TW: Graphic Depictions/Violence/Blood/Mentions of Death
Chapter 2
Mount Justice
May 10 16:25 EDT
'Guard duty… what a joke,' Conner thought bitterly.
The mystery boy known as 'Danny', was laying unconsicious on a bed in the Medical Bay, while Conner was seated next to him in a chair.
As soon as they had returned, he was ordered to immediately bring the strange teen to the Medical Bay. He had insisted that someone else watch over him, but Aqualad and Nightwing both agreed that they preferred to have him be on guard duty in case the kid tried anything when he woke up.
He was not feeling the 'aster' as Dick would put…
As he stared at the blinking red light on Danny's inhibitor collar, his mind began to wonder back to when he had a stare down with the kid.
'I'm not too sure why I stopped though… was it because he looks kinda like me or Dick? Have I seen him around or bumped into him somewhere before?'
"Superboy."
Conner jumped at the sound of the voice and turned to find Batman staring at him with an unreadable expression.
"Did you not hear us come in?" Superman asked, closing the Medical Bay doors.
It had taken the Kryptonian hero some time, but Superman, also known as Clark Kent or Kal-El, had finally begun to take notice of the teenage clone and attempted to talk and interact with him more often.
Now, rather than Conner glaring at the mere mention of the hero's name, the two check in on each other and even try to hang out every now and then. It wasn't perfect, by no means, but Black Canary, the Team's therapist and trainer, had told him that at least they were trying, and that's what mattered most.
"Just... deep in thought, that's all," Conner, also known as Superboy, reassured.
Superman raised an eyebrow, then turned towards Batman. The latter ignored him and walked over to the bed, Superman following and walking over to the other side.
"Did he give you a name?"
Conner turned towards the bed, "Yeah, he said his name was Danny."
"Last name?"
"He wouldn't say."
As Batman examined him, Superman's expression changed from inquisitive to concerned, "His heartbeat is almost coma-like."
Batman grabbed a pair of stethoscopes, put them on, and listened. After a few moments, he took them off, "You're right."
Confusion was clear on Superman's face as he turned to Conner, "Was he like this when you found him?"
Conner shrugged as he continued to watch Batman work.
The Caped Crusader walked over to Danny's injured leg and began to undo the torn shirt piece. While he was doing so, Superman also walked over to get a better look at Danny's injury.
"Did he tie this or someone on the Team?"
"It was like that when we found him."
"Then I suspect he's gotten into these sorts of situations more than once." Batman continued to observe the wound until finally coming to a conclusion, "We'll just need to clean it up a bit and- wait..."
He had grabbed a cotton swab and gently patted the edge of the large cut. When he pulled it away, a mixture of red and green was revealed.
"Is that poison?" Superman asked, voice laced with worry.
The older teen watched as Batman walked over to the nearby electronic microscope. A red beam of light scanned the cotton swab and began to search for matches. After a couple of seconds, the computer announced, "72% human blood, 28% unknown."
Batman narrowed his eyes while Conner and Superman stepped towards the computer.
Superman raised an eyebrow, "Unknown?"
Black gloves ran over the keyboard, furiously typing away. "It seems that whatever is in his blood, isn't in the League's database..."
"But how? We have pretty much had every single species and alien race on file," Superman stated.
"Apparently, whoever this kid is, could've been hidden from the outside world to keep a low profile, that would help explain why he doesn't know about the League. Or..."
"'Or'?"
Batman turned to face them, "Or he isn't from any nearby galaxies."
Conner looked at his mentor as he thought about those possibilities. It seemed Superman was also in deep thought about this.
"That could be a possibility, the unknown energy source could've even been a portal. Maybe a parallel universe, alternate timeline, or an alternate dimension even. But if that's the case, then why is he here?"
"Good question, something I intend to find out as well. Superboy, what kind of inhibitor collar was used?"
"I don't know, after the kid made a huge glowing green force field, Kaldur told Gar to go get one of the spare inhibitor collars we had on the ship."
"Green force field?" Superman narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, it kind of looked like Rocket's or Green Lantern's shields," the teen explained.
"I'll need to review the footage taken during the incident from Nightwing and Aqualad," Batman announced as he walked over to the cabinets.
He pulled out two small test tubes, a needle point, and grabbed a device from one of the many drawers.
Conner let Batman pass and watched as he rolled up Danny's sleeve and put the needle in his arm.
