Chapter Seven: Straight Outta Retirement
Luckily
for Genevieve Marie, there weren’t any signs outside the barely boarded up
firehouse that was once housed as the headquarters for the Ghostbusters. Only
sections of it were sealed, such as the windows and garage door. The door at
the side of the closed garage entrance was left untouched and unlocked, and it
was how she was able to get in that day to check out the old place.
She
anticipated on it being completely empty and even a little dusty, but it was
not as cluttered as she expected it to be. It looked like the Ghostbusters
decided to just walk out and not pack up their things at all. Not like they had
much to pack away, considering how in 2006, the city began purchasing and endorsing
all of their equipment, which meant they owned fifty percent of it. Everything
in the abandoned firehouse, even the Ecto-1 (still parked in the garage, but
not covered in a tarp or anything), was untouched for reasons that were strange
to Genevieve.
As
she moved between the front desk that belonged to Christina Melnitz (her
nameplate still sitting on there) and the lockers that contained the
Ghostbusters’ gear, she wondered what it had to have been like the first day
they set up shop. It could not have been easy, considering in interviews, each
team member described the first day being “sheer chaos.” But they must have
overcome it, since they really picked up after the first bust at the Tipton
Hotel, the one spot where they seemed to have gotten the most calls.
While
pondering this, Genevieve stopped in front of the locker owned by Dr. Natalie
Venkman; opening it, she noticed how it looked like it belonged to a high
school student. On the door were pictures of muscular, speedo-wearing male
models and advertisements for a hangout joint called “Hoots” with an owl as the
logo. Man! Dr. V was some woman, Genevieve thought.
And,
apparently, another unexpected visitor shared the same notion. “She was some
woman, alright,” she repeated Genevieve’s thoughts aloud. Genevieve jumped as
she heard the voice, turning in the direction of the doorway to see the
26-year-old Ghostbusters secretary, Christina Melnitz, standing there in a pair
of khakis, a pair of sneakers, and a tight, striped shirt. “Sorry I scared ya,
hon. Just didn’t expect anybody to be here, after four years.”
“Funny,”
said Genevieve. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Christina
approached her with a bright smile on her face, gazing over Natalie Venkman’s
former locker. Getting a closer look at the former secretary, Genevieve
discovered she was a dirty blonde with blue eyes; she had a fresh, young face
and an hourglass figure that would welcome any person off the street. It was
how Genevieve knew that she was indeed welcomed to the firehouse, even though
it was restricted property.
“Natalie
was one of the craziest out of all us,” said Christina. “Most the time she’d just
sit on her big butt and sleep.”
Genevieve
chuckled. “She deserved it, busting so many ghosts all the time.”
“J.G.,
Sean, and Jacqueline did most of the busting...she was always lagging behind,
grabbing some McDonald’s and whatnot.”
Genevieve
smiled and attempted to reach inside of the locker; before she did, she turned
to Christina and requested, “May I?” Melnitz nodded with a smile, and Genevieve
reached inside to pull out Natalie’s old gray jumpsuit, which still had her red
and black nametag stitched on, displaying her last name. “Wow. It’s almost like
I’m holding a piece of history here.”
“Can’t
be too historical, considering the woman who wore it was a real…”
“Can
I wear it?” Genevieve suddenly asked, taking Christina by surprise a little.
She
took a moment to think about her answer before giving it. “Uh, sure. No
problem. There’s a bathroom upstairs you can change in.” Genevieve smiled, and
as she headed in that direction, Christina made sure to add, “Only a few
minutes, O.K.? I’m really not supposed to let anybody mess with the
stuff, ya know. Heck, even I’m not supposed to be here.” Genevieve was already
upstairs by that time.
All
alone in the garage area, Christina took a minute to soak in the memorabilia
that surrounded her. So many memories in that one place, it was all a bit
overwhelming to her. She smiled as she approached her old desk, which was
cleared off (sans her nameplate and a red rotary phone). Blowing off some of
the dust on it, she sat down at the chair and pretended to do her old job.
