Human Nature
Chapter the Second
By GirlX2
Ray ran blindly through the alleys. Few people saw him rush past, and those who did began to scream, or run in the opposite direction. He came to the end of an alley, and sank down. He gulped great gusts of air. The intense rage had faded, leaving the Ghostbuster exhausted.
'That's why I've been snapping at everyone lately. I've been turning into a monster.' Ray looked up into the dirty twilight sky. Tears tricked down his face.
He lowered his gaze, scanning the darkening alley for anything reflective. His eyes lighted on a medium sized puddle. Slowly, he stood and approached it. So far, he'd only seen his transformed hands. His skin had taken on a strange tint, while dark fur had sprouted on the skin. Ray clenched his teeth and looked into the water.
He was completely orange.
Ray stared incredulously at his reflection. His skin and fur appeared an idiotic orange in the dirty water. After expecting a horrifying monster, the image started him laughing. When he did, he caught sight of razor-sharp fangs filling his mouth. Ray raised a hand to his mouth, and caught sight of his new claws. Slowly, his hand dropped away.
His overall appearance was that of a humanoid-cat mix. His hair had grown long, giving the appearance of bushy fur. His facial features had grown sharper, and he'd grown mutton chop-like sideburns. His ears had turned pointed and moved upward. He'd gained some muscle mass also, losing the roundness that filled his uniform.
'That's still not enough to send all those people into screaming fits.' Ray examined his image closely.
'Well, I was running on all fours.'
His body structure was now catlike. Ray sat heavily on the ground, his balance completely thrown off. His build was now better suited to using four limbs to walk, rather than two.
'I look like…' The Ghostbuster searched him memory banks. His altered image was familiar, and he'd definitely seen it somewhere before.
"Beast! From the X-Men." Ray said aloud. The notorious group of vigilante mutants often operated in New York. Their masked faces had graced the headlines many times. Beast was a mutated man, covered in blue fur, with the outward appearance of a blue cat-like creature.
'I'm an orange version of a wanted vigilante mutant. Great.' Ray thought sarcastically.
Anger began to course through him. He clenched his fist, the long claws biting into his palms.
'Stop it! That's what got you into this mess.' The inner voice cried out. Ray gulped and unclenched his hands. Anger had triggered his beastly transformation. There was no telling what would happen if he got mad again.
He stared numbly as blood welled up on his palms.
-
"What the hell just happened?" Winston demanded.
Egon's attention was focused on the ally Ray had lost them in. "I can't be sure, but I may have an idea. We knew Peter and I were mutated from the proton packs-"
"Our psychic abilities?" Peter cut in.
"Right." Egon nodded. "Well, I think we've just gotten conclusive proof that Ray has also been mutated."
"Good lord." Winston said breathlessly. "He turned into an cat!"
"Not a cat, but cat-like. I'll need to run some tests to see what's happened." Egon said.
"We can change him back, right?" Winston asked.
Egon's eyes slid to the pavement. "I don't know."
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" The darker man growled.
"It may be permanent." Egon said.
"No. I don't accept that." Winston said, anger flashing in his eyes.
"We can't know anything for sure until we find him!" Peter cut in. "Lets concentrate on one thing at a time."
Winston nodded, scowling.
Egon stared at one of his devices. "He's gone this way. We've got to hurry though. His biorhythmic patterns are fading."
"What?" Peter asked.
"Trail's going cold."
"Ah."
-
Ray sat slumped against a brick wall.
'I attacked my best friends…I'm a freak….' His thoughts ran in an endless circle.
"Raymond."
Ray jumped to his feet. Well, he actually jumped several feet in the air, and landed on his hands and feet.
A woman stood at the dead end of the ally. Ray backed away, slowly.
"I'm not here to harm you." She said in a calm tone. Unglamorous blond hair hung pony-tail style down her back. She was slim and shorter than he was. She wore an unremarkable pair of jeans, a tee-shirt, and sneakers.
"Who are you?" Ray demanded.
"My name is Sarah." She said quietly.
"And how do you know who I am? Right now I look a bit different than my photos in the paper." He asked.
