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Chapter Text

Danny paced back and forth as they waited for the last person to arrive for the emergency meeting of Team Phantom. It had been over a decade since they had their last one and it was just luck that four of them were in Amity Park and able to meet in the space that had once been his parents' laboratory. Jazz and Tucker were much more patiently waiting, watching Danny as he paced and they waited for Sam. Ellie and Val were in different parts of the world and wouldn't be able to make the meeting.

Finally he heard the door open and the banging of Sam's boots as she stomped down the stairs. He turned just in time to see her appear with all the fury of a rampaging ancient.

"So you got one too?" Tucker asked her.

"Yes," Sam growled.

Danny finally stopped pacing and went to stand at the bench where Jazz and Tucker sat. Sam stood with him, her anger making it as impossible to sit as Danny's annoyance and fear.

"So, all four of us woke up and found these names on our arms," Jazz said, as calm and collected as ever. "I think our first course of action should be to share and see if there is any pattern in them."

Danny nodded in agreement even if he was really unsure. He recognized his name even if none of the others would and it wasn't a good sign if there was a connection. The person he had been given the name to was no good and he was worried about what that would mean.

"I'll go first," Jazz said as she pulled up her sleeve. "It says Diana Prince."

It did. And it was scrawled across her arm in a beautiful calligraphy script. None of them recognized the name and they would be looking into her later.

Tucker was next to share, with his saying "Clark Kent" and "Lois Lane" in similar messy but highly legible prints. Sam was still shaking with anger so Danny went next. He rolled up his sleeve to show the near illegible writing.

"John Constantine," he said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

There was no reaction from them confirming that none of them knew. Which was a relief. He didn't want them to know who that was until they understood more about these names and why they had them. Though he thought he would regret it no matter what. Even if the names meant nothing. He would have the man's name burning into his head forever. Knowing that even by random chance he had been given it.

They all stared at Sam as she reluctantly pulled down the long glove she had on.

"Bruce fucking Wayne," she bit out.

So they got to talking.

As it turned out none of them had any ideas on what the names could be. Not a single idea. There was no pattern and no rhyme they could find. And that was not the least of it.

No, mere minutes after they shared their names, notification after notification came pouring in from all sources. News, social media, texts, even an emergency government alert. It wasn't just them with the new names on their wrists. It was everyone. Worldwide.

"Well this is a whole lot bigger than we thought," Tucker said, staring at the onslaught on his phone.

"If this is reciprocal and Wayne has my name on his wrist? Well whoever's fault this is better watch their back," Sam said.

She really was the one of the four taking it the worst. Though that likely had to do with the years her parents spent trying to set her up with the man in question.

Danny shuddered as he thought of all the days he spent listening to Sam rant about how annoying her parents and Bruce had been all the times she had been forced to go on "dates" with him. She had nearly quit college to escape the onslaught. But she had loved the botany program too much. He really didn't want to see what would happen now if they were forced into the same room again. Which seemed likely with the widespread appearance of the names. Danny just knew he was going to have to hold her back from him at some point during it. Unless the man had changed in the decades since they had been in contact. Though the news would have him believe otherwise.

"Whoever it was, they must be very powerful," Jazz said. "This couldn’t have been a small feat."

Danny thought of all the magic he had learned over the years. She was right. Something like this, that affected the entire human population (and possibly aliens though he had no data on that yet), would be beyond a single person. It would be beyond most magical beings. Either it was a coalition or something beyond his comprehension or knowledge.

"It was either a group or someone more than a human," he said. "A lot more. Maybe even as much as the ancients.

Jazz and Tucker nodded with the pained looks of possibly having to deal with the ancients again. All of them knew he had joined the occult community. Even to the point of having worked with a member of the Justice League Dark once. He hadn't told them who or that it had been due more to his connection to the Infinite Realms rather than his magical prowess. His friends would be no help to the JLD and the same held true the other way.

Sam on the other hand just glared.

"Well then, you will just have to help me when I go after them," she said.

