Chapter 3: Never met a villain that they liked:
The morning sun shined brightly upon Jump City as Egon and Ray to Titans Tower. "This looks interesting Ray. " Egon said marking off spots of a map, each one representing where a ghost had supposedly been spotted. "I'm think I'm starting to make out a pattern here." He said marking off another spot. "Anything we can use?" Ray asked as checking his blind spot as he merged into the left lane. "Not at the moment, I just thought you'd liked to know."
Back at the Tower, Raven was levitating as she chanted mantra "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." She said slowly, her mind drifting farther and farther away with each word. "Peace, calm, tranquility." Said Starfire, she had decided to join Raven in her morning meditation due to a lack of peaceful sleep. Even with a team of professional paranormal exterminators in the house, she could help but worry about what would happen if they were to run into another ghost. "Peace, calm, tranquility. Peace, calm, tranquility. Peace, Calm, Tranquility!" said the orange skinned alien with increasing speed between words until she gave up in frustration. Raven lifted the lid of one of her eyes out of curiosity "Is something wrong?" Raven asked in her usual monotone. Being an empath she could already sense that she was anxious, but being a friend meant asking anyways. "I am afraid there is. Friend Raven I am, how do you say, scared." She said with her head hanging low "Our battle with the ghosts was very much on the side of lop, and what is worst is the fact that we were powerless to do anything against them." "Star, we had a rough night, it's not the first and it's probably not the last." Raven said, she wasn't the best at pep talks but she still tried.
"I agree that we have had many difficult battles, but this is different. We could inflict damage to our other enemies, but these things, these things are the kraurfkah." "Ah Star, what is a kraufkah?" Raven asked with an eyebrow raised. Starfire sighed before speaking "On my planet we tell a tale of malevolent creatures that consume what you call a soul and take control of your mind, body, and heart." Her tone was solemn and weak "I had many nightmares of them coming for me when I was younger. Now I feel as if those nightmares are coming true." She wept as the painful memories rose up inside her. "OH Raven, what if I was to be consumed? What if any of us where to? What if Robin?" Raven could see the distraught brought on by the line of thinking Starfire was on; even a blindfolded Stevie Wonder could see that she had always cared deeply for Robin. "Starfire believe me, we've been through literal hell on earth and come out fine in the other end. I don't care what we face, because I've seen that as long as we face it together we can come out on top." Said Raven with a hint of determination creeping in her voice.
"I hope you are right." Said Star as she turned to left. It wasn't the homerun Raven had been looking for but at least Starfire had stopped sobbing.
Downstairs Winston, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin sat down to a late breakfast; the Titans had given Vankman and Winston a ride down to the night club they had been to the night before. "So Dr. Zeddemore, did you find anything?" asked Robin "Unfortunately no, there wasn't physical evidence, and the witnesses didn't really have anything to add either. This might be the rare random haunting." "So you mean that ghost don't just haunt anybody?" asked Beast Boy "well sometimes they do, but in most cases there is something the ghost is drawn to, like how the ghost of a cabbie would be drawn to a taxi." "So that explained the dancing guy who was hitting on the waitress, But what about that other ghost that attacked Raven?" said Cyborg "I'm not really sure what that type of ghost was doing there, but I'll make sure to find out." Replied Winston with an assuring smile.
The Living room door opened loudly (as they always did) for Ray and Egon, each of them carrying two boxes worth of police reports, building blueprints, and newspaper articles. "I don't get it, at first it looked like there was some sort of pattern in the haunting that have been accruing, now it's just a jumbled mess." Said Egon as he lowered his boxes on the kitchen counter. "Yeah it's looking like strange is the order of the day so far, let's hope that something turns up in one of these boxes." Ray said also placing his set of paper work. "Winston, did you find anything earlier?" asked Egon "Sorry, me and Peter came up empty. Speaking of which where is Peter? He was here a minute ago." A loud THUD came from around the couch. Everyone mad their way from the table to find Vankman sleeping face down on the floor. "Why thank you Miss Monroe, I'm very honored you find me sexier than my business partners."
"Always the hardest worker on the team." Said Winston, as the group got a laugh at the expense of the de facto leader of the Ghostbusters. All joking went out the window with the flash lights and blaring call of the alarm. Both groups sprang into action, and headed down to the Garage. The T-Car led the way with Ecto-1's siren following close behind.
