Chapter 17
Everyone was gathered on the top floor of the firehouse with Kylie standing at the head of the table. She was in charge of the new generation of 'Ghostbusters' and as such was also in charge of the meeting that she had called. Eduardo sat to her right and she knew that he was concerned that she shouldn't be over exerting herself. Kylie looked his way and smiled. Eduardo saw her and returned the smile and then mouthed the words "I love you".
Doctor Stringham had come with his wife Grace to examine her that last Friday night. He had drawn blood and had taken a urine sample and on Saturday he had called her back with the good news. Janine had been right, Kylie was pregnant and when she had told her husband, Eduardo had been ecstatic.
"Really?" he questioned her as he pulled Kylie to him and lifted her up off the ground, spinning her around.
Realizing what he was doing Eduardo stopped and sat Kylie back down.
"Did I hurt the baby?" he asked holding her at arms length.
"No honey," she replied.
"Oh good," Eduardo said letting out a breath, "I don't want to hurt our child and I will support you in any decision that you make after he is born."
"He?" Kylie questioned tilting her head, "How do you know it's not going to be a girl?"
"Rivera magic."
"Rivera magic my a…"
"Kylie would you like to get us started?" Egon said interrupting her thoughts, "Echo has to be at St. Luke's Hospital at one for Iris' surgery."
"Of course," she replied.
Kylie looked out over the long square table. She saw Winston sitting to her left with the other older, original "Ghostbusters". On Kylie's right sat the new "Ghostbusters" and Louis Tully their accountant. Looking down the table to Winston, sitting there next to Echo, she saw that he looked pale. Winston was concerned about his wife's surgery today and she knew that he wanted to be out of the firehouse and by her side instead.
"Alright," Kylie said clearing her throat, "we all know why we are here. Yesterday the Sistine Chapel disappeared off the face of Mother Earth. Not only does the United States Military forces want us to investigate, but the government of Italy wants us to go there to help them too."
"Now before we all go rushing off I figured that we all needed a little background information first. Professor Spengler," Kylie said turning to face the man on her left, "the floor is yours."
"Right," Egon said standing up as Kylie sat down.
Picking up some papers from the table he began reading them.
"The Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican City, a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy."
"The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored the old Cappella Magna between 1477 and 1480. The chapel is a rectangular brick building whose exterior is unadorned by decorative details. It is 134 feet long, 44 feet in width, and 68 feet at its highest point."
"Wait a minute," Roland interrupted, "are we talking about the same chapel where Michelangelo painted pictures on the walls?"
"Yes, Roland we are," Ray said from the other end of the table, leaning forward, looking over Garret to Roland's face, "only his work is on the ceiling with the Last Judgment the only piece he painted over the alter on the wall."
"But there are other fresco's by other artists throughout the chapel including Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, and Pinturicchio to name a few," Ray continued.
Ray sat back. He had just come back from Korla, China with Melody on Saturday. Nokomis was still missing. Even though Jean had told Ray that she was safe he was still worried about her.
"Okay," Roland said to Ray who had his right leg up on a chair, "so how does something that big just disappear?"
"Magic," Garrett said sitting to Roland's right and snacking on some peanuts.
"Something tells me it's more than just magic," Peter pointed out sitting across the table from him.
"Sure it is Doctor Venkman," Garrett replied as he poured more peanuts into his hand from the bag he had. "Haven't you seen David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear in 1983?"
"Garrett that was done by simple illusion," Echo pointed out sitting next to her father.
"Prove it," Garrett stated as he placed the handful of peanuts into his mouth.
"Alright, Mr. Copperfield had a setup of two towers on a stage, supporting an arch to hold the huge curtain remember," Echo said. "The TV cameras and live audience only saw the monument through the arch. When the curtain went up Mr. Copperfield played it up to the audience while the stage slowly, and I mean SLOWLY, and imperceptibly turned so that when the curtain came down the statue was hidden behind one of the towers and the audience was looking out to sea."
"But even if the tower hadn't completely hidden the statue, they were so brightly lit that the audience would be night blinded. Mr. Copperfield had also set up two sets of lights. When the 'trick' happened his assistants simply turned off the lights around the statue and turned on the other set for the helicopters to circle around."
"What about the radar blip?" Garret asked pointing at her.
"Oh that," Echo said, "simply a video game animation."
"How do you know that?" Garret questioned her becoming upset, "You weren't even born then!"
"Neither were you," Egon said coming to his daughter's rescue, "but I was and I was also there on that island when Mr. Copperfield happened to be performing that trick. I just happened to stand up before the curtain went up and felt the stage moving; like when you are on an elevator that has reached its destination and you feel that sudden jerk down then up sensation."
