Part 2 Chapter 1 "Take On Me"
(Song suggestion-"Take On Me" by A-ha)
A Thursday Evening in Late October 1984
Dr. Peter Venkman
A delightful chill filled the air on the spectacular Autumn night that I finally had a date with a wonderfully talented cellist and client, Dana Barrett. Fall in the Big Apple displayed the natural brilliance of the area where tree-lined streets obtained brilliant colors. People wore their light jackets and sweaters, and New York City always had a buzz about it. Still, autumn made me think of hot cider, attending football games under blankets, fall craft festivals, and Halloween parties. It was always one of my favorite seasons whether I resided here in New York or my home north of Chicago.
Usually, I could easily coax a woman to go out on a date with me, but not this extraordinary one. It took me almost three months to do so in the busiest time in our company's short history. Dana was not only gorgeous, but she was no-nonsense and saw through me like my one serious girlfriend who broke my heart, Bernadette. Janine Melnitz, our secretary/accountant and computer specialist, was the only other lady who didn't take my bullsh- from me initially. Consequently, I've always considered her a close friend due to it. I knew I had to use my imagination to captivate Dana's heart to set myself above her other suitors. Luckily, I was quick on my feet and noticed that I had this one "ace" up my sleeve- hopefully, I could soon solve her baffling god-in-her-fridge problem.
"Any advice before I go on my date with Ms. Barrett, Janine," I inquired. As I awaited her cheeky comment back, I swung my legs and feet to the top of my desk.
"No, Dr. Venkman," she retorted, with a wearied tone of voice that indicated that she was not in the mood for a conversation. Janine's charm bracelet jingled as she inputted information into the computer and then precisely mimicked my words.
However, I knew Janine well enough to know she was preoccupied because of her brief answer. She always loved an opportunity to zing someone, especially me, with a perfectly witty one-liner. Furthermore, I enjoyed listening to them even when they were at my expense. It was one of Janine's many allures. Rolling my eyes, I disappointedly rose from my desk and padded over to her desk to see her reading a book on FORTRAN..
Today Janine's pleasant facial features hid behind those huge glasses sliding down her nose. It took me a while to admit since her employment that if she hadn't been so cerebral, she would be beautiful, in my humble opinion.
Nonetheless, Janine Melnitz was like a little sister to me. Still, she was the ideal match for one of my best friends and business partners, Egon Spengler. Her beauty, brain, and outgoing personality pulled his head out of the clouds. It was the best impetus for him to enjoy his life if he would only allow it. Anyhow, Janine almost completed her computer science degree at a private college here in the city, and I assumed she read a book about a programming language now. All I knew was it was over my head.
"I know something is wrong because I gave you the perfect opportunity to sass me, and you did not," I complained, rolling a chair to her desk so I could listen.
"I am fatigued and underpaid," she retorted drily in her thick Brooklyn accent, tapping her foot impatiently.
"We are all overworked, Janine, because business is booming," I quipped. Scrutinizing her face, I attempted to read her distinctive blue eyes. There was terror in them, and she was usually calm.
"What are you afraid of," I inquired in disbelief.
"Don't you remember what happened on Monday," Janine questioned exasperatedly as her beautiful blue eyes narrowed in extreme annoyance, then she sighed heavily.
"Of course, I do. Janine," I stated, confidently and reassuringly, " but it is going to be OK."
She gave me an aggrieved glare that shot daggers back at me and then lowered her eyes back at the book, saying, "Hmmph."
I rose from the rolling chair, pushed it back to my desk, and anxiously checked my watch. Now it was time to pick up the exquisite tall, lithe beauty with curly brown hair, Dana Barrett. Afterward, I gave Janine a side hug and reminded her it would be OK.
"Peter, it isn't a joke. Really. Something horrifying is going to occur," she predicted after acknowledging my attempt to comfort her with a tiny smile.
"Why don't you go upstairs and keep Iggy company? You will be all alone together," I suggested, playfully, wigging my eyebrows up and down and pretending to blow a kiss at her.
