Chapter 3: First Customer
Ghostbusters. That's what the sign read up atop the door now of the firehouse. Ever since they bought the place, renovations had been in full swing. Now, it looked like it was in pristine condition.
"You don't think it's too subtle, Marty?" Cuphead asked the man hanging up the sign. "You don't think people are gonna drive down and not see the sign?"
The man named Marty shook his head 'no' as he came down from the ladder with some other workers passing by. Just then, a loud siren rang through the air, causing Cuphead to turn and see a black 1959 Cadillac Millar-Meteor Futura pull up in front of the fire house.
"Hey! You can't park here!" Cuphead yelled over the blaring siren.
Just after he said that, the siren went silent as the car parked. And out from the door stepped out Mugman with an enthusiastic smile. "Well, I found the car." He said before smile began to fade. "Needs some suspension work and shocks, and brakes, brake pads, linings, steering box transmission, rear-end."
"How much is that gonna cost?" Cuphead asked.
Mugman winced. "About... 4800."
Cuphead blinked, his jaw slowly dropping. They were already a lot to renovate the firehouse, now they had to pay more money for the car?
"And maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring too." Mugman added sheepishly.
How did she end up with this job, Chalice wondered.
Yesterday, the guys had come over to her house on Isle I and somehow talked her into being their secretary. On one hand, she could understand it. They had all been friends for many years, they trusted each other quite well, and usually supported each other. But on the other hand, she wasn't entirely sure if she bought this whole ghost thing, or if the guys could get her minimum wage.
Just then, she saw Cuphead come in through the door and walk right up to her desk.
"Hey, Chalice, any calls?" He asked.
Chalice didn't even look up from her magazine. "Nope."
"Any messages?"
"Nu-uh."
"Any customers? Any at all?"
This time, Chalice did look up from her magazine. "No, Cuphead." She deadpanned.
Cuphead was silent for a moment. "Good job, ain't it?" He asked. Chalice simply smiled in amusement. "Type something, will ya? We're paying you for this stuff." He then walked over to his office which he had set up nearby. "I'll, uh, be in my office."
As he left, Silverworth emerged from under her desk, having finished connecting the alarm system to her desk. Chalice smiled, putting down her magazine, "You're very handy, I can tell." She said. "I bet you like to read a lot too."
"Print is dead." Was Silverworth's simple reply.
"Oh, that's very fascinating to me." Chalice said. "I read a lot myself. Some people say I'm too intellectual, but I still think it's a fabulous way to spend your time. I also play with a yo yo sometimes. Do you have any hobbies."
Silverworth thought for a moment. "I collect spores, moles, and fungus." He replied.
As he left, heading upstairs, Chalice looked past the car that Mugman was now working on and noticed a young fish woman come in through the front door. Getting a closer look at her as she came closer, Chalice quickly recognized her.
"Angel?" She asked in surprise.
Angel looked to Chalice in equal astonishment. "Chalice?" She then ran forward and jumped over the desk as the two girls hugged, laughing happily. "Oh, wow, how long has it been?"
"Too long." Chalice grinned. "Hey, Mugs! You remember Angel, right?"
Mugman looked up from the car and smiled. "Oh, yeah, I remember her." He said, giving a thumbs up. "Hi, Angel."
Angel then turned back to Chalice. "So, this is the Ghostbusters office?" She asked.
Chalice nodded. "Yes it is, how can we help you?"
"Well," Angel looked sheepish, "I don't have an appointment. I'd like to talk to someone, please."
Just then, Cuphead bolted out of his desk. "Hiya, Angel." He said. "Anything I can do?"
"I don't know." She replied nervously. "What I'm about to say may sound a little unusual."
"Oh, that's all we get day in, day out around this place." Cuphead told her. "Why don't you come into my office."
Angel nodded before they headed upstairs.
Upstairs, Angel sat in a small chair hooked up to a machine which Silverworth called the 'Aura-Video Analyzer' while Cuphead, Mugman, and Silverworth checked the monitors.
"... And then this voice said 'Zuul', and then I slammed the refrigerator door and I left." Angel concluded her story. "I haven't been back to my apartment in two days now."
"Generally, you don't see that kind of behavior in a major appliance." Cuphead remarked jokingly. "What do you think it was?"
"Well, if I knew what it was, I wouldn't be here." She replied sarcastically as Mugman switched off the Analyzer's monitor while Silverworth checked on her with a head light.
"Silvy, what do you think?" Cuphead asked.
"She thinks she's telling the truth, at least she thinks she is." Silverworth replied, turning towards him and inadvertently shining the head light in Cuphead's eyes, who winced at the brightness.
"Well, of course I'm telling the truth!" Angel retorted. "Wh-who would make up a story like that?"
"Maybe some people who just want attention." Cuphead replied. "Others, just nut-jobs who come in off the street."
"You know, it could be a past life experience intruding in present time." Mugman suggested.
"I wouldn't rule out clairvoyance or telepathic contact, either." Silverworth added, eating a box of Cheez-Its.
Angel sighed. "Sorry, I don't really believe in any of those." She said, feeling skeptical.
Cuphead went up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "That's alright. I don't either." He told her. "But there are some things we do standard procedures we carry out in a case like this which often bring us results."
