Chapter Twenty-One: We Came, We Saw…

The true form of Allha had yet to fail her, which was why she opted using it over the feeble human form of Meagan Tully to climb up the side of the fifty-story Tipton Hotel and arrive on the rooftop – a feat that had taken her less than a minute to do. But, in order for her task to be complete, Allha had to transform back into human form once more. Centering herself directly beneath the portal that Gorin opened (which still sprouted with more demons – each one falling to the street to combat with the Ghostbusters), Allha was fully prepared to reverse the polarity of the portal itself to turn it into one connecting that world with the pocket universe that Gozer was trapped within. She raised her arms up high – her fingertips pointed towards the portal – and was on the verge of summoning her Gozerian power.

"I wouldn't do that just yet!"

Allha's focus shifted away from the portal to the unwanted company she had there on the rooftop. Although Allha barely recognized the otherworldly face, through the half of Meagan's thoughts she "shared," she recalled the alien woman's name to be "Joie." Of course, what attracted Allha's attention more was the Proton Gun aimed right at her.

"You even blink and I'll blow your ass to pieces!"

Allha smirked at Joie. "You will? Even as I stand in the form of this subcreature?"

"Whatever it takes to stop you. I ain't afraid of no ghost – especially not a hell-bitch like you!"

"Oh, but you are afraid. You've been afraid the entire time you've been around me – even while I was subdued in this subcreature's body."

Joie snickered mockingly. "Then you don't have a damn clue about me! I've fought monsters like you every day of my friggin' life!"

"You've never fought one in the possession of a human. The way you fed this one to fatten her up – slow her already-feeble body down, so that it would be no usage to me – that is clear evidence of your cowardice. Your 'great plan' was appeasing to her love of sweets." Allha uttered that last remark with an amused chuckle. "You are truly a pathetic excuse for a killer."

Infuriated by her insults, Joie's grip on her Proton Gun tightened yet the weapon slightly shook under her tense grip.

Seeing how desperate she was to fire her weapon, Allha outstretched her arms and left her body open for attack. "Go ahead, creature. Prove me wrong. Prove that you will do 'whatever it takes' to stop me."

Seconds had passed into a whole minute and Joie's particle thrower did not fire. Tears fell from her eyes; in her Venusian biology, they came out in a shade of purple that showed on her pale white complexion. Seeing this amused Allha, as it showed even an alien creature like Joie could break under pressure, just like any human mortal. Grinning with her eyes glowing red, Allha moved from one spot to another in the blink of an eye and stood close enough to Joie to stab her in the chest with her right hand. Joie felt the overwhelming discomfort of razor-sharp claws digging through her flesh and into her organs; looking down, she saw how Allha attacked with her right hand morphed into a large dog hand.

The Venusian Ghostbuster spat up green blood, another part of her alien biology that fascinated Allha. "You even bleed like a mortal. How could a creature with the appearance of a demon be so…weak?"

Joie tried to make a comeback to this insult, but all that came out of her mouth was more of her blood. Allha tossed the wounded alien aside, ripping out her bloodied right hand from the body in the process and morphing it back to human form. She returned to her position directly beneath the portal and lifted her arms up high. Purplish-blue lightning shot out from her body and into the swirling vortex above, preventing any more demons from exiting by practically clogging the portal up as if it were a drain. Afterward, the portal imploded into nothing, but another one opened shortly thereafter. The new portal was a purple-green swirling vortex – spouting with other Terror Dogs that landed over parts of New York.

Witnessing these changes in events, the wounded Joie could hear her fellow Ghostbusters panicking from the emergence of the Terror Dogs through her earpiece: "No one told us about any damn hellhounds – what the fu…" That particular rattled voice she recognized as Chace Ambrose, whose demise she somewhat didn't worry much over. For the other Ghostbusters down on the streets, she knew that she had to do something fast to save them.

Overjoyed to see all of her brothers and sisters emerging from the portal, Allha closed her eyes in serenity and whispered, "Vinz…I wish you could be here to witness this."

