Tired and despondent Ray sat up on his bed, the no longer cool compress falling from his eyes, and slowly swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. Hesitantly Ray opened his sensitive, bloodshot eyes and glanced around the empty bunk room. The memory of waking up downstairs hungover, getting sick and trying to shower off his mess all came flooding back. He remembered Peter helping him get to the bathroom when he got sick and how Peter had helped him climb out of the shower. Ray also remembered Peter holding him as he wept over the loss of Egon, and how Peter had shown an uncharacteristically compassionate side as he helped him walk over to his bed to lay down.

Ray gingerly picked up the washcloth from the ground and felt how warm is had become over time. "Must've been out for at least three hours..." Placing the washcloth on the nightstand beside his bed he then noticed the cup of tea that Janine had brought him while he dozed. Picking it up he felt how cool the tea had become which confirmed his estimation of time. "So quiet. Kind of nice..."

Carefully Ray found his center of gravity as he stood up, the cup of tea still in his hands. Taking light, delicate steps he exited the bunk room, braving the bright lights that illuminated the adjoining rec room. With every beat of his heart the throbbing in his head kept pace, making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything beyond walking through the door. It was then he spotted Dr. Paige hovering over Egon's notes, a lock of loose hair from her ponytail hung down unnoticed in her face. With her presence came the memory of shaking her hand in an awkward introduction that Ray wished he could undo.

Dr. Paige was standing over the table with the file and all of its contents neatly arranged, and the massive white colored dry erase board that was often used by both Ray and Egon when developing new technology. The acrid stench of the dry erase marker was heavy in the air and it hurt his eyes as much as it hurt his head to smell.

"Hello, Dr. Paige." He greeted softly, one hand clutching the tea and the other shielding his tender eyes from the lights overhead. "I didn't know anyone else was here."

"Janine has returned to the offices below to finish her paperwork." Paige looked up from the table and took in the ruffled, yet resolute occultist as he stood uncomfortably in the door frame connecting the rec room to the bunk room. "If you drink peppermint tea it'll soothe your stomach, ease your headache and stave off any nicotine cravings."

"If I..." Ray was bewildered by her nonchalant suggestion as she returned her attention to the equation that had been written on the large chalkboard behind the table. "How did you know I was trying to quit smoking?"

Without turning her head from the board she gave an even toned response of keen observation. "Your restlessness, despite being psychically fatigued and ill from being hungover, is indicative of a strong chemical imbalance in the brain which is often the result of a linger addiction. The the yellow stains on your two forefingers and thumb of your right hand are signs of chronic nicotine exposure, while the evident fading of the discoloration stems from a much more limited or entirely halted exposure to nicotine."

"Oh..." Ray was slowly processing everything she had just explained. "How does the peppermint help with smoking?"

"Peppermint is a natural way to ease an upset stomach which can be a side effect of attempting to quit smoking. Your excessive vomiting may not have been entirely the work of an inordinate level of alcohol in your system."

"You uh, you heard that, huh?" Ray steadily crossed the rec room to the connected kitchen. "I'm sorry. I don't imagine that this would be the ideal way to meet."

"I'm not stranger to sickness." Paige stopped writing on the board and gave Ray a thoughtful, empathetic glance. "I live on a college campus, I've seen many very intelligent people drink themselves into near oblivion. There is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Thanks." Ray dumped the cold tea in favor of warm tea. "So do you teach at the campus or are you still studying?"

Paige looked away from Ray and stared blankly at the board. "Neither, actually. I have been given special permission to reside on campus grounds in exchange for tutoring other students."

Ray poured himself a fresh cup of tea, adding a touch of honey to the brew. "Tutoring is like teaching."

"With the exception of a descent paycheck or benefits." Paige capped the marker and sat down at the table. "By this coming spring I will be required to leave the campus. Unfortunately I do not have a position lined up, nor do I have any plans to remain in New York City past this upcoming spring."

"Sounds like you're having a little trouble deciding what you should be doing with your talent." Ray noted without sounding critical or passing judgment as he joined her at the table. "What drew your attention to physics?"

