Ch.1: Yup… That's Him

Batman sighed, looking through his binoculars for the umpteenth time in the past half-hour. Superman was beside him, as it was his city (stupid universal hero laws), just as impatient as the Dark Knight in such a bland and un-amusing situation.

Taking a long, deep breath, Superman asked "I thought you said he was going to here on time?"

"Because he tells the truth so… often…" Batman answered, slowly looking at the Kryptonian beside him with a heated glare. The Kryptonian frowned at his friend while Batman shook his head, looking through his binoculars again.

They waited in silence, a club overflowing with people on the other side of the street. The music was loud; the sounds of people screaming overtop each other louder. Girls in short, tight party dresses wandered around while guys in flashy suits looked after them, lights twinkling in their eyes. Bodies danced around, holding drinks in the air. Some smoked; others didn't. It didn't matter who you were in there; you could be anyone you wanted.

And their little decoy had yet to show up, the little pest.

Batman pulled something out of his belt, still looking through the binoculars, and shoved it into Superman's hands. "Call him. Now."

The Man of Steel did, ignoring the blatant threat behind the Dark Knight's words, and quickly dialed their contact's number. He waited for about ten rings before there was a pause.

"If you have this number, you obviously must mean something to me, whether you may be my crappy supervisor or my shrink sister. If you need me, leave a message. I will get back to you when I find it convenient. Or I might not at all, who knows? It all depends on my mood."

BEEP.

"He didn't answer. What do you want me to say?" Superman asked. Batman reached out, making a grab-gesture towards the phone while still looking through his binoculars. Superman placed it in the Dark Knight's hands and Batman pressed it to his ear, a blank look on his face.

"Danny… If you don't get your lazy arse down to the Shining Star Club this instant, you will be found dead in a ditch tomorrow morning. Do you understand me? Dead. In. A. Frikkin. Ditch. If you choose to ignore this message, the cops are going to have to use dental records to figure out who the heck you are. Thank you for your time."

Batman turned the phone off with a small click and easily slipped it back into his belt calmly. He put his free hand back to the sides of his binoculars, easily settling into emotionless silent again.

Superman took a step away from the Dark Knight, just in case his head exploded or something of the like.

The two heroes scanned the block over and over again, looking out for their pesky decoy that lacked any and all common decency. While they waited, they watched the people walking up and down the street. You could tell that some were prostitutes. Others were simply taking a stroll. There were a few couples, talking and laughing together. There was a group of teenagers hanging out on one of the block corners, chatting away idly without a care in the world.

Much to Batman's intense relief, there was a loud roar of a motorcycle in the distance. A jet black bike with electric green wheels flew down the road, going way above the legal speed limit. The figure on the back easily directed his bike in and out of traffic, his bike full-face helmet hiding his identity from the other drivers.

The motorcyclist easily coasted into a parking spot along, squeezing in-between two cars without any difficulty. The figure clad in black turned the ignition off, sitting up straight as he did. He removed the helmet from his head, running his hands through his hair and messing it up.

The ebony-haired nineteen-year-old set the helmet down in front of him, shooting a smirk towards the two heroes. Danny mouthed "You gonna throw me in a ditch now?" up to the Dark Knight, batting his eye cutely and tilting his head to the side to add more effect to the whole 'I'm-Adorable' thing he had going on.

Batman scowled, not amused in the least, while Superman shook his head and squinted at the boy. "Oh please tell me he did not dye his hair again…"

As said, Danny's ebony bangs were ebony no more. They were blood red, sticking out distinctly against his black clothes. He looked more like he was about to walk into a biker bar than he did a night club with a loose, black leather jacket overtop a plain black t-shirt. He wore his typical black jeans and combat boots to go with the rest of his attire. The only thing he lacked that was usually with him was his beanie.

"How does he get his hair dyed that quickly? Does he have a Goth version of Hot Hues or something?" Batman asked sarcastically, knowing he would never get the answer to the question he was seeking.

Superman sighed, shaking his head. "Red is better than that green-yellow color he tried one time."

