Bruce looked at the pop-up on the Batcomputer's screen.

"Explain," he growled, glancing down at Tim.

"Not much to explain," Tim answered, pulling up lines of code. "It showed up ten seconds ago."

"I'm starting a full diagnostic," Barbara's voice filtered through the speakers. "So far, I'm not seeing anything."

"And yet..." Time trailed off glancing at the window again. It had a video queued up to play and the words "IMPORTANT: PLEASE WATCH. DO NOT DELETE" in large text at the top.

"There's a new folder labeled 'a gift for Batman,'" Tim said. "Not something any of us made."

"Clearly."

"I'm still not finding any viruses, corrupted files, or spyware," Oracle said. "The new folder was programmed to stay in a hidden partition for a few days after it was placed. Then, obviously, the pop-up to catch our attention."

"Folder also has a text file named 'security notes,'" Tim said. "Maybe our new hacker is friendly?"

"It's starting to look like it," Oracle agreed. "The video is clean. It should be safe to watch."

Bruce sighed. "Then let's see what they've got for us."


The video opened with a dark room. The background was hidden in shadows, while the foreground was well lit, letting them clearly see the tired teen in the center of the frame as he took a heavy swig from his NASA mug before putting it down.

"Pulling up facial recognition."

He ran a hand through his messy black hair and then down his face, pinching his nose and hiding the bags under his blue eyes for a moment before he dropped his hand and finally looked at the camera.

"I really don't want to do this," he said, "but you need it." He glanced longingly off screen in the direction of the mug he'd put down.

"First of all, I think I should apologize for hacking you. Or asking my friend to, technically. I just. You need to know about this and I didn't know of another way to get it to you that would be secure.

"I did at least make him promise to make a record of how he got in so you can patch it.

"That out of the way... to business? I'm Danny Fenton, and for the last year or so, I have also been the hero Phantom in Amity Park. My parents are Jack and Maddie Fenton. They are ectobiologists and ghost hunters. While extremely biased and not actually that good at catching ghosts, their tech is easily the best in the business."

"That's a positive match."

"Running a search on Phantom."

"I- fucking shit." Danny put his head in his hands again, running them back through his hair before leaning back, almost collapsing into the chair.

"This kid has... gotten into some shit."

"Everyone knows you're the League's strategist, Batman. And. I'm strong enough. I can handle my problems, that's not what I'm worried about.

"It's been about a year, and I've already been mind controlled once." Danny laughed. A dry, broken, almost desperate laugh. "And that was just some lowlife that wanted to rob jewelry stores. That's still not what I'm worried about. It's not why I'm sending you this. The magic relic he used is broken and gone now."

"Well that explains one of his problems."

"The others?"

"An attempted kidnapping and fairly standard property damage. I want to see some footage of those fights before passing judgment."

"Even more standard given he doesn't seem to have a mentor. Batman, he was fourteen."

"No. I. I've seen a version of the future. One where I go mad. Where I snap. And the Justice League can't stop me.

"I don't know if I- he kills everyone. I don't know who, if anyone, makes it out. But it's not anyone that could really do much. I... I saw ten years after he- I snapped. Earth was little more than rubble and ash. Only one city was left holding out and it was about to fall- was falling when I got there.

"I managed to change the timeline. What broke him didn't happen here. But. I can't guarantee nothing ever could.

"So. Yeah. Next best thing is making sure you're prepared. All my powers. All my weaknesses. Everything I know of that could possibly hurt me. Schematics and blueprints for anything you could need to fight me, track me, keep me out, keep me contained. All nice and gift wrapped for your convenience.

"Uh... that's everything. Why is it always so awkward to end a video? Hopefully we never see each other? I guess? Pretty sure us actually meeting is gonna be a bad sign.

"You know what. I'm gonna turn this thing off now before I say something stupid."


"Batman, who's 'Phantom'?" Superman asked, glancing up from the Watchtower computer he was working at. "Aren't we supposed to vote on new members?"

Batman grunted. "He's not a member, just someone who understands the need for contingencies."

"You know what, I'm not even gonna ask."

"Probably for the best."


The computer on Danny's desk was nearly identical to Danny's computer. Intentionally so, given it even managed to match the scuffs and scratches from the abuse it went through being Danny's property. Though there were some major differences. The ports along the side were different. There were more of them, of all varying types. But more obvious than the ports (and the fact that Danny's laptop was in his backpack), were the stickers. Small little cartoon ghosts dotted the cover, leaving gaps for the larger symbols of heroes. Members of the Justice League.

Even if Danny had never been in the habit of putting stickers on his things, it would have been easy for anyone to think it was his.

