Chapter 1: End of the Beginning
So many different paths exist, so many different beings all coexisting, intertwined and connecting. All seeming so insignificant to the big picture of the world and the infinite realms that exist.
For a being that represents and protects all of time it was hard to put any real focus on a singular individual.
Yet there is one being. A boy named Danny Fenton that had captured his attention and for good reason. For this young boy had unknowingly and unwillingly become the center point of both the end and possibly a new beginning of his and all of existence.
Clockwork had watched as this boy was changed, his very being ripped apart and put back together with the full power of the Ghost Zone. He had become something entirely new, the first and only of his kind.
For there may have been others who had been turned half ghost, half human but none had ever taken the full power of the Zone at once and continued to exist.
He was truly one of a kind, overflowing with energy with no real knowledge of what he had become.
He was told to intervene. To put an end to this boy before he could grow in strength and perhaps, he should have ended it then. But he knew he should continue to watch and see how things unfold, so that's what he did.
He watched.
Clockwork saw as this boy explored his new powers and made a choice that would've surprised him had he not been an omniscient being.
Instead of abusing his new abilities he used them to protect and save. Not only his own world but the Ghost Zone as well.
He took down the tyrant king and other forces within the Ghost Zone that abused their powers. He was even forced to fight his own corrupted older self in a valiant attempt to defy fate itself and to Clockwork's delight he succeeded.
These heroic deeds captivated Clockwork. But he also saw how these events came at a steep cost to the young boy's mental state. He had become isolated from his existence.
For he had the mentality of a human with the powers that could rival the strongest ghosts, and these powers were still growing.
His body even in human form had changed, his ears had become pointier. His teeth grew sharper, and his body was covered in scars. From the electricity and ecto-energy that had both killed him and brought him back to the land of the living.
The boy no longer needed what a human would need to survive. He no longer needed to eat or drink for his body to run. Now his body ran on pure ectoplasm that hummed throughout his body. His once beating heart had been replaced by his ghostly core.
Clockwork knew that these changes weighed heavily on Danny and even though he joked about everything that had happened to him with his friends. He knew that Danny was slowly unraveling.
Danny was having to come to terms with his own death.
It didn't help that the boy had to hide what he had become from his own parents. Afraid of what they would do to him if they ever found out. Even his friends and sister were left in the dark from the full extent of his changes.
It was clear that he was afraid of what he had become. Perhaps that's why he went out of his way to be a hero and to take upon the sole responsibility of protecting his world. As a way to counteract his inner belief and fear that he had become a monster, Clockwork pondered.
Also to help further convince himself that he did in fact belong in his world. In the town he grew up in. With the people who were still able to live a normal life.
But Clockwork knew that in order for the boy to reach his full potential and to not be corrupted by the weight of the infinite realms along the way. He would need people who could better understand him.
Of course, Clockwork saw within the infinite possibilities in which time could flow that there was a way to help the boy. All he had to do was wait for the right time and open the door.
Luckily that time was quickly nearing.
Line Break -
Danny was lost, stuck in a mental dilemma that had been ongoing since he was forced to come face to face with himself, literally. The fight with his evil older version was a brutal battle that changed many things and not for the better.
So here he was staring up at the stars on an empty rooftop of some building. He had nowhere to go. During the fight his biggest secret was revealed to his parents. They now knew that their very own son was a ghost.
Since the accident he had constantly been on high alert. To ensure that his ghost hating parents wouldn't find out that their own son was now the very thing they sought to destroy. He had been scared of what they would do to him, the phrase 'tear apart molecule by molecule' still ringing in his head.
He had vowed to never tell them. Coming to terms that he would rather be left wondering what they would do than actually having to face the bitter reality that they may disown him. Or seek to destroy their own son simply because of what he had unwillingly become. A thought that always left him nauseous despite the lack of food in his stomach. So, he had to admit that it was truly ironic that his secret was revealed by himself or at least a version of himself.
Luckily, they hadn't instantly directed their guns and shot at him during the battle, of course that could've been due to how chaotic and dangerous that fight had been.
It was only after he had finally managed to take down his evil self that he was truly able to take in his parents' faces. They looked at him with a mixture of so many damned emotions and none were what the most optimistic part of his subconscious had wanted. It was a look of fear, disgust, hate, and grief.
They didn't say anything to him, and they even let him fly away. Which would've been a good sign had it not been for the fact that their guns remained locked on him until he was out of sight.
It hurt and no matter how he tried to spin it or joke about it he couldn't help but want to cry. To cry for the home, he knew he wouldn't be welcomed back to. To cry over the lost love of his parents even if their love had always been quite lacking. To cry for his future where he was seemingly destined to become a true monster.
But despite all that no tears fell, and his mind was instead focused on trying to pick out the various constellations from the night sky and trying to come up with a plan on what to do next.
A week had passed since the fight and during that time he had remained in his ghost form and hid in abandoned buildings and on rooftops. He had stopped going to school, he knew that he shouldn't just give up. But what was the point of going to school if you wouldn't ever go to college or have a job.
He truly did feel like a ghost. Like he was now invisible to the world which seemed to be doing just fine without him. Of course, half of that was brought on by himself; he had intentionally avoided everyone he knew for as long as possible, especially his sister Jazz.
He had talked to Sam and Tucker after the fight a few times. They even offered to let him stay with them, but he couldn't.
He didn't want to see them spending time with their loving parents in a warm and safe home. While he was homeless with parents who were disgusted by him.
He let out an unneeded breath. He knew that he needed to do something besides just sitting around avoiding the inevitable. The inevitable of having to decide whether to stay in this town or to finally leave.
Ever since the terrible accident that he didn't like to even remember or think about there was always a very small part of his mind that thought about leaving, of just flying off. But he always stopped himself. He couldn't just leave his town to fight the various ghostly threats, and he couldn't leave his sister and friends… could he? Besides where would he go?
But even with his rationalization. His desire to leave and maybe search for a place with people who would be better able to understand him always lingered.
Now after what happened it was at the forefront of his mind. I mean the more he thought about it the more plausible it actually was in fact it made sense. It was obvious that the only reason the ghost still attacked Amity Park was because he was here.
So, if he left, they would stop, and the town would be safer, and any lingering ghosts could be dealt with by Valerie or even his parents. The only threat that truly concerned him was Vlad.
As for his friends he already knew that although it would hurt to leave them it would be for the better. He had put them in danger so many times and it wasn't only his grades that took a nosedive due to the continuous ghostly activities.
Without him they would be able to be normal teens. Without the risk of being killed and they could actually live up to their academic potential and go to college and have a normal life. But that thought did slightly hurt him, thinking about his friends who he'd known all his life living happily without him. But if he was fully honest with himself, he was jealous, but he quickly pushed that feeling down.
The last thing that kept him was his sister. He knew that she would also be safer without him around but how could he leave her. She had basically raised him since their parents had been too focused on ghosts. He didn't want to hurt her by just leaving.
After a long time of just staring off into the vast expansion of the night sky he finally came up with a solution. He would wait around until Jazz went off to college next year and then leave. Which would give him time to work out the kinks in his plan and to hopefully build up the courage to finally go. But until then he could just do what he's been doing. Staying in abandoned buildings and fighting the occasional ghost that came after him.
He sat up with his sluggish body and did his best to put a smile on his face. While mentally telling himself that it would be okay and that he could do this, that it was for Jazz.
When the sun began to finally rise the tired boy finally fully got up.
He was going to find Jazz who he had been avoiding. During his talk with Sam and Tucker, they had told him that she was very worried about him. But had decided to give him some space which he was grateful for.
