Chapter Text
"...have the world fooled. But, we know, that those "superheroes" are all ecto-entities." I hear dad's voice.
"I'm surprised that 'Green Lantern' doesn't even try to hide what it is. Being dressed in that ecto-suit it wears. 'Superman' being weak to Kryptonite is obviously a ploy. Don't know how pieces of rock got saturated in ecto, but it isn't fooling us." That's mom's voice. Why are they talking about the heroes that have saved our planet time and again?
"Agent O said they are going to send out a distress signal out soon to lure all of the ecto-entities infiltrating the Justice League. We need to be prepared to capture them alive for study." Dad's words made a chill run down my spine.
After I hear them leave the house, my ghost senses pick up a ghost nearby. Praying the house's defense system can't hit them, I call out to the ghost. Ember appears by the table I'm strapped to. I sigh through my nose as I see her. She has silent tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Ember, I told all of you to stay in the Realms. Well, you're here now. Press the button situated under this table. It'll unbind me." I tell her.
She rushes to do as I tell her to. After getting the table to release my wrists and ankles, she does what she can to wrap my injuries.
"Ember, get me up to my room. I need to grab my go bag and add a few extra items before we leave." I tell her.
Taking my body into her arms, she flies us through the ceiling of the basement and up to my room. She sits me on my bed and grabs my go bag, putting it in my arms. I tell her what items to add to the go bag.
"Okay, I need to send a message with the ecto-notes to Clockwork so he can set the portal to implode after we leave." I say, grabbing a glowing green sticky note and quickly writing on it.
After writing out my message, the note disappears and I shove the stack of sticky notes into the bag and zip it up.
"Great, now we need to get out of here. We'll need to trick the GIW into blasting a hole through that net. Be careful to not get hit by any of their weapons." I say to her and she once again gently puts her arms around my body and flies us out of the house.
She circles the area for a moment, finding a couple of agents that she gets the attention of. Once they draw their weapons, she takes off into the sky. As she flying up, dodging blasts and successfully tricking them into blasting a hole in the ghost shield net, I take the moment to change into my ghost form, preparing to exist in space.
"Okay, Ember. GO! I'm ready for space." I shout over the wind whipping around us.
She pushes her speed, flying straight through the hole in the net and continuing to flying up. Up and into outer space. I take a moment to to enjoy my obsession before continuing to give her instructions.
"Alright, now that we're up here. Make your core release three small pulses every few minutes. The hope is that we'll appear on sonar like little beacons, without accidently knocking vital power out on their space station and putting the oxygen reliant heroes in danger." I tell her.
I make my core pulsate with hers, being careful to not use too much ecto-energy, considering our cores act like EMP's. We fly slowly, carefully, through space. Making sure to stay within sight of Earth. After several minutes, it seems to have worked.
"Batman, the signals seem to be coming from two entities. One appears to be injured. Prepare the med bay. He appears fairly young, it would be best to have Nightwing waiting for us, since he's the best with kids." I hear a voice that I recognize from TV.
"Sir, I'll have to request Red Hood be there as well. Out of everyone, he's the one us ghosts trust the most." Ember says, finally speaking.
"Got it. Hey, Batman, the older of the two is requesting we call in Red Hood. Something about ghosts trusting him the most. I'm not sure, but if it'll keep them both mostly calm, it's worth agreeing to it." Superman says, probably in his comms. I sigh at this.
"I wish Tuck had managed to get the ecto-comms up and working. If I could warn Jazz to get everyone out before she returns, that would be preferred." I say softly to Ember, who looks at me with worry.
"I know, Baby Bop. But, we'll have to hope she manages to keep everyone safe until we can warn her. Right now, we need to get you medical treatment and warn them of the situation happening down there." She responds, nuzzling the side of my head.
"If you can follow us, please. We'll get you two into the Watchtower and our doctors will see to his wounds. You referred to yourselves as 'ghosts' right? Is there anything we need to know about his biology to properly treat him?" Superman asks Ember gently.
"Once we are there, I'll open a portal for her to go through. She can go fetch the Realms medical expert. He'll be able to teach them about our biology. In the meantime, once you get Red Hood to my room, the doctors will need to sew up my wounds with whatever they have on hand. It should hold until she can return with Frostbite." I mumble against her neck, knowing that at least Superman will hear me.
I listen as he relays the information to whoever is listening through comms. It isn't long before we hear the hissing of doors opening and closing.
"Okay, Baby Bop. It should be safe for you to transform into your human form. They've done whatever they need for you to be able to breathe oxygen." She tells me softly.
I groan softly before letting the white rings circle around my body and soon, I'm in my human form again. She follows them into a room, that is so bright I have to close my eyes and press my face against her chest. Before she lays me down on the bed, I feel her shift as I assume she's looking at someone.
"Is it possible to dim the lights without making it difficult for the doctors to see?" She asks someone.
I hear shuffling before she moves to lay me down on the bed.
"Okay, Baby Bop. You should be able to open your eyes now. It isn't as bright as before." She tells me gently.