"I've been sent by those who wish to protect you. There's another here. One who wants to turn you to evil. Use your form to destroy those you'd otherwise protect."
"Uh-huh." Ray said skeptically, standing unsteadily upright.
"I do not wish for you to fall to darkness, Raymond Stantz." She replied.
"That makes two of us." Ray responded grimly. "But why should I trust you?"
"My mother once spared your life. Were it not for her, Egon Spengler would have remained in a private hell for the rest of his days."
Ray paled under his fur. "Your mother is Dena? Dena the dragon?"
She nodded. "I'll explain, but I need to take you somewhere safe first. The open city is full of the agents who would see the Ghostbusters fall."
"Stop!" A voice at the other end of the ally roared. Ray spun on his heels.
A humanoid void of dark confronted him. Dark red eyes burned. Shadows formed around the shape, making it grow and shift. Ray took a step backwards, terrified.
Sarah grabbed his wrist. "If you would keep your friends alive, come with me!"
Ray nodded, and she pulled him towards the wall.
And through the wall.
The other being roared in rage. The sound was abruptly cut off, as the wall closed behind him.
Rose colored light flowed softly across the new room. It seemed like a normal apartment. A few overstuffed easy chairs were placed in odd corners of the room.
"Won't that thing come through the wall after us?" Ray backed away from the wall they'd ghosted through.
"We're not on the other side of the wall in the ally." Sarah said with a small smile. "We're in my apartment on the upper west side."
Ray gulped. "You can do magic."
"I am half dragon." She sat on one of the chairs and motioned for him to do likewise. Ray sat gingerly, the chair creaking beneath him.
"Only half?"
Sarah nodded. "My mother was the last of our kind. She could change into human form, however. In that form, she married a man and bore me."
"And then?" Ray asked quietly.
Sarah's gaze slid from him. "She was murdered when her secret was discovered."
"This must not have been long ago. You can't be more than-"
"I'm much older than I look." She interrupted. "Dragons live many hundreds of years. I have seen much in my lifetime, Raymond Stantz."
"How did you find me?"
"My mother knew that you were also gifted, like your friends. She told me your story, and how I would know you." Sarah smiled ruefully.
"You call this a gift?" Ray said incredulously.
"Yes."
"I'm a mutant."
"As are your friends."
"Yeah, well, Peter and Egon still look normal. Look at me!" Ray demanded.
She studied him carefully. "It may yet be undone"
"What?" Ray asked stupidly.
"With help, you may be able to control this gift. Change back and forth at will. Or never change into this form again, if you wish."
"I can still be me?" He asked desperately.
"Yes Raymond. With help." Sarah nodded.
Ray sat heavily in the chair. "I want to be me again."
"You can be. Once you gain control over your gift, the dark forces will have no way to control you."
"What was that thing that we saw?" He asked.
Her expression darkened. "A very old foe. One who has opposed me and my kind for many years."
Ray nodded, not wanting to press the issue.
"I can train you to control your gift. It will take several weeks, but your friends will worry if you don't see them." Sarah continued. "It would be wise for you to return home as quickly as possible."
"Looking like this? I won't get a mile on the streets." Ray said, remembering his brief encounter with NYC natives.
"We will go after nightfall."
-
"It stops at this wall!" Egon said, cheeks flaring a frustrated red. "His biorhythmic waves just vanish at this point."
The Ghostbusters had followed Ray's trail all the way to the end of an ally, where the biological patterns had abruptly stopped.
"Well, he could have gone through a portal." Winston suggested.
"Nothing is registering on the scanners." Peter piped up.
Egon glared at the wall. "It doesn't make any sense!"
"Perhaps I can shed some light on the problem." A voice said from behind.
The three men spun around.
A woman in a black dress stood in the mouth of the ally. Wickedly spiked heels added three inches to her already tall frame. Flaming curly red hair streaked with purple cascaded down her shoulders. Silver earrings dangled from her ears, matching the silver bracelets and rings she wore. She held a leather-bound book inscribed with archaic symbols. Green eyes ringed with thick black eyeliner narrowed on the three men.
"Who the hell are you?" Peter asked wearily.
