All That Remains

Regret

   If Danny wasn't regretting helping the Titans before, he definitely was now.

   "Ghosts?!" Danny physically winced at the loud shout, nearly rolling his eyes at how the changeling was shaking in fear. "Like- Like in the movies!? With teeth, and c-claws, and-"

   "Beast Boy, ghosts don't exist." Cyborg glared at the raised eyebrow Danny gave him, though the halfa couldn't be bothered to care.

   "Danny, you can't be serious." Robin spoke flatly, ignoring the two bickering Titans. He couldn't hold back the loud snort that escaped his throat.

   "You don't believe in ghosts?" He laughed, a pained, bitter sound. "You don't bat an eye at aliens, shape shifters, cyborgs, and fucking demons, but draw the line at ghosts? Unbelievable." Danny scoffed, finding the situation both ridiculous and frustrating.

   "Listen kid, there's no scientific evidence of ghosts existing-"

   "And yet, you fought one. Or tried to, from what I heard." Danny cut Cyborg off, once again raising his eyebrow at the Titan. They couldn't be serious. No one was this dense. Or this uninformed, for that matter. Danny took in a deep breath, thoroughly regretting his decision to help. "Listen, it doesn't matter whether you believe in ghosts or not, 'cause they exist regardless. And you need a way to fight them."

   "Forgive me, but I do not understand what you speak of. What is this 'ghost?' And why do my friends not 'believe in them,' as you say?" Danny huffed, his irritation building at the alien's question.

   "You ever think about what happens when you die?" Starfire shook her head. "Really? You never-" he cut himself off. "You know what? Never mind. Ghosts are what some people become when they die. Understand?" She nodded her head, though it was obvious she still had questions. Danny, however, ignored her curious gaze, not in the mood to deal with stupid questions from an alien's perspective. "Anyway, you need weapons."

   "And how are we gonna do that? Only Raven was able to touch the guy!" Beast Boy suddenly shouted, seeming momentarily over his fear. Let's see how long that lasts.

   "Do you ever listen? I just said that I'm gonna make you weapons," Danny snapped, feeling the generally tight grip over his anger slip a bit.

   "You? Make weapons?" Danny internally groaned at the cyborg's obvious doubt. He was not in the mood.

   "You want me to leave? The ghosts are your problem, not mine. If you want to get rid of one of the only ways to fight them, then be my guest. I'll leave. Don't drag yourself to my doorstep when you fuck up."

   Silence followed his outburst. Danny just crossed his arms, meeting the team's shocked gazes individually; knowing the exact moment they realized their position. Without Danny, they didn't have much. They had some vague concepts, and one mediocre fight. Perhaps Robin, Cyborg, and even Raven could do their own research, but that would take months, years. The Titans couldn't take that chance, and Danny knew it. He may not want to be there, (a massive fucking understatement,) but he was. Because, if he knew one thing, Clockwork wouldn't have convinced this group primarily made up of paranoid "heroes" to find him if it wasn't necessary. And he sure as hell wouldn't have ignored the obvious risks that would go along with revealing himself.

   "Alright," Cyborg, surprisingly, spoke first. Though, there was a heavy tone of reluctance. "What do you need?"

   "First thing's first, you will have to get into contact with someone." Danny rubbed his temples, another headache steadily growing there at the mere thought of what he was about to do. "Vlad Masters."

   "Masters? Why does that name sound familiar?" Cyborg frowned in confusion.

   "That's because he's one of the richest men in the country," Robin spoke now, his voice flat, "and has worked with a variety of corrupt agencies." Danny winced slightly, knowing very well what the bastard had done. Though, Danny did have to admit that the fruit loop had stopped as much in the past few years. Still a bastardly fruit loop, though.

   "So you know of him. Unfortunate." He sighed, knowing that what he said next couldn't be avoided, but he would damn well try anyway. "I'll give you a list of materials I'll need. He'll be able to get them to you. And do not mention my name. Understand?" Danny didn't particularly care how harsh his voice came out. He had other things to worry about, after all.

   "How are we supposed to do that? And what are you going to be doing?" Beast Boy demanded, Danny's harsh tone breaking him out of his silence.

   "Figure it out, kid. Not my problem." He bit out, his headache giving a painful throb. "And I will be happily unconscious, if all goes to plan." Without another word, he left, shoving past the other teens on his way out.

   He was going to regret this. Danny was absolutely going to regret this.