Archive of Our Own ^beta

Danny doesn't know what's happening, but he knows it feels wrong! Like he feels super wrong. However, everything felt off after he told his parents and they knocked him out. He doesn't know what happened after that. He knows he woke up in the ghost zone in so much pain that he passed out right after he woke up. That and he could hear Sam, Dani, and Tucker with him. They were hurt, too. Now he's here, and his core feels so drained for some reason. 

Wherever he is?

Where is he? 

It feels like he's flying - no floating. This is definitely a floating situation. Normally, he would say he's in the zone, but there's not enough ectoplasm here for him to be in the zone. The zone doesn't feel this solid, and Danny is pretty sure he's in his human form anyway. His core feels very drained right now, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea if he did transform. Also, it feels like he's floating in water or something. 

Like, does Clockwork want him to drown? He doesn't have anything on his face to give him air. Not that he would need that, considering he's half-dead. He doesn't need to breathe that often, but he does still randomly need to breathe. He would be freaking out about this if he weren't still breathing for some reason! Also, he feels full, so at least he probably won't starve while he's in here. Wherever here is. Honestly, Danny is so tired of not knowing things. 

Well, there's only one way to find out where he is, and that would be to open his eyes. Danny slowly starts to open his eyes and then immediately closes them. Yep, that's water! If only he could just keep his eyes closed forever. Or he could go intangible. His core doesn't feel strong enough to do anything right now, though, and he would rather not push it. If he does and Frostbite finds out - well, it won't be pretty. So he's gotta open his eyes underwater. Alright. He can do this. He's so going to punch Clockwork for this once his core feels better. He tries again. There's the water. He doesn't close his eyes again. It's bright. That's not normally a good thing. 

"Doctor." Says a voice, that sounds young. A doctor? Is it Frostbite?! 

"Yes?" Asks another voice that sounds a bit older. Oh. It's not Frostbite. Danny keeps his eyes open. It is very bright but he can kinda see something. The something is a bunch of blurry blobs, but it's something. 

"His eyes are open." Says the first voice. Danny's calling him Jared. He seems like a Jaired, and yes, it has to be spelled like that. 

"Step away from the tank. No one is allowed near it until Talia al Ghul sees him." Says the second voice before a blurry figure gets closer to the glass and looks at him. He can see her! It's a lady. She looks nice. She has black hair and is dressed in all black. She looks hurt, though. It's not physically hurt, but she looks so sad. 

"How are his vitals?" Asks the lady staring at him. So she's the doctor lady. 

"Stable, however, they are below average, much like the others from his batch." Says, Jaired. Batch? Like clone batch?! Is he a clone now!? Cool! This really changes nothing. Dani is gonna be so happy that she's not the only clone! Why is he a clone now?

"For the next batch, we will use a different medication. Send out the report, but do not mention him opening his eyes." Says the scientist. She sounds like a Karen.

"Won't the mistress be angry? You saw what she did when someone told her one of her children from the last batch survived despite being in a coma." Asks Jaired, though they sound a bit grossed out with the children part. They also sound scared. Is Danny being cloned so he can just be some rich lady's kid? 

"It's worth the risk. If he dies before she sees him, she'll kill us. If he survives the night, then we can tell her and keep our lives." Says Karen. She sounds like she's lying, but the other guy doesn't call her out. Why would she lie about this?

"In the meantime, give him some sedatives. His chances of survival will increase if he's asleep." Says Karen. Wait, what?! No!

Danny doesn't want to sleep! Something changes with the water. It becomes colder but not in a good way! Oh no! He's getting tired. Dammit! Why? Why are they drugs working on him?! They're supposed to barely affect him. This isn't supposed to be happening. Danny blinks. He's tired. They did say napping would help him live, which jokes on them Danny is already dead. He blinks again. Maybe if he falls asleep, he'll wake up back home, and this will all have been a nightmare. Danny closes his eyes again, but this time, he doesn't open them. 

Danny feels like crap. Ugh. Who the hell poisoned the watering hole at this hour? It feels like Johnny ran over him with his motorcycle at least 13 times, and yes, that was a reference, and no, he will not apologize for it being one. Honestly, he feels like Amber just played her music right in his ears and blasted his eardrums onto the other side of his wall. Why does he feel like crap?!

"You have caused me a lot of trouble, child. You are luckily your sponsor is paying me so well." Says Karen. Her name is Karen, right? Yeah. Yeah, it is. Ew. Danny just woke up and has a headache. What is this guilt tripping? It's too early for this. Why is he so tired?

"Not even I could turn my nose up at a few million, after all. Even if it means hiding your batch's heart defects." Says Karen. Uh, cool. His heart has always been weird. His new dad's rich or something. Also, why is she calling his new maybe parent a sponsor? Honestly, it doesn't matter. Just go away or something.

"I suppose it's to be expected considering your bloodline." Says Karen. She's boring and talks too much. Like Karen, he doesn't care. Just shut up so he can go to sleep. Also, stop insulting his bloodline! He doesn't know who's in his bloodline, but that's not the point.

"Luckily, your donor doesn't suspect there to be another traitor here, and she won't as long as your mysterious sponsor comes to get you soon." Says Karen. He wants to sleep. There is so a need to sleep. The need to sleep is higher than the need to escape right now. He's probably been drugged. No. He's definitely been drugged. That did happen and stuff. It's kinda fuzzy, but he definitely remembers that happening. 

"If he hurries, he might be able to care for an infant that's a month old rather than a ten-year-old." Says Karen. Danny has no clue what that even means. He feels way too groggy for this. Would it hurt if he bit his hand?

"Though with how his other children have turned out, perhaps that would be for the best." Says Karen. Damn. You know maybe he doesn't want to meet his new 'dad'. He can just stay here until he gets old enough to escape or figures out how to rapidly age. Easy enough. 

"Though enough about his shortcomings at least, the man seems to care for his children. I heard he even tried to persuade the Heretic to his side. Not that it worked, mind you, but he does seem to care for children. Clone or not." Says Karen. Okay. So he's one hundred percent a clone, and that's cool. Ellie is gonna be so excited when he meets up with her again. Hopefully, by then, he won't be a literal infant.

Wait. Who's the Heretic?! 

"Hopefully, the bat will bring backup and destroy the records of me being here." Says Karen. Cool. Who's Heretic?! 

"He does seem to at least protect those who have helped him. He feeds the fish he keeps in his pond well." Says Karen. That's nice. Who's Heretic?

"Though I suppose you will not be a fish in the pond, will you? No. You will be something that's allowed more freedom than a fish. You'll be just like a well-pampered mutt on a leash." Says Karen. Hey! Danny is in no way, shape, or form a dog, and how dare she be so mean to this metaphorical puppy dog? 

"A small dog tied to a stick next to the pond filled with fish." Says Karen. Danny is not thinking about any metaphors today. He can think about them later.

"I do wonder which would be better for you. Being cared for but kept too close to really be able to fly or shoved onto a battlefield with the expectation that you will die." Says Karen. Oh. He should probably start looking into getting away from both parents as soon as possible. Though it kinda sounds like he's in the middle of a very weird custody battle, and this lady might be lying. 

"I suppose it doesn't matter now. You will soon leave this place, I will be freed of this life just to be caged in another, and my revenge against your mother will be complete." Says Karen. Now Danny is involved in a revenge battle and a custody battle?! What is his life?

If he's right, then he's probably a literal baby right now! Like come on, he's in a tube. Everything is blurry, and he's small. Danny feels small. The few blurry things he can see are a lot bigger than he is. He's a lot smaller than he should be. He's a baby or hopefully just a really young kid. Not that it will be a problem for long as he's sure he can find some way to just skip back to being a teenager. He's done the impossible before, and he can do it again. That and he's part ghost, changing around your ghost form is meant to be easy for them. If he can just figure out how to do that, he'll be perfectly fine. Until he does, though he'll just have to learn everything about this place and, well, grow up. 

"You see, if you died, she wouldn't care much, but if you like the other child abandoned her for your father knowingly or not, she would be enraged. She would crack. It's only right for her to break after all of those she broke." Says Karen. Yeah. His new mom seems a bit fruitloopy, but this lady clearly has a grudge against her. She could be lying to get Danny to turn away from this new maybe Mom. He'll meet the lady first before judging her. Not that he doesn't trust Karen it's that he doesn't trust her... He thought he had something there. He doesn't. 

"Now, you have to rest again, child. Do not struggle. You will only set yourself back." Says Karen. That's not ominous at all. 

Karen snaps her fingers, and a loud click fills the air. That didn't happen last time. Either way, the strange cold liquid enters the tube. It's cold. It's not good, though. This cold feeling's not like Frostbite's home or ice cubes or snow or anything that Danny even likes. This cold is bad - terrible, even if it feels like being left out alone in the rain, shivering, just trying to stay warm when everyone else is left you outside to freeze. He's - he's alone. 

Danny wakes up in the tube alone again. Big surprise there he knows. You know Danny is really starting to absolutely hate this tube. Does this thing even have a lid? If it doesn't, he could just crawl out and scare the ghost out of Karen. It would be really funny. Tucker would laugh. 

"This is the survivor?" Asks a new lady. Oh yay. People. Danny just loves people so much. He would rather go back to thinking about flopping on the floor like a dead fish than listen to people. Still, he looks around and sees a bunch of blurry blobs but no people. At least he can hear this new person.

"Yes, Head Talia." Says Karen. She's not rambling. Something is wrong. Where did the metaphors go?

"His eyes are open. Why was this not mentioned in the report?" Asks the new woman who what Danny is assuming is a scientist called Head Talia. That is such a weird name, though Danny can't really say anything. His hero name is literally Danny Phantom, and he knows a werewolf named Wulf. Plus Clockwork and Fright Knight. Okay, maybe her name isn't that weird, and it could be a title. She could be the queen of heads.