She
picked up the receiver on the phone and placed it near her ear, careful not to
get any dust in it or on her hair. “Ghostbusters, how you doin’ today?” she playfully
uttered with a chuckle. “Oh, really? You have a Viking skeleton terrorizing the
local museum? Oh, my. That is a big…”
The
door suddenly flew open again, only a lot faster than how Genevieve and
Christina had opened it earlier. It scared Christina completely as she jumped
in the seat, dropping the receiver and letting it dangle at the side of her
desk. On instinct, she ducked under the desk and hid there, while the new visitors
(presumably the local authorities, arriving on notice of their being
perpetrators in the old firehouse) entered; she only hoped that Genevieve would
stay upstairs long enough to avoid them seeing her.
However,
she wondered what kind of police officers were there, as she heard one that
sounded like a little kid. “They still keep them in their lockers, when I last
checked.”
Then
she heard another that sounded exactly like Mickey Mouse. “You’d think
they’d take better security measures, leaving the door open for just anybody to
walk right in.” It was Mickey—there was no mistaking a voice as high as
his; that was, unless someone’s been sucking on too much helium.
Knowing
it was just another group of perpetrators like her and Genevieve, Christina
decided to climb out from underneath the desk, feeling like a complete idiot
for even going there. That was until Genevieve suddenly came downstairs (shoot!), wearing Natalie Venkman’s
jumpsuit with a big smile on her face. That smile, however, quickly faded once
she reached the foot of the stairs and noticed Mickey and his friends there.
“Uh…hi?”
she said.
Christina
rolled her eyes. Rookie.
“Hi!”
Mickey remarked. “You must be…” He looked closely at the name on the jumpsuit
that didn’t even belong to her, and an odd look manifested on the mouse’s face.
“Dr. Venkman?”
Genevieve,
realizing the mix-up, shamefacedly gawked at the jumpsuit and smiled. “Oh, no.
This isn’t mine. It’s just…”
“A-hyuck!
I get it!” Goofy said. “You must be her next of kin.”
Say
what?! Christina thought in bewilderment.
Genevieve
was quite baffled herself, so much so that she could barely find the words to
explain herself in this odd situation. What made it even more baffling was the
fact that she was the perfect fit in Natalie Venkman’s old jumpsuit. The only
issue was the upper part of the sleeves felt a little stretched out (Natalie
must’ve worked out a lot), giving them a baggy appearance; not to mention the “butt”
felt baggy itself (that was self-explanatory).
Before
Genevieve could even find the right words to say, a sudden tremor came and
shook everything inside the firehouse, dropping bits and clouds of dust and
debris over them. They also heard loud stomping coming their way, followed by
the muffled screaming of a passerby outside.
“I
definitely don’t like the sound of that!” Cody exclaimed.
All
of the sudden, the garage door and everything else surrounding it blew away,
forcing everyone to take cover as chunks of concrete and metal flew everywhere.
From underneath the desk, Christina could hear loud thumps over her head as the
chunks slammed her desk and landed on her chair, breaking it to pieces. She was
more grateful to be safe from danger than saddened by the loss of her old
treasures. Once the chunks had passed, she stuck her head out and looked to see
what caused the sudden destruction: a humungous black three-headed dog, with
red eyes and huge sharp teeth. The sight of it was enough to force her back
under the desk and stay there until it went away, which seemed downright
impossible.
Meanwhile,
Genevieve came out from inside Natalie Venkman’s locker, which functioned as
her hiding place. Mickey and his friends, using the other three lockers as
hiding places as well, came out along with Genevieve to see the massive,
monstrous, and unnatural dog.
“What
the heck is that?!” Cody cried.
“It’s
Cerberus! Hades’ guard dog from the Underworld!” Mickey yelled.
Genevieve
could barely believe she was seeing this creature before her. “What is it doing
here?!”
“Hades
sent it to come after us!” Donald screamed in horror.
“Not
us,” realized Cody. “The Ghostbusters!”
