Chapter 14: Depression

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Chapter 14: "Depression"

(Saturday-September 25, 2010)

"They all match…" Danny observed as he stared at the screens in the lab of Fenton Works.

"That they do, my liege." Fright Knight agreed. "That does bode well for us."

"And what exactly does match?" Valerie questioned. "You never told me exactly."

"Remember the ghost that were pulling pranks on Dani and her friends?" Danny questioned.

"Yeah." Valerie chuckled. "I wish I was there to see it, though. I heard that their reactions were hilarious."

"Well, those three ghosts dissolved shortly after their capture." Danny explained. "Dani and them saw it too. It must have been hard for them."

"They are hardly strangers with death." Fright Knight noted. "But to see that…It is troubling to see a ghost pass without fulfilling his or her obsession."

"That's the thing." Danny sighed. "They weren't full ghosts."

The other two people in the room's eyes widened. Valerie frowned. "You don't mean…Halfas?"

"No. Not full ones at least." Danny mentioned. "I've examined the remains of the almost halfas…They are humans that basically had ectoplasmic energy pumped into them. They temporarily gained powers before their bodies just gave out."

"So that's what you mean by they matched?" Valerie questioned.

"They're ectoplasm." Danny pointed to the screens in front of them. "All three of these have identical ectoplasm."

"And the other two?" Fright Knight questioned.

"One of them is a sample that Vision had of Solomon Grundy." Danny explained. "He matches as well…"

"And the other one?"

"…"

"My liege?"

Danny turned to his friends. "It's mine."

"No…" Fright Knight's eyes widened.

"Wait?! Yours?! What does that mean?" Valerie questioned.

"It's complicated." Danny pulled out the folder that contained the information on the Ghoul Project.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Valerie questioned.

"Everything…" Danny was very pale and looked older than a teenager. He seemed to be very distant right now, like he wasn't paying attention. He seemed to be speaking to himself right now. "We…Vision and Vlad…wanted this research to be 100% secure. After what happened with the last bit of info we had on the Ghoul Project…I couldn't do this anywhere that could be broken into. So I did the research here. This place is impenetrable. Good thing we did it too. If this got leaked…"

"That does not answer her question, Lord Phantom." Fright Knight gently reminded.

"Oh…right…right." Danny turned to Valerie. "From what I learned from the file, the Ghoul Project is an attempt to create weapons using the ectoplasmic energy released during the war."

"Yeah, you explained that." Valerie noted.

"But what if they weren't trying to create normal weapons? What if they wanted human weapons? Ones with ghost powers…" Danny remembered his long conversation with Vlad and Vision over this matter.

"Oh! That…explains those human ghosts." Valerie looked down at the folder. "Those…ghouls…"

"Exactly." Danny nodded. "But that only explains part of it. Why do these ghouls have the same ectoplasmic signature as Solomon Grundy? Why do they all have the same ectoplasm as me?"

"Er…I don't know. Shouldn't all the energy be different because it was from thousands of different ghosts?" Valerie stated.

"Yes, but you see, they all went through a filter. Something that changed the ectoplasm to have a similar signal." Danny sighed. "I…was that filter."

"I remember that." Fright Knight stated. "It was when you obtained the ascended ectoplasm. All the energy of the war was absorbed into you. Then you…released it all when you were done."

"Yes. That's why all the samples match." Danny placed his hands in my face. "The Ghoul Project is making imperfect clones of me. It would explain so much. They even have some of tendencies and impulses. That's why all of them are drawn to Amity Park and Dani. They partway share my obsession; but...it doesn't stick and they don't form an obsession of their own so they can't adapt to the ectoplasm."

"My god…" Valerie whispered. "They're trying to make more of…you. But…do they even know?"

"That I don't know." Danny sighed. "For all I know, the Ghoul Project's use of my ectoplasm might be a coincidence. Or it could an intentional attempt to clone my powers. Who knows?"

"What do we do?" Fright Knight questioned.

"We're going to have to call the Council for this." Danny stated. "This is big. Bigger than I ever could have thought."

"And until then, we just keep our ears to the ground?" Valerie questioned.

"That's all we can do."

"You guys, okay?" Victor questioned. "You seem down."

"Huh?" Dani looked over to Victor. They were all at the Masters Mansion. No one was really doing anything today. It was really gloomy and cloudy out today. It was like the energy was being sucked out of the air.

"I was asking if you guys were okay…" Victor eyed his friends. They were all spread out the living room doing nothing. "I think you all just answered my question."

"It's nothing…" Nyx sighed. "I just feel…down today."

"I know, right?" Rachel frowned. "Even I'm not usually this depressed. What about you, Charlie?"

"Gah…." Youngblood moaned. He was face down on the ground.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Victor mumbled. "I wanted to do something, but I don't really see the point…"

"Exactly." Nyx messed with her disguised hair.

"But you guys seem even more down than everyone else." Victor stated. "Which is saying something…"

The super powered children still thought about what happened with those three ghosts. They may have seen a lot in their short lives, but the children still didn't enjoy watching the ghosts die. It shouldn't have bothered them too much, but for some reason, they couldn't get it off their minds.

"We're fine." Dani stated. "Just a bad day."

"Then what's with that picture you're drawing?" Victor eyed the shades of black and grey swirling the pages. "This is dark. I mean, even darker than Rach's poetry."

"I take offense to that. Nothing is darker than my poetry."

"It's true." Nyx nodded.

"Just a…change in style." Dani gave a weak smile. "It's nothing."

"If you say so."

"I do…I'm just not feeling peppy today for some reason." Dani knelt down and picked up Cujo. The dog that was currently disguised to have black hair was sleeping and didn't seem to want to wake up. "Let's just…watch something to cheer us up. Where's the remote?"

"Charlie's laying on top of it." Victor stated.

"…" Dani eyed the disguised ghost. "Roll over."

"Gah…" Youngblood groaned and complied.

"Good boy." Dani grabbed the remote and tried to turn on the TV. All she got was static. "What?"

Changing the channel didn't work. "Is the satellite down? Why? Is the weather?"

She got no response.

"Geeze…" Dani looked at her phone. "I've got no bars either. What's going on?"

"…"

"Guys?" Dani turned to her friends.

They all were lying down. Each one was staring at the walls in ceiling. Dani could hear them begin to mumble something. She had to listen carefully to discern what they were saying.

"Mom will never trust me…" Nix whispered.

"It will happen. Nothing I can do can prevent it…" Rachel trembled.

"Don't cry. I'm sorry he left…" Youngblood mumbled.

"Why won't he accept me for who I am…" Victor muttured.

"What?" Dani frowned. "Guys! Snap out of it!"

They kept mumbling as if she wasn't there.

"Guys!" Dani was beginning to panic

What was happening?

"Welcome to Amity Park." Phantom led Young Justice from the abandoned warehouse owned by Vlad Masters. That was where they decided to hide the Zeta-tube.

"It's…nice…" M'gann tried to say nicely. She had changed her skin to Caucasine to hide her secret identity.

"Really? Because this place is really bring me down." Wally in civilian clothes mentioned. "OW! Would you quit elbowing me in the ribs?!"

"Only when you stop saying stupid and rude things." Artemis glared.

"So…never?" Robin smirked.

"Dude!"

"Actually…" Conner frowned. "I was expecting something different too. It's really…quiet."

"We aren't in the most public of places." Kaldur pointed out.

"But usually I can hear something." Conner stated. "There are always noises in a city. This place, though…It's quiet as the dead."

"Is that a joke?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

"No. Just…a comparison…" Conner frowned. He obviously wasn't joking.

"Hmm…" Phantom shrugged. "Whatever you say. Amity Park isn't exactly the loudest city in the world. In my experience, it's the times were things get loud that there is real trouble."

"What about the Nocturne Crisis." Robin mentioned.

"…Good point." Phantom nodded. He fixed his black hoody and hat that hid his appearance. "Something may be happening, or maybe not. We're going through the city anyway. If something is up, we'll see it."

"Aren't you worried at all?" Artemis questioned.

"You kidding? You don't know this city. This place may be a magnet for trouble, but it's also a minefield for enemies." Phantom noted. "You can't do anything bad in this city without it blowing up in your face in the end."