He had mainly stayed away because he needed time to think and because in order to talk to his sister, he would have to risk the possibility of coming face to face with his parents again. And he really didn't want to see how they would react to him after having time to process their initial shock. But he would do it for Jazz so that she could worry less.
He could also ask Jazz what their parents had been doing since they found out. Because despite everything he still held out the smallest bit of hope that they would look past him being half ghost and instead focus on him being their son.
After invisibly flying around trying to find Jazz he let out a sigh. He didn't spot her anywhere around the town. He let out another unneeded sigh because the only other place she would be was the last place he wanted to go. His home or at least his former home.
He thought about just waiting for his sister to come out, but he didn't feel like waiting anymore. So, he turned himself intangible while continuing his invisibility and flew into the building that used to be his home.
He first flew into the kitchen and after a few minutes of listening while using his enhanced hearing he felt the tension in his shoulders lessen some. As it seemed that his parents weren't home or at least in any of the rooms around him.
But he still knew that he needed to be quick and find Jazz before they got back, and he hoped that there wasn't some new ghost detector that would announce his presence. So, he flew up through the floor and into the second floor. He could hear his sister in her room, it seemed like she was talking to someone.
He stopped to listen and after a second realized that she was on the phone.
"So, you haven't talked to him?... I know… I just wish I could see him… and make sure he's okay… I know he wouldn't be, but I just wish I could do something…" he listened to her talk while pausing to listen to the other person. Who he guessed was Sam based on the female voice he could vaguely hear. He also guessed that they were talking about him, and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him at making his sister worry so much and for avoiding her for so long.
Eventually the phone call ended, and he finally decided to make his presence known.
After phasing through the door, he was shocked by his sister's appearance and felt the guilt continue to grow. She had eye bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and she looked worn out.
He'd never seen Jazz like this. She usually made a point to always look presentable but because of him that was no longer the case.
He felt awful that he caused his sister to worry so much. But his resolve to stay in Amity Park for her grew. Even if it did cause a lump to form in his throat at the thought of having to continue to stay in a place where he was both hunted and hated. But he would do it for her.
Jazz was sitting on her bed looking down at her phone that was turned off. It was clear that a rampage of thoughts was running through her head, but she was snapped out of her stupor when a voice that she instantly recognized said "Boo".
Danny wanted to appear cheery to hopefully ease his sister's worry and his own at having to explain why he had disappeared for a week. And joking was one of his coping mechanisms he had learned. So, he thought the lighthearted joke would be good and he even managed to force a smile on his face as he became visible and stopped floating to land in front of his sister.
He didn't know what he had expected but before he could say anything else Jazz stood up and hugged him. He was frozen for a second but quickly wrapped his arms around his sister. The dam of emotions he had been bottling up finally overflowed and he could feel tears overflow from his tired eyes.
"Oh, Danny I was so worried…" she mumbled and from her voice he could tell that she too was crying.
After a few moments he pulled away slightly and looked down so that his white hair would cover his now red, puffy eyes. Even though he liked the hug and probably needed it more then he would ever admit to himself he didn't want to unravel too much. He needed to talk to her before their parents got back.
So, he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand and looked back up at his sister who still had a few tears going down her face. "It's been a while huh… well it's good to know that I've been missed," he said in a poor attempt to be funny and ease the tension.
"Of course I missed you, you idiot… you just disappeared after the fight." She said obviously not amused by his lame teasing, "If it weren't for Sam and Tucker I wouldn't even know if you were safe or hurt… I just wish you would have contacted me," Her voice became slightly more wobbly at the end.
He could feel the guilt grow even more as he began to explain while finally losing the joking tone "I'm sorry, after the fight… After they found out I just needed time to think. I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I didn't want to risk seeing them," he couldn't help but make his voice quieter at the end. He felt ashamed at admitting to not wanting to see their parents in front of his sister even if he had a valid reason.
She listened intently and let out a sigh to calm herself "I understand… I'm just happy to see you."
He felt a genuine smile form on his face "I missed you too" but the smile quickly faded and was replaced by a more serious expression as he asked "What's happened since they found out? They haven't come after me so maybe they've accepted their putrid protoplasm of a son." He couldn't help himself but joke a bit more as it helped him express his question and the little bit of hope he still had.
But he could quickly tell that his hope was misplaced as he watched his sister's face become crestfallen as she looked at him and said in a quiet sad tone "No, they've basically locked themselves down in the lab. I've gone down a few times to try and talk to them, but they don't listen and from what I could tell it seemed like they were making more ghost weapons,"
Deep down he knew that would be the case, but it still hurt to know that he had truly lost his parents' love, and it worried him that they might be preparing to come after him. He didn't want to fight his parents.
"Danny, what's your plan?" Jazz asked.
Danny considered leaving out his plan of eventually leaving but after taking in his sister's genuine concern he decided to be honest and with how mentally drained he was he just didn't have the energy to go around the truth.
"Honestly after everything I considered just leaving Amity…" He could see how Jazz's face became more distressed even though she tried to hide it. He looked back down to the floor to avoid her gaze and quickly continued "But I've decided to stay in Amity… at least for now."
The room was silent. Jazz was thinking over what her brother said and although the idea of her baby brother leaving and not being able to see him hurt, it did make sense. In fact, during the last week when she had been waiting for her brother to contact her, she even briefly considered that he already left.
She wanted to tell him that she was glad that he chose to stay but those words got caught in her throat. She just couldn't say it because she knew her brother. That the only reason he was choosing to stay was for her own sake. She had watched him sacrifice his own happiness for others countless times in the past and she knew that that's what he was currently doing and at the cost of his own future and she wouldn't allow it, not again. Because even though she didn't want to risk losing her brother it would be better than watching him slowly wither away while being stuck in this town that didn't appreciate him.
So, she straightened up with a renewed vigor and said in a steadfast tone that caused Danny to look up in surprise, "Danny you can't stay here."
Danny didn't understand why Jazz was saying that. He had figured that she would be happy that he was staying. His mind was now working overtime to try and figure out why she wanted him to leave and before he could stop himself, he began rambling. "What do you mean I can't stay?... Oh, If you're worried about them coming after me… or where I'll stay, I already have a plan…"
But before he could continue trying to reassure her that it was fine, she put a hand up to stop him. And with the same hand began pointing to the mirror that was on her dresser. "Danny, look at yourself, really look at yourself…" he did as he was told and looked at himself in the mirror that he just now noticed "You look terrible…"
'Harsh' he thought as he listened, but he had to admit that Jazz wasn't wrong. He did look worn out. He was still in his ghost form. Since the fight with himself he hadn't had a need or opportunity to turn back into his human self which meant that his hazmat suit was still torn up with burn marks. Because for some reason the suit only repaired itself after detransforming and then retransforming back, like a weird reset.
But it wasn't his damaged suit that caught him off guard, it was his face or more specifically his eyes. They looked so lifeless as if he were truly a corpse, which was beyond disturbing. He even had eye bags which was a shock since his ghost form was extremely resilient and never really showed any physical changes in response to lack of sleep in fact, he no longer really needed much sleep to even survive.
But the more he thought about the last week and even before the big fight he recalled that he hadn't really been able to get even a full hour's worth of sleep. At least it made sense why he felt so crappy right now he thought and also briefly wondered just how terrible his human form looked if even his ghost form was being impacted.
After fully taking in his tired, worn-out self he looked away from his reflection. The sight of himself made him uncomfortable for reasons he didn't really want to think about right now.
Instead, he turned back to Jazz who was still talking "Danny your eyes look so drained… you look so drained, and I know you are. You've been having to fight not just ghosts but this town's sentiment towards you and now if you stay, you'll be having to fight our parents. Except this time, you won't even have a place to go back to for rest. If you stay here, you'll have to continue fighting alone and I know you'll say you're fine. But we both know you're not and you won't be unless you leave."
