Chapter 1 - Home Is Where The Examination Table Is

"When she was just a girl She expected the world, But it flew away from her reach. So she ran away in her sleep and Dreamed of Paradise."
"Paradise" ~ Coldplay

Dani looked up at the "cabin" looming over her. But that would an understatement as the building was more of a mansion than a cabin, but even 4 years since last seeing it the building stood strong enough to loom. She grimaced at the decrepit look of the outside, much of the decorations and ornaments had either broken or disappeared and the "cabin" looked much more… rustic. Slowly she walked down the stone pathway taking in the sight of her "home". The stones had been cracked open long ago and dirt and weeds had overtaken the path, the lawn to had changed as it was no longer the neat and pristine thing she once remembered. Now it was a jungle, warring to eat the rest of the property as it had the yard. She stopped as she came to the familiar wooden double doors, though they were no longer the grand things they had once been, being covered in dirt and grime and left to weather the elements unassisted. She didn't want to but she knew she had to open the doors… this was her home. And with a deep breath she pushed open the doors and they opened with an ominous creak.

Dani was surprised by what she saw, as if the outside had been some strange mirror world. The inside was almost exactly the same as how it had been (minus the dust and cobwebs everywhere). The animal heads still hung mounted on the walls and the fur rugs still covered the floor and all the furnishings still remained in place, even the green and gold Packers memorabilia. She left out the breathe she hadn't even realized she had been holding. It was all just so… familiar. She hated that she had been forced to this, to drag herself back to the place she never wanted to see again but her choices had been limited. She would never burden Danny and his family, she was not their responsibility. She for awhile had roamed the ghost zone but that to had lost its wonder as the almost constant attacks by wild ghosts had almost killed her. She thought about continuing her life as it had been but stealing her food had made her feel crummy and left a distinctive Vlad like feeling in the pit of her stomach. So She found herself here, knowing that this place had been well stocked as a "bug out bunker" incase his plans ever went south, fortunately he had never had the chance to use it being left to drift in space and all. An uninhabited mansion cabin in the Rocky Mountains was as good enough a place as any. She wouldn't burden anyone here, there would be no complications and she wouldn't have to resort to any Masters-like activities to fill her belly.

Silently she trudged through the deserted abode, leaving footprints in the dust as if it were snow. She lifted her hand, a ball of ectoplasm and her natural ghostly glow lighting her path as she went on her way. She shuddered at how eerily the glow bounced around the room, casting shadows gloomily on the surfaces she passed. She knew better than to try a light, the power would have been shut off long ago to prevent any untoward investigations. She had been prepped incase of the most dire situation when the family goal had still been another brother, she remembered all of the protocols. Stumbling on one of the fur rugs she thought was merely a shadow, she finally she found what she was looking for. A large ornate (if not dusty) fireplace in the shape of a football. She groaned at the "subtly" of the thing as she phased through the bottom, drifting down through the stone underneath. The entrance had been fitted with a ghost shield and she knew from firsthand experience that it was one of Vlad's more painful inventions. Slowly she floated until she felt the chill of the cavern below travel through out her already unnaturally cold body as she entered feet first into said cavern. And the glow slowly filled the cavern and she could see the metal looking box that she knew was the lab she was "born" in, tucked away in the corner. She could see the metal room, she knew all she had to do was get inside and she would be "home-free" but fear ate at her heart. She knew the material was an anti-ghost one and with one final deep breath the familiar rings of light appeared at her waist, signaling her transformation and the loss of the glow. Darkness enveloped the enclosure.

The metal door of the room opened with a loud metallic screech as she shoved her shoulder as hard as she could against the steel (the steel moaned at this after so many years of nonuse and her shoulder creaked in protest). Quickly her still normal human and non-glowing hand reached inside and flicked the one glowing switch next to the door. With a loud whirring and a few clangs light poured into the Lab and the cavern behind her and a moment later she could hear the hum of the Ghost Portal as it acted as the generator for the estate (though it remained firmly closed), siphoning excess ecto energy and converting it into a suitable power source. She sighed in relief at the return of the light and vaguely noted that the lab was much less disheveled than the mansion above, most likely due to the sealed and sterile nature of the Lab. Instantly a very clear and familiar female voice called out cheerily from one of the wall speakers.

