Ghostbusters West Coast: The Reunion, Part Two

It was approximately midnight in L.A. Everywhere within the city was quiet except for a particular warehouse, the headquarters of the Ghostbusters West Coast Division. Inside, the team was discussing some disturbing news about a fellow member.

"What do you mean, serious trouble?" asked Dr. Joey Williams. Dr. Williams was the leader and co-founder of the group. A fantastic comedian and paranormal investigator, Joey was.

"I'm afraid to even say it," said a tall man with dark hair bearing glasses. It was Dr. Fritz Baugh. Dr. Baugh is the brains of the operation. Without his logic, L.A. would be doomed having nine guys running loose with partial throwers.

"Fritz, please," cried Joey as a fellow Ghosthead entered the room.

"What's up?" asked Jeff. Dr. Jeffrey R. Nash was the dark side of the team. Nash was interested occult and folklore. He was wearing a black shirt with a faint Darth Vader image.

"Peter's over at the cemetery where his brother is buried," replied Fritz.

"So?"

"You don't realize what his brother may have become a part of." As Fritz was speaking with Joey and Jeffrey, Dr. Kyle Stevens rushed in.

"Oh my," said a pale white Kyle. Dr. Stevens was a former surgeon at the Stevens Point Hospital. He somewhat lacked a sense of humor, but would always help a friend in need.

"What is it, Kyle?" asked Joey.

"He must be talking about what we found out on Tobin Online," replied Fritz.

"C'mon, if Peter's in trouble, why not just get it out?" ordered Jeff.

"Remember the Ghost Father that Peter mentioned his brother saying?" Fritz asked Joey.

"Yeah," replied Joey.

"It is possible that his brother may have become a part of his crew."

"So who is this, Ghost Father?" asked Jeff.

"Come to the computer," said Kyle leading the way to the den.

Joey looked at the image on screen. The screen portrayed a picture of what appeared to be a pale green chubby man in a tux. A thin black mustache was on the face of the creature and had little hair and wore a short black hat. Underneath the pic was text that said:

The Ghost Father: One of the most feared apparitions in the Sunshine state. This is the ghost of George Karlson, who was wanted for murder, high way robbery, and other major crimes. When this man was alive, his main goal was to rid the world of policemen and any thing that had to do with the law. Karlson died at age 76 from a shot to the heart. It is believed that the ghost is still loose on the streets plotting new schemes. The Ghost Father still has control over three of his most trusted colleagues: Sam "Hip" Piston, Kyle "Hop" Reavis, and Darryl "Stretch" Armstrong.

"Sounds like your classic gangster film villain," said Joey.

"What do you think this means, Fritz?" asked Kyle. "I mean, what has Peter's brother become a part of?"

"Well," said Fritz. "The paragraph does mention that when the Ghost Father was alive he tried to rid the world of police. So it's possible that he's now aiming at Ghostbusters since we're essentially police to him now."

"That must mean his plan to destroy us, the Ghostbusters West Coast!" cried Joey.

"Exactly," said Fritz.

Meanwhile across town Peter Kong was trapped in an old abandoned factory. Peter Kong was in his khaki GB jumpsuit and was wearing a standard proton pack. He was pretty much the most diverse person of the team. His interests covered cartoons to video games, and nearly everything else in popular culture. Kong was tricked into entering the building by his ghostly brother, Jack.

"There has to be a way out of here," said Peter to himself looking around an empty almost completely dark room. It was a fairly large room with gray walls and one window. "Maybe I can get out the old Ghostbusting fashion way," he said pulling out his proton gun. Kong aimed for the wall and blasted it. The neon vibrant light struck the wall but did no damage.

Peter Kong became a bit scared, "What? Why no puncture?" he said walking to the wall. He rubbed his hand across the cold metal and realized what it was. "This is aludantium. A cross between aluminum and adamantium. No wonder the proton beam has no affect on this wall."

In another small room deep within the basement of the building, lies the layer of the Ghost Father. The Ghost Father was a highly feared when he was alive and is still considered dangerous.

"Hip, Hop," summoned the Ghost Father.

