"Boxesssss T-theey arre minnne…BEWARRE!"

Maddie Fenton looked on, transfixed as she watched the ghost drift through the containment chamber. It was very similar looking to a thick mist that was blue colored, a shaped cloud of energy that wisped and faintly phased in and out of the visible spectrum. Small tendrils of energy seemed to roll off its sides and dissipate into the room. It form was almost fuzzy and translucent and reminiscent of a warehouse worker, overalls and a work hat that was perched precariously on it 'head'. In many ways, it was too strange to seem real, almost as if looking at some special effect out of a movie. However, the apparition was terrifyingly real, nothing phony in the whispering form that produced a strange hum.

Every once in a while, the ghost would begin to drift like a small balloon, the somewhat tangible arms vaguely twisting and moving as if the ghostly specter was an astronaut in space. It was so un-real, so nearly unbelievable, but Maddie Fenton knew better than to doubt the existence of the specter. Such actions had lead her to near disaster the first time she had actually seen a ghost.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, only understood…Madame Curie" she faintly murmured to herself. Something in her brain was alarmed as the ghost emitted an echoing moan that sent a shivering chill through her brain. It was proven that ghosts do not actually make noise but sent something of telepathic waves for all to hear. The creepy echo of the noise was really just her brain interpreting the communication of the ghost, not her ears actually hearing the sound. Such knowledge only made the ghost more unearthly. The way its form, a collection of energy that seemed unable to stabilize, sifted in and out of what her human eyes could see only reinforced the unearthly aspects of it.

"fascinating isn't it? You always seem to stop her Maddie" she swiveled her head to see that her supervisor Jim Foley had sidled up to her.

"Sorry Jim…just it's so fascinating too…never mind." She shook her head for a moment and gave Jim her full attention. "So how's Tucker? Did he get over that cold he had?"

Jim only nodded, his gaze still fixed on the Box ghost through the thick viewing glass. "He's fine; Danny must have apologized a dozen times"

She chuckled softly "I never could get it through Danny's head that it wasn't his fault Tucker got sick after sitting in the lake too long" She shook her head in self-agreement "No, Danny is much too apologetic for his own good"

A sudden buzz of energy brought both of the scientists' attention back to the viewing glass, to see the box ghost grinning.

"B-Bewaaare!, fear the wrath of the boxesssss!" The ghost's form seemed to solidify, becoming more corporal as it began to glow with an un-earthly light. The ghost's aura grew in size and room darkened as reality itself seemed to shudder in complaint. Energy, real and powerful, began to cascade off the ghost and reached across the room. Barely visible tendrils of energy curled around a few boxes that had been scattered throughout the room for the ghost and were shaken violently. They lifted off the ground of their own accord and glowed with the same colored energy as the ghost contained, vibrating as they levitated in the air.

"HAHAHAHA!" The Box ghost roared a single, terrifying laugh that sent chills racing up and down the spines of the humans. It was so un-earthly and unnatural, not to mention ominous and fear inspiring. Both Jim and Maddie felt something extremely deep within them stir and be pulled towards the ghost, their souls being warped and drained of emotions.

ZAP! The room lit up like a strobe light as two safety probes on the wall discharged thousands of volts, the electricity cackling across the small containment room to curl around the ghost and explode in a display of sparks.

Jim and Maddie placed their hands on their ears and barred their teeth as the ghost emitted a horrific howl that shook the building and rattled the glass, the lights flickering on and off, the room temperature dropping significantly and the air itself moving faintly through the room.

The box ghost's form was for a moment, lit up brightly as he was soundly electrocuted, then flickered and began to lose its solidity. The ghost fell to the floor, expression contorted in a face of agony, his body fuzzy and hard to define as it fell to the floor, even as his beloved boxes clattered to the floor as well, looking no better for the wear.

"B-boxes" The ghost whispered, barely audible, as it curled up into a ball on the floor before vanishing completely from sight, only a flickering outline marking its location.

Maddie looked over to a computer terminal on the left side of the viewing glass. "fell from a 4.2 to a 1.9…seems though electricity at a ten-thousand volts does the trick" She looked at the viewing glass, fascinated as she looked at the ghost's outline "This is why I signed up for this job…Jim, when will you be testing the project?"

