I'm so happy I have some great readers! Thanks for sticking with me! Here's the next chapter - enjoy, and feel free to tell me what you think!
Trigger Warnings: Discussion of rape (not graphic)
Peter Venkman leaned back against the wall of his cell and stared up at the ceiling, thoroughly disgusted with himself. He remembered flashes of what had happened at the library, mostly his desperate struggle to regain control of himself after the second cold blast heralded a ghost that had decided to take up residence inside his head. He almost had it when Sabrina had mentioned the guys were on their way to meet them, but again he lost the battle. "I hate being the host with the most," he complained in a barely audible mutter.
Now he was sitting in a cell somewhere, wrists and ankles shackled, with Doctor Sabrina Marconi lying unconscious across the room from him. She was similarly bound, and hadn't made a noise since she had been brought in minutes after the ghost that had brought him here had vacated the premises, leaving Peter with his arms and legs out as though they had been offered up for the metal restraints. He could see she was still breathing, the only good thing in the whole situation.
Remembering the library brought up another concern. Did the guys realize what had happened? Did they know he and Sabrina had been taken? What about Sabrina's teammates? Were they all just sitting ducks for whoever was behind all this?
Peter shuddered at the thought. There was nothing he could do for his friends, and nothing made him feel more helpless. And he hated feeling helpless. Be all right, guys, he thought to his absent friends. Please be all right.
Five minutes later, a groan caught his attention, and Peter looked over to the occupied cot. Sabrina rolled over and attempted to bring a hand up to her head, her eyes springing open when she felt the wrist restraints. Her sapphire blues cleared quickly and examined the room, finally focusing on Peter and watching him warily.
It hurt to see that look on her face - if only he could remember if he had been the one to hit her! - but he knew he couldn't blame her. The last thing he remembered before his inner struggle was forced to the back of his mind was looking at her over his shoulder and seeing the beginnings of realization in her expression. She had known. She had known and had still stuck with him. She had every right to be suspicious of him.
Peter found himself speechless, unable to even offer an apology, worthless though it would have been. But then her face cleared and she smiled. "Well, we're in quite the fix, aren't we, Peter?"
He looked at her confused. "How can you be so sure I'm Peter? I wasn't when you were knocked out."
Sabrina took a deep breath and released it ruefully. "I think I need to tell you a little bit more about myself to explain that."
"What?"
She struggled to sit up, then leaned back against the wall with a wince. "Head injuries suck." She took a few deep breaths and refocused on the man across the room from her. She thought for a moment then rose to her feet and shuffled over to the bench on the wall between them across from the door. "You didn't hit me by the way."
He blinked. "How'd you know I was worried about that?"
"You look guilty as hell every time I flinch or wince. You might as well be wearing a blinking neon sign." She smiled. "There's no way you could have hit me. I was following you out the front door when the blow came from behind me."
Peter gave her an appraising look then let his expression lighten into a small smile. "That's a relief. I wouldn't want to hurt you."
"I wouldn't want you to either." She sighed. "But I should explain myself. I know you've studied psychic phenomena; I've read some of your papers on the subject. Quite good, really. Well, the reason I was tapped by E-Branch was I have psychic abilities. I'm what they call a psychic sensitive."
Peter's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Psychic abilities?"
"Yeah. That's how I knew something was going to happen when Slimer came out to greet you guys when we were going up to the lab. It's why I froze. I knew something bad was going to happen. I also have the talents of empathy and telepathy." Sabrina bit her lip and waited for the negative reaction she was sure to get.
Her companion tensed and gave her a thorough once-over, making her feel like a bug under a microscope, but she refused to be offended. She'd read Peter's profile; she knew how suspicious he could be. And she had offered herself up for it. She had no one to blame but herself. "Telepathy?" he finally asked coldly, his eyes two shards of emerald green ice. "You're joking, right?"
Whatever response she had been expecting, skepticism wasn't it. "No, I'm not joking. I can really do that. There's a few other things I didn't mention I can do, too."
