Using only the necessary lighting in the basement Egon crept down the stairs in the wee hours of the morning with the intent on researching the bizarre ghost that seemed to drain Ray of his natural energy. This type of leeching behavior isn't uncommon with ghosts, as many draw upon man made electronic devices in order to manifest, however ghosts who use the naturally occurring energy from living beings is very unusual; if not entirely dangerous for all New Yorkers.

Isolating himself in the basement Egon checked the power display of the ecto containment unit and noted that there seemed to be a surge in the energy levels with the addition of the newest occupant.

"Fascinating." Egon compared the new readings to the previous readings. "This ghost is a truly unique entity. It draws on electricity but the ionization field of the containment unit seems to dampen its ability to siphon electrical impulses."

Taking the PKE meter from his belt Egon then compared the recorded data from the bust itself to the data on display for the containment unit.

"Truly fascinating." Egon reiterated. "An entity that subsists entirely on a single element. Tobin's Spirit Guide references energy draining spectral anomalies but there is no mention of ghosts isolating a single element from the environment. Perhaps this ghost manifested solely from mankind's ingenuity? If so then this ghost can be classified as the first artificially created incorporeal entity."

A single small bolt of electricity jumped from the containment unit's display over to the PKE meter in Egon's hand. The static charge wasn't painful but it was surprising enough to cause Egon to step back from the containment unit and drop the meter in the process.

"Electrical surge." Egon observed calmly and looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. "The entity must be responsible."

Daring to approach the containment unit's display again Egon checked the power level readings, only to take a cautious step back. "Normal readings... Where is the entity?"

The PKE meter laying on the floor at Egon's feet suddenly shuddered with motion as a wave of electrical energy surged through the dropped device. A second bolt electricity erupted from the PKE meter and struck Egon in his shoulder! Unable to react quickly enough, unable to sidestep the attack Egon took the full bunt of the jolt and fell to the ground.

Suddenly too weak to call out in pain Egon laid on his stomach alone on the floor of the basement as he felt his strength drain from his body.

Hours passed by turning night into morning. Ray slept without waking as he recovered from his attack, while Egon lay helpless in the basement far below the bunk room. Neither Peter or Winston noticed that Egon had never gone to bed as they too were exhausted and slept soundly all through the night and well through the early morning hours.

Winston awoke first and looked over at Ray who still sound asleep. Seeing the constant beat of Ray's heart on the monitor he was satisfied that his friend was stable and out of danger. "Glad to see you're still with us." Peter was still asleep and Egon's bed was unoccupied. "Better get in a shower before we get another call." Walking into the washroom quietly Winston turned on the shower and sighed deeply. "Man, I smell like a basement!"

Peter was stirred awake by the sound of rushing water from the washroom adjoined to the bunk room. Warm beams of rising sunlight shone over the hardwood floor and illuminated the room in an amber glow. Still tired he rolled over onto his back and stretched out as much as possible. "Few more minutes. I will not be held responsible for any crankiness on my part..."

Janine arrived at nine in the morning, sharp, with a cup of warm chamomile tea in her hand. Approaching her desk she placed her purse in the bottom drawer and checked the answering machine only to find no messages. Before she had the chance to sit down she noticed that the basement light was on, which was something that was out of character for the four very observant Ghostbusters.

"That's strange. The light is never left on!" Walking over to the opened stairwell of the basement Janine ran her hand along the wall to locate the switch. "I wonder why they-" As she rested her hand on the switch she caught sight of a form laying on the floor. "Egon!"

Egon had heard a voice calling his name. Using as much strength as he could muster he pushed himself up from the ground onto his elbows and knees. His entire body was shaking from the physical exertion.

"Egon, are you alright?" Janine was resting on her knees beside him. She put one hand on his chest and her other hand on his back to try and help him stop shaking. "What happened?"

"...attacked." Egon managed to speak although his voice was as shaky as the rest of his body. "Entity escaped."

"Can you get up?"

"I'll try..." Egon struggled to shift his weight back toward his legs so he could stand up.

"Here," Janine rubbed his back once. "lean against me."

Reluctantly Egon allowed Janine to pull him up from the ground and lean against her shoulder. He did his best to keep his weight from hurting her, but he was too weak to properly balance himself and his great height only made it all the more difficult.

"Walk slowly." Janine encouraged as she tightened her arm around Egon's waist and her hand around his arm as he limped from the center of the basement and to the staircase. "Hey fellas!" She called out for the other guys, hoping they'd hear her voice from the second floor. "Need some help down here!"

It was a clumsy assent but with Janine's help Egon was able to walk halfway up the staircase before having to stop and rest.

By that time Peter had wandered down from the bunk room having heard Janine's voice. "What's going on down here? It's too early in the morning for drama!" Seeing Egon standing on the stairs with Janine holding him up all sarcasm left Peter in an instant. "Egon! What's going on down here?" Rushing to Egon's other side he took the brunt of Egon's weight and helped him to walk the rest of the way up the stairs.

