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Going Ghost! (Young Justice) Chapter 82: They Know (3)
🕑 Added 2025-07-06 14:05:24 +0000 UTC[Third person POV]
"I was found by Batman," Danny began, his voice low and subdued. He sat on the edge of the bed, knees pulled tightly to his chest, arms wrapped around them. His eyes looked distant—heavy with exhaustion and memory. "I woke up in his lair not long after the accident. But... I was different."
He paused, his fingers tightening slightly. "As soon as I regained consciousness, I flew straight to the lab in a panic. But it was gone... the explosion had destroyed most of it"
Danny’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he fell silent for a moment. "I just sat there, surrounded by the ruins, completely numb. That’s when Batman found me again. He didn’t say much—just offered his hand and took me with him."
"He trained me. Helped me control my powers. Eventually, he placed me under the care of a billionaire who owed him a favor. Someone kind… someone who didn’t mind adopting a ghost-powered teenager with a tragic past." Danny smiled faintly, but there was no joy behind it—only weariness and nostalgia. "I owe both of them everything."
He glanced at Sam and Tucker, his voice softening. "Of course, I had support from you guys too. Even in that other world, I felt your presence in my life. But… it was different."
Tucker, who had been wiping the last remnants of tears from his eyes, looked up. "Different how?"
Danny let out a sigh and rested his chin on his knees. "Batman didn’t let me reveal my identity. In that reality, the two of you never knew who I really was… or what I could do."
Sam and Tucker were silent at first, stunned by the idea of a version of themselves who had no idea about Danny’s powers. It felt alien to them—almost like hearing about someone else’s life.
But even so, neither of them blamed him. It wasn’t Danny’s choice to keep the secret.
"I wanted to tell you guys for so long," Danny admitted, voice cracking just a little. "Every time I looked at you, I hated the lie. This… this is the first time I’ve ever had the chance to be honest. No secrets. No lies."
Inwardly, he added, ‘I wanted it to be like in the show—the three of us fighting ghosts together. That would’ve been so cool...’ It was a quiet, selfish wish he had carried with him ever since he recovered his memory of his past life. A dream born from watching the cartoon as a child, now blurred by the harshness of reality.
Sam moved closer, gently rubbing Danny’s back. "Is that what triggered your panic attack earlier?" she asked, her tone gentle. "Was it waking up in this altered reality and finding your parents alive and well… or your mentor being gone?"
Danny shook his head slowly, his expression grim. "No. It wasn’t that." He swallowed. "That happened earlier this morning. I… I saw Jazz." He let out a soft, nervous chuckle. "I saw her alive. I broke down in front of her. Which was... kind of embarrassing."
"Danny," Sam said softly. "There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. That was an entirely human reaction—especially given what you’ve been through."
Danny nodded faintly, pulling his knees in tighter. "I know. Thanks."
There was another silence, heavier this time, before he continued in a quieter voice.
"But my earlier panic attack… that was different. It wasn’t just the emotional whiplash." He took a breath, then said, "I only have one month."
Tucker and Sam both looked up sharply.
"One month before Desiree’s spell becomes permanent," Danny explained. "One month to decide… whether I keep my family safe and alive, or choose the world’s safety instead and break the spell."
His words hit like thunder.
Danny went on to explain how Batman, in his reality, played a critical role in the creation of the Justice League—the very force responsible for defending Earth from alien threats, rogue metahumans, and supernatural disasters. Without Batman, that future was in jeopardy. Entire timelines might collapse. Innocents might die.
Jazz had been listening just outside the room. Her heart sank with every word.
‘Seriously? He’s just a child! Why does such an impossible decision rest on his shoulders!?’ she thought, shaking with emotion.
Anger flared in her chest. Anger that Danny had to be put in such an unfair situation. Anger that someone so young had to carry so much alone.
She wasn’t alone in her reaction.
Hidden nearby, Jack and Maddie were frozen in place, having overheard everything. Jack’s fists clenched tightly at his sides, jaw set, while Maddie was trembling, her face streaked with tears she didn’t even try to wipe away.
Jack gently wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close as she silently wept into his chest. Then, quietly, he guided her away from the hallway, both of them needing time to process everything—and to figure out what they could do to help their son.
Back in the room, Sam’s fists were clenched in frustration. "That’s not fair," she muttered. "There’s no way you can possibly choose between saving your family or saving the world. That’s just—" she stopped herself before finishing, shaking her head. "It’s too much."
Danny didn’t answer immediately. His silence said enough.
Because deep down, he agreed.
It was too much.
“Wait,” Tucker interjected, sitting up straighter. “You said the one responsible for all this was a wish-granting genie, right? So what if… what if you just found her again and wished your mentor back? Or better yet—what if you wished for the two realities to merge? That way, you wouldn’t have to choose at all!”
Danny’s expression darkened. He shook his head slowly. “It wouldn’t work…” he muttered.
Tucker looked confused. “Why not?”
