A/N: I think this update happened a little bit more quickly? Thankfully, I think we're almost through with a large portion of the setup. Unfortunately, we still have….a little less than 20 chapters to go, by my estimate? It might end up longer, haha.

As always, Read/Review/Fav/Follow! It reminds me that I have an obligation to finish!

Chapter 27: Chances

The stagnant air in his hotel room will be the death of him. He'd swear to it. A new phone, provided by Agent O, buzzes periodically from the table. It rings in his ears as a constant reminder that he's surrounded by enemies; ghost and government alike.

Most of their information indicates that the Fenton couple were unaware of their son's ghostly side for quite some time.

Was this how Danny felt, being hated by ghosts and pursued by his own parents?

He thinks back to his own parents, a simple couple from Idaho. They didn't have much in the way of money, and the only vaguely interesting thing in their tiny town had been a retro skating rink. His older sister, Cynthia, was hit by a drunk driver on her way home from the rink when he was ten years old, and it had torn his family apart.

Granted, his decision to take to the open road a few years later probably hadn't helped. Last he'd checked, having surreptitiously borrowed another agent's laptop, his parents had divorced, and his mom had moved all the way to Ohio under her maiden name.

Just another sad statistic of broken homes.

He hasn't thought about them much, but even then, he's never missed them. Not until the flames grew brighter and his future suddenly seemed more uncertain than ever.

Hi, Mom. It's me, your part-ghost son. Don't worry, if my bosses find out, I'll only get dissected. No big deal.

He doesn't know where they stand on the issue of ghosts. How would they feel, knowing he's slowly sliding to the other side?

To be honest, another reason for his trip to Amity Park was to see if the Fentons wouldn't mind letting him into the Ghost Zone to find out if Cynthia's in there somewhere. However, it would have likely been a fruitless endeavor; there has to be a reason it's called 'The Infinite Realms'.

He wonders for a moment how Danny must have revealed it to the Fentons that the ghost they'd been threatening was none other than their own son. He has so many questions for the ghost-boy.

If you want answers, save Danny!

Jasmine Fenton. Even just thinking about her causes the tension in his shoulders to relax a little. She's probably a little too kind for her own good. The moment she'd learned of his predicament, she'd softened considerably.

It was kind of embarrassing to be taken care of, to be worried about. He doesn't know how he kept calm as she stared him down with serious, focused, yet gentle eyes. Reflecting on it now causes a blush to rise to his cheeks.

When she'd reached up to grab him by the collar, pull him down to her level…

...it'd been really tempting to kiss her.

Thankfully, his more rational mind had reminded him that she was furious with him and that it would be a spectacular failure in timing.

If he wants answers, he has to save Danny Fenton, who is in the Ghost Zone.

"How am I supposed to go about that?!" he questions to the empty air. He doesn't exactly have a map, and he's not familiar with it at all. He doesn't even know what it's like in there. Is it a world just like his own, or is it some sort of backwards dimension, like the Twilight Zone? How in the world is he supposed to find Danny in there?

The Fentons are being watched like hawks - unless he feels like completely alienating the Guys in White, it's probably best that he not spring one of them to help him scour the Infinite Realms.

Valerie Gray nor Tucker Foley have been caught, and neither has Danny's 'cousin', Danielle Fenton. Foley is definitely familiar with the Ghost Zone, but he's vanished. Upon storming the basement of the Town Hall, his fellow agents had found nothing but empty sockets, cleared shelves, and empty pizza boxes. Word is that the former mayor of Amity Park was trying to break through the quarantine.

The Red Huntress had been feeding him intel, but her knowledge of the Ghost Zone is less clear.

Danielle, on the other hand…

...Or is she really Destiny Phantom?

Surely she could answer a few questions for him. She'll definitely want to save Danny, too.

But how is he supposed to find her?

I know what it's like to be a kid on the run, he realizes. He knows all the tricks to surviving on the road, where to hide, how to find good places to squat for the night.

"Danielle it is," he declares to the empty room, sitting up and grabbing his coat.

He could use the fresh air anyway.

ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzBREAKzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZ

"Let's see…" he hums, unfurling the city map he'd snatched from a local store - he'd left some money on the counter, "...They said she went flying out of the Western wall of the gym. She probably stayed in a pretty straight path for a little bit. With all the drones, though, she couldn't have gotten far…" his eyes fall on the park, "Good landing spot, away from where all the fighting's been going on, so it would've been light on patrols."

