" Your a what? Your a WHO?"

I fly invisibly after my family through the halls of the watchtower. Jason, Alfred, and the girls were the only ones unable to sneak away for the meeting, but they made sure to let me know that they're there in spirit. Dicks friend, Barbara, set it up so they all will be able to watch the meeting back on earth. So there will be no need to catch them up. I can't help but wander towards the windows as we pass. This is the closest I've ever been to the stars. Though, somehow, every time I start to float away, Dami is able to tell. Bringing me back to the group. It doesn't take long for us to reach the room. 

" Hm," sit down, says Father, and my brothers do. 

"What's going on, Bats?" Asks Barry, his cowl down, exposing his hair. 

' I guess that makes the other Flash, Wally,' I think. My brothers took some time to familiarize me with the league member profiles. However, remembering everyone is still a work in progress. Thankfully, the ones we invited today are ones I'm familiar with. I can spot Uncle Clark, Aunt Diana, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Zatana, Martin Manhunter, one of the Green Lanterns, the aforementioned Flashes, and– 

" What's trailing your arse, Bats?" The sad trench coat man, legs crossed, feet on the table. I can't wait to get soul bingo. 

Batman glares at him, get your feet down, but he doesn't get the message. Batman huffs, " It has been brought to my attention that there's a government-sanctioned organization in violation of the Meta Rights Act, as well as attempting genocide." 

Martin Manhunter's eyes narrow, " which government?" 

" The United States," says Batman. 

Manhunter's face becomes unreadable, but I can feel sadness-anger-sadness.

While disbelief and anger come from the others.

" Who alerted you to this?" Asks Manhunter. 

Batman glances at me as if to say, 'Go on.' 

" That would be me," I say, waving and popping into view. 

Constantine snaps right up, standing stiff, head bowed, "It's a pleasure, your highness," peeking the other's interests. 

" It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Diana, princess of Themyscira," says Wonder Woman. 

My eyes light up, and I say a bit giddy, " Danyal phantom, high prince, soon to be, King of the infinite realms, and the pleasure is mine. Please call me Danny, Auntie Diana." 

" Auntie," Diana says slowly, puzzled, before asking, "How are we related child?" 

" One of my parents is Pandora–" 

" Keeper of the box, of hope, fellow Amazonian and daughter of Zeus," Diana finishes and smiles, " I hope to get to know you, nephew." 

" I, as well," I say before addressing the room. " Thank you for taking the time to hear Batman and I out today." 

" That's just said to show up, so we did–" Wally says before getting elbowed in the ribs. 

" Not to be rude, but what are you exactly?" Asks Green Arrow. 

" I'm a ghost," I say. 

" A ghost," Flash, Wally, says in disbelief. 

Dick and the other Flash, Barry, raise eyebrows at him. Barry says to his nephew, " You've met Deadman before–" 

" And they look nothing alike!" Wally yells. 

" Not all ghosts look the same, ya know," I say, already exasperated. 

" Deadman is a shade," Constantine cuts in, trying to do damage control. 

" What's the difference?" asks Green Arrow. 

" Shades are made a couple of different ways. All once living goes are created by strong emotions at the time of their deaths, and shades are no exception. Their emotions may not have been as strong as others, or the ambient ectoplasm, the substance we're made of, may have been weaker in the area where they died. In the realm of the living, it can be tiring for them to stay visual, as their connection to this world is weaker. Stronger ghosts, like myself, have something that ties us to life," I explain.

" Your Highness, while that explains the difference between yourself and her comrade, it doesn't say anything about yourself," Green Lantern says. 

" I prefer to disclose the information after the presentation. It's my belief that you will better understand my subjects and thyself afterward," I say. 

The Lantern's eyes flicker to Batman, and eventually, he nods, and we start the presentation. 

Batman begins the presentation, " Criminality of Death," made by Red Robin and Prince Phantom. 

The first slide has pictures of ghosts, including myself, Cujo, Pandora, Frostbite, and Ghost Writer. " Ghosts are diverse," says Batman, " all species have the potential to become a citizen of the Infinite Realms. There, you will find the previous living concepts come to life, and some of the Divine." 