Finally, I can safely look around without the light assaulting my eyes. I glanced at the costumed heroes around the room and saw Batman's cowl eyes widen when my blue eyes landed on him. I frown at him for a moment before the sound of hydraulic doors opening had me glancing behind him. Who I see makes my body sag with relief as I relax.
"Hey, B. You said someone requested me- why is there a child badly wounded in med bay?" Red Hood interrupted himself as he looks over at me.
Ember flies over to him quickly.
"Thank goodness. Baby Bop, my dear Prince, the Avenger is here, now. Can we please start handling your treatment? I should be able to leave your side now to get Frostbite." She says, lightly pushing Red Hood closer to the bed. He let's her, though its obvious he's confused.
"Avenger?" He questions. She nods at this.
"You alone have given many restless souls a chance to find peace by avenging their deaths. The Realms have granted you the title and nickname "The Ghost Avenger". Many child spirits often attach themselves to you because they know you will care deeply for their deaths and avenge them. They know that they will be safe around you. Any liminal children that reside in Gotham, are drawn to Crime Alley, your haunt, because of your title. The Crown Prince is 16 among the living, but as a ghost, a Halfa, he's only 2. So, I wouldn't feel comfortable with leaving him with anyone except "The Ghost Avenger"." She explains. I notice multiple horrified expressions at her words, and Red Hood pauses before rushing my bed.
"What do you mean he's only 16!? Who would harm a kid!?" Red Hood exclaims, carefully removing his helmet before sitting it down somewhere, leaving his face only obscured by his domino mask.
"Hood-" Batman is interrupted by Red Hood.
"Shut up, old man. We have a child severely wounded. If I can make him feel safe, and make her feel comfortable with leaving him long enough to go get expert help by doing this, I don't care what you have to say." He says before taking his domino mask off and tossing it to the side.
I can see his face unobscured now. Black hair, with a strip of white in the front, and bright blue eyes, not quite the color of steel. In the blue depths, I can see hints of green. Ectoplasm green. I turn my attention to his chest, where I can sense a not-fully developed core. I feel with my core, that his body is filled with gross, rancid ecto. But, still. All signs point to him having died at some point. He had been in the process of becoming a ghost when he was revived. I turn to Ember for a moment, opening a portal for her to go through.
"It's okay, Ember. I'll be safe. He has died once as well. He has an under-developed core. But, the point is, I'll be safe with him. Go find Frostbite. Tell him he'll need ecto-soaked bandages, ecto thread for my stitches, and medical grade ecto packs to replenish what I've lost. Plus, whatever he thinks he might need when the others get to Gotham." I tell her, she pauses for only a moment before nodding and flying through the portal.
I quickly close it, before laying back in my bed.
"B, it might be good for you and Superman to step out while the doctors set up the temporary stitches. Red Hood and I will stay with the kid." I hear another voice.
Looking over, I see a figure that I quickly recognize as Nightwing. My eyes slide to Red Hood, watching his body language to see if he reacts negatively. He just silently nods his head at me, eyes softening.
"Nightwing is safe. He won't hurt you. He'll keep anyone from hurting you again, just like me." He tells me softly. I nod at him before looking up at the ceiling.
"Keep us updated on his condition, boys. Oracle is on the monitor, her mic is muted until you think he can handle speaking to her." Batman says to them, a couple beeps sounding from the monitor mounted on the wall across from my bed.
"We will, B." Nightwing says, coming closer to the bed.
I listen as Superman and Batman walk out of the room, leaving me with Red Hood, Nightwing, a doctor and a single nurse.
"Alright, does human medicine have any affect on you? If not, I can set up something to block your view of what I'm doing." The doctor asks me.
"You might be able to use some kind of numbing agent. But you won't be able to put me under anesthesia." I inform him.
He gets to work, numbing the areas he'll have to stitch, setting up cloths to block my view. Red Hood chooses to keep me talking to try to distract me.
"So, what should we call you? I heard that you have another form. Do you answer to a separate name when in that form?" He asks me, sitting by the bed, but out of the doctor's way.
"My name is Daniel Fenton. But I prefer 'Danny'. In my other form, I answer to 'Phantom'. Oh, and, I'm a Halfa. Half-dead, half-alive. Or Half-ghost, half-human." I tell him, trying to not move around.
"What about the girl that carried you here?" He asks me.
"Her name is Ember. She's a full ghost. Ecto-entity. Denizen of a dimension called the Infinite Realms. My parents, ecto-biologists, and recently joined agents of the Ghost Investigation Ward, call it 'The Ghost Zone'." I explain, holding back a shiver as I feel the doctor poking around in my chest.
"I'm just trying to make sure there is no internal damage before I sew you up. Is there a part of your biology that I should be careful with that humans don't have?" The doctor asks, pausing in what he's doing.
"Rather than a beating heart, my body has a core. In some ways, it can be fragile. In other way, not so much. To the human eye, it'll look like a sort of crystal the size of a heart. Mine is an ice core, so it'll be an object that is cold. Try to avoid taking it out of my body please. It's effectively the heart of us ghosts. If there's enough damage done to my body, I will retreat into my core to recover, which will leave my core vulnerable. The weapons and tools my parents have built over the last two years, are able to damage my core directly, even if I haven't retreated into it." I explain before adding, "Oh, and make sure nothing from the near extinct flower called 'Blood Blossom' comes near me or comes into contact with my core. Think of it as a deadly allergy for ghosts."