"That's true…" Wally nodded. "But that won't change the fact that we'll be on the lookout, right?"

"Psh…I'm always on the lookout." Phantom mentioned.

"Where are we going, anyway?" M'gann questioned.

"You guys wanted to learn what it means to be me…to be a ghost, right?" Phantom questioned.

"Yes." Robin nodded.

"Then we're going to the place where everything started for me. The place where all my troubles became real." Phantom sighed. "We're going to the place where Nasty Burger Incident occurred."

Even a master assassin would find it difficult to break into Masters Mansion. The security, weapons, alarms, and shields that armed the place could rival Belle Reve. The only difference were the guards, but considering that ghosts lived in the place, it wasn't that big of an issue. Vlad had taken every possible measure after the Gotham villains attacked. This place was a fortress.

…One that was useless if all the technology stopped working correctly, all the ghosts were incapacitated, and the ghost portal was destroyed…

"Ack…" Dani opened her eyes slowly. "…Why am I lying in the yard?"

"Because I brought you here." A higher pitched man's voice spoke from above her.

"Gack!" Dani winced as she was pulled into the air. "You…"

The being holding her was what could be described as the green blob with arms, red eyes, and sharp teeth. This ghost was Bertrand the assistant to Penelope Spectra. Something else caught Dani's attention, though. It was the being in the ghost's other arm.

It was a bloody, wounded, and unconscious Wulf.

"Wulf!" Dani cried. "I'm going-ack!"

"No no no." Bertrand smiled as he dumped Wulf to the ground and clenched Dani in his hand. "You don't get to have a fighting chance in this battle."

"Ah…" Dani was in too much pain to go ghost. "Coward…Can't fight… a little girl…"

"Please, I know that you're more of a demon spawn compared to a little girl." Bertrand glared.

"Gah…" Okay, so taunting wasn't going to work. Time for plan b. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? Surely your sperm donor told you about his encounters with me and my boss." The blob chuckled. "We want misery to keep us forever young."

"Yeah, I know that." Dani winced as he continued to try to crush her. "But why are you attacking Amity Park? You know that you're wanted, and that Vision will quickly learn that you're here. This is basically asking to be captured."

"Why do you think Wulf is like this? Why do you think we targeted your home? Spectra is far from stupid. She planned this out perfectly." Bertrand laughed.

"…" Dani let him talk.

"The ghost portal in Fenton works is inactive right now. Thus, with your portal and Wulf taken out of the picture, there is no immediate portal for backup to come." Bertrand ranted.

"But the temporary portals…"

"Spectra…has gained a lot of new talents." Bertrand shivered for a moment. "One was to give me the ability to cause extremely deep depression merely by being in the presence of them. Another is to cause…a disturbance to the area around her. She can 'depress' all the energy around her. Technology and natural ectoplasm in this city won't work correctly unless she wants it to. Natural portals won't form anywhere near this city."

"Then…the ghost portal wouldn't have worked anyway." Dani muttered. "Why attack the mansion?"

"To get to you." Bertrand beamed in absolute glee.

"Me?" Dani managed to gasp out.

"Spectra noticed something about you halfas. As long as you have a chance to fight, you always win." Bertrand stated. "We needed to take that fight out of you all by killing you."

"What? How will killing me-AAH!" Dani shouted. Blood began to spill from her mouth.

"Shut it." Bertrand snarled. "I'm talking now. You see, there is a weakness that both Phantom and Plasmius have. You. You are their Achilles' heel. If we show them your mangled and torn corpse, they will fall into despair and absolute anger."

"Idiot!" Dani gasped. "That will make them stronger."

"No it won't. Spectra will absorb the negative energy before they can use it. She will gain the power of two S-rank ghosts and defeat the older halfas with ease. And with Phantom gone, the Fright Knight will only suffer the same fate as the halfas." Bertrand chuckled. "Then, we can do something similar to Vision and Pandora. They both have daughters, or daughter figures, after all. A mother can't stand to see their children hurt. To see them dead? Ha! They'll just die.

"With the power of five S-rank ghosts, Spectra will be unstoppable and have the power to remain young forever." Bertrand explained. "And I will be by her side forever…"

"You…wish….You… piece of…snot…" Dani could feel her vision dim and go blurry.

"Say what you want. You're going to die in a few seconds anyway." Bertrand snapped. "You should have just succumb to my power like your friends. But you have to be so damn…cheerful. Now you have to die painfully. Any last words?"

"You…talk…too…much…"

"WhaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bertrand roared in pain. Wulf had regained consciousness and was biting and clawing at Bertrand desperately. This caused Bertrand to let Dani go and allow her to fall to the ground.

Dani gasped out breaths as she clutched her sides in pain. Yep, plan b worked. The villains always felt like ranting. It made stalling so easy sometimes.

Now free of Bertrand's clutch, Dani could now focus enough to say, "I'm…going…ghost…"

"Well crap."

"Is that all you can say?!" Artemis glared at Phantom. "You have freaking zombies all over the place just staring out into space!"

"What am I supposed to say?" Phantom eyed the mumbling masses of Amity Park.

"Maybe that you were wrong?" Conner suggested.

"I never said that it was impossible that something was happen, but if it makes you feel better, then, yes, I greatly underestimated what could be happening in the city." Phantom admitted.

"Who could have done this?" Kaldur frowned as they walked done the street full of unresponsive people.

"Good question…" Phantom stood by a girl and listened to her mumbling. "Uh huh…She's talking about not getting a date for the dance…"

"This guy is talking about all the debt he's in from college." Robin mentioned.

Wally was running by each person quickly and listened to what they were saying. "Gah, all the people are such a drag. This place is really negative."

"It's understandable…" M'gann frowned. "Life is so cruel sometimes…"

They all turned to the normally cheerful Martian. "M'gann?"

"Why must people be so cruel to eachother?" M'gann looked like she was ready to cry. "It's so sad."

"M'gann!" Conner grabbed her shoulders. "Snap out of it!"

"Oh…" M'gann's eyes cleared. "Conner…What happened?"

"What is effecting this town seems to be influencing you as well…" Kaldur noted.

"To effect a telepath…" Robin mumbled. "This is bad."

"Do you think its some kind of machine that sucks out joy or something?" Artemis questioned.

"Possibly. I've seen weirder things." Wally began to explain how it would be possible.

Phantom ignored him. "Suck out joy….Crap!"

"What is it?" Conner questioned.

"This isn't some machine this is-"

Boom!

The Team was blasted back. Out of sheer instincts, the young heroes shielded the civilians from the blast. Conner made sure to take the most damage because he could take it. It was this that allowed the others to come out with minimal damage.

"Me." A woman spoke out above them. She had paler skin and red hair that was pointed up into two horns. Her green eyes and sharp teeth showed great malice. Despite the situation, it was easy to see this woman's beauty and attractiveness. This was especially true considering the woman's tight leather clothes with green flames on them. "I believe you were going to talk about me."

Phantom groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. "Penelope Spectra…long time no see."

"Woah…" Wally looked close to drooling.

"Really?" Artemis glared. "Now is not the time to perv out!"

"Er…right…"

"I recognize her." Robin noted. "She's one of the wanted ghosts."

"I believe that there wasn't any leads on her as of yet." Kaldur stated.

"Well, there's one now!" Superboy roared. He looked ready to leap when Phantom intervened.

"Stop!" Phantom ordered.

Young Justice all stopped and looked at Phantom.

"What is it?" M'gann questioned.

"You don't know Spectra…" Phantom eyed the floating woman in front of them. She didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry. "But I do. She is a teenager's kryptonite."

"What does that mean?" Conner questioned. He was obviously confused with the comparison.

"Does it have to do with her looks?" Artemis glared at Wally.

"Oh, just give me a break…" Wally mumbled.

"No. Not that." Phantom clinched his fists. "She's a psychiatrist. She knows how people tick. By now, she's already examined all of your personalities just by watching you. Spectra knows what to say to take away your happiness and hope. She'll take away your will to fight with a few words."

"The pen is mightier than the sword." Kaldur noted.

"Yes." Phantom nodded.

"Then what do we do?" Robin questioned.

"She…obviously has a power upgrade." Phantom pointed to the nearly catatonic people around them. "From what I can see, she can make people feel depressed by being around her. That means…she has a Haunting Aura."

