Tucker left shortly after breakfast, requesting that the others keep him up to date. Danielle came down just before Tucker left and ate her reheated breakfast quickly. They then gathered in the lab. A few people, seeing the damaged ghost cell, flinched at the sight. Danny grabbed a stool and perched on it and waited for his parents to grab all their equipment.
"I'm telling you guys, I feel fine," he grumbled.
"It doesn't hurt to check," Robin retorted. Danny sighed. Maddie set her equipment down beside him and he obediently held out his arm for her to take a blood sample. She then motioned for him to change forms which he did, not noticing how much brighter his transformation rings were from normal. However Sam, Danielle, Jazz, Maddie and Jack noticed and frowned in concern. Maddie took an ectoplasm sample and sat down with both samples to run the usual check-up tests. Danny pulled on his jumpsuit sleeve and zipped it up once she was done. He sighed softly.
Jack hovered by his wife, taking down muttered findings and discussing them in hushed tones. Sam stood beside her boyfriend and tried to offer her support for him. He was radiating more cold than usual.
"Sweetie… can you make a ghost ray for me? Don't fire, just hold it," Maddie requested. Danny blinked but obeyed. Maddie picked up a device used to measure ecto-radiation and she held it over his ghost ray. She glanced at Jack.
"Elevated by two units," she reported. Jack nodded seriously and jotted down the note.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Danielle asked.
"We're just trying to figure that out dear," Maddie muttered distractedly as she sat down at the microscope again. Danny blinked but left the ghost ray in his hand.
"Mom, can I stop now?" Danny called after a minute. Maddie blinked and glanced at him before humming in confirmation. Danny dissipated the ghost ray and watched his parents with concern. Everyone could see that something was wrong.
"May I help?" Jimmy offered. Jack glanced at the ten year old before shrugging and allowing the boy genius to look over their findings. Jimmy frowned worriedly and stood beside Maddie and engaged her in a hushed conversation filled with scientific terms.
"I feel fine," Danny interjected worriedly. Jack glanced at his son and sighed softly.
"Son, there are side effects of you being forced to wear that collar," Jack began carefully.
"What side effects?" Jazz pressed. Maddie and Jimmy paused in their conversation and turned to the rest of the room.
"Sweetie… because your body adjusted itself during your kidnapping to producing more energy… you are still over normal energy readings," Maddie resumed uncertainly, almost reluctantly.
"Which means, as you get your energy from eating and sleeping, you don't need to do those things anymore. Not without exhausting yourself first. You still need food for your human half as it needs nutrients but you don't require it for energy," Jimmy explained.
"How do we fix it?" Sam asked on Danny's behalf.
"We don't know," Maddie admitted.
"It's a natural thing for Danny's body to do. It's like how we get used to waking up early if we force ourselves, or our body needs more and more exercise as we become accustomed to a certain amount to make a difference. Danny may never be able to reverse this or it might diminish on its own over time. Right now, it's impossible to tell," Jimmy added.
"But don't worry son, we're not gonna give up yet," Jack quickly assured. Danny frowned worriedly and dropped his gaze to his hands. He felt fine. But those people had done more to him than he realised. He might never be able to sleep again! It mightn't be necessarily something he loved but now there was a chance he mightn't be able… he felt terrible. It sickened him. He shut his eyes to stop everyone around him seeing them pulse brighter in his anger. Cheshire and the people she worked for. He wanted to make them pay! They stole his energy, humiliated him, kidnapped him, put his family through hell and now they'd made it potentially impossible for him to sleep ever again. He wasn't used to being in this terribly helpless position. He hated it.
"Danny, we're so sorry," Danielle whispered, guilt for not saving him before he was kidnapped returning full force. Danny shook his head and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
"It's not your fault Dani. It's not any of your fault," he replied in a forced calm voice.
"Danny, we'll help you and we will stop those criminals," Aqualad offered. Danny opened his eyes and turned to the team leader.
"I want to be involved," he decided.
"Danny-" Robin began.
"No Robin. I want to be involved. I don't care if it's not advisable or whatever. They did this to me. They're planning to use ghost energy. This is my business," Danny interrupted sternly. Robin glanced at Aqualad nervously before the Atlantean nodded in agreement.
"Alright. But depending on your parents' and Jimmy's findings, I will determine the role you play in stopping this plot," Aqualad compromised. Danny clenched his jaw and glanced at his parents before reluctantly nodding in agreement. He understood the stipulation. His parents might find that Danny could no longer regulate how he released his energy making his attacks too powerful and cause unintended injury or damage to people or property.
Maddie and Jack took another few readings from Danny, taking his core temperature, human body temperature, pulse and breathing rate, making sure that the collar hadn't caused other health issues. Then Jack, Maddie and Jimmy stayed in the lab to examine the data while the others went upstairs to the living room. Danny told them all his theory on why he was kidnapped and Robin and Aqualad explained what happened and their findings from the previous Hallowe'en, which unfortunately wasn't much. Mostly they just confirmed their suspicions that the Light were behind the entire event. Sam, Jazz and Danielle also informed Danny on everything that happened in his absence. At Danny's insistence, Jazz also explained how many phone calls Fenton Works had received during his absence.