"Maybe we should get more information before threatening unknown magical beings," Danny said. "You never know if they could hear you."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Where are we even supposed to go from here?" Tucker asked. "If it's not just us how do we even start?"

They all looked at Danny. It was closest to his wheelhouse. Which meant it was again his turn to be in charge of the team. For the first time in so long. He didn't miss it. He had grown used to handling the occult problems he sought out and came across on his own.

"Keep an eye on what's happening," he told them. "Follow the news. Help people stay calm. We don't know what this is yet and people are going to be distressed. If you have a contact that might know something, contact them. If not just watch and do what you can."

Nods came from all three. All of them having different levels of annoyance and fear on their faces.

-

After everyone left the house, heading back to their parents' in Sam and Tucker's cases and the hotel Jazz was staying at, Danny took a moment to just sit on his couch and think. Part of him wished Jazz had stayed but the fact she had been there as long as she had was impressive. She hated being in the house they grew up in, even if Danny had taken it over after their parents' deaths. She said it felt hostile to her, as if she was unwelcome.

Though part of him thought that was at least partially his fault. The longer it was his, the more magic he did there, the more the house awoke. So much more than their parents' experiments and ectoplasm ever had. It was likely that's why the house was waking for him so quickly. It normally took generations of magicians in the same house for it to awake. Jazz had enough of the same magic as Danny for her to feel that. And without a proper introduction she would always feel unwelcome. But he couldn't convince her to do it.

He sat and pondered the situation. Overnight the entire planet got names on their wrists. Names of other real people out in the world. And there seemed to be no rhyme or reason. There wasn't enough to know if they were reciprocal in most cases yet. And Danny wasn't sure he wanted them to be. Not with who he had.

John Constantine wasn't a bad person from what Danny had heard. Just prone to not necessarily thinking things through. And being too big a personality. He made enemies as easily as he breathed by not caring what others thought or wanted. Which Danny admired but also worried him. How was one supposed to do what they did without allies?

Though Constantine did have allies somehow. A few he worked with regularly and he was a permanent member of the Justice League Dark. A few of which Danny had worked with before. If they considered him an ally he couldn't be all bad. Even if most only put up with him because of what he could do.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Selene jumping into his lap. She immediately started kneading his legs in the way she always did when her instincts told her he was getting too lost in his head. It always pulled him out. Something about the repetitive pressure and tiny claw tips digging into his flesh.

"Hey there," he said, stroking along her spine. "Happy you got my attention?"

Her purr and the tug he felt in his head said yes she was happy with herself. He smiled at his familiar's antics. Her need to make sure he was taking care of himself warmed his heart. It felt weird to say that a cat was the being that cared the most about his well being but sometimes it felt that way. Though it wasn’t his family’s fault. They didn’t know the full extent of what he put himself through. And Selene was literally in his head.

She gave him another small poke, keeping him from falling into his head again. Danny gave her a few pets before shifting in his seat. The cat decided he wasn't going to slip again and moved next to him, knowing he would likely be standing up soon. He needed to get to work on contacting people he knew. He hoped at least one of them would have something he could use.

-

Hours and many calls later Danny still was no closer to an answer than when he had started. He had managed to get in contact with many of the people he knew and they were all in the same boat as him. They had names and no idea why. Some knew the person on their wrist and others didn't. It was a worry to everyone. The magic community was in many ways more stressed about it than the general public. They knew the amount of power it would take.

And what it meant that someone was messing with the rules of the universe that way.

The entire community was up in arms. All wanting to know who it was and what they had done. Why they had done it. Just get some information so they could fix whatever needed to be fixed. Or be ready to save the world.

He sighed and looked at the time. He could reasonably make one more call before he had to stop and get food and rest. Or at least food. There was a good chance he was not getting any rest any time soon. Not with all the unknowns. He could manage. His  ghost half let him have less effects of sleep deprivation for longer. So Danny chose the next person on his list. He didn't want to call her but it would be useful to see if the JLD managed to come up with anything yet.

The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"Danny," Zatanna said. "I really hope you are having a better time than I am."

"That depends. How bad is it for you?"

