Chapter 9: "Relapse"

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

Chapter 9: "Relapse"

(Saturday-September 4, 2010)

Phantom rarely slept well after the Nasty Burger Incident. This was especially true after the Nocturne Crisis. Sometimes, however, he just collapsed onto his bed at nights from exhaustion. As the halfa regained consciousness, he assumed that was what happened. After all, he had been working on beating up tractor tires the night before.

But this was not the case.

Phantom could feel people dragging him. Sand beneath him was shifting under his weight. There were men speaking around him. He couldn't understand the language, though. He knew it wasn't Spanish, but that was all that the halfa could discern.

After taking this all in, Phantom realized something very important. He wasn't in his bed at home. He wasn't in Masters Mansion. Hell, he probably wasn't even in Amity Park. So, Phantom responded the only way a person who had been messed with in his sleep multiple times in the past month.

He was filled with rage and decided to take his anger out on these men.

Phantom's eyes snapped open. He saw a group of soldiers moving him across a desert. The halfa recognized the uniforms from the news. If he wasn't so outraged, Phantom would have questioned why the soldiers were moving him. That was a question for later, though. Right now, it was time to break some skulls.

A wave of anger and outrage spread throughout the area. Phantom unleashed his anger the way only an S-rank ghost could.

He unleashed his Haunting Aura.

The affect was instantaneous. The soldiers around Phantom flinched and squirmed under the force of Phantom's anger. Not many normal humans could handle the intensity of a Haunting Aura, and it was showing. They left themselves completely vulnerable.

Phantom decided to take advantage of their weakness. Breaking the hold that two of the soldiers had on his arm, Phantom grabbed their heads and slammed them together. A loud crack filled the air as the soldiers fell to the desert floor.

Continuing in his assault, Phantom sent blasts several of the soldiers in the chest and sent them rolling back. The force of the blast easily knocked the soldiers unconscious, but Phantom wasn't done. No, he was too angry to defeat them all in an unpainful way like that.

With a roar, Phantom grabbed a soldier. He brought the soldier's head down and slammed in into his knee multiple times. Realizing that the soldier was unconscious, Phantom let him slump to the floor. For good measure, he spit at the downed soldier.

There was one soldier left. This soldier was cowering, even as Phantom stopped releasing his Haunting Aura. He was terrified of the being in front of him that could take about a whole platoon of soldiers with ease.

Eventually, the man's fight or flight instinct set in. Realizing that running wouldn't work, the soldier decided to attack. With a shout that Phantom didn't understand, the soldier raised his gun. With a twitch of his finger, he sent a barrage of deadly bullets at the ghost.

This meant nothing to a ghost, however. The bullets passed through the now intangible being. It was like Phantom wasn't even there.

"It never stops being funny…" Phantom gave a smirk. "Humans think their normal weapons will work on me. Really? Does anyone watch the news?"

In despair, the soldier charged at the ghost. This was useless, however. Phantom grabbed the soldier by his throat and lifted him into the air. "Hi there."

The soldier cursed at Phantom. Well…the halfa assumed it was cursing. It was a little hard to know with the language barrier…

"Okay," Phantom's eyes narrowed. "You speak English, Esperanto, or anything similar to it? Because if you do, then I'll let you keep your teeth."

"I…can speak English, demon." The soldier growled.

"Great. So, I wondering if you could help me?" Phantom questioned. "Because if you don't, I have no reason to keep you conscious."

"Gah…I won't help you, demon ghost. Fu-ACK!" The soldier gasped when Phantom punched him in the gun.

"Language, dude. I'm only a fourteen year old ghost, after all." Phantom noted.

"Grr…"

"So, first question. Where the hell am I?" Phantom asked.

"In the great nation of the Republic of Bialia!" The soldier stated proudly.

"Well…That explains the Bialian soldiers." Phantom mentioned. "Alright, question two. Why am I here? Because if this has anything to do with Nocturne, I'm going to pull my damn hair out. A guy can only handle so much of this dreaming and nightmare crap."

"I have no idea why you are here, demon!" The soldier spat out. "All I know is that you're invading my great country."

"Great country…Whatever helps you sleep at night…." Phantom muttered. "Okay, question three. Why the hell did I fall asleep in the middle of the desert and wake up with a migraine the size of Texas?"

"No! I cannot speak! I have my orders!"

"Orders? Orders for what? To capture me?" Phantom inquired.

The soldier was silent.

"Cat got your tongue? Alright, who gave you these orders? Queen Bee?"

"Don't you dare speak her name, you filthy ghost!" The solder glared. "You don't deserve to even be able to utter her name."

"Are you going to keep acting like this? Because I really don't want to deal with a mouthy prisoner." Phantom mentioned.

"Be silent! When more soldiers get here-"

Bam! Phantom knocked the man out. "I'll take that as a yes. Fine, I don't need you. I've got a perfectly working phone…What the hell is this?"

The phone in his hands looked like a Tucker Phone, but it was different. Its black and white desing was slicker. More technology seemed to be packed into the device. It was obviously Danny's handy work, but he didn't remember ever upgrading his phone.

"Okay, this is getting weirder…" Phantom mumbled as he examined the new phone.

After activating it, Phantom saw that the phone had a passcode. Most likely it was a long passcode too. And, if Phantom was to guess, if he put the wrong passcode in too many times, then the phone would have safety measures. He could guess maybe, but the halfa didn't trust himself to remember anything right now.

Especially considering the date on the phone's screen.

"September fourth? It was March third last time I checked!" Phantom growled. "Great! I have memory loss again. If this is Desiree's work, I swear, I'm going to wish that she slaps herself in the face for a month!"

Sighing, the halfa looked across the night covered desert. If he wasn't so angry and distressed right now, he might have considered the view beautiful. "Well, this is just peachy. I'm in the middle of Bialya with six months' worth of memory loss. Just great….I guess I should look around and check if anyone's here. Lord, I hope none of them have larger memory loss than me. It would be annoying to deal with Vlad, Dani, Wulf, Valerie, or Klemper with no memory of our friendships."

With that, Phantom took off into the air and left he downed soldiers on the desert floor.

Dani groaned in terrible pain. She was sore beyond reason. Before, the halfa thought that her Dad and Valerie were slave drivers. She was very very VERY wrong…

Vision was, by far, the worst and best teacher she ever had. She was terrible because she pushed Dani beyond her limits to the point of collapsing. Yet, she was great because she pushed Dani beyond her limits to the point of collapsing. Yeah, it was a bit confusing…

Dani didn't know how to feel. Part of her felt outraged by the ancient ghost's hardcore training…not to mention the fear she had for he life. Another part of her was glad that she was going to become so much stronger. She was certain of one thing she felt though…

She was tired and sore like she had never been before. Despite the fact that it was the last Saturday of her summer vacation, Dani couldn't motivate herself to move. Her arms and legs hurt too much for anything. She didn't even feel like fighting…

Yeah, she was that tired.

Unfortunately, not everyone got the message…

Bazinga! Bazinga! Bazinga!

Dani answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Dani!?" Nyx yelled through the phone.

Dani flinched. "What?"

"Where are you?! You're missing it!" Nyx exclaimed.

"Home. I'm too tired to…wait…What am I missing?" Dani questioned.

"There's a carnival going on at the high school!" Nyx answered. "You need to get over here. The rides are insane!"

"Carival?! Why didn't I hear about this earlier?" Dani questioned.

"It's weird, it just showed up out of nowhere, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Nyx sounded like she was about to die from excitement. "Get over here!"

