Virtual Season Episode 15: Back in the Picture, Part 2
Written by Rosey Collins
Story by Rosey Collins and Jake Collins
Story by Rosey Collins and Jake Collins
Garrett, Peter, Oscar and Jessica were all sitting on the deck of a cabin cruiser, staring at fishing lines and wearing matching jumpers.
'Fishing's boring,' said Oscar.
'You said shopping was boring,' said Peter.
'Newsflash,' said Oscar. 'You can hate shopping and fishing. It's not a crime, okay?'
'I like fishing,' said Jessica. 'It's better than shopping, anyways. It's better than guitar. It's better than karate.'
'It is not!' said Oscar.
'What do you think, Garrett?' Peter cut across them. 'You like our little fishing tradition, don't you?'
'Not really,' said Garrett. 'I've just remembered how cold and bored I was the last time.'
'So why'd you come?' asked Oscar.
'Aren't you supposed to be figuring out why Oscar ran away and went nuts?' added Jessica.
'Who told you I went nuts?' Oscar said irritably. 'I'm fine. No one has to do anything for me.'
Just as he finished saying this, an enormous wind whipped up suddenly, and almost blew Jessica off the boat. Oscar grabbed her, and they all raised their arms to protect themselves.
'Kids, get in the cabin!' Peter yelled through the noise.
'Why don't we all get in the cabin?' said Garrett.
They tried, but Garrett found himself rolling around the deck in all directions, while the three Venkmans fought the wind to no avail. Oscar cried out in anguish as Jessica was suddenly ripped from his arms, and a moment later he was hurled off his feet, ending up in a sitting position against the stern of the boat. As he tried to gather his wits, the powerful wind shrank into a concentrated area in front of him, and then formed into the face and upper torso of a human being.
'Who are you?' it demanded.
'W-what?' said Oscar.
'Your name, boy! What is it?'
'Don't tell him your name, Oscar!' Jessica called to him.
'Oscar,' the voice repeated, in sinister tones. 'Oscar what?'
'If I tell you,' said Oscar, shrinking away from the wind, 'will you leave me the heck alone?'
'If you leave us alone,' the voice said, 'I might. Now, tell me your name!'
'Venkman!' Oscar said desperately, grabbing onto the guardrail as he was almost swept into the sea. 'My name's Oscar Venkman, okay? Jeez!'
'Oscar Venkman,' the voice repeated. 'Stay away, Oscar Venkman. Do you hear me? Stay away!'
With that, the wind suddenly disappeared and the sea was calm once again. Oscar staggered to his feet, wide-eyed and tousle-haired. Peter ran over to help him up, with Jessica and Garrett a little way behind him.
'Are you okay?' Peter asked anxiously.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' said Oscar.
'What was that about?'
'How should I know?'
'It's gotta be something to do with your picture of Vigo, hasn't it?' said Garrett.
'It's not my picture of Vigo,' said Oscar.
'The picture of Vigo, then,' said Garrett.
'Who was that, Oscar?' asked Peter. 'Did you recognise him? It was a guy's voice, wasn't it?'
'You guys,' said Jessica, 'leave him alone. Can't you see he's shaken up?'
'Thanks, Jess,' said Oscar.
'All right, champ, I'm sorry,' Peter said gravely. 'We'd better get you back to the firehouse.'
'Fishing's boring,' said Oscar.
'You said shopping was boring,' said Peter.
'Newsflash,' said Oscar. 'You can hate shopping and fishing. It's not a crime, okay?'
'I like fishing,' said Jessica. 'It's better than shopping, anyways. It's better than guitar. It's better than karate.'
'It is not!' said Oscar.
'What do you think, Garrett?' Peter cut across them. 'You like our little fishing tradition, don't you?'
'Not really,' said Garrett. 'I've just remembered how cold and bored I was the last time.'
'So why'd you come?' asked Oscar.
'Aren't you supposed to be figuring out why Oscar ran away and went nuts?' added Jessica.
'Who told you I went nuts?' Oscar said irritably. 'I'm fine. No one has to do anything for me.'
Just as he finished saying this, an enormous wind whipped up suddenly, and almost blew Jessica off the boat. Oscar grabbed her, and they all raised their arms to protect themselves.
'Kids, get in the cabin!' Peter yelled through the noise.
'Why don't we all get in the cabin?' said Garrett.
They tried, but Garrett found himself rolling around the deck in all directions, while the three Venkmans fought the wind to no avail. Oscar cried out in anguish as Jessica was suddenly ripped from his arms, and a moment later he was hurled off his feet, ending up in a sitting position against the stern of the boat. As he tried to gather his wits, the powerful wind shrank into a concentrated area in front of him, and then formed into the face and upper torso of a human being.
'Who are you?' it demanded.
'W-what?' said Oscar.
'Your name, boy! What is it?'
'Don't tell him your name, Oscar!' Jessica called to him.
'Oscar,' the voice repeated, in sinister tones. 'Oscar what?'
'If I tell you,' said Oscar, shrinking away from the wind, 'will you leave me the heck alone?'
'If you leave us alone,' the voice said, 'I might. Now, tell me your name!'
'Venkman!' Oscar said desperately, grabbing onto the guardrail as he was almost swept into the sea. 'My name's Oscar Venkman, okay? Jeez!'
'Oscar Venkman,' the voice repeated. 'Stay away, Oscar Venkman. Do you hear me? Stay away!'
With that, the wind suddenly disappeared and the sea was calm once again. Oscar staggered to his feet, wide-eyed and tousle-haired. Peter ran over to help him up, with Jessica and Garrett a little way behind him.
'Are you okay?' Peter asked anxiously.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' said Oscar.
'What was that about?'
'How should I know?'
'It's gotta be something to do with your picture of Vigo, hasn't it?' said Garrett.
'It's not my picture of Vigo,' said Oscar.
'The picture of Vigo, then,' said Garrett.
'Who was that, Oscar?' asked Peter. 'Did you recognise him? It was a guy's voice, wasn't it?'
'You guys,' said Jessica, 'leave him alone. Can't you see he's shaken up?'
'Thanks, Jess,' said Oscar.
'All right, champ, I'm sorry,' Peter said gravely. 'We'd better get you back to the firehouse.'
'Oscar,' said Vigo's severed head, from within the confines of the painting. 'Venkman. I know those names. Can it really be the boy I intended to use as my vessel ten years ago?'
'I warned him to stay away, oh great one,' said Victor, who was grovelling on the floor.
'It is not the boy that threatens me,' said Vigo. 'Does he still associate with the men known as the Ghostbusters?'
'I do not know, Master,' said Victor. 'But the Ghostbusters were here yesterday.'
'You lie,' said Vigo. 'I did not see them.'
'But you must have done, oh magnificent one. There were four of them... young people...'
'Did those people call themselves Ghostbusters? How can this be? But of course... ten years have gone by. Perhaps the torch has been passed. Well, it matters not. Whoever they are, they must not be allowed to interfere. I think perhaps another trip to the morgue...'
'The morgue is being watched, oh great one,' said Victor.
'Very well,' said Vigo. 'Somewhere else. Now, listen...'
'I warned him to stay away, oh great one,' said Victor, who was grovelling on the floor.
'It is not the boy that threatens me,' said Vigo. 'Does he still associate with the men known as the Ghostbusters?'
'I do not know, Master,' said Victor. 'But the Ghostbusters were here yesterday.'
'You lie,' said Vigo. 'I did not see them.'
'But you must have done, oh magnificent one. There were four of them... young people...'
'Did those people call themselves Ghostbusters? How can this be? But of course... ten years have gone by. Perhaps the torch has been passed. Well, it matters not. Whoever they are, they must not be allowed to interfere. I think perhaps another trip to the morgue...'
'The morgue is being watched, oh great one,' said Victor.
'Very well,' said Vigo. 'Somewhere else. Now, listen...'
Oscar was sitting on a table in Egon's lab, with Dana clutching him round the shoulders and Egon running a PKE meter over him. Watching attentively from some distance away were Garrett, Kylie, Eduardo and Peter, with a gently restraining grip on Jessica, as well as Ray and Winston.
'I'm all right, Egon,' said Oscar, pushing away the PKE meter and wriggling in his mother's grip. 'It's not a big deal.'
'You might be right about that,' said Egon, 'to some extent. These readings aren't nearly as strong as the ones from your little adventure last night.'
'That's because he went to the art café last night,' said Dana, 'where the picture of Vigo is. The thing on the boat was some kind of minion or something.'
'What makes you say that, Dana?' asked Ray.
'Because that's what happened the last time!' said Dana. 'Don't you remember? That's how they kidnapped Oscar in the first place!'
'This one didn't try to kidnap me, Mom,' said Oscar. 'He told me to stay away.'
'Excuse me,' said Garrett, 'but it kind of had to be Victor the morgue thief, didn't it? Remember how antsy he was in the café yesterday, guys.'
'But how could Victor turn himself into wind?' asked Oscar. 'He's just a waiter.'
'There are forces out there that can easily control waiters, Oscar,' said Winston. 'Evil doesn't know the difference between a waiter and a museum curator, right?'
'Or a business owner,' said Eduardo. 'I'm pretty sure Victor owns the place.'
'You four will have to go back to the café,' said Egon, to the younger Ghostbusters. 'And don't let yourselves get thrown out this time. This is definitely Ghostbuster business now.'
'But me and Kylie told the cops about Victor and the café yesterday,' said Eduardo. 'The place could be crawling with them.'
'So what?' said Kylie, elbowing him playfully in the ribs. 'That's never stopped us before.'
'I'll go if you don't want to,' said Dana.
'Mom, don't do anything stupid,' said Oscar. 'I'm fine now. Aren't I, Egon?'
'I believe you are,' said Egon. 'If our friend on the boat wants you to stay away from him, then I think we can safely assume he intends to stay away from you.'
'He'd better,' Dana growled.
'Of course we'll go to the café, Dana,' said Roland. 'Maybe we'll find a nice, helpful cop who can tell us something useful.'
'There ain't no such thing,' Eduardo said, mooching off after his three teammates as they headed for the door.
'Hey,' Peter said, grabbing Eduardo's elbow as he passed him. 'Was that a green light I saw?'
'I don't know what you're talking about, man.'
'Yellow?'
'No,' Eduardo said, scurrying out of the room, and Peter watched his departure with a wry smile and a shake of the head.
'I'm all right, Egon,' said Oscar, pushing away the PKE meter and wriggling in his mother's grip. 'It's not a big deal.'
'You might be right about that,' said Egon, 'to some extent. These readings aren't nearly as strong as the ones from your little adventure last night.'