In her moment of joy, there was a strong pinch that came over the right side of Allha's neck, extinguishing the lightning shooting from her body. Snapping open her eyes and turning instinctively to see where the pinch had come from, she saw Joie standing near her – having gathered all her Venusian strength to get up and walk with her green blood trailing from the spot Allha tossed her to. In Joie's hand was an emptied syringe. Allha attempted to ask what Joie had done to her, but she found it very difficult to speak. She collapsed and breathed uncontrollably and heavily fast. Joie knelt down beside her and waited until she steadied her breathing.

After some time of staring into space, Allha's eyes moved and focused on Joie; right away, she reacted in fear of seeing her. Joie smiled, realizing that only Meagan Tully herself would react to the Venusian that way, which meant Meagan was back in control of her body. "It's O.K., kid," she quickly calmed the young Ghostbuster. "It's O.K. You've been freed."

Meagan was immensely puzzled. "Freed of what?"

"Allha."

Surprise filled Meagan's face. "What?" She reflexively reached at her head and discovered the helmet that maintained her identity was no longer there – neither did she feel Allha's presence in her; she felt completely like herself again. Happy and relieved, Meagan giggled and said to Joie, "Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!" Without caution, she gave Joie a tight hug, painfully reminding Joie of her wound. Hearing her loud groaning, Meagan saw that she had a deep gash in her chest. "How're you not dead after being stabbed in the heart?"

"All of my vital organs are stored in my abdomen – where a Venusian's true weak point is." Joie revealed and then added with moan, "Although a stab in the chest still stings like a bitch!"

Meagan sighed, still relieved to be free of Allha. "Well, thanks for saving my life – even though you tried to have me killed on your ship."

Reminded of that fact, Joie's pride began to hurt worse than her chest wound. "Yeah…about that. Listen, Meagan…I could never have actually killed you, not even with those cupcakes. To be honest, what scared me most was being forced to."

Hearing this confession from Joie, Meagan started to gain a bit more respect for the alien. With a smile and a nod, she said, "It's alright. There were times when I wanted the nightmare of having Allha in me to end in death myself. I'm just glad that she's gone now, and I'm alive to celebrate over it."

Suddenly, the two women heard deep growling near them. When they turned to see what it was, they discovered a Terror Dog there on the roof with them. Both Joie and Meagan were alarmed by the hellhound's presence there, but it was Joie who knew just how it got to be there. "Shit! I forgot that when I purged Allha from you, I allowed her to manifest in true physical form outside your body!"

Meagan swallowed hard, now figuring out who the demonic beast growling at them was. "You mean that's…?"

"Yep."

"Shit."

"Yep."

Allha lunged at the two women – particularly Meagan, who swiftly took Joie's Proton Gun and blast Allha to ashes, finally ridding herself of the dreaded Terror Dog that caused her so much strife.

Recovering from the scare, Joie patted Meagan on the back and said, "Nice shootin', kid." She then looked skyward at the portal and added, "One down…and a billion more to go."

Meagan looked up with her and sighted the hundreds of more hellhounds falling out of the portal, horrified to have seen so many of them emerge. But then they sighted something different arising – something much bigger and whiter. As Joie and Meagan took notice in a massive, puffy white arm sticking out from the portal, they both fearfully exclaimed, "Aw, shit!"

"There is nothing all of you can do now that my father has awakened. Your world will be his, and you will be the first to perish."

In her half-demon/half-human form, Seraphim powerfully stood over the fallen, inert body of Dana Barrett. Above them, Chernabog could be heard snarling, obviously at the Ghostbusters. He extended his right arm out towards them – sparks of fire and electricity emitted between his enormous palm and claws. They didn't have to use much of their imagination to guess what the representation of pure evil himself was about to do to them. They struggled under their rooted binds to get free – to get out of the way of the massive hand that was going to annihilate them all in one deadly stroke. But there was no use in trying to escape; their demise seemed inevitable as Chernabog's hand grew closer and closer.

Then it stopped – the fire and electricity dispersing from between the palm and tips of his large claws. Seraphim, surprised from her father's sudden annulment, looked up to see his sights set elsewhere. "Father? What's wrong?" He didn't seem to be paying any attention to her question of concern, especially not while he flapped his massive wings, sending a large gust of wind blowing through Seraphim and the Ghostbusters – the scent of fire and brimstone accompanying it. Chernabog departed from Bald Mountain's peak, flying into the night sky. Seraphim watched him leave, feeling more confused and surprised that he did in the midst of his sinister deed. "Where the hell is he going?"

