When I began writing the story, I hadn't yet decided what direction I wanted to take it. Did I want it to be as close to the original movie or did I want to change direction? This was part of the first draft where instead of being out of business, the Ghostbusters were put on probationary restriction allowing them to bust ghosts but without their proton packs. This is what eventually led to the probationary damage restriction used in the final version.
REEEEEERRREEEEEEERRREEEEEEERRRR
This has become a familiar sound to the inhabitants of New York over the last five years. They know when they hear that sound, they'll soon be seeing the old red and white 1959 Cadillac roaring by on the street. The old girl has seen better days, however, as money had started becoming sparse. Sometimes you can be too good at something, as the Ghostbusters have learned over a recent decline of business.
Add to the fact after multiple times causing damage to the city, the city government finally stepped in and removed their rights to use their proton packs on a bust, adding to the already dwindling calls. But still, they press on.
Ecto-1 pulls up outside of a brownstone, blowing a large amount of black smoke out of the tailpipe as the engine is cut off. Ray and Winston emerge from the car in uniform and head towards the back. Ray opens the door, exposing the rack of proton packs amidst all the car's equipment in the back. He reaches past them all for a duffle bag and his pair of ecto-goggles. Winston reaches in the other side for a plastic riot shield and the PKE meter. Wiston starts back to the sidewalk when he notices Ray staring at the packs. Winston pulls Ray back, shutting the door.
"Forget it, man." Ray sighs and nods, following Winston into the house.
They slowly enter the nicely furnished living room. Winston kills the lights as Ray places the goggles over his eyes. He looks around the room, picking up traces of ectoplasmic residue.
"Definitely something here. How's the PKE?" Winston holds up the meter.
"Only residuals." Ray pushes the goggles back up.
"It's still here, I'm sure of it." He sets the bag down and opens it up. He hands Winston a trap, which he goes to set up in the middle of the room. He then pulls out an orange poncho and pulls it on. Finally, he pulls out the last of the bag's contents; a gun with a large magnet on the end. Ray holds it up and turns it on, making the familiar proton gun hum.
"Ready," Winston says, standing up from the trap.
"Sigh…here we go." Ray pulls the goggles back down and heads off into the kitchen. Soon, inhuman sounds emerge from the kitchen. Winston grabs his shield as Ray shouts out, followed by sounds of falling metal objects. A blue ghost flies into the living room, forcing Winston to duck under it. Ray runs out of the kitchen, gun ready. The ghost turns and tries to double back, but Ray stays on him. "Z, now!"
Winston steps on the pedal to the trap, opening it and emitting its column of light as Ray pulls the trigger. Winston holds up his shield as the entire area in front of Ray is hit with a magnetic burst. Anything metallic flies back quickly, pelting both Ray and Winston's shield. The ghost is slowly pulled out of the wall against its will, struggling to fight against the current. But soon, the force proves to be too much and it flies back through Ray and into the trap. Winston shuts it and Ray kills the gun.
Ray and Winston leave the house, carrying their gear and a slimed poncho with them. Winston shakes his head.
"That's it Ray…I've had it with being pelted by everything in the house!"
"I know, Z, but we can't quit now. The holidays are coming up…it's our best season." Ray looks up to see a small group of young kids standing next to Ecto-1, looking at her.
"Hey, is this your car?" one of them asks. Ray stops and smiles as Winston proceeds to the back door.
"Yes it is."
"Woah, cool! Who are you guys?"
"We're the Ghostbusters." One of the kids, the biggest and obviously oldest of the group, scoffs when he hears the name.
"My dad says you're full of crap," he says. Ray's smile quickly fades.
"Well, some people just have trouble believing in the paranormal."
"No, he says you're full of crap, that's why you're not famous anymore. C'mon, let's go." The younger kids wave to Ray as they follow the older one down the street. Ray shakes his head as Winston takes the bag from his hand.
"Ungreatul yuppie larva…after all we did for this city…" Ray grumbles. Winston chuckles in response.
"Yeah, conjured up a 100 foot marshmallow man, unleashed the Four Horsemen on the world, blew up part of Central Park taking out a supernatural TV Station, and ended up getting sued by every city, county and state agency in New York!"
"Yeah, but what a ride," Ray says with a cheery smile as he shuts the door.
Peter emerges from a McDonald's on Broadway, holding the door open for Louis carrying a cardboard tray full of bags of food. As they start walking, Peter tries to tune out Louis' incessant banter.
