Chapter named after Otherside by Red Hot Chili Peppers

It would be ridiculous to assume that I own anything concerning the Danny Phantom universe.

Important author's note at the bottom please read!

It had been nearly seven years since Maddie first started working for the GIW, not even a few months after the birth of her beautiful baby girl.

Just after their big discovery, news of the Fenton's echoed around the globe. And presently as it hit their ears, renowned scientists openly refuted the idea other dimensions could exist, and therefore, a portal could not be opened.

Promptly after Maddie had been released from the hospital, little Jasmine in her arms, two agents dressed in white rang the doorbell of the Fenton's eccentric house. They had tried to shove a packet of papers in her hands with the simple request of "please sign here". At first, Maddie had been adamant to refuse them- no way would she give some shady government agency the chance to steal her life's work. Jack eventually convinced her that they should sign the contract. Stated within the fine print, it revealed that the GIW would pay for all expenses, including the hiring of lab assistants, which the Fenton's could hand pick themselves. Better yet, they were able to do all their work in their personal lab at home in the oversized basement.

The only downside was the constant observation the GIW put them in. Once a week, a pair of agents in fresh pressed suits came to survey their notes and invade their space. Even without the occasional babysitter, prying eyes gazed down on the team of scientists from the cameras mounted at each corner of the lab.

But it had all been worth it. The long two years of formulas and theories, another five to build their masterpiece. It took up nearly the entire surface area of the far wall, hexagonal in shape, and made of cold steel. Although it was the tallest object in the lab, it didn't take up much room. Most of the space was occupied by cluttered tables and a continuous shuffle of human bodies. Usually, this mass of people would be hard-pressed against the portal, each pair of hands working to perfect each minute detail. Today however, was a special occasion. Today, they were going to test the boundaries of their universe and stretch out to make contact with the other side.

Maddie wove a path through the various assistants and stood next to Jack. She managed to wrap one arm quarter-way around the bulk of her husband. She leaned into him as he continued to stare at the still inactive portal.

"Is Jazz upstairs?" He tried to whisper. It was hard to be quiet in a room vibrating with sound. Add to that the difficulty of having a booming voice as Jack did.

"Yes," Maddie replied. "It was getting late so I tucked her into bed. Hopefully all the racket from down here won't wake her up."

Jack laughed heartily. "She's always been a heavy sleeper. If my snoring can't keep her up, I don't think anything can!" He then gave Maddie a small squeeze.

A lab assistant approached the happy couple. He handed the clipboard to Maddie, who found difficulty in unwrapping herself from Jack's embrace.

"We've run these last few formulas. Everything seems to be in order."

"Thank you Reiner," Maddie nodded. Jack took the clipboard and skimmed through the numbers.

"Guess that means we can finally start this baby up!"

Immediately, Jack walked towards one of the groups of idle workers, barking out orders. Maddie gathered her team to check on the readings on the computers. She called out to Jack that they were ready, and he moved to stand behind her. Quick fingers flew over the keyboard, summoning a plexiglass wall to separate the scientists from their creation.

"Power levels stable," said the small blonde woman at a computer. "Shall I continue?"

Maddie sighed in the face of this monumental moment. No longer would she or her husband be regarded as jokes. This would prove them all wrong.

"Punch it."

Machines whired, creating a hum that could barely be perceived by human ears. Large wires that criss-crossed the walls buzzed with electricity. A small light appeared in the center of the portal. Then it stretched across into a horizontal line. A loud pop! was heard throughout the lab, and the beam of light split, opening a great chasm of swirling green.

Maddie stared at it, tears pooling inside her goggles. She lifted it off her face to let her tears fall down her cheeks. Jack noticed and held her in a gentle squeeze.

"Dr. Fenton?" asked one of the assistants at a computer.

"Yes?" both Jack and Maddie answered.

"I am detecting no signs of radiation or other contaminates. And the portal is stable."

Maddie turned to Jack. "Would you like to do the honor?"

"Would I!?" Jack tried unsuccessfully to hide his excitement. He began to hop from one foot to the other. Maddie walked to the nearest table and pulled a large cloth off the top of something. Then she lifted a large gun and carried it to Jack. He easily held the cannon-like structure in one hand while rubbing the Fenton logo plastered onto the metal surface with his free hand. Then he kissed the gun and gave out roar of laughter.

One word from Maddie and the middle section of the glass wall sunk down into the ground. Jack hoisted the aptly named Fenton Bazooka and fired a small, spherical device into the portal. Immediately, he dropped the bazooka on the floor and ran to join Maddie at the monitor.

On the screen, they could see all that the probe Jack just shot could see. The world beyond the portal was groundless, just a vast expanse of swirling purple and green.

"Well," said Maddie, hands placed on her hips. "I was hoping for at least a little life."

"What was that!?" shouted Reiner while pointing at the corner of the screen. They all gasped when they recognized the blocky floating structure to be a door. Another door floated up into the screen, and then another. Soon hundreds filled the monitor, all in varying shades of pink, purple, and violet.