"Prove it. Tell me what I'm thinking."
"That's not much of a test at the moment. I have a doctorate in psychology. You know as well as I do that gives you training in how to read people."
"Then think of something to prove it."
She blinked. "Um, okay..." She racked her brain, completely thrown by where the conversation had gone. "Think of something there's no way I could know, not even if I had access to the government's computers, which I do." She gave him a weak smile.
It wasn't returned. "Done. Read me."
Sabrina took a deep breath. "Keep it in the front of your thoughts." She closed her eyes and concentrated. "You didn't!" she finally cried, her eyes springing open.
"I didn't what?" Peter's voice was still cold.
"I watched you take the answer sheet for a... biology final and slip it from Ray's backpack to a woman's bag. And you were thinking that she was the girlfriend of the guy who originally stole it and tried to frame Ray." She shrugged. "You think visually, so I pick it up visually." She tilted her head to the side. "How did it turn out?"
Peter didn't respond. He just continued to look at her, still evaluating. "So how long have you been reading everyone's minds?" he asked finally.
Sabrina let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "To be honest, that was the first time I've done it since I met you. It's just a bit violating, don't you think?"
"How can I believe you?"
"I don't think there's anything I could say or do to prove I'm telling the truth, Peter. But I will say that I never had any reason to use my abilities like that. You've always been completely cooperative. And I'm confident enough in my training to rely on it first when I'm dealing with people."
"Are you saying that you would have used telepathy on us if we'd told you to get bent when you came to us about this case?"
"Well, we would have given you another try or two, but probably. This case is too important to us to let much stand in our way. Innocent people were in danger of getting hurt, and there was always the threat of exposure for E-Branch. I don't like to do it without permission, Doctor Venkman, but I will if it becomes necessary." Her expression was firm, although she was thoroughly scared she was about to lose Peter's trust.
"Why didn't you know how that scenario turned out? The information's there." The dark cloud began to lift from the brown-haired man's features.
"I can only read surface thoughts. If I'd wanted to get information from you, we would have had to ask you leading questions and I would have picked up the correct answers that way. I couldn't just root around and pick out what I needed." The Italian woman started to relax with the lightening of Peter's attitude.
"Sneaky." He gave her one last look. "The jerk got expelled. He was forced to come clean or the girlfriend would have taken the fall for him, and he actually cared about her. Too bad she didn't feel the same way. She dumped him a year later when his parents cut him off."
"Huh?" Sabrina asked, thrown for a loop by the change in subject.
"That's how the whole answer sheet thing turned out. You asked." Peter smiled.
"Oh." She tentatively returned the expression. "So, you still trust me?"
"Yeah. You figured out I'd been possessed and stuck with me, even when it would have been safer to take off and find the others. I'd have to be a real jerk to reject you for something you can't help having and try to use responsibly. I'm probably going to be wary around you for a while, but I think that'll pass."
"I hope so, Peter. I like you, and I don't want to lose the chance to be your friend."
"You realize you won your own case without even trying, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"When you asked me how everything turned out. If you'd been lying to me about how you used your abilities, you would have known. I was thinking about the entire story ever since you said you had telepathy, except when you closed your eyes."
She blinked. "Oh."
In the next moment, Sabrina stiffened, and a rattling came from the door of their cell. The psychologists shared a nervous, fear-filled look as it slowly began to open.
"This is crazy!" Lau exploded as he paced across floor of the third floor lab for the zillionth time since they returned from the library.
"Crazy or not, this is the reality," Egon said emphatically, standing next to the recently cleared chalkboard. While the two E-Branch members couldn't see it, Winston and Ray were quite aware of the tight control the physicist was exerting over his fear for Peter. "It appears our enemy has captured our teammates."
"What are we going to do about it?" Winston asked, once again perched on a metal stool.
"Would this fit the profile of the man we suspect is behind all this?" Ray asked the two remaining E-Branch members, his eyes reflecting his own troubled state.
"Thugs don't tend to think that way, but Sabrina's the one who knew the profile," Dillinger said.
