The modified ambulance that donned the famous 'no ghost' logo of the Ghostbusters pulled out of the garage of the firehouse with Hank behind the wheel, John as his passenger and Ray sitting in the back with the newly developed, yet reliable, ghostbusting equipment. The streets were vacated, even in the daytime, which was incredibly unnerving for Ray as he was still unused to the alternate New York City in which he unwillingly found himself.
Looking through the large windows added to the sides of the ambulance Ray stared at the eerily vacated, dark buildings that lined the streets. Just looking at the buildings; the dark windows, the quiet environment, gave Ray a sense of dread as he realized how truly alone he and this new allies were at that very moment.
Multiple cars had been abandoned as many people had apparently fled the city on foot. Many cars were parked crookedly near the sidewalk or left deserted right in the middle of the streets. Seeing the still opened car doors and hastily torn away seat belts made the sight all the more ominous.
"How long did it take for the city to vacate everyone?" Ray asked in a low, timid voice.
"Not long." John responded just as lowly. "Two days after Vigo claimed Shandor Island it was down to us and the very few supporters who dared to stay behind."
"Where are they? You're supporters, I mean."
"Hiding." John sighed as he stared at the empty streets. "We've only encountered our supported four times over the past six weeks. Whenever we met up they'd give us supplies and tell us about the supernatural activity that they've seen. Fortunately the barricades at the city limits seems to be strong enough to keep the ghosts from escaping."
"So they're all with Vigo on Shandor Island?"
"Yeah. The whole island is HOT with activity."
Hank interject with his own observations. "By all accounts Vigo is amassing an army to take over the world one city at a time. As long as the barricades remain active the ghosts are going to remain stuck in the city."
"What about your colleagues?" Ray asked inquisitively as the ambulance turned from the heart of the city and toward the Hudson River. "You have other Ghostbusters in Chicago and Boston... Why not recruit them to help you here?"
"Chicago is busy sheltering a majority of the vacated New Yorkers," Hank explained darkly. "and Boston is busy dealing with the ghosts that have been stirred up all along the East coast. All of the cities where are franchises have been opened are all ghost hot spots that can't afford to lose any team members for any amount of time."
"That bad?"
"Yeah. It's always been bad, ever since the Gozerian cult resurfaced in '87."
"Gozerian cult members are still active?"
"They were." John turned to look at Ray through the small opening between the front compartment of the ambulance to the rear. "After we stopped Gozer they sort of fled to other cities. They've been stirring up angry spirits in an attempt to strengthen Gozer so we sent our recruits to those cities after they pass their training to keep Gozerian and his diluted fan base under check."
"Smart."
Ray couldn't help but turn his attention back to the streets and the building as the ambulance pulled along the same street where he had opened his book store. But Ray didn't see the sign. Where 'Ray's Occult Books' should sit was now a small photography studio that was just as abandoned and empty as the surrounding buildings.
"Looks like I never opened my shop." Ray murmured to himself. "Or maybe I simply don't exist in the world."
"Thinking of home, Ray?" John asked kindly.
"Something like that."
The ambulance turned off the streets toward the river.
Hank cleared his throat as he pulled the ambulance up to the pier and stared at out the center of the river. "Guys, we're here. It's time."
Egon and Winston returned to the firehouse with their data gathered and their newest theory ready to be tested. If Winston's observation was correct and ectoplasm was the key in replicating the events that caused Ray to vanish, then there was a chance that they'd be able to find Ray and return him to the world in which he belongs.
"We should have enough ectoplasm in storage to accurately duplicate the environment." Egon stated as he made his way into his lab to run a few calculations. "I'll determine the appropriate amount required, you double check the proton packs and prototype power levels. No mistakes this time."
"Right, I'll get everything ready to go!" Winston called out as he made his way into the basement to the equipment storage below.
Janine had heard Ecto-1 return to the firehouse and walked down the stairs quick enough to see Winston disappear into the basement and Egon rush in his lab.
"Egon? What's going on?"
"We may have discovered the solution and may be able to locate Ray." Egon hastily explained as he began writing out a mathematical equation on the white dry erase board.
"That's great! I'll go tell Dr. V the-"
"No." Egon insisted harshly. "He has made it clear that he does not want to assist. I don't want to deal with Venkman's foul disposition for a second time."
"Egon," she gently put her hand on his left arm and squeezed lightly. His other hand continued to write without any hindrance. "Peter is sick."
"Sick?" Egon immediately stopped writing and looked her in the eyes with puzzlement. "How long has he been ill?"
"Since last night." She hated herself for telling Egon but knew in the end she'd hate herself even more if she let Peter suffer in silence or let Egon and Peter continue to be angry with each other. "He took a walk late last night and got caught in the rain. I heard him leave and return when I stayed last night."
"Damn it." Egon eye's narrowed in frustration as he resumed his calculations. "He should have told me."
"He didn't want you and Winston to stop looking for Ray just to worry about him. That's why I've been keeping an eye on him."
Egon's stern gaze slowly softened in intensity. "How sick is Venkman? What are his current symptoms?"
"Bad headache and fever."
"Cough? Nausea? Congestion?"
"No. Just those two symptoms." Janine confirmed with relief in her voice. "I gave him some Ibuprofen and it seemed to help."
"Good. I'll check on him later." Egon finished the equation and checked his work for any flaws. "Please check in with Winston and see if he requires any assistance."
"Sure, no problem." Janine gracefully slipped from the lab and retreated to the basement on Egon's request.
