Danny woke to the sound of a trill in his ears. A trill that rang like a metal hammer on bells and reached all the way to his brain, thundering painfully inside his skull. My eyes felt as if they were filled with molten iron, stuck together and didn't want to open at all. The pain echoed through the very bowels of his consciousness and was transmitted through his eyeballs and temples. It was the truest of migraines, that nasty pain that throbbed, clashing with the slow heartbeat:
"Those very moments when I wish I was completely dead..." - Danny thought, before using his ghost ice on himself. It helped, but not much, only for a couple of minutes until he could move his head or even his eyes to survey his surroundings. He clearly needs more sleep. The stress of the night's adventures and recent events was going to wear him down. He should have taken more aspirin pills or something like nostrum to relieve the cramps. Taking medication on an empty stomach was a terrible idea, but it was the only thing that could save him from agony right now.
The boy slowly stood up and threw on the only clothes that remained clean:
"Note for the future, wash things from the laundry basket" - returning to his search for the pills, the boy made his way down to the first floor where he began to scrutinize the room with blurry eyes. First the teenager looked on the shelves, then on the nightstands, inside them, and then in desperation he decided to get into the medicine cabinets. But even in them he couldn't find anything even close. Perhaps there would be something in the lab or his parents' bedroom? Going down to the lab, Danny began to look around at the mess that was going on the tables:
"Well, at least now I understand the significance of cleaning up. This looks like a dump." - And so the search was finally successful. For some reason, the only headache pills were next to the coffee cups, which had rancid ectoplasm combined with moldy coffee grounds:
"It's a good thing I didn't eat anything. "or I would have thrown up. It's disgusting." - Danny was just about to step away from the table when his eyes caught the strange papers on the table. Records? Since when did his parents start keeping records?
| Status report |
External unit is functioning properly. Internal unit is malfunctioning, should not be electrocuted without human intervention.
Current is completely safe for humans, monitored. The ectoplasm is boiling and taking on new forms. The composition of ectoplasm has been changed and made gaseous. A plasma-based poison has been developed that should penetrate the creature's ectoplasmic membrane, burning and paralyzing it. (Especially weak entities are subject to disintegration.)
| Response to use |
The experiment failed. The entity melted inside the flask, leaving behind a nucleus. Autopsy revealed a damaged ecto. Found the presence of a mimic of human DNA nucleotides. (new species?)
No presence of intelligence detected. Complete imitation and reflection with no evidence of conscious behavior. The specimen has been rendered unusable. It was decided to dispose of the object at a later date. The remnants of the experiment have been placed in protective flasks.
...
Some of the ecto will be donated..
Abruptly, the cell phone rings. Danny jumps up in his seat and looks at the cell phone before he can finish the gruesome plot described by his parents' cold words. The gaze of blue eyes snagged on the time:
"What, the alarm clock...? Time... Wait. The alarm clock rang because it's Monday! I'M LATE FOR SCHOOL!" - Panicked, the younger Fenton decides to pick up his papers to finish them at school. Abruptly, he swallows several aspirin pills dry and runs out of the house, taking his backpack with him. Transforming into the shape of a ghost, the boy hurries after the school bus leaving him. If no one distracts him, he can easily make it to his first class on time.
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When he reaches the school, the boy cautiously looks around the corner of the nearest alley, then invisibly transforms into his human form and runs with all his might toward the school gates. As suddenly, not paying attention to his surroundings, Danny trips over someone's footstool:
"Ha, look at that. Fenturd decided to get some exercise in the morning? You like running, huh?" - Dash was standing right in front of his face. When Danny frowned and gave the blond man an angry, hateful look, he stepped a muddy shoe on his head and pressed it against the concrete slab:
"Making evil eyes? Don't mess with me, Fenton. There's a history test today, and I'm really hoping to get a decent grade. If you don't, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you that you deserve." - Danny crawled away as diligently as possible and sat on his knees, then tried to get up. He asked indignantly:
"What do I have to do with your grades anyway!? It's not my fault if you fail the test." - To himself, the boy added: "It's not my fault you're a jerk."
