Thumpity Thump Thump

" You okay?" I ask as we fly through the icy tundra of the FarFrozen. 

" Okay!?" Jason exclaims, " I'm freezing my tits off." 

" I told you to bring something warm," I huff. 

" I thought you were exaggerating! It's not like you bulked up," Jason complains, then looks at me, " speaking of which, how are you freezing?" 

I shrug, " I have a space core. Part of that is being resistant to extreme temperatures." 

" Okay, Elsa, no need to rub it in," Jason quirks. 

" Great One!" Yells various Yetis as we land in the village square. All the homes and buildings are circular, made out of ice and snow, and in the middle of the village is a roaring bonfire. Helping to keep some of the chill away. 

" Hey guys!" I greet enthusiastically. " Is Frostbite in? We really need to see him." 

" He's in the lab, Your Highness," says one of the yetis, Snowball, signaling to the others to create a path to let us through. She glances at Jason, " new friend, sire?" 

I laugh, " new brother, actually." 

" Ooh, how exciting," Snowball says, letting us in. " I guess this means you found your twin?" 

Jason snorts, " He found the demon brat and ended up with the lot of us." 

" One can never have too many siblings," says a booming voice. Up ahead is Frostbite in all his glory, wearing a lab coat and his reading glasses. He looks me up and down and asks resignedly, "What have you done to yourself this time?" 

" This time," I say, clutching my imaginary pearls, " I came to see you out of the goodness of my heart!" 

Frostbite snorts and gestures to Jason, "You came chaperoned. If you were well, you'd have ditched him." 

I do my impression of a blob ghost, unable to come up with excuses as Jason snickers. " He's got you figured out," then he says to Frostbite, " I'm Jason. Danny wanted to come by himself, but Dad wouldn't let him. Me comin' with was the ultimatum." 

" Well, we are happy to have you both," Frostbite says, leading us into his lab. The lab itself is a mixture of modern and futuristic. There are a couple of examination tables placed throughout, along with various pieces of technology. " So, what can I help you with today?" 

" A couple of different things, hopefully," I say, rummaging through my pockets and pulling out samples. " My family found out I have problems with different medications. They were wondering if there may be a way to combine human and ghost meds so they're usable for me. These ones are made for metahumans." 

Frostbite frowns slightly, " I will see what I can do, but Great One, it will be a while before you see any results. There's a possibility whatever I come up with won't be usable. Human and ectoplasmic DNA is very different from one another. It may not be possible." 

I give him a one-armed hug, " I appreciate the fact that you're even going to try. Don't worry about the results; this hasn't been done before, after all. It's going to take trial and error." 

Frostbite returns the hug, " I'll do my best. Now, besides the medication, what else is needed?" 

"I was hoping, if you have the time, you could take a look at Jason?" I ask. 

"What's wrong with the young revenant?" Frostbite asks. 

" How can you tell?" Jason asked, taken back, "The rugrat called me that when we first met." 

Frostbite chuckles, " It's quite easy. All Realms beings have an aura. While each one is unique, each subspecies has similar qualities. Your kind, the revenant, doesn't have a core, as you are fully linked with your physical body. Your natural ectoplasm keeps you linked together. Ghosts, like myself, need a core to keep us grounded instead. Your natural aura, Jason, gives off sadness, a little bit of anger, and regret." 

" So you agree, then, that he feels off?" I ask.

" Yes," Frostbite nods, " though why remains an unknown." 

Jason glances at me, " I think I may have an idea." 

" Please, do tell?" Frostbite asks, curious. 

" His creepy pedo Grandpa threw me in a Lazarus pit. The twerp said it's full of toxic ectoplasm. I got dumped in not long after I came back. I got my bearings back fast, but my head wasn't in it. I was angry. Still am, really. That feeling still hasn't gone away. He," Jason points at me, " said you might be able to fix me." 

Frostbite nods, " from the sound of it, I believe the two of you have deduced correctly." 

" So doc, how ya gonna fix me?" Jason asks. 

" First, we're going to have to run some tests. Just to be sure. Why don't you hop onto the table, and we'll get started," Frostbite says, getting up to gather his instruments. 

