A trail of aching derrières- next time they'll be more thoughtful

[gone_byebye]

The door opens onto an expanse of asphalt, steel, and glass. Nearby a sign reads:

WELCOME TO WHITE FLINT MALL
BEST PRICES IN THE DC AREA

4708 BETHESDA AVENUE
CHEVY CHASE, MD

It's a big parking lot, with the mall itself only visible off in the distance. Ray gives it the squint-eye before turning to the others. "Okay, people," he says. "This is it. Johnny says it's underground. Egon's best estimates indicate three miles down. Are we good?"

Comments

[stilljustandrew]

*Meanwhile, Andrew's wandering off on a circuit around the large room, examining the walls.*

*Somewhere around here, there's probably something resembling a back door.*

[doc-venkman.livejournal.com]

Peter's reaction to the voice?

0_________O!!!!!!!!!!!

"Spengs? Wait, why didn't you tell me you got an invite to the shindig? You sly devil you..." He finally exclaimed, shaking his head in pleased surprise.

[gone_byebye]

Ray jumps backwards at the Horta's enthusiastic fit of destruction, but that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. He's a little spazzy sometimes, and this sure qualifies.

Andrew's found himself a door, all right. The maintenance staff has to get around somewhere and they can't always be in the way. who wants to get in the way of someone with a cartload of office trash?

[stilljustandrew]

*Andrew glances over his shoulder at Naraht, considers asking him to take down the door, reconsiders, and tries the knob.*

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

The sheer level of new tech around her is extremely tempting for Agatha, but she remains strong and focuses on the task at hand, humming her usual odd tune. Random destruction is par for the course, so she simply keeps her distance from the Horta.

"We should be prepared in case the noise attracts more guards."

Her gun is at the ready, and her clanks make clicking noises of agreement.

[gone_byebye]

Mike looks very much as if he's in love at the moment- with the clanks. He hasn't even noticed the Horta. In fact, he appears to be attempting to communicate with one of the smaller clanks in its own language. It's all very Close Encounters.

Andrew's door opens to a closet, a pretty simple one at that. At the far end of the closet there's another door. That one opens onto a fairly dull hallway, exactly the sort of thing you'd expect service workers to use anywhere in the world. Door after door in either direction, cinderblock walls, flickering fluorescent light-

-you know, the light happens to be illuminating a closet full of all kinds of confiscated gadgetry that really belongs in an evidence locker somewhere. Apparently Peck's been keeping interesting toys and souvenirs just in case he needs them.

[stilljustandrew]

SWEET.

*Andrew pockets a few random items, and makes a mental note to tell Ray about that closet.*

[blond-w-brain.livejournal.com]

The Egons are poking around the room at things, while keeping up a dialogue to their third, who is apparently busy rousting something called 'Fido'...

...who is apparently making that noise coming down the hallway they came in, which is making disconcerting sorts of creaking noises and heavy breathing, along with Black-hair-Egon apparently lecturing it.

Really, Blond-Egon shouldn't look so smug. Brown-Egon is giving him a dirty look for it.

[gone_byebye]

As Andrew steps out of the closet, the back door to the closet opens.

No. Too anticlimactic.

As Andrew steps out of the closet, the door to the maintenance corridor flies open and a red-headed cannonball in a blue suit fairly catapults himself through into the relative safety of OH DEAR GOD THERE ARE MORE OF THEM.

"What in HELL are you people doing in my OFFICE?" Walter Peck somehow manages to exclaim.

[lt-naraht.livejournal.com]

Oh Mother! He even sounds like the Lt. Commander Peck from Naraht's own time.

He rumbles forward, acrid vapor billowing out from under him.

"Walter Peck," he says quietly. "I believe we are delivering the first installment of some rather well-deserved payback."

[blond-w-brain.livejournal.com]

Blond-Egon smiles. "Ah, Walter. Let me introduce myself. I'm Doctor Egon Spengler."

Brown steps into Peck's field of vision. "I'm Doctor Egon Spengler."

And then, finally, Black-haired-Egon walks in the door. "And I'm Doctor Egon Spengler."

And they chorus: "And we'd like to welcome you to your appearance on 'To Kick Your Ass'." In a single clean motion, they pull their throwers.

And they SMILE.

[stilljustandrew]

*...And somehow, Andrew manages to keep from laughing long enough to step across and close the door Peck came in through.*

*The click of its closing sounds awfully ... final.*

[doc-venkman.livejournal.com]

Peter smirked at them, "Nice one, guys."

He then grinned evilly, "Awwwww, Wally, what? No hug? You missed us, didn't you? Meant to get ya that fruit basket, but I think we got something better here."

His own thrower was pointed at Peck as well.

"Say the magic word, Pecker."

[gone_byebye]

And then there was another.

"Did I tell you guys that our packs don't have that pesky crossing the streams problem any more?" says Peter, with a wide, beatific smile. "Hi, Dr. Venkman. You're looking especially handsome today, I must say."

Winston just rolls his eyes. "This is not your day, cracker," he says to Peck. "I'd give up now if I were you. Pete here's nuts."

Peck backs up towards the closet, swallowing. "Wait a second," he suddenly says. "Where's Stantz? Why don't I see about five of him?"

"Funny thing, that," Ray says, stepping forward with-

Oh, God. He's got a video camera.

"There only ever seems to be one of me in any given universe. Don't know why, but it's an interesting phenomenon, wouldn't you agree?"

