Chapter 2: "Independence"

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chapter 2: "Independence"

(Sunday-July 4, 2010)

"How bad is it?" Danny Phantom asked. The fifteen year old boy looked over at his mentor with his neon green eyes. His pure white hair was long and shaggy.

Usually, the teenager would wear his black trench coat with white trimmings, white flames on the bottom, and his famous DP logo on the back surrounded by a pentagon. But the halfa had forgone his coat to be hooked up to the machines. Without the coat, Phantom's sleeveless black shirt with white stripes down the sides and another DP logo on his chest.

The color scheme continued with the teenager's lower body. His jean were black with white trimmings and white stripes down the side. In addition, the halfa was wearing white boots on the top and black on the bottom.

"Very bad." Vlad Plasmius stated solemnly. "The power readings have dropped to half than what it was before the war."

The man in the room had an unusual appearance. His skin was blue, his eyes were red, and his hair was curved into horns. The man was wearing clothes that were the opposite of Phantom's clothes. Plasmius's cloths were mostly white and had black at the collar, belt, and boots. In addition, the man was wearing a cape that was white on the outside and red on the inside.

"That's not good…" Phantom sighed as he removed himself from the machines and placed his coat back on. "Do you know why?"

"No." Plasmius shook his head. "You're completely healthy. For some reason though, your power has dropped significantly. In fact, you can no longer be considered an S-rank ghost."

That was the difference between these men and normal individuals. These men were half-ghosts. They were humans that obtained ghost powers. In fact, they were so powerful that they could be considered to be as powerful as S-rank ghosts. An S-rank ghost was a ghost which had the power to use a Haunting Aura, the ability to impose your emotions on your enemies.

"Crap…" Phantom grunted. "Will it be that noticeable in battle?"

"To someone who already knows and recognizes your level of power? Completely, but everyone else won't be able to tell." Plasmius noted.

"I see…" Phantom muttered. "Then I'll just have to use skill instead of raw power until my full powers returns."

"And when will that be?" Plasmius worked with the various machines in the basement lab of Masters Mansion. Across the room were various equipment, weapons, and even the newly rebuilt Ghost Portal. "It has already been more than a month since the war, and your powers have only become worse."

At the end of May, the ghosts of the Ghost Zone had went to war with the UN sponsored Guys in White. The war had its fair share of consequences and outcomes for everyone. Phantom's problems stemmed from his close encounter with death…because he actually died. Luckily, the energy released by the war allowed Phantom to come back with a temporary power boost, but that didn't last long.

After Phantom released the energy into the air, his power and energy quickly began to drop. Now he was only at half his original strength. Considering the amount of time Phantom spent in battle…this was a bad thing.

Of course, Phantom believed that this problem might have stemmed from his other problem. His powers relied on two factors, his stamina and his emotions. His stamina was fine, which meant that something was wrong emotionally. The emotional problem could be described in two words…

Survivor's guilt.

Phantom had survived many situations where others died in his place. His old response was to become angry and blame others. Phantom no longer allowed himself to do that, though. No, Phantom could only blame himself, and it was showing.

"Considering this problem, do you really think it's wise to leave the city without any backup?" Plasmius questioned.

"Oh come one, Vlad." Phantom rolled his eyes. "I can't exactly take anyone with me. The invitation was only for me, and after the war, the only ghost the Justice League would completely trust besides me is Dani, and she isn't exactly ready to be running around the Hall of Justice just yet."

"I understand…" Vlad sighed. "But I still don't think this will end well."

"Vlad, I already promised to go. Besides, it's just a tour of the hall, and the Justice League will be there." Phantom shrugged. "What could happen?"

"I can't believe that you're going to the Hall of Justice without me!" Danielle 'Dani' Masters glared up to her adopted older brother. She was normal height for an eleven year old girl. The girl was wearing red shorts and a short sleeved blue shirt. On the top of her head was her normal red hat.

"I already told you that I'm sorry, Dani." Danny tried to comfort his adopted younger sibling. He was currently in his room trying to spend time to relax before he left. Considering that they were in a mansion, Danny's room was quite large. It had simple furniture, a large screen television, and various posters spread across the room. "There's not much that I can do about it, though."

"Yeah, yeah…" Dani pouted. "You can't just take me when only you were invited. By why wasn't I invited?"

"Dani…" Danny sighed. "The real reason the League invited me is because I'm a possible risk. I have proven that I'm not a direct enemy, but they want me close to keep an eye on me just in case."

"And I'm not that big of a possible threat?" Dani frowned.

"Not yet." Danny sighed. "Not yet…"

"Well…bring me a souvenir or something." Dani flopped down on Danny's couch. "Or some pictures."

"I don't know if that will be possible…" Danny noted.

"It better be possible." A female barged into Danny's room. She had pale skin, green eyes, and long blue hair pulled up into a ponytail. Her makeup, clothes, and demeanor could all be classified as a punk rocker. "Because you canceled our date for this."

"Canceled?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Yesterday, you demanded we go out and enjoy the parties, but I told you that I already have plans."

"In my mind, that means canceled." Ember McLain huffed at her boyfriend. "And this little party at the Hall does not register as a crisis, so you're in trouble."

"…" Danny sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll try to bring back something."

"And you need to be back by the time the fireworks go off." Ember demanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Danny nodded.

"Whipped!" Dani exclaimed.

"…I know…" Danny grumbled. "It's worth it, though."

Ember smirked. "Yes it is…"

"No!" Dani jumped to her feet. "I don't want to hear this!"

Ember and Danny laughed at her.

"Really? You don't want to know about-"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Danny's phone went off. The halfa had built the phone himself. It was one the young inventors biggest projects, the Tucker Phone. It was a sleek black phone with a touch screen. Most of its more advanced features were what really made it stand out. Extremely fast and efficient loading time, advanced voice recognition, and incredible durability were some of the phone's many features.

That and all the good publicity the tech received thanks to the work of Harriet Chin were the reasons that the newly released phone was so popular. The Tucker Phone had only recently been available on the market, and its sale's numbers were fantastic. Danny was sure that Tucker would be proud to have a piece of tech inspired by him, thus why Danny made sure to give a percentage of the revenue to Tucker's parents.

"Hello?" Danny answered his phone. "Technus? What is it?...Yeah, I have time before I have to leave….Something's wrong with the current project?...Alright, I'll be there in a minute."

"Again?" Ember sighed at her boyfriend. "I thought you hired Technus to deal with these things."

"Well, there's tension at Axion Labs." Danny shrugged as he walked to the door. "Humans and ghosts don't normally work together after all."

"Do you have to go?" Dani frowned.

"Yeah." Danny smiled at his sister before he gave his girlfriend a kiss. "I have to. Not much choice, but I'll make it clear that I won't be able to help later this afternoon."

After Danny left the room, Ember turned the younger halfa. "…Are you alright, kid?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Dani mumbled. "I just wanted to hang out with Danny a bit before he left…"

"So did I, but we'll just have to get him later." Ember shrugged.

"But that's the thing." Dani looked down. "Danny and I used to spend so much time together. Now, he's always so busy with his work, trying to make up all the school work he missed, and you, that we don't get to be together unless we go out for patrol, and even then nothing happens."