"Amen to that." Batman mumbled, shaking his head at the memory. That had not been a pleasant experience for anybody and Danny had complained about it for months. They had tried to reason that it was his fault since he chose the color but, with Danny, there is and never will be such a thing as reason.

Danny, grinning up at the heroes, hummed and did a little wave to them, knowing such a thing would tick off his almost-supervisor very much. He swung his leg over his bike, letting his boot-clad foot hit the ground with a small, dull thump. He turned around, spinning so his back faced the heroes, and hopped onto the sidewalk. The nineteen-year-old walked along down the concrete slabs, brimming with the confidence of a peacock. Some of the older folks glanced at him suspiciously, noticing his excessive use of leather and the way his bangs were bright red. The Dark-Net Creator smiled at them, dark but cute, and continued on his way, putting the older couples on edge.

He probably looked really suspicious at that moment. Batman was going to be so ticked with him.

…but did he really care?

He found the answer was a blatant no.

Danny turned when he reached the steps leading up to the club's doors. There were two tough bodyguards standing in the frame, watching every person that moved through the door and memorizing their faces, in case something illegal happened later.

Well… At least if someone got caught. It was never illegal unless you got caught in the middle of the crossfire.

Danny confidently strode up the steps, past a line of people waiting to get in. People looked at him with different emotions. Most were watching his pompous self walk up the steps with disdain. Some of the girls, and even some of the guys, looked like they wanted to hook up with him. Others didn't seem to think he deserved to be able to walk past them, cut the entire line, and still get in, no matter who he was.

Frankly, Danny didn't care what they thought of him. If he wanted to, he could wipe the floor with them if he wanted. Wasn't that something to be proud of?

After ascending the steps, Danny stopped in front of the two guards and quickly said the name he had picked up from the digital list he had looked at before leaving. He knew he could use the name, too, because the guy was never going to show up. Danny had personally made sure he would never show up that night. The poor dude was probably still tied up in the bathroom at a random, dinky hotel that was infested with roaches and rats, stripped of all his ID, money, and valuables. God alone knew how long that poor guy was going to be there, sitting in the dirt-covered bathtub and screaming through the duct-tape across his mouth.

As the nineteen-year-old was allowed through the doors after only a moment's hesitation from the guards, Danny smirked at the people standing in line. He knew they were never going to be allowed in and they knew it too. They were just in complete denial about the whole entire situation and refused to go do something productive.

Danny got quite a few glares for his smirk.

Slowly walking down the steps into the loud, main room, the nineteen-year-old scanned the crowd with distaste. The amount of people was overbearing, filling the room with body heat, even if the AC was on. Some people danced to the techno music playing over the stereo. People were trying to talk over each other, making the place louder than it needed to be. Others were crowding the bar, drinking and chatting with their friends or trying to land a date with someone they deemed hot.

The ebony-haired male spotted his target on one of the higher levels where people could get away from the crowd and watch the dancers from above. Two bodyguards stood behind her, watching everyone that dared to near closely.

The woman was sitting at one of the smaller tables alone. Her long black hair was slicked back and tucked behind her ears, perfectly straight in every way. Her striking brown eyes scanned over the crowd, watching everyone with the intensity that could rival Batman's. Her tanned skin was flawless, not a blemish in sight. Her clothes were bright and flashy, showing off her curves as they held fast to her skin. Big loops hung from her earlobes and a necklace dangled from her neck loosely. She had strapped high-heels on to go with her outfit. Her right leg was crossed over her left. Her perfectly manicured fingernails drummed against the table in front of her steadily, glossy and shiny.

Overall, she could pass for someone of high rank. And in the club she was currently haunting, she was. Everyone knew her to be the owner and wouldn't dare approach her.

Well… Everyone but Danny… He's never been one to respect boundaries and stay on one side of the line. It's what made him Danny.

The nineteen-year-old saw the woman look at him, staring him down with brown eyes. Danny flashed a smile at her, making sure he made direct eye-contact with her, before he began looking around the room again with his held high on his shoulders. The blue-eyed male took note of the stairs before gliding over to them, climbing the white marble steps with ease. As he made it to the top, noticing the drop of volume, he shot a look over his shoulder to the woman again. She was watching him with interest, twirling her midnight hair with one finger while taking a drink from her glass.