"…So I filed the W2 forms, but the W4 forms needed a revision, so you know what I did? I checked over section A and found out I could substitute section C with a special clause from section E paragraph 4. And then, you know what I did? I reanalyzed the book and redid the figures in order to determine…"
"Louis…"
"Yes, Peter?"
"English, please."
"Uhhh…if you don't get some real business soon, you'll all be bankrupt." Peter shakes his head, but stops short when he notices a small group of reports by the entrance to Federal Plaza across the street. Louis keeps going, unable to see until he trips over a fire hydrant. Meanwhile, Peter smirks as his hunch plays out; emerging from the building was their old "friend" Mayor Lenny and two suits. The reporters start to hound them as they make their way towards a limo parked by the curb. Two secruity guards hold the reporters back as the Mayor and his enterage hit the sidewalk where Peter waits near the limo.
"Lenny! It's me, Pete Venkman!" The Mayor gives him a dirty look as one of the suits steps out and cuts Peter off, placing a heavy hand on his chest.
"I'm Jack Hardemeyer, the Mayor's assistant, may I help you?"
"Yeah, you can start by getting your hand off me. I'm an old friend of the Mayor's, just wanted to say hello and give him a kiss."
"I know who you are, Dr. Venkman. Catch any ghosts lately?" Hardemeyer asks sarcastically. Peter laughs, resisting every impulse to clock the guy. Instead, he keeps smiling and musters up a pleasant tone.
"Well, ya see, that's what I wanted to talk to his highness about. See, we did a couple jobs for the city and got stiffed on the bill by some beurocratic bookworm like yourself." This sets Hardemeyer off, and he leans in close to make his point.
"Listen, you stay away from the Mayor. He plans on running for Governor next fall and he doesn't need two-bit frauds and publicity hounds like you or your friends around." He turns and quickly gets into the limo.
"Hey, I'm a voter! Aren't you supposed to lie to me and kiss my ass?" Peter shouts after the limo as it pulls away quickly. "Asshole."
The court scene basically plays out the same way, but some bits of dialogue were changed to reflect the alternate beginning's premise. It was always my intention to give Winston more to do.
The Prosecutor runs her hand over the table in front of the defendant's table. On it sits the Ghostbusters' proton packs, two traps, the PKE and Giga Meters, and the rod used to gather the slime sample now in a glass jar.
"Mr. Fianella, please look at Exhibits A through G on the table here. Do you recognize this equipment?" On the witness stand, the man from Con Ed looks over at the table.
"Yeah, that's the stuff the cops took from their truck."
"And, do you know what this equipment is used for?" Fianella shrugs, thinking.
"I dunno, catching ghosts?" Wexler looks over and flashes him a dirty look. The Prosecutor walks over to her table and picks up two sheets of paper. She turns and brings one to Wexler, motioning for Louis to come for the other one.
"May I remind the court that the defendants are under a judicial restraining order that specifically forbids them from using this particular equipment or cause any form of damage to public property." Louis takes his copy and returns to his seat.
"So noted," Wexler says. The Prosecutor returns to the evidence table and picks up the jar.
"Now, Mr. Fianella, can you identify the substance in the jar marked exhibit G?" She walks over to the stand and hands it too him. He takes it and looks it over, rolling it around in his hands and watching the viscous substance ooze around the jar's smooth surface.
"Yeah, that's the stuff. Your honor, I've been working underground for Con Ed for over 27 years, and I never saw anything like this in my life. Whatever's down there, they musta put it there," he says, pointing towards the Ghostbusters.
"No we didn't!" Ray yells out while standing up, obviously not liking the accusation. Wexler bangs his gavel hard.
"Shut up!" he shouts at him.
It's Peter's turn on the stand with Louis examining him. Peter looks around the courtroom as he speaks out of the side of his mouth in a whisper, telling Louis what to say which he does word for word.
"So, you were just trying to help out a friend who was ascared of what was happening to her and when you're scared…what? …There was no evil intended, no malice because you live here and when you live in a place and you love it like you do you don't want nothing bad to happen…what? …Because it'll never happen again it's an isolated incident…it's a one shot deal…"
"Objection!" the Prosecutor says, finally having enough. "Objection, your honor," she says again, regaining some composure.
"What!" Louis asks her.