"I don't really think that's fair." Ember noted. "You spend a lot of time with those friends of yours. Most of what Danny does isn't exactly considered fun…except me, of course. I'm a riot."

"I guess you're right…about me being busy, at least." Dani rolled her eyes at the older girl. "Nyx, Raven, and Youngblood are all coming over today to get fireworks."

"Sounds fun." Ember smirked. "We can have our own private firework show. Fire in the sky, who doesn't love that?"

"Yeah…" Dani nodded.

"Great! I know some good places to…" Ember continued to talk even though Dani's thoughts drifted.

Nyx, the daughter of the ancient ghost Pandora, already had plans to get fireworks, but Dani was sure that Rachel would come up with more…legal methods of obtaining the explosives. No, Dani wasn't worried about that. She was concerned with her brother. This wouldn't be the first time that he left Amity Park without her, but lately, Dani was upset that he was leaving so often.

Did he not realize what happened? Did he truly not comprehend the events that had happened over a month ago when the Ghost Zone went to war with the Guys in White? Dani tried to, but…

"Danny…" Spirit stumbled forward. Her premonition was screaming at her. She had to get there.

Spirit's legs gave out and she fell on her face. Tears ran down her face. The premonition was over. It was too late.

"No…" She sobbed.

She had failed…

Despite the fact that she disobeyed her father and left the safety of the inner Ghost Zone to save Danny, she hadn't made a difference at all. Despite the fact that she had the ability to feel other people's intentions, she couldn't stop it. Despite the fact that she was Danny's sister, she couldn't save him.

Dani, in her ghost form, felt tears run down her face as she watched her brother's body dissolve. The hulking form of the Fenton Exoskeleton stood above the rapidly fading body. Even if Spirit could move, she wouldn't get to the body.

Soon, all that was left was a green puddle.

"NO!"

"No, what?" Ember raised an eyebrow at the young girl.

Dani felt sweat run down her neck. She had to fight off tears. That memory was so intense. She couldn't let herself think about that...

"Nothing! I love your idea!" Dani sprung to her feet and began strutting to the door. "But I need to go the bathroom first!"

"…Okay…" Ember watched as the young girl left.

The sound of rushing water filled the hall as Dani used the sound of her shower to drown out the echoes of her sobs and tears.

It was later that day that Danny Phantom began to approach the Hall of Justice by flying. The giant white building stood in front of a large fountain. It had a round roof and large rectangular dividers separating the building into three parts. The glass entrance and tourists seemed odd considering the fact that this was the Justice League headquarters, but who was Phantom to judge? His HQ was his home (Danny refused to call it a lair).

Because he turned invisible, Phantom was unseen by the mass below, despite the fact that the halfa was floating right above the large building. He stayed there for a moment, he idly noted that the other younger heroes had arrived with their mentors. The Flash and Kid Flash appeared to be running late.

Phantom sighed. "Today is the day…"

Deciding that it was now or never, Phantom turned intangible and flew into the building. He could have used the entrance, but he didn't want the unnecessary attention. At one time, Phantom relished in any form of positive praise, but today was not the day to boost his ego. He had enough of that in Amity Park. The city already built that billboard of him and his sister stating that it was the ghost's home.

Phantom slowly floated behind the group of heroes as they entered the building. Apparently, he missed a part of the conversation, because he heard Robin say, "You're overwhelmed. Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone just whelmed?"

Robin caught sight of the giant statues of the founding members of the Justice League. "Oh…that's why."

Now safely in the building, Phantom decided to turn visible, so the League wouldn't think he was trying to sneak into their building. All four mentors in front of him seemed to sense this, as they looked back and glanced at him.

Flash was dressed in his red and yellow suit. The blond Aquaman stood in his scaled orange shirt and green pants. Green Arrow appeared like a hooded Robin Hood. Batman's black cowl twisted as he noted the appearance of the ghost. None of them said anything to him, because they knew he would be coming. They all had their own protegees to feel proud of.

The heroes approached the metal door which was below the giant statue of Superman. The door read "Authorized Personnel Only." It slid open to reveal the green Martian Manhunter and the red android Red Tornado.

The Martian Manhunter spoke, "Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Phantom…Welcome."

All four of the young heroes looked surprise to see that Phantom was right behind them, but considering that he hadn't made any noise and their mentors blocked their view of him at first, they didn't voice their shock. All of them greeted him, though. Phantom was glad to see that they weren't upset to have him here. This was supposed to be their day after all. Their mentors must have already talked to them…

Speedy was dressed in in a similar outfit to Green Arrow, except that is was red and he was wearing a feathered cap. Kid Flash was dressed in a yellow version of the Flash's except his red hair was showing. Robin was wearing a black cape over his red top with his famous 'R' and black pants. Finally, Aqualad wore dark blue pants and a sleeveless red shirt hat showed his eel tattoos.

Next, all of the heroes entered the metal doors as Martian Manhunter began to explain to them about all the access they had. Phantom didn't plan to come here all that often, but paid attention anyway. It was always necessary to know what you could and could not enter…Especially when you're walking into the restricted area being talked about.

Phantom looked around the library. Compared to the Ghost Writer's library, it wasn't anything special. The halfa did note the widow that allowed the tourists to look into the library. Phantom saw that they were taking pictures. Great, he could just imagine the publicity from this…

"Make yourselves at home." The Flash smiled.

All the younger heroes besides Speedy instantly sat down in the comfortable furniture. In fact, Speedy seemed to appear mildly upset, especially when Batman mentioned that they were leaving for a minute to discuss something about ice villains…

"That's it?!" Speedy exclaimed and caused the Leaguers to turn around. "You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass."

"It's a first step." Aquaman mentioned. "You've been granted access few others get."

"Oh really?" Speedy gestured to the window above the library. "Who cares what side of the glass we're on?"

Phantom had to concede to Speedy's point. He personally didn't care all that much, but there wasn't that much difference between them and the people behind the glass.

"Roy, you just need to be patient." Green Arrow approached the young man. Phantom idly noted that Speedy's real name was Roy, but that didn't mean much to Phantom.

"What I need is respect." Speedy stated and turned to his peers behind him. "They're treating us like kids…worse, like sidekicks. We deserve better than this."

The four younger heroes all shared a look. None of them were all that bothered by what was happening. Despite the difference only being glass, it was a difference that only a few people had.

"You're kidding, right?" Speedy glared as he punched his palm. "You're playing their game? Why? Because you think they play fair? Today was supposed to be the day! Step one to becoming full fledged members of the League."

"I wouldn't exactly call this a game. I mean, sitting in a library isn't exactly whelming." Phantom noticed Robin's brief amusement over the reference. "But I don't think any of us came here expecting a life or death mission."

"Yeah…" Kid Flash nodded at Phantom. "Isn't step one a tour of the HQ?"

"Except that the Hall isn't the League's real HQ!" Speedy exclaimed. "I bet they never told you that the hall is just a front for tourist and a pit stop to catching Zeta beam telleporter tubes to the real thing… the orbiting satellite called the Watchtower!"

Phantom's eyebrows rose in shock. The League had a secret base in space? That sounded…so cool…Not to mention that was good info to know. Phantom had to wonder if the Ghost Zone's greatest strategist Vision knew about this.

During Phantom's thoughts, he missed Green Arrow's confession to Batman and Aquaman's chastisement of Speedy, but Phantom regained focus as Speedy snapped. "Or what? You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son! I'm not even his." He looked at Green Arrow. "I thought I was his partner…but not anymore."

