Ghostbusters: Regenesis - 28 - New York
#28 of Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters: Regenesis
Chapter 28 - New York
Written by leotodrius
With Seth's condition still unstable, most of the Portland Ghostbusters travel to New York to meet with the leaders in the field. They delve into Seth's condition, and uncover a far larger mystery affecting franchises across the entire country.Thirty years after the Ghostbusters pioneered paranormal investigations and eliminations as a business model, franchise departments have spread across the United States. One such franchise operates in Portland Oregon.
Ghostbusters: Regenesis Chapter 28 (New York) Written by Leo_Todrius
It was a colder than usual winter, especially for New York. Ice clung to the streets, icicles hanging from the green guard rails that led down to the subway terminal. Underground it was oddly at least a little warmer, free from the harsh wind at the very least. The station on 21st street was as busy as usual, people of all ages and creeds standing, waiting for the next train. The white tile walls gleamed a bit from the blue lights that ran down the side of the tracks, but another light was coming from further down the tunnel. The light vibrated and shook, wobbling. The waiting passengers knew it couldn't be the six o'clock train, though. It was too early.
The light continued to grow until its source was visible, a parade of ghosts streaming down the tracks, led by a yellow spirit with light spilling out of its one eye stalk as it sped toward its destination. The passengers stood, unfazed as the ghosts streamed by, knowing their train would be an extra few minutes late.
Somewhere, high above, a plane was coming in for a landing. The craft sailed across the skyline, giving the passengers an amazing view. Eli and Grayson had the luxury of the window seats, looking out to see the Statue of Liberty, the Hudson River and even Shandor Island. They looked out of the windows at the city, but Seth was hunkered down in his seat. He felt the arm rests pressing against his sides, and his head was tall enough to almost brush the overhead compartment. His height, his width, it felt ill suited for being on a plane. He was going to be incredibly happy when he was finally able to get out.
"Attention passengers, we are now on final approach to Kennedy International Airport. As we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. The flight attendants are currently passing around the cabin to make a final compliance check and pick up any remaining cups and glasses. Thank you." The captain announced.
Seth let out a soft sigh, watching the flight attendants move around the cabin. The last time he had come to New York he'd been a new recruit, helping launch a fledgling franchise of the Ghostbuster brand. He'd learned from famous Ghostbusters themselves, picking up the tricks of the trade in a 101 program. Grayson had excelled at the science, but he had passed every physical trial with flying colors. Now it was dangerous to let him get too close to ghosts in case they might rub off on him.
"This is going to be great." Eli whispered. Grayson nodded, reaching over to stroke Seth's arm. Seth smiled a bit to encourage his lover. They were about to see the foremost experts of the paranormal. There was little doubt they would learn SOMETHING to help their case.
The sound of the cars passing along the street echoed off of the brick walls of the old firehouse on North Moore street. It stood tall and proud, the first floor built with light white mason work while the upper two stories were forged with rich red brick. It was really a one of a kind building. Originally constructed in 1903 as Hook and Ladder Company 8, the firehouse had been bought decades ago by the world's first paranormal investigation and elimination service, the Ghostbusters. The bricks had precise placement creating sharp lines, contrasted by the soft curved upper window and the almost oval like top to the immense red doors at the front of the building. To cap it all off, a large glowing white sign depicting the Ghostbusters emblem cast light out into the evening air.
One of the city's faithful yellow Taxi vans pulled to a stop outside of the firehouse, the side door rumbling open. Eli jumped out and started taking equipment from the inside, loading up a backpack and two duffel bags. Seth squeezed out and moved around back, opening the trunk to pull out one of the modified Slime Packs for reverting possessed or transformed humans. Gray tipped the driver an extra hundred for hauling the dubiously legal equipment and stepped out. The Taxi sped off into the night, leaving the three in front of headquarters.
"It's always so much bigger than I remember." Seth said.
