Unknown, the Wandering Hero
So! We all know the typical Vivisection AU, right? Danny is revealed to his parents and they take it in all the wrong ways. They capture him, Vivisect him, and eventually he manages to escape with the help of his friends.
But what about his Rouges?
Sure, we all like to think of some of the more friendly ones like Ember, or Sydney, or Johnny 13 and Kitty, but he has WAY more Evil Rouges than good ones.
Without Danny there to reign them in, the Rouges spread out across the world to fulfill their obsessions, unhampered by the Heroes and Villains of the world that have no means to fight them.
And Danny? He feels responsible. He was the one to open the Gate, he was the Sacrifice, the one to let them through. And when the going got tough he just up and left? No, that won't do.
His Obsession is Protection for a reason, and nothing has changed. All he needs to do is expand his area of focus a little.
Danny, after healing up, starts wandering the world in search of the Ghosts who have escaped into the Mortal Realm. He battles all of his old foes, as well as many new ones who he hadn't met before.
His travels take him far and wide.
He defeats Skulker in Metropolis, as he is trying to hunt down the Super Family for their pelts. They are the last of their race after all, so he is inclined to try and hunt them. Honestly dealing with Skulker was easy, dealing with the Rich Asshole who was funding him was a nightmare.
He chases down Spectra in Gotham as she tries to feed on the misery of an entire City. (Thanks to @impyssadobsessions for the idea, this Prompt specifically). She is actually a very tough fight, especially powered by both the Misery of an Entire City as well as his Own Misery, but he manages.
He defeats Technus is Central City, as he tries to Raid Star Labs for their advanced Tech. It actually took a while to beat him after he amped himself with all that Power, and he did need help from the Local Hero to deal with him. He's just thankful Technus is one of the more "Harmless" ones.
After every Victory, he sends them back to the Realms using the Banishing Spell that Sam taught him a while back (the only bit of magic he ever really managed to master).
He knows they'll eventually find their way back out, but it's all he can do anymore. It's his eternal Punishment for unleashing them out into the World in the first place. He was the Catalyst for this Situation, now he was tasked with Fixing it, no matter how long it took.
...
The Justice League is caught in a tricky situation a the moment.
In the past few months, they have been encountering more and more of these Extra Dimensional Beings known as Realms Ghosts across the World.
Justice League Dark has had some success in battling them, but even they are getting tired of having to deal with every single incident alone.
They did get approached by a Government Agency known as the Ghostly Investigation Ward that seemed to want to help, but it didn't take long to realize that their main Aim was to Genocide the entire Race. The JLA had quickly cut ties after realizing that, and took what little Tech and Information they had been able to gather.
Still, it wasn't easy to deal with these Entities.
Thankfully, they have had some outside help. An Unknown Being has been routinely showing up whenever a Realms Ghost appears and defeating them, before using a (as described by Constantine) "Rudimentary Banishing Spell held together by willpower and luck" to send them back to their home Dimension. There's honestly no way it should be functional, but he did make it work either way.
They don't know much about this Unknown, aside from the fact that he seems to be the only one able to consistently damage the Realms Ghosts. His Powerset leads them to belive he may be from the same Dimension, or at least drawing his power from the same Source, but as he actively avoids the League and takes every opportunity to not talk to them, they know they aren't getting any answers any time soon.
Over the past few months, they had affectionately started referring to him as Unknown, creative they know, because they could never get his Real Name. Sure, some of the Realms Ghosts seemed to recognize him, but they always called him stuff like "Whelp" and "Punk" and "Usurper", which were not very good names to use when referring to him. Although the last one was a bit concerning.
They had only managed to trade a few quick words with Unknown in the past few months, but it was enough to get the Gist of it. He was just doing his job, sending the Realms Ghosts back where they belonged. There was apparently a Tear in Reality letting them through, but he seemed hesitant to reveal what he knew about it.
After a few months of sparse interactions, they eventually managed to convince him to at least take an Emergency Communicator. Just in case. They even let him take it apart to look for any Tracking Devices, which earned them a small bit of trust. They took whatever wins they could.
Fortunately, it seemed he never did need it. In fact he was getting more and more efficient with every battle, defeating his foes in half the time it would have taken before.
