Chapter Text
Danny feels cold.
That's all he's been feeling for the past year trapped in this facility…coldness. He hasn't felt warmth in a while, the hugs of his family, the small pats, and shoulder bumps of his friends. He hasn't even felt the warmth of his own blood running through his veins. The GIW somehow managed to trap him in his ghost form. The only indication that he still had a beating heart is when they start taking out their scalpels and start carving, the sounds of his own flesh getting cut open, the hot searing pain he feels, makes his heart beat loud in his ears. The GIW is utterly fascinated by how anatomically correct he is compared to the other ghosts…other humanoid ghosts they've dissected. It hurts him to his core, when he recognizes who they are by their wails. His core has a constant ache from all the ghosts and people he has failed to save down here.
Today he's been left alone, strapped to a cold metal table. It's eerily quiet, the room is bright white, well it was, the room is stained with green blood. Danny is breathing slowly, resting and assessing the damage he's been given. His right eye is missing, his vocal cords are gone, and his chest is wide open. It's very rare to be left alone like this…He tugs at his restraints weakly, they are still as strong as ever. He misses his family, his friends, he knows that Jazz and his parents are locked up somewhere else. Danny’s so glad that his parents refused to experiment on ghosts for the guys in white, especially after finding out Danny's secret…He wished he told them sooner, he should have listened to Jazz, she's spent a lot of time convincing them of ghost sentients and Danny was just scared. He didn't believe they could change and that they would just continue to hunt him for sport. But they did change and for a brief moment his secret was out and they were just a happy family.
That's when the GIW noticed that the Fentons had changed, starting to advocate for ghosts, stating their research was wrong.They cut ties with GIW and stopped giving them weapons, ghosts to experiment and research. The GIW was starting to lose trust and funding from the government, so they started just stalking the family waiting to see what went wrong, what changed the Fentons. That's when it happened one day when Danny came back from a long day of wrangling other ghosts, he just transformed back at the front door. One small stupid mistake caused his family to be captured and for himself to surrender. He hopes they are safe and that the Giw kept their promise.
Danny is one thing, he's hopeful, he still believes that someone or something will save him. Whether it be his friends, his enemies, or even Vlad. He knows he shouldn't want his friends to come and save him, that he would want them to be safe but he can't help it. He's scared and alone and he misses them; he misses most things, the boringness of school, the fights of other ghosts, the banter of Vlad, weirdly enough. He just lays there breathing and thinking about home. Alone finally, he allows himself to cry. He has cried in his ghost form before it's weirdly pretty, his tearing in too small ice drops. He can hear clink on the floor below.
After a while, he hears an alarm blaring and frankly annoying, he feels a lump in his throat, trying not to get his hopes up thinking that the alarm was from someone breaking in to save him. Suddenly the alarm stops, everything stops for a moment, then lights are off, he hears people start shouting, ghosts wailing and loud thuds. The power is down, Danny tries to go intangible, my god he tries, but his powers still don't work, he looks to the side and the dampers around his wrist are still glowing green. They must have him on a different power supply then the rest of the building. He can't scream for help, he can't do anything, this was his one chance to leave and he can't do anything. He cries harder, he feels himself hyperventilating, not that he really needs to breathe but it still hurts with his chest wide open. He doesn't notice when the world around him actually stops.
His eyes are closed so he doesn't see a ghost floating in front of him, “Danny” He hears someone speak, he opens his eyes and it's Clockwork? Danny's eyes widen, is he here to save him? Clockwork rests a gentle hand on the left side of his face, caressing his cheek slightly. “I cannot fully save you, it would destroy this timeline, but I can help you with your restraints. The observants will punish me but I could not bear seeing how this timeline will go.” He taps on the restraints and it starts aging, withering it to dust. He catches Danny into his arms, slowly sets him down on the wall trying not to aggravate his wounds.
