Hello everyone and thank you for giving my first fanfic a go, in this Adventure Time fanfic little baby finn doesn't defy all logic by surviving a month long journey across the ocean eating nothing but bread from a wand and ending up on the shores of Ooo. Instead he is raised on Founders Island by his mom, groomed to be a Helper. And then his life turns into a circus.

Enjoy! Remember this is my first fanfic so please give your reviews be them good or bad.

Oh and I do not own 'Adventure Time' but you probably already knew that.

Chapter 1

Contemplation

Finn came to the realization that this was the only time he was really at peace.

Sitting on the cliff edge overlooking the ocean, listening to the waves and the wind sounding off, creating their own beautiful song, Finn was perfectly content. Every minute of every other day, Finn had something to worry about. Finn had trouble sleeping in his own bed half the time. Maybe there was some woman who needed help starting a garden, maybe some group of kids fell in one the old waterways, maybe Dr. Gross had another test or lesson for him that he was running late for, maybe his mom had another three hour long lecture for him. Whatever it was, it was always something.

But here, he felt more relaxed than he ever did. Ever since he found this lookout when he was twelve, Finn had been coming here every other week or so to watch the sunset and just imagine what was out there beyond the great sea. Normally if you were to ask someone what was out there beyond the seas of the Island, they would tell you 'islands full of mutants' or 'storms that never end' or even 'the end of the world'. Though that kind of talk could get you into trouble, it was Island Law to report any and all potential Hiders. The last thing Finn needed was people starting a rumor that he was on his way to be a Hider, boy would his mom raise hell with him.

Still, it was nice to just sit there and imagine. Finn doubted his mom would send a Seeker after him, she never went that far. As long as he left for home as soon as the sun set Finn was in the clear. He didn't dare stay out longer, else he may face the wrath of a pissed off momma. Finn still had a little while to go until then, so he just sat back and relaxed. He was wearing his normal attire, blue pants, light blue shirt and a brown sherpa jacket that used to belong to his dad. Finn took off his white bear hat and let his golden hair flow freely through the wind. His hair had gotten shoulder length, just how he liked it. He hated getting it cut but as soon as his mom saw it she would grab the scissors. Finn made a mental note to try to keep his hat on at all times.

Finn closed his eyes and began to daydream, imagining himself on a huge sailboat like the ones he saw in the books. Sailing the oceans, meeting mermaids, fighting off pirates who were trying to sack an island village, filling the hull of the ship with the gold he found on his adventures. Deep down Finn knew he would never actually do any of those things, Founder's Island was his home, and his future was on the island as well. It was still nice to imagine, it was all he could do. Finn made a promise to his mom a long time ago to never even consider becoming a Hider, he was destined to be a Helper, just like everyone told him.

Finn was wondering what his mom would make for dinner when he heard a noise from behind him. Finn immediately jumped to his feet, spun around, and got into a combat stance with his fist raised. For reasons that Finn could never figure out he was quite skilled at fighting. Any thief or bully Finn could easily take down. As far as Finn knew, he never received any form of training, when people asked him how he did it he told them 'something inside me just clicks'. He didn't know any other way to explain it. Whatever made the sound was getting closer, Finn stayed posed, ready for whatever was coming.

It was Kara Strong, the best Seeker on the Island. Everyone on the island knew her, everyone on the island respected her. Though she was a nightmare for any Hider. Kara was bigger and stronger than any of the other Seekers, and that was saying something, the Seekers were all J.A.C.K.E.D. Kara was three times the size of Finn and built like a gorilla, she was wearing the standard purple outfit of the Seekers with a purple cat hat that covered most of her head much like Finn's bear hat did. Despite her size and bulk Finn of all people knew how kind and gentle Kara really was. Finn's mom had basically made Kara his bodyguard when he was a baby, asking her to always keep an eye on him. And like any Seeker, she obeyed the order of Minerva Campbell. Finn had grown close to the Seeker, viewing her as a big, buff, sister figure, but often became annoyed when he saw her pretending to look at a flyer on a store window or hiding behind a tree thinking he couldn't see her.

Finn put his fists down and let out a sigh. "Seriously, did mom really send you to find me Kara?" he asked.

Kara looked at him firmly but warmly. "Finn, your mom is getting worried and wants you home. When you didn't answer your phone she told me to go look for you". Her voice was gentle yet strong, and held a bit of scolding as well.