"Okay…I'll try…" Dani groaned and then tried to stand up.

"…"

"…"

"…I can't do it…" Dani felt like crying. "Vision worked me to the bone. I can't move…"

"Oh…well it sucks to be you." Nyx noted. "As for me, I'm going to have fun."

"Oh, why don't you just…" Bazinga! "Hang on, I have someone else calling me. I'll insult you later."

"Whatever you say, Girl Scout." Nyx smugly stated.

"Hello?" Dani answered the call waiting.

"Ahoy!" Youngblood cheered. "How are you, fair maiden?"

"I wouldn't call myself a maiden or fair, but okay." Dani sighed. "What do you want? I'm not really in the mood for this."

"Ah…sorry." Youngblood seemed deflated. "But there was this ice-cream truck that broke down…"

"An ice-cream truck broke down?!" Dani yelled in disbelief at her luck.

"Yeah!" Youngblood confirmed. "And the driver is giving away free ice-cream because it's melting! I thought that you'd want to know, but if you're in a bad mood…"

"It's not that! It's-" Bazinga! "…Hang on. Got another call…"

"Aye!"

"…Hello?" Dani asked reluctantly.

"There's a mosh pit going on downtown." Rachel stated simply.

"What? No greeting?"

Rachel sighed. "Okay…Hello, Danielle. How is your day going? Mine's full of sunshine and rainbows."

"Hey, no need to be a jerk about it…" Dani muttered. "Wait…mosh pit?"

"Yeah, you know that thing that you go on and on about." Rachel confirmed. "People are freaking out. The police are here and everything. I'm going to help, and I thought you would like in on this action."

"…"

"…Dani?"

Dani looked up at the sky in despair and asked. "What did I do to deserve this? I'm a hero for Pete's sake. The universe must hate me…"

"…I'll just call you back…" Rachel began. "This doesn't seem like a good time…Oh, wasn't Valerie supposed to meet us for training later?"

Dani made a whimper noise.

"I'm guessing that's a no…"

"Hey, wake up." Phantom stood over the fallen Atlantian. He had used a small bit his ice powers to cool the blond haired teen from the desert sun. Now, he trying to get the Atlantian to drink water from a water bottle that was stored in his Portable Fenton Crammer container. Luckily, that hadn't changed in six months.

"Erg…" The Atlantian…Aqualad slowly opened his eyes after drinking the water. He began to speak in a language that Phantom didn't even begin to recognize.

"…Huh? I can't speak…that…" Phantom frowned. Why was everyone speaking languages he didn't know? Granted he was in another country, but still...

"I…apologize…" Aqualad coughed out. "Most people on the surface can't speak Atlantian."

"It rarely shows up…" Phantom noted. "Can you stand?"

"I…believe so…" Aqualad groaned as Phantom helped him stand.

"Good…" Phantom let go of Aqualad after he had found his balance.

"Not to sound ungrateful, but…where are we…and what happened?" Aqualad was still dazed.

"Well, we are currently in Bialya. As for why…I was hoping Aquaman's sidekick could tell me that." Phantom noted.

"You…" Aqualad seemed to gain enough bearings to realize who he was speaking to. "You're Danny Phantom."

"Yeah, I am, and you're Aqualad." Phantom tried not to let his annoyance get the better of him. "Now that we established that, can we please move onto the fact that we're in the middle of the Bialyan desert with no knowledge of how or why?"

"Yes…" Aqualad was sweating and panting. "I don't…erk…"

"Here…" Phantom pointed his hand at the young hero. A cold energy came off it and hit the Atlantian. It wasn't cold enough to hurt Aqualad, but it would keep him cool in the desert heat.

"My thanks…" Aqualad nodded. "So…you say we are in Bialya?"

"Yeah, or at least that's what the desert, soldiers, and my phone say." Phantom noted. "But besides that, I have no clue."

"Strange…." Aqualad stated. "It was only yesterday that I was Atlantis with my king…"

"…And yesterday was…March 2 for you?" Phantom questioned.

"Er…" Aqualad raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Is time different for ghosts?"

"Only when we forget a few months…" Phantom muttered as he pulled out his phone to show the Atlantian. "No, but I think we have a problem. You see…my phone says its September 4."

"…2010?" Aqualad questioned.

"Yeah…" Phantom noted. "Thank goodness for that, too. If I thought it was 2009, then I wouldn't barely have any combat experience at all."

"Yes, but this still leaves a great problem…what happened in those 6 months?" Aqualad question.

"Knowing my life, a hell of a lot." Phantom sighed. "But I don't know what would put me in Bialya with a Justice League sidekick. If one of my enemies erased my memory, it would definitely be before the Nocturne Crisis. That way I would have the leftover emotions as ammo."

"Alright…"

"Besides, none of them are that subtle. Anyone of them would have attacked me by now." Phantom noted. Ghosts usually enjoyed having their plans known.

"Then it might not be a ghost." Aqualad noted. "There are plenty of enemies of the League that might be able to do this."

"But why us? I have no real ties to the League, and I don't they would take you as a serious threat." Phantom mentioned. "Er…not that you wouldn't be a threat, but…you know how adults think. The young can't possibly be a threat to the mature."

"You are correct." Aqualad nodded. "But that will be an issue for later. For now, we need to figure out the reasons for why all this is happening."

"Right. And I guess it would be better to stick together, since you can't survive in the desert, and I have no freaking clue where to even start." Phantom stated. "Although…I probably won't turn my back on you. Just to make sure that you aren't a shapeshifter posing as Aqualad or some weird crap like that."

"I was thinking a similar thought." Aqualad gave a small smile. He then lifted his arm and his tattoos begin to glow with electricity. "But your powers seem to give away your identity. Like mine do for me."

"Alright…" Phantom nodded. "Er…We would make better time if we flew…but…"

"…Fine. I would prefer to make better time…" Aqualad noted.

"Okay." Phantom grabbed Aqualad by the armpits and lifted him up. "And up we go…"

"So…do you have any theories as to what happened?" Aqualad questioned as he was carried through the sky.

"Amnesia disease, apocalypse, Microsoft finally took over the world…" Phantom noted. "Lord, I hope it's not time travel related."

"Bad experience?" Aqualad seemed amused.

"Yeah…" Phantom mumbled. "But there is one thing I do know about this situation. Something that seems to happen in every single one of my little adventures…"

"What is it?"

"This will get a lot worse before it gets better…"

"Uhg…." Dani groaned. "I feel like I'm going to die…"

After a lot of effort, Dani had managed to drag herself out of bed. Despite the soreness and pain, Dani couldn't just lie around. This was especially true when her hunger was getting the better of her. Thus, Dani was dragging herself down the stairs and to the kitchen.

"Ah…" Dani muttered as she pulled out food from the fridge. "For once I wish we had personal servants or something…That way I could get food served to me in my room."

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Their family had too many secrets to have human servants, and ghosts…yeah, that wouldn't work out in the human world. So, they were on their own. It was kind of unusual for family with billions of dollars, but it was necessary.

This, of course, left a very quiet mansion when no one else was home. With Danny on a mission, Cujo and Wulf wandering, and her Dad working in downtown, Dani was completely alone in the mansion at the moment. Usually, her desire for attention and companionship would cause her to dislike this, but the fatigue really got to her. Right now, she didn't even care…

"It will be all worth it in the end…" Dani mumbled to herself. "She said it would be…"

Memory sequence begin

"What are we doing anyway?" Spirit questioned her new teacher. "Shouldn't we be…training?"