It was also fairly obvious to Danny where the laptop had come from, even if he wasn't sure why Batman had decided to give him one.

Danny picked up the small box that had been resting on top of the computer and set it aside, glancing briefly at his closed bedroom door before picking up the small note under it.

A password.

Well, no time like the present.

Danny flipped open the lid and powered it on. It barely even took a moment to start, booting up far faster than any computer Danny had ever used before.

On logging in, a notice popped up. A note from Batman.

"Phantom," it began.

"Thank you for the information. Your file has been added to the Justice League database, and I have begun creating the necessary equipment, should the need arise. It will take time to fully install the shielding you have described at key locations.

"You are correct as well, that under current conditions, anything that would drive us to properly meet would likely be 'bad news,' as you put it. Given your age, I would prefer not to call on you unless absolutely necessary. That being said, you will not be considered for Justice League membership until you are at least 18.

"That does not mean you will be ignored. I have created login credentials for you to use at a protégé level of security clearance. This will grant you access to the database of common villains and how to contact the relevant League members with the communicator I provided for you should you need their assistance. You will also have access to your own file, should it need to be updated as you learn more about your strengths and weaknesses.

"Please do not allow your hacker friend to play with it."

Following that was a series of instructions about how to access the database and basic security requirements.

And a final comment at the bottom. "Any help you need. Just ask."

Danny promptly decided that the paper for Mr. Lancer that was due the next day could wait and started skimming through what he could access.

The file Batman had written up for him was clean and concise compared to the jumble of things Danny had sent to him. It clearly laid out what he could and couldn't do, and directed readers to an entire separate folder of weapons and defensive gear that would be necessary if they needed to fight him or any other ghost. And a note that Batman was still waiting on a response from the League's mages to see if they had anything else useful to add.

Looking through the villain files showed much of the same. Where they operated, types of crimes they usually committed, who they were likely to work with, any powers or particular skills they had, weaknesses (physical or mental) that could be used against them. Which hero knew the most about them and how to contact them when necessary.

All clean and streamlined. All following a simple template.

Danny was pretty sure it would be easy enough for him to clean up the Team Phantom files into this format.

Cold flooded Danny's body and almost seemed to crawl up his throat as a puff of mist came from his mouth.

Adding his rogues to the Justice League files was going to have to wait. He had work to do.


The alert on the Batcomputer made Bruce want to thump his head repeatedly against the table like he'd seen a few of his kids do. After a long patrol chasing after Riddler, the last thing Bruce wanted to do was deal with some idiot that didn't like their contingency file.

They were the reason all updates to those folders had to be reviewed and approved before going live.

At least it usually didn't take long to decide if it was a reasonable change or not.

Huffing a sigh, Bruce sat down and pulled up the marked file.

Phantom's file.

Danny.

Given he practically made the file himself and had passed it along without prompting, maybe he could have an exception.

No, not even founding members were exempt. If someone went dark, it was likely that they would try to alter or destroy these documents.

No exceptions.

Bruce was not surprised to find the requested change was minor and very reasonable. All Danny had requested was one added power and two added weaknesses.

Power: cryogenesis. No known limit.

Weakness: the ice is produced constantly from himself. If he doesn't use his cryogenesis regularly it will start to freeze him solid.

Weakness: Blood Blossoms. Red flower with black stems, leaves, and thorns common to New England during the Witch Trials. Currently extinct. Extremely hazardous, possibly lethal.

Clearly a recent development. And a concerning one. With no one to turn to, the only way for Danny to learn about the constant creation of ice inside his body was through cruel experience.

He couldn't be sure about the flowers though. Danny had traveled to the future, so traveling to the past was an option. Though it was equally likely he read it from a book or spoke to a ghost that was around during the time.

"Master Bruce, perhaps you should take off the suit and get some rest before the sun rises?"

Bruce felt the tension drain from his shoulders as he approved the change and turned to Alfred.

"In a moment."

Alfred stopped just behind the chair. "Ah, the young Master Danny. He is quite the conundrum for you, isn't he. A young hero with no mentor, but also no current member of the Justice League is suitable for him. Not to mention his frustrating distance from Gotham."

Bruce grunted. "True. Tonight was just a minor update to his file."

Alfred hummed. "Master Bruce, please tell me I am reading that incorrectly."

"Sorry, Alfred. You're reading it just fine."

"Freeze him solid? Is he alright?"

"Probably. He sent the update."

"Master Bruce. As allergic as you are to direct communication, may I suggest asking the young master? After all, unlike your other children, you cannot simply look at him or make him go through a medical check here at the end of a patrol.

