Danny writhed as he fought the magic containing him. No, he did not want to choose a host to reside in. He didn't like possessing people on a good day, and being somehow summoned and restrained by a cult did not count as a good day. Plus, if he did choose a "host," then he would be bound to the cult leader for all of eternity to do her bidding. There was something about Danny accepting the "host" and exchanging a permanent body for his freedom in the leader's rant.
Danny already had a permanent body, thanks; he didn't need another one!
But he could feel, down to his bones, that he wouldn't be able to resist forever. The magic was tightening around his throat and his core, forcing him to make a decision. In the state he was in, he couldn't even see properly, let alone know who his host candidates were.
But he could sense them, six of them. All human. He didn't know how; maybe it was something about the ritual, but he could sense a handful of attributes of each of them.
There was only one female, a young woman. Danny didn't have to go any further than that to know that he did not want to get stuck in her body.
Two more were either too young, barely prepubescent, or too old, his father's age. No thanks.
The last three were all older than him, but by no more than a decade. The oldest, his essence an electric blue, was almost too old for comfort, but his body felt elastic in a way that Danny had only ever attributed to his ghost form. The second oldest was huge in size, definitely not Danny's body type, but his body was stained with a familiar green, and there was something about his soul, deeper than the red… The youngest, a shining gold, was the closest to Danny in age, and similar to his body type.
The youngest of the three would be the most comfortable, but the middle one… not the best fit, but by far the most likely to be able to break the magic chaining Danny's will.
Danny didn't even realize that the magic had registered a choice until he found himself being sucked toward the big one's body. He panicked, straining against the force, but was helpless to do more than delay it by a moment.
The last thing he registered before he was trapped in the red one's body was a flash of acidic rage and the burn of copper embers across his core.
Jason almost wanted to laugh. He was the one the eldritch being had chosen, over all his siblings and even Bruce? It was flattering, in a weird way, but it didn't change the fact that this was the last mistake the being would ever make. Jason was the only one in his family that would be able to utterly crush the thing currently invading his body.
The Pit seethed as a startlingly familiar – but not the same – toxic green film overtook his vision. The All-Blades flared in his soul but did not physically manifest, not with the threat being internal. Jason took a deep, calming breath even as an unfamiliar, otherworldly soul crashed into his, along with a whiplash of magic that was meant to crush his mind.
Unfortunately for the magic, and the being it was attached to, Jason's mind and soul were made of far sterner stuff than the average human. The copper flames of the All-Blades seared the magic trying to bind him to a crisp, leaving him free to continue on and crush the being…
A wave of emotion slammed into him.
Fear, helplessness, I'm sorry, stop it, leave me alone!
This wasn't some malicious being intent on taking over the universe. And with the unmistakable youth he could feel in the soul—
This was a kid. A kid bound by magic – he could feel the metaphysical chains digging in to the kid – who was completely helpless to stop it. A kid who didn't want this as much as Jason himself didn't.
Jason just barely held back the All-Blades and the Pit from tearing the kid to shreds. Even though the kid was an interloper, he was a totally unwilling interloper. Jason could tell that the magic, and the sorceress who'd cast it, was solely responsible for the current situation.
Just because this was a magical body possession situation didn't mean that Jason wasn't already highly experienced with Rogues using innocent, brainwashed bystanders as meat shields. This was just another "get the civilian out of harm's way" scenario, except that Jason didn't know how to get the "civilian" out of harm's way, unlike normal. If there were any techniques out there for dealing with a possessing entity that was itself not in control of the possession, Jason didn't know them.
A massive oversight of his training from the All-Caste, Jason thought sourly. Although, they would probably just tell him to obliterate the creature and be done with it, its innocence and youth be damned, simply because it was an unnatural pollutant on the world. They were pretty hardline about that kind of thing; anything that didn't originate from this plane of existence was to be wiped out.
Shit, Jason had to figure out something soon. He couldn't hold back his metaphysical defenses, while preventing the kid from taking him over, forever.
…Maybe the kid would have some ideas for ending this standoff. They were technically on the same side, after all.
Any ideas for getting out of this mess? Jason projected.