"Yes, sir," replied Hip and Hop. Two short ugly ghouls with white tuxedos. Hip was colored blue while Hop was red.

"Go fetch the Ghostbuster," order Ghost Father.

"OK, Boss," said the two ghosts as they disappeared.

"I want to rid this world of them," said Ghost Father, "the Ghostbusters are gonna be dead meat." He picked up a cigar and snapped in half with one fist.

Back at the West Coast HQ, Fritz was using a new device to locate the missing Ghostbuster. Andy Harness, a young redneck lad from East Tennessee was curious. "Hey Fritz, what is that do hickey?"

"Oh this," replied Fritz, "it's my Pack Locator. It homes in on the telemetry device in each of our Proton Packs. When I turn this machine on, I can find the whereabouts of the pack. And the person who is wearing it, as long as they still have it on."

"Well," said Joey, "give it a shot."

Just as the three were about to turn the device on, Jake Kong, Jr. and Eddie Spenser, Jr. entered. Jake was Peter's dad and a former Ghostbuster of a different lesser known group. "What's wrong? Where's Peter?" asked Jake.

"I don't like the expressions on their faces, Jake," said Eddie. Eddie was Jake's best friend and partner in their ghost hunting business. He was also a bit of a fraidy cat.

"Should we tell him?" asked Harness with gloom.

"Yeah," said Joey, "he is his dad, you know. Mr. Kong."

"You can call me Jake."

"Jake, well, Peter is..."

Before Joey could say anything, Fritz interrupted with his device beeping a storm, "I've found him!"

"What?" cried Jake.

"Peter still hasn't come back from the cemetery and we're worried," said Joey.

"So where is he?" asked Andy.

"I have his coordinates, let's get to the computer and find out," said Fritz.

"Coordinates? I want no stupid lame coordinates! I want to know where is he!"

Fritz ignored the remark as he typed in the longitude and latitude into the LA map system. Moments later, the Jacksonville Chemical Factory appeared. "There," said Fritz, "that's where Peter is."

"How?" asked Eddie. "He only went to the cemetery to see the grave of his brother.

"Yes," said Fritz, "but that's across the street and abandoned. I believe that's where the Ghost Father is. I'm afraid that your other son has gone the wrong path, Jake."

"Jack Kong, how could you be so stupid?" cried Jake slapping himself.

"If it's abandoned, we can just shoot our way inside," said Joey.

"That sounds like fun," cheered Andy.

"Not necessarily, the building is made up of a unique alloy. Nearly indestructible," replied Fritz.

"So what now?" asked Jake.

"We call Otter boy," said Andy.

"Precisely," replied Fritz as he picked up the kitchen phone.

Still locked inside the barren building, Peter Kong was slowly looking for a way out. "There's gotta be a way out." He pounded the floor, knocked on the door, tried to open the door, and had no luck. "There just has to be away. Maybe I'm should try the walls." He started near the door and observed the wall from corner to corner. Each and every gray metal brick was searched until Peter discovered something on the far right corner.

It was a small red button. "Cartoon cliche' eh?" Peter thought to himself. "I wonder what happens when I press it," he said as he pushed it in. A trap door opened before his eyes on the floor. "Hey, that was simple," he said kneeling down to see what was inside. "Looks dark to me, but it may be the only exit I've got." Peter stood up and looked up and cried, "let's get dangerouth!" and jumped in as the trap door shut. He fell to the bottom and landed sitting down, "was that trip really necessary?"

Peter escaped just in time, because Hip and Hop had just entered the room to retrieve him. The two looked around and found no sign of the Ghostbuster. "So what now?" asked Hip.

"This don't look good," replied Hop.

"The Boss ain't gonna like this," said Hip as the two faded away.

Meanwhile back at the West Coast HQ, Dr. Nathanial Masterson was hard at work constructing a handheld machine that could open the doors of the factory. Dr. Masterson was an old man who still had a kick of life in him. He was bald but still had his sideburns which are dyed slightly blue. Nathan received the nickname "Otter" from a strange childhood incident. He was once raised by a family of otters which were shot by his adopting parents. Otter's expertise is within electronics and gadgetry.