"He's leading the witness."
"Sustained!" Wexler says. Louis shakes his head.
"Gimmie a break, we're both lawyers!" he says to her.
"Mr. Tully!" Louis turns back to the judge who motions for him to come to the bench. "Do you have any questions for this witness that might have some bearing on this case?" Wexler asks. Louis looks over at Peter.
"Do I?"
"No, I think we've helped them out enough," Peter says. Louis turns back to the judge.
"No, your honor." He begins to walk back to his seat, glaring at the prosecutor and curtly telling her "Your witness." The Prosecutor stands up and casually walks to the front of her table.
"Dr. Venkman, would you please to the court why it is you and your co-defendants took it upon yourselves to dig a very big hole in the middle of First Avenue?" Peter shrugs.
"Well, there's so many holes on First Avenue we really didn't think anyone would notice," he says sarcastically. That causes some of the people in the gallery to crack up a bit. Wexler bangs his gavel to quiet them.
"Keep that up, mister, and I'll find you in contempt!" The venom in his voice causes a bubble to form inside the slime jar.
"I am truly sorry, your honor," Peter says, trying to hold back more sarcasm.
"I'll ask you again, Dr. Venkman; why the hole? And remember you ARE under oath, " The Prosecutor says, her patience at end as well.
"There are things in this world that go way beyond human understanding, things that can't be explained…things that most people don't want to know about. That's where we come in," he says, motioning towards Egon and Ray. Ray and Egon exchanged satisfied glances and nods over that statement. The Prosecutor approaches the stand and places her hands on it.
"So, what you're trying to say is that the world of the supernatural is your special province?" Peter puts his hand on top of hers, causing her to quickly draw them back in disgust.
"Kitten, what I'm trying to say is that sometimes shit happens, someone's gotta do something about it, and who're you gonna call?" The gallery bursts out in applause and cheers, and Wexler angrily bangs his gavel.
"SHUT UP!"
"Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Egon Spengler…stand up! Get up!" Wexler demands. The three of them exchange disappointed looks as they stand. "You too, Mr. Tully." Louis quickly shoots up. "I find you guilty on all charges. I order you to pay fines in the amount of 25,000 each and I sentence you to eighteen months in the city correctional facility at Ryker's Island!" Amidst his disappointment, Ray notices a stirring within the slime jar as more bubbles form. He pats Egon's arm.
"Iggy…she's twitching!" he says. Egon and Peter follow his gaze to the table. Wexler bangs his gavel to quiet the disappointed grumblings of the gallery.
"I'm not finished! On a more personal note, let me go on record as saying that there is no place in decent society for fakes, charlatans and tricksters like you…"
"Uh, your honor?" Egon tries to interject as the jar begins to bubble more.
"Shut up! …who prey on the gullibility of innocent people!"
"Your honor, this is important!" Peter says.
"You're beneath the contempt of this court!"
"Yes, your honor…" Ray starts.
"SHUT UP!"
"But…" Ray says, making a motion with his hands to the jar as it begins to over flow and spill out onto the table. A wind begins to pick up in the courtroom.
"And believe me, if my hands were not tied by the unalterable fetters of the law, a law which has become in my view far too permissive and inadequate in it's standards of punishment…" The Ghostbusters slowly back away from their table as the slime begins to spit up little globs into the air, the jar rocking fiercely, threatening to throw itself off the table.
"…I would invoke the tradition of our illustrious fore bearers, reach back to a sterner, purer justice…" Realizing the judge was far too into listening to his own voice to care, Egon makes a motion that they should duck under the table. They quickly comply, dragging Louis with them. "…and have you burned at the stake!"
The slime jar bursts and two entities fly up from the spot it once occupied. They hover in the air above the bench and take the form of a skinny transparent skeleton and a fat ghostly blob, both wearing what resembles prison-issued clothing and sitting in electric chairs. Blue electricity courses over their bodies as they convulse and twitch as though they are being electrocuted.
"Wow!" Ray exclaims from under the table, looking up at them. The gallery members begin to retreat from the courtroom, Winston ushering them out as best he can.
"Move, move, move!" he shouts.
