DISCLAIMER: I own neither Teen Titans nor Danny Phantom. Mr. Robinson is mine, though.
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Chapter 9: Tentative Allies
To make it easier, Danny landed on the asphalt, hooking the thermos back on his belt. Just as he did so, Robin opened his mouth to say something. It looked like this would go peacefully.
Then: 'Crud. I forgot about Mr. Robinson.'
Danny was fretting over Mr. Robinson just as Robin began to speak. "Thanks for taking care of the ghost."
"No problem," Danny replied automatically. It had sounded an awful lot like Robin had to bite out that thanks. Still, at least he had even bothered to thank Danny. Most people instantly attacked him even after he took care of the problem. But that was before the whole asteroid fiasco. Now they all cheered.
"You didn't have to do it," Robin went on. "We had it all in hand."
Danny raised an eyebrow, astonished. "You had it in hand? From where I stood, it sure looked like you guys were getting your butts handed to you."
Robin flushed angrily, opening his mouth but shutting it when Cyborg nudged him in the side. "We were getting the job done," he said through gritted teeth, sounding somewhat polite.
It was then that Danny noticed that Raven was still entangled in Beast Boy's loving embrace. "You guys good over there? Raven doesn't look too comfortable."
As he was joking around, Danny quickly made an invisible duplicate, sending it off to check on Mr. Robinson. The way things were going here, it was obvious that he would have to be extremely lucky to get to him soon. His parents' practices were coming in handy here…
"Thank you for noticing," Raven said sarcastically. "Ember placed a spell on Beast Boy and I can't lift it."
Danny recognized it as being the love spell he himself had fallen under. "I know the love spell you're talking about. It's not exactly one of Ember's better known tactics but it's still annoying."
"Do you know how to free Beast Boy from it?" Starfire asked.
"Sure. Since it looks like he's fallen for Raven, all it really requires is that she has to seem to 'like' "—he used the quotation marks here—"another guy."
He couldn't tell but it looked like Raven was faintly disgusted. "Are you serious?"
"Sadly enough," Danny replied, shrugging. "I had a problem with it myself. The only way I snapped out of it was when the friend I'd fallen for kissed another guy."
"So I have to kiss one of my friends?" She was definitely disgusted now.
"I think hugging might work, too," Danny said thoughtfully. "It's only happened once before as far as I know."
Beast Boy transformed back then, still hugging Raven ferociously. "Hey, dude," he said lazily, showing Danny the "peace" sign. "How's it going?"
"Do you mind letting go of me?" Raven asked, a dangerous tone creeping into her voice.
"But I don't want to!" Beast Boy whined, sounding like a little kid. "You're so warm!"
"I'd do it now," Danny advised, seeing that Raven was slowly losing her temper. "Especially if you don't want to hurt him for something that he's not even in control of."
With that thought in mind, Raven twisted out of Beast Boy's arms in one fluid movement and went straight up to Starfire, flipping her hood back and kissing the alien on the cheek, wrapping her arms around the teen in a tight hug. Danny was momentarily taken aback until he saw Beast Boy's reaction to the sight.
The green changeling had huge eyes and was gaping at the scene before him. "Wh-what?"
Raven drew away from Starfire, looking at Beast Boy. "Did it work?"
"I…don't think so," Danny said slowly, still observing Beast Boy.
"Why not? I did kiss another—"
"Dude! She's even sweeter now!" Beast Boy jumped up, pumped a fist in the air, and leapt for Raven.
"Ugh!" Raven sidestepped him and went for Cyborg, yanking the surprised half-robot's head down and kissing him smack on the lips. She drew back a second later, wiping her mouth clean. "Done?"
It was done all right. Beast Boy looked heartbroken, staring at Raven as if she had just betrayed him. "But…but…no way!" He started waving his hands around. "How can she like Cyborg? She doesn't even get along with him!"
Danny went up to Beast Boy, seeing as how the other Titans weren't sure how to handle him. He placed a gloved hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, careful to keep his ecto-electricity in check. "Back yet?"
Beast Boy seemed confused, answering Danny without even thinking. "What happened?"
Danny looked at the others but none seemed willing to offer any information. He hedged a bit on replying. "I don't think you want to know."
"Why does Raven look creeped out by me?" Beast Boy was disconcerted. "And why does my chest feel like it was torn in two and randomly patched together?"
"Do you not remember anything?" Danny asked cautiously. 'I remembered everything.'
"Dude! It's you!" Beast Boy's eyes bugged out upon seeing Danny.
"Uh…yes?" Danny was taken aback. 'Did he not recognize me earlier?'
"You can give my brain a jump start!" Beast Boy gestured wildly.