“Because Desiree is a ghost genie with magic” Danny replied, his voice heavy as he understood things better than they did due to his knowledge. “She always twists wishes. That’s her thing. Even if I tried to make the wish airtight, she’d find some loophole I missed—turn it on its head and unleash consequences I couldn’t predict. Probably consequences that would doom us all. Instead of my parents being gone it could very well be you guys”
He glanced down at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists as if trying to ease a deep, unrelenting tension.
“Magic always comes at a price. That’s one of the first things any magic user learns in this world,” he continued quietly. “It’s almost never free. You get what you want… but you lose something else in return.”
“Of course it couldn’t be that easy,” Tucker muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.
Sam stepped closer, concern soft in her eyes. “So what are you going to do now, Danny? Do you… have a plan?”
Danny stood up, determination building behind his tired gaze. “I plan to visit Gotham.” He nodded resolutely. “I need to see the state of the city for myself.”
“Wha—Danny, no!” Tucker protested, eyes wide. “Gotham’s dangerous! It’s full of murdering psychopaths, mad scientists, cults, and—and I heard there are literal man-eating monsters there!”
Danny’s voice was calm, but resolute. “Gotham might be dangerous—” Twin white rings of light formed at his waist, sweeping over his body in a flash as he transformed into his ghost form, his white hair glowing faintly and his green eyes burning bright. “—But so am I.”
Sam and Tucker stared as the transformation finished, the seriousness of the moment hitting even harder.
Danny hovered a few inches off the floor, glowing faintly. “I’m sorry… but I have to go. I need to see Gotham for myself. I need to find someone”
His fists clenched, sparking faintly with ghostly green energy.
‘I need to find Dick… I need to know if he’s okay.’
“Who?” Sam asked gently, noticing the flicker of emotion in Danny’s voice.
Danny didn’t answer at first.
Tucker stepped forward, trying a different approach. “Maybe we can help,” he offered. “We can go to Gotham with you. Back you up.”
Danny immediately shook his head. “No.” His tone was firm. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t risk dragging you into that city. It’s not like Amity Park.”
He paused, then softened. “But I will need your help. Just… not there.”
Tucker tilted his head. “Help how?”
“Information,” Danny explained. “I need to know what’s changed in this world. You guys have lived here your whole lives. You might notice things that feel... off.”
Tucker frowned. “Danny, you’ve gotta remember—we’re not going to notice what’s changed if we don’t remember what the old reality was like.”
“I know,” Danny nodded. “But anything about the heroes in this world—anything that feels out of place or strange—might be useful. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern... anyone. If something seems different or wrong, take notes. Let me know.”
Sam and Tucker exchanged a look, then sighed. They could tell—just by the set of his shoulders and the conviction in his eyes—that nothing they said would stop him.
Sam stepped forward and gently touched his arm. “Just… promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”
Danny looked at her, then gave a small nod.
Without hesitation, Sam pulled him into a hug.
Danny froze for half a second, then returned it—tight and grateful. It was the kind of comfort he didn’t know he needed until it was given.
“You’re not alone,” Sam whispered. “Don’t think you have to do everything by yourself.”
“Yeah,” Tucker added, placing a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “We’ve got your back. Always.”
Danny’s voice was quiet but warm. “Thanks, Sam. Thanks, Tucker.”
He let go of the hug and floated higher, drifting toward the window.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone,” he said, turning his head just enough to be heard. “If my parents ask where I am… make something up.”
He didn’t wait for a response.
With a surge of energy, Danny shot through the sky, a black and silver streak heading east—toward Gotham.
Down below, hiding among the shrubbery near the house, Jazz watched him vanish into the clouds. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, her heart pounding.
Seeing him flying in his ghost form confirmed everything she’d overheard.
‘It’s real,’ she thought. ‘All of it. This isn't just some nightmare he experienced’
Her expression was a complicated mix of awe, sadness, and fierce determination.
‘Then I’ll be damned if I let him carry this burden by himself. I have to think of a way to help him somehow’
Comments
Bryan Vargas
Yes there are two set of Fenton families, the one living in the Ghost Zone and the other living in this alternate reality, by the end of it, I want to make it so due to them being two of them the one in the ghost zone get flashes of what Danny has been up to and it would be a way to reveal to the readers that Danny’s parents are alive
KingSpy25i .
Thank you for the great chapter 🙏 Also, reading the comments reminded me of something that I talked with you about during the time the idea of the alternate reality thing came up. Is the thing about the ghost zone not being affected just like most other dimensions separated from the earth universe, still a thing? And if it is does that mean that right now there are two different sets of Fenton family that exist intendum from each other, it's just that they don't know about each other, 'cause Danny himself doesn't know that his real family (from his original timeline), are in the ghost zone and he probably won't meet them until after this whole mess is resolved?
Ugly
Danny should give that collapsible bridge cape that Absolute Universe Batman has to Bruce
