Peter walked back Mott towards the corner where the street met Pell. He had
always thought those were odd names for streets and now he could guess why.
He had made them up along with everything else in this reality. And now he
was going to get rid of it. The man stuck his hand in his coat pocket and
felt the gun he managed to purchase from some punk down an alley. He didn't
care about that. Peter felt the only way he could stop them would be to
kill them. He would have used a proton pack, but couldn't remember exactly
what setting would kill a person and setting one off to explode was always
tricky. Well, that's what Egon was always going on about. Those proton
packs were just another part of this unreal world. And he didn't want to
use something imaginary. Maybe one day he'd come back to this spot and see
what was really there. It had been an actual firehouse before they bought
it.
Peter shook his head. He couldn't keep remembering all the things that weren't real. They had never really bought the firehouse. He, Egon, and Ray never did anything beyond the few years they knew each other in college. That was it. After that it was all made up. None of it was real and he needed to get rid of it. Just like he did that annoying green ghost. Slimer was now sitting in the containment unit never to be seen again.
Dr. Venkman reached the firehouse and walked inside. Ecto-1 was gone and he saw Janine sitting at the desk seemingly entranced with the computer. Peter psyched himself up. He didn't want to hurt the woman, but he knew it was the only way. He walked up to her desk.
"Hi," Peter said. Janine looked at him. "Where is everyone?"
"Dani, Ray and Winston went out," Janine answered. "Egon is up in the lab. Do you want me to get him?"
"No," Dr. Venkman answered. "Uh, could you help in the basement? Ray asked me to do some work with the traps down there and I kinda forgot. If you helped it would go faster."
"Are you okay?" Janine asked.
"Fine. I just need a little help."
"You hate to work."
"Nonsense. I love to work. I just pretend to hate it. Throw you off the scent."
"I'm really busy here," Janine told him. "As soon as I'm done here I'll come down."
"I might be done by than."
"Than you wouldn't need my help and I'd keep my nails looking great." Peter sighed. He was giving up on talking with this woman. She was trying patience he really didn't have anymore for this chaos.
"Janine, you're going with me." Dr. Venkman pulled out the gun and she froze in her seat. "Come on, Janine. I don't want to do it like this. We'll just go down to the basement. That's all I ask."
****
"We aren't going to be able to get through all of these books," Winston told Ray. The young man had set down about thirty or so books on a table in the back of Forbidden Planet.
"One of them might have the answer," Ray replied.
"Well, we don't have the time," Dani responded. "Isn't there anyway we could narrow this down further?"
"Mr. Morris said these were all the books that anything to do with ectoplasmic antidotes," Dr. Stantz informed her.
"Can we rule out the ones in another language?" Winston inquired. He held up a book. "I think this one was written by a chicken."
"That's sand script," Ray said. He took the book from his friend and quickly flipped through the old pages. "And we have no time to translate any of it. Alright, take away all the books not written in English." The stack was slimmed down to about half.
"And that helped," Dani said sarcastically. She sat down in one of the chairs around the table. "Why don't we ever have the advantage?"
"We do!" Dr. Stantz exclaimed. "Dani, you have a link."
"She's not a website, Ray," Winston retorted. "You really need to get some sleep, man. You aren't thinking straight."
"No, she knows," Ray said. The two stared at him like had grown another appendage. "She's seen the ghost and knows the symptoms."
"Are you going to try to use me like Ouija board again?"
"You two should really start limiting the time you spend alone," Winston said. "Ray, are you sure that Dani can do this?"
"Yes," Dr. Stantz answered.
"Excuse me, Doctor, but any tests you've done with me have failed. I'm not a mind reader or telepathic. I can't do anything beyond what I'm able to do."
"You can try," Ray replied.
"I've tried. We've tried. Hell, even Egon's tried. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I'm not going to pick up one of these books randomly, turn it to the page and find the cure." She grabbed a book as she spoke. "It's just not going to happen." The young woman opened the book and looked at the page. "Wow, it happened." Ray quickly read the page.
"This is so simple," Dr. Stantz said. "I should have realized this the moment I mentioned neurotransmitters. These particular transmitters can be found right around the house."
"So what do we do now?" Winston asked.
"We call Egon," Ray answered. "Dani, give me your cell phone." She sighed and pulled it out of her blue messenger bag.
Dr. Spengler peered at the information on the computer. He realized he should have known this quite instantly the moment Ray had mentioned neurotransmitters. They had all taken psychology and learned about the chemicals that sent messages throughout the brain. They had some form of each of these within the firehouse. Peter had antihistamines in the bathroom cabinet, there was also probably dopamine, and the epinephrine could be substituted through a caffeinated beverage to get the adrenalin going.
Egon jumped when he felt something move against his upper thigh. He remembered the cell phone Dani had given him recently. Something that he and none of the other guys were really wanted since they weren't interested in getting prank calls. She had assured them the numbers were unlisted and that no one would know them except her, the guys, and whoever they felt absolutely needed the numbers. Egon pulled it out not noticing the person coming up behind him.
"Hello?" Egon said. He than winced at the loud, exuberant voice coming out of the phone from the other end. "Ray, yes I just found it myself. I plan to get right on it." He sighed. "I don't know how Peter is. I haven't spoken with him recently. I'll see you all later." Dr. Spengler hung up his cell phone and set it on the table next to the computer. He noticed a figure reflecting in his computer screen. "Peter." Egon turned around in time to receive a painful blow to the head. The unconscious scientist hit the floor with a loud thud.
