It was a dreary and gray day in New York City. Everyone was feeling a bit down mostly due to the weather. In a minimum security prison, it was no different. Except the prisoners there felt like that all the time. In one cell, two men sat on their bunks feeling a bit dejected although the ginger one was a little bit more in high spirits than his bald headed cellmate.
"So they lettin you out in about a month?" the bald man asked as he picked his fingernails. Several tattoos covered his left arm.
"Yeah, on good behavior apparently." the ginger replied.
"Lucky, I don't get outta this joint for another year and a half." the bald man grumbled.
"With a couple more months of good behavior, I think you'll be out of her sooner than you think Robert." the ginger man replied stroking his beard.
"Funny they lettin' you out before me. I'm only in here cause I helped move some drugs." Robert replied, "You in here cause you kidnapped and almost murdered a guy Walter."
"Funny how it works." Walter said.
"I wouldn't call it funny..." Robert grumbled under his breath.
Just then, a guard knocked on the cell door.
"Peck, there's a guy here to see you."
"Nice someone cares about you enough to come see you." Robert said.
"Don't know who. No one's come to visit me since I've been in here." Walter replied as he climbed down from his bunk.
The guard escorted Peck down the hall past many more cells with other men convicted of various crimes. Most of them were low level criminals with a few guilty of assault and kidnapping like Peck had been. The men's piercing, steely glares followed Peck as he walked past them. The guard led him to the visitation room. Several other prisoners were in there talking with people who had come to see them.
"Over on the end." the guard said pointing.
Peck walked towards the end and saw someone he hadn't expected to see. It was a man about his age with graying brown hair. He had a round face, sharp nose, and wore a pair of dark glasses. Peck sat down and picked up the phone that connected to the other side.
"Mr. Hardemyer, this is a surprise." Peck said with a slight hint of annoyance, "After our little tiff, I didn't expect to see you here."
Jack Hardemyer chuckled for a second before responding, "Well, I can be a bit forgiving if I want to."
"What is it that you want?" Peck asked, "Obviously, you didn't come here to say you forgive me for firing you."
"Well, you're right about that." Hardemyer replied, "I want the same thing you want."
"And that is...?"
"Revenge."
"Well, you're wrong." Peck said defiantly.
"No, I'm not." Jack replied as he intently studied Peck, "You see, even though you and I have had our...disagreements in the past, we're quite alike."
"How?"
"You and I were both wronged by the Ghostbusters. We were on our way up the ladders in our respective fields of work." Jack said as he twirled the phone cord, "But then those immature idiots popped up and messed things up for the both of us."
"I see your point Mr. Hardemyer." Walter replied as his green eyes looked into Jack's grayish brown ones, "But I'm not interested in reliving the past. Besides, I was their boss as the head of PCOC for a while."
"Yes, but were you really happy with that?" Jack asked with a curiosity, "Were you really happy having to deal with the chaos, stress, destruction, and headaches they constantly gave you?"
"No
"Precisely. You're obviously a very intelligent man Walter and yet the mayor put you in charge of those reckless morons. They insulted you and made you look like a fool at every chance they got. Especially Dr. Venkman."
Walter thought for a moment. What Jack was saying had truth to it. He felt a new fire ignite in his heart. A raging fire that demanded vengeance with a hunger like nothing else.
"Yes...I believe you're right..." Walter said with slight realization in his voice.
Jack smiled. "I know I am. You were on your way to great things and now you're here in this place because of them. I myself was on my way to possibly being a staff member on the mayor's gubernatorial campaign staff. But now because of the Ghostbusters, I work a low level maintenance job in an office building."
"Sorry to hear that." Peck replied.
"It's fine." Jack shrugged, "It has given me time to think."
"To think about what?" Peck asked.
"On how to make those con artists pay for their mistakes." Jack replied with a gleam.
"Like shutting down their business?"
"No, no, no, that's not rewarding enough." Jack said, "I want to see the pain on their faces up close. Hear them beg for mercy in person."
"Are you saying abduction?" Walter asked raising a ginger eyebrow.
"Exactly."
"Won't work." Peck said quickly, "I already tried that with Dr. Spengler and look where it got me."
"See, that's where you went wrong my friend." Jack replied, "You only took one of them leaving the other three to foil your plan. But if you had some more help, you could get all four of them no problem."
"Are you suggesting a partnership?" Walter asked somewhat intrigued.
"Precisely." Jack replied, "We help each other in achieving our goals. I know last time didn't work out so well, but now that we have a common goal, I think it could work."
Peck thought some more. Although he wasn't big into partnerships, this one could work and possibly bring results. He was liking this idea more and more.
"Yes...I think it could work." Walter replied his green eyes getting a somewhat evil gleam.
"And it will." Jack reassured, "You get out in what, about a month?"
"Something like that."