"Convenience."

Ray gave her an odd look for her odd answer. "I don't follow."

"My original field of choice was medicine, but the more I applied myself to this particular field the more I realized how much I dislike direct interaction with people. Specifically the people who refuse to take care of themselves out of either lack of willpower or laziness it doesn't matter. It become very disparaging to put so much effort into my education and to hone my skills as I became increasingly aware that any and all medical attention I could possibly provide is nothing more than a stall." She took off her red rimmed glasses and sat them down on the table, staring blankly at the papers before her as she crossed her arms across her chest defensively. "By studying physics I was able to separated myself from the rest of the world, I was able to find a mental solace that I have to rely heavily upon. I'm aware of how cruel and cold I sound but it's what I feel, I cannot deny it. "

Ray bore no ill judgment toward the young woman. Instead he reached out a hand and gently rested it on her forearm. "You're not cold, or cruel. You're just too aware of the world and maybe even too smart for your own good."

Paige looked up from the table and finally looked Ray in his eyes. "Thank you Dr. Stantz. It's not often I meet someone who would rather try to understand a person than merely judge them. I'm often guilty of this impolitic trait myself."

"No one's perfect. I seriously doubt that you're the first person to ever discouraged from their primary field of choice. And please, call me Ray. The 'doctor' label is something I only use for professional reasons, never anything personal."

"Very well, Ray." Paige casually brushed off his hand as she retrieved her glasses and replaced them over her eyes. "Please, call me Elizabeth or simply Paige. It's not often I find someone who is willing to engage is conversation without being dissuaded by my outlook on the world. I also apologize for speaking in such a blunt and embittered manner. Thank you."

"Don't apologize, I've dealt with far worse things than a a brash young woman. Also, you're welcome." Ray smiled a little at the young, emotionally shy woman as she brushed her loose lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Looking past her to the blackboard he recognized the complex equation and was curious about her progress. "Make any headway with the equation?" He sipped his tea slowly, not wanting to accidentally upset his stomach again by drinking too fast.

"In a sense. I was able to follow the notes and with it understand the equation." Turning the notes on the table around for Ray to view she pointed to a schematic that seemed to display a prototype for a generator. "This is the end result of said equation."

"What do you mean end result?" Ray continued to sip his tea.

"My presence wasn't required. The equation had already been solved."

Ray put his hand over his mouth quickly to catch the tea as he spat it back out in surprise. Paige leaned back in her chair to avoid the small droplets of tea that hung in the air and managed to escape the grasp of Ray's hand.

Coughing a little and wiping his hand over his pant leg he collected himself and gave Paige a stunned look. "It was... SOLVED?" Ray was stunned by the revelation. "But if Egon had solved the equation why did he begin work on the shield generator? This doesn't make sense!"

"It makes complete sense." Paige pointed to the blueprint. "The reason the work on this generator never began wasn't the inability to solve the equation, it was the lack of proper equipment and corresponding technology that was advanced enough to produce such a generator."

Ray pulled the blueprint closer and eyed the convoluted design with a mild intimidation. "This idea had been in the works for almost seven years. Is it at all possible to use our current equipment to power this generator?"

Paige shook her head disappointingly at the question as she was unable to provide a positive solution. "I'm afraid not. A generator of this size would require an energy source that is at least six times as powerful as anything your current equipment can produce."

"Then we can't do anything more?" Ray sank down in his chair. "We can't protect this city. Once we're gone everyone is on their own." As sincere empathy washed over his eyes as he tried to imagine the bleak aftermath of the company being dissolved. "There's so many districts and boroughs full of innocent people. This generator was our only chance to keep them safe after-" Ray trailed off as a new idea popped into his head and a smirk appeared on his kind face.

"Ray, are you alright?" Paige was studying his expressions very carefully.

"I know what we need to do!" Ray laughed a little and reached for Paige's hand. "I can't believe it took me all this time to figure it out!"

"What have you figured out?"

"We don't build one GIANT generator, we build many SMALL ones!"

...to be continued...