Danny took several steps back. "No, thanks." Upon remembering his new power, which had temporarily been forgotten, he could feel it under his skin again. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Back off, Beast Boy," Robin said, stepping forward. "It's not important if you remember."
Beast Boy turned around, looking at his friends. His eyes landed on Starfire before they went back to Raven. He repeated this movement several times. Then he spoke. "Hey, was it my imagination or did Raven hug and kiss Starfire?" He saw Cyborg and jabbed a finger in his direction. "She kissed you!"
"Not what I wanted to do," Raven murmured, grimacing as she remembered it.
Even the good-natured arguing among the Titans couldn't distract Danny enough. There was only one thing left to do and he hoped it would work. "Would you guys excuse me a moment?"
Before Robin could object or agree, Danny had teleported to a lamppost. He touched it, releasing the ecto-electricity that had been building up. The light bulb flickered green and then exploded, raining shards on the street. The rest of the lamp soon followed in color but not with exploding. Instead, the head whipped around and hit Danny, only to slide through his suddenly intangible lower body.
All the Titans' jaws were touching the ground at this scene. An animated lamppost? It didn't seem possible, even after everything they'd seen in the last twenty-four hours.
What was even stranger was how Danny just sucked it up in his thermos, looking tired. He teleported back to the group.
"Sorry. I hope its disappearance won't inconvenience you." Danny shrugged apologetically, putting the thermos back on his belt. He was feeling much better now. This ecto-electricity was going to become a problem if he couldn't learn how to control it.
"I-it's fine," Robin stammered, still recovering from the shock.
"If you don't mind me asking," Raven said, "how did that happen?"
"I don't know," Danny replied honestly.
"How can one not know how one's powers work?" Cyborg inquired incredulously.
Danny hesitated slightly here. He couldn't tell them what he feared. He didn't know them at all and it could just make things worse. He finally settled on a shrug.
Robin frowned. Danny's reply was another black mark against him in his book. Who wanted to keep something hidden unless it was worth it?
Raven was kinder, having seen the wary look in his eyes. She could fully sympathize with him about feeling wary against a group of teens that he had just met. The case was eerily similar to Terra's but not quite. Something was missing. A key piece that just kept evading Raven.
It was Starfire who finally broke the tense silence. "It is quite all right, friend," she said kindly. "No one entirely knows how their powers work."
"Yeah. Thanks," Danny said, relieved. His method of cracking jokes to relieve the tension probably wouldn't have bowled over well at all.
"Do you think you can come to the tower with us?" Robin asked, sounding as if he'd rather order Danny than just ask him politely.
Danny's first thought was 'Tower?' before he saw what they were talking about. 'Wow. Talk about obvious. It's practically screaming, "I'm right here!" '
"Well?" Robin said impatiently, the five second delay too much for him.
"I…don't see why not," Danny answered cautiously. 'I don't think I'll have to work. Besides, my duplicate can take care of that if I do.'
Starfire bounced over to Danny much to Robin's alarm. "Terrific!" She beamed at him. "We will have much fun!"
"Yes?" Danny was at a loss for what to say. That reminded him. Had she called him "friend"?
He took a closer look at the Titans, suddenly apprehensive. Maybe going in with them wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Oh yeah," Cyborg said, staring sternly at Danny. "Hands off my babies. I don't want them turning alive."
Danny blinked. "Huh?"
Beast Boy stood next to Cyborg, grinning. "He means his electronics!"
Okay… Maybe not such a good idea at all… Danny gulped.
The duplicate Danny that had been sent off landed behind a car and transformed back. He was right in front of the shop. A look at his surroundings showed that Mr. Robinson hadn't made it out, a worrying fact.
Danny ran over to the entrance, which was a gaping hole, and looked inside. It was being blocked off by bookshelves, concrete, and a jumble of stuff he couldn't identify.
"Mr. Robinson?" he called nervously. "Are you all right?"
There was no sound for a couple of moments. Then, just as he was starting to get really worried, he heard a series of racking coughs.
"Mr. Robinson!" Danny went to the jumble of stuff, trying to find his employer.
"I'm perfectly fine," came a reply. "The dust just got into my lungs."
"I'll get you out," Danny promised, inconspicuously shifting objects using his intangibility.
"Oh no!" Mr. Robinson protested. "You shouldn't try to move anything!"
"Too late." Danny moved a broken chair and walked into the shop, literally stumbling into the shopkeeper when he tripped over something. "Oof!"
He caught himself before falling onto Mr. Robinson. Then he began inspecting him for injuries.
"I am quite fine," Mr. Robinson assured him. "But I must ask about you. I hope you didn't fight."
