Hiya! So, I left this thing sitting for half of forever and then, after finishing my TMNT/Godzilla crossover, I just felt the plot that had eluded me slam back into my brain full-force. This story, I am happy to report, is DONE. I'll try to put chapters up pretty frequently, but I am also conscious of not spamming people. So we'll see. Maybe one or two a day every week-ish?

Yeah, nobody's reading this thing anyway, but I don't much care. I wrote it because it needed to be written, and I'm tickled pink if it makes someone other than me happy.

So here we go!

Final note, as always – I do not own Mighty Max or The Ghostbusters (Real or otherwise). I'm just borrowing them for a bit of a trip in the light of day.

Enjoy!


"So, you're telling us that Max is some kind of mighty kid…" Winston began.

"Mighty One," Norman corrected automatically.

"Whatever. Mighty One, then, who got picked by destiny to save the world. And you're a Lemurian bird…"

"Fowl, actually," Virgil sighed.

"Sorry. Lemurian FOWL and he's a ten-thousand year-old warrior and you follow the kid around and vanquish evil, and you don't think there's anything strange about that?"

"And you guys chase ghosts and demons all over New York City with laser-tag guns. What's your point?" Max asked. He could understand Winston's reaction, but it hardly seemed fair.

"He's got us there," Ray remarked.

"Hey, at least we're old enough to vote and drive," Peter pointed out. "Heck, you're not even old enough to shave."

"You know, far-fetched as I find their story to be, age is not a good determining factor for competence, or for heroism," came Egon's voice from the corner. Everyone turned to stare at him. The brains of the Ghostbusters had been sitting at his workstation quietly, asking no questions while Virgil explained himself and the others, simply listening.

"Yeah! Um, what do you mean?" the Cap-Bearer asked. Drawing his eyes down from the ceiling, which he had been idly staring at for most of the conversation, Egon met and held the boy's gaze.

"Simply that your youth should not be held against you. After all, everyone else on this team was remarkable as a child as well."

"That's true!" Ray exclaimed. "Winston was the best Little League-er in the tri-state area when he was ten, beating the pants off the high schoolers. And Egon, you built your first computer when you were…eight?"

"Seven."

"Right. And I reconfigured a radio kit to control garage doors when I was nine. And Peter…" Ray trailed off, unsure.

"My accomplishments are too vast to number," he shrugged. Of course, it was a bluff, and everybody knew it, but they let it slide. "But you've got a point. We've met kids braver than most grown-ups."

"And grown-ups who think they're still kids," Winston poked Ray jokingly.

"Hey!"

"But that does not change the fact that I find your explanation to be highly suspect for other reasons," Egon continued, ignoring his teammates. "First of all, there is no mention in 'Tobin's Spirit Guide' of the Lemurian race you claim to belong to, Virgil. And eloquent as you appear to be, I am not entirely convinced that you are not a paranormal being. Second, in spite of the fact that Norman does demonstrate characteristics of a far more primitive man, you have offered no explanation for his supposed longevity. And finally, I fail to see how exactly Max is anything but the bearer of a potent item. While I cannot dispute the properties of the Cap itself, given that all my readings agree with what you have said, you have yet to share any evidence that the boy himself is special. No offense," he finished as an afterthought.

"Wait, what are you saying?" Winston asked. Egon spoke to the Ghostbusters, but never took his eyes off Max.

"I'm saying that I do not believe these individuals are what they say they are. Their story is illogical to the point of being fantastic. I also seriously doubt if they are as altruistic as they claim. In short, I believe we ought to investigate them for a while, keep them under observation for a few days. Perhaps then I can determine how much of what they say is true and how much is what they would like us to believe."

"You want us to lock them up?" Ray said as his eyebrows hit his hairline with disbelief.

The Mighty One closed his eyes. He took a single breath, his body becoming quite still.

"Virgil, Norman," he said, and there was steel in his voice, "let's go."

"If that is your will, Mighty One," Virgil replied, without even a touch of irony in his voice as he stood. Norman said nothing, but immediately abandoned his posture leaning against the doorframe and fell into his place along with Virgil beside his boy.

"Wait, where are you going?" Peter asked.