Decision made, his GIW-issue-earpiece that he'd snatched from D when he wasn't looking giving him a heads-up of his fellow agents' movements, and his concentration carefully focused away from the cold feeling in his chest, he begins his trek towards the town park.

Admittedly, one thing he enjoys about the suit is flying. Major perk.

But he's still a little unsure if it's worth his humanity.

...Then again, is being a ghost that bad?

His aching body reminds him that he can't afford to dawdle. He's not as sore as he used to get - he used to become partially paralyzed for a short while after using the suit - but it's not a comfortable, post-exercise soreness either.

It's probably his body dying.

He tunes in to the radio chatter. Agents haven't made it to the park yet, even after having over twelve hours. They're slowly scanning every inch in a mile radius of the school. You would think they'd have more common sense than to think she'd land that close, but it's probably a part of their sacred protocol.

Screw protocol, he's going to find her first.

Protect her.

Save Danny.

Save himself.

It seems to be a pretty solid plan.

Admittedly, getting down to the Fenton Portal is going to be a trick, but surely they'll figure out a way to get it done, even if it requires brute force. The Guys in White are pretty weak on the martial-arts side. It's all about marksmanship...and paperwork.

Goodness Gracious, they do a lot of paperwork. They know the document number of every requisition form, exactly how large of a stain demands bleach...really, it's a haven for anyone who doesn't value his agency.

There are benefits to being the guinea pig. No one cares about whether you requisitioned bleach or if you just bought your own like the adult you are. Better yet, just leave the stain where it is.

He fights ghosts. He has been trained by the government's best in several martial arts. Not that he'd brag about it or start anything, but he doesn't think he's someone your average thug would want to try and mug in an alleyway.

He glances around to see a few drones beginning to inspect the park. He ducks behind a tree to avoid ending up on the cameras. He can't have his actions leaked beforehand. No one seems to have realized his absence. He'd left his phone behind so it couldn't be tracked, and he's disabled the GPS function in the earpiece.

Pulling his hat further over his eyes, he peeks back out into the open, surveying the area around him. Just down the street, he can see caution tape cordoning off a section of damaged buildings.

Bingo.

ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzBREAKzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZ

Dani ducks back into the shadows of the house as a GiW drone flies by. Her core is shoved into the deepest part of her soul to avoid detection. The drones are surely calibrated in a way to avoid traces so faint - Amity Park is, after all, a hotspot for ghost activity.

"This place is disgusting," Carlita sniffles, looking hesitantly at a half-burned couch that Ashton has made himself home on, "I couldn't sleep at all. My hair is a mess. I don't have my facewash, so I'm going to break out like a toad-"

He ignores her, digging through his backpack instead. He seems rather unconcerned about the current situation.

He normally has a somewhat nervous disposition, doesn't he?

There is, however, something more important on her mind.

He'd known.

"Ashton."

"Y-yeah?"

"You knew I'm Destiny?"

He nods, pulling a small pack of cookies out of his bag.

"How?"

"I was doing some sketching practice using a photo of Destiny as a reference and realized how much she resembled you. After having met Danny, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

She groans, "That's why Danny always pretended to be a wimp in high school."

"Yeah, the overlap is pretty easy to see if you're actually paying attention," he extends a cookie to her, which she gratefully takes.

"I feel a little stupid," she sighs, biting into it, "I should've done what Danny did and avoided standing out."

"You're a Fenton," Carlita snips, "Everyone's going to be paying attention anyway. Besides, they all eventually figured out he was faking it," she looks at Ashton in irritation, at his packet of cookies.

"These aren't for you."

"You gave her one!"

"You're not her."

"...why are you so mean?!" she wails.

"You're the person who wished someone dead yesterday," he snorts, "and then you tried to hand Dani over to the Guys in White! Rotten people don't deserve cookies."

"W-well excuse me for being a law-abiding citizen!" She collapses to her knees, "I've been locked away from the outside world, my Instagram followers are unfollowing me this very moment, I was kicked by a ghost girl this morning, and then I was dragged out through a wall into the air and it was scary, okay?! Now I'm stuck being on the run with two huge jerks! I slept on a gross couch!" She sobs, "My life is over!"

"Ashton, for the love of the Infinite Realms, give her a cookie so she'll shut up. I can't think with her blubbering."

"I don't know. I still think she owes you an apology."

His green eyes are narrowed in irritation behind his glasses, his feet pulled up on the couch as if backing away from the weeping latina.

"I already kicked her for being a witch," she retorts, "Just give her one."