"Oh! The little hero boy has gotten so smart!" Spectra actually seems impressed. "Vision and Plasmius must be rubbing off on you. But…I can do a whole lot more than just use a Haunting Aura."

With a wave of her hand, Spectra cause red forms to blaze beside her. The forms were the Red Huntress and the Fright Knight. They were both beaten and catatonic. The Fright Knight was downright destroyed. His armor was in chunks, and his body was covered in wounds. The red energy held them up above the ground and prevented them from falling.

"No!" Phantom's eyes lit up in anger. "What did you do to them!?"

"The same thing I did to everyone in this city." Spectra bragged. "I sucked them of all happiness and left only despair. And as long I'm around, they'll be like this. A constant fuel source for me. Granted, the Fright Knight was a lot harder to crack. He have such confidence. I had to…loosen him up a bit."

"You beat him into submission…" Robin glared.

"And if that happens to us…" Wally frowned.

"Now now, don't worry." Spectra smiled. "I won't even have to beat you to put you all of you in this state. Give me a few minutes, and you'll all just like the Red Huntress. In a state of despair because of your own insecurities and fears."

"She almost got me already…" M'gann mumbled.

"I…don't really feel good." Artemis sighed.

"We can't beat her like this." Wally seemed to droop.

"There's nothing we can do." Kaldur looked ready to give up there.

"Shut up!" Phantom roared at Young Justice.

Their eyes lit up.

"We can't think like that!" Phantom stated. "She may be strong, but we have to win for Amity Park! I won't let this place be hurt by her."

"But you just said she's a teenager's kryptonite." Robin noted.

"I've heard what that does…" Conner frowned. Even the Kryptonian seemed to be giving into the doubt. "If you're right, what can we do?"

"So we just give up?!" Phantom exclaimed. "You came here to learn about me, right? Then listen up! Even if your opponent is out of your league…even if you are facing impossible odds…even if your greatest weakness if set before you, you can't give up! Never stop fighting! Never doubt your ability to win! Never give up hope! If you do that, then even death can't stop you!"

"Danny…" Young Justice stared at the ghost.

"This is what we're going to do. Kid, Robin, get the civilians out of here. Artemis, Aqualad, attack from a distance and try to get Fright Knight and RH away from her. Use the fire hydrants to your advantage. Miss M. and Superboy will help me takedown this witch." Phantom ordered.

"Huh…I thought you weren't our leader anymore." Superboy smirked.

"As long as you're in my city, you're going to follow my orders." Phantom stated.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Wally saluted the ghost.

"You got it." Artemis drew her bow.

"We can do this." M'gann agreed.

"Wulf!" Spirit cried as her friend was flung to the side. He had been quickly beaten by Bertrand. His injuries were too severe to allow the wolf ghost to fight the power boosted Bertrand.

"Now you!" Bertrand roared. His form changed its shape into a green tiger. He then lunged at the girl.

With the movements that were engraved into her by Vision, Spirit managed dodge around incredibly fast tiger with grace and precision. The halfa girl tried to counter attack. She activated her Spectral Claws and tried to cut at the large feline's side. Bertrand's torso shifted, however, to dodge the attack. Her claws just barely missed the tiger.

'Slash left. Bite arm. Tear off limb.' Spirit's Premonition warned her of Bertrand's plan. Before the tiger could even begin his plan, Spirit was moving. She flipped through the air as the sharp teeth and claws were flung at her. Seeing an opening, Spirit brought her foot cross the tiger's face with the speed of a whip and the power of a hammer.

"Ha!" Spirit smirked. "Never was a cat person."

Bertrand was sent sprawling back. "Gack! You brat! I'll tear you apart!"

Bertrand's form shifted again. The tiger was now gone, and in its place was a large minotaur, a bull human crossbreed. The beast roared as he ran to Spirit. The halfa girl quickly dodged the monster's blows, but found that Bertrand now had a thicker skin. Her attacks didn't do any damage.

"Huh?" Spirit suddenly felt sluggish. It was if the air around her was pressing down on her.

"ROAR!" Bertrand batted the girl away.

Spirit was sent tumbling across the yard of Masters Mansion. She left a trail of torn ground in her wake. After coming to a stop, Spirit was forced to come to a keep moving. Bertrand was not giving her time to come up with a plan. She had to keep dodging his relentless assault. While she was moving, though, Spirit tried to use her Spectral Claws.

She left small cuts all around his body. His skin was too thick to do a lot of damage at once. She could, however, slowly wear him down. Take down the giant with bug bites.

"RAW!" Bertrand roared. "I took down far stronger ghosts than you before! Why can't I beat you!?"

"It's not about strength." Spirit stated. "It's about strategy."

Spirit purposefully place herself in front of the minotaur. Bertrand reacted immediately. He tried to reach out and grab her. Spirit, however, was barely within reach. Thus, Bertand had to lung forward to get to her. This left him open, though.

Ducking under the attack, Spirit flew towards the beast's torso. Once there, she activated her Spectral Claws and began to fly up. As she flew up Bertrand's large body, Spirit dragged her claws along the minotaur's exposed body. Twin gashes appeared on Bertrand's body.

"GAH!" Bertrand screamed in pain.

Spirit watched from a safe distance as Bertrand changed back into his original form. The wounds seemed to fade, but Bertrand looked tired and in pain. That last attack must have done a lot damage to the blob ghost.

"You…" Bertrand trembled in anger.

"I'll admit, you have a surprising amount of strength for someone who's borrowing another ghost's powers." Spirit noted. "But Spectra's scraps aren't enough if you don't know how to use that power properly."

"SHUT UP!" Bertrand yelled. "IF YOU WOULD JUST STAY STILL, I WOULD WIN IN AN INSTANT! JUST LIKE WITH WULF!"

"Idiot…" Spirit frowned. "Stay still? This is a fight. If my strength is my ability to dodge, then it's your job to find a way around it. Just like I found a way around your obvious strength…Although, I don't think I have to wear you down slowly anymore."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if you're going to attack my home, then you should keep your guard up for sneak attacks."

"AH!" Bertrand cried out in pain.

A fist landed into the back of his head. He was sent crashing into the ground. Still stunned, Bertrand could do nothing as he picked up and slammed into the ground multiple times. When he was finally let go and landed on his back, Bertrand looked up to see Plasmius standing above him. That view didn't last long, though. Bertand was quickly knocked unconscious when Plasmius rammed a powerful ectoplasmic empowered fist into his stomach.

"You did well, Danielle." Plasmius looked to his daughter.

"Yeah…" Spirit nodded. "Thanks for the help."

"I don't think you needed it, though." Plasmius noted. "You would have won given enough time. Normally, I would let you settle your own fights, but…"

"There's still Spectra." Spirit agreed. "We need to take her down so everyone will go back to normal."

"Right…" Plasmius nodded. "Let's get Wulf somewhere safe, then we can go."

"Yep…" Spirit's eyes narrowed. Yeah, Spectra was going down.

"Move!" Phantom ordered the Team.

Using the teamwork they built from hours of bonding, training, and fighting together, Young Justice managed to hold their own against Spectra. The psychiatrist ghost was devastatingly powerful. Not even Superboy's blows could harm her too much. They were slowly wearing her down, though….

"Hahahahahahaha!" Spectra batted M'gann out of the air and into a car below them. The Martian girl crashed into the metal and dented it with a loud bang.

Or not…

"What is with her?" Artemis questioned. "We can't hurt her! My arrows just bounce off of her."

"It's the people!" Phantom yelled. "As long as they are in that coma like state of despair, then she will constantly be sucking energy out of them."

"What do we do then?" Robin questioned. "KF and I couldn't snap any of them out of it. Even the knight ghost and the Red Huntress were comatose "

"She's also the cause of their depression." Phantom stated. "She's releasing a Haunting Aura to make everyone depressed. Then she absorbs the energy of their negativity."

"She's releasing energy to gain it back times ten." Wally frowned.

"Then how do we beat her?" Superboy questioned as he helped the barely conscious M'gann. "We can't take out her power source without hurting civilians."

"Still figuring that out." Phantom mentioned. "She must have some sort of weakness, though."