With Chernabog away, the roots subduing the Ghostbusters came loose, allowing them to break free from their bondage. Hearing the roots snap, Seraphim turned in time to see Kate aiming her supped-up Proton Gun directly at her. She leaped into the sky right as Kate fired, striking a section of the mountain that caused rocks to explode and yellow slime to pour out. In flight, Seraphim morphed back into full demonic form, howling as she swooped downward in attack position toward the Ghostbusters, which forced them to open fire on her. She skillfully weaved around the streams, dodging each and every one immaculately. Once Seraphim got close enough, she managed to snag Kate and lift her off the ground to the immediate horror of J.G.

"ALEXIS!" He screamed, watching as Seraphim flew thirty feet into the air with Kate, her hand clasped firmly on her throat.

She hovered there with her, taking a moment to analyze Kate's flawless, beautiful face – a face she knew did not really belong to her. "I haven't yet had the pleasure in meeting the former Caretaker of the Underworld in the flesh – or the new flesh, in this circumstance. Tell me, Caretaker – since there's no more Underworld to take care of, what does that make you now? Hmm?"

Struggling underneath Seraphim's prodigious grip, Kate glared and answered in a raspy, breathless voice, "The woman…who did…this!"

She followed her retort with one fierce blast from her particle thrower on Seraphim's torso, its potent stream putting a clear hole through her. In reaction to the immense pain, Seraphim released her hold on Kate, leaving her to fall the entire thirty feet back down to the ground. It all happened in slow motion to the other Ghostbusters, who watched from below – particularly for J.G., who flashed back to a moment in time when he watched Alexis sacrifice herself on the Tipton Hotel rooftop while fighting off Maleficent and the day that Shan Yu killed her at the museum (the last day he believed he would ever see her). He watched helplessly as she landed on her back upon the ground, feeling certain that she fractured her spine or worse. While J.G. immediately rushed to his fiancée, the other Ghostbusters watched Seraphim lose control of her wings and smack against the mountain, rolling down its rocky, slimy structure until she ended up back at ground level and lied on the grass, her body convulsing from the intense pain she received to her torso.

Kneeling beside Kate, J.G. almost panicked as he checked every inch of her. "Baby! You alright? Can you still feel anything? Is your neck O.K.? Is your back O.K.? Tell me what's broken! The Zetas have medications that'll fix you! You're gonna be—"

"Jay!" Kate shouted, stopping him from going into a tizzy any further. "I'm fine, hon. Look!" She effortlessly moved her legs up and down, as well as her arms, wiggling her fingers and toes. "I'm indestructible now, remember?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her unharmed from her fall. "I thought I'd lost you again."

Kate smiled over his love and concern for her. "I'm not going anywhere ever again. You're stuck with me, ya nut."

The two shared a kiss that was soon brought to a stop when they heard agonized screaming near them. They looked to see Seraphim lying on the ground near the base of Bald Mountain with the other Ghostbusters looking on. Helping Kate back to her feet, J.G. and her grouped back with their team just as Seraphim was slowly transforming.

Blood seeping out of her mouth, she spoke with words that range from evil, deep-rooted rage, fueled by her demon form: "You bastards! You will perish for what you have done to me! Your flesh and bones will be shredded, and your souls will be consumed by the darkness!"

Borderline regret and pride in her half-demon/half-human form: "I am my father's daughter! But I…I wish…I-I wish that…I could've been something much…better."

To finally sorrow and fear in her tearful human form: "Oh, God! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I let you guys down…I became everything that I hated about my father. My greatest fear is happening now – I die as the monster I tried so hard not to become."

Diana addressed this last form, soothingly telling her, "It's not your fault, Theresa. It was all your father's. He made you want to hate and forget the woman you really are. You're the second most human woman I know." She shared a glance and a smile with Kim upon making that last statement for Seraphim.

Giving a shaky smirk, Seraphim accepted Diana's words as truth. She took her hand and whispered in a frail voice, "At least there's one good thing to come from this: I'm finally free."

