Chapter 15: Sacrifice

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."

Arthur Ashe

Chapter 15: "Sacrifice"

One step forward…two steps back…

One step forward…two steps back…

One step forward…two steps back…

That was what our lives seemed to be like at that time. For every good thing that happened, something far worse occurred to make it even worse than before. It became so frustrating at times. No matter how hard we tried or what we accomplished, life seemed to come back and bite us in the butt. Granted, this wasn't the hardest time of our lives. Later, worse trials would occur, but…this was different.

Things were supposed to be different after the war. Everyone should have been at peace. Now, we had an incredibly large group of powerful enemies. We might have been naïve to think this, but it felt like we earned at least a little reprieve.

No such luck…

Back then, I was so ready to prove myself. I wanted to show just how much I was growing. I was only focused on myself most of the time. Yes, I did notice the problems of my friends and family, but I didn't think too much of them back then. I never knew things would escalate so much with each of them…

Sorry, I'm getting off topic.

What I meant to say was that I didn't ever think about the possibility of my strength being useless. My family could always solve something with the right amount of power, intelligence, and strategy. That was how all our problems were always solved. So, it wasn't too hard to believe that we could handle anything. I pretty much thought that we were invincible. No matter what, we could figure out how to fix it on our own.

Not this one, though. We had absolutely no control what happened on October 1, 2010. No one could have predicted what would happen. It was a normal day. There was no tensions in the air. Even Batman and Vision couldn't predict what happened that day.

And that is the scary part…No one saw it coming. It was one of the single most helpless moments of my life. There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it…There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent Undergrowth's attack.

Capturing Spectra and Bertrand was our one step forward…This was our two steps back…and what a terrible two steps it was.

To me, it was like hope had died.

-From the personal memoirs of Danielle Masters

(Friday-October 1, 2010)

"You…are asking a lot, Danny." Jennifer stated.

"I know, but…I have to know." Danny explained.

"I can understand that, but…I don't know if I can help you here." Jenifer mentioned.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The two teen were merely walking through a forest a few dozen miles away from Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. They had lunch at a nearby diner. Neither of them had anything to do, so they decided that a walk through the beautiful autumn trees would be nice.

After their meeting in Rhelasia, Danny and Jennifer had been meeting randomly while in disguise. The wanted a bit of time to…just be themselves. This time was where they didn't have to be enemies and relax. They didn't really do anything too different than what they did back before the GIW war. They just hung out and talked.

Of course, Danny had to go and try to bring business into this…

"That's…disappointing…" Danny sighed. "But…I saw it coming."

"How do you even know about the Ghoul Project?" Jennifer questioned.

"…If I tell you, will you get that person in trouble?" Danny asked.

Jennifer sighed. "Not if you don't want me to…besides, how could I get them in trouble if I can't reveal where I learned about him."

"Her…She's a her." Danny corrected.

"Oh…" Jennifer frowned deeply.

"Not like that! She's Dani's age, actually, I think she's a year or two younger." Danny explained.

"Huh?"

"Cassandra. Shiva's daughter." Danny stated.

"What? Shiva's kid? Why would she tell you about the Ghoul Project?" Jennifer inquired.

"No idea." Danny shrugged. "But…It has been pointed out to me that she might like me…"

"Oh…Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Jennifer burst out laughing.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Danny questioned.

"It's funny! The child of Lady Shiva and David Cain has a little crush on the great Danny Phantom." Jenifer wiped away the tears that were in her eyes.

"Jeeze…Should I be insulted?" Danny muttured.

"No, no…" Jenifer waved off his concerns. "It's just that I've seen how Cassandra has been brought up. I'm surprised she has any feelings at all. In fact, if it wasn't for Shiva's intervention, she might not have any social skills at all. She wouldn't have even been able to talk."

"Woah…" Danny frowned. "And why's that?"

"Most assassins are raised from birth to be perfect weapons. Having attachments make you weak." Jennifer explained. "I'm different. I wasn't raised to be an assassin. Things just…turned out that way. From what I heard, Cassandra was supposed to be raised as a ruthless killing machine whose sole purpose is to protect Ra's Al Ghul and his daughter."

"Hmm…" Danny nodded. "And Shiva…stopped that?"

"She didn't want her daughter to become a monster." Jennifer shrugged. "That's one of the many reasons I respect that woman."

"I see…" Danny frowned. "That would explain your surprise…"

"Yeah."

"Well…I would have asked Cassandra about this, but I have no way to contact her." Danny explained. "But I need to find out everything I can about the Ghoul Project."

"And what makes you think I know anything more than you do?" Jennifer asked.

"Because it's you." Danny answered simply.

"Aww…That's so sweet." Jennifer smiled. "But…still no."

"Okay, okay…It was worth a shot." Danny sighed. "Not like I would give you any precious information of any of the Leagues or the Council's secrets, but still…I know people are being experimented on. You don't need to confirm that. The 'ghouls' that attacked my town gave that much away."

"Should have known you'd figure that out." Jennifer noted. "Look…the truth is, I don't really know all that much about the Ghoul Project. My father really doesn't want me involved for some reason. If you're looking for a location, I really have no clue. Very few people do."

"I see…"

"Look…I can't give you a location, but I can give a lead or two to investigate. Don't make this a habit, though. I won't help you like this again." Jennifer explained.

"Thanks so much, Jen." Danny smiled. "You're awesome."

"You're damn right I am. And don't you forget it." Jennifer grinned.

"Ah…October, the most wonderful time of the year." Dani sighed contently.

"Er…I think that's December…" A disguised Youngblood inserted.

"Not for me." Dani smiled. "For me, October means candy, scares, and pranks. For those reasons, Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday."

"That, we both can agree on!" Nyx smiled deviously.

"Yes…" Rachel's monotone voice drawled out. "The inky blackness of the night reigns down on Hallow's Eve. The dead rises from the ground decaying and decrepit. Spiders and snakes run wild as the world slowly falls into a depressed state of hopelessness…It sounds perfect."

"Dang, girl, why do you have to make everything so creepy?" Victor took a step away from Rachel.

After school had been let out, Dani and her friends decided to go shopping. Usually, shopping wasn't the girls' style. While they did enjoy new things, they always preferred to do something more heart pumping than picking shoes (no matter how cute they were…). Of course, there were exceptions. One was Black Friday. Shopping then made skydiving look safe.

The other was Halloween shopping. They quickly learned that they loved Halloween shopping. Why? Well…They are ghosts after all. Scaring people was part of their nature.

…and Rachel's apparently…

"You'll get used to it eventually." Youngblood chuckled as he examined the zombie mask.

"I don't know if I want to get used to…that." Victor mumbled to his male friend.

"Hmm…Don't think you got a choice." Youngblood noted.

"What do you-"

"Vic!" Dani shouted to her friend. "Hold this stuff! We're picking out some stuff to decorate the mansion with!"

Victor looked at the large pile of Halloween decorations in the girls' hands. 'Yeah…I have a friend with a mansion, but now I have to carry her stuff. Maybe I should have made friends with the jocks…'

"I still say that we should make bombs." Nyx argued.

"Do you want to get grounded for the rest of your life?" Rachel questioned. "Because I sure don't."

"What if they were egg bombs?" Dani suggested. "It would spray entire groups of people in egg gunk. Oh! We can also get Danny to make a toilet paper launcher too! We can teepee every building in the city."