"I hope they don't mind us barging in, but I bet they have things well in hand." Gray said, swiping his Ghostbuster Franchise ID card through the reader. The smaller human sized door set into the larger firehouse doors clicked and unlocked, allowing the trio entry. As they stepped through the threshold, they could see it all... The green and white painted walls, the tall wood closets, the brass fire poles, and the extremely modified 1959 Cadillac ambulance hearse covered with lights, equipment, and intricate yellow and black hazard striping.
"No, I understand, but there's no way they can get to you until after the new year... Have you tried making peace with her?" The light Brooklyn accent came from beyond the Ecto-1 where a woman in her mid sixties stood, her rich crimson hair falling neatly to her shoulders. She was dressed in a turquoise suit jacket with a periwinkle skirt, contrasting the green frame glasses she had on. Her lips pursed as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone, "And peace be with you too, buddy!" She said, slamming the phone down before she looked up in surprise, seeing the men with the equipment, "Oh, you're early! You're here for the emergency summit?."
"What emergency summit?" Seth asked. The secretary's shoulders sank a little.
"You haven't heard yet? You better go upstairs, let me get you boys something to drink." Janine said.
"Thank you Miss Melnitz." Gray said. The woman gave a wry smile.
"Please, just Janine is fine." she said, gesturing for them to go upstairs. The trio moved up the steps a little warily, not sure just what they had walked into. They followed the old stairs up to the second floor. The space was fairly full, with one end looking to be well lived in with a pair of couches, a coffee table and some end tables. There were countless book cases staggered along the walls and shelves held numerous artifacts. Off in the far corner there was even a glass case holding a mannequin dressed in early 90's coveralls with an original proton pack mounted on it.
Gray and Seth had been a few times back when the Portland franchise was first opened, but the place still never lost its magic. Eli, however, was wide eyed in wonder. His eyes gazed at the books, the crystals, the devices, and then the pair of yellow eyes in front of him. Eli nearly stumbled back down the stairs at coming face to face with a green ghost. Slimer let out a bit of a shriek at the danger, but Eli caught himself. Slimer spun and sped off, passing through a wall, leaving a green circle of thick ectoplasm.
"Sixteen... That's not a coincidence, it's a freakin' genocide man!" The familiar voice had a mild hispanic accent, coming from a six foot one teenager, his black hair tied into a bushy ponytail and his bangs styled to stick up a bit. A narrow strip of facial hair ran down from under his bottom lip and stuck down two inches from his chin. Thick gold rings hung from his ears, his hazel eyes passionate about whatever they were discussing. He stood with three others.
"Diego..." Gray said. The teenager turned, the fire and fury in his eyes fading slightly as relief swept over his face.
"Gray! Seth, Eli, you're alright!" Diego said, "Thank god."
"Eli, this is Diego Rivera, we networked with him on the Zytu incident." Gray said before gesturing to the man at the head of the table. He was in his forties, his skin a rich brown and his black hair peppered with hints of gray. His brown jumpsuit was well worn but kept clean despite the hard work. Earthy red electrical gloves covered his hands. Gray smiled, "And this is Doctor Roland Jackson."
"I know we sent congratulations about the Zytu incident through the mail, but I want to thank you in person for saving our reality as a whole. Sometimes you just have to have the right people in the right place at the right time." Roland said. Gray blushed slightly. Roland gestured to his two associates, a twenty nine year old with short brown hair and a fair complexion in a black jumpsuit and a young woman with copper hair, "And this is Oz Barrett, and Melody Aldridge. Team, this is Grayson Kale, leader of the Portland Ghostbusters."
"A pleasure to meet you both. Gray said, offering his hand to them both.
"So what... was that part about a genocide, if you don't mind me being rude?" Seth asked. The others looked at each other and then their guests.
"You haven't heard?" Oz asked. Melody looked a little pale at that.
"You better sit down." Diego said.