Speedy threw his yellow hat on the ground, much to everyone's shock.

"Guess they're right about you three, you're not ready…" Speedy strode past Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash, but stopped at Phantom and glared. "And you! You're a hero on your own, in fact, you have your own younger partner. Are you just going to sit there and act like second best?"

"Look, I'm not here to judge you, them, or the League. I was only invited a few days ago, and I don't know if I actually deserve to be here." Phantom met Speedy's glare without flinching.

"You're damn right you don't!" Speedy seemed outraged. "You are a symbol to us that the young can be just as tough as the League. I used to respect you, but it turns out that you're not who I thought you were."

"And who did you think I was?" Phantom questioned.

"A weakling that can't stand up for himself when the grownups say not to." Speedy explained. "Or are you going to prove me wrong and leave like me?"

"I ain't leaving just because you're throwing a temper tantrum…" Phantom noted. He remembered a time when he used to let his anger get the better of him like that, but now he knew that the anger did not make life any easier.

"Whatever!" Speedy began to storm out of the room. "Who needs you!?"

'Who needs me, indeed…' Phantom sighed at the thought.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Superman called in that Project Cadmus had an accident and there was a fire. Batman seemed intrigued at the chance to investigate, but was interrupted by Zatara, who called and informed them that a sorcerer named Wotan was trying to block out the sun. Cadmus was put on hold as the Leaguers left with the instructions not to leave.

This, of course, did not sit well with the young heroes. They argued with their mentors, but what really drew Phantom's attention was Green Arrow's mention of a 'you-know-who' and Red Tornado's almost…reluctant look…maybe? It was hard to tell with an android.

Phantom didn't know if he was looking too much into things right now, but Vlad had drilled into him to examine every scenario. You could only have that pounded into you so many times before you get the message.

"Tch!" Kid Flash frowned. "When we're ready...How are we ever supposed to be ready if they treat us like…" He flung his hands in the air. "Like sidekicks!"

Aqualad bowed his head in disappointment. "My mentor…my king…I thought he trusted me."

"Trust? They don't even trust us with the basics! They've got a secret HQ in space!" Kid Flash pointed up.

Phantom would have intervened here, but he knew it wasn't his place. If Vlad had a secret like that, Phantom would surely be upset. The reason wouldn't matter. To have your mentor…your teacher…the person you trusted most just lie to you like that…Phantom knew that it would be upsetting.

"What else aren't they telling us?" Aqualad wondered.

"I have a better question..." Robin looked at his companions. "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

"Because your respect for them outweighs your anger." Phantom put in his two cents. "They may have hurt your trust, but you care about your mentors too much to turn you back on them. I'm not saying that your anger isn't justified, but I do get the vibe from Speedy that he has respect problems."

None of the other young heroes argued with that. Robin even nodded. "You're right, but I still don't like this."

"Then do something about it." Phantom shrugged.

"But what?" Kid Flash questioned.

"I've always found that the best way to win respect is a good old fashioned fight." Phantom mentioned as he remembered his encounters with Colossus and Torch.

They did not look pleased at the idea of fighting their mentors.

"A good second option would be to show them what you can handle." Phantom suggested. "Batman seemed pretty into that thing about Cadmus."

This got the attention of the young heroes. Robin went to the computer and hacked it to let them look at the files. It made sense that the computer was similar to the Batcave considering that Batman was in charge.

"Alright, Project Cadmus, genetics lab, here in DC…" Robin read the file. "That's all there is…But if Batman's suspicious, maybe we should investigate."

"Solve their case before they do." Aqualad noted. "It would be poetic justice."

"Hey, hehe, they're all about justice." Robin laughed.

Aqualad sighed. "But they said stay put."

"For the blotting out the sun mission, not this!" Robin smiled.

"Wait, are you going to Cadmus? Because if you're going, I'm going!" Kid Flash was excited.

"Just like that? We're a team on a mission?" Aqualad questioned.

"We didn't come here for a playdate." Robin smirked.

'No, I thought there would be food involved, though.' Phantom thought.

Aqualad just smirked at his fellow heroes.

Phantom grimaced as their attention turned to him. He felt really out of place here. The halfa wasn't a side…partner to some major superhero.

"What about you?" Robin asked. "Are you coming?"

"Look, you know that I'm only here because the League wants to keep an eye on me." Phantom reasoned. "This seems more like your adventure rather than mine."

"You act like you don't belong here." Aqualad noted.

"I don't." Phantom shrugged. "I don't have any affiliation to the League. Speedy was right about that."

"Hey, man," Kid Flash zoomed over to his side to pat him on the back. "You've more than proved yourself as a hero. None of us have a problem with you being here. Speedy was just…angry at the League. Don't take it personally."

Phantom was flattered by their sincerity, but he was still reluctant. Last thing he needed was to be on the bad side of the League. "I don't…"

"That settles it!" Robin grabbed him by the shirt and began to drag him. "You're coming."

Phantom could have fazed through the grip. He could have let them go and stayed, but he didn't. He let them lead him towards Project Cadmus.

And so it begins…

"So smooth." Robin smirked as they watched Kid Flash dangle out a window.

Phantom didn't blame the speedster for running ahead. Two of the scientist from Project Cadmus had been blasted out a window. Kid Flash had run ahead to save them, but ended up in a rather unusual situation. Fortunately, he managed to get them to the roof.

"At least the scientists are saved." Phantom defended Kid's actions.

"Yes, but does he always have to run ahead?" Aqualad questioned. "We need a plan."

"If he didn't, I would have." Phantom mentioned. "Besides, Robin's doing the same thing."

The two older teens watched as Robin ran and flipped his way to the building. After using his grappling hook, the Boy Wonder landed on the window which Kid Flash was dangling from. In a moment, they both disappeared.

"Okay…a plan." Phantom shrugged. "I get the dudes off the roof and you put out the fire?"

"Fair enough." Aqualad nodded.

Phantom flew alongside the running Atlantian. When they reached the nearby fire trucks, they separated. Phantom quickly lowered the scientists to the ground as Aqualad used his Water-Bearers to calm control the firehouses water to douse the flames and raise himself up to the window.

As both the young heroes entered the building, Aqualad stated. "Appreciate the help."

"In his defense, we are a water user and an ice user." Phantom shrugged. "Not like the fire was a problem for us."

"Exactly!" Robin smirked. "Besides, were here to investigate."

"That is not the point…" Aqualad sighed.

"You guys find anything?" Phantom questioned as he joined their search.

"Nothing." Kid Flash muttered. "Nothing that's not boring and dumb at least."

They all paused as they heard the sound of an elevator door closing. Kid Flash, Robin, and Phantom quickly joined Aqualad at the doorway.

"There was something in the…" Aqualad stared at the elevator.

"Elevator should be locked down." Kid Flash noted.

"Apparently it is for us." Phantom noted as the elevator refused to open for them.

"This is wrong." Robin instantly tried to examine the elevator using his gauntlet computer. "Thought so…This is a high speed, express elevator. It doesn't belong in a two story building."

"Neither does what I saw." Aqualad stated as he forced the elevator open.

"And what did you see, exactly?" Phantom questioned.