"I still like my plan better…" Rachel stated.

"Er…I don't think we can do that…" Youngblood noted.

"Why not?"

"Summoning an evil curse to make everyone zombies might be considered…extreme." Youngblood mentioned.

"Yeah, Doom and Gloom…" Nyx eyed her friend. "Even I think that's a bad idea, and I'm the girl that once tried to flood her house in order to get an indoor swimming pool."

"You people never like my ideas…" Rachel frowned. "Why do I even hang around you?"

"We bring joy into your life, Ra Ra…." Dani cooed annoyingly.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that…"

Victor smiled. Well…at least these people knew how to have a good time….

"Ah!" Dani gasped as blue smoke escaped her mouth.

"Dani?" Youngblood questioned carefully.

"It's nothing yet…Chuck…" Dani frowned as she used Youngblood's original name.

"You cold?" Victor questioned. "You're shivering."

"No, it's nothing…" Dani looked around.

"Is…there a problem?" Rachel questioned.

"Maybe…I just…"

Rumble!

"Earthquake!" Victor pulled Rachel and Dani to the ground. "Everyone down!"

"Who?!" Nyx growled. She did not go shopping often, but she did not like to be interrupted when she did.

"Someone strong, that's for sure…" Youngblood noted.

"What are you talking about?" Victor questioned.

"Nothing…the shaking stopped." Dani quickly got to her feet. "We need to get outside."

"But…Wait!" Victor's eyes widened as his friends began to run off.

The children quickly ran to the exit of the mall. Everyone was in a mad panic, but they didn't care. They knew that the real action was outside. They were proven right, when they exited the mall and saw the giant plants that were attacking the city.

"One guess on whose doing this…" Youngblood frowned.

"Is he stupid?" Nyx questioned. "Attacking the city like this? The entire Council will be here in two minutes."

"Here? Or everywhere?" Rachel looked down at her phone.

"What?" Dani looked at her own phone. "…Well, crap…"

Amity Park was not the only city being attacked by giant plants. Several major cities across the world were under attack. Plants were everywhere and were quickly tearing the cities to pieces.

"…Maybe its not Undergrowth?" Youngblood noted. "I don't think he has the power to do…that."

"Who's…huff…Undergrowth?" Victor caught up to his friends. "Dang…pant…huff…You guys are fast…"

"Er..." Dani didn't know how to respond.

Luckily, Rachel did. "He's a ghost that attacked the city once. He used plants, but was quickly beaten by the ghosts."

"Oh…" Victor seemed to accept that. "Then this isn't him?"

"No, I don't-"

"FOOLISH FLESH DWELLERS! YOU HAVE HARMED THE EARTH FOR FAR TOO LONG! NOW YOU MUST FACE THE WRATH OF UNDERGROWTH!"

"…Nope, that's him." Youngblood stated.

"So…does that mean he's attacking the rest of the world?" Victor questioned.

"Probably…" Rachel nodded.

"…er…How?" Victor questioned. "If he was beaten so easily, then he shouldn't be strong enough to do this."

"Good question…" Nyx frowned. "No way he should-LOOK OUT!"

The children's eyes widened. Giant vines were about to crash down on them. The people around them ran for their lives, but they would be crushed by the vines. They would have to act in order to prevent their death.

As subtly as possible, Rachel muttered a magic phrase to make the vines slow down significantly. This allowed the citizens of Amity Park to move out of the way. As this was happening, Victor began to move the other children in order to get away from the vines. Unfortunately, this broke Rachel's concentration. Just as they reached the edge of the attack, the vines came crashing down.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Victor yelled until he realized he wasn't crushed. The boy then realized that the reason that he wasn't crushed was because he was intangible. "Ah?"

"…I'm going ghost…" A flash of white light, and suddenly the vines were blasted away.

"Huh?" Victor questioned through the smoke. "What happened?"

Silence was his answer.

"Guys, what ha…Oh…" Victor looked to his friends. "Holy crap…"

"Yeah…That's what I'd thought you say…" Spirit mentioned.

"We should knock him out and make him think it was a dream." A now undisguised Nyx noted.

"Nyx!" Youngblood glared.

"What? We were all thinking it!" Nyx rolled her eyes.

"Not a good idea…" Raven mumbled. She had used her magic to change into her cloak and leotard. "We should just wipe his memory."

"You can do that?"

"…Maybe…"

"I…um…how…" Victor was pale and seemed to have went into mental shock.

"Victor." Spirit grabbed Victor and glanced around. "You have to calm down."

"Humina humina humina humina humina…" Victor mumbled.

Slap!

"Ow…Thanks, I needed that…So…What the he-" Victor was caught off when Spirit covered his mouth.

"Sh!" Spirit warned. "I know this is a lot to take in right now, but you have to stay calm. There's I crisis going on right now. You need to get to safety. I promise, I will explain everything later."

"…"

"Just…trust me..."

"Okay…" Victor nodded as he began to leave through the smoke. "Just…be safe…I guess…"

"Well…that didn't go well." Raven scowled.

"No…but…We can deal with that later." Spirit turned to her friends. "We have a weed problem do deal with…Do not make drug jokes right now!"

"Aw…You ruin my fun…" Nyx sighed.

Something was going on. Everyone seemed distracted. They were acting like something incredibly important was happening, but no one was speaking of it. The entire Ghoul project was quiet and inactive.

This terrified Joel. No matter what happened, the Ghoul Project was never completely quiet. If there weren't fights and experiments going on, then the ghouls were screaming in their cages. Now though, they weren't even whimpering. Looking around at the other cages, Joel saw that they were all curled up into balls and shivering.

"What the hell is going on…" Joel muttered.

None of this made sense. If there was some disaster going on, then the Ghoul Project wouldn't just be abandoned. Everything would be moved if something happened. At the very least, all the failed ghouls would be killed. But this…This was like everyone was hiding from a hurricane.

Joel felt his nerves go on edge. Somehow, he doubted this was a good thing. Perhaps they were preparing something big? Maybe all the bosses were about to show up? Something had to be up, but Joel wasn't certain to what it was.

Uncertainty was the enemy of logic and planning. But…it was also a key to opportunity. This was the opportunity to take a chance. Joel now had the opportunity to make a move.

'…What should I do?' Joel thought calmly. He could exit his cage and manage to at least figure out the entire layout of the facility. That's not all, though. There was a small chance to escape. It was a small chance, but it was there.

Of course, there was also the chance of being caught. Being found out was a huge possibility. If that happened, then Joel didn't know what would happen. He might be killed. They might torture him to the point where escape was impossible. Hell, they might just throw him into a cage that was inescapable.

None of the possibilities were desirable…

If he just sat here, though, then nothing would change. This was the opportunity had had been waiting for. It was a small glimpse of freedom. The glimpse was small and dangerous, but it was there. All he had to do was reach out and take it.

'…Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for change…' Joel noted to himself. 'I don't try this, and still hope to eventually escape, then I'm crazy.'

He had to try, at least.

After making his decision, Joel quickly got to his feet. It was time to use the plan he had been creating for weeks. Using every bit of control, focus, and energy he had, Joel created an imitation of himself. It was a poor imitation, though. The face was clearly wrong, but it was his size and was wearing his prison uniform. If Joel curled the double into a ball, then a passing guard or scientist would think that it was him.

