Chapter 10: "X"

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be."

Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind)

Chapter 10: "X"

(Tuesday-September 7, 2010)

"Have you thought about accepting any of the proposals?" Harriet Chin's voice sounded in Danny's ears. "There's a lot of them piling up."

"Actually, I was just looking across them last night." Danny acknowledged. "I'm surprised that so many people want to work with me on such complicated projects. I don't know if I'd be able to keep up with these people."

"You're gaining a reputation." Harriet stated. "The Phoenix. A genius with unlimited potential. Who wouldn't want to work with you?"

"Uh huh, so you've been coining that name?" Danny questioned as he moved through the crowd of people around him."

"Why not? It's my job to make sure good information and publicity gets out there." Harriet sounded pleased. "Just look how popular you are. Everyone wants Fenton tech."

"You know, when we first went over the job description, I was more interested in you helping my…other half." Danny reached into the black and red hoody he was wearing and pulled out a pair of red sunglasses.

"Well that half doesn't need my help. Even cynics like G. Gordon are praising the ghost boy of Amity Park." Harriet mentioned. "It's a big change, but they're probably just trying ride the wave of popularity. It's how journalism works."

"That I do know." Danny activated the sunglasses. As the halfa looked around, the glasses scanned the people surrounding him. "But as for the regular side, you can tell Dr. Roquette, Dr. Strange, and Mr. Fox that I'm interested. They're the only ones that don't want to develop weapons."

"And the others?" Harriet questioned.

"Let them down gently." Danny stated. Beep! The glasses found one. "But I think some of the offers will be retracted soon after this whole North and South Rhelasia thing gets resolved."

"You think this mystery guy is going to be able to stop them from going to war?" Harriet questioned.

"Don't know, but I'm going to give him a fighting chance at least." Danny smirked. Beep! Another one was found. That makes two. "Sorry, Harri, but I have to go take care of something."

"Alright, but you do know that you might have to meet these guys in person right?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Danny snorted as he began to move. "Bye."

"Talk to you later."

Seeing the two pictures in front of his eyes, Danny instantly knew that this wouldn't be easy. One of these two people would be hard enough to stop. Stopping both of them on his own would be a challenge that Danny didn't know if he could accomplish. Luckily, his glasses spotted someone else in the crowd that would give him some back up.

Deciding that he would go to the more dangerous of the two, Danny took off his glasses and pulled up his hood. This wasn't to disguise his appearance, though. The Fenton Disguise Belt he was wearing already made people seem him as a blond with a normal face. No, he wanted to hide something else…

His new battle suit.

'Activate.' Danny thought. While not gaining much progress on mentally controlled tech, this suit was an exception. He managed to have it activate and deactivate with a mere thought. It helped so that no one saw anything unusual as he moved to his target.

Despite no one seeing, though, Danny felt the suit under his hoody and baggy jeans activate. The first thing that happened was the pain. He felt the needles cut into his spine. For anyone other than a person with rapid regeneration, this would have been an instant death sentence. Fortunately, Danny did have regeneration.

Before, the activation of his suit was a loud process. Luckily, he improved the suit to do this silently. So no one noticed as the suit activated and began expand. Most of his suit was already set, but Danny decided before that a mask wouldn't be enough protection. Thus, he made it so that the suit would send a mental helmet up his neck to his head.

Danny felt the metal slide around his chin and up the back of his head. When this was finished, a tinted visor slid down from the top of his helmet to his chin. With his face completely covered, Danny smirked as the visor activated. The front of the unbreakable glass showed a simple smiling skull design with a red x on the forehead.

This wouldn't bother Danny, though. He couldn't see the skull. What Danny saw was an enhanced vision of what was around him. Data and information ran down the side. It told Danny everything he needed to know about the assassins.

It was then that Danny arrived next to his target. She was looking at the car that was approaching the area. The dark haired girl was smirking as her eyes and flingers flashed pink.

Just as the girl was about to attack, Danny intervened. He knocked her arm into the air. This caused the pink energy she was gathering to be sent into the sky. The energy was intercepted by a rocket that was most likely sent by the other assassin.

As the crowd dropped to the ground because of the large explosion, Danny began to attack the assassin he had intercepted. He punched her in the face, but she didn't take the full blow. With a show of absolute grace and flexibility, the girl leaned back to lessen the blow. This led to a cartwheel in order to avoid further damage from close range fighting. In a swirl of pink energy, the girl changed into the dangerous Jinx.

At this point, the guards had taken notice of them. These men had no chance, however. Jinx sent them flying with a wave of bad luck energy. Danny disabled a few of the other guards that were attacking by using his duel ectoplasmic pistols that were strapped to his belt.

Turning the pistols to the side, Danny tried to blast the other assassin who was dressed in a green kimono and smiling cat mask. The assassin dodged the blasts, but this left her open to another attack from a redheaded man is a suit.

Jinx tried to attack her assailant, but Danny's reaction speeds and fighting abilities were greatly boosted by the suit. He flipped through the air and dodged the blast. His hoody and jeans, however, was grazed by the energy. In an instant, his disguise was destroyed. Now, in full view of everyone, Danny stood in a red and black metal combat suit.

The suit was futuristic and had a dull red glow that showed the amount of energy it contained. Danny's red and black Disguise Belt contained different slots and pouches along with his pistol holsters. His gauntlet gloves and boots were thick and contained dangerous weapons of their own. On his chest, gloves, and helmet, Danny had an insignia that had a bit of notoriety with it.

Red X.

Jinx froze. She recognized him instantly. She was one of the few people outside the Phantom Family that knew the secret of Red X. "You…"

"Hello, Jen." Red X stated. He made sure to talk in a darker to tone in order to hide his real voice and identity.

"Tch…" Jinx looked around at the destruction and chaos. "We'll finish this later." In a swirl of pink energy, she disappeared.

"I bet, but it seems like…" Red X looked over to the man that would be the key to peace between two nations. It was Lex Luthor. "Things have gotten a whole lot more complicated."

Dani was not a morning person. No, sir, she was definitely not even close to be a morning person. Her usual cheerfulness was saved for the times between noon and the time she went to sleep. It was 7:30 in the morning, and she was hating it.

Despite this, Dani decided to walk to school today. Part of it involved the desire to enjoy the nice weather. The larger and more significant motivation, however, was the desire to stay away from her school for as long as possible.

"I hate life right now…" Dani muttered as she walked down the street.

"And why's that?" Rachel questioned from Dani's side.

"School…" Dani sighed.

"You sound like Nyx." Rachel noted. "You two are a lot alike."

"That is the worst insult you have ever given me…"

"But really, I thought it had to do with the kidnapping thing." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Meh, I'm over that." Dani shrugged. "Dad's going to make those guys' lives miserable, and we got back Red Huntress, so it wasn't all bad."

"Excellent arguments." Rachel nodded, and decided to change the subject. "Do you think Nyx and Youngblood are flying there?"

"I don't know about Nyx, but I thought walking would be alright for today." Youngblood's voice spoke behind them.

"Ah, so you…" Rachel paused when she saw Youngblood.

Dani stared as well.

"What?" Like they expected, Youngblood's regular appearance was disguised by a Fenton Disguise Ring. What really surprised them was the simple t-shirt and jeans he was wearing.

"I don't think I've ever seen you dressed normally before." Dani stated.

"Oh, this? Well, I can't to school looking like a pirate, cowboy, or astronaut…Trust me, I wanted to, but I was told not to…" Youngblood sighed.

"And your parrot is gone. Although, I don't think a pet would be allowed in school, anyway." Rachel mentioned.

"Yeah, Polly couldn't come." Youngblood gained a sad look.

"He'll meet us after school." Dani smiled supportively.

