Here it is, Chapter 2! This is where the Boys in Gray make their appearance in the story, enjoy!
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR GHOSTBUSTERS,GHOSTBUSTERS II, AND THE 2009 VIDEO GAME. PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF YOU DID NOT SEE ANY OF THE MOVIES OR PLAYED THE GAME. OTHERWISE IF YOU DID SEE BOTH FILMS AND/OR PLAYED THE VIDEO GAME, ENJOY!
CHAPTER 2: Answer The Call (Or, A Loud Collect Call)
"If there's something strange
In the neighborhood
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
GHOSTBUSTERS!"
-Ray Parker Jr, "Ghostbusters" (Of course!)
(Song choice: Ghostbusters-Ray Parker Jr. Hey, a story with the Ghostbusters needs the theme!)
The streets of New York City hears the wailing siren of the familiar-looking modified 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance roaring in the streets. The car blazed through the usually crowded streets, as the onlookers notice it driving around the streets after what appears to be another job well done.
That ambulance is the famous Ectomobile, better known as the Ecto-1, or in this case, the Ecto-1B. The Ecto-1B continued its' trek through the streets, until it reaches its' destination, which is the Hook and Ladder 8 firehouse. As the famed automobile enters the firehouse, not one, but four men exited the car.
"What a night, catching five Class 3s in one call! Looks like most of the action happens at 3 AM!" said one of the four men holding what appears to be a smoking, beeping yellow-and-black striped device. That man is Dr. Raymond Stanz, one of the founders of the Ghostbusters, and the device he was holding is the Ghost Trap.
"This is the 3rd week in a row we had a call at 3 AM, Ray. It's becoming a chore around here." said another founder of the Ghostbusters, Dr. Peter Venkman, "One week, it's a Class 5, the next week it's a Class 6, now this week's feeling like a broken record!"
"Venkman, you have to understand that these events were connected to tonight's encounter with the Class 4 we caught in Central Park. The hauntings should be lessen and soon end by morning." the 3rd and final founding member of the team, Dr. Egon Spengler, said.
"Great, some peace and quiet for once! These calls at 3 AM have made me lose sleep." Winston Zeddenmore, the only non-scientist member of the team, replied. "I couldn't agree more, Z-man! I for one need my beauty sleep!" replied Ray, as he takes the smoking Ghost Trap down to where they put the ghosts they capture in: The Ecto Containment Unit,
For those of you who need a little background on these four, here's the short version: Dr. Venkman, Dr. Stanz, and Dr. Spengler were fired from Columbia University over their methods, started the Ghostbusters, hired Winston, and saved New York City by taking down Gozer The Gozerian, a Sumerian god that took the form of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man by blowing up the rooftop of 55 Central Park West.
After that, lawsuits happened, and Ray and Winston were regulated to performing at children's birthday parties (with Ray owning an occult bookstore as well), Egon returning to normal science, and Peter hosting a TV show called "World of The Psychic" (where psychics that criticize the show call Peter a fraud.)
But then, a river of slime connected to a haunted painting of Vigo The Carpathian, the tyrannical ruler of Carpathia and Moldalvia, was found underneath the streets of New York. The Ghostbusters went back in business to defeat Vigo (with the help of the Statue of Liberty!), and saved the city once again.
1991 came, and the Ghostbusters fought Ivo Shandor, the architect who not only performed unnecessary surgery as a doctor, but also founded the Cult of Gozer. This was also the same year that a rookie Ghostbuster was trained under the Ghostbusters' wing. Now, that rookie has his own Ghostbusters franchise in Chicago, as well as others having franchises around the country.
Now, things sometimes in New York are quiet the one day, and fueled by paranormal activity the next. With that said, Ray inserted the traps inside the containment unit, flipped the switch to clean them, and when the light's green, the traps are clean!
"There, all in a night's work! I guess things will be quiet for quite a while." said Ray, as he went back upstairs. After feeding the only ghost that can be experimented and tested on, a green, slimy, potato-shaped Class 5 Vapor that the Ghostbusters nicknamed Slimer (due to it sliming Peter during their first bust in the Sedgewick Hotel 33 years ago) in it's special containment tank, Ray joins his fellow Ghostbusters to bed for a much-deserved rest.
(Song choice: Main Theme (Ghostbusters)-Elmer Bernstein, from the Ghostbusters score)
The next morning, the receptionist to the team, the woman with the interesting hairstyle whose name is Janine Melnitz, arrived for her usual shift at the firehouse. The Ghostbusters walked down from from upstairs, ready for whatever the day would throw them.
"Morning, Janine." said all four Ghostbusters. "Morning, Dr. Venkman, Dr. Stanz, Dr. Spengler, Winston." replied the bispeckled receptionist, stirring a cup of coffee in her usual deadpan tone. "Any customers showed up before you left last night?" asked Peter. "No" Janine replied, answering her boss.
"Any messages?" Peter asked again.
"No, Dr. Venkman." said Janine once again.