Danny was fumbling with how to respond, it felt like he had been cornered so he did what he did best. He denied and tried to joke with a fake smile he forced himself to make, "Jazz, I'm fine and I can't just leave. What about you? I mean I know I can be a bit annoying, but you can't get rid of me that easily."
Of course, his poorly placed humor didn't work or make the conversation change like he had hoped. In fact, Jazz only seemed to become more intense. As she clenched her fists and her gaze intensified as she said a bit too loudly, especially for his enhanced hearing. "Danny! Of course I'm going to miss you! I would never want to get rid of you!"
A few tears spilled from her angry eyes, but she quickly whipped them away and continued in a quieter voice "In fact I want to come with you… but I know that I would just hold you back…" Danny wanted to say something in response to his sister's self-criticism but before he could Jazz shook her head slightly to stop him and continued. "Danny ever since you got your powers… no, even before then. I've known you were meant for more and this is your opportunity to find what that is. You can't waste it because of me or anyone else."
Her sincere words struck a chord within him and so many different emotions that he had been keeping down exploded. He had wanted to hear her say that, to give him permission to leave but for some reason it made him angry. He initially thought that his anger was from being cast aside but he knew that was just him being childish. In actuality he was angry at himself for not being good enough and so before he could stop himself, he yelled "How can you say that!? How could I be meant for anything great!? I've put you and everybody else in so much danger! You could have died because of me… I'm no hero…"
At some point during his outburst, he had lowered his head and closed his eyes in order to try and prevent more tears from falling. At some point his body had begun to shake from all the emotions he was feeling. At some point his yells became quiet sobs until he mumbled "I'm a monster." While staring down at his own white gloved hands.
He felt so drained after finally admitting to his own inner beliefs and he could feel his knees begin to grow weak but before they could finally buckle, he felt two arms wrap around him in a firm hug. It was like he was a little kid again, unable to stop crying. He hated it, he hated crying or being so vulnerable, but he was also so tired from keeping up an act that he let himself melt into his sister's hug again.
"Danny, you are not a monster. You are a hero. You've saved me, this town and even the world countless times," After listening to his sister's words Danny finally got a hold of himself and the two pulled apart so that Jazz could look at him in his eyes "Now it's time for you to save yourself."
Danny knew that there was no arguing with his sister, and he no longer wanted to. In fact, he was going to listen to her, he was going to leave this town to find his own place in the world.
But before he could tell her anything the door suddenly burst open, and his parents stood there pointing large ecto-guns at him.
"Get away from our daughter, ghost!" his dad yelled.
He mentally cursed himself for not paying enough attention to whether or not his parents were back. He also took note of the fact that his parents no longer even addressed him as Danny or their son, which stung.
But what hurt him even more was that their fingers were resting on the triggers of their guns. He realized that they were fully ready and willing to shoot him and that's exactly what they did. His dad pulled the trigger, and a powerful green blast shot at him. He had to act quickly. It would have been easy to just dodge but the problem was that Jazz was also in the line of fire. He knew that almost all the weapons his parents made were only able to harm ghosts and not humans, but he wouldn't take the chance of his sister getting hurt because of him. Meaning he had to get her out of the way.
In less than a second he was able to push Jazz out of the way but with his reaction time being slowed from lack of sleep he was only able to move enough to ensure the beam didn't hit his chest. Instead, it hit his shoulder, and it burned. He clenched his jaw to prevent himself from screaming.
It had been a while since he had felt so much siring pain but there was no time for him to dwell on it. He needed to get out of here and so with a renewed sense of focus he flew to and used his intangibility to go through the window that was in the room.
He was flying away from the building and window but not fast enough. The pain was starting to override his already frazzled mind. So, when he heard glass break, he turned just in time to luckily dodge another green blast. His parents were now staring at him with murderous gazes through the now broken window.
He needed to do something. If he kept flying, he would just be a straight shot. His mind was quickly running through different plans and options.
He could maybe turn intangible, but he knew from experience that his parents could make weapons that still blasted ghosts who were intangible and based on their bloodthirsty, hate filled eyes he bet that those weapons would do the same.
He could put up an ecto-shield but with his energy drained and his lack of focus from the pain and shock it would be hard to keep it up if the blast was too powerful and he knew from his burning shoulder that it would be.
He was holding onto his damaged shoulder and briefly wondered what they did to make it slow down his healing factor but quickly went back to thinking up and discarding a few more plans. After a few seconds he was left with one. He would have to disarm his parents and quickly before the pain grew too much or they decided to just start shooting repeatedly.
But before he could try and destroy the guns without seriously hurting his parents. Although he didn't even want to think of them as his parents anymore. The two were pushed out of the way of the shattered window and he could hear the guns fall to the floor. In their place now stood Jazz who yelled "Danny now's your chance, go!"
He only paused for a second but quickly did as he was told and turned around and flew; he even turned himself invisible just in case his ex-parents got back up. The last thing he heard though before getting out of range was his sister yelling. "Danny, I'll always be here for you! Go be happy!" and despite the pain from his shoulder and from knowing his parents wanted him fully dead he smiled to himself.
After flying for a minute or so he flew into an abandoned building in order to get his bearings.
He collapsed against a wall; he was still clutching at his shoulder that was luckily starting to heal but it was still burning. After examining it, he had to admit that it looked just as awful as it felt even by his messed-up standards. The suit was completely burned away from the spot and his skin was charred and oozing his green ecto-blood. It looked like he got in an accident with nuclear waste.
But he knew he couldn't sit around for too long admiring his wound. He knew how determined his parents were and that they would be coming after him.
The only question he had to answer now was where he would go. Maybe to Frostbite's in the Ghost Zone but that would mean having to go through the ghost portal which would be too much work right now.
After a bit more thought he decided that he would first go say goodbye to Sam and Tucker since he didn't want to leave without a word. Plus, it would give him a chance to take one of Tucker's devices so that they could stay connected.
He also hoped they would have some supplies to patch him up quickly since it appeared that his shoulder would take longer than usual to heal. Then he would just pick a direction and fly for as long as he could and since he could understand and speak any language due to being half ghost he could even go to another country.
That thought got him excited and he was starting to get a bit giddy as he thought about seeing new places and at the prospect of hopefully getting some much-needed sleep. But that would have to wait for now as he looked at his shoulder one last time before getting up.
He was just about to fly through a window towards his friend's houses but of course nothing could ever be that easy, not with his terrible luck, he thought. As a green portal suddenly opened up right in front of him.
No matter how hard he tried to pull away he couldn't do anything as he was forcefully sucked into the portal and before he knew what was happening, he was falling over what appeared to be a huge city.
Chapter 2: Heavy
He was just about to fly through a window towards his friend's houses but of course nothing could ever be that easy, not with his terrible luck, he thought. As a green portal suddenly opened up right in front of him.
No matter how hard he tried to pull away he couldn't do anything as he was forcefully sucked into the portal. And before he knew what was happening, he was falling over what appeared to be a huge city.
He could feel the wind rushing past him as he quickly fell to the city below. His eyes were wide open with confusion as he tried to take in what was happening.
One of the first things he realized after finally stopping his free fall by flying was that the portal he had just fallen out of was gone. The next thing he realized to his disbelief, was that he was most definitely not in Amity Park anymore. As he looked over the vast sea of lights that shined brightly in contrast to the dark night sky.
That was another thing that he took note of since just moments ago, before he was sent through a portal it was daytime.