"He doesn't seem to be able to see far. We have ensured that he would not see another person before you, Lady Talia." Says Karen. She sounds afraid. Why would she be afraid of Lady Talia? Lady Talia is definitely her boss, and Danny is in a cloning tube. She's probably a villain, isn't she? Got dammit! Why couldn't he have just come back with a family of weird scientists again and not a villain!? He's not cut out for this lifestyle!

"Good. You are dismissed for now. I wish to speak to my children alone." Says Lady Talia. He's not going to call her Head Talia. He doesn't know what it means! The door opens and then closes quietly. Yeah, Lady Talia is definitely her boss, and it doesn't seem that happy that Karen didn't tell her that Danny has been opening his eyes. That sucks for her. She should've written that down. Hopefully, she'll be okay. Clockwork probably wouldn't make him watch the lady or hear her die when he can't do anything. Probably. 

Wait, children! Is she his Mom!?

"Reassign her. She could still be useful, but make sure to have someone watch her." Says his maybe Mom. Sure, she's not really his mom, but as far as he knows, Mom chucked him into the ghost zone, or something worse happened. He's seen them prepping the lab. He was in so much pain when he first woke up in the zone. He doesn't wanna think about that right now. Danny shakes his head as much as a literal infant can and focuses back on trying to see his new maybe Mom. She's not his real Mom, but she's the one this tiny body has, so he's stuck with her.

He has a mom, though! Another one! Even if she's not Maddie, Danny will absolutely take a free Mom that's not being lusted over by Vlad. Not that it's Mom's fault but it is creepy and she doesn't really ever tell him to fuck off. She lets Vlad around him and Jazz even though both of them tell her that he makes them very uncomfortable. Honestly, Mom should have gotten a restraining order or at least told Dad about Vlad being a Fruitloop. Vlad shouldn't have been a Fruitloop and just moved on.

Sure Danny gets obsessions and all that but Vlad can change. Vlad is a halfa. He can redirect his obsession to go for a woman who loves him and not someone who wants nothing to do with him. Vlad's rich and many of the older ladies say he's handsome, though Danny doesn't see how they think that, but Vlad could just go get a girlfriend who actually likes him. Mom would never really love Vlad. Not when she detests both sides of him both ghost and human. Mom would take him down if she could get away with it in either form. They're not good for each other and Vlad just refuses to see that. 

"Hello, young one." Says maybe Mom or M.M. well, now she just sounds like a business. M.M. incorporated, perfect for all your motherly needs and even better considering he's in a tube it comes with a free subscription to trauma. He didn't hear the other lady leave. Is that normal for being stuck in a tube to just not hear people leaving? Dani told him that when she was with Vlad and had to be put in the tube that she could hear when he left. Maybe this tube has a noise blocker for specific sounds? It could be like an attempt not to send Danny into shock with all the noise of being in a lab. Even though he can only see a few feet around the tank before everything gets way too blurry to even make out he doesn't know what's down here. He could have a sibling across the room and wouldn't even know it. For all he knows his friends could be down here with him. He doesn't even know if the tube has a lid or if it just keeps going. He could be in a cup for all he knows!

"You look just like your father. You have his brilliant blue eyes, but my jaw. You look like your true brother, yet not enough to where the two of you would be confused for one another. Good." Says his maybe Mom. She walks closer to the tube. Danny can see her! Sure, she's blurry, and Danny can't really tell what she looks like, but he can see her! She has dark hair, and it looks like her eyes are green or she might have green makeup. Also, he's got a brother? Danny hasn't had one of those before. The closest thing he had was Tucker.

She put her hand on the front of the tube. I can see her hand. It's a lot bigger than he thought it would be, though he is a baby. He's a tiny bundle of flesh if you will that has soft squishy bones. 

He wants to touch her hand.

He doesn't know why. Maybe it's because he hasn't felt the touch of another human or really anything. He's cold and, for once, doesn't like it. It doesn't matter right now. Psychologist stuff is Jazz's thing. Not his. He wants to touch her hand, and so he's going to. He wants to reach out, so he tries. Only for his hand to hit him right in the face. Okay then. He tries his other hand. No. Don't go behind him! Go forward! Yes, forward!! Ha! He puts his arm out in front of him. 

Oh, Ancients, his arm is tiny! He's small. New Mom's hand is so much larger than his. His hand doesn't even reach the front of the tank. He's not even halfway there. He really is a baby. Crud nuggets. 

"Aren't you ambitious? First, you open your eyes, and then you reach out for me? You, my son, are full of only pleasant surprises so far." Says New Mom. She sounds proud. Danny hasn't heard anyone sound that proud of him before other than Maddie, when he was younger, or Jazz when she found out he was Phantom. 

"You will be the perfect heir while the others of your batch will be exactly what my father needs and perhaps what Heretic needs as well to regain his usefulness. Though I doubt it will come to that. They are not as promising as you, but I trust I will find a way for them to serve the League." Says New Mom. Heir? What type of world is this? Is this some medieval-type stuff? At least she seems to like him. Also, are there others? He has to find them! What if they're his fraid?

"Alas, it's not the best to fill your little head with such things, my son. After all, I know you will not fail me like your brother and Heretic have. Your father's influence, no doubt. You, however, have more of my blood than his running through your veins. You might have his looks, but everything else is all from me, and I will make sure it stays that way." Says New Mom. Wow. Okay. So Mom's definitely a fruitloop is that's how she talks about her kids. Also, Heretic! He has a brother named Heretic and some other mystery brother?! Why is one of them named Heretic?

"Mother. A replacement has been sent for, and she has been reassigned." Says a new voice. Where did he come from!?

"Good. Do make sure her replacement is an expert in biology and has an understanding of embryology," says New Mom. Oh. So this is one of his brothers. Probably Heretic. New Mom takes her hand off the tube. Oh. Danny slowly puts his hand down. What's embryology?

"Yes, Mother." Says Heretic. Okay then. Guess they aren't going to talk about whatever embryology is.

"Come meet your brother, Danyal." Says New Mom. His name is Danyal? What kind of tomfoolery is Clockwork trying to pull here? Danyal? It's - it's not bad, actually. It's not like Daniel. Sure, it's gross and formal, but it's not bad. Honestly, it does sound kinda cool, but he still likes Danny. Maybe he can just go by both?

Some blob is slowly getting closer. Then the blob comes even closer, and Danny can see it better. Is it a guy? Oh! That is the Hulk! That's just the Hulk from the comic books. This guy is a brick wall. This guy is more of a brick wall than his Dad. Why does he have pointy bat ears on his mask? 

"You may speak your mind, Heretic." Says Talia. Is he normally not able to? New Mom is starting to seem like Vlad but badass. She's still crazy though. 

"He's still an infant. Will he be allowed to stay that way?" Asks Heretic. Even if the name sucks it's still the name his brother is going by. They are so going name shopping after this. Only if Heretic wants to, though. Danny is respectful like that.

"He will be aged up for his safety." Says New Mom. Oh. Well, he did kinda want to be aged up anyway, but it still seems kinda weird. Also, how old are they talking? Is he still gonna be a teenager, or is he gonna be an adult? Being an adult would make escaping easier, but still, he likes being his age. This is weird. Is this what it was like for Ellie? Maybe he should ask her if she wants him to look into how to de-age her so she can age like she was meant to. 

"I see." Says Heretic.

"You still want memories of a childhood, do you not?" Asks New Mom. What? Heretic was aged up? He never got a childhood. He's just like Ellie. He's so introducing them later. Hopefully, Heretic isn't a fruitloop. 

"Yes, mother." Says Heretic. Danny has gotta come up with a nickname for this guy after he knows his opinion on nicknames. Like he can't just call someone a Heretic for the rest of his half-life. 

"Now is your chance to help make them with your brother. Protect him, nurture him, and help me raise him to make sure his childhood will not be as cut short as yours. If you do well, then perhaps I could find a way to fill the void you talked about." Says New Mom. Oh, New Mom is so a manipulative fruitloop.

"Yes, Mother." Says Heretic. New Mom's a complete fruitloop, and Danny is so kidnapping his new brother as soon as possible. Is he the older brother or the younger brother? Just in terms of how long he's been alive, like physically Heretic, is definitely older, but is Danny the older brother here?

"When will he be aged up?" Asks Heretic. Oh yeah. Ew. At least no one will have to change his butt for long. Maybe he could bully his body into learning to go to the bathroom on the toilet. He is not redoing potty training. 

"At the rate his brain is already developing, most likely tomorrow evening if all goes well." Says New Mom. You know it kinda sucks that they're talking about him as if he's not even here. It's so rude. Sure, he's a literal infant, but still.

"We'll order the whale carcass once we leave." Says New Mom. A what-

Danny is so confused and he really wants to expel his stomach from his body. He's still in the tube. He still hates the tube. But the tube is moving! Tubes aren't supposed to move, and what's worse is the water is sloshing and Danny's gonna be sick! Honestly, he feels like a fish trapped in a cup. Everything is shaking and sloshing, and he hates this! He can't even really focus on what's outside of the tube! You know what? This tube is a cup! He's made the decision, and no one can change his mind. This tube is, in fact, a cup. He can't see a lid on it he's currently being so lost around like a fish in a bag, and that's in a child's whole hand. Danny is fighting for the freedom of fish now. Fish need more rights! They need to vote! The fish need to vote, and Danny will make a damn sure that they do if it is the last thing he does on this stupid alternative, maybe not his home planet Universe thing! Do they even have fish here?! 

This sucks! This is worse than being shoved in the Fenton thermos by Jazz! At least with the thermos, he isn't being shoved in some weird liquid and being turned into a smoothie!

The cup of torment is still moving! Where are they even going? Is this about the whale? Are they really going to age him up already!? Not that he's really upset about that, but still, what the ghost zone is this?