"Mom never called me." Finn replied. He took out his phone to look at his messages. "Uh-oh." Finn said, realizing his phone was dead. He knew his mom was not going to be happy. Sighing in defeat he put his phone back in his pocket, placed his hat back on his head and looked at Kara. "Alright, let's go."

They walked back through the flora that separated the living areas from the ocean side cliffs mostly in silence, until Kara asked the question Finn didn't want to answer.

"What were you doing out there near the cliffs edge?, you know that's dangerous." Finn mentally cursed his bad luck, 'There goes my secret spot.' he thought to himself. He knew Kara had no choice but to report that to his mom.

"I like the view, and it's not like I go there all the time, just every now and then. Helps me relax."

Kara gave him a small smile. "I guess you're nervous about your big day?"

Finn knew she was just trying to help but reminding him about that only made him feel worse. 'The day after tomorrow.' he thought. "Yeah" he lied. "Yeah, that."

Kara looked at Finn with concern in her eyes. "You know Finn, you really shouldn't look out into the sea like that. If people start thinking you're a Hider…" she paused, "You don't want that."

Finn looked up at Kara, she really looked worried about him. He knew it wasn't easy for her to delve into this topic. Finn knew about Frieda, an Experimenter who used to be Kara's best friend. Frieda turned out to be a Hider and Kara was forced to capture her, Frieda was put through re-education and the two hadn't spoken for nearly twenty years. 'I think Frieda runs a toy store nowadays.' Finn thought to himself 'Maybe I could talk Kara into going to see her.'

Instead he said "Come on Kara, I know there's nothing out there for me." Finn turned his sight back on the path. "Everything I am, everything I'll ever be, is here on this island."

Kara gave him one last look of concern, then turned her head to the path as well.

They arrived at the fence that separated the forested area from the living area, Kara picked him as gently as if he were a kitten and jumped the fence. Once on the other side Kara put him down. As they were walking to his house Finn tried to prepare himself for his confrontation with his mother, thinking of the right things to say and what not to say. They arrived at his house much sooner than he would have liked.

Kara turned to Finn. "Well I'll leave you to it, best of luck Finn." she said with a smile.

Finn smiled back. "Thanks Kara." he replied. Finn walked up and gave her a hug around her large midsection. "Have a good night."

Kara placed a big hand on Finn's back. "You too little guy". After Kara walked away, Finn turned towards the house and took a breath. Then walked to the house and opened the door.

And saw his mother standing right in front of him.

"Finnegan Campbell, where have you been?!"

Before Finn could reply his mom took hold of his shoulders. Her eyes glowed with a faint blue light for a few seconds before returning to normal. "No signs of fatigue nor abnormal brain activity, heartbeat is normal, body temperature is normal, you should have a banana or two later, a good source of vitamin B6 and C would be good for your health, and why do you insist on wearing your father's old jacket? I know the current temperature demands a heavy garment but I have a wool coat that would be suitable for-"

Before she could go on any further Finn reached up and gently took he hands off his shoulders. "Mom relax I'm fine; I was just getting some fresh air, there's no need to get so worked up over nothing." Finn loved his mom more than anything in the world, but having an AI inside an android for mom was not always so enjoyable. Who would have thought?

Minerva Campbell was the leader of Founders Island, though Finn always saw her as more as the deity of the island or the patron saint of humanity with the way the people adored her. The android body Minerva was in was her personal replica body, the only one that was directly controlled by her. The others were more like sleepwalkers of her subconscious, Finn had gotten used to having an island full of mom look-alikes but never actually liked it. Shocker. The android was modeled after what Minerva Campbell looked prior to becoming an AI, she had golden hair like Finn's that went down to her shoulders but Minerva's hair was thicker than Finn's smooth silky hair. Like all the Minerva-bots she wore an orange shirt with a brown skirt underneath a white lab coat. She wore a white polar bear hat similar to Finn's, only it only covered the top of her head like a barrette. Minerva was also one of the few people on the island who spoke with an accent. Finn asked her once why she did and she told him it was a family thing, Finn escaped before his mom could stick him in another three hour long lecture.

Minerva narrowed her eyes at Finn. "The safety of my precious baby boy is not nothing Finnegan. You could have gotten hurt out there or, Founders forbid, you could have fallen off the cliff edge. Next time why don't you go to the beach, it's much safer." Finn did his best not to roll his eyes, he knew a Minerva-bot patrolled the beach for safety.