"Oh, I didn't," Danny lied. "I had a fine lunch break. I even came back before I said I would. See?" Sure enough, the clock said 1:29.
Mr. Robinson looked at him. "In that case, I hope the Titans dealt with whoever made this atrocious mess."
"They did. It was over before I knew it." Danny thought about saying that he couldn't even finish his meal but decided against it. That would be laying it on too thick.
"Hmm." Mr. Robinson scrutinized Danny. "Are you sure?"
'Does he suspect something?' Danny barely stopped himself from shifting nervously. "Absolutely."
Mr. Robinson opened his mouth, only to break into a fit of coughing.
Danny took this as his cue. "Come on," he urged. "Let's get outta here."
The old man didn't protest, just stopping long enough to pick up the doll that was still worrying Danny. If Mr. Robinson noticed Danny's look he didn't say anything. He was quiet until out in the open. Both of them took deep breaths; one of relief and the other simply to enjoy.
It therefore came as a surprise when Mr. Robinson spoke. "I won't ask about anything yet, Danny. Just know that this old man has his share of secrets as well and knows that you didn't just take a lunch break."
Danny hid a gulp, inclining his head to show he'd heard. 'This is not good.'
Mr. Robinson smiled at Danny before turning back to the shop. "This is going to take a while to fix."
"What about the other shopkeepers?" Danny asked. "Are they stuck inside their stores?"
Mr. Robinson shook his head. "These are apartments. The shops are behind us across the street."
'Apartments in the middle of the city like this? Jump City is weird…' Danny remained quiet as Mr. Robinson began muttering about repairs and money. 'And what did he mean about his own secrets? I better keep an eye on him.'
As Danny fixed this resolve in his mind, he wondered how to tell the original the news. He hoped things were going well. Better than here, anyway.
He hated math…
"Wow." Danny stared at the huge living room/kitchen they were in. "You guys have an amazing view."
"And a cool TV!" Beast Boy added, pointing proudly to the gigantic screen in the middle of the windows.
"Yeah. That, too." Danny didn't have much time to watch TV. And when he did, it was offset by his dad always watching either the food or supernatural channel. And the supernatural channel always got everything wrong. 'I wonder if he noticed my lack of enthusiasm regarding the TV.' He observed Beast Boy hanging on to Cyborg. 'Nah.'
"Do you want anything to eat, friend?" Starfire asked, hovering around the kitchen.
Danny's first reaction was to say "Yes!" but shakes and wild gestures from the other Titans prompted him to hesitate. "Uh…" Beast Boy was mouthing "no" along with shaking his head and waving his hands. "No?"
"But I was planning on making the Tamaranean meal for new friends!"
'What's a Tamara?' Danny scratched the back of his neck, not knowing what to say to that. 'I'm really getting hungry…'
Robin saved him from having to find an answer. "Sorry, Starfire. He needs to come in for an interrogation."
"Didn't we already do that?" Danny said, thinking that Robin sounded really grim.
"You're coming in," Robin said, a lightning bolt striking over his head, thunder accompanying it. His cape whirled.
Danny blinked, and then looked behind the leader to see that Cyborg was stimulating a holographic projector for the lightning and thunder; Beast Boy was using a fan for the wind. The other two didn't even notice, apparently just taking it in stride. Danny did think he saw Raven rolling her eyes, though.
"I thought I already proved that I'm not a threat," Danny protested, folding his arms across his chest. "There's no need to bring me in for an interrogation in that case. We can sit down and speak civilly."
"We don't know whether or not you're a threat," Robin said. "True, you helped us with Ember but we still don't know your motives. Why did you suddenly appear out of the blue? And how do you know how to defeat all these ghosts that we can't handle?"
"Okay. First off, I'm pretty sure that you guys also appeared out of the blue when first settling in this city," Danny said, ticking off items on his fingers. "Second, I know how to deal with these ghosts because I'm a ghost and I've faced them before. Third, you guys can't handle them because while you're a team, these ghosts aren't like other enemies you've faced. Raven here seems to be the only one among you with abilities that affect them while intangible."
"When did you notice that?" Raven asked.
Danny shrugged. "I was invisible and observing from a rooftop." A small half-lie never hurt anybody… "I thought you guys might be able to handle her until Beast Boy pounced on Raven."
Beast Boy flushed heavily, looking askance at Raven but looking away quickly when he saw that she was giving him the cold shoulder.
Robin did not look happy at Danny's clever responses. He tried another angle. "How is it that you've never heard of the Titans?"
"How is it you've never heard of ghosts?" Danny countered, getting slightly irritated. "I'll tell you right now, Robin, I'm no threat to you. I work against these ghosts, not with. The people you will have to worry about are the other villains that you face on a regular basis. They might very well team up with the ghosts and cause a lot of havoc."