"Maybe this will help." Spectra smiled. "Like all ghosts, I'm weak to ectoplasmic weaponry, ectoranium, and magic. Unfortunately, my new powers can hinder all your ectoplasmic weapons…even your dumb thermos, you don't have any ectoranium, and the only magic user in this city is under my influence."

"We're so screwed…" Wally mumbled.

"Stay focused!" Phantom ordered. "Don't let her get to you. We're going to need all of us to be her. Formation 7, now!"

With a roar, Conner jumped at the ghost of despair. Spectra merely smirked as she allowed the clone to lunge at her. A simple green energy field surrounded her. Conner rushed into the energy. He sent punches and kicks at the shield, but it nothing. The Kryptonian would have fallen, but M'gann used her telekinesis to hold him up.

"Are you related to Superman, handsome? I never heard about you, though. That must mean that the Big Blue Boyscout is ashamed of you." Spectra mocked.

"SHUT UP!" Conner roared.

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" Spectra raised her glowing fist. "Here, let me make it better."

Spectra tried to hit the clone, but Phantom managed to fly up in time to save the clone. He grabbed onto Conner and turned them both intangible. Spectra's fist passed right through them. That wasn't the only thing the intangibility protect them from, though. They were just the distraction, after all.

Boom!

Artemis, Robin, and Kaldur all bombarded Spectra with arrows, explosive shuriken, and blasts of water respectively. Because of her attack, Spectra had left her guard open. The attacks landed and managed to do some damage to the ghost of despair. She was burnt and bruised.

Spectra, would have retaliated, but Wally wasn't idle. He managed to get right below the ghost. The speedster was running around in one big circle below her. He created a miniature vortex which threw Spectra off balance. This allowed the other to continue their assault on their opponent.

"Enough!" With a wave of her hand, Spectra sent a large wave of energy that with all the members of Young Justice and sent them sprawling. "I'm tired of this game. Either you join the rest of the people in this city, or you die. Pick your choice."

"How about option three? We kick your ass!" Phantom turned visible right behind Spectra. The Phantom that Spectra knocked back quickly disappeared, proving that it was a duplicate.

In shock, Spectra turned to the real Phantom. She tried to defend herself, but it was too late. With a power and ferocity that Phantom didn't think he had anymore, Phantom rammed an ectoplasmic fist into Spectra's face.

The blow sent Spectra rocketing down to the street below. Before she could land, though, the rest of the team acted. In a show of mental strength, M'gann lifted the car she hit before and hit the falling ghost with it. This batted Spectra across the street to Superboy.

With a smirk, Conner hit Spectra to Kaldur. The Atlantian formed a bat out of water and hit her down into the ground. Before Spectra could recover, Robin and Artemis threw a combo of strikes and kicks at the ghost. After several seconds of the beating, Spectra flung the two teens away…only to be hit by Wally running at full speed.

Needless to say, Spectra was hurt and sent rolling down the street.

"Gack…I'm surprised ghost boy." Spectra noted. "You have these tween heroes working well together. They're good little pawns under your beck and call…"

"You talk too much." Phantom landed in front of her. "Besides, I don't have any pawns."

"Really? Because you have been training under Plasmius and have been consulting with Vision. They're the rulers of manipulating people like pawns." Spectra smirked.

"I'm not them." Phantom grabbed Spectra and pulled her up.

"You…You're so different from that little boy I first thought. You've grown up so much." Spectra mentioned. "Now, you're the big bad leader. Sending people to do your dirty work. Having people die so that you can live. Using this Team just so you can find the missing ghosts."

"Wait…what?" Kaldur frowned.

"You don't know anything." Phantom noted.

"Oh, but I do. After all, you were the one that led all the ghosts into war in the first place. Finding all that info on the GIW to take them down, and then planning out everything so that you look like the hero." Spectra looked amused. "Well it worked. People adore you now. Even your little team. But no one could see the consequences of your little endeavor to become an idol. After all…war caused so much suffering…so much pain…It made me so much stronger."

"I figured out that much."

"But what about everything else that it caused? Do you even care about the ghosts that died? About Skulker? About Klemper?"

"Shut your mouth." Phantom grabbed her by the throat to stop her from talking.

"Oh…are you still sad about your friend?" Spectra managed to get out despite the pressure on her neck. "It looks you haven't changed that much after all. You're still the insecure creepy little boy with creepy little powers."

Despite everything, this didn't get a negative reaction. Phantom was not saddened or conflicted by her words. He knew, and Spectra knew it. She wasn't going to get any power from him.

"Your words won't hurt me anymore, Spectra." Phantom noted as he held the ghost by her throat.

Despite this, the woman chuckled. "Why? Has your heart hardened so much, little hero? Do you even feel for the people you protect? Do you even care about this little team?"

"My heart…is not up for discussion." Phantom mumbled.

Phantom felt their eyes on his back. He knew that Spectra words had put doubt in their hearts. Would they even trust him anymore? Phantom didn't now…

"But I thought that was why we were here in the first place…" M'gann noted.

"Not with her here…" Phantom stated.

"Fine then. Just capture her, and we can-"

"Capture me?" Spectra smirked. "That's funny. You think this is over. Play time's over, little children. Now, I'm going to show you what the power of despair is really like."

In the next moment after Spectra spoke, the street was covered in red energy.

BOOM!

"Well…" Spirit sighed as she turned the people she was holding tangible again. "That was close."

"Yeah it was…" Phantom agreed with his sister. "It's a good thing you showed up when you did. If not…these guys would have been hurt bad…"

"That they would…" Plasmius lowered the shield he had created to minimize the explosion. He eyed Spectra. She had changed into her appearance to her shadowy form. Her skin was now pure black and was moving about like smoke. "But they are still endanger."

"Very true…" Spectra grinned. "I have enough energy from normal people. And if killing them breaks Phantom…then so be it."

"Get them out of here." Plasmius instructed. "They're in no shape to be fighting."

Spirit and Phantom eyed the fallen teens. They had become just like all the other people in Amity Park. Under the power of Spectra's battle form, the Haunting Aura's strength had tripled. It was too much for Young Justice. Fortunately, Phantom's experience and Spirit's training allowed them to function under the powerful Haunting Aura.

"Right." Phantom created duplicates to help carry the Team. "Let's go."

As the younger halfas flew the heroes away, Plasmius prepared himself for what was to come. "It seems that this has become one on one."

"You think you can defeat me?" Spectra questioned. Power was coming off her in waves. "You must be dumber than I thought. I've absorbed enough energy to surpass you strength."

"You mean my previous strength." Plasmius smirked. "Can't have the children surpass me after all. I've learned a few new tricks myself."

"I doubt-"

Boom!

"You doubt what?" Plasmius lowered his glowing hand. "That I send out an ectoplasmic blast that fast? I bet."

"Ah!" Spectra flew at Plasmius with neck breaking speed. When she drew close, she raised her now glowing red claws. In fact, the claws grew to several sizes as it slashed at Plasmius. The older halfa twisted to the side to avoid the attack. Spectra's claws created extremely deep smoking gashes into the concrete below them.

"So close." Plasmius sent a punch at Spectra's head. It landed. "But not close enough."

Despite the blow, Spectra wasn't injured in the slightest by the punch. She was merely angered. The despair ghost sent several strikes at Plasmius. The older halfa dodged each one expertly. Seeing an opening, Plasmius quickly created a ball of energy and rammed it into Spectra. The ball didn't explode, though. It continued to push Spectra way from Plasmius, and when she was a good distance away it blew up.

"You have power. I'll admit that…" Plasmius noted. "But you don't know how to use it yet."

"I don't?"

Squelsh!

Plasmius looked down. Spectra had sent her right claw down below the concrete. It had traveld underground to Plasmius and jumped up to stab him in the chest. All five claws had pierced through his chest to his back.

"Hahahahahaha!" Spectra laughed. "You think that I can't control my strength properly! I just killed you. I-Ah!"

Plasmius grabbed Spectra's hand and pulled it out. The claws slid out of his chest, but there was no blood. Instead, pink plasma appeared. It filled in the missing area where Plasmius had been stabbed. After it had settled, the plasma changed to fit Plasmius's skin and clothes.