Dash only grinned and poked the boy in the chest in a rough motion that would have left a bruise:
"Because you're here, Fenturd. Because it's fun. Because you're a freak and because you piss me off. That's a good enough list of reasons to bitch-slap you one more time. Go ahead. I don't want to be late for lancer's class because of you." - the soccer player started to walk away from Danny when a strange man stopped him with the words:
"Young man, pull over. I'm police officer Dick Grayson. You see, I noticed you were abusing that teenager. Since you're a minor, I'll need to call your parents to report the incident." - The young man showed his ID, then smirked meaningfully. Dash seemed to be frozen in a daze and couldn't say a word:
"But... I.. I.. Since when did the police interfere in children's squabbles...? This is just a misunderstanding! You don't know this teenager, he's a freak!" - Dash tried to justify himself by resisting. Dick didn't like it:
"Don't lie to me, young man. If you don't want big problems, give me your name and surname, then give me the contacts of your parents or legal representatives." - Dash seemed to blush, not either with anger or embarrassment. He pulled out his cell phone and gave the number, after which the officer explained the situation. It turned out that Baxter's father worked as a local police officer. And he was very unhappy with the news that had been relayed to him. He promised to have a preventive conversation with his son and deal with the situation.
Then only Dash was released. The teenager left in a downcast state, with the realization that punishment would follow. Danny stood awkwardly nearby, trying to scrub the dirt from his clothes:
"Are you all right, young man?" - The black-haired, swarthy man with the dazzling smile asked. He seemed genuinely worried, his gaze expressing concern as he scrutinized the small injuries on his clothes. Danny became uncomfortable with the amount of attention from the older man:
"Yeah... I'm fine. Just a minor migraine this morning, after which fate itself apparently decided to finish me off. Don't worry about it. Thanks for your help!" - The boy squeezed the straps of his backpack, then scratched the back of his head. An old nervous habit. The officer seemed to calm down a bit and continued the small conversation:
"I'm glad to hear that. My name is Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick! What's your name, you little tough guy?" - Danny looked away a little and began to shift from foot to foot, a little lost in what was happening. Perhaps today was just his lucky day and he should accept this gift of fate? Nevertheless, this policeman had spared him from Dash:
"My name is Danny. Nice to meet you, Mr. Dick" - the boy wasn't sure how to address an adult. It seemed that the policeman didn't like it a bit, but he didn't pay attention to it:
"Listen, Danny. I'm here on business, but I'd like to see the city in my spare time. You wouldn't happen to know what kind of places teenagers like, would you? I need to know where I can take my little brothers." - it was a little unsettling. The officer isn't from around here, Danny suddenly begins to realize that this is the first time he's heard the last name Grayson and isn't sure if there are relatives around here somewhere. This makes the boy tense up. On the other hand, maybe this officer was transferred from a nearby community? Maybe there was some crime that involved an Amity resident. But shouldn't Dash's father have known about Grayson then? On the other hand, he didn't mention not knowing him. And Mr. Baxter wasn't obliged to talk about his family. Danny decided to answer and continue the dialog freely. For some reason the smile on the man's face was trustworthy; the boy couldn't say it was anything fake. It was probably just an ordinary employee who wanted to spend time with his family... Huh... The cats scratched at his soul. Got jealous. Danny interrupted his thoughts:
"No, Danny. You don't need to be jealous of something like that… After all, you have Jazz. Just the fact that she's not around keeps us from spending time together."
Suddenly, a light, cold smoke escaped Danny's lips. It was right after he had touched Dick. The boy decided to make a hasty retreat:
"P-excuse me, Mr. Dick, I'm late! Thanks again!" - Danny took a couple steps to the side, then ran towards the school.
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Already at school, Halfa ran into the classroom and left his backpack behind his desk. A second later the bell rang. Danny looked at his friends a little nervously. They understood immediately and silently. Tucker pulled out his phone and turned on the ghost-search program. The amount of ectoplasm he was equipped with allowed him to use it. Sam had an extra thermos and a couple of laser lipsticks for emergencies. The boys lay low. The class was noisy, the teacher was still gone, and it was hard to concentrate. The morning headache wasn't helping. Except there was no sign of the ghosts. What had activated the sense?