"We've had this same problem before," Robin said, using his last resort.
"Robin!" Beast Boy cried, knowing where he was going.
"What problem?" Danny asked, suddenly feeling his new power getting very agitated with his rising emotions. It took him all his willpower to squash it and pay attention to what Robin was saying next.
"Your uncontrolled powers." Robin folded his arms.
"I don't see how that can be a problem," Danny said, clenching his hands. The sparks were dancing wildly across his fingers. The fear that he might hurt somebody was getting bigger by the second.
"Robin," Raven said, a warning in her tone. "We went over this."
"No, we didn't," Robin said firmly. "You just said that I should give him a chance. Well, I am."
"I don't see how this is giving him a chance," Raven said. "You're berating him."
'Wow. A girl I don't even know is standing up for me,' Danny thought incredulously. His hands relaxed minutely as the fear abated marginally. The ecto-electricity retreated slightly.
"I'm talking with him," Robin argued.
"In my dictionary, talking would be just that: talking. It's not about asking questions concerning my loyalty," Danny said dryly. He thought he could feel his hair prickling.
Robin ignored Danny. "What do you want me to do?" he asked of Raven. "Just accept him with open arms?"
"Hey!" Danny protested, annoyed. "I'm right here!"
"Be friendlier," Raven advised, raising a hand to signal for Danny to be patient. "You've done—"
Something happened then that cut her off. Danny, being extremely annoyed by now at Robin's pigheadedness, had grabbed his belt in frustration. Or, more specifically, he had grabbed an ecto-gun and Fenton Finder. Being in such close contact with other devices that used a modified form of ecto-electricity proved to be very bad for Danny. Without any warning at all, he felt a sudden sizzling at his hands and warmth at his waist. There was a loud crackle and a sudden electrical discharge that created a bright flash of green light. Almost everyone was left temporarily blinded as a result.
Danny's eyes remained unharmed for some strange reason. He looked down to find two perfectly good inventions ruined and still sparkling with green electricity. Rather guiltily, Danny took them off his belt and sighed, not sure what to do with them. His thinking was interrupted by Robin's exclamation.
"He can't control his power!"
"Why don't you try, wise guy?" Danny snapped. "Being a ghost isn't exactly the best thing."
Cyborg and Beast Boy, who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange, were sitting on the couch, watching the interchange like it was a very interesting tennis match. Starfire was standing at the side, biting her lip nervously and wringing her hands. She didn't agree with her boyfriend but couldn't say anything because Robin had raised some valid points.
Raven had no such patience on hand. She knew firsthand how it felt to not be able to control a dangerous power. Danny was no different from her.
"He's like how I was," she told Robin quietly, stepping in front of Danny. "While his power may be uncontrolled as of yet, it can be controlled given time. He doesn't deny not being able to control it, which is a plus. Terra ran off the moment you pointed it out."
Robin clenched his hands but didn't say anything. He knew that Raven was right. In the end, all he could do was incline his head. "Fine then." He looked at Danny, who appeared very pale all of a sudden. "Raven will help you with that…if it's all right with you."
Danny thought quickly. 'There are so many things wrong with this. But there's not much I can do at this point. Mom and Dad are nowhere around; Sam and Tucker aren't here either; and Jazz has no clue about this sort of stuff. While I doubt that Raven understands entirely what's happening right now, she might be able to get this under control. I guess all I can do is give her a chance.' His decision made, Danny nodded firmly.
"Good." Robin turned around, walking towards the doors. "Raven, you can show him his room."
With that, the leader of the Titans left a very befuddled Danny alone with four other Titans and with two fried inventions in his hands that he had no clue what to do with. Upon remembering them, Danny looked, thinking they might at least be salvageable. The ecto-gun gave a last fizzle before completely turning black, squashing any hopes he had of using it; the Fenton Finder didn't even react when he pushed the button, simply remaining quiet.
"You can give those to Cyborg," Beast Boy suggested, seeing Danny look at his weapons forlornly. "He'll fix those in no time."
Danny's eyes went from Cyborg to the objects in his hand and then back again. "He could," he allowed. "But these are slightly different from the average piece of technology. They run on the same sort of energy that I've been generating lately." It couldn't hurt to let them know that it was a new power and not an old…
"Cyborg's a whiz at technology," Raven said. She did acknowledge Danny's choice of phrasing. 'So this power has just manifested? So he's not like Terra. He has control over every other power but this one, which is also interesting.'
"Yeah, but…" Danny held up said technology. "It's kind of fried."
"He can fix almost anything."