"I apologize, but you must not have heard my ability to shift into plasma." Plasmius smirked. "While I'm in my plasma mode, I cannot receive an injury."

"We'll see about that!" Spectra's clawed hand quickly glowed red and blasted Plasmius in the head. The force of the blast easily destroyed Plasmius's head and conintued down the street to destroy several cars.

As Plasmius's head reformed, he stated. "Did you just listen to what I said?"

Pulling Spectra's clawed hands, Plasmius caused the stretched arm to rise above the concrete. Wincing in pain, Spectra could do nothing as she was flung towards Plasmius. She was also powerless to stop Plasmius from knocking her to the ground and creating a crater below them.

"RAW!" Spectra yelled out. Red ectoplasm exploded out of her. The energy disintegrated everything around her. The crater below her tripled in size. This didn't kill Plasmius, but it did give her some much needed distance.

Plasmius had decided to gain some distance after Spectra's explosion. The various wounds he gained from the explosion quickly regenerated because of his plasma mode. While in plasma mode, Plasmius was practically invincible, but he could not attack. Also, there was a second or two when he switches back to normal that he's completely defenseless. Luckily, when he switched back before, Spectra couldn't attack, but now he would have to be careful.

"You cannot defeat me!" Spectra shouted. "I am above you! I understand the true power of emotions! You're just a pathetic man that could never get the woman he loved in college."

"Ouch." Plasmius rolled his eyes. "That hurts so badly. Unfortunately for you, I have moved on."

Red energy poured out of Spectra in waves. She was angry. For a moment, Plasmius paused. Wow…that was a lot of energy. This fight was going to be difficult. She had enough energy for three S-rank ghosts. Her duribilty was incredible. Defeating her alone would be incredibly difficult.

Luckily, he didn't have to fight her alone.

Boom!

"What's going on with her?" Spirit questioned as she landed by her dad. Phantom's and Spirit's sneak attack had given them distance from her, but she looked unfazed. "She's totally freaking out."

"That is not the Spectra I've fought before." Phantom mentioned. "Spectra is smart and cunning. This lady…she's acting freaking nuts."

"That's the consequences one relying on negativity too much." Plasmius reasoned. "Just like with Vortex or you after Klemper died. Eventually using hatred, despair, and desperation as a power source affects the mind."

"So…If I continued to use negativity all the time to fight…" Phantom reasoned. "I would have gone nuts."

"Eventually, but it would not be nearly as quickly as her. You would have taken years, decades even, before that happened. Spectra is a vain woman who only cares about her looks and power." Plasmius sighed. "A weaker mind will always succumb to the madness quickly."

"This is really enlightening. It truly is, but I think we should stop talking about the problem, and…oh, I don't know…DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM!" Spirit shouted.

"Fair point!" Plasmius nodded.

"And here she comes…" Phantom sighed. "Hey…Why do we always get the crazies?"

"I hear that you gain enemies that are similar to you." Spirit charged forward to Spectra.

"Heh…You didn't hear that! You just made it up!" Phantom followed after Spirit.

"Kids these day…" Plasmius smirked as he followed. "Always jumping ahead."

Spirit was the first one to reach Spectra. The halfa girl was met with a glowing red fist. Gracefully, Spirit twisted and twirled around the fist. The energy that was in the fist was released. It flew past all the halfa's and destroyed part of a building.

The halfa girl was forced to dodge several more times, until she finally found an opening. Spirit unleashed a devastating ectoplasmic kick to the side of Spectra's head. Spectra was sent reeling. She was completely vulnerable for a single moment.

Phantom quickly took advantage. He had been waiting for this moment. Rushing to the psychiatrist, Phantom swung a hard uppercut to her chin. He followed this by through with kick to her stomach. Then, he elbowed her, grabbed her, and flung her to Plasmius.

The eldest halfa smirked. He flew up. When Spectra was directly below him, Plasmius sent a concentrated beam of magenta energy at the psychiatrist. The beam hit Spectra and the back and blasted her into the concrete. Plasmius's beam was so powerful that it cut through Spectra's energy and left her vulnerable.

When Plasmius finally stopped his energy, Spirit was there and ready to take advantage. Spectral Claws blazing, Spirit swiped at Spectra's unprotected midsection. Spectra cried out in pain, but was quickly silenced when Phantom kicked her in the head.

This was how the fight continued. The three halfas proved their power and teamwork as they dominated the crazed enemy before them. Spectra wasn't even given the chance to fight back. She was too busy being pummeled into the ground.

"You've learned some knew moves, Daniel." Plasmius noted as he hit Spectra with an energy disk.

"Thank! I learned a lot of this stuff from Black Canary." Phantom kneed Spectra in the face.

"Lucky!" Spirit danced around the shadowy ghost.

"Hey, you're the one that' been working with Vision."

"Yeah, I have! Look how much stronger I've gotten!" Spirit smirked.

"Hell, I wouldn't have messed with you before. Now? I'd prefer to be crammed in the Fenton Thermos." Phantom complimented.

"Hahahaha! Stay focused! The fight isn't won yet." Plasmius smiled.

"Noted!" The youngsters exclaimed.

"RAW!" Spectra yelled. Red tentacles of energy blasted around her. They destroyed everything they touched.

"OOOOOOOH!" Spirit snorted. "She's angry now."

"Careful…" Phantom fired blasts at Spectra. The tentacles blocked them with ease. "Those things are tough."

"I can move around them." Spirit danced around the tentacles attacking her.

"Good, keep her distracted." Plasmius moved in. "We need to finish this."

"Right!" Phantom followed after his mentor. Together, they stuck Spectra back. Most of the tenticles were destroyed, but a few were still around to keep Spirit busy. Phantom moved to the side in order to get ready for a Ghostly Wail. That would finish her off.

Plasmius was about to warn Spirit to gain some distance in order to allow Phantom to do the finishing blow, when he noticed Spectra preparing for a massive ectoplasmic attack. She was going to try and blow Plasmius away. That was useless. He would just become plasma and the attack wouldn't do any damage.

No…wait…Spirit was directly behind them. If he turned into plasma to avoid the damage…She would be hit. And with that much energy…she would be killed.

She could just dodge it, though…No, Spirit's Premonition wouldn't work in this case. Spectra's intent with that attack would be to hit Plasmius, not her. The Premonition sometimes extended to others, but right now, Spirit was too focused on defending herself for her Premonition to spread to others.

There was also too little time to warn her. Trying to get her out of the way would take too long. That meant…either Plasmius needed to take the hit, or Spirit would be killed. For Plasmius the choice was easy. He spread himself out as wide as he could and braced himself for the attack.

"DAD!" Spirit cried as she stared at her father's back. The blast had completely covered him. He was covered in various burns and bruised.

"Arh!" Spectra raised her claws and swiped them at Plasmius. She was rewarded with five deep gashes and a spray of green blood.

"Get away from him!" Phantom roared. With a speed he didn't think he had anymore, Phantom flew to Spectra and delivered a punch to her head. The force and blast of the attack sent her into the side of a building.

"Vlad…" Phantom caught his mentor and lowered him to the ground.

"Gah…well, that was painful." Plasmius noted. "I'll live, though."

"Can you still fight?" Spirit questioned.

"No…but I can move." Plasmius stated. "I'm no longer any use in this fight. Staying will only distract you. Don't worry about me, I'll go check on the young heroes. You two…finish this."

"Yeah…" Phantom nodded.

"We got this." Spirit agreed.

"Good-Look out!" Plasmius's eyes widened.

Without looking, Phantom punched behind him. Spirit did the same thing with a kick. The combined force of their blows hit Spectra and knocked her away from them again.

"Like she said…" Phantom glared at Spectra. "We got this."

"…Alright." Plasmius nodded as he slowly flew away. "I'll leave this to you."

"Don't worry…" Spirit frowned. "She's done for."

As Plasmius left, Phantom realized something. "You know what?"

"What?" Spirit asked.

"I think this is the first time I've fought in Amity Park like this for months…" Phantom noted. "And this is the first time in a while where I feel like I need to protect people that really matters to me."

"Yep, that's true." Spirit nodded.

"It feels…good." Phantom smirked. He could feel it. His power was better. No, it was not just better. It was back to 100%. "It feels right. It's nice to be back defending my obsession."