Jim was backing towards the door, face drained of color "I don't know how you can stand that Maddie…cause it's not natural at all, but the project will be undergoing a dry run in an hour but we commenced warming up the equipment almost 30 minutes ago, and we are running simulations on the computer right now, simulations A4 through DX3"

Maddie smiled "Thanks Jim, just asking cause I want Danny to see" Jim nodded in response "Of course Maddie, you have been asking if Danny could see for months, should be no problem…alright, gotta run!"

Maddie smiled as Jim strode away, still a little on edge from the display of the Box Ghost, pulling out a PDA and fiddling with it. Maddie liked Jim…and his son Tucker, they were more similar than they both would like to think. She looked back at the ghost, the symbolism of all her studies and labors at Axiom labs. She was fascinated, ultimately transfixed by the concept that there were creatures composed of pure energy that inhabited the world, malevolent and mysterious, untamed and dangerous. Perhaps her fascination with ghosts had to do with the fact that her upbringing had been in Amity Park, the most haunted city in the nation.

Research had shown that the city was truly a hot spot for ghost sightings, more ghosts were seen by more people than any other city in the world. The reason for this lay in a theory that was only mathematically proven; the theory that there was an entirely different dimension for ghosts, and that Amity Park was in an area where the line between this 'ghost zone' and the real world was very thin with rifts and tears allowing ghosts to drift through. Most of the ghosts were invisible, ranking a 1 and below on the specto energy scale, that were almost harmless. However they caused the most damage of all, for they were the ghosts that actually would come to people's houses, open doors, terrify residents, make bumps in the night, and generally giving the residents nightmares for weeks.

Next there were more tangible ghosts that actually could hold something of a corporal form, the ones that could possess a human, make an apparition of a dead person, and in extreme cases, attack a victim with lethal force. They caused the most amount of damage and generally were the most common targets that the Ghost Investigation and Weapons force had to deal with, or the otherwise, the GIW which was jokingly nicknamed the Guys in white as a spoof off the men in black, had to deal with. Those specters rated a 2 and above on the specto energy scale.

Finally there were ghosts such as the Box Ghost who rated from a high 3 on the specto energy scale to a low 2. They were actually less harmless most of the time, only to cause a ruckus every once in a while, but were more often seen as cases for study at Axiom labs. Maddie had almost an affection for these ghosts, actually attempting a intelligent conversation with them, even though their ability to communicate back was limited.

Mathematically, it was possible to have a class 10 ghost, although the most powerful ghost with a recorded sighting was estimated to be a low 6. Such ghosts, only theoretically possible, were considered threats on par with terrorists. The only facts about such powerful ghosts came from urban myths and legends and there had been no actual documentation of such creatures. However, just the fact that they could be out there is what drove Maddie crazy, and what had driven the 'project' from Maddie's dreams to a reality.

Years ago, Maddie and her husband Jack had began a private endeavor to construct an inter-dimensional portal that would be able to access the ghost zone, if there was one. A few years prior, Maddie had written a paper on her project, which ended after the Jack saw the necessary funding for such a project, and submitted it to the executive board at Axiom labs. They were thoroughly impressed by the concept and had funded it, albeit the funding had been stringent.

So it had become a reality, under the supervision of Jim and with an equally brilliant team of scientists, the portal, after much toil, had been constructed. She would see it operate for the first time on that very day, with her son.

"Hey mom…can I see what is behind that big shiny door? Please!"

Maddie looked down at her 10 year old son that looked up at her with buoyant blue eyes that sparkled and were filled with that youthful energy

She sadly looked back down "Sorry Danny, but there is are monsters behind that door, and I don't want you to be scared okay?"

He pouted "Aww Mom, but I'm bored with Dad at his cube, I want to see what you do!"

She stroked his black hair "Well, when your older, I promise okay?"

Danny looked back up with askance eyes "Promise?"

Maddie grabbed his hand and squeezed it "promise Danny"

Danny had always wanted to see what she had done, what her work was, but Maddie had a contract, her work was of the utmost secrecy. The military potential of a ghost as a living weapon were endless if the rumors about more powerful ones were true, so Maddie worked in secret, and behind closed doors. But she had asked her superiors, signed the papers, and Danny was finally going to be able to see her pride and joy.

Maddie was grinning ear to ear as she left the viewing room and strode towards the office wing of Axiom labs, eager to show her son what she had wrought.

As she strode down the hall, a clock ticked close the ceiling, each tick a second less to the point where Maddie would question who or what her son was.