"Well, I've asked my supervisor if I could bring you aboard to help you 'get back on your feet'." Jack explained, "Basically, it's a cover so that we can work together to figure out a plan for our sweet revenge."
"I like the sound of that." Walter replied.
"Hey Peck, one more minute." the guard called.
"I'll come by next week to fill you on some more details." Jack said.
"Thank you Mr. Hardemyer." Peck said as he hung up the phone. The guard then escorted him back down to his cell. When he arrived, his cellmate Robert noticed the slight grin on his face.
"You seem happy."
"Yes I am." Peck replied as he climbed back on top of his bunk.
"What about?" Robert asked.
"An opportunity has presented itself to me." Peck replied laying back against the pillow.
"Seems like good opportunity." Robert replied.
"Oh you don't know the half of it my friend..." Peck said as an evil grin appeared on his face.
A month later, the day Peck had been waiting for arrived. After changing into a new pair of clothes and going over the terms and conditions of his release and probation, he was led out of the prison to where Hardemyer was waiting with a car.
"How does it feel to be free again?" Jack asked as he started the car.
"Feels...nice." Walter replied.
"Good." Jack said as he turned a corner. "I went ahead and found you a new apartment. Have the rent paid already for a couple of months until you get your first paycheck."
"That's...very generous of you Mr. Hardemyer." Peck said sounding surprised.
"Call me Jack by the way. Oh and the boss said you can start Thursday." Jack replied.
"Good, give us some time to come up with a plan." Walter said,
"Been thinking about it a little bit. I have some outlines, but you've been around them longer than I have, so I would like your input." Jack said.
"I would like that very much." Walter said.
"This is going to be a good time for us." Jack said with a smile.
"Indeed Mr Hardem-, I mean, Jack." Walter replied with the same grin.
A couple of days later, Jack took Walter to the building where they would both be working. After introducing Walter to his supervisor, Jack informed Peck of all the equipment, safety procedures, and other things. Then, he led the ginger haired man back to his personal workbench and opened a drawer. In it were multiple papers with plans, procedures, and location suggestions. All part of the plan to exact vengeance on the Ghostbusters.
"You know Mr. Hardemyer, I take back what I said about you the day I fired you." Walter said as he looked over the plans clearly impressed, "You are quite an intelligent man."
"Well, thank you Walter." Jack replied with a smile, "And you're not as big of a...what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Dick?"
"Yes, you're not as big of a dick as I thought you were. Sorry for the insult."
"No need. That was courtesy of Dr. Venkman and Dr. Stantz." Peck huffed.
"Uh, I hate Dr. Venkman." Jack said rolling his eyes, "He's a loud, fast talking, immature moron."
"Well with our plan, he will be begging for mercy along with his friends pretty soon." Walter said with a smile.
"I can't wait to see their faces when they realize what's happening." Jack replied gleefully.
"Definitely."
"Up for a drink after this? On me." Jack suggested.
"Sure what the hell." Walter said.
Around five, the two left the office building and headed down to a dingy, local bar Jack sometimes went to. The two sat in a booth in the corner discussing some more of their plan and talking about how annoying the Ghostbusters were.
"I actually have the perfect location to stash them in." Jack said.
"Really, where?" Walter asked somewhat surprised.
"It's about an hour and a half north of the city." Jack replied, "There's this old abandoned mansion on some property that I acquired a while ago dirt cheap. With some money I had saved up from my job working for the mayor, I've fixed it up a bit. Rats, bugs, and critters are mostly gone, running water from an underground well, and I've installed some electricity."
"Very impressive Mr. Hardemyer." Walter replied.
"Although your input has proven quite valuable Walter." Jack replied.
"Oh, this is going to be so sweet, I can taste it already." Walter said as he took a sip from his drink, "Although it must just be from this too sweet drink."
"Probably." Jack replied as he took a sip from his beer, "But you're right about the first thing."
After awhile, the two paid their tab and headed off to their apartments.
Over the next couple of weeks, Peck and Hardemyer took on extra shifts to get a bit more money and supplies for their plan and to work out some of the more difficult details. They were extremely careful to avoid the Ghostbusters as not to arouse suspicion or panic. Finally, a month after Walter had been released from prison, their plan was at last ready for execution.
"Well, I think we have everything ready and laid out." Jack said proudly.
"I do too." Walter replied.
"You know Walter, you and I work very well together actually." Jack said.
"You're right." Walter said as he scratched his beard, "And I'm sorry to have misjudged you before Mr. Hardemyer."
"Please call me Jack."
The two looked at each other with smiles for a moment. Then, they began to slightly chuckle which then turned into laughter. A deep, evil laughter. Finally, after so many years, they would finally exact revenge on the men who had ruined their lives. Just before leaving for the day, Jack plunged a knife into a picture of the Ghostbusters.
To be continued...