"Oh my God, it's the Scoleri Brothers!" Wexler exclaims from his chair, terrified after having recognized them. The Scoleris burst from their chairs and turn towards Wexler, recognizing him too. His eyes grow wide and he scrambles over the bench, quickly leaping off of it as they dive down onto it, causing it to explode. Winston turns towards the sound, only to get caught up in the last of the spectators and pushed out of the door with them. The thin brother flies up and points his hand, firing some energy at the doors. The energy dances on them before they close shut, energy flashing briefly around the door frame.
"No!" Winston shouts as he lunges for the doors. He grabs hold of the knobs only to get electricity coursing through his body. He's blown back across the hall and into the wall where he crumples to the floor.
"The Scoleri Brothers!" Wexler exclaims, scrambling under the table with the Ghostbusters.
"Friends of yours?" Ray asks.
"I tried 'em for murder! Gave 'em the chair! You gotta do something! Help me!"
"Why don't you tell them you don't believe in ghosts?" Egon asks. Suddenly, the table lifts up from above them as the two brothers pick it up to expose them. The occupants quickly run behind the glass partition separating the bench area from the side doorway as the Scoleris throw the table into the wrecked bench.
Wexler tries the door knob, but receives a jolt. He bangs on it, hoping someone outside would open the door. He turns back as the glow from the energy and twisted, inhuman laughter fills the room. Wexler turns frantically to Ray, grabbing his sport coat and shaking him violently.
"You gotta do something! Help me!" Ray gives him an emotionless look.
"Don't talk to me, talk to my attorney."
"That's me!" Louis says, stepping up. "My boys are still under the judishment restrangement order…that blue thing I got from her! They could be exposing themselves!"
"And you don't want us exposing ourselves!" Peter chimes in. They all perk up as they hear the Prosecutor screaming. They quickly dash to the end of the partition and peer out to see the fat brother carrying her upside down towards the door by her leg. She hits the door, sending it flying open as the ghost rams her into the people outside.
Winston sees his opportunity and makes a mad dash for the doors as they begin to close. Using his military training, he leaps, expertly lands, and rolls out into the courtroom just as the doors slam shut and reseal themselves. He looks back and lets out a breath of relief, quickly standing up and heading towards the front of the room.
Behind the partition, Wexler grabs his head knowing for sure he's next. Peter, aware of this fear, smiles smugly.
"You're next, bubbles."
"Alright, alright! I rescind the order, case dismissed!" Wexler says, desperately. "Now do something!"
"All right! We won the case!" Louis cheers as the other three celebrate quickly. Winston appears at the opening.
"Yo, guys, think we got some work to do."
"I think you're right, Z," Peter says, patting him on the back as they head out from behind the partition towards their equipment. As Ray and Egon help each other on with their packs, Winston chucks his suit jacket and pulls his on. Peter pulls on his second strap, stumbling forward under the pack's weight.
"I always hated this part of the business. Been a while since we used this stuff. Hope it still works," Peter says, pulling his proton gun.
"Power cells have a half life of 5000 years," Egon tells him.
"Well, no time for a bench test. Heat 'em up, boys," Ray says. Peter turns on his gun, filling the room with the familiar hum as the pack comes to life.
"Doe…"
"Rae…" Ray says with a smile as he turns his on. Egon flips his switch.
"Egon…" Peter and Ray give Egon a look, and he gives them a smirk in return. Winston shakes head behind them.
"You guys are nuts." The courtroom grows silent as the four of them look around for any sign of the spooks. Ray looks towards Egon who holds the PKE meter, but he shakes his head indicating no trace yet. Ray's eyes grow wide as he begins to feel his hair move at the suddenly increasing breeze within the room. The wings on the PKE move up to their full position, prompting Egon to put it back on the table and grab his positron rifle with both hands.
Suddenly, two chairs from the back row of the spectators gallery come flying up as if being smacked aside, catching their attention. The next two chairs follow, then the next to, right down the line until they reach the railing. The Scoleris shoot up from the floor, letting out an inhuman roar. The Ghostbusters press the rifle triggers and begin blasting at them. But the ghosts move too fast, causing the proton streams to blast the walls and ceiling instead, leaving burns and small fires in their wake. The ghosts fly over them towards the back wall. They stop firing when they disappear through it.
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Peter shouts after them. He looks at the guys and begins to laugh mockingly. They stare at him for a second before Ray catches on to his plan and laughs with him, followed by Winston. Egon begins to make forced noises that could pass as laughing. Louis comes out from behind the partition, looking around curiously as Peter's laughing gets a bit more goofy. Not taking too kindly to being laughed at, the fat brother reappears in the courtroom, furious, and looking at Peter.
