Chapter 8 "1999" Later That Day
(Song suggestion-Prince- 1999)
Ray
My head felt like someone was banging cymbals together repetitively when I awoke at ten thirty in the morning with a woman lying next to me in a bed. I felt her velvety skin caress my chest when I opened my eyes and viewed a beautiful African American woman in my arms.
"Oh fuck! where am I?" I thought as Maura's friend, Kimberlee, next to me snuggled her warm inviting body closer to me. I checked underneath the sheet to see if we were both indisposed but I already knew the answer.
"What mess did I get myself into? This isn't usually like me," I thought as I felt Kimberlee's lips grazing my neck then biting my earlobe.
"Ohhh, Kimberlee," I moaned out her name as her able hands scratched my chest with her long fingernails. Gradually, her hands reallocated downward.
Meanwhile, blurry snapshots of Winston, Maura, and Kimberlee, taking shots from a bottle of Jack Daniels that a fan of the Ghostbusters purchased and dancing at a local bar in Queens last night appeared in my mind in slow motion. Maura's friend was a five foot- six breathtaking beauty who was involved in designing fashion for a local clothing company. Kimberlee had flawless brown skin without any wrinkles, medium-length black hair with large curls, an enchanting personality, a curvy body, and a fabulous sense of humor.
"That explains the headache," I thought as gentle hands fondled my skin lower on my body.
Kimberlee and I flirted all evening, but she came onto me around eleven-thirty, and we began kissing. I felt like it was strange that such a gorgeous woman was interested in me, but I went along with it. The memories and the beauty next to me, caressing my hot skin, quickly stimulated my anatomy. Opening my eyes, I lowered my lips to Kimberlee's to kiss her intensely.
"I am going to rock your world, Dr. Stantz," her sultry voice declared after a series of kisses. Next, the mocha-skinned beauty climbed on top of me and she fucked my brains out again without any protestation from me.
Peter Venkman
With Egon's withdrawal from the Firehouse last night, I had plenty of time to contemplate the whole "key master" and "gatekeeper" situation, but I did not find any solutions. I was severely disturbed by my "would-be" girlfriend's possession by Zuul and at the same time, disappointed that we couldn't go on our date.
Dana had that "it" factor about her that made me think that she was the one who could make me willingly settle down. I couldn't lose her to an ancient evil spirit named Zuul, who abruptly wanted attention
After Vinz woke up, I stuck around for a while assisting Spengler with testing, but we didn't get very far. It was inconclusive.
" Where are Winston and Ray," Egon questioned, realizing that they never returned,
"Oh, maybe Stantz stayed on Z's sofa after they did their research, " I nonchalantly replied, sometimes the two friends would go to a local bar and then the youngest Ghostbuster would crash on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Vinz wandered around the lab, randomly sniffing everything around him as he had never seen it before, acting like a canine.
" Do you need my help Egon? I feel like taking a short walk," I rose from the chair ans stretched my arms above my head.
"Go ahead. Thanks for taking care of Vinz last night for me," he sincerely stated.
"Anything to reunite you with Brooklyn," I wryly answered with a smile and wink.
Walter Peck
After Peter Venkman's contemptuous treatment of me when I questioned him to investigate the company's headquarters two weeks ago, I was ready to bring him off his high horse. Even though it took me a while to cash in on some favors to receive a court order to shut the storage unit, I felt victorious when I finally did.
I arrogantly walked into the Firehouse around one in the afternoon on Thursday with a police officer and a man from Con-Edison by my side. Although their petite secretary attempted to stop me, I easily maneuvered around her because I had a warrant. We marched downstairs with her following anxiously with her heels, clicking noisily.
"Excuse me, this is private property," a tall, well-dressed professor- type in gray slacks and a white dress shirt curtly replied. Next to him stood a short nerdy looking man with old-fashioned 1950's style thick black glasses and disheveled clothes.
"What is wrong with that guy," I thought.
Disregarding the Ghostbusters' warning as nonsense, I ordered the Con-Ed worker, pointing at the red machine on the wall, "Shut this off. Shut these all off."
"I'm warning you, turning off these machines would be extremely hazardous," the man with dark circular glasses severely admonished in his deep voice, but it was apparent that he was losing his composure.
Shouting back at him, I did not feeli threatened in the slightest because I knew I had the law on my side.
My scheme to make Peter Venkman pay was about to become a reality as my nemesis came down the stairs into the basement and saw what I was doing. A smile crept on my lips as I realized this was the perfect moment, and my heartbeat increased.
"At ease, officer. I'm Peter Venkman. I think there's just been a slight misunderstanding, and I want to cooperate in any way that I can," he tried to smooth things over immediately. I knew he was someone who could sweet-talk people into doing what he wanted, so I haughtily interrupted at once,
"Forget it, Venkman! You had your chance to cooperate, but you thought it'd be more fun to insult me. Well, now it is my turn, wise ass," I angrily argued.