" What exactly are you going to do?" Jason asked, taking off his jackets, handing them to me, then sitting down on one of the tables. 

" Since you have a human body, the tests I can do are limited. So, first, I'm going to listen to your chest, listen to your heartbeat, and confirm that your body doesn't have a developing core," Frostbite says, fiddling with his stethoscope. He breathes on the end, trying to warm it up, before placing it on Jasons' chest. After a moment, he says," Your heart sounds healthy, and I don't hear the hum of a core." 

" What does that mean?" Jason asks. 

" That your physical body is well. They're your body and soul are correctly welded together," Frostbite explains, writing down his findings. " to check out the state of your ectoplasm, I need a blood sample. Is that agreeable?" 

Jason shrugs and rolls up his sleeve, " Have at it. What's it going to show ya?" 

Frostbite sticks him and gathers the blood. " It will show me how your blood is reacting to the trace amounts of ectoplasm in your system. Your natural ectoplasm should be mixing without any negative effects. If you and the Great One are correct, and you have something corrupted in you, I'll be able to see it." 

" What would it look like?" I ask, watching the vials fill up. 

" There are two possible presentations. The ectoplasm could be fighting each other or trying to take over the other. Either response could be responsible for the lasting anger. As ectoplasm fighting within anybody is liable to cause negative emotions, especially anger. The other effects are subtle but also more severe. If the ectoplasm is simply fighting, along with big emotional swings, comes a difference in mindset. If it continues for long enough, the foreign ectoplasm will start acting like a parasite, gaining a personality. You'd be coexisting in a semi-possessed state. On the other hand, if it is trying to take over, you could lose yourself entirely. Losing your connection between your body and soul, making you move on, killing you, while your body remains under the control of contaminated, negatively fueled emotions," Frostbite lectures, closing up and labeling the filled vials. 

" Making me nothing more than a zombie," Jason mutters. " Are there ways to stop this?" 

" There are ways to manage, and eventually cure, both of these ailments, but it will take time," Frostbite says while putting the vials in a centrifuge. " but it's best to remember, regardless of the results, that you will not return to being a normal human. You will remain a revenant and all that it entails." 

Jason sighs, dragging a hand down his face, mumbling, "So this isn't an end-all, cure-all situation." Then asks louder, "What does being a Revenant even mean for me? All I really know about this is the how and why I came back." 

" Like a ghost, you have unfinished business," I explain. " Hostility towards the Joker, the perpetrator of your death, is normal, but killing him would have an adverse effect. Ripping you of your purpose here. Your body would start to decompose as your body and soul disconnect, and you'd move on. There have been a few cases where revenants have found new purposes to keep those connections, but they are never as strong as the original ones, always killing them in the end." 

" When did you get so knowledgeable on the subject?" Frostbite asks.

" Revenants were covered in Peepaws' lessons," I shrug. Their lessons are good for these types of things, ya know.

After a beat of silence, Jason asks, " Frostbite, would you mind looking over Danny? While we wait for the samples to be done spending." 

Frostbite looks me over, "Do you have any particular concerns?" 

" We've seen this trust. It doesn't look good," Jason says bluntly.

I groan, " It's fine–" 

" I will be the judge of that," Frostbite cuts me off. " Besides, you're due for a check-up anyway." 

I sigh but go to sit next to Jason anyway, " Is this really necessary? I feel fine." 

" Just because you feel fine doesn't mean you are," Frostbite scolds. " which form?" 

" This one is fine," I say, removing my shirt and exposing my wounds and various glowing green scars. 

" Wow, how'd ya get that?" Asks Jason.

" It's from the accident," I say defensively, not liking my death mark to be exposed. Then turns to ask Frostbite, "So what's the verdict? Am I good?" 

He hums, " It's not ideal, but you've had worse. None of the stitches were popped, but they have been stretched. Clocky, and I told you no fighting." 

" It was an emergency," I say. " Lydia disobeyed orders and revived Circus Gothica." 

" And you found this out how?" Frostbite asks skeptically.