They were currently at the isolated Lake Eerie. It was the only place in Amity Park that had enough room and lack of civilians to host Vision's training. The two female ghosts were currently sitting at the side of the unusual lake.

"Don't worry, you will receive your training soon." Vision stated. "But we must first establish the point of this training."

"Point? Isn't the point to become strong?" Spirit questioned.

"Yes, but what is the point of strength?" Vision answered with a question of her own.

"Er…you're strong?" Spirit wasn't sure.

"No, what do you do with that strength?" Vision clarified.

"Fight?"

"Yes, but why? For what cause? What would you put your life at stake for?" Vision asked.

"…I…Um…okay?"

Vision chuckled. "I would expect that from such a new ghost. You see, we ghosts gain our power from our emotions which is based in our obsession. Knowing and properly understanding your obsession is a vital part of controlling your power."

"But…Danny didn't understand his obsession for a long time…" Spirit pointed out.

"Subconsciously, he did. All ghosts do. But understanding it completely is a difficult matter." Vision noted. "Very few ghosts know exactly what they want. It's rare for them to be able to explain every exact detail of their existence."

"Er…I think that's every living creature." Spirit mentioned.

"Exactly." Vision seemed pleased. "That is the question of both life and death. What is the point of our existence?"

"I don't know." Spirit frowned.

"Of course." Vision said gently. "Few rarely do. But ghosts are different. You see, if what we do conflicts with our obsessions, we become weak and useless. The same could be said if we resist completely fulfilling our obsession. We create an inner conflict in us that could kill us."

"Okay…" Spirit was completely lost. "And I…am creating a conflict?"

"You may if you continue to push others away to gain battle experience." Vision noted.

"So…be careful in what I choose to do? I can do that." Spirit nodded.

"That's not all. You need to be prepared for other ghosts that are in conflict. There is a good chance they will simply… fade." Vision warned.

"Who?" Spirit questioned.

"That is not for me to say, but I can say this. Learn to understand your obsession completely. It is what defines you and your powers." Vision noted.

"That makes sense." Spirit acknowledged.

"Good. Then let's get started." Vision stood. "We shall start with working on your dodging. You have become too reliant on your Premonition. We need to boost your reaction speed."

"Alright, what do we-OMPH!" Spirit was hit in the stomach by a ball of deep purple energy.

"One word…Dodgeball."

Memory sequence end

"Sadist…" Dani muttered into her sandwich. "Oh… my poor…everything…"

The halfa was half tempted to just pass out on the floor. Heck, Danny had did it once. Why shouldn't she? It wasn't like she cared about being classy and crap like that…

But that would be a waste. While sore, she wasn't tired enough to sleep. "Maybe I could work on some painting or something…"

Creek…

"Hmm?" Dani looked at the door. "Dad? Is that you?"

Silence…

"Danny?"

More silence…

"Okay…" Dani sighed and forced herself to stand. "I get it, you're trying to scare me, but you know I don't scare easily you jerk."

The halfa girl walked into the huge entrance hall. There was no one there, but considering that her family could turn invisible and fly, this could mean anything.

"Please, you know that won't work on me. I'll find you, even if I have to get Cujo or W-Ack! Cough! Hack!" Dani chocked. "What's that smell?! Did you set off a stink bomb?!"

Silence.

"Fine! Be like that! Just don't come crying to me when Dad gets ma….aaaa…aaaaaaaa…..d…" Dani stumbled. "Wh…aaaa….t…"

"What was that you said before?" A voice whispered through the air. "You don't scare easily? I'd like to test that."

Dani watched in horror as the room shifted. The ceiling, walls, and floor all shifted into fleshy pink substance. The floor squelched beneath her feet as the ceiling released a sickening green goo. Rusting crumbling machines appeared in the room through the walls and floor. Dani instantly recognized the machines. They were…

Necromancers…and they were approaching her.

"Enjoying the show?" A demonic voice whispered behind her.

Dani turned slowly. Behind the halfa was what could be described as a demonic scarecrow. Yet, at the same time, she saw flashes. They were flashes of a white haired teen with a huge gaping hole in his chest.

The girl collapsed to the floor in fear.

"I guess so….Not easy to scare? You wish, little girl." The demonic scarecrow was amused.

"Hey, Scarecrow, stop messing with the girl." A loud growl sounded up the stairs of the entrance hall. "Do you want Masters to come after our asses cause we hurt his daughter?"

The trembling Dani looked up. A large scaled beast was descending from the tales. He was massively tall and had sharp teeth and yellow eyes. Despite being a deer in headlights, Dani managed to recognize the huge man as Killer Croc.

"I suppose not…But we could just drive him insane too." Scarecrow suggested.

"No! You know that they would be mad if Masters was hurt in any way by us. We wouldn't live to see the end of this month." Killer Croc growled. "Seriously, this is why I hate working with you. All you can think about is spreading fear. There's no profit in it!"

"Says the man that likes the taste of human flesh." Scarecrow noted.

"But I don't do it when it can come back to bite me in the tail." The large beast glared.

"Whatever you say." Scarecrow stated. "Did you find the boy or any of the information?"

"Naw, he's not here and his computer is encrypted to hell." Killer Croc shrugged. "It will take hours to crack for even a super genius, and neither of us are super geniuses. Not to mention, he probably didn't store the info we want anyway."

"Great, then how are we supposed to find that Red X?" Scarecrow questioned.

"Fenton's probably the only one who knows anything 'bout 'm." Croc gritted his teeth. "The boys we brought are searching for 'm in the city. That's where everybody is."

"Just in case…" Scarecrow gleamed down at the terrified girl. "Perhaps we should take an incentive for him to talk?"

"I just told you that would be dumb. Leave the Masters girl, and we'll find 'm ourselves." Croc growled.

"But how will we get him to talk? He's under Masters' protection as well, so we can't torture him without the old billionaire sending an assassin like Deadshot after us…" Scarecrow argued. "Besides, we won't hurt her. We'll just make some false threats."

"GRR…Fine!" Croc stormed past the fear villain. "But if this goes to hell, I'm going to be feasting on some scarecrow."

"Whatever you say…"

Phantom had his fair share of random fights. Some of them were personal, like with Skulker. Others were more annoying as with the Box Ghost. There were times, where people and ghosts attacked him for no reason other than that they didn't like his face.

Phantom assumed that this was one of these times.

"Let go of me, pretty boy!" Phantom continuously punched his assailant in the face as he grabbed the halfa underneath his arms and began charging at a nearby boulder.

The guy that was attacking Phantom came crashing out of nowhere. For some reason, this guy that could pass off as Superman's son just yelled and began to swing wildly at both Phantom and Aqualad. The weakened Aqualad couldn't keep up, so Phantom decided to step up and take this guy down. One problem, though…

This guy was unbelievably tough.

Phantom had hit this guy hard enough to knock a normal man out ten times over. It was easy too. This guy left himself wide open to attacks and his offense was sloppy and animal like. Yet at the same time, he was a juggernaut. He didn't flinch, back down, feel pain, and his attacks seemed unstoppable.

'I've fought far worse, though…' Phantom thought to himself. Colossus, Torch, and Nocturne had provided a far bigger problems than this guy.

Realizing that he had not time to force the brute to release him, Phantom decided to stop his attacker in another way. The halfa quickly turned intangible. This turned the attacker intangible too, but it prevented Phantom from having his back slammed into the boulder.

After passing through the rock, the attacker halted in surprise and confusion. He didn't understand what happened. Phantom quickly took advantage. With a show of immense concentration, Phantom transformed himself into a green cloud. The gas passed around the beast man and appeared behind him.