"I have been called by what seems like every member of the Justice League. Some more than once. Because it seems every single other JLD member that may be able to help is off the grid. So I am getting all of it."

She sounded tired. Which seemed like the right feeling for her. He couldn't think about dealing with all of the main Justice League members in a situation like the current one. Especially not alone.

"Then it is better for me," he said. "I've just been calling around and seeing if anyone knows anything."

"I'd much rather be doing that," she sighed. "Did you get anything?"

"Just a whole lot of nothing. No one seems to know anything. It's getting worrisome."

"I agree. The more people that don't know, the more worried I am that this is going to be bigger than we can handle."

Danny had the same fear deep in his gut.

"Then you haven't gotten anything either?"

"Just that it wasn't some of the usual suspects. They either had no idea what was going on or were trying to figure it out as well. I have a feeling if it ever gets out who did this it's going to be bad."

"I would have to agree. Let's hope we get there before anyone else."

Zatanna sighed again, louder than before. Danny gave her a moment to speak.

"I just wish John would answer his phone. Of everyone I know that I haven't gotten to he's the most likely to be able to figure out what happened. He always seems to pull out something from where I never would have thought of."

Danny knew she was talking about the same John whose name he had written on his arm. And he almost told her that. But he didn't. He trusted his friends not to do anything but Zatanna knowing John made things a lot more complicated. He didn't want to risk having to make her choose sides. It wouldn't be fair and Danny knew that John would win that almost every time. They may have broken up but she still cared for him.

"That sounds like him. On both counts."

"Unfortunately. But he's been out of contact for a bit so I should have known better than to think he would answer."

There was nothing more for either of them to say so they ended the call with a promise of sharing anything they found out. It made Danny feel something positive. Somehow he was trusted enough to be kept in the loop. If only because he had access to information that she didn't. He hoped that it meant she thought he was reliable.

He put his phone in his pocket, telling himself that he had to stop and take a break for a bit. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he overworked himself. He would get to the next stage of his research after food. Which would be reading the books he had from Clockwork and Pandora for clues on a being that could do something of this magnitude.

Selene rubbed against his legs as he put her dinner out and then as usual refused to eat until she was sure he was making food for himself. Then got to his own dinner. With a cup of the highest caffeine tea he had. He was going to ask Tucker to grab energy drinks on his way over the next day. Danny was going to need all the caffeine he could get for the next few days.

John fucked up. Like really fucked up. Like managed to change the rules of how the universe works fucked up.

And he wasn't even sure how. Just that it was absolutely his fault and the Justice League was going to have his head for it.

Because of all the things John could have fucked up, he managed to make it so that soulmates (as yet to be determined how they are assigned) were real and showed on people's arms.

So to put it in simple terms John fucked up.

Chapter Text

“So, what you’re saying is nobody has any idea what is going on?” Hal asked.

“That’s right. So far no one I’ve been able to contact in the magical community knows what’s happened. Or even has an idea about what might have happened. This kind of universe level event doesn’t have much in the way of precedent,” Zatanna explained.

Bruce listened as they went through the information yet again. They had talked in circles a few times without getting any closer to anything. What needed to happen was for someone to actually find some information. Which wasn’t happening while they distracted Zatanna from being able to do research.

“Is there anyone that might have information you are still waiting for?” Clark asked, holding his wrist.

As of yet none of them had shared the names that they had gotten. They had all admitted to getting a name, or in a few cases two, just like every person on Earth. Possibly beyond as well though the Green Lanterns were still waiting for confirmation on that. Bruce was doing his best to not think about the name on his wrist. He didn’t like the guilt that it caused.

“Just Constantine. Unfortunately we think he is most likely to know something. At least where to start looking,” she said, the exasperation for the magician clear in her voice. “No one has heard from him in a few weeks though. Off on one of his ‘jaunts’.”

Silence fell in the meeting room, with only the barely there sounds of the life support systems. Knowing that Constantine was their best hope of learning something was no one’s idea of good news. Especially if it was when he was out of contact. There was no telling when they would get anything with that being the case. It was endlessly frustrating to them all. Bruce was especially annoyed since this was the first time he was hearing about him going dark again.