'You knew me as Dena.' A familiar voice rang in the men's heads.
"Oh my God." Egon gaped at her.
"Wh-How-" Winston stammered. "Dena is a dragon!"
'Who said I'm not?' She smiled sinisterly. Her pupils contracted for a moment into diamonds. The older man took a step back.
"Why do you look like a Goth?" Peter cocked an eyebrow.
"What better disguise for one of my species that a wannabe daughter of darkness?" Dena approached them.
"Good point." Winston murmured.
The smile dropped off her face. "The young one has already been taken. We must act quickly."
"Ray's been taken? By who?" Alarm flooded Egon's voice.
Ignoring Egon's question, Dena placed a hand on the wall. She snatched it back, with a small cry of pain.
As she did, an invisible forced pushed them away from the wall. Startled, Egon dropped the piece of equipment he'd been carrying. It clattered to the asphalt of the alleyway.
"Okay, I'm officially freaked out now." Peter said after a moment. "That's the second time an unseen force has moved us outta harm's way."
Dena looked the three of them over carefully.
"Its you." She pointed a black nail at Winston.
"What?" Winston asked blankly.
"Your gift. You are a telekinetic."
"Say what?" Winston's eyes bugged out.
"You can move things with your mind." Peter's jaw dropped.
"B-But I didn't do anything!" Winston stammered.
"Maybe not consciously. However you have some degree of control over your ability." Dena replied. "You've saved your friends lives, and more than once."
"But…I'm the normal one." Winston protested weakly.
"None of you are normal." Dena dismissed him and turned back to the wall.
"Lady, you don't know the half of it." Muttered Peter.
"Damn." Dena growled, turning from the wall. "I can't sense where she's taken him."
"Where WHOS taken him?" Egon demanded. "I want answers!"
"Her name is Sanguine." Dena growled. "And she's got it in for all of us."
"Sanguine? As in cheerful?" Winston asked, confused.
"Sanguine as in bloodthirsty." Dena corrected him. "I can assure you, she won't be going by it."
"Alright. Why did she kidnap Ray?" Egon asked.
"She wants all of us dead."
"Why?" Peter cut in.
"In one way or another, we killed her father." She answered.
"I've never killed anyone!" Peter said.
"No, but you are partly responsible nonetheless." Dena said gravely. "The young one most of all."
Egon's heart sank as he realized what she meant.
"Merdaf. She's his daughter."
"Merdaf had a kid! Why didn't you tell me about that?" Peter demanded.
"It had nothing to do with your capture." Dena replied. "At that time Sanguine was traveling the world looking for the tome of the unknowable. When she returned and found her father dead, she enacted spells to raise his spirit. Needless to say, she succeeded. He told her what had happened, who had killed her, and how to find them. She vowed vengeance against all of us."
"What happened to Merdaf's ghost?" Egon said in a half-whisper. Peter placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Dena shook her head. "I don't know. For the past two hundred years I've been lying low amongst humans."
"And now she's kidnapped Ray." Winston's voice betrayed his despair.
"I'm not sure if he was forced, but he's with her now. I arrived just before they left." Dena's eyes locked onto the floor. "I may have scared the young were-felis into believing whatever lies she told him."
"Were-felis?" Winston's head began to ache.
"Latin. Man who becomes a cat." Egon said in monotone.
"She'll kill him." Peter's mouth went dry.
"I don't think she'll kill him right away." Dena injected. "Her style is long drawn out suffering."
"Well that's just fan-freakin'-tastic !" Peter snapped. "She's not killing him yet, its just horrible torture!"
"Peter don't." Winston hissed. Egon had gone pale at the word torture.
"So what the hell do we do about this?" Peter jabbed a finger at the woman, ignoring Winston. "Or don't you know that either?"
Dena regarded him calmly. "We must find them immediately. I know spells that will help, but I will also need access to your books."
"Yeah, of course." Winston nodded.
"Whatever we have to do." Egon added.
Peter said nothing, but nodded curtly.
"Lets go. We're losing time that can't afford to be wasted." Dena said
-
End of Chapter the Second