As the Ghostbusters were en route to the Parker-Nichols Hotel, Trina Vega was sprawled out on a bed in her hotel room chatting on the phone. "No, it feels weird being back in L.A…my sister's not talking to anyone or something, I dunno; my dad's a cop and he can't even find her so they reported her missing…yeah, but whatever…speaking of parties, I got invited to some fancy dinner tonight…I found some bug in my room service food and the manager offered me a free invite to this dinner if I didn't talk about it…I didn't have a dress so I borrowed one of Tori's…well she's not 'technically' missing…agree to disagree…" the door to the bathroom slammed itself shut, "…Molly, I'm gonna call you back." Trina hung up her phone and went over to the main door, which she determined was still locked. "Then how did-" Trina heard a strange noise coming from the bathroom. Cautiously opening the bathroom door, she took a quick peek inside and screamed.
…
Beck did a sort of arrogant strut into the hotel with his associates behind him. "HEY!" Beck got the attention of everyone in the lobby. "Anyone see a ghost?"
A man behind the desk quickly ran over to them. "Hello I'm Mr. Eikner and I'm the hotel manager."
"You the guy who called?"
"Listen, guests have questions and I don't have the answers. I can tell you we just received a call from a woman in room 3189 who saw the ghost secreting slime in her bathroom."
"Has any paranormal activity happen here before?" Andre inquired.
"Over eighty years ago ghosts took over the twelfth floor; so staff closed the twelfth floor and reserved it for ghosts. Eventually, the ghosts were accommodated and satisfied that they decided to leave and pursue other, more haunted residents. We haven't had reports of ghosts anywhere in this hotel since yesterday."
"Well why didn't you call us yesterday?"
"Because the reports came from a crazy homeless looking man who wasn't registered in the hotel. But when more and more reports came in today we decided it'd be best to phone you."
"Have you reported it to anyone else?" Robbie asked.
"No, I was hoping we could resolve this issue quietly."
"And with a fee of course," Beck added.
"Yes, only if you successfully capture it."
"You said this ghost was last seen in room 3189?"
"Yes, it's on the seventh floor."
"Coolness," Beck and his pals, decked in their uniforms and wearing giant proton packs on their backs, went over to the elevator where a man with a cotton candy machine was standing. "'Sup," Beck greeted.
The cotton candy man (with the nametag Larry) suspiciously eyed the trio. "What are you guys supposed to be, some kinda cosmonauts?"
"We're exterminators; someone saw a roach on the seventh floor."
"Must be some roach."
The elevator opened and the three of them stepped in. "Hey," Andre began, "dibs on the spectral goggles." Robbie passed Andre what looked like night-vision goggles and Andre giddily put the goggles atop his head.
"I think it's best I use the PKE meter," Robbie suggested. "Beck, do you need anything?"
"There like a manual's guide to this stuff 'cause I think I need one of those," Beck retorted with sarcasm. Much to his surprise, Robbie handed him a manual guide. "Thanks, Rob."
"I just had a thought," Andre started, "we haven't really had much success with testing the equipment."
"Oh yeah," Robbie agreed. "I guess I blame myself for that."
"So do I," Beck sarcastically agreed.
"Should we really worry about this now?"
"Why should we worry? Each of us is wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on our backs."
The elevator dinged and opened when it reached its destination. Immediately after stepping off the elevator, Andre reached for his proton gun and searched the premises, Robbie stepped off next waving the PKE meter around while he kept his proton gun ready for use, and Beck just nonchalantly stepped off the elevator and stood against the wall. The three of them slowly scoured the area ready for action…perhaps a little too ready.
While the boys were looking in another direction, a maid stepped out of a room wheeling a cleaning cart. After shutting the door, all hell broke loose. In a panic, Andre and Robbie fired their guns- which fired a light red stream of protons at the designated target. Unfortunately, the designated target was a frightened maid and her cleaning cart. Thankfully, Beck wasn't using his gun and managed to get Andre and Robbie to stop firing their guns. Surveying the damage they did to the cart, the scared maid hid behind the cart and waved toilet paper as a white flag of surrender.
"Okay so the guns work," Beck observed. "That maid isn't going to turn into a ghost if she got hit with the stream is she?"
"That's highly unlikely," Robbie answered. "The proton beams- or streams as you just called them- are used to hold and contain negatively charged ectoplasmic entities."
