Chapter 18: Green Light

Wednesday July 3rd, 2002

Ghostbusters HQ

9:00 PM

It was time.

Everyone was in the garage of the firehouse. Ecto-1 sat in the back of the garage as Dan's F-150 now named Black Vengeance and Old Man Dan's Chi-Ecto sitting side by side by the door. Extra room was made with Janine's broken desk moved out of the way to allow all of the vehicles into the garage. Old Man Dan laid out one last time what the plan was, "The F-150 and the Explorer are decoys. Our job is to draw as many of these things after us as possible. Dan, I rigged your pick-up's PA system to play dual-tone audio at 75 kHz and 150 kHz. Use it sparingly and only when the Man-Bats are ignoring you. Me, Jackson, and Shannon are the 'Leads'. Moondust, Kino, and Griffin are the 'Lookouts'. You have more mobility in those smaller packs so keep moving around in your vehicles and watch out for any strange behavior. Try not to get them close to you. The full size pack users are 'Supports'. Once outside the vehicles, Rivera, Miller, and Chiba are to assist me, Jackson, and my counterpart respectively to get the units out of our vehicles. Once they're on the ground and Leads are activating the units, Supports and Lookouts are to look after your Leads. Remember: Once the disrupter fields touch, they will have to shut down and recalculate the harmonics. You will be vulnerable for up to 20 seconds, so stay vigilant."

Egon then stepped beside Old Dan and explained another set of instructions, "I have taken a sample of the kinetic energy-deflecting ectoplasm that is coated on the Other Dan's Ectomobile and have improved the energy repulsion threshold by 43.7%. The new coating has already been applied to all of the vehicles. If you do encounter any shooters nothing short of .50 caliber rounds with black-tip armor piercing will get through the vehicles' sheet metal. I have also programmed the detection equipment in Ecto-1 to detect human lifesigns effective to 70 feet. If there's any detection, attempt to duck away from the vehicle windows to avoid any clear line-of-sight shots."

Dan then took over, "I already modified the routes each vehicle is to take." He opened the truck's door and took out a stack of paper stapled together, "After a sufficient amount of Disruptor units have been activated, Roland will give a signal to converge. From there, we drive into the active shields and shed our load of these little shits. Try to stick to your route. These things will start getting wise, so like my other self here said, keep your eyes open and your buttholes puckered."

"Don't forget the communication protocol," Egon laid out one last reminder, "We have people monitoring the situation. As far as they know, we have no plan. Refer to yourselves only by your group codename. The Order's likely to catch on, but try to keep as ambiguous of statements as possible over the radio to buy as much time as possible. Once more, the F-150 is Chase One; the Explorer is Chase Two; Ecto-1 is Delivery. Does everyone understand?" Everyone nodded.

Serena looked timid again. She nodded in hesitation as she started rubbing her arm again. Egon saw this and addressed her, "Serena, are you okay to do this?" She nodded again as her breathing picked up pace a bit. He reassured her, "The Other Dan and Eduardo will be with you. If you're unsure of what to do, ask them. To your vehicles."

On the roof, Janine was dressed in one of Egon's old uniforms and was loaded up with a Proton Pack. Joining her was Amy, Raye, Mina, and the cats. The girls stood around with Raye complaining about the situation, "This is a very risky idea. It was hard enough getting here, but now we're gonna have the Ghostbusters risk getting their butts blown off with Serena and Darien with them?"

"I have to admit," Amy stated with a clear look of duress on her brow, "it makes me nervous as well. The two of them volunteered to potentially be attacked…" she couldn't finish the thought. It was clear Serena's decision was upsetting everyone. Mina commented, "Don't forget Lita. She decided to go in on this goofy plan, too." "I'm not worried about Lita, frankly," Raye said, "She's had training to use the equipment and has been doing it for at least a few weeks. Meatballhead, on the other hand… The idea of her even being within a thousand miles of one of those packs scares me."

"Hey, cut the kid some slack." Janine walked up and joined in their roundtable on the situation, her hands placed right onto her hips as she stared them all down, "I didn't see any of you jumping at the chance to hop into Ecto-1 and do the work. She's taking some initiative here, so back off of her!"

All three girls heard the older woman's statement and knew what they were saying was harsh. Luna and Artemis decided to clear the air on the dynamic, Luna taking point, "They know that, Ms. Melnitz. Serena has fought as Sailor Moon and triumphed many times in the past. It took her a lot of work to do it right, though. This is a totally new scenario for her and they know how well she adapts to situations…"

"What she means, Ms. Melnitz," Artemis broke in, "they're worried about how she'll adapt to this. From what we heard she had a very trying time in the tower dealing with Jedite's ghost. Now she can't use her powers at all to protect her identity. The Order people know they can't watch this place, so we know the Scouts will be safe to do what they need to here. Down there on the street…"

"Bullets; guys in cloaks," Mina said, "It's not something she's prepared for. I mean, we're not prepared for it."