“It’s time to move on,” he said. “Talking in circles longer will get us nowhere. Those who have the ability to go research take your leave. Everyone else please for a bit longer.”

Only a few members of the meeting stood to leave, namely Zatanna and Captain Marvel. Which made sense. They both had many magical resources. Captain Marvel had already said that he had sent some of his team to keep researching in their library while he came to the meeting. And Zatanna always seemed to have something she could be looking into. Just because her contacts hadn’t known anything didn’t mean that her books didn’t hold secrets. She just hadn't had time to look at them with everyone trying to talk to her.

"What exactly do you think the rest of us need to do?" Hal asked, looking annoyed at having to stay longer.

"It might be a good idea for those of us here to see if there are any patterns in the names we received," Bruce explained. "Possibly even share them."

"Are you sure about that?" Clark asked, shifting a bit nervously. "Don't you think that would be a security risk?"

"No more a risk than possibly having a known threat," Bruce said.

He wasn't completely sure that was true. But he was sure that there was a possibility and that any patterns they noticed would be useful. There was something that everyone was missing and he wasn't sure. Not with how few data points he had. Mainly his own and what Zatanna had shared when they had spoken in private. She had a name that neither of them had recognized nor had anything notable pop up with a quick search. His own was someone that he had known before.

"Then why don't you go first?" Oliver said, taunting him in the way he was prone to.

Bruce met his eyes the best he could with both of them wearing masks.

"Samantha Manson," he said simply.

Oliver paused. Then the light bulb went off in his head.

"The goth girl from Illinois with the way too intense parents?"

"The one and only."

"Huh. Well then, I got Dinah's name," Oliver said.

"And I got Oliver's," Dinah added. "We also both got someone named Valerie Gray."

She looked somewhere between perturbed and amused. Which often was her expression when dealing with this kind of thing. Bruce was intrigued by the fact they had each other and a second shared as well. There was something to be said about it.

"Neither of us have a clue who that is," Oliver said.

"Lois and I have the same situation," Clark said. "We have each other and both of us have the name Tucker Foley as well."

"Really? You got a second name? That's out of character," Oliver said.

"We don't even know what they mean. How can it be out of character?" Clark said, mildly offended.

Bruce could feel that a fight was coming. Clark wasn't easy to rile up but Oliver in particular going after his relationship with Lois was bound to start one. He took a breath ready to stop them but Barry got there first with an even better distraction.

"Iris and I just have each other," he said. "No extra."

He elbowed Hal who shot a dirty look at the speedster before sharing as well.

"Mine says Danielle Fenton. Never heard the name before," he said.

Diana who had been mostly silent the entire time looked at him, with the look that said he had just become more interesting. It was a rare look on her face but it sent the usual shiver down Bruce's spine. It was one that reminded him though they were her friends, she was much older than she looked. And far enough from human that sometimes it slipped through.

"Interesting. One of mine shares the last name of yours," she said. "Jasmine Fenton."

"And the other?" Bruce prompted.

Diana looked at him and he saw a glimmer of sadness when their eyes met.

"Steve Trevor. A soldier I knew," she said. "During World War Two. He died during the war."

Everyone looked concerned about that. The dead were not spared from having their names appear for someone. It was concerning to Bruce. What could be so important about these names that made it so that not even death could separate it? What did that mean about the purpose?

"That's not ominous at all," Hal said. "Dead people showing up as marks? What could possibly go wrong there?"

It was a mirror of Bruce's own thoughts. There was something more going on that they would have to figure out. The nods of agreement around the table gave away that everyone was feeling the same thing.

"The only commonality I see across them is that a majority of the known names are romantic partners," Diana said. "Other than Bruce's."

"Sam is anything but a romantic partner," Bruce said. "But we also have very few data points. There are only seven of us here and adding in Zatanna, Lois, and Iris only brings us to ten. Compared to all of humanity. Possibly all sapient life."

"Very true," Diana said with a nod.

"So what now?" Barry asked.