"Yeah…" Youngblood nodded as they continued their walk to school. "Oh, speaking of school…"

"Yes?" Rachel asked carefully.

"Well, you can't call me Youngblood in the school, so I'm going by Charlie." Youngblood explained.

"Charlie?" Dani raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that name?"

"It was my name before I died." Youngblood stated neutrally.

"Oh…" Rachel seemed surprised.

"What? You thought Youngblood was always my name?" Youngblood chuckled. "Most ghosts change their names when they die. New life, new name."

"But I thought…You were a ghost crafted from an idea?" Dani frowned. "You know, humanity's desire to remain young?"

"Well…I did say that, but it's only a little true." Youngblood blushed a little. "Actually, when I was alive, I read all these stories about staying a kid forever. Peter Pan, Fountain of Youth, and imaginary planes of existence. That's what I meant before. Must have got caught up in the moment before…"

"Oh…Um…" Rachel seemed uncomfortable.

"I know what you're thinking, but no, I won't tell you what's my life was like before. That was a long time ago." Youngblood stated. "What happened when I was alive died with me. What matters is my life now, right Dani?"

"…"

"Dani?" Youngblood and Rachel stopped a looked back at Dani. She had stopped and was looking at something.

"Huh? Oh, sorry…" Dani turned to her friends. "I always get distracted when I come by here…"

Dani had been staring across the street at the place that once contained the Nasty Burger. The remains of the building had been torn down, and the location of the fast food restaurant had moved. In its place was a statue that had been put up shortly after the GIW were run out of the city. As a general principle, most of the Phantom Family avoided this place, especially Danny. Too many memories.

The statue in the area was one of several people. It was in honor of the several individuals that died nearly a year ago. They were the only human casualties Amity Park ever had from ghosts, super villains, and GIW attacks. It was Danny's friends and family.

Gone, but not forgotten.

"Yeah…" Rachel nodded in understanding.

"I get it…" Youngblood agreed.

Dani may have never known these people, but her adopted brother did. These were the people Danny cared about most…before. While Dani had no feelings for them personally, Danny did. And that was all that mattered to Dani.

"Come on." Dani began to walk away. "We don't want to be late on our first day."

"Yeah…"

"So…" Lex Luthor eyed the mercenary in front of him. "Red X. The mystery of Gotham. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Pleasure? If this were a pleasure then these men wouldn't be pointing guns at me." Red X eyed the men around him. They weren't willing to attack or get close to the mercenary yet, but Red X could see the fear in their eyes.

Luthor waved them down. "Relax, gentlemen. This man obviously means no harm right now. If he did, he would have already went on his rampage."

"Very astute…" Red X eyed the hero that Luthor had freed before Red X. "And Red Arrow is it? No offense, but it's not the most original name. I feel like you're ripping off both me and Green Arrow."

"No one cares what you think." Red Arrow glared.

"Oh, someone's panties are in a twist." Red X chuckled as he followed Luthor into the building. "Relax, arrow boy. We're all on the same side here."

"Same side?" Red Arrow glared. The building interior were filled with reporters and armed men. Oddly enough, Red X trusted the armed men more out of the two. "Both of you are in this for personal gain. In fact, you both might be trying to profit out of starting a war."

"I take offense to that." Luthor watched as the reporters commentated on the growing tensions from the leaders of the feuding countries. "Lex Corp is a company founded on peaceful enterprise for all humanity."

"Of course, that hasn't stopped you from selling weapons to both sides of Rhelasia." Red X noted. "But if you personally stop the conflict, you can still sell them weapons while gaining profits from trading other goods as well. Keeping them from going to war is a lot more profitable than letting them fight it out."

"Ah, someone that can actually think at the margin." Luthor smiled.

"I'm a mercenary. The only reason I care about this is because my client has an invested interest in peace as well." Red X stated. "But my job is only to make sure there isn't war. It has nothing to do with keeping you safe, Mr. Luthor. If your death means peace, then so be it. But…I might be persuaded to try and find a different method if I find the proper motivation…"

Luthor actually seemed amused by this. "One job, double the profit. Smart. Very well, we'll talk about your payment after the meeting."

"Disgusting." Red Arrow frowned. "Taking Luthor's blood money. A real man, a real hero would do this for free."

"I ain't no hero, Speedy." Red X mocked. "I'm just the guy getting paid to find out who's behind this and put a stop to him."

"Ah, the actual question here." Luthor noted. "Who hired the Shadow's, and why?"

Red Arrow frowned. "And…were you the real target, or was your death a convenient way to sabotage the summit."

"Well, I'll leave you two to find out. A mercenary that thrived in Gotham City, and a new hero that works for free." Luthor smiled as he walked away. "I feel that I'm in capable hands."

"I don't want or need your help, X." Red Arrow glared. "I can handle this on my own."

Red X snorted. "You have no clue, do you, hero? The Shadows aren't going to be stopped by one man armed with only arrows. If you're going to come out victorious, you're either going to need to let go of your pride or break some rules."

"You're wrong." Red Arrow argued.

"No, I'm not." Red X's form began to blur as he began to teleport out of the area. "But you'll see that soon enough."

It was then that Red X appeared on top of a nearby roof. He stood and watched as the people below him moved. Red Arrow would most likely go interrogate Cheshire. That was fine with Red X. He had a different person to deal with…

"What are you doing here, liar?" Jinx glared at Red X as she appeared on the roof as well.

"You know, this and that…" Rex X mentioned.

Jinx's glare intensified.

"Not in the mood for jokes, eh?" Red X's visor slid up to reveal his disguised face. "Then what are you in the mood for, Jen?"

"The truth." Jinx glared.

"There's many different forms of truth. Do you mean the truth of Red X, Fenton, or Phantom?" Red X questioned.

"They're all the same." Jinx snapped.

"In a physical body sense, yes." Red X noted. "But if one person acts in different ways, then he or she is wearing a mask. The only question is that which one is a mask?"

"That a jab at me too?" Jinx sighed.

"It's a jab at everyone in this game." Red X nodded. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, Jen. Do you want to know why I never told you that I was a ghost? Do you want to know how I died? Do you want to know if I was ever really the person you thought I was?"

"Yes." Jinx nodded.

"Okay, then…" Red X began. "I never told you that I was a ghost, because it would have put everyone I knew and loved at risk. I already lost my family and friends once because of this life. I didn't want it to happen again."

Jinx was silent.

"I died when I messed with my parent's ghost portal. The ectoplasmic radiation caused me to mutate. I became what is known as a half-ghost. Half human, half ghost, all power." Red X explained. "I can change between the planes of life and death at will. You can imagine how…unnerving that is at times."

Jinx once again didn't say anything.

"And about that last one…I was always genuine with you, Jen." Red X deactivated the Disguise Belt. Phantom's face appeared before the girl. "You were my friend, and I cared about you. You knew more about my like than anyone outside of my family and comrades ever did… Because no matter what side you see, I'm still Danny.

That's why both Fenton and Phantom have the same first name. They're both Danny. Both of them are…two sides of the same coin. In the middle, they're the same. They just have different appearances." Danny finished.

"…Damn it…" Jinx scoffed and looked up into the sky. "Why is it so hard to stay mad at you?"

"Because I'm lovable and cute?"

"Don't push your luck." Nevertheless, Jinx smirked. Then, she sighed. "Alright. I believe you, and…I understand. I kept my fair share of secretes from you. Heck, I even destroyed your home. Yet you forgave me. I'd be a pretty bad friend if I couldn't do the same for a lesser offense."

"Thank you." Danny smiled.

"But…this leads to the complicated part." Jinx noted. "Jennifer and Fenton are friends. Jinx and Phantom are enemies. So, what is Red X to me?"

"A kindred spirit." Red X stated as his visor slid down. "And one that has a proposition."

