Dam Danyal

" I'm sorry, but I can't," I tell them, my mind made up, " I'll forever be grateful for what you've done for me, but it's time for me to go."

" Go, what do you mean go?!" Maddie says, " I have raised you for the last six, almost seven years. You can't just pick up and leave, Daniel. You don't even know this man."

I laugh, my voice void of emotion, " It's not like I knew you all either."

Maddie crosses her arms, "that's different, and you know it. You were just a boy. You had nowhere to go. You have a home here. Why leave? After all this time. You have school and friends. You have us, family. Why would you leave us all behind?" Her voice gets thick as her eyes start to tear, " you're my baby boy. You can't just go."

" Family," I scoff, " family at least see each other once a week. When was the last time we had a meal together? We spent time with each other? When's the last time you took notice of me, or Jazz for that matter? The only time we see you is when you want something from us. Either for cleaning the lab," at that our audience blanches, " or testing one of your inventions. When was the last time you took an interest in what we wanted? Because I don't remember."

" Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, You have no say in this," she turns to me with a bright, convoluted smile on her face, as if enjoying Maddie's outburst," Danyal, dear, go collect your things, honey. I'll be waiting by the door."

I make my way towards the stairs, but Jack slides in front, " you can't just take Dann-o like this! We are his parents."

" You're Fosters," Marie reminds him, "You have no say in this matter. Danyal–"

" And why," he says, pointing at her, " do you keep saying his name like that?"

I give him a confused glance, " because that's how you say my name?"

" Dann-o, son–"

"Do you honestly not know how to pronounce my name?"

He gives me a put-out look, " you've never said anything about how we've said it before."

"Yes, I have. That's why you started calling me Danny in the first place. You said it was easier to say." I look towards Maddie, " is that why on all of my documentation you have Daniel on it instead of, Danyal? I thought it was a court error. Do you honestly not remember my name?"

" What difference does it make?" asks Jazz, " It's not like they're that different."

I glare at her, " how would you feel if everyone called you Yasmine instead of Jasmine?"

"That's not even the same name! Yours is just a different version of Daniel!"

"I was named Danyal for a reason; it matters how you pronounce it. It's like me validating calling you Yasmine because there's only a letter difference. I have the right to be called by my own name. Properly."

"Really," she says cockily, " what is so important about how you say your name."

"It's because," I say, letting my natural accent flow, " It's a combination of my parents' cultures. Father is Jewish, so I was named Danyal for him. Mother is Arabic."

It was as if my voice stupefied the Fentons. It had been so long since I had last spoken naturally around them. When I started staying with them, my accent was thick, and they had trouble understanding me. With my reception at school, it didn't take me long to start incorporating an American accent into my day-to-day life. Cutting off another piece of myself to make them happy. Due to lack of use, my accent is less thick, but it's noticeably different from the standard midwestern accent they are used to. Jack breaks the silence, " I thought it was a speech impediment."

All of us stare at him in disbelief. "Seriously, Dad," says Jazz as she massages her temple.

"Can I just go get my stuff now?" I ask, hoping Jack will move.

" We are not done discussing this," Maddie says, causing my attention to shift back to her, " this is all just too sudden. We've had you for years, and there's been no contact from either of your parents. So why would they contact you out of the blue?

I glance at Jazz, " they aren't the ones who contacted me," I confess. "I'm the one who contacted them."

Everyone's attention shifts to me.

"Why? We've been good to you. You have a roof over your head, go to school, and have clothes." She walks over to me, gets in my face, and grabs my shoulders, causing me to flinch, "you have everything you want. So why would you contact them? Hell, how did you contact them?" Maddie asks, steaming.

I remove Maddie's hands gently, " I want my big brother, my Ahki. I-I want to go home."

"You have a brother?" Jack asks hesitantly, with sorrow laced in his voice, " why haven't we heard about him?"

I give him a small smile, " he was still with mother when you got me. There was no point talking about him when it would only make me miss him more."

"You remember?" Maddie asks, studying my face.

I nod, " I remembered a long time ago. I just didn't want to leave. Mother wasn't… the most caring of people."

"And your father?" she continues, " if you remembered, why did you say something and go to him?"

I look toward Father's lawyer, Mr. Lawrence, "Father has other children. When I remembered, it wasn't too far after when the news that Jason died."I say, half-lying through my teeth, "I couldn't go to him, not like that. I didn't want to become a replacement." The idea of doing that still feels wrong. "Can we stop with the 20 questions, please? This is only going to make it harder."

Mr. Lawrence opens his briefcase and passes papers to Maddie and Jack, " why don't we start going over these documents while Danyal gets his things."

This time I'm able to successfully make my way up to my room. Once I get in, I shut and lock the door and just take in the room. This is the last time I'm going to see it. The last time I'll see the old grimy stars on the ceiling. I slowly but carefully take out supplies from within the walls. Finding medkits, emergency rations, blueprints of my own designs, including an upgraded portal, and last but certainly not least, my old daggers and rope dart.