"Perhaps, while you are asking after his health, you should also tell him he is doing a good job, as he does not know you and cannot see you any more than you can see him. You cannot pat him on the shoulder or any of the other minuscule things your multitude of children have learned to understand."

Bruce knew that tone. It was the "make the smart choice or I will make it for you" voice. Bruce had heard it many times growing up. And somehow, even more times after becoming Batman.

"And while you are drafting your message of concern and encouragement, may I inform you that there is now a folder for Amity Park Rogues."

There was what. Bruce clicked through and pulled up the database. Exactly like Alfred had said, there were now several villains and rogues marked as operating in Amity Park.

Bruce hadn't asked for that. He was happy for it. But he hadn't told Danny he needed to do that.

Bruce started opening the files for each villain, skimming through them.

They weren't immaculate. Not technically. Danny's teenage snark shone through in more than a few places, and Bruce would need some time to do his own threat assessment of each of the rogues. It wasn't to say that Danny was wrong, but that he was likely rating them based on how much trouble they gave him. Not how much trouble they would give literally anyone else.

There was also the number of rogues that were marked as being motivated by boredom, and that alleviated the boredom either by seeking out something surrounding their theme or by actively picking a fight. With Phantom specifically.

No. More interesting were the others. The handful marked as too strong to be fought alone. Practically gods, in their own right, based on what Bruce could understand. And the ones that were smarter.

Four in particular, in that category. Walker, a corrupt, power hungry despot masquerading as a prison warden. Phantom managed to accidentally break one of his "rules" while traveling through his territory of the Ghost Zone and was imprisoned. Being physically unable to carry out the sentence, Phantom staged a jailbreak and fled. Walker responded by possessing most of Amity Park and invading to either drive Phantom to turn himself in or "make Amity Park his prison."

Then there was Skulker, a hunter that went after "rare" prey. (Which Phantom qualified as. And there was a note that many, if not most or even all, members of the Justice League would also qualify as a "good hunt" for Skulker.) Despite his personal motivations, he was also known to trade favors and complete tasks for other ghosts. Notably, the final two "smart" rogues. Though one wasn't a ghost.

Vlad Masters and Plasmius. Known to work together on complicated and far reaching projects. Vlad Masters was a wealthy human businessman who often acquired companies through questionable means. With Plasmius in the picture, Bruce now knew how he was buying highly profitable companies vastly under value. He was, apparently, motivated by a love for Maddie Fenton and a deep hatred and long standing vendetta against Jack Fenton over both his marriage and a lab accident in their college days. He was also just as good at engineering ecto-weaponry as the Fentons and had a stable portal to the Ghost Zone in his home.

Plasmius, on the other hand, was much more simple. His motivations prior to Danny meeting them was unknown, likely power and prestige, but now he sought to make Phantom his son and apprentice. Often through violent means. And his duplication ability would make him nearly impossible for Phantom to beat in a direct fight.

Both of their files were concerningly sparse in comparison to nearly every other file Danny had uploaded.

Bruce should probably put Danny in contact with Dick. As much as Bruce wished Dick had never met Slade, the experience meant he could definitely lend an understanding ear regarding Plasmius.

But Alfred was right. Danny needed to know his work was being noticed. That Batman was keeping an eye on things as best he could from Gotham.


"I saw the update you made to your file. Your continued trust is appreciated, though I am concerned. Do you need any help learning to control your cryogenesis? Are you okay?

I also saw the files you created for your rogues. They are well written for your first work. If you ever need someone to talk to about Plasmius, you can reach out to Nightwing. He has been through something similar."

"I'm alright. I found some ghosts in the Zone that have a similar ability. They were able to take care of me and teach me what I needed to know before anything too bad happened. The build up is slow. Takes several months of no use at all to cause problems."


Bruce never liked leaving Gotham for long, but having to play the part of the Prince of Gotham meant he had to attend parties hosted out of the city from time to time.

At least being in Metropolis meant he could help keep an eye on Luthor and maybe even take some time to catch up with Clark outside of Work.

And with Tim along for the ride, something interesting was bound to happen to Luthor.

At least that was how Bruce thought his night was going to go until he saw Vlad Masters making his rounds at the party with a dressed up and visibly uncomfortable Danny Fenton at his side.

Before Bruce could even consider the implications of that. Clark, of course, had to corner Bruce for an "interview."

Clark slumped as soon as they were out of sight. "Bruce, we need to talk."

Well, that wasn't what Bruce was expecting. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, you know," Clark said with a forced calm. "Only the federal government making it legal to persecute a group that sounds a lot like a cover up for metahumans. Nothing more than that."

"Clark, what are you talking about?"