'That's because he went to the art café last night,' said Dana, 'where the picture of Vigo is. The thing on the boat was some kind of minion or something.'
'What makes you say that, Dana?' asked Ray.
'Because that's what happened the last time!' said Dana. 'Don't you remember? That's how they kidnapped Oscar in the first place!'
'This one didn't try to kidnap me, Mom,' said Oscar. 'He told me to stay away.'
'Excuse me,' said Garrett, 'but it kind of had to be Victor the morgue thief, didn't it? Remember how antsy he was in the café yesterday, guys.'
'But how could Victor turn himself into wind?' asked Oscar. 'He's just a waiter.'
'There are forces out there that can easily control waiters, Oscar,' said Winston. 'Evil doesn't know the difference between a waiter and a museum curator, right?'
'Or a business owner,' said Eduardo. 'I'm pretty sure Victor owns the place.'
'You four will have to go back to the café,' said Egon, to the younger Ghostbusters. 'And don't let yourselves get thrown out this time. This is definitely Ghostbuster business now.'
'But me and Kylie told the cops about Victor and the café yesterday,' said Eduardo. 'The place could be crawling with them.'
'So what?' said Kylie, elbowing him playfully in the ribs. 'That's never stopped us before.'
'I'll go if you don't want to,' said Dana.
'Mom, don't do anything stupid,' said Oscar. 'I'm fine now. Aren't I, Egon?'
'I believe you are,' said Egon. 'If our friend on the boat wants you to stay away from him, then I think we can safely assume he intends to stay away from you.'
'He'd better,' Dana growled.
'Of course we'll go to the café, Dana,' said Roland. 'Maybe we'll find a nice, helpful cop who can tell us something useful.'
'There ain't no such thing,' Eduardo said, mooching off after his three teammates as they headed for the door.
'Hey,' Peter said, grabbing Eduardo's elbow as he passed him. 'Was that a green light I saw?'
'I don't know what you're talking about, man.'
'Yellow?'
'No,' Eduardo said, scurrying out of the room, and Peter watched his departure with a wry smile and a shake of the head.
'Hey, what gives?' said Garrett, looking accusingly at Eduardo and Kylie as they all alighted from the Ecto-1 in Halesworth Street. 'Where's all the police tape and stuff? I thought you guys went to the cops.'
'We did,' said Kylie. 'And the guy at the morgue must have shown them Victor's badge before that.'
'He can't be holding the body parts on the premises,' said Eduardo. 'If there was anything here to find, the place would've been declared a crime scene by now. If the cops were doing their job right.'
'So they've got nothing on Victor?' said Roland.
'Not if they didn't find anything,' said Eduardo. 'They can't even prove he was at the morgue, with only his badge to go on. But y'know, this is just his work place – we don't know if they found anything at his home.'
'So what if they didn't?' said Kylie, whipping out her PKE meter. 'We can question him ourselves, and we can find things the police never could. Come on.'
She led the way towards the café and, when she reached it, tried the door. It was locked. She kicked it in frustration, then turned to face her teammates.
'Maybe he skipped town when he found out the cops were onto him,' said Eduardo.
'So then what did he do with the body parts?' asked Garrett. 'And why did he bother warning Oscar away?'
'Any ideas, Roland?' Kylie asked helplessly.
Roland stood still for a moment, then walked past Kylie and hurled his whole bodyweight at the door. After a few seconds it gave way, and Roland staggered awkwardly into the building.
'Wow, Roland,' said Kylie, appearing at Roland's side.
'Awesome, dude,' said Garrett, chuckling as he rolled in behind Kylie.
'Didn't know you had it in you, man,' said Eduardo, clapping Roland on the shoulder.
'Well,' Roland said modestly, 'there was no point just standing around outside.'
'This is the picture, right?' said Garrett, facing the wall and pointing at one of the paintings. 'Dude getting his head cut off?'
'Yes,' said Kylie, 'that must be it.'
'Doesn't look much like Vigo in the movie,' said Eduardo.
'So what?' said Roland. 'Egon doesn't look like Harold Ramis either.'
'So,' said Garrett, 'the picture's still here. What does that mean? Victor hasn't skipped town?'
'Victor's not the problem, man,' said Eduardo. 'What if we just blast the picture?'
'I don't think that's a very good idea,' said Roland. 'If the painting is destroyed, then what happens to Vigo?'
'Can he get out of the painting?' asked Eduardo, eyeing the thing with deep suspicion. 'You know, like in the movie.'
'He's just a head,' said Garrett.
'Right,' said Eduardo. 'Don't you remember the guy at the morgue saying that the stolen parts made up a whole body, except for the head and brain? That can't be a coincidence.'
'We still don't even know where the body parts are,' said Kylie.
'Surely they're not here,' said Roland. 'It's like Eduardo said, the cops would have found them.'
'They could've missed something,' said Eduardo. 'Cops can be pretty stupid sometimes. Or maybe Victor paid them off. That happens. But then he would've probably moved the stuff anyway.'
'Ssh!' Roland said suddenly. 'Did you hear that?'
They all listened carefully, but stopped straining their ears when they heard loud crashing and banging sounds coming from outside. Roland followed the direction of the noise, looked out of the window, then suddenly ducked and said in a stage whisper, 'It's Victor!'
'What's he doing?' asked Garrett.
'He's transferring something from a big wooden crate into a couple of sacks,' said Roland, peering over the top of the windowsill. 'It looks like more body parts. Oh, eww, it is!'
'What parts are they?' asked Eduardo.
'Eduardo!' said Kylie. 'What kind of a question is that?'
'I'm just thinking about my theory,' said Eduardo. 'Is it a head, or part of a head, or is it something he already had?'
'Well... neither,' said Roland. 'You told us Dr Davis said a male body, right? And that looks like a, um...'
'I don't wanna know, Roland,' said Kylie.
'That one's a heart,' said Roland. 'Oh, and a spleen or something...'
'Eww,' said Garrett.
'What is he up to?' asked Kylie.
'He must be making the bride of Frankenstein,' said Eduardo. 'Or the bride of Vigo, maybe.'
'Must be?' said Kylie. 'You're leaping to conclusions there, Eduardo.'
'Well,' said Eduardo, 'what else could it be?'
'I'm starting to feel a little queasy,' said Roland, backing awkwardly away from the window, still in his crouching position and hampered by his proton pack.
'Are you sure he didn't see you, Rolster?' said Garrett, as Roland rose cautiously to his full height.
'If he knew we were here,' said Kylie, 'surely he wouldn't have made so much noise. We have to follow him. He could be giving us the answers on a silver platter!'
'Never trust a silver platter,' said Eduardo.
'We have to follow him anyway,' said Kylie.
'We can't all go,' said Roland. 'We'd be too conspicuous.'
'Well,' said Garrett, 'some of the city's best hiding places still don't have wheelchair access, so I think I'll pass.'
'I'll go,' said Kylie. 'Wherever he goes, I can follow.'
'Yeah, so can I,' said Eduardo. 'Probably. I'll go with you.'
'All right, then get going,' said Roland. 'Garrett and I will search the place. Keep in radio contact.'
'Not while we're tailing someone,' Kylie said over her shoulder, as she shepherded Eduardo out of the doorway.
'We should check that back room we saw Victor coming out of the last time,' said Roland.
'Yeah,' said Garrett. 'We should have done that straight off, but oh well – shoulda coulda woulda.'
Roland led the way to the door behind the counter, found it locked, and broke it down more easily than he had the door to the street. It was dark in there, so he found the light switch and flicked it on. Garrett came in behind him, but found that he couldn't get much further than the doorway; the room was cluttered, especially with Roland and his proton pack in there. There was also a small desk, a swivel-chair, a few crates, some filing cabinets and another door.
'No one's looked in these crates,' said Garrett. He had found one close enough to reach and was struggling with the lid, which soon came away. 'There we go. Plastic cups in here, Rolster.'
'I don't suppose he'd keep body parts in something like that,' said Roland. 'He'd freeze them, or at least refrigerate them.'
'Is there a fridge or a freezer back here?'
'There has to be. Don't you remember Oscar and Kevin talking about the milkshakes last night? You can't get a reaction like that from powdered milk. And the sign says all the sandwich ingredients are fresh too.'
'So we need to get through that door at the back, right?' said Garrett.
'Yes. But I don't think I could break into an industrial freezer, if that's what it is.'
'Well, Janine keeps all our keys in her desk drawer. Maybe that's where Victor keeps his. You can break into that, can't you?'
'No need,' said Roland, as he pulled the drawer in the desk and it came open easily. He then took out a large bundle of keys, chose the biggest one and tried it in the door. The lock clicked obediently, and Roland reached for the door handle.
'We did,' said Kylie. 'And the guy at the morgue must have shown them Victor's badge before that.'
'He can't be holding the body parts on the premises,' said Eduardo. 'If there was anything here to find, the place would've been declared a crime scene by now. If the cops were doing their job right.'
'So they've got nothing on Victor?' said Roland.
'Not if they didn't find anything,' said Eduardo. 'They can't even prove he was at the morgue, with only his badge to go on. But y'know, this is just his work place – we don't know if they found anything at his home.'
'So what if they didn't?' said Kylie, whipping out her PKE meter. 'We can question him ourselves, and we can find things the police never could. Come on.'
She led the way towards the café and, when she reached it, tried the door. It was locked. She kicked it in frustration, then turned to face her teammates.
'Maybe he skipped town when he found out the cops were onto him,' said Eduardo.
'So then what did he do with the body parts?' asked Garrett. 'And why did he bother warning Oscar away?'
'Any ideas, Roland?' Kylie asked helplessly.
Roland stood still for a moment, then walked past Kylie and hurled his whole bodyweight at the door. After a few seconds it gave way, and Roland staggered awkwardly into the building.
'Wow, Roland,' said Kylie, appearing at Roland's side.
'Awesome, dude,' said Garrett, chuckling as he rolled in behind Kylie.
'Didn't know you had it in you, man,' said Eduardo, clapping Roland on the shoulder.
'Well,' Roland said modestly, 'there was no point just standing around outside.'
'This is the picture, right?' said Garrett, facing the wall and pointing at one of the paintings. 'Dude getting his head cut off?'
'Yes,' said Kylie, 'that must be it.'
'Doesn't look much like Vigo in the movie,' said Eduardo.
'So what?' said Roland. 'Egon doesn't look like Harold Ramis either.'
'So,' said Garrett, 'the picture's still here. What does that mean? Victor hasn't skipped town?'
'Victor's not the problem, man,' said Eduardo. 'What if we just blast the picture?'