The response was immediate. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry; I don't want to do this, the kid sobbed. The magical chains bit into the kid's soul in a way that had to be terribly painful, but the kid hadn't surrendered to it yet, even though there was only so long the kid could resist it. It was woven through the kid's being and attached directly into the kid's soul; no wonder the kid couldn't fight it off. And because it was anchored in the kid's soul, Jason couldn't burn it away like he had to the magic attempting to bind to him, otherwise he risked destroying the kid entirely. The All-Blades were powerful, but they weren't exactly the most precise of instruments when it came to differentiating between different magical and otherworldly forces.
The kid must have caught some of that, because he whispered, I chose you because I thought you'd be the most likely to successfully fight me off. Please, you have to stop this!
Hell. Jason definitely couldn't hurt the kid now, not if the kid had known it – he, the kid murmured – would be putting himself directly in harm's way just to try to stop the sorcerer.
Please, don't, I can't… the kid whimpered. I'd rather be hurt.
A real hero type, this one, Jason thought with a pang. Jason would know, because he was in a whole family of them, and he was one himself. It was sometimes hard to make the sacrifice play when a bunch of others were trying to do the same thing.
Jason scrutinized the magic closely. Maybe, if he couldn't remove it without potentially killing the kid, he could at least stop it from controlling the kid? As soon as he thought it, the flames of his All-Blades – and only the flames, the ones made directly from his soul – wrapped around his metaphysical hands, and he grabbed the chains and pulled.
The chains hissed and shrieked and lashed out at Jason – and oh, that was fun to find out, that this was a sentient magic instead of the magical equivalent of a software program – but with his soul flames completely wrapped around him, the magic couldn't harm him.
The kid slumped in relief as the majority of his magical burden left him. But it was still tied to him, not completely gone, and while he was no longer attempting to take over Jason's body, he still could not leave. A stalemate.
You can't hold this forever, the kid pointed out, his voice aching with the kind of resignation that could only come from a condemned man who had been given only a temporary respite from his fate.
Jason had a stupid idea. Really stupid, and really risky. But it seemed like his best option, in a sea of bad options.
If you possessed me but had your own free will, what would you do? Jason asked.
There was a jolt of surprise. Stop the cultists, the kid replied firmly.
The paranoia honed between his Bat-training and his death was blaring that this was a really foolish idea, voluntarily giving up control of his body to this unknown. Even if the kid had tried just as hard as Jason to stop the magic, to the point of harming himself. His intentions, at least, were pretty clear.
Don't touch a hair on my family's heads, Jason demanded.
I would never! the kid assured.
I'm taking a huge leap of faith here, Jason whispered, his heart clenching with worry as he pulled the magical chains tighter to him and dropped the defenses keeping his body safe. Don't let me down.
I won't. I promise, I'll stop this and save your family, the kid vowed.
Jason settled back to watch. If the kid put one toe out of line, Jason would be right there ready to take him down, but… he couldn't help but trust the kid. Even though he was the kind of otherworldly being that made the instincts trained by the All-Caste raise their hackles.
Danny, came the whisper as the kid's consciousness ascended to take control of Jason's body. My name is Danny.
It was supposed to be their day off. Meticulously planned months in advance, to make sure everyone was home and free of obligations. No big cases, no suspicious movement from Rogues, no anticipated crime spikes. Just one night, just for desperately needed family time, with Babs and Steph as honorary members.
And then cultists had to invade Wayne Manor and kidnap them all in their civilian identities. It was honestly a little disheartening, that the universe couldn't even give them all one single uninterrupted night off.
If only the magical protections installed in the Batcave had been expanded to cover the whole manor, then they wouldn't be in this mess. Dick had no doubt that Bruce was already drawing up plans in his head to extend the magical defenses, if only to help keep him from panicking about the thing the cultists had summoned that was possessing Jason. Or at least trying to possess Jason; given the creepy twitching and grunting Jason's body was doing, Jason was putting up one hell of a fight in there.