"But didn't she..." Winston began as he looked around the room. "Yes! I was right!" He crossed over to the couch where the bag Sabrina had brought with her that morning lay leaning against the grey piece of furniture. He leafed through a few files and drew out the correct one. "Here's our man, Brian Alexander."
Lau snatched it out of the black man's hand and began to scan through it. He stopped in his tracks and his shoulders drooped. "Damn it, I'm no psychologist. I'm reading the words but I'm not completely getting the message. And they took the only two people who would!"
Egon calmly walked over and took the file. "From what I can gather," he said after a few moments of perusal, "is that, unless the man was ordered to do this, he probably wouldn't. He showed a distinct lack of initiative during his career with the CIA."
"How in the world did you get that?" the Chinese man asked, his expression slack-jawed.
"I went to college with Peter, Mister Long. I often helped him study. I happened to pick up a few rudimentary facts of psychology in the process. Besides," the physicist continued with a small, tight smile, "that fact was plainly stated. The rest of my conclusion was a logical extension of that."
Lau scowled. "Show off," he muttered.
"Calm down, Lau," Dillinger said with a roll of his eyes. "It seems to me that Sabrina and Peter would be the most useful to whoever took them as hostages. He wants me. He's probably going to use them to draw me out in a situation most favorable to him."
Egon and Ray shared a quick look. "What can you tell us about Vincent Vega?" Ray asked.
"You said it wasn't him," the sniper said quickly.
"What happened to Peter and Sabrina changes everything," Egon explained. "From all the evidence we've gathered over the last two months and the background information you've given us, this looks like an elaborate scheme to bring you here specifically for an undetermined reason."
"Probably to kill me. It's what he's wanted to do with me ever since... well, that's what he's always wanted to do." Dillinger crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall next the lab doors.
"We're not getting any more than that, are we?" Winston asked, leaning against the side of the sofa with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed as he tried to judge whether the concealed information would really help them find Peter and Sabrina.
"I wouldn't count on it," was the wry response.
"Come on, Dillinger, spill it all. They might need to know if they're going to help us catch him and get Sabrina back," Lau said irritably. "And Dr. Venkman."
The dark-haired man glared at his commander. "We came from the same project. He went bad. He never liked me much, and I was the one who finally managed to kill him. And then I managed to vaporize his body before he could be brought back. That good enough?"
Lau sighed. "Yeah, fine."
"Alright, so how do we draw Vega out?" Ray asked, deliberately changing the subject and sparking a discussion that lasted until suppertime. A spark of his usual enthusiasm had returned to his voice. They'd find Peter and Sabrina and get them back. They just had to.
"You are a pretty one," the translucent minion said leeringly as it leaned in close to Sabrina's face. She was pressed up as far against the wall as she could get.
"And you aren't," Peter retorted, hoping to get some of the thing's attention off of the woman. If this creature had been human at one time, it certainly hadn't been attractive.
The ghost merely turned its head in the man's direction. "And you would be a wonderful choice for a vessel," it hissed, not taking offense at Peter's comment. "With you I could have real fun with her."
Peter and Sabrina shared a significant look at that. "Well," the Italian said slowly, panic beginning to blossom in the back of her eyes, "it won't be much fun if we're restrained like this, now will it?"
"I mean, hey, I work best when I have full range of motion," the brown-haired man agreed.
"You would be willing?" the spirit asked, shocked. "You would let me do this?"
"It's not like we have a lot of choice," Peter said with a shrug. "Maybe it'll go faster and painlessly if we just let it happen."
"We don't want to get hurt here," Sabrina added, her body tensing and beginning to shake.
Her companion noticed the reaction but couldn't say anything. "Will you promise to let me be gentle with her?" he asked.
"For a while at least," it agreed. "But you are right. If you are willing, it would be better not to have shackles. More fun." The thing flew over to Peter and released the metal clasps around his ankles then did the same for Sabrina.
