Chicago

[gone_byebye]

The door opens onto a construction scene as the sun is setting. "This is Navy Pier," says Ray. "The Robert Mackenzie was supposed to come in here back when it was still a serious commercial facility. We're kind of assuming that's where it's trying to come back to."

Comments

[mago_sonriente]

He's pretty well gotten that on his own.

"Fucking hell," he swears now, taking a look around.

"What was this? Amateur night with the magical equivolent of a switchblade to pick the lock?"

He looks at Ray.

"You didn't mention he was a moron."

[gone_byebye]

"He got a court order to shut off the containment grid of an ecto-containment unit that was already crammed to capacity with angry spirits at a time when the ambient PKE level of New York City was practically through the roof," Ray says. "And he learned his magic from books he bought at Amazon.com. I thought it was obvious."

[mago_sonriente]

"I know," he says with a sigh. "But this is the kind of cock up I wouln't expect out of a first year apprentice. Dios mio."

And he holds up a hand.

"You, uh, might want to leave the room. I'm good, but I have to concentrate, you know?"

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods. "Not a problem. Around that corner over there okay with you?"

[mago_sonriente]

Carlos gives him a thumbs up.

"Yup. This shouldn't take too long."

He grins at Ray.

"I've got a steady hand. This kinda stuff is what I live for. You know, other than the ladies."

And then he turns and sets his sights on the door and the ley lines surrounding it, the glyphs and the enchantments.

And he goes to work.

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods and hastens off down the corridor.

The glyphs are... how do we put this... mangled. The original enchantments laid when the door was first hung were well crafted, meant to last for centuries before needing renewal, but Peck was of the belief that the level of power he required for his plans could only be accessed by opening the door. He didn't try to reroute the ley lines, or shunt any of the energy anywhere. He just went about trying as brutally as he could to get that door open. Carlos is going to have to do some rerouting, unless he's capable of restoring what had previously existed.

[mago_sonriente]

He's not. He doesn't have the power for that. His strength lay in manipulation of more subtle energies, of using what he had with extraordinary skill for someone his age. Harry was a cannon, but he was a sniper and this was a sniper's job.

He pulls out some chalk and starts working.

[gone_byebye]

It's a bit like trying to grab hold of a garden hose that's been hooked up to a too-strong flow; there's a feel of thrashing to the energies here, a certain spasmodic sense of almost-direction to the flow. Fortunately, it's only a constant flow of power. It doesn't increase its strength or add to the fight as Carlos works. Picks up speed, maybe, since a good straight course will do that to any flow.

[mago_sonriente]

A good thing he's used to fighting, and that he's gotten used to wild and whacky magic flows from dealing with the trainees this summer. Plus, he's something of a water specialist.

His middle name is flow.

And Alejandro, but the point stands.

He has to clench his teeth a bit, pull out his unfinished gloves for a bit, use his staff and the sword for a few spots (redirect here, cut there... it's like surgery except without the high fees)--











"You can come out," he says, sounding a little weary. "I got it."

[gone_byebye]

Ray pokes his head out from behind the corner. "Are you okay?" he asks. "I had the PKE meter out and the readings plummeted all of a sudden."

That would be because the backscatter's gone, really.

[mago_sonriente]

"That's because things are back to how they should be," he explains as he shakes off some of the fatigue. "And I've put my 'guns' away, so to speak."

[gone_byebye]

"Oh good," Ray says. "Thank you. Can I get you anything? I mean, do you need a drink or something before we go back to the lake? You look like you could use it."

[mago_sonriente]

"When we get back to the bar, dos cervezas and a basket of nachos," he says, but he shakes his head for the moment.

"Just some water."

Water is good.

[gone_byebye]

"Not a problem," Ray says. "There's a soda machine back here-" He disappears another moment, then returns. "Catch," he says, and tosses Carlos two bottles of Dasani.

"I'll bother you about the details when everything's done."

[mago_sonriente]

He catches both bottles (though his staff has to go in the crook of his arm) and opens one before chucking it back at lightning speed. He only breathes once before going onto the next one.

And finishing it too.

[gone_byebye]

There'll be a third tossed his way before Ray leads the way back to the elevator and thence to street level. "That was incredible," he says. "I don't think I've ever seen anybody pull off that kind of PKE manipulation that quickly."

[mago_sonriente]

He gives Ray a grin.

"That's cause you've never worked with me. Or, you know, a Council-level wizard. You don't get to be a part of the club for collecting bottle caps, you know what I mean?"

[gone_byebye]

"No kidding," Ray says. "Man, we really could've used someone like one of you guys in that one universe where Ivo Shandor summoned both Namtar and Ereshkigal to try and wipe New York off the map. What a mess that was."

[mago_sonriente]

"That's a whole lot of Mesopotamian to be flinging at a guy who just did what I did," he points out.

[gone_byebye]

"I didn't say it was only going to be you," Ray answers. "I meant as backup. This was a universe where my colleagues and I had never lost our grant, so there were no Ghostbusters, so I had to get us some outside help in a hurry when things went to pot. And when I say 'in a hurry' I mean 'after getting thrown off the top of the building'. I'm just lucky there's a portal to Milliways off floor 23 of that building in all the universes I've been to so far- anyway."

[mago_sonriente]

Blink.

Blink blink blink.

"After the beer, man. After the beer."

[gone_byebye]

Ray nods. "All right," he says, and keeps on walking.

The darkness is drawing in close by the time they reach the pier again. "THERE you are," says Venkman. "We were beginning to wonder if you got eaten or something."

"No, no, we're fine," Ray assures the other Ghostbusters, and the slightly suspicious-looking Coast Guard types. "Just settling a few matters that were feeding into the Mackenzie's situation. Does everybody wanna introduce themselves?"

He figures, as Peter and Egon and Winston lean over to make introductions, that it's probably safest that way.

[mago_sonriente]

Carlos puts out his hand.

"I go by Ramirez," he says to all and sundry. "Hi."

[gone_byebye]

There's handshaking, and an introduction round of "Pete Venkman, Winston Zeddmore... Egon..." before Ray can warn Peter off giving full names. Then Egon steps forward. "We've got about half an hour left before the Mackenzie usually manifests," he says. "I've been monitoring the incoming psychokinetic energy flows, though. Ever since whatever it was you and Ray did at the Palmer House, the incoming energy's slowed to a trickle. I may be wrong, but it looks as if the ship isn't likely to make its appearance until significantly closer to the time of its original foundering."

He doesn't sound as if he's wrong.

"Whether or not it manifests, we were hoping to put the spirits of the Mackenzie's crew to rest once and for all," he continues. "If you have any advice on the matter, we'd be glad to hear it."

[mago_sonriente]

"I don't want to step over the bounds," he says. "If you guys know what you're doing dealing with the ghosts now that I've fixed the weird energy mess, I won't stick my nose in."

"Personally? I've never done an exorcism that big."