The above artwork does not belong to me.

Zatanna struggled to keep her expression neutral as she witnessed Danny struggling against Miss Martian.

Truthfully, she was impressed he hadn't been subdued by her mental abilities.

The ghost scowled. He looked tired and haggard, although he had stayed surprisingly calm, given how hard he had fought during his capture. The whole team had been watching when Superboy had placed cuffs on him without a struggle.

He fixed his eyes on each of them before speaking. "What do you even want with me, anyway? I'm no use to you."

Robin leaned against the table, keeping his cool around potential enemies as always. "How about an information exchange? We tell you why you're here, and you answer a couple of questions."

"It depends on the questions," Danny said. "And what methods you use to get the answers."

The masked hero nodded. "Fair enough."

Having separated during the mental battle, the team rejoined their minds. What do you think he's up to? Artemis asked. He seems too accepting, too . . . docile.

I agree, Kaldur put in. He must have a plan.

Maybe he thinks someone will get him out of here, Conner suggested. Maybe he's waiting for his own team.

The suggestion seemed to worry everyone. Although their faces were blank, Zatanna could feel her comrades' emotions via their telepathic link. The only one that none of them could read was Phantom. His ecto-green eyes remained as mysterious and distrustful as ever.

Silently the team agreed to have someone other than Miss Martian question him. He seemed to have something against shapeshifters.

With a jolt, Zatanna heard Robin ask her to try her luck at talking to him. Reluctantly, she agreed. Here goes nothing.

"So, Phantom," she began. "Since those other questions seemed to be a bit much for you, let's try something else."

"You were communicating," he interjected, looking at her and the others. "I'm right, aren't I? You were somehow communicating silently. Like Eragon and Saphira." He grinned a little. "That's kind of cool. Super creepy and rude, but cool."

"Eragon and Saphira?" Artemis muttered.

"I read big books sometimes," he said, looking offended.

Zatanna glanced at Robin, who motioned for her to go on.

"We're getting off topic," she said, snaring his attention. "As I was saying, I get the feeling that it would be more effective if we tried something else. How about we get to know you a little?"

He kicked his feet under the table, but said nothing.

"I'll go first. I'm Zatanna. What's your name?"

"You know my name. Don't treat me like a preschooler."

Wally scoffed. "Then don't act like one."

Danny's eyes flashed. "Maybe you wouldn't have to deal with me if you would let me go home."

Grasping at straws, Zatanna clapped her hands onto the table. "And where is that, Danny? Where is home? Where does a ghost live?"

He looked at her like she was stupid. "You do know what a ghost is, right?"

She raised a brow. "Enlighten me."

He sighed. "I'm dead. I've been dead for a while. Restless spirits with obsessions and unfinished business or who weren't at peace at their death sometimes stay on earth until their tasks are finished. When not on earth, they go to the Ghost Zone."

What kind of unfinished business could Phantom have?

"The Ghost Zone?" Kaldur queried.

"Nope," Danny said. "Information exchange. That's what you said. Tell me something I want to know."

"Like what?" Zatanna asked.

Phantom shifted his gaze to Megan. "You. Miss Martian. You're from Mars, then?"

Taken a little off guard, she nodded.

He leaned forward. "Shapeshifters. Are they only on Mars? Is there only one type of shapeshifter?"

Miss Martian blinked rapidly. "I-- I think there are some mutant shapeshifters, but as far as I know, the rest are from Mars. And yes, there are two types. White and green."

"You must be green, then," he murmured, almost to himself.

She looked taken aback. "N-no, I'm a white Martian."

He narrowed his eyes. "But the other one was white, and it was different from you. It- it wasn't as smart. It couldn't turn invisible. Your minds-- they feel similar, but different."

Zatanna glanced at the others. Any idea what he's talking about? she asked M'gann.

I'm not sure what he's talking about, she admitted hesitantly. Although, I think I may have heard of some creatures similar to the Martians that lived on our planet. They're all gone now, but they weren't as intelligent as us, and, if I remember correctly, their real base forms were white. And they didn't just turn into other creatures-- they could make themselves look like objects, too.

You're saying that he met one of those things? Conner asked.

But they've been extinct for at least a thousand years! Megan thought to the team, confusion rolling off of her. It makes no sense.

Danny began to tap his fingers on the table. "You're doing it again."

Zatanna snapped back into reality. "Dude, how can you tell?" Wally asked.

The ghost rolled his eyes. "It's pretty obvious. You all get blank faces like you're zoning out. Except for Flash Kid. He makes weird expressions like he's talking to himself."

"It's Kid Flash!" he protested. "And I do not make weird faces!"

Danny put his hands up in a placating gesture, the cuffs clinking. "If you want to think that, be my guest." He furrowed his brows as he switched subjects. "But I still don't understand what the heck you are, or what the other shapeshifter was," he muttered almost to himself, plainly referring to Miss Martian.

The boy obviously wasn't going to fill them in. Hesitantly, Zatanna reached out to his mind.

Before he was able to set barriers in place, she sensed several intense emotions coming from him. Fear, confusion, determination, longing-- and desperation. Desperation to keep some massive secret that no one else should know about.

Danny's eyes glowed green as he realized what she had discovered. He screamed in his head, go away! Go away! Over and over he thought it until his mind was completely clear of all else and she couldn't sense anything more from him.

The ghost stood. "Get out of my head," he growled, deadly calm.

The rest of the team blinked, surprised. They'd been having their own mental conversation when their battle had been raging.

"Get out of my head, Zatanna," he snarled. "Didn't we just establish that my mind is off-limits?"

The magician's daughter was taken aback. She wasn't only surprised at the feelings that he was harboring, but also at the sheer power of his mental capabilities. He was just a ghost. He was dead. He shouldn't be that strong.

"I-- I'm sorry," she began, not knowing what to say. "I didn't mean to--"

"No you're not," he interjected. "You're not sorry. You're just curious. Curious about me, about what I can do. But you're definitely not sorry; I could tell that much when our minds touched."

"You-- you heard my thoughts?" Her blood ran cold.

"It's a two-way street, magician," he answered coldly.

A two-way street . . . she would have to be more careful in the future.

Kaldur started to speak. "I apologize, my friend. I can assure you that this will not happen again."

"Save it," he snapped. "I don't feel like cooperating anymore. I know you'll do whatever's necessary to get the information you want."

To anyone else, Robin's face may have appeared blank, but Zatanna knew him well enough to recognize the subtle signs that his teeth were clenched. He was frustrated, perhaps even angry.

And it was probably Zatanna's fault.

Meanwhile, Danny's teeth were clenched as well. No one else in the room knew, but he could feel his ectoplasmic energy waning. He couldn't keep his ghost form for much longer.

He had to do something about his situation before anything else went wrong.

◇◆◇◆

Hey, yo! How're you doing? I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a week, but a lot was happening. Are you still enjoying my story? I hope so.

Question of the chapter:
Marvel or DC?

My answer:
Personally, I'm a Marvel girl, so writing this has proven to be a challenge so far. But don't worry, I'm doing my research. I know less about DC than Marvel, but I definitely know more than the average person.

Opinions? Theories? Ideas? Let me know!

Leopard out!