บท 2: Chapter 2
It's another day, and Danny is still on the run, but a little research helps him find his way. Now, he's got a plan!
Notes:
Sorry if this chapter is a little off. I wrote it at 5am in a fit of insomnia, lol. I'm up to chapter 4 already, and the rest of the story is outlined and plotted out, so hopefully I'll be able to keep up a good update schedule! Thank you guys for reading!!!
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Chapter Text
It had been three days, and Danny was exhausted. He never got to stay longer than a few hours in one place before the damned white vans showed up in his area. He put his head in his hands and groaned. How were they finding him so easily?? The half-ghost knew that he was wanted by the agency, but he honestly thought that their current level of pursuit was taking it a bit far—even for them. The only relief he found from the enormity of his situation was the ever-stronger presence that was drawing him to itself. The feeling of welcome and safety helped Danny keep his calm. He hoped that this wasn't some sort of ruse to trick him into something bad. He reached out again, and the spirit sent back waves of reassurance. Danny kept flying towards the feeling. He knew he was getting close, but he was a bit nervous about the type of entity that was calling to him. His weary mind tried to piece together any knowledge that could help him identify his new potential ally, but no matter how hard he tried, his mind was simply too fried to make sense of things. He finally realized that he was at a point where he honestly didn't care who or what was waiting for him; he just wanted to find a quiet place where he could lick his wounds and mourn his losses.
The days had flown by and there had been no contact from Clockwork—or anyone else from the 'Zone either. It would have driven the old Danny crazy to be left in the dark without any word from his allies. The new Danny, freshly born from the death of his family and the destruction of his home, just felt hollow. He did not have time to worry about anything else but finding shelter that would last for more than six hours. With the GIW being so serious about getting their hands on him—and the fact that they killed his family, Danny couldn't even begin to imagine what they had in store for him. He didn't underestimate the danger he was in. That was why he was running. He just hated that he was running alone—without backup or a plan.
Danny shook his head, in an attempt to clear his thoughts. He realized that it was morning, therefore, he had things he had to do. Jazz had given him a list of "self-care" activities to perform when he was having difficulty functioning, it was a way to help him move through whatever trouble he was dealing with. First on the list was to get ready for the day and then eat. With a sigh, Danny looked around the rooftop he had taken shelter on and noticed that there weren't any drones hovering near him. That brought him a small measure of relief. He knew that he had at least a few more hours before he had to run again. To start, he stood up and shook out his arms and legs, then, he added some burpees to get his blood flowing. Finally, he leaned over and stretched out his back, rolling his head as he stretched to help loosen up the tightness from sleep—and the tension he was feeling from the whole situation.
He stood up with a deep breath and let it all out at once. Danny noticed that he had not dropped invisibility during his sleep. I guess I'm getting a bit better at some things. He thought absentmindedly. With a small nudge to his power, the half-ghost lifted himself above the top of the building and looked around. He spotted a Denny's about a mile or so away. A good, hot breakfast would make it easier to get through the day. The teen landed back on the roof and gathered his things; once he had everything in hand, Danny hopped over the edge of the roof and floated down into the alley below. He forced himself to keep his mind clear of thoughts about what had happened. He did not have time or space for the luxury of grief; all his energy needed to be focused on one singular thing: survival.
As he walked towards the diner, a small voice whispered in the back of his mind. It told him that he was getting closer to the welcoming spirit. Danny just hoped he didn't bring trouble and chaos to the one offering him shelter. At his thought, he could almost hear the tinkling sound of laughter in his mind. The laughter soon began to sound like words. A cool wind brushed across his forehead. "You will find that which you need the most when you reach me…" The voice was gentle and soft, and it soon faded quietly in his mind. Danny wondered if he had imagined it.
