Containment Breach

A Fallout and Ghostbusters Story

Chapter Two

There was evidence of the splendor of the old hotel as the lights flickered on. The outside of the hotel was covered with old neon lights that indicated that it was indeed the Sedgewick Hotel. The bar room was decorated in fishing nets, old fishing trophies, and various pieces of fishing gear, and of course every knight, scribe, paladin, and the sole sentinel had rooms of their own. Everyone was informed that the twelfth floor was to be left alone.

In truth Adam wasn't sure what it was that had occupied it, but he was certain that whatever it was couldn't be simply explained. As it was he stood duty near Jenkins, watching the outside of the hotel when the girl that represented the traders moved toward him. Again she was petite, she was obviously older than she seemed, but to look at her he believed that she managed to survive more to finding those capable of protecting her rather than doing it herself.

"Is everything clear?" she asked, "I ask because I know that we will need to gather more scrap."

She moved past him, and in doing so he noticed that how she was dressed was far different than it had been when she first arrived. When they first arrived here she was dressed in typical wastelander gear. The pants had been a patchwork of denim and molerat leather. Her shirt had been a simple tank top that had most likely rested inside of a suitcase that had been left behind by some poor person who died in the blinding flash of a nuclear warhead, and the shoes were a mismatched pair. One had been a dress shoe and the other looked to be something more of a leisure shoe.

Now she wore a clean pair of pants, black, a white shirt, and a pair of suspenders that held the pants up. They were ill fitting, but it was at least better than what she had worn before. The way she walked reminded him of Atama when she was attempting to get his attention. He could recall talking to Tulip about it, on one of his visits to Underworld, and she had said that it sounded like Atama was attempting to seduce him. The differences between this girl and Atama were staggering. Atama had the benefit of growing up in a Vault. She never knew hunger, never really knew desperation until after they left the Vault and the Overseer closed the door for the last time.

It wasn't until she was out in the world itself that she finally understood what it was to be desperate and to know hunger. She'd finally confessed that she had gone a few days without eating, but that changed. Being with the Brotherhood guaranteed a meal, and personally he would do all that he could to ensure that she would have plenty to eat and a place to sleep. Their home in Megaton wasn't the greatest place in the world, but it was a decent enough place to live. Megaton was something that was rare in the Wasteland. It was safe.

The Citadel was the same. It was a safe place, and now the Sedgewick was becoming the same. It was mostly a safe place, and one that potentially was going to see an influx of visitors. Of course setting up a trading hub hadn't been the intention of the mission. It didn't stop them from enjoying the perks of it. Part of him wondered if after the completion of the mission would the Brotherhood decide to help support the trading hub that was being established. He wanted to say that would be the case, but then from what he'd heard about the other chapters of the Brotherhood he wasn't sure.

Even the Outcasts, who had been part of the Brotherhood before, were more different than not. They weren't concerned with people as much as they were about hoarding technology and keeping those without understanding from using it. It was different from what Adam believed in. He believed in his parents' dream, and he believed in making the world a better place. Having pure, clean, and non radiated water was a huge step in the right direction. It would be giving the entire world a chance to potentially grow food that would be a little less radiated.

Of course in his travels he'd met a multitude of people, and based on what he learned from Tulip he realized that there was a good deal that wanted more to do with him than just potential friendship. While there were people like Dukov who lived with no less than two women at a time he wasn't sure that it was something that he actually wanted. He watched as she looked toward him, her hand resting on her hip, a slight pout on her lips, and the signs pointed to the same thing.

"You know," she said, "There is this old building, it used to be a business of some kind, that is full of expensive looking equipment. I'm sure that if someone could get inside, shut down the security measures for the place that it would really help us in establishing the hub here."

She smiled at him, and walked closer to him, "Why, it would allow us to hire mercenaries to help protect us when the Brotherhood moves on," she said, "Plus, I've heard that some of the security measures trapped would be scavengers in the basement. Shutting it down might be the only way to save them."

He looked at her for a moment, and he felt something odd. The way she looked at him, the way her piercing brown eyes seemed to see so deeply into his own made it feel like a thick fog had rolled into his head. She licked her lips as she stepped closer to him, "Why, I believe that if someone was to do this I would have to reward them," she whispered, "Reward them by letting them have what no man or woman has willingly been given."

He shook his head, trying to clear the fog, trying to think straight, but nothing was working. She leaned closer to him, and he wished that he had left the helmet of his armor on. Instead he stepped back, and when he did he heard something shift in the pack beside him. He looked toward it, and saw a framed picture. Atama might have been set into the career path that lead to leadership, but she had the talent of an artist. The framed picture was one that she had drawn, and colored, of the two of them.