Approaching the door to the cage, Joel quickly created a silver key that would match the lock to his door. He had been studying the cage for a long time. He knew everything about it. Creating a key for the lock wasn't the hardest thing Joel had ever created.

Closing the cage door behind, Joel quickly began to move. His double would only last twenty minutes tops before it dissolved. The ghoul would have to move fast if he wanted this to work.

"You guys know they're a couple right?" Robin asked Kaldur and Phantom as they looked on to Conner and M'gann.

"Psh! It was obvious even to me." Phantom snorted quietly. "And that's saying something."

"Yes, I believe that I knew before they did." Kaldur smiled.

A noise caused the three of them to see the Wally and Artemis. Robin questioned. "Do we tell them?"

"It is not our place."

"Oh, come on. How can they not know?" Phantom questioned. "It's so obvious that even I can see it."

"What's obvious?" Artemis questioned as they approached.

"Er…we were talking about Captain Marvel." Phantom whispered. "Don't you think it's weird that he's still hanging around here?"

"Yeah, and why is he eating my snacks?!" Wally was outraged. He suddenly saw a candy bar in front of his face.

"Saved you one." Phantom noted.

"Bro, you're awesome."

Recognized: Batman B02

"Computer, national news." Batman stated as he walked into the Cave.

Young Justice turned to watch the news. They were shocked to see giant plants were attacking not only Metropolis, but all over the world. What really got to Phantom, though, was a different detail. It was the shape and form of the main parts of the plants.

"Undergrowth?" Phantom questioned in shock. "What is he doing?"

"Apparently, he's attacking the whole world." Robin summarized.

"There's no way he could do that." Phantom shook his head. "I've fought him. He's strong, but not that strong."

"Are you sure?" Miss Martian asked.

"Yeah, of course my ice powers helped…plus I had help from Torch…but that doesn't change the fact that he can't operate like this. He needs to base and spread out. Not only that, this isn't his style. He always takes captives to serve his plants." Phantom examined all the mindless destruction.

"Maybe he's changed and evolved?" Superboy glanced between Phantom and the picture of Undergrowth. "Ghosts can get pretty strong from what I've seen."

"Crap!" Phantom pulled out his phone and looked for messages.

"Do you want us to get out there?" Robin questioned.

"No, the League will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here. According to your info, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus' Blockbuster formula to Kobra." Batman stated.

"Who combined it with Bane's Venom to make Kobra Venom." Wally added.

"Which the Brain used to create his animal army." Robin agreed.

"And upgrade Wolf." Conner petted the large animal.

"The Brain also used inhibitor collars like the ones at Belle Reve Penitentiary." M'gann noted.

"Phantom…is it possible that Undergrowth is on Kobra Venom too?" Artemis questioned.

"No idea. Ghosts are mostly immune to human drugs, but if it's strong enough…" Phantom looked up from his phone. "That would explain why Undergrowth become strong enough to attack multiple cities without spreading out from a base. Batman?"

"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis." Batman brought up holographic data. "Undergrowth's cellular structure is infused with Kobra Venom variant."

"These cannot be coincidences." Kaldur noted. "Unrelated criminals cooperating with another worldwide."

"There's some kind of secret organization…" Phantom trembled. "An organization that's involved in everything…Even…Good God…The GIW war. If this organization is obviously trying to weaponize ghosts, just look at Undergrowth. That means they're responsible for the Ghoul Project which was possible because of the war which was possible because the Shadows stole everything from Fenton Works…It's all connected.

"That's a step I'm not willing to completely dedicate to yet, but it is certainly a possibility." Batman nodded.

"But who?"

"Er…I think I know…" Robin stated. "Someone's hacking into the satellite signals…all the satellite signals!"

Tap! Tap! Tap!

"Ladies and gentlemen…" The familiar clown face of the Joker appeared on the holographic screens. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled mayhem to bring you this important announcement."

The question of who was quickly answered. Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Count Vertigo, Joker, Poison Ivy, Undergrowth, Ultra-Humanite, and Wotan were all members of a group called the Injustice League. They were holding the world ransom with their combined powers. The really scary part? With their combined strength, Phantom was pretty certain that they could get away with it.

"Crap…this is them playing their hand." Phantom scowled.

"You're right. After India, they knew we would figure it all out and found no point in hiding it any longer." Kaldur suggested.

"Yeah? That was their mistake!" Wally grinned. "Right now, I saw we go kick some plant creature butt!"

"The Justice League will handle the plants. I have a different job for this Team." Batman spoke.

"No…You want us to handle them?" Phantom frowned. "You want us the find the control system where the real Undergrowth is and take it down?"

"Yes."

"You do realize what you're really asking them to do?" Zatarra noted.

"They're ready." Batman answered.

"Wow…" Wally was in awe.

"I…don't like this plan." Phantom spoke up. "Those are 8 heavy hitters and 7 of us. I don't like those odds…"

"You don't think we can do this?" Conner questioned.

"It's not that…." Phantom sighed. "But if I'm that far away from Amity Park…"

"We can do this." Artemis noted. "But we're going to need your help."

"Right!" M'gann smiled at Phantom. "What's the plan?"

"…Lord, I don't know…" Phantom frowned. "I'm going to need a few minutes. Not only that, I have to question…how long do we have? Undergrowth can do a lot of damage on his own. With the Injustice League's help? He could level cities with ease. How long can the League hold out?"

"I have no idea." Batman answered.

"I see, then-"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Hello...Yeah, I know. We're going to stop them at the source…We can handle it, we just need time…Really? You sure?...What about Amity Park…Okay, I see…Alright then, I'll leave it to you. Bye." Phantom ended the call.

"What is it?" Robin questioned.

"Turns out the League's gonna have some help." Phantom noted. "After all, this is a ghost related incident. This is going to give us the time we need. But…where the hell are they?"

"I can answer that. Wotan's involvement means that mystic energy is involved." Zatarra answered.

"Crap…ectoplasm, Kobra Venom, and magic…" Phantom frowned deeply. "That's not a good combination. But if you can give us a location, then we can make this work…"

"Are you sure that you're okay with this plan?" Plasmius' voice sounded in Spirit's ear.

"Yeah!" Spirit used her Spectral Claws to begin to cut through the vines. "We'll be fine!"

"This is dangerous…" Even Vision seemed iffy about this plan. "We're leaving you to defend Amity Park by yourself against an overpowered Undergrowth."

"We can handle this!" Spirit looked over to her friends. They were all working together to fight off Undergrowth. The hardest part was protecting all the citizens at the same time. Undergrowth didn't care if he killed any of the people in Amity Park. "Besides you left RH, Wulf, and Cujo to help us!"

"RAW!" Wulf began to tear through the giant plant ghost's body.

"Cujo, take these guys a safe distance away. I'm going to keep looking for others." Red Huntress ordered.

"WOOF!" Cujo in attack mode obeyed.

"It's seven to one!" Spirit noted. She flew around the various vines, thorns, and explosions that were sent at her. The halfa girl was extremely grateful for her Premonition. Undergrowth seemed to be focusing on her most of all. He knew her relation to Danny, and was trying to get to him through her. "There's no way he can win!"

"Do not get overconfident." Vision warned. "Remember your training and be careful."

"You got it!" Spirit cheered as she sent an ectoplasmic kick at the tree which was trying to grab her. It exploded in a green blast.