Danny just shot another smile over his shoulder, getting a raised eyebrow from the girl before he turned back around and flipped his hood up. His easygoing smile had instantly turned into a smirk once it was out of view of the woman.

"This is one of the easiest jobs I have ever agreed to…"

Walking to the side, Danny graced his hand against the banister and found a spot that had a clear view of the action above. Liking the full frame view he had, Danny stopped and leaned against it casually, watching everyone with little interest, even though others would think he was watching the most interesting thing in the world. And though it was tempting, Danny didn't let his eyes flicker back to where his target was.

She'd come to him eventually. It was just a matter of when. Ignoring a girl after making eye contact was the best way to get her attention.

Some time passed, songs switching the mood on the dance floor. The rise and drop of volume also depended on the music. Danny found it only a little interesting and nothing more.

As he was thinking about getting a drink from the bar on the level he was on, Danny felt another presence walk up behind him and lean against the rail by his side. He refused to look at her, keeping his blue gaze on the dance floor and his form relaxed as could be. The woman beside him did the same, not bothering to look at him.

"Your first time here?" The woman asked, casting a small glance to the figure beside her. Brown eyes roamed over the figure before looking back down to the dance floor.

Danny nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. "Yep. I can't say I'm impressed. It seems to be like every other club."

He felt her shift and couldn't help the smirk that overcame his lips. Danny knew she would never leave him alone now. She was the owner and she'd do anything to keep a pretty boy like him coming back again and again, especially if he had some power to his name. And, at the moment, he technically did, even though it was only because of identity theft.

"If it's like all the others, how come people keep coming back?" The woman asked, tilting her head closer so she could hear the ebony-haired male's answer.

"Because everyone in this room is a brain-donor with no personality to speak of." Danny answered, finally turning his head to the side so she could look at his face. He watched her take in his appearance with interest, also noticing the bodyguards standing off to the side. His hood made them nervous, which was good.

The woman's eyes sparkled. "You're here. Wouldn't that make you a brain-donor with no personality?"

An amused smile overcame Danny's lips unintentionally. He had to say, he liked the woman's sass. As he straightened out, he responded "I just came to see if it was worth the hype. So far, I don't plan on coming back."

The midnight-haired woman straightened as well, noticing his posture looked as if he was about to leave. "And what could I do to make it seem unlike the other clubs you've visited?"

Danny let his smirk slip again, tilting his head to the side. "For one, you could tell me your name."

The woman smiled invitingly and held out her dainty hand, saying "I'm Anika Waterchase."

Danny took the hand, noticing the woman gave a firm squeeze just as he did. "Great to hear. I'm Dante Argali. But you can just call me Danny."

Batman shook his head at the scene he saw through his binoculars. How Danny could act his way into a club, get a girl's attention by not giving her any attention, and keep her so occupied she didn't see her 'associates' entering one of the back rooms for a meeting she was supposed to attend was an amazing feat he didn't think anybody else could do.

"He is one heck of an actor…" Superman mumbled. He, too, was shaking his head in disbelief.

Batman stood up from his crouch, putting his binoculars back in his pocket. "I know. There was one mission where he had to be an altar boy in a Catholic church."

"…you're joking…"

"If I hadn't known any better, I'd say he was Catholic. Thank the Lord I know the truth…" Batman mumbled as he pulled out his grapple, shooting it at one of the buildings across the street and swinging to it. Superman followed behind silently, knowing any suggestions about his way of traveling would be met with a Bat-Glare.

As the Man of Steel landed beside his friend, Batman told his colleague to remember the plan, which was merely taking down Anika's associates while she was busy. The Dark Knight grumbled about how he could do it himself and that some international hero laws were stupid. Superman rolled his eyes in reply to the irritated mumbles and just followed Batman as he led him to the door that would lead into the office where the meeting was being held.