But the night sky did give him a clue as to where he was or at least where he wasn't. As it meant that he wasn't in the Ghost Zone. Which he had initially thought since in his experience most portals led to the interdimensional green plane of existence but apparently not this time. Meaning that he was truly lost.
He was filled with confusion and anxiety as he continued to quickly scan the unfamiliar landscape below him. His mind was overloaded with the various thoughts and questions that were running through his fuzzy mind. I mean he was planning to leave Amity Park but not like this, he anxiously thought.
As he floated, he could feel a new wave of panic begin to set in as he took in lungfuls of air that he didn't need. He was hyperventilating as he clutched at his chest with his hand. His other arm, with his still damaged stinging shoulder, dangled to the side.
He needed to calm down, he told himself over and over again. He couldn't waste time freaking out. With that thought he tilted his head back and opened his eyes that had previously been closed tight to stare at the night sky.
It gave his mind something else to focus on. Something that he was familiar with. Something that he loved and even though he couldn't really see any stars due to the light pollution that the unknown city below caused. The quiet endless void filled him with a sense of much needed peace and calmness.
Although the ball of nerves that sat in the pit of his stomach never dissipated. He was able to regain a form of clarity and focus. Although his mind was still fuzzy from lack of sleep, something he really really wanted at this point.
But he knew that sleep wouldn't come anytime soon. At least not until he got some answers as to where he had been dumped out and maybe who opened the portal and why. But he figured that his first question was the most important.
So, he finally directed his eyes down at the buildings he was directly floating over. There seemed to be run down factories and warehouses. There also didn't seem to be any people around which made him feel slightly at ease. But it quickly vanished as his ears picked up what sounded like voices coming from one of the big rundown warehouses.
He turned himself invisible and intangible and after a few moments of debate he decided to investigate. He hoped that whatever or whoever he found would have answers as to what happened to him.
What he found though after going through the walls into the big main room of the warehouse building was a bunch of people. All of them looked like the tough gangster type which didn't surprise Danny. As who else would spend their nights in a run-down building.
What did surprise him though was a few of the people's appearances. Almost all of them had colorful hair and a few had weird or mutated features. Honestly if it weren't for his ghost sense not going off he would've thought they were ghosts.
From his place in the air above the crowd of rowdy people. He was quickly able to spot the man who seemed to be the boss as he stood in the forefront of the room.
The man in question looked to be made of orange rocks. He was also abnormally big and looked like he could pack a serious punch. There was also another man who was standing beside the walking boulder who had long green hair and appeared to have weird shiny spikes sticking out of his back like a porcupine.
At this point Danny was seriously beginning to question whether or not his ghost sense was broken. I mean he had never pushed his body and powers to such limits, having fought multiple battles without any real rest over the past weeks. He tried to reason as it was the simplest explanation to what he was seeing. But he doubted that was the case.
The other possibility was that he had somehow found himself a bunch of failed lab experiments. Which made him cringe as he thought of the Guys in White. Who he knew from his own personal experience would definitely do human and ghost experimentation.
Perhaps they were the ones who brought him here with that portal and that this was all some type of trap. He thought as he felt his body tense.
But if that were the case, he was sure that his presence would've already been detected by an ectoplasm radar. That the GiW had developed as a countermeasure to his invisibility.
Also, despite the people's strange appearances they really didn't seem like much of a threat to him. Even in his weakened state he still felt like he could easily take them. In fact, they seemed to be very disorganized and chaotic which was very unlike the government organization.
Perhaps the GiW had nothing to do with this situation or the people below.
Because even with how foolish and arrogant the government organization was. They still had long since stopped underestimating him, he reasoned while clenching his fist.
So, unless there was something he and his enhanced senses were missing he was pretty sure that the GiW were not involved. Which made him feel slightly at ease, that he wasn't dealing with the guys who had previously turned him into a lab rat.
But he was still going to air on the side of caution as he continued to observe from up above the crowd. He even made sure he was in the perfect range of who he had now dubbed Rock Man and Porcupine. Who he had evaluated to be the two main threats so that he could fire an ectoblast if he needed.
But for now, he just listened and watched as Rock Man put both of his arms up in a welcoming and triumphant manner and finally began to speak in a booming voice which finally made the noisy crowd of gangster's quiet down.
But he was quickly caught off guard when he couldn't quite understand what the man was saying. It took his brain a second to realize that what he was listening to wasn't English. In fact, it kind of sounded like Japanese or at least an Asian language.
After a few moments of focusing the words began to make sense. Until he was finally able to fully understand the living rock. He let out a silent sigh as he mentally thanked whatever deity was out there that one of his ghostly abilities was being able to understand and even speak any language with enough focus.
It was an ability that had come in handy many times in the past as it allowed him to communicate with ghosts who spoke all sorts of languages. His encounter with the prison escapee Wulf briefly coming to mind.
It also meant that he wouldn't be stuck trying to understand the already confusing situation before him by only watching the people's facial expressions and gestures. Because he was way too tired for a game of charades.
Although he was wondering why these people were speaking what he believed was Japanese.
He was still in America… right?
He nervously questioned but figured that the quickest way to find out more was to focus back on Rock Man in all of his stony glory.
"I am glad to see so many fellow visionaries here tonight. For far too long we have been pushed down and ridiculed for trying to take our rightful places at the top of the food chain!" Danny crossed his arms as he watched the man close and hold up his rock fist while sneering. He was starting to get the idea that these people were a bunch of power-hungry lunatics. Which at this point in his not so long career of dealing with crazies he had sadly become very familiar with.
"Tonight, with the help of our new sponsors we will begin the first step towards demolishing the laws and restraints that keep us down!" The crowd began to cheer and devolve into chaotic chatter.
Which seemed to anger Rock Man as he was no longer the center of attention. Danny flew a bit closer to watch while remaining invisible and intangible. He saw Rock Man take a step towards the noisy crowd of fellow thugs while baring his teeth. But before he could go any further in what Danny assumed would be a violent way of getting the people to focus back on him. Porcupine who had been standing beside Rock Man held out his arm to stop him.
This seemed to only anger the living rock more as he glared down at the spiky man. Based on the tension and very visible anger that Rock Man was showing. Danny thought he was about to watch the two begin fighting. But to his surprise when Porcupine held up a small device that kind of looked like a walkie talkie or radio Rock Man backed down.
"This is no time to let your anger get the best of you, not when he's listening." Porcupine said in a sneering tone. Danny frowned as he stared at the two men and the device. Who was Porcupine referring to? Perhaps they were the one who brought him here, Danny wondered. But he couldn't help but feel even more drained as his list of questions continued to grow.
Rock Man glared down at the man with shiny spikes on his back. It was clear that he was barely holding back his anger and the noise from the crowd of thugs wasn't helping. Danny watched as he grits his teeth together. It looked like the man was about to erupt and he wasn't wrong as he watched Rock Man take a few steps to the side and slam his sill clenched fist into the big cement pillar.
The impact caused cracks to form in the cement and the building shook. The sound of the impact and the vibrations that shot through the building finally made the noisy crowd quiet down and stare at Rock Man. Even Porcupine flinched back. Danny couldn't help but cringe as he stared at the damaged support beam and at the specs of dust that slowly fell down from the ceiling that had finally stopped shaking.
He just hoped that the building wouldn't collapse because he really didn't want to become responsible for saving everyone. He thought as he gently held his shoulder that was still in aching pain. He furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his eyes shut in frustration. Damn his parents, they just had to make a weapon that slowed his usually quick healing. He just hoped that if he did have to save these idiots that he would have enough strength and energy to do it without fully screwing himself over.
