Return to Room 2342- No, Really, This Is It This Time

[gone_byebye]

From here.

There is a moment between waking and sleeping when everything in the world goes very funny and swimmy indeed. Imagine, if you will, that an entire room full of electronica and Sumerian markings on the walls goes swimmy at once.

And then imagine that it resolidifies, and a bunch of human figures are suddenly there where none were before, and all the electronics are going off as if there were no tomorrow.

That is what happens in room 2342.

"Head count?" called Ray, turning about to check on the others with his lightsabre still in his hand. "Everybody still with us?"

Comments

[ilovebearbert]

"We're all here!"

[doc-venkman.livejournal.com]

Peter blinked, and rubbed his eyes, "Whee...let's never do that again." He shook his head to clear it.

"All good, time to go home now?"

[blond-w-brain.livejournal.com]

Egon looks up. "Welcome back."

The entire room is studded on the walls with electronics, sensors, and machines that are recording what's going on. Egon himself is working with a few recording devices. "Remarkable situation."

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

Over in the corner, curled on the floor, was Danny.

He stirred a bit, then finally unphased.

When he did, it was easy to see how taxing the experience had been on him. His hair was ratty and his clothes were rumpled as if he'd been wearing the same ones for weeks, and somehow he looked skinnier thean before.

But he slowly sat up, rubbing normal blue eyes, looked at all of them, and said, "I just had the weirdest dream that you were all inside my head..."

[gone_byebye]

Ray started to answer Egon, but the noise from the corner caught his attention first. He turned-

"Welcome back, Danny," he said quietly. He couldn't hold back the smile, though; he was never any good at that sort of thing. "Feeling better?"

It was just possible that Ray's appearance might not have been consistent with what Danny remembered of the Ghostbuster. Robes were not high on his list of things to wear while on sentry duty. Nor was the lightsabre- although he switched that off as he hurried forward to deactivate the remaining containment fields.

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

"I've had better days," Danny admitted. "But do I feel less evil? Definitely."

He breathed out deeply, and turned to look at his friends and sister.

"You're not going to tell mom and dad I've been going to a bar, are you?"

[ilovebearbert]

"Well that depends," says Jazz, almost sternly, as the shields go down. "Have you been drinking?"

Going totally evil is pretty much ignorable, as long as he hasn't been drinking.

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

Danny just laughed a relieved sort of laugh and went over to hug his sister, awkwardly.

"No. I haven't been drinking."

The evil could be ignorable, couldn't it.

That's what he loved about his sister and his friends.

[bringnewjokes]

"Our turn," Sam declared, throwing her arms around Danny's neck.

[fryertuck]

"C'mere, buddy," Tucker said, joining in.

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

"Ow, Tuck! My masculinity!"

"What masculinity?"

"Thanks, Sam."

Danny let go of them to go over to the Ghostbusters, scratching the back of his head, awkwardly.

"Thank you. I--I don't know what I would've done..."

[doc-venkman.livejournal.com]

Peter grinned at him, "Hey, Ghostbusters don't abandon their teammates. That's one of the first rules. We look out for each other. Just glad you're ok."

[blond-w-brain.livejournal.com]

"Indeed," Egon says. "I'm glad to finally properly meet you, Daniel. I'm Egon Spengler. We haven't yet been formally introduced."

Unseen by most, Egon slips something into Ray's pocket.

[gone_byebye]

Ray slipped his right hand into his pocket as he stepped forward. "I'm sorry it took so long," he says. "I never wanted to put you through all of that- I'm just glad you're all right."

He held out his right hand, then, but not for the shaking; it had a Ghostbusters jumpsuit-sleeve patch in it.

"We're with you, kid. Whenever you need us."

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

Danny took the patch with something akin to awe on his face, the sort of expression a Trekkie would have if captain Kirk suddenly beamed into their backyard (or Picard if they were of the other camp of 'Who's the better captain?')

"You mean, I'm...you want me to be...?"

[gone_byebye]

"Wouldn't be saying it if we didn't, Danny," says Ray with a smile. "Welcome aboard."

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

"Ray, I..." He shooked his head slowly. "Thanks. For everything."

He put the patch in his pocket.

"Now I just have to figure out how to get it on my costume."

It was then that he swayed a little on his feet. "That is, after I get some sleep. And I really, really would like to go home for that, if I can."

[gone_byebye]

Ray smiled, tiredly, and reached over to ruffle Danny's hair. "You're welcome," he said. "And that makes two of us. I have got to go see my daughter again... Go on. I'll see you when we both get back, okay?"

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

Danny nodded, as his friends and sister came over and helped keep him standing upright.

"Soon, I hope."

Jazz immediately started fussing over him as they led him out the door.

[bringnewjokes]

Sam, of all people, lingered behind.

"Look, uh, I'm still not sure about this whole end of the universe, ghostbuster thing, but...thank you. He means a lot to us." Her cheeks went a little bit of the color she loathed. "And he means a lot to our town--even if they're ungrateful and don't realize it. Aaand, I gotta go."

Then she ran off before they could answer, because she hated mushy garbage.

[fryertuck]

"So I guess this means we don't have to keep lying about him sleeping over my house?" Tucker asked, as they went out the door.

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

One Last Thing.

Danny stuck his head in the door briefly, and asked. "By the way...what's up with the robes and the lightsaber?"

[gone_byebye]

"I told you, Danny," Ray said with a smile. "I'm a bigger geek than you could ever be."

"I'll explain the details later. Go home and sleep, kiddo."

[goinghost.livejournal.com]

Danny nodded sleepily, but looked relieved, and escorted by his sister and two best friends, he left to finally go home.

...Hoping that he'd never become anything like that again.

(Beware!)