In that moment, Phantom reformed. Now behind his assailant, Phantom used this opening to his advantage. He grabbed the man and slammed him into the bolder face first. With him trapped, Phantom could now interrogate the beast man.

"Who are you?"

"RA-gah!" The attacker tried to get out of the old, but stopped when Phantom slammed his knee into the attacker's spine.

"Why did you attack us?!"

"RA-ahhh!" Phantom kneed him once again.

"Do you know anything about why I'm here in Bialya?"

"Gack!" The beast man didn't even get the chance to struggle that time.

"Phantom!" Aqualad arrived to the halfa's location. He was sweating and panting. The desert's dryness and heat were taking their toll without Phantom constantly cooling him with the ice. "Stop! He obviously doesn't know anything."

"Right…But he did attack me, and I'm in a really bad mood." Phantom stated. "I think he deserves some punishment."

"RAW!" The beast man pushed off the boulder and sent them both rolling back.

"Stop!" Aqualad pulled out his Water Bearers and got ready to attack. Unfortunatley, the Atlantian couldn't keep up in his weakened state. Thus, he could do nothing when the attacker grabbed Phantom and lunged into the air.

This, however, was at Phantom's advantage. Unlike the man attacking him, the ghost could fly, turn intangible, and change the shape of his body. Phantom easily snaked himself free from the attacker. Now free, Phantom once again grabbed the man and tossed him hard to the ground.

Phantom then followed up on this through. He landed on top of the attacker with a crash. Sand and dust flew into the air as Phantom stood on the mindless man. The lack of vision didn't deter Phantom, though. He decided to make sure the man stayed down. Phantom sent a barrage of punches down at the beat man's face.

Each blow earned a loud smack or crack. The boy grunted in pain from each hit he took. Phantom didn't stop. He continued to beat the man below him. Punch after punch landed on the man's face. Each blow was harder than the last. Phantom only saw red as he continued to assault the downed man.

"Phantom?" A somewhat familiar voice caught Phantom's attention.

Pausing, Phantom turned to see two people looking at him questionably. One was a redhead wearing black spandex with the symbol of the Flash on his chest. The other was a blond girl that seemed to be way too into Green Arrow.

Phantom remembered the redhead. He was Kid Flash, the sidekick of the Flash. They had met once when Flash came to Amity Park to pick up equipment for Batman. If Phantom remembered correctly, the speedster was a loudmouth flirt…

"Kid Flash?" Phantom questioned. "Is that you? Because that is a new look…"

"Yeah, I know…" Kid Flash muttered. "Weird, huh?"

"You think that's the weird part?" The blond girl questioned. "We are stuck in the middle of nowhere, Bialyan soldiers are after us, and we just ran into freaking Danny Phantom who seems to be fighting a miniature Superman! What the hell is going?"

"That's what I'd like to know…" Phantom muttured.

"Raw!" The Superman lookalike suddenly threw the halfa off of him and into the two other teens. Phantom quickly righted himself, though, and prepared himself for what came next.

"Stay down, you Superman wanna be!" Phantom sent an ectoplasmic blast toward the black haired teen.

"RAW!" The teen roared as he shook off the blast and charged at the halfa.

Creating an ice broad sword, Phantom prepared himself. Phantom focused his ice powers to his sword and swung it. A wave of blue light swept over the black haired teen. He was frozen instantly.

"You did it!" The blond in green exclaimed.

"No," Phantom growled. The ice was already beginning to crack. "It won't hold him long…"

"Then we should get out of here!" Kid Flash shouted.

"You're not the boss of me!" Phantom snapped. "I have a lot of aggression that I need to get out. And he's the perfect punching bag!"

"We don't have time! Soldiers will be here soo-" The blond girl never got to finish that sentence.

BOOM! The sand around them exploded in a burst of flames. The force of the blast knocked everyone down and shattered the ice holding the beast man. Both Kid Flash and the blond were knocked unconscious, but the other two remained active.

Quickly standing, the two glared at the approaching tanks. Their fight now forgotten the two charged at the tanks and soldiers. Given the crazed man's incredible strength and endurance, and Phantom's powers and tricks, the two made quick work of the tanks and soldiers. All that was left in a minute were unconscious bodies and broken weapons.

After that was done, Phantom quickly turned his attention back to his first attacker. His back was still turned. Now that he had time to think, Phantom quickly thought of a way that would subdue the brainless brute. He overshadowed him briefly. This left the wild man dazed and weak when Phantom exited his body. The follow-up punch made sure that the attacker wasn't getting up any time soon.

"Well…that's done…" Phantom sighed. "I better find Aqualad and Kid Flash again. There's obviously something going on that involves the sidekicks here. Robin might be around, and that girl…maybe she's a replacement for Speedy. But…then what happened to him…"

'Don't worry, I'm almost there!'

"Holy crap!" Phantom looked around surprise. Was that a girl's voice in his head? Where did that come from? "Am I going nuts?!"

It turned out that he wasn't, but what turned out to be the truth was a lot more insane than anything Phantom could ever think of.

"Ahg…." Dani moaned terribly. How could this day go so badly? Nothing seemed to go right. In fact, this was probably one of the worst days of her life.

After being captured by the Gotham villains, Dani was hauled away. She didn't know where she was, because they blindfolded her, but considering the silence, it had to be somewhere isolated. This did not bode well for the young halfa or her potential escape.

Yeah, potential…As if there was any potential to get away at all. Dani was completely trapped.

While the effects of Scarecrow's famous fear gas was filtered out more quickly by her half ghost body, it was still hurting her. Everything still seemed warped and mutated. The sounds around her were scratchy, dark, and demonic. The ground beneath her was fleshy and wet.

Her fears was affecting her usually strong mind. She couldn't think straight. Each idea or thought was filled with self-doubt. Panic and despair were causing her to have a mental breakdown.

Luckily, Dani retained enough logic to know that she couldn't just go ghost. People were watching her. If she went ghost, then her secret would be out. So that option was out.

Unfortunately, her fatigue from the training and fear gas made all other options unavailable. While she usually had control over a small portion of her powers while in human form, there was no way she could focus them in her extremely weakened condition.

Thus, she was stuck as a human. So, Dani was trapped. This became especially clear when the blindfold was removed and she was dumped to the floor. All around her were what looked like hardened criminals. Each one of them were bulky, dirty, and had torn old clothes except for the armbands on their arms that had an image of a penguin on them…

"You morons! You complete morons! Do you realized what you've done?!" A scratchy voice came through the communicator in Scarecrow's hands.

"We created a way to find Red X." Scarecrow stated. "We'll use the girl to get information out of Fenton."

"That's not the problem! You have Vladimir Masters' daughter! Do you realize how bad that is?!" The man on the radio screeched.

"I tried to tell 'm." Croc argued. "But nobody listens to the crocodile."

"Shut up! I've got this covered! The girl won't be hurt, Penguin." Scarecrow explained.

"She better not! I may be a gambling man, but if Masters' daughter is hurt in any way…" This Penguin guy explained. "I've met the man. Did business with him once. He's not like Wayne. If you cross him, he'll not only kill you…No, he'll destroy you. Make you wish you were dead…"

"We get it! Don't worry. We'll get the information and let her go." Scarecrow agreed.

"Good. You hear that boys? Don't hurt the girl. She needs to be in perfect condition, or I'll kill you myself!" Penguin ordered his men.

"Got it boss." One of the goons spoke.

"Right, get the information on that little red rat and get back to Gotham. Then I'll make that piece of trash pay for screwing me over…" Penguin stated.