Anika laughed at the sarcastic one-liner Danny had just said, bobbing her leg while she sat across from him. The tanned woman seemed to be quite enjoying the nineteen-year-old's presence, listening attentively to every word he spoke.

Danny continued to smile coyly, making sure to keep his entire form lax. He was leaning back against his chair, one ankle resting atop his knee casually. His left elbow was propped on the chair's arm and his head rested against his hand. His free hand drummed against the chair's other arm.

"So Mr. Argali, are you a resident of Metropolis?" Anika asked, a curious glint in her eyes as she asked.

Danny shook his head. His blue eyes drifted to the dance floor briefly before quickly adverting back the woman's brown ones. "No, actually. I live in Las Vegas. Sometimes I stay in Gotham, though, for… Business reasons."

"What brings you to this city then?" Anika asked, taking a drink from her glass filled with brandy.

"More business… My supervisor could have done this himself if he really wanted to but I'm just a better business dealer." Danny answered. His smirk was laughing as he made fun of his 'boss'. Anika smiled and hummed.

"So you're a better talker?"

"So people tell me."

"I'd say I have to agree."

Danny's smile broadened. His blue eyes drifted back over to the railing where he could see the tops of heads twirling around. The techno music made dancing fast, quick, and choppy. The people clapped and laughed. If he was close enough, Danny might've been able to hear the girls' jewelry going clink-clank, clink-clank, click-clank, as the beads and chains beat against each other with each jerk everyone made.

Anika noticed Danny's attentiveness to the people below, twirling her necklace in her hand as she watched him with intense brown eyes. "I see you enjoy watching everyone dance."

Danny hummed, though it was barely heard above the fast techno music. "Not quite… More like, wondering why they would willingly get on such a brightly lit floor and prance around like a bunch of nit-wits with fire under their feet."

The woman raised an eyebrow at the colorful description, an amused flicker dancing in her eyes. "Have you ever danced before?"

"Yes. Never want to again." Danny stated, memories of all his missions involving high and mighty officials rolling around in his brain. There were times he hated those prissy memories and there were times when he really hated those prissy memories. He was currently entering the 'really-really-really-hate' region.

…at least someone got pummeled later on. Those moments made the rest of the memory much more tolerable.

Anika pushed herself up from her seat and walked around the table to stand in front of Danny. He looked up at her like he was bored but one could tell his stance was leaning towards resilience more than it was lack of interest.

The tan woman grabbed Danny's hand, giving a light tug. "Come on. I bet I could change your mind."

Danny hummed, a smirk gracing his face again. "I'd love to see you try."

Anika pulled at the ebony-haired male's hand again. "Challenge accepted. Now come on."

The resilient nineteen-year-old let his head fall back against the back of the chair, groaning loud and long. Anika laughed, tugging Danny's hand again and again, egging him on and inviting him to join her on the dance floor.

Out of the corner of his blue eyes, Danny saw one of the bodyguards giving him a look. If he was anyone else, he might've been scared but Batman gave him a scarier one on a daily basis. Looks from normal, puny people just didn't have the same depth of scariness as the Batman's (whom Danny still believed to be an undercover alien from many galaxies away, though he had no evidence that proved so).

Danny sighed, rolling his eyes at the look but feigning a smidgen of terror, and allowed himself to be pulled up by Anika. The woman linked her arm with his, eagerly but elegantly pulling him towards the stairs. They began the descent, getting looks from many while the bodyguards stood at the top of the steps, watching the woman lead the male down the steps.

The two started out on the edge of the dance floor and, somewhere along the lines, they ended up in the middle. Danny wasn't thrilled with the establishment but played nice with the other people, most of whom he wanted to stab, and smiled small to give the illusion he was having fun dancing with the pretty owner of the club.

Now he asked himself one question…

Where the heck were Batman and the Boy Scout? They were supposed to be out of the club by now!

As Anika swayed with a smile splitting her face, she asked loudly over the techno music "Are you having fun?"

"A ton!"

Anika smiled bigger while Danny mentally rolled his eyes. People bored him to death sometimes.