"Of course it is…" Spirit smiled. "Not only that, this is a first time in a while that we've acted like a team."

"Ha! Very true. Why don't you show me some of those new tricks that Vision has been teaching you?" Phantom felt the air around him grow cold. Blue cryoplasmic energy seeped off him. A shining blue ice sword formed in his hands.

"You got it." Spirit grinned. Energy flared in her hands as she activated her Spectral Claws.

Giving one last glance to each other, the halfas were in complete agreement. "Spectra doesn't stand a chance."

(Play: The Hell Song by Sum 41)

Phantom's first charge was met with the regenerated red energy tentacles from before. The energy hissed and sizzled at the male halfa. Phantom wasn't concerned, though. He raised his ice broadsword and swung a wave of cryoplasm at the tenticles. They were instantly froze.

"HA!" Spirit flew through the frozen tentacles. She swiped her Spectral claws as she went. All of the tentacles were cut to pieces and shattered.

"Raw!" Spectra tried to hit Spirit as she drew close. Spirit, however, dodged expertly. She twisted out of the way and flew above her opponent.

Spectra looked up and was about to follow the halfa girl when she was stopped. Phantom had formed a ball of snow. The ball hit the psychiatrist ghost and instantly froze her. Cracks quickly began to form, but the ice gave Spirit the time she needed.

Spirit flew down feet first. She landed her feet on the back of Spectra's head with incredible force. Her kick broke through the ice and crushed Spectra's head into the concrete. With this done, Spirit quickly gained some distance from her enemy.

"Yar!" Spectra was about to chase after Spirit when Phantom appeared in front of her. He did a quick combo. Knee to the face, jab cross, side kick her way, and finish with a tornado kick.

"AH!" Spectra cried in pain. The cryoplasmic empowered blows covered her skin with ice as she was injured. It slowed down her reaction time greatly.

Spirit took advantage. At top speed, she flew in front of Spectra. The halfa girl ran her Spectral claws across the shadowy being's stomach. She was rewarded with a deep cut and a cry of pain.

Seeing an opening, Phantom quickly kicked Spectra in the head. The psychiatrist ghost saw stars from the force of the kick. Clearly out of it, Spectra could do nothing as Spirit sent several small balls of energy at her side. She was bombarded with small explosions.

Spectra dropped to the ground in pain. She flinched and writhed from the pain of her wounds. Phantom and Spirit quickly regrouped to decide what to do.

"Is she finished?" Spirit questioned.

"No, she's still releasing her Haunting Aura." Phantom reasoned. "We're going to need to knock her out. I'll use my Ghostly Wail and finish this. Make sure to stay behind me."

"Isn't this overkill?"

"It's the safest thing to do." Phantom argued. "She won't stay down, and as long as she's awake, she can continue to absorb energy from the people in the city. The Ghostly Wail will knock her out for sure."

"Okay, I'll-"

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Spectra's energy exploded in rage. Red ectoplasmic energy rolled off her in waves. The force was so strong, that the earth began to shake.

"Holy cow…" Spirit muttered. "What is she trying to do?"

"You act like she's acting rationally." Phantom muttered. "Right now, she's acting in a fit of rage. She's going to try and blow us up."

"What do we do?"

"I do this!" Phantom took a breath and prepared for his strongest attack.

He couldn't, though. Spectra's constant blasts of energy hit Phantom and Spirit. They were forced to the ground. Neither of them could move.

'Crap!' Phantom mentally ranted. 'I can't use the Ghostly Wail like this. I guess that we're going to have to do this the longer way, then. Spirit will have to distract her while I get close. Then-'

"Rah!" Conner yelled as he jumped from the room and landed on Spectra. His tackle cause Spectra to fall to the ground. The clone, however, was quickly thrown off and sent flying down to where the halfas were.

Spectra didn't get any time to rest, though. Wally had rushed behind her and knocked her off balance with a punch that was faster than the eye could follow. He didn't stay there. The speedster quickly moved out of the way. He was just in time, too. M'gann had thrown a car on top of Spectra with her telekinesis.

Before Spectra could react, Robin and Artemis used their explosive equipment to blow the car up. It was this that which caused Spectra to be stunned. Unfortunately, she would recover quickly…if Kaldur didn't hold her down with water.

"Phantom! Now!" Kaldur yelled.

"Right!" Phantom, now on his feet, prepared his attack like before. The only difference this time was that it worked.

OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The power of the wail of death was so great that Spectra's energy was completely wiped away. The defenseless ghost writhed in agony as the sound attack seemed to burn every nerve in her body. The wounds she received before worsened. Her ears began to bleed. She looked like she would give anything for the attack to stop.

Phantom was glad that she was the only one. Wally and Conner sought refuge behind Phantom, while the other members of Young Justice covered their ears on the rooftops. They could feel some of the attack's effects, but it only a small fraction of Spectra's pain.

After a full minute, Phantom stopped his Ghostly Wail. The street had been basically destroyed by the wail. The windows in the buildings had shattered. Everyone, even Phantom, was disortiented by the attack. The only one unconscious, however, was Spectra, but that was a good thing.

"We won…" Spirit let out a sigh of relief. "That…was a fun fight."

"Bro…" Wally pushed himself to his feet. "It's official. Your family is insane. The vampire ghost looked beaten to hell, but he still able to move like the wind. This girl, though, can keep up with you and look like a boss doing it. And she…Why isn't she on the Team, exactly?"

"She isn't ready. Give her a year or two. You can try, but good luck convincing Plasmius and Vision until then." Phantom noted.

"Maybe I don't want to be on your Team…" Spirit huffed. Granted, being with these legendary teen heroes would be cool, but she had enough to deal with right now. She didn't need teen drama in her life yet.

"Sure…sure…" Phantom chuckled at his adopted sister.

"Is it over?" Robin questioned after gracefully flipping and grappling down the buildings.

"Uh, duh." Artemis smirked as she landed down as well. "She's down and out for the count."

"What do we do about her?" Conner questioned.

"Well…my thermos was fried in the fight." Phantom sighed. "We just wait for the authorities to show up."

"Did you call the League?" M'gann floated over the downed Spectra.

"Nope, but I'm sure my ghost allies will show up soon. Spectra can't damper the tech and natural energy around her anymore." Phantom stated. "Speaking of which…how did you guys wake up? Her Haunting Aura only increased as the fight went on…"

"Your mentor Plasmius awakened us." Kaldur explained. "He has skill with this 'Haunting Aura.' He managed to wake us and convince us to go help. Luckily his…words of motivation managed to help us overcome the power of Spectra's negativity."

"Yeah, and the small energy shields he built around us didn't help at all." Superboy snorted.

"What?! If he can do that why didn't he wake up my friends?!" Spirit seethed.

"He probably didn't want to put them in harm's way." Phantom reasoned. "Also…Who knows how much energy it takes? He might not wanted to waste energy if the shield only lasts a few minutes, which it most likely does."

"Whatever…" Spirit frowned.

"So…is she going to the Ghost Zone's prison?" Robin questioned.

"Yes." Phantom nodded. "You have a problem with that."

Wally sighed dramatically. "Yes, please take her out of this dimension. I do NOT want to deal with her again."

"For once, I agree with you." Artemis agreed.

"The League might not be happy, though." Kaldur noted.

"You know…I really don't care right now." Phantom sighed. "I'll deal with that later."

"And…what about us?" M'gann questioned. "Are you going to deal with us and the…explanation later?"

"…" Phantom eyed Young Justice. "No…You deserve to know the truth. Especially after helping me despite what Spectra said. After the other ghosts get her, I'll explain what I can."

"Ack! AH! Smalishi! RAAAAAWWWWW!" Spectra twisted and turned in her straitjacket. She was tied down to a bed and was being wheeled away. The psychiatrist ghost now looked somewhat human again. Her hair, however, was incredibly messy, and her eyes were crazed.

"Poor thing…" Pandora sighed as her servants led Spectra away. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"Torch will need to make sure she gets a padded cell…" Torch eyed the ghost sadly. "She will hurt herself acting like that."

"Why…why is she acting like that? She no longer has the negative energy." Spirit frowned.

"But the mental scars are still there." Pandora explained. "After you give into the negativity…to the madness, it's so hard to come back."