"Tokyo doesn't have a lot of rampant crime, Ms. Melnitz," Amy said, "Even with an empty city, the danger of New York is too great. We're afraid she's going to get into a situation she can't react properly to. She almost got shot when she was with the other Dan."

Raye finished off the overall explanation of the why of their statements, "It's our charge to protect her. Down there away from us, away from almost all of her protection, we're worried she's going to do something klutzy and put herself in complete danger. Eduardo saved her before, but… We're just not sure."

"Hey." All of the Scouts and the Cat Guardians looked to the Ghostbusters secretary. Janine spoke in a softer voice than when she started, trying to add confidence to the girls before her, "What we have in this firehouse are some of the best people in the world to protect her, no different than you do for her. They're fast on their feet and quicker in their thinking. I can promise you - guarantee - she'll be okay. All she needs to do is ask, and she'll be okay. Focus on what you need to do here; she's in good hands."

"We know, Janine," Raye concluded, "we just wish we could help you instead of the other way around. You've done so much for us."

"You keep this building safe," the secretary said with a smirk, "you'd pay us back in spades." Janine's radio beeped, making her take it off her equipment belt. It was Egon calling from downstairs, "We're ready down here, Janine. Are the Scouts ready?" She looked at the girls and made a gesture toward the radio as though she was making a statement to answer him. Mina rallied them all up, "Well, girls, it's time to do the dance!" All three of the produced their transformation wands and began calling out:

"Mars Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

The energies once again wrapped around the young women before the Ghostbusters' secretary as they transformed. Janine laid her gaze on the sight before her as the girls changed before her very eyes. The cats also watched the older woman standing before them and saw she had a very… unconcerned look on her face of what was happening before her. Janine even lazily checked her watch.

The transformations were completed as Ray, Amy, and Mina turned once again into Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus.

Janine clicked the PTT switch on the radio, "Yeah, we're ready up here. Go ahead." She lowered the radio and eyed the ladies up, "Not bad. I'd rate it a solid 7 outta 10." Sailor Mercury raised her brow a moment at that statement, "Huh. We've never been rated before." "I would have figured we were a little higher than a 7, though," Sailor Venus said with a touch of disappointment in her voice.

Sailor Mars walked to the front of the building and looked over the edge of the roof toward the main garage doors. She saw the Ghostbusters sign swaying in the breeze as she tried to take a feel of the island. Evil abounded and she was unsure of the situation. Still, she had a very important job to perform with the other remaining Scouts and that was to defend the firehouse.

She again looked down toward the street and thought loudly, Hot Wheels, you be careful out there. I'm sensing these things are up to something.

Downstairs in Ecto-1, Garrett heard Sailor Mars' voice in his mind. Being he was not used to the link Garrett responded out loud himself, "I'll try, Firecracker. Keep your eyes to the sky."

Egon got onto the radio and started talking to the cars in the garage, "Home defenses are primed. Opening main doors." Producing a garage door controller the physicist activated the opener and the doors parted. All three Ectomobiles started up with Egon communicating to each vehicle, "Communications check. Chase One?"

In Black Vengeance Dan grabbed his mic and responded, "Chase One ready."

"Chase Two?"

In Chi-Ecto Old Man Dan pressed the talk button on his radio, "This is Chase Two, good to go."

"Delivery?"

In Ecto-1 Roland took a deep breath and exhaled, responding in kind, "Delivery is ready."

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen," Egon said as he felt the pit start to form in his stomach. This was beyond anything he's ever had to command before and it was all hinging on the modifications he, the Dan's, and Roland made to the disrupters. He was hoping he wasn't getting so old he messed something up. He stopped as he remembered all of the feats the new team has performed and remembered they were ready for this. He stood in confidence as he instructed them, "this is for all the people of the world. You are the best of your generation. Good hunting."

Garrett got on the radio and said almost immediately, "Does anyone else smell Limberger?" Egon could hear everyone snicker in the vehicles. Under normal circumstances Egon would be annoyed at that, but he felt a little different today. Maybe it was because he missed Peter and his sense of optimism even in the face of death. It was welcomed. Egon smirked, "I don't know, I thought that speech was Gouda."