"I have no clue." Aqualad noted as they all looked down the elevator shaft. It was so deep that they couldn't see the bottom.

"And that's why they need an express elevator." Robing used his grapple to hook to the top of the elevator shaft and began to descend. Aqualad and Kid Flash quickly followed on the rope, but Phantom decided to float down.

"Show off…" Kid Flash muttered as Phantom defied gravity.

"Not showing off if you back it up." Phantom commented.

When they reached as far as the rope extended, they stopped and the level SL 26. Robin went to hack it, but Phantom stated. "You do realize that I can pass through…what?"

"What's wrong?" Aqualad questioned.

"I can't turn intangible." Phantom muttered. "But this is regular metal. Something's messing with my powers…Crap, I wonder what else isn't working?"

"That makes this even more suspicious." Robin hacked the door and allowed them in.

"Does anyone else think it's weird that Robin's computer has little pictures of himself as loading screen?" Phantom questioned.

"…Now that you mention it…" Aqualad stated.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Kid Flash chuckled.

"Yes, just make fun of me. No 'Thanks, Robin, for getting us in there undetected'." Robin muttered. "Alright, go!"

Phantom forced the doors open and was shocked. This lab seemed futuristic like his except…darker. It looked more like an evil lair compared to anything. "Wow…"

"Welcome to Project Cadmus." Robin noted.

Kid Flash ran ahead of them before anyone could react. He was quickly stopped by giant grey beasts. The speedster was that he wasn't trampled.

"Well…" Phantom frowned. "Those things are unusual."

"Psh!" Ember growled as she looked at her phone. She paced around the living room of the mansion which contained leather furniture, imported carpet, and expensive pictures. "Danny hasn't texted me back yet."

"Busy?" A giant black furred werewolf named Wulf questioned. He was dressed in a simple green shirt and pants.

"Or he might not be able to use his phone in the Hall?" Dani suggested weakly. She didn't really believe that, though.

"Then he should sneak into the bathroom or something…" Ember growled.

"There's still time until the party starts." Dani sighed. "Hopefully he'll be back by then."

"Hm…Friend won't late." Wulf's first language wasn't English, but he was trying to learn.

"He better-"

Rumble! Crash!

The ground trembled and shook. All the ghosts steadied themselves. Dani looked around the room as he caught a falling vase. "What was that?"

The building shook again.

Wulf's growled. "Not earthquake."

"Then what was it?" Ember questioned.

"I really hope that isn't Nyx trying to set off the fireworks early." Dani frowned.

"ROAR!"

"…" Wulf looked off in the distance. "Not Nyx."

"What the hell is that?" Ember questioned.

"I don't know, but it's heading for the city!" Dani shouted.

It was true, a large hulking figure was heading straight towards the main part of Amity Park. It was hopping large distance, and each time it landed, it caused the ground to tremble. From this distance, the only thing the ghosts could tell about the figure was that it was huge, muscular, and extremely pale.

"Is that a ghost?" Ember questioned.

"No know…" Wulf's grammar was bad, but it got the point across.

"If it was, why isn't it flying, and why didn't my Ghost Sense go off?" Dani questioned. "But that doesn't matter. I have to stop it."

"What?" Ember raised an eyebrow.

"Look at that thing, it's crushing cars like they're cardboard." Dani shifted her stance deeper. "If it gets to the city, people might be hurt."

"I don't think-"

"I'm going ghost!" Dani's form shifted as a white ring traveled from the top of her head to her feet. Her hat disappeared, and her hair turned white. The girl now had neon green eyes a scarf that hid her face. A black and white bomber jacket with the DP logo on the left side covered the girls black shirt. The right sleeve of the jacket was ripped off and showed black and white tape running down her right arm. Finally, a white skirt was on top of the girl's black spandex pants.

Danielle Masters had turned into her alter ego, Spirit the partner of Danny Phantom.

"Wait!"

That was too late, though. Spirit quickly flew and fazed through the roof. The halfa instantly chased after the retreating wall of muscle. She was surprised by the speed the monster was going at. It took her a few minutes to catch the monster, and by the time she caught him, he was almost at the edge of the city.

Spirit interrupted the pale monster by ramming into him mid-jump. She covered her hands in green ectoplasm as she rammed into the monster. Her blow did cause the monster to falter, but he did not seem injured at all. No, the hit did make him take a few steps back, but that was it.

The monster turned to her. He stood at eight feet tall. He wore a torn vest and ripped pants that did nothing to hide his bulging muscles. The skin of the monster was deathly pale, and his face was sunken and depressed. Yet despite this, Spirit's attention was caught by the monster's familiar neon green eyes.

"What?" Spirit tilted her head. Where had she seen those eyes before?

The monster growled at her. "Solomon Grundy…"

"Born on Monday…" He took a massive step toward her.

"Christened on Tuesday…" The monster took a deep stance.

"Married on Wednesday…" He jumped into the air.

"Took ill on Thursday…" Spirit quickly dodged to the side as he came crashing down at her stop.

"Grew worse on Friday…" The monster brought his massive fists down at the ground and caused it to shake and crack.

"Died on Saturday…" He swiped at her, but she dodged.

"Buried on Sunday…" The monster looked up to the sky and extended his arms.

"That was the end…" The monster then shouted into the air. "OF SOLOMON GRUNDY!"

"What could could happen…WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING!?" Phantom ran alongside Robin and Aqualad as they went deeper into the bowls of Project Cadmus.

"You actually said that?" Robin questioned. "You were just asking for this to happen, then."

"I know that now!" Phantom groaned.

Ever since he arrived at the lower levels of Project Cadmus with the other young heroes, Phantom noticed that everything that could go wrong had went terribly wrong. It turned out that Project Cadmus was actually manufacturing living weapons called Genomorphs that had razor sharp claws, super strength, and telepathy abilities.

Not only that, but it turned out that the hero Guardian was working for Cadmus as well. At first, Guardian seemed surprised and sympathetic…then he was confused. Then came the random anger and orders to attack them. Phantom was surprised by this random change. It was like he was a different person.

Luckily, they managed to escape…only to get deeper into the bowls of Project Cadmus. Phantom argued against this. Something was messing with his powers. He no longer could use intangibility or flight. This was not a situation he wanted to be in without all of his basic powers, especially with his already diminished powers. No, he wanted to go get the Justice League, but the others seemed determined to finish this mission. Phantom knew that he couldn't go off alone in these circumstances and continued to follow the others.

Robin, Aqualad, and Phantom ran around a corner. They saw that Kid Flash had knocked down a female scientist in front of a closing metal door. The young speedster quickly grabbed a metal container and used it to keep the door open for them. "Hurry!"

Robin, Aqualad, and Phantom all followed Kid Flash through the metal door. They managed to enter just as the Genomorphs and Guardian running around the corner. Aqualad quickly knocked the metal container out of the way, while Robin locked the door.

"I disabled the door. We're safe." Robin sighed.

"We're trapped." Kaldur clarified.

"Better on this side of the huge ass door than the other." Phantom noted. "Now we can come up with a plan."

"Uh…Guys? You'll want to see this." Kid Flash called them over to what appeared to be a containment pod. The speedster hit the on switch and everyone was shocked.

"Woah…" Robin muttered.

