Phantom has been an official member of the Justice League Dark devision for a few months now. He ocationally consults for the main League.
Only a couple of weeks ago has he been introduced to most of the founding members. Ever since, he's had eccessive talks with them, mostly with the Batman. Danny initially felt a bit apprehensive speaking with the Dark Knight, he does strike an intimidating figure. But the halfa found he gets along with Batman surprisingly easily. Possibly because the Bat acts very no nonesens and respects Phantoms input where others have difficulty overcoming the "looks like a child" thing.
To be fair he is technically still a child, but they don't know that.
But with the probability of interdementional war at the horizon Danny quickly opened up. The JLA offered their support immediately and promised to do everything in their power to prevent war and remedy the situation. Starting with getting the Anti ecto acts apealed.
Flash explained to him how he also wants to discredit the so called research the scientists put out and basically destroy their carreers by peer review.
Though Danny doesn't like the idea of his parents losing their jobs, its still worlds better than going to war so he agrees this course of action would be for the best.
Wich is why the ghost hunters/ scientisist is one of todays topics of discussion on the agenda. Thus why Phantom is present for the meeting. He's glad he's already had plenty practice sitting through boring meetings with his own court. These things can drag on and he needs to at least pretend to be attentive.
"-wich is why I think inviting the leading scientists over for a peaceful discussion on this issue would be beneficial."
"King Phantom any objections?"
Danny keeps his kingsly pokerface on as best he can. "No, I fully understand why it is neccesairy to hear out both sides of the conflict. Just give me a date and location, I will make sure to be far away from there."
"Actually we were hoping you would sit in on the discussion, let them know your grievances in person."
Phantom shakes his head. "It would not be beneficial for a productive- nay any form of conversation."
Flash throws his hands up exasperatedly "Oh come on your highness! I know they're your enemies and all but you realy don't seem like the kinda guy to start a fight at a peace talk."
"I can assure you It will not be me starting anything. My mere precence would be plenty detremental to any form of peace."
"They will not be allowed to bring any form of weaponry into the building." Bats assures.
"And if they do start a fight I'll protect you buddy!" Captain Marvel chimes in to assure his friend.
"It would be a sign of good will on your part if you're there, regardless how things turn out." Wonder Woman shares her opinion as a seasoned diplomat. And just like with Pandora, Danny respects the amazonian prinsess' opinion.
Phantom sighs. "Very well, I shall be present. But let it be known my warning holds true."
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"Maddie! Mads! Look at this!" Jack Fenton bounces exitedly through his living room waving an offical looking envelope around.
"What is it honey?"
"We have been invited by the Justice League! To talk about ghosts!"
"Oh thats wonderful news dear! Lets get to work right away, there is so much to prepare!"
___________________________________
The Justice League founding members plus Zattana representing the League Dark, and of course Phantom, sit in a conference room in the hall of Justice, the official earth base. Most are making smalltalk with eachother while they wait for their guests to arrive.
Not Phantom though. He's too busy staving off a panic attack.
It's a strange sight for the League to see the usual animated king sit as if frozen in place. Even the usual breeze ruffling his hair seems to be absent.
While the members of the league know Phantom doesn't need to breath or have a heartbeat, not seeing any signs of life is unsettling non the less. For all intense and purposes it truely appears there's a corpse sitting with them. The worried glances are getting longer and more frequent.
Captain Marvel gently nudges Danny. "Hey Phantom, buddy breath. It's gonna be fine." He lays a comforting hand on his ghostly friends shoulder.
"No. If I don't breath they can't accuse me of faking it for sympathy."
GL "You highness, don't you think you're acting a little paranoid right now?"
"If anything I'm not paranoid enough. The motto of ghost hunters is shoot first ask questions never. They believe I manipulated all of you. That I'm pure evil. They're going to hurt you to get to me and then they're going to vivasect me oh achients-"
"Phantom." Batmans voice cuts through Dannies increasing panic. "We will not let anything happen to you. No one here believes you are non sentient or evil, and nothing they say or acuse you of will persuade us otherwise. Understood?"
Though Phantom nods in aweknoledgement he still mumbles; "ĉi tio os esti katastrofo ." and "Kial mi iam ajn konsent ĉi tiu?"
~
A booming voice echoes from the end of the hall.
"oh no not my- the Fentons." Dannies skin pales into a blue hue.
"Mads! They invited the ghost investigation ward too!" "Jack Fenton I'm a huge fan!" You already know? You recognize us?! Maddie! The GIW knows who we are!"
"How wonderful for you dear. I'm assuming word spread from last time we worked with your agengy."
"That is correct ma'am. Pleasure to be working with you again."
Phantom flinches with each footstep approaching. He freezes up yet looks ready to bolt at the smallest provacation.
The faint beeping of several devices going off can be heard through the walls. One of the agents state; "We have a signature." The door to the converence room opening feels like witnessing the beginning of a slow motion trainwreck to Danny. Knowing the devistation that will happen but being completely powerless to prevent it.
Then someone, probably one of his parents yells "Ghost!" and everything speeds up again.
A folley of shots is fired at him. Shit he needs to dodge not enough time to get away no room to dodge them all he needs to move Danny move-
Without a moment of hesitation Captain Marvel bodily throws himself in front of Phantom and takes the shots.
Thank the achients they're all weapons to hurt ghosts specifically and barely scratch the superpowered magical Marvel.
Man, Danny realy needs to do something nice for Billy soon to thank him. He's such a good friend.
The next to jump in action is Batman, followed closely by Wonder Woman and the Flash. They make quick work of disarming, and in Flashes case completely disassembling the weapons and tools on the spot.
As the heros restrain the ghost hunters Batman barks orders at everyone.