Egon capped the black marker and set it aside without a second thought. "Damn it Venkman, your stubbornness will be the death of us both."
Standing on the edge of the pier with only the red and blue flashing lights of the parked ambulance behind them to provide any motion or illumination over the pier, Ray, John and Hank stared in righteously abject awe at the shadowed island sitting in the middle of the Hudson River. The dark energy emitted by Vigo and his minions had created a massive black cloud of ethereal fog that concealed the massive castle in the middle of the island.
"There it is." John observed with a level, yet ambivalent tone. "Shandor Island."
"And Vigo is waiting for us." Hank tagged on.
Ray gave his new allies a confident glance. "And we're prepared for him."
"Yeah." Hank put his hand approvingly on Ray's shoulder. "He better be!"
"Come on," Ray motioned to the ambulance behind him. "let's get the gear."
John remained planted where he stood. The horrible memories of their previous encounter with Vigo was actively haunting his mind. The guilt of failing to stop Vigo was potent enough, but knowing that he failed to save the lives of three of his team mates; three of his best friends, was pushing him to emotional breaking point.
Redemption was at hand.
Ray pulled open the back doors of the ambulance and helped Hank to remove the security straps from the all important equipment.
"I hate to pry, especially at a time like this," Ray kept his voice quiet as he addressed Hank hesitantly. "but what happened to your other team members?"
Hank visibly flinched, his back straightening and his eyes glistening with emotion. "That's right, I never got to finish my story." Hank admitted as he proceeded the proper equipment checklist. "After the castle collapsed our team mates were... crushed. They never had a chance."
"You and John managed to escape." Ray bowed his head in respectful mourning. "Losing a colleague is something I hope everyday to never experience. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, it was rough to say the least." Hank hoisted a proton pack up and onto his shoulders. "When I came to on the ferry John had just returned with... With Joel's body over his shoulder. Once we got back to the city we took our friends and dug graves for them in Central Park, right next to the lake."
"A proper burial is all I would ever want if I was the one to... You know, go."
Hank nodded appreciatively. "It's been tough trying to finish our work, trying to find a way to stop Vigo with just the two of us, but we haven't given up. I think that's the hardest part, it being just the two of us."
Ray understood Hank's mindset very well. "I know. It was hard when my team started out as a trio. We added a fourth member and he's been an invaluable asset ever since. I can't imagine trying to face off against Vigo as just a duo."
Hank's demeanor darkened to match his current frame of mind. "I spent every night asking myself why I lived when the others didn't. I mean, I was in the castle when it collapsed right alongside them. Why did they die and I get to live?"
"Hey," Ray put his hand on Hank's shoulder. "don't let yourself go there. We may be men of science and we claim to know all the answers, but you and I both know that there are some questions that can never be answered."
Looking back from the ambulance to John, who was standing statuesque on the edge of the pier, he couldn't help but notice how much John reminded him of his own team. John was a natural leader; fearless but understanding, determined yet kind. Behind those dark brown eyes of sorrow and regret a soul brimming with life and love stared out at the island.
"John is so familiar to me," Ray admitted as he turned his attention back to the equipment at hand. "at first I thought I had him placed as a dream figure or a sense of deja vu, now I know it's because he alone seems to embody my entire team back home."
Much like Egon, the resident physicist, John had mastered the art of emotional discipline and never let his true negative feelings or thoughts show through. His courage and ability to keep his cool in the face of danger was eerily reminiscent of Peter's attitude on life. The loyalty and refusal to leave friends behind was like holding up a mirror to Winston.
"Amazing how one good guy can remind you of so many others."
"Yeah, he is a good guy. But John's been blaming himself for our friends' deaths ever since." Hank lamented. "After we buried our friends, our own team mates, I managed to make contact with Tiyah with the radio in the ambulance before we returned to the firehouse to pick up the pieces."
"Tiyah? Is she your wife?" Ray asked as the name sounded kind of familiar for a reason he couldn't quite place. "You mentioned her before."
"Yeah. We've been together for ten years and I hope to be together for even longer." Hank picked up a second proton pack for John to wear.
"She's safe, right?"
"Yeah, she's okay. She went to Chicago to help the survivors who fled New York and assist our team out there. Being an M.D. really has its advantages and disadvantages, you know?"
"Don't worry." Ray slammed the ambulance doors after pulling the slime-blower from its compartment and slipping it onto his shoulders. "You'll see her again."
"Thanks man."
Hank and Ray rejoined John at the pier. "You two ready?" John asked without ever pulling his eyes from the island in the foggy distance.
"Yeah." Ray confirmed as he powered up the slime-blower. "Lead the way."
John motioned toward the old ferry still docked at the pier just a few yards down. "She got us to the island before, she can do it again."
Winston had finished stocking up the supplies in the back of Ecto-1 when Janine excused herself to check in on Peter. The psychologist was still sleeping in bed, trying to fight off the headache and fever that was plaguing him. Approaching the bed Janine put her hand on his shoulder and gently roused him from his sleep.
"What's going on?" Peter muttered somewhat incoherently in drowsy state.
"Egon and Winston are back." Janine brushed the back of her hand against Peter's face and was glad to feel his temperature was much cooler. "They think they know how to find Ray."
Peter immediately sat up in his bed and stared past Janine toward the empty doorway of the bunk room. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because you're still sick."
"I'm fine." Peter insisted as he all but jumped off the bed and staggered to the door. His entire body was trembling from being drenched in the cold rain and general weakness for fighting off an impending sickness. "I'll be just fine. Ray needs us. ALL of us."
...to be continued...