#one dupe is heading to WALKER bc he's a cop and there was a kidnapping and damn if vlad is redemption arcing

[mutable-manifestation]

The thing is, the batfam have no plans to return the baby to someone they're convinced was experimenting on her.

Human experimentation is Not Cool With Them. They are now coming up with more theories - such as "was he trying to forcibly awaken the meta-gene of a BABY!??"

Because Vlad Masters doesn't have any children, they checked his records the night before (what a pity for them any news person will find records of Dani being Vlad's daughter just fine, her paper delayed to the tragic story behind her birth and journey to her father's care).

Instead, they take her to the cave, entrust her into Alfred's care and Spoiler and Red Robin's watchful eyes, and Batman, Robin, Orphan, and the usually daytime-only Signal roll back out to wait somewhere visible.

It is the middle of summer, and the temperature earlier than day had reached high into the 80s, but exactly 15 minutes after the broadcast and about 20 seconds after the away-team of bats' took up perches on the roof of the police building - whose signal was already on - while Gordan - and Red Hood, who had melted out the nearby shadows the moment they arrived - started asking for answers, Gotham is struck by a sudden blizzard.

The flakes themselves are cold as ice where they brush against faces and build up - already forming a solid layer not 5 seconds in - on the ground.

Despite this, the air itself remains at a steady 78.

Despite this, none of the snow melts - not even where it lands on even warmer skin.

Even through the near white-out conditions, they can see the overwhelming glow of green-green-green that seeps out from some point in the direction of Masters' hotel, accompanied by an overwhelmingly loud, mournful, haunting cry.

The blizzard lightens above them just long enough to see Gotham ever-present clouds all but explode away from the city, chased out but a ring of green and letting all of Gotham see the moon in full detail for about 5 seconds before the blizzard - even with no clouds to make it - picks up with a fury.

The term "GIW" and a full visual had made it easy for Oracle to work her magic, and after only about three dozen times more layers of security than normal they had managed to get some basic information.

"Phantom" was a ghost that resided in Amity Park - which they had just learned had been cut off from most of the world by the government for reasons Oracle hadn't yet had time to look into.

That was it. "A ghost" was a decent amount of information given that they'd all worked with one at some point.

"Make Blizzard" was not a usual part of the skillset.

The entire group had just made it into the building and out of the whiteness by sheer memory when another screaming wail rang through the night, and the power went out.

A moment later the backup generator kicked in, just in time for the blizzard outside to stop, the last of the snowflakes falling to the ground to reveal a Lazarus-green sky, patterned with swirls and dotted with purple.

~~~

For once, Danny was grateful for all of Vlad's experience with scheming.

A few Vlad duplicates at the cities exit roads and one with eyes on the sky would reveal if the bats' tried to make a run for it instead of returning Dani. And if they thought going slow would help them avoid notice, the blizzard would throw a wrench in their escape anyway.

The power outage would hopefully prevent - or at least complicate - any refuels or attempts to communicate with allies.

Neither Vlad nor Danny knew where the Justice League stood on the AEA, but this was not a situation in which they cared to find out.

And in the midst of his anger and distress, when Danny felt a new power coming on, he welcomed whatever chaos it would bring with open arms.

He hadn't expected to suck the entire city into the Ghost Zone, but given it meant Dani could no longer be stolen away (farther than she had been, at least) Danny and Vlad were both counting it as a win.

And turning it to their advantage.

Tucker had hacked the city from Amity Park, so he hadn't come over with them, but Technus' lair was not a 2-minute fly away and the ghost himself easily bribed - 'Thank you, Vlad, for being a nerd,' Danny thought.

5 minutes after the city had been sucked into the zone, every piece of technology once again crackled to life - with or without electricity - and a new voice was broadcast.

"ATTENTION, CITIZENS OF GOTHAM! I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY COME TO YOU WITH A MESSAGE. WELCOME TO THE LAND OF THE DEAD! UNTIL DANIELLE MASTERS IS RETURNED TO HER FATHER, HERE YOU SHALL REMAIN!

ANYONE WHO BRINGS A LIVING BAT TO VLAD MASTERS OR RETURNS DANIELLE MASTERS TO VLAD MASTERS SAFE AND UNHARMED WILL BE GREATLY REWARDED!

THIS CONCLUDES THE MESSAGE THAT I, TECHNUS, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY HAVE BROUGHT TO YOU!"

Of course, they aren't going to just wait around for the citizens to do the heavy lifting.

No, ultimatum delivered, Phantom, Princess Dorathea, and the Knights of Mattingly descend on the city lead by Skulker.

Invisible Vlad duplicates take Skulkers tips to heart and begin combing the city from the opposite side, while the original Vlad paces in his hotel, cursing himself for never taking a sample of Dani's ectosignature and vowing to do so the moment he gets her back - and he will get her back if they have to reduce the entire city to a smoking crater - so that he can never truly lose her again

# Dcu x Dp 193

Batman and Robin had broken into Vlad Masters Hotel because they found something that was extremely similar to Lazarus water as Damian looks around he ends up in the bed room where he finds a crib that has a sleeping baby in it underneath the crib he finds injections filled with Lazarus water and comes to the conclusion that he is experimenting on this baby. Damian decides that he needs to take her when he leave.

After creating Dani Vlads decided not to age her up and raise her himself. Vlad is using ecto injection keep her stable until he find a permanent solution.

[catflowerqueen]

#Danny spawning powers under stress

#you can take it as space powers or as king powers

#either works

#Vlad is really pumping out duplicates right now - he sent like three to Pandora because he knows she wont wait to hear him out unless he can

#mention Danny fast

#two to the far frozen

#one dupe is heading to WALKER bc he's a cop and there was a kidnapping and damn if vlad is redemption arcing

#he's still gonna use ghosts' obsessions against them if it means he gets his baby back

#like 7 more dupes are combing Gotham

#one with Danny

#another with skulker

#he's gotten better with dupes recently for the obvious reasons but he's spreading himself THIN rn

And, honestly--this would count as a "lifesaving medicine" type thing for Danielle, too. What has more ambient ectoplasm than the Infinite Realms, after all? And the Bats can't complain, since they are the ones who endangered her to begin with.

Plus, the ghosts very well do have grounds to consider this something like a threat or an act of war considering that Batman is a Justice League member, and the Justice League are supposed to protect the world at large--that means they are within their rights to consider Batman's actions on a scale larger than just his city. Especially if this is after the Anti Ecto Acts have been repealed--it could be seen as some sort of "let us get them to let down their guard" thing, that they were never being truthful about it being repealed.

Or if they weren't repealed... again--Batman as a Justice League member means that one could take his actions as the League itself condoning them, meaning that it is no longer just the US that follows the Acts, meaning that the ghosts would be justified in this level of retaliation.

Especially because I'm pretty sure Danny is going to make sure the ghosts don't harass the Gotham civilians. Especially because they already know who is at fault.

# Dcu x Dp 193

Batman and Robin had broken into Vlad Masters Hotel because they found something that was extremely similar to Lazarus water as Damian looks around he ends up in the bed room where he finds a crib that has a sleeping baby in it underneath the crib he finds injections filled with Lazarus water and comes to the conclusion that he is experimenting on this baby. Damian decides that he needs to take her when he leave.

After creating Dani Vlads decided not to age her up and raise her himself. Vlad is using ecto injection keep her stable until he find a permanent solution.