In Black Vengeance Dan looked at Darien and Kylie. Even Kylie was taken aback at that, "Did Egon just tell a joke?" "Holy shit, he did." Dan said, him slightly giggly at that, "It must be the end of the world if he's telling a joke and it lands."

"Come on, guys," they heard Old Dan over the radio, "time to whoop ass. Chase One, would you do the honors of leading us off?"

Dan reached down and activated his lights and the siren. He looked over to Chi-Ecto and smirked at its driver, "You bet your sweet bippy I would!" he put the mic back on the hook and yelled, "Yippee-Ki-Yay!" Revving the engine high and dropping the clutch the F-150 spun its tires and flew out of the garage at full tilt, turning left onto the street and heading toward the financial district.

Old Man Dan watched as his counterpart tore out of the building like he just learned he won the lottery. He looked to the occupants of his Explorer and asked Eduardo, "Does he normally drive like that?"

"Is there a day that doesn't end in 'Y'?" the latino answered sarcastically.

Old Dan looked at him perplexed, "I think you screwed that joke up." Eduardo thought the question he asked over in his head and after a moment he facepalmed himself. Serena decided to answer instead, "From what Lita said, yes. A lot." Old Dan nodded, "Man after my own heart."

"Hey!" They heard Garrett's voice back over the radio, "You waiting for a green light? Let's get a move on, here!" "Pushy fucker, isn't he?" Old Dan said as he also activated the siren and lights as Eduardo commented, "You should try playing video games with him." "If I wanted to deal with a dickhead," Old Dan said as he put his truck into gear, "I'd deal with my brother." Eduardo and Serena both rolled their eyes, Serena saying, "Why is it I can agree with that?" Chi-Ecto and Ecto-1 rolled out of the garage at high speed, splitting off on separate streets away from the firehouse.

Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus watched as the vehicles tore off into the night from the roof. They prayed this plan was going to work. It was very risky and they barely played a part in it. Sailor Venus spoke out loud to communicate with her Knight, "Eduardo, look after Serena, okay?"

Back in Chi-Ecto Eduardo nodded, "I will," he said out loud. Old Dan looked over to him and squinted at him, "What?" For a minute Eduardo realized what he did and wasn't sure how to explain it when Old Dan remembered, "Oh, right, you guys can communicate with each other. What'd she say?" Eduardo nodded his head toward Serena. Old Man Dan looked back to the road as he understood, "We're both gonna have to keep an eye out then."

Holly parked out around the corner of the firehouse in the nearby alley. She knew this alley. For many years she parked in this alley when she lived in her old Suburban. For some reason she remembered this place as the best place to stay. It always felt safe. Now she was unsure of that. She kept looking through her rearview mirror at all of the boxes in her back seat. She was nervous. She was shaking so bad now. She wasn't sure if it was detoxification or she was scared. Both were likely and they weren't mutually exclusive, but all that did was scare her more. She sat where she did and looked at the building in front of her.

She felt so tired. With all she had witnessed in her ever sobering state she was feeling like her stomach was tying itself into knots. Learning her case worker and voice of reason was the one that had tried to communicate with her was something of a point of guilt for her. She was thinking it over and over again in her mind and it was hurting her worse than anything she thought she could imagine. Learning the truth of her father's death; the death of her case worker; the voices; the cult; the death of Joey Sack-Of-Nickels; the arrival of that other Dan Shannon; the end of the world; Matthew. Of all the things she was confused about, it was Matthew.

The smell of the papers in the car reminded her of the library, the books with their musty smell and paper pulp. She remembered some of the stories she read while there of a prince coming to save the princess. For a time, she thought Matthew was that prince. He was handsome and always calm. That hair was the only real oddball thing about him…

Until yesterday. Her encounter with the other Dan jarred her back to reality for sure, but when Matthew took her back to the depot and him shooting one of the Forgotten… The bullet hole sealing itself up. It was like something from the movie The Crow, but it was real. She never felt so shaken in her life. The worst part was she put trust in a man that had the ability to do that and somehow he was linked to the Bishops. He knew it all, somehow.

Then there was what Old Man Dan said to him right before Matthew interrupted him. Something about doing something after the first time it happened. Something about a green card two days afterward. That really struck a nerve with Matthew for some reason. It was almost like he was the one truly in charge.

She suddenly saw a massive flash of light come from the roof of the Ghostbusters Firehouse. She looked skyward as the lights danced about, what looked like wisps of energy peeking over the edge of the roofline. Shortly after she saw a figure looking over the edge of the roof. She had black hair and a white bodysuit with trim that looked red in color. It looked very reminiscent of the pictures of the women she saw the other night.