The evening had grown even later and the Ghostbusters had settled onto the couches positioned in front of a large LCD screen. Janine had served up coffee for the boys after scolding Slimer for devouring the snack plate she had tried to prepare for them, but the busters had a limited appetite after digging into the topic at hand. The screen showed a map of the US with sixteen different black Ghostbuster emblems spread out across the state.
"Each team disappeared, leaving no trace. Some were lost while reporting to a job, others simply vanished from their bases of operations. We even lost containment at two of the facilities." Roland explained.
"We have a liaison with the FBI, agent Ortiz, she was able to dispatch trained officers to manage the containment units at the remaining franchises, but even her people are stretched thin. We were going to call an emergency summit, but we don't have enough to go on." Oz said. Eli looked at Seth and Seth lowered his head.
"We recently lost one of our members mysteriously as well, Dakota Shaw. We couldn't even track his cell phone, he just disappeared one day when he was off shift." Seth said. Diego considered for a moment before he rolled over to his laptop and started typing, accessing the report database for the networked franchises. He added search criteria for missing members. On the map ten more orange emblems appeared.
"Fuck..." Diego whispered. Roland shot him a look for the language but then looked up at the map.
"We can't do a summit... We're being targeted." Roland said.
"What if the disappearances are a wider phenomenon?" Melody asked. Diego shook his head at that.
"The data doesn't support that. Between us and the FBI, we'd get reports if civilians were disappearing in higher numbers." Diego said.
"If that isn't why you came, though, what brought you all the way back to New York?" Roland asked. This time it was Seth's turn to shrink a bit in his seat. Gray scooted forward on the couch.
"We have a bit of a medical condition we need your help with, and a working theory for it. We also brought a... witness we need to interrogate." Gray said. Roland's eyes shot up at that.
"Maybe we should go down to the basement for this part..." Roland said.
"As for the medical condition, we've been encountering a lot of spirits in the Pacific Northwest that manipulate and metamorphose their victims, a pretty huge spike actually." Gray said. Diego nodded at that.
"I've read the reports, the number of them tagged with the word 'transformation' is insane." Diego said, "Interesting though." he grinned.
"We developed some equipment modifications to reverse the effects, and for the most part we're all fine..." Gray said.
"But I'm not." Seth sighed, lifting up his sleeve, revealing a device strapped to his arm, "For the last few months I'm more susceptible to the changes. I change easier, I can't get out of it, I'm... a liability to the team." Seth said with dismay, hating to spill his guts about it in front of people he admired.
"Our theory is based on your work with Doctor Yates' team from the dimensional cross-slip, how PKE is an insulation between realities. When we were fighting Zytu we traveled to several different dimensions, but only Seth set foot in a world that had been drained of all of its PKE. We think that the experience might have... wounded his PKE field." Gray said. Oz looked a bit taken aback by the concept of it all, Diego started typing, researching, and Melody looked consoling about it. Roland was the first to speak.
"Then we have our work cut out for us. We better get started." he said with certainty. Seth smiled at that, feeling a bit more at ease.
Yellow light filtered up through the metal grating in the floor, washing over the gargantuan dark red containment unit that dominated the basement of the firehouse. Unlike most of the franchise containment units, it showed the signs of its age and the many upgrades and repairs over the years. Some of the paint was scratched or faded, there were newer components that were fresher and less abused. The Ghostbusters moved down the stairs toward the workbenches and shelves lined with equipment.
"So you brought a ghost all the way from Portland?" Melody asked with a bit of surprise. Gray shrugged as he moved after her, carrying one of their traps.
"His name is Cilehe, he's the son of Cohila a South American insect spirit." Gray said. Roland shook his head.
"Don't remind me, we ran into Cohila a few years back. I think Janine carries an extra can of Raid around with her just in case he gets out." Roland said, "But what makes you want to interrogate this spirit?" Roland asked, making it to the bottom of the stairs. He moved over to a closet and opened it up, wheeling out a tall cylindrical device with what appeared to be over-sized door-less disc traps situated at the top and bottom. Roland positioned it and plugged it in. The inner rings on the trap illuminated, the glass outer partition charging with an ionized field. Gray set their trap from home down, running out a cord to the stand.