The
five of them let out a terrifying shriek, as they ran away from Cerberus. The
monster didn’t let them get any further as it leaped over them and crashed
against the staircase, keeping them from going upstairs. With the hole that the
monster made where the entrance used to be, they took their chance to escape
through it. Again, Cerberus foiled their attempt, letting out a fierce and
powerful roar that connected to the roof of the garage and the other levels of
the firehouse, shattering them away to rain down enough debris to completely
seal up the hole.
There
was no escaping at this point, as Cerberus had the mortals exactly where he
wanted them. The monster snarled at them, drooling and fumigating the area with
his horrible breath. At that moment, staring down in the mouth of death, Genevieve
wished she never came to the firehouse. Maybe if she just stayed away, this
monster would never have come, and these people cowering with her wouldn’t be
in danger. This is the price one pays for having such an unhealthy obsession,
she thought.
“Wait
a minute!” Mickey said, realizing they were standing near the lockers. “We have
the tools to take care of this mutt!”
Genevieve
realized how right Mickey was; there seemed to have been some hope after all
here, and she didn’t hesitate any longer to take advantage of it. She dashed
over to the locker that belonged to Dr. Sean Spengler and opened it, reaching
through articles of his former uniform to get to a Proton Pack. Before she
could even find one, Christina popped out from under her desk and shouted, “You
won’t find it there!” Genevieve and the others looked in her direction; Mickey
and his friends were surprised to even see her there. Christina waved them over
and instructed, “C’mon! Follow me!”
They
rushed over to her, dodging Cerberus as he lunged each of his three heads at
them, attempting to catch an arm or a leg with his teeth. Luckily, the monster
was unsuccessful in its moves, as the group was already at Christina’s side
before any more attempts could’ve been made.
“Now
what?!” Cody said in intense panic.
“Downstairs!”
Christina directed before leading them in that direction through a staircase
across from her desk. Cerberus lunged again but missed as the group disappeared
into the basement.
The
room was a sprawling, two-story, warehouse-like space with a red, cylindrical
machine built into the concrete wall. Genevieve and Cody recognized the
machine—from their previous visits to the firehouse—as the Ghostbusters’
Containment System, developed by Dr. Spengler and Dr. Stantz as a large
facility for storing captured ghosts; but they seriously doubted if Christina
brought them there for a tour.
A
large amount of dust suddenly showered over Genevieve, covering her hair and
shoulders. She and the others then heard extremely loud scratching noises,
obviously caused by the creature upstairs. “Uh, Ms. Melnitz?” she beckoned. “I
don’t think this is the best place to hide.”
Christina
walked over to one tile on the floor and stomped hard on it four times with her
right foot before it suddenly crumbled apart. She reached through the squared,
well-carved hole with both hands and pulled out a cardboard box. The intense
strain on her face and the loud grunts she made nonetheless signified how terribly
heavy it was. She set it aside and took a brief moment to catch her breath.
The
others looked on with great curiosity, wondering what was inside it. “There’s a
reason this building isn’t as secured as most abandoned places should be,” said
Christina, while unfolding the box. “Sean told me the day after we disbanded
that we would need this equipment again, in case there was a threat bigger than
any the world has ever faced before. He had the mayor promise him that one part
of the building wouldn’t be too heavily boarded to ensure any possible
entrance. Trespassers, like ourselves, could come in but wouldn’t find anything
good enough to take with ‘em. Not even these bad boys…” She reached into the
open box and pulled out a Proton Pack that was still in pristine condition.
Genevieve,
Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Cody all smiled with joy and relief, seeing the box
full of Ghostbusters equipment. Christina handed the one she was carrying to Genevieve;
she nearly dropped it under its immense weight but was able to maintain balance
long enough to put it on her back. It felt just as heavy there as it did while
in her hands. “Man! How’d they get around in these things?”
“Ask
me again later,” Christina delayed. “Just try to lure that thing out of the
firehouse.”
Genevieve’s
eyes widened in shock. “By myself?!”
“You’re
the only one who’s big enough to handle these things,” said Christina. “I’m
gonna need the boys to help me carry out the other part of my plan.”