"Get in line…" Croc growled.

"Now what?" One of the goons questioned.

"We find Fenton. The carnival and mob we set up should help. He wasn't home, so he's most likely enjoying the festivities and chaos." Scarecrow stated.

"So go look for him…" Croc glared at the goons. "Well? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!"

In a terrified scramble, the men began to rush around. Many of them left…wherever they were. Dani still didn't have a clue where she was. The gas made everything look so distorted and demonic. It was like a piece of hell.

"H-how….d-did…" Dani trembled as the drug took its toll.

"How what? Did we get into Amity? Set up the distractions? Manage to sneak into your home without tripping any alarms?" Scarecrow leaned over the girl. From Dani's perspective the straw of the costume was covered in blood. Worms were crawling out of the seams. Snakes appeared from the demon's mouth and hissed at her.

Dani merely trembled.

"It's all quite simple really. You see, Red X angered a lot of people in Gotham. A lot of people that should not be messed with. Unfortunately, there is no one with knowledge about the mercenary. No one, but the man that hired him to go to Gotham. Daniel Fenton.

"While I have no clue why, Fenton obviously hired Red X and provided him with weapons to investigate the GIW. So, we have to get the information from him. Unfortunately, Fenton hasn't been seen in public for months. Getting him out of that mansion would be hard enough. Out of Amity Park? Impossible.

"So, we decided to come here and get the info ourselves. We used some of Croc and Joker's connections to get the fair here. Not only that I used a mild version of the Fear Toxin in order to rile up the locals. That would be a big enough distraction for the whole city and its heroes. Then, finding a weakling of a teen and getting the information out of him would be easy…If we could just find him… So I filled your home with a small bit of gas. Just enough to make you overlook some minor details. Unfortunately, Fenton wasn't there…" Scarecrow trailed off.

"Would you shut your trap?!" Croc glared at the master of fear. "I swear! What is it with you and the other nuts in Gotham? All you do is talk, talk, talk…It's so annoying! Maybe if you actually did something for once, the Bat wouldn't beat your ass all the time."

"You're one to talk!" Scarecrow snapped. "If I remember correctly, it was the Boy Blunder that beat you last time!"

"You must have a death wish, little man." Croc glared down at the much smaller man. "Because I could tear you limb from limb with ease if I wanted to."

"A dumb animal will easily succumb to fear…" Scarecrow threatened.

"No, when pushed into a corner, animals fight to the death. Unlike scarecrows. All they do is scare a few birds." Killer Croc showed his sharp teeth. "I prefer to eat the birds."

"Oh, that's such a great threat." Scarcrow mocked. "I'm totally shivering in fear."

"Soon, your body won't be moving at all…" Croc cracked his knuckles. "Cause after I kill Red X, your next on my list Scarecrow. You're a little srawny, but I can still use your bones as tooth picks."

"You can try, Croc. You can try…"

"Okay…" Phantom frowned as looked across the strange individuals around him. "Let me get this straight. You're saying that all seven of us are part of a…team? Really? Cause I'm not buying it."

"It's true!" The Martian who called herself M'gann responded.

"Uh huh…and do you have proof?" Phantom questioned.

"I think I'm proof enough…" The guy…Superboy… stated. "I even told you how Young Justice was formed."

After finding the source of the mental voice, Phantom was surprised to find a female Martian Manhunter. She caught up with Kid Flash, the girl who said her name was Artemis, and Aqualad who had followed the destruction. Her first response was to check on Phantom's attacker. She rushed over and did…something…with his mind.

It was strange. A little bit ago, Superboy was acting like an animal. Now…he was angry, but at least he wasn't attacking.

Then after finding Robin (Yeah, Batman's sidekick) and defeating a bunch of soldiers, the teens took a moment to compare notes about what happened. They all had a good chunk of memories gone, but M'gann and Superboy seemed to regain a large portion of them through their…mental bonding. But what they said…Phantom couldn't believe it.

"It is strange seeing a younger version of the Big Guy like this, and a clone too…" Kid Flash muttered.

"A clone, though? Seemes a little cliché." Robin argued.

"Everything seems cliché right now." Artemis argued. "It's like some old movie plot."

"Yet I would be lying if I said that stranger things had not happened to me before." Aqualad noted. "The same could be said for most of us here."

"Yeah, a lot of weird crap happens to me." Phantom conceded. "This isn't my first memory loss, and it most likely won't be my last. But…for me to join a team? Ones filled with humans and aliens at that…"

"What's so strange about that?" M'gann questioned. "You were with the team from the beginning. You're our leader in fact."

"The only human hero that I willing work with on a regular basis is Red Huntress." Phantom mentioned. "And even that was a difficult alliance to make. Humans don't trust ghosts. Never have. Never will. Especially with what happened with Nocturne. So a team of humans…or human like aliens…trusting me with their lives like that…Doesn't seem likely."

"Geeze, you have such confident in us 'humans'." Artemis glared.

"But he does have a point." Robin rubbed his head in thought. "It would take a lot for Batman to let me go off like this with anyone other than him…Although, I do remember him ordering radio silence."

"Yeah, Batman assigns us missions." Superboy stated.

"What? And my mentor has nothing to do with it?" Kid Flash said while pointing to his chest. This caused his black uniform to change into its usual yellow and red. "Woah! This is so cool!"

"It might be because it is stealth oriented." Aqualad argued. "The Flash and King Orin aren't known for stealth."

"And he's the only one that gets special gear?" Artemis tried to switch her uniform as well. It didn't work. In irritation, she looked at Kid Flash. "Quite touching yourself!"

"This still doesn't make sense to me…" Phantom muttered.

"We need our memories back…"

"M'gann, you managed to give Superboy back his memories." Aqualad addressed the Martian. "Can you do the same for us?"

"I can, but…there's a chance that I'll accidentally see all your memories from the past six months…" M'gann mentioned. She appeared nervous about something. What it was, Phantom didn't know.

"Yet you didn't hesitate to restore Superboy's memories." Robin noted.

"I might have jumped the gun when I saw Superboy. I was just happy to see him safe…" M'gann blushed.

"It wasn't like I had a lot of memories to restore." Superboy argued. "I wasn't even active six months ago."

"Wait, are we actually thinking about this?" Artemis questioned. "Because I'm not sure I want anyone poking through my head."

"It's cool with me. Better than running around like a chicken without a head." Robin stated.

"I am fine with it as well." Aqualad stated.

"My brain's all yours. Just try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you." Kid Flash smiled.

"Or underwhelm you." Robin smirked. "Hey, why isn't anyone just whelmed?"

'Because that would be stupid…' Phantom grumbled to himself.

"…" Artemis thought for a moment. She was encouraged, however, when Kid Flash held her hand. "Fine, but just that last six months."

"Really?" Phantom frowned. "You guys are buying this?"

"And you are not?" Aqualad addressed the ghost. "This scenario makes sense."

"Yeah, well that last situation I trusted just because it made sense…" Phantom frowned when remembered his dream world. "It didn't end well."

"Then what do you think is going on?" Kid Flash questioned.

"I don't know…but not this." Phantom looked away. "One of my enemies could be messing with me. Someone new might be trying trying to get me out of Amity Park. Hell, it could be time travel for all I know."

"Usually the correct answer is the one that's most simple." Robin argued.

"You haven't lived my life and afterlife, then." Phantom snorted. "Nothing is ever simple."

"Even if you did lose your memories, this has to seem like the most likely option." Superboy frowned. "After all, M'gann did restore my memories."