"So she's stuck like that?" Spirit questioned.

"We shall try to get her help." Vision noted. She was a little busy, though. The strategist was busy tending to Plasmius's wounds. "Really, must you worry me so?"

"My apologies, my dear." Plasmius smirked. "The risks of battle."

"Well, if you get hurt like this again, I'll put you in the hospital permanently." Vision warened. "At least then I'll know you're somewhere safe."

"And…you know…hospitalized."

"Hush, Vlad. You're in enough trouble as it is."

"Yes, dear."

"Help?" Spirit inquired.

"There are plenty of unique powers in the Ghost Zone." Pandora reasoned. "Perhaps one of them can help Miss Spectra return to sanity."

"To do that, though, they would have to go in her head." Torch frowned. "No one wants to go into a broken ghost's mind. It's dangerous. Emotions are made alive in a ghost's mind. An intruder can literally be hurt by what the ghost feels and thinks."

"So…she's stuck like this?" Spirit was saddened.

"Yes, for a while." Pandora nodded. "It can't be helped, though. She chose this path. This is her own fault."

"Brutal…but true." Torch nodded. "Either way, though, she's going to be locked up. Along with Bertrand…"

"That's two down at least." Plasmius noted. "Capturing two of the wanted ghosts is a big achievement. Now we need to find the rest."

"That can wait for another day, though." Vision glared at Plasmius. "Don't move too quickly. You will reopen your wounds."

"Of course."

"What about you, Dani?" Vision's sharp gaze turned to Spirit. "Were you hurt?"

"Not really. I'm more worried about the others." Spirit stated. Wulf, Fright Knight, and Valerie already received medical attention, but they were already asleep, like most of the city. The state of despair really wore out the people of Amity Park. Almost everyone had passed out.

"They will be fine. My healers have already looked after them." Vision glared down at Spirit. "Now go get checked out by them before I ground you."

"Really? What about Danny?! He went off with his friends!" Spirit whined.

"I will deal with him later. He shall be punished harshly. Now march."

"Yes, ma'am…"

(Sunday-September 26, 2010)

After the other ghosts had arrived, Phantom took Young Justice to the only place that fitted the tale he was about to tell. He took him to the place where the real story began. The halfa took them to where Danny's life was forever changed. It wasn't Fenton Work or Masters Mansion. No, he took them to the Nasty Burger Memorial.

Even now…It hurt Phantom to be here. To look up at that statue and see the people he lost was one of the most painful things Phantom could do. It was not an experience he liked, but this was the best place for him to tell them about his difficult afterlife.

Phantom started at the very beginning. He explained the circumstances of his death. Everything relating to his secret identity was left out, but Phantom still explained that he died by electrocution because of a malfunction of one of his inventor parent's projects. He told them how he died, and how he fought to live on as a ghost.

The halfa then began to explain to them his beginning troubles. How he had a hard time controlling his powers. How he tried to be a hero despite all the controversy surrounding his being a ghost. How…his parents shot at him and threatened to destroy him molecule by molecule if they ever caught him.

He didn't go into too much detail about his adventures in the beginning. A lot of them involved Sam and Tucker after all, but he did explain the ghost he fought. Phantom told them how he grew and came into his own as a hero. But that was when the happiness ended. Eventually, he had to explain the worst part of his life.

The Nasty Burger Incident.

Now that he thought about it…it was almost a year ago now. It felt like a lifetime ago, though. Phantom remembered how the decision to use his powers selfishly had led to the creation of his alternate self. He recalled how Dark Dan, his alternate future self, destroyed the world he was from. The halfa was forced to confront his future by the Master of Time and was defeated.

Dark Dan left Danny in the future while going back to secure his future. While Phantom fought to get back to his time, Dan had managed to set everything up. He got all his friends and family at the Nasty Burger and trapped them to the ready to explode building. Phantom had managed to return and fight off his future self by using the Ghostly Wail, a power that he wasn't supposed to get for ten years. For a brief moment, Phantom thought he had won.

He was wrong.

After the fight with Dark Dan, Phantom was powerless to save the Fentons, Mister Lancer, Tucker and…Sam. He was forced to watch as they died. Phantom could remember every agonizing second. It was branded in his memory. It was his ultimate failure, and he would never live it down.

Life continued on, though. Phantom was forced to keep fighting the ghosts despite his mental fatigue and pain. Fortunately, he wasn't completely alone. He allied himself with Plasmius, Spirit, Cujo, and Klemper. They were what kept him sane through those first couple of month. Without them…he would have given up a long time ago.

It was after the holidays that things became difficult again in Amity Park. Dealing with his attraction to Ember, befriending a secret spy for the shadows, being defeated by Colossus, allying with Red Huntress, fighting off the GIW with Spirit, and having to find the secret spy in the Ghost Zone all quickly occurred. And that was only in one month.

It was then that Phantom told of the events of what led up to the Nocturne Crisis. He explained in great detail how he was eventually captured and used by Nocturne. The, he told them about his dream world. To him, that place was heaven on earth, and he had to give it up for his cruel reality.

Phantom didn't stop there, though. He then told them all about the events that led up to war. The stress, the first meeting of the Council of the Elite, the death of Vortex…it was all so much. But that wasn't the worst part.

It was Klemper's death that escalated everything.

"…After he died for me, I knew I had to find out everything I could about the GIW. That's why I dressed up as Red X and went to Gotham." Phantom could hear their collective gasps at that information. He didn't stop, though. He didn't turn around either. He was too focused on staring at the statue in front of him.

"When I found out what went the GIW were planning…I decided that I had to act." Phantom explained. "I brought together everyone in the Ghost Zone. Friend or foe…it didn't matter to me. We all worked together and prepared for war. Everything was planned out. We would attack first and make sure ghost life continued to live on. My part of the plan was simple. I would make everything look like we didn't plan for war. My appearance at the UN…my fight with Agent Z…Everything I did was to make us look good."

"What about…the end?" M'gann sounded close to crying at this point.

"When I died? Yeah, I thought that might happen. Didn't think I would be able to come back like I did, though. Everything after that was spontaneous." Phantom closed his eyes. "And…you know what happened from there."

"Wow…" Wally sounded depressed. "Bro…That's…I don't…wow."

"It's weird." Artemis noted. Her voice was unusually low and quiet. "This is the second time today that I agree with you….Danny…I…I don't know what to say."

"How…" M'gann was crying now. "How did you keep going through all of that!?"

"Don't know." Phantom shrugged. "I guess I didn't really have a choice. If I didn't keep fighting, then everyone would have died…like these five did…"

"…" Conner didn't say anything. What could he say in this situation?

"I…I'm sorry." Kaldur stated. "You probably don't want to hear it, but I am sorry. Not about what you went through. I don't think I have the right to say anything about that. But…I'm sorry that I never bothered to figure this all out."

"I can't believe it…" Robin muttered. He had went through his own loss, but Batman always made sure to tell him that it wasn't his fault. For Phantom, though…He had to live with the fact that people died because of his choices. "How…how do you act like none of that happened? We talk with you all the time. Most people would be traumatized beyond repair. How do you act like everything is normal?"

"A lot of practice…" Phantom sighed.

"Did…did your parents really threaten you like that?" Wally questioned. His parents had accepted his powers immediately. This made him question what he would have done if they weren't so accepting.

"Yes." Phantom frowned. "Everything I told you was true."

"Spirit…Spirit's your clone?" M'gann tried to wipe away her tears. "Is that why…Conner…"

"He already told me that." Conner nodded. "Everything else, though…"

"So…now you know." Phantom stated. "You know everything. You really understand. What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Artemis questioned.

"I told you a lot of stuff that could get me in trouble with the League." Phantom finally turned to them. "Are you going to tell them?"

"…No…" Robin shook his head. "They don't need to know right now. If you don't want to tell them yet, then none of us will."

Everyone quickly agreed.

"Okay then…" Phantom rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was late. He had spent hours talking about all this. It was now really late. The battle had worn him out, and he really needed sleep. "Thank you."

"So…" Artemis questioned. "Are you going to come back to the Team now?"

"Yes, now that we learned everything, will you give us another chance?" M'gann inquired.