"Oh?"

"I need you to take me to your boss." Red X explained. "I need to talk to him about this assassination contract. I know that the Shadows are all about bettering mankind, but this war will accomplish nothing. It will lead to only useless bloodshed and loss for everyone. No one will gain from it."

"And you think the Great One will listen to you?" Jinx questioned.

"If I is use reason and money, then, yes I do." Red X stated.

"…Okay, Danny. I'll do this for you, but I'm warning you. This might end with my having to fight you." Jinx warned.

"Then you should know…I won't go for the kill. Not with you."

"Yeah…same here."

"…History is made every day." Dani's history teacher instructed from the front of the classroom. "Events that we witness will be talked about for years to come. For example, the summit for North and South Rhelasia."

While not a history major, Dani did find this topic interesting. Usually, her teachers were dull, but this Jason Blood seemed to really know his stuff. He made the topic interesting. It was almost like he lived through it.

"The events that occur today will be remembered. Whether Mr. Luthor fails or succeeds at his task. Either the people in the future will look back and learn from the events that occur." Mr. Blood spoke. He was a middle aged man with streaks of grey in his crimson hair. "Because if we forget our past, we continue to make the same mistakes as before."

The class looked on silently.

"Now, let's discuss the different things that will occur from this summit." Jason Blood stated. "Who has an idea?"

Rachel raised her hand from her desk.

"Yes?"

"Well, the most obvious thing is war." Rachel stated.

"Wow, way to be optimistic…" Victor frowned at the girl from his seat next to her.

"No! It's splendid that she thinks about this possibility. Miss Roth is a realist." Mr. Blood encouraged. "War is a likely outcome. But what would be the consequences of said war?"

Nyx raised her hand. "A lot of chaos, bloodshed, and death."

"Exactly." Jason Blood nodded his head. "War is never pretty. That's why we try to avoid it."

"But there was a war not too long ago." Youngblood noted. "And people didn't seem to try and avoid that."

"And thus there was the mistake." Mr. Blood gained a solemn look. "The Guys in White were too trigger happy and it led to their undoing. It might be for this reason that the leaders of Rhelasias are willing to try and cooperate. The outcome of war is never certain. In fact, it might be one soldier that can be the undoing for the entire army."

"Like Phantom?" Dani asked.

"Yes, like Phantom." Jason Blood nodded.

"And…Luthor is in a similar position now?" Dani questioned.

"Very astute, Miss Masters." Mr. Blood smiled.

"Does that worry you, Mr. Blood?" One of Dani's many classmates inquired.

"Hmm…What do you mean?" Jason Blood questioned. "There's a lot I'm worried about in this situation."

"Well…" Victor started. "Well, there's a reason my dad doesn't work for Lex Corp after all. Lex Luthor isn't known to be a saint. If war would benefit him, then most people would think that he would be the first one to say to go to war. And now, that he has to power to control this…"

"I tend not to judge a man unless I have met him myself, but…" Mr. Blood sighed. "These preconceptions have some merit to them. We will just have to wait and see."

"Then…It will be history…" Dani noted.

"Exactly."

"The infamous Red X…" A man who appeared to be middle aged spoke. He had black hair with streaks of grey, long black mustache, and long black eyebrows. The man wore a regal green cloak with black clothing underneath. Despite appearing somewhat young, Red X knew that this man was well over 600 years old. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need to speak with you, Master Ra's Al Ghul." Red X bowed lightly to the master assassin. If he wanted this to work, he needed to be respectful.

"And you know of me…You are certainly a surprise, Mister X." Ra's Al Ghul noted. "Alright then, what do you wish to speak about?"

"Your contract to sabotage the summit." Red X answered.

"I see…and you were one of the two people that interfered with the initial attempt." Ra's stated.

"Yes, Great One." Red X nodded. "But that was only because of my contract."

"So we have different goals, then?" Ra's turned to the girl kneeling before him. "Tell me, Jinx, why did you bring him here?"

"He is very skilled master." Jinx explained. "I thought that this might be an excellent opportunity for you."

"You make an excellent point, child." Ra's acknowledged. "Despite only appearing once, you made quite the impression Red X. I would like for you to be on my side."

"Thank you, Great One, but I have to decline that offer." Red X explained. "I'm…too free of spirit to be held down. I move with the wind. I only take jobs that interest me."

"And this interests you? You don't seem the type to enjoy peace." Ra's noted.

"And you don't seem like the type to uselessly go to war." Red X retorted. "But a contract is a contract. I suppose that's why we both have an interest in this."

"You know this, yet you still ask us to abandon our mission." Lady Shiva walked out from the shadows of the building behind Ra's and walked around the mercenary. The compound that they were in was quite large, so she could give him a large gap of distance between them. "Obviously, you know that we will refuse your request."

"Quite right, Lady Shiva." Ra's noted. "You must have known that this request for peace was doomed to failure."

"Perhaps, but it was the best option for me." Silently, Red X gasped. Blue smoke appeared behind his helmet.

"Best option?" Walker appeared behind the mercenary. The ghost glared at the man in red and black. "Sounds to me you were trying to get yourself killed, punk."

"Or, I was trying to scope out the enemy while at least trying to be civil." Red X argued.

"Then I guess that means that the parley is over." Ra's frowned. "Jinx, Shiva, Walker, dispose of him."

"Oh, this is going to be good…" Red X mumbled as he reached for his guns.

"Well…" Victor noted as they walked out of their school. "That wasn't the worst experience ever…"

"Speak for yourself!" Nyx looked close to crying. "I've never sat still that long in my life!"

"What? Were you homeschooled or something?" Victor questioned.

"Or something." Rachel interjected. "She's a rather spoiled child."

"Can it, gloom and doom!" Nyx glared.

"Make me, cat girl." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I'm ready to do something fun. Let's go on an adventure or something. I bet there's a scary building to explore or a buried treasure to find somewhere…" Youngblood ignored the bickering girls (really only Nyx) out of raw experience.

"Er…Okay…" Victor frowned. "I thought you guys would want to play basketball or something…"

"Sounds fun." Dani agreed. "We can look for buried treasure later."

"Aw…" Youngblood's shoulders drooped in disappointment.

"No thanks." Rachel frowned. "I don't feel like doing physical activity today. I'd prefer reading."

"Count me out too. I need some chaos. I say we spar." Nyx suggested.

"You guys know martial arts?" Victor questioned.

"Naw, we just fly around and-Mmmhhh…" Youngblood was interrupted when Dani covered his mouth with her hand.

"It's just a game. You know, pretend fighting and all that." Dani chuckled. "I wouldn't be caught dead fighting."

Three pairs of eyes turned to her in unison. Each one said, 'The only time you actually do fight is when you're dead.' Dani just glared at them.

"Oh, that's too bad." Victor sighed. "I always wanted to try MMA stuff. But my dad…He wants me to 'use my mind instead of focusing on useless sports'."

"Well…" Dani shrugged her shoulders. "Danny has talked about him. He seems totally dedicated to science. It would make sense that he would think that way."

"Yeah…" Victor agreed, but didn't look pleased by it.

"It's alright." Nyx noted. "You're not the only one with differing goals from your parents."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Youngblood smiled. "Nyx's mom wants her to be a police officer. Rachel's mom would prefer if she stayed inside all the time. And Dani's dad really wants her to get into business, but I can't imagine that. Dani would go crazy."

"You got that right…" Dani muttered.

"Well…at least I'm not alone in that department…" Victor gave a small smile.

"Speaking of that…If you're so into sports, why hang out with us? We're not that sporty…" Rachel stated.

'Except for fighting all the time…' Dani thought.

"Hey, that's pretty rude, Gloom and Doom. And this is coming from me, so it's pretty bad." Nyx stated.

