Insignificantly evil (DP and Batman crossover)

Three voices

The voice inside his head was like nothing he has ever heard. The strong and raspy tone of Phantom's words was familiar to him now, but the echoing vibe it got was new. "What is this?" Zephyr's bewildered expression was no different from the ghost's. This new development seemed to catch both of them off guard.

"It's your connection. You were one before." A third voice chimed in. This one was softer and younger than Dan's. The small ghost was never more confused in his entire life. His eyes trailed off to Phantom again to see if he had heard it too. There was no doubt he did. His expression gave him away. His eyes were wide, his big frame shaking. The ghost looked like he wanted to attack something, but there was no aggression in his body language. Did he want a hug?

"Danny?" There was the new telepathic power again. Dan seemed to be familiar with it already. Zephyr could only listen to the ongoing exchange.

"And here I thought you have forgotten about me." The body-less voice, now known as Danny, spoke again.

"How could you disappear on me like that!" Phantom screamed, already making his way up on the mattress stack. Zephyr was frozen in place, stunned by the ghost's reaction. Did he do something wrong? Why was he being attacked?

His knees gave out before he could react in any way, sprawling him onto the ground. When Phantom's head appeared above the rim, Zephyr was already on the other edge, trying to back away as much as possible while simultaneously trying not to fall down.

The boy's breathing was erratic, gradually increasing in speed as Dan got closer. He didn't wear an angry expression, it was more on the concerned side, but that was no matter to Zephyr. All he saw was the hulking, scary figure that was approaching.

The inability to draw a proper breath was slowly but surely pushing the boy's body into overdrive. The more he needed oxygen, the more breaths he took, but unfortunately due to the fast movements, his body took all of it, leaving a little to zero for the brain.

Small black dots filled his vision, causing a great deal of confusion. Why was he panicking? He was the one with powers, not Phantom. That man was practically harmless compared to him.

Zephyr's thoughts that were previously all over the place were slowing down. With his mind at ease, he could gain control over his body again. As he was about to take in all the lacking oxygen, Zephyr found himself unable.

This time, there was no pressure around his neck, so that meant that Phantom wasn't making another attempt on his life. What was different now?

Zephyr stretched out his hands to figure out his surroundings, only to collide with a moving object. He pushed against it, successfully removing his face from the hold. The boy drew in a much needed breath, his mind and body finally on the same wavelength.

As he was no longer a prisoner of his own mind, Zephyr was slowly taking in all his surroundings. He wasn't laying near the edge anymore. He was being held in place by a firm grip on his shoulders.

"Everything is all right now." Dan whispered soothingly, an action nobody thought was possible. Zephyr's gut was telling him that he was safe, even the new voice in his head was telling him so, but his brain wanted the opposite. He couldn't trust this man.

Why was he thinking about trust between a killer and his victim during an assassination? He was being played. Phantom's show of emotion was just a ploy to lower the boy's guard. And the voice was...

He didn't know what the voice was, just that it was there and it was named Danny.

Zephyr waited out in the bigger ghost's embrace for a little while longer, waiting for his body to calm down. It would be dangerous if he went up against the giant without full concentration.