"Jesus." Peck rolls his eyes.

Ray beams. "You really should've given me something better to read. I might've been nicer if I didn't have to deal with the caveman porn. Half of which was grossly inaccurate by anatomical standards anyway, considering the claims made about-"

"Ray!" Winston and Peter exclaim simultaneously.

"Um. Sorry. Anyway, Mr. Peck, if you have any last words...? You know, for posterity?"

"As a matter of fact I do," says Peck.

Ray nods encouragingly.

"Never assume that a man does not have ninjas at his disposal," says Peck, yanking the light-switch next to the closet with the sort of enthusiasm normally reserved for big red levers. And panels slide open in the ceiling....

[blond-w-brain.livejournal.com]

Blond-Egon adjusts his glasses as the Ninjas slide out of the panels.

"Well, Walter, you appear to have us at a disadvantage."

Peck smirked, oh so well. "Indeed I do, DOCTOR Spengler," the word 'doctor' said with complete derision.

Egon cut him off. "I said you APPEAR to, dickless. But please note with us that we have one of the most perfect predators known to all of history, as well as a little something I brought with me." And with that, the blond scientist pulled the flute and began to play. Something started to come down the corridor at a rapid clip.

"FIDO," he shouted, pointing at Peck, "FETCH!"

[redsnout.livejournal.com]

Red's posture changes as soon as she sees the ninjas. In a matter of seconds she goes from eyeing Peck warily to sizing the ninjas up, blinking slowly as she sniffs at the air. "Phhrt?" She steps forward, her head bobbing in a birdlike fashion as she continues looking them over, acting, if anything, rather friendly and curious.

And then she suddenly leaps, her claws and teeth thrust forward. "SCREEEEE!"

[gone_byebye]

"This is not the time to panic," mutters the foremost ninja as Red starts sniffing.

Ever seen ninjas scream? They're not generally very good at it. It's the whole stealth and silence thing. They have it trained out of them.

"I think it's gonna jump us, boss," says one of the ones in the back.

Strictly speaking, these guys aren't ninjas. They're the Genius Retrieval Team. When Foliage Census decides someone's too smart for their own good, these are the people they send to the scene with trank guns and whatever other toys they might need to snatch them away. It's just that they climb walls, slip through shadows, wear black over everything but their eyeballs, and so on. They're ninjas in pretty well every way that matters but one: they can't... actually... ninje.

"Commence simultaneous panic on my mark."

"SCREEEEE!"

"Mark."

The ninjas exit, stage left, pursued by a raptor.

[blond-w-brain.livejournal.com]

Fido - Egon's Dragon - squeezes into the room, and sees Peck. And Daddy said fetch!

And so, Fido charges Peck, prepared to Fetch!

"Don't eat him, Fido," Egon yells, getting out of the way, "he's not paid for yet!"

[spark-girl.livejournal.com]

Agatha isn't quite sure what to do at the moment. A velociraptor will dispose of the ninjas in a more efficient and practical way than she ever could, and attacking Peck is an honour to be reserved for those who have personal vendettas against the man.

It's still quite the show, but her curiosity in this new place is piqued to the point that she barely acknowledges the various screams as she looks around, at least partially to ensure no one sneaks up on them.

Then she finds the closet.

There is much, much glee.

She pulls in the nearest group of dingbots -- there's still quite a few around, even after several went to help Mike. She passes them some of the more interesting large pieces, then pulls off her coat to make a pack to carry as many of the small gizmos as she can. She leaves out anything that she suspects of being explosive; it's never a good idea to toss around things when you don't know for certain what makes them go 'boom'.

The loot will be shared with the others, once they get out. For now? She's making plans to stock her future lab, once she settles down. The pieces she's stored in her vest pockets alone would be enough to keep her occupied for a good decade.

[lt-naraht.livejournal.com]

Naraht metaphorically sits back to enjoy the show.

"You know, Ray, I think we've just taken the old saying about 'bringing a knife to a gun fight' to a whole other level."

[gone_byebye]

"Sounds about right to me," Ray says; he's busy filming Agatha's reaction, when he's not capturing the dragon's image on tape. Then he stops, looking up. "Oooooh. I wonder- you didn't happen to run across my 'sabre anywhere along the way in the course of wrecking the place, did you?"

[stilljustandrew]

I bet it's in that closet, *volunteers Andrew, who's watching the Fido & Peck Show with the air of one who's wondering why he didn't bring popcorn.* Looked like somebody's personal stash of confiscated goodies.

[gone_byebye]

"IT'S NOT THERE! I DON'T HAVE IT!" Peck shrieks (because, honestly, there are very few words for the vocalization of a man who's been GRABBED by a dragon, and 'shriek' is probably among the top two or three).

"Yeah?" says Ray, visible eye narrowing. "Where is it, then?"

"New York, actually," says another voice- Winston's. "These guys never had it in the first place. You dropped it when they grabbed you. Some kid picked it up and used it to break into a bunch of cars."

If Ray didn't have the camera to worry about, he'd be facepalming about now.

[lt-naraht.livejournal.com]

Naraht smothers a chuckle at Ray's reaction.

"Well, we can cross that off our to-do list," he says. "And now that we have Dickless, what's next on the list."

This time, he does chuckle outloud. "Though, Ray? Peter? I fear I must disagree on one of your assessments."

[gone_byebye]

"Oh?" says Ray, interested. "Which one's that?"