Diana felt the grip she had on her hand tighten and then go limp in seconds – Seraphim, the young woman known in her human form as "Theresa," was no more. Following her death, Seraphim's entire body turned to ash, including the hand she gripped Diana's with – leaving bits of her remains scattered over Diana's black glove. It was a bittersweet victory for the Ghostbusters; none of them wanted for what ultimately happened to Seraphim to happen at all.

"Poor kid." Ray mourned. "I didn't know her all that well, but not even she deserved what she got."

Their mourning was cut short as soon as static sounded over their earpieces, followed by the distressed voice of Mickey Mouse. "Ghostbusters! This is Mickey! Come in!"

"Mickey, this is Jay." J.G. responded. "You alright?"

"No!" The mouse snapped. "No, I'm definitely NOT alright! We have a big problem!"

"Ya don't say." Kim wittingly responded, knowing Chernabog to be the subject of Mickey's call.

"Don't worry about Chernabog." Ray told Mickey. "We're going to destroy the mountain and—"

"It's not Chernabog I'm talkin' about!" Mickey interrupted. "I'm talkin' about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! He's back! And he's stompin' all through the streets of New York City!"

The bodies of both the Disney and '84 Ghostbusters tensed up from this news.

"That's…impossible!" Diana exclaimed. "We destroyed Stay Puft!"

"Yeah, so did we!" Winston spoke for his team.

It was clear to Sean what led to the monster's comeback. "It's Gozer…returning to the form of Stay Puft – he is bound to the last Destructor form he took in this world, which is the same as the one he took in the '84 world."

"With both Gozer and Chernabog now in the city, you better believe a whole lotta bad shit's gonna go down." Winston stated.

There came a loud rumbling noise – both in the distance and from their earpieces – along with more static, before another frantic yet familiar voice was heard: "Guys, it's Lisa! We just saw Chernabog land in our area of the city – the very same area where Stay Puft is rampaging right now!" Loud, vicious roars sounded through the heavens, echoed in the earpieces, and Lisa's voice turned more feverish: "Oh, my god! Now they're grappling…" There were explosions that they heard from the earpieces and saw in the distance as flames arose behind skyscrapers. "…and smashing each other into buildings!"

"It's like Pacific Rim, only without the fun of watching it in 3D!" CeCe spoke through the link in communication.

"Or in front of a TV." Rocky added.

Kim frowned with confusion from the impromptu reference by the two girls. "What the hell's Pacific Rim?"

"Crazy monster movie by a guy whose name I can't pronounce." Peter brought her up to speed.

The sound of more explosions rang through the air as the two teams witnessed buildings topple over from their position in Central Park. Of course, the one sound that nearly busted their eardrums was the squawking voice of Donald Duck that shouted over the earpieces: "HE'S EATING HIM!"

Barely understanding Donald, Ray asked, "Did he say 'He's eating him'?"

"That's what Donald said, Dr. Stantz." Phineas confirmed as his voice was patched in. "Chernabog is consuming Mr. Stay Puft."

"He's taking chunks out of his tasty white skin," Eduardo Rivera depicted over the comm.

"Never figured Chernie for a lover of marshmallows." Kim jested.

"No, you don't understand." Egon remarked. "It's not the marshmallow he's consuming – it's Gozer very essence."

Following on Egon's logic, Ray came upon a shocking realization: "Chernabog's turning himself and Gozer into one ultimate deity!"

Ray's revelation prompted Diana to recall the cab ride conversation she had with Allha back in the '84 Ghostbusters' world – how she mentioned it being Gozer's plan to do what Chernabog was doing that moment instead.

"Dear God!" Lisa yelled – her voice fully intensified in a state of dread. "I…I don't believe what's happening here…what Chernabog is…turning into."

The Disney and '84 Ghostbusters did not like what they were hearing from Lisa or how she said it. Terrified of the update, Kate suggested, "We need to destroy Bald Mountain now before he gets back here!"

The other Ghostbusters nodded in agreement with her suggestion. "Do your thing, babe," J.G. encouraged her.

Kate went right to work in walking up to the base of the mountain and prepping her Proton Gun. The wand hummed loud and vigorously, vibrating heavily in the grip of her black-gloved hands. Without wasting another second, she pressed the button to fire and… nothing came through the tip of the wand. To her immediate surprise, it stopped humming and vibrating, going completely dead.