Phantom had to agree with the Boy Wonder. Inside the large pod in front of them stood a younger version of Superman. His black hair and face appeared to be completely the same as the Man of Steel. The only differences between them were the fact that the person in the pod was smaller and was wearing a white outfit with Superman's shield.

Kid Flash and Phantom approached the boy in the pod. Phantom noted the tiny Genomorphs sitting above the boy, but they seemed to ignore them. Then, Phantom looked at the symbol on the pod.

"Kr…" Phantom stared at the symbol.

"The atomic symbol for Krypton." Kid Flash was awestruck. He turned. "Clone?"

"Robin. Hack." Aqualad ordered.

"Oh…right, got it." Robin quickly got to work. "Weapon designation: Superboy, a clone forced grown in…16 weeks! From DNA acquired from Superman."

"Stolen from Superman." Aqualad clarified.

"Damn…" Phantom turned to look at the clone. He remember many months ago when he was staring at another clone in a pod. That clone had turned out to one the Phantom's most loved people.

"No way the big guy knows about this." Kid Flash stated.

"The solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7." Robin led.

"And these…creatures." Aqualad pointed at the little grey creatures above the Superboy.

"They have telepathy right? Maybe they're teaching him." Phantom suggested. "He can't have knowledge of the world after being forced grown."

"Exactly." Robin nodded.

"Not to mention everything else they've probably been teaching him." Kid Flash frowned. "They're making a slave out of…"

"Superman's son." Phantom interjected. "And this is wrong…"

"You're right." Aqualad noted. "Now we contact the League."

Phantom pulled out his phone as the others tried to use their communication devices. Phantom looked at the miniature hologram on his phone. "No signal…"

"We're too deep." Kid Flash sighed.

"Damn it…" Phantom knew that they should have bailed while they had the chance. "Robin…does he need the pod to survive?"

Robin looked at the data on the screen. "No, he's completely fine physically."

"Then I think we should set him free." Phantom stated. "Any arguments?"

"None." Aqualad nodded.

"Nope." Kid Flash stated.

"Alright then…" Robing quickly pressed some holographic buttons on his gauntlet computer.

The pod hissed and let out smoke as it opened. Now completely freed, the Superboy opened his eyes. Those blue eyes quickly looked at them.

…The next thing Phantom knew, the Superboy had tackled Aqualad to the ground…

The other heroes quickly tried to pull Superboy off Aqualad as Superboy began to hit the Atlantian. Phantom shouted. "I know you're confused and scared, but-"

"RAW!" Superman backhanded the ghost and sent him flying away. Phantom crashed into the wall and slid to the floor.

"I don't want to do this…" Robin used knock out gas to disorientate Superboy. Aqualad quickly kicked the Kryptonian clone away.

Kid Flash quickly followed Superboy and knocked him down again. Robin tried to tase Superboy, but it had effect whatsoever. In one quick moment, Superboy got up, tossed Kid Flash away, and pulled Robin to him. The clone then tried to crush the Boy Wonder's chest with his super-powered foot.

Phantom caught Kid Flash before he could go crashing through glass. "You alright."

"Ug…I feel like I got hit by a sludge hammer…" Kid Flash as he got to his feet.

"Enough!" Aqualad formed his Water Bearers into a giant sludge hammer and hit Superboy to his metal seat.

"Imagine how he's feeling…." Phantom's hands and eyes glowed blue as he began to use his ice powers. Before Superboy could react, Phantom froze him to his previous container.

"Raw!" Superboy growled.

"Well…that's that." Kid Flash walked up to the frozen Superboy.

"We…were are trying to help you." Aqualad explained to the clone. "Please, stop struggling."

"This is bad." Phantom noted as he examined the unconscious Robin. "We won't be able to get out without Robin, and with Superboy holding us back…"

"Yeah," Kid Flash agreed. "Not to mention, they'll open the door soon-"

The speedster was surprised when Superboy managed to break the ice holding him. Kid Flash was quickly sucker punched by the clone. The yellow clad hero was unconscious before he hit the floor.

"Damn it!" Phantom rocketed at Superboy and punched the Kryptonian with an ectoplasm powered punch. "Stay down!"

Superboy ignored the order and continued to attack the ghost. They exchanged several blows before Aqualad sneaked behind them and grabbed Superboy into a Full Nelson grab. The Atlantian's eel tattoos began to glow as he electrocuted the clone.

That didn't work long, however, because Superboy launched them into the air and crashed Aqualad into the ceiling. Phantom intercepted them before Superboy landed and pulled Aqualad away from the clone.

"We can't afford to hold back against him!" Phantom exclaimed.

"You…were holding back…" Aqualad groaned in pain. "What else can we do?"

"I can use my Ghostly Wail." Phantom laid Aqualad down. "Stay down. Hopefully, this won't hurt him too badly."

Aqualad nodded as he tried to regain his bearings. Phantom turned to the Superboy. The clone was glaring at him and was about to charge. Luckily, he was away from Robin and Kid Flash, so Phantom didn't have to hold back. "Sorry about this."

Phantom took a large breath of air into his usually unnecessary ghost lungs. He then went for his most devastating attack…only to be hit by a splitting headache. "Ah!"

Phantom's head felt like it had been cracked opened. He could only hear ringing. There was no way he could concentrate long enough to use his Ghostly Wail.

The halfa had ran out of time, though. Superboy sent a barrage of punches at Phantom. They sent him crashing into the Atlantian behind the ghost. Phantom could tell that he had accidently knocked out the Atlantian, but there was nothing that could be done about that.

Struggling to get up, Phantom managed to get to his knees. Superboy stood above him. He was holding a fist right in front of Phantom's face like he meant to hit Phantom and stopped. The clone was staring at him. "Phan…tom…Mer…cy…"

"What?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

Superboy then clutched his head in pain. In a fit of anger, the clone continued his punch and hit Phantom on his temple. The halfa collapsed onto the ground.

Before he passed out, Phantom saw Superboy walk over to the metal door and open it. Then, everything was dark.

Spirit was quickly joined by Wulf and her green dog Cujo during her fight with Solomon Grundy. That was a good thing considering that nothing she did seemed to hurt the massive being. Granted, none of Grundy's attacks could hit her. Spirit's natural grace and her Premonition ability made Grundy's slow attacks futile.

Unfortunately, that meant they were at a standstill. Neither opponent could hurt the other. It would be a battle of who had the most stamina, and considering the fact that Grundy didn't look tired at all, Spirit was sure that she would eventually wear herself out or find a way to hurt Grundy. Luckily, Wulf and Cujo's appearance destroyed that option.

With the three on one attack and their good teamwork, Wulf, Cujo, and Spirit seemed to be pushing Grundy back, but the monster didn't appear to feel pain. It wasn't that their attacks didn't do any damage, it was just that Grundy didn't feel pain, and his injuries healed at an incredibly rapid pace.

Spirit quickly kicked Grundy in the face and dodged the massive hand swiping at her. "Where's Ember?"

"Went get help!" Wulf roared as he rammed into Grundy from behind.

Cujo took this opportunity to swipe the massive monster on the side of his head. The massive monster stumbled to the side with a grunt. He didn't even appear to acknowledge the bruises and claw marks as they rapidly healed.

"I have to admit!" Spirit sent a barrage of blasts at Grundy. "It's nice to fight again! The past month has been soooooo boring!"

