"Hey, Ray, we forgot to take the traps out of the car," Winston told his
younger friend the following morning as they cleaned the inside of Ecto-1.
"We must have been bushed to forget something like that." He looked at his
friend who only seemed to be half awake. "Did you get any sleep last night,
Ray?"
"Well, I tried, but sleeping with Dani isn't easy," Ray replied. The black man chuckled. "No, Winston. Not that kind of sleeping. Real sleeping. Complete with snores." He rubbed his eyes. "Dani kept kicking me."
"Must have been nightmares," Winston responded. "When did she come in last night?"
"About two," Dr. Stantz answered. "And she was a bit tipsy."
"I bet Egon was happy about that," Zeddemore retorted. "Where is Egon? I didn't see him at breakfast this morning."
"He's in the lab running some spectral analysis on the slime from our uniforms," Ray answered. "He wants to see if he can find some more information on that nightmare ghost. It'll probably take a while though. We had all sorts of ectoplasm on our uniforms."
"Having fun guys?" Peter asked sticking his head into the backseat of the car. "Make sure you scrub real good. We have an image to maintain."
"Maybe you should get in here and help out," Winston suggested. "You're usually the cause of all these messes."
"No, my friend, I attract the messes," Dr. Venkman corrected him. "And I would help, but I am running late for an appointment."
"I didn't know you had any plans today," Ray said.
"I don't tell you everything, Ray," Peter replied. "I'll be back later." The psychologist got out of the car and left the firehouse. Winston saw the look of worry on his younger friend's face after Peter had left.
"Hey, man, don't worry about him," Winston told him. "If it was something about yesterday he would have told us."
"He doesn't always, Winston. Peter hates it when we worry about him and he's not going to talk about yesterday. I bet he hasn't even talked to Dani since yesterday. At least she told me and Egon yesterday how she felt."
"That's because she's different from Pete. Give him time and I'm sure he'll say something soon." Winston stuck his head under the seat and pulled out another trap. "I'll finish cleaning up the car. You take the traps down to the basement. I don't want to worry about someone accidentally opening one."
"Sure, Winston." Ray got out of the car and bent over to pick up one stack of traps when a pair of Nike sneakers entered his downward field of vision. He looked up to see his girlfriend looking more refreshed than last night.
"Need some help?" Dani asked.
"Yeah, grab some traps. I need to empty them out." He picked up his stack and she grabbed another. Ray led the way down to the basement and over to the containment unit. He looked at the blonde as she set the traps she was holding down near the machine. "Are you okay?" She looked at him with her piercing blue eyes and shrugged.
"I'll live," she answered. "I'm sorry about last night, Ray. It was stupid and I should have never done anything like that. I'm surprised Egon didn't ship my butt off to Aunt Katie this morning."
"He won't do that," Dr. Stantz told her. "Egon knows you like it here and that you really want to stay. He only says that in hopes of keeping you away and out of trouble. He's just being protective of you."
"I have discovered his secret," Dani replied in a mysterious voice. She tapped her fingers together. "What shall I do with this newfound knowledge?" Ray laughed.
"Don't tell Egon," he said.
"Right. Don't tell Egon," Dani agreed. She pointed at the traps. "Now put those ghosts to rest, Ray." Dr. Stantz saluted her than stuck the first trap in. He pushed the buttons and turned the knob and the trap was sucked in. The young man repeated this a few more times. "Can I do one?" Ray looked at her.
"Sure. You're here to assist with any and all things." She smiled than reached for another trap. As her hand connected with the piece of equipment it began to smoke and short. Sparks begin to fly from the trap and hit the other traps which followed the lead. "Ray, what's happening?"
"They're malfunctioning," Dr. Stantz answered. "Let go of it, Dani. We need to get out of here." She tossed the trap down and Ray pulled her away from the unit. They went up the stairs and ran in front of Janine's desk to the other side of Ecto-1.
"What's going on?" Janine asked.
"Get down," Ray answered quickly. "The traps are shorting out."
"What?" Winston said from inside the car.
"Just get down." The four ducked as an explosion from the basement shook the firehouse. Bits of ceiling and various other items fell to the floor. Ghosts came up through the floor and began flying around.
"Grab the packs!" Winston shouted. He, Ray, Dani, and Janine each grabbed a pack from the back of Ecto. They started firing at the many ghosts laughing and roaring at the four.
"What's going on?" Egon asked from the stairs. He saw what was happening and rushed down the stairs. The physicist grabbed another pack and fired as well.
The five finally managed to catch all the ghosts who had been running amuck on the first floor. Smoking traps lay on the floor. Papers were everywhere. A few of the stairs were now missing. And the walls had a few new holes. They looked at each other.
"Looks like we got all of them," Winston said. He looked at Ray and Dani. "What happened down there?"
"I picked up one of the traps and it started to spark and stuff," Dani told him. "The others started to do the same."
"Perhaps its time for some tests," Egon said. "If you're capable of expelling electrical current we should be careful. I'd also like to know how you got into Peter's mind."
"Egon, I just picked up a nuclear accelerator," Dani replied. "Nothing happened except for what was supposed to happen. I think the whole trap thing was random. The trap could have been faulty or something." She looked down at the floor. "The other thing I can't explain."
"It couldn't have been the traps," Ray protested. "I spent a lot of time carefully constructing each one of those. Having a faulty trap on a job is not a good idea."
"Look, let's not point fingers," Janine interjected. "We caught the ghosts and Dani's not going to touch the traps."
"No argument there," Dani responded. "I'm hungry anyway." The five started cleaning up the first floor and putting things back in order. They didn't know that back in the dark basement something lurked in the shadows. Its teeth gleamed from the light above the containment unit.