"So why this ghost? What's he got to do with the dead dimension?" Melody asked.
"When we trapped him, he said that he knew how to save Seth, 'who' could restore him." Gray said. Seth sighed softly.
"We had to trap him, his foothold was spreading too fast. If it wasn't for Rerun I would have been lost for good." Seth said.
"Is Rerun your house ghost?" Melody asked. Eli's nose scrunched up at that for a moment in thought.
"I guess, technically, but he's a time wyrm. He's as smart as any of us." Eli said. Roland looked up at the ceiling, only wondering what Slimer was getting into at the moment before his gaze returned to the others.
"The projector's been upgraded a few times over the years. We should still limit exposure to twenty minutes at a time, but it should be able to contain anything class six and below." Oz said. Gray nodded at that and once final checks on the connections were made, he pressed the foot release on the trap.
Light surged between the two ends of the projector, the ion field expanding and letting out the ghost trapped inside. The column was filled to the brim with a large form, the blurry light solidifying into the red chitinous armor of a scorpion like insect demon, glassy black eyes peering around for a moment. The ghost let out a chitter of discontent at being so confined before its body shrank back down, remolding and reforming into his humanoid guise. Soon the figure in the tube appeared to be a twenty year old Latin man in a red leather jacket and black denim pants. His black hair had red streaks in it and his goatee came down into a sharp spike.
"Damn, man..." Diego muttered from where he was leaning on the stairs, "Guy's gonna give us all a bad rap."
"For hundreds of years I slumbered, waiting for the sweet release from my banishment... But that was NOTHING compared to my imprisonment in that infernal device!" Cilehe swore, looking around at the basement of the firehouse, "And now you take me to some steam powered hell?" he asked.
"This isn't hell..." Roland said. Melody smirked gently.
"Well, don't tell that to the other ghosts." She said softly. Cilehe's eyes panned over those gathered. Most were strangers, but then he saw Seth standing in the corner.
"And Kon, master of the winds and the rain, my blue beetle... Look what they have reduced you to, what you are without me." Cilehe said softly. Seth's shoulders came back up and he moved out of the corner he had been sulking in. He strode over to the pod, looking every bit as tall and broad shouldered and hulking as he had ever.
"You are a manipulator, a demon, preying on people and using them to advance your ends. You are a toxic, invasive presence that serves no purpose other than to destroy." Seth hissed. Cilehe shuddered softly, putting a hand up on the ionized glass even though it stung and burned.
"That fire, that passion... I am sorry I was not there for you my prince." Cilehe said. Seth snarled at that, his muscles starting to expand slightly as the rage pumped through him. Grayson moved forward, putting a hand on Seth's arm. Seth stepped back. Cilehe looked disappointed at that, but looked at the human, "The guardian, we meet again."
"You are here for only one reason. When you were captured you said you know how to save him, WHO can restore him." Gray said, "This is your chance to tell us." Gray said flatly. Cilehe smiled softly, his eyes turning solid black again, red mandibles pushing at the corners of his mouth. He chuckled, the laughter sounding highly inhuman as a chittering was buried underneath.
"I tried to make my deal, you did not accept it." Cilehe said, "You are not going to let me go, you have nothing to offer me." he replied.
"Maybe not, but I do." Roland said, stepping forward. Cilehe turned, looking at the elder of the group. Roland pointed to the containment unit at the back of the basement, "Sitting in there is your father, Cohila. He's been trapped in there for twenty one years with every spook, specter and demon we've caught. Do you think he's made friends? Allies? How do you think he'd feel to see his banished son again?" Roland asked. Cilehe hissed, his jacket starting to look more like scales than leather.
"You wouldn't... That is cruel, even for humans!" Cilehe hissed.