The cup slowly comes to a stop. Danny wants to hurl hopefully,  and specifically, he wants to hurl directly at whoever the heck decided to push him around in a giant cup. Normally, Danny would never support any kind of backlash against someone just doing their job, but Danny has just been pushed around while trapped in a cup, and he feels sick. He's going to projectile vomit at them. He's gonna expel his stomach at whoever has done this to him. If only his vision wasn't still spinning, he could aim at whoever had done this to him. Sure, it might just be a bunch of green water, but Danny will make sure it hits someone.

Danny gently shakes his head. He still feels terrible, but it's a bit better now that he's not being slushed around. Danny lifts his head and looks around. Everything is blurry, which really sucks!

"I told you to make sure he was unconscious during transport." Says a voice- New Mom! New Mom, these guys are jerks!

"Who is responsible for this?" Asks New Mom. Ha! These guys are in trouble now! Nobody says anything. They're in real trouble now! What does that look like? She won't hurt them, right? No one says a thing. Danny blinks and then looks around. At least his vision has stopped spinning so much.

"If no one comes forward now, then you will all be punished accordingly." Says New Mom.

"Mother. The replacement scientist neglected to dose him." Says Heretic. Where did he come from? Also, where is he?

"Well then, to make up for this mishap, I suggest you take care of this issue permanently." Says New Mom. Ha! That guy is getting fired! Danny can't really see much, but some of the less blurry humanish shapes make a run for the door. Why are they so quiet?

"Is everything prepared?" Asks New Mom. It would be nice if she would come closer so he could see her instead of just a blurry idea of where she might be. Why is it so dark here anyway?

"Yes, Head Talia." Says some guy that Danny can't make out. There are just too many blobs moving around.

"Good. Heretic." Says Talia. Heretic what? A blob suddenly gets closer to Danny's cup. Hey! No. You stay back there. The blob gets closer, and it's Heretic. Okay? What is he doing? He's getting closer! Oh shoot! What does he do? Danny doesn't wanna get drugged again!

Heretic gets closer and closer! What does he do? Danny's probably not even a week old! He can't fight a grown man who's built like a brick wall! Heretic stops just in front of the tank. What? Is that all he's doing? Cool?

Heretic slowly lifts his hand and gently places it on the glass of the cup. Okay? Danny can do that. He lifts his arm - nope, that's a foot - his hand out towards Heretic. He's still way too far from the glass to touch it, but he raised his arm! Small victory! Heretic looks happy about it which is probably another victory. Though Danny really can't tell because of the bat mask and stuff but he seems happy. Hopefully, he's happy. It wouldn't be good if he made this guy mad especially since he can't use his ghost powers. 

Heretic takes his hand off the glass. Oh. Okay? It kinda feels a little colder than it was before. Weird. Heretic then begins to walk around the tank, and if Danny could turn his head to follow the guy, he would. But Danny doesn't trust his stomach not to expel itself if he moves his head. This place sucks.

Then, the water begins to change. We'll he doesn't know how it changes but it feels different. It feels like the water is moving, which is weird. It shouldn't do that. The water doesn't move unless the cup is moving and - giant hands! There are giant hands in the tube of water that gently wrap themselves around his chest. What is this!? Why? Well, it's not really like he can fight against these people, but what is going on? Danny can't exactly struggle as the giant massive hands gently pull him towards the surface of the water. He struggles in his head! Put him down! He changed his mind! He likes the cup! Return him to the cup!

Danny is pulled until just his forehead is above the surface, and he can feel the air on his head. It feels weird now. He's been in the water for so long, and the air just feels weird. Then the hands pull him out of the cup and just hold him above it. Danny opens his mouth in shock, and water just pours out. When did they get in there?! Then he feels like he's gonna throw up, and then he does. Ow! Why does he have so much water in him?! The giant hands holding him slowly begin to rub circles into his back as he spits up the water, but Danny is a little too busy to really care. What the ancients is his half life at this point?! 

Finally, after a good few spits, he gets most of the water out. At least he got enough water out to where he doesn't feel like his stomach is revolting, which is so nice. Ugh. On the bright side, maybe he'll be able to see a bit better now that he's not in the cup. Danny blinks and tries to move his hand to wipe some of the water from his eyes. He hits himself in the face. Damn tiny baby controls! He really can't wait until he can actually move instead of whatever this is. Danny slowly opens his eyes, and thankfully, no water gets in them. No thanks to his arms, of course! Wow! This is a huge room. It's weird. Danny can hear so many things, like he can hear water somewhere nearby. It kinda sounds like he's near one of those indoor pools. 

They weren't kidding about the whales, were they?

"Bring him here. It would be too risky to put him in while he's awake." Says New Mom. Wow! She sounds really different! It's a lot clearer and a bit scarier, but that's fine. Wait. No! Danny doesn't wanna be drugged! Well, honestly, he doesn't wanna be shoved in whatever they are putting him in either, so maybe it would be better if he were unconscious. Heretic starts moving, and so Danny is too! Damnit! Why do they have to do this to him!? He's dripping wet, moving, and he feels like crap! 

Heretic steps down some things that are probably steps, and they begin to walk closer to the blurry shape that is probably New Mom. They get closer and closer until Danny can finally see her. She actually looks nice, which Danny was not expecting considering her voice is well her voice. 

"Hello, my child." Says New Mom before she holds her hands out to take him from Heretic. Heretic gently hands him over, and now Danny is being held by New Mom. She won't drop him, right? 

Talia holds him close to her chest, and she puts her chin on his forehead. Oh. Oh? What? This is not what he thought would happen. This is weird, and it's really comfortable. Like Danny really wants to just stay here. It's warm to which after being pulled out of the water is really nice. So maybe she won't drop him. She might be okay or at least a decent person. 

"You really do look just like my beloved. If all goes well, it will be a long time before you have to see him." Says New Mom. Huh. Is his Dad a jerk or something? Oh! Right, the complicated custody battle. Danny blinks again. Does he still look the same, or does he look different now? Well, he knows he's got blue eyes, so at least that's the same. At least he still has his core. 

"If all goes well, you will never have to leave my side, my habibi." Says New Mom. New Mom has abandonment issues. Who hurt her? Was it Dad?! Danny is gonna beat Dad's ass if he hurts New Mom. Danny slowly closes his eyes. It feels nice. 

"Now you should rest. Although I would love to hold you like this for longer, I know that dangers lie just outside of our walls." Says New Mom. Yeah, honestly, a nap sounds great. Wasn't New Mom going to drug him or something? Honestly, if she just holds him like this, she'll never need to. 

"Sleep, Danyal. I will be here when you wake." Says New Mom. Danny could sleep. It sounds really nice, too, and honestly, he's having a really hard time not falling asleep. He should sleep. Danny scrunches up his face. He's sleepy. Maybe he'll wake up this will all be a really long dream. Maybe he'll wake up and his fraid will be there. Maybe-

Danny scrunches up his face as something pokes his nose. What? He can't sense any ghosts around, so it's not one of them. Maybe it's Sam or Tucker? It could be Dani. Go away. He's sleeping. 

"Is he breathing?" Asks somebody- New Mom! New Mom is talking to someone. She sounds weird now. Everything is fuzzy and goopy. Very goopy. 

"Yes, Head Talia." Says some dude. He sounds close by. Like really close by. Wait. Oh! The guy is holding him. That makes sense. Danny wants something to eat.

"He is not screaming." Says New Mom. She sounds worried. That's her problem. 

"Shall I check his vocal cords?" Asks the guy. Where is he? Where's New Mom?

"If he doesn't speak within the week." Says New Mom. Danny is gonna just not speak now just to make them panic. They can't just shove him in a while and expect him to start talking just like that. 

"How old is he?" Asks New Mom. Danny slowly blinks, and then he unblinks. That's definitely the right word for what he just did. Everything is fuzzy. Fuzzy is a nice word.

"A year old, Head Talia." Says some dude who's got his hands under Danny's armpits, and it's holding him up for what Danny thinks are probably people. They're kinda blurry. 

"Good. Take him to his room to be monitored." Says New Mom. Danny doesn't wanna see the doctors, though. He wants to sleep! Nothing is stopping him from sleeping through the doctor's visit, though. Danny is gonna sleep. He likes sleeping. 

He's being carried. Which is fine that normally happens to small children only he wasn't held in the past like two years. This is weird.

Sure, New Mom probably won't hurt him or anything, and he's pretty sure Heretic has been manipulated into also not hurting him, but this is weird. It's not like he can do anything, though. As he is a baby, last he checked. 

"This will be your room." Says the guy holding him. He sounds familiar. Like really familiar. If Danny had the will to look at the guy's face, he would, but Danny doesn't have the will to do that. The guy opens what is probably a door. Danny doesn't really care enough to look right now. He's tired. 

"What is your reasoning for being here?" Asks the guy holding him. Is he talking to Danny? Danny doesn't wanna be here. He wants to be back home and not wherever he is. 

"Head Talia sent me to dress the young heir." Says a voice. Where did this person come from?! Also, New Mom sent somebody to get him dressed? Ew. He can do that himself! The guy holding him doesn't say anything, but he does walk into what Danny is assuming is his new room. He should probably look at what they gave him. 

It's a really big room! It's like double the size of his room back home. There are no stars on the ceiling, but Danny can change that. The walls are dark green, which is fine, but there's no window, and the room is kinda dim. There's a toddler bed stuffed in the corner with a large old-looking dresser beside it. There's a small plain kids' table in the middle of the room that has wooden colorful blocks on it with weird letters on it. Are they from a different language? Why are people talking to him in English then if they don't normally speak it? Wouldn't it be better to teach him their language instead of English? The guy holding him walks towards the table and gently sets Danny down on his butt in front of it. Danny is gonna chuck those blocks at people!

He quickly reaches out and tries to grab one. He keeps dropping it. He tries again and finally manages to hold onto the block. He looks back over to the guy who's just watching him without a word. Danny throws at him but it barely gets a foot away from Danny. Damnit. 