"Hmmm. Maybe later," Janine replied, hiding her pleasure at my proposal by covering her face with the book, but failing in a big way. Her bright-as-the-sun smile poked around the book and began to blind me because she was thrilled about my idea.
"And don't worry," I called as I strode towards the building's door and wished her a good evening. It was time for me to buy some fresh flowers for my date with Dana and hail a taxi over to her apartment in the Central Park area.
Winston Zeddemore
The Ghostbusters' exclusive paranormal elimination business had skyrocketed. The expansion in the number of additional cases of ghosts, spooks, specters, and demons in the greater New York City area by the time I had joined the team. Before connecting with the premiere supernatural removal squad in the City three months ago, I did not believe in the paranormal. As a tactician for the military for over ten years, I only believed in things I had seen in person. However, my first bust with the Ghostbusters transformed my opinion quickly. In fact, it opened my eyes to the paranormal so widely that I only wish I could remove the things I had viewed with them. I was not frightened by the supernatural because I had seen atrocious events in Vietnam. Still, at the same time, this new job of mine was too unconventional.
My employers were a mixture of bizarre personalities that comprised a prodigious group. With my military experience, I could easily recognize a great bunch. Dr. Peter Venkman, who was rarely a solemn psychiatrist with a sharp tongue but very appealing to the ladies, led the Ghostbusters team. Next, Dr. Ray Stantz had training in engineering and held a puissant belief in the supernatural. His family had a rich paranormal background out of Ontario, Canada. His great grandfather, Sam Stantz, was a psychic researcher and a British Psychical Research Society member.
Furthermore, he found the survival of consciousness and the "dead were living" perpetually fascinating. Sam wrote reviews of various people who claimed supernatural powers or believed they were the medium. At last, Dr. Egon Spengler, a theoretical physicist, was hands down the wisest man I had ever met. He was the most knowledgeable about a wide span of subjects. Egon was the solutions guy that the other two relied on to construct answers in the most complex situations out of thin air. He rarely spoke about personal subjects, if ever, and I was pretty sure his life only revolved around his work.
The guys employed a good-looking petite redhead woman with shapely legs from Brooklyn named Janine Melnitz, witty, charming, and sometimes caustic. She practically finished up her last few credits towards a bachelor's degree in computers. Even though Janine wasn't a ghostbuster, the team relied heavily on her business finances, scheduling management, and many other responsibilities. It was prominent that she was a significant part of the organization. She also showed unbelievable care towards her bosses, although her relationship was diverse and distinct. For example, Janine and Ray acted similarly to brothers and sisters who enjoyed each other's company. In contrast, Peter seemed like an annoying older brother who liked to pick on her. Janine, however, held her own while employing her satirical tongue to his delight.
As for Egon and Janine, I suspected they had exceptionally fierce emotions for each other. Based on my observations of their interactions, as they had often seemed to gravitate towards each other naturally. They must have a complicated relationship because although they were in love with each other, they weren't together as a couple. Janine and Egon had an impressive albeit unconventional connection to each other. Sometimes, they would speak in low intimate voices and grin at each other, and other times they would ignore the other like middle school children. I had caught each of them at opposing times, glancing yearningly at each other when the other wasn't paying attention more than once. The sexual tension between them was potent, and I wondered if they were ex-lovers or if they just didn't want to admit their emotions to each other for some reason. I felt peculiar about asking Peter or Ray about it, so I didn't. Also, I was not as close as the others were and felt like it wasn't any of my business.
Ray and I were driving in Ecto One through the City that night. We searched for additional information about Gozer and Central Park West apartment homes where Venkman's love interest, Dana Barrett, resided. First, we visited different college libraries and some more obscure locations with local paranormal information in the boroughs after completing a bust in the Bronx in a bakery on our own for a little extra pocket money. As I drove over the Brooklyn Bridge, my partner was studying the blueprints of Dana Barrett's apartment complex when I questioned him,
"Hey, Ray, do you believe in God?"
"Never met him," Ray answered, engrossed in the blueprints, not removing his eyes.