He pauses at my words before tossing something to the nurse.
"Double chest the ingredients for this. I know there's nothing in here that could harm humans or aliens. But I don't want to risk anything with him being a ghost." The doctor says.
He changes to fresh gloves before continuing with what he's doing.
"Alright, Danny. Next question. What did Ember mean when she called you 'prince'?" Red Hood asks.
"I fought the previous king, Pariah Dark, in one-on-one combat when he pulled my hometown into the Realms, and won. After putting him into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage chose me as the Realms new ruler. I'm not old enough to be King yet, so for now, I'm the Crown Prince of the Infinite Realms." I tell them, lifting my right hand, and willing the Ring of Rage to be visible. "I'm a Halfa, which means this world is my home world. So, I've given a decree that no one from the Realms is to cause problems with the living world. After my parents captured me, it was the only thing that stopped the Realms from declaring war on the world. So long as I remain half-alive, they won't go against that decree." I add, as a reassurance of sorts.
"Your parents did this to you?" He asks, voice sounding gruffer.
"Yes, and before you say anything about getting police involved, you should know. What they've done to me is completely legal. If Miss Oracle can hear me, she should look into the Anti-Ecto Acts. A piece of legislation that went into effect that gives the government the right to capture, 'study', and exterminate all ecto-entities. Which I fall into the category, being half-ghost. You do to, by the way. While it's completely rancid, for some reason, I can feel ectoplasm inside your body. I can also feel a partial core. Which tells me you were in the process of becoming a ghost, like Ember, when you got revived. If I had to guess, where you live now doesn't have enough ambient ectoplasm for your core to finish developing within your body." I explain to them. I hear more beeps from the monitor, Oracle telling me she heard me I guess.
"The JL will be able to get the acts repealed. It'll help if a trusted reporter could interview you, as their Prince, or some of the full-ghosts. But, that can be discussed later. Can you tell us why you and Ember came up here, I'm assuming, seeking out the JL?" He asks.
"Before they left the house, allowing Ember to free me, grab my bag, and fly me up here, I heard my parents talk about a plan that the agents of the GIW are putting together, to send a false distress signal to the JL, in hopes to lure certain heroes who are associated with the color green. The ones they mentioned by name were Green Lantern and Superman. But, I think it's anyone who has been seen with the color green, or a weakness for something green. I don't think their weapons will do anything to the supers of the JL, but I don't know if they have some sort of backup plan for capturing them." I pause in my explanation as I hear tapping coming from the monitor.
Red Hood puts a finger to his ear, speaking into the comms device.
"What did you find, Oracle?" He asks, and I hear the monitor go silent again.
"Wait, seriously? So, it's still technically illegal? That's good news, really. It gives us the chance to have some of the JL go to the government and have this bill rejected, and have ghosts added to the Meta-Human protection bill. Try to track down every one of their bases and send it to whoever can move quickly to begin arresting people-" He pauses, possibly her interrupting him. "Oh, right. Should probably ask him before we do that." He removes his finger before looking at me.
"Is there anyone you need to get a warning to. Anyone that needs to be told to get out of your hometown?" He asks me, face serious.
I nod at his words. I rattle off the phone number for Jazz's phone for Oracle.
"It'll be best if you pretend to be someone from like, say Gotham University, and that you're calling to tell her she's been accepted into the psychology department or something. Be sure to include 'Activate The Phantom Protocol' within your words somehow." I say before looking at Red Hood. "The Phantom Protocol is an emergency protocol that is meant to be called when my identity has been discovered by my parents and the GIW. When I tell them to activate it, they know to get all eight members of my team and whatever equipment they'll need to continue working, into the car Jazz purchased, and get the hell out of Amity, as quickly and quietly as possible, and with everyone alive. There is a series of subtle steps they have to take the second Jazz hears that it's been activated. Our tech has been working on developing something that is supposed to act as a panic button that sends a signal to each of their phones when I press it, but he hasn't been able to get it or our comms to work with my ectoplasm. When a future version of me from a different timeline managed to get into our current timeline, tried to destroy my hometown, with a plan to eventually destroy the world by the way, we learned that as a ghost with a protection obsession, if the members of my fraid are killed, I'll end up going insane and losing myself in my grief. So, the protocol is prioritized so that we can prevent such a thing from happening." I explain to him. He has a horrified expression, but I just shrugged. Not much else I can do about it.
After several minutes of silence, while we let Oracle handle that, the doctor finishes my stitches and covers me with a blanket.
"Alright, I've done what I can for now until we have the equipment needed to properly treat a ghost, or in your case, half-ghost. As soon as this... Frostbite... gets here, we'll redo all of this with the equipment he brings with him. We'll leave him to you two and go report his condition." The doctor states before him and the nurse leave.