Genevieve
swallowed hard, knowing exactly what it was like to step into the boots of a real
Ghostbuster; she was extremely nervous and on the verge of wetting herself in Natalie
Venkman’s jumpsuit. Of course, she maintained control over herself and reached
inside to pull out that sense of confidence, remembering the moments she
witnessed the Ghostbusters saving the world; finding inspiration from that, she
reached behind her, detached the Proton Gun from the pack, and held it in front
of her with a look of determination.
Not
saying a word, she headed back upstairs to the garage, seeing Cerberus
continuing to dig his claws into the floor. She did her best to stay as silent
as she could, like a hunter going after a lion. Hiding behind Christina Melnitz’s
desk, she aimed the Proton Gun over it and, with her target dead in her sights,
pressed the button that would unleash the proton stream.
Unfortunately,
nothing came out.
As
she fiddled with the machine, Christina and the others arrived at the scene,
individually carrying ghost traps and trailing an incredibly long orange
extension cord. Just as she spotted them, Genevieve whispered to Christina, “It’s
not working.”
“Flip
the switch,” responded Christina.
“Which
one? There’s like a billion of them on here.”
“Try
the one that’s labeled ‘on,’ genius.”
Genevieve
looked back down over the Proton Gun and spotted the one switch that indeed had
the word “On” labeled beneath it. After rolling her eyes in annoyance, she
flipped the switch, causing a loud humming noise to be emitted from the Proton
Pack. This, however, caught the attention of Cerberus, as the monster stopped
clawing at the floor and looked in the direction of the noise. Once he spotted
his prey, he snarled again and roared.
“Don’t
think so!” Genevieve yelled as she fired the proton stream from the gun
directly at the center head of Cerberus. That particular head started
whimpering, while the other two continued growling at Genevieve. “Can’t forget
Larry and Moe!” She fired two separate steams at the other two heads, which
resulted in Cerberus’s entire body reeling back towards the blocked entrance.
Christina
smiled as she realized how well the rookie handled the situation. “You go,
girl!” she cheered before refocusing her attention on her part of the plan. She
turned to the boys and said, “O.K. Mick, you and Cody stay down here and
connect the cable to the Containment Unit on my signal. Donald, Goofy, and I
will head to the roof with the traps.”
“But
the stairs are gone!” Mickey pointed to the staircase remains nearby them. “How’ll
you get up there?”
She
pointed to the pole behind them. “We’re just gonna have to break the laws of
gravity.”
Goofy
gawked at the pole, rubbing his chin. “Gwarsh. Shouldn’t we get permission from
that Newton fella…uh…Wayne?” The others just looked at him oddly, not bothering
to waste any time on figuring his comment out. (After all, it’s Goofy.)
Within
seconds, Christina was climbing up the pole with Donald and Goofy, while Mickey
and Cody stayed down near the base, waiting for Christina’s signal. It was
strain for the three to get up the pole at first; but, with a lot more effort
put in, they were able to reach the second level of the firehouse. They were
careful not to fall in the hole created by Cerberus’s bark while heading into a
portion of the second level that was still intact and contained a staircase
leading to the third one.
By
the time they reached the rooftop, Genevieve was already successful in getting
Cerberus near the massive pile of debris that blocked the entrance. Another
blast from the Proton Gun sent directly at the monster’s chest area was enough
to make him collapse right onto that pile, breaking through the debris and
reopening the gaping hole. Cerberus fell right into the empty street corner
outside, roaring in great anguish and fury.
From
the rooftop, Christina, Donald, and Goofy saw him rolling across the street,
his roars echoing throughout the area. Perfect timing, Christina
thought. She then commenced in throwing two ghost traps over the edge, dangling
them fifteen feet down the side of the building and right near Cerberus’s
injured body. Donald and Goofy had done the same with the pairs of ghost traps
they carried, totaling the eight traps dangling over Cerberus.
Down
below, Genevieve slowly walked outside and looked up to see what they were
doing, and she smiled on realization. She then gazed back over at Cerberus and
noticed how he was getting back up again. With quick thinking, she fired yet
another strong blast of proton energy from her gun, keeping him down long
enough for Christina to execute her part of the plan.