The Ghostbuster couldn't seem to catch his partner in captivity's eye as he kept the still-open door to their cell in the corner of his vision. "That's better already," he commented.
"Now I will do your wrists, but I think I will leave hers. I like that."
"That's fine," Sabrina said, shifting her legs beneath her. She sprang to her feet and started to run, Peter just a beat behind her. "My friends will take care of them for me!"
They had barely reached the hallway beyond the cell when an irresistible gust of wind blew them back inside and slammed them against the far wall. The pair slid down the cold grey stone and they slumped in two piles on the floor. "Oh, no, not yet, Doctor Marconi, Doctor Venkman," the soft voice from the library said in an evil whisper. "I'm not through with you yet. Not by a long shot." It was the last thing either of them heard before they gave in to the wave of unconsciousness that washed over them.
Dinner was a silent affair at Ghostbuster Central that evening. The five of them had not been able to come up with anything concrete for either a plan of attack or what to expect for a next move. The only thing they were sure of was that the main source of their problem was most likely Vincent Vega, a fact that made Dillinger in particular less than happy.
"Do you think Vega will be feeding them?" Ray asked, frowning sadly, as he picked at his carton of Chinese take-out.
"Depends on if they're conscious or not," Dillinger replied. "If he's using them as hostages he needs them alive, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have to be awake." His hands clenched into fists. "Just how many times do I have to deal with this prick?" he snapped for the third time that day. "I guess I always thought when you put a bullet through someone's brain it meant that was the last time you had to worry about them. It's always worked before."
Janine came up to the second floor as they were finishing cleaning up the kitchen table. "I just closed up downstairs. Have you guys come up with anything?"
"Not a thing," Winston said, frustrated. "We had the wrong man pegged to begin with, and that might have led to this."
"We can't be sure of that, Winston," Egon said quickly, trying to cut off any undue guilt trips. "This was obviously all set up ahead of time, including our involvement I'm sure. It seems Vincent Vega has done his research on all of us. It would explain why we weren't able to get any clear readings until Lau and his team arrived."
"He wants us to find him," Ray breathed in realization. "He needs us to find him, so he can do whatever he's planning to do to Dillinger."
"But what's he going to do with Peter and Sabrina in the meantime?" Janine asked, having been filled in as to their disappearance when the others returned. "Does it really matter to him if they're alive or dead?"
"He probably wants to get Sabrina, too," Dillinger said emotionlessly. "Not as badly as me, but she did take him down, however temporarily. And I'm sure he wants us both to suffer for a while."
"But what about Peter? What would he want with him?" Winston asked.
"For one it would insure her good behavior," Lau said, subdued. "Vega has to know that she won't endanger an innocent." He took in the looks of disbelief from the rest of the room. "Well, you know what I mean. She'll do what she can to protect him, and if that means being a good little girl, she'll do it. She's the heart of our team."
"I suppose someone has to have one," Dillinger muttered.
"I believe we should return to the site of the explosion," Egon suggested. "If Ray's theory is correct and Vega does want us to find him, we should be able to pick up some distinctive readings that will help us prepare for the inevitable confrontation, as that is where Vega first made contact."
"That sounds good, Egon," Lau agreed. "Why don't we do that now?"
"I'll come with you," Janine insisted stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We could use the extra hands. Come along, Janine. You can ride with us in Ecto-1," Egon agreed before Lau or Dillinger could object, knowing by her posture and tone of voice she wouldn't take no for an answer. Peter was in danger, and as much as she verbally sparred with him, he was still like her older brother, and nobody messed with her brother but her.
The two E-Branch agents shared a quick look then followed the Ghostbusters and their secretary down the stairs and out to the explosion site.
It took about five minutes for Sabrina's equilibrium to come back when her eyes finally opened hours later. She blinked and tried to bring her hands to her face to rub them over it, but jumped slightly when she found they were attached to the wall above her by the chain that connected the shackles. She finally looked around, noticing that she was on the bench across from the door to the cell and Peter was on the bench he had been seated on originally, still out cold. She bit her lip and tried to guess how bad he had been hurt from where she was.
