G

by Lazydaily

Bat fam and Danny phantom

1. 1

"My life sucks," Danny grumbled. He let out a string of varied curses as Box Ghost rained all of cardboard hell onto him. He let his body turn intangible and didn't even blink as boxes passed straight through him. It was his first instinct at this point.

"Can we not do this today? I have an English quiz tomorrow, and for once, I'd like to pass."

Box Ghost cackled 'evilly' and threw another barrage of cardboard boxes at him. Again, Danny didn't even bother dodging.

Screw ectoblasts. Intangibility was the best power a sleep-deprived half-dead guy could have.

"I'm keeping you in the thermos till tomorrow evening. If anyone attacks me in the next two days, I'm keeping them in there for a week. Spread the word when I dump you back."

"You won't capture me in that cylindrical object again! For I am the master of all things cardboard and square will never be captured aga—AHHHH!" he screamed as Danny popped open said thermos and sucked him in.

"I can't believe I woke up at three again for this crap," he groaned, rubbing his temple. This was the fourth night in a row that one of the ghosts decided that fighting him after midnight on weekdays was a brilliant idea. He was completely wrung-dry. Today it was Box Ghost. Yesterday it was Skulker and Technus. The day before that was Johnny, Shadow, and Kitty. And the day before that , it was Youngblood.

That wasn't even counting the daytime attacks.

Those had gone up from six to nearly ten a day.

He'd been 'fighting' Boxy for the past twenty minutes. Half of that time was just spent chasing him around town, trying to catch up. His eyes were drooping and his head ached. If he wasn't this exhausted, he would've been able to figure out that being in an old warehouse was a stupid place to fight Box Ghost.

Stupid ghosts.

Danny sighed as he floated out of the warehouse. It's been two years since he got these powers, and he still feels like a complete noob. Sure, he's fought strong enemies and he's technically a superhero in his own right, and sure, Clockwork has taught him quite a bit about the ghost zone and he's learned a lot about his powers, but half the time he has no clue what he's doing.

He hasn't even checked all of his normal ghost power's limitations yet, let alone his special ones, like the wail. (He experimented the hell out of his ghost ice, though. That was too cool not to. Pun completely intended.)

Sneaking back into his room was a piece of cake. His parents may be ghost hunters, but his powers still worked everywhere around the house. Of course the alarms activated, but he disabled the ones in his room. If he kept those on, he would've been caught way back when he first became a halfa. Or when he stuffed who knows how many things into his walls.

It was times like these that he was glad that his parents were such heavy sleepers. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear them snoring away in their bedroom. They wouldn't notice even if he started banging pots right next to them (it was tried and tested). The only way to wake them up was the word 'Ghost.'

Danny sighed in appreciation as he wrapped the covers around him like a burrito. Not for the first time, he was glad that he had Sam pick out his comforters last year. Within seconds, he was knocked out.

Of course, the alarm blared too soon.

He groped his bedside table, blindly reaching for the alarm. When he found it, he didn't even bother being gentle. He slammed his fist onto it so hard that it shattered with its gears bent.

Ancients.

Danny stuffed his face into the soft, fluffy pillows.

They were too alluring.

He just. Couldn't. Get. Up.

Maybe he needed another minute… or hour.

"Danny, wake up or we're going to be late!" Jazz's voice came from outside his door along with a series of knocks. "Danny!"

"Noooooo."

"Oh, for God's sake," he heard her mutter. Out of his slitted eyes, he saw the doorknob twist and a blob of orange stalking up to him.

"Sorry about this, little bro." Jazz flung the covers of him. Danny hissed like a cat and flailed on his now comforterless bed. He tumbled off and hit the floor with a thud.

"Owww."

"Don't be a baby. I know you've had worse than just falling off the bed."

"Betrayal," Danny let out a theatrical gasp. "I've been betrayed by my own sister."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "We have to leave in ten minutes if we don't want to be late. So, get your butt out of bed and get dressed."

"Ughhh."

He barely remembered brushing and putting on his clothes before he walked, not unlike a zombie, to the kitchen. He dumped the remaining cheerios they had into a bowl, absently making a mental note to buy some later, and opened the fridge.

A glowing green hotdog stared at him.

Danny stared back.

A second passed.

Then, it bared its teeth and flung itself at him.

"Nope," Danny said, grabbing the milk and flinging the hotdog deeper into the fridge. It hissed, but before it could do anything mildly dangerous, he slammed the fridge door closed.

Five minutes and a finished cereal mountain later, Jazz walked in with both their bags. She pulled on a parka and dumped his bag onto his lap. "Here."

"Thanks."

Their parents were still in the basement. Danny hadn't seen hide nor hair of them since they went on and on about this new project to capture and vivisect (dissect?) Phantom that they thought of three weeks ago. He nearly vomited, forcing himself to stay still the entire time and listened to their ranting so he could avoid getting too injured.

Their latest ecto gun nearly burned his arm off.

He knew they loved him, but Phantom was a whole different story.

A whole different, violent, and painful story.

"So," Jazz said once they were in her car. "Were you up again at three again?"

"Yeah."

"Who was it this time? Ghost X again?"

"You know that's not his name," Danny accused.

Jazz gave him an innocent smile.

"And no, it wasn't Skulker. It was Boxy. It took me almost twenty-five minutes to catch him."

"Crate Creep took you twenty-five minutes?" Her voice was incredulous. Danny couldn't blame her. It normally took him less than two minutes to defeat Box Ghost.

"This is the fourth attack in a row that's been after midnight. I'm worn out."

"Why didn't you tell me this was the fourth night? I could've called in sick for you," Jazz said, pulling up at the school's parking lot. "I can do it right now, if you want."

Danny shook his head. "Can't. I have a quiz in English which I can not fail. I'm already on very thin ice with Lancer, and I really don't want detention this week. Besides, it's Friday and winter break's about to start. I can last a few hours."

"If you're sure," she said hesitantly.

"I am."

"Alright. But, if you do feel like you're about to drop, head home. I'll tell the school that you caught a cold."

"Thanks, Jazz." He smiled. Jazz reached up to ruffle his hair and made her way into the school. Danny spotted Sam and Tucker arguing by one of the trees and went to meet up with them.

Neither of them had changed much since freshman year. The only differences were that Sam had grown her hair out into choppy waves while Tucker hit a growth spurt. He stood a few inches taller than Danny, who had changed the most out of the trio. He swapped the oval logo shirt with a black hoodie displaying an electric green cartoon ghost, which was a joke from Tucker on his birthday. Sam declared that he needed more goth in his style, then forced him to ditch his baggy jeans and buy a few pairs of black jeans, cargo pants, and mid-calf high combat boots.

(He put his foot down on the ripped jeans, though. His clothes got worn out enough, he didn't need them to have a head start, thank you very much.)

"Hey, guys."

"Danny! Tell Sam that my Charlotte is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen," Tucker shouted, gloved hands shoving a PDA into his face.

Danny pushed it back. It looked sleeker and more modernized than the one he had yesterday. The buttons shined and the stylus showed barely any signs of use.