The tube was halfway full when a hand pushed Batman's wrist away with such speed, that the device flew out of the caped man's hand. The device bounced once off the floor, the test tube shattering upon impact.
Conner's eyes widened as he saw the teen reach up and, miraculously, removed the inhibitor collar and tossed it onto the floor.
Danny reached into his sweater and shot a green light at the blood, causing it to erupt into flames. He then jumped off the bed and made a run for the door.
"Superboy!"
The other teen's eyes widened and he quickly rushed to stop the teen's pursuit by tackling him from the side. He heard a yelp of surprise as they tumbled onto the ground, Danny sliding straight into the cabinets a few feet away from the clone.
The strange teen recovered quickly and moved into a defensive fighting position with a snarl, his ice blue eyes like daggers.
There was a blur of blue and red. Conner blinked to see Danny's left hand now handcuffed to the counter next to him.
"Calm down son, nobody is going to hurt you," Superman reassured with a placating gesture.
The younger Kryptonian's eyebrows furrowed at this behavior. Usually the other would be quick to detain and interrogate a suspect, not… talk to them as if they were a kid lost in the street.
The strange teen stared at his cuffed hand with narrowed but curious eyes.
"Where did you come from?" Batman demanded with a glare.
Danny remained silent as his breathing calmed and he glanced at the still burning substance. His stance loosened and his snarl slowly disappeared as mumbled to himself, "Kial vi ĉiam devas malfaciligi la aferojn por mi, Clockwork…"
The Caped-Crusader narrowed his eyes as he observed the boy, while Superman tried talking to him. "You're safe here, okay?"
Superman took a step forward and the boy's attention instantly snapped to him.
The hero ceased his movement and tried to offer a gentle smile. "We're not going to hurt you, we're trying to help you."
"Like I haven't heard that one before," the teen scoffed with an accusing tone.
Superman shot Conner a look before locking eyes with Danny again.
"You're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful. Please, just sit back down so we can help you."
"Can't exactly do that handcuffed to the counter, and I don't need help. I was doing perfectly fine on my own before your proteges showed up," the teen sneered.
"Your leg says otherwise," Batman retorted with a grunt.
Danny didn't say anything as he shot the dark hero a glare.
"How did you know they were-"
"The giant 'S' is big give away," Danny quipped, interrupting Conner's question.
There was a brief silence.
"Where did you come from?" the Caped-Crusader asked again.
Conner watched as Danny eyed the now smoking substance with the needle and shattered tube nearby.
"What were you going to do with that?" he asked, his defensive stance stiffening again.
"I was going to take a sample of your blood for further examination," Batman responded in a monotone voice.
"Why?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Because it's my blood and I don't remember signing an agreement or giving you permission to extract anything," the teen stated matter-of-factly.
"It wouldn't matter unless you were trying to hide something. And given that you destroyed the sample first and foremost, tells me everything I need to know. So why don't you stand down and start talking."
Danny barked out an incredulous laugh. "Or what? You'll give me over to the police? Given the fact you're the ones wearing the spandex in the room, and threatening me, I think I'll take my chances."
Conner was surprised by the harsh tone and noticed that Batman and Superman had shared a look.
'Does that mean Canary or Manhunter were going to be called?' he thought to himself.
Superman stepped forward with another palacting gesture, "We didn't mean to offend you. We were only curious as to why your blood doesn't match anything in the League's database and-"
Danny's stance slackened as he looked towards the hero with an irritated-confused look on his face. "What is 'the League'? Your proteges mentioned it, but they never really explained what they were."
The red and blue hero smiled apologetically, "The Justice League, is a team of unique individuals who help protect and keep Earth, and sometimes other worlds, safe."
The younger teen's defensive stance all but disappeared as he became lost in thought.
Batman broke the short silence, "Where did you come from?"
Danny turned to him, face passive. "Can't say, I'll need permission first."
"Who would you need to get the permission from? Your parents? Better yet, was there anyone else with you when you arrived here?"
"Where are your parents?" Conner stepped in, keeping an eye on the growing impatient bat.
"No, only me, and not important," Danny responded nonchalantly with a wince at the end.
Everyone went quiet at this. They silently came to a mutual understanding that the possible explanation was a topic no one felt was comfortable discussing nor was one of importance at the moment.
Conner's thoughts were interrupted by the Caped Crusader sighing in agitation. "Look, we want to help you, but for the League to do that, you have to help us by giving us more information."