'I don't think that's a very good idea,' said Roland. 'If the painting is destroyed, then what happens to Vigo?'
'Can he get out of the painting?' asked Eduardo, eyeing the thing with deep suspicion. 'You know, like in the movie.'
'He's just a head,' said Garrett.
'Right,' said Eduardo. 'Don't you remember the guy at the morgue saying that the stolen parts made up a whole body, except for the head and brain? That can't be a coincidence.'
'We still don't even know where the body parts are,' said Kylie.
'Surely they're not here,' said Roland. 'It's like Eduardo said, the cops would have found them.'
'They could've missed something,' said Eduardo. 'Cops can be pretty stupid sometimes. Or maybe Victor paid them off. That happens. But then he would've probably moved the stuff anyway.'
'Ssh!' Roland said suddenly. 'Did you hear that?'
They all listened carefully, but stopped straining their ears when they heard loud crashing and banging sounds coming from outside. Roland followed the direction of the noise, looked out of the window, then suddenly ducked and said in a stage whisper, 'It's Victor!'
'What's he doing?' asked Garrett.
'He's transferring something from a big wooden crate into a couple of sacks,' said Roland, peering over the top of the windowsill. 'It looks like more body parts. Oh, eww, it is!'
'What parts are they?' asked Eduardo.
'Eduardo!' said Kylie. 'What kind of a question is that?'
'I'm just thinking about my theory,' said Eduardo. 'Is it a head, or part of a head, or is it something he already had?'
'Well... neither,' said Roland. 'You told us Dr Davis said a male body, right? And that looks like a, um...'
'I don't wanna know, Roland,' said Kylie.
'That one's a heart,' said Roland. 'Oh, and a spleen or something...'
'Eww,' said Garrett.
'What is he up to?' asked Kylie.
'He must be making the bride of Frankenstein,' said Eduardo. 'Or the bride of Vigo, maybe.'
'Must be?' said Kylie. 'You're leaping to conclusions there, Eduardo.'
'Well,' said Eduardo, 'what else could it be?'
'I'm starting to feel a little queasy,' said Roland, backing awkwardly away from the window, still in his crouching position and hampered by his proton pack.
'Are you sure he didn't see you, Rolster?' said Garrett, as Roland rose cautiously to his full height.
'If he knew we were here,' said Kylie, 'surely he wouldn't have made so much noise. We have to follow him. He could be giving us the answers on a silver platter!'
'Never trust a silver platter,' said Eduardo.
'We have to follow him anyway,' said Kylie.
'We can't all go,' said Roland. 'We'd be too conspicuous.'
'Well,' said Garrett, 'some of the city's best hiding places still don't have wheelchair access, so I think I'll pass.'
'I'll go,' said Kylie. 'Wherever he goes, I can follow.'
'Yeah, so can I,' said Eduardo. 'Probably. I'll go with you.'
'All right, then get going,' said Roland. 'Garrett and I will search the place. Keep in radio contact.'
'Not while we're tailing someone,' Kylie said over her shoulder, as she shepherded Eduardo out of the doorway.
'We should check that back room we saw Victor coming out of the last time,' said Roland.
'Yeah,' said Garrett. 'We should have done that straight off, but oh well – shoulda coulda woulda.'
Roland led the way to the door behind the counter, found it locked, and broke it down more easily than he had the door to the street. It was dark in there, so he found the light switch and flicked it on. Garrett came in behind him, but found that he couldn't get much further than the doorway; the room was cluttered, especially with Roland and his proton pack in there. There was also a small desk, a swivel-chair, a few crates, some filing cabinets and another door.
'No one's looked in these crates,' said Garrett. He had found one close enough to reach and was struggling with the lid, which soon came away. 'There we go. Plastic cups in here, Rolster.'
'I don't suppose he'd keep body parts in something like that,' said Roland. 'He'd freeze them, or at least refrigerate them.'
'Is there a fridge or a freezer back here?'
'There has to be. Don't you remember Oscar and Kevin talking about the milkshakes last night? You can't get a reaction like that from powdered milk. And the sign says all the sandwich ingredients are fresh too.'
'So we need to get through that door at the back, right?' said Garrett.
'Yes. But I don't think I could break into an industrial freezer, if that's what it is.'
'Well, Janine keeps all our keys in her desk drawer. Maybe that's where Victor keeps his. You can break into that, can't you?'
'No need,' said Roland, as he pulled the drawer in the desk and it came open easily. He then took out a large bundle of keys, chose the biggest one and tried it in the door. The lock clicked obediently, and Roland reached for the door handle.
A short while later, in an obscure and darkening corner of the city, Eduardo was saying irritably into his walkie-talkie, 'Garrett, come in! Roland! For the love of...'
'We must be out of range,' said Kylie, who was struggling with a large metal hatch in the ground. Then suddenly it moved, and she struggled no more, declaring triumphantly, 'I got it open!'
'You did?' said Eduardo. 'Wow. You must be stronger than you look.'
'You could have helped, you know.'
'I don't want to go down there.'
'Why not? Victor went down there.'
'We're not Victor.'
'I'm going in,' said Kylie, and she began climbing into the hole she had made.
'Wait!' said Eduardo.
'What?'
'You can't go by yourself, and we can't both go down there without telling anyone where we are!'
'You're right about the second one,' said Kylie. 'But why can't I go by myself? I'm armed against anything supernatural, and my proton gun would do for a psycho killer or something as well.'
'Come out,' said Eduardo.
'No. You wait out here. Keep trying to contact the others.'
Before Eduardo could utter another protest, Kylie's head and shoulders had disappeared into the hole. Eduardo stared worriedly after her for a moment, then returned his attention to his walkie-talkie.
'Garrett?' he said. 'Roland? Anybody?'
He listened to the static with a look of resignation on his face. Then suddenly he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from below, faint but unmistakable. Without a moment's thought he dropped his walkie-talkie and scrambled down through the hatch.
'We must be out of range,' said Kylie, who was struggling with a large metal hatch in the ground. Then suddenly it moved, and she struggled no more, declaring triumphantly, 'I got it open!'
'You did?' said Eduardo. 'Wow. You must be stronger than you look.'
'You could have helped, you know.'
'I don't want to go down there.'
'Why not? Victor went down there.'
'We're not Victor.'
'I'm going in,' said Kylie, and she began climbing into the hole she had made.
'Wait!' said Eduardo.
'What?'
'You can't go by yourself, and we can't both go down there without telling anyone where we are!'
'You're right about the second one,' said Kylie. 'But why can't I go by myself? I'm armed against anything supernatural, and my proton gun would do for a psycho killer or something as well.'
'Come out,' said Eduardo.
'No. You wait out here. Keep trying to contact the others.'
Before Eduardo could utter another protest, Kylie's head and shoulders had disappeared into the hole. Eduardo stared worriedly after her for a moment, then returned his attention to his walkie-talkie.
'Garrett?' he said. 'Roland? Anybody?'
He listened to the static with a look of resignation on his face. Then suddenly he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from below, faint but unmistakable. Without a moment's thought he dropped his walkie-talkie and scrambled down through the hatch.
Roland was sitting half in and half out of the Ecto-1, speaking into the two-way radio, while Garrett hovered anxiously by the open car door.
'Kylie and Eduardo went after him,' said Roland, 'and now we can't get hold of them. We told them to stay in touch, but we were waiting to contact them because Kylie said we mustn't while they were tailing someone.'
'Are you sure that's the reason?' Peter's voice came back to him.
'Give me that, Peter,' Egon said in the background. There was a crackle, and then the voice came much more clearly to Roland, saying, 'How long ago did they leave?'
'Only about twenty minutes,' said Roland, 'but they could have easily gone out of range in that time.'
'Well,' said Egon, 'they can't have gone too far. I don't think it's time to start panicking yet, Roland.'
'I'm worried about where Victor might have taken them,' said Roland. 'He couldn't have led them to the body parts, because they're in the café. He's keeping them on ice.'
'Hmm,' said Egon. 'So much for going to the police. I can call them again about the body parts, but they certainly won't do anything about two adults who have been missing for twenty minutes. You two had better go and look for them.'
'Kylie and Eduardo went after him,' said Roland, 'and now we can't get hold of them. We told them to stay in touch, but we were waiting to contact them because Kylie said we mustn't while they were tailing someone.'
'Are you sure that's the reason?' Peter's voice came back to him.
'Give me that, Peter,' Egon said in the background. There was a crackle, and then the voice came much more clearly to Roland, saying, 'How long ago did they leave?'
'Only about twenty minutes,' said Roland, 'but they could have easily gone out of range in that time.'
'Well,' said Egon, 'they can't have gone too far. I don't think it's time to start panicking yet, Roland.'
'I'm worried about where Victor might have taken them,' said Roland. 'He couldn't have led them to the body parts, because they're in the café. He's keeping them on ice.'
'Hmm,' said Egon. 'So much for going to the police. I can call them again about the body parts, but they certainly won't do anything about two adults who have been missing for twenty minutes. You two had better go and look for them.'
The underground bunker was aglow with garish, artificial light. When Eduardo reached the bottom of the ladder, Kylie hurled herself at him, and he received her in both arms.
'Are you okay?' he asked, staring down in astonishment at her cowering form. 'What happened?'
'Nothing,' said Kylie, her voice shaking. 'I overreacted.'
'To what?'
'Just some maggots.'
'Oh,' said Eduardo, still keeping one arm around her as she shifted to his side. 'I hope we haven't ended up in another one of those places where your worst fears come to life.'
'I don't think so,' said Kylie. 'It was some maggots living on some body parts.'
'Oh,' Eduardo said again. 'Gross. Do you want to leave?'
'No,' said Kylie. 'We need to take some readings, at least.'
'Okay, well... I'll do it.'
He gave Kylie's arm a squeeze, then crossed the space to where Victor's sacks were lying.
'What is this place, anyway?' he asked. 'One of those nuclear fallout shelters from the fifties?'
'I guess so,' said Kylie. 'If so, there'll be a bathroom through that door. I should probably go check it out, just in case there's anything there.'
'You should get back up top,' said Eduardo. 'Now we're both down here without anyone knowing where we are, and that's just dumb. Oh, man... these are gross. He must have dug them up.'
'What are the readings like?' asked Kylie.
'Hardly anything... just residual traces from Victor, I think. Egon was right – this whole thing is Ghostbuster business. Let's get out of here.'
He headed towards the ladder, while Kylie turned and put her foot on the first rung. Then there came a very loud, very ominous clunk from above their heads. They looked up. Then they looked at each other.
'Aw man!' said Eduardo. 'This is exactly what I was afraid of, and now I've let it happen!'