"There's evil out there in the city right now," the Cap-Bearer said, and there was a certain heaviness beyond his years in his voice. "You know it and so do we. You don't have to believe us if you don't want to. But we have a job to do, and we're not going to let you stop us from doing it."

"But you don't even know what you're dealing with," Winston pointed out. "You might need our help."

"They don't even intend on dealing with it, I suspect," came Egon's voice, suddenly scathing. "They just want to get out of here before I prove that they're not telling the truth."

"Egon, chill out," Peter admonished. But Egon ignored him, standing and moving towards Max with a set jaw.

"I don't need you to believe me," returned the boy.

"Moreover, I also conjecture that your friends may actually be responsible for the demonic outbreak in the city. Given the strange readings I got from all of you, I would hypothesize that you are far more dangerous than you are noble. Thus, leaving us now that your story has failed to win us over is your only option unless you want to find out how the proton packs feel at close range."

"Egon, I think you've gone too far," Ray warned. He could almost literally hear Norman's hackles rising. Though the enormous force of a man looked as still as a granite statue, there appeared to be a small snarl hiding in his face somewhere.

"Honestly, I don't care if you think we're good guys or bad guys," Max said calmly. Though sort of scrappy for his age, the Cap-Bearer had pulled his shoulders in and was facing Egon proudly. "I'm done asking for people to understand the destiny I've been given. I know what it means, I know what I have to do in the world. I almost lost everything, more than once, to learn that. I don't need to convince you that I'm the Mighty One. I would think that people who deal with ghosts for a living would be a little more open-minded."

"Then prove it. Here and now. If you all are what you say you are, you should be able to demonstrate it to my satisfaction."

"No."

"You see?" Egon turned to the other Ghostbusters, who were somewhere between chagrined and openly fearful. "He's not willing to submit to tests, because he knows I'll prove he's a fraud. Or worse."

"Egon, I really, really think you've gone too far this time," Winston said, cringing as Norman drew his sword. The Viking's face was set, impassive, and his entire posture was one ready to pounce.

"Are you afraid? Is that it?" the scientist demanded, eyes blazing. Max met them unflinchingly.

"No. But I don't have to prove anything, to you or anybody else. I am the Mighty One. Norman is the Guardian. Virgil is a Lemurian. These are facts, and we live and fight by them every day. And we're wasting time. So leave us alone and let us do our job, or I'll have to tell Norman to make sure you don't stop us. Either way, if you won't help, we're walking out right now." Max felt the blood pounding in his ears even as he kept his voice steady. He was taking a big risk and he knew it, but it was the only thing to do.

"So, assuming we let you leave, you intend to walk out of here, find the source of the demonic outbreak in the city, and take action to stop it, all on your own? Without any effective weapons or equipment?" The scientist practically sneered at the impossible feat.

"It's what we do." The words echoed in the room, the rock-solid certainty with which they were spoken trickling through the sudden quiet.

"Then I guess I have no choice." Egon stepped forward, his gait decided. Norman prepared to intercept him, but fell back after a curt gesture from Max. The scientist reached the boy and they stood, staring at one another. Then, Egon smiled.

"Well done, Mighty One."

"Thank you."

As jaws dropped all around the room, Egon chuckled. "How long did you know?"

"Almost from the beginning. You're good, though. Would've fooled anybody else." Max grinned.

"Fooled anybody else? Egon, what's going on?" Peter demanded, somewhat petulantly. Egon turned to his friend.

"I was testing him. The real Mighty One supposedly has legendary powers of persuasion and courage, and I wanted to know how much they had manifested at his young age."

"Wait, you were playing 'bad cop' the whole time?" Ray asked incredulously.

"Man, you are good," Winston said approvingly. "Even had us fooled."

"Just because Peter never lets me have a turn at it, that doesn't mean I don't know how to play the game," Egon smirked.

"So you do believe us, then?" Virgil asked, himself also fooled by the performance. But the Lemurian was exceptionally pleased. His Cap-Bearer had done very, very well.

"Yes, I do. I took another PKE reading of the Mighty One when he allowed me to examine the Cosmic Cap, and established that, while he is entirely human and mortal, he has a very strong PKE field of his own, although it is entirely unlike any other I've ever seen. It is most similar to the kind of energy doorways between dimensions create, thus validating their claims. Also, it should be noted that while there is no mention of the Lemurian race in 'Tobin's Spirit Guide,' there is indeed an entry for the Cap-Bearer, also known as the Mighty One."