"That's what you said about your previous one!" Sam argued. "What was its name, Debby, or something?"

"Dorothy," Tucker sniffed and hugged it to his chest. "And this isn't any normal PDA. It's a thousand bucks and a heavy duty one that was released by Wayne Enterprises a few days ago."

"Woah! Dude, how did you afford it?" Danny asked, looking at the PDA in a new light. Even Sam looked reluctantly impressed.

"I've been saving up ever since Mr. Drake announced that there would be a new tech line. Laptops, Waynepads, tablets, PDAs, everything!" Tucker had a dreamy look on his face.

"Wasn't that, like, a few months ago?"

"Yup. I've even been doing chores for my parents so I could get this baby!"

"Cool," Danny yawned.

"Danny, you look exhausted. Have you been sleeping properly?" Sam frowned.

He shook his head. "No, I—" he winced as the bell ran from above him. "I'll tell you about it at lunch."

Sam and Tucker nodded. Tucker patted him on the shoulder before making his way to his Chemistry class. Sam punched the other shoulder, uncharacteristically gentle, then followed Tucker.

Danny stood in the hallway for a second longer before heading to English.

Danny woke up to someone poking his cheek with a pencil eraser. He groaned and swatted it. "Stop it, Tuck."

Tucker did not stop.

"How'd your English quiz go?" Sam's voice came from in front of him.

He looked up at her from behind his arms. "Pretty well, actually. I think I might've gotten a B. Dash isn't here today, so that's great."

"Nice, man!" Tucker said enthusiastically.

"What's got you so dead on your feet?"

"My ghost half," Danny deadpanned.

"Yeah, I walked right into that one." Sam rolled her eyes. "But seriously. Why are you like… this." she waved her hands at him vaguely.

"You just gestured to all of me," he quoted with a smirk.

Sam's eyes met the cafeteria ceiling.

"It's been a pretty rough few days," Danny finally admitted. "I've had ghost attacks at around three a.m for the past four days."

"Was it Skulker?"

"Actually, no. The first day, it was Youngblood. The second day, it was Johnny, Shadow, and Kitty. The third day was Skulker and Technus. Today was actually just Box Ghost. He's still in the thermos."

"Oof. Do ya nad hep?" Tucker asked around a bite from his all-meat sandwich. Sam gave him a disgusted look. She stared him in the eye as she plucked a cherry tomato from her Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarian lunch and ate it whole. Tucker gagged and made exaggerated retching noises. He looked away from her and at Danny.

"Nah, I think I'm good. But, I'm not going to be able to come to Nasty Burger today. I'm going to sleep all the way till Saturday noon."

"It's alright, man." Tucker gave him a reassuring smile. "But, I'll talk you ear off about Charlotte tomorrow."

Danny gave him a thumbs up.

Somehow, there was no attack during school at all. Four days of constant fighting, then nothing.

It was unnerving.

Danny kept checking over his shoulder just to be sure that his ghost sense wasn't malfunctioning (he didn't know if that was even possible), but his worries were unfounded.

Nothing.

Attacked.

Him.

It was too quiet. He might be near an alleyway, but there were always sounds. Jazz had to stay behind to tutor someone, so she told him to go ahead.

Now he was regretting it.

He heard something shift almost inaudibly on the roof and tensed.

A small projectile whistled through the air. Even with his ghost powers, Danny barely had enough time to dodge. He watched as a small transparent yellow glass object whizzed past him and pinned itself into the brick next to him.

"What the—" he didn't get time to finish his sentence before a dagger followed the same path as the dart and nearly buried itself into his throat.

His heart sped up.

A figure clad in fitted black made itself visible from the shadows of the building.

"Who the hell are you?!" Danny looked at him from head to toe. The only parts of him (he was pretty sure the ninja dude was male) that were visible were his dark eyes and hands, both of which were wielding a lethal weapon.

Katana in the right. Chakram in the left.

The ninja didn't bother answering before lunging at him. Danny yelped and scrambled out of his way. The ninja swung his katana at him again, attempting to slash Danny's chest.

"Did I do something to you? Because I think I would remember picking a fight with a freaking NINJA!"

He gulped and his eyes darted across the cramped alley. He couldn't fight the ninja here, or in the open, so the rooftops would be the best bet. Becoming Phantom right now would be a terrible idea.

So, the fire escape would have to do.

Danny leaped atop of the dumpster, narrowly escaping a chakram to the shoulder, and grabbed a hold of the railing. Quickly, he pulled himself up and suddenly there was a good six feet between him and the ninja.

That didn't last very long.

As soon as he turned to look, the ninja was already on the dumpster, aiming to take the same route as him, but with more efficiency. He was like a snake, twirling and slithering after Danny, who began running up the steps, easily going four at a time thanks to his powers.

He twisted his body out of the way to avoid half a dozen shuriken. A cautious glance backwards made him go immediately faster. Danny rolled out of the way to steer clear of another syringe and let out a breath of relief as he made it to the roof.

He took a few steps back. He blinked and the ninja appeared, almost as if he had teleported.

And here I thought I was the one with ghost powers.

"What do you want from me?"

"The Demon's Head wants the Phantom." Danny startled when he heard the ninja speak with a thick, middle-eastern accent. He wasn't really expecting an answer.

"The who ? And if you're looking for Phantom, why are you attacking me?!"

The ninja didn't answer and instead unsheathed his katana from behind him. He thrust it at Danny, who fell back into a crouch. He heard a faint snip as it grazed his hair.

Before the ninja had a chance to strike again, Danny rolled forward and planted his fist on the ninja's chest infusing more than a little ghost strength. He felt something strange, then realized that the body armor had cracked. Danny pulled his fist back, only to swing it again, twice as hard this time.

The ninja staggered slightly, and his breath hitched. His grip on his sword loosened. Danny used that opportunity to kick it away from him and flip him onto the hard concrete underneath them.

He pinned the ninja's hands behind him, and in a flash, used his free arm to place him in a chokehold. Danny wouldn't kill him, but the ninja didn't need to know that.

"I'll ask again. If you're looking for Phantom, why attack me?"

"The Demon's Head wants the Phantom," the ninja repeated. Danny tightened his grip.

"Not the right answer, buddy."

"The Phantom is named Daniel James Fenton."

Danny blanched. Okay, so deniability was out the window.

But the ninja wasn't done talking yet.

"He is the one who has the pure essence of the Lazarus Pit coursing through his veins. He is the King," the ninja said robotically, almost as if he was repeating someone else's words. Danny's core hummed at the words 'Lazarus pit,' whatever that was.

"How'd you know I'm Phantom?"

Silence.

"What's the Lazarus Pit?"

Silence again.

"Who's the Demon's Head?"

More silence.

"Why did you call me 'the king'?"

"The Phantom defeated the tyrant."

"Which one?"

The ninja didn't answer. Danny figured that that was all he was getting out of him.