Unfortunately, it didn't last forever. One day, the Communicator went off, a distorted voice quickly saying, "Need backup, some of them decide to Team Up" before cutting out.
They quickly rushed to his location, finding an active battlefield with no less that a dozen Ghosts battling Unknown. And he seemed to be on the ropes.
With their arrival, the combined force of the Justice League and Unknown eventually managed to defeat the Group of Ghosts. Justice League Dark volunteered to work on the Banishing Spells while the others cleaned up the damage from the Battle.
One of them approached Unknown to make sure he was ok, and froze.
During the battle, Unknown's Mask had been Torn off, and they could finally see the face of the Hero they had been working with for the past few months.
And he was a Child.
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DPxDC drabble
- Dead rat -
Danny wasn't sure he remembered what warmth felt like anymore.
Ice settled into his bones, his very core.
He relished when he could feel the faint impressions of warmth from outside, from the sun, a hug, a hot plate of non lethal food.
There wasn't any warmth here.
The buzzing florescent lights were no replacement for sunshine, no one was able to touch him through the glass, the food they gave him were cold mounds of grey... something.
Danny curled in on himself in the corner of the room as he glared at the scientists watching him through the glass.
He was nothing but an animal to them.
A project.
He wanted to escape, to be free, but he had lost a lot of ectoplasm before he ended up with them. He was drained and they were keeping him even more drained.
He was running.
He wasn't sure where he was going.
He just needed to get away.
And they found him.
God he is such a fuck up.
If he hadn't let it slip to his parents who he is- what he is, he wouldn't be here. He would be at home. With Tucker and Sam. With Jazz.
Not... wherever here is without any ectoplasm to heal his wounds.
His head snapped up from his knees when the door to his pristine white cell opened.
A man in a suit walked in, immediately flanked by what appeared to be body guards who eyed Danny with caution.
"I do apologize for the treatment of you so far, but I do believe we can make sure you have better... arrangements in the future. As long as the two of us are at an... understanding."
Danny stared at him in silence for a moment, h opened his mouth to speak, his brows furrowing when it took a moment to get his vocal chords to work, and when they did, they were scratchy from disuse. "Understanding?"
"yes, as I see it I can help you, and you can help me. In exchange I can get you out of this dingy little room and into a much better one, a proper bed and everything."
Danny's eyes narrowed "who are you?"
The man grinned, offering a hand to help the thin and fragile looking boy up, thinking that he had agreed. In his mind, who wouldn't? "Lex Luther."
Danny, using what little strength he had left, smacked his hand away, "not the first billionaire to offer that fruitloop." He hissed.
Danny didn't watch him as he stormed out, but he heard each and every footstep banging against his skull. Danny stared at his hand, wishing the warmth from the hardly a second of contact lingered a little bit longer.
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Bring Me Home Arc 3 Part 1
Happy WIP Wednesday! So last week, we had a tie between Bring Me Home and Answer My Call. The tie breaker didn't come in until Monday after I'd already finished the entire Bring Me Home chapter and half the Answer My Call one.
So y'all will be getting two fic upates today then I'm going to sleep. I'm tired after a full day of work with a call out. XP
If you want a say in next week's update, vote in the poll!
Welcome to Arc 3 of Bring Me Home! 🎉🎉🎉
Story Summary: Danny's parents find out his secret. It doesn't go well. But he's not alone. His friend Tim Drake, better known as Red Robin, and the Young Justice will not let him suffer.
Word Count: 1.7k
Warnings: fanon-typical violence. This is my dissection fic, but I don't think I crossed the line into graphic. Let me know if you disagree.
Arc 1: AO3
Arc 2: First, Last
-----
Danny waved goodbye to Sam and Tucker as he made his way home from school. They had a long weekend and he planned to fall into bed and take a long nap. And then maybe grab some midnight tacos as Phantom for dinner.
He hummed as he thought about how awesome those tacos would taste when reached his home. Still lost in his daydreams, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Only for electric pain to shoot up his arm. Danny screamed, paralyzed to the spot. He tried to pull his hand back, but something held him in place. He fell to his knees, arm still held out and radiating pain through the rest of his body.
“What? Danny!”
