Phantom on the Shore - A Batman X Danny Phantom Crossover fanfic

You Will Reap What You Sow

Warnings for the following content: Minor description of injury, Bruce being a dick, Jason being .. Jason.

"Being with her I feel a pain, like a frozen knife stuck in my chest. An awful pain, but the funny thing is I'm thankful for it. It's like that frozen pain and my very existence are one. The pain is an anchor, mooring me here."

― Haruki Murakami, quote from Kafka on the Shore

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

Vlad seethed with an intensity that surpassed anger; it was an all-consuming rage. His search throughout the entire building for Daniel had yielded nothing—no trace of the boy remained, not even a strand of his hair. Someone had been there before him and had taken Daniel away from Vlad, leaving him with an emptiness that gnawed at his insides. Some had taken Daniel from him. But who?

After frantically soaring through the facility, Vlad found himself in the surveillance room. Despite the bloodshed, chaos, and rather .. repulsive scenes that surrounded him, he sat down in the chair, determined to uncover any leads.

Booting up the machinery, he began playing back surveillance footage. Most of it appeared mundane until one stood out prominently. Quiet literally. A figure in a bright red jacket, contrasting with a black suit adorned with a red symbol A blood-red bat symbol. The figure gripped a Ghost Investigation Ward member by the collar, holding them at gunpoint. A gun that glowed an eerily similar purple hue, catching Vlad's attention.

"You're not going to kill me," the GIW agent protested, desperation evident in their voice. "You're not going to kill me!" The video captured the moment when their voice cracked.

In response, the figure held the gun closer to the agent. Choosing to only move it as he aimed it under the Agent's chin, "Do I look like Batman to you?" There was a pause. As if the figure remembered the bat-like symbol adorned on his chest, "Rethink your answer. 'Less you want a painful death."

Vlad expressed his disgust with a hum before fast-forwarding the footage. Growing angrier by the minute by the lack of useful information during the period leading up to his arrival, he shifted his focus to a different screen. He searched each and every one of them, growing angrier and angrier as he found nothing. Just as he was about to give up, Vlad paused on a particular screen.

The figure in red was holding another figure bridal style. The figure in red was holding a boy that was disheveled and had the very same red jacket wrapped around his torso. The figure in red was holding Daniel.

The figure in red took Daniel from right under his nose. Just leaving right before Vlad arrived.

And Vlad may have had been able to catch up to the pair if he didn't spend the last hour or so searching the entire facility, and another hour searching through the footage. His frustration reached a boiling point, and with a resounding slam, Vlad's fist collided with the computer screen, cracking it in a display of sheer anger and impotent rage.

He had failed. He was too late.

Eyes clouded with anger; he hadn't noticed that the figure wasn't wearing his helmet anymore.

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

The creature stirred as lights inundated its vision, attempting to sit up but feeling an unsettling restraint on its limbs. Were its arms and legs secured to the table once more? It pondered, sensing an eerie familiarity in this situation.

If it was correct, when it awoke it would be the fifth day from the start of the week. The fifth day of the week marked painful poking and prodding towards the creature.