"Dress him in green." Says the guy who was holding him. Danny looks at the guy. He looks familiar. Danny squints at him. Oh! That's the guy with the sucky name! Heretic! That explains why a maid is possibly following his orders. She's probably a maid, so she's being called one until she tells him her name. Danny picks up another block She's next if she tries it.

"Settle down, brother, and I will read to you." Says Heretic. Well, it would be good to gather info and stuff, and Danny totally doesn't want Heretic to read to him like Jazz used to. Danny slowly puts down the block. He would like a story. 

The maid quickly pounces on him like some kind of demented cat to get him dressed in PJs. Danny doesn't fight it as much as he normally would. He wants the tea. 

After a minute of fabrics being shoved on him, he is dressed in surprisingly comfy PJs that do not look like the ones he's used to at all like these are way too fancy and complicated. The ones they have him in look like robes, and they are, of course, the same dark emerald green that his walls are. Why does New Mom like that color so much?

Danny opens his mouth, and a yawn comes out. He is kinda tired now, and sleeping in a real bed after only sleeping in the tube sounds kinda nice. It sounds really nice, actually.

"Leave us." Says Heretic and the maid quickly and silently leaves the room. Why are people so quiet here? Once she leaves, Heretic then slowly sits down on Danny's bed before gently patting the spot next to him. Danny quickly tries to run only to fall on his face. Ow! 

"Here. I will assist you." Says Heretic before giant hands pick him up and gently put him on the bed next to Heretic. Why is this guy so huge!? And why is Danny so small?! They're supposed to be brothers, right? Did Heretic just take all of the muscles and height from the whale and leave none of it for Danny? 

A hand then gently ruffles his hair. What is this? Danny has no idea what kind of sound he makes, but it kinda sounds like a dog squeaky toy. Thankfully, the hand gets out of his hair before he makes another stupid, embarrassing little kid sound. He might physically be a little kid, but he is not a little kid, okay!? Danny glares at Heretic. Heretic isn't even looking at him and is instead trying to pull something out of his pocket. It seems he's got it as he begins to pull some square thing out of his pants pocket that was covered by the side of his robes. Danny leans forward a bit to see what it is. It's an old, dusty, musty book from his pocket. It looks worn and a bit faded. Is that Heretic's favorite book? Heretic didn't have a childhood. Why would he have a kids' book just in his pocket? Also, what language is the book's title even in? It's certainly not English.

"Once a long time ago, there was a little boy named Demon. Demon, like all children his age, was strong, quick, and able to fight the monsters that wanted to hurt him." Says Heretic. What the hell is this? Who names their child Demon?!

"One day, Demon's mother gave him a mission. She says Demon some monsters have infiltrated our home. They have disguised themselves as one of us. Only you can stop them by shooting the space between the stars." Says Heretic. This story doesn't even rhyme! 

"You must shoot right there when the day falls, she says as she points at the sky from her place on the wall. Demon, like every good child, nods and begins to watch and wait before he stops the monster." Says Heretic. Danny peeks over Heretic's arm to look at the book. The page shows a lady who looks like New Mom, except her hair is shorter. 

"Demon watches as other weak children play with swords in the village outside the walls. He watches as they fight, only to fail." Says Heretic before he turns the page. Danny barely even got to look at it, but he did see that some blond kid was fighting a brown haired kid through the trees on the page. 

"He watches the people outside of the walls that are too weak to fight the monsters that hide in the trees between the walls of their home and the village. Demon watches as the sun dies and falls below his home." Says Heretic. That sounds really lonely. Danny doesn't like this story, even if it's about stars. 

"The outside world became dark. It was very dark outside. Demon couldn't see any light other than the small lights coming from his home." Says Heretic. Danny looks at the page and gently puts his hand on it before Heretic can turn the page again. 

It really is a good-looking picture book even if it is so worn out. It's showing a giant castle-looking building with huge walls around it tucked safely away against a mountain. It looks like it's on the edge of a cliff. How is there supposed to be a village near it when the place is on a cliff? Eh. Storybook logic. The walls are white with a deep blue roof, and it's massive. Do they really live there? Danny hasn't seen what the place looks like, but that looks so cool! He's gotta see if he really lives in a place that looks like the picture! It would be so neat! 

"It is beautiful scenery, isn't it? The real thing is much more impressive, however." Says Heretic. Danny has never wanted to go outside more in his life! He is escaping this place and looking at where he is and the stars! What if they're different here? He's gotta know! They mentioned stars before in the book. Maybe they're on the next page! Danny gently takes his hand off the page. He's gotta save his first words in this world for something cool. Heretic takes the hint and turns the page.

"In the darkness, Demon looked around for the monster only he couldn't see a thing around him, but he could hear something shuffling around him." Says Heretic. Danny looks at the page. There's not a single star on that page. It's just a close-up of someone who looks like Heretic only a lot younger. Is this Heretic or the traitor brother that no one wants to talk about? It's not Danny. New Mom said Danny has blue eyes, and this guy's eyes are green. 

"Yet Demon didn't scream or show a single ounce of fear. Instead, he only watched in silence in the dark. As long as he was quiet, the monster couldn't find him in the shadows." Says Heretic. This is a weird book. What's going to happen to that kid?

"He watches under the shadows he was born to inherit. He listens as the monster moves in the darkness. He can feel the blade in his hand." Says Heretic. 

"Then the stars begin to glow. Demon barely glances at them as now the shadows are hiding from the light, and Demon can see the monster." Says Heretic. The monster on the page is terrifying. It's some ugly red, yellow, and green-feathered beast dog thing. It has long white nails that end in a sharp tip, and it has a long red and yellow feather-covered tail that has spikes on the end like that one dinosaur has. It has long green feathers that come out from its spine and partly cover the smaller red feathers below. Its underbelly has muted yellow feathers, some of which look like they've been painted over in red. It is one ugly monster. Danny covers his eyes with his fingers and peeks over them to look at the book. Sure, it's what a kid would do, but Danny is kind of a kid right now, and it feels right! 

"Demon looked at the monster without a hint of fear as he aimed his weapon towards the two stars above its head." Says Heretic. Danny can't watch! But he opens his eyes anyway!

"He aimed right between the two stars' interior carotid and the exterior carotid just as the beast stood on its hind legs to attack. Demon threw the blade." Says Heretic. Danny holds his breath as Heretic turns the page. Those are some weird star names. 

"The beast falls on the ground dead. Demon had beaten it. He had finally slain the monster." Says Heretic. Danny lets out a breath. 

"Then Demon heard footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around to see if another monster was there." Says Heretic. No! Demon run! Heretic slowly turns the page. 

"There was no monster there, but there is his mother. Well done, my son. Come inside tonight, we shall eat well. Says his mother. Demon nods and goes back towards home, leaving the dead beast in the starlight behind him." Says Heretic as he closes the book. Wait, that's it! No! What about the rest of it? That feels too short. 

"Now to sleep with you." Says Heretic as he gets up to leave. No! Danny is comfy! Danny quickly grabs onto Heretic with all of his baby strength. Heretic stops moving and looks at him. 

"Danyal, let go." Says Heretic. Danny doesn't. 

"You must go to sleep." Says Heretic. Danny doesn't let go.

"If I stay until you fall asleep, will you let go?" Asks Heretic. Danny could live with that. Danny nods, and slowly, let's go. Heretic gets off the bed and stands up. Danny stares at him. 

"Lie down, and I will tuck you in." Says Heretic. He can do that. Danny quickly flops down onto the bed. Heretic then tosses a blanket on him before moving to sit on the chair in the corner of his room. Is he going to stay in here? That's kinda weird but this whole place is weird.

"I will guard you while you fall asleep." Says Heretic. Of course, he will. Danny nods as he lies there. He is kinda tired, so hopefully, it won't take long for him to fall asleep. After all tomorrow, he's gotta make his escape plans!

Danny slowly yawns as he raises his hands to rub his eyes - OW! Whut? Did he just hit himself in the face? What is going on today? Danny opens his eyes, and it's bright. Ew. He slowly blinks before he sits on his bed. This is not his room. The walls are green, there are no stars on the ceiling, there are no windows, and yesterday was real. That was all real. It was real when he woke up in the ghost zone in pain. It was real when he could hear Tucker's screams. It was real when he heard Dani's agonizing screams. It was real when he could hear Sam crying out from the pain. It was real when he blacked out and woke up alone in the cup in that water. It was all real when they dragged him out of the wall that they put him in. It was all real. 

Danny feels something wet fall down his cheek. He slowly raises his wobbly hand to his face and wipes it away. It's fine. It'll be fine. He's alive, so Dani, Tucker, and Sam probably are, too. Jazz might be here somewhere and if she isn't Danny can just annoy Clockwork into helping him find her. Speaking of finding her he's been left alone. If Danny is fast enough he can see if anyone from his home is here with him. If they aren't then at least he can safely sleep with the knowledge that no one will see him as a toddler. If they are then he won't be alone. He doesn't want to be alone. 

He quietly slips off the bed and shakily takes a step forward. Only to fall forward onto his face. Right. His center of gravity is different. He's gotta rebalance himself. Danny slowly tries to stand up again. Only to fall backwards onto his butt. That's it he's returning his legs! These clearly don't work! He's gotta return these things to sender. Danny takes in a deep breath before he tries again. This time he sticks out his arms for extra balance or something. He's standing. He's doing it! Yes! 

Danny slowly picks up one foot and puts it in front of him. He doesn't fall. First step let's go!! Then he takes another and another until he's right in front of his door. Then he turns around and walks back to his bed. He's gotta practice this! He's gotta get this done. Danny turns back towards the door and tries to run. He ends up on the floor face down. But he gets back up. What else can he do? 

He tries again. He falls. He does it again. He falls on his butt this time. He tries it again and this time he falls onto the door. He tries to run to his bed. He got halfway across the room before he fell. His knees hurt. He makes it to the door from the bed. Then he runs from the door to the bed. He doesn't fall this time. His face hurts, and his knees hurt. Why does it have to hurt? Why is he having to redo everything- why?