"What to do with you..." he wondered aloud as he created Ghost Ice handcuffs and rope to bind the ninja's ankles together. The best parts about Ghost Ice was that it was unbreakable and didn't melt unless Danny himself wanted it to. Heck, he could even adjust the temperature! "CW, I know you can hear me. What am I supposed to do with this guy?"

Nothing happened.

"Great," he muttered. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. He took a seat on the ninja's back, then tapped on Sam's name.

"Where are you guys?"

"Nasty Burger. I thought you were going to sleep." Her voice took an admonishing tone.

Danny chuckled sheepishly. "About that… I might have been attacked by a ninja."

"…"

"Goth Girl, you still there?"

"Did you just say you got attacked by a ghost ninja?" Sam hissed quietly.

"Danny met a ghost ninja?!" He could faintly make out Tucker's voice from the background.

"No. This guy's an actual ninja. No ghostliness anywhere."

"I'm sorry, what?" Sam said blankly.

"He's a real-life ninja. He's not a ghost," Danny explained.

"I thought ninjas died out?" Tucker asked, baffled, his voice clearer than before.

"Apparently not. He was talking about some kind of demon head, a Lazarus Pit, and he called me a king. Also, he knows about the thing!"

"What thing?"

"The Phantom thing!"

They both gasped. "What?! How?!"

"I don't know."

"Where is he now?"

"I have him tied up here with ice. I'm sitting on him so he doesn't try anything." Danny gave a suspicious glance to the ninja. His eyes were closed, but his body was as stiff as a board.

Tucker snorted.

"Did you disarm him?" Sam questioned.

"Ahh… I took his katana away?"

Danny could almost feel her judgemental stare.

"I'll do that right now," he added hastily. He quickly got up and ran his hands over the ninja's armor, looking for any hidden weapons. And, oh boy, hidden weapons he did find. Two dozen more shuriken, a butterfly knife, a small blowgun, a pair of sai, three daggers, a mini poison kit, smoke pellets, a lighter, and rations were tucked away in the folds and hidden pouches. He found three throwing knives in each boot along with a small needle-like weapon beneath each sole.

He patted the ninja down again. "I think I got everything."

"Cool! Can I take some stuff later?" Tucker's voice was filled with glee.

Danny shrugged. "Sure, man. Knock yourself out."

"What are you going to do with him?" Sam asked.

"That's why I called you guys," he said helplessly. Another quick look at the ninja. He didn't appear to be going anywhere.

"Can we just dump him in a river?"

"Tucker, no!" There was a pained squawk. Sam probably kicked him with a steel toed boot. "All life is important!"

"Then what do we do with him? It's not like we can just dump him back in the GZ like we do with the ghosts."

"CW didn't answer when I called him earlier. Can I leave the ninja dude with you guys while I go to his lair?" Danny was careful not to mention Clockwork's actual name. The ninja was still wide awake, and very likely listening to Danny's side of the conversation.

"You might as well. It's not like he can break out of Ghost Ice anyways. We'll hide him at Tucker's house. His parents don't go into his room anymore."

"See you in a few," he said, ending the call and tucking his phone into his pants pocket. "You better not be planning an escape. If, somehow, you break free and hurt my friends, I will hunt you down and take down your 'Demon's Head' and all the others like you," he said, glaring at the ninja. Danny let his pupils glow into what Vlad liked to call 'Scary eyes 2.0' before a halo of light enveloped him.

His Phantom form had changed a bit in the past two years. His eyes resembled a cat's and his fingernails hardened into permanent claws. His already ethereal glow had evolved to make his skin shimmer gently. Danny's ears had a slight elven stretch to them, and his canines grew into dagger-sharp fangs.

That was a rough week of biting a bunch of things that ended with him feeling like a toddler. Jazz even bought him a few teethers, but he refused to use them.

(If he did end up using them within the hour, that was nobody's business but his own.)

He wrapped an arm around the ninja's waist and turned them both invisible. No need in attracting attention, after all.

Tucker's house wasn't very far from Nasty Burger, and the flight there only took a few minutes. The ninja was as still as a statue, and Danny didn't delude himself into believing that he wasn't either thinking of how to escape, how to hurt his friends, how to get information, or a mix of all three.

After a quick moment of debate, he made a blindfold and thick, blocky earmuffs.

Contrary to popular belief, Danny was by no means stupid. Before the ghosts came around, he was a straight-A student. But, it was a little hard to study when ghosts attack any time of the day. These days, he was lucky if he got a C + on a test or quiz.

He sighed internally. At least his battle sense was better than most other people's. Not for the first time, he wished he had a mentor. One who wasn't an evil fruitloop hell bent on marrying his mom, making Danny his son, and taking over the world. Clockwork was more like a cryptic parent who gave guidance and advice. And, as amazing as Frostbite was, he didn't really count since Danny taught himself most things.

Oh well.

Tucker's house came into view. Danny turned himself and the ninja intangible and flew inside to see Tucker and Sam opening the door.

"Woah!"

"Where's his weapons?"

Danny held up an ice bag he conjured, stuffed full of everything the ninja was carrying and set it on the bed. Tucker immediately made a beeline for it and began rummaging through it. Sam followed him and grabbed a few throwing knives.

"Dude!" Tucker squealed. "These are so awesome!"

Sam grinned, brandishing the katana. "For once, I agree with him."

Danny dumped the ninja on the floor and adjusted the ropes so that he was tied to the bed. "He shouldn't be able to move, but if he does, use the weapons."

"You don't have to tell us twice. I don't think he's going to be a problem, but you never know. If he does move, me and Sam will just knock him out. That, or we die a painful and potentially violent death."

Sam cuffed his head.

"Ow!"

"We'll be fine, Danny. Just go ask Clockwork what the heck we're supposed to do with him. We'll hold down the fort."

Danny threw them a grateful smile and waved before disappearing into the roof.

"So… wanna open the poison kit?"

Sam smirked.

Traveling through the Ghost Zone never got old. All the doors and the endless void of green and black make the entire place feel like a haunted house times a hundred, but to Danny it was comforting. It felt more like home than his actual house did.

Clockwork's clocktower hadn't changed at all in the last two years. It was still huge and held the aura of death and eternity for those who came near. Most ghosts knew to be wary and respect Clockwork, but Danny had a pass on the former. The Clocktower, as Danny affectionately named it, allowed him in whenever he wanted.

Some days he just lounged there to do his homework or play board games with Clockwork. It was peaceful.

The doors swung open even before he landed.

A ghost in a purple cloak greeted him. "Daniel."

"Clockwork, who was that ninja dude?!"

"Not, ninja, Daniel, but an assassin," Clockwork corrected casually, as if that were perfectly normal.

"What! An-an assassin?!"

Clockwork hummed.

"Why would an assassin be after me? I'm literally just a half-ghost kid who fights ghosts everyday in the middle of nowhere!"

The Master of Time gave him a dry look. "Take a moment to re-examine that sentence."

Danny did. He raised an eyebrow when he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Clockwork sighed. "You're a half-ghost, Daniel. You cross the boundaries of life and death, which are closed off to humanity and ghosts alike, everyday, whenever you so wish. You have only had this power for two years, yet you have fought enemies of various strengths, ranging from the former Ghost King to simple ecto-entities. You have a sense of justice and fairness that many lack."