" Not all ghosts for once alive; those beings are called Neverborn," I switch the slide show to show, Box Lunch, " They can come to be in a variety of ways, including old-fashioned procreation. The majority of ghosts reside in the Infinite Realms," the screen shows different areas, such as the areas outside the Fenton portal, Acropolis, and Dortheas' kingdom. " But many go out to see family or indulge in things they enjoyed in life. These indulgences tend to go farther than what humans experience, becoming a need. We call these obsessions. They are one of the few things that keep us attached to the living." The screen switches to a short video of me fighting Skulker, " take him, for instance. Skulker, the ghost shown, is the Infinite Realm's self-proclaimed best hunter. Hunting rare beings is his obsession." 

" Why is he fighting you?" asks Black Canary. 

" Up until recently, I was a vigilante working out of the midwest. He didn't like me getting between him and his targets," I explain. 

" How do you secure him?" Green Arrow asks as the screen shows me flying in and out of concrete, dodging blasts.

In response, I toss a mini Phantom thermos™ to Damian. Damian aims and fires sucking me up. I twist and turn like I'm being gobbled up by a washing machine until I'm in an empty space. It's a bit tight but not too bad. A moment later, I am released, " like that. Then I would bring him back to the Infinite Realms." 

" Is there no further punishment?" asks Manhunter.

" For those indulging and their obsession, not typically. At the moment, I'm working on ways to redirect them. It wouldn't be fair to imprison someone for acting upon necessary bodily or spiritual requirements. The others, though, the ones coming purely for nefarious purposes, are locked up and await trial," I say. 

" The US government has a difference of opinion," Batman says, switching the slide. " They created the GIW, the Ghost Investigation Ward, also known as the Guys in White. Their purpose is to capture and experiment on the spirits until their untimely disposal. All this leads to their end goal of destroying the infinite realms." 

" They can't," Zatanna says, " doing that would only destroy ourselves." 

" What do you mean?" asks Diana. 

" The Infinite Realms are the glue keeping the universe together," explains Constantine, " Those idiots would kill everything. How close have they come to doing this?" 

" I once had to stop them from sending it on a nuclear missile," I deadpan, "They're kidnapping ghosts and taking us apart to see how we take. My counsel and I are not pleased." I grasp at my clothes, knowing what lies beneath, and look at my Father before floating to him and holding out my hand for the clicker.

" What are you doing?" Batman asks. 

I give him an unsure smile, " finishing the presentation." 

" This isn't what we discussed," Batman says, voice hard. 

" Trust me," I say, and Batman hands it over and finds his seat. I wait for him to sit down before switching out the presentations.

" For my people, this goes farther than the GIW," I say with a shaky voice, thinking, ' I've already failed Peepaws 'how to talk like a king' lessons.'

 " Amity Park, the town I looked after, has always been a thin spot between realms, causing a lot of ghostly activity. But the life work of Madeline and Jack Fenton made it a battleground. They've worked as weapon contractors for various companies and organizations, including the GIW. A while ago, they created a portal to the Infinite Realms, or as they have incorrectly dumped it, "the ghost zone." Spirits came pouring out, wanting to explore the stable connection between worlds. It didn't take long for the GIW to show up." I flip through slides until Fentonworks weapons appear, " They go out hunting every time a ghost is reported. It doesn't matter what they came for. They always shoot and ask questions never. At first, they were terrible shots, but over time and with loads of practice, they have gotten better. Madeline still remains better than Jack. Over the past few months, they have gotten bolder, capturing the ghosts and holding them in cages for who knows what. I had managed to sneak in multiple times and free them, but I wasn't always so lucky." 

" Danyal," Batman says lowly, not harsh like Father. Like Baba. 

Unable to look at anyone, I flick through until a video starts. 

[ Danny is seen sneaking around a metal room, fiddling with locks, and releasing ghosts. Finger on his lips in the universal sign of 'shhh.' Danny opens the portal, and it whines, gaining the Fentons' attention.] 

" You," Maddie yells. 

[ The Fentons and Danny fight while the other ghosts escape. He's about to get away with an elderly woman in his arms when Jack shoots him with a bazooka-size taser. Danny falls to the ground and looks at the woman.] 

" It's okay, go," Danny says. 

[ She shakes her head]

" What about–" 

Danny cuts her off, "Don't worry about me. Just get out of here. Make sure the others are okay." 

[She backs into the portal.] 

" B̷e̶ ̸s̷t̶r̶o̸n̶g̴,̶ ̷y̷o̴u̶r̵ ̵h̶i̵g̶h̴n̶e̸s̵s̴,̷ ̴h̸e̶l̴p̴ ̵i̶s̵ ̴o̵n̷ ̵t̵h̷e̷ ̴w̸a̶y̶," she says unintelligibly. 