"For me it was like I was back on my grandparents' 'dive' boat and felt like I was walking on the deck with the waves splashing against the side. All the other people were sitting down so no one felt the sensation of moving. The only reason I felt it was because I was standing. All the summers I spent with my grandparents on their boat paid off, because I knew what a moving object beneath my feet felt like."
"Okay," Peter said, "but back to Roland's question. How does something that big disappear?"
"I'll say it again," Garrett said, "Magic!"
"We've heard that before," Winston replied, "and I don't think it's true."
"Sure it is," Garrett said trying to make a point, "what if it's an illusion like Doctor Spengler said?"
"Look Garrett," Winston said placing his hands onto the table, "the military has been all over that place. There's a big hole in the ground and no building. If they didn't know any better they would have said it was like an archeological dig."
"So what happened?" Eduardo spoke up and asked.
"More like 'who' happened," Kylie said as she stood back up and Egon sat down.
"Professor Spengler and I have a theory," Kylie said placing her hands on the table, palms down, "we believe that a powerful demon is responsible."
"Who?" Peter questioned.
"It could be Beelzebulb or Azazel," Echo stated.
"Azazel?" Roland questioned, "I haven't heard of him."
"Azazel holds the distinction of being the most mysterious demon in Jewish sacred literature. His presence has been felt throughout the ages, but little is known about his origin. Azazel is a peddler of influence and knowledge," Egon stated.
"Okay, so is it Azazel or Beelzebulb?" Garrett asked.
"That's just it," Kylie said raising her hands up and off of the table, "we don't know."
"We need more information," Egon said. "We need to start at Vatican City. We need PKE and Giga Meter readings for starters."
"So it looks like we're going to Rome," Peter said leaning back in his chair the front legs coming up off of the floor as he did so.
Placing his hands behind his head he said, "We'll do some sightseeing, pick up a souvenir or two."
"I don't think so Doctor Venkman," Louis said to him.
"Why not?" Peter asked taking his hands away from the back of his head and bringing his chair's front legs back down to the floor. "Ain't they providing us with transportation like the time when we went to Paris?"
"Aren't they," Louis corrected him pointing the pencil he was holding Peter's way, "and the answer is no. In case you've forgotten the French cable company sued us for broadcasting five hours of angry cursing ghosts on every channel. They also let a lot of other folks, around their little part of the world, know that we weren't to be trusted."
"But that was over twenty three years ago!" Peter shouted, "surely they have forgotten us by now?"
"I don't think so Peter," Winston replied, "so Louis where does that leave us?"
"The Italian government wants our help, but they are only going to pay for our time there for one day," Louis explained.
"What's our financial situation right now?" Kylie asked Louis who was sitting next to Eduardo's right.
Louis opened his ledger book in front of him.
"It's the end of the month and I just paid the lights, phone, internet, and water bills so we have some money left. Enough for one, maybe two people to go. Although it would be better if you could pay for your own hotel and food while you were there," Louis said looking up at the men and women before him.
"Well I can't go," Winston said, "I have to be with Iris. Besides I don't think that General Kenelm would pay for my expenditures either. His orders were to meet you guys here and try and come up with an answer for him."
"Okay," Kylie said, "and I know that I'm out too. With being pregnant I haven't left the safety of a bathroom in four days now. Any other takers?"
Kylie looked towards Eduardo.
"Not me," Eduardo told his wife, "I'm staying with you."
"Sorry," Ray said, "but I'm not going anywhere on this new knee quite yet."
"I can go," Garrett replied, "but I can't pay for the hotel or meals. I just spent all my money on vacation."
"Same here," Roland replied.
"Alright," Kylie said, "if we have to you two can go and we'll just come up with the money somehow."
"Where is that 'somehow money' going to be appearing from?" Eduardo questioned her looking Kylie right in the eye.
Kylie looked away from him. She knew where the money was coming from and she also knew that he would disapprove.
Eduardo saw her look away from him and knew that she was hiding something.
"Spill it spooky little lady," Eduardo sternly told her.
"My Great-Grandmother Rose's estate," Kylie said quietly.
Kylie's Great-Grandmother Rose had left everything to her when she had died. That was how Kylie had been able to put herself through college. There was still some money left and Eduardo had told her to save it for a rainy day.
Eduardo rose up from his seat, "Over my dead body! What about you Professor? Doctor Spengler?" Eduardo asked looking Egon's and Echo's way.
"I wish I could go," Echo said, "I truly do, but after Iris' surgery today I have to practice with Daniel for our tour that we are starting on July 3rd. I'm going to be out for two months. We'll return September 1st."