Danny scoffed, "I didn't ask for anyones help. I wanted to be left alone. But some people-" Superboy's eyes widened as the teen glanced at him. "-just couldn't let it go."
"The Team was only following orders. They-"
"They were sent to investigate a strange energy reading and when arriving on scene, they found a building and needed to make sure their search was thorough."
The room went uncomfortably still.
Conner wasn't sure whether to be impressed or suspicious. "How did you-"
"Your voices echoed in the building, it was easy to make out what you were talking about," Danny interrupted with a knowing tone.
"You seem fairly persceptive for a teenager, Danny," Superman stated with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged, "Comes with being in high school, everybody loves a good gossip."
The two leaguers shared another look, Conner beginning to feel frustrated that he was being left out of the loop.
"And your powers?" Batman asked.
"What powers?"
A Bat Glare was sent Danny's way, surprising the clone even more when the younger teen didn't even flinch.
"The team reported they saw a green shield," the Leaguer stated accusingly.
"It was probably one of my pieces of equipment shorting out. They still have a few bugs I need to fix."
The kid was a good liar, the younger hero would definitely give him that much.
"And that green light you shot at the sample?" Batman continued.
The teen huffed in annoyance before slowly taking out what looked like a small grey and neon green laser tag gun from his sweater pocket.
"OW! HEY!"
A batarang had grazed Danny's hand, making him drop the weapon. Superman, using super speed, picked it up before the teen could recover.
Superman handed the device over to Batman who looked it over with a small glare.
"How did you get this?" the hero demanded.
Danny sent his own glare back as he held his injured hand. "An arcade, can I have it back now?"
"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Danny."
"Really? Couldn't tell by that dazzling personality of yours."
Batman continued to look the device over.
"Judging by this knob on the side, I'm guessing that it has settings, but it's not labeled. Which means that you've had to memorize which setting is what. And based off of the state of the side plate, it's been removed and messed with frequently. Which brings me to the conclusion that you made this."
Danny narrowed his eyes but stayed silent.
"I'll take your silence as an answer. Now, I would usually ask what you use this for, but since you're being uncooperative, I'm going to move onto my next question. How is it that a teenager, who looks to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, still going to high school, would know how to make something like this?"
"Science project?" He offered with a half-shrug.
"Doubtful. The knob is small and closer to the trigger, which allows for a quick setting change and can be done with the same hand holding the gun. However, a gun with multiple settings usually has more mass in order to fit the mechanics. This gun is light weight and small and has nowhere to reload ammo or put in cardridges. So I ask again, how did you make a weapon like this?"
The younger teen seemed stuck.
"I-"
That's when the weirdest thing happened.
Superboy could handle weird. Heck, he's experienced robot monkeys to people that could turn into puddles, but this was definitely going towards the top of his list.
One second, Danny looked torn and slightly panicked. The next, he was holding an aged scroll with a glowing blue 'CW' stamped into a purple wax with an exasperated and frustrated look.
"What the hell was that?" Conner breathed, turning in a circle to search the room for an answer.
The raven-haired teen made hesitant eye contact with Batman, "I was given permission by my overseer."
All three heroes stared at the teen in bewilderment, Batman might've scowled in bewilderment, but then again, nobody could really tell the difference.
"Explain," The Caped Crusader all but growled out.
The teen rolled his eyes as he struggled to break the seal on the scroll and read it.
"In this scroll are explicit instructions on what I can and cannot say as well as when everything is to be revealed and where. My overseer has asked that I reveal my origins to the seven main Justice League members. Black Canary, Red Tornado, and the seven original members of the Team, also known as the Young Justice League, are also requested to be present. No other members may be present during this time. Further instructions will be revealed when the time comes."
Batman walked over and held his hand out, to which Danny glared and sighed in aggravation, "He said you might ask to see the scroll. Just know that the only reason I'm handing it over is that he told me to, not you."
The hero sent his own glare back as the teen reluctantly handed him the scroll. Batman scanned the paper before looking up and nodding towards Superman.
"Everything he said is true."
Batman handed the scroll back to Danny, who in turn was quick to roll it up and hold it close to his person. Conner caught another nod from Batman to Superman, the latter turning and addressing the teen still seated. "We'll give them a call. Are you up for the chat today or would you like to wait until tomorrow?"
The younger teen looked surprised to be given a choice.
"I…"
"He's to be escorted to one of the interrogation rooms immediately while we make the calls."
"Huh?!"