"Who says I can fix almost anything?" Cyborg protested, raising an eyebrow.
Raven merely shrugged, not wanting to take the bait. Cyborg scowled, resting back in the cushions with a pouting expression on his face. Danny thought that this relationship was much like the one Sam and Tucker shared. Some things never changed between friends it seemed.
"So," Danny said lightly, resolving to put his fried inventions somewhere else so Cyborg wouldn't get his hands on them, "what about that lunch?" He was too hungry to think about the warnings the other Titans had previously given him.
Starfire immediately brightened up, while the other Titans shrunk in their respective positions.
"Excellent!" she said proudly. "I shall prepare the Knabberlog!" Starfire zoomed about the kitchen getting whatever she needed.
Danny stared at her. "Do I want to know what that is?"
"No," was the simultaneous reply.
Danny gulped. 'What have I gotten myself into?'
"Hey, do you mind telling me what's up with Robin?" Danny asked, walking behind Raven. He'd just managed to choke down the meal that Starfire had cooked so eagerly. He suspected that he would have to throw it up later; it was inedible in his book and his stomach was already complaining. In fact, the other Titans had gaped in astonishment as Danny managed to eat the entire thing that Starfire had made without a single complaint; he'd just turned green. Starfire hadn't noticed; she'd been beaming too proudly that somebody finally liked her cooking.
Raven was silent for a moment, debating on what to tell this unknown teenager. "Robin has issues with trust," she said finally. "We took in one other person with a problem like yours and she ended up siding with an enemy."
"But I've heard that you're friends with lots of other superheroes."
"Those superheroes are not like Terra. They have an excellent reputation and are well known."
"So this Terra completely spoiled your image of other superheroes with trouble controlling their abilities?" Danny said, working through the vague information Raven was giving him.
Raven turned a corner, thinking about what Danny had just said. "Robin's in any case," she answered at last. "He's never been particularly fond of working in a group."
"But yet he works with you four."
"Because the situation at the time demanded it," Raven said, remembering the alien invasion. "One lone hero could not have dealt with the problem we were faced with then. Because he saw how well we worked together we became a team. But this hasn't done anything to help him with outsiders. Most earn his trust and eventually friendship. For those already known among the humans as heroes Robin deems them Titans."
"Let me get this straight then: Because I'm an 'unknown factor' so to speak, Robin doesn't trust me?"
"Exactly." Raven stopped in front of a room. "This will be yours for the time being."
"Thanks." Danny saw that the door didn't have any handles. "Er…how do I open this?"
"The door is programmed to open electronically from the outside."
"So why didn't it?"
"My guess is that Cyborg didn't add it to the mainframe as of yet."
Danny frowned, thinking that he really didn't have the time to wait for that to happen. He thought for a moment before focusing. His hand began to glow green, the door corresponding. Then, moving his hand from right to left, the door slid open without any protest, revealing the room within.
Raven simply stared, astounded. "How…?" She found herself unable finish, thinking it might insult him.
"Telekinesis," Danny said simply, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that your power?"
"Something along those lines," Raven said, finding her voice. "Although, to be honest, I didn't know ghosts could be so diverse."
Danny thought there was something lacking in her explanation. "I don't exactly understand."
Raven considered that for a moment. "Tell you what: Answer my questions as a trade for me answering yours."
Danny shrugged, taking a look at his room. It was extremely bare. Making a mental note to get furniture if he was going to be staying here, he responded, "Sounds fair." It did sound very fair. Besides, most knowledge about ghosts was pretty common in his world. It wouldn't make much of a difference here.
"Good." Raven stepped inside with Danny, closing the door behind her. "All right, before we start, I'm going to explain how this door works."
"I don't really mind if he doesn't do anything with it," Danny said before she could say anything. "Locks don't really work too well from my experience. Besides, I can just phase through the door or open it like I just did."
"And any visitors you might get?"
Danny shrugged. "Open it the same way I just did."
"All right." Raven looked for something to sit on but only found a dusty chair that didn't look very comfortable at all. She simply settled for standing. "First question: How is it that your kind has so many powers?"
Danny frowned in thought, flying the fried ecto-gun and Fenton Finder over to the chair via telekinesis before floating in the air and crossing his legs. "It's just natural," was what he finally came up with. "I've never given much thought to it."
"Okay…" Raven followed suit with Danny's position, wondering why she hadn't thought of it. "Second question: Your kind is different from spirits. Is there any particular reason? Your kind is also different from any detail I can find in books."
'What about the ones you just bought?' Danny asked silently. Aloud: "Ghosts are manifestations of ectoplasm. But not like spirits. My kind is made from emotions that are given shape by ectoplasm."