"Careful Clockwork, I think my ego's inflating," Danny joked before sobering. "But really, when you put it like that, it makes me sound like I'm some epic hero, like someone from the Justice League, and not the mess of a halfa that I really am. And besides, Vlad can do the same thing I can. So can Ellie."

"That is how many ghosts view you. Vladimir is self-explanatory. Danielle is a clone of you."

Danny blinked. "As the mess of a halfa that I am? I can't blame them for that. It's the truth after all."

Clockwork shook his head. "No, Daniel. They view you as how I described you."

Danny's mouth hung open. "I-I'm sorry, but what?!"

"They view you as a hero and a champion. The ghosts you have met are the troublemakers. They don't make up the entirety of the Ghost Zone. The Ghost Zone is larger than you could imagine. It contains the souls of billions."

"B-B-BILLIONS!"

"Correct."

Danny stared at him in shock for a few seconds. A thought tickled his brain as he remembered what Clockwork said in his description. "Wait a sec. Former Ghost King? I thought Pariah Dark was still the Ghost King."

"Not anymore," Clockwork clicked his tongue.

"Then who's the Ghost King now? I thought I would've met them by now."

Clockwork's red eyes gleamed in something similar to amusement. "The current Ghost King hasn't been crowned yet. He defeated Pariah Dark two years ago."

"What!" Danny panicked.

Crap, crap, crap, crap! This is bad! Terrible! Horrifying! Why isn't Clockwork panicking?! Oh wait he doesn't do that! Now I've gotta panic for him!

"Pariah Dark was let free twice in the same year?!"

Clockwork raised his non-existent eyebrow. "Incorrect."

"Then I'm the only one who defeated him two…" Danny whipped his head at Clockwork, who was smirking smugly. That was all the confirmation he needed. The gears in his head stuttered before glitching out. He focused blankly at one of the Clocktower's walls, trying to get his brain to reboot.

It failed each time.

"Daniel."

"I'M THE GHOST KING?!"

"Soon-to-be Ghost King, but yes."

"THAT'S WHAT THE ASSASSIN MEANT?! WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS?!" He looked at Clockwork desperately. "Is there a way for me to not become the Ghost King?"

"There is not. The Ghost Zone will fall to ruins without a king."

"It didn't with Pariah Dark, and he was sleeping in his freaking sarcophagus!"

"He wasn't defeated by a single ghost the first time."

"But I didn't defeat him alone!" Danny protested. "Other ghosts helped too! And I had the Ecto-Skeleton with me!"

"You still bested him in single-combat. The throning rules never mentioned not using a battle suit for assistance."

"Then what about the Ancients?! They defeated Pariah Dark without a battle suit!"

"They were not one entity. They were a group that banded together to subdue him."

"But I have responsibilities in Amity too! I can't just not be there! A-and Jazz and Sam and Tucker and my parents—oh Ancients, my parents! They're gonna rip me apart 'molecule by molecule' if they find out that I'm not only a halfa, but I'm also the next Ghost King!" Danny could feel his chest constricting and his core stuttering. He couldn't breathe. It was too much, too much, toomuchtoomuchtoomuch—

Suddenly, there was a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Daniel, calm down."

"B-but—"

Clockwork gave him a firm look. "Daniel, if the need arises, I will ensure that you are safe from your parents. And, being the Ghost King doesn't mean that you can't still live in Amity Park. All it means is that you will have responsibilities here in the Ghost Zone as well."

"Like what?" Danny asked, sucking in a few deep breaths to finally relax his breathing.

"You will attend the high council meetings and learn all there is to know about the Ghost Zone. Both the general and the things known by a select few."

"The Ghost Zone has a council?"

"Yes."

"Then why is this place so chaotic?"

Clockwork snorted at that. He tapped his see-all circle thing with his staff, and it twisted and curled before it spun itself horizontally and began expanding. Danny watched in awe as it's new width took up more than half of the room.

Dark green border lines began drawing themselves in no specific order. Some separated areas were as big as his head, while others were the size of his thumbnail. Structures with a holographic quality began popping up until Danny realized that this was some sort of map.

"This area that we are in is but one area of the entire realm," Clockwork said, pointing to one of the larger divisions. "There are peaceful regions as well. You'll get the chance to see them in the future."

"Are these all the Ghost Zone… countries?"

"That is one way to put it." Clockwork tucked his hands behind his back. "However, it is not entirely accurate. The proper name is j̡̬̙̝͉̩̦͚̱̄r̪̩̤̥̲̹̣ͪ͐͞e̡̼̗̘͚̜ͪͯ͋p̴͍̟̪̪͓͈͓̄̿o̜̮̯̤̟̬͂͡v̛͎͇̤͍̘̞͕̱͂́̽ͤn̲͉̻͐͟."

Danny jerked his head back and stared with wide eyes as a garbled up noise came out of Clockwork's mouth, as if he had swallowed them, put it in a blender with some rocks, and spat them back out.

"Woah, did not expect that."

Clockwork cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow.. "I am a ghost, Daniel."

"I know. It's just… I've never heard you do it before."

A smile played on his lips. "Well, now you have. In order to be King, you must memorize all these names, as well as the specific order of conduction in each 'country'"

"That's going to take forever," Danny groaned.

"You have years, Daniel. You'll be able to do it."

They were both silent for a few minutes. "So, now what?" Danny made a small ice ball and traced its surface with the pads of fingers.

"The ceremony will take place in a month."

Danny nearly dropped the ball.

"A month," he choked. "I only have a month to get used to this?!"

"I'm afraid so. The Ghost Zone could've lasted another two years without a king, but the Observants have been restless. They don't want to risk the Ghost Zone's collapse."

"Would it really collapse without a king?"

Clockwork nodded seriously. "Yes. The Ghost Zone is very fragile. It needs something, or someone, to help it maintain equilibrium with the human realm. That is where the Ghost King comes in. Pariah Dark had neglected his duties, even before the Forever Sleep. That is why the Ghost Zone looks like this," he motioned to everything around them. "Without a king, both the human realm and the ghost realm will crumble."

Danny swallowed and licked his lips nervously. He weighed his options very carefully, before choosing one and setting his jaw in a familiar fashion. His eyes glinted in determination. "What do I do first?"

Clockwork smiled proudly. He floated away from Danny and grabbed a small box. "This box contains the Ring of Rage. It is the first step in declaring that you are the Ghost King. You must wear it at all times until the ceremony."

Danny took the box gingerly, remembering how powerful Pariah Dark was when he wore the ring. "Quick question. Is there a way to sanitize it?"

Clockwork shot him an unimpressed look.

"You're a half-ghost, Daniel. An 'unsanitized' ring will not harm you."

"I'm just saying! And do I have to wear it in the shower too? 'Cuz that would be awkward as hell."

"Yes, you do."