"Rough!" Cujo barked as bit Grundy's large ankle. The monster actually grunted in pain and went to punch the huge dog. Wulf intercepted him, though, and jumped on the monster's back. Grundy struggled to get the furred ghosts off him, but it was too late.

Spirit was not in front of him and sent several punches at Grundy's muscled midsection. She managed to get dozens of hits in before Grundy finally he finally shouted in outrage. In a show of great strength, Grundy threw three ghosts away a single motion. All three ghosts went tumbling away.

"Wow!" Wulf exclaimed as he pushed himself up.

Spirit couldn't help but agree. Grundy's strength was incredible. She was glad that she didn't get hit. If she did get hit…it would definitely hurt.

Grundy began to smash the ground in anger. He beat on the ground like a drum and caused the earth to shake. This did not influence the ghosts, though, because they were floating above the ground.

All three ghosts charged at the giant monster. They sent a barrage of attacks at Grundy. Grundy tried to knock them away, but none of them were hit. In fact, Spirit was gleefully dancing around the monster's strikes.

For her, this was as close as things had been to normal for a month. This was her element. This was where she thrived. This was where…

"RAW!" Wulf found a large opening in Grundy's defense. The wolf ghost's dimensional claws extended. He clashed his claws from Grundy's right should to the monster's left ribs. All the ghosts were surprised to see green blood gush out of Grundy's wounds.

As the large monster held his wounds, Spirit stared. That wound…The green blood…The terrible pain…

Dani, in her ghost form, felt tears run down her face as she watched her brother's body dissolve. The hulking form of the Fenton Exoskeleton stood above the rapidly fading body. Even if Spirit could move, she wouldn't get to the body.

Soon, all that was left was a green puddle.

"NO!"

"Move!" Wulf cried, but Spirit ignored him. She even ignored her Premonition as it screamed at her to get out of the way of Grundy's strike.

"Ah!" Spirit cried as Grundy's massive hand grabbed her.

"No!" Wulf and Cujo desperately tried to save their friend, but Grundy managed to knock them away when they left an opening.

Spirit struggled to escape the monster's grasp, but she couldn't overpower him and couldn't focus enough to turn intangible. "Ahg!"

"RAW!" Grundy brought his other fist and tried to smash Spirit's head. She watched in fear as the giant hand almost came closer to her head.

Suddenly, the fist stopped. Grundy blinked at her. "Eh?"

He brought her really close to his face. Spirit could see every wrinkle on his face, his yellow teeth, and familiar green eyes. Where did she know those eyes?

"Where does Grundy know girl?" The monster grunted.

"What?" Spirit whispered.

"Grundy knows girl. Grundy…can't…hurt girl." Grundy trailed off and looked away. "Grundy don't hurt Dani."

Spirit's eyes widened. "How do you…"

"AHHH!" Grundy released Spirit and clutched his arm. There was a deep gash on the monster's bicep. Green blood was pouring out of the wound, but it quickly healed.

"Well…" A deep and rather dramatic voice called out. "It appears that fears are beyond, you heathen. Is it bravery, or lack of intelligence?"

The Fright Knight was covered in black armor. He wore grey gauntlets, boots, and helmet. His helmet hid his face, but did nothing to hide his fiery purple hair. In his right hand was a pure green sword. It was the Soul Shredder. Normally, the sword could sent a person to an alternate dimension of fear, but Grundy seemed immune to that effect.

The Fright Knight grabbed Spirit and pulled her back. A little over a week ago, the Fright Knight had sworn his loyal to Danny Phantom. Thus, his loyalty was also to Phantom's family and friends. Thus his interference.

"Grundy crush you!" Grundy went to lunge at the Fright Knight, but was stopped when a blast of pink magenta energy crashed into him and sent him tumbling.

"Please." Vlad Plasmius floated above Grundy. "You no longer have even a chance of victory."

"RAW!" Grundy tried to get up, but the Fright Knight sent a large flaming jewel at the monster to keep him down.

Wulf took this opportunity to pounce on the monster. Showing his own strength, Wulf managed to get Grundy on his back and hold the monster's pale hands behind his back. Plasmius then took this opportunity to use his energy to lock Grundy's hands and feet together. Grundy was trapped.

"Tsk." The Fright Knight approached the monster. "That was boring."

"He might have been dangerous to one of us individually, but he didn't have a chance with all of us here." Plasmius noted.

"Indeed." Fright Knight nodded, then he turned to the approaching Ember. "Thank you, siren. Your warning was very helpful."

"Well, with Danny gone, I thought that it was best to get some help." Ember shrugged. "Guess it was a good idea."

"Indeed." Plasmius eyed the struggling monster. "Perhaps we should contact the League to pick this guy up. He is not a ghost."

"Yet I sense some ectoplasm from him." The Fright Knight noted.

Wulf and Cujo sniffed the monster. "Magic too."

"Hmm…" Plasmius looked down at Grundy. "Quite the combination. Usually, that doesn't work. Tell me, what are you?"

"Grundy kill you!" Solomon Grundy exclaimed.

"Fair enough."

Meanwhile, Spirit stood back and watched Grundy as he struggled against his restraints. She knew where she had seen those eyes before. It was eyes that she saw every day when she looked in the mirror.

The halfa didn't know how…but Grundy was connected to her somehow.

(Monday-July 5, 2010)

Phantom didn't know where he was. He did know that he was sitting in a simple chair. All around him was darkness. It was so cold….How was it cold? It was the beginning of July.

The halfa blinked and looked around. He could see nothing. There were no sounds. He was completely alone.

"No you're not." A voice called out to him.

A figure appeared out of the darkness. Phantom recognized the figure immediately. It was himself.

"What?" Phantom questioned. "Why do you look like me?"

"Is that what you see?" The fake Phantom questioned. "How unusual. Your mind must be fighting to make sense of the situation."

"Make sense? Dude, nothing is making sense right now." Phantom noted.

"What do you remember?" The fake Phantom questioned.

"I remember…Project Cadmus….Robin, Aqualad, and Kid Flash…Superboy…." Phantom frowned. "I lost."

"Yes, I apologize for that." The fake Phantom vanished. Behind the real Phantom appeared a look alike of Spirit. "I had to interfere to stop you from winning."

"You interfered…but we were alone." Phantom reasoned.

"Yes, but I used my telepathy to lock a few of your base powers and stop you from using that devastating attack of yours." The fake Spirit explained.

"So that's why I couldn't fly or turn intangible…" Phantom frowned at the figure behind him.

"Yes, in my experience, telepaths cannot normally interfere with a ghost's mind. There is too much turmoil and emotions. But your mind is different. It is calm….numb even." The figure walked around Phantom. The fake Spirit changed into Plasmius.

"I see…" Phantom sighed.

"In fact…" The darkness fades and the world around them came to light. "It is like a frozen wasteland."

Phantom examined his surroundings. It appeared to be Amity Park, except everything was frozen. In addition, the buildings seemed to be damaged and hurt, but they were still standing. Above them floated a green sky with shifting energy, which could be compared to the Ghost Zone.

"Where are we?" Phantom questioned.

"Your mind." Fake Plasmius answered. "Unusual, isn't it?"

"I never thought it would be so…" Phantom struggled to find the right word.

"Isolated? Silent? Calm?" Plasmius shifted into a fake Ember.

