!? What happened?" Maddie demanded, glaring at her son for not telling her he was injured.
"It's not a big deal mom. I'll explain but can we please focus on getting rid of this energy," Danny implored, desperation leaking into his voice. Maddie blinked in surprise before nodding uncertainly.
"Can't we just shoot the collar at a distance? Let Danny release that energy into the sky or something," Sam suggested. A few of the teens starting nodding, considering the suggestion.
"We can't do that," Jake answered.
"Why not?" Danielle retorted.
"Because of the needle," Danny told her.
"Needle? What needle?" Robin questioned worriedly.
"There's a needle in the collar, poking into Danny's neck. The collar works by trapping the energy inside Danny, the needle filtered the energy out into a power unit to be taken," Zatanna recalled.
"So someone needs to take the collar off carefully," Artemis added.
"Understood. But how? Someone will need to be close to Danny and with all that energy…" Aqualad muttered, trailing off in thought.
"I can get someone close. I'll just turn intangible when the collar's removed," Danielle offered. Everyone glanced at each other but no one could think of a reason to refuse Danielle's offer.
"Alright. Then who's going to remove the collar?" Jazz asked the group, glancing at the frantically pacing Danny worriedly.
"I think we should instantly discount people who aren't good with tech," Miss Martian put in. There was a round of muttered agreement.
"So, who here's good with tech?" Rocket resumed, looking around the room.
"Tucker's good with tech," Sam mentioned.
"I dunno Sam. I can hack. Engineering technology is different. And I've never worked with anything that high tech before," Tucker interjected with a concerned look at his friend.
"So Tucker's out. I'm pretty good with technology. And I have a lot of experience defusing villain weapons and stuff," Robin remarked.
"I've studied the power units used in tandem with the collar at length. I wasn't allowed to look at schematics but I did do a preliminary examination of the collar in our cell," Jimmy pointed out, stepping forward.
"I could probably figure it out but it'd take time and Danny would have to stay still in order for me to look at the collar," Spud commented. Aqualad considered Spud, Robin and Jimmy.
"I think it's too dangerous to ask either James or… Spud was it? It's too dangerous for either of them. James, tell Robin what you know but I want Robin to remove the collar," Aqualad decided.
"We have who. Now where?" Jake surmised, turning to the Fentons, cutting off Jimmy's protests.
"Ghost containment cell," Maddie instantly answered.
"What?" Kid Flash retorted in confusion.
"It's a cell we made to hold large specimens for study. We've tested it and it can withstand one of Danny's ghostly wails," Jack elaborated.
"I have more energy than that right now dad," Danny called, surprising everyone as they had thought the halfa wasn't listening.
"We can have the lab evacuated as well. The walls are lined with anti-ghost metal and resins. Maybe not enough to stop a ghost phasing through but probably enough to dissipate the escaped energy," Maddie offered. Danny gave a distracted nod.
"Guess that's all we can do. Can we do it now? Please?" Danny begged.
"Alright Danny. Just wait a little longer," Jazz soothed her brother. Danny grabbed his hair and stomped down the stairs to the lab.
"I'll be down here," Danny called over his shoulder. Danielle bit her lip with concern.
"I'll give him some company," she mumbled before running after him.
"I think the sooner we help Danny, the better. He's really wound up," Sam remarked worriedly. Robin nodded and pulled Jimmy to one side for the ten year old to give his pointers to the boy wonder.
Danielle scanned the lab and found Danny doing push ups in the glass-walled cell. She watched him for a few seconds before crossing the room and sitting cross-legged in the cell a respectful distance from Danny.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly. Danny shook his head slightly as he continued exercising.
"I'm sorry. For not holding on to you tight enough," Danielle blurted out. Danny paused before resuming his frantic push ups.
"Not your fault Dani. So don't blame yourself. If you and Sam hadn't let go, you would've been kidnapped too," Danny replied. Both halfas fell silent, Danielle watching her adoptive brother as he exercised.
A few minutes later Robin came into the lab, the lab door was shut and barred behind him. The boy wonder walked down the stairs, carefully taking in the metal lab and entered the glass cell. Danielle got to her feet as he entered and locked the door behind him. She then changed into her ghost form. Robin sighed softly and pulled out a small fabric roll that held a few tools such as screwdrivers and wrenches.
"Danny, can you sit up for me and let me look at the collar?" Robin requested. Danny jumped to his feet and turned to Robin.
"Fair warning, staying still is really hard for me right now. I'll try to stay as still as possible but I can't guarantee that I'll be motionless," Danny replied before dropping into a seated position on the floor.
"I understand Danny. I promise, I'll get that collar off as quickly as possible. James told me what he knew so I'm not starting with nothing," Robin assured the teen and knelt beside Danny. Danielle hovered behind Robin, keeping a ready hand over the caped teen's shoulder.
Danny chewed his lip, tapped his fingers and wriggled his crossed feet almost continuously but he kept his neck motionless for Robin. Robin examined the collar and noted the characteristics Jimmy pointed out. The thick metal. Almost imperceptible hinges. The tiny key hole, so small it would be nearly impossible to pick without the proper equipment, which Robin didn't have on his person. Robin had full sized lock picking gear.
"Where's the needle?" Robin asked after a minute of silence. Danny twisted his neck to the side and winced before putting a finger to the right side of his neck.
"There," he answered. Robin bit his lip and nodded. Robin shuffled around to make it easier to reach the needle's location, Danielle following him dutifully.
Robin grabbed his screwdriver and began to unscrew the hinges with difficulty. The slight tinkling of metal hitting the ground told the three teens that the tiny screws had been freed. Robin then pulled the collar off partially, making sure to not jostle the needle still implanted in Danny's neck.
"Ready? This could hurt," Robin warned. Danielle placed a firm hand on Robin's shoulder and spread her intangibility over herself and Robin up to his hands. They had no clue what would happen once the needle was removed. Danny might be able to let the energy out in a controlled manner or it might explode out of him. Danny grunted in answer and shifted himself into a ready position. Danielle could tell what he was planning. He would try to hold back the energy long enough to rush to the other side of the cell to protect them. The cell was phase-proof which meant without opening the door, all three teens were trapped in this cell with a potentially volatile half-ghost. Robin shifted his position also and with one fluid movement, he pulled the inch long needle out of Danny's neck.
Yep, love cliff-hangers.
What do you think will happen? Will Danielle be able to protect herself and Robin? Will Danny be okay?
Let me know what you guys think. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions.
Until the next chapter.