[The woman fades from view. Jack and Maddie struggle to pick up Danny as he fights them. Maddie gets tired of it, walks over to the tool bench, and comes back with a mallet. She hits Danny on the head. They place him on an examination table and lock Danny in. He starts to wiggle about, and Maddie hits him again. They get to work.] 

" Subject Phantom is humanoid, taking on the image of a preteen or young teen boy," says Maddie.

[Jack cuts away his jumpsuit, revealing jeans and a t-shirt. Those are cut off, too.]

" Its outer body mimics that of a human," Jack says, astonished.

" But what about its insides?"

" The only way to find out is by checking Maddie-cakes."

" Let's do it." 

[ With a normal scalpal, Jack cuts into him. Ectoplasm spews out. By the time he's done making the incision, the start of it has already begun to scab over.]

" Maddie-cakes, I don't think this is going to work," Says Jack. 

[ Maddie takes a look]

" Try using a piece of ecto-ranium," says Maddie. 

" Do you think we have any sharp enough?" asks Jack.

" I think we do," Maddie says.

[ She goes off to check and comes back with green glowing hunting knives] 

" I forgot we made these," Maddie says.

" At least we'll finally get some use out of them," Jack says.

[ Jack cuts again, leaving a messy incision. This time, it doesn't close. Danny's eyes start to flutter open. He picks up his head and looks at the Fentons.] 

" Pass the forceps," says Jack. 

[ Maddie pokes at the incision.]

" Are you sure you cut deep enough?" She asks. 

" It should be. It mimics human physiology; this is where the chest cavity should be," Jack says. 

" If you're sure," says Maddie. 

[ Maddie peels back Danny's skin, exposing the insides.]

" Oh honey," says Maddie, " it's ribs. They're glowing." 

" Could it be due to the ectoplasm, or could there be some other factors?" Asks Jack.

" I'll make a note of it. Do you want to do the honors?" asks Maddie. 

" Madds, I'll leave it to you. Your shot got the spook; you should do it," says Jack.

[ Maddie smiles and leans over the table to kiss Jack.]

" Thank you, dear," she says. 

[ Maddie presses down hard on Danny's chest, breaking his ribs. His sternum breaks on the fourth push. Jack passes over a chest spreader. They crank until there is enough room for both of their hands to fit. They inspect organs, pulling and yanking them every which way. Some parts they remove and place in jars. Danny flinches at each touch. To get a better look, they start peeling back more skin.] 

" Maddie pass me the scalpel," says Jack.

" What are you looking at?"

" Look at this," Jack says.

[ Jack nicks one of Danny's arteries.]

" Is that normal for it to stop that soon?" Jack asks.

 Maddie hums, "It's something to look at it for sure." 

[ They keep making him, but the results are inconclusive. They use a blow torch to cauterize the wounds.] 

" Stop. Please, I'll–" Danny pleads as the fire touches him. 

[ The Fentons laugh at him, but after a while, they get annoyed.] 

" What do you shut up," Maddie says, teeth clenched. 

" Please," Danny pleads again. 

[ Maddie throws her hands up and walks away from the table.] 

Jack stops working, "Maddie-cakes, what do you have there?" 

[ Maddie walks back smug.]

" Don't worry about it. Get behind its head," she says. 

[ Jack does as ordered.]

" I want you to squish his mouth shut, just like this," Maddie instructs.

[ Jack grips Dannys' head hard. Maddie climbs onto the table and straddles Danny. She pulls out a small needle and wire and smushes his lips together. Danny screams. Maddie laughs as she sews his mouth shut. She gets off, looking happy. They go over notes before Jack goes to get rusty pliers. He sticks them in Danny and, with a crunch, breaks off a part of his ribs, exposing bone marrow.] 

I fast-forward the video, showing hours go by until–

" You were great with that chest spreader. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to split it open," says Maddie.

Jack chuckles, face red, "Oh, it was nothing, but you selling its mouth shut that took some skill." 

[ Maddie Loops her arms around Jack and says something inaudible.]

" Damn, look at the time," says Jack. 

[ Maddie looks at the clock.] 

" We've been working all night," Maddie says. 

[ She takes off her bloody hazmat suit.]

" The kids should be up soon," she continues. 

[ Jack kisses her forehead.] 

" What do you say to going out for breakfast with the kids?" He asks.