With that he opened his eyes and stared back down at Rock Man who didn't seem bothered by the prospect of bringing the whole building down on himself. In fact, he was disturbingly smiling as he stared at the crowd of people. Who did seem to understand the danger of having a whole building fall on them as they were now all fully focused on Rock Man.
"Now that I have your attention! Let me get to the point. We all share one thing in common. All of us were taken down by All Might!" Rock Man shouted.
Danny watched as the crowd seemed to all react to that name… All Might. Whose All Might he wondered. Whoever they were he couldn't help but pity them because based on the people's negative reactions they were even more disliked than he was back in Amity Park. Of course, after thinking about, it, the fact that they were hated by what he assumed were criminals probably meant that All Might was a good guy, or at least he hoped. But after a moment of pondering about who All Might could be. He focused back on the people below.
"You are here tonight because you share in the desire to put an end to the supposed Symbol of Peace…" Symbol of Peace? Danny questioned "and the other so-called heroes. Well, we have been given the opportunity to make that desire a reality!" Rock Man suddenly turned slightly and gestured behind him to a bunch of crates that were littering the back wall.
Danny was beginning to get dizzy with the amount of different questions he had and at the situation before him. He could feel his frown grow as he looked at the crates that he had figured were just left from when this warehouse was active. But now he was concerned by what could be within the mysterious boxes.
But as he stared down at Rock Man, Porcupine and the other people his enhanced hearing suddenly picked up something. It sounded like whispers and light footsteps outside the main door to the room which was behind the crowd of people who were focused on Rock Man. He was about to go investigate the noise but to his surprise before he could start flying over the double door burst open.
Danny's eyes widened as he watched the room get swarmed by what appeared to be a homeless guy, a dominatrix, ten or so police officers, and weird purple smoke.
Line Break -
Aizawa was having a rough couple of days. The investigation he was currently helping with was tiring to say the least. Over the last couple of weeks, the underground world had been unusually active. To the extent that the police department or more specifically Detective Tsukauchi had asked for his assistance.
The Detective and himself had intercepted communication between wanted black market dealers, criminals and individuals who often found themselves on the wrong side of the law. That tonight there would be a gathering within an abandoned warehouse within a restricted rundown area in Musutafu.
He had worked alongside the police department to narrow down the individuals involved and the exact location of the meet up.
Which is where he found himself now. Outside one of the entrances to a big rundown building that didn't look too stable. He would've been more happy at the prospect of hopefully being able to get a full night's sleep after this mission. If it wasn't for the feeling that something bigger was happening within the building, then he had initially thought.
From what he had gathered and from the information Detective Tsukauchi had given him, the people within were supposed to be low level criminals. But from what he had been able to hear, that information wasn't completely accurate.
The earpiece he was wearing buzzed, signaling that someone was trying to contact him. He reached up and hit the button and the Detective's voice came through.
"Eraser Head do you copy?" He waited a moment to respond as he stepped away from the building slightly and into the shadows. He couldn't risk being overheard and discovered, "I'm here." he said in a slightly annoyed and quiet whisper.
"Good, we're relocating to your location…" He frowned as he continued to listen, "There's been a change of plans. Our forces will be entering alongside you and Midnight from your location. I've already informed Midnight; she's heading to your position."
The initial plan had been for him and his co-worker and fellow pro hero Midnight to enter the building from two different entrances in order to apprehend and take down the main targets. While the police intercepted anyone who tried to run from the building. But if the plan changed then the Detective must be having similar concerns, Aizawa thought. As he stared down the building as if it would give him answers if he intimidated it enough.
But he quickly ended his staring contest when he heard light footsteps. He readied himself just in case as he turned in the direction of the sound. After a moment he was greeted by the sight of pro hero Midnight. Who quickly noticed his presence and quietly walked to where he was located.
He could tell from her expression that she was also concerned and after a moment of quiet tension between the two. Midnight broke the silence "I don't like this," He nodded while turning to face the building once again "From where I was positioned, I could see through a window and there are way more targets than we previously expected."
He had figured as much based on how many different voices he could hear. "Are you sure we should go through with this… we could wait for backup." Aizawa could feel his colleagues gaze on him as she whispered her concerns, concerns that he shared.
Since he had been assigned this mission, he had been against how few heroes and police were assigned to assist with the take down. He had insisted on having more manpower. But due to how active criminals had been lately both pro heroes and the police had been stretched thin.
So instead of agreeing he lightly shook his head as he said in a steady, quiet voice "I already considered that but there's no one within the area who could assist," he felt his jaw tighten as he furrowed his eyebrows more "and we can't hold off on capturing the targets. We need information… and I have a feeling this meetup may have something to do with the rise in criminal activity lately."
In the corner of his eye, he saw his coworker tense and silently nod in understanding. The two proceeded to wait in silence for Detective Tsukauchi and the other police officers to arrive. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long as the officers and detective who were dressed in kevlar silently arrived.
Detective Tsukauchi walked up to the two pro heroes, and Aizawa gave his longtime friend and colleague a nod in greeting. One that the detective reciprocated with a friendly small. But that smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a more serious expression.
"We need to act fast. I have two officers posted on the rooftop of that building," Tsukauchi said while pointing to the worn-down warehouse adjacent from the main building, "They have a visual of the inside through the upper windows. Based on that information we've been able to identify most of the main targets…" He paused for a second while letting out a sigh that gave away just how stressed the overworked officer was. "But there's two individuals we didn't account for."
Detective Tsukauchi pulled out a phone that showed a mugshot of a man made completely of orange rock. "The first person is him," Aizawa frowned as he examined the picture. "He's named Ishikawa Ryousuke, but he goes by LandSlide. He's currently on the run from the authorities for assault and battery and attempted murder of a pro hero."
Midnight crossed her arms as the information made her uncomfortable. Aizawa shared a similar discomfort, even if he didn't let it show.
But even with the tense situation Midnight quickly asked in a steady and professional tone "Do we know what his quirk is?"
Tsukauchi nodded "Yes, his quirk is called Rock Exoskeleton. Basically, he's fully encased in a hard layer of rock as you can see. " The two heroes nodded at the information. Both silently thinking up strategies as they continued to listen.
The detective swiped on the screen and a different image appeared of a man who had long green slimy hair covering most of his face and protruding from his back appeared to be spikes. "This is the other unexpected threat. His name is Barasawa Katarao and doesn't seem to have an alias. From the information we've gathered he seems to be a bodyguard within the black-market. His quirk is called, Protruding Quills," He put his phone away as he continued explaining "it gives him quills on his back that he's able to shoot."
"So, it gives him both a good defense and offense." Midnight said, "These two could pose a serious threat if we're not careful."
"That's why we need a good plan." Aizawa said in an even tone that masked his own concern. He knew his strengths and dealing with multiple dangerous combatants in a closed space was never a good situation to be in, especially when said closed space was a rundown warehouse on the brink of collapse, he thought to himself.
"Agreed," Tsukauchi said while making eye contact with the Eraser hero "That's why we've regrouped. I believe the safest way to go about this is by using our collective force to take down as many targets as quickly as possible."
He then turned to Midnight "As we enter Midnight, you'll release your quirk in order to incapacitate as many targets as possible,"
Midnight quickly put her hand up to stop the detective while saying "That's a good plan but if I release my sleep-inducing smoke in an enclosed space. It will not only affect the targets but also our own forces."
Detective Tsukauchi gave a smile as he looked over to one of the other officers "Don't worry we've thought about that," The two heroes looked over at the officer as the detective quietly called him over "Tamagawa"
The cat-like officer turned and walked over to the three while carrying a duffle bag.
Once the bag was dropped off Officer Tamagawa resumed his position as a look out and the two heroes focused on the mysterious bag.