A yowl from his stomach broke him out of his thoughts. See Jazz, I'm going to eat! He smiled to himself as he thought of his beloved sister for a brief moment, and then he remembered everything that had come crashing down on his life. His countenance fell, and his mood darkened. He tried again to reign in his thoughts in a not-so-successful attempt to forget his worries. He kicked a few rocks that lay beside the roadway and began to run his mind through math formulas. Unfortunately, they did not block the last few days' memory from his mind, even as he drew near to the eatery. Once he arrived at the Denny's, he flew up to the roof and dropped his belongings on the flat surface. He turned and jumped down into a quiet alley. For the first time in over a day, he returned to the visible spectrum. It made him nervous. His hand moved to the back of his neck, rubbing at the tight muscles there. Finally, Danny took a deep breath, and the smell of the food lifted his mood again. Jazz was right. He thought with a pained smile. Eating sometimes did make things better—especially when the food didn't bite back.
After a hearty breakfast, the half-ghost retrieved his belongings and headed out to look for a library. The various towns he had passed had all had at least a small one, and each library had been a treasure trove of information and inspiration for the young hero. He opened the doors to this town's more modern-looking establishment. The librarian smiled at him, and he waved back. He decided to look at a few maps. Maybe he could get an idea where he was going. As long as it wasn't Wisconsin, he didn't really care. The atlas was about 20 years old, according to the copyright page. That didn't matter as much to Danny; he would be flying, not taking the roads. He turned to the U.S. national road map. He put his finger on the spot where Amity Park should have been listed. (Why wasn't his "hometown" on the map??) Then he traced his way across the map to every city he had stopped in. He let out a groan and facepalmed. Even Dash could see that he had been moving in an almost straight line. No wonder the GIW kept finding him so easily! Danny frowned as he thought about his destination. Who was this entity offering him shelter? More importantly—where were they??
A flash of his intelligence blasted its way through his weary, grief-filled mind, and Danny realized that he could probably trace the line ahead of where he had gone to see what lay before him. He fumbled in his backpack for his metal ruler and put it down across the page. Mentally drawing a line through the cities he had passed through, Danny noticed that there was a VERY large city directly in his path. He instinctively knew that the sprawling metropolitan area was his destination. Danny knew from his reading that it was a city of legends and heroes. It was also known as one of the most crime-infested cities in the world. It had seven vigilantes working in the area to keep it under control, after all.
Danny sat back in his chair, wide-eyed and breathless. Gotham City. Wow. Something in or around Gotham was calling to him and offering its protection. The biggest thing he knew about Gotham was that it was the home base of Batman and his clan. A thread of worry wormed its way into his mind. Would Batman hunt him down too? He was a vigilante, after all. He worked with the police and the Justice League. Wait. He thought. The Justice League! If Danny could somehow connect with one of the Bats, then he might be able to get them to bring his case before the League itself! Danny was certain that with all of the aliens and metahumans counted among the members, they would find his case interesting at the very least. Hopefully, the League would believe his story and would agree to help him. But first he had to find the Bats. Danny dropped his head to his chest as his eyes teared up in relief. He finally had a solid plan. He took a deep breath and let it out through his mouth slowly. There was a possibility that things were going to be ok. He had a good chance to finally be free from the threat of the GIW. They wouldn't dare attack him under Batman's nose! The teen closed the atlas with the first unburdened smile his heart had allowed out since the incident in Amity Park. He finally knew where he was going and what he needed to do! According to the maps, he might be able to fly there by sundown, or shortly thereafter. Danny cocked his head as a weird sensation flowed through him. With a shock, he realized that the strange feeling currently occupying his chest was hope.
He closed the book and packed up his things. As he walked to the library entrance to return the book, he looked out the window and saw a white van. Fuck! Those people never gave up! He dropped the book off in the return cart and headed towards the side of the room. Danny quickly slipped into the bathroom and dropped his visibility, then the half-ghost flew up and out of the library. He counted a total of three white vans circling the area around the library where he had just spent the last two hours. The teen calmed himself with a deep breath, and decided to ignore the white-suited goon squad. He finally had a destination for his journey, and a mysterious spirit to meet there.
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