"Stay safe, baby girl…" Plasmius cut the connection.

"So we're not getting help?" Youngblood used his sword to cut through the various plants that were attacking him.

"Nope!" Spirit answered. "The Council's going out to help the League with the other cities!"

"Can't the League handle it?!" Nyx's shadow energy constricted around the plants and began to crush them.

"They have proven that most of them can't handle ghosts." Raven answered simply. Her magic was working well against Undergrowth's plants. The unequal combination of ectoplasm, human drugs, and magic made the plants incredibly strong, yet also incredibly…explosive. Using magic on them was adding a spark to an incredibly dry forest.

"Ha!" Nyx laughed. "That's true!"

"This isn't easy, though…" Younblood flinched at the bleeding wound at his shoulder. "These plants are tough as nails and keeps regenerating!"

"I know!" Spirit answered. She knew that they couldn't hold out forever. Even attacking the roots didn't help. Eventually, they all would wear themselves out. This was especially true if they were forced to fight all out like this for the whole time. "But we have to hold on!"

"Foolish weaklings!" The plant ghost Undergrowth that was a huge combination of plants and vines shouted at them. "Your luck is the only thing keeping you alive. Soon, you'll become food to my children!"

"Shut up!" Red Huntress called. She shot at Undergrowth's head, but the damage was almost instantly healed.

"Ha! Without Phantom, there's no way for you to hurt me!" Undergrowth shouted. "My regeneration makes physical attacks useless! Even your magic will prove fruitless against my new power!"

"We'll see about that!" Spirit yelled.

It turned out that Joel couldn't escape this day. The exits were sealed shut and even with the chaos, the guards were still armed and ready. Not to mention the cameras, alarms, and surveillance tech. Joel would have to spend weeks studying the layout to avoid everything and get out undetected.

So, he was still stuck, but this gave him the excellent opportunity scout out the place at least. Joel quickly learned all the little details that he had been unable to see before. This would help with his future escapes. Especially because Joel now had a rough estimate of the total number of ghouls in the facility.

It was a lot.

If he opened those cages, they would go nuts. It would be simple. While the cages were resistant to ghosts, one being had shown that he was able to break the cages. Solomon Grundy was his key out of here. If he teamed up with Grundy, then he would start the prison riot with ease. Now he just had to get the giant brute to agree.

"Grundy." Joel whispered into the large metal cell that held Grundy. Unlike the other cages, Grundy's container was completely made of metal and the only opening was the door. Joel looked through the small window on the door to see Grundy being held down by chains and weights.

"Eh?" Grundy looked up tiredly. "Grundy…know you."

"Yes, it's Joel." Joel answered. "We fought once."

"Grundy…Grundy remembers that…" Grundy groaned. He was clearly out of it. The scientists were especially cruel to the large man. "Grundy…should be mad…but too tired…"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't want to fight you." Joel stated. "But you didn't leave me a choice."

"Grah…" Grundy muttered.

"We need to talk. I need your help." Joel noted to the large being.

"Why should Grundy help you?"

"Because I want your help to get out of here." Joel answered. "I have a plan to escape, but I'm going need your help."

"Grundy can escape on his own."

"No, you can't." Joel's face was completely neutral as he said this. "I may have only won because I used your collar to my advantage, but they'll do the same as soon as you get out of line."

"Then what will small boy do about it?"

"I can create a key to unlock your collar." Joel answered.

"Really?" Grundy looked up with hope.

"Yes, but you have to agree not to attack me." Joel warned. "And if you betray me, I won't hesitate to leave you behind."

"Grundy understands…What is small boy's plan?" Grundy question.

"We're going to break all the cages and let all the ghouls out. That will distract everyone in this facitly. They won't be able to control us all." Joel explained. "Then, you bust down the doors and we escape."

"Sounds like Grundy has to do a lot of the work." Grundy noted.

"No, I can use my powers to create keys for some of the cages too. Also, I have a good picture of this place inside and out. Plus, I'm going to sneak into the main control room and tie up everyone in there." Joel mentioned. "That will buy us even more time. If we do this right, then we can get away without a scratch."

"Grundy sees…It good plan." Grundy agreed.

"It's the only one we got." Joel responded.

"But Grundy can't do this today…" Grundy mumbled. "Grundy is too tired…"

"I know. I'm still coming up with the fine details anyway." Joel nodded. "We will wait until we have the chance, and then we will act."

"But when?"

"I have no idea, but I'll tell you when the time comes." Joel answered. "Until then, just hold on. We're going to get out of here…together. I promise."

'Why the hell do you guys listen me?!' Phantom yelled through the mental link. He was currently steering the Specter Speeder. It wasn't an easy drive, though. The jungle below them was actually trying to destroy them. The halfa had to constantly move to avoid the various plants of death.

Luckily, he had Artemis and Kid Flash to help him. The other two young heroes were manned at the various new guns and weapons attached to the Specter Speeder. They were doing their best to keep the plants off him, and if it wasn't for them, then he would have been knocked down miles ago.

'Because you plans always work out in the end.' Superboy argued.

'Well, this one sucks…' Phantom noted.

'I agree!' Artemis shouted. 'We're going to be killed.'

'But this is so cool!' Kid Flash grinned. 'It's like a video game in real life!'

'Except we don't have extra lives!' Artemis glared.

'Still cool!'

Phantom's plan A was simple. Attack them from multiple sides. Phantom, Artemis, and Kid Flash would take the Specter Speeder from one side. The others would approach from the other side. Hopefully, this would divide the Injustice's League's attention and allow one of the groups to get to the base.

The halfa was just grateful that he had the Specter Speeder with him. The Portable Fenton Crammer was really a life saver. Good thing he forgot to take it back to Fenton Works, otherwise this plan wouldn't have a chance in hell of succeeding.

'How are you guys holding up?' Phantom asked through the mental link.

'It's not easy to get through these plants.' Miss Martian stated. 'They're everywhere. It's taking everything I've got just to keep moving forward.'

'We'll manage, though.' Aqualad noted. 'We have to get this done.'

'Just say whelmed. We can totally do this.' Robin smirked.

'Yeah, but just in case, I have a few back up plans.' Phantom noted.

'How is plan C going, anyway?' Superboy questioned.

'Well-'

BOOM!

"Crap! We're hit!" Artemis yelled. Red alarms blared as the hover craft shook and rattled.

"What hit us, though?" Kid Flash questioned.

"It's…Wotan…" Phantom watched as the wizard…who looked a LOT like Plasmius…gather another magical blast and shot it at them.

BOOM!

"AAAAHHHH!"

'We're going down!' Phantom mentally shouted as he struggled to keep the Specter Speeder.

'We are too! The Bioship is falling for some reason!' M'gann cried.

'It's Count Vertigo and Black Adam!' Robin explained.

'Crap! Plan B it is, then.' Phantom noted. 'With Undergrowth controlling the forest, no one will be able to sneak up normally. Just try to hold out for now. We just need five more minutes.'

'Got it!' Everyone shouted.

"Now's the time to bail!" Phantom grabbed Artemis and Kid Flash turned intangible. He watched as the Specter Speeder passed through them and crashed into the ground. The jungle instantly grabbed the hover craft and began to crush it.

'Why do all my favorite toys get destroyed?' Phantom mentally moaned.