He relents, tossing the remainder of the packet into her lap before pulling his sketchbook into his lap.

"So what's the plan?" he asks as Carlita quiets down into tiny hiccups.

"I don't know," she groans.

"Okay, let's start with something else," he suggests, "What do we want to do?"

"I just said that I don't know!"

"No, you don't know how we're doing it. What do you want to do?"

It isn't even a question, "I want to save Danny."

"Where is Danny?"

"Umm...I think he was taken into the Ghost Zone?"

"Cool," he nods, "Now, how do we get to the Ghost Zone?"

"The Fenton Portal's out," she sighs, "And they've probably already caught Jack and Maddie...so the porta-portals are probably out too…ugh! If only I could open portals like Danny!"

"...why not?" Carlita asks.

"I don't know how to do it. I'm not as strong as Danny, either," she pouts, "I'm...my power's a bit limited."

"Why?"

"I...it's hard to explain," she mutters, kicking at the floor, "I just...I can't. I don't have enough power. I don't know if I ever will."

"Why is Danny so powerful?" Ashton questions, "And how did he…?"

"I don't know. He just has more to run on, I guess," she swallows thickly, he has more memories, more life than I do.

"So how'd you die?" Carlita questions, nibbling on her final cookie.

"Carlita!" Ashton hisses.

"I'm not dead," she sighs, "I have a heartbeat. I'm just...half ghost."

"How can someone be half-dead?" she asks.

"Look, I'm not the person to ask all this!" Dani sighs, "I don't know, okay? Danny's the one who knows everything about it! I'm pretty sure he explained it to me once but I was kinda not paying attention…"

"So we need a way into the ghost zone," Ashton states, "Are there any other ghosts who can move in and out as they please?"

"Another ghost, huh?" she mutters to herself, scratching the back of her neck as she thinks through the ghosts she's fought in the past two years. No one is coming to mind. Not out of the ghosts she's fought. Then again, even if there was, how would she contact them?

She shakes her head.

"Does anyone else have a portal?"

"Not that I know of."

She sits on the ground with a sigh, the image of Danny falling playing in her mind again and again. If she'd just kept traveling, she wouldn't be trapped here in Amity Park with everyone else and she'd be able to save him. Ashton could be sitting at home with his mom right now, peacefully waiting for the quarantine to end. Carlita wouldn't still be sniffling in her peripheral vision.

"That's why we're going to use the Fenton Portal."

Electricity races up her spine, and she instinctively leaps aside, poised to fight. A young man, close to Jazz in age, carefully makes his way down the last few rotten steps.

"Careful. If you change here, you'll alert the drones," he warns.

"...who are you?!" Dani demands, "And how did you find me?!"

"Darren Blake, a guy with reasons to save Danny Fenton."

She stares him down. He seems friendly enough, but there's something behind those silver eyes.

"What reasons are those?"

"I have a lot of questions. Trust me - it's a bit of a life-or-death matter for me. Or is it life-and-death matter? Whatever, that's part of why I need to talk to him," he shrugs, "I mean, you don't seem to know anything, even though you're afflicted too."

"...'afflicted'...?"

"I don't know. I'm not overly inclined to walk the boundary between the living and the dead myself, but if that works for you…" he shrugs, "Anyway, I can get past the other agents."

" 'Other' agents, huh?" Ashton frowns, stepping in front of Dani, "So you're…"

"Changeling. The test pilot in an experiment monitored by the GIW to create a suit that gives mortals the abilities of the undead. Unfortunately, it has a few side-effects that I've been hiding. I would show you, but then we'd have another problem with our friends outside," he gestures with his chin to the outside, where a drone buzzes past.

"You were fighting Valerie," Dani frowns.

"They found out I was on vacation here and showed up at my hotel room. Refusing wasn't an option. Agent O was pretty pissed that I'd broken my phone. I didn't tell him I'd done it on purpose," he winks.

"Dani, run. Go find somewhere else to hide," Ashton whispers quietly.

"I'd find her again. I'm a professional at being on the run," Darren pipes up, "Besides. I'm here to help. I told you, I have to find Danny. I'd go in myself, but I don't know the first thing about the Ghost Zone. That's where you come in, I hope?"

"You want me to guide you?"

"Yep. The Fentons and Mansons are under a different team's watch. I can't sneak one of them down to the lab without a stir. I might, however, be able to sneak in with you. We save Danny, free the others, and figure out what to do from there."

"I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't. But I'm the best chance you have of getting into the Ghost Zone to save your cousin."