Dr. Otter's small machine looked like a tiny microwave oven, complete with buttons and dials. "Hey Otter," said Andy, "what's that do hickey?"

"Oh this?" asked Otter.

"Yeah, the thing that lies in your hands," replied Andy with wide eyes.

"This thing will allow you boys into the factory. I remember reading about the Jacksonville Factory. They had a high tech surveillance system. Many people attempted to crack it but lacked the luck and smarts."

"Ok, so it's hard to get in, but our pal's inside and how is that gonna let us in and zap the gangsta?"

"Andy, your stupidity and impatience never ceases to amaze me," replied Otter continuing his work. "Why don't you leave the lab and let me work on this in peace so I can finish more quickly."

Andy grunted as he left the lab. "I'll go see what Fritz has planned," he said walking up the stairs to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the rest of the West Coast members sat. Around the table were Joey, Fritz, Jeff, Chad, Robert, and Kyle. Along with them sat Jake, Eddie, and their gorilla, Tracy. Michael Alan Chad was nicknamed Mr. Clutch do to his ability to work under pressure. Chad was still wearing his jumpsuit from the call earlier that night. Robert John Griffiths was from England and was an engineer. Sometimes Rob would help Otter with the tech stuff, but there are times that Otter preferred working alone.

"How's it coming, Andy?" asked Chad.

"Ok I guess," replied Andy, "you know how Otter is.

"I'm sure he'll devise a way for us to get in," said Fritz.

"Ok, Fritz," said Joey, "what do we do when we get inside?"

"Our primary object is to save Peter, then we must go after the Ghost Father," replied Fritz.

"Piece of cake," said Rob.

"Not necessarily," said Chad. "The ghosts have guns and junk. How are we going to get through?"

"This job is easier when the things don't shoot back," replied Rob.

"Don't worry about that," said Jake. "Tracy has some bullet proof vests in his Ghost Pack."

"I remember Peter telling us about the ape having empty less pockets," said Andy. "It's like having Batman at your side."

"That ape has everything in there except the kitchen sink," said Rob.

Tracy pulled out a small sink out his back pack and smiled.

"Ok," said Rob, "I was wrong," as a fellow Ghostbuster entered the kitchen. It was Jeremy Hicks.

"Well look who's decided to get a midnight snack," said Andy.

Jeremy was the no nonsense kind of man, he wasn't feeling too good since his last bust. "Sorry guys, just having trouble sleeping." He then noticed Tracy who was waving at him. "What's a gorilla doing in the kitchen," said a half asleep Jeremy.

"The new plumber," said Andy.

Otter rushed upstairs with his new machine, "Guys," he shouted as he opened the door. "I've completed it."

"Good," said Andy looking at it, "want to pop some popcorn?"

"What's that for?" asked Joey.

Otter promptly replied ignoring Andy's comment, "The Decoder 2000, with this you guys can enter the factory. Just connect the back piece to the keypad and it should operate by itself."

"Do it yourself keys," said Kyle.

"Perhaps we should sell the idea to MGM for the next Bond flick," said Andy.

"I'm afraid it's already been used before, Andy," said Fritz.

Andy thought to himself, "You're no fun."

"OK boys, the South Division must head out," said Joey.

Chad, Andy, Kyle, and Jeff suited up and walked to the garage. "What if there's trouble? What if we need back up?" asked Kyle.

"Yeah, the radio's destroyed," said Chad as he looked inside Ecto-1S and saw a new yellow radio sitting on the dash board.

Andy looked over to Nathan and said, "You're a busy little Otter, aren't you?" Otter smiled. The guys entered the car ready to go. Jake and Eddie rushed in.

"You're not going without us," said Jake.

"Yeah, we want to make sure Peter gets back safe as well," said Eddie.

"OK, hop in," said Andy, "but no Aping Plumbers."

Back at the Ghost Father's hidden room in the factory. Jack Kong, brother of Peter and son to Jake, said hovering next to him. Jack had a small red aura surrounding his spirit, wore a red shirt and black stylish shades. Hip and Hop appeared before the Ghost Father to report.