It was soon academic as a groan issued from the prone man and he started to shift in his seat. "Anyone get the license plate of that truck?" Peter asked shakily before his emerald green eyes fluttered open and his head lolled to the left. He caught sight of the nervous-looking Sabrina and creased his brows in confusion. She watched as the memories came flooding back and his features cleared.
"I missed the truck," she said ruefully. "But whoever it was drives worse than I ever did."
"I hear that." He paused as Sabrina chuckled to herself. "What? What's so funny?"
"I just learned to drive maybe two years ago."
Peter blinked. "And how old are you?"
"Are you seriously asking a woman her age?" Sabrina asked with an amused smile.
"Fine, fine. Sorry." Peter rolled his eyes and gave a tiny chuckle.
"No, don't apologize. It's not really a big deal. Anyway, I grew up in Chicago. Who needs to drive when there's a decent transit system and bicycles? Besides, my dad never had the money for any kind of car."
"What about when you got out of college? People with our kind of training can make a lot of cash, especially a prodigy like you had to have been."
"E-Branch tapped me right after I got my doctorate. And then it was a moot point. Everyone else could drive, and we usually only needed one or two drivers. But I was still a liability since I could never go solo, in case driving would become necessary. So I pressed the issue and got my license. Well, learned how to do it at any rate. I always had my license once I joined E-Branch."
"You've had one eventful life, Sabrina." He gave a short chuckle then sighed. "Tell me, does your head pound as much as mine does right now?" Peter winced and squeezed his eyes shut, shifting his legs more under the bench. "What the...?" he asked surprised, his eyes popping back open. "Where are my boots and socks?"
Sabrina crossed her left leg over the right as she wiggled her uncovered toes. "Standard procedure. Captives are less likely to go very far with bare feet. Most people aren't used to running around without protection over the sensitive skin of their soles."
"Cute."
"By the way, in answer to your question? Yes, as a matter of fact it does. That could not have been good for me since I'd already gotten banged over the head once today, assuming it's still today." She sighed. "But we had to try. I'm sure we're going to be used as bait to bring Dillinger out. I'd like to avoid that if at all possible."
"I can understand that. I've never liked playing the bait. Aside from the obvious, are you all right? You were starting to freak out a bit when that ghost was talking about... well, using us for some extracurricular activities. Something happen to you in the past?"
Sabrina turned away quickly, tears building in her sapphire blues. "Kind of."
"What do you mean kind of? Either it happened or it didn't, right?" Peter caught himself and shook his head. "But I don't mean to push. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I know this can be really sticky to deal with." He watched his companion sympathetically.
"I wasn't raped," she said quietly. "It was my sister Tabitha. She's three years older than me, and when she was fifteen she got asked to the prom by the captain of the football team, a senior who was really popular." She paused and caught her breath. "God, this is so cliche."
"That's okay. Keep going," Peter encouraged.
Sabrina nodded. "Well, you know the stereotypical prom night activity for a guy and his date. Shane decided that's what he wanted to do when they left the school, and Tabitha decided she wanted nothing to do with it. She wanted to wait until they'd been dating a while, until they knew each other better. I mean, she was attracted to him, no doubt about it, but still..." The black-haired woman sighed. "I'm rambling. The point is Shane forced the night to go his way, and Tabitha paid the price. And after he was done with her he told her she better not tell anyone about it and made her walk home."
"The bastard," Peter hissed. "What happened next?"
"She accidentally woke me up when she got in at about three in the morning as she limped down the hall to her bedroom. I got up and saw her torn dress and my jaw just hit the floor. I was about to ask her what had happened when she turned and made direct eye contact with me. Suddenly my mind was overwhelmed with images of what he had done to her and how she felt when it happened. I guess I collapsed to the floor in a heap, those images all I could see and hear. Tabby managed to get me into bed and changed her clothes before she got my father. No one knew what was wrong with me. I was muttering complete nonsense, thrashing about and pushing away at something that wasn't there.