"In English?"
"The beam holds the ghost and guides it to the ghost trap."
"Why must you use big words?" Robbie shrugged. "You're the man of many answers Rob."
Andre looked around. "I think we should split up."
"Oh, and I thought our relationship was going good."
"Ha, ha Beck. I meant we should go in separate directions to try and find this ghost. We got walkie-talkies in case we need backup."
"Good point, we can do more damage by splitting up. Andre you go that way, Robbie you go the other way, and whenever there's a third option, I'll take that way." The others nodded and went their separate ways. Robbie went one way waving his PKE meter, Beck managed to find another route and just casually walked their as if he wasn't interested, and Andre went down a different hall.
While wandering down the hall, Andre reached into his pocket and pulled out some gum. He continued down the hall chewing the gum…until a sight caused his jaw to drop and the gum to fall out of his mouth. There before his eyes was a small, fat, green ghost at a room service cart eating all the food- plates included. "Uh Beck? Robbie?" the guys weren't around. "Figures, I'm the one who sees the ghost and I can't react." He kept watching it with disgust. "Dang! How does he keep eating?" Andre made a disgusted face. "Disgusting blob." Andre took a deep breath. "I guess I'm gonna have to hold him myself." He got his proton gun ready and aimed it at the green blob ghost. But then he and the ghost locked eyes and Andre accidentally fired around the ghost completely missing it and sending it away screaming with terror.
Meanwhile, Robbie was in an opposite hallway waving his PKE meter over practically everything he came across. "Nothing," he continued to do what he was doing.
"Yeah, it was some freaky green blobby thing," Trina stepped out of her hotel room talking on her cell phone. "It was using my toilet too which was super gross." She started walking in Robbie's direction and noticed him waving a device across the floor. "Um, you're in my way," she informed him. In response, Robbie waved his PKE meter over Trina from her feet to her head. After the examination, he poked her for a response. Trina's response was knocking the PKE meter out of his hands and stomping on his foot. "Freak," she scoffed at him.
As this was going on, Beck was just walking through the hallways with a slightly uninterested demeanor. And, of course, he was the next one to spot the green blob all the way at the other end of his hall. Without any enthusiasm, he reached for his walkie-talkie. "Come in, Andre," he said without enthusiasm.
"Beck!" Andre had enthusiasm in his tone, "I saw it! I saw the ghost!"
"It's right here Andre," Beck stated this as he stared at the blob, "and it's looking at me."
"Ugly little spud ain't he?"
"I think he can hear you."
"Okay stay where you are and try not to move."
Beck's eyes went wide with terror. "It's coming right at me, Andre!"
"Don't move!"
"I'M MOVING!" Beck tried to run backwards, but the ghost flew right at him.
"BECK!" Andre ran to find his friend. "BECK!" When he came across Beck, Beck was lying on the ground covered in green goo. "Beck?"
"He slimed me."
"You had actual, physical contact with the ghost? Can you move?"
"I just hope I can shower."
"Andre, Andre, come in Andre," Robbie was trying to reach Andre via walkie-talkie.
"Andre, here," Andre responded to Robbie's call. "You won't believe this, Beck got slimed!"
"Great, save some slime for me to analyze. The ghost just flew into the ballroom on the first floor. I'll meet you guys down there."
"Be right there!" Andre helped Beck up and the two of them took the elevator to the first floor and hurried to the ballroom where Robbie and Eikner were waiting. "Is it still in there?" Robbie nodded.
"I don't mean to rush you," Eikner began, "but we do have a gala dinner in the ballroom this evening."
"Well if you and your staff can keep everyone out of here we'll take care of it," Andre led the others in as Beck and Robbie shut and locked the ballroom doors behind them.
Robbie looked around and didn't see any spook. "I don't understand, they said the ghost was in here."
"Let me use the spectral goggles," Andre put the goggles over his eyes and searched for the specter. "He's here! He's roaming around the giant chandelier."
Beck looked up at the chandelier. "That's the sucker that slimed me." Beck reached for his gun. "This one's personal."
The three friends moved closer to the ballroom. "Let's get him!" They each fired their guns at the giant chandelier, missing the ghost. One thing Andre didn't miss was what holding the chandelier together and the giant crystal chandelier came crashing down onto a table. "My bad."