An hour later, Maddie, Jack and Jimmy decided that Danny was safe to be around but he needed to be careful with how much force he put behind his attacks in a fight. With his elevated energy levels, it could mean that he would be stronger than he realises. Jazz told Tucker the verdict. Then Tucker offered to set up a press conference so that Danny could reveal that he was safe and sound. Danny immediately agreed, happy to start putting this entire ordeal behind him and his family. It was decided that Young Justice alone would be given credit for his rescue, Jake and Spud didn't want their involvement to be public knowledge. Jimmy would also give a statement publicly.
It took less than two hours for Tucker to spread the word. It was widely understood that any news on Danny Phantom would be released by either the Fenton's or Mayor Tucker Foley. Danielle and Danny flew invisibly to the town hall while the others split up between the Bioship and the Fenton assault vehicle, Maddie driving to avoid bad publicity and as many road accidents as possible.
"Hey Danny. Jazz told me how you mightn't be able to sleep anymore. Sucks," Tucker sympathised with his friend as they waited for the others to reach Tucker's office. Danny sighed and nodded.
"Yeah. I didn't want to admit that I wasn't fine. I feel normal. But I doubt Jimmy and mom and dad are wrong about this. I just hope it's only temporary," Danny muttered.
"Maybe you could try to exhaust yourself before bed. Remember Jimmy did say you don't need to sleep for energy for now, but if you exhaust yourself then you will," Danielle suggested. Danny hummed in thought.
"Maybe. I'm not sure about that for now though. What if by doing that I make this permanent?" Danny replied. Tucker nodded in understanding.
"Mayor Foley, you have visitors," Tucker's secretary announced through the phone on the mayor's desk. Tucker crossed the room and pressed a button before calling to send them in.
The office quickly filled up. Tucker nibbled his lip, he needed to start whittling down the group for the conference. Danny was a must, Jimmy would be good too, publicly announce that the kid was safe. Then there was Young Justice. They needed at least one representative if not more.
"Ok, can only the people talking at the conference stay here please? The rest should go and wait for the conference to start. So Danny, Jimmy and you guys decide among yourselves," Tucker instructed. The group nodded, Jazz hugging Danny and whispering in his ear to keep a cool head. They knew that his emotions could affect his powers and right now with his elevated energy levels, it could be dangerous. It was decided that Aqualad and Robin would talk during the conference. Aside from Kid Flash, they were the most recognisable of the group and Aqualad was the leader and Robin was their tech support and second-in-command. The rest left the office and found places outside, the rest of Young Justice keeping the Fentons a safe distance from the paparazzi.
Tucker turned to the remaining four. He adjusted his glasses and turned to Danny.
"Do you know how you want to do this? Any idea what you're gonna say?" Tucker asked. Danny hummed in thought and shrugged.
"Not really. I don't want to make this some kind of show and be dramatic about it but I don't want to cause chaos by not leading up to everyone finding out I'm… back," Danny replied, stopping himself from saying alright. He wasn't alright. He was still recovering from his ordeal. There was a real possibility that he would never fully recover. Tucker nodded in understanding. He could see that the news that there were still consequences of his kidnapping was affecting Danny.
"I could open the conference and then Robin and Aqualad can take point and explain what happened yesterday. Then Danny and Jimmy could talk. Jimmy should probably go first because Danny's time at the microphone will probably be a while. Sound good?" Tucker suggested.
"I don't want it to be public knowledge that my energy is still weird. And I'm not sure I want it to be widely known that the Light were stealing my energy either. The Guys in White are still out there and if they hear that, they might get ideas and try something," Danny interjected.
"Perfectly understandable. But we do need to tell them something. We need to give a reason for your kidnapping," Aqualad decided.
"They wanted me out of the way, hoping to start a war with the Ghost Zone," Danny offered.
"Why kidnap Jimmy then?" Robin questioned.
"Technical issues with stolen Guys in White weapons. Everyone already knows I got kidnapped while investigating the Guys in White, it's not a stretch to involve their tech," Danny replied. The group nodded.
"Think you can do that Jimmy?" Tucker asked.
"I'm not a good actor but I can try. It's not too far from the truth though, I just have to not mention what they made me work on," Jimmy reasoned to himself.
"If they try to push you to be more specific, just say you've been sworn to secrecy and we'll cover for you with the rest," Robin added. Jimmy smiled gratefully.
Their plans were made, the cameras were set up outside where a stage had been erected. A podium with a microphone had been set up. The four speakers would wait just inside the Town Hall before being called. Tucker hadn't specified what the conference was before calling the press, as they wanted to announce Danny's rescue as carefully as possible to prevent any chaos. In the gathered crowd no one noticed a pale teenager wearing a dark suit with dark malicious eyes grinning excitedly in anticipation at the stage.
Who is that mysterious person!?
So, yep, Danny's not in perfect health after all.
Any thoughts on what might happen later in the story?
Let me know what you guys think of the story and any theories you have.
Until the next chapter.