Detective Tsukauchi bent down and unzipped the bag and pulled out an oxygen mask that was designed to cover the lower half of the face while filtering out toxins from the air. "We'll be wearing these as we enter, they're not the sturdiest or the most long lasting but they should do the trick."
Midnight hummed in agreement. Aizawa momentarily thought about how the smoke could make it difficult to erase the main threats' quirks. But decided not to say anything as he trusted his colleague's ability to control her quirk.
"Alright now that that's settled, after we enter you two will go ahead of us in order to take down the remaining forces, we'll act as your reinforcements and backup. While also putting all the knocked-out targets in reinforcements and handcuffs to ensure they won't be able to get back up."
Aizawa quickly spoke up "That means that the other exits will be open. Many of the targets will still have the opportunity to escape."
"It does," Tsukauchi sighed "But after reassessing the situation we don't have enough manpower to ensure we capture everyone. Instead, I think you would agree that it's best to put our focus on arresting the main threats and targets."
Aizawa agreed with the man's argument, especially since the most important part of this mission is to gain information.
The detective went over the rest of the plan, which seemed simple. But all parties knew from experience that even if everything went smoothly this mission wouldn't be a walk in the park. As they were nearing the end of their debriefing a loud rumble emanated from the warehouse.
Aizawa stared at the building and watched as it shook for a moment.
'Not good' he thought while grimacing but quickly turned to the detective who put his hand up to his ear to turn on his earpiece.
It was clear by the man's expression that whatever information he was being told wasn't good. But the two heroes waited patiently and after a moment the detective looked back up from where his gaze had been previously transfixed. "I just got word that that shaking was from the target known as LandSlide punching a support beam."
Midnight looked slightly shocked and concerned "And why would anyone do that?!" She then looked over to the warehouse "Does he want the building to come down"
"I suppose if you're encased in rock that wouldn't be much of a concern," Aizawa quickly said while glaring at the building once again, "Either way we need to get moving," he finished while turning back to Tsukauchi who nodded.
The two heroes and police put on their masks and quickly got in position while moving towards the door. Within moments the door was flung open as Midnight activated her quirk and a plume of purple smoke knocked out the closest criminals.
Aizawa was quick to take down as many targets as possible with his capture scarf and hand to hand combat. But before he could get too far a gruff and angry roar came from past the crowd of people. He had a guess as to who made that noise, and he quickly realized he was right as he watched the man made of rock begin to barrel towards him. But before LandSlide could cross the space in order to attack, Aizawa activated his quick erasure.
Line Break -
Danny watched from up in the air as the masked newcomers stormed the building. Everything happened so fast that the majority of the gangsters closest to the double door didn't even have time to react before they were enveloped by a weird purple smoke.
He watched in confusion as the people all began to collapse and fall unconscious. He had expected the crowd to revolt and fight back but he quickly began to realize that the only ones fainting were the ones who breathed in the purple gas. That would also explain why these people are wearing masks, Danny thought to himself.
For once he felt lucky that he didn't really need to breathe anymore. But as a precaution he still decided to fly slightly higher in case the gas worked on contact and not just by inhalation.
He continued to observe the conflict from up above. He wondered if he should interfere or help. Based on the uniforms and badges they appeared to be police officers but as he looked at the two people in front, he began to question that. As it appeared a very disheveled man dressed in black with a weird scarf and a dominatrix were leading the charge. So, he decided to hold off on interfering for now.
Just watching the odd situation below made him feel even more exhausted, if that was even possible. He was really beginning to question how he had gotten himself in this situation and how his life had come to watching weird stranger's fight. But the more he thought about it the more questions began to form. To the point that he could feel a headache beginning to form and he really didn't need that right now. So instead of thinking more about the weirdness or his misfortune he put more focus on the individuals below.
Especially because he was starting to get concerned for who he had dubbed homeless guy. He seemed to be putting up a decent fight against the various gangsters as he was somehow using his scarf to capture and knock out his opponents. But Danny quickly looked over to Rock Man, who was on the other side of the building. It was clear from the man's giant clenched fists and expression that the living rock was beyond furious at the interruption.
Danny really hoped these people knew what they were doing. Because he was a hundred percent sure that Rock Man would take out his renewed anger the same way he did with the pillar just moments ago.
That guess was quickly confirmed as Danny heard and watched as the man let out a gnarly yell as he began to charge at the homeless man. It was like watching a bull stampede and Danny felt his body begin to move as his subconscious urged him to save the homeless man before he got run over. He extended his good arm and hand and was moments away from creating an ecto-shield between the two. When suddenly the orange rock that covered the enraged man's body completely disappeared and a normal man was left in his place which made him stop in his tracks.
Before he could help it Danny let out an audible "What?!" before slapping a hand over his mouth. He blinked his eyes a few times as if to fix what he had just witnessed. But after a second it became clear that what he was seeing was right. It also seemed like he wasn't the only one confused.
As Rock Man or who had been Rock Man stared down at his own body and hands in confusion for a few drawn out seconds.
Danny watched in anticipation, he thought the man would be more confused but to his surprise he seemed to quickly snap out of his stupor and look back up while yelling in the same enraged voice "You! I know you! You're Eraser Head!" Danny quickly turned his head and to his surprise the homeless man now had beaming red eyes, and his long black hair was raised and somehow defying gravity.
'Eraser Head?' Danny questioned but didn't have much time to think over this new confusing information as Rock Man continued to shout while beginning his charge once again.
"You think this will stop me!" Even without the rocks the running man was still abnormally large and muscular. He looked like he could eat the red eyed homeless man for breakfast.
Danny could still feel his body and subconscious once again urging him to help and prevent the strange man from being hurt or possibly killed. But this time he forced himself to remain still. He wanted to see what else the homeless man could do.
Again, the homeless man surprised Danny by quickly dodging Rock Man's incoming fist while putting more distance between the two all while not blinking, Danny noticed.
Unconsciously Danny had been slowly floating closer to the fight as he watched the giant angry man haphazardly swing around his fist in an effort to hit the homeless man or Eraser Head. Who Danny was beginning to doubt was actually homeless from the way he almost effortlessly dodged and maneuvered.
It was clear that the black-haired man's goal was to tire out the angry behemoth and it was seeming to work. As Danny watched Rock Man's movements and swings become slower and less accurate. He couldn't help but be impressed by the man's endurance and skill. He watched as the man dodged and at some point, during the quick exchange the black-haired man's face mask fell to hang loosely around his neck. Danny was fully focused on the two as they fought as if dancing.
Until he suddenly heard a shout, "Eraser Head watch out!" Danny reacted fast and turned to see a giant spike quickly flying towards the man. Too fast to be dodged by any normal human Danny realized. He needed to do something and so within less than a second as the spike flew past where Danny was floating just a meter off the ground he reached out while dropping his intangibility and grabbed.
Aizawa was focused on ensuring his quirk stayed active as he dodged the man's big fists. He was able to put a decent amount of distance between himself and the man who was finally starting to slow down. When he heard Midnight yell for him to watch out. But it was already too late as he realized a giant spike was flying right towards him.
If he was lucky, it wouldn't kill him, but he knew that even if he somehow survived the giant needle to the head. It would be very unlikely that he would make it out of this warehouse alive.
The only thing he could think of as he watched his impending doom fly closer as if in slow motion was that he wouldn't be able to teach the next generation of heroes next month.
But to his disbelief the spike that was only about five meters away suddenly stopped midair and seemed to just float.
Danny was thankful for his enhanced reflexes as he looked at the long and deadly spike that he held in his hand. That was until he heard a disgruntled yell from where the spike had come from "How is that possible?!" he looked to see Porcupine staring at the spike in anger and disbelief.