Danny sits on the ground. 

Just one step at a time. He can't start crying now. Not when he has a chance to see if he can find Sam and Tucker. Danny takes in a deep breath and lets it out. Just breathe. Breathe even though he barely needs to. Does he still- is he still a halfa? Danny puts two fingers up to his neck. There's a pulse. A weak pulse that he felt back in his human form. He opens his mouth and sticks his finger in it. He touches his fangs. They're still there. He takes his finger out of his mouth and wipes his saliva on his carpet. His carpet will survive. He reaches for his ears. They're not completely curved. They're definitely not sharp and pointy like they used to but but they aren't perfectly curved either. It's the same thing with his nails. They aren't claws like they used to be. 

He's something all right. He doesn't know if he's still a halfa. He doesn't know if he's even alive. He just knows that he has to see if they're here too. Danny slowly stands up and begins to walk towards his door. He reaches up for the doorknob but sadly he is a toddler. Danny sighs as he jumps up and grabs onto the handle. He turns it and holds on to the knob as his door opens. 

"Danyal?" Asks Heretic. Where did he come from?! Danny looks out into the hallway and there's a Heretic. He's found one out in the wild. A staircase is across from his door. Danny lets go of the doorknob and stands on the floor. 

Danny looks at Heretic. Heretic looks at him. Danny looks at the maid behind Heretic. She looks at him. Danny sprints for the stairs.

"Danyal, don't you dare!" Screams Heretic, but Danny is running as fast as his tiny baby legs can go! He isn't stopping for anyone!

Just as he reaches the staircase giant cheating hands try to grab him. Unfortunately for them, Danny knows how to run!

"Incompetence doesn't suit you, brother." Says Heretic. If Danny could, he would kick him. Heretic is either oblivious of Danny's thoughts or just ignoring him as he presses a stinky wipe to Danny's newly skinned knee. Stairs are evil when one is a year old and being chased by a grown-up.

"I know you don't understand, but you must stay in here. If anyone out there were to see you and not know who you are, they would kill you." Says Heretic. His brother smells and is stinky. If Danny could talk, he would tell him so, but Danny is still holding onto that first word to do something big.

Danny defiantly glares up at his new dumb brother, but then he stops glaring. The look in Heretic's eyes. He's scared. He looks just like Jazz did whenever he had to go fight. He's worried about him. Okay. Okay then. Maybe Danny won't run down the hallway to try to find his mystery dad, what this place looks like, or a way out. He can be sneaky.

"I know you are capable of being intelligent, and you wish to explore this place, Danyal, but do not do something so idiotic again." Says Heretic before he brushes the hair that was in Danny's face out of his eyes. Danny doesn't know how it keeps getting there. Danny looks down at the ground while trying to pretend he is not sulking. He's not, he swears.

"I will discuss the matter with Mother to see if I could take you on one of my missions. After it is done, we could go explore for a few hours before returning home." Says Heretic. Danny looks back up at him. Really! That sounds so cool! Sure, he has no idea what mission his brother is going on, but it's probably just a boring one, but going outside sounds amazing! Danny has missed being outside. Maybe they could even see the stars!

"Danyal, I hope you know that what I do is to protect you. Even if you are horrified by what you will see in life, I hope you know I do it to guard you, and Mother." Says Heretic before he once again moves some of Danny's hair from his eyes. His brother is adorable and has to be protected at all costs. 

"The walls have eyes are ears here. Outside of this room, I will not be able to act warmly towards you. Do you understand?" Asks Heretic. Danny nods his head. Why was Heretic nice to him then? Why did Heretic make sure Danny didn't crack his skull open on the stairs? He wasn't in his room. Danny would've been fine. He would've healed eventually as there is some, although very faint, ectoplasm in the air here. It would just be maybe a few days or a week before he would be fine. Also, considering the medical room that he was in, Danny is pretty sure he would be fine. This is a weird place.

"Good." Says Heretic. Then he just stops looking at Danny and stares at the wall. Now it's just quiet in here. It's a very awkward silence. Not that it's his fault because he's gotta weaponize his first words for something great. Obviously. 

"If anyone refers to you as something other than Danyal, Son of Talia Al Ghul, heir to the Demon, you are to inform me or Mother." Says Heretic. What? Danny is the heir to the what? What or who is the demon? Last Danny checked, they were humans, not demons. Also, he's kind of dead, wouldn't that just not work? Can a dead guy be an heir to something?

"It is considered a great insult for anyone to refer to you as something other than your name. As you are young I will defend your honor until you are able." Says Heretic. Wow. Okay then. Danny hates that, but sure. Not that it really matters. Danyal doesn't feel like Daniel does. Sure, it's still formal and stuffy, but it's not as bad as Daniel. Plus, it sounds cool. He can still go by Danny in his head, though, or when he escapes. 

A knock comes from the door. Heretic quickly stands straight up and stares at the door. Then he looks down at Danny. Then, he makes a weird motion with his hand before he crosses his arms. What? What does this guy want? 

"Stand up." Whispers Heretic. Oh! Danny quickly stands up and might have almost fallen on his face, BUT he caught himself. Take that gravity! He can stand up on his own. 

"Enter." Says Heretic. He sounds so serious all the time. The door opens, and it's the maid lady Danny saw yesterday talking to Heretic. 

"Heretic, son of Talia. Danyal, heir to the Demon. Head Talia requests your presence in the nursery." Says the maid. A nursery?

"Which one?" Asks Heretic. Which - there's more than one!? Wait! The batch! Danny's part of a batch. He has siblings. Are they like him? Could they be? He can still feel his core even if it's weak, so maybe they have cores, too. Maybe he's not alone anymore.

"The purple one." Says the maid. Danny should really learn her name soon. 

"You may leave then." Says Heretic, but the maid stays put.

"Do you need something?" Asks Heretic, and his hand moves to his side. 

"Head Talia asked me to accompany you." Says the maid. Oh, cool. Maybe Danny can learn her name on the way there. 

"Anything else?" Asks Heretic.

"She requests that the young heir remain here." Says the maid. What!? But Danny wants to go see whoever his baby siblings are?! What if it's Dani? What if it's Sam or Tucker, and now they really are siblings?! He's gotta know!

"Understood. Wait in the hallway." Says Heretic. The maid then quickly leaves the room. Danny stomps his foot on the ground and crosses his arms.

"Danyal?" Asks Heretic. Why does he sound completely lost? Has he never seen someone mad before? Danny looks up at him and glares. 

"I see." Says Heretic. Danny doesn't think he does. 

"Danyal. Mother has her reasons for not allowing you to go see them." Says Heretic. He's taking her side!? What in the ghost zone is this betrayal?! Shame! Dishonor! Dishonor on Heretic and his cows! They probably have cows and now they don't! They were besties! Besties don't betray each other!

"You will be fine. If anyone knocks on your door you can pretend you aren't here or if you must let people in make sure they bow to you. Unless it is someone in a higher position than you. Then you will bow." Says Heretic. Heretic stops seemingly to think for a second before he opens his mouth again.

"Don't eat anything they give you." Says Heretic as if that's not a sus afterthought.

Danny is lying on his bed dramatically. Well, as dramatically as a one-year-old can, but he's doing it. A maid who wouldn't tell him their name brought him a plate of cookies and he couldn't even eat them! Heretic would get mad or worried or something if he did. This is probably a test of some kind which is super weird. Like why give a one-year-old a plate of cookies right after telling him not to eat anything a stranger gives him and then leaving? Why does this bed have to be so nice? He can't even sulk properly because he's so comfy! Then the door opens quietly, and Danny glances at it to see New Mom! Why is New Mom here?! Danny quickly gets off the bed and sits on the ground, and bows his head. Heretic isn't here! 

"Danyal." Says New Mom. Danny just nods his head. Just keep nodding. 

"Who brought you these?" Asks New Mom. What? Danny looks up at her and then turns around to see what she's looking at. Everything looks the same? What is she talking about? There's just his wooden floor, his bed, his blocks, his weird dresser thing, and the plate with the suspicious cookies on the floor. Danny just shrugs. New Mom seems to take his shrug as an answer though. She looks back in the hallway behind her and nods.

"Alive." Says New Mom to whoever is out in the hallway. What is happening?

"There is something I wish to show you." Says New Mom. Wait, what? Last he checked, he's grounded! Can he go somewhere?! Yay! New Mom then turns and leaves the room. What? OH!

Danny quickly gets up on his wobbly legs and follows her out the door! He's outside of his room! Danny quickly looks around just to make sure, and he's not being chased! Awesome! Maybe New Mom isn't a complete fruitloop. She is walking really fast, though! Slow down, New Mom! Danny only has tiny legs! He tries to run after her but we'll wobbly legs. He can't run that fast and she's going really fast. 

"I forget how small you are." Says New Mom. Yeah, thanks for noticing! New Mom bends down and swiftly picks him up before Danny even has time to think about protesting. What? This- this is not exactly what he thought would happen today. Sure she heard him before but he was a baby. He's technically still a baby but he can walk. This place is weird. First, they make barely hidden threats and then next they're acting like family! He doesn't get it! 

New Mom is seemingly oblivious to this as she continues to walk with him in her arms. Danny doesn't even try to focus on which was their going. They're not going outside and that much is clear. Why would he be allowed to go outside after his escape attempt this morning? No matter what Heretic says Danny knows he's not going to go outside anytime soon. He just knows it. 

They continue to walk. Well, New Mom walks while Danny just kinda is there. No says a thing. It's quiet. Somehow their footsteps don't make any sound. Are they vampires? It would make sense. He does have fangs after all. He should check if Heretic has fangs. 

New Mom walks down some stairs and Danny can smell something? He definitely can smell something. What is that? It smells like ectoplasm. Danny takes in a deep breath and ugh. He almost gags. What is that?

What is that? It's disgusting. 

New Mom keeps walking down the dark staircase. When did it get so dark? Why can't he see in the dark?! What is happening?

