Chapter 2
In the mansion at 1313 Poe Lane, Lydia sat at the desk in her room doing her schoolwork. She was nearly finished. But she couldn't help wondering what kind of things Beetlejuice and Dr. Notrub were building in the basement.
Suddenly, an eerie, deep, moaning voice filled her room. It said, "Lydia Deetz. Your presence is required in the basement." Lydia giggled. She knew that the voice was just one of Dr. Notrub's special effects to make his house seem haunted. She immediately left her room, walked to and descended the stairs to Dr. Notrub's basement laboratory.
The first thing Lydia saw was Dr. Notrub's various machines and chemistry apparatus. His bed was in a corner of the basement. Propped up on a table in the center of the basement was a karaoke machine that Dr. Notrub liked to sing to while he worked. Then she saw Beetlejuice and Dr. Notrub gathered around a computer. Beetlejuice was standing behind a chair Dr. Notrub was sitting in. He was typing on the keyboard.
"Did my bone-chilling voice spook you?" he asked. Lydia just smiled. "I told you she wouldn't be," said Beetlejuice. "Okay, Dr. Notrub. How did you do it?" asked Lydia. "It's a specialized, one-way intercom built into every room in the house. From down here, I can direct the input to any room in the house. The sound system alters the voice into a really scary voice," explained Dr. Notrub. "Amazing. So what did you want to tell me?" asked Lydia.
"We've finished what we've been building. We're all ready for Dr. Grim," said Beetlejuice. "Now hold on, Beetlejuice. You know we still have to test it. Come over here, Lydia and look at the screen," said Dr. Notrub. Lydia walked over and stood beside Beetlejuice. "Okay, you two. It may seem impossible for someone to build this complex machinery in only a day. But no one ever had a supernatural assistant that made the process a lot speedier. Anyway, this is the first component of our system to protect the world from Dr. Grim," said Dr. Notrub pressing a button on the keyboard.
An image appeared on the screen. It looked like a digital wristwatch. Unlike normal wristwatches, the screen was in the mouth of a skull. The eye sockets were black buttons. "What kind of weapon is that?" asked Lydia. "That watch does more than tells more than time, babes. This little gadget has a communication device. Each of us will wear one so we can communicate with each other from long distances. It also has connections to this alarm system that Dr. Notrub built called the Blood Red Alert. If anything supernatural shows up, the system will detect it and send out a signal to the watch. But that's not the best part about it," said Beetlejuice. "What is?" asked Lydia. "The best part is that it can transport the weapons and battle suits directly onto you wherever you are," replied Dr. Notrub.
"Battle suits? Direct transport?" asked Lydia confused. "You see, Lydia, it may seem impossible. But I have invented a matter transporter technology. I've invented many things that would be deemed impossible. But if I can believe in ghosts, anything is possible. Sort of like in the classic horror film 'The Fly'. Only mine is effective on only nonliving matter. Don't want to have a little incident like that scientist in the movie," said Dr. Notrub with a chuckle.
"What about those battle suits? Do they have anything to do with those measurements you made yesterday?" asked Lydia. "Yes. I wanted to make sure they fit. In order to protect our identities and from getting completely beat up by any more of Dr. Grim's Zombots, I designed a unique battle suit and weapon for each of us," replied Dr. Notrub. "How do we call these suits? And furthermore, how do we ensure that we get the right costume. I don't want to end up wearing anything that belongs to Beetlejuice. No offense," said Lydia. "None taken," said Beetlejuice with a grin.
"Good question, Lydia. And perfectly understandable; don't think I haven't noticed the stench. I will program each watch with a unique password for each of us. It will be the name followed by a brief description of character and the name of the specialty weapon. If you would demonstrate, Beetlejuice?" asked Dr. Notrub. "Certainly, doc. You see, you press the button in the left eye socket of the skull watch and then say your password. For example, I have to yell 'Beetlejuice! The ghost with the most! Fright Force Blaster!' and then my battle threads will appear," explained Beetlejuice. "Fright Force Blaster? What does that mean? I'm sorry, guys, but this is getting really confusing," said Lydia. "Now we will get into explaining the specialty weapons for each of us," said Dr. Notrub as he pressed another button on the keyboard.
A new image appeared on the screen. This image looked like a black metal backpack-like structure with shoulder straps. A small radar dish was on top of the structure. Two wires led out of the structure into fingerless gloves. A small white jewel was in the center of each glove. Another wire led out of the structure that was connected to a black band with a small red, one eye visor attached to it. "This is Beetlejuice's specialty weapon: the Fright Force Blaster. The gloves emit F.I.R. rays with just the flick of the wrist. The radar dish can extend and actually detect fear in enemies. When the amount of fear in a foe is just right, Beetlejuice can unleash a powerful energy blast called the Ultimate Fright Force that immobilizes the enemy. In other words, it literally scares them stiff," said Dr. Notrub. "Pretty fitting for a ex-bio-exorcist, right?" asked Beetlejuice. Lydia smiled.