"I tend not to listen to people who just picked a fight with me." Phantom glared. "And you weren't exactly all there back then. For all I know, she messed with your head to change you."

"I would never do that!" M'gann looked offended.

"Uh huh. Whatever you say." Phantom looked away. "All I know is that I'm not letting anyone into my brain…not again."

"Then what are you going to do?" Artemis questioned. "It's not like you have a lot of options."

"You could just go after us." Aqualad suggested.

"Then she will have the chance to mess with your heads, too." Phantom argued.

"Dude, you have a lot of trust issues." Kid Flash mentioned. "I doubt even Bats is this bad…"

Robin glanced at the speedster. "Now, let's not get crazy."

"Please." M'gann stepped forward. "I'm asking you as a friend and teammate to trust me. Have a little faith."

"…I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to do that right now." Phantom turned and began to walk away. "I'm going to handle this the only way I know how….I'm going to find the guy responsible for the mess and kick his ass."

"Alone?" Aqualad questioned.

"I'm not like you. I don't need help to survive in a desert."

"How will you even find the guy?!" Artemis questioned.

"I find the place with the most soldiers and blow everything up." Phantom explained.

"Geeze, fine then." Kid Flash frowned. "Who needs you…"

"Wait!" Superboy called. "What if I told you about a secret you shared with me that you never told anyone else?! Would you believe me then?"

"Secret?" Phantom shook his head. "There wouldn't be any secret that I would share with you."

"It's about Spirit." Superboy spoke.

Phantom stopped.

"A few weeks ago you told me about her origin. How she's like-" Superboy stopped when he felt like a wave of anger was crushing him. In fact, the entire team seemed to be under the pressure.

"Be careful what you say, because even if I told you about that, if you ever did anything to endanger my family, I'd make you wish you were dead." Phantom glared back. "Now leave me alone. I'm doing this my way. Alone."

And with that, he was gone.

"We can't find him."

"He's nowhere in this city."

"It's like he disappeared…"

"Fools!" Croc snarled. "Fenton never leaves this city! Did you check his old home? Axion Labs? Hell, did you check the surrounding area?!"

"…No…" One of the goons shrunk away.

"THEN GO LOOK THERE!" Croc yelled angrily.

"If he's in Fenton Works or even Axion Labs, then it will be impossible to get him out." Scarecrow muttered. "Ever since the Fenton Works was destroyed, Fenton's become incredibly paranoid. That buildings that he works in probably has more security systems and weaponry protecting it than Belle Reve."

"Hnn…" Croc didn't seemed pleased by that. "Then what do we do?"

"We use bait." Scarecrow answered while he looked at Dani.

"No. No freaking way. We try that, and every hero in this city will go code red on our asses. There's Phanotm, Spirit, that dog, the wolf, knight, and every other ghost that seems to hang around this crazy city. Many of them can beat heroes from the Justice League." Croc frowned. "Mirror Master was damn lucky when he was here. He only had to fight the little girl, and he still lost. I don't like our odds if we poke the hornet's nest."

"Then what do you suggest?" Scarecrow was obviously irritated. This caused his demonic image to grow even more hellish in Dani's eyes.

"If getting Fenton out of those buildings is impossible, then we're out of options." Croc frowned. "By now people have figured out that the girl is gone. It might be smart to cut our losses and quit while we're ahead."

"You…want to quit?!"

"Yeah, I know when a mark's too much trouble. I may want to tear Red X a new one, but if I have to risk my damn life in the process…then it's not worth it." Croc reasoned.

"Well, I refuse to leave." Scarecrow glowered at the girl. "I know I can get this done. Then I can find Red X and find out how he did it. How he managed to use fear to make him stronger…"

"And you're willing to risk everything for that? I thought the whole reason we didn't bring Joker was because we wanted to get this done quietly. If he was here, then twenty people would have died already..." Croc glared. "Guess what. The quiet options are gone."

"But…"

"NO! WE'RE DONE!" Croc glared at the goons across the room. "PACK UP! WE'RE HEADING BACK TO GOTHAM!"

"Penguine's not going to like that…" One of the men said.

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN?!"

"No…" The man whimpered.

"GOOD THEN…Is that a cat?" Croc stared at the black cat that was rubbing against Dani. "How the hell did a cat get in here without me smelling it…"

"Are you changing the subject? Because-"

"Shut up." Croc sniffed the air. "I don't smell any cats. That thing is not an animal…No, but it does smell like…death…"

"AH!" A group of goons yelled as a portal of swirling white and black energy appeared behind them. Birdlike claws extended from the portal and grabbed several of the men.

Boom! A explosion caused another group of men to be knocked away. At the edge of the crater was Youngblood. He was holding a sword and looked angry. In fact, he didn't even make a comment as he flew into the group of men and began to beat them.

"What's going on?!"

"I don't know!"

"What do we do?"

"Meow…"

The men looked and saw that the cat that had been by Dani was now in front of them. Now that it was close to them, the saw that the cat wasn't normal. Energy seemed to drifting off of it. Its eyes were pure red. It was almost like it was…

Poof! The men were left coughing when the cat exploded in could of shadow gas. The sudden burst had surprised them.

"I have an idea…" Nyx floated behind the coughing men. "You can have your teeth kicked in. You will have your arm broken. And you…I'll shove your head up your but just for the fun of it…"

"What the hell is going on!?" Croc growled. "Are we being attacked by children? I don't even recognize any of them. Where are the others? Is it just them?"

"No…not…just them…" A gruff voice spoke. "Me…too…"

Killer Croc turned. He saw a being that was like him. A being that had human characteristics, but appeared more beat than man. Unlike him, though, this being was not really human. No, this thing was something different.

"Hello…" Wulf smiled and showed his sharp teeth. "And goodbye."

The werewolf ghost grabbed Croc's arm. Then, in a show of inhuman strength, he threw Killer Croc. He threw the 11 foot, 600 pound wall of scale and muscle like he was a pillow. Croc crashed into a nearby wall, and with a roar, Wulf flung himself after the villain.

"Damn!" Scarecrow stepped towards Dani. "They found us. I can't let them stop me. They won't hurt me if I hold you hosta-Gah!" Scarecrow was blasted away by a non-lethal blast of ectoplasm. He was sent stumbling back from the girl.

"Don't touch her."

"Bark!" Cujo in attack mode seemed to agree. He had hurried by his master's side and was ready to protect her.

"You…You're still alive?" Scarecrow questioned.

"Yeah, I was just taking a little break…" This person stepped in front of Dani. The halfa's savior was obviously female considering her build and curves. Her black and red futuristic suit was glowing with power that fueled her weapons. On the woman's back was a red bad, and on her head was a black helmet that showed a vague image of her face. "But I decided to come back just recently."

"And why's that, Red Huntress?"

"Because you decided to not only hurt a little girl, but also use your damn fear gas on her." Red Huntress glared at the villain. "And while I may not be in the best mood for this sort of thing, I'd never leave her in your sick hands. Now get ready, I'm about to beat you within an inch of your life."

"So…you came." A man with pale skin and dark clothes eyed Phantom. He didn't seem scared despite the fact that Phantom had quickly taken out the soldiers surrounding him. No, in fact, he seemed amused.

"I did…freaky brain dude…" Phantom raised an eyebrow at the man. The man's brain was showing through his clear skull. "And judging from you're obvious telepathic appearance, that you're the dude that mess with my head and the others?"

"I am." The man smirked.

"Good, so could you tell me your name…" Phantom punched his right hand into his left palm. "Because I'd feel bad if I knocked your teeth out without knowing your name."

