What If... The Bat's Answered Phantom's Phone?
Set as an AU at the end of Chapter 2 of "A Little Overshadowing Never Hurt Anyone" But can be read as an independent oneshot <3
—"What were you doing in Gotham?" The Dark Knight demanded, ignoring the ghost boy's previous comment.
"Just hanging out. I don't have any real reason to be here. Wanted to see the sights, I guess." Danny shrugged, trying to play it off. It was a lie, but he couldn't tell him anything about his parents or the ghost-hunting convention, since there could be a chance he could figure out Danny’s identity that way.
Once again, Batman's expression didn't change, just as stone-cold as ever. That was annoying. Normally Danny was really good at reading people. Especially ghosts. It was much easier for them to read each other with their cores and emotions. But with humans, it was much harder. Especially this human.
Suddenly Danny jumped at the sound of his phone ringing… and he knew it was his phone because a remix of the “Ghostbusters theme” was playing. Danny put his head down covering his face with his hands, He really shouldn't worry about being embarrassed while being kidnapped with a bunch of ghost tech in some eccentric white guy's creepy bat basement, yet here we are.
The only other person in the room besides Batman stood up. It was the boy in the domino mask., Robin? Wait- Weren’t there multiple now? Danny couldn’t keep track anymore. Either way, emo mini Bat jr, a coffee in his hand, walked over to a table filled with ghost-hunting weapons, the majority of which was his parents’ designs. Danny felt a shiver go down his spine and pushed himself back a bit further in the cage. His fear did not go unnoticed by the boy, who glanced sideways with a frown.
He reached down and started going through the pockets of a belt that lay on the table as the phone kept blaring loudly, Danny glanced down to his waist. He didn’t even realize that they had removed the phone until just now. Finally, the teenage boy managed to wrangle it out of one of the pockets and held it high in victory before looking at the caller ID.
“B,” The kid started. “It’s someone named Jazz.” Danny’s eyes widened. He knew she would be worried right now! And what was the one thing she told him before he went into Gotham? ‘Danny, stay away from all of those Gotham vigilantes tonight — it can be dangerous.’ The phone abruptly stopped ringing, and Danny breathed a sigh of relief. But then the boy started scrolling through the phone, or at least the lock screen. “Dozens of missed messages and three missed calls.” He raised an eyebrow at Danny as if waiting for him to respond.
“She worries.” Danny shrugs before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Suddenly, the phone blares to life again. Danny’s ears twitch at the sound. The ringtone starts again.
“Bring it here, Red Robin,” Batman says, holding out his hand. Well, at least Danny now knows his name. He narrows his eyes at the device like it is somehow out to get him and his whole family. Danny would have laughed at the expression if he weren’t terrified for his afterlife right now. After a couple of seconds, it stopped, only to restart again quickly after.
“She is not going to stop until you answer!” Danny snaps, annoyed. Batman seems to be in thought for a moment before holding the phone in between the vigilantes and the ghost, hitting answer on speakerphone. Danny’s eyes widened instantly, in shock that he answered it. Danny was mostly kidding, he didn’t expect the Dark Knight to really answer! Now what should he do?
“Danny, oh my word! Where are you?!! I swear to Clockwork, if you got yourself hurt or anything… I’ve been worried sick! And with all of those hunters around! I told you to be careful, and to come back soon! You were just getting air! Please tell me you’re okay.” Danny winced back at every part of the call, but everyone in the room had their eyes glued to the phone, undoubtedly absorbing all the information Danny just gave them.
“Jazz, Jazz I’m fine!” Red Robin looked over at Danny as if to say, ‘You don’t look fine.’ Danny glared back his best ‘Mind your own damn business response..
“Danny, where are you? I’ve been holding off mom and dad for as long as I can.” Danny winced and winced hard, glancing up at the two listening into the conversation, looming over him. “Right now they think you’re at the library, and it’s the middle of the night!”
Danny laughed nervously. “Jazz, don’t worry, I’ll be okay, I always am. I just got a bit lost and sensed a soul eater so I followed to find out if they were okay. He saw Batman narrow his eyes again (if that was even possible — they should be closed at this point) at he mention of ‘soul eater’.
Danny felt slightly offended for them, but they did have a strange name. For your information, soul eaters are just ghosts who need energy or ectoplasm to survive and make a body. They have to either take it from others or absorb it in an ectoplasm-rich environment, and if Danny has some to spare, he normally shares Soul eaters are a step above echo ghosts. Two of the ones Danny had encountered were Spectra, who absorbed children’s emotions as a therapist to give herself a body, and Shadow, the ghost that has bonded itself to Johnny 13 in order to get as much ectoplasm as he needs in return for helping Johnny. But enough of that rant.