Maddie hums, "It should only be the one kid for today, honey. Jazz was spending the night with her friends. What about breakfast for just the two of us? As a date. Let Danny figure out his own breakfast for today." 

[ Jack agrees, and they leave the lab. With Danny still on the table.] 

I fast-forward again to Frostbite coming out of the portal. 

" Great One," Frostbite yells.

[ Fright Kight, Clockwork, and the elderly Spirit from earlier exit the portal. They argue about who gets to carry him. Ending the video.] 

Baba is the first one to speak, unable to hide his emotions from his voice, " when was this?" 

Unable to face him, I say, "Around a week or so before I contacted Robin." 

Dami pops up, " but that would mean you have been injured this whole time." 

I shrug, " I've been taking it easy." 

" Ghost clowns," Tim reminds him. 

" I stuck to evasive maneuvers and kept harsh movements and contortions to a minimum. I'm fine," I say stubbornly. 

" Would anybody like to clue us in? What does he mean when he says he contacted Robin? And ghost clowns?" Green Arrow asks. 

A silent conversation happens between Batman and the Robins. One I can't fully understand. All he got was, 'We should tell them. They're going to find out one way or another B.' 

In the end, Father addresses the room, " Phantom is my youngest." 

Green Arrow sighs, "Really, Bruce, another one?" 

I glance at Damian and smile, " I was part of a two-for-one special," and blind the room, turning human. I'm in a NASA sweatshirt, jeans, and a domino mask. 

" Huh, so that's how you do it," mumbles Clark. 

" That shouldn't be possible," says Zatana, catching my attention.

" It's rare but not impossible," I correct. 

" Can I get a full explanation now?" Asks the Lantern.

I ask Dami with my eyes, 'Do they know about Mother? Do you trust them?' I get a slight nod in return. 

So I say, " Robin and I are twins. He's the elder. Our Mother and Grandfather decided they only needed one of us, and as the spare, Mother decided I was expendable. Mother attempted to kill me, but it didn't work. The Fentons found me, and I ended up with them for a time."

"You're the Danny they mentioned in the video," says Black Canary. 

I nod, " They've never been the most observant, but I hoped they would have realized it was me. It's not like I was trying hard to hide it from them." 

" How did you become like this," Barry asks, but not insensitively. 

" Lab accident," I say, " I was trying to fix their portal when it opened up on top of me. It tore me apart molecule by molecule and put me back together. Replacing half of my DNA. The other ghosts call me a halfa." 

" Is that how you're related to the princess?" asks Constantine, " because last I checked, you and stabby Robin don't have any Greek roots." 

" Not exactly," I try to explain, " ghosts become family by sharing part of our cores. It acts as our brain, heart, our everything. It is a physical embodiment of our souls. Pandora and a few others core adopted me, making me family. While we may not be blood or ectoplasmically related, our souls are." 

" Family is what you make it," Dick chimes in, causing my family and I to nod. 

" Regardless of how, I am always happy to have more family," says Diana. 

" Relations aside, how should we go about this? A human organization has attacked a sentient race and plans their destruction. Not to mention the Fenton's, I can't begin to fathom the charges that need to be brought up–" the Lantern rambles. 

" Hal, that's enough," says Batman. 

" My counsel and the majority of the realm want to go to war," I reveal, " but I don't want that. I have convinced them to give me time to try diplomacy, which is why this issue was brought to you. The laws classify us as non-sentient, which we clearly aren't. Until we are recognized as a people, war won't be off the table." 

" How much time do we have?" asks Clark.

" At the most of the year, the least a few months. It depends on if we see any progress," I say. 

" Have you made an effort to lessen ghosts' presence in the meantime?" Constantine asks. 

I nod, " But not everyone is keen on listening. Those that want to cause chaos will find a way to do it." 

" What charges do you want to be brought up against them?" Asks Hal. 

" Assault, kidnapping, attempted genocide, and experimentation for the GIW," I say. 

" And the Fentons?" Asks Dami.

" Nothing for now," I say, causing some looks. " Until my existence is no longer illegal, nothing can be done against them." 

" But once the laws are appealed–" I cut Dick off.

" Then you can throw the book at them." 

" The sentence Mansion jazz, do we need to get her out?" Asks Black Canary. 

" She's a legal adult, and besides college breaks, she is outside of the house," I say. 

"Okay," says Hal, " now, we've got some work to do."