"Yeah, you're the girl that will insult someone. Kick them while they're down. Then insult them again-Ow!" Youngblood stopped when an elbow was rammed into his ribs.

"Don't agree with me." Nyx glared.

"I think it's a valid question." Rachel stated. "None us are athletes. Don't jocks usually spend time with other jocks?"

"Yeah, I guess, but I like hanging around you guys." Victor smiled. "You're funny and know how to have a good time. And while you do make fun of each other, it's as friends. Most of the jocks in this city seem to be bullies."

"It used to be a lot worse from what Danny tells me." Dani admitted. "But after everything that happened in this city…Well, it cooled down a lot. Emergencies and tragedies tend to bring the best out of people."

"Or the worst…" Rachel argued. "But for this city…Yeah, people are good under pressure."

"Good." Victor mentioned. "Because this place seems to have a lot of them-"

ROAR!

All five of the children had to steady themselves as the ground shook. It was obvious, though, that the source wasn't on the ground. No, what roared and caused the ground to shake was up in the sky.

"Is that…a dragon?" Victor paled.

"Yep." Nyx nodded.

"And is it spitting out fire?" Victor questioned.

"Yep." Youngblood nodded.

"Okay…Is that new?" Victor asked.

"Nope." Dani shook her head. "We've had dragon problems before…"

"Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaat…" Victor noted.

"Welcome to Amity Park." Rachel sighed.

Red X flipped out of the way of the blast of pink energy. He would have attacked the source of the energy, but if he stopped moving, he would get caught. As soon as Red X landed, he was forced to continue moving. Shiva had sent several punches and kicks at the Red X's suit.

The mercenary managed the dodge and block all the blows, but didn't have the chance to use any of his suit's functions to counter attack or move away. Shiva's skill and ferocity made sure that Red X could only defend.

"Gah…" Red X grunted as a blast of green energy hit his side and sent him sprawling. Walker smirked as he watched the mercenary roll away after taking the hit.

Once again, Red X had not chance to think. He was forced to keep moving when a blade was sent sailing at his head. The x's on the back of Red X's gloves extended into blades. He brought his hands up and blocked the blade. The woman in the smiling cat mask tried to follow up with this attack, but wasn't allowed to.

Bam!

Red X was sent flying back by Sportsmaster. He had kicked the mercenary in the head. Cheshire didn't seem happy that he interrupted their confrontation, but said nothing. She had a job to do.

"Well…" Red X grunted as he stood up. "This isn't going well."

It wasn't. Defeating one of the first three opponents would be difficult enough on their own. Having the three of them work together somewhat efficiently made his chances of victory shrink drastically. Then Cheshire and Sportsmaster appeared. Things went downhill from there. Fighting five on one with four of the opponents being deadly assassins and one deadly ghost was not a good thing for the mercenary.

"And you thought it would, kid?" Sportsmaster seemed amused.

"He obviously didn't plan for all of us." Shiva noted.

"No he didn't even plan at all." Cheshire noted. "He was doomed to die the moment he came into this compound."

"Why isn't he running, though?" Walker questioned. "A cornered rat always runs."

"You are quite right, Walker…" Shiva looked a Jinx. "Do you have an input?"

"…" Jinx eyed Red X. "He did something."

"What?" Sportsmaster laughed. "What could he do?"

"I don't know, but I can feel him grinning." Jinx glared.

"Grinning? All I can see is his suit being torn to pieces." It was true. The Red X suit had taken quite a bit of damage in the fight. Chunks of metal were torn from it. It had several deep scratches and dents.

"It…might be the explosives that are all around the courtyard…" Cheshire noted.

"Explosives…" They all looked around. There were giant red x's and glowing pieces of metal all around them.

"You shouldn't have chased all around this place…" Red X explained. "See, from my experience, when people have the upper hand, they never think that the person getting their ass kicked is actually planning for it to happen. Not until they blow up at least."

"Hmm…" Ra's Al Ghul was still at his original spot. The blast wouldn't get to him so he just stood and watched. "Quite impressive. Your right glove leaves explosive x's on the ground as you move around the courtyard and you subtly dropped explosives as your armor tore off. In the heat of battle, none of them recognized this."

The five attackers were all silent. It was a rookie mistake. They became overconfident with their numbers and underestimated their opponent. Now they were all trapped.

Granted, they never thought that Red X would use such a roundabout tactic. In fact, very few would have the guts or skill to stay alive long enough to pull this off. It showed just how impressive the Red X suit was. The main purpose of the suit was to instill great skill into the user. The suit installed itself into the spine and sent pulses through the nervous system that allowed Phantom's body to move as a master of combat and martial arts.

There was a problem for Red X, however. His suit only had enough power to teleport three times every couple of hours. The explosion would hurt him too. But that wasn't the point. His plan had worked.

"So what now, boy?" Sportsmaster questioned. "We all blow up?"

"No…" Red X shook his head. "We all stay here…"

"I see. You never planned to win. You just wanted to take out the main players…" Shiva noted. Despite everything, she was impressed. This young man showed potential. "Impressive tactic."

"With us here, Red Arrow and whatever security Luthor has will keep him safe." Cheshire stated.

"Smart…" Jinx had to fight to hold back a smirk.

"An explosion won't hurt me." Walker glared. "I can turn intangible before the explosion can come close to hurting me. Then, you're dead."

"But your life will still be forfeit." Red X mentioned. "The Shadows won't take your willingness to sacrifice four of their best assassins lightly. I bet the Great One himself will kill you."

"Indeed." Ra's agreed from his spot.

"Then…None of us can move…" Walker gritted his teeth.

"That was the plan. I only need to stall for a few hours. After all, sometimes victory doesn't actually need to involve winning the fight. I think long term. The war is more important."

"There is a flaw in your plan, though… It involves trusting a hero." Jinx explained.

"Red Arrow…meh, I'll just call him Speedy, wants to prove himself." Red X mentioned. "He won't let Luthor die just out of pride. This has nothing to do with pride."

"Hmm…" Shiva eyed the masked man. "Who exactly are you? Very few people would think this way."

"Me?" Red X's visor slid up to reveal his false face. "I'm just a memory…"

"So willing to reveal your face?" Walker questioned. "That's odd."

"That's the thing about memories they change as times passes." The visor slid back down. "You never know what it will look like next…"

"Hmm…" Cheshire eyed the mercenary. "You do know that we'll figure a way out of this, right?"

"As I said, I buying time-ah!" Under Red X's visor, blue smoke escaped his mouth. At the same time, his suit began to beep. Just like it had before his meeting with Ra's. He had known that Walker was there but now…It appeared another ghost was here.

Uh oh…

"Do…do you have another ghost in the Shadows?" Red X questioned.

"No…"

"That's what I was afraid of…"

Then, all hell broke loose.

Getting Victor to leave was a difficult task. He had a lot of chivalrous ideals. He didn't want to leave three girls when there was an obvious disaster going on. One quick distraction (an empty car blowing up) was all that was necessary to become separated from him.

After that, the other children quickly suited up (Going ghost!) and flew up to the dragon. That, however, was the easy part. Fighting the dragon…that wasn't easy. No, this thing was tougher than Spirit thought it would be. It didn't seem to get hurt at all.

The black and purple dragon wearing a black power ring snarled at them. "Stupid, children! You think you can actually hurt me!?"

"Obviously!" Nyx created several different spikes made out of her shadow ectoplasmic energy. The spikes were sent at Aragon's back. Usually, these spikes could tear into concrete. Each spike, however, bounced off the dragon's scales like rubber. "What?"

"Fool!" Aragon swiped at Nyx. The claw was covered with the black energy of the power ring. Spirit's Premonition screamed at her that the attack would destroy Nyx. So, with speed that she didn't know she had, Spirit pushed Nyx out of the way of the claw.