"Face it man, you gotta cooperate or you're going to be living with your parents for the rest of eternity." Diego said from his perch on the steps. Cilehe's shoulders slunk and his eyes returned to human form. His fingers dug into his hands before he looked ultimately defeated.
"Do you swear that I will not be put in the same prison as Cohila?" Cilehe asked.
"If you tell us everything and we believe it." Grayson replied. Cilehe's lips twitched again at that. He weighed his options once more, looking at the massive containment unit one more time before he faced the humans.
"Before you captured me, before I met my lovely Kon, a human spirit appeared to me, a child with gray eyes." Cilehe said. Gray and Seth masked their surprise well, but Eli didn't. It took a split second for him to recover, remembering what Rerun had told them about that day, about the day he had lost his powers. Cilehe hadn't noticed Eli's reaction and continued, "He said I would meet someone very special, that I would lose, but he would give me a second chance. All I had to do was tell you that I knew... That I knew who could save him, restore him." Cilehe said. Grayson looked into the bug demon's eyes before he lowered his head.
"A deal is a deal." Grayson said before he pushed his foot down on the original trap. The light engulfed the projector and Cilehe stretched out, being pulled back into the trap. They could see him close his eyes with a morsel of relief on his face before he disappeared, leaving the projector empty and the trap full. The room was silent for a long moment.
"Most fascinating, indeed." A deeper voice came from up above. The Ghostbusters turned to see a man in his sixties, his blondish gray hair tied back in a long, flat ponytail that fell across a pale blue jumpsuit with a well worn Ghostbuster patch on the side.
"Doctor Spengler..." Gray said with awe. Eli grinned a bit, excited to meet one of the founding members of the entire Ghostbusters organization.
"If what the spirit said was true, the entity is capable of using different methodology to accomplish his goals." Egon said.
"It is true... One of our team members had his powers nullified by a boy with grey eyes." Eli said. Egon nodded.
"Melody, please make sure the trap containing the entity is recharged and stabilized for its trip back." Egon said. Melody nodded and moved quickly to take the trap over to the charging rack, slipping it into place. Seth shook his head slowly, looking at Gray.
"That doesn't teach us anything though. That bug was just a messenger, a puppet." Seth said softly.
"He knew how to freeze Rerun's powers, and he knew what was motivating us. It's related. If he knows us that well, he might know other Ghostbusters and be able to use their weaknesses against them." Gray said.
"You're saying that this little boy spirit is related to the different franchises going dark?" Oz asked from where he was standing.
"I know it's not a scientific deduction, but there's a correlation here. It's something operating at a far higher level than we're used to. I can feel it." Gray said. There was silence in the basement, the Ghostbusters all feeling it in their gut. It was a pervasive feeling, a feeling that for ones it was they that were being hunted.
Early dawn light was breaking out over the Manhattan skyline, turning the deep rich navy blue lighter shades of color. The streets were already picking up with taxis, ubers, and city busses full of people heading to work. The stars faded away as the light grew brighter and brighter, but for the Portland Ghostbusters it was time for rest. They had stayed up all night with their think tank of co-workers. Their hotel room was nice... Crisp white linen, extremely clean bed, thick comforter, and a thousand channels of television they'd never use. Seth stood at the window of the hotel room, his shirt off. His chestnut brown hair was down to the middle of his neck, his goatee grown out all the way from his chin down to his collar bone in a four inch wide flare.
Grayson leaned against the bathroom doorframe, looking at his boyfriend. Seth was so tall, so big, so muscled... But his body showed scars, a few places he'd been burned by proton streams, and he still had on the arm cuff with the PKE stabilizer pack. The little square on it was glowing a steady turquoise green color. Gray stopped taking the time to admire Seth and moved over, wrapping his arms around him from behind, laying his head on Seth's shoulder. Seth smiled, feeling Gray's black, soft hair cascade on his rough skin.
"We didn't even get to the physical part of my condition." Seth said. Gray nodded softly, his finger tracing circles on Seth's ribs.