"That's odd. Either it was a very weak entity or the ghost left quickly. We should do a patrol after school." -
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School dragged on slowly but surely. The boys were sitting at their table in the school cafeteria, discussing recent events. There was practically no one around them; the cafeteria was surprisingly empty today. (Although, that could be due to the recent appearance of the Lunch Lady, who didn't like the new school desserts that the administration had ordered at a discount.) Tucker dipped his fries in ketchup and started a conversation:
"So what was it this morning? You flew into class like you were stung by a bee on your ass. You only act like that when there's a ghost around." - Danny lowered himself a little on his hands and dipped the potatoes in the gravy as well. Honestly, there wasn't much of an appetite due to the headache and the same daily diet. He should definitely buy some groceries and cook something at home on his own, so much junk food could soon take its toll on his stomach:
"I didn't realize it myself. I suddenly had a ghostly instinct! Right after I gave that policeman the Roth Front* I felt it." - Sam thought for a moment while she ate her apple. She was alerted by the phrase about Danny's run-in with the police. Not to say they'd been any use lately. After the appearance of ghosts, many unscrupulous police officers were even willing to cover up ghost crimes for their own gain. The girl asked:
"Who's the policeman?" -
Danny smiled a little and even brightened when he suddenly remembered his new acquaintance:
"Tough guy. He stopped Dash when he started messing with me. That asshole pinned me to the floor. It was awful. Anyway, I don't think Dash will dare come near me for the next week." - His friend next door gave Danny a slightly friendly pat on the back and picked up his soda. Tucker almost spilled it on the table, causing Sam to glare menacingly at him. After the boy calmed down, he commented on his ghostly friend's words:
"Wow! That's cool, man. I wondered why Dash was so quiet today." - Sam was the only one who didn't share her friends' enthusiasm. She began to reason out loud:
"Adults care about kids' problems? That's a new one. Danny, did he happen to tell you his name?" - the boy was thinking. Yes, he'd definitely said it, but because of his half-asleep, shaken condition and headache, he couldn't remember exactly:
"He said to call him Dick. Yes, it might be a little strange, but someone else's nickname was none of my business. But the last name. I'm not sure. Gray? Greenson?" - Sam and Tucker looked at each other and asked at the same time:
"Grayson?"
"Oh! Yeah, that's right. Wait, wait," - Danny was a little taken aback and looked around at the guys, who were looking at him worriedly: "How do you know...?" - Sam gave herself a facepalm and lowered herself onto her hands, while Tucker took off his beret and bit down on it with his teeth, already expecting the bomb to go off soon:
"See, man... "- Tucker was interrupted by a furious Sam:
"It was friggin' Richard Wayne Grayson! Didn't you even read the chat room last night? That's one of the guys who came into town yesterday. From Gotham. Right now we need to avoid them as much as we can! The originals, Danny, you- OHH!" - the girl just slammed the table so hard she almost broke her nails. And the table itself. Tucker just swallowed and adjusted the collar of his sweatshirt. Junior Fenton was ashamed:
"I almost ruined it. Ancients. I wanted to go to the chat room last night, and then I just passed out. Damn it. I'm sorry, guys." - The boy leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes with his hands in despair. He was hopeless, the only one who could have gotten it wrong in the first place. He'd talked the most about safety, but the very next day he'd almost caused their plan to fail. He should definitely get some rest and regain his focus. First he didn't notice Dash and failed to avoid him, and then he'd gotten caught by a visiting suspicious man. And yet he seemed so... normal?
"That's the problem, Fenton. There are no normal people in this town. That alone should have made you uncomfortable."
Sam cooled down a bit. Then she took a few deep breaths and continued:
"So... We need to be careful. What happened, happened. It doesn't matter. Just try to avoid this family as much as possible, or act as normal around them as possible. And, uh, for the Ancients' sake, Danny, make a habit of reading the chat room after patrol, please. You need it now more than ever." - The black-haired boy nodded, lowering his gaze. His look was like a sad beaten puppy about to be put in a corner. Getting angry at the teenager was simply impossible. Besides... His absent-mindedness wasn't an inborn trait, it was all the result of constant sleep deprivation and stress. Everyone on Team Phantom realizes that he was having a harder time than all of them.
