Alfred's Apprentice

Strange Meeting

"What?? Thaz a waste of PURE tal-talent"

Yonkers sneered.

"If you want to seriously discuss this, do it when your not drunk" Yonkers warned before taking his beer and walking away.

"Yonkers ezz goin soft an ez all that boys fault" the drunk Zack slurred.

None of the men payed him any mind, he was drunk, probably wouldn't even remember what he said in the morning.

Zack slid from his chair with the beer bottle in hand. The bottle was empty yet despite that he still clutched it.

As he shuffled off to leave to his nearby apartment he passed a closed door.

Zack froze. He knew that room was reserved for one thing and nobody else was allowed in there without permission.

His hand reached out and clumsily grasped the nob. After a little jiggling he manged to turn the nob and stumbled into the dark room.

Danny slept peacefully on his makeshift bed. Then something forced him awake.

His hypersensitive instincts forced him to move to the right suddenly.

A loud smashing sound could be heard where Danny's head had been. The sound of broken glass bounced off the thin walls seeping through and alerting everyone inside the safehouse of theirs.

Yonkers shot up aware that something wasn't right.

Zack clutched the jagged broken bottle and pointed it at Danny before lunging.

Danny dodged the sloppy attack by the drunk and clamped his hands on the bottle. His bare feet crunched the glass and he winced.

Danny had no time to think about the glass sticking itself into his feet as he wrestled the bottle away from Zack.

Successful, Danny tossed the bottle away. Zack in a drunken ragged pounced on Danny.

Yonkers ran in and pried Zack off Danny along with a few other guys.

"Get your drunk ass home!" Yonkers demanded.

Turning to the other two guys Yonkers pointed, "make sure he gets home and stays there" Yonkers ordered.

The two guy nodded together before ushering Zack out.

"C'mon big guy" Domino said leading Zack.

Yonkers turned back to Danny.

"Oh shit your bleeding" Yonkers said.

Danny held up a finger and sat down. Yonkers watched amazed as the kid took the glass out himself.

"I'm sorry Danny, I didn't realize Zack was that drunk or that idiotic" Yonkers said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, the liquor must've gotten to him" Danny said.

Yonkers looked at the mess feeling like a clash of guilty and angry.

Maybe if he had crested Danny, made it official. No, drunks would be drunks.

Yonkers reached down and helped Danny clean up the mess.

"Danny, what do you want to do?"

Danny froze and looked at Yonkers in surprise.

"W-what do I want to do?" Danny repeated. He hadn't thought about it.

"Yeah, your a genius with electronics, that's a real skill you got there you know" Yonkers said with a small forced laugh.

Danny pursed his lips together.

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it" Danny said. He lied.

He had thought about it, in extreme detail. He wanted to help people. That's why he stuck with the gang.

They protected people. He honestly missed the hero part of him but it couldn't be helped.

He wasn't a hero anymore.

Danny dumped the glass in the trash bag at the forner of his room.

Yonkers opened his mouth, the soundless question that he couldn't bring to voice.

Do you want to be in the gang? But he would never ask it.

Yonkers didn't want Danny to be forced into the gang.

"You always have a place with the Flags. Always." Yonkers said seriously.

Danny smiled.

"Thanks"

Yonkers gave Danny an affectionate glance before leaving him alone.

Once Yonkers was gone Danny's tolerant expression turned angry. How could Zack be so stupid?!

Even if he was drunk he took it too far. Danny shook his head, Zack was apart of the gang, he wasn't.

Danny closed his eyes tight. He didn't know if being apart of the gang was really what he wanted. Yonkers made a good point.

What does he want to do?