"Ack!" Phantom cried in pain as a magical lightning bolt hit his back. As he fell to the ground, he added, "Dumbass magic…"

They quickly crashed into the ground. Earth and water blasted away from the newly formed crater. Artemis and Kid Flash were both fine, though. Phantom had made sure to absorb the majority of the impact. They weren't injured at all.

"You okay, Danny?" Artemis immediately stood and readied her bow.

"Yeah…give me a second…"

"You better hurry, bro." Kid Flash stood protectively over Phantom. "I don't think he's going to give us a chance to rest."

"Yeah…" Phantom pushed himself up. "You're right."

"So…" Wotan eyed the three teenagers below him. "The Justice League has sent children to fight for them. I feel insulted by their grave mistake."

"And the Injustice League sent you to deal with us." Artemis glared. "Unlike the Justice League, though, your group made the mistake, because we're gonna kick your butt."

"Oh, I doubt it." Wotan appeared amused. "The strongest out of the three of you is weak to my power after all."

"Dumbass magic…" Phantom muttered.

"But…You are mistaken about one thing. I didn't come to you alone."

"You're the only person I see here." Kid Flash argued.

Rumble!

The earth below them began to shake and crack beneath them. The jungle itself shifted into the form of Undergrowth. "So this is where you were, Phantom! I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't get the chance to peal your skin from your body."

"Did you forget, Undergrowth?" Phantom's eyes turned neon blue as ice energy surged around him. "My powers beat yours."

"Not any more! I have evolved!" Undergrowth grinned. "I shall shatter your ice, boy!"

Vines and roots sprouted from the ground. Phantom instantly froze them before they could attack them. Unfortunately, like Undergrowth said, the roots and vines were not held long. The ice shattered off them in mere seconds. This did give the trio of young heroes the time to move out of the way, but Wotan was there waiting.

"Ah!" They all cried as Wotan blasted them into the water.

"You should have move faster, children." Wotan smirked.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Undergrowth laughed. "With all my upgrades, there is no one that can beat me. There is no where that I can't be. There is no way…Wait?...This isn't right?!"

"What is it, Undergrowth?" Wotan asked his newest partner in crime.

"That Phantom is not the real one! It is a duplicate! I know that little rat's powers inside and out!" Undergrowth growled. "Where is the real one?"

"Like we'd tell you!" Kid Flash glared.

"Glad you came up with a plan C…" Artemis noted. "This isn't going to be easy."

"I know…" The Phantom duplicate nodded.

"Fools! I don't need you to tell me, I will sense for him!" Undergrowth paused. "There you are! He's by the control system! I need to go stop him!"

"Go!" Wotan nodded. "I can handle them!"

"Oh…I doubt you can, buddy!" Kid Flash glared.

"But we'd love to see you try!" Artemis shouted.

"The vines keep spreading!" Nyx complained. "They're getting to the people!"

"Go help RH, Wulf, and Cujo then!" Spirit ordered as she tried to cut through Undergrowth again.

"I'm having too much fun! You go! Or Raven!" Nyx argued.

"I'm a little busy! I'm absorbing all the Joker Venom, remember!" Raven continued on absorbing the gas with her magic portal.

"I'll go!" Youngblood raced off to help the other three.

Things were not going all that well. Undergrowth's natural power had spiked up substantially. The vines and plants were going through the building like they were wet paper. Not only that, there was the constant problem of Joker Venom being released into the air. While the ghosts didn't need to breath, the humans were not so lucky.

In all, trying to keep Undergrowth in check while protecting the people was proving to be a task that required more than a few people. Spirit realized how smart is was for the Council of the Elite to go and help the League out. Not only did it build a bit of good will and showed that Undergrowth was a criminal in both worlds, it provided the League with the opportunity to keep the people safe. The Council's interference probably saved thousands of lives.

'Focus!' Spirit ordered herself. 'Can't think about them right now. I have my own problems.'

"I found Phantom!" Undergrowth cheered. "He's not even here! That means I don't have to hold back anymore!"

"What?!" Nyx's eyes widened.

"I wanted to surprise him with this, but he'll find out soon enough!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The vines and roots began to explode all-around of them. All the young heroes were caught in the blast. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"You like it?!" Undergrowth laughed. "You already noticed that my plants are a bit explosive because of the unnatural mix in energy. I already knew that! I can just blow myself up with you all with me! Then, I can regenerate!"

"What?!" Spirit was in shock.

"Can't do this in the other cites because of the ransom, but I can destroy this city!" Undergrowth grinned. His large form began to glow. "Goodbye meat bags!"

"No, stop!" Spirit cried out.

"It's too late!" Nyx grabbed Raven. "Turn intangible!"

"But the city!"

"It's already too late!"

"Grahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!"

BAM! BOOM!

Spirit flinched at the noise. The city must be completely ruined after that. She didn't want to even look.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" A deep voice bellowed out.

…Wait…Spirit knew that laugh…She opened her eyes. "Colossus?"

Above the halfa girl floated a ghost that stood nearly ten feet tall. He had massive muscles and deep red skin that showed over his shirtless body. The ghost had forgone any clothing above his torso, but had a loose black hakama pants. His black spiky hair rand down to the middle of his back. His crimson red skin was covered by blue tattoos that formed a swirling pattern. Various scars covered the ghost's body but the most obvious one was the scar running down from his shoulder across his chest to the middle of his ribcage

This ghost was Colossus. He was also known as the rival of the Ghost King and the Great General. Colossus was a monstrous powerhouse that used powerful shockwaves. In fact, he had used his own special shockwaves to destroy Undergrowth and smother his explosion.

"I have no idea what's going on! But, I do know that there's enough noise and energy around the world to wake the dead!" Colossus bellowed out. "How could I ignore such a call to battle!?"

"It's great to see you!" Spirit felt like crying in relief.

"And you, little warrior!" Colossus cheered. "I can tell that you've gotten stronger! Now…Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?!"

"It turns out that Undergrowth-LOOK OUT!"

Undergrowth had reformed behind Colossus. He was ready to grab Colossus and explode. "DIE!"

"Too slow!" Colossus laughed as he sent out a shockwave that destroyed Undergrowth again and disrupted the roots of the massive plants.

"Holy crap…" Raven gaped. "Did he really just do that?"

"Yep."

"How strong is he?' Raven questioned.

"Without a doubt, he's the strongest ghost in the Ghost Zone by far right now…" Spirit smiled. "His raw power can even cause Vision's plans to crumble."

"Wow…glad he's on our side."

"Yeah…I think things just got easier for us."

Phantom's plan from the start was simple. Make two big distractions from two different directions. This would divert the villains' attention away from him. It was rather dangerous for the others, but there weren't any real safe plans in this mission. The others didn't seem to mind, though, so it was good.

The most difficult part of even attempting to get close to the control center was the overpowered Undergrowth could control the jungle around them. Thus, sneaking through the jungle was impossible, even for Robin. Also, Phantom didn't doubt that the Injustice League had some sort of detection for airborne threats. That left only one option…

Underground.

Phantom turned intangilble and flew through the earth. He was careful not to get too close to any of the roots. The halfa didn't know how sensitive they were to outside ectoplasmic energy, but he didn't want to take any chances.