"Yeah…" Phantom stood from his chair. "But it makes sense if you think about it."

"Yes it does, I have read some of your more recent memories. Nothing personal, just on why you mind is this way. I apologize for the intrusion of privacy." Fake Ember apologized.

Phantom frowned. "I don't like it, but at least you had manners about it."

"Hmm…You are not angry." Fake Ember shifted into an image of Wulf. "And there was no change in your mindscape…"

"I haven't gotten angry for a while." Phantom admitted.

"Yes…" Fake Wulf looked around the frozen and destroyed city. "It looks as if a great ice storm of emotions has passed through here. You must have felt constant emotion, turmoil, anger, and pain. Now, though, you have forced the storm to completely disappear. Now, nothing remains."

Phantom nodded. "I used anger for power. With that gone…I don't have much left."

"Is this because of the war?" Fake Wulf's form shifted one final time. He now appeared to have blue skin, muscular build, white hair, red eyes, and a forked toungue.

The ice around them cracked a little.

"I refuse to talk about that." Phantom said evenly as he stared into the face of his greatest fear.

Dark Dan raised an eyebrow. "Yet that is all that I'm concerned about. You see, you give us hope."

"Who?" Phantom questioned.

"The Genomorphs." Dark Dan's image shifted again. Now, the person's true form appeared in front of the halfa. It was one of the grey creatures. He was tall, lanky, and wearing white clothing. "We have watched you, Danny Phantom. We have watched as you faced adversity, prejudice, anger and overcame them all. We too wish to overcome these things."

"So the Genomorphs aren't just weapons." Phantom didn't seemed surprised. "Then why don't you just run away?"

"To where?" The Genomorph questioned. "No person on the outside would trust or tolerate such monsters. Even the Ghost Zone would be against us because we are living."

"I see…" Phantom eyed the creature. "Then I'm guessing you want my help."

"Yes, how did you know?" The Genomorph questioned.

"It seems like everyone wants my help. But I have to say, I have enough trouble keeping the peace between the humans and ghosts. I don't think I can handle a third race."

"That is not my request." The Genomorph explained. "Ever since you ended the GIW war, we have been secretly feeding your actions into Superboy's brain. It was a message of mercy, forgiveness, and heroism. Because of this, Superboy has an instinctual trust of you. He will see you as the symbol that he doesn't have to be the weapon to stop Superman."

"I…see." Phantom sighed.

"Take care of him. Watch him. Instruct him, for he is our brother, and at least he should be allowed to live free. And, I hope that one day we can join our brother in the sun." The Genomorph stated.

"…I can try." Phantom stated. "But I give no promises."

"That is acceptable." The Genomorph extended a hand towards Phantom. "My name is Dubbilex."

Phantom took the hand. "Danny Phantom, and for the record, never mess with my mind again, or I'll knock your face in."

Dubbilex chuckled. "Fair enough. I will restore your full powers…or what is left anyway. Now you should wake up, they are trying to clone you after all."

"What?!" Phantom's eyes widened.

"Stay safe, Danny Phantom."

Phantom woke with a terrible pain in his chest. Metal claws were latched to his chest. He felt electricy running through his veins. "AAHH!"

The halfa quickly activated his ice powers. The metal claws was covered in ice. Frost formed in to pod he was in. Because the pod was weakened, Phantom easily rammed his way through the glass of the pod. He could ignore the small cuts caused by the class. They were nothing serious.

"What!?" A man in a lab coat exclaimed as Phantom landed in front of his group.

Guardian instantly charged at Phantom, but the halfa was prepared for this. Phantom turned intangible and caused the armored hero to pass through the ghost. This combined with the ice on the ground caused Guardian to slip and lose his balance. Phantom took advantage of this by grabbing the hero and tossing him into the group in front of him.

"About time you woke up!" Kid Flash exclaimed as the electricity died down. "You could have done that earlier."

"You're welcome." Phantom snorted. His attention was then drawn to the door as it was pulled off its hinges. Superboy tossed the door away with ease. Phantom had to admit, Superboy had far more physical strength than he had. It was a rather frightening thought. "And you're here now…"

Superboy began to approach them.

"Are you here for round two?" Phantom questioned.

"No…" Superboy stated. "I…don't want to be a weapon."

Phantom nodded slowly. "Fair enough. Will you help us?"

"Yes."

"Okay then." Phantom turned just in time to see Robin free himself.

"Gah! Finally! Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long." Robin grumbled as he rubbed his wrist.

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?" Kid Flash glared. "The whole League will have our heads after tonight!"

"Actually, Kid Mouth, I was planning on putting all the blame on you." Phantom answered as he freed Aqualad from his pod.

"Same here."

"Indeed."

"I just met you guys, and even I know that's a good idea."

"Wow…" Kid Flash grumbled. "Feeling the love here."

After Robin freed Kid Flash, the group of teenagers began to run out of the room. Phantom looked at Superboy and asked. "Please tell me you know you're way around this place."

"Nope."

"Greeeeaaat…" Phantom mumbled.

"You'll never get out of here!" The scientist called out. "I'll have you back in pods before morning!"

"That guy is not whelmed. Not whelmed at all." Robin noted as he destroyed the cloning pods by throwing four exploding shuriken.

"What is it with you and this whelmed thing?" Kid Flash questioned.

Their escape from Project Cadmus did not go as smoothly as Phantom wanted. Because of a combination of the others' lack of listening, the attacking Genomorphs, and Phantom's inability to focus enough energy to fly them all out of there, they had to escape the normal way.

The journey to the surface was actually a rather short adventure. After dragging Superboy away from fighting, they managed to navigate their way through Cadmus. They used elevators, vents, and stairs to eventually get right below the surface…only to be knocked out by the Genomorphs telepathy.

Phantom really needed to find a way to block that type of attack…

When Phantom came too again, he heard Superboy say to the Genomorphs. "I…choose freedom."

It appeared that this answered the Genomorphs, because Guardian seemed to be released from their control. He shook his head in confusion. "Guh…Feels like the fog lifted."

"Gah!" Dubbilex grunted in pain as Phantom punched him in the face.

Everyone looked at Phantom. "What? I warned him that would happen if he ever messed with my mind again."

"Fair enough." Superboy nodded.

"Guardian." Aqualad noted as he turned his attention to the older hero.

Guardian appeared angry, but not at them. "Go. I'll handle Desmond."

"I think not!" The scientist known as Desmond called out. The crowd of Genomorphs parted to show the angry scientist.

"Project Blockbuster will give the power to restore order to Cadmus." Desmond held up a vile of light blue liquid. He then chugged the liquid.

The heroes stood in shock as Desmond began to change. His muscles grew, and his clothes ripped. The scientist's eyes flashed red as his skin pealed to reveal a grey interior. Desmond was not a huge grey monster with massive muscles. "ROAR!"

"…Well, crap." Phantom mumbled. What else could go wrong?

He shouldn't have thought that. Nope. Phantom learned that he couldn't even think about what else could go wrong. It led only to bad things.

A short exchange between Superboy and Desmond sent the being flying through to the first floor. Phantom and the others quickly followed, only to be met by Superboy being tossed at them. Poor Aqualad was once again floored by Superboy.