"Is it so bad to want to be alone with my thoughts from time to time?" Finn asked as he walked inside. The house was an exact copy of the one they had on Hub Island when Finn was a baby. Small and cozy, nothing to look at twice at but nothing to scoff at either. Wooden flooring, multiple pictures on the walls, an orange sofa in the back by a window, and a few lamps and vases decorated the inside. Minerva closed the door and Finn crashed on the couch.

Minerva walked up to Finn lying on the couch and gave him a concerned look. "Finn sweetie, is this about your birthday coming up?"

Finn didn't answer, but that gave his mom his answer. Minerva knelt down and placed a hand on Finn's head, rubbing it affectionately. "Finn my sweet baby boy, you're turning eighteen you should be excited. I know becoming an adult can be a bit scary but that doesn't mean-"

Finn cut her off, "That's not it mom… well… that's half-not it."

Minerva looked at Finn for a while before smiling and standing back up. "How about we talk about it over dinner." she asked. Finn looked at his mom, then smiled and nodded.

A few minutes later Finn was eating some synthesized pasta with a plate of chopped up banana bites and a glass of water to wash it all down. Minerva, being an AI in an android, just sat on the other side of the table, listening to the classical music playing off the speaker in the corner.

Finn was finishing off the pasta. "You really should try making an android that can taste stuff mom, you could enjoy your food as much as I do."

Minerva gave him a kind smile. "Easier said than done sweetie, taste receptors would be very difficult to create despite my former knowledge of the taste sensory. To upload 'taste' to my artificial knowledge core would require more than just imputed description. But, I suppose I could run the notion by Dr. Gross."

Finn did all he could not to grimace at the mention of his mom's number two, Dr. Gross, (Ha, number two, Gross) aside from the tests that lasted half a day and the lectures that lasted the other half Finn had nothing personal against the island's top Experimenter. That however, did not mean Finn trusted her, or even liked her. Dr. Gross always struck Finn as the 'mad scientist' type, she's the one who trained the Seekers and placed those cybernetic implants in the head of each of them. Finn never agreed with those implants, he knew Gross could control the Seekers with them remotely like a bunch of mindless robots. Finn decided to try to get those removed from the Seekers when the time came. Not to mention she's the one one who caused the Pandemic, which killed nearly everyone on Hub Island. Thankfully, the virus was contained and eliminated, but not before infecting Minerva, forcing her to become an AI to save her life. Everyone knew the story, as an AI, Minerva and the androids she commanded were immune to the virus, where most of the other Helpers were quickly killed. Minerva and Dr. Gross were able to evacuate everyone to Founder's Island (baby Finn included) while they finished off the virus with Dr. Gross' antivirus formula. With the Island Leaders killed by the virus, Minerva took the mantle as leader of the humans, which the people were more than happy to accept. Minerva forgave Dr. Gross for accidentally letting a virus loose on Hub Island and she became her number two, though the rest of the islanders were not too thrilled with Gross' promotion, no one was brave enough to voice their complaints openly. The human race have been living on Founder's Island ever since, Minerva and Gross deeming a return to Hub Island too risky.

Minerva folded her hands, remotely turned off the music and looked Finn in the eyes. "Finn, would like to talk about what's bothering you now?" she asked kindly.

Finn picked at his banana bites with a solemn look on his face, thinking on how to reply. "Once I turn eighteen, I start going through the courses and schooling to become a Helper." he began. "The beginning of the rest of my life, begins in two days."

Minerva gave him a curious look. "Finn… are you saying you don't want to be a Helper?"

"What? No of course not mom, being a Helper is all I've ever wanted to be." Finn replied. "But, I don't know, hasn't being a Helper, at some point, felt more like… babysitting?"

"What do you mean sweetie?"

Finn let out a sigh. "Well, even before the Pandemic, humans have been kept pretty safe by our tech, the Seekers, the laws, and of course the enormous mechanical golem out there in the ocean. Haven't you ever felt like you could have done something more, like you could have been something more. I want to be a Helper, more than anything, and I'm about to go down that road. Helpers aren't really in high demand with you and your androids, the Helpers nowadays don't even do that much anymore. I just just wish there was another road to take, one that would lead me to becoming… something more."