"Is that all the information you have?" Raven said, dismayed. He wasn't proving to be very helpful at all, although Raven thought this was more due to ignorance than anything else.
"Pretty much," Danny admitted, wishing he'd paid more attention to his parents. "I do know that we're not dead, though. We ghosts have a home in the Ghost Zone, which has a ton of ectoplasm. I don't know the specifics but this ectoplasm gives form to the emotions from dead people."
"So you're a different species," Raven said, seeing where he was going with it.
"I think." Danny smiled apologetically. "Sorry I'm not more help to you. I think any other ghost could be more useful, especially some of the older ones. I'm still kind of new to this thing."
"You haven't been a ghost for very long?"
"About two years, give or take," Danny said. "Didn't pay much attention to the time since I was fighting ghosts."
"Why do you fight your own kind?" Raven inquired, interested.
'It's always this question,' Danny thought, amused. He said, "Because someone has to. Ghosts just love wreaking havoc in the human realm, and my hometown had a manmade ghost portal that just kept letting ghosts in. The ghost hunters there aren't very proficient"— 'Sorry, Mom; sorry, Dad.'—"so that left me."
"I see" was all Raven said, apparently in deep thought.
That left the two of them in deep silence. And silence was not good in Danny's opinion. Talking had kept his mind off the growing fear, and his uncontrollable power. Silence brought it back to the forefront of his mind, making the ecto-electricity that much harder to control. He wished that Raven would speak up quickly before he lost control.
Thankfully, she did. "I think that's it for now. We should go outside."
"Any reason why?" Danny said, relieved. His problems were marginally pushed to the back of his head.
"Robin would not appreciate it if I slacked off of teaching you how to control that power of yours," Raven answered, unfolding her legs and standing on her feet.
"Makes sense," Danny said, remembering the leader's personality. 'Doesn't seem like a very nice guy. But then, first impressions aren't everything, right?'
"I'll lead you through the rest of the tower," Raven said. "If you're going to be staying here, you need to know your way around."
With that, Danny opened the door once again and Raven led him down through the Tower's many corridors. The halfa made a private note to explore further when he had another chance because it was too confusing. At the moment, though, Raven had just opened a door that was in the garage.
"Don't touch Cyborg's car," Raven warned, meaning the blue and white car parked a short distance away. "He's really protective of that."
"Got it." Danny followed the Titan out of the garage and into the sunlight. He found himself on a small stretch of land that surrounded the tower. It was filled with nothing but dirt and there was a small hill with grass growing on it right above their heads.
"You'll be training here," Raven explained, turning around to face the half-ghost. "This place has obstacles in the ground that come out when it's on but at the moment you're not ready for that. We're just here for control. Skill can come later."
Danny wasn't happy about this at all. "What if I hurt you? I really don't know how to contain this!"
"That's why you're here with me," Raven said. "My shields can hold against most kinds of attacks. Yours won't be any different. Control is of an essence if you're going to stay in Jump City."
"What if I won't?" Danny said obstinately, still not wanting to do it.
"You'll be a liability wherever you go," Raven instantly replied. "If you ultimately decide to stay here with us, we can't use someone who doesn't know how to control his own power. It can be dangerous."
"Fine then. How are you supposed to help me control this anyway? As far as I've seen, you don't deal with electricity."
"No matter what kind of power it is, the basics are the same," Raven said. "There is always a certain level of control needed before one can move on to skill. Powers such as yours, mine, and Starfire's require a mindset that can only be achieved through training. Cyborg's is programmed into him and Beast Boy's comes only when he thinks about transforming into the animal he needs."
"I've already tried that," Danny said, meaning his ice powers. "I had training before for a certain power that was out of control and transferred the same techniques to this one. It doesn't work." As if on cue, he could feel a strong current running under his skin.
'That should not be the case.' Raven remembered the fear in Danny's eyes during the fight against Technus. Fear that should never be there when trying to control a power. Fear made things uncontrollable and prevented them working the way they should. She strongly doubted that he had been afraid of this previous power he mentioned. 'Now is not the time to mention it. I should let him do this his own way until he realizes it.'
"Why don't you try again?" she suggested. "I'll just watch and see what happens."
Danny couldn't find anything to say to that because of how perfectly logical it sounded. He just waited until Raven flew up to the grassy hill right above their heads.
Taking a deep breath, he focused on what Frostbite had told him regarding his ice powers. Control was universal throughout all powers she had said. In that case, he had better get started.
One second later, and all of Danny's built-up power was released.