"We try to keep the world running through the panic until we can figure out what is going on," Bruce said.

The meeting broke up after that, with everyone going back to where they came. It would be best for them to follow as much of their normal routines as they could while they waited for more information to come. It wouldn't do for them to add to the panic gripping the world. Not while they were the ones many were looking to for answers.

-

It was quiet in the cave while Bruce sat at the computer doing what he could. He didn't think he would be able to figure much out but he could start looking into the names that he had gotten from his teammates. Just to make sure there was no one too dangerous or a known risk. After finding nothing but typical media speculation about what was going on in the world he switched to the names. He started with his own.

Sam had a lot of hits on the general web. More than he had expected but once he started reading he was only mildly surprised. Sam had taken to using her family's name and money to advocate for all sorts of things, but her main focuses seemed to be climate and youth programming. The climate stuff he expected, she had been passionate about it even when they had been young, but the youth programming surprised him. It wasn't specialized to underprivileged youth like so many programs were, but it focused on letting any child regardless of background gain experiences they might not otherwise have had. Even for something so different she had been able to make so many things happen, including some programs in Gotham. He made a note to look further into it and see what he could do to help. It was something he hadn't seen much of.

The more he read about what Sam had gotten up to since the last time he had seen her when he was in college the more intrigued he was. There was something more to her than he had thought. When he was young he thought everything she was saying was just another way to rebel. But it wasn't just that. There was no way she would have kept it up for decades if that was all it was.

It only stood to make his guilt at the way he treated her back when they had known each other. The years of so called dates they had been set up on where he made his socialite persona as annoying as possible to her. He had never been sure why he kept ending up on them even though he truly had no interest in a partner at that time. But every time a set up had been made with her he went. He knew she was only doing it because of her parents and had to deal with him. Bruce knew she hated him more and more each time. But he hadn't been able to stop himself from going each time.

After wallowing for longer than he cared to admit, Bruce started looking into the other names that he had been given. There was a lot less on any of them than on Sam. A perk of not having to be in the public eye. But what he did find was interesting. Four of the other names all came from the same small city that Sam did. Which was more of a coincidence than he liked. But there was nothing in any of their backgrounds that spoke of them being anything but normal. Danielle and Jasmine did turn out to be sisters, with a brother in between, but there was nothing more about them that was particularly interesting. Their late parents on the other hand had some interesting research that Bruce saved to look at another time when there wasn't a crisis going on.

-

"Hey, B, do you have a minute?" Dick asked, leaning on the desktop.

Bruce pulled his eyes away from the screen of the computer. He had no idea how long he had been researching, trying to find anything more than he had. It was more than time for a break and the tone in Dick's voice was off. Off in a way that worried Bruce. He had failed to listen to it before and it never ended well.

"Of course I do," he said. "It's not like I have actually managed to find anything useful."

"About these names?"

Dick waved his wrist at Bruce. The one that they both knew where all the names had appeared. Dick had his covered with a wide bracelet that was tight against his skin. Something most people had done quickly from what Bruce had seen, keeping the names covered with accessories or clothes, anything to keep those around them from spotting the names without permission.

"Yes, there isn't anything on the internet that I have found, and I don't exactly have much access to magical texts," he said.

He turned his chair to fully face Dick. And saw the look on his face more clearly in the low light of the cave. Dick was showing a lot of worry on his face. There were lines around his eyes that he was much too young to have and the frown of his mouth gave him away. He wasn't angry, but still upset. Worried enough about whatever was bothering him that he was being much more blunt than he had been with Bruce in a while.

"So, you have nothing about what they might mean?" he asked.

"Not as of yet," Bruce said. "Everyone that can is working on it, but so far there's not much to go off of. Someone needs to come up with somewhere to start before we can even begin to figure out what is happening."

Dick's face went from worried to dejected as he hopped up to sit on the desktop with a loud sigh. The look made it so Bruce didn't even have the heart to scold him or otherwise show his distaste for the action.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bruce asked.

"I was hoping you would have something," Dick said. "I have multiple people upset with me over the names."