"Whoever designed this security system had crud for brains." Sniffled the miniscule bank robber, as with a swipe of his hack-card and a few strokes of his keyboard watched as the vault doors began to unlock. "Score! Bet those scum suckers back at the Hive wish they could get in on this." The Robber reached out his hand, but just he touched the door handle he felt a sharp pain run across his wrist. He looked around to see what had happened, when he saw it sticking out of the ground. A long solid piece of steel painted red and formed into the shape of a bird.
"Your account's overdrawn Gizmo." Said Robin. "Awe, you butt munching Titans can't stop me I've already opened the door and I'm not giving up, not while I have this." Gizmo held up his prized hack-card and laughed for a moment. However his laughter turned to dismay as he saw the top half of the card slid off from the bottom half, instantly the whizzing of what had to be the vault door's locks could be heard throughout the room. "Damn it! You puke smelling Titans are gonna pay for that." With that the pack on Gizmo's back sprouted four long tendrils that he used to elevate himself above everyone else in the room. "Titans, go!" said Robin. The plan of attack today was teamwork, something that hadn't been used in the last fight. Beast Boy launched himself at Gizmo, transforming into a gorilla midair. Gizmo was ready though and caught Beast Boy as he was coming in. The two struggled against each other for a bit before Gizmo was able to use Beast Boys own momentum against him, and toss him back down to the hard marble floor. "Let's see how you like this." Said Cyborg as his right arm morphed into the sonic cannon. The half man, half machine, all Titan took aim and fired, but Gizmo brought up two of his tendrils to guard against the spiral of sonic waves. "It'll take more than that, you stupid Titans." Gizmo said before sticking out his tongue. Taking the opportunity Starfire lobbed a Star Bolt which caught Gizmo square in the chest, knocking him backwards. "Azarath, Metirion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted to lift up a coffee table, which Robin pole vaulted onto with his staff, ran across, and jumped off of, to deliver a straight kick to Gizmo's face. The force of the blow sent Gizmo flying across the room until he smacked in to a wall.
"Looks like the kids got this in hand." Said Vankman to his fellow Ghostbusters, he had heard that the Titans were good at stopping crime, but thought it was more in the reminding people not to litter or drive above the speed limit way. "For a couple of kids, they can kick some ass." Said Ray who was so impressed he wished Gizmo would get up, just so he could see more.
"Looks like he just short circuited. Get it, get it." Joked Beast Boy to the delight of none of his teammates. "Looks like the cops should have no problem taking him to jail now." The lights flickered out as Robin finished speaking. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Yelled a voice from somewhere close, yet no one in the room was screaming, not even Gizmo. A loud noise rang out through the room. Then another, and another. With each bang the vault door bent more and more, something was hitting the vault door from the inside. The door finally came down with a crash, in its place hover a long, tall, narrow, figure with pale blue skin and clothing, with a skinny, square jaw, pointy nose, and glowing white eyes. "You'll never take me aliveeeeee!" said the apparition as lifted a pair of phantom tommy guns and began to fire. Every living being dived for cover from the hail of bullets, as papers, glass, and various other debris flew up after coming in contact with the rounds.
"What the hell is that?" asked Winston, he understood the dangers of trying to catch ghosts for a living, but being shot at during a bank robbery he hadn't really prepared for. "It looks like Tommy Two Guns." Said Cyborg ducking down even further to avoid ricocheting bullet "Tommy Two Guns?" ask all four Ghostbusters in unison. "Tommy Two Guns was the biggest criminal back in 30's here in Jump City." Robin Explained "He always made sure to tell at least one person after a robbery that he'd never be taken alive. He died in this very bank after a shootout with the police." The boy wonder finished. "We need to find a way to stop him." Said Ray "Spangler, Vankman, you two go right, Me and Winston will go left, we move when he stops firing." He finished reaching for his Neutrona Wand. "Ray, he's a ghost, he doesn't need to reload." Stated Egon, who noticed that Tommy was starting to make his way towards them. "The move now, because we sitting ducks over here."