"He wants to shut down the protection grid, Peter," the bespectacled Ghostbuster informed him as he stood like a human shield protecting the containment unit with the red headed secretary and the weird man behind him.
We argued back and forth for a short time.
"Shut it off!" I roared, much to the Ghostbusters' astonishment. Peter started climbing the stairs as his friend made an explosion motion with his fingers in front of the police captain, mouthing "Boom."
Next, the man in a gray vest abruptly seized the woman in red's hand as they followed Venkman. As soon as the man pulled the red lever, the alarms sounded in a loud cautionary beeping sound.
An explosion was precisely what I had hoped would happen because it proved that the Ghostbusters operation was dangerous. As the noise increased from the alarms and the bricks became unglued to the wall from the built-up pressure, we all ran out of the firehouse.
"I got you, Venkman," I thought with a smirk, not worrying about my safety necessarily. The satisfaction I would receive from putting these jokers in jail would be worth it, and I would be hailed as a hero for saving the city from environmental ruin.
Ray
Winston, Maura, Kimberlee, and I ate a late breakfast in Queens made by the fourth Ghostbuster's fiancee. My date, unfortunately, left thirty minutes later because she had to go to work, and we exchanged numbers. I planned on calling Kimberlee this weekend since she was not only a sweet lady, she was quite beautiful. Finally, I felt like I was functioning better after eating and taking pain relievers, but getting laid may have assisted, too.
"Uhh, Ray," Winston questioned worriedly as he cleaned the last plate in his hands then rinsed it. Kimberlee and I had exchanged numbers.
"What Z?"
"We forgot something important," he sourly remembered with a frown on his lips as I cheerfully dried the last plate in my hand with a towel.
"Huh?" I was preoccupied with thinking about last night with Kimberlee.
"Didn't…Spengler ask us…."
"Oh no! You are right, Z! Spengs was going to surprise Janine for her birthday," I exclaimed after a moment of racking my brain, and placing the dish on the counter.
"Damn," Winston declared, " I don't want to see Spengler mad again. That was insane for a man who usually is so reserved."
"Iggy's going to be livid," I agreed,
"Maura, I have to go to work," Z announced, and he went to change clothes as I finished the last couple of dishes.
Five minutes later, we left Queens, but there was horrible traffic blocking the roads. We chatted as I navigated the busy streets until we saw an enormous colorful explosion from a distance. It looked magical, and there were beams of light coming out from it.
"What the heck is that," Winston questioned when he was able to regain his speech from the shock.
"Trouble. I bet that's from the Firehouse," I reported, noting that we were just a block away from HQ. With the agility of a race car driver, I parked Ecto One in front of the building. We ran over to the firehouse but kept our eyes glued to the sky where ghosts were flying around.
"Oh my," Winston gaped.
Saying a quick prayer, I saw a group of people, including a police car, an unknown well dressed man and a police officer. I swiftly searched for Janine, Peter, or Egon, but Winston spotted them first and grabbed my arm. We ran to them as people gathered around the Firehouse as all of the ghosts we captured were released into the City, and they were rightfully scared.
"What happened," I asked, dumbfounded.
"The storage facility blew. He shut off the protection grid," Egon admitted one hundred percent, displeased. The well dressed man began accusing our arrest to the police office, and Spengs irately lunged at him.
"You have to be kidding me," Winston mumbled as we assisted Peter with stopping the eldest Ghostbuster from fighting the man that I assumed was Walter Peck.
"Where's Janine?" Spengler worriedly imquired afterward, realizing that she wasn't with us, and turned around to search for her.
"I don't know, is she here?" I asked.
Egon craned his neck around the crowd amid the chaos to find his beloved and looked devastated that he couldn't find her.
"There she is," Winston said, pointing at her with his index finger. He nudged Spengler to look where Janine was standing on the other side of the gigantic crowd of people frozen in fear by all of the spirits floating around. Iggy screamed at the top of his lungs at her to gain her attention, but she was vexed as the rest of us with the ghosts fluttering around. Too bad for me, it was right in my ear.
Next, the police officer read us our rights and commenced cuffing us then roughly pushed us in the squad car, one by one. I noted that the normally restrained physicist looked like he wanted to kill someone for causing this disaster.
"We demand a lawyer and a phone call," Pete hotly declared next to me, and the officer remarked we would get one when we reached city hall.
"Janine isn't safe," Egon agitatedly remarked, turning around to look out of the window for her.
" I told her to leave the city, but I know she is too stubborn."
"Janine is a survivor, Spengler," Winston reassuringly commented," If anyone will be OK, it is her and my Maura."
Poor Iggy did not seem comforted and the scientist seemed to glower furiously.
"What the hell happened," I demanded, balling my hands into fists in frustration.
"Which part," Peter sarcastically inquired and nastily glared at me with a pause for dramatic emphasis.