"But Tabby knew. She somehow guessed what I was seeing, what I was experiencing over and over in my head. It was just the ultimate capper to what happened at school that next Monday. Turns out that Shane told his buddies about what had happened, and they all came up to her throughout the day and let her know that they wanted their turns with her, since Shane assured them she was well worth it. That did it for her. I was still out of it, and she felt trapped, like she couldn't tell and if she stayed I'd never get better. She ran away that night, disappeared off the face of the planet for all my dad or I knew." Sabrina finally turned her head back to face Peter, revealing tears that were flowing freely down her cheeks. "That was how my psychic powers awakened, and they drove my sister away. We were so close, and it broke my heart."
"It's not your fault, you know," the brown-haired man said reassuringly in a soft voice. "There's nothing you could have done to stop your reaction."
She nodded. "I know that now. It took a long time to realize that, but I do know."
"Did you ever find your sister? Being in the CIA must have helped that, right?"
Now Sabrina gave him a small smile. "Yeah, it did. I found her. She was living in L.A. That's where she still is as far as I know. We keep in contact as much as we can, but sometimes my job keeps me out of touch for long stretches. I got a hold of her about a year after I joined E-Branch and we both finally resolved a truckload of guilt. Seems she was feeling it over making me go through that. My dad was so happy to hear from her again. She explained what had happened and he instantly forgave her. She really needed that. It's why she'd stayed away so long. She was afraid she'd hurt us both too much for us to be able to forgive her."
"What about your mom? What happened to her?"
"She died when I was eight. Lymphatic cancer. I'm just glad she never had to go through all that stuff with Tabby and me on top of everything else."
"You're a strong woman, Sabrina. Your mom would be proud of you."
Her face crumpled a bit. "I can still see it, Peter. Rarely and in flashes, but every now and again I go through prom night for my sister all over again. It's why rape and rape victims were an area of special study for me for a while. I wanted to be able to help other people who had gone through that."
Peter's green eyes flashed. "It was covered in some of my courses, but it's been a while. I've never really had to use the knowledge much though."
"Much?" Sabrina asked, quickly regaining her composure. "What do you mean?"
"Well..." the man started, realizing he was caught, but unwilling to continue.
She looked her companion over carefully. "Are you talking about the aftermath of possession?" she asked gently. "I can see how that would be similar."
"You've already dealt with enough. You don't have to deal with me," Peter said quickly.
"Peter, you're my friend. I know I don't have to, but I want to. Maybe talking it out will help."
"I... I usually just talk it over with Egon," he said reluctantly.
"Usually? How often does this happen?" Sabrina looked at him shocked.
"Often enough. Ghosts just seem to like using me that way. What can I say? I'm a popular guy." Peter forced a cocky grin.
Blue eyes narrowed. "You went through it twice today. Once for real, and once as a threat. And Egon is nowhere near here as far as we know. Are you sure you don't want to talk to me? It's not like we don't have time."
His shuttered gaze captured hers. "I'm sure, Sabrina. And even if I were willing, I wouldn't know how to start. Spengs just always knows what to say to help me get it off my chest. I'm sorry."
She bit her lower lip for a moment then straightened as she took a deep, stabilizing breath. "You wouldn't actually have to talk. You could just think, and I'd do the rest."
"Sabrina, no," Peter replied, reluctance and apology mixed relatively evenly in his tone. "I don't want to make you go through that. And then there's the fact that I'd have a problem letting you tiptoe through my brain matter, no matter how much I like you." His expression was somewhat guarded as his body tensed up. He couldn't help the suspicion that she'd do it anyway in her eagerness to help.
"Oh, Peter," she whispered, sighing. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I wish I could help you. I really wish I could help you."
"I know," Peter said, relaxing at her withdrawal. So far her actions were backing up her declaration of her morals. Something inside him felt especially good about it.
Sabrina smiled sadly. "It's really difficult for me to back off in this kind of situation. I respect your decision, as long as you promise to talk to Egon when this is all over, but it's hard to know I can't help."