Danny's gaze fell on the backpack he had taken with him to the mess hall. Immediately he thought back to this morning's hectic morning. The boy immediately decided to share his find with the boys:
"That's right. Guys, today I found this in my parents' lab," the boy pulls out the papers, moving the food to the side so it wouldn't interfere with their viewing of the important material. It's some kind of paperwork. It's as if parents were creating a report for someone else, not for themselves. I didn't get a chance to read the contents this morning, but.. The beginning is scary. They brutalized some ghost and.. It said they found a human DNA analog in the ectoplasm." - there was an abrupt silence. The kids moved closer together and started reading. And so, Danny continued where he had left off:
"Some of the ecto will be donated over to the GIW's possession for further study. Remnants of the ectoplasmic tissue that survived the experiment are preserved in flasks. Pictures during the experiment…" - Danny looked at the pictures and turned dramatically pale. The blood drained from his face, his fingers went numb, and he dropped the photographs on the table in horror. There was genuine horror in his eyes, green acid pain reflected in his pupils, in his sclerae. The air around him seemed to grow cold, as did he himself. His voice literally froze with an impenetrable lump in his throat, and at first the boy could not utter a word. It was as if he was seeing a nightmare for real. Or maybe he had? The boys beside him froze, Tucker clutched his red beret and pressed against him, it looked like he was about to tear the fabric into several pieces. He was terrified and squirmed in his chair into one lump, as if he was trying to get smaller. His teeth chattered with the fear he felt. Sam scraped her fingernails across the table beside him, leaving behind significant scratches. Her gaze was full of anger, comparable to a desire for revenge, and at the same time, it was drenched in undisguised despair and pain. At last, there was an intermittent voice:
"M-my parents. Oh, they.. They.. Dany! - Danny's face turned a sickly green, and the boy jumped up from his seat and raced to the trash can. He vomited bile and aspirin pills that had not yet dissolved, which were bitter and mixed with the unpleasant acid in his mouth, giving him an unpleasant burning pain in his nose. Tears came to my eyes, first cold as ice, then hot, burning my own eyes.
"They killed her. They abused her. Dani.. Dani!" - the half-ghost clamped a hand over his own mouth, trying not to scream or vomit again. The guys were looking at the pictures vilely. Sam decided to quickly put them away so Danny wouldn't see them one more time. He shouldn't, definitely not right now. Tucker was starting to feel bad too, he was starting to turn pale. Suddenly, it hit him:
"Wait a minute. Danny's parents were supposed to be away at a stupid holiday party, weren't they? Does that mean.. What..They lied?" - Danny caught his breath and turned back to the others. His mind was a mess right now, but after Tuck's words... The gears in his head whirled:
"They never told me about cooperating with white assholes. The fact that they chose to remain silent about it is worrying. It means they don't trust me, at the very least. We haven't spoken lately. And now I find out what they- They did to Dani. And they found out about the dna analog. And she's my clone. Does that mean that.. I'm next? How did they even pull this off?! How did I not notice.." - The boy grabbed his hair with his hands and pulled, not noticing more pain. Panic and stress had thrown in adrenaline, which right now was preventing him from feeling anything normal. Even thinking calmly wasn't working.
Sam frowned, crossed her arms, and lowered her gaze to the floor:
"It's unlikely they matched your DNA to hers. I don't think they even realized what they'd done. They think they destroyed the ghost and found a new species that mimics humans. But.. Danny, we need to get all this back. Your parents can't notice you were in the lab. It's not your fault, okay? We all screwed up." - Tucker looked at the report with one eye before putting his beret back on and adjusting his glasses. He thought about the situation. His best friend's parents had torn the poor girl apart, dismembered her into molecules, and now Danny, who was no different from her, was going to be left to live in the house of those psychos? But where can he go? Amity Park is the most dangerous place because of the Fentons. He'd have to leave and wander the world looking for a place to live. After all. They're still just kids..
"Dude. I'm worried about you. You're my best friend, if something happens to you too, I'll go crazy. But.. What should we do!? I was ready to forge documents, pages, get into police or government records. But this.." - Tucker got up from his seat and walked over to Danny. The boy was slowly losing his mind, his shoulders rising and falling intermittently, hot tears streaming from his eyes. The dark-skinned boy put his arm around his friend and began stroking his back:
"Danny, man, breathe! Breathe! Hey, can you hear me? Chel... Focus on what I'm saying. Can you hear me?" - but the boy couldn't hear. Danny clutched at his chest, it seemed as if he was choking on air and couldn't take a breath. His eyes were getting darker by the second and his limbs were weakening. This cold wasn't like the way intangibility usually passes for ghosts. It was like fear crawling through the bowels of one's bones, freezing them from the inside out and piercing the skin with thin needles. A lump formed in my chest. It was as if someone had shoved a sharp, heavy stone down my throat. It itches inside. I wanted to tear my own chest open to let myself breathe, to scratch the skin on the side of my bones. The headache that had been plaguing the teenager since morning was thundering. His head felt heavy, as if the blood had begun to press on his brain. His eyes were squeezed shut by the pressure, throbbing with pain and tears along with the blood that had gotten to his ears. No, Danny couldn't hear anything but the noise of his own blood in his ears and the nasty ringing. His face was turning dead pale. A single thought flashed through his mind: "I failed her. I failed her...It's all my fault."