"Yeah, well, I do. And I love Jesus's style, you know," I stated confidently. I thought that comment would spark his interest a little more by taking a drag on my cigarette. I kept my eyes on the road for a time before glancing at the plans Ray scrutinized so cautiously. He and I got along well because of our easy-going personalities, although I liked all of my bosses.
" This roof cap is made of a magnesium-tungsten alloy, " Ray randomly spoke up a little later, unaware that I had been speaking.
"What are you so involved in there," I inquired.
"These are the blueprints for the structural ironwork for Dana's apartment building, and they're very, very strange," he clarified, inspecting the blueprints with a fine-tooth comb.
"Hey, Ray. Do you remember something in the Bible about the last days when the dead would rise from the grave," I inquired.
"I remember Revelation 7:12. And I looked, as he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as black as sackcloth. And the moon became like blood," Ray stated, without blinking, gazing up finally.
I took a long drag on my cigarette again. As I exhaled, I had a terrible feeling overcome me.
"How about a little music," he suggested, shuddering.
"Yeah," I replied and turned the radio on as we sped through the city silently.
"Let's go try NYU. "
"Maybe we can find some information about the building there in their local history part of their library," I suggested.
"We can call Lucy there and see if she can help us out," Ray offered.
Dr. Egon Spengler
"Bang, bang!" A resounding knock on the front door produced a tiny shock wave that echoed throughout the firehouse all of a sudden.
Accordingly, I raised my left eyebrow at Janine when the commotion resonated from the front door and broke the landing's peace. Swiftly, our hands dropped from each others' waists as we exchanged flabbergasted glances as our near-perfect moment ended. Without missing a beat, Janine strolled to the door. She dressed in a short black leather mini skirt and a black and white checkered blouse with matching black heels, and I found myself exhaling stridently in dissatisfaction. Her gold charm bracelet made a twinkling noise as she moved through the firehouse.
With a strange sensation flowing over my body like something wasn't quite right, I accompanied her a short distance from behind to overhear her conversation at the door, protectively. As a result, I felt my concentration switch back to the paranormal and not her.
"Dropping off or picking up, "Janine inquired in her nasal intonation. I could see a uniformed police officer on the other side of the door when she opened it. Additionally, an odd-looking man in a blue button-down shirt in a straight jacket in the police van. A harrowing feeling came to my stomach like someone held it in their hands and twisted roughly, squeezing it tightly. I grimaced for a few seconds as Janine spoke to the authorities.
"Dropping off." The policeman answered.
"Just a moment," Janine replied, appearing petrified after she shut the door and strode expeditiously to where I was standing a few feet behind her. I felt disconcerted by the spooked look on her face.
"Egon," she called distraughtly, the tone of her voice rising a little, "there's a policeman here with a screwy-looking man here in a straight jacket."
Instantly, I took the PKE meter out of my pocket. I attempted to alleviate her concern by using a tenderness in my voice and a slight upturn of the corners of my lips, saying, "Try not to fret, Janine."
She nodded and peered downward at the floor while I treaded to the door to speak to the uniformed officer. I heard her heels click on the floor as she followed me to the door vigilantly, like a lioness watching over her cubs. The thought made an involuntarily grin on my face for a second before opening the doorway. The analogy was an apt one and described Janine perfectly.
"We picked up this guy...the Police Chief doesn't want him...we know you guys are into this stuff," he rambled, indicating the man nervously in the van by a gesture of his hands.
"Alright."
Quickly I used the PKE on the unusual man after I approached him, and the needle went off the chart when he questioned in a slightly whiny voice,
"Are you the gatekeeper?"
As soon as I saw him, I had a powerful adverse feeling reaction in the pit of my stomach again. Some would call that intuition, but I wouldn't, as a scientist ruled by reason and logic.
"You better bring him in," I insisted, knowing my plan for the evening now was ruined.
"You are kind to take that man in; you are a real humanitarian," Janine joked uneasily. She put her petite hand on my arm as we walked back into the building. A zap of electricity sparked on my skin where she touched me. Concerned, Janine peered behind her as the police officer removed the short man with dark-framed glasses from the police van. Still, I was already lost in thought about our new friend.