While Aragon was distracted, Youngblood in his usual pirate outfit pointed his peg leg at the dragon ghost. A cannon appeared out of the leg. It fired several balls of energy at the dragon. This, however, wasn't even a mind annoyance to the dragon. He didn't even seem to feel it.

"Azaroth Metrion Zinthos!" Raven called as she sent a wave of black and white energy at the dragon's head. Usually, magic was incredibly effective against ghosts. The conflicting energy caused great pain to the ghosts.

This wasn't the case this time, though.

"Little bug…do you think you can hurt the beast of death?" Aragon grinned at the girl. "Burn."

Dark black fire began so seep from the dragon's mouth. Even from her position, Spirit could feel the heat from there. That fire…it was different than anything Spirit had ever felt before. If that fire hit Raven then she would be ashes instantly.

In a desperate move to save the girl, Nyx and Spirit flew at the dragon's head at full speed. They rammed into the dragon's head with great force. Usually, this kind of force would break a normal man. It would hurt a normal ghost. The most it did this time was barely alter the path of the fire.

This was just enough. Raven was barely able to dodge the force of the flames. Black fire nearly hit the girl. She managed to dodge it by a hair. Despite this, Raven felt the heat of the fire. Sweat poured down her body. Her skin tingled and crackled under the heat.

"Move!" Youngblood yelled. He was now on the dragon's back. He was trying to cut the dragon with his sword. None of the slashes did any damage, however. The black energy covering the scales made cutting the dragon near impossible.

"Was there a light breeze on my back?" Aragon questioned as he quickly grabbed Youngblood.

"Let him go!" Spirit demanded as she tried to assist her friend. This, however, got her captured as well.

"Ah…the little ghost girl." Aragon's sharp teeth showed. He ignored as Nyx and Raven hammered him with attacks. With a swipe of the tail, the girls were forced to scurry away like flies. "If I remember correctly, Phantom cares a great deal about you. He once took the thing that matter most to me. Perhaps I should return the favor…"

Aragon's plan was to crush her like a grape. His giant claws could break her with ease. Spirit knew this just based on her Premonition. Fortunately, he never got the chance.

ROAR!

"Sister?" Aragon questioned as a light blue and white dragon grabbed onto him.

"Brother!" Dora the dragon ghost demanded. "Stop this!"

"Silence, wench!" Aragon glared. "After I deal with the worms, I'll kill you trator-Ah!"

Two blasts of energy hit the dragon's class. One was magenta. The other was green. It did very little damage to the dragon, but it loosened Aragon's hold on the two children. This gave Plasmius and Red Huntress the opportunity to grab the kids and fly down into the city.

"Dad! RH!" Spirit yelled as the heroes released them. Plasmius did not respond, however. He flew back to Aragon without a second thought. "Wait!"

"Don't follow him!" Fright Knight warned as he passed by and flew to Aragon. "You must stay out of this battle!"

"Why?"

"Because we need you elsewhere." Vision approached Spirit, Youngblood, and Red Huntress. She was leading Nyx and Raven in their direction.

"What do you mean?" Youngblood questioned.

"Nocturne has also been spotted in the city at the museum. Luckily, I sensed the black power ring energy long before they acted. I managed to get help from the Ghost Zone to stop them." Vision stated. "I have already sent Pandora, Wulf, and Cujo to stop him, but he is strong…"

"So we get to help my mom? Awesome!" Nyx cheered.

"Yes, but don't fight Nocturne. He is too powerful." Vision explained. "You four will need to deal with the Sleep Walkers that Nocturne had undoubtedly created. Red Huntress, you need to work on both sides. Protect them all from a distance. Be wary of the black power ring's power. It is immense."

"But…" Spirit was interrupted by Raven.

"What will you be doing?"

"Lady Vision and Torch shall be protecting the city form the flames!" Torch yelled as he stopped Aragon's latest blast of fire from hitting the city below. Despite his affinity with fire, he still looked hard pressed the stop all the flames. "This black fire is incredibly hot! If it hits the city, then it will burn!"

"He's right." Vision noted. "The two of us will be need to keep the fight from harming the city. I wish I could have more of the Council here, but I need a few ghosts to be ready to guard the Ghost Zone. And with Colossus asleep and Spectre refusing to assist…"

"Don't worry!" Youngblood saluted. "We can handle this."

"Good. Now go."

Red X groaned as he pushed himself off the hard ground. "What happened?"

"I did, Mr. Mercenary." Freakshow spoke behind the disguised halfa.

Red X froze and stared at the ex-ringmaster. "You…You're the man that escaped from Guys in White custody."

"I am." Freakshow spoke. "And I wish to employ you."

"What?" Red X paused when a briefcase full of money was thrown at the mercenary.

"This is your payment. I'm sure it is enough." Freakshow waved his hand dismissively. "Just keep doing what you're doing. Fight the assassins, and allow me to go after Ra's Ah Ghul."

"…I prefer not to accept stolen money." Red X mentioned. "It can lead to trouble, but fine. I won't argue. I'd hurry, though. The Great One is not a person who will dwindle."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Freakshow grinned as he walked into the large building of the compound. "But I'm sure Lydia, the little arrow, and those two assassins that went after them will cause him to delay."

"I'm sure…" Red X watched as the smoke and dust fell. He could now see Lady Shiva, Walker, and Jinx were ready again. "I'm surprised you didn't go after Freakshow."

"We have already been given our orders." Shiva glared. "We will kill you first."

"Until, Ra's…the Master…can hold off." Walker reasoned threw gritted teeth. He obviously didn't like calling Ra's by Master.

"I wish to hurry, though." Jinx spoke. "The Reality Gauntlet is a dangerous tool."

"Yes…it is…" Red X pulled out his pistols. It seems that Freakshow either deactivated or set off the explosives. "And he wants to check Ra's to see if he can find the access code…"

"You know a lot about him it seems." Shiva noted.

"He has a bounty on his head by multiple parties." Red X mentioned. "Good money. But I have a couple of jobs to finish first."

"I'm sure!" Walker lunged at the mercenary.

Once again, Red X was in a battle against three powerful opponents. This time was different. Red X's armor had protected him from the blast, but the others had taken some damage. They were moving more slowly. He was in a better position that before, at least.

As he dogged the various attacks from his opponents, Red X dropped smoke pellets. This wouldn't hinder Shiva and Jinx, but they weren't his target. Unable to see, Walker was momentarily helpless.

The ex-warden tried to turn intangible, but Red X's suit was based off ectoplasmic power. He was able to grab the ghost even if he was intangible. Activating his gauntlets, Red X then began to surge electricity through the ghost. Walker yelled in pain. He tried to struggle, but it was no use. In a moment, he was unconscious.

Boom!

…What was that? Red X couldn't see through the smoke. Wait…Shiva was in the air. She seemed off balanced.

Acting before he could think, Red X extended his left hand. Red goo shaped in an x shot out of the x of his palm and rapped around the assassin in the air. After using his pistol to shoot a non-lethal shot at the assassin, she landed unconsciously on the ground.

"You're lucky." Jinx noted as the smoke faded. "If I hadn't had the chance to blast her into the air without anyone knowing, she would have got you from behind."

"Thanks…" Red X sighed. "I owe you."

"You're damn right you do." Jinx sighed. "I stuck my neck out for you and look where it got me."

"It looked like you were trying to bring a potential recruit to the Shadows. They won't get mad at you." Red X mentioned.

"Like I care. I have immunity from anyone in the Shadows besides the Master." Jinx shrugged. "Even then, he couldn't do just what he wants…"

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Look, we need to stop Freakshow from getting to the Master." Jinx glared. "I can make an excuse that I reasoned with you after Shiva and Walker were knocked unconscious. No one wants Freakshow to win. It will be simple."

