Alfred's Apprentice

Wheelchairs

Danny left work that day feeling restless. Why had Vlad saved him at all?

Why would he go to such long lengths and risk being discovered?

If course, it probably had something to do with the fact that Vlad had always been obsessed with the idea of a son with ghost powers.

Danny cringed as he boarded his invention.

It had grown darker than Danny would have liked it to be, especially compromised like this.

Danny went quick as he could to the gang hideout. He walked in swinging crutches.

"That's an improvement" Domino commented.

Danny nodded.

"And I still have a job" Danny said.

Yonkers handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Danny asked taking it like it was fragile.

Danny eyes went back and forth reading and he stared at yonkers confused.

"Your a genius kid, those gears need to be put to work" Yonkers said.

"I don't get it, you want me to go to college"

Yonkers flipped his hand left and right dismissing the idea.

"Not now if course, I just wanted to show you what you could do. Later of course. You have that rich gig right now"

Danny nodded.

"Thanks" Danny said before crutching off to his room.

Danny closed the door and set down the crutches. He took a deep breath and transformed. Tentatively he floated over his air mattress. He tried his best but he was struggling to keep himself there.

As he his thoughts wandered to Damiens kind act, his focus slipped and he fell with a soft thump onto the mattress.

"I need some air" Danny said to nobody in particular. Domino noticed Danny as he left but he didn't say anything.

Instead he quietly slipped out after him.

Danny grabbed the wheelchair and wheeled out of the hideout. He was just going to the store, or at least that's what he told himself.

He was probably going to end up surrounded by a gang before they realize who he is an back off.

The store was just around the corner. Danny pumped the chair wheels.

Something black and shiny whizzed out of nowhere and wedged itself between the wheel and the bolt stopping the wheels movement.

Danny glanced in the general direction it had come from, a large dark figure leapt from the building landing before Danny.

The figure towered over Danny. Domino had stopped just around the corner of a building and he was scared for Danny.

He knew who that was. Everyone did. It was Batman.

"What was in that syringe"

Danny's eye gleamed.

"None of your business"

Danny took firm grasp of the batorang and yanked it out with his right hand.

"You know, maybe I should confiscate this, wouldn't want any other harmless, wheelchair bound kids to be attacked" Danny said sassily.

Domino leaned forward to hear what they were saying when Danny made that quip.

Domino had to put his hand over his mouth to stop from laughing.

"This is serious. An unknown substance being injected into a child"

Domino narrowed his eyes. What was this guy talking about? Danny was injected with some random liquid, what??

"Its not unknown to me" Danny said glaring daggers.

"It out you in a wheelchair, it could be dangerous"

Danny sighed.

"You know what, I don't think this concerns you. Bye"

Danny tapped a button and the wheelchair sped off.

"Nightwing, position yourself in the left street, Robin, the right street"

Batman said into the coms. Both responded.

Danny knew he wasn't going to get very far. Its a wheelchair, there is only so much a Magyvered, motor powered wheel chair could do.

Nightwing noticed something speeding towards him. He reacted quickly grabbing the wheelchair and stopping it.

However it was empty. Nightwing swiveled his head looking for the fleeing teen.

Danny leaned up against the wall inside the closed shop that he had ducked into.

Being able to phase through things was turning out to be really handy right now.

Unfortunately his power was exhausting to use, if he tried again right now he might just pass out. Again, he would have to rely on being human.

"Anyone have eyes on the kid?" Nightwing asked into coms.

"Negative-" Batman began.

Danny tried to move as silently as possible but his legs weren't working very well. Danny cringed as he stripped and fell knocking into a glass bottle.  It made a clinking sound as it is rolled and hit the wall.

"I have the kids position" Batman said before zeroing in in Danny, who was lying on the floor in defeat.

"Now talk"

Danny sighed.

"Vlad and I share an incurable disease we got from similar accidents. Unfortunately I can't trust Vlad so I was skeptical of the syringes substance myself. It just turned out to be medicine." Danny explained.

It was a convincing lie, one that was so close to the truth yet so far.

Batman frowned. Suddenly his interrogation was interrupted by a new arrival.

"Step away from Danny you cape wearing freak" Domino said standing between the two.

He wasn't about to let Danny get hurt again.

Nightwing started cracking up.

"He's cooperating" Batman said.

Domino became like an angry momma bird.

"Right, because your the police right? That's what I thought. We are free to go, Danny's done nothing wrong"

Batman suppressed the urge to scream.

"I only want to know the substance"

"Ask the creepy old man who did this to Danny!" Domino shouted helping Danny.

Nightwing returned the wheelchair with a smirk.

"Nice trick by the way"

Danny shrugged "I try"

Domino glared at Batman nastily before the two went back to the hideout.

Danny looked curiously at Domino.

"Danny, we need to talk"