" One of my new brothers thought the circus could be a bonding experience. Like he wasn't wrong, but it didn't go the way anyone expected. I'd been on guard since we arrived and saw the sign, but once they started to attack, I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. It goes against my very being," I say, causing Frostbite to rub at his face. 

" I know that. I just wish you would take better care of yourself. Just because you can't feel the injuries doesn't mean they aren't there." 

" What do you mean he can't feel them?" Jason sputters. 

" I can feel them, just not as intensely as others," I say hurriedly, not wanting him to worry. 

" What he means to say is that after his accident, the majority of his nerves are fried. Some of them died all the way, causing him to feel nothing, while others have been injured beyond repair, causing them to misfire sporadically. Creating chronic pain," Frostbite says deadpan. 

" It's not that bad–" 

" A sentiment we will continue to disagree on. Hopefully, I'll have some luck with these new medications you brought, and we will be able to find a way to manage it," Frostbite says. 

" Can I put my shirt back on now?" 

" Be my guest. I'm going to send you home with a disinfectant wash. Just gently apply it in the shower around your incisions. It should help stop the spread of infection–" Frostbite gets cut off by the beep of the centrifuge. " I'll be right back, hopefully, with young Jason's results." Once he gets over there, he takes out a vial, puts blood on a slide, and then places it under a microscope. After a minute or two, he starts writing down his results. 

" What's the prognosis?" Jason asks. 

" Thankfully, the ectoplasm is still in the early stages of fighting. It doesn't look to have advanced enough to gain a personality." Frostbite says, getting up to rummage through some cabinets. " I'm going to give you Ecto-skíra. It will help you expel the foreign ectoplasm." 

" That's it? Jason asks, stunned. 

" It may not seem like much, but remember, we caught your condition early. If we caught it any later, you'd need more than that," Frostbite says. 

" How long will I need to take it?"

" at this dose? Maybe six months or until your blood work cleans up. Once it does, I will lower it. Due to you being exposed to the corruption so soon after you revived, you will most likely need it for the rest of your life. This is going to be a chronic issue," Frostbite informs. 

" Are there going to be any limitations? Anything that he needs to worry about?" I ask. 

" As long as he doesn't take any more dips into those pits, he should be fine," Frostbite smiles and ushers us out of his lab. " Now that your doctor's visits are over, is there anything else you need to discuss with me? Or did you plan to stay awhile and play a couple of rounds of War before leaving?" 

" War?" Jason asks, eyebrow raised. 

" It's an all-out, intense snowball fight," I answer Jason before turning my attention back to Frostbite, " I wish we could stay for it, but I'm afraid Jason isn't dressed for this type of weather. Though I was hoping to speak with you about the Justice League decision before we left." 

Frostbite loses a smile, and his eyes narrow, " what did they say?" 

" That they didn't know, not until I told them," I say, exasperated. 

" And you believe them?" Frostbite asks, taking us to a warm sitting room. 

"Yes. they were shocked and appalled during the meeting," I say, plopping into a chair. " They've agreed to help us arrange a meeting with the UN, but they want to meet our Council first. To hear our grievances and demands." 

" Do they wish to meet all of us? Or simply a delegation?" Frostbite asks, then offers, " Tea?" 

"Yes, please," I say, and Frostbite starts to pour me a cup, " and I'm not sure. I forgot to ask, but I can find out. While I'm not sure about everyone's opinions about the matter, I have convinced them to come to us. I thought it might put some minds at ease. Jason, did you want some tea? It's really good." 

"No, thank you, I'm good," Jason says. " I don't get why you're so worried. It's the Justice League, not the League of Assassins. They just want to help."

" They've screwed up things before, just trying to help," I remind. " and this situation is too important to have unnecessary mistakes." Then I turn to Frostbite, "We're going to need a unified front, and I need to get Jason and I back before Baba worries. Can you let the others know about this development and call for a meeting?" 

"It would be my pleasure." 

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She fingers through the Gotham Gazzet, comparing it to other publications. Each one is the same. There's no mistake. He has returned. She puts down the paper and softly sighs before calling out to her forces, " Prepare yourselves. We are going to Gotham."