"Welcome home Fruit Pebble!"

In front of her the image of Maddie Fenton blinked to life and smiled warmly at her (or as well as a computer can smile at least). She groaned at the name that her Father had once called her (which she thought was out of spite towards Danny), needless to say, the Computer loved it. It hadn't stopped calling her that since. The hologram waved happily at her and floated over in a bouncy manner, almost skipping through the air.

"It has been 3 years, 8 months and 23 days since this unit has been active." it chimed melodically, before a look realization crossed it translucent face. "Happy Birthday sweetie!"

Dani frowned at the scene unfolding before her, noting that it was a twisted mockery of her cousins life. She walked through her "mom" hoping to create the same uncomfortable shiver of a ghost passing through a human, but there was no response as the program turned to follow her.

"Should I contact the staff?" the program queried as she floated behind her "daughter". Danielle considered it for a brief moment but knew better than to call any of Vlad's former cohorts as he had commanded them through strength and fear and she was nowhere near as strong as him or Danny. She really didn't want to move again either.

"No, can you give me a rundown on the condition of the lab and the house?" She responded, her voice echoing around the room.

"The Lab is at 100 percent efficiency as it has been periodically maintained by the Jack-Program during my time offline. Though estimated leaps in ghost-technologies gives an estimated decrease of 40 percent compared to more modern equipment. The Cabin is structurally sound and only in need of minor outdoor repairs."

Dani slowly turned back to acknowledge the image, her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Why was the Jack-program active?" she asked, she was sure that everything was supposed to be off until this moment. She melted at the sad look that over took the computer's holographic face.

"Vlad wanted us to be lonely. He put me in standby mode and ported the Jack-program into a Janitorial droid!" She responded as the volume of the speakers had dimmed. Dani was sure this was supposed to mean she was terribly sad (or that her initial analysis of the lab was wrong, but most likely the first thing).

"Oh…" she said awkwardly, not knowing how to respond (she had been out of the socializing loop for far to long. "Err, and where is the Jack-uh…Droid now?" she asked to steer the conversation somewhere else. A sound beeping blared from deeper in the lab and the Maddie-program blinked of existence. Leaving her to search deeper in the Lab for whatever it was.

The Program, or M.a.D.D.S. (Mainframe and Data Documenting System) as she liked to be called had appeared next to very annoying and loud beeping sound. Though this time instead of taking the full form of the red headed, blue jump suited woman she appeared only as a floating head to conserve some miniscule level of energy. Her large floating head bobbed happily while her artificial violet eyes lit up even brighter.

"Jack!" she called happily though it was a little dim as the closest speaker was quite a bit away from the ghost portal. Jack's droid body was a tall, lanky, sleek structure. She had remembered when Vlad had first designed the thing, she had documented it because of the material the Halfa had used. Bronze. Regular, flimsy, soft, bronze. There were no weapons, no ghost tech. Just bronze and cleaning supplies, though she knew he had eventually given it a few upgrades for translation software, the printer, a camera installation and as a last thought a flashlight. But besides the metal choice the robot itself was a bit plain with a communication device that was reminiscent of an old radio dial on the front an a few controls for it's various cleaning utensils littered across it forearm. Infact the only remarkable thing about its design (again other than the metal) was it's face. It was simple no doubt, but the synthetic mouth and the glowing blue eyes were able to display so many expressions. Instantly the stern frown disappeared and he smiled at the Program's image.

"Swee..tie?" His face fell almost instantly at hearing his own voice.

"Oh no, I'm… British!" his elegant voice despaired. She giggled amusedly at his silly display.

"It's ok dumpling! We can be together again!" She beamed happily at his metal frame. But then frowned as she realized he was the source of the beeping.