He was close now. Once he got to the control center, he would unleash a sneak attack and destroy everything that controlled the plants. From there…it would be a game of survival. He would have to make sure to try and capture Undergrowth as soon as possible with the Fenton Thermos. In this jungle, he was the biggest threats…besides Wotan and Black Adam at least…

"Ack!" Phantom groaned as the roots and vines grabbed onto him. Despite his intangibility, they seemed to be able to grab him. The roots and vines then pulled Phantom up and out of the ground. In front of him was a large circular building with a glass ceiling and giant plant sticking out of it.

"Fool!" Undergrowth formed between him and the large control center. "Did you really think that I wouldn't notice you?!"

"That was what I was hoping for…" Phantom muttered.

BOOM!

"AAAAHHHH!" Phantom wailed as the vines holding him exploded. "Holy crap! That hurt like hell!"

"Grahahahahahahahahahhahaha!" Undergrowth eyed Phantom's smoking body. "Like my new trick!?"

"Yeah…" Phantom nodded as his wounds quickly healed enough so that they wouldn't be a problem. "It's pretty good, but I have a few tricks of my own."

"But I know all of them!" Undergrowth jeered as plants began to form all around them. "And I know how to stop them!"

Joker Venom was released all around them. Spikes and thorns appeared on all the plants. Some of the vines around him began to glow like they were ready to explode. In mere seconds, Phantom realized what Undergrowth was planning. The Joker Venon would stop the Ghostly Wail by preventing Phantom from breathing because he really didn't want to find out if it affects him. The spikes and thorns would continuously hurt Phantom and force him to waste energy to regenerate. Not only that…any explosions would set off a chain reaction that Phantom wouldn't be able to avoid.

That left hand to hand combat and his ice powers. He would have to work with that. Besides, ice was one of Undergrowth's weaknesses. No amount of upgrades and Kobra Venom would change that.

With a roar, Phantom charged forward with blazing blue fists. He tried to freeze all the plants, but while there was some effectiveness in stopping the plants, they continued to break the ice and continue to attack at the halfa. The sharp vines and roots forced Phantom to continuously use his regeneration ability to keep from bleeding too much.

More than once, he tried to get away, but Undergrowth showed him that wouldn't work. His intangibility proved useless against the plants. Also there was no way he could force his way out under these conditions. He was stuck…Unless…He used his regular ectoplasm.

BOOM!

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Undergrowth laughed at Phantom. "You actually blew yourself up! That's hilarious! Are you that desperate?!"

"Yes…" The smoking and wounded Phantom ignored his injuries as he floated above Undergrowth. "I am."

"…What?"

"I am desperate…" Phantom gritted his teeth. "Too much lies on my victory for me to fail now. I already know that Artemis and Kid are in trouble because my duplicate was just destroyed. The others are also in trouble too. Not to mention all my ghost friends around the world trying to fight your plants. They're probably barely holding on at this point. And Amity Park…I won't let you hurt it or anyone I care about any more!"

"What?! How are you getting stronger?!"

Phantom's energy spiked as his resolve protect his obsession rose. The halfa raised his hands above his head. A giant ball formed above him. The ball danced with green and blue energy combined. It would be both freezing and explosive. "Because I'm protecting what matters!"

"Protecting what matters?! Fool! You think that's enough! I'm an S-rank ghost infused with Kobra Venom and outside magic infused in me. With the Injustice League's help, I can literally destroy both the Council of the Elite and the Justice League in one day. Do you really think that your strength can match mine?"

"...Under normal circumstances, no. But the moment you attacked my friends and family you made me unstoppable." Phantom answered simply. With a swing of his arms, Phantom flung the giant ball of regular and ice ectoplasm energy at the control center.

"Idiot! That won't work!" Undergrowth got between the attack and the control center. He was certain that the attack wouldn't even hurt him.

He was wrong.

As soon as the ball of energy hit Undergrowth, he knew something was wrong. There was no explosion. In fact, the ball's momentum didn't even slow down. It cut through Undergrowth like a knife through hot butter. The energy left a gaping hole in the ghost's chest and continued down to the control center.

Then, it made contact.

The effect of Phantom's attack was instantaneous. All around the world, people witnessed as the plants were suddenly affected. The plants suddenly stopped moving. It was like the plants were frozen. No, that was not an accurate example. It was more like they were paralyzed.

Why was this a bad comparison? Because the plants were literally frozen not two seconds later. Ice covered the various plants and vines that covered the cities. It was almost like an instant ice age. Fortunately, though, it wasn't a long lasting ice age.

Seconds after the ice appeared, green energy spread through the frozen plants and vines. In small bursts, the ice disintegrated in a short burst of green. Then, the ice particles fell like gentle snow. It was a sign that the Earth was no longer in danger.

Everyone who fought knew what happened. No matter meta-human or ghost, they all knew that Phantom had won. It was a beautiful sight…

Unfortunately, the fight was not completely over. Young Justice was still in trouble.

"No! My power source!" Undergrowth cried. "Arg! It doesn't matter! I can still kill you without it!"

"No…" Phantom pulled out his Fenton Thermos. "You can't."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…" Undergrowth was sucked into the thermos.

"You lose, Undergrowth…" Phantom capped the thermos and put it away.

"Phantom!" Kaldur yelled as they approached. After being captured, the rest of Young Justice was taken to the control center by Wotan's magical cage. Luckily, the Bioship had recovered and managed to knock Wotan off balance to free them. "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Phantom quickly flew to his friends.

"You're wounded!" M'gann gasped.

"Don't worry about them!" Phantom pulled out his Portable Fenton Crammer and tossed the extra weapons he packed for Kaldur, Artemis, and Robin. "Worry about surviving right now! Remember to stay whelmed."

"Hahahahaha! Got it!" Robin smirked.

Superboy cracked his knuckles as he watched the rest of the Injustice League appear in front of them. "This is going to be fun."

"It's seven against seven." Kid Flash noted.

"Question is…" Artemis drew her bow. "Who gets who?"

"I call the ugly one." Phantom noted.

"Which ones the ugly one?" That response was rather unanimous from the rest of the Team.

"You think that you can handle us? Humorous notion, children." The blond man wearing a green cape named Count Vertigo noted.

"I can't believe they killed my baby!?" The red haired green skinned woman known as Poison Ivy growled.

"Don't worry…" Wotan scowled at the young heroes. "We will soon have revenge…"

"GRAH!" The white gorilla named Ultra-Humanite roared.

"Strategy 5, go!" Phantom commanded.

Young Justice then went to work. They all split into groups and tried to fight off the Injustice League. Victory was not the goal. All they really needed to do was to hold off long enough for help to arrive. There was no doubt that the Justice League was coming, not to mention the Council of the Elite. All they needed to do was to stay alive for a bit longer.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like that was going to be possible.

"Danny, look out!" Artemis shot an arrow behind Phantom. Her arrow exploded and temporarily slowed down Black Adam. Phantom was grateful. He was busy trying to hold his own against Wotan. The halfa was already tired and injured as it was. Add in trying to fend off a magic user, and Phantom was pressed past his limits.

"Get away from him!" Kaldur used his back up Water Bearers to grab Wotan's ankle and pull him away.

This allowed Phantom to turn and try to deal with Black Adam. The powerful man sucker punched Phantom as he was turning, though. He would have continued to hit Phantom, but Superboy intervened. The clone jumped at Black Atam and tackled him down. "Don't attack him from behind!"