I sigh before giving my attention to Red Hood and Nightwing. Now that I can focus on the small details, I realize that Red Hood under the mask looks extremely familiar. I scowl at him with a frown when I realize just how familiar he looks.
"Where the hell have I seen you before? God, that's gonna annoy the crap out of me. Its like... uncanny valley, sort of. Oh well... as Phantom, I've learned how important it is to keep secret identities. You don't have to answer that. I wouldn't be surprised to hear Sam shout at me when and if she sees you. She's always keeping up with celebrity and rich people news because of her parents." I shake my head, trying to ignore the nagging feeling. "Anyway, do you guys have any other questions for me?" I ask them. I see that Red Hood is frowning, shuffling awkwardly in his seat.
"I'll talk to the necessary people about allowing me, or us, to allow you to know our identities. For some reason, it feels wrong to me to keep my identity from you..." Red Hood states, sounding a little uncomfortable. I think about that for a moment.
"I think you might fall under the category of one of my subjects... having died before and all. That might be why it feels wrong to you. While its under-developed, it might be your core. Our cores sort of, for a lack of a better word, communicate with each other. Ghosts, including halfa's and possibly whatever you are, are creatures of emotion. If you do fall under 'one of my subjects', the act of keeping your identity secret from the future King of the Realms might be hard on your core. Though, I could be wrong. Frostbite might have a better idea about what you're feeling." I tell him. He sighs at this before sitting on the side of my bed.
"So, we have some good news for you. But, first, I have to ask. Is there a destination to run to in mind for the Phantom Protocol?" He asks me gently.
"Gotham has a city spirit. Her ectoplasm will be able to hide Ellie and Vlad's ecto-signatures. The plan was to ask you for permission to not only enter Crime Alley, but to find a home within it as well. We weren't aware that you are effectively partial ghost-y, but as 'The Ghost Avenger', we felt like it might be polite to ask permission first. Ghosts usually don't like other ghosts being in their haunts. So, we were going to treat the situation with Crime Alley the same way. Now that I know you have a partial core, and your own ectoplasm, it would be even safer than any other place in Gotham, cause between your signature, and the city spirit's signature, it should be enough to also hide or cover mine." I explain.
"You keep saying I have ectoplasm. If the Pits really are ectoplasm, does that mean its possible to get rid of the rage?" He asks. I shrug at this.
"I mean, that's probably a question from Frostbite. He might need a sample from whatever you call 'The Pits'. Or even just a blood sample to analyse. That falls under ecto-medical I think." I tell him. He shakes his head at this.
"Not the time. Oracle was able to find out more about the Anti-Ecto Acts. Apparently, it never made it through the House of Representatives. So, it's still technically illegal for them to capture and 'study' ecto-entities. Apparently, there are a couple of Reps who have meta-human relatives who felt that it might create loopholes in the Meta-Human Protection Acts and have been trying to get it rejected. Once your team is somewhere safe, we'll discuss having either you, as their Crown Prince, or a few of the actual full ghosts of the Realms give an interview with a trusted reporter, and when I say trusted, I mean he knows Batman's secret identity, so that the JL can go before the House of Reps and not only get is rejected, but get ghosts added to the Meta-Human Protection bill." Red Hood informs me. I stare at him with wide eyes for a few minutes.
It almost feels like my world is falling down around me. I look down at the 'Y' that my parents cut into my chest and stomach.
"You mean, my parents capturing me, telling me that what they were doing was perfectly legal, and cutting into me... wasn't actually legal? What they did to me... is against the law?" I'm almost afraid of the answer. What if he laughs and says it was just a joke? For the first time in what feels like a long time, I feel tears spring to my eyes as I look up to him.
"That is exactly what I'm saying. We get ghosts added to the protection bill, and not only can we get your parents thrown in prison for child neglect, and child endangerment... we can get them on so much more." He tells me with a serious expression.
"Child neglect, child endangerment resulting in death, child abuse... ironically probably abuse of a corpse, though that's a pretty morbid thought. Attempted murder is also ironically still on the table. For your sister, it'd be another charge of child neglect and endangerment. We'll probably need to bring in a lawyer that deals with laws regarding the environment. So, there will be even more felonies. I doubt they'll see another day of freedom once its safe to go after them for what they've done." Nightwing adds.
"As the King of the Realms... can I go after them for terroristic threats?" I whisper, trying to stop myself from breaking down at the idea of finally getting back at them for everything. Both heads snap in my direction. They are silent for a few minutes.
"We'll see what we'll need to do so that you can." Nightwing finally says before leaving the room.
As he walks out, leaving me alone with Red Hood and technically Oracle, I let my tears fall silently down my face. While I wish Clockwork could have stopped it from happening, I know he can't do anything quite so directly. If it were a situation in which I was about to die, or he saw a situation in the near future where I would go on a rampage, he'd be able to step in. But, only as far as to remove me from the situation and send me somewhere I'd be safe. That thought reminds me of another situation, both similar and different than my current issue. From before Pariah Dark became the King.