'You can open these from the inside, can't you?' Kylie said doubtfully. 'If not, how did anyone expect to get out after the nuclear war was over?'
'I got a feeling it's locked,' said Eduardo, 'and we won't find the key down here. But I'll try it,' he added, and began climbing the ladder.
'So...' said Kylie, looking nervously around.
'What?' Eduardo called down to her.
'Why would Victor dig up an old body that was all covered with maggots? Okay, so the morgue's being watched, but even so you'd think he could have found something fresher. I mean... I can't imagine that poor dead woman being useful, can you?'
'You think it's just one?' Eduardo asked.
'Yeah, I do,' said Kylie. 'Why dig up more than one grave when you don't have to? I'll tell you what I think, Eduardo. I think Victor wanted us to see him. I think we've walked right into a trap.'
'So do I,' said Eduardo, his voice indicating that he was now straining against the concrete hatch. 'I don't think we're getting out this way, Ky.'
'I'm so sorry,' she said.
'What for?' Eduardo asked, as he came back down to join her.
'You were right all along,' said Kylie. 'I was the one who insisted on coming down here, and you would have stayed up top if I wasn't such a wuss about the stupid maggots.'
'There's no point blaming yourself,' said Eduardo. 'We'd better try blasting that thing open, but seeing as it was designed to withstand a nuclear explosion...'
'We can try, anyway.'
They both unholstered their guns, took a step back and aimed upwards. After several seconds of firing on full blast, they gave up.
'We have to look for another way out of here,' said Eduardo.
'I don't think there'll be one.'
'Well, we have to try. Come on.'
He moved off and started scouring the walls as though hoping to find a concealed opening in the concrete. Kylie looked at him doubtfully, then wandered over to the door that she thought must lead to a bathroom.
'It kind of makes more sense now, anyway,' said Eduardo. 'I mean, I was wondering about that part that Roland thought he saw.'
'The one I didn't want to hear about, you mean?' said Kylie. 'What were you wondering about it?'
'I was wondering how Victor knew it was the best.'
'What do you mean?'
'Well, he took the digestive system out of the gourmet chef, didn't he?' said Eduardo. 'And the martial arts expert's hands and stuff. So how would he know which female parts were the best?'
'If it comes to that,' said Kylie, 'how did he choose some of the male parts?'
'You tell me,' Eduardo said flippantly.
'I can't,' said Kylie. 'It's what's on the inside that counts, to me anyway.'
'That's not what you said when you saw Titanic.'
'Everyone gets crushes on movie stars. Especially that one. But no one could fall in love with somebody just because he looked like Leonardo DiCaprio. I guess maybe that's why Victor didn't steal a brain, or he never wanted one, since that's what makes you who you are.'
'The brain does?' said Eduardo. 'Really?'
'Well, yeah,' said Kylie.
'So, is that where the soul is?'
'What makes you say that?'
'When we went to Glens Falls, you said the person was the soul. But the brain is part of the body.'
'Okay, so maybe the soul is in the brain,' said Kylie. 'I mean, it's the brain that calls the shots and determines who you are, right?'
'But the soul still lives after it. So, like, what if you put Egon's brain in Leonardo DiCaprio's body?'
'Wow,' said Kylie, giggling slightly. 'He'd be unstoppable.'
'But would having Egon's brain actually make him Egon?' Eduardo persisted. 'Because that's not how possession works, is it? I mean, suppose you put, I don't know... my soul in there. A brain's just an organ, so couldn't I use Egon's brain to think my own thoughts? You know, like when I had to share with Pagan.'
'This is getting too complicated,' said Kylie. 'And there's no point talking about that anyway. I like your soul in your body.'
'Yeah?' said Eduardo, smiling.
'Yeah,' said Kylie, 'I do. And I like having these deep discussions with you, Eduardo, but right now I think we need to focus on getting out of here. What about this bathroom? The plumbing has to lead somewhere, doesn't it? Or is it just connected to a water tank?'
Eduardo went to join her and looked dubiously at the toilet, basin and shower.
'Probably,' he said. 'And even if it is connected to the sewers, it'll only go deeper underground.'
'Isn't it worth a try?' asked Kylie. 'I mean... we'll die down here anyway.'
Eduardo looked at her for a moment. Then he said, 'I don't think so. The others'll be looking for us soon, if they're not already. They can follow Victor's PKE trail. I even dropped my walkie-talkie up there, so they'll find that.'
'Not if Victor's moved it.'
'Kylie, come on. They'll find us.'
Just then, from the bathroom, there came the squeak and groan of unhappy plumbing. Then suddenly the shower head burst off the wall, the taps on the basin blew their tops and water began spurting from both appliances at an alarming rate. Eduardo tuned and bundled Kylie out of the doorway.
'You were right,' said Eduardo, not letting go of her. 'That water doesn't even seem to be draining. We've walked into a trap all right.'
'And a good one too,' said Kylie. 'Eduardo, we'll never...'
'Don't talk like that. It'll take a while for this place to flood, and we're strong swimmers. Maybe the others'll find us in time.'
'So what, we just start treading water and hope for the best?'
'We can keep looking,' said Eduardo. 'If we're really lucky, there could be a key down here that Victor doesn't know about. Or maybe there's a way to turn off the water supply. You didn't happen to notice a stopcock anywhere, did you?'
'No,' Kylie said. 'Eduardo, I...'
'We got some time,' he said, letting go of her and turning back to the flooding bathroom.
'Are you okay?' he asked, staring down in astonishment at her cowering form. 'What happened?'
'Nothing,' said Kylie, her voice shaking. 'I overreacted.'
'To what?'
'Just some maggots.'
'Oh,' said Eduardo, still keeping one arm around her as she shifted to his side. 'I hope we haven't ended up in another one of those places where your worst fears come to life.'
'I don't think so,' said Kylie. 'It was some maggots living on some body parts.'
'Oh,' Eduardo said again. 'Gross. Do you want to leave?'
'No,' said Kylie. 'We need to take some readings, at least.'
'Okay, well... I'll do it.'
He gave Kylie's arm a squeeze, then crossed the space to where Victor's sacks were lying.
'What is this place, anyway?' he asked. 'One of those nuclear fallout shelters from the fifties?'
'I guess so,' said Kylie. 'If so, there'll be a bathroom through that door. I should probably go check it out, just in case there's anything there.'
'You should get back up top,' said Eduardo. 'Now we're both down here without anyone knowing where we are, and that's just dumb. Oh, man... these are gross. He must have dug them up.'
'What are the readings like?' asked Kylie.
'Hardly anything... just residual traces from Victor, I think. Egon was right – this whole thing is Ghostbuster business. Let's get out of here.'
He headed towards the ladder, while Kylie turned and put her foot on the first rung. Then there came a very loud, very ominous clunk from above their heads. They looked up. Then they looked at each other.
'Aw man!' said Eduardo. 'This is exactly what I was afraid of, and now I've let it happen!'
'You can open these from the inside, can't you?' Kylie said doubtfully. 'If not, how did anyone expect to get out after the nuclear war was over?'
'I got a feeling it's locked,' said Eduardo, 'and we won't find the key down here. But I'll try it,' he added, and began climbing the ladder.
'So...' said Kylie, looking nervously around.
'What?' Eduardo called down to her.
'Why would Victor dig up an old body that was all covered with maggots? Okay, so the morgue's being watched, but even so you'd think he could have found something fresher. I mean... I can't imagine that poor dead woman being useful, can you?'
'You think it's just one?' Eduardo asked.
'Yeah, I do,' said Kylie. 'Why dig up more than one grave when you don't have to? I'll tell you what I think, Eduardo. I think Victor wanted us to see him. I think we've walked right into a trap.'
'So do I,' said Eduardo, his voice indicating that he was now straining against the concrete hatch. 'I don't think we're getting out this way, Ky.'
'I'm so sorry,' she said.
'What for?' Eduardo asked, as he came back down to join her.
'You were right all along,' said Kylie. 'I was the one who insisted on coming down here, and you would have stayed up top if I wasn't such a wuss about the stupid maggots.'
'There's no point blaming yourself,' said Eduardo. 'We'd better try blasting that thing open, but seeing as it was designed to withstand a nuclear explosion...'
'We can try, anyway.'
They both unholstered their guns, took a step back and aimed upwards. After several seconds of firing on full blast, they gave up.
'We have to look for another way out of here,' said Eduardo.
'I don't think there'll be one.'
'Well, we have to try. Come on.'
He moved off and started scouring the walls as though hoping to find a concealed opening in the concrete. Kylie looked at him doubtfully, then wandered over to the door that she thought must lead to a bathroom.
'It kind of makes more sense now, anyway,' said Eduardo. 'I mean, I was wondering about that part that Roland thought he saw.'
'The one I didn't want to hear about, you mean?' said Kylie. 'What were you wondering about it?'
'I was wondering how Victor knew it was the best.'
'What do you mean?'
'Well, he took the digestive system out of the gourmet chef, didn't he?' said Eduardo. 'And the martial arts expert's hands and stuff. So how would he know which female parts were the best?'
'If it comes to that,' said Kylie, 'how did he choose some of the male parts?'
'You tell me,' Eduardo said flippantly.
'I can't,' said Kylie. 'It's what's on the inside that counts, to me anyway.'
'That's not what you said when you saw Titanic.'
'Everyone gets crushes on movie stars. Especially that one. But no one could fall in love with somebody just because he looked like Leonardo DiCaprio. I guess maybe that's why Victor didn't steal a brain, or he never wanted one, since that's what makes you who you are.'
'The brain does?' said Eduardo. 'Really?'
'Well, yeah,' said Kylie.
'So, is that where the soul is?'
'What makes you say that?'
'When we went to Glens Falls, you said the person was the soul. But the brain is part of the body.'
'Okay, so maybe the soul is in the brain,' said Kylie. 'I mean, it's the brain that calls the shots and determines who you are, right?'
'But the soul still lives after it. So, like, what if you put Egon's brain in Leonardo DiCaprio's body?'
'Wow,' said Kylie, giggling slightly. 'He'd be unstoppable.'
'But would having Egon's brain actually make him Egon?' Eduardo persisted. 'Because that's not how possession works, is it? I mean, suppose you put, I don't know... my soul in there. A brain's just an organ, so couldn't I use Egon's brain to think my own thoughts? You know, like when I had to share with Pagan.'
'This is getting too complicated,' said Kylie. 'And there's no point talking about that anyway. I like your soul in your body.'
'Yeah?' said Eduardo, smiling.