"Aw," Danny pouted. He lifted the lid and admired the ring laying in velvety green fabric. It radiated a warm jade light and was more stunning to look at now since it wasn't on Vlad or Pariah's finger. The skull's eyes were more ruby like than the blood-red that they were before.

"But how do I get people to not be suspicious of it? Valerie would know in an instant that it's the Ring of Rage since she got tricked into wearing it. My parents would probably recognize it too."

"It's a ghost ring. It has ways to alter its form. Encase the ring with your ice energy, and the ring will synchronize with you, and change its appearance to match you in whichever form you are in."

Danny nodded. He grabbed it delicately and covered it between his hands. His eyes and hands glowed cyan as cold flames erupted from them. When he opened his hands again, he couldn't even recognize the ring. Gone was the brightness and the life-like gleam. It's color had changed to obsidian black and its shank had slimmed down considerably. It still had a certain luminosity to it, but not nearly as much as before.

"Woah," he breathed, slipping the ring on. It shone briefly before the light died down and the ring adjusted itself onto his finger.

Clockwork picked up another box, this one much larger than the ring's. "This is a gift from me," he said. "I believe it would suit a future ghost king. Open it once you get back."

"M'kay. Also, are there any benefits to being the Ghost King?"

"Of course. For one, your power, which if given the right training and time, can be used to defeat even the Kryptonian, will increase tenfold."

"Eh, pass," Danny dismissed.

"You get access to all of Pariah Dark's former treasuries."

"How many are there," he asked curiously.

"Too many to count. He was the Ghost King for a few hundred millennia. Ancient artifacts and riches are to be expected. The third, but definitely not last thing is that you hold the power to give orders to ghosts."

"Not gonna lie, the second one sounds sweet . Pass on the thi—wait a sec. Explain that last one more."

"All the ghosts must follow your command. They will not be able to disobey your orders."

"Oooooo, I like that one," Danny said gleefully, rubbing his gloved hands together.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. That means I can order ghosts like Skulker to stop attacking me for a while! Obviously not forever, but as long as I can. Ooooo, maybe I could get Johnny to let me ride his motorcycle! Full night's sleep and good grades, here I come! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Only you, Daniel. Going back to the ring, it also allows you to create portals at any time to wherever you wish."

"AWESOME!"

"So what do I do with the assassin?"

"Use the ring to travel to Gotham and give him to the Bats."

"You mean Batman and the other Gotham heroes?"

"Yes."

"But metas aren't allowed in Gotham."

Clockwork huffed. "You're not a meta, Daniel. You are a half-ghost."

"But wouldn't they see that as the same thing?" Danny crossed his arms. Clockwork's constantly shifting form shook his head.

"Then explain it to them."

"But why Batman?" Danny insisted. Meeting Batman was an honor that he seriously didn't want. "Why not any of the other heroes?"

"One of Batman's enemies is named Ra's al Ghul. He is the Demon's Head."

"Wait, so that's what the ninja was talking about?!"

"Yes. Ra's al Ghul is the leader of the League of Assassins. Batman is very familiar with him as he trained under him for a while before breaking off and becoming a hero in Gotham. He has had many other encounters since."

Danny faltered. "Batman… trained with a bunch of assassins?"

Clockwork gave him an amused smile. "Yes."

"Oh, Ancients ," he wheezed. "No wonder he's so scary."

"Indeed. Now, get going. Make sure you open the present before going to Gotham. And remember, you can trust Batman and his family. Take care to release Box Ghost on your way out."

"Will do!" Danny chirped. "Bye, Clockwork!"

"Don't cause any trouble."

"No can do!" Danny yelled, zipping out of the Clocktower. The doors banged shut behind him.

Clockwork's lips quirked up.

I've set you on the path. I have full confidence that you will make the correct decisions for everyone's sakes.

Danny coughed when he entered Tucker's bedroom. "Ugh, what happened here?" he asked through his now muffled mouth and plugged nose.

Thankfully, the assassin hadn't tried anything. He was still bound up by the bed, not moving. Danny checked to make sure he was alive, though. He was, but his breathing was quicker than it should be. Probably because the poison smell of the air or the cracked ribs Danny gave him. Could be a blend of both.

The whole room was a different story. It reeked of death and toxins. His eyes darted around before zeroing in on the open mini poison kit on Tucker's desk. To his increasing horror, both Sam and Tucker were wearing makeshift gas masks, yellow rubber gloves, and matching wicked grins.

"Oh, Ancients, you guys are getting along."

"We were experimenting with the poison. This guy had more potent versions of the normal poisons. Take the Nightshade one," Sam pointed to one of the darker liquids. "That's more than eight times stronger than what you would find usually."

"Well, you usually wouldn't find Nightshade poison. And the assassin knows what I am. My immune system is ridiculous." He paused. "How do you know how much poison is normal?"

"There's a reason why I'm Undergrowth's favorite," she replied, smirk growing deadly.

Danny shuddered. "I—"

"Yeah, but how did they know that that strong of a dose wouldn't kill you?" Tucker interrupted. "Sounds to me like they have an inside source."

"Because I'm already a halfa."

"One of the ghosts, probably," Sam said at the same time.

"Vlad," Danny snarled, clenching his fists. His eyes flared green.

"Calm down, man. We don't know if it's him. It could be someone new entirely."

"Yeah, but Vlad is usually in the center of our problems!" Danny said hotly.

"We'll figure it out like we always do," Sam replied. "For now, let's focus on the ninja dude."

Danny sighed and sprawled out on Tucker's mattress. He winced. "Well… he's not exactly a ninja. He's an assassin, and Clockwork said that I'm the soon-to-be Ghost King."

"Say what?!" Tucker's chair tipped over. He rubbed his beretless head and cringed.

"I'm the soon-to-be Ghost King," Danny repeated dutifully.

"Y-y-you how?!" Sam stuttered. Danny was honestly surprised. Sam was usually the one with the most confidence in their little trio. It was weird to watch her freaking out. Funny, still, but weird.

He was internally smug at their reactions. He didn't think it would be this fun to watch them flail, but oh boy, was it hilarious.

He gave them a rundown of the conversation that he had with Clockwork.

"An assassin. Of course he was an assassin. Our lives are never simple. Honestly, the Ghost King thing sounds like a sweet deal, though, man. Just look at the Ring of Rage."

"Yeah, and get this. I'm gonna be rich as hell."

"Give me some?" Tucker asked hopefully.

"Of course, Bro."

" Bro ."

" Bro ."

"Alright, that's enough." Sam rolled her eyes, having enough of their 'Bro-ness' for one day. "Open the present, Danny. I wanna see what Clockwork gave you."

Danny perked up. "Oh yeah!"

The box itself was beautiful to look at. Tearing off the glimmering sheet revealed ornate looping vines carved into ebony colored wood. It was smooth and polished with a five-pointed crown engraved on the lid. The box was flecked with silver, giving it the appearance of stars in the night sky.

"It's beautiful," Sam's purple eyes were wide as she took it in. Danny felt no different. Even Tucker was admiring it with his hands twitching as if he wasn't sure he was allowed to touch it.