"Find out how they got these weapons past the scanners. Get holding cells ready. Make absolutely certain they're stripped of all their tools this time. Someone escort King Phantom out before he freezes over the entire conference room. And get these weapons dismantled and locked up in the vault."
Everyone is quick to jump into action fulfilling Batmans orders.
Captain Marvel and Zattana escort the ghost king, who besides to dig his nails into the table, hasn't moved since the captain took those shots for him, out.
Billy decides to just grab his hovering friend by the ankle and drag him behind him like a balloon. He knows Danny won't mind. They pointedly ignore Phantoms nails slicing through the table as Marvel janks him loose.
All the while the four ghost hunters are screaming over eachother, frothing at the mouth as they're escorted slash bodily dragged out.
"That ghost manipulated you!" "You're supposed to be hero's arn't you? we're on the same team!" "We can get rid of that evil monster. And the other pretenders in your club too!" "It's only pretending to be heroic to fool you. Don't listen to its lies."
"Wow these guys are nuts."
"King spooks was right on the money with this whole mess huh."
"Not paranoid enough indeed."
_____________________
"We are agents working in accordance with US gouvernment law. On what authority are you detaining us?" One of the white suits sneers.
Wonderwoman starts. Her patience thin. With her Greek/Themascaren upbringing she wary of ghosts as a general rule. But over the course of the last few weeks king Phantom has earned her respect as both a ruler and a hero. Not to mention she'd never delibaretely start a war with the dead, or do anything to provoke her uncle Hades even before Phantom joined her team.
"As you have been made explicitly aware in your invitation, The hall of Justice is a neutral ground for all species, much like the UN is for earths countries. You attacked, completely unprovoked might I add, a member of the Justice League when you were invited for a peace talk."
~
"You claim to be scientists-" Flash gets cut off by the irate red headed woman.
"We are scientists! We earned our doctorate in-"
He barrels right over her, two can play at that game. "Yet you won't even humor any claim thats opposing your world view. Your work doesn't hold up against scrutiny, is this stuff even peer reviewed?"
"My husband and I are the leading experts in our field. We know what we're doing."
"Yet all our own research contradicts yours. Yours contradicts yours."
~
"Do you even know how many interdimentional treaties your actions violate?" Green Lantern honestly feels tired. He needs to fly to Oa asap to speak with the guardians about this entire mess.
"Treaties? Not with the US gouvernment."
"Yes with the US! The United Nations accepted them for humanity as a whole."
"No, these things don't have "rights". They are dead. They've lost their civil rights when they died. There's nothing human about these monsters!"
"That is blatantly false, you don't just lose all your rights and bodily autonomy when you die."
The man-in-black ripoff sneers. "I'm telling you they are pure evil! We will destroy their wretched dimention and rid the world of ecto entities forever! You'll thank us then."
"You would destroy an entire dimention. Without regard for mayor concequences on any other dimention stuck on it. You could be damaging our own demention severely, perhaps even destroying it as well. Don't you care about that at all?" GL tries to explain.
"Who told you that false information?" The gouvernment agent scoffs "That ghost boy that tricked you into accepting it? It's lying, trying to save Itself and it's buddies no doubt."
"It is basic knowledge for interdimentional navigation!"
~
"The only thing ghosts scum know is to cause pain. They lie, and manipulate and only care about destroying humanity." Jack Fenton states like its the absolute unwavering truth.
"Then why do you think Phantom is pretending to be a hero? He's saved thousands of people from dying, that seems counter productive if his goal is to kill them instead." Batman tries very hard to be patient. Even villains can be reasoned with. If Batman can just appeal to the scientificly inclined part of his mind he is confident he can show the dr. Fenton where his thesis went wrong. But this man is like a brick wall both physically and mentally.
"I don't know yet but I'll figure it out. Mark my words, the ghost boy has a master plan and you are all pawns. He probably wants you to trust him before stabbing you in the back. Thats why we should capture him, together! We can study him and find out his plan by tearing him apart, molecule by molecule!"
Batman "hn"'s with a weary sort of resignment.
Its not scientific theory, its gospel. Jack Fenton isn't a scientist, he's a zealot.
This sort of cultish mentality is going to take a long time to deprogram.
~
"Ghosts have no feelings, no emotions. They are angry and spiteful creatures that love causing pain becaue thats all they know." Maddie is becoming increasingly exasperated this hero doesn't understand her.
"So they don't have emotions." Flash tries, equally exasperated. As a scientist himself, this womans blatant disregard of the scientific method is driving him up the wall.
"Correct."
"Exept for the emotions anger, spite and love, specifically for pain. Wich they also can't feel. Because they have no nerve system, like some aliens don't have a nervous system, but can still physically feel, just differently from us."
"You are twisting my words!" Maddie snaps.
"Just asking for clarification."
"I think you may be possesed, I can help you. Just let me run a few tests and we'll rip that ghost right out of you! You'll feel so much better I promise." There's an evil glint in her eye. The same Flash has seen in one too many mad scientist he stops on a regular basis.
"You're nuts."
~
"We're getting nowhere with these guys."
"Speak for yourself. Oa will have a field day with the amout of crap they've been spewing. They don't even realise how much warcrimes they've atmitted guilt to!"
"Well yeah, but I mean I guess I'm just kinda dissapointed. I realy hoped we could change their minds yaknow?"
"Zealots man. You can't reason with them."
_________
"Heeyy buddy, how-how you doin?" Billy asks carefully, eyeing the lawn turned toxic winter wonderland. Looks like Phantom decided to deal with his nerves by creating intricate ice sculptures and then shooting them to shit with ectoblasts.
"My parents are going to be thrown into alien prison for breaking the interdimentional Geneva convention. Thats how i'm feeling."