"I don't think he's human," I responded automatically. The PKE's needle quickly went off the radar near the odd man, which mystified me because that had never happened.
"What is wrong with this man," I thought to myself and decided to use our new computer software to test his brainwaves. As I analyzed the man's appearance inwardly, the police officer brought him into the firehouse behind us. The odd man sat at a chair next to the computer as I put the electrodes on his temples as I considered the reason for his appearance today.
Worriedly, Janine escorted the uniformed man out of the firehouse and returned with her hands folded across her arms.
"What did you say your name was," I inquired as I studied the perplexing picture of a dog on the screen, and then I peered back at the unconventional man.
"What the flip is this?!" I thought inwardly.
"Vinz Clortho, key master of Gozer," the short man replied in an atypical voice.
"Well, according to this, his name's Louis Tully. Lives in Central Park West. Do you want some coffee, Mr. Tully," Janine inquired, holding his brown wallet out to me so I could verify the information. It was correct.
"Why is this demented Louis guy going by Vinz now? Did something cause it?" I wondered.
While I asked him questioned, all Louis did was mimic my words precisely. Janine gave me a distracted broad, eyed look that showed a mixture of alarm and stupefaction.
"Vinz, you said before you were waiting for a sign. What sign are you waiting for?"
"Gozer the Traveler!"
"He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the Rectification of the Vuldronaii, the Traveler came as a large and moving Torb! Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar! Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you," Vinz enthusiastically explained.
In the middle of the disturbing story, I moved my head to the left to catch Janine's reaction to it. She gaped at me ossified, and I returned her stare with my own unnerved one. We communicated nonverbally exceptionally well because we were... or had been close... at one time.
"Egon?" Janine requested, crooking her finger at me with a thin-lipped smile from the back of the lab. Obviously, she wanted to talk to me privately.
"Excuse me." I strolled over there, having an idea of what Janine would say already.
"There's something very strange about that man...," she whispered, standing close to me. We observed Louis sniffing a jar of popcorn. Suddenly, Janine grabbed my suit.
When she cautioned me of her premonition, I wanted to console her. Also, I would tell our secretary that everything would be alright, but I wasn't entirely sure of that fact. As I held onto her, I shut my eyes for fifteen seconds to let myself unwind and live in the moment with her. Vividly, I recalled that Janine and I were dancing on the rooftop under a picturesque starry night in each other's arms, blissfully. She glimmered under the moonlight incandescently as we swayed back and forth. Regrettably, a possessed man walked around the room, acting like a dog. I felt a sharp pain in my side that brought me back to my current reality.
"I won't let anything happen to you," I whispered into her left ear quietly so that Vinz couldn't hear or see, and Janine gave me a skeptical look with her bright blue eyes. Vinz's arrival significantly perturbed Janine.
The phone rang vociferously on the end table by the sofa, and Vinz jumped out of complete shock.
"I'll get it!" I declared, reluctantly, walking rapidly to the phone, and I picked up the phone; then Louis dragged the rest of it over to me.
"Hello? Thanks, I've got it," I replied soberly, looking up to the unconventional man, and sat down on the sofa. Apprehensively, Janine lowered herself next to me on the couch, attempting to eavesdrop while cautiously scrutinizing Vinz.
Utterly surprised, I looked at my watch. It was highly unusual that Peter would call the firehouse when he went on a date and noted only an hour had passed since he left.
After explaining his interactions with Dana, who now called herself Zuul, I felt more baffled than before Venkman's phone call. Something was amiss- she now levitated, called herself the gatekeeper, and barked like a dog. Consequently, it disturbed my close friend, rightfully so. Then we had this unorthodox Vinz arrive out of the blue referring to himself as the key master.
"We have to get a hold of Ray; I need him here immediately," I disclosed to Janine, turning my head away from Vinz as he attempted to hand me the lamp.
"I'll try the Columbia, CUNY, and Hunter College libraries first," she remarked, standing up to retrieve the phone book as I inattentively nodded. After a bit, I rose from the sofa and followed her to the cabinet where the yellow pages were and advised sternly,
"When Peter arrives, I would like you to go home. It may not be safe here."