"What the hell…?" She muttered.

Seeing the malfunction as it occurred greatly troubled the other Ghostbusters. J.G. went to Kate's Proton Pack to check the problem it was having – not that he would have known how to fix it, since its ethereal design was beyond his understanding. What he was able to figure out was how extensively damaged the Pack appeared to be, yellow fiery sparks flying out of it from certain areas. "Damn! It's dead, babe."

"What?" Kate exclaimed in alarm – her exclamation reverberating through the other Ghostbusters as well when they heard J.G.

"It must've been damaged from your fall." J.G. regretfully indicated.

Needless to say, it was quite unsettling for the two Ghostbuster teams to discover the only weapon powerful enough take out Bald Mountain – a gift granted to them by Zeus himself – was no longer of any use.

And to make matters worse…

"Chrissy to the Disney and '84 GBs. Chernabog is returning to your location. I repeat, Chernabog is returning to your location."

The teams were absolutely lost on what to do; none of the other Packs carried the intensity that Kate's did to blow up the mountain. But as both Egon and Sean Spengler looked down on their particle throwers, the two equivalents sparked with zealous energy and shouted at the same time, "I've got a radical idea!"

"Are you positively certain yours is exactly the same as mine?" Sean questioned.

Egon grinned. "Our minds are similar enough to affirm that it is."

Hearing the two enthusiastic Spenglers, Kim asked in annoyance, "What're you two eggheads babblin' about?"

"It's the simplest solution, Kim." Sean said. "With eight of our advanced Proton Packs working together…"

Egon continued in his explanation: "…we can form one concentrated stream that works at the same intensity as Kate's Pack …"

"…and destroy the mountain!" Both Spenglers concluded.

Their plan was met with total silence from their teammates – each still piecing together what they had pitched to them.

"Um, it could just be me, but…your idea sounds a lot like crossing the streams." Diana pointed out.

Hearing Diana utter those last three words, Kim was quick to reject the Spenglers' plan: "Nuh-uh! I swear, if you two brainiacs are even thinking of doing that shit again, I'm puttin' both of my boots up your asses!"

"Ditto." Peter said to his equivalent's threat.

"Kim, with all due respect, I don't see any other way." J.G. said.

"He's right." Ray supported. "It's imperative that we do it."

"Yeah, and it's 'imperative' to keep myself breathing!" Winston argued.

"How do we even know we'll survive this time? We barely did last time." Diana inquired. "I'm with Kim, Winston, and Peter – I don't think we should risk it again."

Before the teams could debate any further on the topic, they were interrupted by a loud, hollowed, ungodly thunderous howl that echoed throughout the sky, sending chills down each of them. They looked up to see Chernabog in his ultimate form: a being with a molten rock body and an even greater wingspread, glowing bright orange – brighter than the sun, and a ball of flame floating above his head and between his horns.

Chernabog landed hard and violent atop the mountain, sending massive chunks of rock flying all directions and landing over Central Park – demolishing notable landmarks of the park. The Ghostbusters managed to dodge any that came their way while a huge but brief tremor came over the area. The ultimate entity, Chernabog unleashed another unearthly howl that sounded like thunder through the air.

Anger suddenly replaced fear in Kim; she wasn't certain exactly why she was angry – it might have been the fact that she was almost crushed by rocks, losing Seraphim, having lost four years of her life living three months in another world, or being left with one annoying alternative to stopping Chernabog – but she had become more furious than she had ever remember being her whole life.

"F*** this! We're doing it!" She told her teammates, who all had seen the seriousness in her face that confirmed the Spenglers' plan was happening, regardless of who wanted it to or not.

Peter turned to Kate, who might as well have just been there for support, finding another important task for her to do. "Do me this one last favor, kid. Get Dana out of here…and tell her that I love her."

Disconcerted by the morbid way that the usually upbeat Peter Venkman gave his request, Kate feared for what the two Ghostbuster teams were about to proceed in doing. Looking to J.G., who looked right back at her, the two shared a quick kiss that could very well have been their last. "I love you, Jatniel."