There's a green light down at the bottom of the staircase. The only problem is that between him and the light is a dark staircase. New Mom doesn't even seem to care about the dark as she keeps walking. How? Danny tightens his hold on her before he shoves his head against her shoulder. He doesn't like the dark! He's forgotten how weird and wrong it is to not be able to see everything! He's supposed to be - He doesn't like the dark. He doesn't like it at all. A hand begins to gently rub his back. Danny can't help but lean into her hold. This feels nice. Really nice. Maybe this won't be so bad. 

After what feels like forever New Mom stops walking. She stops rubbing his back. Danny looks around and he can feel his heart stopping for a second. 

"It is beautiful isn't it?" Asks New Mom. Danny nods his head while looking at it. It looks like the portal does. The portal that killed him. It's a giant green lake of ectoplasm. Ectoplasm that smells weird and foul. 

"Sometimes I forget that not everyone has seen them." Whispers New Mom. Danny just nods his head again. He can't look away from it. His nose literally can't stop smelling it. Why does it smell so bad?

"We call it the Lazarus Pit. Your grandfather discovered it long ago and its waters have kept him alive for hundreds of years in return." Says New Mom. How? How has this guy been kept alive by whatever this weird ecto stuff is?

"It is your birthright to bathe in its waters as he has." Says New Mom as she steps closer to the stinky lake. Wait, what? 

"-but for now we shall just settle for a taste of it." Says New Mom as a guard who is holding a glass of that green sludge. Well, he's calling it a glass but it's more like one of those fancy cup things that he sees in fancy movies that are filled with whine. The guard begins to walk out of wherever he was hiding. Probably in the shadow realm where this goo puddle belongs. Does he really have to drink this? Like if he throws a tantrum will she not give that thing to him? Is this worth using his first words on?

The guard stops in front of them before he gently holds out the glass to New Mom who has clearly betrayed him. New Mom with her free hand takes the glass from the guard. The guard then bows. They really love this whole royalty stick don't they? Is he royalty now? Like part of the one percent? Sam is gonna kill him! Clockwork why??

"Bring him in." Says New Mom the betrayer. The guard stands up and silently walks down the hallway they came from. That's creepy. Whom are they talking about?

"Danyal, don't you know what the league does to those who betray us?" Says New Mom. Danny shakes his head. He doesn't like the sound of that. At all. 

"Normally slicing open their neck will do but with some crimes, we have more creative ways of dealing with them." Says New Mom. Oh. New Mom is definitely a bad guy then. Great. 

"Eat it." Says New Mom. The blind folded guy shakes his head. It's a cookie? Why isn't he eating the cookies? The guard holding the cookies takes one and shoves it in the guy's face. The guy continues to shake his head. The guard apparently doesn't know what no means continues to hold it right in front of the guy's mouth.

"Here everything is rather barbaric as your father would have put it." Says New Mom. Yeah, Danny's so gotta agree with New Dad on this one. Forcing someone to eat cookies that were put on the floor in a kid's room is clearly barbaric. Danny should have eaten those cookies when he had the chance. 

"Your father was weak. He made your brothers weak. I will not have you suffer the same fate." Says New Mom. New Mom then nods. The same fate? Is she talking about them being 'weak' or did they die? Heretic is clearly still alive but what does he have more? What happened to them? 

One of the guys holding the cookie man's arms quickly moves to try and force the guy's mouth open. Cookie man barely fights back and the guard holding the cookies wastes no time in shoving the cookie in the cookie guy's mouth. 

"This is what happens to those who are weak." Says New Mom. They get cookies shoved in their face? The guys who were holding the cookies guy down let go and each take a step away from him. It's just a cookie, right? The cookie guy begins to cough and beat his chest with one hand. It was a normal cookie, right? It was just a test? 

He begins to cough up blood. The smell- oh god the smell of blood is so metallic. No! No! The blood isn't but his own was! Someone was screaming but the smell- the smell was awful! So was the pain but he would rather focus on the smell than what they were doing to him! He could smell the metal tools as they tore into him and there was so much blood- 

They did what they said they never would.

"Danyal." Says New Mom. Danny blinks before he turns to look at her. She reaches for his face and before Danny can move she wipes a tear off his cheek. Where did the glass go? 

"Do not let them see weakness or they will try again." Says New Mom... Danny nods his head. He won't let anyone do that again. He won't let them strap him down and cut him open. He won't let them hurt him. Not again. New Mom takes the glass back from a guard who apparently just spawned into existence. She's trying to protect him. She did protect him. 

"Good." Says New Mom as she holds up the cup of the green ectoplasm. She holds the glass up to his lips. Danny doesn't breathe in that awful smell or he might toss that nasty junk away from him. New Mom is looking at him. Everyone is looking at him but she is staring at him with that look that she used to give him before the portal. Danny slowly opens his mouth as she pours the stinky ectoplasm into his mouth. It tastes like ash on his tongue but he continues to drink it. New Mo- Mother's smile makes the taste worth it. 

A knock comes from his door. Is it Mother again? She just left though. Why would she come right back? Maybe it's Heretic! Danny slides off the bed and lands right on his feet. He doesn't even fall! He quickly runs over to the door and jumps up to reach the handle. He thankfully grabs the knob and turns it. The door slowly opens with a creak and Danny peeks around the corner to see- it's not Heretic. 

"Hello?" Ask the guy at the door. Another maid? But he's fine! He just went with Mom to look at a stinky pool! He doesn't need a change of clothes! If anything he needs lunch! And support! He needs a hug.

"May I come in?" Asks the maid. What if he says no? Will the guy just go away? That'd be pretty cool if he did. Though if Mother finds out she might get mad at him. He doesn't wanna make her mad. Not after she saved him.

Danny slowly nods his head and steps away from the door and towards his bed. The maid enters the room slowly. Danny stares at him with a blank face. Just like Mother said too. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you Danyal son of the bat and Heir to the Demon." Says the maid. Danny just nods at him. He doesn't know what else to do in this situation. At least this guy got the whole naming thing so Heretic won't get mad. 

"I have been sent by your brother to give you something." Says the maid. This better not be poison or Danny will throw something. Danny just nods again. Why is this so awkward? 

The maid slowly reaches into his robe clothing thing and pulls out a bat? He pulls out a metal bat. Like a flat metal bat. Danny holds out his hand and the maid puts it in his hand. It's got a good weight to it. 

"It's sharp." Says the maid. Duh! Danny nods his head. This whole not speaking thing is kinda getting annoying now. It's still not the perfect time. 

The maid walks further into his room as if it was his. Danny slowly follows him. 

"My name is Tim." Whispers the mai- Tim. This is so weird. Danny nods his head before he holds his hand out for Tim to shake. Time looks really confused before he takes his hand and shakes it. Friendship?

"This might sound a bit weird but I need to ask you some questions." Says Tim. Danny nods his head. Yeah, this guy is weird. 

"Do you like it here?" Asks Tim. Danny nods his head. He likes it here with Mother and Heretic. Heretic reads to him and that's pretty cool even if Danny is way too old for that. Mom kicks ass and doesn't have a ghost obsession. He gets bored a lot though which sucks but he does like it here. Though he does need to find a way to see if Sam and Tucker are here. Maybe he could beg Heretic or impress Mom somehow. Maybe he can use his first words to ask about them?

"Do they hurt you?" Asks Tim. Danny shakes his head. No one has hurt him here. Why does this feel like a CPS visit? 

"Good. Good. So do you just stay in here all day?" Asks Tim and Danny nods his head. This is mostly what he does all day, sit in his room until people come talk to him. He's got toys though and books he can't read. Sometimes Heretic comes in here to play with him. Hopefully, Mom will start doing that too. 

"That sounds boring." Says Tim. Danny nods his head and then he shrugs. What can he do? He's a year old and sadly can't go downstairs.

"Would you like to go outside?" Asks Tim. Danny looks at him. Would he? He would but this feels like something else. This feels like a permanent thing. Does he want to leave? Not really. He really wants to stay here where people can't poison him. He wants to look for Sam, Dani, Jazz, and Tucker but what if they aren't here? What if they already got out? Danny shrugs. That's the best answer he's got. He's good to wait here until he knows for certain that they aren't here or it's not safe. 

"Fair. It's kinda scary to do something new, huh?" Asks Tim and Danny nods his head. It is scary. What would he even do out there? What's it like? Would Heretic get mad at him? Would Mother be sad? Is it even safe out there?

"I can get that. How would you like to meet your dad?" Asks Tim as he watches the door. Danny doesn't know. He shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't know if he would like to meet his dad. His old dad- Jack- they hurt him. They hurt him. But Mother hasn't hurt him. She loves him. Maybe his Dad will be the same? Maybe. They do have that whole custody thing going on and Danny might have promised to beat up Dad if he ever hurt Mother. He'd kinda have to meet his dad first for that. Danny slowly nods his head. He would at least like to meet his dad before he decides he wants nothing to do with him. 

"That's great." Says Tim with a smile but Danny can see the slight strain in his smile. The smile of someone who's nervous. No one does that here. Tim isn't supposed to be here is he? Danny points at the door. 

"You want me to leave?" Asks Tim. Danny nods his head.

"I- uhh- okay?" Says Tim as he walks towards the door. He then looks out into the hallway and Danny slowly walks after him. Tim walks out into the hallway and Danny grabs the bottom of the door and slams it behind him. 

Danny then backs up to stand in the middle of his room before he throws his arms up into the air! He did it! He stopped someone from trying to poison him and kicked them out! Heretic would be so proud! 

Hopefully Heretic comes by to see him soon.

Danny wakes up to being carried - what is happening! He quickly opens his eyes and starts flailing around. Heretic! Some bastard is carrying him!

"Calm yourself, brother. I have you." Says Heretic. Oh! That still doesn't answer the question of what the hell is happening?! Also, why is it so dark?

"I apologize for waking you so early, but we must find Mother." Says Heretic. That's a good idea. Mom can kick butt.