"So what have you got for me?" she asked. Dr. Notrub brought up another image on the screen. This device looked a little simpler than the Fright Force Blaster. It looked like a simple pair of purple gloves. The fingertips were red crystals. "May I present to you, the Grip Of Fear Gloves. Pressing the palm with your thumb, which contains a small sensory device, activates them. Once they are activated, the target will be not only bombarded by F.I.R. rays, but also with miniature levitation rays. With a raising gesture, you can lift up an enemy without even touching them and send them flying with a wave of your hand," said Beetlejuice. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: Deadly vu!" exclaimed Lydia.
"As for my weapon, I've created this," said Dr. Notrub as he brought up another image on the screen. This weapon looked like a gray helmet with a pair of red-eyed goggles attached to it. Various mechanical devices were mounted on top of the helmet. A wire led out of the back of the helmet that ended in a handle with a red button on top. "This is my Astral Projector. This weapon allows me to project a spectral image of myself, which I can control mentally through the headgear that is that circular ring. The image is composed entirely of F.I.R. energy. Since I will be vulnerable and unable to move while mentally controlling the image, this device also produces an energy shield around me. The shield will remain in place until I deactivate the device," stated Dr. Notrub.
"So those are our offensive weapons. But what about containing the enslaved creatures after we weaken them with fear? Weren't you going to build something based on Dr. Grim's ghost containment system?" asked Lydia. "We were just getting to that, Lyds. Show her the machine, doc," said Beetlejuice.
Instead of bringing up an image on the computer screen, Dr. Notrub left the chair and walked over to a large table covered with a white sheet. He removed the sheet revealing a large device. It looked like a metal tombstone the size of a door. Gargoyles were perched on the top and on the side. Also attached to the side were two rockets. The tombstone was face down.
"Behold, the Creep Captor. Shortly after any one of us suits up into a battle suit, the Creep Captor will rocket out of here through a tunnel that I had Beetlejuice dig. It will come to where we are and hover in the air until it is needed. After Beetlejuice immobilizes a monster, the doors on the front of this device will open and energy beams will ensnare the monster. The monster will be transported back here and placed in a secure capsule, which is made of very strong glass. We'll have to closely analyze the first monster we capture so we can figure out how Dr. Grim is controlling it. I'm sure we can figure it out," said Dr. Notrub.
"So we're all set," said Beetlejuice. "Not quite. We still have to program the watches. After that, we'll head to the Western Woods and investigate the sightings of the skeletal figure," said Dr. Notrub. "Dr. Grim, watch out! The Spooky Heroes are in business!" shouted Beetlejuice with a laugh. They all got ready to work as Dr. Notrub began the final preparation of their weapons.
In the mansion at 1313 Poe Lane, Lydia sat at the desk in her room doing her schoolwork. She was nearly finished. But she couldn't help wondering what kind of things Beetlejuice and Dr. Notrub were building in the basement.
Suddenly, an eerie, deep, moaning voice filled her room. It said, "Lydia Deetz. Your presence is required in the basement." Lydia giggled. She knew that the voice was just one of Dr. Notrub's special effects to make his house seem haunted. She immediately left her room, walked to and descended the stairs to Dr. Notrub's basement laboratory.
The first thing Lydia saw was Dr. Notrub's various machines and chemistry apparatus. His bed was in a corner of the basement. Propped up on a table in the center of the basement was a karaoke machine that Dr. Notrub liked to sing to while he worked. Then she saw Beetlejuice and Dr. Notrub gathered around a computer. Beetlejuice was standing behind a chair Dr. Notrub was sitting in. He was typing on the keyboard.
"Did my bone-chilling voice spook you?" he asked. Lydia just smiled. "I told you she wouldn't be," said Beetlejuice. "Okay, Dr. Notrub. How did you do it?" asked Lydia. "It's a specialized, one-way intercom built into every room in the house. From down here, I can direct the input to any room in the house. The sound system alters the voice into a really scary voice," explained Dr. Notrub. "Amazing. So what did you want to tell me?" asked Lydia.
"We've finished what we've been building. We're all ready for Dr. Grim," said Beetlejuice. "Now hold on, Beetlejuice. You know we still have to test it. Come over here, Lydia and look at the screen," said Dr. Notrub. Lydia walked over and stood beside Beetlejuice. "Okay, you two. It may seem impossible for someone to build this complex machinery in only a day. But no one ever had a supernatural assistant that made the process a lot speedier. Anyway, this is the first component of our system to protect the world from Dr. Grim," said Dr. Notrub pressing a button on the keyboard.
An image appeared on the screen. It looked like a digital wristwatch. Unlike normal wristwatches, the screen was in the mouth of a skull. The eye sockets were black buttons. "What kind of weapon is that?" asked Lydia. "That watch does more than tells more than time, babes. This little gadget has a communication device. Each of us will wear one so we can communicate with each other from long distances. It also has connections to this alarm system that Dr. Notrub built called the Blood Red Alert. If anything supernatural shows up, the system will detect it and send out a signal to the watch. But that's not the best part about it," said Beetlejuice. "What is?" asked Lydia. "The best part is that it can transport the weapons and battle suits directly onto you wherever you are," replied Dr. Notrub.