"I'm sorry too Kylie," Egon said, "but as Dean of the Psychology Department I have a number of interviews that I had to reschedule because of Lizzie Parnell's passing. I can't reschedule them again."
"I'll go Kylie," Peter said standing up as Eduardo sat back down, "Keep the money in the bank Louis. I'll talk to Jason and Grant, maybe they will flip the bill if we film some footage over there for Ghost Hunters International."
"Ghost Hunters International?" Ray said to himself rubbing his chin.
"Yeah," Peter replied, "it's a spin off of Ghost Hunters."
"I'll go with you Dad," Oscar said from the couch, "I have to conduct the Rome Symphony Orchestra anyways. Richard Prior, their conductor and music director, had an accident and broke his arm. Their next concert is July 4th, so Louis you can also keep the money right where it belongs. In the bank."
"When did you hear about that?" Dana asked her son sitting next to him.
"Last night," Oscar replied.
"Is that what that phone call was for at three in the morning?" Peter questioned. "All I got was someone speaking gibberish to me."
"He was speaking Italian to you Dad," Oscar replied as he rose up from the couch and crossed to Peter's side, "and it was nine in the morning their time."
"So Father and Son outing?" Peter questioned as he took Oscar's outstretched hand and shook it.
"Something like that Dad," Oscar replied releasing Peter's hand.
"That settles it then," Kylie said, "Peter and Oscar will be going to Vatican City. Check in with Professor Spengler before you go. Roland and Garrett why don't you get to work and do some research and find out which demons are still on the loose. Eduardo and I will write up a list of those that are in the containment unit so we aren't chasing after something we haven't already caught."
Kylie looked out over the people before her. "Any questions?"
Ray raised his hand.
"Yes, Doctor Stantz," Kylie said.
"I have a comment and not really a question," Ray said. "I think Peter's idea of a Ghost Hunters International is a great idea, only we should do it ourselves."
"Do what Ray?" Peter questioned his friend.
"Have our own version of "Ghostbusters International"," Ray said getting excited. "Just look at it from my point of view. We have all had to go outside of NYC to bust some really nasty ghosts at times, right? And that costs us a lot of money, right? So instead of us, why not someone else?"
"Just think about it," Ray said as he raised his hands up from his lap, "we could be the corporate headquarters right here in New York," Ray said pointing his fingers at the floor, "with franchises in many geographical locations."
Ray used the fingers of his right hand to count off with. "We could have franchises throughout the United States as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Italy."
"Each franchise would be responsible for putting together a team and keeping up with the maintenance and care of their uniforms, equipment, containment unit, and so on. Each franchise would have their own business with us getting a kick back of, oh-say 10% of their profits for the month."
"Ten percent Ray?" Peter questioned as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "Shouldn't we be charging more like 50%?"
"Uncle Peter," Echo said, "do you even know what 10% of our normal entrapment and proton charging is?"
"No," Peter said, "why?"
"Peter," Egon said, "Ten percent of five thousand dollars is five hundred dollars."
"Five hundred dollars?" Peter said taken back. "For doing nothing?"
"That's right Peter," Ray said, "five hundred dollars for them doing the work for us. Then I figure after maybe a year or two we could reduce it to say 5%. Louis what do you think?"
"Financially it could give our business a real boost," Louis said turning a page of his ledger book, "even with just fifty dollars coming in each time means no more pinching pennies for us. I'm in."
"Kylie," Ray said, "you're in charge of the new team of "Ghostbusters", even though Egon, Peter, and I are the owners, I still want your opinion."
Kylie thought about it. She had been on those long, out of town trips and knew that they were sometimes very strenuous and tiring. Kylie nodded her head. It would be good to have someone else to call if they got backed up and couldn't get to a call right away.
Kylie also knew that right now she was out of the picture because she wasn't feeling well. Once she was feeling better she would go back out on calls with the others again. And then what would happen when the baby was born next year? Would she continue to go on calls and leave the baby where?
Egon had done it when his daughter was born, but he had had his wife that had taken care of Echo. That was until Eden had died. After that it had become hard for the single father. Echo would be left in the care of Janine and Louis until Peter finally convinced Egon to bring her along. Echo was thirteen years old when that had happened.
Even though Eduardo was healthy she knew that the line of work that they did could cause her to lose him. Kylie had almost lost him in September of 2011. He had dislocated his shoulder and had broken his ribs when he had fallen down a hole, but the biggest loss had been to her mentor Professor Spengler.
His daughter Echo had saved Eduardo only to have her own life almost taken away. Kylie had seen Professor Spengler living in a haze for a week. Not knowing if his daughter would live or die. Kylie didn't want that.
Making up her mind Kylie finally answered Ray.