"You had an unknown firearm in your pocket, you are refusing to cooperate with authorities, and you are still a suspect in regards to the unidentified energy source detected by our systems."
"Batman."
He turned to see the older kryptonian gesturing towards the door.
The Caped Crusader grunted before following the other outside the Infirmary, the doors closing behind them.
There was a few seconds of silence before he heard a cough and turned to see Danny scratching the back of his neck.
"Um… Superboy, right?"
Conner raised an eyebrow but nodded for the other to continue.
"Would you mind, uh, telling me their names?" He asked gesturing towards the door. "I'm kind getting tired of calling them 'boy scout in blue' and 'goth man'."
The clone couldn't help but smirk at the nicknames. "The one in black is Batman, and the other is Superman."
Danny smirked and said with a chuckle, "Super-man? Kinda unoriginal don't you think?"
The clone glared and sneered at the other. "Then what about my name?"
The raven-haired teen's smirk disappeared and his expression became unreadable. "Something tells me you weren't the one to pick it."
Conner's sneer instantly disappeared as he stared in awe at the strange teen.
The doors slid open and Superman and Batman walked back in. Superman with a gentle smile, Batman with an unreadable expression.
Superman turned to Danny and nodded. "We'll start making calls to get everyone over here, Superboy will help make sure you don't get lost. We'll meet you guys in the Mission Room once we can get everyone here. We'll see you then."
Conner watched as the two older heroes left the room, hearing Danny grumble something about people taking his stuff.
An awkward silence filled the room.
A few moments went by before he heard a cough and turned to see Danny with a slight blush.
"Um… Can you take this off of me now?"
Conner blinked when he realized the teen was still handcuffed to the counter.
He walked over and broke the handcuff, allowing the other teen to rub his redenned wrist.
The older teen cleared his throat. "So…uh… You hungry?"
….
Megan had done the usual and made the present Team members some sandwiches and put out some snacks while Conner was in the Infirmary with Danny.
When the two had entered the Lounge, Conner had explained the situation to Nightwing, to which the rest of the Team wanted in on the conversation and remained silent. After the situation was explained, Nightwing smiled and introduced himself again to Danny.
"Sorry about trying to kick you in the face earlier, by the way," the teen apologized.
"Its not a big deal, I've dealt with worse."
"Yeah, but to be fair you did kind of deserve it. You did restrain an injured harmless kid that just wanted to be left alone."
"Really? Last I checked, your equipment did seem to pose as a threat."
Danny smirked. "And last I checked, a bunch of people dressed up in strange uniforms seemed like they were ganging up on a civilian."
There was a brief silence.
"Touche, Danny."
"Thank you, I try my best."
"Witty and sarcastic? You know I think I'm starting to like this kid," Kid commented off handedly.
Nightwing and Aqualad led him over to the bar stools so that he could eat. Conner was pulled away by Artemis, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy, only to immediately start being interrogated by the three via Mind Link.
They asked what had happened and the teen reluctantly recalled everything that went on in the Infirmary yet again.
'Does this mean he's staying?'
'We don't actually know what the League plans on doing with him yet. At least until after the meeting,' Nightwing replied, joining in on the conversation.
'This just keeps getting weirder and weirder guys. Are you absolutely sure that the scroll just appeared out of nowhere?' Kid Flash, asked.
'Which if that is true, that is awesome! I wonder how he did it!' Beast Boy excitedly added.
'I-'
"I don't mean to interrupt- whatever it is you guys are doing- but is it okay if I ask who the telepath is? Or is that considered rude in this dimension?"
The heros turned towards the raven-haired teen with wide eyes, to which the teen looked between all of them and raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean it's considered rude?"
"How did you know that we were talking telepathically?" Kid Flash asked incredulously.
A small smirk appeared. "One, your movements and gestures. Two… you just confirmed it."
Kid Flash blinked at their guest. "Oh- OW!"
The speedster rubbed the back of his head where Artemis had smacked him. "Way to go, Kid Mouth."
"Are you like a detective or something?" Beast Boy asked with an awed smile.
Danny choked on the water he had been drinking, "What makes you say that?"
The younger shapeshifter waved off Danny's confused look. "Oh, you know! How you were able to decipher that we were talking telepathically and all! You'd have to be a detective or a person that pays a lot to detail to have figured that out."
Conner watched as the teen smiled softly at the younger Team member, before relaxing his shoulders a bit with a chuckle. "Actually, it wasn't that hard. Some of you guys aren't very good at hiding your facial expressions."