Everyone stopped when there was a loud noise that was even louder than the forsaken noise spilling from the speakers. A couple of small cries echoed throughout the club while they turned to one of the doors on the main level. It was ready to fall off its hinges, bulging outwards, while someone or something continued to beat against it.

Anika's brown eyes widened though they drooped again, hiding her astonishment and forgetfulness that she was supposed to attend a meeting that night.

Danny, however, smirked. "Oh, hey, look! That's my cue!"

The woman turned to him, startled beyond reason while her bodyguards ran down the steps to address the situation.

The nineteen-year-old smirked at the smaller woman, even though she was much older than he was. "I'd love to hear how you felt when you realized I was just screwing you over but we'll never meet again in our lives so~…"

With a quick flick of his wrist, Danny had a syringe full of some liquid in his hand, which he quickly jabbed into Anika's shoulder. She cried out, earning the attention of everyone in the near vicinity. People screamed and began moving back away from the dark-clad male holding the growing-unconscious woman.

Danny looked around, grateful that his hood was still up and had yet to come down.

The bodyguards turned around when they heard the various screams and quickly made eye contact with the blue-eyed boy holding the unconscious woman. Just as they began running towards him, the door finally flew off its hinges. The door rammed the guards down with no trouble, knocking them out instantly.

Superman appeared in the doorway, alone. Batman had most likely already taken off out the back entrance, preferring to remain hidden than cause even more of a scene.

"Time to go, Graveyard." The Man of Steel said plainly.

People gasped, taking even further steps away from the darkly dressed hero-in-disguise. The spectators looked on with fear, knowing the hero-of-sorts was brutal with his victims and was, on a scale of one to Batman, very close to being Batman when it came to being terrifying, though he hadn't quite perfected the art since he had the tendency to act very indifferent.

But that was part of what made him scary… At least heroes had the decency to hate people. To love and to hate, you had to care.

Graveyard didn't care. Nothing made an impact on him, it seemed.

"Finally!" Danny yelled, throwing Anika over his shoulder without a care. The spectators parted like the Red Sea as he passed. The nineteen-year-old eagerly passed the unconscious woman over to Superman the first chance he got while saluting. "If ya need me, I'll be in my hideout, sleeping away this crappy road trip."

Superman tried to say something but Danny turned invisible, disappearing instantly. The Man of Steel let out a long sigh, shaking his head as he looked down at the unconscious felon in his hands.

Anika Waterchase was a prime example of why one should not counterfeit, fund illegal operations, run illegal operations, and other such crimes.

Danny revved his engine as he drove down the street. Whoops and laughter echoed in his helmet. Behind the protective glass that kept dirt and bugs out of his eyes, the nineteen-year-old's blue orbs sparkled with mirth and excitement.

An entire club had just seen his alias and they would never know because they all thought it was a disguise! Ha!

Danny cranked up his speed, flying past cars and driving over the yellow line in the middle of the road. The other drivers shouted at him inside their vehicles, honking their horns in resentment. Danny continued on with little sympathy, basking in his illegalness and daring to go even faster than the regulated speed limit.

His joyride soon came to an end though. The Ghost Kid pulled into his hotel, crossing the road and barely missing getting hit by another car. More honks called after him but Danny could only laugh his tail off.

The midnight-haired male came to a stop in one of the parking spots. He took his helmet off, ruffling his hair up and making it messy all over again. Placing the helmet on the seat in front of him, Danny stretched and let out a pleased groan as his back popped.

The nineteen-year-old swung his leg over the bike before he made his way across the parking lot, heading for the hotel he was staying out. Danny sauntered in the lobby, noticing the doorman was out like a light.

Not being able to resist such a thing, Danny got a sharpie and drew all over his face for the heck of it before heading up to his room.

Walking in the dark room, the door closed behind him and locked itself since it was one of those hotels. Danny threw the keycard onto the table right inside the door, walking past the small kitchen without a second thought. After changing into comfy clothes, he eagerly fell onto the couch, sighing in content. Danny pulled the blanket on the back of the couch down, unfolding it as he did. After unfolding, he folded it around him and nuzzled into the couch.