"Be quiet now. The shadows will hide us if we are as silent as they are. It'll be just like the story in your book." Says Heretic as he runs. Danny hates metaphors so much, but he does maybe like the book that Heretic reads to him even if it is weird. Danny lets out a yawn as he puts his chin on Heretic's shoulder. Why are all the lights off?

"Do not worry, Danyal." Says Heretic. Is Heretic saying that for him or for himself at this point? Like Danny is fine he's just confused. Is there a fire or something?

A green red and yellow blur moves in the shadows. Oh shit! The monster from the book is real! Danny grabs onto Heretic's shoulder as hard as he can and ducks his head down! Heretic starts running even faster. 

Heretic then turns into another hallway that Danny didn't even see. He's kinda busy making sure the monster can't shoot anything at his head by shoving it against Heretic's chest. Sure, it didn't shoot anything in the book, but it also didn't have the chance to do so. Danny ain't taking the risk!

Then Heretic opens what sounds like a door and quickly slips inside. Danny moves his head and looks at the room they're in. It's smaller than Danny's but not by that much. It's like three-fourths of the size of Danny's. What looks like katakana and different weapons line the walls. All of them look well-used but also really well taken care of. Whose room is this?

Heretic apparently doesn't want him to look around the room for long quickly, walking over to the large closet in the corner of the room. He opens it, and Danny can see a bunch of clothes hung up in it. Heretic then squats down and gently places Danny in the closet. What is he doing? Is he going to leave him alone in here?! What if the monster comes in here? Danny's like a toddler he can't fight!

"Hide in here and do not make a sound. After I stop him, I'll come back, okay?" Asks Heretic. Danny quickly shakes his head No, that's not okay! Heretic lets out a quiet sigh as if he's a disappointed parent. Danny is not being unreasonable here! He doesn't wanna get attacked by a book monster! He'll get a paper cut!

"Here. Take this dagger. If anyone other than me opens the door, you can stab them and run." Says Heretic as he pulls a dagger out of his pocket and holds it out to Danny. Why does he even have a dagger just on him!? Honestly, it would be better if Heretic would just take him with him! Danny looks at Heretic's face. He's not going to take Danny with him. It's probably hard to fight while holding a toddler anyway. 

Fine! Danny can do this. He's just gotta stay in this small closet in this tiny room, while Heretic takes care of the monster. He can do this. Danny carefully reaches out and grabs the dagger by the handle. With how big this thing is compared to his tiny hands, it might as well be a sword. 

"I will be quick, Danyal." Says Heretic as he slowly stands up. Danny looks up at him. He doesn't want to be alone. 

"You should hide it so they don't see it." Says Heretic. Oh! Danny gently takes the dagger and stuffs it slowly into the weird belt thing around his waist. He really should ask what it's called. It is comfy. 

"Get away from the door now." Says Heretic. That would probably be a good idea. He carefully scoots on his butt away from the door. Heretic gently closes the door to the closet. It's dark in here. Then a door gets slammed open! Danny jumps back, but it's not the closest door that opens. The monsters found them. 

It's quiet out there. Just for a moment, Danny can't hear anything.

"I will kill you." Says Heretic. Heretic is going to kill someone!? What!? Danny did not take Heretic as the murder type at all. Like there were absolutely no signs at all.  

"You can try." Says a new voice. Wasn't a monster meant to be chasing them? That doesn't sound like a monster. It sounds like a kid. 

"This time, I will not fail." Says Heretic as he takes out what sounds like a sword. Why did Heretic have to shove him in here! He wants to see what's happening!

Then, a loud clank comes from outside the closet. It sounds like two swords hitting each other. What is going on!?

Another loud clash comes from outside. It's so dark in here. They aren't fighting with swords, right? They have cloning tech they wouldn't use swords to fight, but Heretic also gave him a dagger. 

"So you can learn from your mistakes." Says Heretic. They have a lot of beef. Like a lot of beef. 

"Once I have defeated you and claim your memories, then I could fill the void inside me." Says Heretic. Heretic! They talked about this! Well, not really, but they did in spirit! When Danny finds a way to de-age Ellie, if she wants that, then he can use it on Heretic! Heretic is liminal enough that it would work! Probably. 

"You will have no such victory, and in time, Danyal will be able to forget about this bloodstained place." Says the traitor. Heretic really seems to know this guy. If Danny could see this guy, he might be able to confirm his suspension. Also bloodstained? Danny has not seen any blood in this place other than his when he skinned his knee on those stupid stairs. 

"You are wrong. Unlike you, Danyal will not turn his back on those who have died for him." Says Heretic. What? Well, yeah, Danny wasn't planning on doing that, but who died for him?! Who did that!! 

"They didn't willingly die for me or him. Mother forced them to." Says traitor, and Danny can hear what sounds like two pieces of metal banging into each other. Well, you know Danny probably missed a lot of details of this custody battle. Are both his parents from the mafia? He thought it was just Mom and his Dad that are fruitloops, not his apparent siblings. That's great. 

"Lying to oneself is a flaw that Mother worked hard to remove from me." Says Heretic. These people are dramatic. He's definitely related to them. Why do both of them seem like the bad guys right now? The traitor keeps saying he wants to take Danny away from this place, and Heretic apparently wants to steal this guy's childhood memories, which is creepy. He wouldn't try to do that to Danny, right?

"Is that why Mother shot you? What do you think she'll do to Danyal if he fails her?" Asks Danian. Wait, what?! Then Heretic lets out a scream of what Danny can only describe as full-on rage. Oh no! He can't - he's gotta see what - Danny pokes open the closet to see Heretic, fully charging at someone who looks just like him. Someone who has that glint in his eyes that Heretic does when he's about to win chess. 

He's going to kill him!

Danny shoves open the closet and almost falls right on his face, but he manages to catch himself. He opens his mouth and screams out the first word that comes to mind just as the traitor aims the final blow. 

"Bubba!" Screatches Danny, and it's as if time stopped. Heretic is looking at him, and he looks so scared, and Danny hates that look on his brother's face. The definitely a traitor brother looks at him in shock before turning his attention back to Heretic. In one quick move, the traitor smacks Heretic in the side of the head with the bottom of his sword handle with a loud thump. Heretic's eyes flutter, and he stumbles. No! 

He falls onto his knees before he falls face-first onto the ground just as Danny finally reaches him. No! Danny runs forward before quickly getting down on his knees beside Heretic's head. Luckily, Heretic's head is on its side, or his brother might have broken his nose. Danny looks at his brother. He looks like he's sleeping. Maybe Danny can wake him up? Danny quickly puts his hands on his brother's shoulder and begins to shake him. 

"Bubba?" Danny calls out. Heretic doesn't answer him.

"Danyal?" Asks the traitor who hurt Heretic. Danny glares over his shoulder at him. He really does look just like a younger Heretic. Too bad he's also a fruitloop like their mom. Danny shakes his head at this guy. Maybe he'll just leave if he thinks Danny isn't who he's looking for. 

"I am Damian your- " the traitor trails off. It's probably because he just hurt Danny's brother. Danny ain't helping him. He did this he can suffer the very awkward introduction because of it.

"-your other older brother, I suppose. Come, we must go soon before the reinforcements come." Says Damian. Yeah, no. Danny isn't going anywhere. He's staying here with Heretic until they can find their own way out and find his fraid. Mom can come with them as long as Danny doesn't have to drink any more pit water. He will if she really wants him to but only once a month. It tastes super bad! 

"Danyal? Come on." Says Damian. Danny doesn't even look at him, but instead, he slowly reaches out to Heretic and runs his tiny shaking hands through his brother's very short hair. 

"Damian!" Screams out a loud voice of someone who definitely doesn't belong in the league. He can hear footsteps getting closer to them, but Danny doesn't turn towards them. If he's gonna die, then there's nothing he can really do about them, considering he's a year old. Plus, Mom would probably just chuck him into the gross sewer-smelling ectoplasm to heal him. 

"Oh, Damian, thank god. You run off again, and I'll stop taking you to the zoo!" Says the new voice. That is not what Danny expected to hear today but cool. His traitorous brother loves the zoo. Cool. He runs his fingers through Heretic's hair again. Heretic is still sleeping. He's just sleeping. He'll wake up soon. 

"Nightwing. He won't come with me." Says the traitor. He almost sounds hurt, and well, that's Damian's problem. He hurt Heretic. 

"Why don't you go find B?" Asks Nightwing, but even Danny can tell that isn't a question. 

"I- fine." Says Damian and Danny can't even hear him walk away, but he knows he is. Why do these people walk so quietly?! Is something wrong with his ears?

"Hey, kid? You're Danyal, right?" Asks Nightwing. Danny doesn't look at him or make any move to show he heard him. Maybe if he just ignores him, he'll leave. 

"I've got applesauce back at the plane." Says Nightwing. Oooo! Danny hasn't had applesauce in so long!

No! Nope. He's gonna stay right here, thank you. He pokes Heretic on the nose. Heretic doesn't move. Why won't he wake up? 

"Can you hear me?" Asks Nightwing. Danny ignores him.

"Kid? Are you alright?" Asks Nightwing. Danny pokes Heretic's cheek. They haven't even read a story yet.

"Danyal? That's your name, right?" Asks Nightwing. Danny ignores him.

"Kid?" Asks Nightwing. Nightwing can suck on ectoplasm, and Danny is still ignoring him. 

Then hands grab his waist and suddenly he's being swung around the room. No! Danny screams as loud as he possibly can with his tiny lungs. Danny kicks his legs as hard as he can and makes sure to kick this jerk! Warm tears start running down his cheeks as he wails. 

"Oh. No, don't cry, buddy! I'm sorry! I just wanted to make sure you were with me!" Says Nightwing as the man gently lowers him back to the ground. Danny doesn't stop screaming until he can feel the ground with his feet and makes a run for Heretic. Nightwing doesn't try to grab him again. 