"The Anti-Ecto Control Acts. Lois and I got a tip about them last night. We had just finished basic fact checking before we came here or I would have, you know, used more official channels."

Ecto. Bruce felt his stomach sink. Ecto as in ectoplasm. Ecto as in ghosts. Ecto as in Phantom. As in Danny who had struggled to trust Batman enough to give the Justice League information they needed. Who explicitly said he needed to trust them in his first message.

The Justice League was not in the business of eliminating threats prematurely.

The United States government was.

The Justice League was composed of heroes who upheld the law.

The same laws that allowed Danny to be persecuted.

Bruce doubted the mug in that video was filled with coffee now.

"Give me a minute," he said, recomposing himself into his Brucie mask. "There's someone I think should be a part of this conversation." He needed to find Tim. It would probably be easier for him to extract Danny from Vlad's clutches than it would be for Brucie.


It had been over a year since Danny had sent Batman everything he would need to know to protect the world from him, and for once in his life, Danny actually thought things might work out for him.

He'd been managing to stay on top of his school work and most of his rogues were settling down. A lot of them even were careful to avoid damaging their surroundings when they fought against Phantom, so there hadn't been much need for Danny to update his files in the Justice League database lately beyond lowering some rogues' threat levels and even marking a handful as reformed.

Danny had even decided to take Batman up on his suggestion of talking with Nightwing about Plasmius. The older hero had been right, it felt good to vent to someone who actually knew what it felt like to have a villain chase after you like that. Nightwing had even joked about making a support group and inviting one of his brothers to join them.

Now all he had to do was figure out how to get out of this gala. When Vlad had convinced his Dad this would be a good idea, Danny had no clue, but until it was over Danny was stuck in a monkey suit that Vlad had picked out and paid for being paraded around and introduced to so many people he did not care about.

A very large part of him wanted to do something to fuck up whatever plan Vlad was working on. Or just fuck up his night in general and ruin some relationships. Problem was Danny didn't know what Vlad was doing and hadn't yet decided the best way to get back at the man because he just didn't know the rules here well enough.

Especially because Vlad had used the Plasmius Maximus to make sure Danny didn't just leave.

The nightmare seemed to go on forever. Always another person he had to be introduced to.

"Masters! It's been a while since you've been at one of these!" a young man said, grinning as he interrupted Danny's introduction to yet another old lady in too much makeup.

"Ah, Timothy, yes it has been awhile," Vlad answered smoothly. "Running a city does unfortunately take up quite a bit of free time. But I really did need to make sure Daniel made it to at least one gala while he was still young."

"Daniel, huh?" Timothy said.

Danny stuck out his hand for the hundredth time that day. "Danny," he corrected, hoping it actually stuck with this one.

Timothy grinned wider. "Tim," he said, shaking Danny's hand. "I hope you aren't running Danny too hard into the ground. Surely you remember how hard these parties were when you were our age. Why don't you let him hang out with someone a bit closer to his own age, yeah?"

"Oh, honey," the old lady who'd been interrupted spoke up. "Vlad wasn't coming to galas at your age. He's nouveau riche." She said the last part low and with a subtle emphasis, like it was something for Vlad to be ashamed of.

"Oh," Tim looked a little taken aback. "I never would have guessed," he laughed. "You fit in so well at these things I would have thought you were born to it! But still, let the kids take care of each other for a bit. Then you can get on with your business without worrying about boring him to death."

"Fine," Vlad huffed. "But don't make me go looking for you later, Daniel."

Danny rolled his eyes. "It's a stuffy rich people party. What do you think I'm going to do, start a fire?" he muttered even as Tim dragged him away.

Tim grinned down at Danny. "That's an idea. I'll have to tell my brothers to keep it in reserve for the next time they want to get out of one of these."

Danny raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet for a moment longer until they'd made it to the refreshments table. "So, why did you really pull me away from Vald?"

"I wasn't lying when I said galas suck for kids." Tim shrugged. "Everyone expects you to be perfectly prim and proper while the adults pretend this isn't a fancy business meeting. And you're obviously new to this and weren't that far away from making a scene."

"And I asked him to," the voice behind Danny was deeper. Older. But smooth and practiced. Picture perfect.

Danny turned to see the Bruce Wayne smiling at him and Tim. He glared at the man. "You asked him to? Pretty sure this is a serious case of stranger danger then."

Bruce laughed. "You're a smart kid, and I'm not going to insult you by saying you have nothing to worry about. But I'm not Vlad. You took a leap of faith to trust me once, about a year ago. I'm asking you to take another."

A leap of faith? A year ago? Danny hadn't met Bruce Wayne before. He had no opportunity to.