Peter looked down at the man feeling a twinge of pain in his heart. He was about to kill an old friend, but it was for the better. He had to kill Egon and the others in order to save himself.
"I'm sorry, Egon," Dr. Venkman whispered.
Peter shook his head. He couldn't keep remembering all the things that weren't real. They had never really bought the firehouse. He, Egon, and Ray never did anything beyond the few years they knew each other in college. That was it. After that it was all made up. None of it was real and he needed to get rid of it. Just like he did that annoying green ghost. Slimer was now sitting in the containment unit never to be seen again.
Dr. Venkman reached the firehouse and walked inside. Ecto-1 was gone and he saw Janine sitting at the desk seemingly entranced with the computer. Peter psyched himself up. He didn't want to hurt the woman, but he knew it was the only way. He walked up to her desk.
"Hi," Peter said. Janine looked at him. "Where is everyone?"
"Dani, Ray and Winston went out," Janine answered. "Egon is up in the lab. Do you want me to get him?"
"No," Dr. Venkman answered. "Uh, could you help in the basement? Ray asked me to do some work with the traps down there and I kinda forgot. If you helped it would go faster."
"Are you okay?" Janine asked.
"Fine. I just need a little help."
"You hate to work."
"Nonsense. I love to work. I just pretend to hate it. Throw you off the scent."
"I'm really busy here," Janine told him. "As soon as I'm done here I'll come down."
"I might be done by than."
"Than you wouldn't need my help and I'd keep my nails looking great." Peter sighed. He was giving up on talking with this woman. She was trying patience he really didn't have anymore for this chaos.
"Janine, you're going with me." Dr. Venkman pulled out the gun and she froze in her seat. "Come on, Janine. I don't want to do it like this. We'll just go down to the basement. That's all I ask."
****
"We aren't going to be able to get through all of these books," Winston told Ray. The young man had set down about thirty or so books on a table in the back of Forbidden Planet.
"One of them might have the answer," Ray replied.
"Well, we don't have the time," Dani responded. "Isn't there anyway we could narrow this down further?"
"Mr. Morris said these were all the books that anything to do with ectoplasmic antidotes," Dr. Stantz informed her.
"Can we rule out the ones in another language?" Winston inquired. He held up a book. "I think this one was written by a chicken."
"That's sand script," Ray said. He took the book from his friend and quickly flipped through the old pages. "And we have no time to translate any of it. Alright, take away all the books not written in English." The stack was slimmed down to about half.
"And that helped," Dani said sarcastically. She sat down in one of the chairs around the table. "Why don't we ever have the advantage?"
"We do!" Dr. Stantz exclaimed. "Dani, you have a link."
"She's not a website, Ray," Winston retorted. "You really need to get some sleep, man. You aren't thinking straight."
"No, she knows," Ray said. The two stared at him like had grown another appendage. "She's seen the ghost and knows the symptoms."
"Are you going to try to use me like Ouija board again?"
"You two should really start limiting the time you spend alone," Winston said. "Ray, are you sure that Dani can do this?"
"Yes," Dr. Stantz answered.
"Excuse me, Doctor, but any tests you've done with me have failed. I'm not a mind reader or telepathic. I can't do anything beyond what I'm able to do."
"You can try," Ray replied.
"I've tried. We've tried. Hell, even Egon's tried. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I'm not going to pick up one of these books randomly, turn it to the page and find the cure." She grabbed a book as she spoke. "It's just not going to happen." The young woman opened the book and looked at the page. "Wow, it happened." Ray quickly read the page.
"This is so simple," Dr. Stantz said. "I should have realized this the moment I mentioned neurotransmitters. These particular transmitters can be found right around the house."
"So what do we do now?" Winston asked.
"We call Egon," Ray answered. "Dani, give me your cell phone." She sighed and pulled it out of her blue messenger bag.
Dr. Spengler peered at the information on the computer. He realized he should have known this quite instantly the moment Ray had mentioned neurotransmitters. They had all taken psychology and learned about the chemicals that sent messages throughout the brain. They had some form of each of these within the firehouse. Peter had antihistamines in the bathroom cabinet, there was also probably dopamine, and the epinephrine could be substituted through a caffeinated beverage to get the adrenalin going.
Egon jumped when he felt something move against his upper thigh. He remembered the cell phone Dani had given him recently. Something that he and none of the other guys were really wanted since they weren't interested in getting prank calls. She had assured them the numbers were unlisted and that no one would know them except her, the guys, and whoever they felt absolutely needed the numbers. Egon pulled it out not noticing the person coming up behind him.
"Hello?" Egon said. He than winced at the loud, exuberant voice coming out of the phone from the other end. "Ray, yes I just found it myself. I plan to get right on it." He sighed. "I don't know how Peter is. I haven't spoken with him recently. I'll see you all later." Dr. Spengler hung up his cell phone and set it on the table next to the computer. He noticed a figure reflecting in his computer screen. "Peter." Egon turned around in time to receive a painful blow to the head. The unconscious scientist hit the floor with a loud thud.
Peter looked down at the man feeling a twinge of pain in his heart. He was about to kill an old friend, but it was for the better. He had to kill Egon and the others in order to save himself.
"I'm sorry, Egon," Dr. Venkman whispered.