"There is?" Ray asked excitedly. He grabbed the Guide from the workbench and quickly brought up the entry. "Wow, this is neat! Listen!" He began to read aloud.

"The Mighty One is a human being chosen by fate who is destined to fight and defeat the demon Skullmaster. He will possess the Cosmic Cap, and with it, the powers to transcend space and time. A force of good against evil, the Mighty One will be accompanied by a Guardian and a mentor who will protect and serve him loyally. Of note, the Mighty One has been rumored to be no more than a child, but one still extraordinarily gifted with bravery, eloquence, and insight."

"So you knew all along and you still made us go through the whole long explanation?" Max accused, though he was smiling. He had been somewhat sure that Egon had been bluffing, but he wouldn't have bet his life on it, and had he been wrong, the fight between his friends and the Ghostbusters would not have been pretty.

"The entry in the Guide is remarkably sparse, after all," Egon replied calmly. "And, as I said, I wanted to test you. There aren't many boys your age saving the world, you know."

"Okay, so while reality is still catching up with me," Peter said, shaking his head, "can we just get one thing straight? Do we agree that these guys really legit?"

"Looks like it," Winston shrugged. Ray nodded.

"I think so. Tobin backs them up, and so does the PKE. Besides, it does make a certain amount of sense. I mean, if we're going up against demons, having somebody destined to handle a demon is pretty useful. And if you're somebody destined to save the world from demons, why not join up with the Ghostbusters?"

"Okay then. So that means that the next time…" But before Peter could finish his thought, a shrill alarm sounded through the firehouse. The four Ghostbusters, without missing a beat, jumped from their positions and raced for the stairs and fire pole. It took the Cap-Bearer a moment to process what the alarm must have meant before he sprinted after them, sliding down the pole with relish. As Ray ran to the front desk for their assignment and the rest of the Ghostbusters got themselves suited up, Max looked back up to the floor above where Norman and Virgil remained.

"Come on, guys! This might be one for us!" he called.

"Mighty One, physically speaking, I don't believe that Norman and I…" the Lemurian began. But before he could form a complete protest, the Guardian had grabbed Virgil by the back of his robes and simply jumped through the wide hole in the floor, landing easily beside the boy.

"Never mind," Virgil sighed.

"What have we got?" Peter asked, taking the job sheet from Ray while the latter pulled his own suit over his clothes. He skimmed the page quickly. "Oh, great. Looks like yet another demon. Did the whole underworld decide to hold a convention or what?"

"We're not sure yet, Peter," Egon put in, leaning over to inspect the note. "That's why the Cap-Bearer is here."

"So does that mean they're coming along on the job?" Winston wanted to know. He eyed them appraisingly.

"Give us a sec, okay?" Peter said, waving Max and his companions to the side while the four Ghostbusters huddled. "What do you think, guys?"

"Seems okay to me," Ray said, shrugging. "Max has the guts to handle himself, I think. And, I mean, it's fate."

"He's just a kid," Winston protested, "and hero or no hero, some of these calls are not places I'd want a kid to be. We deal with serious stuff, if you hadn't noticed."

"On the other hand, he is also the destiny-appointed champion who has probably saved the world as many times as we have, if not more," Egon put in. "Young as he may be, I'd like to watch them in action, see if I can identify what exactly it is about the Mighty One that makes him…well, mighty."

"Besides, what ghost is gonna give us trouble with tall, burly, and armored over there?" Peter said, tilting his head towards Norman.

"So we're agreed?" Ray asked. Winston narrowed his eyes, but nodded.

"I'll go along with it, but I'm telling you, this is no job for a kid, no matter how good at what he does. I don't like it."

"If you hadn't noticed, the Mighty One has an appointed Guardian who is entirely devoted to his protection," Egon pointed out. "I think Norman will be more than adequate to watch over him should anything occur."

"Okay, then," Peter straightened up from the huddle, turned, and beckoned to the other three. "Time's a-wasting! You guys in?"

"You bet!" the Cap-Bearer shouted. And with his heart racing in anticipation, Max joined his new and old friends in the Ecto-1 unit and prepared himself for anything.

Or so he thought.