"You're right, but…" Red X eyed Walker.

"No. I can't let you take him." Jinx glared. "Even if he is your enemy and a fugitive of the Ghost Zone…He is still a member of the Shadows. If I let you take him, then there is no way for me to avoid punishment."

"…"

"Please…"

"…Okay. Let's stop Freakshow."

"This museum has gotten hit twice in the past couple of months…" Spirit muttered as her Spectral Claws tore through a Sleep Walker.

"And you have been involved in both of them." Raven admitted as she used her magic to keep the Sleep Walkers at bay. "Maybe it's you that's the problem."

"Or it's the city!" Youngblood argued. He was cutting through the Sleep Walkers by using his sword. "A lot of crap happens at this city."

Like Vision had said, the museum was coved in Sleep Walkers. They were covered in black energy and were a lot tougher than when Spirit first fought them. Luckily, Spirit had improved a lot since the Nocturne Crisis. She and her friends could hold their own.

"Yeah, but that's why I love it here!" Nyx grinned. "It's always so lively-Ack!"

Well…for a while at least…

"Nyx!" Spirit cried as her friend was talked by the hoarded of Sleep Walkers. She finally noticed that a lot of the Sleep Walkers had positioned themselves around the shadow ghost. It seems their goal was always to capture Nyx.

All three of the other children froze as the Sleep Walkers threatened to kill Nyx. They could see on their faces. 'You move. She dies.' Despite not saying anything, the message was loud and clear.

Without hesitation, the children surrendered. They didn't want their friend to be hurt because they did something stupid. The Sleep Walkers subdued them and began to march them into the museum.

"Why haven't they put us to sleep?" Raven questioned.

"Nocturne must have ordered them to bring us in conscious." Spirit frowned. "I don't know why…"

"He would only do that to gain power. He has power. Now…he wants an audience not a power source." Youngblood reasoned. "I know the feeling. It's nice to have an audience."

"Why didn't you curb stomp these guys!" Nyx hissed.

"Because we didn't want you hurt." Spirit reasoned.

"I would have been fine!"

"No, you wouldn't." Raven glared. "Don't lie to yourself."

"Shut it! Giving up wasn't the option."

"It was when the only other option was someone dying." Youngblood argued.

"There's always another option. I'll just break-Gack!" A sleep Walker grabbed her neck and stopped her from doing anything.

"See?"

"Nyx!" Pandora froze as she saw the children get dragged into the Egyptian section of the museum.

Spirit could tell that the fight had been intense. The room was halfway destroyed. Wulf and Cujo were covered in scratches. Pandora looked better, but was obviously frustrated. And Red Huntress…

"Let them go, spook." Red Huntress growled.

Spirit had to wonder. Would they be in this position if they hadn't sent Red Huntress ahead? They were confident in their ability to fight the Sleep Walkers, but in retrospect, RH's help might have been useful. Of course, that was a 'what if' situation. She might not have made a difference at all.

Despite the fact that she loathed to admit it, Spirit knew that she was no match for Nocturne with the black power ring right now. That's why she settled for fighting the Sleep Walkers. If only this happened a little later into her training with Vision…

"I think not." Nocturne grinned. "Now, I would suggest standing down. Otherwise, their blood will be on your hands.

Each of Nocturne's opponents quickly surrendered. None of them wanted the children harmed. Spirit could tell that none of them were exactly happy, but none of them would try anything. Not yet at least…

"Now…where was I? Oh yes…" Nocturne turned to a large picture of an Egyptian pharaoh.

Spirit watched as Nocturne examined the set and began to walk to a scepter that was being held in a glass case. Wait…that pharaoh…He looked familiar. Spirit recognized him. She saw him in Danny's old pictures.

"Tucker?" Spirit questioned.

"Ah…" Nocturne turned after he retrieved the scepter. "You noticed the resemblance."

"Tucker?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Aye, that be the tech nerd that was Phantom's friend." Youngblood noted. "I remember him…"

"Strange, isn't it?" Nocturne eyed the picture. "Coincidence? Reincarnation? Who knows? Doesn't matter now, I suppose."

"What do you want, fiend?" Pandora snarled. The Sleep Walkers restrained her movements. "What is the purpose of all this? You wanted a scepter?"

"The Scarab Scepter is a powerful artifact." Nocturne noted. "It is my mission to find, retrieve, and destroy it."

"Why?" Red Huntress questioned. "Is it a threat?"

Nocturne laughed. "Of course not! I just want to release the energy of it."

"What?"

"But I need to activate it first…" Nocturne stood in front of Spirit. "To do that, I need to open that sarcophagus. Unfortunately, only the image of King Duulaman can do that. I could have used the boy, but…he's dead now."

"Ha! You fail!" Nyx smirked.

"Be silent child, before I order my Sleep Walker to rip out your throat." Nocturne snapped.

Nyx decided to bite her lip.

"But…my ring might be able to make an image of the boy…" Nocturne glared down at the halfa. "I just need a memory...many dreams involve memories after all."

"I never met the guy." Spirit glared.

"Yes, but the memory is in your DNA." Nocturne grinned. "And that's enough."

"Damn…" Red X muttered as he landed on the roof. Today was not going well.

He glared up at his opponent. Lydia had zeroed him and Jinx out as soon as they arrived. While not the strongest ghost in the world, she had one of the most…confusing powers. Her living tattoos were not strong, but the raw amount of numbers of them could easily disorientate Lydia's opponents.

"Who the heck is this chick?" Jinx questioned from behind Red X.

They duo had arrived in the center of the building to see the chaos that Freakshow had brought. The entire room seemed to be alive as he and Lydia fought off Cheshire, Sportsmaster, and a bald muscular man that Red X recognized as Ubu while they protected Ra's. Red Arrow seemed to trying to hit both sides while just trying to stay alive.

Lydia quickly stopped Red X and Jinx from interfering. She used her living tattoos to carry them up through the roof. She obviously knew that she didn't stand a chance between their combined forces. That meant…

"She's stalling." Red X noted. "Red Arrow will be a distraction, and the Reality Gauntlet can make anything an ally for Freakshow. All she wants to do is guy time for Freakshow to get to Ra's."

"He'll be surprised. The Master is quite skilled." Jinx didn't take her eyes of Lydia.

"You don't understand the power of the Reality Gauntlet." Red X grunted. "Skill is meaningless against an all-powerful force. Even the most skilled man in the world can't defeated a hurricane with his bare hands."

"A hurricane?" Jinx grinned. "You think too highly of that freak."

"…Shut up…" Lydia spoke lightly.

"…What?" Jinx blinked.

"Don't insult him…" Lydia glared. "He's not a freak…"

"…We don't have time for this." Jinx fired hex bolts at the ghost.

Lydia blocked the blast with her tattoos. Red X, who quickly got over his shock of Lydia actually speaking up, quickly acted. He lunged into the air. The blades extend from the back of his gloves and began spinning. The blades quickly cut through the wall of tattoos.

Lydia seemed to suspect that this would happen, however. She met Red X and quickly kicked him back down. This left her open to another one of Jinx's hex bolts, however. The pink energy slammed into her and knocked her off balance.

Red X quickly took advantage. After he landed, he pulled out his pistols and fired at the green woman. Lydia used the force of Jinx's blast to continue flying back to avoid the pistol blasts. She then circled over and flew to Red X. She intended to take out the guy with no apparent powers.

Big mistake.

Red X extended his left hand. A sticky red x made of goo shot out of his left palm. Lydia managed to dodge this, but failed to dodge Red X's follow up attack. A pistol blast hit Lydia in the stomach. Lydia thought ahead, however, and managed to surprise both her opponents.