"I promise. I didn't know you were going to be here. And if it weren't for something a good friend brought up to me, I'd still be staying out of your business."

"I'd have freed you from him eventually. You looked about ready to kill a man back there. Bruce just made it happen faster."

"There's a conversation I think you need to be a part of."

The only people from Gotham that Danny had any contact with were the Bats.

Oh.

Danny straightened his posture slightly and shot a glance over to where Vlad was chatting up some rich idiot or other.

"Alright. This is happening. What conversation?"

Bruce followed his glance over to Vlad. "Not one we should have out here. A friend of mine brought something to my attention. Something I think concerns you. We would like to help fix it."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, alright. Fine. Let's go talk with your friend."

Tim gave them a thumbs up as they started to walk away. "I'll run interference if Vlad gets nosy."

"I thought Plasmius was the one that wanted you as a son," Bruce whispered as Danny fell into step beside him. "And how did Vlad even get you out here?"

"I also recall saying that Vlad and Plasmius work together. Consistently. And… my Dad doesn't know how much Vlad hates him. He still thinks of him as an old friend, so Vlad has better access."

Bruce's head snapped down. "Do they…"

Danny shrugged. "Pretty much every ghost does. Usually they knew about me before I knew about them. They gossip like nobody else, just never with the living, and only Vlad and Plasmius have ever tried to take advantage of that."

Bruce winced. "Anyway. In here." He pushed open a door to a side room and ushered Danny inside.

"Danny, this is my friend, Clark Kent."

Mr. Kent, a mountain of a man trying very hard to make himself into a molehill, gave Danny a weak smile. "Sorry, I don't think I know why Bruce brought you here."

Danny raised an eyebrow at Bruce, not moving from the doorway. "Clark Kent. As in the investigative reporter Clark Kent?"

"He's not here as a reporter."

"So this is all off record, you mean?"

"Uh yes," Mr. Kent said, adjusting his glasses. "Unless you tell me otherwise, this is all very off record. Bruce, again, why did you go get him?"

Bruce sighed. "Danny, Clark got a tip last night about the Anti-Ecto Control Acts."

Danny felt himself stiffen and then pushed the fear down. Bruce said he wanted to fix this.

Batman wanted to fix this.

He put on an air of bravado and raised an eyebrow, looking over Mr. Kent again. "I would have thought the Acts were a matter of public record, given they were passed by Congress." He had a familiar face for someone Danny hadn't ever seen before. And the seemingly deliberate hunch of his shoulders was a familiar trick to Danny. He did the same thing in reverse. It hadn't taken him long to realize that no one really knew how tall Phantom was because he so rarely had his feet on the ground.

"Uh, yes, they are. Technically," Mr. Kent said. "But a rather poorly publicized one. I would like to fix that."

Danny hummed. "You said Mr. Kent was your friend, Bruce?"

"I did."

"And I bet the people you would sincerely call friends would be a rather exclusive club."

Mr. Kent gasped. "Young man! What you are insinuating-!"

"Not what he meant, Clark," Bruce sighed, pinching his nose.

"Oh." Clark frowned at Bruce, standing taller and losing some of his nervous ticks. "When did you get another one?"

"Another one?" Danny glanced back at Bruce. "Really?"

"He's not mine," Bruce grumbled, still pinching his nose. "Can we please focus on the Anti-Ecto Control Acts?"

Danny shrugged. "There's not much I can say that would be new information. It essentially labels ghosts an invasive species with less capacity for feeling than even a worm and inherently hostile to human life. They're not, obviously. But those acts green light basically any cruel thing anyone could want to do to them."

"I'm sure you've got more than that," Clark said. "Especially if Bruce wanted you here for this. I want to write a piece about it, though I have to admit I just thought it was a cover for violating the Meta-Human Rights Act."

Danny hummed. "It would probably allow for that thanks to its crappy writing and lax definitions, but I'm not sure if that was intentional or just a result of the lack of understanding. Either way, the option of persecuting meta-humans probably got more than a few conservative members of Congress on board, even if they didn't believe in ghosts. Though I wouldn't push that angle. It's more likely to close the gaps and just protect meta-humans than actually solve the problem."

"Agreed," Bruce grumbled. "We need to get the Acts repealed in full."

"Danny, given you seem to know… something," Clark said, "maybe you could give us a better idea what kind of resistance we'll face? Or maybe where I could find some people to speak with on the record."

"Well, every so-called expert will be crawling out of the woodwork to speak against you. And be careful of the GIW. They're fanatics that do more damage than the ghosts they're trying to catch. They won't just disappear because it isn't legal anymore. As for interviews… talk to just about anyone in Amity Park. And I might be able to get you some interviews in the Ghost Zone. Maybe."