Before too long the garage doors opened on the building and she saw two vehicles in the front. One was Shannon's new truck, but the other she couldn't identify. It looked like a blue Ford truck of some kind. She read the Illinois license plate and saw it read "CHI ECTO" on it. That must have been the other Dan's vehicle. After a moment the vehicles flew out of the garage and took off in opposite directions. She finally got a good look at the other Dan's truck and saw it was a fairly new Ford Explorer. Right behind that was Ecto-1. For some reason she saw something was going on for the two trucks had their lights on but Ecto-1 didn't.

She caused such a mess. Holly felt so guilty for what she did. Even after all she put Shannon and Kino through they were getting up and going out to protect the city. She had to confront them. Whatever way going on, she was hoping they could slow it down and even control the situation. She reached into the box in her passenger seat and pulled out the recorder again. She looked at it in her hands. That night Saculopholus was hanged at the depot she felt nothing. She didn't know he was directly responsible for her father's death with the R12. It was shocking he actually was responsible, but when Mr. Dub told her Matthew was part of the Bishop family no different than Saculopholus it was becoming clear what was happening.

This was exhausting. She reclined her driver seat and leaned back to sleep. It had been over two years since she last slept in this alley in a vehicle. She put the recorder to her chest and looked to the roof of her car as sleep started to take hold. She had been watching the world fall apart and it was all her fault. She needed her strength to confront the Ghostbusters. Her eyes closed…

The police car that was charged with following her came to a stop at the cross-street by the alley behind the BMW. The older officer looked at the car a moment as they took notice where they were, "We're right around the block from the One. What is she doin'?"

"Wait," the younger officer said, "we're by the first precinct? That means we are right by the Ghostbusters' headquarters!" The older officer looked to his younger partner and saw the panic start to drape his face as he started reaching for his phone, "This is not good!"

The older man grabbed the younger's hand and stopped him from searching for his phone, "What in the hell are you doing?"

"I have to tell Mr. St. James!" he exclaimed, "I have to tell him what she's up to!"

"What the fuck for?"

He threw the older black man's hand off him, "Two days ago Shannon walked into the depot and confronted Madame Holly. Mr. St. James tasked us with not only taking Shannon out, but keeping an eye on Madame Holly. She was starting to act strange after he talked to her. Whatever he said to her, that was when she started acting unlike herself. You said it yourself; she couldn't look us in the face."

The older man tried to calm himself before he said it. After breathing in he spoke, "She's clearly having second thoughts. A whole world isn't worth destroying because of one small band of dickheads."

"Second thoughts," the younger hispanic officer repeated, "That's exactly what Mr. St. James told us she was having. We've come too far to stop Hel from coming."

The older man finally lost his patience and started screaming at the man beside him, "Will you stop with this 'Hel' shit?! I don't give a flying fuck what that psycho told you, we are turning around and we're getting the fuck outta here!" He put the car back into gear, "I'm not letting that mafioso fuckbag drive me to ruin another life because of some invisible bitch in the sky."

The young man pulled his service pistol and pointed it at the older man's head, "How dare you, you miserable fucking…"

The older man grabbed the younger man's arm and managed to disarm him, grabbing the gun and using it to hit his partner in the throat with it. After unloading it and dropping it between his legs to the driver's side floor he berated the coughing and gagging man, "I survived Vietnam and the Tompkins Square Park riot of 88'. You ain't getting no drops on me, punk!" He reached over and grabbed the cell phone from the younger man's vest, taking it, "Get outta my squad and make your call from a payphone, motherfucker."

The younger man got out of the squad car and stood to the side as the car took off. As he watched the car turn the corner and disappear as he stood before the alley. After his partner turned and left his sight, he looked back to Holly's car and rubbed his throat further. Without his gun he didn't have much of a choice but to vacate the area.

The young hispanic officer rounded a corner to get a look at the Ghostbusters HQ with disdain. He was about to turn and search for a payphone when he suddenly heard what sounded like shouting from the building. After a few moments of watching lights shine from the roof he saw a woman with black hair in white and red look over the side of the building. He watched for a moment, puzzlement in his voice, "What the…?"

Suddenly the front doors of the firehouse opened and after a moment three Ghostbusters' branded vehicles ripped out of the garage, two with their lights and sirens on. The white Cadillac came out with its lights off. One of the vehicles was the one described in the chase a few days ago. "Something is fucked here," he said in a raspy voice, "I gotta find that payphone." He broke into a jog as he turned away from the building.