"Oh shit!" Peter says, firing his proton stream up at the ghost as Louis dives back behind his cover, screaming. He moves out of the way as Peter's stream hits the wall, sending up a wave of sparks. Peter keeps firing, follow the ghost across the courtroom. "C'mon, big boy! C'mon! I'm gonna take you home to my Wanda Sue!" The ghost tries to maneuver, but Peter moves a step ahead of him and the proton stream wraps around the ghost, immobilizing him.
"You got him! You got him!" Ray exclaims. He looks towards Egon. "Spengy, bring the trap!"
"Okay, okay!" Egon says, turning for the table. Winston perks up as he notices the other brother coming through the wall and making a line straight for Ray.
"Behind you, Ray!" he shouts, firing at the ghost. Ray ducks as both the beam and ghost miss him. He fires his beam after him, forcing Egon to duck as the ghost doges the beam allowing it to hit the partition and sending a wave of broken glass down on Wexler. Winston turns and fires, catching the other brother in his stream.
"Hold him, Winston!" Egon says. "Start bringing him back, Venkman!" Peter starts to slowly move back towards the bench, the ghost in tow.
"C'mon, big boy! That'sa boy!" Peter says.
"Keep moving to the right, Winston!" Egon shouts as he throws the trap in between him and Peter. Peter and Winston position their ghosts right next to each other, and Ray joins in to give them extra support and control. "Okay, get ready, I'm opening the trap!" Egon drops the pedal onto the ground and stomps down on it.
The trap doors open, emitting a column of brilliant light around the ghosts and forcing the Ghostbusters to stop blasting to look away. The ghosts begin to lose their coherent shapes as they're sucked down into the rectangular box. Once inside, the doors shut, sealing them in. The indicator lights flare up, showing that the trap is full and that the ghosts won't be getting out any time soon. They Ghostbusters gather around the trap, looking down at it happily.
"Two in the box!" Ray says.
"Ready to go!" Peter adds.
"We be fast…" Winston starts.
"And they be slow!" they all say together. Louis runs over to them and looks down at the trap.
"Wow!" he exclaims, picking it up carefully.
Outside the courtroom is a chaotic mess. Paramedics and police attend to the frightened gallery members while reporters struggle for a position in the cramped hallway to get the best story. They all turn towards the courtroom doors as they burst open, the Ghostbusters and Louis walking out of the decimated courtroom victoriously. Immediately, cameras begin flashing in their faces, and Peter realizes now's a good chance for some free publicity.
"We're the best, we're the beautiful, we're the ONLY…Ghostbusters!"
"We're back!" Ray adds excitedly.
Meanwhile, Louis paces back and forth outside, hands behind his back. He checks his watch; midnight draws closer. He looks up at the museum; no sign of anything other than the slime shell around it. He checks his watch one last time, then resolves its time for action.
"It's taking too long…they need my help!" Louis runs to the back of Ecto-1 and opens the door. He reaches in and with some strain pulls out the rack with two proton packs still on it. He grabs his shirt and tears it open, revealing his uniform underneath.
Moments later, Louis shuts the door, now fully armed with a proton pack, utility belt, and his trusty ear muffs. Louis takes a couple of steps and stumbles a bit. He stops, panting.
"Damn, this equipment's heavy." He strengthens his resolve and forces himself over to the fire engine by the museum. "Excuse me, Ghostbusters! I need to get inside!" Louis tells the firemen standing by it. They give him the once over, trying to repress their laughter. Some have more luck at it than others.
"Sorry, Tiny, but last time I checked there were FOUR of 'em, and all four are inside," one of them say. A couple of firemen behind him try to hold in their laughs. Louis glares at them, but gets an idea. He moves as quickly as he can to the generator setup in the middle of the square and fumbles with the walkman. He presses the play button, and once again "Higher and Higher" blasts over the various speakers all around. They firemen all migrate to either side of the truck to look at Louis and figure out what he's doing.
Suddenly, all their eyes grow wide and they dive out of the way as a proton stream flies at the truck, blasting straight through the tank and sending its stored slime spewing out at the wall. Louis stands by the generator, using it to brace himself against the kickback of the blast as he holds his positron rifle out. He smirks, very proud of himself. The purple energy dances over the shell again as the slime pelts it, causing a hole to form in the shell. Louis heads over to the stairs just as the last of the slime spews out of the truck and the hole begins to close.