Bruce made a humming noise that was supportive and questioning at the same time.

"I got two names."

"A number of people that I have talked to got multiple as well," Bruce said. "They aren't overly worried or upset."

"Yeah, but I bet most of them have a complete trio or don't know at least one of the names."

He made a placating gesture with his hands.

"That is true. I take it that is not the case for you."

"Nope," Dick sighed. "I got both Wally and Barbara's names. And they both have me. But not each other."

Bruce flinched just a little. He could only imagine how the other two would feel about that. There were complicated feelings between all of them, with Dick having been romantically involved with both at different points in time. Off and on with both and seemingly unable to be happy with one or the other. The whole situation was most stable when Dick was with neither of them.

"I can see where that would get complicated," Bruce said.

"They are both upset and we don't even know what they fucking mean!" Dick said forcefully, throwing his hands up. "I don't know what to do with it. Other than keep telling them we shouldn't get upset about things we don't yet understand."

"I agree."

Seeming to get what he wanted, Dick hopped back off the desktop and headed for the stairs to the manor. Likely to get comfort food from Alfred. Who was cooking up a storm in the kitchen as his way of dealing with whatever name he had received.

Bruce sighed and turned back to the computer.

-

"Why are you claiming that you have no idea what you did?" the large glowing being asked, her voice both curious and surprisingly calm considering the magic she performed. "The world has changed because of you."

John looked up at her mystified.

"I still have no idea how what I did changed the rules of the universe," he said. "I know I fucked up but not even I could fuck up that badly."

"Ah, you don't know why your choices led to this outcome. I am sure you will figure it out."

She started to drift away from where John stood.

"Wait!" he called. "How do I fix this?"

"There is nothing to fix."

She vanished, just like so many of the others he had encountered since getting stuck where he was, taking with her the pink glow, leaving only the swirling purple and green around him.

Chapter Text

"Oliver Queen," Valerie spat out over the phone. "One of the fucking names I got is Oliver Queen."

Danny flinched at the venom in her voice, even if she could not see him. Valerie was not as mad as Sam about her name, but by the sound of it she was not that far behind. Though it would be hard for anyone to match the pure wrath that Sam was showing. Even though she had left to go try and do something, she still kept going back into the group chat to vent. Which was only slightly annoying when he was waiting to see if his friends either needed help or found some sort of information.

He had been contemplating silencing his phone for a while to focus on his books when Valerie had called. To get mad about the names on her wrist. One of whom was Oliver Queen. A name that was familiar to Danny, but he couldn't quite place it at first.

"The billionaire from Star City?" Danny asked, wanting to make sure that he was thinking of the right person.

"Yes, that one," Valerie said. "And while yes he's not as bad as some of the rich assholes out there, I'm still not happy."

Danny made an understanding noise. He would let Valerie vent to him. It was one of the few things that he was still able to do with her since their last and final breakup five years prior. Which had hurt but it was for the best. They were finally getting back to being friends again after all of the on again off again that they had done for so many years.

"At least he's not Bruce Wayne," Danny said.

While he knew that Queen was known for being a much more annoying person, thanks to Sam they all had a grudge against Wayne.

"True enough," Valerie said. "Wait, please tell me you didn't get him. I don't want to know what Sam would do if you got him."

"I didn't," Danny said. "But Sam did."

There was a long pause. Danny knew that the call hadn't been dropped because he could still hear her breathing. But she said nothing for a very long time. Danny let her have her moment. She was just letting herself get her comments under control and not say anything too insensitive. Even if Sam wasn't there to hear it. He was about to say something when she spoke again.

"Oh she can't be happy about that," she said with laughter in her voice.

"She's not. I fear for the life of whoever or whatever caused this."

"Oh they are so doomed. Unless they somehow manage to figure out how to fix it before she finds them."

"Then they might escape with only dismemberment."

It was nice to slip into the banter with Valerie. The day had been so stressful and he hadn't had much time to breathe. Other than when he had been dragged out of it by Selene.

"I feel bad for Wayne too. Having to deal with Sam if they end up in the same room again."