"So, you aren't a detective? Aw man!" the green-teen pouted.
"I didn't necessarily say that…"
"So you are! I knew it!" he perked up with a grin.
Danny smiled mischievously, "I didn't say that either."
"Uggghhh!"
"Well then what is it, mister I-want-sound-ominous-and-vague?" Artemis challenged as she crossed her arms.
"Well…"
Superboy watched with intrigue as the teen's smiled turned sad as he rubbed his neck. "I was a protector in my hometown, and sometimes a little investigation was needed to figure out how to best handle a situation. So, details, movements, and expressions became easier to read over time."
"You were a hero?" Aqualad asked with interest.
"To the ones that supported me? Yeah, I was considered a hero," Danny confirmed with a chuckle.
Nightwing rose an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "And the people that didn't?"
Danny winced and looked away, "That, I would like to wait until the meeting to further explain."
"Of course, we wish no ill-will and don't want to interrogate you before the meeting even starts," Aqualad reassured with a warning glance to Nightwing, who in turn rolled his eyes.
"Thanks uh- I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
The humble hero put a hand on his chest and nodded his head slightly, "My name is Aqualad, but my friends call me Kaldur."
'Whoa, wait- do you really think it's safe for us to be sharing our real names with this guy? What if he's a Cadmus experiment or something?' Artemis asked incredulously.
'I believe if Danny's overseer wishes for him to speak with the League and the Team, that he is no threat to us. From what Conner told us about the scroll, I believe that there may be some mystical power at play. My Atlantean background isn't much of a secret and that could work in our favor.' Kaldur reassured.
'I hate to say it, but Kladur's right. Trust is a two way street and we haven't exactly proven ourselves to be trustworthy.'
'What about Batman and Superman?'
'Technically they never attacked him.'
'Batman hit him with a Batarang, I think that counts.'
'Okay, didn't he attack us?'
'That's not entirely true. In a way, we did make the first move, Danny only tried to defend himself, but he didn't outright attack us.'
'Fine, but if this backfires, you're taking the cred…' Kid Flash trailed off.
They turned back to see that Danny had waited patiently for them to finish their private conversation.
"Is that a common name here?" He inquired with a perplexed look.
Conner's teammate chuckled. "No, it is not a common name. It is a shortened version of my full name, Kaldur'ahm. I am Atlantean."
Danny's smile could've lit up a Christmas Tree.
"No. Freaking. Way! Dude! I've never met a living Atlantean before!" he exclaimed.
The room stilled as they turned to look at their guest, even Conner was put off by his response.
"I'm afraid I am confused. What do you mean by 'living'?" the Atlantean asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Danny stared at Kaldur for a few seconds until it seemed like realization of what was asked hit him and he facepalmed.
"Dang it. Um- well you see- what I actually meant was- I- way to go Fenton."
Conner was taken back by the shift in emotions and how the teen now seemed- embarrassed?
The teen started to run a hand through his hair. "I meant no offense to you or your people. What I meant was that I've never met a living Atlantean, the only ones I have met before were ghosts. Well technically they were spirits, but they're commonly referred to as just 'ghosts', which I think personally is a bit unfair and inconsiderate, but I guess that's just another thing that makes humans humans, am I right?"
The room went deadly quiet for a few seconds.
"Pfft. Yeah right, ghosts don't exist, dude," Kid Flash scoffed.
"Oh boy, Kid Mouth is about to go on another science rant," Artemis sighed with a roll of her eyes.
Conner rolled his eyes as he sighed knowing where this was going to go.
The speedster looked offended. "Hey! I was just going to say that there is absolutely no scientific evidence that ghosts exist! Most haunted houses are rigged and the ones that aren't, just have old electrical circuits that cause EMF readers to spike and drafts sound like people talking sometimes. That's it, that's all I was going to say!"
The entire room sighed with exasperation, besides their guest, as Nightwing turned towards him with an apologetic smile. "We're sorry about him, Danny."
The teen shrugged and offered a small smile back. "There's nothing to apologize for, a lot of people back where I'm from thought ghosts didn't exist either until they actually saw some. And technically, Kid Flash is correct-"
"HA! See, I was right! Wait, I'm right?"