"Ah!" Phantom groaned as a wave of nausea hit him. It turned out that Vertigo's abilities influenced him…good thing to know.

"Foolish boy, if it wasn't for you, then our plan would have worked." Vertigo scowled. "I shall take great pleasure in killing y-ah!"

"No you don't!" Kid Flash rammed into Vertigo and helped Phantom to his feet. "You okay, bro?"

"Thanks…I owe you one."

"Tsk! I owe you like a hundred. I think we're even." Kid Flash zoomed away to continue the fight.

"Grah!" Ultra-Humanite tackled Phantom through a tree as soon as Kid Flash went to fight with Vertigo.

"Ack!" Phantom struggled to get the ape off of him. "I know why SB hates monkeys now…"

"GRA-AAAAAACK!" Ultra-Humantie was flung away by M'gann.

"Danny!" M'gann knelt by Phantom. "You're hurt really bad. You need to rest."

"No time…you have to-"

"Move!" Robin used his exploding shuriken to stop Ivy's vines.

"Hahahahahahhahahahaha!" The insane clown known as the Joker went to stab at Robin with his knives. "I'd pay attention, bird boy!"

"Go, I'll be fine." Phantom ordered. "Help the others."

"O-okay…stay safe."

"You too…" Phantom watched her go.

The halfa then had a single moment of reprieve. It was then he noticed the situation. Despite all their training and growth, Young Justice, as a whole, was vastly outmatched here. These villains fought the League on a regular basis. They had years, decades, even centureies in Wotan's and Black Adam's cases, of more experience than the teens.

Phantom knew that they couldn't win in a direct fight. He just hoped that they would survive. The halfa knew now that this wasn't the case. At the rate things were going, someone was going to die. It was inevitable. This wasn't a fight that could be won without a casualty.

The only question was…who?

…It's unusual how emotions, attachments, and bonds work. People usually know who their friends are, and who their acquaintances are. The line between genially caring about others and merely knowing them is quite thin, though. Sometimes, people change their sides on the line without you even knowing it.

It is a long and sometimes painful process. Becoming true friends is a bond that should not be taken for granted. Danny knew this from a young age despite his desire to be popular in his Freshman year. Before…everything, he had only two friends in his life. They were the best friends in the world to him, though. He could trust them with everything. He could tell them anything. He could just be Danny around them.

After what happened with Sam…Tucker…Klemper…Danny doubted that he would find that relationship. It wasn't something you can just try and make after all. True friendship doesn't happen like that. It was something that just…happens.

Robin…

A few minutes later, the rest of the team arrived. You can imagine their surprise when they saw Phantom and Robin laughing while rolling on the ground. Despite their teammate's prying, though, the duo refused to tell them what was so funny.

It was an inside joke.

Kaldur...

"Perhaps, but you were the one who set the rules." Kaldur smirked. "You must live with them."

"Technaclly, I'm dead." Phantom noted.

"That explains why your reaction time is so slow."

"Oh! Low blow! Alright, then fish boy. Bring it!"

"Consider it brought."

Conner…

"High five!"

"Up top!"

At least Superboy seemed happy…

Phantom grinned at the clone. "And just way until I show you MMA fighting."

Wally…

"Next year, I'll have to make more duplicates." Phantom stated. "That way, I'll totally win."

"I'll have to work on my technique." Wally agreed.

"Wait…You're actually going to make this an annual thing?" Superboy questioned.

"Oh, completely."

"Of course!"

Artemis placed her face in her hands. "You're both so disgusting…"

"Thank you!"

M'gann…

There was a moment of silence. Then…

M'gann giggled. Phantom began to chuckle himself. Soon both of them were laughing uncontrollably. This continued for most of the day as Phantom and M'gann cleaned the mess they made. In all, they had enjoyed the day.

Despite this, though, there was a new rule in the Cave. It was one that could never be broken. Ever.

Danny Phantom was not allowed to touch the stove under any circumstances.

Artemis…

"Are you just going to lie there all day?"

"I'm dead."

"Yeah, but it's just paintball. You don't have to take is so seriously." Artemis noted as she removed her protective goggles.

Phantom sat up and looked down at his drenched paintball gear. "But that's half the fun."

Artemis snorted and helped her friend up. "If you say so."

…Everyone…

"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…"

They were all true friends. Phantom cared for them more than he cared about his own safety. They may have had a few bumps along the way, but it all made them stronger and closer. Then…something along the way, they became so much more to Danny.

They were part of his obsession.

…And he wasn't going to let any of them die…

Pulling out the Portable Fenton Crammer, Phantom reached and grabbed the last resort plan. He never really intended to use this, but if it came to this…Then he was willing to accept this. He would put on the Helmet of Fate.

If…if he put on the helmet without committing to it, then Dr. Fate wouldn't help. Phantom's status as a ghost meant that magic wouldn't work if his will was against Dr. Fate's will. They would have to cooperate completely. That meant, he would have to get Dr. Fate to agree to help. The only way to do that was completely commit to this. That meant…if he put the helmet on, then he wouldn't be able to get out of it. He would have to be Dr. Fate for a long time, maybe even the rest of his life...It was doubtful that even Kent Nelson would help him...After all, Phantom always tried to keep his problems. His own honor would make him be a puppet for the rest of his life.

…He could live with that…

Placing his forehead on the metal he whispered. "Protect them….and I will be your vessel. Make sure they don't die and you can use my powers like they are yours…"

Lifting the helmet up, Phantom noted that all the chaos around him stopped for a brief moment. Everyone had wide eyes. Even the insane Joker somehow instinctively knew that if Phantom put that helmet on, then the Injustice League was doomed.

"Danny, no!"

Phantom ignored the warning, though. He merely smiled at his friends. "Sorry, guys. This is it for me."

Then, he placed the helmet on his head.

"It seems that a lot happened in the short time I've been asleep." Colossus noted.

"Yeah…A whole lot…" Raven muttered. "How the hell did you not wake up through any of that?"

"What?! Nothing was a world wide attack like this!" Colossus defended himself. "Wait…who are you?"

"Raven, I'm new."

"Well, good to know that even the next generation of women are busting my balls…" Colossus muttered.

"Raven!" Nyx hissed. "That's Colossus! He could kill you with a flick of the pinky finger! Not even I'm dumb enough to try and get on his bad side."

"Oh…noted." Raven nodded.

"That's all you have to say?" Youngblood questioned. "You insult the strongest being in the Ghost Zone and you say, 'Oh…noted'?"

"Yep."

"…Fair enough…" Youngblood nodded.

"It's been a long time…" Red Huntress looked up at the large ghost.

"That it has, Red Huntress!" Colossus grinned. "You up for a rematch."

"Hell no."

"Huh…" Colossus frowned. "For some reason, that's the answer I always get."

"That…cause…you…insane…" Wulf grunted out.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Colossus laughed. "That's too true!"

Spirit chuckled as she pet Cujo. "It's good to have you back. If you're willing to wait, I bet that Danny will be back soon. He went to go and stop the source of the plants."

"A smart move! He truly is a worthy rival!" Colossus bellowed. "I can't wait to fight him again!"

"Um…do you mean see?" Youngblood questioned.

"I meant what I said."

"Well, don't worry." Spirit smiled. "I bet Danny will be back any minute."

"I'm sure…" Everyone except Red Huntress froze.