“Okay, but you better be back soon okay? Especially with all the hunters around. I don’t want you getting captured!”
Danny glanced up at the two bats and laughed awkwardly. “Ah yeah, we don’t want that happening now. Just don’t worry too much, Jazz; get some rest, I’ll catch up with you later.”
“You better!” Batman then pulled his gloved finger up and pressed the hang-up button.
Danny scowled up at the man, “There, you happy? You got all that information out of me. You seem proud of yourself.” Danny went to lean back, but burned himself on the bars, flinching as he felt the stinging sensation on his shoulder, hissing and baring his fangs.
Batman said nothing. It looked like his little robin was about to pitch in but then thought better of it and slinked away. Suddenly, there was a ping on Batman’s belt. He looked at it for only a second before stating “I have to go. Red Robin, stay here.”
)-(
Danny was staring down at the floor of his cage as he now floated cross-legged just above the ground. What was he supposed to do now? Batman was gone and Red Robin was now pacing around the cave, either doing wide circles around the cage or just pacing around the whole cave in general. It looked like he was also kind of muttering to himself. Kind of strange, but Danny did the same so who was he to judge? But the important thing was he never let the cage out of his line of sight. He almost felt like Danny was being hunted by a shark at the rate this guy was going.
Danny knew he needed to escape somehow. He glanced again over all of those weapons on the desk. He needed to get out of here, and quickly He knows that even though he called, Jazz would still be worried. But with Red Robin ever on the lookout, that would be hard.
It would be hard to rewire the whole cage, especially because Red Robin keeps silently watching him — it's kinda creepy. Danny grabbed onto his hair and pulled, unsure of what to do. Suddenly there was a clanging sound and Danny jumped, eyes darting around until he noticed that Red Robin was staring up at him right in front of the cage. His hands were on the door.
Danny stared at him, puzzled, and tilted his head to the side, eyes glued to each other in the tense moment. Suddenly, the boy’s hands started moving and he was unlocking the cage. Danny’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?” He asked, still stunned that the kid had come so close.
The boy paused for a moment, thinking to himself. “Letting you out.” The door swung open with Tim holding it and staring at the ghost expectantly. Danny stayed where he was in the cage, floating, unsure of whether or not to trust this new opportunity.
“What about Batman, won't he be mad at you?” Danny asked, surprised his Robin would go against him like this.
“I think…” Red Robin paused. “I think Batman would understand, and I think we were wrong about ghosts, I was stupid to go along with this. Anyone who’d spend more than five minutes with you would know you are a sentient, innocent, person... I’m sorry.”
Danny laughed awkwardly, “Wow, you're the first person to say that in a long time.” Red Robin returned with a light smile, almost a grimace.
“Here, let's get you out of here before B gets back.” He reached down and grabbed onto Danny's arm, pulling him out of the cage and leading him through the cave. Normally, Danny would have flinched at being grabbed, but this… wasn't so bad.
---
Tim led them through the tunnels underneath Wayne's manor to not reveal their identities, he knew the tunnels by heart and managed to make enough turns that Danny couldn't follow them back.
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Danny and Vlad could also use Overshadowing to their advantage and certainly make it look like they are mind-controlling people as "Vampires". Vlad is more likely to do it than Danny (Given Danny's disliking of overshadowing,)
Vlad has in the past made a bunch of duplicates before that while overshadowing people who all followed his command and shared the same eye color! The bats would see that and immediately think it's some vampire mind-control trick...
There is also the fact that Johnny had the whole controlling Jazz thing in the past when they first met. And if they see this other vampire-like person coming up and fighting with Phantom what are they supposed to think when Danny is screaming at him...
Johnny: Well If I knew she was your sister I would have never tried anything! I mean come on man! Give a dead guy a break!
Danny: You mind controlled her and tried to steal her soul from her body. If I wasn't only a couple months dead at the time, I would have destroyed you right then and there. And if you so much of think of her again I'll rip your throat out! *flashes his fangs*
Johnny: Come on bro, she's just a human...
Danny: *Yells and jumps on him*
Short DPXDC Prompts #601
Danny hides most of his ghostly traits in Gotham and decides to throw off the GIW’s trail in a more creative fashion.
He limits to using specific ghostly powers and traits, (i.e: super speed, flight, immortality, pale white skin, glowing eyes, inhuman movements, fangs, batform(?), ghostly magic that look akin to spells, etc.) and does his best to pretend that certain items are weaknesses to him (i.e: running water, silver, garlic, holy water, or crosses).
To hide in plain sight, he pretends to be a vampire.
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