“M-mom?” he forced out between cries. “Hurts!”
He could feel his transformation tugging on his core and he tried to force it back.
“Jack! Quick, it’s Danny!”
“Please,” begged Danny. Even kneeling was getting to be too much. Blackness was threatening the edges of his vision so he closed his eyes. He had to keep from transforming. He had to.
He didn’t even have the breath to scream anymore.
He heard his dad’s voice. There was a flash of light. And then nothing.
---
The first thing Danny was aware of was that everything hurt. His muscles were aching and his right arm was practically numb. The next thing he noticed was that he way lying on something hard. He tried to roll over, only to realize he was strapped down. And not just at his wrists and ankles, but also at his waist and neck.
His eyes flew open in shock and he yelled in panic. Had Vlad gotten him?
“It’s awake, Mads!”
Orange filled his vision as his dad leaned over him.
“D-dad?” asked Danny. He felt his core humming in his chest. His core, not his heart. He twisted his head just enough to see a black jumpsuit.
He was Phantom. His parents knew.
His dad’s face contorted with anger, an expression he’d never once seen there before. “Don’t you dare call me that, impostor! What have you done with my son?”
“Dad, it’s me. I swear. I—I can explain.” He tugged on his restraints, trying to phase through them. Only to scream as the anti-ghost shielding shocked him.
His mom’s steps echoed from out of sight. “You aren’t escaping us that easily, ghost,” she spat the last word. “How long have you been possessing Danny?” She finally came into view, goggles blocking her eyes and her mouth hard.
“I’m not possessing him, I am Danny!”
She sneered. “Jack, now.”
“Release our son!” shouted his father. Then he pulled out a spray can and held down the nozzle.
Danny saw the mist approach him and scrunched his eyes closed as he turned his head to avoid the spray. But of course it was impossible. He whimpered as it settled on him, tiny pinpricks of burning. As he lay there, the feeling grew more and more intense until he couldn’t help but cry out.
And that’s when he breathed it in.
It was all agony, inside and out. The mist settled in his lungs, pure fire trying to melt core.
With a flash of light, he was Danny Fenton again. His heart beat in his chest and his lungs screamed for oxygen. The pain didn’t go away, but it lessened. Danny gasped in deep breaths, his limbs shaking in their restraints as he tried to push through the pain.
“Did it work?” asked his dad.
Fingers brushed his hair off his forehead. “Sweetie? Are you back with us?”
Danny opened his eyes, tears gathering and looked up at the face of his mother.
Her expression turned from hope to hatred so fast he thought he was dreaming. “Green eyes, Jack. The ghost is just trying to trick us.”
“The ghost repellent has never failed before. How are you surviving, ghost?”
Danny screwed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to see his parents’ faces. “It’s me, I promise. It’s me. I’m alive. I’m alive.”
“Stop lying!” screamed his mom.
Then he felt a sharp pain in his side, followed by a wave of agony. He felt like he was being electrocuted again. In defense, he transformed back into Phantom—his ghost form was so much more durable.
But the pain only got worse. He screamed. His wail was crawling its way up his throat, only to fizzle out into a wave of electricity when it hit the anti-ghost restraint strapped around his neck.
“Loud, isn’t it?” asked his father.
“Let’s shut it up, Jack,” said his mother.
“No, no please. It’s me, Danny!”
They ignored him, though. The pain stopped just long enough for him to gasp in a few breaths. Then piece of metal was being fixed under his jaw and over his mouth. His head was yanked up so it could be strapped in the back. Danny tried to yell into the muzzle, but it muffled all sound.
After that, he lost track of what they did. So many inventions were taken out, used, and discarded. Anything to destroy the ghost part of him or force him out of his living body.
He wished he could obey. That he could just be their son again and not Phantom. But he’d learned many times over the last three years that it was impossible. He was both Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom and spitting himself apart would only ever lead to destruction.
He didn’t know how many times he was forced into a transformation as his body tried to choose the form more resistant to the torture. It didn’t seem to matter, though, if he was Fenton or Phantom. His parents would check his eyes or use the ghost tracker and then the next wave of pain would wash over him.
Eventually, however, even his parents ran out of inventions to use.
“This isn’t working, Jackie.”