Good.

"Uhh, Wing?" Calls out a voice. Danny doesn't turn around to look at the new stupid person who's gonna try and take him away from Heretic. He's gonna sit right here and ignore them, and if they grab him again, he might think about using the dagger. 

"Damn. I don't think I've ever seen a kid hate Nightwing." Says the stupid voice. Danny ignores them. 

"Wing. Don't. Let me give it a shot. Just go help Tim or something. I heard he was trying to bribe the other two with coffee." Says the new dumb voice. Danny wants coffee. Who's bribing people with coffee? Can they come here and give Danny coffee?

"What if you get attacked?" Asks Nightwing. Bleh bleh bleh. 

"I have a gun." Says the dumb mean voice. They have guns here? Why is Heretic using a sword and katakana then!? Why didn't he just hand Danny a gun!? 

"You can't solve every problem with a gun." Says Nightwing. Danny begs to differ. He solved a lot of problems with a good ecto blast. 

"That's why I have two." Says Dumb Dumb. Okay, that it pretty funny. 

"Just in, they are taking the coffee." Says Dumb Dumb. Of course they are. It's coffee.

"Damn it, Fine!" Says Nightwing. Okay. Maybe Dumb Dumb isn't that bad. He apparently got Nightwing to go away. 

"Sup, brat. Is that your brother?" Dumb Dumb says. Obviously! Should he answer him? This guy hasn't really done anything to him yet, even if he is as dumb as a sack of bricks. Well, the guy is clearly not a danger, so sure Danny will answer him. Just this once, though! Danny nods his head. 

"Cool. Do you want me to take him to the doctor?" Asks Dumb Dumb, okay he can't keep calling him Dumb Dumb. That's dumb. He'll call him Stupid instead. It's just one word instead of two, and this guy hasn't even introduced himself, so if he didn't want a nickname, he should've said his name by now. Nickname or not, Danny nods his head again. The doctors could help Heretic, and if they don't, Mom will be mad at them and Mom is a badass. She can beat people up, and it will be glorious. She'll have no problem beating the ever-loving snot out of them. 

That and seeing a doctor sounds a bit better than having to drink from the pit again. Slightly better. If they try to cut him open then Mom will beat them up or poison them like she did the cookie guy. 

"Can you walk or do I have to carry you and your brick house of a brother?" Asks Stupid. Danny turns to look at Stupid. Holy ancients, there is a walking brick house talking to him! Not a literal house, but why is there a brick wall of a man who's not his brother talking to him!? What are they feeding these people?

"I mean, I could, but what do you think?" Asks Stupid brick house man. Danny would be squished like a grape by this man. The dagger couldn't do anything against him. Why did Heretic have to be knocked out!? Also, why does this guy smell like the Lazarus armpits or whatever they were called? 

Oh crap, he was to answer, doesn't he? He doesn't want to answer this brick house in case he really does get squashed like a grape, but he was saving his first - third word for a curse word! Maybe he can still use it. Danny glances at Heretic. No one will believe Stupid if he says a curse word. 

"You can talk, right?" Asks Stupid. 

"FUCK!" Screams Danny at the top of his lungs in response. At first, Stupid looks strangely proud and then looks physically ill all of a sudden. Welp. It's not Danny's problem.

"Oh." Says Stupid. Danny smiles. 

"Yeah, you're the brat's brother." Stupid says. Danny is choosing not to know what this guy is talking about.

"Alright. Any hidden weapons on him I should know about?" Asks Stupid. Danny nods his head. 

"Where at?" Asks Stupid. Danny shrugs his shoulders like a liar. 

"Great." Says Stupid before he begins to walk closer. Danny scrambles to stand up! Hey! No! Stupid stops walking. 

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt him or you. Though that bump on his head looks like it hurts would you be okay if I looked at it real quick?" Asks Stupid. Danny looks at Stupid. He looks big and mean but so do most of the ghosts and a good chunk of them are his friends. Stupid looks like he's telling the truth. Danny slowly nods his head and moves to the side a little bit. 

"Thank you, buddy. Would you like to help me make him feel better?" Asks Stupid. Danny quickly nods his head! Well, now Danny feels bad for calling him stupid. Danny frowns. He doesn't know what to call him. The guy is clearly not a doctor. He's not stupid, he's stinky but that's mean, and he's not mean. What does he even call this guy? 

"What's up kiddo?" Asks the unnamed weirdo. Danny points at him.

"What about me?" Asks he who must be named. Danny points at his throat.

"What do you call me-oh. Uhh? You want to know my name?" Asks Anonymous user. Danny nods his head. Anonymous user looks around them as if he's making sure that no one is listening. Heretic said the walls have ears so someone is bound to hear him anyway.

"Jason Todd at your service." Says Jason. Jason seems cool. Danny likes him. Hopefully, he stays cool. 

"Alright, now how about we get on the road?" Asks Jason. Danny slowly nods his head. 

"Alright. You wanna help me carry him?" Asks Jason. Danny nods his head and Jason starts to walk closer. Danny watches him without a word. He walks towards Heretic's feet and grabs both legs before standing up. Danny slowly stands up and well he stands there. What is he supposed to do?

"Alright, now you make sure he doesn't hit his head too hard, okay?" Asks Jason as he begins to drag Heretic. Danny blinks. Heretic is gonna hate this when he finds out. Sadly, Heretic needs a doctor and Jason seems cool. Plus applesauce. Maybe if he gives some to Heretic he'll forgive him. 

"You coming?" Asks Jason and Danny quickly scrambles to follow him. How is he going so fast? 

After a lot of walking and another daring battle with the stairs, Danny made Jason carry him after he had to carry Heretic, they made it to the plane. The weird bat-themed plane.

Then a man walks out of the plane and down the ramp attached to the side of it. A man in a bat suit? Is his Dad a furry? Is that why Mother wouldn't talk about him? 

"Danyal." Says maybe Dad. Danny nods his head. That is his name. He does go by that. For now. He's still debating. 

"I'm your father." Says Darth Vader. Danny nods his head. He got that. 

"Are you alright?" Asks maybe Dad. Danny nods his head.

"He doesn't talk B." Says Jason. Hopefully, the B doesn't stand for bitch or Danny's gonna go find Mom. He'll do it. Don't test him. He'll somehow find a way to find Mom. 

"He what?" Asks maybe Dad. Danny's bored. He wants to go have applesauce and go back to sleep. All this talking is getting so boring. Danny turns to look at Heretic he's still sleeping. Danny walks up to him and pokes his face again. Still nothing. Why won't he wake up already? Where's Mother at? Danny hasn't seen her in forever.

"Why would I know?" Snaps Jason. Oooo, B made him mad! Danny looks back towards them. Yeah, maybe Dad made him mad. 

"Jason-" starts Maybe Dad but Jason cuts him off.

"Shut up, B! The kid likes him we're bringing him whether we like it or not." Says Jason as he begins to drag Heretic again up the plane- or really it's a helicopter ramp. Danny blinks before he awkwardly starts to follow Jason onto the plane. What just happened?

Jason drags Heretic into the helicopter. Danny is honestly impressed that he's still going. 

"Kid grab some zip ties from that box over there says Jason as he nods his head to a box near the front of the helicopter. Danny nods his head and runs over. Why would he need zip ties? Heretic is not going to be stopped by zip ties if that's what Jason is planning. 

There are a couple of packs of zip ties in the box. There's even a bottle of glitter. Danny grabs some blue zip ties and shoves the glitter in his robe. No one has to know but he will make them feel pain. Damian's first.

He quickly goes back to Jason and shoves them in his face as Jason is buckling Heretic into the third chair from the door. Jason backs away from the zip ties and glances at him.

"Thanks, little man. You wanna sit next to him?" Asks Jason. Danny nods his head before he tries to climb into the smushy seat next to Heretic. Jason without a word picks him and puts him in the chair. He then buckles him in. Danny starts to kick his feet and look around the helicopter. It's clean. It's mostly black, gray, and yellow which is boring but it's still a helicopter. Danny has decided he likes helicopters. 

Jason sits down beside him after doing something on the other side of Heretic but he doesn't put a seat belt on. Danny pokes him. Jason looks at him and Danny glares at him. If Danny has to have it on so does he. 

"What did I do?" Asks Jason. Danny points at his seat belt. Jason looks likes through the five stages of grief all at once before he slowly puts on his seat belt. Good. Everyone is going to be safe no matter what they say! 

Danny let's a yawn. Oh no! He's tired. He quickly looks at Jason. Jason is looking at him. Jason starts to smile. NOOOO! NO. 

"Looks like it's bedtime." Says Jason. Danny shakes his head. It is not bedtime. Danny is not going to bed. He ain't doing that. He yawns again. Then a big soft something is dropped on his head. What is this? Danny quickly moves to get the thing off his head. What? It's nice and warm but Danny likes breathing. He finally gets the thing off his head and it's a jacket. It's Jason's leather jacket. Oh. Why is he being so nice? It's gonna make leaving harder than it needs to be. 

Danny looks up at him. Jason isn't looking at him anymore. Instead, he's staring at something outside of the helicopter. He can hear people fighting. Why would they-oh. Oh right. Danny's being kidnapped. Mom will come get him soon or Heretic will help him break out. Danny let's out another yawn. Why is this jacket so nice and soft?! He can't stay awake like this! 

Danny blinks. Then he blinks again. When did all these people get in here? He closes his eyes again but then opens them a moment later. Their moving? It kinda feels like he's being carried. He likes being carried. Mo- Jack and Maddie never carried him long. He misses it. Danny blinks again. Since when was he leaning on Heretic? Oh well. Heretic is comfy. 

A loud cry makes him jump. It sounds like Mom but Mom would never cry in public. She doesn't do that. She's cool and stuff but weird like that. Danny blinks again as he snuggles into Heretic's side. He's tired. Maybe- maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt. He's gotta save his strength and all that for when Mom comes to pick him up.