On accident, he punched himself in the face when he pulled the blanket up to his chin but no one would ever know…

"Well that was graceful."

…

Or not.

"If you tell anybody about that, I will personally see to it that your reputation suffers immeasurably. And I know how hard it is for you to keep it the way it is now…" Danny said sweetly, looking up at the Dark Knight with his blue eyes. His pupils were dilated in the dark, eating up almost all of the pale blue color.

Batman walked out from his shadowy corner and stood beside the couch, crossing his arms as he came to a stop. "Oh yeah and what would you do to ruin it, hm? Cause we both know I have lots of stuff on you."

"...touché…"

"Uh-huh. Moving on; I assume you did your part of the job I assigned you, no matter how late you decided to show up."

"We can't all be punctual like you, Batsy. It's a fact of life. Just like how you currently seem to be PMSing." Danny said, indifference lacing his voice in the beginning and taunting being the main emotion in the end.

Batman glared. Danny smiled further.

"Yes I did my part, if it's any assurance, which I'm sure it isn't. And I didn't do any excess brutalness like all the other times! Aren't you proud of me, Mommy?" Danny teasingly said, batting his eyelids cutely and pressing his lips together in a happy pout. When the Dark Knight's glared darkened, Danny cackled and turned onto his side, snuggling into the couch, even though there was a bed in the next room over.

"No time for sleep. You've got to hit the road. You have school to get back to." Batman said, nudging the nineteen-year-old and rousing him from his rest.

It was Danny's turn to glare. "Aw heck no, fool! It is three AM and I haven't slept in two days, which was a total accident but whatever! You either let me sleep or you face the consequences."

"And the consequences would be?"

"Well… All I can say is that any students or faculty in a ten foot radius of me is going to be in my killing zone, alright? And those classrooms are so tiny…" Danny slyly said, a dark grin playing on his lips as he looked over his shoulder.

Batman glared again, an exasperated sigh exiting his lips while he rolled his eyes. He pointed at the junior in high-school, saying "You better be back in Las Vegas in a couple of days or, so help me, I will drag you there, understood?"

Danny grinned victoriously before snuggling into the couch again, hugging the pillow like a long-lost friend that he hadn't seen in years. "Yeah, we'll see."

"Danny."

"I got the point, Bats! Chill out, man! Don't you know me and my habits by now?" The nineteen-year-old growled over his shoulder, wishing dearly that the Caped Crusader would suddenly vanish into thin air and be gone from him. Against his wishes, Batman stayed in his spot, glaring down at the male in front of him.

"Sorry if I sometimes can't tell when you're serious, lying, or in one of your states that allows you to change your mind in an instant." Batman growled, an unhappy glint in his eyes at the thought of Danny being serious about something one minute and suddenly deciding against it the next.

Danny brightened at the statement. "I'm that much of a pest? Really? I knew I was amazing but, by-golly, I really am something else, aren't I?"

"You're something, alright. It's just not necessarily good." Batman stated.

Danny's cute, little smile widened. "I know~!"

Batman scowled, shaking his head and making his way to the window. "Go to sleep. You've got a road-trip ahead of you."

"I'll get to that the day you stop going through windows!"

"Go to sleep!"

Danny pouted as Batman exited his view. He snuggled into his temporary bed again, burying his head in the pillow. He mumbled "That I do… Though I make no promises on how fast I'll be during said trip to get back home."

Well... Looks like they haven't made any progress with that whole reform thing, huh? XD

Hello again, my repeat offenders and newbies! Welcome to Dark-Net's sequel! Yeah, I can't believe I'm doing this but, at the same time, yes I can. I blame ya'll for it.

Moving on, if I hadn't made it clear, this is one year after Dark-Net. Danny's still a pest, the Dark-Net is still up (we'll see some of it next chapter), and they've made no progress on Danny's reform because he's such a pain in the butt that way!

For my updating schedule: I'm just going to do it when I feel like it. I will not stride to make it every day but it may happen that way. We'll see. I'm trying to teach myself that this can't become my entire life and that, yes, it is ok for me to take a day off.

See you soon~!