Christina
rushed back downstairs to the second level and shouted down towards the base of
the pole. “Alright, boys! Plug ‘em in!”
Following
her cue, Mickey and Cody rushed back downstairs to the basement and plugged the
extension cord connected to the traps into the Containment Unit, sending an
incredible charge of electrical energy surging through the cord and feeding
directly into the traps. All eight of the metal boxes automatically opened
their split, hinged lids and collectively unleashed an intense light that
engulfed Cerberus. The monster’s form suddenly began to disintegrate, each and
every piece of him sucked into eight different traps. As soon as all of him was
inside, the traps automatically closed their lids before another surge of
energy traveled through the cord and went into the Containment Unit.
Mickey
and Cody watched the visible energy travel into the machine, and they sighted a
green light attached to the containment system briefly activate, denoting a successful
containment. “We got ‘im!” Mickey cheered, exchanging a high-five with a
thrilled Cody Martin.
Back
upstairs, Genevieve approached the pole, just as Christina slid down it safely.
The two women smiled and shared a high-five. “Sweet thinkin’! Where did you
learn all that?”
Christina
seemed very bashful that moment as she blushed and said, “I learned it from
Sean…I mean, Dr. Spengler.” It was bluntly obvious to Genevieve that Christina
Melnitz and Sean Spengler must’ve had some sort of special relationship before
the team split up. Whatever kind it was, it only mattered to her that it really
helped save their lives on that very night.
Mickey,
Donald, Goofy, and Cody soon arrived, each of them filled with excitement. “Man!
That was just as cool as riding ten thousand times on the Tower of Terror!”
Cody shouted.
Genevieve
laughed. “You boys did marvelous,” she said. “You’re on your way to becoming some
real ghost-busting heroes.”
“And
you’re already there, hon.” Christina told Genevieve, who looked at her in surprise.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t have the makings of a Ghostbuster back there.”
Genevieve
was about to make a protest until Mickey stepped in. “She’s right! You could
take on Hades single-handedly!”
“A-hyuck!
And even make your Auntie Natalie proud!” Goofy added, which made everyone
turned to him again in an odd reaction.
Genevieve
shook her head and gave a flattered grin. “Wait, wait, people. I’m not who you
think I am.” She gazed at the Proton Gun that was still in her hand and
chuckled. “I’m just an ordinary girl living her wildest fantasies here. I didn’t
mean to get caught up in any of this.” She then motioned towards Christina and
added, “Besides, it was the secretary here who thought of everything.”
“Yeah,
but I don’t know the first thing about nuclear accelerators,” Christina admitted.
“I just know all the tricks they taught me to busting ghosts.”
“Well,
somebody’s gotta stop Hades,” Mickey said. “If not, he’ll wreak havoc all over
the city.”
Genevieve
suddenly reminded herself of something that was said earlier during the
Cerberus attack. “Didn’t you guys mention Hades wanting the Ghostbusters? The real
Ghostbusters?” They nodded in response. “Then let’s just go find them. Bring
them back together, so we can take care of that hot-head together.”
“Are
you kiddin’ me?!” Christina exclaimed. “With the egos and different lines of
work those four have now, it’d be a miracle to get them to work together again.”
“Well,
we have to try, Ms. Melnitz,” Genevieve persisted. “I mean, how hard would it
be to convince four of the greatest heroes in New York to prevent another
end-of-the-world threat?”
Christina
looked past her and at the parked Ecto-1, which had been heavily crushed as
result of the Cerberus attack. Several large chunks of concrete turned the
vehicle into a pancake, rendering it totally useless. “I’d say it’d be as hard
as repairing the damages to our old company car.”
Genevieve,
Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Cody glanced over the crushed Ecto-1 and sighed in
disappointment. Cody was on the verge of tears as he said, “She never even got
the chance to wail her last siren.” Goofy placed a hand over the boy’s
shoulder, taking off his green hat and placing it over his chest, as if he were
mourning a living thing.
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