Danny gently pried the lid off and gasped loudly.

There was a bundle of cloth neatly folded inside. Danny removed it and spread it on the bed to get the whole view. It was a… suit?

It was so much different from his current one. The color scheme was the same, but the design was completely different. The gloves and boots were the same length, but both were lined with an electric green before meeting the black protective fabric, which Danny noted didn't hold the rubbery texture of his suit. It was tougher and stronger, almost like kevlar. The collar wasn't just white anymore. It alternated between inky black and white stripes, stopping just before the neon green D on the chest.

The torso was no longer fully encircled his shoulders and ran down all the way to the belt area, which was similar to his suit.

Tucker looked like he stopped breathing when they looked back into the box.

A white belt filled with who knows what was sitting there, along with a midnight black domino mask. There was a note underneath. Danny took it and began reading it out loud.

"Daniel.

I hope you enjoy this gift.

The mask is for when you are out as a hero in the human realm.

Your world will change.

- Clockwork"

"Clockwork, you are a very cryptid dude, but you're officially my favorite ghost of all time," Danny said passionately.

Sam groaned. "Don't make a stupid pun when you're looking at this. Besides, he's already your favorite ghost. Give him a new title," she said faintly, still recovering from all the shocks of the evening.

"Fine. Best guardian a halfa could have. Clockwork said I should wear this to Gotham."

That snapped Tucker out of his staring. "Wait, you're going right now, right?"

"Yep."

Tucker took a deep breath. "Danny, I need you to do something for me."

Danny looked at him, worried. Was there something wrong with Tucker?

"I need you to get me Red Robin's autograph!"

Ah. Of course.

"I can't believe it! You're gonna be going to Gotham and meeting actual superheroes!"

"I am an actual superhero!" Danny protested.

Tucker just waved a dismissive hand. "Sorry, Dude, but those guys, they're on a whole 'nother level. They're an actual, organized, and trained team of heroes!"

Danny grumbled uncouthly under his breath.

"Yeah," Sam piped up. "You better get me Black Bat and Batgirl's autographs!"

"You too!?" he gaped, betrayed.

They both gave him unapologetic grins.

"We have a superhero as a best friend. Obviously we're gonna use that to our advantage." Sam's grin widened.

"Alright, alright. You'll get your autographs. I need new friends," he scowled.

They both ignored him. They pumped their fists and high-fived.

Danny's expression became lighter and more excited. "I'm gonna meet Red Hood!"

"Now you get it," Tucker approved.

"I'm gonna go try on the suit. Be back before you can say 'boo'!"

He snatched the suit from the bed and went through the wall to reach Tucker's bathroom. Danny transformed into Phantom and hastily removed his boring old suit. He slipped into the new one and pulled up the hidden zippers. Danny snapped on the gloves and placed his feet into the boots. He peered at the person looking back at him in the mirror.

"Goodbye lab suit, hello badass suit," he whistled. He walked back into Tucker's room. Sam looked deeply impressed and Tucker had stars in his eyes.

"Wait," Sam said abruptly. "Shouldn't you take a nap before you go?"

"Nah. I'll just go to Gotham, deliver the assassin, come back, and have a date with my bed for a few days."

"If you're sure, man."

"I am."

"Just be careful, Danny. Gotham's filled with rogues and dangerous people. Make sure you don't fall asleep or transform back."

He saluted her. "Will do."

"What about Jazz?" Tucker asked. Danny paled.

"Crap, I forgot about her! She's tutoring someone, but I guess I'll just shoot her a text now and explain later." He turned on his phone and swiftly typed out a message that said: 'Hey Jazz. I'm taking an impromptu trip to Gotham. Be back in an hour or three!'

"She's gonna murder you," Sam said, finally opening the window to air out the room. Danny took a deep breath, but gagged when the revolting air still lingered.

"I'm already half-dead. What's the worst she's gonna do?"

"Take away your dessert privileges and give you the disappointed older sibling glare."

Danny pretended that that didn't bother him. "Eh. Anyways, Ring, open the portal."

Nothing.

"Try asking it nicely," Sam said wryly.

"Yeah, like that'll work."

"Just try it."

"Ring of Rage, pretty please with cherry on top open a portal to Gotham?" he asked sarcastically.

The Ring hummed on his finger and he yelped when it jerked his hand forward. Green mist poured out from and swirled at where the ring was pointed. It blended together, forming a thicker fog until clearing up. A spiraled portal materialized in front of them.

They gawked at it.

"That's one way of doing it," Tucker muttered.

Danny shook his head in disbelief.

"This is why you should listen to me."

"We get it, Sam. You're cool and we're not because you have manners."

"That's right."

Danny made his way to the tense assassin and lifted him over his shoulder. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Wait!" Danny looked back at Tucker.

"You forgot your belt, Stupid. I put some papers in there along with a few makers. There's a bunch of stuff in there, but we'll take a look later." He clipped it onto Danny's waist. Danny gave him a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Tuck."

Tucker clapped his shoulder. "Get that autograph, Danny."

Danny nodded back just as gravely.

"Put the domino mask on too." Sam grabbed it and handed it to Danny.

He frowned. "But I don't need it. Everyone's already seen my face."

"If they ever met Fenton, we don't want them connecting the faces. No one would take a second glance because of your hair, but a third glance or more is different. With your luck, you're probably going to meet them as Fenton. Anyone with a brain, sans Amity citizens because everyone here is stupid by default, could figure it out, Danny. The only reason no one comes here to investigate is because your picture is impossible to get on camera."

Danny shrugged and flipped the mask around. "Alright. But how do I…?"

Tucker nabbed a bottle from his desk and waved it in front of Danny. "Spirit Gum. Haven't you read comic books?"

He poured some on his fingers and spread it out on the underside of the mask. When he was done, he made Danny keep his eyes shut and pasted it onto his face.

Danny wrinkled his nose at the cold paste. It didn't bother him but… "It feels weird."

"Suck it up. Now, get going. If you don't get those autographs, I'll set a virus on every piece of tech you touch for the next six months and delete all your Doomed progress."

"You wouldn't," Danny said weakly.

Tucker smiled serenely. "I would."

"Bye, Danny," Sam sighed.

Danny waved and made his way through the portal. It was… disorienting, to say the least. He barely even registered that he was in Gotham. His brain felt like ectoplasm and his limbs like jelly. Not that those two were really any different.

He dumped the assassin on the rooftop he landed on, and fell back onto his behind.

"Ugh, that might take some getting used to," he shuddered, clutching his head. One look at the sky told him it was almost night time. "Now, where to find some bats?"

It turned out that bat hunting was harder than he thought.

Go figure.

He'd been lugging around the assassin for at least two hours, but there was no sign of any of the bats anywhere. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. He readjusted the assassin onto his other shoulder. Every time he tried struggling, Danny applied a significant amount of pressure on his ribs.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?

The sky was completely dark now. It was almost half past ten, but he hadn't run into anyone yet.

Gotham's smog made the place even more creepy than it already was. He could feel non-ghost related chills creeping down and caressing his spine. Danny took a deep breath and took to the air once again.