"DANIEL!"

Danny would love to say that the chill was from his ghost sense, or even just his own core. That Vlad sounding madder than he had been even at the height of their pranks or during the Vortex incident didn't scare him. "I should go."

Danny darted back into the main gathering room of the gala. Vlad was dripping wet, glass shards littering the floor around him while Tim frantically apologized and tried to grab a towel to help dry Vlad off. Vlad pushed him away.

"There you are, Daniel," he growled, eyes flashing red. "We will be leaving now."

Danny winced.

"Mister Masters, really. I am so sorry. I didn't-"

"It is fine, Timothy," Vlad said, not even looking at Tim. "I don't blame you."

"You said we were leaving, Vlad…" Don't make him mad, Danny. Well, don't make him madder.

"Yes, let's go." Vlad stalked towards the door.

Danny took a moment to share a look with Tim and shrug before following.

Vlad was silent the entire ride from the gala venue to the hotel. He was silent in the hall and in the elevator as they rode up to their suit.

He barely waited for the door to close behind them before jabbing the Plasmius Maximus into Danny's side, electricity arcing through Danny's far too conductive body.

"What the fuck was that for!?" Danny shouted, slowly pushing himself back to his feet.

"Do not play dumb, Daniel," Vlad hissed. "You are surprisingly bad at it."

"I don't know what you're ta-"

Danny's head snapped to the side and he stumbled again, backing further away from Vlad as a hand instinctively came up to cover his shining cheek. Vlad had used just a bit of ghostly strength in that one.

Hands grasped at the front of Danny's lapels and pulled him upright before shoving him back and holding him against the wall, feet just barely touching the ground.

"It may have been awhile since I last saw Timothy, but I have met him before, Daniel. He's quite the conscientious young man, and hardly as clumsy as he was tonight." Vlad's eyes were bright red as he held Danny in place. "You, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen when he knocked those drinks on me. And as soon as you return, he's back to normal. I would have thought you were above using people like that. Clearly your desire to see me made a fool of over-rode your so-called morals, Little Badger."

"I have nothing to do with that," Danny growled back. "Your damn over glorified taser made sure of that."

"And here I was thinking it wore off, surely you're developing some immunity by now."

"Well I'm not, so maybe you don't know Tim as well as you thought. Puberty does change people."

Vlad let go of Danny's suit jacket with one hand, driving his fist into Danny's stomach. Danny crumpled to the floor, groaning as Vlad let go of the other lapel.

Danny wanted to hit back. He wanted to fight him. But Vlad wasn't dumb enough to let Danny get his hands on the Plasmius Maximus twice.

Vlad sighed. "Well, seeing as the party has been ruined for us, I might as well be productive tonight and handle a few things personally. Go lick your wounds, Daniel. We'll be leaving for Amity in the morning." He turned, not even caring about Danny glaring bloody murder as he walked back towards the door to the hall.

Danny used the side table next to him for balance as he struggled back to his feet. The lamp next to him was hefty. It would probably do at least some damage if Danny threw it. Or at least add something to Vlad's bill when it broke.

But that would probably just get Danny an actual beating. Maybe. And it didn't really matter. Vlad was already gone, the door clicking shut behind him. Danny stood fully and trudged towards his room, slamming his door hoping to let out just a bit of his frustration.

Vlad just had to blame him for everything.

He reached up to his neck and pulled roughly on the end of his bow tie, unraveling it and letting the loose ends dangle.

Then he heard the scrape and light footsteps. It wasn't Vlad. Vlad left. Vlad wouldn't be coming back any time soon. And there were multiple footsteps.

The scrape again. A sliding door or window. The windows didn't open, so it was the balcony door. Vlad would just phase through it if he were coming from that direction.

Very not Vlad.

Good news, it's not Vlad. Bad news, Danny had no idea who just broke into an expensive rich people suit in an expensive rich people hotel.

Danny does the smart thing before heading out and grabs the one weapon Vlad has allowed him to keep. A plain normal baseball bat (not even a Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, just a wooden bat).

And then he throws open the door and rushes forward, bat raised and ready to give the thieves hell.

Superman caught the bat with one hand.

"Oh," Danny said, relaxing, "it's just you guys."

Superman laughed softly and shook his head, letting go of the bat.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Red Robin asked. He must be Tim. Batman and Superman were already accounted for.

"No, that was kind of the problem. I wasn't expecting anyone."

Batman stepped forward, gently grabbing Danny's chin and tilting his head to see his cheek.