The boy passes out. Tucker is just in time to pick up the teenager and sit him in a chair. Sam quickly jumps up from her seat and gives Tucker an order:
"I'll run after the teacher. You can't leave him like this. Put the papers in your bag, we can't let anyone find them." - The girl ran off, leaving Tucker with a halfling. Foley looked at his friend with regret and started cleaning up. He was tormented by so many thoughts:
"Oh, man... I know how much you're gonna beat yourself up about this. "I don't know what to do. It's all too much for you alone. Even for the three of us. We've dealt with so much trouble and cruelty. I've cheered you up every time you doubted our success. But now? We're probably being watched by the newcomers from Gotham, we've got a bunch of government agents trying to find us, your godfather is a total jerk, and your parents are mad scientists who literally tore your clone apart. Why couldn't life have been easy? Why do you deserve all of this? Because... because you died...? Just why?"
When Tucker finished, he sat down next to Danny and watched his breathing. His pulse had always been slow, and after the accident it had become almost insensible. The boy breathed, God willing, once a minute if he remembered to do so.
Soon a nurse came over, Sam and Tucker helped carry Danny to the medical room where he was brought to consciousness with the help of ammonia. A pungent acrid odor hit his nose, causing the boy to wake up. The light from the lamp on the ceiling, which buzzed with tension, hit his eyes. His headache was mad, his eyes stung, and his mouth was bitter.
Mr. Lancer was standing nearby, chatting with Sam and Tucker about what had happened. The boys had managed to lie about what had happened, the teacher seemed to believe them easily. Surprisingly, he was even a little concerned:
"Mr. Fenton? How are you feeling?" - Danny shook his head a little. Everything was jumbled up in his head right now, so much so that he could barely string a couple words together:
".. Not good. I think I'm going to throw up again." - Halfa was sure that if he got up from his bunk, his stomach would definitely turn. His English teacher sighed heavily:
"Stay here, Mr. Fenton. When you feel better, go home. I'll call your parents and inform them of the incident." - Quietly to himself he added in a whisper: "If they pick up the phone for once."
The nurse kicked out the boys who were crowded around the door. Soon the boy was alone with his thoughts. He didn't know what to think. His parents. It all came down to them again. Whenever the sore subject came up, it was always them in the lead. In the last few days, the older Fentons had been tormenting the younger one's mind too much. If the problem's getting so serious, shouldn't he-
"...We need to call Jazz" - the boy fumbled for his cell phone in his pocket and slowly dialed the number. Waiting for the melody to play, trying to connect and...A familiar voice comes out:
"Jazz here! Hi, Danny!" - his sister greeted him cheerfully, causing the boy to flinch slightly from the influx of such emotions. The younger boy quietly greets her:
"Hey, Jazz." - The sister is slightly silent and moves away from the noise that accompanied her in the background. Apparently there was a break between classes and students were walking around minding their own business. The girl, even through such a far distance and the interference of the phone connection, can tell from the mere greeting that her brother is not well. She can feel the notes of sadness and bitterness in his voice:
"Danny. What's wrong?" - The question came out of the blue. Junior opened his mouth but couldn't say anything... and the tears came out of his eyes again:
"Oh, Jazz. I don't even know where to begin." - The half-ghost sobbed as his sister continued to speak in a calm voice:
"Don't worry little brother, you can start with anything. Let your emotions come out, say whatever is bothering you. I'm here for you and I'm ready to listen to you" - it was nice that Jazz was playing the role of that close family man that he could rely on, not a psychologist analyzing him. That was exactly what he was missing right now. The boy wipes away his tears and tries to start:
"I...oh...I'll try. But his head is a fog. My life is a mess. I'm confused and everything's gone completely wrong. I don't know what the future holds, and frankly... I just want to forget about it all and get off this crappy path." - For now, the kid doesn't know how to continue. Biting her lip, almost to the point of bleeding, she remains silent, trying to speak again, but only managing to produce a few mumbled letters, incoherent with each other. The girl hesitates, but answers:
"Time will sort things out, Danny. It'll show you who's who. That's what happens in life- you scream, but no one notices. When something inside you dies forever." - Danny couldn't understand exactly what his sister meant. Did she mean his own death or was she referring to something else? Something he couldn't quite figure out yet. What was it? What inside of him had died besides himself? What else? The boy decided to continue:
"Every day it's the same. And I keep making mistakes. I'm not getting better. Everything used to be fine. But in the last couple of days, everything's changed. The past.. it's like a rumble in my head. And I know it's foolish to hope to change anything. Clockwork has helped me realize the cost of interfering with the past. But how do I deal with it? I don't know. You have to be able to let go. I can't do that. Not like this." - Jazz decides to respond immediately:
"Danny, what's done is done. Yeah, we can't change the past. But you can still change the future. Your future. Right now I can't be there for you, but I will say this. I'm confident in what you do and who you trust. Follow your heart and remember to listen to your mind. At times our decisions can seem cruel, can seem wrong. We can be betrayed by those closest to us, we can. But I will always be on your side. I know you'll make the right choice." - The girl wanted to say something else, but she was abruptly interrupted by a loud bell. A voice in the background calls her name. Danny realizes he can't distract her any longer. She has to go:
"Danny, I.." -
"You can go. You have to go. And. Jazz...I...thanks" - before the girl can answer, the boy hangs up the phone. He knows his sister is already starting to get angry and is probably lecturing the phone. From these thoughts, a smile appears on his face. But greenish tears ran down his lips, which tasted bitter like young rowanberries. This day started out very hard and it still has no way to end.
"Time to head home...need to get everything back in place before my parents...before they get to the lab" - the ghost boy got up from his bunk and transformed before disappearing and heading towards home.
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As he crossed the threshold of his house, Danny sensed that something was wrong. The boy frowned and carefully, quietly, almost weightlessly walked downstairs to the lab. There he left the papers where they lay. His hand reached for the jar of aspirin pills he'd picked up from the morning. There were still pills left in there... He could drink them all, then the pain would definitely go away. The more pills, the faster and stronger the effect. And the more powerful the poison that must travel through the veins:
"No!...This is definitely not what I want. And I'm not sure my ectoplasm can filter out something like that. I don't want to check..." - the boy takes another look at the pills. Then at the papers and closes his eyes. I should have gotten out of here and never gone inside the lab again.
Danny feels something grab his arm. With such force and without a fraction of care that his heart clenched in his chest. No... not just his heart. But his core. He could literally feel it shrinking into the farthest corner. The boy twitched and looked up into the red glittering glass goggles that reflected the green light of the portal device:
"What are you doing here, huh?" - Maddie asked sternly. It wasn't clear where she was looking, but her nervous voice gave away the woman's mood. She was clearly concerned about something. Danny swallowed slightly and showed his mother the pills he clutched in his hand:
"M-mom! You scared me. I was, uh, looking for a painkiller. I've had a bad migraine since this morning. You're back so suddenly. How was Aunt Alicia's party?" - the woman let go of the child, took another look at him from head to toe before seeming to exhale and pulling off her hood:
"Danny, your father and I have something to tell you. Jack!" - A large man walked into the lab with some papers in his hands and a key the boy had never seen before. The woman walked a little past her son to the desk and dug through the papers the child had managed to put on the table before she arrived. Squinting slightly, she looked over the text from beginning to end, then smirked and nodded to her husband, who stood by the closet. The latter smiled contentedly and with a crazed expression of rapturous joy opened the cabinet, inside of which glowed green flasks.