'Yeah,' said Kylie, 'I do. And I like having these deep discussions with you, Eduardo, but right now I think we need to focus on getting out of here. What about this bathroom? The plumbing has to lead somewhere, doesn't it? Or is it just connected to a water tank?'
Eduardo went to join her and looked dubiously at the toilet, basin and shower.
'Probably,' he said. 'And even if it is connected to the sewers, it'll only go deeper underground.'
'Isn't it worth a try?' asked Kylie. 'I mean... we'll die down here anyway.'
Eduardo looked at her for a moment. Then he said, 'I don't think so. The others'll be looking for us soon, if they're not already. They can follow Victor's PKE trail. I even dropped my walkie-talkie up there, so they'll find that.'
'Not if Victor's moved it.'
'Kylie, come on. They'll find us.'
Just then, from the bathroom, there came the squeak and groan of unhappy plumbing. Then suddenly the shower head burst off the wall, the taps on the basin blew their tops and water began spurting from both appliances at an alarming rate. Eduardo tuned and bundled Kylie out of the doorway.
'You were right,' said Eduardo, not letting go of her. 'That water doesn't even seem to be draining. We've walked into a trap all right.'
'And a good one too,' said Kylie. 'Eduardo, we'll never...'
'Don't talk like that. It'll take a while for this place to flood, and we're strong swimmers. Maybe the others'll find us in time.'
'So what, we just start treading water and hope for the best?'
'We can keep looking,' said Eduardo. 'If we're really lucky, there could be a key down here that Victor doesn't know about. Or maybe there's a way to turn off the water supply. You didn't happen to notice a stopcock anywhere, did you?'
'No,' Kylie said. 'Eduardo, I...'
'We got some time,' he said, letting go of her and turning back to the flooding bathroom.
In the firehouse, Oscar and Jessica were sitting at opposite ends of a single bed, each staring at a Guess Who? board in different stages of elimination.
'This game is so stupid,' said Jessica, who was losing. 'Why can't we play something interesting?'
'You're too little for the hard games,' said Oscar.
'I am not!'
'Just take your turn, Jess.'
'Okay,' Jessica sighed. 'Is he wearing a hat?'
'No,' said Oscar.
Jessica flipped down two faces from her selection.
'You imbecile!' Oscar said sharply. 'What's the good of eliminating just two?'
Jessica looked up and frowned at him.
'Where are the others?' Oscar went on. 'And, more to the point, why haven't you found the real Ghostbusters? I told you I don't know those interfering upstarts!'
Jessica slid off the bed and wandered towards the doorway, calling petulantly, 'Mo-om!'
Moments later, Dana rocketed into the room, followed closely by Peter. Egon, Janine, Ray and Winston trickled in behind them as Dana asked urgently, 'What's wrong, sweetie?'
'I think Oscar's possessed again,' said Jessica.
'Their friends will be looking for them,' said Oscar, and paused. Then he said, 'Certainly they won't find them if they are not alive to do so.'
'Oh my goodness!' said Dana.
'I don't care how you do it,' Oscar said. 'Just do it!'
'Oscar!' Dana said desperately. Then she turned to her husband. 'Peter, what do we do?'
'Um,' said Peter.
'Fight it, Oscar!' Ray called from the back of the room.
'What if someone slaps him?' asked Jessica.
'That's not helpful, sweetheart,' Dana said distractedly, taking a tentative step towards her son.
'Vigo and this Victor character must have done something to Kylie and Eduardo,' said Winston, 'and now they're going after Roland and Garrett! We have to find them!'
'You're right, Winston,' said Egon. 'Janine, would you mind contacting the Ecto-1 for us? And, um... do you happen to know where Roland keeps his spare car keys?'
'Wait, you guys!' said Oscar, sounding like himself again, if a little shaken. 'You have to take me with you. I think I can lead you to them. I... I can lead you to them!'
'You're not going anywhere,' said Dana.
'Mom,' said Oscar, 'their lives are in danger! You have to let me help! Dad, tell her!'
Peter hesitated for a moment. Then he said carefully, 'We'd be with him the whole time, Dana. You know I'd never let anything happen to him, and if he can really save their lives...'
'I can!' said Oscar. 'I know I can!'
'Well,' said Dana, 'if you're going, Oscar, then I'm going too.'
'Good,' said Oscar. 'They're in real danger, Mom. And... I've kind of got a feeling they'll need a change of clothes.'
'This game is so stupid,' said Jessica, who was losing. 'Why can't we play something interesting?'
'You're too little for the hard games,' said Oscar.
'I am not!'
'Just take your turn, Jess.'
'Okay,' Jessica sighed. 'Is he wearing a hat?'
'No,' said Oscar.
Jessica flipped down two faces from her selection.
'You imbecile!' Oscar said sharply. 'What's the good of eliminating just two?'
Jessica looked up and frowned at him.
'Where are the others?' Oscar went on. 'And, more to the point, why haven't you found the real Ghostbusters? I told you I don't know those interfering upstarts!'
Jessica slid off the bed and wandered towards the doorway, calling petulantly, 'Mo-om!'
Moments later, Dana rocketed into the room, followed closely by Peter. Egon, Janine, Ray and Winston trickled in behind them as Dana asked urgently, 'What's wrong, sweetie?'
'I think Oscar's possessed again,' said Jessica.
'Their friends will be looking for them,' said Oscar, and paused. Then he said, 'Certainly they won't find them if they are not alive to do so.'
'Oh my goodness!' said Dana.
'I don't care how you do it,' Oscar said. 'Just do it!'
'Oscar!' Dana said desperately. Then she turned to her husband. 'Peter, what do we do?'
'Um,' said Peter.
'Fight it, Oscar!' Ray called from the back of the room.
'What if someone slaps him?' asked Jessica.
'That's not helpful, sweetheart,' Dana said distractedly, taking a tentative step towards her son.
'Vigo and this Victor character must have done something to Kylie and Eduardo,' said Winston, 'and now they're going after Roland and Garrett! We have to find them!'
'You're right, Winston,' said Egon. 'Janine, would you mind contacting the Ecto-1 for us? And, um... do you happen to know where Roland keeps his spare car keys?'
'Wait, you guys!' said Oscar, sounding like himself again, if a little shaken. 'You have to take me with you. I think I can lead you to them. I... I can lead you to them!'
'You're not going anywhere,' said Dana.
'Mom,' said Oscar, 'their lives are in danger! You have to let me help! Dad, tell her!'
Peter hesitated for a moment. Then he said carefully, 'We'd be with him the whole time, Dana. You know I'd never let anything happen to him, and if he can really save their lives...'
'I can!' said Oscar. 'I know I can!'
'Well,' said Dana, 'if you're going, Oscar, then I'm going too.'
'Good,' said Oscar. 'They're in real danger, Mom. And... I've kind of got a feeling they'll need a change of clothes.'
The Ecto-1 was now in another part of town, parked a few yards away from Roland and Garrett, who were wandering around looking at their PKE meters.
'Why did we wait so long?' asked Roland. 'Any trail Victor might have left will be cold by now.'
'Are you sure about that?' said Garrett. 'Because I've got something here.'
'Really?' Roland asked doubtfully.
'Yeah,' said Garrett, and he went wheeling off in the direction of a large building. 'Hey! Roland, look – that's one of their walkie-talkies!'
'So you think they're inside?' asked Roland, coming up behind Garrett.
'Inside a gross old warehouse,' said Garrett. 'Well, that's original. We'd better take a look, hadn't we?'
'The doors are locked,' said Roland, giving them a shake.
'Of course they are. Victor's probably locked Ky and Eddie in, and now he's filling the place up with poisonous gas or something. We have to get in there, Roland!'
'Well... calm down, Gar. Let's try them on the walkie-talkie. If they're inside, they'll be in range.'
'Okay.' Garrett unholstered his walkie-talkie, and said into it, 'Kylie... Eddie... whichever one of you still has your walkie-talkie... come in!'
There was no reply.
'You'll have to break this door down too, Roland,' said Garrett.
Roland hesitated a moment. Then suddenly, he heard Janine's voice saying tinnily, 'Guys, it's Janine. Can you hear me?'
Roland went over to the Ecto-1. Garrett glared at the warehouse doors, then turned his chair around and backed forcefully into them. The doors strained; Garrett persevered, and finally the lock gave way.
'Kylie?' he called. 'Eddie? Are you here?'
Garrett found himself in a room filled with heavy-duty industrial materials such as pneumatic drills, blowtorches and forklift trucks. He ventured a little way into the room, but stopped when Roland appeared beside him, saying, 'The others are coming to meet us, Garrett. Oscar thinks he can lead us to Eduardo and Kylie. And he also thinks Victor's trying to kill us.'
'What makes him think that?' asked Garrett.
A gunshot fired. Roland dropped to the ground, and Garrett ducked as low as he could in his chair. The bullet evidently hadn't got close to either of them, as it ended up embedded in the side of a forklift truck.
'Drop it!' said Garrett, catching sight of Victor behind a barrel of flammable liquid, and levelling his proton gun on him. 'I'm warning you. This thing can do you some serious damage, Victor.'
'It'll kill us all if you fire over there, Gar,' Roland muttered through the side of his mouth.
'You know what's in that barrel?' Garrett said to Victor. 'You wanna find out the hard way?'
Victor hesitated for a moment. Then he dropped his gun, turned and ran through a door behind him.
'Hey, no fair!' said Garrett. 'Get after him, Roland!'
'There are more important things to do first, Garrett,' said Roland, heading for the main doors as he heard his Mustang pulling up outside. Then, when he saw all four original Ghostbusters as well as Oscar and Dana piling out of it, his face fell. 'I sure hope the suspension can bear all that weight. It was only just over a month ago that the velociraptor totalled the engine.'
Garrett, joining Roland in the doorway, said, 'Poor little car.'
'Why did we wait so long?' asked Roland. 'Any trail Victor might have left will be cold by now.'
'Are you sure about that?' said Garrett. 'Because I've got something here.'
'Really?' Roland asked doubtfully.
'Yeah,' said Garrett, and he went wheeling off in the direction of a large building. 'Hey! Roland, look – that's one of their walkie-talkies!'
'So you think they're inside?' asked Roland, coming up behind Garrett.
'Inside a gross old warehouse,' said Garrett. 'Well, that's original. We'd better take a look, hadn't we?'
'The doors are locked,' said Roland, giving them a shake.
'Of course they are. Victor's probably locked Ky and Eddie in, and now he's filling the place up with poisonous gas or something. We have to get in there, Roland!'
'Well... calm down, Gar. Let's try them on the walkie-talkie. If they're inside, they'll be in range.'