That's when he realized that he was still invisible and that the man and everyone else who was watching could only see the floating spike.
He briefly debated simply dropping the projectile and remaining invisible but when he noticed Porcupine preparing to launch more, he made up his mind.
As Aizawa stared at the floating spike and at the man who shot them his confusion dissipated as he realized the position he was in. Within moments he would have to be dodging both spikes and LandSlide who was luckily still catching his breath but had become encased in rock once again.
He needed backup but as he quickly took in where Midnight and the police were, and he realized that they were too preoccupied keeping the other criminals at bay to assist for the time being.
His jaw tightened as he clenched his fists and prepared himself, he would need to choose which quirk to erase while fighting the other's attacks. Aizawa quickly made up his mind as he turned to the man who had launched the spike. He would need to cross the distance and take down the man so that he could focus on LandSlide. Of course, he knew how naive that plan was but it was the only solution he could think of and so he let out a breath and prepared himself.
As he was just about to activate his quirk before the spiked man could launch a barrage of deadly needles at him. Where the previous spike remained mysteriously stuck in midair suddenly a floating white-haired teen who looked pretty beat up appeared. Aizawa felt his eyes widen as he watched the boy drop the spike and turn to the villain who seemed just as shocked by the boy's sudden appearance, Aizawa noted.
"You know Porcupine it's not very nice to try to impale people," The white-haired teen said in an oddly lighthearted and joking manner.
Just who is this kid, Aizawa wondered.
"And who are you calling Porcupine, brat!" The green haired man said as his shock quickly wore off.
Danny watched as the frustrated man prepared to launch spikes at him, "What? Would you prefer Pin Cushion?" But as the clearly now enraged man tried to retaliate by sending out more spikes the man stopped dead in his tracks and looked confused.
The mischievous smile that Danny wore fell as he raised an eyebrow at the man who began looking past him and at something behind him. Danny quickly followed where the man was now looking and saw the black-haired man who he had just stopped from being impaled once again sporting bright red eyes and the same interesting hairstyle from earlier.
He looked menacing and goofy at the same time, Danny thought. As he quickly looked back and forth between the two men. He was starting to see a correlation between the man who he believed was called Eraser Head looking at someone and them losing their powers.
Danny couldn't help but grimace at the dangerous power and at the idea of losing his own powers during a fight. But instead of showing this new fear he put on a smirk and looked at Eraser Head. Who wasn't making direct eye contact with him but with Porcupine who was still trying to shoot spikes from his body.
"Kid, you shouldn't be here." Eraser Head said in a gruff tone that seemed to leave no room for argument.
But Danny wasn't really the rule following type and besides it's not like he wanted to be here, so he simply shrugged, "And yet here I am…"
He was about to say more when he noticed Rock Man quickly sneaking up behind the red eyed man. "Hey watch out!" He yelled as he held out his hand and quickly shot an ectoblast at Rock Man. Who was moments away from slamming both of his giant rock fists down on the man who had managed to turn his head slightly in time to see the fists in his peripheral view.
Aizawa watched as a green blast of energy shot from the boy's hand and flew past his head. He could've sworn he felt the heat of the neon green blast, but he didn't react as he kept his eyes fixated on keeping the other threat at bay. From his peripheral he watched as the blast hit Land Slide on the side of his chest and the giant rock man got blasted back as if he weighed nothing. He heard as Land Slide grunted in pain and crashed into the ground somewhere behind him.
'Just how powerful was that blast?' Aizawa momentarily questioned. But this wasn't his first time encountering powerful kids, hell it was his job, so he stayed focused on the task at hand. He ran forward a few feet in order to get in range and quickly used his capture scarf to ensnare the green haired man.
For a moment Danny thought the man was running at him but watched as the strange scarf flew past him and wrapped around Porcupine.
Now that the furious man was wrapped within the steel wire alloy capture weapon. Eraser Head was finally able to take his eyes off the man who wouldn't be able to shoot spikes while trapped.
Aizawa first looked behind himself to see where Land Slide was and was surprised to see the man made of rock on the ground unconscious. With smoke rising from where Aizawa assumed the blast had hit him.
With the main two threats hopefully neutralized or at least immobilized Aizawa finally turned and made direct eye contact with the boy who had floated slightly higher.
He was finally able to fully take in the appearance of the mysterious teen who had managed to save him twice within the short span of time.
The boy looked awful, was Aizawa's first thought. He was wearing what looked to be a torn up black and white suit that resembled a hazmat suit, it had missing pieces and seemed to be covered in what appeared to be burn marks. But the worst area was the boy's shoulder. The suit was almost completely burned away and a nasty wound that only looked semi-healed was visible and was oozing a strange neon green liquid the same ominous shade of green as the boy's glowing eyes.
Not only did the boy's suit and body look beat up but his seemingly glowing neon eyes looked drained of life as if the boy hadn't slept in weeks. Even with the lighthearted expression the boy wore, as if being in a warehouse full of villains was just an everyday occurrence for him.
Honestly, the white-haired teens' expression and eyes strangely reminded Aizawa of the eyes of experienced heroes who had seen the worst disasters and who had fought the worst villains.
The boy looked like he had gone through Hell and back and seeing as he was here Aizawa didn't doubt that that could be the case for this kid.
"Although I don't know your reason for being here. This raid involves official pro hero business, comply and I won't have to apprehend you with force." It sounded harsh but Aizawa was no fool. He knew that criminals and dangerous individuals came in all ages and based on what he had seen this kid do he couldn't afford to let his guard down. Even if he did feel bad for the white-haired boy who had saved him.
"Pro hero business?" Danny said more to himself than anyone else. From what he understood this man wanted to arrest or at least detain him which he really didn't like the sound of.
Aizawa furrowed his brows at the boy's obvious confusion at the term 'pro hero' but continued. "Release your quirk and land on the ground."
"Release my what?" Danny said with more confusion and frustration "Listen man, didn't I just save your life. I mean I wasn't expecting a 'thank you' or anything but can you at least drop the police act."
Before Aizawa could respond to the teen who he could tell was starting to get agitated and whose words were strangely starting to echo. He heard footsteps behind him and quickly turned to see Midnight and Detective Tsukauchi who were no longer wearing their masks as the purple smoke had dissipated. He also took note of the criminals that were knocked out and handcuffed. It seemed like the main mission of capturing the targets was completed. The only problem now was this kid.
Detective Tsukauchi and Midnight both had their eyes fixated on the boy and on their colleague and had listened to their conversation so far. They had both watched as the boy suddenly appeared and throughout their own battles and or ensuring that the various criminals were detained had kept an eye on the new and potentially dangerous teen.
Danny watched as the dominatrix and the guy who looked more like a police officer approached Eraser Head. He also watched as the other officers gave him a wide berth around where he was currently floating. A few went to tie up Porcupine who was still mummified by the scarf thing. But he quickly realized that they were surrounding him.
He let out a frustrated sigh, this really wasn't his day was it, he defeatedly thought to himself.
He debated on just flying away but he needed information, and his intuition was telling him that these were the good guys. Of course, he wouldn't let them capture him, but it wouldn't hurt to talk. He decided as he floated slightly lower to the ground until he was around two feet from the stone floor.
Detective Tsukauchi who was now standing beside Aizawa was the first to speak up in a calm and neutral tone. That Aizawa could tell was his attempt at diffusing the tense situation while hopefully stopping the kid from trying to run or fly away. "Can you tell us your name?"
Danny debated on lying but decided he had nothing to really loss by telling the man his first name "My names Danny,"
'Half true' the detective's quirk registered, perhaps it was a nickname Tsukauchi suspected.