"You, young ghost, can call me Psimon." The now identified Psimon answered.

"Psimon, huh?" Phantom frowned. "Weird name, but I'm not one to talk."

"Indeed…" Psimon chuckled. "And you are here to…what was it again? Knock my teeth out?"

"Yeah, I'm sick of people messing with my head, so I'm going to fix thing my style. By knocking some answers out of you." Phantom threated.

"Really? Because obviously you had trouble with me before." Psimon walked around the tent. At the center was some weird sphere thing. When Phantom had arrived, it was being electrocuted. It was almost as if…the thing was alive. Maybe it was. Phantom would have to check after this is done.

"I don't know, but I think it had to do with something involving those sidekicks." Phantom glared. "Because, from I've heard, telepaths have a hard time with ghosts. There's too much raw emotion in our brain. It's like trying to move through a raging storm."

"From what I saw, your brain was far from a raging storm." Psimon noted. "There wasn't even a dull roar."

"Uh huh, like I'm going to listen to you." Phantom readied himself. "Why don't you try it now, brain boy?"

"I think I shall." Psimon place a hand on his head. "Psimon say, 'Open your mind'."

"You wish…" Phantom flinched as he felt a minor ache hit his head. It was like someone was trying to stab at it.

"Well…you certainly are stronger…" Psimon smirked as he continued to force his way into Phantom's brain. "But this isn't close to the power you were talking about."

"That might be because I created a duplicate before coming in here."

"What?-ACK!" Psimon leaned forward and gasped out as an invisible hand rammed into his stomach.

"I may be a brash person, but I'm not completely stupid." The invisible Phantom duplicate turned visible. "I've been forced to do some homework on different powers. Telepaths and Telekenetics both need incredible concentration, and can usually concentrate on only a few things at a time. A duplicate is all I need to make sure you can't hurt me."

"I can still-Gah!" Psimon was stopped from using his telekenisis by the Phantom duplicate punching him in the face.

"No, you can't." The real Phantom muttered as he approached the telepath. "I won't let you focus enough to fight back."

"That's…rather brutal of the ghost that refused to go for the kill." Psimon gritted out as the duplicate held him in an arm bar.

"Nocturne wasn't worth killing."

Psimon snorted. "That's not what I meant. The bad part of losing your memory. You're always left out of the conversations and jokes."

"I'm about to get caught up." Phantom knelt down and looked Psimon in the eyes. "So Phantom says, 'Open your mind'…"

Using the connection that Psimon established, Phantom tried to force himself into the telepath's mind. Usually, this would be impossible for anyone who did not have mental powers. Phantom, however, was an S-rank ghost. He had experience with forcing his will and emotions on other people.

Just like using his Haunting Aura, Phantom let all his emotions out. The emotions forced their way into Psimon's mind, and began to overpower the telepath. Usually, Psimon could fight off the attack, even if the ghost was S-rank. Unfortunately for him, the physical attack on his body made focusing very difficult. Thus, he was left vulnerable to the attack.

"AHH!" Psimon yelled. For a moment, there was nothing. The, Phantom saw everything. The past six months of his life came flooding back. The details of the mission were all returned. Why they were in Bialya and how Miss Martian's mental link left them vulnerable to mental attack after they went to seach the camps invisibly. But that was not all he saw…

"Never turn your back on Phantom." Batman instructed Robin.

"We don't a trashy white Martian around here! Get out of here, filth."

"Remember, the neck is always one of the most vulnerable part of the body. One quick slash and its over." Sportsmaster stared down as the little blond girl.

"I don't know about Phantom, though." Wally noted to his parents. "He seems a little…unfocused at times."

"He'll mess up at some point." Red Arrow frowned at Aqualad. "Then you'll see that I'm right."

Superboy stood over the broken body of Superman. He was victorious. The Man of Steel was defeated by the clone's hands…

"Gah…" Phantom stumbled back. The visions were so vivid. They were memories, but not his memories. They belonged to…his team. It turned out they were telling the truth, but…how much was really kept hidden from him?

"H-how…" The slumping Psimon stared up at the halfa after the duplicate disappeared. "Not even I could discern all those…"

Bam! Phantom punted the telepath in the head. "Shut up…"

Looking around, Phantom sighed tiredly. In an instant, the old anger had disappeared. In its place was the usual numbness and fatigue. In the sphere's shining metal, Phantom saw his reflection. His eyes were so much duller than before.

"…These guys were obviously mistreating you…" Phantom placed his hand on the large sphere. "That means you're not friend of theirs. If I release you will you attack me?"

The sphere beeped again. It almost sound like a no.

"Good enough for me…" Phantom stated. "I'll take you back to base with the others. You can trust them…"

But the real question was…could Phantom trust them now, and would they trust him after this fiasco?

Only time would tell…

"Stand still!" Scarecrow yelled as he swung a knife at Red Huntress.

"You wish…" Red Huntress smirked as she grabbed the wrist holding the knife. With a twist, the knife was disarmed. Then is a single motion, she swept the villain's legs out from under him. Scarecrow hit the concrete with a loud groan.

Dani could tell that the fear gas was finally wearing off. The feelings of panic and absolute fear were quickly fading. This allowed Dani to concentrate on watching the fight, and she was completely enjoying it. Scarecrow was getting beaten to a pulp.

Pinning the villain to the floor, Red Huntress questioned, "Do you yield?"

"Never!" Scarecrow desperately struggled. He seemed to break some of his fear gas containers and smoke bombs. The gas spread around them. Scarecrow was safe because of his mask, but Red Huntress…

Was also safe because of her mask.

"Really? Do you not see the suit and helmet?" Red Huntress chuckled to herself. "And here I thought villains from Gotham were smart, but I guess you prove that assumption wrong."

"Damn, you-Gah!" Scarecrow yelled in pain as he felt his arm pop and buckle under the preasure of Red Huntress's hold.

"Watch your tongue, straw head." Red Huntress warned. "It might get you into trouble."

"Grr…"

Red Huntress sighed. "I should have taken the big guy. He would have been more fun."

"Too…late…" Wulf luged over the barely conscious Killer Croc and tossed him to the ground. "He done."

"Ah…ruin my fun." Red Huntress sighed. "Well at least, there might be the henchmen."

"Nope!" Nyx shouted from her pile of unconscious goons. "We already beat them."

"Arg…These landlubbers have gone to Davy Jone's locker." Youngblood grunted.

"That…was actually close." His parrot seemed surprised. "But no, the men are still alive."

"For now…" Youngblood frowned. "I don't like people messing with my friends."

"And the great and fearsome pirate has a soft side." Raven noted as she floated above them.

"You're one to talk!" Youngblood snapped. "You were the one who wanted to save Dani the most."

"I was just bored."

"But you were freaking out and everything." Nyx noted.

"I was bored."

"But-"

"I. Was. Bored."

"Okay! Okay! Jeeze…"

"Alright then…" Red Huntress glared down at the Scarecrow. "That's everyone here. Do you have any more in the city?"

"Why would I tell you something like-Arg! Ow! That hurts so badly! Okay! Okay! There's a few more of Penguin's henchmen around town, but by now they've heard about the fight and got the hell out of the city!" Scarecrow screamed as his arm was being dislocated.

"Thank you so much." Red Huntress smiled. "And now I have one more thing to tell you."

"Stupid little girl. If I weren't hurt, I'd rip your skin from your bones-Grah!" Killer Croc felt Wulf's foot press down on his face.

"Silent."