Danny feels lightheaded, he doesn't feel any pain from moving around or any pain at all. Clockwork is here, he's here, someone came. He moves his arms to keep hold on to Clockwork. Not wanting to let him go even after he's set down on the ground. Clockwork lets Danny hold him for a while before slowly letting him go. “Danny, unfortunately the rest is up to you, but one final word of advice, do not go into human form, you will die. You need to possess someone to save your humanity. This will hurt the person but please, Danny. Save yourself, be selfish. I’m sorry, I could not do more to help” Danny looks up to him as he says this, the older ghost summons his staff and yells “Time in!” he disappears in a twirl.
Immediately, Danny feels the pain in his chest as it's been moved, he quickly goes to try to freeze it. He can't stop to think about Clockwork words, how clear and concise his words are without any cryptic meaning. He feels powers awakening at he uses his ice, it covers most of his chest. He uses the wall to help him stand up. He can still hear the commotion outside his cell. “Someone, go check on the ghost boy!” He hears one of them yell. With that his adrenaline spikes and he turns intangible, as he flies up and through the many floors this building has. He passes the fights, the ghosts that are escaping, everything he wants to help them but he can't, he shouldn't, he has escaped.
Finally he made it to the top of the roof. He collapses on the roof breathing hard, he needs to find someone, he feels his powers weakening. His ice is already melting when it's supposed to be everlasting.
Then he hears it, a horrible crack and squish as someone has fallen on the ground below. Danny gets up and walks to the edge of the building as he sees someone slowly descending down to the alleyway from a grappling hook? He sees the figure look over the body checking for a pulse. Danny turns invisible, and slowly descends down behind the figure quietly to not alert them. He's about Danny's height, in a weird black and red costume. Hesitates for a moment, he's dying sure, but does he really want to burden this person? His pain is unbearable but would it be better to die? With his hesitation, his invisibility goes away as he can hold much longer. His ice starts to drip loudly behind the man causing him to quickly turn around in a fighting stance. His guard drops as soon as he takes a look at Danny. His eyes widen “Oh god” The costumed stares at the ghost boy only for a moment before not hesitating to start looking in his belt for sometimes “Let me help you with your wounds”
Danny opens his mouth to say something, nothing comes out of course, so he stares at the guy thinking, why is he trying to help him, doesn't he see that he's bleeding green? Time is running out for him, either he possesses this man or he dies for real. He needs to stop standing and just get on with it. Thinking back on Clockwork words, his family, his friends, he turns intangible and enters into the man’s body.
He feels warm.
Tim stands on the edge of the roof, he peers down at the trash filled alleyway, laid there dead, is his father's killer, George Harkness aka Captain Boomerang. He did it, he actually did it, he let him fall. He wanted to kill him with the same boomerang that killed his father, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Captain Boomerang falling to his death was the best situation to happen. It is easier to make it seem like an accident.
He grapples down to the alley below, he lands next to the body, squats down to check his pulse. Nothing. The scene is brutal, he lets out a shaky breath, no way Batman will forgive him if he finds out. He would put Tim in Arkham like he did Jason, drugged up and barely functional. He stands up to call this in to the police, he could change the narrative easily to it being a suicide. He clicks the communicator in his ear but all he gets is an ear piercing static. Tim throws the communicator on the floor, what the hell? That's when he hears it dripping and heavy breathing coming from behind. Tim quickly turns around into a fighting stance.
It's a boy, a very wounded boy, with almost Lazarus green coming out from him. The green is brighter and colder than usual but the comparison is still there. An oh God slips out of his mouth before assessing the situation, a white haired meta is hurt, he needs to categorize his wounds and help him. He starts looking in his belt for bandage and gauze. “Let me help you with your wounds” The white haired boy places a hand on his shoulder as he looks at the boy in front of him who disappears into him.
“What the hell…” then he feels it, horrible pain, in his chest as it's cut open, he feels blood dripping down his face as he can't see out of his right eye anymore, he frantically rips off his eye mask as the bleeding starts to fill it up. He collapses onto his knees as he can't take the multitude of pain that comes to his senses, he screams but there's nothing coming out. He feels like his limbs have been cut off and stitched together again. He falls to the ground next to the body of his father's killer, he's dying, he's going to die.