“What if we can’t force it out, Mads? What next?”
“We’ll cut it out. You know we’ve long hypothesized about the existence of a ghost heart. What better way to test our hypothesis than cutting the parasite out of our own son?”
Danny’s eyes flew open and he tugged with aching muscles, twisting as much as he was able. His muffled protests were ignored just as much as his words had been.
“Where do you think it’s hiding its heart?” asked his dad.
“We’ll use the Fenton Scanner to find the areas of densest ectoplasm concentration and search each of them.”
His mom stalked out of sight and Danny could hear her rummaging through various bins and cabinets looking for the scanner.
His dad, however, stared down at him, eyes hidden behind his goggles and his mouth in an uncharacteristic frown. “If you’re still in there, Danno, we’re gonna get rid of it. We’ll free you, son.”
Danny wanted to tell him he wasn’t trapped, to say again that he was himself, whatever he looked like. But all he could do was whimper and blink away the tears.
Then mom was back, a small scanner in her hand. She pointed it at Danny and he tensed, expecting more pain.
But he felt nothing. Soon enough, the device beeped and she waved over his dad.
“Look at this, sweetie. It’s working better than I expected. Only two main areas of ectoplasm concentration: his brain and his chest.”
“That’s awfully close to his heart, Mads. I don’t know if we can remove it without hurting Danny.”
“If we don’t remove it, he’ll be dead anyway!” Her last word caught on a sob.
Danny was crying in earnest now, too. This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. How long would it take anyone to even notice? Jazz was away at college, Tucker had plans with his parents all night, Sam was trying to get along with her parents to get out of a rich-person function later in the month, and he and Tim didn’t have a check-in until Sunday.
Could he survive his parents for two whole days until then?
He forced his eyes open to see his parents hugging. All he wanted was to be between them, caught up in their embrace. But instead he was strapped down to a hard, cold table.
They separated.
“Hold him still, Jack,” said his mom.
So Danny did the opposite. He ignored the ache of his muscles, the way they protested, to twist and yank and move as much as he could.
But his father’s hands were big and he was strong and Danny was tired. When his dad spread his hands over his shoulders and pressed, Danny couldn’t fight back. Above him stood his mom, holding a scalpel that glowed green.
Danny closed his eyes tightly when he saw her lower the blade. He couldn’t watch this. Then agony as it sliced through his skin.
Danny screamed into the muzzle. The pain was so intense that he could focus on nothing else. He didn’t know if his parents were talking to each other. He didn’t know what they were finding inside of him.
Instinct forced him to hide his core, to push it smaller and disguise it. But he knew that nothing would stop his parents forever.
He had no way to judge the passage of time. It felt like an eternity; it felt like a second.
Then the hands on him ripped away suddenly and new shouts, new voices, rang out in the lab.
Danny blinked his eyes open to see Sam and Tucker above him. Sam was paler than he’d ever seen her and Tucker didn’t look any better. He tried to talk to them, but the muzzle still covered his face.
Sam turned her head away and shouted, “Kon!”
A moment later, Superboy was landing next to her, his face grim. Then Danny’s restraints, muzzle included, fell to pieces. He was free.
He pushed himself up, needing to see, only to cry in pain and fall back down when the cuts on his chest protested the movement.
Sam and Tucker shouted at him, told him to stay still. Their words were fuzzy and hard to focus on. Everything was hard to focus on. But in the brief moment of time he’d been able to see more than the ceiling above him, he saw Tim in full Red Robin get up using his staff to keep his parents away.
Tim was here. And the world went black.
-----
Next
I no longer tag, but if you want notifications when I update, check out the Subscription Post.
After about 40k of writing, we're finally back to the scene that started it all! Only now with 4x the number of Young Justice on hand. About three years have passed between Arc 2 and Arc 3, so they've all gotten quite close. There's group chats. So many group chats. Danny's met more members of the Young Justice (and I may write a few of those meetings in the future which is 80% why I decided to make this a series rather than a single work on AO3).
But on the rescue team we've only got Red Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Impulse.
I'm about a third of the way through with major edits for Arc 2. So I'll probably start cross posting to AO3 quite soon! Main changes are in what Tim tells Bruce about where he is and what he's up to.
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