"I agree," Kylie said to Ray, "We need outside help and I would like to put it to a vote. All those in favor of a "Ghostbusters International" organization like Doctor Stantz is proposing say "I"," Kylie finished raising her right hand up in the air.
"I," the rest of the people at the table along with Dana, Oscar, and Janine said all raising their hands up in the air too.
"Then you have your "Ghostbusters International" organization Doctor Stantz," Kylie said dropping her hand back down, "We just need to get it started somehow."
"Leave that to Louis, Janine, and me," Ray said taking his right leg off of the chair and slowly standing up. "We'll have something written up before Peter and Oscar leave for Italy."
"Good," Kylie said, "in that case meeting adjourned."
Kylie watched as the members of the "Ghostbusters" both old and new got up and slowly made their way to the stairs that led down to the lower floors of the firehouse. Only Eduardo was left by her side. Suddenly feeling very spent Kylie slid down into her chair. She wondered if she had made the right call.
She knew that the people who looked up to her thought so, but Kylie had her doubts. She had never really been one to be in charge of other people's lives. Now here she was in charge of that decision every day, by sending Roland, Garrett, and even her beloved Eduardo out into the field and telling them where to go sometimes.
Everyone had problems and crisis at any time in their life. It was her job instead of getting angry, upset and blaming the person to solve the problem. Egon had told her that a good leader is a good problem solver.
"You will rise in life as you develop the ability to solve problems," Professor Spengler had told her when he and Ray had hired her. "The bigger the problem you can solve, the more respect you will gain. So rather than complaining and being upset, start thinking about the solution and taking action."
Kylie remembered Janine's advice to her also.
"Kylie my dear," Janine said as she was leaving for the day, "Everyone is watching you. You are setting the tone for the business. They are observing you and following what you do."
Kylie had been taken back by Janine's statement as she watched the older woman gather her things together.
"Kylie," Janine said pausing at the firehouse's door and turning to face the young girl standing before her, "Ask yourself a question. What kind of person are you and if you want everyone in the firehouse to be just like you? Always imagine you are being watched even if no one is around."
With that statement being said Janine had left Kylie standing there to stay at the firehouse overnight.
Kylie had gone upstairs to sleep in one of the four beds that the original team had set up. Unable to sleep she had sat awake thinking about her responsibilities. She was young, having just turned seventeen years old in February. She was replacing Doctor Ray Stantz who had just undergone surgery for his right knee.
She really hadn't thought about herself as being a leader. Could she trust the others under her? What was the point of being a leader if she didn't trust her fellow workers?
But as the years passed she found that she had become a leader. Kylie had learned how to accept praise, but she had also learned how to accept blame, knowing that it was on her watch that the trouble had started. She had learned that the company's true assets were the people who worked there. Somewhere along the line most of the companies in the New York area had started thinking of employees as some sort of plug-compatible, hire today, fire tomorrow kind of 'resource'. Kylie had seen and felt this in her dealings with the local business men and women. She didn't want the "Ghostbusters" business to be that way.
Kylie had seen that many of the companies that she dealt with would outsource most of their functions be it customer support or licensing. The companies then became little more than a shell designed only to make executive's salaries fat. There was a major problem with this. Employees were not stupid. Employees would leave and go to where they were treated fairly, often to the companies' competition. And what could the companies do? Not much. They had treated their employees as if they were furniture, who would want to stay?
Kylie respected her fellow workers. She knew that their knowledge was a true asset to her and the rest of her team. She had led the way and had asked the others to follow. It had taken guts to strike out and even greater guts to ask Roland, Garrett, and Eduardo to follow her lead, especially when the path ahead was dark and uncertain.
Doctor Echo Spengler had compared Kylie's leadership to a conductor of an orchestra.
"The conductor of an orchestra," Echo had told her, "chooses the best performers, directs them in the way she wishes them to perform, and then leads them in the performance."
To Kylie this was the greatest test of a true leader and the final responsibility. Only she could show the group where to go, and ultimately, it wasn't until that instant when she set off that she would know if the group would follow.
Eduardo took Kylie's hand breaking her from her thoughts. She let Eduardo help her stand up and walk her towards the stairs. She loved him and knew that he would follow her to the ends of the earth and trembled for a moment at the thought.
Kylie knew that if she was a true leader the others would follow her. They may be terrified, or they may be mesmerized, but they would follow. No questions asked.
Eduardo stopped at the top of the stairs and turned out the lights before helping Kylie down to the second floor to place her in their bed. She needed rest.
Kylie was a leader even if she didn't think of herself as one and what words define a person as a leader? Courageous? Dedicated? Influential? Trustworthy? A leader is not defined by words or the distance she or he travels, but whether anyone is following behind them in the end.