Her tattoos swirled all around the two assailants. They seemed to appear from below them. Jinx was momentarily trapped by this. Red X was not.

A red energy shield appeared around Red X. This stopped the tattoos from getting to the mercenary. Running forward, Red X pushed through the wall of tattoo ghosts to Lydia. Once free, Red X did a rapid combination of punches and kicks at the woman with spikes on her head.

Jinx had just freed herself and dispelled the tattoos. She sent a hex bolt at the two. Ducking, Red X then allow the pink energy blast to hit the ghost. With Lydia now weakened, Red X tackled Lydia to the ground and held her there by pointing the blades on the back of his right hand at her throat.

"Don't move." Red X ordered.

"You should just kill her. She's the enemy." Jinx suggested.

"No. That's not what I do." Red X grunted.

"…" Lydia stared up at Red X.

"Why are you working with Freakshow?" Red X questioned. "He has no love for ghosts. He used and abused the ones under his control. You have no reason to protect him like you do."

Lydia gave him a dark glare.

"It's stupid. He'll get you killed. If you help us stop Freakshow and go back to the Ghost Zone, I'm sure they'll allow you to stay free." Red X tried to reason.

Lydia's look said it all. The answer was no.

"Fine. I'll just have to capture you." Red X sighed as he reached to his belt to grab a black and red Fenton Thermos. "I can't believe you work with that man."

"Fool. I will always be by his side…" Lydia whispered.

"Why's that?"

"Because I love him."

"Gah!" Red X was blasted back as Lydia's tatoo's. Red X managed to land on his feet, but by the time he looked up, Lydia was gone. By extension, that meant that Freakshow had probably left too.

"Well, crap. That was a waste. Right, Jinx?"

Silence.

"Jinx?"

She was gone.

"Damn, I'm having an off day."

"Gah!" Spirit cried in pain as the black energy of the power ring seeped into her head. It was terrible. She felt like thousands of needles were stabbing her brain.

"Spirit!" Youngblood yelled, but could do nothing. The Sleep Walkers were holding their hostages with their sharp claws. One wrong move, and people would die.

"And…there." Nocturne stopped his ring scan.

"Ha ha ha…pant…ha…" Spirit trembled.

"And here we go…" Nocturne pointed the ring at the mirror on the sarcophagus. An image appeared in front of the mirror. The boy was an Affrican American wearing a barrette and thick glasses.

The affect was instantaneous. In a flash, the sarcophagus opened. Wind blasted out in great force, but everyone was held where they were. Out from the sarcophagus stepped a mummy with ancient Egyptian clothing a long…really long goatee. He had greyish skin and green eyes.

"I have risen!" The mummy shouted.

"Only for a moment, Hotep Ra…" Nocturne blasted the mummy with green dust. The drowsy mummy was put back to sleep before he could even gain his bearings. Hotep was caught by Sleep Walkers before he could hit the ground. "Only for a moment."

Everyone glared at the sleep ghost. He had gotten what he wanted. Now…What would he do?

"Don't fret." Nocturne smiled evilly. "You all will still have your uses. Even you little halfa girl. Despite my desire to eradicate you, I cannot. Not now at least. If I do so now…It will be my own end. Someday, though, you will outlive any usefulness you might have."

Spirit glared weakly.

"Until next time." With a blast of black energy, Nocturne and his Sleep Walkers were gone. The mummy…Hotep Ra…was gone as well. With that, the captives were free…

"Raw!" Spirit punched the ground.

But this was a complete defeat.

"I see…" Luthor noted as he eyed the mercenary standing in front of his desk. They were currently in Luthor's office. It was quite spacious and was decorated expensively and tastefully. Like always, his assistant Mercy was standing by him. She was a cute woman with brown hair and wore a suit with a skirt. "Quite a lot happened behind the scenes."

After leaving the Shadows' compound, Red X returned to help Luthor. Apparently, Red Arrow had a similar idea, but had called for help in the form of Aqualad. With their help, Red X defeated all the assassins and saved Luthor's life and the summit by giving Luthor all the credit. So, it was mission accomplished.

But…there was a problem. Red X overheard Sportsmaster talking about a mole on Young Justice. And…that was not good. Someone on the team could possibly be leaking information to the enemy. That meant…he couldn't completely trust anyone on his team.

…He would have to deal with that later…Because he had to get through this meeting.

"Yes." Red X answered simply. He was exhausted. It had been a long day. "But you're alive, and the summit worked. Mission complete."

"And a job well done." Luthor nodded as he placed a pile of money on the table. "I have to thank you. Your giving me all the credit did wonders for settler the two nation's differences."

"I don't do this fame. I do this for payment." Red X responded.

"But you have gained fame. The right kind of fame." Luthor smiled. "The kind of fame that can earn a lot of money. Tell me, how would you like to work with me again?"

"I don't want to be held down with one employer. If you have a job that interests me, I'll contact you." Red X answered as he put the money into the portable Fenton Crammer on his belt.

"Very well." Luthor mentioned. "But I have a friends that are interested in you as well."

"Really?"

"Indeed, Mister X."

Red X froze. That was…

"Surprised, Mr. X?" Ra's questioned as he entered the room.

"…A little, but it makes sense." Red X noted. "You wanted to stop the war as well. Like I said, in this situation, peace is more profitable than war. This explains why you would do all this. It was all for show."

"But you helped this cause, too, Mister X." Luthor stated. "You made it look like I was 100% dedicated to the summit. Besides, I don't like relying on the heroes."

"I…see…" Red X shifted slowly. If need be, he could teleport. His suit had been given enough time to recharge. "And what will you do now that I know that you worked together? Kill me? Threaten me? Bribe me?"

"No," Ra's shook his head. "Like Mr. Luthor stated. There are quite a few people interested in you. You could help the world, while making an excellent profit."

"…I'll think about it." Red X stated. "But no promises."

"Fair enough." Luthor nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk with Mr. Al Ghul."

"Of course." And with that, Red X teleported away.

Dani…was not happy. Things had not gone well today. She and her friends had been totally defeated. Nocturne and Aragon got what they came her for. It was a total loss of a day.

And that wasn't even counting the fact that she had to go to school…

"You missed a whole lot." Dani frowned as she spoke into her phone.

"I know." Danny sighed. "But I had a lot to deal with today. I had to stop a war, deal with some personal stuff, and try to capture Walker, Freakshow, and Lydia."

"What?" Dani questioned.

"Ah…I'll explain it later." Danny grunted.

"Fine, I'll wait till you're here. That way you can tell everyone at once." Dani mumbled. "Vision will want to hear about at least a little good news."

"Thanks…how is everyone?"

"Hurt. Depressed. Tired." Dani answered. "Vision and Dad are frustrated too. The Green Lanterns just showed up. They wanted to know why they weren't contacted about the appearance of the black power rings."

"I see…"

"I did wonder why no one contacted the League during the crisis, but…" Dani sighed. "I guess tensions are still high and trust is low…"

"Yeah…"

"We really wish you had been here." Dani noted. "You could have made a big difference."

"I…I know. But I told you that this morning what I was going to do."

"You did, but…" Dani frowned as she petted Cujo. He was sitting on her lap and was wrapped in bandages. They were currently in her room resting. "Nocturne and Aragon…They never seem to show up when you're here."

"Yeah…" Danny murmured. "I noticed that. Maybe they're watching the city. Or…it could be a coincidence."

"Who knows? We won't know for sure until they're caught." Dani frowned. "When do you think that we'll actually catch some of the missing ghosts?"

"Soon…Soon." Danny stated. "Look, I have to go. I'll talk to you when I get home."

"Fine."

"Okay, I get that you wanted to be the big hero." Jinx noted as they sat on top of a tall building. "But…why didn't you come as Phantom?"