Danny jerked his head out of Batman's grip, stepping back and rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Red Robin said softly. "I should have been more careful."

Danny shook his head. "Something was bound to happen. I was going to antagonize him at some point."

"It should be healed by now," Batman said. His voice was rougher and lower than his Bruce voice. He had to go through so many lozenges. Or maybe he drank a lot of tea.

Superman frowned. "Is that what you meant about the 'over glorified taser'?" he asked. "You mentioned something about Vlad making sure you couldn't do… something."

Danny winced. Super hearing. He was going to have to be more careful about what he said in Metropolis now that he knew Superman was keeping an ear out for them. "Yeah," he said, rubbing the sore spot on his side. "He calls it the Plasmius Maximus. It completely shuts me down. I might as well be an ordinary human right now."

"Why not do something about him?" Superman asked. "Why are you even here? Do your parents know?"

"He can turn you in," Batman said. It wasn't a question.

"He could," Danny admitted. "But he won't."

"Jesus Christ," Red Robin cursed. "We really should start that support group."

Danny grinned at him. "So you're the brother Nightwing mentioned."

"Yeah. Hey, if we expand it to villainous parents and guardians we could get a pretty big crowd."

"Why wouldn't he?" Superman asked, getting the conversation back on topic. "I get that he wants something from you, but that's not something you should rely on."

Danny shook his head. "He won't because of Plasmius." He was going to have to do something real nice for Team Phantom. Without them drilling him on their story for Vlad and Plasmius until he knew it like the back of his hand, he would have given it all away by now. "I know it's not the same as what he could do to me, but he puts a lot of value on his money and status. If Plasmius is revealed to work with him, he'll lose both."

"Danny…" Batman sighed.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

Red Robin snorted. "Too late for that."

Superman put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Just because you can handle it, doesn't make it right," he said.

Danny shrugged off the hand. "Yeah, well. That's life. Focus on the Anti-Ecto Control Acts. Not like you're gonna be able to do much about this until after that's done anyway."

None of the heroes in the room looked happy about that, but the long pause said enough about their ability to argue.

"Fine," Superman finally relented. "We'll leave it alone for now. But promise us you won't make him mad on purpose."

Danny snorted. "Red Robin, let me know the where and when for our first meeting," he said, ignoring Superman. "I assume we'll be in uniform?"

Red Robin shrugged. "Probably. I'll let you know what to expect when we've got it all sorted out."

Batman shook his head. "We'll figure something out," he said as he started ushering the other two out. "And we'll stay in touch about those interviews."

Danny ran his hand over his face once his uninvited guests finally left. That happened. Danny met Superman. And he was nice!

And the Justice League was going to try to get the Anti-Ecto Acts repealed.

That was going to take a lot of work.


Danny grinned, flying freely through the air. He might be late for the meeting, but he still couldn't help the grin on his face whenever he remembered that he didn't have to worry about getting shot while he flew anymore. Even just flying through the halls like he was right then made him feel giddy.

And he knew he wouldn't be in that much trouble for being late. Half the League knew Batman had a soft spot for Danny. And today was just a boring paperwork day anyway.

Flash waved at Danny as he passed, and Danny grinned and waved back before phasing through the door and stopping on the other side.

When he entered, Wonder Woman glanced at him for a moment, giving him a slight smile and a polite nod before turning her attention back to the ongoing conversation. Danny, with years of practice now, could see the slight shift in Superman's posture that signaled he was aware of Danny's presence. Batman was still an enigma to Danny, but Danny would be more surprised if he didn't know Danny was there.

With the new recruits, things were much less subtle. The three closest to the door glanced at Danny for a moment, and then dismissed him to focus on filling out whatever document Batman wanted from them. Of the last four, one looked profoundly uncomfortable with the situation, one was arguing with Batman, and the last two looked like they agreed with whatever the loud one was upset about.

"I just can't see a reason you would need all this information! What are you going to do with it? Fight me?" The angry recruit was in a black and orange suit, a shimmer reminiscent of a hot coal shifting under the light.

"If we need to," Batman answered.

"It also helps cut down time spent on learning each other's weaknesses," Superman added. "We only have so much time we can spend on group exercises, so just outright asking is more efficient. We need to know what everyone can and cannot do in an emergency."

The angry one scoffed. "Please," he said, "You already know what I can do. That's why you invited me to join, isn't it?"

"If everything about your skills and weaknesses is readily available, I'm kinda worried about you," Danny interrupted. "I mean. Don't you keep anything close to your chest? An ace up your sleeve? Any last resorts you don't pull out unless you have to? Or powers too destructive to be used around crowds?"