The clouds above looked heavier than the fog below.

"Why do Bats have to be nighttime vigilantes?" he groused. "They could've come out in the day, but noooo, they're friggin' bats."

He landed on a clock tower's roof and decided to take a break. His stomach rumbled as he let out a huge yawn.

"Ughhhh," he moaned. "I can't believe I forgot to eat before coming here. I should've went to Nasty Burger, but noooo."

He hopped to his feet and stretched his arms out. Suddenly, there was a flash as a cloaked figure pointed a sharp object to his neck. Danny froze.

"Who are you?" a voice demanded quietly. Danny brought his arms back down into a surrendering position. The sword was almost kissing his throat.

"Who are you?" the voice demanded again. Danny saw a glimpse of scarlet on his top and the green of his spiked gauntlets. This was probably Robin. He expected someone younger, but Robin seemed to be almost the same, if not the same, age as him.

"I'm Phantom. You're Robin, right?"

"Why do you wish to know?" the voice hissed. And, okay, wow, the sword was a little too close to his jugular for comfort.

"I need Batman's help."

"Metas aren't allowed in Gotham."

"I'm not a meta."

Robin snorted loudly. "Lies. Try again, meta." Danny resisted the urge to shove the sword away and smack his face.

"Robin, that's enough!" A deep, gravely voice boomed from the other side of the clock tower. A huge caped man dressed in all black with an onyx bat spread across his chest appeared swooped down.

Batman.

"But Batman—"

"Robin, put the sword away."

"Tt." The sword was gone from his throat as quickly as it appeared, but it didn't disappear into its sheath. Danny tilted his head. What kind of noise was that?

Batman turned to him, and Danny felt his back straighten involuntarily. He couldn't help it. Batman was scary as heck, and practically demanded wariness and respect. "What is a meta doing in Gotham?"

"First of all, I'm not a meta. Second of all, I was attacked by an assassin, and I captured him. I had no clue what to do with him, so someone I know suggested I come and give him to you," Danny said, bouncing on the balls of his feet out of nervousness.

"What kind of assassin?"

Danny turned around and dragged the assassin from the shadowed corner, presenting him to Batman. "Him."

"The League of Assassins," Batman said under his breath, which Danny wouldn't have heard if not for his ghostly hearing. Well, that removed any doubt Danny had about the decision to come here. His voice returned to its normal 'I drink sand as my life juice.' "What is that material, and who suggested that you come here?"

"It's a special kind of ice," he said, willing it out of existence, while Batman snapped a pair of handcuffs from who knew where on the assassin's clothed wrists. He rubbed the back of his neck. "And I'm not sure if I can tell you about who told me that…"

"Why not?" Was it just him or did Batman's voice sound harder than it was before?

"Because I don't know if I'm allowed to," he answered truthfully. Honestly, he had no clue if he could just tell people that he knew the freaking Master of Time personally.

"Phantom—"

"Hey, B!"

Another shape emerged from the darkness of the night.

"Nightwing," Batman said, with a very, very faint note of exasperation entering his voice.

Danny let out a large river of panicked mental curses in both ghostspeak and English. He couldn't fight Nightwing! Nightwing used electricity to beat his opponents! But Nightwing was Bludhaven's hero. What was he doing in Gotham?!

Danny flinched when Nightwing regarded him, expecting him to attack.

"Who are you, kid?"

"Ph-Phantom," he stuttered. He had to try to keep this civil. But electricity was not something he could handle well.

After all, it's what killed him.

He could still feel the phantom burn across his entire body. The Lichtenberg scars on his back and chest never truly healed, even with his ghost powers. Danny put together that while the wounds that caused someone's death would heal, the scars would never go away.

"Phantom," Nightwing gave him a disarming smile. "What's a meta like you doing here?"

"I-I'm not a meta, Sir." He could feel Nightwing raising an eyebrow, and rushed to explain. "I'm a ghost."

Silence.

A college student screamed at her boyfriend.

A non-existent bird chirped.

"Try again," Robin snarled furiously. Danny could see the moonlight reflecting on his sword dangerously.

"It's what I am!" he shot back, fear dissipating, but not gone completely.

"Ghosts don't exist." Another presence made itself known by jumping off one of the four needle points of the tower and to Danny's left side.

"Red Robin," he whispered with no little amount of awe. While Tucker may practically worship him (shrines included) as much as he did Tim Drake-Wayne, Danny held a healthy amount of admiration for him. He cleared his throat. "Ghosts do exist. We live in a dimension called the Ghost Zone. It's parallel to Earth."

They didn't particularly look like they believed him.

"Look. I can turn invisible, intangible, fly, overshadow, whatever. Besides, aliens and magic exist. Why can't ghosts?"

"So you are a malevolent spirit," Robin sneered.

"Keep your ghost stereotypes to yourself, Traffic Light."

"What did you call me?!" he growled.

"Robin," Batman reprimanded and they both got into a staring match. After he was done silently scolding Robin, he gazed at Danny with those soulless, cowled eyes. "How did you die?"

Danny gritted his teeth. "That's private."

Ancients, why is this guy so stubborn? All I want to do is go home and sleeeep. And eat a burger while I'm at it.

"Look Mr. Batman, all I want is to give this guy to you and get the hell out of Gotham. I have my own place to haunt, thanks."

They all stiffened.

Danny raised an eyebrow before remembering Clockwork's statement from a few hours ago. "Wait! Crap, that came out wrong! I don't haunt people, I just hang around there. It's called a haunt. I don't hurt people, I protect them. It's what I do," he babbled, desperate for them to believe him.

Red Robin observed for another nerve-wracking moment before one more person hopped from the same direction as Red Robin. She was smaller and obviously female, but he had no doubt that she could kick his butt unless he used his ice or even his wail.

He wasn't sure if he could beat her even then. She may be tiny, but he could tell by her gait that she wasn't new to fighting. She moved swiftly and smoothly like flowing silk, suggesting that she had had years stacked on each other of experience. They all did, but she appeared different.

More dangerous.

"It's true."

The rest of them eased up, but still kept their masked eyes trained on him.

"Um, so yeah, you can have him," Danny stated awkwardly.

"Why is the League of Assassins after you?"

"They want to capture me because I'm the soon-to-be Ghost King." He figured he might as well say the truth for that. They were heroes too. Hell, Batman was one of The Heroes.

"You?" Robin accused, scoffing. "You didn't even try to fight me back."

Danny's eye twitched underneath his mask. "Because I didn't wanna start a conflict. I came here to deliver this dude, and that's it."

"You're the Ghost King?" Batman asked, almost flatly, giving him a once-over. Danny could practically feel judgement oozing out of him.

"Almost, yeah. I only found out today. My guardian told me that apparently since I defeated the previous Ghost King two years ago, I'm gonna be the current one."

"No joke?!" an unknown voice said in excitement. Danny twirled around to see a blonde girl clad in purple and black behind him.

"Um… yeah." Clockwork said they could be trusted, and he never said that lightly, so… "I can give you a sample of ectoplasm, if you want. And, Ancients, are you all cornering me?"