"No," Janine replied determinedly, sticking out her chin. Usually, her stubbornness was one thing that I loved about her, but I had the feeling we didn't have time for games at the moment. One commonality we shared was our persistence when we made a decision. Sighing, I gave her a severe stare for a moment.
"Janine, please," I begged softly, putting my hand on her shoulder and looking into her clear blue eyes. I hoped to persuade her by appealing to her softer, emotional side. If anything happened here and she was injured, I would never forgive myself.
"Egon, I want to help," she argued.
Janine pouted while putting her hands on her hips, emphasizing her tiny waist, knowing that would distract me. I was a man, after all, and she was gorgeous.
"Damn it," I thought as I realized that I was indeed preoccupied with her.
For a second, she was happy that I was staring at her, mouth agape.
"This is not the time to be caught up in Janine," I warned myself, even though it was so easy to do so.
She always had captivated me from day one, and I thought about the many times we laid in each other's arms this year. Recently, A-HA's popular song "Take on Me" reminded me of Janine, and I felt like she was slipping away from me. That song was stuck in my head today, playing over and over, repetitively.
THUD!
A racket broke me out of my pleasant reverie about her, and Janine gave me a smug grin as I excused myself to find the cause of the noise. Meanwhile, she strolled to the sofa to make her calls. I knew that this conversation wasn't over. Still, I felt bullheaded about the fact that Janine needed to evacuate the firehouse to avoid possible danger tonight. Moreover, I had to protect her, the woman I adored.
After corralling Vinz into a chair again, I printed out the brain scans from his test to analyze. As the outlandish man struggled to sit in a chair for any time, she called the first University library. Still, I doubted that we would find him and Winston any time soon. They were supposed to have completed a small bust, then researched Dana Barrett's building and returned. I attempted to elucidate the importance of tonight for me earlier and persuade them to come back as soon as possible. Ray and Winston agreed at the time, but where the hell were they?
"Why did this have to happen tonight," I wondered to myself, ruefully, but turned my attention to picking up the brain scan from the printer.
"What the hell is this," I exclaimed to myself as I scrutinized the printout after I retrieved it from the dot matrix printer. I wasn't a neurology expert, but I could tell that the stranger was troubled.
Peering up from the printout, I gazed at a fazed Janine, who was calling different libraries.
"Don't give up on me, my Angel, please," I thought as she met my eyes after she ended one of the calls. For a second, we grinned at each other, and I mouthed the lyrics from the A-Ha song across the room to her,
"You're shying away; I'll be coming for your love anyway."
Consequently, Janine giggled at me, and I felt like my heart would burst with love for her. I floated on air for a second until Vinz dropped something, generating a loud noise.
"THUMP!"
Peter Venkman
Twenty minutes later, I arrived back at the firehouse, discomposed. As I returned, I slammed the door in disappointment, then quickly ran up the stairs to see the possessed man and compare it to Dana's behavior. I had looked forward to one on one time with her tonight, hopefully in which I would be able to delight the pants off of her, but no, the Goze' had to foil my plans. First, Dana opened the door looking smashing in this diverting orange dress, appearing loose and unfettered, all of which were warning sides because she was not herself. I think she had a side of unbridled passion lurking underneath the shield she threw up to protect herself, and I hoped to discover it around midnight. However, it wasn't meant to be, for tonight anyway. Dana was now asleep because I gave her 3000 ccs of Thorazine after she writhed on her bed, snarled and howled, then floated over it. Although Zuul's attempts to seduce me by asking me, "Do you want this body?" was extremely hot, and part of me wanted her to take advantage of me right there. Now, I knew it was the possessed demon in Dana and not her making that demand. When I left her apartment, I was both sexually derailed and triggered.
"As far as I can tell, Ray and Winston aren't at those libraries," Janine's accent floated through the Firehouse's door as I entered it.
"Where else would you like me to call, Egon?"
"What are you still doing here, Brooklyn?" I exclaimed,disoriented by the sight of the auburn-haired lady.