'Okay.' Garrett unholstered his walkie-talkie, and said into it, 'Kylie... Eddie... whichever one of you still has your walkie-talkie... come in!'
There was no reply.
'You'll have to break this door down too, Roland,' said Garrett.
Roland hesitated a moment. Then suddenly, he heard Janine's voice saying tinnily, 'Guys, it's Janine. Can you hear me?'
Roland went over to the Ecto-1. Garrett glared at the warehouse doors, then turned his chair around and backed forcefully into them. The doors strained; Garrett persevered, and finally the lock gave way.
'Kylie?' he called. 'Eddie? Are you here?'
Garrett found himself in a room filled with heavy-duty industrial materials such as pneumatic drills, blowtorches and forklift trucks. He ventured a little way into the room, but stopped when Roland appeared beside him, saying, 'The others are coming to meet us, Garrett. Oscar thinks he can lead us to Eduardo and Kylie. And he also thinks Victor's trying to kill us.'
'What makes him think that?' asked Garrett.
A gunshot fired. Roland dropped to the ground, and Garrett ducked as low as he could in his chair. The bullet evidently hadn't got close to either of them, as it ended up embedded in the side of a forklift truck.
'Drop it!' said Garrett, catching sight of Victor behind a barrel of flammable liquid, and levelling his proton gun on him. 'I'm warning you. This thing can do you some serious damage, Victor.'
'It'll kill us all if you fire over there, Gar,' Roland muttered through the side of his mouth.
'You know what's in that barrel?' Garrett said to Victor. 'You wanna find out the hard way?'
Victor hesitated for a moment. Then he dropped his gun, turned and ran through a door behind him.
'Hey, no fair!' said Garrett. 'Get after him, Roland!'
'There are more important things to do first, Garrett,' said Roland, heading for the main doors as he heard his Mustang pulling up outside. Then, when he saw all four original Ghostbusters as well as Oscar and Dana piling out of it, his face fell. 'I sure hope the suspension can bear all that weight. It was only just over a month ago that the velociraptor totalled the engine.'
Garrett, joining Roland in the doorway, said, 'Poor little car.'
Eduardo and Kylie were now treading water, and had evidently given up their search for a way out of their plight. They were close together, but stayed silent until the lights died in a series of bright and alarming flashes.
'We're out of light,' said Eduardo.
'I wonder how much longer we're going to have to wait,' said Kylie.
'For what?'
'Well... one thing or the other. I'm so sorry, Eduardo.'
'It's not your fault.'
'Yes it is. You know it is.'
'There's no point blaming anyone.'
'You're being so calm about this,' said Kylie. 'Why aren't you freaking out?'
'I am,' said Eduardo. 'Maybe soon I'll start showing it.'
'Or maybe we should talk instead. You know... take our minds off things.'
'Talk about what?'
'Well,' said Kylie, 'you know. Why I went with you to Glens Falls... why I went as Buffy for Halloween... why you ended up inside Pagan that time... why you shielded me when those guys were shooting at us with my proton gun... why Achira said what she did...'
'You're going back a long way there,' Eduardo said quietly.
'Yeah,' said Kylie. 'Too long... don't you think?'
'Now I think so, yeah,' said Eduardo. 'Kylie, I...'
He was interrupted by a series of loud and insistent noises above their heads.
'What was that?' he asked stupidly.
'Oh my gosh!' said Kylie. 'I don't believe it! They found us!'
In her relief, she swam the single stroke it took to reach Eduardo and flung her arms around his neck. They sank, and resurfaced separately just in time to hear the hatch opening. They looked up to see the night sky, and someone in a welding mask illuminated in the light of a blowtorch.
'Yay, Winston!' Kylie cried out jubilantly, as the figure removed his mask.
'Took you long enough,' said Eduardo, gently steering Kylie towards the ladder.
'Sorry, kids,' said Winston. He shut off his blowtorch, then stooped down to offer them both a helping hand out of the hole. 'We may be slow, but we get there in the end.'
Standing behind him in the dim light were Roland, Garrett, Egon, Peter and Oscar. Ray and Dana were at the fore, each holding out a bundle of neatly folded clothing.
'We brought you a change of clothes,' said Dana, giving her bundle to Kylie, while Eduardo took the one proffered by Ray.
'Thanks,' said Kylie. 'What made you think of that?'
'Oscar,' Peter said proudly. 'And he saved your lives as well. Isn't that right, champ?'
'The scourge of Carpathia,' Oscar said hollowly. 'The sorrow of Moldavia.'
'Oh my goodness!' said Dana, running over to him.
'Why don't Eduardo and I take Dana and Oscar back to the firehouse?' said Kylie. 'We can't really help you with Vigo because we had to ditch our weapons to keep from sinking. Sorry, Egon.'
'That's quite understandable,' said Egon.
'Um,' said Eduardo, looking down at the bundle of clothing in his arms.
'You could change in the cars,' said Ray. 'We can probably spare the Ecto-1 for a minute.'
'You take it, Eduardo,' said Kylie. 'I'll be okay in the small one.'
'Okay,' said Eduardo, and he scurried off towards the Ecto-1, looking decidedly awkward.
'Oh, Kylie!' Roland said admonishingly.
'Not again!' Garrett added.
'I'll deal with it later, guys,' said Kylie, smiling slightly as she made her way over to the Mustang.
'We're out of light,' said Eduardo.
'I wonder how much longer we're going to have to wait,' said Kylie.
'For what?'
'Well... one thing or the other. I'm so sorry, Eduardo.'
'It's not your fault.'
'Yes it is. You know it is.'
'There's no point blaming anyone.'
'You're being so calm about this,' said Kylie. 'Why aren't you freaking out?'
'I am,' said Eduardo. 'Maybe soon I'll start showing it.'
'Or maybe we should talk instead. You know... take our minds off things.'
'Talk about what?'
'Well,' said Kylie, 'you know. Why I went with you to Glens Falls... why I went as Buffy for Halloween... why you ended up inside Pagan that time... why you shielded me when those guys were shooting at us with my proton gun... why Achira said what she did...'
'You're going back a long way there,' Eduardo said quietly.
'Yeah,' said Kylie. 'Too long... don't you think?'
'Now I think so, yeah,' said Eduardo. 'Kylie, I...'
He was interrupted by a series of loud and insistent noises above their heads.
'What was that?' he asked stupidly.
'Oh my gosh!' said Kylie. 'I don't believe it! They found us!'
In her relief, she swam the single stroke it took to reach Eduardo and flung her arms around his neck. They sank, and resurfaced separately just in time to hear the hatch opening. They looked up to see the night sky, and someone in a welding mask illuminated in the light of a blowtorch.
'Yay, Winston!' Kylie cried out jubilantly, as the figure removed his mask.
'Took you long enough,' said Eduardo, gently steering Kylie towards the ladder.
'Sorry, kids,' said Winston. He shut off his blowtorch, then stooped down to offer them both a helping hand out of the hole. 'We may be slow, but we get there in the end.'
Standing behind him in the dim light were Roland, Garrett, Egon, Peter and Oscar. Ray and Dana were at the fore, each holding out a bundle of neatly folded clothing.
'We brought you a change of clothes,' said Dana, giving her bundle to Kylie, while Eduardo took the one proffered by Ray.
'Thanks,' said Kylie. 'What made you think of that?'
'Oscar,' Peter said proudly. 'And he saved your lives as well. Isn't that right, champ?'
'The scourge of Carpathia,' Oscar said hollowly. 'The sorrow of Moldavia.'
'Oh my goodness!' said Dana, running over to him.
'Why don't Eduardo and I take Dana and Oscar back to the firehouse?' said Kylie. 'We can't really help you with Vigo because we had to ditch our weapons to keep from sinking. Sorry, Egon.'
'That's quite understandable,' said Egon.
'Um,' said Eduardo, looking down at the bundle of clothing in his arms.
'You could change in the cars,' said Ray. 'We can probably spare the Ecto-1 for a minute.'
'You take it, Eduardo,' said Kylie. 'I'll be okay in the small one.'
'Okay,' said Eduardo, and he scurried off towards the Ecto-1, looking decidedly awkward.
'Oh, Kylie!' Roland said admonishingly.
'Not again!' Garrett added.
'I'll deal with it later, guys,' said Kylie, smiling slightly as she made her way over to the Mustang.
'You are a bumbling fool!' Vigo's head announced from the painting. 'I send you to kill the Ghostbusters, and what do you do? You let them get away. I should ask you for your head!'
'Forgive me, oh lord,' said Victor, grovelling on the floor once again.
'Those accursed fools will be on their way here, no doubt,' Vigo went on. 'Well, let them come. I shall be ready for them!'
Just as he finished speaking, there came a loud banging noise from the door, and moments later Roland burst through the chipboard that was keeping it closed.
'This is private property!' Victor raged. 'I still have to put in the insurance claim for the last time you broke that door down!'
'Where's the picture of Vigo, Roland?' asked Egon.
'It's right...' Roland began, but then he stopped, his pointing finger hanging stupidly in the air.
'That's not a picture of Vigo,' said Winston.
'No,' said Garrett, 'but it was. You guys, the head's gone!'
'Forgive me, oh lord,' said Victor, grovelling on the floor once again.
'Those accursed fools will be on their way here, no doubt,' Vigo went on. 'Well, let them come. I shall be ready for them!'
Just as he finished speaking, there came a loud banging noise from the door, and moments later Roland burst through the chipboard that was keeping it closed.
'This is private property!' Victor raged. 'I still have to put in the insurance claim for the last time you broke that door down!'
'Where's the picture of Vigo, Roland?' asked Egon.
'It's right...' Roland began, but then he stopped, his pointing finger hanging stupidly in the air.
'That's not a picture of Vigo,' said Winston.
'No,' said Garrett, 'but it was. You guys, the head's gone!'
Not very far away, Roland's Mustang was caught up in a traffic jam. Dana was driving with Eduardo beside her, and Oscar and Kylie in the back.
'I can't thank you enough for driving, Dana,' said Kylie. 'New York traffic and everything...'
'It's okay, Kylie,' said Dana. 'I can understand why you two don't feel like it after all that. Do you remember when I was learning, sweetie?' She smiled at Oscar in the rear-view mirror. 'Jess was on the way, and I was so afraid I wouldn't get my licence before she was born.'
Oscar, instead of answering her, suddenly opened his door and ran out onto the street.
'OSCAR!' Dana screamed, and opened her own door to run out after him.
'Whoa!' said Eduardo, staring at the empty driver's seat beside him. 'What do we do now?'