"Batgirl," Batman gave a long-suffering sigh. Danny stared at him with wide eyes. He honestly didn't think Batman had emotions.

Apparently, he was wrong.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, B. You can brood later." The girl waved her hand at him and turned back to Danny. "What cool things can you do?!"

"Uhh… I can make ghost ice, like I did on the assassin, and I have all the powers you would think a ghost has."

"Do all ghosts dress like you?"

"No. My guardian gave me this suit, so I'm trying it out."

"Are you tangible?" Red Robin piped in.

"Yeah. I can become intangible, but I prefer things not passing straight through my body all the time."

Nightwing stepped forward, and immediately Danny took two steps back. Nightwing paused.

"You're afraid of me," he stated, voice taking on an almost bewildered tone.

"N-no, Sir!"

They all scrutinized him.

"You came to Gotham without a fear of anyone other than Nightwing?" Robin asked rudely.

Danny growled, the sound coming out to be inhuman. Why was Robin such a jerk? Wasn't he supposed to be Gotham's sunshine or something?

Some sunshine he was.

"What's up with you today, Demon Brat? You're acting like someone stepped on your cat." Red Robin crossed his arms.

Demon Brat. What a fitting name.

Danny could hear Robin grinding his teeth. "Nothing, Red Robin."

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt."

"Shut up!"

"Make me, Brat," Red Robin responded cooly. Robin looked like he was about to just that.

Based on their interaction… were these two brothers?

"Robin, Red Robin, stand down. Nightwing, get back to patrol," Batman ordered.

Nightwing's shoulders slumped, but he didn't disobey. He grabbed the grapple gun hooked on his hip and swung off the roof.

Danny let out a sigh of relief.

To Danny, Batman said, "Calm down. We'll analyze your samples. Afterwards, we will discuss what to do with your assassin problem."

"Alright," he agreed. "I can't do it today, though."

Batman nodded imperceptibly. "I expect you here tomorrow midnight, then."

"Cool. I can do that." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. Inwardly, he sobbed. Looks like that date with his bed for a week would have to wait.

He turned to make his portal back before snapping his fingers. Instantly, all the bats honed in on the action. "Almost forgot. Can I have your autographs?"

The heroes who had some part of their faces exposed adopted expressions of disbelief.

"Not all of you. If I don't do this, my friend threatened to delete all my video game progress and put viruses on every tech piece I touch for half a year." He shuddered. "And believe me, that is not an empty threat."

"Ghosts play video games?" Red Robin sounded baffled.

Danny was sort of offended.

"What games do you play? And who do you need autographs from?" Batgirl asked eagerly.

"Doomed. I need two autographs from you, two from Black Bat, and four from Red Robin. Is Red Hood here?" He looked around hopefully, because Red Hood was only the coolest hero of all time.

Batgirl pumped her fist in excitement. "Yes!"

At the same time, Black Bat shook her head. "He's away for a few days."

He wasn't sure if this would work with a domino mask on, but Danny adopted his Kicked Ghost-Puppy Look™. (He would call it his kicked Cujo look, but if someone kicked Cujo, he'd become mini dogzilla and tear them apart.)

No one could resist it.

Not Sam, not Tucker, not Jazz.

"But he'll be back in a few days, so you could ask him then," Red Robin added swiftly.

And apparently not Red Robin either. Ha.

He perked up. "Great!"

Danny dug through his new belt's pockets before pulling out a few glossed papers and pens that Tucker packed. He held them out for them to take.

Black Bat put a simple bat with a heart in the corner. Batgirl took time to doodle all around her alias, while Red Robin put the exact same signature on all the pieces of paper: his symbol plus his abbreviated codename.

When they gave it back to him, he folded them with as much care as he could and tucked them into his pockets.

He was loving those.

I can't believe I never got a belt sooner!

"Thanks!" he beamed.

"Gimme another paper," Batgirl demanded.

"Err… why?"

"So we can play Doomed together, duh! Red can join too. He's obsessed at the moment. He started a few days ago, but he's already collected two silver keys."

"Woah! My friends are gonna freak!" Danny removed another paper and ripped it into three pieces. He put his Phantom email along with his game name.

The other two did the same and they exchanged papers.

"Where is your… haunt?" Batman suddenly spoke up.

"Amity Park. It's basically Ghostville at this point."

Batman looked troubled at that.

"How will you get back?"

"My guardian told me that my ring lets me make portals to wherever I want to go. But this trip to Gotham is actually the first time I've used it. I think it depends on my energy level, though," he said thoughtfully.

"How much energy do you have left?"

"I should have more than enough. I haven't really been doing much other than flying around looking for you guys."

He was proven wrong when green mist began to merge before dissipating without warning.

"Oooookay. Guess my energy level's not nearly as much as I thought."

Note to self, the Ring of Rage uses too much energy than expected. Use only in emergencies or when there is food around, even on days when I've eaten properly.

"So you're stuck in this realm?" Red Robin questioned.

"Eh, not for too long. I'm pretty sure all I need is to get some food and I'll be good to go."

"Food?" Black Bat inputted softly.

"Yeah. I can eat human food. It tastes great!" Danny started going through the contents of his belt. He felt for the pouch that he'd discovered contained ectoplasm, and didn't have to search very hard before he stumbled upon a glass vial with neon green goop in it. He pulled off the cork and downed it in one go. He licked his lips and made sure that nothing was left in it before putting the empty bottle back where he found it.

Robin made a disgusted face.

Danny made a satisfied noise. He could feel his ecto-energy levels rising.

But it wasn't quite enough.

"What was that?" Black Bat asked.

"Ectoplasm. I need a few ounces every few days to keep me going."

"Ghosts need… fuel?"

"Yeah. A Lot of things about ghosts are correct, but there are a bunch of things that are wrong."

"Like what?" Batgirl asked curiously.

"That all ghosts are malicious. It's a pretty common misconception. Most of the ghosts that make their way to the human realm are there to cause havoc. But according to my guardian, there are billions of ghosts out there, and from my experience, most just wanna live peacefully. Another thing is that ghosts can touch everything. We're made of ectoplasm, so we have some sort of solidity to us. And, contrary to popular belief, we don't go out of our way to haunt people. Some do, sure, but we have our own lives and our own lairs where we can do whatever we want."

Red Robin looked intrigued. "What's a lair? Is it different from a haunt?"

"It's a ghost's home. A haunt is just a place a ghost hangs around."

"Is your lair in Amity Park?"

"Ye-wait." Danny furrowed his eyebrows. "My lair should be in Amity, but since I'm the almost Ghost King, I think the whole Ghost Zone is my lair?" He scrunched his nose in confusion.

"You don't know?" Robin sneered.

"No. Like I said, I literally found out about this today. A few hours ago, in fact," Danny snapped, feeling his tiny amount of patience shortening.

Robin opened his mouth to say something more, but Batman cut in. "What do you need to get back to Amity Park?"

A large grin spread across his face.

"Do you guys have burgers in this place?"