Finn closed his eyes and took a breath after letting all that out, when he opened them and looked up at his mom, he saw her smiling face filled with warmth and pride. "Finn my beautiful, sweet, baby boy, you should never feel like what you're doing isn't enough." her accented voice was full of love and affection. "The entire Island adores you Finn; the hard work you put into every task that is asked of you, the obvious selflessness and bravery you possess, the talent you so clearly possess of both mind and body, you're destined to be an extraordinary Helper and everyone knows it. However, take it from someone who's witnessed a virus outbreak that wiped out an entire island population, a simpler road makes for a happier journey." Minerva reached across the table and took Finn's hands in her own. "And all I've ever wanted for you was to have a happy journey."

Finn stared at his mom for a bit before smiling back at her. "Thanks mom, I needed that."

"It's why I'm here sweetie." she let go of Finns hands and leaned back against her chair. "You just wait and see, you'll become a certified Helper, get married and start a family, and live a long happy life." Minerva then leaned back forward. "Speaking of which, I really need to start looking for a nice girl for you t-".

"Mom! Please! For the love of the Founders! No!" Finn nearly had a heart attack, the last thing anyone wanted was their mom trying to pair them up with someone. When your mom was the AI leader of the island you lived on that only made it worse.

Minerva crossed her arms. "Finnegan, it is rude to interrupt people like that and you've already done it thrice to me so far tonight. As for your concerns, you're nearly eighteen and you've never had a date in your life."

"Oh gee, you think maybe having a mom who literally has eyes all over the place may factor into that."

Minerva ignored Finn's sarcasm. "You've become a very handsome and fit young man, you may not have noticed the girls staring and giggling at you as you walk down the street but I sure have. You're all they ever talk about, it's a surprise the girls your age aren't fighting to the death over you." this earned a blush on Finn's face. "What about that girl who works in the Library you often chat with, Sarah was it? She would do nicely." Finn's blush deepened.

"You know what mom, I think I'm just gonna go to bed now."

Minerva sighed. "Very well, but finish your fruit and drink your water. This discussion is far from over by the way."

'Of course it is.' Finn thought glumly, 'I may have to consider jumping off the cliffside.'

After the banana and water was gone, Finn said goodnight to his mom and walked off to his room. He almost made it out of the kitchen when his mom spoke up.

"You're planning on visiting your father again tomorrow, aren't you?"

Finn stopped dead in his tracks. 'Crap.' There was no point in lying to her so he turned around and looked at his mom.

"Yes, yes I am."

Minerva put her hand to her forehead and let out a tired sigh, something you wouldn't expect an android to do.

"Finn I know your heart's in the right place, but you know how much I disapprove of your insistence on visiting him. I would sooner have you visit the Guardian than your father, at least the Guardian is a good role model." She didn't sound angry, she just sounded sad and tired, the same way she always sounded whenever Finn's dad came up in conversation. Which thankfully, wasn't very often.

Finn felt bad, but once he turned eighteen and started the proper schooling, he would get to visit his dad even less often than he already did. "Yeah I know mom, but despite everything that happened, he's still my dad."

Minerva got up and walked to her son. "I won't stop you, I never do, but just remember the rule."

"Don't believe a word he says."

"That's my boy."

The two smiled and embraced.

"I love you mom."

"I love you too Finn."

In his room Finn was changing into his pajamas, he took off his hat and shirt and looked himself in the mirror. Finn had to admit the healthy diet and exercise courses his mom put him on truly had paid off over the years. He was lean and muscular, nothing compared to a Seeker or an island health-nut, but still Finn found himself admiring his body in the mirror. His shoulder length golden hair and muscular bod made him feel like a character in one one those old comic books at the Library, particularly the one with the red cape and hammer.

That thought gave Finn pause, he knew he needed to stop thinking like that. 'Your not a superhero Finn.' he thought to himself. 'You're not an adventurer, you're not a Hider, you're the son Minerva Campbell, you're a Helper.' Finn put his red PJs on and slipped into bed, he stared at the ceiling and made a promise to himself that he would stop going to the cliff lookout, that he would devote himself to being a Helper of the island and to never dream of adventures again.

When he finally fell asleep, Finn dreamed he was a one-armed mercenary riding a tiger across a field of grass, a large sparkling golden owl was chasing him, hooting loudly.

It almost sounded like the owl was trying to warn him.