"Battle suits? Direct transport?" asked Lydia confused. "You see, Lydia, it may seem impossible. But I have invented a matter transporter technology. I've invented many things that would be deemed impossible. But if I can believe in ghosts, anything is possible. Sort of like in the classic horror film 'The Fly'. Only mine is effective on only nonliving matter. Don't want to have a little incident like that scientist in the movie," said Dr. Notrub with a chuckle.
"What about those battle suits? Do they have anything to do with those measurements you made yesterday?" asked Lydia. "Yes. I wanted to make sure they fit. In order to protect our identities and from getting completely beat up by any more of Dr. Grim's Zombots, I designed a unique battle suit and weapon for each of us," replied Dr. Notrub. "How do we call these suits? And furthermore, how do we ensure that we get the right costume. I don't want to end up wearing anything that belongs to Beetlejuice. No offense," said Lydia. "None taken," said Beetlejuice with a grin.
"Good question, Lydia. And perfectly understandable; don't think I haven't noticed the stench. I will program each watch with a unique password for each of us. It will be the name followed by a brief description of character and the name of the specialty weapon. If you would demonstrate, Beetlejuice?" asked Dr. Notrub. "Certainly, doc. You see, you press the button in the left eye socket of the skull watch and then say your password. For example, I have to yell 'Beetlejuice! The ghost with the most! Fright Force Blaster!' and then my battle threads will appear," explained Beetlejuice. "Fright Force Blaster? What does that mean? I'm sorry, guys, but this is getting really confusing," said Lydia. "Now we will get into explaining the specialty weapons for each of us," said Dr. Notrub as he pressed another button on the keyboard.
A new image appeared on the screen. This image looked like a black metal backpack-like structure with shoulder straps. A small radar dish was on top of the structure. Two wires led out of the structure into fingerless gloves. A small white jewel was in the center of each glove. Another wire led out of the structure that was connected to a black band with a small red, one eye visor attached to it. "This is Beetlejuice's specialty weapon: the Fright Force Blaster. The gloves emit F.I.R. rays with just the flick of the wrist. The radar dish can extend and actually detect fear in enemies. When the amount of fear in a foe is just right, Beetlejuice can unleash a powerful energy blast called the Ultimate Fright Force that immobilizes the enemy. In other words, it literally scares them stiff," said Dr. Notrub. "Pretty fitting for a ex-bio-exorcist, right?" asked Beetlejuice. Lydia smiled.
"So what have you got for me?" she asked. Dr. Notrub brought up another image on the screen. This device looked a little simpler than the Fright Force Blaster. It looked like a simple pair of purple gloves. The fingertips were red crystals. "May I present to you, the Grip Of Fear Gloves. Pressing the palm with your thumb, which contains a small sensory device, activates them. Once they are activated, the target will be not only bombarded by F.I.R. rays, but also with miniature levitation rays. With a raising gesture, you can lift up an enemy without even touching them and send them flying with a wave of your hand," said Beetlejuice. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: Deadly vu!" exclaimed Lydia.
"As for my weapon, I've created this," said Dr. Notrub as he brought up another image on the screen. This weapon looked like a gray helmet with a pair of red-eyed goggles attached to it. Various mechanical devices were mounted on top of the helmet. A wire led out of the back of the helmet that ended in a handle with a red button on top. "This is my Astral Projector. This weapon allows me to project a spectral image of myself, which I can control mentally through the headgear that is that circular ring. The image is composed entirely of F.I.R. energy. Since I will be vulnerable and unable to move while mentally controlling the image, this device also produces an energy shield around me. The shield will remain in place until I deactivate the device," stated Dr. Notrub.
"So those are our offensive weapons. But what about containing the enslaved creatures after we weaken them with fear? Weren't you going to build something based on Dr. Grim's ghost containment system?" asked Lydia. "We were just getting to that, Lyds. Show her the machine, doc," said Beetlejuice.
Instead of bringing up an image on the computer screen, Dr. Notrub left the chair and walked over to a large table covered with a white sheet. He removed the sheet revealing a large device. It looked like a metal tombstone the size of a door. Gargoyles were perched on the top and on the side. Also attached to the side were two rockets. The tombstone was face down.
"Behold, the Creep Captor. Shortly after any one of us suits up into a battle suit, the Creep Captor will rocket out of here through a tunnel that I had Beetlejuice dig. It will come to where we are and hover in the air until it is needed. After Beetlejuice immobilizes a monster, the doors on the front of this device will open and energy beams will ensnare the monster. The monster will be transported back here and placed in a secure capsule, which is made of very strong glass. We'll have to closely analyze the first monster we capture so we can figure out how Dr. Grim is controlling it. I'm sure we can figure it out," said Dr. Notrub.
"So we're all set," said Beetlejuice. "Not quite. We still have to program the watches. After that, we'll head to the Western Woods and investigate the sightings of the skeletal figure," said Dr. Notrub. "Dr. Grim, watch out! The Spooky Heroes are in business!" shouted Beetlejuice with a laugh. They all got ready to work as Dr. Notrub began the final preparation of their weapons.