"I was studying the ghost..." Egon sounded dazed and as tired as Ray had been the previous night. "It attacked me. Escaped the unit."

"Oh, great!" Peter paused long enough for Egon to rest at the top of the stairs. "First Ray and now you! If Winston goes down I'm calling in sick."

Janine shook her head. "Just help me carry him!"

Winston had finished his shower and was dressed in fresh clothes for the day. As he wandered down the staircase from the second floor he spotted Egon and immediately raced over to his friend. "Oh no, what happened?"

Peter answered on Egon's behalf. "Ghost got him, then escaped."

"Not again. Here Janine," Winston took her place and helped Peter guide Egon up into the bunk room. "we'll take care of Egon. Can you go upstairs first and check in on Ray?"

"Peter wasn't joking about Ray? This is NOT how I wanted to start my day!"

"Easy big guy," Peter tried to be sympathetic toward his friend but didn't want to lose his humor in fear this his seriousness might worry the others. "we'll get you tucked into bed and if you ask nicely I bet Janine would read you a story!"

"No thank you..." Egon retorted in a quiet slurring voice. "I won't need it."

"We gotta' do something about this ghost!" Peter declared as he and Winston carried Egon into the bunk room and sat him down on the edge of his bed beside Ray. "How do we find it Egon?"

"I don't..." Egon was struggling to keep his thoughts coherent. "It leaves an electrical signature."

Janine watched from the opposite side of Ray's bed as Egon was laid down to rest. "This ghost attacked both Ray and Egon?"

"Yeah," Winston confirmed solemnly. "and if we can't find it, catch it and keep it locked up the entire city could be in trouble!"

Peter put his hand on Egon's shoulder. "Okay Spengz, you know the drill. Just like Ray you need to rest, so don't go sneaking off to the basement to do research while me and Winston are out looking for this thing. Janine," Peter pointed at the fiery receptionist. "it's your job to make sure they're both resting."

"Sure Dr. V, I'll do what I can."

Winston used his thumb to point over his shoulder to the fire pole in the corner of the room. "Want to head out and look for the ghost?"

"Yeah, the sooner the better!"

"I'll meet you at the car!" Winston easily slid down the fire pole and out of sight. His instincts as a marine kicked in full gear; his colleagues were down and other people could be in mortal danger! He couldn't just stand by and do nothing. "Let's move it!"

Peter gave Egon's shoulder a quick pat before grabbing onto the fire pole. He called out one last request as he slid down out of the bunk room and into the garage. "We'll be back, don't do anything stupid while we're gone! I'd hate to miss it!"

Janine sat on the edge of Egon's bed. "Do you need anything?"

"No." Egon fought against his fatigue but was noticeably losing the battle. "Just keep an eye on Ray. If anything happens you must wake me up."

"Okay Egon, I'll stay with Ray. I promise."

Despite his desire to remain awake Egon couldn't keep his eyes open. With a final deep sigh his eyes shut and his body relaxed as the desperately needed slumber overtook him.

Janine gingerly lifted Egon's glasses away from his face, folded the frames and set the glasses down on the table beside Egon's bed. Running her fingers through his hair she couldn't help but compare him to a feeble, helpless shell of his former self. It was rare to see any of the Ghostbusters submitting to injury or fatigue, but to see the team's night owl who would put work ahead of sleep laying so still and lifeless was almost haunting.

"Don't worry guys, I'm here." She soothed quietly. Turning to look over her shoulder at Ray laying in the bed beside Egon, she reached out her hand and rested it on top of Ray's. "Wake up soon, I already miss you."

The firehouse was uncommonly quiet with two Ghostbusters incapacitated and the remaining two out on an emergency call. With the exception of Janine there was seemingly no life inside the old brick building.

Peter and Winston had taken off inside Ecto-1 in an attempt to locate the missing ghost. The PKE meter that had initially recorded the ghost's electrical signature had been damaged beyond repair, which meant the responding duo would need to start fresh and locate the ghost with their wits and experience as paranormal investigators.

"Find anything yet?" Winston asked as he drove down the streets toward the power plant where everything began. His soulful brown eyes were sharp and focused on the activity taking place all around the car on the sidewalks. "Any electrical disturbances or spikes in PKE levels?"

"Nothing yet." Peter had taken one of the spare PKE meters from storage and was using it to scan the air while riding passenger. "A few 'blips' here and there, but that's nothing unusual for New York. The question is: How do we isolate a strong electrical signal in a city full of people and buildings that are just brimming with electricity already?"

"I think I know the answer..." A proud smile appeared on Winston's face. "We can look for an unusual electrical pattern by looking for areas that are suddenly without electricity. That ghost was causing the power to flicker all morning long, if we find a blackout-"

"We find the ghost!" Peter happily slapped Winston's shoulder in approval. "'Zed' you're a genius!"

...to be continued...