Several yards away, a medium-sized truck braked just in time to avoid mowing Oscar down. The driver yelled something; Dana screamed in anguish, then took off again after her fleet-footed son. In the car, Kylie leaned over and pulled Oscar's door shut, then climbed over to the driver's seat and shut that door as well.
'I don't think,' she said, 'there's anything we can do.'
'I can't thank you enough for driving, Dana,' said Kylie. 'New York traffic and everything...'
'It's okay, Kylie,' said Dana. 'I can understand why you two don't feel like it after all that. Do you remember when I was learning, sweetie?' She smiled at Oscar in the rear-view mirror. 'Jess was on the way, and I was so afraid I wouldn't get my licence before she was born.'
Oscar, instead of answering her, suddenly opened his door and ran out onto the street.
'OSCAR!' Dana screamed, and opened her own door to run out after him.
'Whoa!' said Eduardo, staring at the empty driver's seat beside him. 'What do we do now?'
Several yards away, a medium-sized truck braked just in time to avoid mowing Oscar down. The driver yelled something; Dana screamed in anguish, then took off again after her fleet-footed son. In the car, Kylie leaned over and pulled Oscar's door shut, then climbed over to the driver's seat and shut that door as well.
'I don't think,' she said, 'there's anything we can do.'
Sure enough, the executioner in Death is But a Door was holding up an empty fist. While everyone was taking this in, the door to the back room swung open, and out came a horribly disproportionate man wearing Vigo's head and a Halesworth Street Art Café uniform. He snarled angrily, then raised his hands and aimed a blast of energy the six Ghostbusters. They cried out and fell to the ground or, in Garrett's case, went careening backwards into a large painting of some elephants.
'Damages must be paid for!' said Victor.
'You will perish!' Vigo announced.
'Not this again,' groaned Peter, as he struggled to his feet.
'He's not as powerful this time, Pete,' said Ray. 'Just look at him. What does he have? Just a head and a Frankenstein's monster to carry it around on. And a real nasty one too!'
Vigo snarled.
'On three,' said Garrett.
'OSCAR!' someone yelled outside, and a moment later Oscar appeared in the doorway of the café, where he stood glassy-eyed and motionless. Of course, it was Dana who had called for him, and she appeared behind him a moment later.
'Ah,' said Vigo, turning and smiling at them. 'Dana and Oscar Barrett... or whatever your name is.'
'It's Venkman,' Peter said defiantly. 'His name is Oscar Venkman.'
'Of course,' said Vigo. 'So I heard. How touchingly sentimental. But of course, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet... and a child by any other name is just as weak. Come here, Oscar.'
'Oscar, stay where you are!' said Peter. 'Or better yet, get out of here!'
Vigo growled low in his throat. 'Come here!' he said, gesturing with his right arm, and suddenly Oscar was being dragged across the room without uttering a single protest.
'Get away from him, you creep!' yelled Dana.
'How do you intend to stop me, Dana?' said Vigo, gripping Oscar's shoulder tightly. 'With your good looks? You pitiful fools can do nothing to me! These are the legs of a marathon winner, the abdominals of a weight lifter, and the hands of a martial arts expert. And that's just for starters!'
As Vigo spoke, Oscar seemed to snap out of his reverie. He looked distastefully up at his tormentor, saying, 'You don't know the first thing about martial arts, dude.'
'You and I, boy, should be preparing to bring the world to its knees,' said Vigo. 'The new age will be upon us but a year from now. What do you say, Oscar? Shall we try again?'
'Oscar...' said Peter.
'Don't worry, Dad, I know,' said Oscar, struggling in Vigo's grip. 'You can't make me, Vigo! You don't control me! I'm not afraid of you!'
'Are you not?' sneered Vigo. 'Well, I have no need of your feeble body now, but who knows what the future may hold? In the meantime, you can stay with me as my hostage. Do you hear that, Ghostbusters? You will not interfere with my plans if you ever wish to see this child alive again!'
'No!' cried Dana.
'Come on now, Vigo,' said Winston. 'This doesn't have to get ugly.'
'I think you mean uglier,' said Garrett. 'Vigo, seriously... you look ridiculous, dude.'
Vigo turned to look at him, and growled.
'I've actually been wondering,' Garrett pressed, 'how Victor chose some of your parts. I mean, those legs are actually from some kind of circus freak, right?'
'You are in no position to cast aspersions upon anyone's legs!' Vigo roared deep in his throat.
'Oscar, run!' called Peter, but Vigo tightened his grip on Oscar's shoulder and turned sharply back to face him.
'You cannot resist me, boy,' he said. 'You are mine!'
Oscar was clearly struggling, but with a tremendous force of will he managed to say through clenched teeth, 'No... I... am... not!' Then suddenly he found his strength. He whirled round and aimed a punch at Vigo's head, which was immediately blocked by a muscular forearm. A moment later, Vigo doubled over in pain as Oscar's left fist slammed into his stomach.
Oscar ran. Dana received him in her arms, almost weeping with relief.
'You're no martial arts expert, Vigo!' said Oscar. 'I'd know! I'm a purple belt!'
'You are only delaying your fate,' said Vigo.
'Ain't that what life's all about?' said Peter, and he turned on his proton stream. The other five Ghostbusters all followed suit, and Vigo roared in pain.
'Trap him!' yelled Dana, practically jumping up and down in agitation. 'For goodness' sake, trap him! I want him in the containment unit! I never want to see that jerk again!'
'Aim for the head!' Egon shouted, but too late, for the head broke away and the body fell to the ground in a singed heap.
'Where is he?' Dana demanded.
'He's back in the painting,' said Roland.
'What?' said Dana, looking at the painting, and seeing that Roland was right. 'That's not good enough! I want him gone for good – do you hear?'
'Honey, calm down,' said Peter.
'He's not back in the painting,' said Oscar. 'He's still here somewhere.'
The Ghostbusters consulted their PKE meters. Then Winston, wide-eyed with alarm, said, 'It's Ray! Of course – Vigo possessed him too! Maybe he still has some kind of a hold on him!'
'Why, whatever are you talking about, Winston?' said Ray. 'I'm not possessed in the slightest.'
'Liar!' yelled Oscar, marching across the room towards Ray. 'Get... out... of... him!'
With each word he spoke, Oscar laid into Ray with a swift and painful karate move; inside the battered body, Vigo cried out in distress until he could take it no more. A vaporous substance began to seep away from Ray, and the other Ghostbusters didn't give it a chance to get away. Egon, Roland, Garrett and Winston locked their proton streams onto it, and Peter threw down the trap. The vaporous substance formed a face as it was pulled down, screaming and howling with rage. The trap clanged shut. At last, Vigo was gone.
'These are the hands of a martial arts expert,' Oscar grinned, helping the fallen Ray to his feet. 'You okay, dude?'
'I'll live,' said Ray, rubbing his aching abdomen, as Dana and Peter rushed over to shower Oscar with hugs and kisses.
'What is happening?' Victor demanded, looking despairingly around his café. 'Why is there a charred headless corpse on my café floor?'
'You've had a violent, prolonged, transformative psychic episode,' Egon informed him.
'Hey!' said Garrett, as two police officers suddenly burst into the café. 'The cops are here!'
'Finally!' said Roland. 'We reported what we knew more than twenty-four hours ago. What took you guys so long?'
'We were waiting for a warrant,' said one of the officers, holding up a piece of paper triumphantly. 'So, um... those the body parts? Well, I guess we have grounds for arrest.'
'Don't worry, fella,' said Peter, giving Victor a reassuring pat on the back. 'We'll vouch for you.'
'Damages must be paid for!' said Victor.
'You will perish!' Vigo announced.
'Not this again,' groaned Peter, as he struggled to his feet.
'He's not as powerful this time, Pete,' said Ray. 'Just look at him. What does he have? Just a head and a Frankenstein's monster to carry it around on. And a real nasty one too!'
Vigo snarled.
'On three,' said Garrett.
'OSCAR!' someone yelled outside, and a moment later Oscar appeared in the doorway of the café, where he stood glassy-eyed and motionless. Of course, it was Dana who had called for him, and she appeared behind him a moment later.
'Ah,' said Vigo, turning and smiling at them. 'Dana and Oscar Barrett... or whatever your name is.'
'It's Venkman,' Peter said defiantly. 'His name is Oscar Venkman.'
'Of course,' said Vigo. 'So I heard. How touchingly sentimental. But of course, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet... and a child by any other name is just as weak. Come here, Oscar.'
'Oscar, stay where you are!' said Peter. 'Or better yet, get out of here!'
Vigo growled low in his throat. 'Come here!' he said, gesturing with his right arm, and suddenly Oscar was being dragged across the room without uttering a single protest.
'Get away from him, you creep!' yelled Dana.
'How do you intend to stop me, Dana?' said Vigo, gripping Oscar's shoulder tightly. 'With your good looks? You pitiful fools can do nothing to me! These are the legs of a marathon winner, the abdominals of a weight lifter, and the hands of a martial arts expert. And that's just for starters!'
As Vigo spoke, Oscar seemed to snap out of his reverie. He looked distastefully up at his tormentor, saying, 'You don't know the first thing about martial arts, dude.'
'You and I, boy, should be preparing to bring the world to its knees,' said Vigo. 'The new age will be upon us but a year from now. What do you say, Oscar? Shall we try again?'
'Oscar...' said Peter.
'Don't worry, Dad, I know,' said Oscar, struggling in Vigo's grip. 'You can't make me, Vigo! You don't control me! I'm not afraid of you!'
'Are you not?' sneered Vigo. 'Well, I have no need of your feeble body now, but who knows what the future may hold? In the meantime, you can stay with me as my hostage. Do you hear that, Ghostbusters? You will not interfere with my plans if you ever wish to see this child alive again!'
'No!' cried Dana.
'Come on now, Vigo,' said Winston. 'This doesn't have to get ugly.'
'I think you mean uglier,' said Garrett. 'Vigo, seriously... you look ridiculous, dude.'
Vigo turned to look at him, and growled.
'I've actually been wondering,' Garrett pressed, 'how Victor chose some of your parts. I mean, those legs are actually from some kind of circus freak, right?'
'You are in no position to cast aspersions upon anyone's legs!' Vigo roared deep in his throat.
'Oscar, run!' called Peter, but Vigo tightened his grip on Oscar's shoulder and turned sharply back to face him.
'You cannot resist me, boy,' he said. 'You are mine!'
Oscar was clearly struggling, but with a tremendous force of will he managed to say through clenched teeth, 'No... I... am... not!' Then suddenly he found his strength. He whirled round and aimed a punch at Vigo's head, which was immediately blocked by a muscular forearm. A moment later, Vigo doubled over in pain as Oscar's left fist slammed into his stomach.