"That's okay, the table broke the fall."
"Guys, there's something very important I forgot to tell you," Robbie remembered.
There was some pause as he waited for a response. "Okay, what?"
"Don't cross the streams."
"Why?"
"It'd be bad."
"People's definitions of good and bad can differ, Rob. What do you mean by bad?"
"Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."
"Okay, that sounds bad. Important safety tip, thanks Robbie. Andre, take the left side, Robbie, take the right, and I'll go center." They prepared themselves. "I don't think we should fire just yet. Perhaps we should-" Andre's proton gun went off and scared the ghost. "Andre!"
"My bad," Andre fessed.
Beck watched as the ghost fled in Robbie's direction. "Robbie, shoot!"
Robbie seemed nervous. "How much power should I use?"
"JUST SHOOT AT IT!" The other two commanded.
Robbie aimed the gun near the ghost and fired a massive steam at it. However, he was shaking with nerves that he missed the ghost and got everything at the giant buffet table the ghost was near. Robbie did manage to hit ghost with a tiny portion of the stream and sent it flying backwards where it landed behind the bar. When Robbie saw the ghost behind the bar, he shot again. Still shaky, he missed again, but kept shooting even when the ghost flew away.
"ROBBIE!" Robbie turned toward the guys, the streams still coming out. "WHOA! WHOA!" Robbie managed to stop himself. "Nice shootin' Tex!"
Andre noticed the ghost was flying slower. "I think a tiny portion of the stream took some energy out of him. I'm gonna lay out the trap and we're gonna guide him to. Give me some room." Beck and Robbie started throwing tables out of the way.
"Check it out, I've always wanted to do this," Beck went over to a table with glass dishes and flowers atop it. Pulling the tablecloth, he sent all the dishes flying off, yet the flowers remained. "And the flowers are still standing!"
Andre set his trap. "Robbie, I need you to shoot a stream at him on my signal." Robbie nodded and prepped himself. Once the ghost was in place Andre gave a signal and yelled, "NOW!" Robbie kept focus and shot a stream at the blob. He managed to hold the ghost within the streams. "Beck, now!" Beck shot his stream at the ghost to keep hold on it too.
"It's working, Andre!" Robbie reported.
"Start lowering him toward the trap."
Beck started laughing at the ghost. "Maybe now you won't slime a guy with a proton gun, eh?" he mocked.
"Hey Beck, shorten your stream," Robbie requested, "I don't want my face burned off."
"Guys, I'm opening the trap now! Don't look directly into the trap!" Andre warned. The only way to open the trap was by pressing your foot against a pedal attached to a cord attached to the trap. Andre pressed his foot onto the pedal and the trapped opened.
Robbie couldn't help but gaze. "I looked at the trap, Andre!"
"Stop firing as soon as I close the trap." Andre removed his foot from the pedal. "NOW!" Beck and Robbie pulled away as the ghost was lowered into the trap and the trap closed with the ghost in it.
Robbie went to examine the trap. "Guys, it's in."
Andre smiled. "Well, that wasn't such a chore was it?" The three of them surveyed the ballroom.
"It's gonna be a chore for the cleaning crew, that's for sure," Beck commented. "Come on guys," Robbie picked up the trap as Beck led the team out of the ballroom. Once the doors flew open, everyone flocked to the ballroom. "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!"
"What was it?" Eikner questioned.
"What you have is a focused, non-terminal repeating phantasm, or a Class Five full roaming vapor," Robbie replied.
"Real nasty one too," Andre added.
"Let's get serious now," Beck pulled out a spiral notepad with a pencil in the spiral rings. "For the entrapment we have to charge you four grand. And lucky for you we're having a special on proton charging and storage of the ghost and that's gonna come to $1000 in addition to the entrapment fee."
Eikner's eyes went wide. "Five-thousand dollars?" Beck nodded. "And if I don't pay?"
"Then our pal Robbie sets the ghost loose here in the hotel."
Eikner sighed and pulled out his checkbook. "Alright, I'll pay! Just get rid of that thing for good."
Beck smiled as he took the check. "Pleasure doing business with you. Boys, let's take this slimer to his new home." The guys left the hotel.
Trina went up to the manager. "Who were those nerds?"
"Ghostbusters," Eikner replied.