Screwdriver in hand Egon tentatively opened the side compartment of the trap exposing the wires and circuits that powered the paranormal device. His hands were shaking, but whether the trembling originated from an unspoken fear, his undeniable exhaustion or mounting blood loss he couldn't be sure. Having Ray working alongside him, using the PKE meter to assist in giving the trap the proper frequency adjustment, kept Egon from losing his focus or breaking his concentration. The company of a dear friend was very comforting even during a very bleak situation.

Peter used all of his strength and mental reserve to keep the banshee contained in the proton stream, while holding her at bay just enough to prevent her from causing him any physical harm during her desperate bid for freedom. "Anytime guys..." He muttered bitterly. "Getting kinda tired here."

"I think I have the frequency." Egon declared as he continued to preposition the delicate wires inside the confined space. "We need to catch the banshee now, we can't risk any attempts to stop Augur while her little guard is still free."

"You're right." Ray agreed, he kept his hand pressed into his painfully burned side as he slowly rose to his feet. Standing up caused his head to swim but a few deep breaths helped ease his dizziness. Retrieving his proton wand he powered up his pack and turned his attention to the banshee. "As soon as I we have that she-beast secured throw the trap!"

"Ray, I..." Egon had finished the proper adjustments; his logical instincts telling him that his calculations were correct, but the doubt that had been instilled in him from his own dark nightmare was enough to make him second guess his own work. "I need you to check my-"

Ray opened fire on the banshee, his body being forcefully jostled by the blast of energy. Clumsily Ray regained his balance as he limped back a few paces to pull the banshee away from Peter, keeping her from hovering directly over the floor man.

"Good work, Ray!" Peter approved of the tactic. Steadily getting back up to his feet he and Ray worked together to keep the banshee contained within the confines of the twin proton streams. Glancing upward toward Augur his blue eyes widened at the formidable force still drawing energy from the storm. "Egon, trap! Trap NOW."

Egon followed Peter's gaze upward and felt a cold knot tightened around his heart. They were running out of time.

Weakly Egon got back to his feet, his every movement sluggish and uncoordinated as the simple act of standing was proving too taxing for his injured, healing body to endure. "Trap!" He called out as he slid the device across the rooftop, placing it under the where the banshee was being held in midair. Stomping down on the switch the trap burst open with a beam of light that had transitioned from its normal whitish yellow, to a whitish green due to the change in frequency. "It works..." Egon whispered to himself as the saw the change in lighting. "Bring her down!" He then shouted with a new found confidence. "You got her!"

"Bring her down!" Peter yelled over to Ray as he began lowering the aim on his proton wand.

"I'm with you!" Ray mirrored Peter's movements with perfect synchronization.

The banshee screamed and thrashed futilely against the proton streams as she continued her ongoing struggle for freedom. With every wild swing of her arms the proton streams seemed to tighten in grip. Her wild hair whipped around her face, her hollow eyes glaring emptily at the Ghostbusters between the dark locks that danced about wildly in the air.

"Almost there..." Egon encouraged as he protectively kept his attention fixed on Augur. A sudden shift in the air told him that the demigoddess had only been toying with them earlier, and soon she'd stop playing her little game and get serious. "Now!" Egon stomped on the switch for the second time as Ray and Peter switched off their proton packs.

The three Ghostbusters watched as the banshee was pulled down into the trap, unable to screech her terrible siren scream or lash out violently. The trap shut its top, the small red light began blinking as it registered the ghost contained within. A blue tinted smoke began billowing from the trap as a strong stench of ozone wafted over the rooftop.

"Got her." Peter nudged the side of the trap with his boot. "And this time she's staying in there!"

Egon limped over to his colleagues and took stock of their current conditions. Ray was in obvious pain as he immediately replaced his against his bleeding, burned side as soon as he was able to use a free hand. Peter had a nasty gash on his face, blood covered his eye as a single trickle of blood dripped down from below his eye; and he had a distant look in his eyes, indicative of a blow to the head. Egon himself knew that he was in no position to tell either man to sit out the final confrontation with Augur as he was arguably in the worst shape of the three men.