"I guess you're right. The whole disappearance thing caught us off guard." Gray replied.
"Do you think they're okay? Do you think Dakota's with them? We left Nico all alone..." Seth said. Gray took a breath.
"I think Nico and Rerun will be okay... and I don't know why I feel so certain, but I do. I think this weird kid spirit is behind it all. Rerun's powers, Cilehe's message, Dakota's disappearance, all of it." Gray said.
"So what do we do?" Seth asked. Gray let out a soft hum.
"First we sleep, recharge. Then we go back, see what they can tell us about you physically, then we go home. Whether the boy spirit is related or not, we know he's shown up in Portland. All we can do is try to use what we know to gain the upper advantage." Gray said. Seth looked out the window for a long moment, studying the lines and symmetry of the buildings.
"What if he's the one that knows how I can be saved, how I can be restored?" Seth asked. Gray looked at their fading reflections in the hotel window.
"Then we do whatever we can to learn what he knows and save you." Gray said, closing his eyes, holding Seth. Seth smiled at that and closed his eyes as well, enjoying the embrace.
Bubbles slowly lifted up through the viscous, thick pink slime that filled the large tank, Seth floating in the substance with a breathing mask on and blacked out swim goggles. Bright purple light flashed through the slime in strobes, scanning grids, pinpoint dots and other patterns. The machine was spitting out countless sets of data onto the screens in the corner of the lab, ranging from vital signs and DNA tests to complex PKE readings. Egon stood, pouring through the data, letting out numerous vague and unspecific hmms. Gray stood by the tank, watching the process, but Eli was watching the master, trying to decipher his input.
"Any progress?" Roland asked, walking up.
"I believe Grayson's theory is correct." Egon said. Gray looked up at that.
"Really?" he asked.
"Much in the same way that there is a constant to our quantum signatures, there are constants to our PKE signals as well. After conducting extensive research with individuals and ghosts from other realities, we isolated our baseline dimensional frequency. Seth Dillon's frequency no longer matches our own. It has decreased in both frequency and amplitude." Egon said.
"Could exposure to a reality drained of all Psychokinetic Energy cause that?" Gray asked.
"In theory, yes." Egon replied.
"Entropy..." Roland murmured, "Seth's own energy could have leached out into the environment, like pressure releasing into a vacuum. It could have reinforced the natural barrier between worlds."
"I'd like to run a few more tests." Egon said.
"You always want to run more tests." Diego said from his corner, looking up from his laptop. Egon arched an eyebrow but looked back to the others.
"I'll see if there's anything we can do to bring him back to spec." Egon said.
"In the mean time, while we wait... Can I look at your files about the visitors from the other realities? We've been to a few different dimensions ourselves, it'll be good to have a common frame of reference." Gray said. Roland nodded eagerly.
"Of course, I'll get you an access key." he said. Gray nodded at that before he looked back at the tank and Seth floating there. His wild theories felt validated, they had at least corroborated information from their ghost prisoner, but the road to Seth's recovery still felt so very long. Somehow they'd manage it, they had to.
Step by step, Eli moved up the narrow stairwell up to the roof. He heaved a sigh of relief as he rested his hand on the door knob. He had spent his childhood in Salem Oregon, a capital city so dull that even the state's own citizens forgot it was important. He had moved to Portland, but as bustling and metropolitan and exciting as it was, it was nothing like Manhattan. Eli turned the knob and opened the door, moving out onto the wide and spacious roof. His jaw slowly dropped as he looked out at the skyline, the skyscrapers, the buildings, the people... There was so much of it all.
A cold wind blasted against Eli, blowing his light straw colored hair across his face. He brushed it back, but soon noticed that he wasn't alone on the roof. Janine stood at the far end, a green shawl pulled over her shoulders, a steaming cup of cocoa in her hands. Slimer floated next to her, apparently holding some kind of conversation but Eli wasn't able to figure out what words his gibberish meant. Eli advanced slowly, a bit sheepishly but Janine smiled and turned her head half way, catching him in the reflection of her glasses.
