A New Beginning

Chapter 20

"GIW facilities. We were looking for GIW facilities." Danny nodded, understanding their intentions, but the repeated name was making him uncomfortable. He shifted his gaze, eyes skimming over the other monitors before his eyes caught his name and he focused on that. It wasn't searching for anything, but rather looked like it was the result of something. After a second he realized it was a DNA test. He was about to ask but a cough drew their attention back to the ghosts. Danny had forgotten about them.

Bruce swiveled his chair around quickly, Danny yelped, unprepared for the rapid movement. Bruce's grip on him tightened as he tensed, ready to defend. Dick, who was running a hand through the boy's hair trying to pick out leaves and dirt, had stilled and tensed like Bruce.

"Hello. I am Walker and this is Skulker" The warden gestured to Skulker. "We are ghosts. We have been watching the Halfa for a while now because he is the key to our freedom in the ghost zone."

Danny could feel Bruce relax slightly and his near-bruising grip slackened marginally. Dick's hand, still buried in his black hair, had also gone lax, however, both Bats were still on edge. Danny wondered why they let down their guard, even if it was only a little.

He had a feeling that they were sleep deprived. Danny felt amused but also exasperated. (For being highly trained individuals, they could be human disasters.)

Skulker and Walker had gone on to explain the political crisis that was going on in the Ghost Zone and how Danny was' involved. They also explained what they knew about the GIW. (Bruce had covered his ears. He could still hear with his enhanced senses, but it was a nice sentiment, nonetheless.) They talked about the plan and who was involved. They answered questions patiently about the revolution or ghosts in general. They explained what was being done and had informed the two about the human children with them, reassuring the Bats that neither were permitted anywhere near battles. Sam and Tucker could come over to the mansion every once and awhile, as long as it was arranged. The three adults and one teen had proceeded.

"We don't plan on taking the boy from you since you are capable of caring for him and training him, but we will keep watch over him and only get involved if necessary. However, he needs to be informed and we will be more active in his life when he gets older, so he can choose whether or not to help us. We are still unsure about how Pariah will proceed, but we will keep you updated, and unfortunately, we can't help with the GIW. Now if you do not have any further questions, we need to go back to the base. If you need us, use this. Please only if it's an emergency or if something has happened or changed." Walker handed Bruce a small communication device. The Batman nodded and the two ghosts disappeared.

Bruce had contacted the team, telling them that they needed to meet tomorrow. He then turned his attention back to the kid in his lap, who was looking at one of the many supercomputers in front of them. He glanced over to Dick, who was looking at the same monitor. Following their gazes, his eyes landed on the DNA results. He hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Dick and Danny about them and was planning on it when they had found Danny. Unfortunately, that plan had been ruined when Dick hacked his system and found out, but regardless it still warranted a sit down and a proper conversation.

"They were positive." Dick nodded absently, his eyes now trained on the boy who was still staring at the screen with wide, curious eyes.

"Positive?" The young boy asked, moving his focus to Bruce, struggling to look at the man without turning his whole body.

"Danny, do you know that you were adopted?"

Bones broken and twisted in inhuman ways...screaming and rushing..."MOMMY! DADDY!"

Danny nodded, shaking his thoughts away from the eery images and voices echoing through his head.

"Do you remember your birth parents?"