"Phantom's a ghost. His actions could get the Ghost Zone in trouble if he interfered with an international summit. But Red X…" Red X noted. "He won't get anyone in trouble. That's the reason why I went to Gotham like this in the first place."

"And here I thought that it was because you wanted to hide your ectoplasmic signature." Jinx mentioned. "By the way…does this have anything to do with what happened with the Gotham villains in Amity Park?"

"…A little." Red X acknowledged. "I wanted to make a false trail so that no one would go to Amity Park to look for me."

"Ah…I don't think you have to worry about that." Jinx chuckled. "After all, it seems like only an idiot would attack Amity Park now."

"You obviously haven't watched the news."

"What?"

"Let's just say that the Green Lanterns are there now looking over the place." Red X sighed.

"Okay…" Jinx stood.

"So…What do we do now?" Red X questioned. "We both know each other's secrets, and if Phantom and Jinx meet up again…We'll have to fight."

"Like we said earlier, we'll just have to avoid hurting each other too much." Jinx stated. "Until…we figure something out at least."

"Fair enough." Red X nodded and stood as well. "It was good seeing you again, Jen. Stay safe."

"You too." Jinx smiled at the boy. "Call me sometime. We can hang out like before…but, you know, incognito."

"You got it."

In a swirl of pink, she was gone. Red X decided that it was time to leave as well. Just as he was about to teleport away, Red X heard a small voice.

"Hello?"

Red X froze and turned. "You're…Shiva's daughter. Cassandra, right?."

"Yes." Cassandra's eyes examined Red X.

"And…you managed to hide from Jinx and me?" Red X tensed.

"Yes. I have been trained to be the ultimate assassin since I was born. I can even hide from my mother if I really want to." Cassandra explained. "It helps being quiet and observant."

"And…what did you hear?" Red X questioned.

"Enough." Cassandra answered. "But do not worry. I will not tell anyone."

"Really…" Red X pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her. "And what's stopping me from making sure that you never have the opportunity."

"Because you are a good person." Cassandra answered. "You would never hurt a child. Even one that knew your secrets."

Red X slowly put his gun away. "You're right…"

"I…" Was the girl…blushing? "I have really admired you. You have fought my mother and won. Plus…you showed mercy to that man that started the GIW war. I never knew that a person could be that forgiving…"

"O…kay…" Red X was confused. "Then…what do you want?"

"Well…at first, I just wanted to give you this." Cassandra stated as she pulled out a folder. "I knew that you could get this to Amity Park and that you would with Fenton, but now… I want to say thank you too."

"For what?"

"Giving me hope." Cassandra handed him the folder. "Thank you."

"What's this?"

Cassandra began to walk away. "Something that you'll want to know about."

Red X looked at the folder. On the top of it were two simple bold words. What they meant…he had no idea.

"What's the…Ghoul Project?"

"The Ghoul Project is a success." One of the scientist spoke.

"Is it?"

"Yes, sir!" Another scientist smiled. "Well…It is a step in the right direction, but that's a good sign."

Joel watched from his spot in the chair. His hands were handcuffed to keep him from doing anything. The weird thing was that cuffs were green and glowing. It had not effect on him, but he hoped it wasn't radioactive.

"His body has actually accepted the ectoplasm. It's being ingrained in him." The first scientist explained. "It's so strange compared to the other cases. Everyone else has either died from Ecto-acne or dissolved. We don't really understand why he survived…"

"Especially because of his low compatibility level." The other scientist reasoned. "His body shouldn't be able to accept the ectoplasm, but here he is. Alive and perfectly intact…well, for now at least. We don't know if he'll stay this stable for long."

"Hmm…" The tall muscular man with three scars running down his face examined Joel. He looked the boy right in the eyes and smirked. "It's something that science cannot take into account."

"Er…what is it , sir?"

"Force of will." Vandal Savage answered. "It was makes humans so much different. We preserver. We survive. We evolve. It is why we are destined to be great."

"…Y-yes, sir…" The first scientist nodded.

"What do you want us to do, sir?" The other scientist asked. "There are a lot of paths that we can take from here."

"Can you replicate this result?" Savage questioned.

"We would have to run some tests, but if you really want results, we can perform a…" The scientist grinned. "A dissection."

Joel had to force himself not to flinch. That did not sound good.

"No." Savage glared. "You do not throw away a possible asset uselessly."

"Then…what do you want us to do?" The first scientist questioned.

"We need to test to prove how strong he is." Savage responded.

"Well, his ectoplasmic levels are-"

"Not like that." Savage stated. "Those readings lie. The only way for results to be truly accurate to by battle."

"Battle, sir?"

"Yes." Savage nodded. "It is the best way to prove yourself. And I have the perfect candidate that will arrive soon. You remember Solomon Grundy?"

"Er…Yes, sir. He almost destroyed half the facility. That's why we asked to have him removed."

"Yes, but now we have the means to contain him." Savage grinned. "He will be the perfect test for young Joel."

"Yes, sir. Do you want us to wait for Grundy to arrive?"

"No. Make him fight the rejects. They'll be dead soon anyway." Savage explained.

"Yes, sir."

Joel frowned. That did not sound good. Despite what they said, he did not feel stronger. Granted, he didn't really feel that much at all. Everything seemed…numb. Nothing hurt anymore at least.

Numbness, however, would not help him win a fight. Especially with those…things. The failed experiments had powers, but dissolved quickly. If he was put in a fight with them, he might be able to outlast them, but…

They had sharp teeth, claws, and blasts of energy coming out of their hands.

He really needed help now…

Bonding Moment: Raven

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with whip cream, sugar, sprinkles, fudge, candy and chocolate syrup on top?"

"Oh! In that case I'll have to change my mind."

"Really?"

"Of course not." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Now go away."

"Aw! But why?" Dani pouted.

"Because you're annoying, and I don't want to train today." Rachel explained. "I'm tired and sore."

"But Nyx and Youngblood already went back to the Ghost Zone today, Valerie has homework, I don't know where Wulf is, and Dad and Vision are…er…um…"

"Say no more."

"Ah, you understand."

"No. Literally say no more. I think I'm going to throw up." Rachel muttered dryly.

"But you understand my problem." Dani sighed dramatically. "I'm boooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!"

"Not my problem." Rachel stated.

"It will be soon." Dani flopped down on the ground. "Remember? I break stuff when I'm bored, and we're in your room…"

"You wouldn't."

"That lamp sure looks expensive." Dani noted.

Rachel sighed. "Look I don't want to spar or train."

"Then we can do something else."

"…Do you like to do anything that's quiet?" Rachel questioned.

"No."

"Really?"

"Well…" Dani thought. "I have gotten into art lately."

"There. That's something to do." Rachel went back to reading. "Draw something."

"Ah…okay."

(Fifteen minutes later…)

Rachel looked up from her book. "Dani? Are you alive?"

"What? Of course!" Dani frowned as she continued to draw. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because I haven't ever heard you be quiet for more than 5 minutes." Rachel stated.

"Well, you're the one that told me to be quiet." Dani argued.

"I didn't think you would actually listen…" Rachel muttered.

"Well, I did. And look at what I drew!" Dani showed her the picture.

"Is…that me?"

"Yep."

"Wow…This is actually really good." Rachel complimented. "I'm surprised."

"Really? Because I'm not even done yet..." Dani shrugged.

"What more is there to do?"

"I still need to do the surroundings. I was going to have you sit on a pile of dynamite. Then I was going to have an anvil hang over your head with a rope that looked ready to snap." Dani explained. "Finally, I was going to point a canon at the back of your head."

"…"

"…I was going to call it 'Overkill'…"

"…"

"What do you think?"

"I think that the moment is ruined."