She'd drawn them in their Vault suits, smiling, hugging each other, and seeing that chased the fog away. He looked toward the girl and gave her a smile, "That kind of reward wouldn't be needed," he said, "At least not by me. I have a girl back in the Capital Wasteland, and I wouldn't want to betray her."

He noticed that she looked a little put out for a moment, but then she shrugged.

"But, would you still be willing to help?" she asked, "We could use everything there, not to mention that I'm sure if there is anyone still alive in there they would be grateful as well."

He gave a nod, "I don't see a reason not to help," he said, "Although if we're going to be honest I have doubts that there would be anyone left alive. From what I've seen about security, especially pre-war security, it tends to end the lives of those foolish enough to chance it without the skill to turn it off."

He wished that it wasn't the case. But he'd come across dozens of ruins that originally were industrial complexes at one point. Those places often had various robotic sentries that had patrolled the area since the bombs fell. Some of them had their programming so corrupted that they no longer seemed content to wander the same halls forever, but instead decided to venture out into the wastes and attack at random.

The individuals that would wander into those places without a plan, and without knowing how to shut down the robots were asking for trouble. They were practically begging for the worst kind of trouble in the world. It wasn't right, or fair, but it was the way the world worked. He was certain if this place had the standard security that he'd seen even at the Nuka Cola plant then it was likely there wasn't anyone left inside.

The girl nodded, "Oh, I know," she said, "It would be nice if there was, after all that would ensure that we had more sellers and buyers, but if there isn't then there isn't. All I can ask is that you please shut down the security for us. It, unfortunately, is in the basement of the building. It should be next to a strange, roundish device in the wall."

He looked at her, "How do you know?" he asked, "Have you been in there?"

She shook her head, "No, but I've seen old pre war pictures of the place, and I've seen what is there. I know that the place has a main switch which controls the power. Switch it off, and the security shuts down. Switch it off, and you ensure that our trade hub is saved."

It was helping people, and Adam knew that was part of what their chapter of the Brotherhood was all about. It was about helping people, saving the wasteland, and doing what was right instead of just hording technology. At the same time it was a chance to explore this area, and more information could only help them. He nodded after a moment.

"I'll inform Sentinel Lyons, explain to her, and then when I'm certain that we will be covered here I'll head over and do recon. If it is what you said that it is then I will do my best to save anyone that is alive there, and I will also shut down the security so that we can use what is there to help everyone," he said, "If not then at the very least I can report the information back to Sentinel Lyons and we can make a more educated decision about the place."

The girl gave a pout. It was obvious that the answer wasn't exactly the one she wanted, but instead of being vocal about it she simply nodded, "I suppose I can't ask more than that," she said, "Although, if you should do as requested, I will keep my bargain of giving you something that has never been willingly gave before."

With that she walked away from him, and he watched as she disappeared into the hotel. He looked at Knight Jenkins, and saw the other man laughing slightly. He shook his head as he stood there.

"It's not that funny," Adam said, "I mean really, it's not that funny at all."

Knight Jenkins couldn't help it and the laughter became more open and honest as he continued to let it out. Finally after a few minutes he straightened up, "Sure it was," he said, "She all but said that she'd let you have her, every way possible, for doing this, and you never really picked up on it."

Adam looked out into the street, "I'm with Atama," he replied, "I really don't want to screw that up."

Jenkins shrugged his shoulders, "What happens here doesn't have to travel back," he said, "and I doubt that she's going to head to the Capital Wasteland. To be honest, if she came onto me I'd most likely do it. I mean she's a little scrawny, but I bet that she's a wildcat."

Adam put his helmet back on, "Maybe," he said, "But I honestly don't want to know."

Knight Jenkins laughed again, although not as loudly, "Your choice," he said, "Although I will say that if you're serious about Atama then she's got something special. She's got someone that believes in forever."

Adam watched the bombed out bit of road, and finally after a few hours he was relieved. He found Sarah, and reported in, just like he had told the trader girl he would. After he explained the situation to her Sarah nodded, and then looked toward the street outside.

"Well, the address isn't that far from here," she said, "It's a few blocks, although we're uncertain about the terrain or occupants in that area."

She unfolded a map that had been scavenged from the upper floors of the hotel. The area map had the layout of the city, along with the various train lines that were available. She circled the basic area that the girl had told Adam about, and then she looked at the few business names in that area. One of the major ones was Ghostbusters. She couldn't be sure if it was something done strictly for holidays, or if there really was a business that operated in paranormal investigations.