"I do too," Danny said. "Now, you said you had two names. Who's the other?"

He didn't necessarily need to know. But he wanted to. It would help to keep track of things if he knew. And maybe even provide some clues as to what the names might mean if he had more data. Because even magical phenomena were easier to figure out with more data. And the scientific method. Though Danny rarely admitted that was the method he used when talking to other magical practitioners.

"Dinah Lance, Queen's wife."

"Interesting," Danny said.

It was. The only other person who had two was Tucker and his were a married couple too. He was very curious to know what name or names they had. He was really wishing that he knew some married people that wouldn't question why he was so curious about the names.

"Agreed. Now I have to go. I have a meeting about the possible security risks that these could cause. Another one. Everyone is having them today."

He did not envy her job with everything. Being a security consultant in a mess like this would be so much work. Sure he was doing a lot of work, but at least his could be mostly done alone from his own home.

They said their goodbyes and Danny hung up the phone. Then shot a quick text to Ellie reminding her to message him back as soon as she could. It was odd she hadn't but she was probably busy with whatever was happening where she was. He decided he was done with it for the moment and put it in the emergencies only mode so that he could read with less disruptions. He read the books he had pulled off the shelves, knowing that it was unlikely that there would be anything but not having any other leads, especially so late in the day. And kept reading until he fell asleep at the table.

-

He was awoken by the insistent poking of Selene. It was morning and she was very annoyed by the lack of breakfast. Which meant instead of getting to baby his aching back, Danny had to get up and feed her. He was getting way too old to fall asleep at the table but desperate times called for desperate measures.

He fed Selene and ate a bit to make her happy. He felt her contentment in his head at him doing the bare minimum of feeding himself. While he ate he checked his phone for any messages. There were a few, a couple from contacts with more answers about knowing nothing, a few more complaints from Sam, and one from Ellie. Which told him that the name that she had gotten was someone named Harold Jordan. He sent that and Valerie's names off to Tucker to add to his research. He was looking into all of their names.

Danny just hoped that Constantine had managed to stay off the internet. Or else having to explain who he was would happen faster than he intended it to.

Once he was done he went to shower and get some new clothes. And right when he was finishing there was a loud crash.

He ran for the sound. And quickly found the source of it in the kitchen. Selene had knocked over a bunch of stuff that he had sitting on one of the counters. The counter next to the basement door. Where all the stuff had scattered and Selene sat, completely unharmed.

Sighing, Danny got to work getting everything picked up. But the second he was done, Selene was pawing at the door to the basement. Which was something she had never done before. He watched her and the door. Then sat down on the floor instead of doing anything. Selene was instantly on his lap meowing at him until he started to pet her. Which got her to stop but she wasn't completely happy with him and kept looking at the door pointedly.

He wondered just how much smarter than the average cat being his familiar had made her. It was significant. But that was a problem for another time. He had to deal with what she was trying to tell him first.

Her message was clear. Danny needed to go into the basement. The one place in his house that he did not want to go. The one place that was still not truly his even after the years that the house had been his domain. No, the basement was still his parents' and he felt like an intruder whenever he went into it. The area felt actively hostile to him. Almost like it was still waiting for his parents to come back. All he had managed to do in the time he had lived there was to go down and make sure nothing would explode or leach toxic chemicals into the surroundings. The feeling kept him from doing much more, even if clearing out their stuff would likely help the issue.

He had been dreading the next time he would have to go down there for weeks. It was almost time to make sure that everything was still safe until the next time he went down there. Danny knew how much it would suck to go down there, as nothing science or magical had yet managed to make it any easier to be down there.

After a few minutes he could feel Selene's impatience with him growing. If he didn't make a move in the direction she wanted soon, she would take more drastic measures against him. And as a cat she did not understand why violence was not the answer. So, he decided it was time to go into the breach.

He stood up, picking Selene up as he did. She squirmed and wiggled her way up and around to perch on his shoulder. Then settled to just become a comforting presence as he walked toward the basement door. He reached and paused again. He didn't even have a good idea of why he was going down there. Just that Selene was convinced that morning that he had to go down there. Danny couldn't even come up with any reason why his parents' work might have to do with the current predicament of the world.