Although the obviously American name and the teen's western features added to the detectives and two heroes list of questions as to who this boy was and why he was here.
But for now, the detective stayed on task and asked his next question, "Can you tell us why you were here tonight? Were you a part of the meet up planned for tonight?"
So that's what was happening Danny thought to himself as he casually answered, "I wasn't a part of any meet up. As to how I got here, well that's a bit more complicated." He said while thinking back to the events of the last half hour.
The detective could tell the kid or Danny was telling the truth about not being involved with the meet up. But that only made this beat up teen being here even more strange.
He was about to ask for more details but before he could Eraser Head spoke up in an uncharacteristically calm and friendly voice "Kid you look pretty badly injured" Aizawa said while momentarily looking at the boy's shoulder once again. "If you comply and come with us, we can help you."
"Eraser Head's right, you need medical attention. Danny allow us to help you", Midnight quickly added from where she had been quietly standing on the other side of the detective.
Tsukauchi nodded in agreement at the two heroes' statements. Besides, he couldn't ignore that he was talking to someone who didn't appear to be any older than fourteen.
Aizawa watched as the floating boy hummed and used his hand that was attached to his good shoulder to put his finger under his chin to make it look like he was thinking hard.
Before looking at the three and in a flat, tired voice said "No thanks, listen I appreciate the offer, but I've learned my lesson about trusting those who say they want to just 'help' me…" He then used his hand to gesture to his damaged shoulder while continuing "Besides I've had worse."
Aizawa noticed how the boy's expression and smile that had been a constant throughout their whole conversation dropped for a split second as he finished declining their offer. But it only helped solidify his desire to ensure this kid got help. A sentiment that he knew Tsukauchi and Midnight would share.
While this conversation was happening though, behind the two heroes and detective. Land Slide who had been lying unconscious silently woke up.
Danny was getting tired of this back and forth and even though he didn't want to admit it he was starting to reach his limits. He needed sleep, he was even beginning to be swayed by the people who stood before him. I mean would it really be that bad to just go with them. He could always escape, he reasoned. Before images of the GiW and being strapped to a table flashed in his mind.
The halfa was so preoccupied with making a pros and cons list that he didn't notice as Land Slide quietly stood. The man managed to quietly walk to where the walkie talkie device that Porcupine had earlier was and grab it from where it laid on the floor. It was only then that Danny took note of the large man's presence.
Aizawa watched as the boy seemed to think. He was about to say something to hopefully prevent having to use force against the boy. When he suddenly watched the boy's expression tensed as he looked past where he and his colleagues stood.
He wasn't the only one to notice this sudden change in demeanor as Midnight and Detective Tsukauchi also quickly turned to where Danny was looking and saw Land Slide standing while disturbingly smiling at them.
Before they could react or try to take down the menacing and deranged looking man he shouted, "Enjoy being crushed, you worthless heroes!" With that the man turned and ran straight through the wall. What remained was a giant hole that quickly began to crumble.
The warehouse began to rumble and shake as large cracks began to form on the various support beams with the already damaged one breaking the fastest. It was clear to all parties that the building wouldn't last long.
"We need to get out of here and fast!" Detective Tsukauchi yelled as he did his best to keep his balance as the whole building shook.
Midnight turned to the detective "We need to get these people out of here or they'll get crushed," she urgently said while gesturing to the knocked-out criminals.
Pieces of the roof began to fall "Damnit everyone grab as many of them as you can and move," Aizawa yelled to the officers who quickly began following orders. He then turned to Danny "Kid you need to get out of here! Go!"
Aizawa could tell there wouldn't be enough time to get everyone one. Hell, he didn't even think there was enough time to reach the door themselves even without the extra weight.
Danny watched as the people below scrambled to grab as many of the past out gangsters as physically possible. He was astonished that they would spend the very little time they had trying to save the criminals instead of getting themselves to safety. Although based on how quickly the building was falling, he also thought it was a stupid decision. But he didn't spend too long admiring their heroics and foolishness as large pieces of debris fell around him and two of the columns crumbled from the unbalanced weight. He needed to do something.
Aizawa had managed to grab two of the past out criminals while avoiding the pieces of roof that fell around him. He saw how Detective Tsukauchi and Midnight were beside him carrying more people.
"Shit, there's not enough time," Tsukauchi's strained voice said.
Soon the lights that had been on the ceiling fully went out. Which only added to the difficulty of escaping as the only light that came through was from the broken windows and door that Aizawa knew was too far away. He grimaced, he hoped that kid somehow got out, he thought as he heard a loud crumbling sound that he assumed was the remaining support beams falling.
Aizawa heard the ceiling give out and shut his eyes as he braced himself. But after a moment of nothing slamming down onto him, he opened his eyes and looked up to see what appeared to be a glowing green shield holding the whole ceiling up. He could hear the surprised noises coming from his colleagues and the other officers. Who he could now see due to the green light the weird barrier created.
He stared for a moment before something clicked. He quickly turned around and stared at the boy who had both his arms held up towards the green ceiling that he was obviously responsible for. The teens' hands glowed the same burning green. Suddenly the boy opened his eyes that had been tightly shut and said in a slightly strained echoey voice "What are you waiting for! Get out of here!" his eyes glowing the same intense green.
Aizawa snapped out of his transfixed state and barked "Everyone move!"
That order seemed to do the trick as everyone who had also been watching the boy began to quickly move and evacuate the building with the remaining criminals.
Aizawa turned to look at the mysterious boy one last time before leaving the building himself. He was the last one out and after dropping the criminals away from the building. He turned to Detective Tsukauchi and Midnight who said, "We need to get that boy out of there,"
Detective Tsukauchi looked at Midnight and said in a defeated voice, "We can't go back in there… even if we did, we wouldn't be able to get the kid without the building coming down."
Midnight's face morphed into a sad and frustrated expression. No hero liked it when they couldn't save someone, especially a kid. Aizawa was no exception as he stared at the building that was starting to shake again. He really hoped that the kid had a plan that wasn't just sacrificing himself. But as he thought that he watched the building finally give way and fall.
The two heroes and Tsukauchi watched in horror as the building fell like a house of cards and became a giant pile of rubble. And there was no sign of the kid they all quickly noted.
Aizawa was the first to react as he commanded in an even tone that he had perfected over the years "We need to begin search and rescue". But before the hero could begin following the procedure of looking for someone in unstable rubble. He heard "Don't count me out just yet,".
The three quickly turned and watched as the boy once again appeared out of nowhere.
Line Break -
As Danny invisibly floated above the giant pile of rubble that he had escaped from by using intangibility after he made sure everyone escaped. He had to admit that he was truly feeling worse for wear. But he knew that he still couldn't relax just yet as he looked over to where the police and those three people were standing. He needed to decide what he would do now.
He could fly away and find someplace to recuperate his depleted energy and fully heal he wistfully thought. The idea of rest sounded great. Although he bet he wouldn't be able to sleep in any sort of bed but at this point he wouldn't be picky.
But the idea of just flying off and leaving felt wrong. There was a part of him that wanted to put some ounce of trust in the people he had just met. But he knew from experience that relying on unknown people for help was a risky gamble. One that he had always ended up losing.
Danny squeezed his fist and was just about to listen to the cautious and doubtful part of his consciousness. When he heard the man from earlier, Eraser Head, "We need to begin search and rescue". Danny turned to look at the man who seemed to be about to begin the pointless search for him and after a moment he let out a defeated sigh.
He flew towards the people and landed slightly away from the three 'I really hope I don't regret this' was his last thought before putting on a smile. "Don't count me out just yet," he joked while dropping his invisibility.