"Huh?" Red Huntress looked around at her allies. "What's wrong?"

"…There's something…" Nyx frowned. "Wrong…"

"I don't know what it is…" Youngblood muttered. "But I feel like…It's strong."

"Nabu?" Colossus seemed to sniff the air. "It feels like him, but…"

"I don't get what you're talking about…" Red Huntress noted.

"It's like…there's a flare…or a firework…or a beacon in the distance." Raven noted. "Something…massive…I don't know. You might not be able to feel it because you don't use magic or ectoplasm, but…it's there."

"I don't like this." Spirit frowned. Her instincts were screaming at her. Something was terribly wrong…

Joel had long since returned to his cage. He managed to get everything he wanted to do done…besides escaping, of course. The entire facility was imprinted in his head. All the ghouls were accounted for. Grundy agreed to help.

In all this was a productive day.

Now, he just had to finish up with the fine details. There were a lot of things that could go wrong. Joel would have to be able to account for them. One small stumble could lead to his death.

Not only that, Joel had to wait for the right time. There would come a time where the facility would act like it did today. Everything would go quiet again at some point. He just had to wait. It might take a while, but-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WRAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

"HARAAAAAAHARAAAAAAAAHARA!"

The entire Ghoul Project lit up. Every failed ghoul instantly reacted at once. It was like a bomb went off and the dogs were all barking. The difference was that the ghouls were acting even worse than that. They were screaming and yelling.

For once, Joel didn't blame them. He could understand their reaction. It was like an alarm was going off in the back of his head. It was screaming danger. Something powerful just appeared. It wasn't here, but still…It was unbelievably scary. Whatever it was could kill him with ease if it wanted to.

But also…it felt wrong. Joel was sad. He didn't know why, but he was. It was like a close friend was gone and he didn't even get a chance to meet that friend.

"What…just happened?"

"That was rather easy…" Dr. Fate noted. His voice was the perfect combination of Namu's and Phantom's voices. "But…I think it's because of this power."

The fight against the Injustice League had been easy after Phantom put on the helmet. Dr. Fate's immense power was greatly boosted by Phantom's ectoplasm. It was like a ton of gasoline was poured on a giant bonfire.

Dr. Fate used the shock of the Injustice League to his advantage. He easily knocked out or tied up the mortal members of the Injustice League with bursts of energy or ectoplasmic empowered golden chain. The others were quickly taken care of with the assistance of Young Justice. In all, the last bit of the fight was one-sided, but no one could argue why. The power rolling of Dr. Fate was immense.

"…" The members of Young Justice just stared at Dr. Fate. They didn't move. They didn't blink. They just stared in disbelief at the shocking fact that they just lost their leader.

"You're late." Dr. Fate turned to look at the approaching Justice League and Council of the Elite.

"…" Batman stared at the being of order. "What happened?"

"Everything is exactly as it seems. Phantom placed the Helmet of Fate on his head, and I defeated the Injustice League." Dr. Fate noted.

"And…that power we feel…That is you?" Zatarra questioned.

"Of course. This the power of perfectly combined ectoplasm and magic." Dr. Fate stated.

"…" Vision stepped forward. "Give him back."

"Excuse me?" Dr. Fate turned to the strategist ghost.

"Give. Him. Back." Vision ordered.

"No." Dr. Fate answered.

"He is not yours to take." Vison glared. "He is a member of the Council of the Elite, the leader of Young Justice, the hero of Amity Park. You have to right to take him."

"But I do." Dr. Fate stated. "He put on the helmet."

"Please, great Namu." Frostbite frowned. "The Great One is a good friend. We cannot leave him like this."

"And I respect that, but no. He made his choice." Dr. Fate mentioned.

"Why…" Kid Flash spoke up.

"Wally…" Artemis hissed.

"No!" Kid Flash glared at her. "I'm right on this one! Why did Phantom do this, huh? He's our friend! Our comrade! Our leader! He wouldn't just abandon us!"

"He didn't." Dr. Fate stated.

"Then what's this! Why won't you give him back?" Superboy glared.

"Because he gave me his word that he would allow me to use his power if I save you." Dr. Fate nodded.

"W-what?" Miss Martian looked close to tears.

"There was a good chance that one of you was going to die." Dr. Fate explained. "A VERY good chance. Phantom recognized this. Thus, he struck a deal with me. His life for yours."

"We never asked him to!" Artemis argued. "We could have handled it! We all would have lived if he fought beside us."

"The chances of at least one of you dying was 99%. The chances of many of you dying was 85%." Dr. Fate sighed. "This was the only plausible way for you all to live."

"Man…I don't…" Robin looked devastated.

"I knew it." Vision almost…growled.

"Vision…" Pandora stated.

"I knew this would happen." Vision glared at Young Justice. "I warned Phantom that this would happen. I told him that you would be his end. I should have forbidden him from being on this Team. That way he would be safe. Because of you, he's gone! He didn't even get the peace of death. Now's he's a puppet for a magician. You all should be-"

"Vision!" Fright Knight grabbed her shoulder. "That is enough. Lord Phantom has made his choice. Please, respect it."

"And you like this?" Vision hissed.

Fright Knight looked at Dr. Fate sadly. "No. I don't. But…it was my Liege's choice. That I respect. Don't take a sacrifice for an obsession lightly."

"Obsession?" Kaldur questioned. "Isn't that a ghost's purpose for existing?"

"Correct." Dr. Fate nodded. "And that's what drove Danny Phantom to this. His obsession is to protect what matters. He could not let his closest friends die because he chose his own life over theirs."

"I-I…W-we…"

Dr. Fate turned and began to float away. "Phantom wants to tell you that Kaldur is is charge now. Take care of them, he says."

"Danny…"

"And if you'll excuse me, I have one more message to deliver."

Spirit felt a part of herself die when she saw Dr. Fate. Despite the change in clothes…despite the helmet…despite the immense power, she recognized him instantly. Those eyes…they just don't belong to everyone.

Spirit knew about the Helmet of Fate. Danny had told her everything about his adventures in Young Justice. Thus, Spirit knew the dangers of putting on the helmet. At first, she was only a little miffed that Danny took such a risk back at the Tower of Fate. Now…

She was devastated.

"No…" Spirit ignored the eyes on her back as her tears began to fall. "He didn't."

"He did." Dr. Fate knelt down to Spirit's height.

"Why!?" Spirit sobbed. "Why the hell did he do this?!"

"To protect his friends." Dr. Fate explained.

"Ah…" Spirit looked at Dr. Fate desperately. "Please…give him back. He's my brother. I need him."

"I'm sorry. He gave me his word. His life for theirs." Dr. Fate noted. "He…says that he's sorry."

"Sorry…Sorry?!" Spirit shouted. "How can he just say that he's sorry!? He abandoned me to save a bunch of people who he was angry at for weeks!?"

"Dani…" Dr. Fate sighed. "There's nothing I can do. The world needs Dr. Fate. The only reason I'm doing this is because it was a part of the agreement we made. He wants you to continue on without him. He wanted me to tell you that he's proud of you."

"No!" Spirit latched onto Dr. Fate. "Give him back! Give him back! Give him back!"

"I can't…I have to go now…"

"No! Don't go! Please, I need my brother!"

"I'm sorry…" Then in a golden flash, he was gone. He left the Spirit sobbing in the street and feeling more alone than she had ever felt before.