"Any calls last night before you clocked out?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. There was one final call before I clocked out, it was from an 11-year old boy from Royal Woods, MI." Janine finally told Peter.
"Hmm, do we have a franchise in Michigan?" asked Peter. Ray walks to a map of the United States with tiny lightbulbs representing the many locations of Ghostbusters franchises around the country. "Let's see, we got one in Detroit, one in Tulip City, one in Charlotte, another one in Downriver, and finally, one in Lake Superior. But, not at Royal Woods, Pete." said Ray.
"Um, Ray, I think some of the lightbulbs are burnt out." noticed Winston, who looked at a couple of lightbulbs in the map that were burned out. "Who's turn was it to replace the bulbs anyway?" Peter sheepishly smiled and said, "Whoops, my bad!" Egon pondered and asked, "Janine, did you record the call?"
She replied, "Yes I did, Egon." "HA! I knew the idea to record calls for training purposes was a good idea!' Ray yelled in excitement, "That way, we can pinpoint where the phone call came from, and prevent any prank or crank calls!" Winston replied, "Just like any other company that records calls for training new guys or girls to answer the phone. Still kind of sketchy sometimes though."
Janine pressed play on her desktop computer for everyone to listen to what this boy who called last night said. "Hello? Is this Ghostbusters in New York?" asked the boy, who is indeed Lincoln calling from Royal Woods. Lincoln continued, "My name is Lincoln Loud, and I live in Royal Woods, Michigan. My family has been dealing with a dream demon for a while. Eight months ago, two of my ten sisters were killed by this dream demon, a very ugly guy named Freddy Krueger." "Sounds like one ugly dude." added Winston, as the Ghostbusters continued to listen.
The phone call continued on, "The first time we stopped him, we brought him to the real world, and we burnt him into a crisp. But four weeks ago, he came back, and he killed my friend, Ronnie Anne. My mom died saving me and my remaining eight sisters by killing him in the dream world. We put his remains in a safe where my sister Leni cannot open." Egon added, "Hmm, I think We're dealing with a Class 7 entity."
"My older sister, Lori, got a text message from her boyfriend,Bobby, before I called you, and he told her that he saw Freddy in a nightmare!" Lincoln pleaded, "Now, my siblings are scared that he will kill us, well, try to kill us again!" "The poor kid, he sounds worried about what he has been through." said Winston. The phone call ends with Lincoln pleading to the Ghostbusters to come to Royal Woods to help the Loud family. With that plea, the phone call ends.
"That poor boy left his number in the call records after he hung up." Janine told them, "I think this could be your chance to take a case outside of New York." Peter then said, "Hand me the phone Janine, because Pete Venkman's gonna grant that kid's wish!" Janine nodded, and she handed Peter the phone. Peter then punched in the number that was in the call records to call Lincoln back.
Back in the Loud House in Royal Woods, Lincoln returned from putting flowers in the graves of Luan, Luna, Rita, and Ronnie Anne along with his remaining siblings and their father. These past four weeks took a toll on the family. Lynn Sr had to work overtime at the Aloha Comrade restaurant, though he claims that it's been recently haunted by ghosts. Still, the family soldiered on. Lincoln remembers those final words his now-deceased mother told him:
"I love...you...Lincoln...take care...of your...sisters..."
Lincoln knocked on Lisa and Lily's door so he can talk to Lisa, the 4-year old intelligent wunderkind of the family. "Enter, male sibling." Lisa said. "Hey Lisa," Lincoln answered back, "Got a minute to talk?" She replies, "Yes, because I am experiencing a delay on fixing my desktop computer to make more efficient and use less electrical power." "Ah, a computer upgrade, nice." said Lincoln, pulling up a chair.
"Now then my male sibling, what's on your mind?" asked Lisa. "Well, when Lori told us that Bobby saw Freddy in his nightmare, how come he didn't kill him in his dream, besides waking up?" Lincoln asked. "I have a theory about Freddy's attempt to return for vengeance against you, myself, and our siblings, and our male parental unit." Lisa replied.
"What's the theory?" he asked. Lisa then said, "The reason he didn't kill Roberto, is because of after our deceased mother told him that she wasn't afraid of him before they both ceased to exist, Freddy began to weaken."
"Wow, a weak Freddy. Interesting." said Lincoln. "Indeed, with no energy from being us being afraid of him anymore, he is weak and pathetic. Not to mention these past four weeks, he has becoming forgotten."
"Wow, since we're forgetting him right now, he is starting to be fading from existence." Lincoln told Lisa. "However, if he is really trying to come back, he will not try to kill us in his weakened state, but will kill anyone who knows our family, friend AND foe." Lisa replied. Lincoln said with a worrying tone, "Then if he kills anyone we know, he'll get stronger and try to kill ALL of us! Again!"
"That is why you called those men with portable nuclear accelerators that trap paranormal threats, street name: Ghostbusters." said Lisa. "Well then, I guess I did the right thing, I suppose." replied the white-haired boy.