"The one where Dana gets possessed before our date? Or when possessed man showed up during Egon and Janine's romantic reunion last night?"
"The beginning," both Winston and I answered in unison.
Venkman and Spengler filled us in as we headed towards City Hall. The latter mentioned his concern about Janine's safety one more time.
"I can't lose Janine after all it has taken to win her back," he stated incredulously, "not because an idiot working for the government found a judge moronic enough to agree to a warrant to turn off the grid."
Quietly, I gave our genius a slight sympathetic grin.
"You won't," Peter reassured him," we are getting a lawyer and need to speak to the Mayor ASAP."
"Hey Spengler, Z and I are sorry about not showing up last night, Egon," I sheepishly admitted, and Winston nodded.
"Don't worry about it. It all worked out anyway," Dr. Spengler remarked with a half-smile on his long, thin face, and Peter explained Walter Peck's appearance today.
"Uh oh, I have a terrible feeling, " I thought as I peered outside of the squad car's window to see the transformation of the sky to a darker, more ominous color. Shuddering, I felt a chill go through my body.
"What is the worst that can happen?" Winston questioned.
"Do you remember the thirty-five foot long and six hundred pound Twinkie analogy regarding the psychokinetic energy in the City? I used," Iggy questioned, thoughtfully.
"Yes," I responded, and Z nodded.
"Well, all of that has been released into the area without limitations. The ghosts have been locked into an overcrowded containment unit for months but now have free range of movement. As a result, they are wreaking havoc. My calculations indicated that something big was coming, and my guess it is almost here," Spengs answered.
"Oh shit," Winston groaned while grimacing.
Winston
Fortunately, the car ride was short to City Hall. Seated next to Spengler, I peered out the window to view the craziness outside. The sky transformed to a dark color, and people were scurrying every which way as ghosts terrorized others.
"What the fuck are we going to do," I apprehensively wondered, " Is Maura truly alright, I wonder?"
Promptly, the car door was opened by one of the police officers, and we were ordered to abandon the vehicle. Dr. Spengler followed me quietly as I felt the metal from the handcuffs uncomfortably digging into my skin on the wrist. I had never been arrested in my life, and I wasn't impressed.
"This is bull shit. We need to get out there and stop this thing from coming," I heatedly thought.
Although Egon looked pensive, hopefully solving the crisis, I know he was also preoccupied with Janine. We stood side by side as an officer stood behind, commanding us to go into the building as specters floated by us in the air. A second officer corralled Peter and Ray behind us. Both officers appeared horrified by the ghosts flying in the sky unfettered as they guided us into City Hall.
"Man, this is just another day on the job," I muttered underneath my breath, " these jokers wouldn't make it one day as a Ghostbuster."
Luckily, Mr. Peck wasn't around because Dr. Venkman was ready to fight him physically. Ray and I had an unspoken agreement to restrain him and Spengler if things became ugly in the Mayor's office. Honestly, I didn't think Egon would react so rashly, but I could easily see Peter doing so.
Booking was a painstakingly slow process as everyone seemed too scared to do their job because of the immediate chaos of the situation. One by one, we had a mugshot made, our fingerprints copied, and then forced into a large jail cell with some tough dudes. They were probably minor criminals as we were locked up in a holding pen. I didn't like the look of them and stayed away as much as possible. Even though I could defend myself, I didn't want to unless it was necessary. I frustratedly paced the cell as the others discussed the information that they knew about Gozer.
"Hey guard, I want to make a phone call, I work for these guys, but I wasn't even there," I yelled as Egon and Ray studied the schema of Dana Barrett's apartment building closely.
As usual, they were deliberate in their discussion, but Pete joked around. This time he melodiously sang,
"So be good, for goodness sake! Whoa! Somebody's coming! Somebody's coming!"
"We have to get out of here. We've gotta get a judge or something," Ray stated adamantly, leaning on the table.
"Damn, what trouble did I get into with my employment with the Ghostbusters," I pondered inwardly.
"No offense, guys, but I gotta get my lawyer," I surmised as I listened to the others discuss the information.
"Okay, Ghostbusters! The mayor wants to see you guys. The whole island's going crazy! Let's go," the portly African American guard declared.
"Here we go," I mumbled as the other inmates watched us with amazement as we exited the cell.
"Yep," Ray said, "start praying that the Mayor believes in ghosts now. When we met at the gala a year ago, he wasn't a believer."
"I'll persuade him," Venkman confidently promised, as we followed him and the guard from behind down the halls to the Mayor's office.
"Uh oh," Drs. Spengler and Stantz simultaneously groaned as they shared a knowing expression.
"Let me and Spengs do the talking, Pete," Ray chastised our psychologist.
"Party over, out of time, tonight I am going to party like it's 1999," I softly sang one of the songs played at the bar last night.
"Why did it feel like that was the case?" I contemplated silently, shaking my head.