Selene dug her claws into his shoulder, more than it was necessary to keep her balance while he was standing still. Taking it as the sign it was, he started the process of unlocking the door. There were three different locks, one with a physical key, one with a code, and a third that looked like another code pad but was actually a magical guard that would only open for approved people. Danny was not taking any chances with his parents' work getting into the wrong hands. There were more than one group after it, even so long after their deaths.

It also made him slow down and not rush into going down there as much. Well he could phase through the floor into it, but the ritual of opening the door was important to him. He pretty much couldn't go into the basement without going through the door anymore.

Once unlocked he opened the door and descended down the stairs, only pausing long enough to turn the lights on as he got to the bottom. There was a thin layer of dust on many of the surfaces, a sign that it really had been a bit too long since he had gone down to check on things. But even that did not make him want to be down there any more than he had before entering.

The basement was almost the same as it had been his entire life. There was all the lab equipment that his parents had used all around. Though unlike when they had been alive, the benches were clear of their tools and experiments, which had been cleared away. It was also much quieter with most of the equipment having been shut down the same time that everything else had been put away. The only things that were still running being the portal and the computer that monitored it.

Danny would have shut those down too if he could have. But the way that the portal had been opened made it impossible. Because not only was it powered by electricity, it was also powered by the magic of a sacrifice. His life sacrifice. that made him into the half ghost and half human being that he still lived as. And the day that he closed the portal for good would be the day that his existence ended. That he knew for sure after all the magical research that he had put into the thing. It had been one of the first things he tried to figure out after inheriting the house. The main reason that he had decided to make it his home. He couldn't let just anyone live there. Not with the fact that his existence hung in the continued existence of the portal.

He looked around and didn't get a feeling of exactly why he had been told by Selene to go down there. And she wasn't giving him any help on that front either, just sitting on his shoulder. So he went to the computer. It was the most likely place that he would be able to get information. And he could check to see if everything was still working as it should.

It was according to the readings. There were no signs that anything had escaped or even attempted to. Which was so different from what he had been trained to expect from the portal. But he was fine with it. It meant that he could go days or even weeks forgetting that he wasn't fully human. A gift that he had never expected to receive.

After the checks he decided to look at the deeper scanning logs which were the ones that looked for things happening other than escape attempts. And his blood ran cold.

On the log, at the exact moment that the names appeared on everyone's wrists, there was a spike in energy. A massive spike. One of the biggest he had ever seen. And not the energy of a ghost like Desiree or Skulker or Technus. No, it was the energy of a much more powerful ghost. Someone like Clockwork or Undergrowth.

An Ancient.

One that he did not have the data to be able to identify.

That was why he had been forced down there by Selene. Because whatever had happened to the world it came from the Infinite Realms. It was going to be his job to figure it our. For he was the only practitioner that knew anything about the realm. Who had the knowledge and power to figure it out. Who could go to the realm and get help from those that called it home.

Danny was going to have to go back into the Ghost Zone.

-

John sat on the floating rock, trying to think of anything that might be able to help him get home. Or figure out just where he was. His surroundings and the being that he had encountered were not enough for him to make much of a guess. There were multiple places that he could be that he knew of and so many more that he didn't. He didn't have enough materials to do much in the way of magic, nor did he know if it was safe.

There certainly was no indication that it was safe for him to leave the rock he was on. There was a bubble around it and there was a very clear indication to him that the atmosphere outside was not safe for him to go out into.

So he sat on the rock.

"Oh dear, you're still alive," a woman's voice said.

John looked around not seeing anyone. That was until two people faded into view in front of him. A couple dressed in formal wear, much more human looking than the other being that he had seen. He didn't even have a clue to what she had been. But they had the same not quite solid feel to them. It was hard to tell color but he was pretty sure that in natural form the man would have had black hair and the woman auburn.

"Still alive?" he asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"It's not common around here," the man said. "This being the ghost zone and all."

Well bloody hell.