"EATTTT LEADDDDDDDD!" yelled Two Guns as he rose above the check counter the Ghostbusters were hiding under. Hundreds of rounds fired from the matching Thompson machine guns, Tommy stopped however when he noticed that no one was there. A proton stream just missed over his transparent shoulder, seeing the orange beam made Two Guns start a hasty retreat, until a Proton stream from the other side cut him off. Two Guns was looking for a way out, and he just happened to see one lying unconscious against the wall.
Tommy Two Guns dived straight for Gizmo, who looked as if he had lighting running through his body when the ghost entered his body. "HA HA HA HA HA." Laughed whatever Gizmo had become, his voice was no longer a high pitch rasp, no instead it was deep, and bellowing, and demonic. "No, Xhal please let it not be so!" said Starfire as a panic rose up within her. She watched a Gizmo's body started to levitate off the ground. "NO!" Starfire screamed as she flew toward Gizmo with a Star Bolt ready. Gizmo simply laughed as a field of energy emitted from his tendrils. Star tried to stop but it was too late and she was knocked out from Gizmo's attack.
"Starfire!" Robin said as he rushed over to her. "Star, tell me you're alright." He said keening down to cradle her head in his hands, she didn't give a response. Being preoccupied with Starfire's condition Robin didn't notice Gizmo until one of his metal tendrils sent him crashing through a desk. "You guys need to do something!" shouted Cyborg at the Ghostbusters "We can't shot him while he's inside that kid." Yelled back Ray "Oh man this is bad, BB help me get Rob and Star out of here." Said Cyborg, who got an agreeing nod from the young changeling. "You'll need a distraction, wait for until he's focused on me." Said Raven before she teleported behind Gizmo. "Hey over here!" Yelled Raven, who landed a kick to Gizmo's chest as he turned around.
Gizmo stumbled back a few steps as Raven used her telekinesis to throw a love seat at Gizmo; he was prepared for the attack though and simply smacked the chair away much as he did Starfire, and with almost no wasted motion he counter punched swinging his tendrils at Raven. She was able to dodge the first but the second was in the right place at the right time and she was knocked down. As Raven got to her feet a tendril wrapped around her neck and lifted her up face to face with Gizmo. He smiled as he drew back another tendril; he was going to make her suffer before she died. Raven struggled and squirmed but it was no use as his grip was too tight "Azarath, Metirion, Zinthos!" she said just before he connected with her face, her powers bathed Gizmo in darkness before knocking his body to the ground, and the ghost out of his body.
"Now!" ordered Vankman, simultaneously three proton streams lock onto Tommy Two Guns, like Raven moments before he tried but could not break free. Soon the white light of the trap filled the room and sealed away the gangster ghost.
Egon shut the rear hatch of Ecto-1 before he and the other Ghostbusters went to check on the Titans. "Is everybody okay?" asked Peter "Robin and Starfire are coming to, I don't see any serious injuries on him, but she was knocked out and S.O.P. says she visits the med-wing for evaluation." Said Cyborg "And what about her?" asked Egon "I'm fine." Raven said with perhaps a little more attitude then necessary.
"Starfire, are you okay?" Robin asked weakly "I am fine, I just wish to return home now." She answered in a meek, saddened tone. Something had been bothering her but he didn't know what it was and today seemed to have made it worst. "Okay, we'll go home." He said helping her up, She held her head low as they entered the T-Car.
Back at the Tower garage the Ghostbusters all worked on figuring out the connection between the all the ghost. Winston was busy looking up schematics on the various haunted buildings, Peter was double checking the map of Jump City and making sure that all the sites were marked off, Ray and Egon were looking up Tobin's Sprit Guide, when Cyborg and Robin came down.
"We're sorry to bother you, be we have to ask you a favor." Said Cyborg "What kind of a favor?" asked Vankman "Well we agreed to provide you with space for work, lodging, and storage so in return we want you to help us develop a few devices that can help us defend ourselves from ghost when we're out trying to protect the city." Said Robin. "Fist let me say on behalf of the group and myself that we appreciate the help you've given us…" Ray said trying to sound as courteous as possible. "I don't know, the proton packs are-" "Agreed, on one condition." Interrupted Egon
"We'll help you if you tell us everything you know about Raven."
To be continued
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