The following fight did not go well for the young heroes. At first they managed to stop Desmond for about a moment before the rampaging scientist got the better of them. The hulking monster threw Aqualad, Superboy, and Phantom through pillars.

"Raw!" The monster roared as he punched Aqualad through the pillar.

Both Phantom and Robin took notice. Phantom then yelled. "Everyone, regroup!"

The young heroes managed to get back together as Kid Flash distracted Desmond. Robin showed them were to hit. "Here here, and here!"

"After that, everyone get behind me!" Phantom instructed. "I'll use my Ghostly Wail to take him down under this building."

"Ghostly Wail?" Superboy questioned.

"You'll find out in a minute." Phantom noted as they got to work.

They quickly managed to weaken the building enough by destroying pillars. After a moment, enough pillars were destroyed, Desmond was stunned by electricity, and they regrouped. The four other young heroes stood behind Phantom as he glared at the raging monster. "Cover your ears!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!" They complied. Phantom took in a deep breath and let it roar.

Desmond didn't stand a chance. Phantom's Ghostly Wail may be weakened, but it was more than enough to hurt Desmond and bring the crumbling building down. Seconds after the building finished falling, Superboy shoved the debree off the exhausted heroes.

"Ghostly Wail, huh?" Kid Flash gasped.

"Yep."

"The name suits it." Robin huffed.

"Yep."

"It's destructive." Aqualad wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Yep."

"I like it." Superboy smirked.

"Thanks."

Phantom gaped as the entire Justice League surrounded them. It was a terrifying feeling. To have such powerful people around you at all sides…Phantom felt claustrophobic. But that wasn't the worst part.

No, the worst part was Superman's rejection of Superboy.

Phantom couldn't imagine it. Superboy walked right up to the Man of Steel and stated who he was. The halfa could still see the look of horror on Superman's face. Phantom could relate to Superman. It was a shock to learn that you were cloned, but…Superman's raw dislike of the clone was unacceptable to Phantom. Dani was his clone, and he loved her like a sister.

Phantom couldn't accept this outrage. A clone was a person too. He had feelings and dreams of his own. The halfa placed a hand on the clone's shoulder as the League took Desmond away and discussed what to do. No words were spoken between the teens. Phantom just stood by his new friend in silence.

He could tell that Superboy appreciated it, even as Superman flew away.

Batman approached them with the Flash and Aquaman by his sides. "Cadmus will be investigated. All 52 levels. But let's make one thing clear-"

"You should have called!" The Flash interjected.

"End results aside, we're not happy." Batman glared. "You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."

The young heroes shared a look.

"I am sorry." Aqualad stated. "But we will."

"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman ordered.

"Apologies, my king, but no." Aqualad respectfully said.

This shocked Aquaman.

"We did good work here tonight." Aqualad noted. "The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Important."

"This is about your treatment at the hall?" Flash questioned. "The four of you-"

"Five." Phantom glanced at Superboy. "There are five of us."

"And that is not what this is about." Kid Flash nodded.

"Batman, we're ready to use what you taught us." Robin interjected. "Or why teach us at all?"

"Why let them tell us what to do?!" Superboy looked up. "It's simple, get on board, or get out of the way."

All five of the young heroes stared forward at the Justice League. There was silence as they waited for the answer. Phantom wasn't sure what he was going to do. He had his own problems at home, but he couldn't just abandon his new friends. No, they needed him to stand by them right now.

Finally, in a moment, Batman spoke. "Give me three days."

"What the hell happened?" Vlad questioned as Danny crashed onto the couch. "You were supposed to be home hours ago."

"Hell broke loose." Danny mumbled. "You don't have to say it. I know that you told me so. I shouldn't have asked what could happen."

"Do I get any details? After all, hell breaking loose can be interpreted in many ways." Vlad questioned as he sat on a nearby chair.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, but Batman told me about what happened here." Danny sighed. "How's Dani?"

"Mad." Dani walked into the room. "I can't believe you weren't here for the fight!"

"It's complicated, Dani." Danny mumbled. "And a long story at that. One that can wait, but what happened here…Who is this…Solomon Grundy?"

"We have no idea." Vlad answered. "He appeared out of nowhere. He's not a ghost though."

"Then what is he?" Danny questioned.

"A zombie." Dani stated. "Like in the Walking Dead comics."

"It's different than that…and you shouldn't be reading those, Danielle!" Vlad shouted.

Dani shrugged.

"Solomon seems to be a combination of magic and ectoplasm." Vlad explained.

"What? That…doesn't usually work." Danny noted.

"Exactly. The only other being like him is Nyx." Vlad stated. "But Nyx is unable to use both energies yet. That's what terrifying, though. Solomon Grundy naturally uses both magic and ectoplasm to make himself almost immortal. If there are other like him…"

"Yet another thing to look into…" Danny sighed. "But it will have to be later…How were the fireworks, by the way?"

"Loud. Explosive. Fun." Dani pouted. "And you missed it."

"Sorry, but I do have a good excuse…" Danny remembered Superboy. The halfa wanted to help the clone, but no one besides Batman knew his secret identity. Thus, Kid Flash took the clone to his home.

"Whatever." Dani shrugged. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight…" Danny watched her go. "Well, crap…"

"What?" Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"I just remembered about Ember…She is going to be so pissed at me. I didn't get anything for her." Danny placed his face in his hands. "She is so going to punish me…"

"Whipped!" Dani exclaimed from the stairs.

"…I thought she was out of ear shot…"

(Thursday-July 8, 2010)

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League." Batman explained as they stood inside the Mount Justice. "We're calling it into service again. Since you five seem determined to stay together and fight the good fight…You'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."

"Real missions?" Robin asked.

"Yes, but covert." Batman answered.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff. There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests." Flash interjected.

Phantom ignored the fact that he had his own original symbol on his chest.

"And Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter. Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly." Aquaman noted.

"The six of you will be that team." Batman finished.

"Cool!...Wait, six?" Robin asked.

Batman pointed behind them. The new team turned and saw Martian Manhunter escorting a green skinned girl with red hair. Phantom had to admit, that girl was very good looking. Something that Kid Flash quickly took notice to.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian." Batman stated.

"Hi…" Miss Martian waved weakly.

"I'm liking this gig more every minute." Kid Flash muttered to Robin. He then announced, "Welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad, Phantom, and Superboy, but you can forget them."

"I'm honored to be included." Miss Martian humbly stated.

As he approached the girl, Phantom had to appreciate the female hero. It really helped the ratio. Hopefully, she would even out all the masculine stupidity in the group.

"Hey, Superboy, come meet Miss M!" Robin called back to Superboy.

As Superboy approached her, Miss Martian's white blouse turned black. "I like your tee-shirt…"

Superboy smiled as Robin elbowed him playfuly and Kid Flash put his arm around the clone.

Aqualad smiled at them. "Today is the day."

Phantom eyed his team. He wasn't completely sure about this. This team could go either way. It could be great or end disastrously. Joining might just be the end of him if they couldn't work together. Not to mention the time it would take away from being in Amity Park. There was a good chance this would end in disaster.

But…part of Phantom felt that he needed to be a part of this team, even if he didn't want to be. It was illogical considering all that was already on his plate, but Phantom felt that this could something that helped him….

For now, he would try and be part of this "team." He could always quit later if things went south, after all.

But right now…Today is indeed the day.