"I don't know…" Phantom sighed. "There's another problem…"

Phantom then explained his power problem. He explained that because he wasn't protecting his obsession, that he wouldn't regain his strength. As long as Young Justice wasn't a part of his obsession, then he wouldn't be able to fight at full strength with them.

"Okay…" Conner finally spoke up. "If that's the case, then the answer is simple. We make ourselves a part of your obsession."

"What?" Phantom questioned.

"Right!" Wally grinned. "We stick with you and annoy you enough to make sure you never forget about us."

"Like anyone could forget your annoyance." Robin smirked.

"Dude!"

"Please…" M'gann looked to Phantom desperately. "I…we don't want to lose you as a friend or teammate. Come back, and we'll make sure that we never make you feel unappreciated again."

"Yeah…" Artemis nodded. "We won't make the same mistake again.

"So, will you come back, leader?" Kaldur questioned.

"…" Phantom thought for a moment. "Okay. I'll rejoin Young Justice. For now, though. We'll see where things go."

"I think we're all fine with that." Kaldur nodded.

"Yeah, and…Oh, crap! Is it that late!?" Artemis eyed her phone. "My mom is gonna kill me!"

"Forget your mom, MY mom has texted me twenty times already." Wally whined. "I am so gonna get it."

"Meh…" Robin shrugged. "Batman is fine with being out late."

"Shut it!" Wally grabbed Robin and began pulling him. "Come on! You're going to help explain this to my parents!"

"Fine, fine…"

"We should get going too…" M'gann yawned. "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, let's go…" Conner smiled at M'gann. "We'll see you later, Danny."

"Right…" Phantom turned back to the statue.

Kaldur frowned at his friend. "Are you going to stay here for a while?"

"Just a bit…" Phantom nodded. "I have some things to think about."

"Okay then." Kaldur nodded. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon." Phantom didn't look as the Atlantian left. He was too focused on the statue.

Gone, but not forgotten.

"Did I make the right choice?" Phantom questioned.

Silence was his answer.

"Only time will tell, I guess…" Phantom sighed.

Once again there was silence.

"Sorry…that I haven't come by for a while…I was busy." Phantom eyed his old family and friends. "I-I'll try to come by again soon. Because I could never forget any of you…"

"This is…amazing…." The scientist examined the Burst Gauntlet that Joel had created.

"We knew that you could create small things, but this…" The second scientist was in awe. "You created a completely unique weapon…"

"Yes." Joel agreed neutrally.

"This progress…" The first scientist noted. "The bosses will be pleased."

"Yes, now we need to duplicate this…"

"Will that be possible, though? We already tried, and no one is managing to stay together like the boy…and even then, it isn't perfect."

Wait…what?

"What do you mean?" Joel questioned.

"Hmm…I suppose you should know." The first scientist gestured to the computer. "We examined you when you passed out after your fight with Grundy. The more ectoplasmic energy you use, the more unstable you are. There is also a chance that as time goes on, you might begin to become more unstable naturally. That's only spectualation, though. In fact…"

Joel stopped listening. That…was really bad. His stability was standing on a wire. If he was pushed too far, or if enough time goes by…he might begin to act like the other failed ghouls. He could not let that happen.

He would have to escape, and soon.

Luckily, Joel had come up with a plan. With all the increased security, it would be impossible to escape alone. He was going to need help. Unfortunately, there was not a rational soul that would agree to help him.

Luckily…a prison riot did not need to be rational.

Bonding Moment: Young Justice

"…And then, no joke, the Riddler tried to jump to his getaway car, and got snagged on a flagpole." Robin snickered. "He got a wedgie so bad that I think he needed surgery to have it removed."

Everyone laughed at Robin's story. After they finished training, the Team had decided to relax before going home. They were relaxing in the living room of the Cave, and they decided to tell stories of their past adventures. Wally had many humorous tales of the Trickster, Ragdoll, and even Captain Boomerang.

"Then, just when he was about to get, he was hit in the back of the head by his own boomerang!" Kid Flash laughed. "The guy forgot that boomerangs come back. Yeah, Captain my ass. If you get knocked out by your weapon, then you can't be the captain of anything."

"What about you? You trip over your feet all the time? Isn't that a major problem for a speedster?" Conner questioned.

"Oh, come on! Even Supes is giving me a hard time now?!" Kid Flash whined.

"You do make it easy." Kaldur noted.

"Psh! Some friends you are…What about you, Mr. Too Serious? You got any good stories?" Wally questioned.

"Hmm…I can't recall any of my battles ever being very humorous." Kaldur noted.

"BOORING!" Artemis rolled her eyes.

"There are stories about when I was in the Sorcerery Academy in Atlantis, but I doubt you will get the humor. Cultural differences, and all that." Kaldur stated.

"At least you have original stories…" M'gann stated. "Every missioin and fight I've been in involved the Team."

"Same." Artemis shrugged. Well, there were stories, but they all involved her family. She wasn't ready to reveal that yet.

"Yep…" Superboy frowned.

"Well…" Phantom took a sip of his pop. "How about you ask Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter to let you two tag along some time? I'm sure they'd enjoy the company."

"Sounds good." Artemis smirked. "It's would nice to get out like that."

"I would love to spend more time with Uncle J'onn." M'gann beamed.

"And SB…" Phantom frowned. "You could always tag along with Wally…or maybe you can ask Black Canary. I don't think Gotham or the oceans really fit your fighting style. And not much really much happens in Amity Park."

"Really?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Not while I'm there anymore at least." Phantom shrugged. "Now, the weird and funny stuff always happens when I'm gone. I'm sure Spirit has a story or two now, though."

"Well…I suppose going that's better than nothing…" Superboy sighed. "I'll ask Black Canary. I don't think Wally and I would make a good duo. We both tend to break the things around us."

"You act like that's a bad thing." Wally chuckled.

"What about you, Danny?" Kaldur questioned. "Do you have any humorous tales?"

"Oh…I have plenty. Some of the best involve the Box Ghost, though." Phantom snorted.

"The Box Ghost?" Artemis raised an eyebrow. "You must be joking."

"Nope. The Box Ghost was one of my most consistant and annoying enemies." Phantom stated. "Sometimes, I didn't even have to fight him to foil his plans. He was just that bad at being evil."

"Oh, I have to hear about this." Robin smiled widely.

"Okay, here's how we first met…"

Phantom then explained in great detail his 'fights' with the Box Ghost. He told them every moment. How the Box Ghost tried to use boxes to defeat him (and failed). How he eventually moved on to bubblerap (and failed). How he ended up defeating himself most of the time (is that a win for Phantom or an epic fail for the Box Ghost?).

Then, the halfa got to his last story of the Box Ghost. It was the time he stole Pandora's Box.

"Wait…you actually set him up with this Lunch Lady ghost?" M'gann questioned.

"Yep."

"And eventually, they're going to have a child named Boxed Lunch, and you know this because of your time adventure." Superboy couldn't believe it.

"Yep."

"Wow…so are you going to be the godfather?" Wally joked.

"Lord no!" Phantom shouted.

"What about best man at the wedding?" Kaldur suggested.

"Hey! I thought you were the serious one?!" Phantom scowled.

"What can I say, you've been rubbing off on me." Kaldur smiled.

"Well, hardy freaking har." Phantom sighed.

"By the way…" Artemis smirked. "Spirit mentioned that you spent last Valentine's Day with Torch…"

"What?"

"We've been texting." Artemis held up her phone. "She mentioned that instead of getting a date, you decided to pick a fight with Torch and the Brain."

"Hahahahahaha! For real!?" Robin seemed elated.

"Shut it! That's just way things worked out. I never meant to spend the day fighting Torch and the Brain…." Phantom grumbled.

"You forgot that it was Valentine's Day, did you?" Conner questioned.

"…Yes…"

"Ha! Lame!" Wally laughed.

"Don't worry, Danny. I'm sure you can get a date next year." M'gann encouraged. Phantom could tell that she was joking, though.

"Okay, all of you suck. I regret ever agreeing to rejoin the Team." Phantom frowned at them.

"Sorry, bro. You're stuck with us."

In that moment, Phantom realized that Wally was right. He hadn't joked around in a group like this just for fun…in a long time. He really felt like a teenager again. It was…nice…

"Yeah…I'm stuck with you…"