Batcat Spectre (DPXDC)

Chapter 2

Darkness. That's the first thing Danny comprehends. He was surrounded by unending darkness. Looking down, he noticed he was in human form, but how? What happened? Where was his sister? His friends? His city?

His head jolted up when he heard loud and sharp laughter wring out in the night, but it didn't sound like a happy kind of laughter. No, this laughter sent shivers up Danny's spine as fear gripped at his core. It was familiar. A figure emerges from the shadows, one that haunted his nightmares for years.

"N-no." Danny whimpered.

"Just one step closer to being me." Dan gloated, drifting closer.

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. His whole body felt like it was doused in ice as he struggled to do something...anything. But no matter what he did, he couldn't even twitch his muscles.

"How pathetic it is to fight off the inevitable." Dan grinned.

Suddenly, as fast as a blink, Dan was right in front of him. Danny had no time to prepare as the nightmare thrust one of his hands into the teenager's chest, right where his core was and squeezed. Pain shot through Danny's body and he screamed. He screamed so loud he was certain his wail had been activated, but Dan didn't budge an inch, keeping his arm inside Danny's chest with a malevolent grin.

"So much power, yet such weak will. Even the strongest will eventually succumb to such power. You cannot hope to control it forever. What will you do when the world fears you enough to take drastic measures?"

Dan continued his speech, but Danny could no longer hear him. The cold feeling turned into a burning heat that threatened to scorch him from the inside out. With one final laugh, Danny felt himself get thrown back. Falling, but not hitting the floor.

"See how long you last."

Dan and the pain begin to fade. The scorching heat that had burned him died until a comforting warmth enveloped him, protecting him from the chill that his powers had caused. He distantly heard a woman humming a familiar tune before the rest of the dream slipped away.

Danny gasped for breath as he woke up, but he couldn't see. Everything was blurry and bright. Out of the corner of his mind, he heard someone trying to talk to him, but he ignored them in favor of clutching his chest again. Patting at it desperately to convince himself that no one was gripping at it. His whole body ached, but nothing like the pain he remembered from before. If anything, it felt like when he was finished with a ghost fight. Or when you stretch a muscle. Battered, and a little achy, but just a little satisfying?

What had he been doing? What had happened?

"Easy kid, I need you to breathe with me here."

Suddenly everything came rushing back. Finding out he was adopted, flying into the Zone, Clockwork sending him away and his fight with Desiree. Finally, who he met.

Danny jolted away, meaning to get some distance from the voice...only to fly straight to the ceiling faster than he had ever flown before. In his panic, he didn't have any time to go intangible, banging his head on the roof instead and crashing back to the floor with a yelp.

One hand gripped at his head while the other immediately came to his face to protect himself from any oncoming blows. To his surprise (or maybe not considering where he fell unconscious), Catwoman stared at him with an equal amount of shock.

"Well...that was a bit, impressive kid. Don't think I've seen anyone hit the ceiling that fast without getting thrown. You aren't exactly helping your head injury though."

Danny subtly glanced around the room he was in while trying to keep his attention on Catwoman. He wasn't in the warehouse anymore. Instead, he was in what looked like a shady hotel room. All that was there was a single bed and a desk with no chair. Sensing his confusion, Catwoman spoke up.