My last connections to the league, my identity as Danyal Al Ghul, and stuff them in a duffle bag.

I grab any and all pictures I can find, NASA memorabilia, and model rockets. Then phase through the floor and into the lab. I take a flash drive, plug it into the labs' mainframe, and start downloading all their documents. While I wait for them to load, I stock up on ecto-dejecto, grab a few blasters, and specter deflectors. I wait for the telltale sign of the computer beep before I start deleting anything and everything having to do with Phantom. All the h̵͓̦́̎͝a̵̢͇̭̔̒͠r̷̺̻̜̄̋͝d̸̢͍̆͆ ̶̦̘̊̆ẃ̴̘͜ò̵̟̍ṟ̶̝̇͂k̸̛͖̠͙ they've done on me and others, our weaknesses.

Until they have nothing left.

I slowly make my way to the portal, the place where Phantom began, and alter the bio lock. Leaving the only ones able to access it, Jazz and I. No longer shall Jack and Maddie have the pleasure of entering the realms, no longer shall they t̴̥̆õ̶̞r̸̛̲t̴̬̔ủ̵̗r̵͈̅ě̸̤ my subjects.

They have no right.

I fly up back to my room and do the one last thing I have to do.

I fish into my pocket and pull out my Phantom phone And push the speed dial. It only rings twice:

Sam: Danny?

Tucker: What's up, dude? You don't usually call before noon?

I laugh at the accusation, knowing it to be true, and plop onto my back, " yeah, well, extenuating circumstances."

Sam: So what has made his highness get up before noon?

Tucker: Bold of you to think he's been to sleep.

" Ah, shut up; nobody asked for your two cents," we laugh.

Sam: But in all seriousness, what's the problem?

" I'm leaving."

Tucker: What?! Why?

Sam: Did they find out? Do you need help?

" Whoa, hold on, one question at a time, please. So Tuck, the what would be I'm leaving Amity–"

Tucker: Don't be a smartass.

Sam: Come on, you two, take this seriously.

" I got in touch with my brother; I'm going to live with them from now on. CPS and a Lawyer showed up– ironically, the dude's name is Lawerence–"

Sam: a lawyer named Lawernce; wow, did his parents force him into it or something, cause like, wow.

" I know, right."

Tucker: Are we not going to talk about the fact that Danny has a brother

" Technically, I have four brothers," I think, " with only one of them being by blood, but ya know, it is what it is."

Sam: And you just never brought him up? We've been friends for years, Danny. I would have liked to know.

Tucker: Don't feel too bad; this is the first I'm hearing about a brother too.

" My family situation is complicated. I didn't want to talk about it. I still don't want to, not really."

Sam: You are not getting off that easy

"Could we just talk about this later? I don't want to waste time."

Tucker: When are you leaving?

" Well, originally, It would have been later. I would have told you in person, but the CPS lady Marie, isn't comfortable leaving me here."

Tucker: Why?

" She took one look at an ecto blaster and is immediately removing me from their care. If Jazz was still underage, she would be coming too."

Sam: Where will you go? Doesn't it take time for approvals and stuff for you to move?

" Yeah, but Father has already taken care of most of it, and he apparently has an emergency foster license, so he can take me immediately."

Sam: What about the ghosts?

"We've just gotta hope Val takes care of them. But let me know if anything gets too out of hand. I'll fly over if need be."

Tucker: How far away are you gonna be?

" My family's in Gotham."

Tucker: Dude, that place is like a cesspool

" I know I can't imagine how many ghosts are going to be in that City," I shed her at the mere thought of the number, " hopefully, it's not too bad. But with those crime rates… I wouldn't be surprised if they're just as bad as Amity."

Sam: Wouldn't we hear about it if it was? That's not something you can hide.

Tucker: You say that but look around. We've asked for help tons of times, but the Justice League never showed, just the GIW.

"Who knows, maybe while I'm in Gotham, I'll be able to flag down Batman and see what he says," I tell them 'jokingly.'

Sam: Promise US you'll be careful, Danny. I heard the bats don't like metas in Gotham.

" Well, I'll have you know being dead is considered a medical condition."

Tucker: Whatever you say, man.

"But guys, I have to go. I'll talk to you guys once I get settled."

Tucker: Love ya, man. Stay safe.

Sam: Be careful in Gotham!

" Bye," I say before turning off the phone. I relish in a few moments of silence before I get up and haul the bags onto my shoulder and make my way back downstairs.

"Ah," says Marie, " Is that everything."

I give her a snort nod before making my way to Jazz and engulfing her in a hug. " I hate that I have to leave like this."

" Then don't."

"It's not safe. not anymore."

I break my hug and keep her arm's length, " you'll still call me, right? just cuz I'm leaving doesn't make me stop thinking of you as my big sister."

Tears Escape her eyes, " of course, little brother, just don't forget about me."

" Never. I'll call you once I get settled in, okay."

I skipped any pleasantries with Jack and Maddie and, with Mr Lawrence and Marie, make my way to the car.

I take one last look at Fenton works.

I'm coming, Dami, see ya soon.