When he heard her address him by his full first name like that, he knew just how scared she was. He gave her a reassuring smile and confidently promised, "I'll be back, Lexi. Don't sweat it."

Unfortunately, she wasn't too convinced; but she still put on a brave smile just for him before leaving his side to pick up Dana Barrett's barely conscious body and carry it away from the scene to safety.

With Kate and Dana out of harm's way, the Disney and '84 Ghostbusters all lined up at the base of the mountain…

"Grab your stick!" Kim ordered.

"Holdin'!" Her teammates responded.

"Heat 'em up!" Peter commanded.

"Smokin'!" His teammates confirmed.

"Make 'em hard!" Both Kim and Peter directed.

"Ready!" Both of their teammates acknowledged.

From atop Bald Mountain, Chernabog snarled as he watched his mortal adversaries geared their weapons and aimed them directly at the mountain.

Kim glared at the colossal, growling entity. "Time to go bye-bye, asshole!"

"THROW IT!" Peter shouted.

As soon as Peter gave the command, the two Ghostbuster teams opened fire at the mountain. At first, they merely just scratched the rocky surface, but once they combined their streams into one enormous, formidable golden stream, sections of the mountain exploded and went to pieces. Seeing and realizing what they were doing, Chernabog grew furious. "NO!" He howled in agony as his new body hardened into stone and crumbled apart in response to the Ghostbusters' attack on the mountain.

All of the Ghostbuster teams in the city, especially the Tampa Bay Ghostbusters and the DGB cadets in Times Square, had been overwhelmed by both Gozer and Chernabog's forces. Lisa grew exhausted and started to feel hopeless in the escalating battle. "I don't think there's any chance of surviving this, Pat!"

Out of breath and tired himself, Patrick nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way, hon. Guess now would be a better time than any to tell you how much that I love you. If I'm going down tonight, I'm doing it over what I love and who I love."

Lisa looked to him and smiled through the tears that ran down her face. "I love you, too!"

Looking back at her, the two became lost in each other's eyes – the battle raging on around them deafened to their ears. Whether some Terror Dog or demon lunged at them that second didn't matter; all that mattered was their love. Dropping their particle throwers and letting them hang at their sides, Lisa and Patrick embraced and shared a long, intimate kiss.

BOOM!

The massive blast that sounded through the city like an explosion in a chemical factory brought Lisa and Patrick out of their embrace as they and everyone else stopped and searched for the source of the deafening sound. A shockwave came through the area, blowing out all the windows and remaining neon signs in Times Square, as well as ringing all the bells in most of the cathedrals in the city. Before the Ghostbuster teams knew it, every single one of Chernabog's and Gozer's forces were wiped out in front of them – their bodies vaporized on the spot, leaving only Ghostbusters standing in the streets of New York.

Silence fell over the city, which was plagued with the sounds of battle only a mere second ago. Goofy was the only one who spoke up, voicing his confusion over the sudden disappearance of the hellhounds and other demons. "Gwarsh! Where did they all go?"

"Who cares? We won! WE WON!" A jubilant Donald Duck cheered loud enough for the teams around him to hear and join him in an eruption of triumphant cheers that echoed with the other teams throughout the city, breaking the silence within it. Hugs and high-fives were shared between fellow teammates, and kisses were exchanged from those in relationships (some who weren't apparently started one that very moment).

However, the celebration was cut short when they heard another roaring boom and spotted a black mushroom cloud rising behind a few buildings. Lisa was horrified as soon as she realized that the cloud was rising from Central Park. "Oh, my god!" She then attempted to patch herself through the communicators of the Disney and '84 Ghostbusters. "Guys, can you hear me?" There was no answer through her earpiece. "Peter? Kim? Sean? Jay? Can any of you hear me?" Again, no response.

From Broadway Street, the Zeta Ghostbusters (including Joie, who made it back from the Tipton with Meagan) saw the mushroom cloud and also knew that it had come directly from Central Park. Maryl-Lyn also made an attempt in reaching the two Ghostbuster teams there but received no response. Because of this, she and the other Zetas made a silent agreement to teleport over to Central Park right away. Together, with Meagan in tow, they vanished from Broadway Street and reappeared outside the park gates.