"Is Green Lantern here, by the way?" I ask once I can manage to get the words out, wiping my face with a tissue Red Hood gave me.
"Hey, B. Danny wants to know if Green Lantern is here." Red Hood asks into comms.
"Cool, can you send him in for me?" He says after a moment.
"What do you need Green Lantern for, anyway?" He asks me. I fidget nervously.
"I don't know how to be diplomatic about such topics yet. But, there is something I just remembered being told by someone regarding a situation Green Lantern was in years ago. I have something pretty important to say about it. I just hope he isn't offended by my lack of diplomacy." I say softly.
It only takes a minute or two before the man in question enters. Seeing his lantern suit, I can sort of understand why my parents assumed it was an ecto-suit, even though that idea still feels really dumb to me.
"Huh, it really is almost the same shade as ectoplasm. Still feels dumb for alleged scientists to just assume it is though." I say out loud, confusing the two adults.
"Huh?" They say at the same time. I take a moment to charge my palm with an ecto-blast, while not actually releasing it.
"Your suit is quite close to the same color. Its why the GIW assume you're an ecto-entity." I tell the older man.
"O-kay... so, why did you need to speak with me?" He asks, I guess choosing to just move on. Fair.
"I apologize if this comes off very un-diplomatic. I'm still learning diplomacy. I wanted to talk to you about someone you fought years ago. I believe you know the name Pariah." I start, once again nervous that I might offend him or upset him needlessly.
I see the man stiffen as I say the name.
"Yes, I remember the name. Unfortunately. What about him?" He asks.
"First, Clockwork has told me about it. He feels... not guilty exactly, but... how to put it... He regrets missing the signs of someone like that in advance? I don't really know how to explain it..." I start, trying to figure out the right words to explain the old ghosts feelings towards that situation.
"Let's start with explaining who Clockwork is." Green Lantern says, sitting in a chair near the bed, but still far enough away.
"He's the Ancient of Time. He's sort of like the God of Time. His job is to monitor every timeline of every universe of every world. Keep the different timelines on the proper path. The right path. In that, I mean, the path that doesn't result in the world being destroyed." I explain to him.
"Okay, and you said he 'missed the signs'. What does that mean when he's the Ancient of Time?" He asks me.
"Uhm... so, while his powers over time normally allows him to know when something happens that causes a timeline to start going down the wrong path, sometimes there are small event, or events that start out small, that fall through the cracks. He's only one person, as there's only one Ancient over a thing at a time. The place is literally called 'The Infinite Realms' for a reason. He didn't tell me the specifics, cause that's not something a kid like me should worry about, but he said that something happened that had a bigger domino affect that lead to the events that happened. When he realized what was fixing to happen, he did what he could to help you and the heroes that fought as much as his role allowed. Ancients, as a universal rule, can't necessarily act directly in a situation. The most they can do, unless its something regarding the Realms ruler, is influence the tide of battle. Once he saw what happened and where the timeline was headed, he used his power to influence the heroes side of the battle as much as the universe would allow in order to avoid an even bigger tragedy from occurring. He even went as far as to try to help you as much as the universe would allow, when you absorbed Pariah and the Ring of Fear. Later, after Pariah was defeated and he died, Clockwork went through the timeline records to figure out what he missed. Once he realized what exactly he missed, he stated that he regretted missing the signs, cause there were apparently many things his powers somehow missed that, had he caught it sooner, he could have done more about the situation. Again, he didn't tell me specifics, so how he missed the signs, what more he could have done, I don't know. But, at the moment, that isn't the point..." I explain.
"That's... okay, wow. Uhm... if that's not the point, than what is?" He asks me. I pause, afraid to say the next part.
"Clockwork can't act directly with the living realm, but there's a lot he can to in the Infinite Realms. I need you to understand, before I tell you this, that there is no longer a chance of him causing problems in any way. I made sure of that." I start by saying. He nods at this.
"Sometime after he died, after being absorbed by you and eventually separated from you, he became a ghost of the Infinite Realms... and eventually became Pariah Dark, the previous King. Time in the Realms can sometimes be a little weird, especially when the Ancient of Time can fuck with your time individually and keep you distracted so you can't cause issues for anybody until someone can come by to beat you in single combat." I say, kind of in a rush of words. "It helps, that for a time, he had been in a deep sleep, while his time was being messed with, and some jackass woke him up." I add softly.
Its silent for several tense minutes. I'm afraid to look up at the man.
"We were told that you became the future King of the Realms by beating the previous king in single combat... when he pulled your hometown into the realms... You're telling me that the Pariah Dark you had to fight to save your home was the ghost of..." He cuts himself off.
"Of the same Pariah you and the other heroes had to fight, before you gained willpower over fear." I finish for him in a whisper.
"A child had to fight that bastard... by himself." Green Lantern mutters.
I peak at him through my hair and I gotta say, he looks like he might be sick.
"Clockwork and some of the other ghosts, and Ancients, did everything they could to ensure I had the advantage in the fight... but yeah..." I say, looking away from him.
I didn't expect much more of a reaction from him, since he seemed a bit standoffish with strangers in my opinion, so I'm startled when he suddenly grabs me in a careful but firm embrace.