Dick resolutely tried to ignore the possible reasons the being the cultists had summoned would choose Jason as its vessel, over all the other Waynes. Thankfully, the cultists had only wanted the "true Waynes" and so Steph, Babs, and Alfred had all been subdued and restrained outside of the ritual circle that the cultists had set up in the manor's ballroom.
At least it would be easier to get blood out of the ballroom tiles than any of the thick, fancy rugs in the rest of the house, Dick thought somewhat hysterically, fruitlessly testing his bindings once again. Damn those cultists for using magical bindings; all of the Bats were well-versed in escaping from handcuffs, ropes, and all manner of mundane shackles, but none of their techniques were effective against the magic chains that tightened against all escape attempts and were fettered to the floor.
Jason's body stilled. Dick held his breath, hoping against hope that this was a good sign. His younger brother's eyes opened, glowing a toxic green Dick had only seen a handful of times, when the Pit was close to the surface.
But, Dick noted with a sinking heart, the lead cultist was smirking. Was this not the Pit, and instead the creature that had been summoned? Dick hadn't seen any of its defining features – it had been smothered by magical energy from the moment it appeared – but it would be quite a coincidence that the possession would turn Jason's eyes the same color as the Pit. Or maybe that was the Pit, reacting to the intrusion, and the summoned creature was under its influence.
"Rise, pet," the cultist cooed, crooking a finger. "What do you think of your new body?"
"Big," Jason said as he climbed to his feet. Dick's breath whooshed out of him like he'd been punched. Even just from one word, he knew: that wasn't his brother. The cadence of his voice and the way he moved were all wrong.
"Good, good. A big, strong body will serve you well. Now, for your first task: dispose of all the spares. Then the real work can begin."
Dick tested his bonds once again, fruitlessly. This was so not good. No way to get out, no backup coming – unless one of them called in Superman or Kon, which would inevitably make things worse, because Kryptonians were hopelessly vulnerable to magic.
Come on, Little Wing, Dick pleaded mentally. Fight it! You're still in there, I know you are! You have to be!
They'd been placed in the circle according to their assumed age. Jason was between Dick on one side and Cass on the other – a mistake on the cultists' part, assuming Cass was younger than Jason, when she was a few months older than him – and the thing inhabiting Jason's body turned toward Dick, its eyes glinting.
So not good, Dick panicked as he tugged on the chains. There wasn't even any leeway in the chains pinning him to the ground – he could have fought, had fought in the past, even with his arms and legs bound together. The thing stumbled towards him – seemed it wasn't used to Jason's long, heavy limbs, and kneeled down in front of Dick. Dick tuned out the frantic shouts of his family and stared straight into the thing's swirling eyes.
It bent close and whispered in Dick's ear, "If I free you and give you something to cut the chains with, you can free the others and get out of here, right?"
Dick's breath caught. He'd just assumed that the being would be on the cultists' side, not theirs. "Yes," he answered under his breath.
"Hurry it up! We don't have all night!" the sorcerer snapped impatiently.
The being in Jason's body grabbed his hand. It tingled with cold – something solid was there – then there was a tingling sensation for a split second through his whole body, and then Dick was forcibly yanked toward the next closest family member, Bruce.
Green fire the same color as the being's eyes flared around Jason's body. "As you command," it snapped before hurtling green plasma at the cultists.
The cultists' surprised shrieking was music to Dick's ears.
"How? You should be bound to follow my orders!" the head cultist howled as magic sparked at her fingertips.
Dick quickly glanced at what the being had given him – three translucent knives with a blue and green tint. He slipped one to Bruce as he started sawing through the magic chains, mentally cursing that the blades weren't more effective at cutting the chains. But at least they were effective, unlike the batarang Dick had seen Bruce discreetly sawing at the chains with earlier.
The moment Bruce was freed, Dick sprinted and flipped over an errant spell to Cass. He gave her his remaining spare and set to work on her chains.
Briefly, he appreciated how effective the creature was at keeping the cultists occupied and away from his family. The chains left almost no slack for dodging errant spells.