"Uh, Honey. What's all the fuss about?" she asked confusedly. Watching as his face shifted back to a stoic expression.

"Well Madds, I found a Fenton thermos in front of the Ghost Portal. The last time this unit was damaged it took a month to repair one of the arms. I almost drained my battery." he explained staring at the offending thermos.

She stared for a moment too, and the thought that it was strange that such a device would be here without any record in her database. She documented all Fenton tech (just incase it was faulty). She noted the conflicted look on the droid's metal face, caught between his desire to combat ghosts and his self preservation programs.

"Don't worry dear, Danielle is here. I'm sure that she could help!" and just as she said it her face lit up with embarrassment.

"Oop's I forgot!" She guilty said. Her etiquette protocols must have been corrupted, she'd remember to redownload them later. Dani's familiar voice piped in a moment later.

"Jeez I hope Danny never got left at Walmart." the young girl remarked sardonically. The Program mumbled an apology but was cut off by her "daughter".

"Naw it's ok, I could hear ya so I just followed your voice." she said with a smirk. Both programs rolled their eyes at the Vlad like trait.

"So where's this thermos?" she asked, eager to do something. But caught sight of it behind the lanky droid.

It was in bad shape she noted. The surface was scratched and badly dented. And at the right angle she swore it looked like a face. She picked the battered thing up, inspecting it closer. On the bottom was a hastily scrawled note.

"This Thermos has been sealed for 3 years, 11 months, and 22 days. He has committed countless atrocities and has been exiled to exist for the rest of eternity trapped in this thermos. He has been called Monster by some and a Devil by others. But they forget that this was not always so. He was once called Hero. Once called Brother, Son, Friend. And there was a time when all he wanted was to make the 'hurt go away'. He has ended as many lives as he has saved. Inside this container is one of the universes most powerful and complicated creatures. His fate is in your hands. Open the container in 24 hours and release him or do not and the thermos shall return to whence it came. Does everyone deserve a second chance?"

She had no clue where it came from or who had sent it. She had read it twice to make sure she was reading it correctly. Someone's fate in her hands? Impossible she thought, regarding the note a third time before looking up at the Programs.

"Can you scan the Thermos for an ecto-reading?" she asked wearily as she placed the thermos on a nearby lab table. The HoloHead nodded and a large nozzle like scanner lowered from a machine above the table. A light encroached on the canister and the nozzle rumbled quietly. After a few minutes a audible pinging was heard and the head frowned.

"The Ecto-reading confirms a ranking of 10..." As the Holo had said it the halfa had paled.

"That can't be right, run it again." she said trembling slightly.

The GRS had never been wrong before. The Ghost Ranking System (GRS) was a system developed by ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts to rank ghosts on a scale of 1-10 based on power level, skill and abilities. The GRS is divided into 4 groups based on threat level. 1-3 were small fry's, 4-6 were the average powered ghost and the more dangerous ones to humans, those she could handle. 7-9 were more lethal, more powerful than the average ghost (she knew these would be more a problem to her, at her current she knew she was ranked a 5 and Vlad had been at 7). There had only been one recorded Rank 10 ghost in Vlad's archives and that had been Pariah Dark, the Ghost King. That had been before her time but she had seen the videos during her training. He had been monstrously strong, way out of her league. The nozzle beeped again.

"The test reads the Ranking at 10." The computer stated again, looking down at the beat up thermos.

"Is it the same ecto-signature in the archives?" she questioned warily. Reluctant to even touch the thermos now.

"No, it is not the Ghost King." The program answered, then floated around the object curiously.

"What are you gonna do?" the Jack-Droid asked obnoxiously (though still in an elegant tone).

She frown as she stared at it, afraid to disturb it lest she release something better left sleeping.