"Somehow, I feel like we somehow failed... because you had to deal with his ghost later." He says to me softly.
I hesitantly return the embrace after a few seconds.
"He'll never be able to cause problems again. He's effectively in the Realms version of solitary confinement for the rest of time. With the best guard the Realms has ensuring no one tries to awaken him. Which they can't do anyway, but still. It felt like the best precaution. Can't be too careful. Clockwork won't know when something is about to happen until a decision has been made, and he has a clock watching the sarcophagus along with the guard keeping vigil over it. You know... now that I'm actually saying it outloud... Sam and Tucker might be right about me being as paranoid as Batman... cause I still say that doesn't feel like enough, but whatever. Until I appoint my own Fright Knight, I can't have him moved into a nightmare pocket dimension using Soul Shredder. So, this has to do for now." I say, a frown crossing my face.
Red Hood laughs at my thoughts.
"If he can't be woken up anyway, having someone stand guard, and what is essentially a baby monitor, watching over the sarcophagus, really does sound like overkill. But, considering how much trauma and pain he's caused. It feels appropriate." He says with a laugh. This makes me smile slightly.
"I agree with that sentiment. But, what's a Fright Knight?" Green Lantern asks. I pause, trying to think of how to explain this to humans.
"Fright Knight is the direct bodyguard of the Realms ruler. As well as the Commander of the Royal Guard. Each King has their own Fright Knight that they have appointed out of an undying trust. Usually, because the King is a ghost, Fright Knight is also a ghost, but because I'm a Halfa, I can appoint anyone as my Fright Knight as long as I trust them completely, and they have ecto-energy within their bodies, preferably because they've died at some point. It helps if they have an obsession similar to mine. I need to appoint my own Fright Knight so they can use Soul Shredder to put the sarcophagus in the Nightmare Dimension, because the current, as the previous King's Fright Knight, can't. As his new king, he'll obey my decree to make sure Pariah Dark stays in Forever Sleep, but the universe won't allow him to use Soul Shredder on Pariah Dark. I need to find Soul Shredder's next wielder to have it used." I explain to them.
After that, Green Lantern left the room and I'm allowed to rest until Frostbite gets here, which isn't very long. It surprises me to see that Red Hood can apparently sense when Frostbite is about to open his portal. His whole body stiffens, moving to stand in front of me, and watching the spot where, moments later, a portal to the Realms opens. Right before Frostbite steps through with Ember, I see green mist exist his mouth, which looks similar to Ember's flames. Huh, looks like he'd end up with a flame core if his core could fully develop.
"It's just Frostbite and Ember." I inform him. He pauses, looking over at me with confusion.
Then, Frostbite finally comes through, followed by Ember carrying some of the things he would need. I hear Red Hood speak into his comms that Frostbite was here while the two ghosts set things up around the room for ease of use.
"My Prince, Ember has informed me of what has happened and what you need. I have prepared what I believe will be needed for your treatment, and the treatment of your Fraid, should any of them be harmed as they prepare to flee to safety. As well as supplies for whoever you will be staying with." He tells me, watching Red Hood closely with curiosity. I smile at Frostbite.
"It seems he has Ghost Sense, even with an underdeveloped core. He knew the moment you were about to open your portal, and where that portal would open." I explain, before grasping Red Hood's jacket sleeve and tugging lightly.
Red Hood sits back at my side once more. He still looks a little on edge, but not as much. Frostbite just nods to this.
"This might be a result of the young man's title from the Realms. He's largely unfamiliar with anyone from the Realms, and as he is highly protective of children, especially injured children, the title may be making him a bit more sensitive to the presence of ghosts while you are in a vulnerable state, my Prince. I will be sure to explain everything I need to do to him, before I do it, so that he isn't agitated further." Frostbite states, bowing to Red Hood slightly.
The doctor and nurse come back into the room moments later, I introduce them to Frostbite, and they shake hands with him before he begins explaining ghost biology to them, and explaining to both the doctor and nurse duo, and to Red Hood as he checks my regular stitches, finding that they have mostly dissolved and I've hardly healed since arriving on the space station.
"It appears as though there's not enough ambient ecto for you to heal on your own. Which is to be expected with how vast space is. The heroes here do a pretty good job of cleaning this place, so there's been no build up of ecto. It would be best to get the new stitches put in, get you hooked up to a bag of medical grade ecto, and get you back down to Earth as quickly as we can-" Frostbite is interrupted by the monitor and Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman enter the room suddenly.
"Sorry if this is too soon for the kid. Batman, I managed to get their vehicle on camera finally. They are being pursued by large white vans. I got a glimpse of the side of the vans on camera, I believe they are being pursued by agents of the GIW as we speak. Red Robin, Robin, Black Bat, and Spoiler aren't going to make it in time. We need someone to go in that can get them and their vehicle to safety and intercept the vans. I believe that some of them may be injured but I can not tell how bad the injuries are." I hear over the monitor. My blood runs cold at those words.