"Come on over, there's plenty of room." She said with a smile. Eli grinned a bit at that and stood next to her. Slimer sniffed the air a bit, looking at Eli curiously before he said something in his garbled speech. Janine scoffed, "He is not a ghost... even if he is a bit of skin and bones." Janine said. Eli chuckled gently at that.
"Maybe he smells the slime on me, I handle the slime packs back home." Eli said. Janine nodded gently, accepting the explanation at face value.
"I take it this is your first visit to the big apple?" She asked, sipping her drink. Eli nodded eagerly, looking out at the view, shivering a bit.
"It really is amazing. I've never been anywhere so big, so busy..." Eli said. Janine smiled at that with eyes full of countless memories.
"There's no where else quite like it, and nowhere I'd rather be." she replied, taking a moment before she looked at Eli again, "So how is your team holding up?" Janine asked. Eli smiled softly at that.
"They decanted Seth. They're running some sort of test to document the different PKE signals that have ingrained themselves on him, and Diego's copying schematics of the dimensional portal onto a portable hard drive for us to take back." Eli said. Janine shook her head at the answer.
"I meant, how is the morale of your team? Ghostbusters work hard, and they play smart when it comes to everything but themselves. How is your team holding up?" She asked. Eli took a longer moment to consider his answer before he spoke again.
"We're... tired. We're weary. Losing Dakota knocked out feet out from under us. We're able to do the job, it's just... when we come home, the nights feel too short, too hollow." Eli said softly. Janine moved over and unscrewed a thermos, pouring more cocoa into the lid, handing it to Eli. Slimer let out a bit of a surprised murmur, floating over to grab the thermos. He poured it back, draining what was left of the contents though he soon panted, his ectoplasmic tongue getting a bit singed.
"Slimer..." Janine growled under her breath. Eli looked down at his cup, grateful for at least that much. He lifted it up and sipped at it, savoring the flavor, searing the memory into his brain forever. Janine exhaled, her breath turning to frost in the cold air.
"I lost my team once." Janine admitted, "More than once... actually... But all you can do is press on, do what you think is right, and trust your gut. Sometimes you'll be marching into danger, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do." she said. Eli smiled softly.
"And you never thought about giving it all up?" Eli asked. Janine let out a harsh, sharp laugh at that.
"Oh, more than once... But when you're with the ones you love, all of that petty small stuff can seem smaller." Janine said.
"That's true. We were fast friends, and we really do feel like family now." Eli said, "I guess that's what makes this all so hard." Eli said.
"Hey, if Ghostbusting were easy they wouldn't pay us the medium bucks." Janine grinned. Eli chuckled at that, nodding. Janine grabbed the slime covered thermos, her lips curling a bit in diluted disgust. It had been so many years she really felt she should have been used to it. She took her clean hand and rested it on Eli's shoulders, "Now, let's get you inside before you freeze to death." Janine said, escorting Eli and Slimer back down the stairs.
The equipment in the basement had been cleaned up, the tools set back in their places. The packs were hung on the wall, the traps were in their chargers, and Seth sat on the metal grating with crossed legs, the yellow light washing up over him. Gray was looking at his tablet at the designs for the interdimensional gateway. Seth looked up at the huge containment unit. The reason theirs was smaller was that technology had advanced over the years, but the design aesthetic had remained the same. Vaguely trapezoidal, red, the circle front with the bisecting line across it. Seth had always found comfort not in the proton packs, but the traps. Their enemy could be spirited away, locked away, kept from harming anyone... and now someone was doing that to the Ghostbusters.
"Was the trip here selfish of me?" Seth asked. Gray looked up, a bit shocked.
"Of course not! We came to the experts to get help for one of our teammates." Gray said. Seth leaned back, feeling the metal grating on the floor dig into his palms a bit.