Oscar ran. Dana received him in her arms, almost weeping with relief.
'You're no martial arts expert, Vigo!' said Oscar. 'I'd know! I'm a purple belt!'
'You are only delaying your fate,' said Vigo.
'Ain't that what life's all about?' said Peter, and he turned on his proton stream. The other five Ghostbusters all followed suit, and Vigo roared in pain.
'Trap him!' yelled Dana, practically jumping up and down in agitation. 'For goodness' sake, trap him! I want him in the containment unit! I never want to see that jerk again!'
'Aim for the head!' Egon shouted, but too late, for the head broke away and the body fell to the ground in a singed heap.
'Where is he?' Dana demanded.
'He's back in the painting,' said Roland.
'What?' said Dana, looking at the painting, and seeing that Roland was right. 'That's not good enough! I want him gone for good – do you hear?'
'Honey, calm down,' said Peter.
'He's not back in the painting,' said Oscar. 'He's still here somewhere.'
The Ghostbusters consulted their PKE meters. Then Winston, wide-eyed with alarm, said, 'It's Ray! Of course – Vigo possessed him too! Maybe he still has some kind of a hold on him!'
'Why, whatever are you talking about, Winston?' said Ray. 'I'm not possessed in the slightest.'
'Liar!' yelled Oscar, marching across the room towards Ray. 'Get... out... of... him!'
With each word he spoke, Oscar laid into Ray with a swift and painful karate move; inside the battered body, Vigo cried out in distress until he could take it no more. A vaporous substance began to seep away from Ray, and the other Ghostbusters didn't give it a chance to get away. Egon, Roland, Garrett and Winston locked their proton streams onto it, and Peter threw down the trap. The vaporous substance formed a face as it was pulled down, screaming and howling with rage. The trap clanged shut. At last, Vigo was gone.
'These are the hands of a martial arts expert,' Oscar grinned, helping the fallen Ray to his feet. 'You okay, dude?'
'I'll live,' said Ray, rubbing his aching abdomen, as Dana and Peter rushed over to shower Oscar with hugs and kisses.
'What is happening?' Victor demanded, looking despairingly around his café. 'Why is there a charred headless corpse on my café floor?'
'You've had a violent, prolonged, transformative psychic episode,' Egon informed him.
'Hey!' said Garrett, as two police officers suddenly burst into the café. 'The cops are here!'
'Finally!' said Roland. 'We reported what we knew more than twenty-four hours ago. What took you guys so long?'
'We were waiting for a warrant,' said one of the officers, holding up a piece of paper triumphantly. 'So, um... those the body parts? Well, I guess we have grounds for arrest.'
'Don't worry, fella,' said Peter, giving Victor a reassuring pat on the back. 'We'll vouch for you.'
The next morning, everyone went to Egon and Janine's wedding. Waiting around outside, Peter and Dana looked quite exhausted, and Oscar even more so. Jessica was with them, picking at some ribbons in her hair and wriggling uncomfortably in a pretty dress. They were soon joined by Ray and Winston, who both looked tired as well.
'How are you doing, Oscar?' asked Ray.
'Fine,' said Oscar, yawning widely. 'How are you? Still sore?'
'A little,' said Ray. 'I can see why you're a purple belt.'
'Why doesn't anybody care how I am?' Jessica demanded. 'I don't even want to be here. Why do they have to make all this fuss and force people to dress up and sit through it?'
'Jessica!' said Dana.
'This is a very important wedding, sport,' said Peter.
'Your dad's right, Jess,' said Winston. 'We've been waiting for this since before you were born.'
'I'm not saying they shouldn't get married,' said Jessica. 'They can still do that. But y'know, some people want to get married quietly, without being disturbed.'
'Is that what you want, sweetie?' Ray asked patronisingly.
'Eww, no!' said Jessica. 'I'm never getting married.'
'I'll tell Janine to aim for you when she throws the bouquet,' said Peter, crouching down to tickle Jessica's ribs.
'Dad, don't!' she said, giggling.
'What about aiming for Kylie?' asked Ray.
'Too soon,' said Winston, 'if anything even happened between them yet. But how long has Roland been seeing that girl?'
'What girl?' asked Peter, looking eagerly around.
'That one,' said Oscar, pointing discreetly. 'He can't have been seeing her for long, Winston. Look, she's only just shaking hands with Kylie and Garrett.'
This was quite true. Several yards away, Kylie was taking the young woman's hand and saying pleasantly, 'It's nice to meet you, T'Keyah.'
'Yeah,' said Garrett, with a penetrating look at Roland. 'Finally!'
'It's nice to finally meet you guys as well,' said T'Keyah. 'Roland's told me so much about you.'
'Was that before or after that demon turned him into a jerk?' asked Garrett. 'He was possessed when you guys got together, wasn't he?'
'Oh,' said T'Keyah, giggling and nudging Roland in the ribs, 'that was nothing. Anyway, I don't think he would have ever had the courage to come up to me if it hadn't been for that.'
'I was, um, admiring T'Keyah from afar all last semester,' Roland said sheepishly. 'I kept seeing her in the science department, between her premed classes. She's going to be a really great doctor.'
'Well,' T'Keyah said modestly, 'I'm sure gonna try.'
'Y'know,' said Garrett, 'liking somebody for one semester isn't so bad. I mean it's not, I don't know... almost two years. Right, Kylie?'
'You don't have to nag me, Garrett,' said Kylie, punching him lightly on the arm. 'I said I'd deal with it, and I will.'
As she spoke, Eduardo appeared on the scene. Kylie marched over to him and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.
'Oh, I'm so glad to see you, sweetie!' she said.
'You are?' said Eduardo.
'Of course I am.'
'Did you just call me sweetie?'
'Yes!' said Kylie, and kissed him, while a little way away a car hove into view with ribbons on the front and Janine in the back.
'Oh my gosh, she's here!' said Janine's sister Doris, appearing out of nowhere with Egon at her side and a young man at her heels. 'Victor, start getting everybody in their seats, quick!'
'Victor?' said Garrett, looking around confusedly.
'My soon-to-be nephew,' said Egon. 'We'll introduce you later.'
'Ready to get married, Egon?' asked Winston.
'Of course I am,' said Egon, as Slimer swooped down from somewhere to adjust and slime the flower in his buttonhole. 'Thank you, Slimer. Now, I think you'll all agree I'm quite ready.'
'I think you finally are, Spengs,' said Peter, grabbing Egon's shoulders and driving him forcefully towards the door. 'Go on, get in there. I got your back, man. Say,' he added, looking over his shoulder, 'would one of you kids mind telling those two we're starting?'
'I don't even wanna think about what they're starting,' said Garrett, averting his gaze from where Kylie and Eduardo were still locked in their embrace.
'I'll get them,' said Roland, and took a tentative step forwards.
'How are you doing, Oscar?' asked Ray.
'Fine,' said Oscar, yawning widely. 'How are you? Still sore?'
'A little,' said Ray. 'I can see why you're a purple belt.'
'Why doesn't anybody care how I am?' Jessica demanded. 'I don't even want to be here. Why do they have to make all this fuss and force people to dress up and sit through it?'
'Jessica!' said Dana.
'This is a very important wedding, sport,' said Peter.
'Your dad's right, Jess,' said Winston. 'We've been waiting for this since before you were born.'
'I'm not saying they shouldn't get married,' said Jessica. 'They can still do that. But y'know, some people want to get married quietly, without being disturbed.'
'Is that what you want, sweetie?' Ray asked patronisingly.
'Eww, no!' said Jessica. 'I'm never getting married.'
'I'll tell Janine to aim for you when she throws the bouquet,' said Peter, crouching down to tickle Jessica's ribs.
'Dad, don't!' she said, giggling.
'What about aiming for Kylie?' asked Ray.
'Too soon,' said Winston, 'if anything even happened between them yet. But how long has Roland been seeing that girl?'
'What girl?' asked Peter, looking eagerly around.
'That one,' said Oscar, pointing discreetly. 'He can't have been seeing her for long, Winston. Look, she's only just shaking hands with Kylie and Garrett.'
This was quite true. Several yards away, Kylie was taking the young woman's hand and saying pleasantly, 'It's nice to meet you, T'Keyah.'
'Yeah,' said Garrett, with a penetrating look at Roland. 'Finally!'
'It's nice to finally meet you guys as well,' said T'Keyah. 'Roland's told me so much about you.'
'Was that before or after that demon turned him into a jerk?' asked Garrett. 'He was possessed when you guys got together, wasn't he?'
'Oh,' said T'Keyah, giggling and nudging Roland in the ribs, 'that was nothing. Anyway, I don't think he would have ever had the courage to come up to me if it hadn't been for that.'
'I was, um, admiring T'Keyah from afar all last semester,' Roland said sheepishly. 'I kept seeing her in the science department, between her premed classes. She's going to be a really great doctor.'
'Well,' T'Keyah said modestly, 'I'm sure gonna try.'
'Y'know,' said Garrett, 'liking somebody for one semester isn't so bad. I mean it's not, I don't know... almost two years. Right, Kylie?'
'You don't have to nag me, Garrett,' said Kylie, punching him lightly on the arm. 'I said I'd deal with it, and I will.'
As she spoke, Eduardo appeared on the scene. Kylie marched over to him and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.
'Oh, I'm so glad to see you, sweetie!' she said.
'You are?' said Eduardo.
'Of course I am.'
'Did you just call me sweetie?'
'Yes!' said Kylie, and kissed him, while a little way away a car hove into view with ribbons on the front and Janine in the back.
'Oh my gosh, she's here!' said Janine's sister Doris, appearing out of nowhere with Egon at her side and a young man at her heels. 'Victor, start getting everybody in their seats, quick!'
'Victor?' said Garrett, looking around confusedly.
'My soon-to-be nephew,' said Egon. 'We'll introduce you later.'
'Ready to get married, Egon?' asked Winston.
'Of course I am,' said Egon, as Slimer swooped down from somewhere to adjust and slime the flower in his buttonhole. 'Thank you, Slimer. Now, I think you'll all agree I'm quite ready.'
'I think you finally are, Spengs,' said Peter, grabbing Egon's shoulders and driving him forcefully towards the door. 'Go on, get in there. I got your back, man. Say,' he added, looking over his shoulder, 'would one of you kids mind telling those two we're starting?'
'I don't even wanna think about what they're starting,' said Garrett, averting his gaze from where Kylie and Eduardo were still locked in their embrace.
'I'll get them,' said Roland, and took a tentative step forwards.