"I know, and I promise," he said gently. "Maybe sometime in the future, when I get to know you better, but considering it's only been two days..." His voice trailed off and he shrugged.
Before Sabrina could respond, her senses flared and she tensed, reaching out to try to determine what she was feeling. "Peter!" she whispered fiercely. "Reach your leg out where I can touch it with mine. Do it now!"
"What?" he asked, thrown by the apparent change in subject.
"Just do it!"
Peter blinked and did as requested, putting his left leg out as far over toward her as he could, half of it bared with the removal of his footwear. His green eyes widened as he watched Sabrina kick her right leg straight up into the air, practically touching her nose as the loose leg of her dress pants slipped all the way up, revealing a sleek, muscular limb. She quickly brought it down on top of his own, shifting with the motion so her bare ankle covered his, flesh touching flesh, her pant leg quickly sliding back down to its original position.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered. "Whatever happens, Peter, make sure we keep contact. It's the only way this is going to work." Sabrina then closed her eyes and concentrated.
The next thing Peter knew he felt another presence over his own. It wasn't invasive like possession, or how he imagined it would have felt had Sabrina done the scans she had offered earlier, but more like someone standing in front of him as a shield. And then the pressure started.
For the next five or so minutes it seemed as though something was trying to get at him, and Sabrina was doing something to keep it away. He kept himself braced in case whatever it was broke through despite the woman's efforts, hoping as he did so that it would help make Sabrina's job easier. Everything finally came to a climax with two distinctive screams filling the small space of the cell, echoing off the stone walls. Peter watched as Sabrina's eyes flew open and the consciousness drained out of them, her body slumping back against the rock behind her, her head tilting toward him. The pressure he had been feeling was gone, as well as the shield.
"Sabrina?" he asked tentatively, fear filling him at the sight before him. "Sabrina, are you okay?"
"She's experiencing a case of psychic overload at the moment," a now-familiar voice said smoothly from the open doorway of the cell. Peter looked over and took in the image of a tall, dark-haired man who vaguely resembled John Travolta from the movie Look Who's Talking but with longer, greasier hair. "Unfortunately, she also fried the only agent I have that's powerful enough to get all the information I need out of you. So I guess I'll just have to do this the old fashioned way." His transparent form moved inside purposefully, quickly making his way over to the still-conscious psychologist.
"I take it I'm dealing with Vincent Vega then?" Peter asked defiantly, shifting slightly to keep skin to skin contact with Sabrina. He wasn't sure if it would still be effective, but he wasn't willing to take the chance. She had told him to keep it up, so he would.
"I can see I'm dealing with a real brain trust here," the ghost muttered as he unhooked Peter's shackles from the wall. "Now look," he said shortly. "I need to take your cuffs off. Either you cooperate and come along quietly, or I bring out your friend from the library and we do things that way. Your choice."
"Only if I can bring Sabrina along," the Ghostbuster retorted.
"What difference can she make? She's not going to be anything but dead weight for hours if not days. What do you want with her?" Dirty brown eyes glittered as they assessed the captive man.
"I'm certainly not leaving her behind for you to do whatever sick and nasty things your minions can come up with to her. Besides, won't it be easier to get Dillinger if you have her with you? She is his teammate after all."
Vega looked amused at that. "You'll have to carry her. I'm not wasting any of my agents for such a meaningless task as carting her worthless hide around. Do we have a deal then?"
Peter sighed. "You don't have to call in your lackey. As long as I can bring Sabrina I'll follow."
The ghost merely grinned, unlocked his restraints, and tossed two pairs of shoes at his feet, also undoing Sabrina's restraints before stepping back and watching as Peter scooped her into his arms after replacing their footwear. "She's heavier than a proton pack, you know. It won't be nearly as easy."
"Just lead the way, bunky. I don't remember agreeing to having any in-depth discussions with you." Peter shifted the woman in his arms, her head resting against his chest, her eyes still open, unseeing.
Vega merely chuckled and left the room, Peter trailing behind him.