Inside a rather dark room at a metal table was a certain black-haired boy in eye-popping colors. He had various tools laid out before him and a blackened stick in his hand. A screwdriver was in his hand and he was carefully picking apart a screw that he had found in one end. The stick was being particularly obstinate with not wanting to open up and reveal its insides.
'Come on!' Robin bared his teeth as he gave the screwdriver a final yank. The screw popped out; he waited eagerly for something to happen.
Nothing did.
Growling in frustration and about to hurl the screwdriver to the table—he wouldn't wreck the stick, after all—he was stopped by the sound of a door opening. Robin turned and saw Starfire entering, her hands clasped together.
"Is everything all right, Robin?" she asked, coming up to him.
Robin turned back to the table, placing both the stick and screwdriver on it but keeping his hands curled around them. "Fine."
"You do not sound fine," Starfire disagreed, standing beside him. "You are doing the stress too much."
Robin smiled bitterly at his girlfriend's incorrect grammar. But, she did have a point. "Maybe I am," he admitted. "But this is something I have to do."
"Why?"
"This stick electrocuted the ghost he was fighting," Robin said, holding the stick up for Starfire to see. "Then he developed powers of electricity himself. Was it coincidence or was it the weapon he was using? I have to know. Phantom is dangerous, even if he doesn't tell us."
"He does not seem dangerous," Starfire argued. "He is merely troubled. He did not wish to harm me, if that is what you are still thinking of."
"Neither did Terra! She was an innocent girl when we first saw her but she was hiding the fact that she was constantly being chased by Slade!" He spat out the name as if it was a curse. "She ran away the moment I brought up the fact that she didn't know how to control her abilities and then we see her with him!"
"She was afraid that we would not accept her," Starfire said calmly, placing a hand on Robin's arm. "So was I at first. And so was Raven. But does it truly mean that we have to treat Danny harshly? He has done nothing bad so far. He has not denied that he has troubles controlling his power."
"He might be lying about everything else."
"What, Robin? He has done nothing but fight against the enemies we were fighting against. He has cooperated with your questioning and has even come with us to the tower. And now he is with Raven, doing exactly what Terra would not. You must also remember that Danny is not Terra. He has never even known her."
Robin considered her words for a long moment. Trusting Phantom went against every one of his instincts. He was too much like Terra. But then, Starfire had also given arguments for the contrary. Phantom was not Terra, no matter how much he could try to compare the two. Phantom was his own person, not the ghost of somebody that continued to haunt Robin even now.
Having thought it through properly, Robin gave Starfire a small smile. "I have been treating him harshly. Raven told me to give him a chance yet I didn't. It's time I do."
Starfire smiled brilliantly, giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Robin. It was all I asked."
Robin couldn't remember that. "Did you?"
"Perhaps not with the exact words," Starfire admitted, still smiling.
"No," Robin agreed, smiling, too.
The two leaned in, about to kiss when the door opened once again. Robin whipped his head around to see who it was; Starfire looked momentarily crestfallen before resuming a stoic expression.
"Cyborg," Robin said evenly.
"Sorry for interrupting," Cyborg apologized, seeming properly chastened. He had seen the position the two were in. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right."
"Much better now," Robin said, taking Starfire's hand and giving it a squeeze in thanks.
Cyborg caught sight of the blackened stick on the table surrounded by a virtual army of tools. Some of them looked rather dented and bent out of shape; the stick, on the other hand, was unharmed except for the fact that it was fried.
"You don't seem to have gotten very far with that thing," Cyborg commented, returning Robin's attention to his work.
"No. It doesn't want to open."
"The stuff you have isn't advanced enough for something like this," Cyborg said, picking it up and inspecting it. "If you want, I can take a look at it with my stuff."
Robin smiled at Starfire again, saying, "Thanks but no."
Cyborg was taken aback. "What made you change your mind? I thought you were fixed on breaking into this thing!"
"I was. But I've decided that I'd rather ask Danny instead of trying to break into it," Robin said, using Danny's name for the first time.
Cyborg threw Starfire a look; she merely beamed in response, proud of her boyfriend for making an effort. The half-robot grinned at his friend. "All right, Robin."
'Huh. So all of them were for giving him a chance. I was outvoted from the start,' Robin figured, internally raising an eyebrow.
The comfortable silence was broken suddenly by a loud fizzling. Then the lights went out, leaving them in complete darkness. This only lasted a minute until Cyborg put on a flashlight that came out of his shoulder.
"I have a feeling that Danny is going to be giving me a lot of extra work," he groused, scowling at the light switch next to the door.
The only response he got was a flickering of the lights above their heads before they went out again.
Hands on knees and face hidden underneath a mass of snowy-white hair, Danny was panting heavily, completely exhausted yet getting more frightened by the second. Electric power was still coursing under his skin. And this had been the fifth time he'd let it all out in hopes of releasing the excess energy.