"Go home and celebrate since it's your birthday," I stated. Swiftly, I took a look at Egon, who was studying Vinz carefully, perplexed by him. I returned my attention to our sassy secretary after checking my watch. It was almost nine-thirty. As a result, I questioned either Egon or Janine about the other two's whereabouts. Winston didn't reside at the firehouse because he lived with his fiancee, Maura, in an apartment home near her job in Queens.
"No, we can't find them," Janine answered. Silently, our plucky secretary thumbed through the thick yellow pages book without glancing up at me, " and yes, I called Winston and Maura's place and even Lucy's."
"Aren't you turning thirty today? That's a milestone you should go home and party," I urged, happily, dancing a little. Janine shook her head at me and did not laugh at my movements despite my attempts.
However, I knew that her surprise from Egon relied on her going home and that the arrival of this immensely unbalanced man, who appeared to be possessed, threw a wrench in the plan. Spengs would convince her better than I could because she listened to him, but he was too involved with examining Vinz to notice.
"I don't have anything else planned. My family and I are celebrating this weekend, my best friend has to work, and Wendy's in Jersey. I don't want to sit by myself alone," Janine insisted, sulking as she watched our theoretical physicist like a hawk. Silence commenced as she waited to see if Egon would make eye contact or insist on her staying, but he didn't.
"Peter's right, Janine, there isn't anything you can do here, and you should enjoy your birthday," Spengler finally stated monotonically. He pretended not to hear a word she had said.
I offered to pay for her cab and wouldn't accept no for an answer as she argued with me. Honestly, I didn't want her riding on the subway because it may not be safe.
"Is it ever truly safe taking the subway in New York? I thought lugubriously to myself. "But owning a car in the city was insane with the current parking rates and the lack of space..."
To my astonishment, Janine gave up after only a minor argument. However, she was displeased with defeat by letting out an anguished sigh and dialing the phone for a cab. Anyone who knew her knew that the only reason she agreed to vacate her post was that she was pissed at Iggy for shunning her suddenly. However, it didn't matter the reason.
As Janine was on the phone, Egon came over to me, indicating that he needed me to study the printout of the man's brain waves outside of the lab, and strolled to the lab's door.
"What!?" After I finally viewed the possessed man's brain waves paper with him. It was all over the place, and Janine broodingly glanced up at us after my exclamation. The brainy Ghostbuster gave me a poignant warning glance indicating that I shouldn't distress Janine about Vinz any further, although it was troubling. Only because I knew him so well, I know he was extraordinarily alarmed.
"She is already startled; please don't make it worse," Egon cautioned softly, his brown eyes flashing anger for a moment.
"You might have made it worse by NOT insisting that she stay," I hissed at him, examining the printout again.
"I know what I am doing, Venkman," he admitted, with a grim expression on his long face.
"OK, thank you," Janine remarked to the person on the phone, hung up the phone then questioned how she could assist us when we stepped back into the room.
"We don't know what we are up against, so I don't know if you can," I remarked, with a slight shrug, and she nodded curtly. Janine bitterly sank on the sofa like a pouting child who didn't get her way, crossing her arms over her chest. I felt a pain of sympathy for her as Gozer ruined my plans, too. However, I knew she had to withdraw from the premises in case of danger and ensure her safety. She also needed to leave for my friend's surprise to be successful.
As Egon filled me in on the possessed man, I let the details soak in and attempted to make sense of them. We slowly stepped further into the lab, where Janine scowled with the yellow pages on her lap. She wanted to be helpful, and I couldn't think of anything for her to do until I did. Helpfully,then-popular, I snapped my fingers while Egon approached Vinz.
"Brooklyn, did you call the - the occult book store on Staten Island or - in Long Island," I inquired. Regrettably, I doubted that our friends were at those places, but it would ease her worry a little. Shaking her head, Janine started to thumb through the extensive directory excitedly then placed the calls.
"Thank you," Egon mouthed to me as we stood over Vinz, inspecting his physical appearance as he saw that I gave her something to do, and I nodded at him.
"Why are you so disheveled," I asked Vinz, peering down at him with a frown, but the disturbed man just repeated his words, much to my anger.