A pained shout in Jason's voice drew his attention. It looked like the sorcerer had gotten some kind of spell on the being, some kind of magical leash with painful spikes digging into Jason's flesh. Several cultists were knocked unconscious or frozen to the floor, unable to move, while most of the others sported burns on their clothes. The lead cultist was, of course, focused on the being in Jason's body, as were several other cultists, but a couple of the cultists were noticing that their prisoners were breaking free.
Those cultists didn't have time to act on that knowledge, though, because Jason's body burst into flames again – copper and red flames, this time, instead of toxic green – and the leash melted away, to the sorcerer's obvious astonishment.
Jason watched with awe as the kid, Danny, drew Jason's soul flames directly from Jason and used them to great effect. Danny was only using the flames with Jason's permission, of course, and Jason was supplying him directly rather than the flames being taken from him.
He'd never used his soul flames without the All-Blades – hadn't thought they could be manifested without the structure provided by the All-Blades, in fact. Jason was definitely watching how Danny pulled it off and taking notes. Maybe Jason would get to surprise Ducra, the next time he visited the Thousand Acres of All.
He and his family weren't out of the woods yet, but watching Danny go to town on the cultists was definitely satisfying.
Whatever it was that was in Jason's body was definitely not used to having such a big body, Bruce distractedly noted. It was subtle, and the being was compensating with a lot of flying and floating, but it was obvious the creature was used to a body that was a shorter and smaller target.
He finished freeing Damian and the boy immediately launched himself at the nearest cultist, snarling. Between Damian and Cass taking down more cultists and Dick and Bruce working to free Tim, Steph, Babs, and Alfred – scratch Tim; he was getting himself out with the knife Cass tossed to him – they would be in a much better position to fully neutralize the creature in Jason's body.
The cultists were definitely not expecting Brucie Wayne and his gaggle of kids to so quickly and easily take them down. Maybe, if Jason hadn't been on the line, Bruce would have tried to hold back some, to "scared civilian with self-defense training" to try to protect his identity. But Jason was compromised by an unknown being, and Bruce had no patience for that situation continuing any longer than necessary.
The head cultist definitely fell on the side of the stronger magicians Bruce had faced, but the copper and red flames were highly effective at rendering her powerless. They were a separate power from the green flames, as the green flames could be thrown but the red ones couldn't, but the red ones could neutralize magic. The sorcerer had obviously neglected her body in her training, too, and once the being in Jason's body got close enough, it punched her hard enough to knock her out.
Just the creature left, then.
The being took one look at the rest of Bruce's family trapping it in a loose semicircle, squeaked, and launched into the air above jumping range. Its flames vanished and it held Jason's hands out in a placating gesture.
"Wait wait wait, please don't eat me!" the being stammered. Dick snorted. "Jason's fine—" Aside from the injuries his body had acquired in the scuffle, the worst of which were a series of puncture wounds winding around his torso from the leash, Bruce observed. He wouldn't be taking the creature's word about the state of Jason's mind, either. "—I just need a second to leave his body, and then I'll be out of your hair. And, uh, Jason says—" The being rattled off a series of code phrases that indicated that Jason was okay, that he wasn't under duress, and that he wasn't mentally impaired or controlled. Bruce wouldn't fully believe it until he heard it directly from his son – there was a possibility that the being had plucked the phrases from Jason's memories. But it did help.
"We won't bite," Dick said in a friendly tone. Only those who knew him well would see the tension in his body, a readiness to pounce at the slightest indication that something was off.
The being lowered Jason's body back to the floor, watching them warily. Just as they were watching it back. But when they didn't make a move, the being said, "Hang on a sec, I'll be out shortly." After a moment with nothing happening, Jason's body doubled over, clutching at his chest and coughing. Was that it?
No, Bruce thought grimly, as Jason's face looked up and unfamiliar eyes still stared back.
"Oh," the being squeaked, blood draining from Jason's face. "I'm stuck."
"Stuck?" Tim repeated skeptically.
"The magic the sorcerer used, it's… bad. Jason is keeping it from affecting me, but the moment I try to leave, it clamps down again."
Bruce frowned. An obstacle. Of course. At least the being hadn't run off with Jason's body. Bruce reminded himself that the being had freed them and fought off the cultists in the meantime, and had also been generally cooperative.