He couldn't understand why Frostbite's advice wasn't working. Sure, it had been for his ice powers but Raven said that control was universal. Why was it that it wasn't working with his ecto-electricity powers? Why was it that they kept returning even stronger than ever? It was scaring him. He could feel the power coursing through his body. Power that seemed to be taunting him for his inability to control it.
Danny gave a frustrated growl and slammed his fist into the ground, releasing ecto-electricity in the process. The ground absorbed it without missing a beat. He did feel something rumble underneath him, though, and assumed that one of the obstacles Raven had talked about earlier had been short-circuited. He couldn't care less. What he did care about was his inability to control his own power.
In the meantime, Raven dropped the shield she had brought up for Danny's most recent attempt. The last flash of electricity had been so bright and the backlash so powerful that she was sure it had short-circuited the power in the tower behind her. But she didn't spare much thought for that. Her focus was on the frustrated ghost before her.
There was no doubt about it that Danny's emotions were getting in the way. It wasn't overconfidence or cockiness that had him unable to control his power; it was fear. He was getting more agitated with every single release of his energy and the backlash was in turn getting more powerful as his fear increased.
Fear could be a powerful motivator. But it was also the worst way to learn how to control a new ability. Raven herself could attest to that fact. Her magic only worked perfectly when she had a tight rein on her emotions. Being on an emotional rollercoaster like most other teens would not bode well for her magic at all. But Danny wasn't on an emotional rollercoaster of random emotions; he was on a rollercoaster of fear. Fear that wouldn't let him focus properly.
And it was time that she called attention to that fact.
"Enough," Raven ordered, stopping Danny from releasing his ecto-electricity again. She flew down to his level and landed beside him, her skin immediately tingling from the energy that he was radiating. "I've seen enough."
"Your advice isn't working," Danny said, glaring at her. "You said that the same basic level of control works for everything. But it doesn't."
"For you it doesn't," Raven agreed. "But that's because you're scared."
Danny hesitated for only a moment before denying it. "I'm not."
"Yes you are. I know what I saw when you fought Technus. You were paralyzed with fear. Fear is the worst possible emotion to have when learning to control a new power."
"I'm not scared," Danny insisted.
"Then why is it that I can feel the tension pouring off of you in waves?" Raven countered. "I can read the fear in your eyes and in your stance. You're afraid. But you're afraid of something far bigger than simple electricity."
"How do you know?" Danny barely stopped himself from flying away. She was getting too close to his secret.
"Your body language says it all. Electricity is so common that there's no reason to be afraid of it. You were using weapons that manipulated the energy. It was only when you were generating it that you became scared." Raven stared Danny down, ignoring the unnatural prickling in the air that was becoming extremely uncomfortable.
"What are you going to do about it?" Danny asked quietly, giving in.
At least he wasn't denying it anymore. Raven almost smiled but she kept her face stoic. "I can't do anything until you give me details. What is it that has you so scared of yourself?"
This question stopped Danny in his tracks. What could he tell her? He hadn't even told his friends about his fear and here he was, so close to spilling his darkest secret to a girl he barely even knew. Something about it was just wrong. Why should he tell an almost complete stranger about something he hadn't even told his friends? But then she was the only one with the ability to help him. It went both ways.
Should he tell her or not?
Before I forget, somebody has recently drawn a fanart of a chapter in The Return. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http: / /baggeralareinedumond . deviantart . com/art/The-return-131634376 Take out the spaces when putting it in. Thanks a lot, hurlebibi!
Thanks to Waterdog, Marie Ravenclaw, Shiva the Sarcastic, stick fight3, Kirby77DP77, FantomoDrako, starr1095, SpartanCommander, Tetsukon, DGirl101, Copa-Phantom, musiclover9419, Rein Lin, Hyperpegasi, Meihua69, Nightraze, Kai Hiwatari Seigaku's Phoenix, and iamnuff for reviewing!
SpartanCommander: From what I've seen on the show, Danny's thermos can hold a ton of ghosts. I don't think it will reach its limit soon. But that would be very interesting to see... Your input on his new ecto-electricity power is also interesting. You'll find out what happens to it. :)
Tetsukon: I'm sorry that it bothers you. I don't normally write a scene like that from a different perspective but in this case it does have a purpose. I need to show two different sides of the scene and it's easiest when I do it twice. I think that chapter is the last time that I will do so. Thank you for the input. Other authors should be happy to have a reader like you. :)
DGirl101: I'm glad you liked that chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one, too.
iamnuff: Well, it's Robin; he does cheesy battle cries.