"Well, I could get the blueprints for the building." Mugman suggested. "Maybe the place itself has a history with ghosts."
"Right, good idea." Silverworth replied. "I could look for the name Zuul in the usual literature."
"Spates Catalog." Mugman listed.
"Tobin's Spirit Guide." Silverworth added.
"Yeah." Cuphead agreed. "Tell ya what, I'll take Ms. Angel back to her apartment and check her out." He then realized what he said as the others stared weirdly at him and he cleared his throat as he blushed in embarrassment. "Check her apartment out." he corrected himself. "Okay?"
"Okay." Angel nodded. "Thank you."
As she got up from her chair, Cuphead smacked himself on the forehead, still feeling quite embarrassed about his flub as he followed her downstairs.
It didn't take long for Cuphead and Angel to reach the fish's apartment. Angel slowly opened the door and inched in while Cuphead swung it open.
"Let me." He insisted. "If something's gonna happen here, I want it to happen to me first."
The two slowly crept into the room, Cuphead holding out a large rod which he affectionately named 'the Ghost Sniffer'. Tip toeing over to the piano, Cuphead lifted the cover and pressing the two highest notes over and over with his fingers. "Trust me, they hate this, it drives them nuts." Cuphead said.
"What even is that?" Angel asked skeptically, pointing to the Ghost Sniffer.
"It's technical. It's one of our toys." Cuphead replied. "This is a big place. Just you?"
"Yeah." Angel said.
"Good." Cuphead said, causing Angel to roll her eyes. He then walked over and opened another door, revealing a single room with a small bed inside.
"That's the bedroom." She told him. "Nothing ever happens there."
Cuphead shrugged. "Well that's a crime."
Ignoring that comment, Angel guided her rather crude host to the kitchen. Walking in, Cuphead flicked on the lights while Angel followed behind him.
The whole room was surprisingly intact, the counter still had the grocery bags on it, as well as the fried eggs.
"Are these eggs?" Cuphead asked, throwing the paper bag away.
"Cuphead, please, you've come all this way. Would you like to check out the refrigerator?" Angel replied.
Cuphead nodded. "Yeah, sure, whatever."
Angel stood back as Cuphead slowly inched towards the door. With the slow caution of a cat-burglar, Cuphead slowly wrapped his fingers around the handle. Taking a deep breath in preparation, Cuphead swung the door open, ready to face all the powers of Hell...
... only it wasn't Hell, it was just racks of frozen food.
"Oh my gosh, look at all this junk food." He remarked.
"No! Darn it! This wasn't even here!" Angel protested, running up and checking the fridge.
"You actually eat this?" Cuphead asked, holding up a meat patty.
"This wasn't here! Nothing was here! There was a space, and there was a building or something with flames coming out of it, and creatures riding around and they were growling and snarling! And there were flames, and I heard a voice say Zuul! It was here!" Angel protested.
"Sorry, but I'm not getting any readings." Cuphead stated, checking the dial on the Ghost Sniffer.
"Well, are you sure you're using that thing right?" Angel asked.
"Pretty sure." Cuphead replied. "But I'm sure there aren't any animals in there."
"Great," Angel muttered, pinching the bridge between her nose, "either there's a monster in my kitchen or I've gone crazy."
Cuphead smiled a bit. "I don't think you're crazy."
Angel sighed. "Good, that makes me feel so much better." She remarked sarcastically.
As they walked backed into the living room, Cuphead suddenly spoke up, "Let me tell ya a little about myself. I come home from work to my place and all I have is work. There's nothin' else in my life."
"Cuphead..." Angel started.
"I meet you, say 'my God, there's someone out there with the same problem I have.'"
Angel was now getting annoyed. "Yes, we both have the same problem: you." She retorted.
Cuphead seemed unaffected by this. "I'm just gonna go for broke. I am madly in love with you." He confessed.
Angel sighed heavily. "Unbelievable." She muttered almost laughing a little. "Will you please leave?"
"And then she threw me out of her life." Cuphead narrated as he headed for the door. "She thought I was a creep, she thought I was a geek and she probably wasn't the first." He then smiled as an idea popped into his head.
"You are so odd." Angel said before Cuphead turned to face her and she realized what he was thinking. "No."
"I've got it!" exclaimed Cuphead.
"No, no, no, no, no." Angel sighed.
"I'll prove myself to you!" He told her.
"That won't be necessary." Angel replied, now pushing him towards the door.
"Yeah, I'll solve your little problem," Cuphead promised, "and then you'll say, 'Cuphead's a guy who can get stuff done!'"
"Right." Angel said sarcastically.
"'I wonder what makes him tick?'" Cuphead continued.
"I wonder." Angel snorted.
"'I wonder if he'd be interested in knowing what makes me tick?'" Cuphead pretended to wonder aloud.
"Right." Angel scoffed.
"And I bet you're going to be thinking about me after I'm gone." He said.
"I bet I am." Angel remarked sarcastically as she pushed him out the door.
However, Cuphead, being the stubborn person he was, stuck his head through the door. "No kiss?"
The door was promptly shoved closed in his face.
Note: I had original hoped to finish this story by Halloween, but that's clearly not the case, so I'll be putting it off until maybe next halloween. Maybe I'll continue it sooner if I get interested in it again.