"I'll try to give him a psychological evaluation," I remarked, as Egon checked his eyes and reflexes responses, which we average as expected. Next, my friend hooked up Vinz to the computer. There was a 3d model on the screen of a dog, which blew my mind right there. My brainy friend nodded at my mouth agape response and also appeared appalled. After I recovered from my shock, I questioned the maddened man.
"They aren't there," Janine announced after making the calls and rose from the sofa to return the yellow pages to their correct location. Once more, Egon nodded at the information as he removed the electrodes from the man's head, deep in thought. She began to pace back and forth afterward. Janine examined Vinz as her heels clicked on the wooden floor until her taxi cab honked noisily from the street fifteen minutes later.
"'Night, Brooklyn, happy birthday," I remarked.
For a second, I halted my questioning to remove a five-dollar bill for the cab fare from my brown leather wallet to hand it to her with a big warm grin on my face. Vinz was only repeating my questions anyway and not answering them as Egon warned that he might.
"Thank you, and thanks for buying me lunch earlier from my favorite restaurant. I enjoyed spending time with you all. Good night, Peter and Egon," she replied, crestfallen. Janine stared at Spengler, longingly, who was typing something into the computer without hearing her or at least pretending not to listen to her. Finally, she sighed heavily before turning to the stairs to descend them furiously.
"Let's run the - test, Peter," Egon announced as she left the firehouse with a banging of the door, causing him to meet my eyes worriedly.
"You should go," I recommended as he set up the test.
"This test is rapid, and then I will leave. I don't want to arrive right after her anyway," he lamented anxiously.
"How did everything go earlier before this guy showed up," I inquired, helping him settle Vinz in a chair again.
" It worked like a charm, well, almost," Egon replied, clearly ruffled by the experience. He gave me a sincere glance, and I could tell he was distraught that his evening with Janine had been interrupted.
"Plans are made to be broken, sometimes, Spengs. It's one of those gray rocky areas you are so fond of," I replied drolly.
"It was a perfect plan, and if Ray and Winston had come back," he groaned, irked, then sighed sonorously.
"It's alright, Iggy. This next part of the plan will go smoothly. Janine will be eating out of your hand, so to speak," I encouraged him, smiling.
"I don't want her eating out of my hand, whatever that means," he replied, thoughtfully. Egon gave me a perplexed countenance like he hadn't heard that common expression before, but I let it go. There wasn't time for an explanation.
Tersely, my sober friend nodded once as a response, but I could see that he was too ill at ease about the situation. Spengler quizzed me next, "What are we going to do with him?"
"Let's run the test, and then I can give him the same tranquilizer as I gave Dana earlier. She will be sleeping for a long time, and I will call for another taxi for you right now," I suggested wryly, wiggling my eyebrows at my friend, but he wasn't amused.
Egon rose from the chair and tested our newly possessed acquaintance. Fifteen minutes later, our physicist requested from me, wryly,
"Wish me luck; I am going to need it now that she's displeased with me."
"I have your back covered, Iggy. You said you knew what you were doing. Good luck," I encouraged my tall friend, and as soon as the taxi arrived, he flew out of the building like a bat out of hell.
Afterward, I went to get my emergency kit, which contained a syringe full of 300 cc of Thorazine to give Vinz, and then administered it immediately. He fell asleep quickly on the sofa. Silently, I prayed for a successful surprise for Janine from Egon, Zuul, to be transformed back into Dana and the Ghostbusters' safety and long prosperity.
Ray Stantz
Winston and I checked all the libraries, bookstores, and other places that held paranormal information in the boroughs then ended up at his apartment with his fiancee, Maura. It was about nine in the evening, and both had convinced me to go to a bar near their homestead to grab a drink and relax. The newest Ghostbuster saw that I needed a break from analyzing Dana's apartment complex's blueprints and insisted that I join them. Before I did, Maura called a friend of hers to inquire if she could join us and meet us at the bar. Excited about this impromptu date, I accidentally forgot about the fact that Egon needed me to return to the firehouse so he could stun J on her thirtieth birthday. At that bar, the four of us did shots to the then-popular A-ha song, "Take on me," and our evening began.