Just then, Lincoln's smartphone rang. His ringtone is the theme to the Ace Savvy TV show, so with quick speed, he answered it. "Hello? Who would this be?" asked Lincoln. "Is this Lincoln Loud?" asked an adult voice. "Yes, this is he, who would you be, sir?" asked Lincoln.
"This is Dr. Peter Venkman from the Ghostbusters! We're calling you back in regards to what you told our secretary last night about your boogeyman problem." said Peter, "Give me the 411 on this Freddy Krueger guy, and we'll come to your hometown and see if we can put him in a box!"
Lincoln started, "My siblings and I have been dealing with this for a long time. We tried everything, but he kept on coming back the first time we stopped him." "I see. So, you stopped him before like you told Ms. Melnitz, then he came back. Now, he's haunting your sister's boyfriend's dreams?" asked the big mouth of the team. "I guess you can say that." replied Lincoln, "I had no choice, we had no choice. I made the call to you guys. You four are our last hope to get rid of Freddy once and for all."
Peter then replied to the white haired 11-year old, "Well kid, you made the right choice, we handle things like this all the time." "So, you will come?" asked Lincoln. "You bet your dollar that the Ghostbusters are coming to your town, find out what the heck's going on, and see if we can find Mr. Krueger and stuff 'em in a Ghost Trap with the latest in our arsenal of Ghostbusting technology!" replied Peter.
Lincoln then said, "Great! Can't wait to see you guys in Royal Woods! Thanks!" The conversation closed with Peter saying, "No problem, kiddo! Thanks for calling Ghostbusters and remember, 'We're Ready To Believe You!" Both side hanged up afterwards. "So, what did the famed Ghostbusters say?" asked Lisa. "They're coming!" smiled Lincoln, as he rushed to tell his sisters the good news.
"GUYS! SIBLING MEETING!" shouted the white-haired boy, as the siblings gathered in Lori and Leni's room for a meeting. "Lincoln, what is this meeting about?" asked the bossy 17-year old blonde teenager. "Remember that I had to call Ghostbusters after mom spoke to Lucy and Bobby had his nightmare?" Lincoln asked. "Oh yeah, I literally forgot about that." replied Lori, "So, what did they say?"
Lincoln told the siblings that the Ghostbusters are coming to Royal Woods, and who will go to the airport to greet them. "So, it's agreed then. I will drop Lincoln, Lucy, and Lisa off at the airport, and you three will return with the Ghostbusters." said Lori. "Oh, do they have ghosts named Buster?" asked Leni, the dimwitted 16-year old fashionista. Everyone else in the meeting groaned in embarrassment after Leni asked the question.
"Now that we got a case outside of New York, when's the next flight from LaGuardia to Detroit Metropolitan?" Peter asked. "Well Dr. Venkman, the next flight to Detroit Metropolitan is at 6:35. And if we book now, and have the Ecto-1B and the equipment shipped at the same time via FedEx Express, we can save about $900 through Dr. Spengler's frequent flyer miles. An interesting bargain." said the Ghostbusters' accountant and sometimes-fill-in Ghostbuster, Louis Tully.
Louis was hired by the Ghostbusters after he was involved in the Gozer case with his neighbor (and Peter's first love), Dana Barrett. He turned into a Terror Dog, but after the Ghostbusters destroyed Gozer, he became not only their accountant, but also their lawyer (but his cases were mostly tax stuff and sometimes probate stuff on occasion) during their trial in 1989 during the Vigo case. He also became an extra Ghostbuster, when he helped defeat Vigo by firing at the slime shell that engulfed the Manhattan Museum of Art.
"See Egon, your flight miles come indeed handy for big events such as this!" said Peter, as they pack their luggage and Ghostbusting gear to get to the airport. "Don't forget to fuel up the Ecto-1, gas prices during the holiday season are very notorious for being crazy price-wise!" Louis told his employers, "And make sure to tell the client and/or clients that we take cash, credit and debit cards, and certified check and money order! And offer them the extended warranty!"
"Will do, Louis! By the way, you got Slimer feeding duty!" Ray said, as the Ghostbusters load up the Ecto-1 and left the fire house. Louis sighed and said, "Looks like I'll get the Slime-Proof gear."
Watch out, Royal Woods, because the Ghostbusters are coming to save Royal Woods!
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
-Yes, the events from the movies and game are mentioned.
-The gag about the lightbulb map is indeed a Simpsons joke, I wanted to add something to represent the various franchises in the country. Not to mention, the cities and towns mentioned in this chapter are actual Ghostbusters fan franchises in real life. Ghost Corps, the production company that oversees the franchise, recognizes and gives Ghostbusters franchises certificates, thus making them official franchises.
-Delta offers flights from New York though LaGuadia to Detroit Metropolitan in real life, hence, the reference to the two airports.
-The weaknesses for Freddy are indeed canon, as stated by Freddy Vs. Jason. This will be a key element later in the story.
Next chapter: The Louds meet The Ghostbusters, and they set up shop in Royal Woods, just as Freddy makes his first kill, against an enemy Lincoln met before... Oh, and the Ghostbusters also will make their first bust in Royal Woods.