In the blinding pain Tim goes to activate his emergency beacon before succumbing to unconsciousness.
Robin jumps across rooftops as he patrols Crime Alley. Tonight has been quiet, so he's been allowed to patrol by himself. Well he knows they meant he's allowed to patrol everywhere but Crime Alley as this part of town is never quiet. But, Damian is bored and he needs action, what they don't know will not hurt them. He's stopped a few mugging and prevented some teenagers from hurting a cat, other than that Crime Alley also been eerily quiet.
He hears a crackle as his ear piece is manually turned on, “What are you doing in Crime Alley- you know what, nevermind, you're the closest to Red Robin's location. His emergency beacon is turned on and he's unresponsive. Get there now.” Oracle sends him the location not waiting for his response or retaliations he might say. Robin sighs as he heads for the location knowing if he ignored what she said, that she would hack all his equipment and short fry them. What did Drake get into this time?
Landing in the alleyway, he sees two bodies on the ground and quickly goes up to them, as he surveys the scene. It's Drake laying next to a homeless man? Having a better look at them it's Captain Boomerang splatter. His nose scrunches up at the scene, he crouches next to Drake checking it's faint but he's alive dying fast. “Oracle I need an ambulance, Red Robin’s eye is missing and he's bleeding under his kevlar, I will start with the necessary first aid.” Damian’s voice is steady, not giving away any concerns he might have.
“Fuck, okay one is on the way, dam-” Damian tunes her out as he concentrates on saving Tim.
He’s worried, he's never seen Tim this injured. He starts removing the body armor off his brother as he starts making sure that his brother won't be identified. He starts to wrap up Tim’s wounds as he applies pressure so he won't bleed out more than he has. Damian keeps his own breath steady to not convey panic. Will the ambulance get here on time? He feels like time is slower around here. (If he was actually fully aware of his surroundings he would notice that a bird flying into the alleyway has suddenly stopped)
Robin hears the ambulance arrive, he hears a small voice whispering “Time in” as Tim’s bleeding starts to get worse and his body starts to spasms from the pain he’s in. “Drake! You'll be okay I swear. You've survived worse, get through this!” Paramedics arrive as they bring the stretcher, then put an oxygen mask on Time and hoist him up to bring him back to the ambulance.
One of the paramedics notices Robin's discomfort “Do you want to ride with the patient?” Robin shakes his head no, not wanting to show any connection with Drake. “You better see to it that he makes it alive” He grapples away to the rooftop as he sees them driving away to the nearest hospital.
The police arrive at the scene shortly after, Damian is still on the rooftop trying and failing to keep a steady breath, he's having a panic attack. Why is he panicking? He did everything right, he needs to keep it together to give a report to the police. He's not supposed to care about Tim this much to worry, he's his rival, his enemy- his brother. He's not going to die right? The wounds were treatable but what if he bled too much before he arrived? What if he was too late? Damian hears a soft thump landing next and he feels a hand shaking his shoulder.
“Robin? Robin? Damian! You need to breathe..” Damian looks to the side of the voice, it's Nightwing. Nightwing kneels down to be face to face with him. “Come on, breathe in with me” Damian tries to follow his breath, Nightwing putting his hand on his chest to help him follow his breathing easily.When he finally gets his breathing steady he yanks his hand back, in embarrassment. “You did not need to help me with that” looking away. “Yeah? Well Oracle didn't hear from you in awhile so I had to check up on you”
“Tch”
Nightwing rolls his eyes and brings Damian in a hug, not that Damian is resisting “You did great, he'll make it through...Come on, We'll talk to the police after we check on Tim at the hospital, Bruce is already there.” Damian just nods, not really wanting to give a response. Nightwing just keeps him in his arms as he grapples down to his bike and they both drive back to the batcave to clean up and get dressed to head to the hospital.