Augur herself was waiting for the three men to make their move. She smiled wickedly as she glanced downward at the three mortals; like a child looming over an anthill, she seemed more amused than threatened by anyone who dared to defy herself, or Gozer. "Kismet" She repeated, her voice improbably sinister and loud with every syllable. "Prepare for your final judgment."

Unintimidated by the demigoddess and her threats Peter, Egon and Ray all stood together as their final act of defiance.

Peter blinked through the blood that obscured his vision as he switched on his proton pack. Giving Egon and Ray a look of absolute rebellion gleaming in his passionate blue eyes before staring an icy dagger into the heart Augur. "We're ready."

Ray and Egon retrieved their proton wands and switched on their packs as they stood their ground beside Peter, ready to face off with Augur until the bitter end.

Augur, who had absorbed a significant amount of the storm's ethereal energy, floated down toward the roof. Hovering between the the Ghostbusters and the portal she taunted them with a twisted grin. "The end has come."

"Not on my watch!" Peter defied as he opened fire on the demigoddess.

Egon and Ray followed suit and fired at Augur. The demigoddess was ensnared in three proton streams of an enhanced frequency that wrapped around her entire form. The combined energy of the three packs charged the air with a warm static that seemed all the warmer against the unnaturally cooled air from the ethereal storm.

Augur's grin never waned as the three beams coursed over her body. With a slow wave of her hand she managed to deflect the three streams and free herself with no visible damage done to her form.

Peter, Egon and Ray were knocked back by the recoil of their deflected streams. Pushed backward and left only with their ineffective proton packs the three scientists felt as though they had somehow failed, not just the city but each other.

Peter shook his head as took aim at Augur for the second time. "Again!" Firing the beam from his pack it was quickly joined by the two other beams from Egon and Ray's packs.

Augur began laugh in a deep, maniacal chuckle that chilled the three to their cores.

"Peter, Ray, we have to think of something, fast!" Egon looked past Augur and to the portal that she was hovering in front of. "The portal! We have to close the portal!"

"But we can't!" Ray yelled over the electrical surge of the proton beams. "We can't hold her back and get a clear shot at the portal at the same time!"

Egon had quickly analyzed the situation, his final theory wasn't hopeful. "Ray, Peter, we reprogrammed the proton streams to the frequency generated by the portal and Augur, BEFORE Augur absorbed additional power from the storm. We can't destroy Augur or even hope to contain her, our only chance is to strike the portal itself!"

Peter shouted as took a bold step forward, closing in on Augur without hesitation. "One of us needs to go for the portal. Alone."

"Peter, no!" Egon took his own step forward to keep pace with his friend. "We're not going to let you do this!"

Without any provocation from Egon Ray also stepped toward Augur. "We're not going to lose anyone tonight. Peter step back, we'll think of something else!"

"We don't have time!" Peter argued as he refused to step back. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Augur had grown tired of the trio as they relentlessly continued to try and hold her at bay. As she slowly lifted her hand once more to brush away the three proton streams, but before she could strike her motion was abruptly halted by a fourth stream that shot out from the roof access doorway. She let out a roar of anger as the fourth stream was enough to limit not just her range but her ability to channel energy as well.

Unable to look away or turn their heads away from Augur, the three Ghostbusters could only hold their ground as the unexpected fourth shot from a proton pack joined them near the portal.

"Sorry I'm late guys!" Winston proudly announced his arrival as he took his place at Egon's right shoulder. "Hard to get around without a car!"

"Winston!" Ray was elated to have the full team together. "Glad you could make it!"

Peter looked over at Winston briefly before returning his attention on the wrangled demigoddess. "Where's Dana?"

"Right here." Dana replied as she proudly stood beside Peter. She too was carrying a proton pack and had put on a jumpsuit of her own. She opened fire, unleashing a fifth proton stream upon the demigoddess. "I'm with you all the way."

...to be continued...