"We have… friends who should be able to help you," Bruce said. "Stay until we can sort this out."
The being raised Jason's hands in a show of surrender. "I wouldn't want to go anywhere without getting this fixed, anyway."
"I've already contacted Zatanna for immediate assistance," Barbara volunteered. "She should be here within the hour."
Bruce nodded, grateful for her competence. He looked around the trashed ballroom and mentally sighed. Cleaning and repairs were going to be a massive pain.
Things like this were why he never took nights off.
Zatanna, a couple other members of the League, and the police were all quick to show up. The League took the head cultist into custody, while the GCPD got the rest of them, plus advice on handling the weaker magic users. Everyone gave their statements, including Jason, who coached Danny on what to say.
It took Zatanna a couple of hours to figure out which spell the sorcerer had used and how to reverse it. Jason immediately noticed the difference in Danny – the kid's soul was lighter, happier. Bruised from the spell, definitely, but it would heal. Jason couldn't tell much else, because then the kid was gone, and Jason was left staggering to reclaim his body after the abrupt departure. Danny left behind a lingering sense of relief and release.
Once Jason regained his vision, he saw that Danny had crashed to the floor of the kitchen, where they'd all congregated, in a vague green wobbly blur that couldn't seem to figure out what shape it wanted to take. A few moments later, it solidified into a humanoid form. Jason barely caught a glimpse of a black jumpsuit with white accents, white hair, and glowing green eyes when there was a bright flash of light surrounding Danny.
When Jason cleared the spots from his eyes, there was an average human boy sitting on the floor. And Jason could tell that Danny was fully human – or close enough – thanks to changes in the whispers from the Pit and the All-Blades. Judging from the way Zatanna's eyes had gone round and huge, she noticed it too. This wasn't just an illusion to blend in with humans; this was a full-body transformation.
Jason's mind whirred with the possibilities. Was Danny a human who had an otherworldly form? An otherworldly creature and a human merged into one, with access to both forms? Something like him, the Pit had whispered earlier, when their souls first touched – what were the implications of that?
There was another flash of light, and Danny's otherworldly form was back. The kid shrank under all the piercing stares he was subjected to.
"Could you, um, pretend you didn't just see that?" the kid asked weakly. "Can I go?"
"No," said Jason, Bruce, and Damian simultaneously. The kid wilted but didn't try to run. He was definitely a good kid.
But with all the questions Jason and the others had for Danny, and cleaning up the mess from the cultists…
So much for their night off.
A/N:
Figured, with the current (7/10/2023) DDoS attack on AO3, that now would be a good time to port some fics over.
So just imagine Jason, with a boyish grin on his face that Bruce hadn't seen since before Jason died, floating in the air wreathed by green, bright copper, and red flames, taking potshots at cultists. Danny's not used to a large body in combat, but he's definitely enjoying the sheer strength, stamina, and durability Jason's absolute tank of a body has.
No Duke in this one, sorry! It's already a little overstuffed with characters.
Somewhere in the interrogation, Danny abruptly asks if there are any spells that can copy or transfer kidney and liver function – not the organs themselves, just their function – to another person. Zatanna is confused and replies that she would need to research it, and why did Danny need this? Danny replies that his kidneys and liver have extra function to account for his other half, and that Jason needs it because he has rotten ectoplasm in his body, and once it's filtered and clean it can become Jason's instead of the someone else's that has the ectoplasm so rotten in the first place, and it will definitely be healthier for Jason. Cue minor chaos as it's pretty immediately realized that the "rotten ectoplasm" is the Pit water in Jason's body.
Sometime, it gets revealed that Tim would have been Danny's first choice because he was closest in age and body type. When asked why he chose Jason instead, Danny or Jason reveal that it's because Danny could tell that Jason would be most able/likely to fight him off. The other Bats warm up to Danny considerably after this revelation.
It also gets revealed that Danny wasn't the summoning spell's original target, but that the original target (a broader summoning spell looking for something powerful, willing to give up its freedom for bloodshed/more power, generally malicious), which Danny was fighting at the time, felt the summoning spell and substituted itself for Danny.