What they arrived in was an area completely shrouded in a fog of dark gray smoke and ash, which made it impossible to see anything more than three feet of them. Ashes were everywhere and the metal from the park gates were grotesquely contorted as a result of whatever nuclear explosion occurred there. Upon their arrival, they heard coughing; searching through the dark gray mist, they saw Kate and Dana emerge and immediately went to their aid.

"What happened?" Meagan asked. "Where are the Ghostbusters?"

After a few coughs and taking sips from a blue metal, cylindrical canister of water that Chrissy carried in the left thigh pocket of her flight suit in case of emergencies, Kate smiled at Meagan and said, "They did it. They destroyed Bald Mountain…and Chernabog."

"How could it have been they that did it when it was you who carried the amplified Proton Pack?" Chrissy inquisitively queried.

Taking another sip of water, Kate answered, "It was damaged, so they had to improvise – they crossed the streams."

Meagan and the Zetas were uneasy over this; they knew the great risk that came with such a dangerous maneuver. Even though both Ghostbuster teams had survived it in the past, there might have been a chance neither of them had the second time around.

A pair of headlights suddenly shined through the dense fog and attracted their attention. They spotted the Tampa Bay Ghostbusters' Ecto-truck arriving at the devastated scene, its headlights providing the only available light source in the fog. The Tampa Bay team exited the vehicle along with the DGB cadets, including Mickey, who asked in a state of shock, "What happened?"

Meagan was going to bring them up to speed, until she and everyone else heard laughter coming from nearby. They looked to where it had come from and – thanks to the headlights from the Ecto-truck – managed to see both the Disney and '84 Ghostbusters proudly walking their way. Their suits were shredded to the verge of nudity – due to facing in the direction of their friends, sections of their exposed buttocks went unnoticed – and the hair on their heads also stood on end. Other than these two issues and being covered in dirt and ash, they were left uninjured from the explosion they caused. The eight of them were arm-in-arm with each other, laughing in celebration of their ultimate victory.

Once she caught sight of J.G., Kate ran to him, smoldering him with hugs and kisses. Peter ran to Dana as she was tended to by Chrissy. "Dana," he called to her as he approached. "Are you alright?" Regaining full consciousness, Dana had a quick fright when Chrissy's half-cyborg face was the first thing that she had seen. Peter noted her scare and calmly told her, "Don't worry. They're just friends from out of town." He then eyed her silk dress and amorously added, "You look fantastic."

As soon as she heard his voice, Dana promptly turned to look at Peter, relieved to just see a friendly, familiar face. "I was on my way to a date before I was caught up in this mess."

Peter pretended not to look or sound jealous. "Well, something good did come out of this after all."

Dana chuckled – she forgot how much she missed his witty remarks. "It's good to see you after three months, Peter. Thank you for saving my life…again."

"I am never going to leave you alone ever again." Peter assured.

Dana smiled. "I'm going to hold you up to that, you know."

The two lovers moved in closer and kissed. From a short distance, Kim watched them; thoughts of herself and her "Barrett" filled her mind, and her heart felt very heavy. Turning to Meagan, who stood near her, she requested, "Hey, kiddo. Can I borrow your phone for a sec?"

"Sure, Doctor V." Meagan reached into her right pocket and courteously handed her phone over to Kim, who went right away in dialing a phone number while she walked away. Once Kim left her side, Meagan focused on the conversation between the Zetas and the other Ghostbusters who survived. She noticed the splintered neutrino wand and asked, "Is that really all that's left from the tricked-out Packs?"

Sean nodded. "Unfortunately so. The Packs couldn't be salvaged from the intense force of the energy used to cross the streams."

"It's no problem." Maryl-Lyn said. "As long as you guys are alive and well, that's all that matters."

"This city, on the other hand, might be more of a concern – I mean, we jacked the shit outta this place!" Joie observed, gesturing to the twisted front gates of Central Park as evidence.

Ray shrugged off her observation. "Nothing taxpaying dollars can't handle."

"Yeah, dollars that are coming out of our pockets." Diana stated.

"We shouldn't have to sweat about the small stuff." Winston told Diana. "We saved New York from the greatest threat imaginable. I'm sure they won't mind damages to one or two areas of the city."