Ignoring the speedster he continued. "A lot of equipment that humans use to detect or otherwise 'see' ghosts aren't always up to par and can be pretty faulty. Electrical currents can cause EMFs to go off unintentionally, but only if the electricity is still active. Temperature gauges are finicky due to drafts. But sometimes people do actually get lucky and they can detect low-level shades and spirits. I'd honestly prefer that than the alternative."
"What do you mean?"
The raven-haired teen's smile disappeared and suddenly seemed a lot older than he was. "Hunting ghosts seems like a joke until you accidentally run into a higher level ghost; then the real hunt begins. Ghosts can be extremely dangerous where I'm from. Not only can they interact with the living world, but they can defy its basic natural laws too. They can fly, turn invisible, some have telekinesis and if meet one strong enough, can blast you with high powered energy beams."
Conner's eyes narrowed. "You're gun..."
Danny nodded. "That's not ordinary weapon Batman confiscated. It's meant to defend myself against those types of ghosts."
"Ghosts? Ghost hunters? Sorry, but the idea is hard for anyone to believe," Nightwing stated with an apologetic frown.
Danny seemed to contemplate something before he lifted up the side of his shirt,
Most of the team gasped when they saw the long horizontal scar on the side of his waist.
"Did a ghost do that?"
Danny nodded and he let his shirt fall back down.
The team took a silent pause before Artemis continued the conversation.
"So you were a ghost hunter?"
He see-sawed his hand. "Kind of. I fought ghosts, but only if I really needed to. You see, most ghosts just want to be left alone, so the ones that come out of the Ghost Zone were either there to cause mischief, mess with humans, take over the world, or were just genuinely lost."
"Take over the world?"
"Ghost Zone?" Kid Flash scoffed.
"More common than you'd think and I can explain more later." He shrugged.
"How many ghost hunters are there?"
Danny frowned. "Nationally? A few popular or well known groups. In my town? A couple."
"You don't really seem too happy about that. Is it a competitive field?"
He shook his head. "Its not necassarily about it being competitive, its more about what they stand for. When I catch a ghost, I send them back to the Ghost Zone, because again, some are just lost or wanted to cause a little mischief. Those ghost hunters want to capture them and destroy them."
The room was filled with mixed emotions.
"What? But why?" Beast Boy asked with a slight aggravated tone.
Danny hesitated, "I can explain more at the meeting. But the essence of it is that they believe all ghosts are evil and they work by a 'shoot first, ask questions never' morale."
"But that's not fair, you just said that some ghosts are just lost. How heartless do you have to be to just gun them down like that?" Artemis asked with obvious anger.
"He said he'll explain more later, Artemis. Perhaps, we should let it go for now," Kaldur ordered, giving the speedster a knowing look.
Kid grumbled in protest but didn't comment on the matter as their leader continued speaking.
"Now, as for your still unanswered question, Danny. Miss Martian is the telepath. She originally came to Earth from Mars with her uncle, Martian Manhunter, who I'm sure you'll meet at the meeting."
Upon hearing her name, the green shapeshifter walked up to Danny with a smile. "Hi, it's nice to re-meet you. Sorry about our earlier introduction, we were just worried about your condition and didn't want you to hurt yourself, so there wasn't much time to really introduce ourselves properly."
Danny's eyes lit up yet again, as he smiled at Megan. "It's fine, though I do have to admit, it's really cool meeting an alien. Wait- should I not say that?"
The martian openly chuckled and shook her head. "It's quite alright Danny. No, it's not offensive to me at all, also, feel free to call me Megan, that's my Earth name. My real name is M'Gann M'orrz."
Danny seemed surprised at first, but it quickly turned into appreciation. "M'Gann, huh? It suits you."
The Martian's eyes widened in brief surprise then twinkled as a light blush appeared. She offered a quiet thank you, which caused Danny to blush in return.
Conner grunted as he took a seat on one of the kitchen stools.
He and M'Gann may have been going through a rough patch, but that didn't mean that little bouts of jealously wouldn't happen every now and then.
Kaldur took a step forward, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm curious about something if you don't mind me asking."
The raven-haired teen shrugged, "Shoot."
"Earlier you had mentioned that some people in your town considered you to be a hero. But you also said only if they supported what you were doing. Why would you hunting ghosts not be supported?"
Danny looked conflicted.
"If there were other ghost hunters, why didn't they help? Did they give you a bad name or something?" Beast boy asked. "Wait, if there were other ghost hunters, why would you have to deal with the ghosts anyways? You're still in school right?"