If she would have been asked if she believed in the existence of spirits, magic, or any of that she would have said no, but after walking on the twelfth floor of this hotel, that changed things. She had seen things that she couldn't explain, things that didn't make sense, and things that would most likely would end up driving her insane if she continued to think on them. The only thing she could do, honestly do, was force herself to not think about it.

She had to let it go, to keep from dwelling on it, and in doing that she might, just might, have a chance of being able to maintain her sanity. She looked at him and nodded.

"I can't really send anyone with you," she said, "I mean I'm sure that someone might volunteer to go, but I can't order them to."

She leaned and stretched, "In truth I almost would go, but I know that I am needed here," she said, "I'm sure that Paladin Richards would be able to handle the major operations of this place, but I don't want to leave that up to chance."

Adam grinned, "I get it," he said, "How long do you want to give me to do it?"

She looked at him, "Two days, do not run radio silence. I want to be able to communicate with you. Get there, scout it out, shut it down it you can, if not then make your way back and report what you've seen."

He nodded, and with that he headed out. It was still light when he left the hotel itself. As he walked he paid attention to the radar as he walked. That was one of the excellent things about Pipboys, and of course the display created in the helmets of the power armor. It was able to detect movement, and based upon the algorithm developed by the brains at Robco Industries it was accurately able to predict if that individual was dangerous or not.

He wasn't sure how it was able to do it, but he knew that it worked. It was amazingly accurate when it came to raiders. The first few streets and allies mostly seemed to have an overabundance of exceptionally large rats, rad roaches, and bloatflies. They were mostly fairly easy to deal with, and didn't really require much more than a low caliber bullet. He turned the corner and saw something that he wasn't expecting. It wasn't that he didn't think there wouldn't be Super Mutants here. After all, they seemed to exist all over the wasteland. Fawkes had proven that not all of them were evil, although he usually chose to stay wary of them.

The one before him wasn't just a mutant, but instead it was a behemoth. It towered over a normal mutant, and compared to him it was an actual giant. His interactions with the behemoths had always been the same. Dangerous, deadly, incredibly tough, and certainly able to lay waste to entire areas in seconds if riled up. He noticed a few cars left over after the bombing, and he knew that it would be incredibly easy to fire on one, hit the reactor, and cause a chain reaction.

It would kill the behemoth, and it would be a chance for him to get away. Of course that was if he could manage to dodge it for long enough. What he didn't expect was for the behemoth to study him, laugh, and then sit on its ass as it was going to play nice. Strangely enough that was exactly what it did. He studied it for a moment, waited, and noticed that it didn't seem to be dangerous.

"Sit," it said, "Please, I have no intention of killing you."

He did as it requested and watched as it reached over and seemed to find something. To his surprise that something was a Nuka Cola machine, and it ripped the front off. It then dumped the contents, which happened to be two normal Nuka Colas, three Cherry Nuka Colas, and a Quantum Nuka Cola on the ground.

"Ah, Quantum," it said, "I do enjoy those, but where are my manners, would you like it?"

He shook his head no, "I'm good with a regular Nuka Cola," he said, "Thank you though."

The behemoth nodded, picked up the Quantum, popped the lid off with his meaty fingers, and then dumped the contents of the soda straight into his mouth.

"Sadly, it doesn't last long," it said, "So, I'm sure you have questions, I will attempt to answer them."

He nodded, "I'm actually looking for a building," he said, "Apparently a few scavengers have gone there and ended up disappearing. I'm looking into their disappearance."

The behemoth grinned, "The Ghostbusters Headquarters," he said, "That's what you're looking for."

It picked up a Nuka Cola and passed it to him. He removed his helmet, took the cola, opened it, and drank from it, "Thank you for the Nuka Cola," he said, "It's good."

The behemoth nodded, "It is nice to have a conversation that isn't about how I should be eradicated and how I am going to skin someone alive," it said, "That said, I suppose that I owe that to the place you're looking for."

He looked at it, "Really?" he asked "how, what happened there?"

The behemoth shrugged, "I'm not sure, not exactly, but I do know that I went in there, years ago, and I was mindless when I did. Well, more or less mindless, and then something happened. A bright light that came from somewhere. It reached through the fog that was in my head, and it brought back everything to me."

He sighed, "For example, my name is Rebecca Janet Wheeler, I was born 2056, and I was twenty-one years old when the war happened. I happened to be married to one of the scientists that was developing a virus that was supposed to help humanity evolve so that they would be able adapt to anything, live through anything, and even have a higher tolerance to radiation. When the bombs dropped I was where I shouldn't be, and as such, I was exposed."