"You are mine, Ghostbusters," a voice growled quietly. "I'm turning the tables around."
(To be continued.)
"Well, I tried, but sleeping with Dani isn't easy," Ray replied. The black man chuckled. "No, Winston. Not that kind of sleeping. Real sleeping. Complete with snores." He rubbed his eyes. "Dani kept kicking me."
"Must have been nightmares," Winston responded. "When did she come in last night?"
"About two," Dr. Stantz answered. "And she was a bit tipsy."
"I bet Egon was happy about that," Zeddemore retorted. "Where is Egon? I didn't see him at breakfast this morning."
"He's in the lab running some spectral analysis on the slime from our uniforms," Ray answered. "He wants to see if he can find some more information on that nightmare ghost. It'll probably take a while though. We had all sorts of ectoplasm on our uniforms."
"Having fun guys?" Peter asked sticking his head into the backseat of the car. "Make sure you scrub real good. We have an image to maintain."
"Maybe you should get in here and help out," Winston suggested. "You're usually the cause of all these messes."
"No, my friend, I attract the messes," Dr. Venkman corrected him. "And I would help, but I am running late for an appointment."
"I didn't know you had any plans today," Ray said.
"I don't tell you everything, Ray," Peter replied. "I'll be back later." The psychologist got out of the car and left the firehouse. Winston saw the look of worry on his younger friend's face after Peter had left.
"Hey, man, don't worry about him," Winston told him. "If it was something about yesterday he would have told us."
"He doesn't always, Winston. Peter hates it when we worry about him and he's not going to talk about yesterday. I bet he hasn't even talked to Dani since yesterday. At least she told me and Egon yesterday how she felt."
"That's because she's different from Pete. Give him time and I'm sure he'll say something soon." Winston stuck his head under the seat and pulled out another trap. "I'll finish cleaning up the car. You take the traps down to the basement. I don't want to worry about someone accidentally opening one."
"Sure, Winston." Ray got out of the car and bent over to pick up one stack of traps when a pair of Nike sneakers entered his downward field of vision. He looked up to see his girlfriend looking more refreshed than last night.
"Need some help?" Dani asked.
"Yeah, grab some traps. I need to empty them out." He picked up his stack and she grabbed another. Ray led the way down to the basement and over to the containment unit. He looked at the blonde as she set the traps she was holding down near the machine. "Are you okay?" She looked at him with her piercing blue eyes and shrugged.
"I'll live," she answered. "I'm sorry about last night, Ray. It was stupid and I should have never done anything like that. I'm surprised Egon didn't ship my butt off to Aunt Katie this morning."
"He won't do that," Dr. Stantz told her. "Egon knows you like it here and that you really want to stay. He only says that in hopes of keeping you away and out of trouble. He's just being protective of you."
"I have discovered his secret," Dani replied in a mysterious voice. She tapped her fingers together. "What shall I do with this newfound knowledge?" Ray laughed.
"Don't tell Egon," he said.
"Right. Don't tell Egon," Dani agreed. She pointed at the traps. "Now put those ghosts to rest, Ray." Dr. Stantz saluted her than stuck the first trap in. He pushed the buttons and turned the knob and the trap was sucked in. The young man repeated this a few more times. "Can I do one?" Ray looked at her.
"Sure. You're here to assist with any and all things." She smiled than reached for another trap. As her hand connected with the piece of equipment it began to smoke and short. Sparks begin to fly from the trap and hit the other traps which followed the lead. "Ray, what's happening?"
"They're malfunctioning," Dr. Stantz answered. "Let go of it, Dani. We need to get out of here." She tossed the trap down and Ray pulled her away from the unit. They went up the stairs and ran in front of Janine's desk to the other side of Ecto-1.
"What's going on?" Janine asked.
"Get down," Ray answered quickly. "The traps are shorting out."
"What?" Winston said from inside the car.
"Just get down." The four ducked as an explosion from the basement shook the firehouse. Bits of ceiling and various other items fell to the floor. Ghosts came up through the floor and began flying around.
"Grab the packs!" Winston shouted. He, Ray, Dani, and Janine each grabbed a pack from the back of Ecto. They started firing at the many ghosts laughing and roaring at the four.
"What's going on?" Egon asked from the stairs. He saw what was happening and rushed down the stairs. The physicist grabbed another pack and fired as well.
The five finally managed to catch all the ghosts who had been running amuck on the first floor. Smoking traps lay on the floor. Papers were everywhere. A few of the stairs were now missing. And the walls had a few new holes. They looked at each other.
"Looks like we got all of them," Winston said. He looked at Ray and Dani. "What happened down there?"
"I picked up one of the traps and it started to spark and stuff," Dani told him. "The others started to do the same."
"Perhaps its time for some tests," Egon said. "If you're capable of expelling electrical current we should be careful. I'd also like to know how you got into Peter's mind."
"Egon, I just picked up a nuclear accelerator," Dani replied. "Nothing happened except for what was supposed to happen. I think the whole trap thing was random. The trap could have been faulty or something." She looked down at the floor. "The other thing I can't explain."
"It couldn't have been the traps," Ray protested. "I spent a lot of time carefully constructing each one of those. Having a faulty trap on a job is not a good idea."
"Look, let's not point fingers," Janine interjected. "We caught the ghosts and Dani's not going to touch the traps."
"No argument there," Dani responded. "I'm hungry anyway." The five started cleaning up the first floor and putting things back in order. They didn't know that back in the dark basement something lurked in the shadows. Its teeth gleamed from the light above the containment unit.
"You are mine, Ghostbusters," a voice growled quietly. "I'm turning the tables around."
(To be continued.)