One of the others shook her head. "If that were all he was asking for, I wouldn't have a problem," she said, "but he's asking for things that could kill me."

Wonder Woman sighed. "Like Superman said, we need to know that so we can watch your back. We don't have time to learn these things in the field."

"That's not what Batman said," the angry one countered.

"Nearly every single member of the Justice League has been mind controlled at some point or another," Superman said. "We don't want to fight you, but we do need to be prepared for the eventuality."

"And if it is a mind control situation, you probably want them to know the difference between things that annoy you, things that will incapacitate you, and things that will kill you," Danny added. "You know. For safety."

The angry one rolled his eyes. "Kid, why don't you let the adults talk. How old are you anyway? I thought the League only accepted adults."

Well, he was an asshole. Danny cooked his head to the side, just a bit too far for human joints. "I'm nineteen."

"Just barely legal then. How about I lay some things out for you then." He leaned forward, deliberately turning his back on Batman and Superman. "In the adult world, you are responsible for your own fuck ups and weaknesses. If you're susceptible to mind control, it's on you to figure out how to avoid it. The Justice League should be putting their time and effort into protecting their own minds instead of all this bullshit paperwork that just scares people."

Danny snapped his head back up to center, a wide too happy grin spreading across his face. "You haven't discovered a weakness in the field before have you?" he asked. "I doubt you've been mind controlled either. It's not a pleasant experience."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I have. For both of those. Like I said. It's not a pleasant experience." Danny glanced at the other two that had been nodding along with the angry one. They both winced and looked down, uncomfortable with his inhuman expression. "And in most cases, it's not something you can prepare for. There are simply too many things to defend against. All kinds of magic artifacts or spells, simple brain washing, or sometimes even just extreme duress. And so many weaknesses are biological. Superman can't do anything about kryptonite. Martian Manhunter can't change how he reacts to heat and fire. The best you can do is plan for it. And make sure that your team knows what to do when you can't help them."

"People have tried to control me before," the angry one said, puffing out his chest. "They didn't get very far."

Danny's grin spread wider and he zipped forward, leaning into the man's space. "And your take away was that you were immune? Maybe to that method, but have you tried all of them? When I shook off the mind control I came to the conclusion that I was extremely lucky."

"I don't believe in luck."

Danny floated up slightly, looking down at the man. "Maybe you should."

"Phantom-"

"I bet you three monitor duty shifts that I can take over your body right now."

"Deal."

Danny dove, sliding into the man's body and settling into his mind. The heat radiating from him was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

Danny cracked the man's neck. "Well, what mildly embarrassing thing should I make him do?" He leaned back in the chair. He was sitting on something. He frowned and leaned forward again, reaching back and pulling something thick and soft out of the back pocket.

Danny looked down for a long moment at the thick, well worn leather wallet in his hand. "Well. I'm not gonna open this," he said, looking up at Batman, "but I'm guessing this guy also needs a lecture about not keeping personal items on him while working." Danny looked at it again, flipping it over in his hands. He squinted and looked closer at a series of plastic pieces, it looked like the kind of thing old people had in their wallet so they could keep pictures of their grandkids. "Pretty sure he's got family photos in here."

Danny tossed the wallet to Batman, who caught it one handed.

Batman sighed. "Phantom," he said, a slight warning in his voice. "You've made your point."

Danny shrugged, still with the man's shoulders. "He seems a bit more stubborn than that, but sure, whatever." He slipped up and out vacating the body.

He floated up to the ceiling, crossing his arms behind his head as he drifted like he was in a hammock or on a pool float.

"Well," the man said, looking up at Phantom. "Are you going to try or not?"

"Flamethrower," one of the others hissed. "He already did. He gave Batman your wallet."

Danny blinked down at them. "Geez," he muttered, "I thought my parents were bad at naming things."

Batman held Flamethrower's wallet out to him. "We will be talking about carrying personal effects later."

Flamethrower blushed, yanking the wallet out of Batman's hand.

"Um, I do have a question," one of the recruits by the door that had been ignoring the situation raised their hand.

"Go ahead," Wonder Woman said with a nod.

"Why isn't he," they pointed up, "um, Phantom right?"

Danny nodded. "That's my name."

"Right. Why isn't Phantom filling one of these out?"

Flamethrower scoffed. "He just got here late. They didn't give him one yet."

"Actually…" Superman said slowly.

"Phantom already has a file filled out," Batman said. "He provided this information to us, unprompted, years ago."

"Pretty sure he's the only one to give us that information without being asked," Superman added with a smile.

"If there are no other questions," Wonder Woman stepped forward to the center of the room, "then please, fill out the form provided."

No one argued with her as they set to work.