"We lost Dakota, we didn't even know other teams were missing, or that containment units had breached." Seth said. Gray set his tablet down, looking up at the gargantuan unit that dominated the basement.
"I do think that we need to improve our networking with other franchises. I mean, there are reasons why we don't share equipment specs over the internet, but there's no reason there can't be some sort of PKE alert network like a weather advisory thing." Gray said.
"So our plan is to take the fight back home?" Seth asked.
"We've got all the data we can here. It's time to digest it, sift through it, try to find something helpful. If that grey eyed spirit really is behind this, we know he's shown up back home already." Gray replied.
"Do you think he time locked Rerun for more than just to keep him from interfering? What if it was to keep him from saving me?" Seth asked. Gray tilted his head a bit at that.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"If stepping on that dead world was what messed me up, what if Rerun took me back to when that world was alive? When that dimension was alive?" Seth asked. Gray looked a little surprised at that, thinking about it.
"Rerun's powers aren't like snapping back to an older point, at least not that we saw. He rewinds time. If you and he tried to go back, you would pass through the moment that Zytu was feeding off of the dimension, the moment everything was drained. There's no telling what that would do, but you're right that figuring out what that world's PKE resonance was might be the key to fixing you." Gray said.
"So that's why we have the gateway stuff?" Seth asked. Gray shrugged.
"Well, that and other reasons. We've been to so many different dimensions, from the naga world to the Wild West Hills. But we were never in control of it, we were at the mercy of destiny. Maybe with this we can research in a smarter way, a better way." Gray said. Upstairs the door creaked as Diego leaned onto the railing.
"Hey, Roland said I could drive the Ecto when you guys go to the airport, save you a taxi trip." Diego said. Gray looked at his watch and grimaced a bit.
"It is getting close to time, I am so sorry Seth, we didn't get to sight see this time." Gray said. Seth smiled gently.
"I think we all saw some pretty amazing things, but it's time to get home to Nico and Rerun." Seth replied. Gray grinned at that and stood up, offering Seth his hand. Seth started to rise, nearly pulling Grayson off his feet. The two chuckled, glad they could find levity even in the darkest of times.
The sound of a distant jet high in the sky vibrated in the air, audible even as the taxi van rolled to a stop in front of the Portland Ghostbusters' firehouse. The trunk started to slowly lift up, allowing Seth and Eli to get out and start grabbing their gear. They had come back with reams of papers and terabytes of data, but the trip had been successful. Gray got out of the cab and paid the driver, stretching a bit. His shoulders were tight, his back was stiff, but he tried to put that out of his mind, noticing a man in his mid twenties standing at the door, ringing the doorbell to their establishment.
"May I help you?" Gray asked, moving up. The young man turned, looking through the lenses of brown frame glasses.
"Are you Grayson Kale, leader of the PDX Ghostbusters?" he asked. Gray nodded.
"Yes, I am." he replied. The man extended his hand with an envelope in it, handing it to Gray.
"You've been served." he said before he turned, moving down the street. Gray blinked a few times, looking down at the envelope, dumbstruck before he started to open it. Seth heaved over the heavy bags, setting them on the curb as Eli moved over in surprise.
"What is it? What's going on?" Eli asked.
"It's a class action lawsuit. We're being sued..." Gray said. Seth's jaw dropped a bit.
"By who?" he asked. Gray kept reading through the document, trying to decipher the legal jargon that had been constructed.
"I think by people we saved... People that had been turned into things by ghosts. They are suing us for interfering, for turning them back. I recognize some of these names, like Sigvardr Nilsen." Gray said.
"The lead singer of that Nidhogg heavy metal band." Seth replied. Gray nodded at that, looking at the paper before sighing.
"We risk our lives to save people and they don't even want saving. Let's get inside. It's been a long trip and I'm not ready to deal with this yet." he said. Eli nodded in agreement, unlocking the door. Seth heaved his bag up and the three moved back inside the solace of their home away from home, the headquarters of their own branch of Ghostbusters International.