"I don't know…"

She had settle in one of the guest rooms of the cabin, the Jack-droid had cleaned it thoroughly for her (using just as much enthusiasm as the real Jack had for ghost hunting). The wood floor gleamed in the candle light and the shadows that once scared her now lulled her to sleep as they danced on the walls for her. Her long raven hair, free from its hair tie and damp from her shower, hung over her shoulders and she now wore a silken pair of green pajamas with gold trim instead of the dirty rags she had once called clothes. She curled up into the bundle of blankets in an almost feline way as she contemplated what she would do. She didn't want to an imagine eternity alone. She for a moment had thought that was what she had doomed herself to, forgetting about the A.I. that governed the computer and ghost sensitive equipments. She knew that at least she wouldn't be alone now, she could even hear the Jack-Droid (who had affectionately ask her to call him JD) working diligently somewhere further down the hall outside her door. She had been alone though, for a long time. It was hard to make connections, when you're different. When you're drifting place to place. There were only 2 people in existence that could understand her plight and she didn't want to burden one and the other had tried to kill her. She had been so alone. She had felt that pain, she had wanted the pain to stop. For that hurt to go away. She knew these things and they were horrible.

She thought back to when she was Destabilizing. The huntress had handed her over to Vlad to die, but then had rescued her. She had changed her ways, even if only a little. And after the incident Dani herself had gotten a second chance at life. Vlad was given a another chance to, long ago when he first discovered Danny but he squandered it on his revenge. She glumly stared at the thermos, sitting acrossing from her soft bed, on a wooden night stand. In the dim candle light, the shadows dance across its dented surface and she could see the face once more. It would peek out of the shadows every time the flame bounced in just a certain way. She had looked over the whole thing and that had been the only one that was shaped in such a way. She could barely make it out but she was sure the thing had been smiling, no smirking, when it had made it. She wondered why.

"Maybe because he thought he would get a second chance." she thought morosely, still staring at the toothy grin.

"I know what it's like, ya know." she said softly. "I was alone for almost as long as you now."

The face disappeared as the flame of the candle dance around.

"I know what it feels like to lose your place in the world. I thought after I left Da… Vlad, that things would change for the better. They just got worse and worse and then I started dying. And I thought 'hey maybe my cousin can help' and he did… but he's just compelled to save people. And then he just sends them on their way."

She hadn't realized that she had started crying, she didn't even notice JD watching from the doorway. She just stared at the container, going over all the dark thoughts that had engulfed her heart.

"I didn't have anywhere to go. I just wandered, alone and miserable. I tried the hero thing. I thought I could get people to love me. But they just hunted me, apparently the ghost business is only big enough for one hero. The Guys in White, the PolterGeeks, the Groovy Gang, the XtremeGhostBreakers, even the reformed Masters Blasters! I couldn't take it so I ran away, away from the Hunters, away from the problems of the world. I ran to the ghost zone. Big mistake, to many wild ghosts. I almost died there. And the ghost that weren't crazed beasts… They threatened me, turned me away."

She sniffled uselessly trying to clear her tears, she could barely make out the face that had danced onto the thermos. Her watery eyes staying on it steadfast.

"Sometime I wonder what would have happened if I had melted, would it be better than this pain?"

She was startled when a cold hand reached out to smooth her tears, startled she gasped as she looke up. JD sat at the edge of her bed, stroking her hair with his hand. A synthetic frown on his face.

"Don't talk like that, Fruit Pebble." The Droid said sadly . "You're here with me and Madds now. We may not be human, or even ghosts but we can still be your family. You're not alone anymore."

He continued to murmur comforting things in his wispy British tone, she vaguely recognized it as a lullaby. She didn't remember falling asleep with leftover tears in her eyes as he continued to sing, never leaving her side until well into the night as she dreamt of brighter days. Already planning for the next day as he took the accursed thermos with him.

Unbeknownst to the "family", they had been entertaining a very curious audience. But he would wait, that had been part of the deal after all. So for now he would bide his time, listening.

Ok y'all, this is officially chapter 1. About the JD, if you're having trouble picturing him I based him on Larry 3000 from timesquad. I hope you like it, remember to let me know what ya think.