"Wait. What's going on? That can't be right. As far as anyone should know, the group is going on a small field trip for extra credit with two adults chaperoning. It's supposed to be Mr. Lancer and Vlad taking Sam, Tucker, Elle, Valerie, Jazz and Wes to tour Gotham U as a cover. What the hell happened?" I ask, shouting as I panic, thinking of the worst.
"Oracle, Danny said one of them is a tech. See if he has equipment you can hack into the let them know that help is on the way. Danny, Wonder Woman, Superman and I will go get them out of there. They will be fine, I promise you." Batman says, meeting my eyes through his cowl. I nod through my panic.
They leave after that, and Oracle gets to work.
"You'll need to use the code P-H-4-N-T-0-M to successfully get into the server Tuck designed with the help of a ghost named Technus." I tell her.
As she worked on hacking into Team Phantom's server, she also set up audio for the JL comms so I can hear what they plan to do and what they are doing. It seems that after taking something called Zeta Tubes down to Earth, Superman and Wonder Woman will fly to the location Oracle provides them with while Superman is carrying Batman. The plan is for Wonder Woman and Batman to land on the roof of Team Phantom's vehicle, with Batman making his way inside of the moving vehicle, somehow, to get an idea of who is injured and how bad the injuries are. Wonder Woman will defend the vehicle, and Superman will work to intercept the GIW vans. If things don't go as planned, Superman will use his Super Strength to lift the car into the air, staying at a low enough altitude to not put the oxygen reliant members of my Fraid in danger, and fly everyone to the nearest Supers' city to get them to safety and get medical treatment to whoever is wounded. Then, from there, work on getting my Fraid to Gotham without the GIW knowing. There's a lot of logistics being tossed around between multiple Supers over comms that is more than a little confusing and overwhelming, so I just focus on any updates on Team Phantom.
Frostbite has hooked me up to the first bag of medical grade ecto and has begun explaining how to safely use the ecto-thread that him and Dorothea have developed and the doctor has begun re-stitching my wounds as I listen to the comms. Red Hood has moved to my head, keeping his hands on my shoulders as a way to keep me grounded so I don't move around too much from my panic. Ember has been handed a set for comms, which I was able to explain to her how to make so she can be heard, and she relays any information Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman need to know to handle Halfas and Liminal humans and anything else they need to know.
"Oracle, we found them. Wonder Woman and I are going to land on the roof of the vehicle. I'll use gear that will allow us to stay on the vehicle without risking the lives inside." Batman says, then the line goes silent for a few moments.
"They need to announce themselves, and explain that I asked for their help and that I'm safe somewhere with the JL. Otherwise, Elle and Vlad might try to blast at them." I say over the noise that has started up on the comms. Oracle relays my message and comms goes silent for another moment.
"Okay, I'm inside. There's just enough room for one of us to climb in to check injuries. Wonder Woman is staying on top of the vehicle." Batman's voice is finally heard. "Okay, it looks like the one called Lancer has a GSW but it doesn't appear to be anywhere vital. The girl called Elle appears to be rather traumatized and the one called Vlad has a blaster wound and is bleeding... he says its ectoplasm. Jazz is also injured but it's more minor than the other two. Maybe a graze from a bullet. Doesn't appear that any arteries were nicked. GIW are too close to successfully intersect, so Superman is going to carry us and Team Phantom's van to Detroit and meet one of the Green Lanterns there with a medical team." He adds.
After that, I try to relax, listening to reports of Team Phantom and letting Frostbite work with the doctor to properly treat my wounds. At some point, a few of the superhero women came and got Ember to leave the room and try to distract her.
"Remind me to talk to Tuck about developing some sort of device for the heroes of the Justice League that would allow her to play her music for them when they aren't on a mission but prevents her mind control from affecting them. It would help with her obsession if she can have someone I trust to sing for without the risk of her powers affecting them." I say to Red Hood.
"Sure thing, kid. I'll even talk to a few people about helping to develop it. Think we can develop something that will prevent any ghost powers from affecting JL members?" He asks me.
"I'm sure some experiments can be done with ectoplasm to find a way. If we use the Prince's ecto, once he's healed of course, it might even work as a buffer." Frostbite answers from where he's wrapping the ecto-soaked bandages around my chest.
The doctor is working on stitching my other lacerations. Frostbite has already hooked me to a second bag of medical grade ecto and I'm already halfway through that bag. The sigh from Frostbite sounds like to glaciers colliding.
"It would be best if we get him down to Earth somewhere safe from the GIW and finish stitching him up. At this rate, I'm going to end up using all of the bags I brought just to try to help him exist in this environment." Frostbite says, using the ecto-monitor to monitor my less-than-human vitals.
"Give me a moment, Frosty. I'll make a quick phone call and let you know what the plan is." Red Hood says, before starting to walk away from my bed but is interrupted by the monitor where Oracle is watching everything.
"I've already spoken with B and Agent A. Thompkins is on her way to the Batcave and Agent A is preparing the Batcave's med bay so he can be moved there, once he can be moved. The plan is for all of Team Phantom to eventually be brought to the Batcave to be reunited." She tells everyone.