She sighed, and stretched, "They treated me in the hospital, and then everything just started falling apart. More and more people left, until it was a skeleton crew that was only looking after the most wounded. Eventually it was just one man, my husband, that remained," she said, "He did what he could, but a raid on the hospital took his life. By that time I looked, different."

Adam looked at her, "You turned into a super mutant," he said, "It changed you, right?"

She nodded, "it did," she said, "And I began losing myself to it. I wandered for ages, not really knowing what happened. Eventually I ended up here, and I chased something into that place. When I did everything became clear again."

He studied her, "So, someone helped you?"

She shrugged, "I don't know," she said, "But I suppose so. Since then I've done what I can to help. Although most just run from me."

He studied her for a moment, and considered everything that she had just said. He smiled at her, sipped on his Nuka Cola, and then cleared his throat. If she wanted to help he didn't see a reason that she couldn't help. At the very least it would give her a chance to feel useful. That was something that he noticed people needed. They needed to at least feel like they were of use, and that they had a purpose. It usually helped them live longer.

"Do you want to come with me?" he asked, "I have to check the Ghostbusters Headquarters, and I could use someone that's been here for a while as a guide."

She stood, and he watched as she grabbed a bent street lamp. There was a slight pause, and then it ripped from the ground as she grasped it. Despite the fact that she seemed to have all of her mental facilities it didn't take away from the fact that she was in fact a super powerful behemoth. She looked at him and nodded.

"I'll follow you. There are sometimes strange raiders, but most of the time they leave me alone," she said, "If they choose to attempt to converge on you then I shall help drive them away. Without killing if I can, with limited deaths if I cannot."

He nodded, and the two of them began walking toward the building itself. Getting there he was surprised to see that the firehouse looked more or less in perfect shape. Even the sign, which was a ghost with a circle that had a line through it surrounding it, looked to be in excellent shape. He neared the building and opened the door. Inside there was another car, although this one wasn't one of the ones that he was so used to seeing.

It looked as if it didn't have a reactor, which was odd, but instead it must have ran off of something else. He opened the larger door, which must have been what allowed the larger fire trucks to leave the building, and let Rebecca into the building itself. She stepped in and he could see her studying it wonder.

"It has truly been a long time," she said, "I barely remember what it looked like in here."

To his surprise there were no sounds of robots, not turrets, at least not yet. He stepped forward and listened for the sound of something that would stand out to destroy him, but it never came. He continued forward until he found the stairwell that led down. Following it, and leaving Rebecca behind, he made his way down the stairwell and looked for bodies. He listened for the sound of turrets engaging, the droning sound of robots starting up, but none of it happened.

He walked into the room, and there was this large device in the wall, and it looked as if it took up nearly the entire wall. On the other wall was a massive computer. He noticed that it was running, constantly running lines of text that seemed to be something about integrity of system stable. He neared the switch, and licked his lips. He hadn't seen any security, not a bit of it, but if there was, and he hadn't tripped it, then this was the best chance of dealing with it. He grabbed it and heard a shout.

"NO!"

He turned, and when he did he pushed the switch down. Alarms began to blare, and he looked to see a man standing there. He was wearing a pair of coveralls, the name Venkman sewn into it. The man groaned and looked at it, "Do you have any idea of what you've done?" he asked, "Do you even understand the hell you just unleashed?"

He stood there, "What, I was told that there was scavengers trapped her, and that the building's security had kept them prisoner."

Venkman shook his head and started up the steps, "We've got to get clear, now!"

With that they ran upstairs, and to his surprise there were three more men, Zeddemore, Stantz, and Spengler. And he saw a flash of a woman that appeared and pushed them toward the exit. The woman stood there, her form transparent compared to the rest of them. She sighed, and looked at Adam.

"You're an idiot," she said, "You know that, right?"

He looked at them, "What is going on?"

Venkman groaned and then they watched a massive explosion erupted through the building, and strange lights escaped from the top. Those lights seemed to head in every direction, filling the street, and he stood in stunned silence as he watched it. Rebecca came stumbling out, dazed, and sat down.

"Kid," Venkman said, "You just unleashed every ghost that has been caught, and on top of that you've unleashed a very powerful, and very angry, elder god."

"Elder what?" he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Venkman looked at him, "An elder god, one specifically that craves the destruction of mankind. We're pretty sure that he's the reason the great war happened, or at least that he got the ball rolling before we caught him. I kind of wish that we would have done that sooner. Maybe the bombs wouldn't have dropped then."

Adam looked at them, "Just who are you?"

Zeddemore shook his head, "We're the Ghostbusters, and you have really shit the bed here."