"Or maybe he doesn't feel comfortable enough to explain? Seriously people, back off," Artemis scolded.
The younger teen looked guilty and his tail flicked nervously. "Sorry, Danny…"
The raven-haired teen rubbed his neck. "It's okay. Um- Is it alright if I- uh- am I allowed to be alone for a bit?"
Nightwing crossed his arms and held his chin in thought. "Batman wouldn't exactly approve, but- I'll tell you what, if you and Superboy stick together, you can go walk along the beach or hang out in the hangar for a bit. Megan will let you guys know when everyone arrives. Sound good?"
Danny smiled gratefully, "Yeah, sounds good."
"Good, Then I'll see you guys at the meeting."
"Superboy."
He raised an eyebrow at the Atlantian, at the use of the Mindlink.
"Try talking to him if you can. He seems to be more comfortable around you and would work to both offer him a safe space and possibly get to know his character a bit better."
The clone nodded and steered Danny away from the Team.
…
Mount Justice
May 10 19:11 EDT
Conner didn't really know what to make of Danny just yet. He seemed genuine in his actions and words, but something about him seemed off.
The older teen's glance wandered over to his pet wolf, who he uncharacteristically named 'Wolf'. A small smile played on his lips as an interesting comparison came to mind.
Danny was kind of like Wolf when he wanted to be left alone, but still decided to be around the energetic team just to make sure they were alright. He became tense, but Superboy didn't think it was intentional nor did the shorter teen probably want to be or realize he was.
The two black-haired teenagers had decided to be alone on the sandy beach. At this time of day, the waves were peaceful and calming. Crabs and other creatures were starting to get settled in for the night as the sun started to set. The salty air was a nice change of pace compared to the noisy and energetic air of the Cave.
They were silent for a while, just content sitting and watching the waves. It was after staring at the waves for a bit did the older teen remember that Kaldur had suggested talking to Danny.
"So, what do you think?" Conner decided to ask, his gaze fixated on the waves.
It was silent for a bit, to which he concluded that the younger teen didn't feel like talking. Until he saw movement out of his peripheral, the latter having shuffled in place.
"About them?" He gestured with his head towards the mountain, as a smirk appeared. "I mean I know you said they were a bit energetic, but geez! Someone's got to get Beast Boy some chill pills!" A small chuckle escaped as he continued, "Just his questioning alone seemed to wear me out, and we haven't even had the actual meeting yet."
The two chuckled as the younger green shapeshifter came to mind. Conner couldn't help but agree.
"Beast Boy does talk a lot… How do you feel about everyone else?"
Danny shifted again as he rubbed the back of his neck. "M'Gann and Kaldur seem pretty cool. Though I guess that's kind of biased since they're not the usual norm."
"And super-powered teenagers are?" he inquired, raising a teasing eyebrow.
The other rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the sea. "Touché…"
There was a short silence and Conner was finding it hard to keep conversation going.
"So… ghosts?" he asked awkwardly.
Conner blinked in confusion when Danny busted out laughing.
After calming himself down, the ghost hunter raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. "You don't do this often do you?"
The clone rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance, to which Danny chuckled at.
"That's not necessarily a bad thing. Heck, I remember when I first started talking to ghosts I couldn't figure out what to say or how to start a conversation with them."
"What did you end up doing?"
He gave a genuine smile. "I decided to just be myself and treat them like how I would any other stranger I'd bump into on the street."
The clone grunted and there was a short silence again.
"Thanks for agreeing to come out here with me, Superboy. I really needed this…"
The older teen looked over and gave him a small smile. "It's Conner, and you're welcome."
'Conner?'
The clone in question sat up straighter as he heard Megan's voice in his head.
'Yeah?'
He grunted back.
'… Are you guys, okay?'
He looked towards his possibly new friend staring at the waves and nodded to himself.
'We're fine, just chatting on the beach.'
'How's he doing?'
'…He seems fine.'
'I'm sure he appreciates the company…'
A brief silence rang through his head as he rolled his eyes.
'Uh well- I wanted to let you guys know that some of the Leaguers are arriving, so make sure to come up to the Mission Room soon.'
'Copy.'
He waited a few seconds to make sure Megan was gone and then turned towards Danny. "Come on, we should get going. Megan said that some of the Leaguers are arriving."
The teen furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at him, then facepalmed.
"Telepathy, duh!"
*Esperanto to English: ((Why do you always have to make things difficult for me, Clockwork…))