"And where is this 'Batcave' located?" Frostbite asks her.
"Its located in Gotham. Underground." Red Hood tells him. Frostbite nods.
"That should be fine. I'll need someone to carry him, and someone who can stay close with his IV bag." Frostbite explains, preparing me for transport.
The doctor ties off the section of stitching he'd just finished before Red Hood lifts me into his arms. Ember comes back in and takes my IV from Frostbite and flies alongside Red Hood as he carries me through the doors and toward what he informed me are Zeta Tubes. Nightwing comes in behind us and I bury my face against Red Hood's neck, as the Zeta Tubes too closely resemble containment tubes. Soon, we are no longer in space. Instead, we are somewhere that feels oppressive and heavy. I feel Ember shift closer to Red Hood, practically sitting herself on his shoulder.
"Ugh... why does it feel like that?" I ask, groaning softly at the feeling of something suffocating my core.
"That... my Prince... would be the city spirit reacting to three ghosts entering her haunt. It doesn't affect Red Hood because he is counted among her Knights. You will need to transform into your Royal Ghost form so she knows who you are." Frostbite explains to me. I groan at this.
"But, normal humans are affected negatively by that form." I say softly, nervously.
"I believe that Nightwing has enough liminality to not be affected by that form. Besides, you should only need to be in that form long enough for her to pick up on the change of your signature." He tells me. I scowl at him.
"And you're sure the GIW won't sense my royal signature from down here?" I ask him. He nods.
"Yes, my Prince. I'm very sure. I'm sensing lead in the walls and roof of this space. The City Spirit will sense it, because it's still a part of her haunt, but the GIW's sensors, which run on ecto, won't be able to pick anything up down here." He explains to me.
I sigh before letting the rings of light circle my body. Instead of transforming into my normal 'Phantom' ghost form, I transform into my less used form. I still look like Phantom, but with Royal Robes, and my Kings cloak that looks like a dark galaxy with twinkling stars. The Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage are both entirely visible in this form, with the flames of the Crown of Fire having been frozen by my Ice. In this form, my ears resemble elf ears and my teeth are like vampire teeth. Red Hood carries me from the Zeta Tube while I stay in this form, waiting for the suffocating feeling around my core to recede. It takes a few minutes for it to finally recede, and in the meantime, Red Hood has carried me almost to the med bay. After the suffocating feeling finally goes away, I de-transform back into Danny.
With Frostbites instruction, I'm set up in the Batcave's med bay. Agent A goes about finishing my stitches that were left to be put in place, with Frostbite wrapping them with ecto-soaked bandages, after Ember set up the bag of medical grade ecto on the bag stand beside the bed. Today feels like it's been a long day, and I can feel myself mentally shutting down as Red Hood remains by my side. I don't know how it is before I hear my Fraid being brought in. Sam and Tuck are brought directly to my room and placed together on a bed beside mine. Tucker had a few minor injuries from protecting our equipment and Sam, but Lancer took the brunt of the injuries because he had tried to use his body to block Tucker from being shot. Which meant, Lancer took the bullet that had been meant for Tucker. Vlad was injured by a blast that had been aimed at Elle, when he grabbed her, put his back to the agents, and covered her body with his to shield her completely, which is how he got a wound blast, and seeing the man that for so long had been our enemy take a hit meant for her, by my birth parents apparently, traumatized her. Jazz wasn't entirely too sure how she ended up with a wound, cause she hadn't even felt it, and Batman said it was probably because of the adrenaline coursing through her body when she got the warning.
The room was only so big, so Jazz, Elle, and Vlad were moved into a separate room, and Lancer was taken to his own room cause more needed to be done for his wound. Valerie, and Wes were situated in the seating area of the cave after they were deemed unharmed other than a few cuts and scrapes that were minor enough to just be treated by the Batkids. Sam was also uninjured, but because it was Lancer and Tucker who protected her, she refused to leave Tuck's side. The Supers deemed it easier to just carry both of them to my med bay room instead of expecting her to walk on her own.
There was a lot of running around and talking around our beds. I heard Sam say a few words when a question was asked, but for the most part, I just don't really react to anything going on. My Fraid and I are safe, receiving treatment, and that's all I care about right now. At some point, Jazz is brought in to try to talk to me, but all I do is wrap my arms around her shoulders and bury my face against her neck.
"I think today's been too much for him. Now that he doesn't have to be strong, and present, he's sort of retreated into his own head. Is there a quiet place he can be moved to where he can be alone and still be safe?" I hear her ask the adults in the room.
There's talking again, before I hear Red Hood say that I can stay with him at his primary safehouse. Everyone agrees to that and once Frostbite is comfortable with my vitals, I'm unhooked to the bag of ecto, and from the ghost-y machines before Red Hood is once again carrying me. We go to one of the black vehicles in the cave that has black-out window tint and he sits me on the passenger seat, connects my seatbelt and goes to the driver side. Before putting the car in gear, he turns on the stereo and has the volume kind of down. I just let the music cover me in a blanket. Thanks to fighting with Ember so much, music has become something of a comfort to me.