"Boss," said Hip.

"The Ghostbuster has escaped," said Hop.

"What do you mean he escaped?" asked the Ghost Father.

"Let's see escape: a verb, one to get away, two to break away from, three to avoid a leave confinement," replied Jack.

"I know what the word means!" snorted the Ghost Father angrily.

"What do we do now, Boss?" asked Hip.

Ghost Father turned to Jack and said, "You, you are his brother."

"What was your first clue?" asked Jack with a smart mouth smile.

The Ghost Father lifted a small black object to Jack and said, "take this weapon and exterminate him. Once you've got him, go after the others."

Jack disappeared without a word.

"I want those Ghostbusters gone!" shouted Ghost Father.

On 28th Street, the Ecto-1S was stuck in a traffic jam. Cars were piled everywhere surrounding the lonely red light. A symphony of honks crowded the air.

"I never thought traffic would be this bad at night," said Kyle.

"We're going to get there," said Andy, "eventually."

"I just hope we're not too late," said Chad.

"I wish we brought GB with us," said Eddie, "Jake, remember the times we got in traffic jams with him?"

"Yeah, we could always just fly out of it," replied Jake.

"Those were the days," Eddie smiled.

"I think it's about to turn green," said pale faced Jeff.

The red light dimmed down and shined green as Andy put her into high gear, "Let's go!" shouted Andy with an insane smile.

Deep in the dark underground caverns of the factory, Peter Kong was wondering around searching for a way out. Everything was completely covered with dirt in the black small tunnels. Very little light glowed from the simple light bulbs. "This place is filthy. It would never pass the white glove test," Peter thought to himself as he came up a metal grate on the ground. He peaked inside.

It was the chamber of the Ghost Father. "I better get out of here before he spots me," Peter thought as he scrunched his back to the wall. He then quietly scooted across the grate without notice. Once he made it passed, he ran hastily. Jack's image appeared faintly around the corner. A bit of light glimmered off of his shades.

Peter ran until he came to a large room filled with empty vats. The room was barely lit and was badly vandalized with spray paint. On the ceiling it read, Jack Rummy Was Here. "Who's Jack Rummy?" Peter pondered as a bolt of green sharp light rang out behind him. He jumped on the floor and covered his head at the moment. "What was that?" Peter cried.

"It is me," said Jack as he stepped into the room.

Peter got back up and asked, "what do you think you're doing?"

Jack laughed faintly with a smirk.

"Why are you doing this? What has happened to you?"

The ghoul lowered the metal object in his hands and said, "OK Bro, I'll tell ya. When I got shot, I, well as you can see I was no longer alive."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Anyways, I tried to find my way to the gates of Heaven. They wouldn't let me in due to some things I once did during high school that neither you, Dad, or Mom, ever knew about. I didn't want to go down there, so instead I decided to stay in the human world. As I flew through the streets of LA, I ran into these two boneheads who told me about how to make a name for myself in the ghost world. They led me here where I was accepted unlike the human world. When I was alive, no one accepted me for who I was, but here, Hip, Hop, and Stretch all accepted me. They provided me new threads, as well as new skills. And the Ghost Father of course provided me the know how. He said I reminded him of his own former son."

"Jack, what do you mean not accepted? What about they guys at school? Work? Home?" cried Peter.

"Bah, my true friends are down here," Jack said raising the object.

"Hey, that's like one of those ecto thingies the Ghost Doppelgangers had against the Ghostbusters in New York!"

"There's a good reason for that, bro," said Jack, "and that's because this is one of them!"

"Wha?" before Peter could finish, Jack shot another blast at his brother. With luck, Peter escaped from the blast.

"What's the matter? Scared?" Jack said as Peter hid behind a vat.

"That must be highly destructive ecto-plasm. I remember Dr. Venkman was telling us about that in the training sessions."

Jack flew by and aimed at his brother, "Time to say goodnight."

"But Jack, we're...we're..."

"Family?" Jack replied with a smirk, "You're getting to be just as naive as Inspector Gadget," he said charging up the ecto plasmic collider.

THE REUNION PART TWO

THE REUNION
PART TWO