Halfa looked at it with bated breath. He seemed to have stopped breathing, wanting to start crying again, but he must not give himself away right now. He must bear it. He has to pretend he doesn't know anything:
"Mom? What is it? If it's some kind of ghost project, I don't really.." - he was interrupted by his father's enthusiastic voice:
"It's not just a project, Dan-no! It's more than that. We've gotten to the bottom of these vile Phantoms. Pretty soon we'll get to the ghost boy himself." - Maddie nodded, smiled at her husband, and gave the boy the paperwork that imprinted itself forever in his memory:
"It turned out that all this time their vile form had been hiding under the guise of humans. They had infiltrated our society and like parasites were eating it from the inside out. But we managed to find their weaknesses! One prick of our new weapon and the poison spreads through the body and paralyzes the ectoplasmic creature. And then we'll be done with it. Once and for all. Just as we did with the kindred scum," - the woman pointed toward the closet and pushed her son into it. He came closer, and closer, and closer. Now he could see the flasks for himself. Not in pictures. Inside was a bright green liquid. Floating inside one of them was a piece of a shiny black suit and a small detail of the letter "D". The disgusting bitterness was back in his mouth. Jack patted the kid's shoulder roughly:
"What do you think? Impressive, isn't it? We split that monster molecule by molecule, ha ha! And so will everyone, by the name of Fenton!" -
Danny smiled strainedly and shook the jar, which rustled in his hands:
"Yeah, sort of... I'll be at my place. Or going for a walk. With Sam and Tucker." - The boy walked towards the exit of the lab. His parents nodded and smiled at him, then his mom shouted after him:
"Good luck, sweetie! Don't forget to eat, there should be food left in the fridge!" - Danny gave her a smile and a slight wave of his hand and then walked out of their sight. Just as he reached the room and closed the door, a body slid down it. The child sat on the floor and grabbed her knees. Then with one hand, and his heart. It was ready to pierce his chest, beating as fast as it ever had before. With his new heart rate, acquired after the accident, the boy would have thought it would burst from the strain. He hadn't been this nervous even when he'd fought Pariah himself. Not during the ghost invasion of the city, not even during the battle... with himself. Yes, he felt guilt. Fear. He was afraid of becoming like Dan, but he promised he wouldn't. He wouldn't become a monster. But his parents? Would he be allowed to keep calling those who'd so ruthlessly murdered a child that? And when they find out who he really is? What then? Will he, too, be taken apart and hidden in flasks? Standing there, gathering dust, like a specimen. An experiment.
"I'm not their son anymore. It's about time they realized that, Danny. Once they find out who you really are, they'll do the same thing to you. Just like they did to her. I don't even have her core. They left nothing. Nothing at all. '' his hands clenched into fists in frustration. The boy pulls his phone out of his pocket and sends a message to the general chat room:
Ghost_Boy: Status report. The Fentons are unaware of my status. Not yet. But they're close to figuring it out. Without me, there will be no one to defend the city. However, at the same time, I am the bait for all hunters and ghosts. It's our job to keep prying eyes away from the city. When the time comes, I will have to leave. Perhaps forever.
Tecno_Geek: Danny, a friend.
Chaos: No, Tucker. Danny's right, you know that. The Fentons have crossed the line, it's not safe here anymore. We need to take out Gotham's family of rich newcomers and get outta here. Speaking of our costume mission. You may have to act now, Danny. Just now, a small van of Amber and her troupe drove by in front of the school building, not far away. Looks like she's up to something, they're heading towards the park.
Ghost_Boy: Great. I need something to distract myself with.
Chaos: But are you sure, Danny? You're in no condition right now.
Chaos: Danny?
Chaos: Danny!
Tecno_Geek: We need a distraction. Let him clear his head, Sam.
Chaos: . . . .
Chaos: Yeah, you're probably right...
Danny snapped back to reality and looked around for his costume for tonight. There was a Nightwing costume lying around. Sounds nice, but no, not this time. I need something that can get Amber from a distance. The Red Hood costume fit best. The boy quickly pulled the fabric over himself, with the last piece being the mask. He looked at himself in the mirror:
"It looks good. Ugh, it's hard to be a hero without being able to instantly pull on a costume." - eyes examining the masked face. His hand reaches out on its own and runs it along the edge, slowly going over the skin... from something, it feels very right. He even likes the look of it.
Abruptly, an explosion rattles from the direction of the park.
With a quick movement, Danny jumps out of the window and into a tree, and from it, climbs over to a neighboring building, from which he can easily reach the roof. If he shouldn't be flying in this form, the fastest way is traveling across rooftops. Danny huffs a little cheerfully:
"All right, let's get started!" -
.
.
.
A dark figure, hidden just inside the shadow of a neighboring house, peered out from around the corner. Black glasses slightly hid his blue eyes, and there was a slight smirk on the man's face. He touched his ear and spoke:
"Nightwing reports, new little brother…" -
The communicator is interrupted by two voices sounding simultaneously:
"Found." -