Maddie stood gaping. What could this possibly mean? Many theories and guesses tumbled in her head, leading her from one conclusion to the next. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she almost didn't see a dark, shapeless form hurtle towards the screen.

"What the hell?" The monitor shook as the probe was hit by the object. Next it fell into static.

"Mrs. Fenton," said the blonde assistant, still at her desk. "I'm getting a reading on radiation, and it's growing."

Alarms started blaring and a red light flashed overhead. The ringing drowned out Maddie's reply, but the assistant already knew what to do. She punched in the code on her keyboard, raising the glass wall once more.

Maddie turned to the portal. The smooth green ripples had now become a torrent of purple and red. A vacuum of air howled around the portal, adding to the chaos that surrounded the lab. Maddie was completely hypnotized by the spectacle. She thought she heard Jack shout her name and barely registered his arms wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her down.

The glass shattered at that instant. Stacks of papers and lightweight equipment flew into the air and straight into the portal. The Fentons, as well as their assistants, took shelter under the tables, which were bolted to the floor. Maddie could see Jack's mouth moving, but could not hear his voice.

As suddenly as it had started, the wind reversed. Papers flew back out of the portal and circulated around the room. Purple smoke swirled faintly in the hurricane.

A strange form fell from the portal and collapsed on the floor. The wind stopped howling and the portal sputtered before closing completely.

Slowly, Maddie unwrapped herself from Jack and tentatively crept from under the table. If the lab had been a mess before, it definitely was a disaster now. Although it had just been struck by a mini hurricane.

The others came out from their hiding places, checking each other for any injuries. Jack struggled to get up, wriggling his way out from under the table. He came to Maddie's side, about to ask if she was alright, then stopped when his gaze hit the creature on the floor.

It was humanoid in shape, with a wild mop of pure white hair. It wore black rags, which Jack assumed was once clothing, possibly torn by the portal. It lay huddled in a ball, moaning softly.

The Fentons stood there, studying this new discovery. Then they heard the shrill scream of a terrified seven-year-old girl, who was standing in the doorway of the lab.

"It's such a shame that the cameras lost power during your experiment, Mrs. Fenton."

Maddie nodded stoically to the two men seated on the couch across from her. One of them looked down and plucked a small dust bunny from the pant leg of his immaculate white suit. Little Jasmine sat in Maddie's lap. She clutched Bearbert tight to her chest.

"Would you care to explain what happened?"

Maddie couldn't see the men's' eyes under their glasses, but she imagined they were dull, like twin lumps of coal.

"We had to reroute all the power to the lab. To keep our computers from short circuiting."

"Why didn't you contact us when the portal was ready?" said the other agent. "You know you tried the experiment nearly two weeks ahead of schedule."

She laughed trying to hide her discomfort. "Surely you can understand a scientist's desire for discovery! We were merely too excited and jumped forward a bit too soon."

The first agent cocked his head in thought. Maddie silently prayed that he believed her. Then he stood up, shook her hand, and reminded her that they would be back soon to pick up her report. Maddie lifted Jasmine off her lap and walked the two men to the door.

Just then, a squeal of delight was heard upstairs and a small boy came bounding down the steps. Jack was not far behind, trying to run on hands and knees, shouting playfully "I'm gonna getcha! I'm gonna catch ya!"

The little boy looked behind him to see how close Jack was to him, then smacked headfirst into one of the agent's legs. He fell back and began rubbing his face.

"Daniel!" cried Maddie as she scooped him into her arms. The agent cocked an eyebrow and studied the boy. He had jet black hair like Jack and blue eyes like Maddie.

"What's this?"

Jack stood up, lifted Jasmine,and joined Maddie. "That's Daniel." The boy giggled at the mention of his name.

"Uh, we've recently adopted him." said Maddie while shifting Daniel's weight in her embrace. "He's only five."

Daniel reached towards the agent's face, presumably for his glasses. "Where's your eyes?" he asked innocently.

The agent ignored him and looked to Maddie. "Very well then. Expect us around three tomorrow afternoon to pick up your report."

Maddie nodded and closed the door behind them with her foot. She let out the sigh that had been caught in her throat. Then she smiled and tickled Daniel's chin. He squirmed and giggled until she put him down. He tottered over to Jack and shouted to Jasmine, still in her father's arms. "Hey, let's go play a game!"

Jasmine smiled back and ran upstairs with him once Jack set her loose. Jack turned to Maddie and held her close.

"Don't worry," He spoke into her auburn hair. "You did the right thing."

Hello fellow Fanfic fanatics and fans of the Phantom! (that's a lot of fff's). I'm leaving this important note here to let y'all know that I am looking for a beta reader! Someone who will get to read my chapters before they get posted online and give me feedback on the story and/or grammar. It would also be helpful if this person has watched Danny Phantom, so as to point out any flaws I may make that aren't cannon or don't match up in places. Lastly, I would like this person to push me to continue writing this fanfic so that I don't go into a several year long hiatus like I did with Search for Zelda (which I hope to continue eventually btw). If your interested, please PM me and let me know if your computer or tablet or whatever can support Google docs, since that's where I type my things.

Sorry for the long note! Please favorite and leave a review! :D