"Tell every villain, bad guy, crook, thief, and monster." Valerie glared down at the villains. "Amity Park is off limits. Anyone that comes here for trouble won't be forgiven."

Then, the Red Huntress and Wulf proceeded to knock out the villains.

Dani groaned as the large Cujo helped her to her feet. "Thanks for the assist. I really need it."

"No kiddin-Ow!" Nyx was interrupted when Raven elbowed her in the ribs.

"It was no problem, Dani." Valerie knelt down and smiled at the girl. "I couldn't just leave a friend who was in trouble, could I?"

"But…how did you even know I was in trouble?" Dani asked tiredly.

"I came over for your training…although, I was told later that you were too sore to do anything and forgot to call me…" Red Huntress noted.

"Blabbermouth." Nyx looked at Youngblood.

"What? But you're the one that-Ow!"

"Hush."

"After I saw the mess and you missing, I knew something was up. It's never simple when it involves you after all." Red Huntress smiled. "Luckily, I knew where my old equipment was. After that, finding your friends and tracking this place down was easy. These goons aren't exactly discrete. Your dad wanted to come too, but with considering the fact that these are Gotham villains, he thought it would be best to alert Batman and let us handle it."

"So…you put the suit back on just for this…" Dani frowned. "Does that mean, it was a onetime thing?"

"I…promised that I would come back when I was needed." Red Huntress stated. "I don't know if I'll be needed after this."

"You will." Wulf grunted. "Weird stuff… always… happen."

"He's not wrong…" Raven sighed.

"But…" Valerie looked away.

"Either way…thank you." Dani smiled. "I know you didn't want to put the suit back on. I'm glad that you were willing to do this for me, but if you don't want to be Red Huntress…no one will force you."

Valerie was silent for a moment. "That means a lot to me. But they're right. Amity Park always seems to find trouble. I might be needed after all. Even if I feel a little…unworthy, this isn't about pride. It's about making sure that the people I care about are safe. I might stick around just to make sure you and Danny don't get yourselves too hurt."

"You mean?"

Valerie smiled. "The Red Huntress is officially unretired."

At night, there was only the fatigue and ache. The glaring and terrible trembling of his body as it tried to recover from a day of experimentation was all he knew when the sun set. Everything hurt. It was not nearly as bad as during the day, but it was also worse at the same time.

He now had the ability to concentrate. Joel could now use his brain to focus enough to realize how hurt his body really was. He now had the brain capacity to understand just what was done to him during the day. The adrenaline and stress had worn off, and now all that was left was the memories and ache as a reminder of his torture.

That and the scars…

Each day, he was left completely drained and exhausted. His body was basically a husk. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't barely move his body. The most he ever got was a little bit of arm movement. That wasn't very encouraging.

The very worst part of night, however, was the loss of the ability to recharge for the next day. No matter what happened, Joel couldn't relax enough to sleep. Despite the absolute fatigue and exhaustion he felt, Joel was stuck in the land on consciousness. His aching body refused to let his mind relax, and the affects were starting to show.

Each day proved a harder struggle than the last to continue to fight. Joel became more and more tired every second. The will to stay alive was quickly fading. Soon, there would be nothing left.

If only he could sleep…He needed to rest. Joel was almost willing to give anything just to have peace. All he wanted to do was let go…

No…he couldn't do that…Not yet…

He would keep fighting. His body may not be able to move or rest well, but Joel wasn't willing to give up. Life was all that he had. It was too precious to give up on. But…the fight was becoming too hard.

"Please…" Joel whispered to anyone or anything willing to listen. "I need something. If I'm to stay alive, I need something. Anything. To help me stay sane. I need something to let me sleep…"

"Urk?" Joel stiffened. Something weird was happening. If felt like…his insides were shifting. You would expect that to feel incredibly painful, but it wasn't. No, it wasn't painful, just…awkward and unnerving. It was like worms were crawling under his skin.

But then it stopped. Not just the shifting and awkwardness were gone, though. No, everything was gone. The pain, the trembling, and the terrible aches and burning were all gone. In their place was nothing. It wasn't a good feeling. It wasn't a bad feeling. It was just…nothing.

And that was all that Joel needed.

Exhaustion quickly caught up to the caged boy. Without his aching body to keep him awake, sleep could finally take its hold. In moments, the boy was off to the land of dreams.

Yet, as he slipped into unconsciousness, Joel's tired mind managed to register something. It wasn't enough to keep him awake, but when he awoke, Joel would surely be troubled by this new development. After all, such changes would gain the attention of people of importance because…

His body was emitting green energy.

Bonding Moment: Artemis

Phantom stayed low in the bushes as he moved through the forest. This had to be his greatest challenge yet. He was forced to use all his cunning and intelligence just to survive. One mistake and he was dead.

Silently as possible, Phantom creeped through the trees and shrubbery. He had to find his target without making a noise. Any noise would alert the enemy to his presence. He had not dedicated an hour of his life moving slowly just to fail now. He had to finish this!

Seeing a flash of yellow nearby, Phantom knew he had finally found his target. Getting low, Phantom almost crawled to the yellow in the green thickness. All he had do was get close enough to strike. With that, he could end this death match.

When Phantom got close enough, he readied his weapon. With a twitch of his finger, the gun sent a barrage of bullets into the thick forest. Bullets spread everywhere and tore the yellow patch into pieces. After a few moments, Phantom stopped and approached the now red covered patch of yellow.

When he got close, though, Phantom noticed something. The yellow wasn't what he originally thought it was. No…it was a simple long yellow ribbon. But it couldn't be. If that wasn't the real deal, then that would mean…

"It's a trap!"

As soon as Phantom uttered those words, the first bullet hit him. It struck him the shoulder. A spray of green blasted across his clothes and the ground. But it didn't stop there. More bullets followed. Each one struck across Phantom's torso. In an instant, Phantom's clothes were leaking green liquid.

Freezing, Phantom took a moment to recognize what happened. His body was in shock. It couldn't process the fact that he had been hit by dozens of bullets. Then, in the next moment, reality caught up to him. Phantom fell back and landed on the ground with a thud.

He was dead.

…

…

…

"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."

"I do, I take my paintball very seriously." Phantom noted. "It's a way of life."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a dork?" Artemis questioned.

"Every girl that I have ever spoken to." Phantom stated.

"Okay, I just wanted to check and make sure." Artemis smirked. "You actually did pretty well. Your stealth has improved by leaps and bounds."

"Just imagine if I could turn invilsible and fly…"

"No. No powers. You have to play fair." Artemis glared.

"You're no fun…" Phantom looked away. "Maybe we should invite some of the others. You know, just to give me a fighting chance?"

"I don't think that would be the best idea." Artemis noted.

"Why's that?"

"Okay, let's just take a minute to evaluate our friends." Artemis explained. "A clone with anger management issues, an alien that can barely hold a gun, a fishman that takes everything too seriously, a speedster that can't stop talking, and the ultimate ninja boy."

"Wow…" Phantom frowned. "I have weird friends…and this is coming from the dead guy."

"And do you think any of them would make our paintball game better?" Artemis questioned. "This would turn into an all-out war in five minutes."

"Less than that…" Phantom sighed. "You make excellent arguments."

"Of course I do." Artemis smirked and put her goggles back on. "Now get ready for round two."

"You know, I do realize that you don't want them here because you enjoy beating me…" Phantom stated dryly.

"And your point is?"

"Nothing. I'm just pointing out how dismal my life is…"

"Don't be sad. I might even let you get a free shot in."

"Really?!"

"No."