He takes a deep breath and a gulp, and then runs up the stairs and through the hole. However, just before he makes it completely through, he slips on some positive slime on the stairs and falls flat on his face. He looks back as the shell threatens to close down on his leg still through it. He struggles as best as he can against the weight of the equipment and the slippery stairs, and just manages to pull through before the slime reforms around, or through, his leg. He breathes heavily, a little terrified already.
"What the hell am I doing!" he asks himself.
I originally scripted this as Louis' big rescue scene, but decided it didn't play into the character as well as I wanted. But, it did provide the groundwork for the final cut used.
"Ray! Can you move?" Egon asks.
"No…are you okay?" Ray asks back.
"No. Venkman, how are you?"
"I'm fine," Peter lies as he struggles to make his limbs work. Vigo looks at the desks in his way, and with a simple parting gesture they slide across the floor to expose Dana and Oscar. Dana stands up and slowly moves away, clutching Oscar tightly to her. Vigo raises his hand closed and upside-down. He quickly opens his fingers, sending Dana flying back into the wall with Oscar levitating in mid-air. He then begins to signal "come here" with his hand and Oscar floats over to him. Vigo takes him in his hands and holds him out, smiling as he turns back towards the center of the room.
"No!" Dana shouts, struggling to move but finds herself stuck to the wall via and invisible force. "Please, do something!" she yells at the Ghostbusters.
Out in the hallway, Louis breathes heavily. I have to help, he thinks, But how? He looks down at his slime covered clothing. He reaches up and opens his shirt a bit, exposing his make-shift Ghostbusters uniform underneath. He looks up, the determined look returning to his face.
With all his might, Peter hops off his side, moving forward a bit. He puts all his energy into one last hop, looking up at Vigo. "Not so fast, Vigo! Hey! You! Yeah, the bimbo with the baby!" That gets Vigo's attention as he looks down at him, annoyed. "Anybody tell you the big shoulder look is out? Y'know, I have met some dumb blondes in my time, but you take the taco, pal." The guys all struggle to crane their necks, looking at Peter curiously. "Only a Carpathian would come back NOW and choose New York! Tasty pick, BONE HEAD!" Dana looks at him from across the room, wondering if he flipped his lid. "If you had brain one in that HUGE melon on top of your neck, you'd be living the sweet life in southern California's beautiful San Fernando Valley!"
Vigo opens his mouth and a beam of energy flies out, dancing over their bodies. They convulse and spasm as pain rips through their every nerve ending, causing them to scream out in anguish.
"Now we become one!" Vigo says in a demonic voice as he holds Oscar up above him. Oscar cries out in fear, but Vigo just smiles victoriously. Suddenly, Louis appears from behind the gates, his proton pack humming as he shakily aims the rifle at Vigo.
"H-hold it, buddy!" he stammers. "I-I-I'm a G-G-Ghostbuster and not a-a-afraid to use this!"
"No! You'll hit Oscar!" Dana calls from across the room.
"Louis!" Winston shouts through the pain. "DUCK!" Louis looks at him curiously, then notices Vigo's mouth open. He dives as an energy burst flies over him.
"L-Louis! The s-slime!" Ray forces out, shaking his slime blower. Louis grabs it and takes aim, pulling back the lever on it. The positive slime begins to spew out, hitting Vigo. Vigo roars as the positive energy takes away from his negatively charged energy.
"He's weakening!" Egon exclaims as Vigo begins to writhe about. "The slime's taking away his energy!"
Vigo looks at them angrily, just before Peter leaps up and snags Oscar from his hands. Before Vigo can retaliate, Winston and Ray both rush him, sending him flying back.
Dana runs over to them, and Peter hands Oscar over to her.
"Go find a shady spot," he says. He looks down at Louis on the floor, still clutching Ray's slime blower. Peter reaches down and picks him up, giving him the once over. "And you, watch them."
"R-right…" Louis says, a little shell shocked. Dana grabs his arm and quickly leads him into the hallway through the blasted gate.
More moments of indecision. In my earlier drafts, I had played out the Vigo battle closely to the original movie before I finally found my legs and decided to get as far away as possible.
With all his might, Peter hops off his side, moving forward a bit. He puts all his energy into one last hop, looking up at Vigo. "Not so fast, Vigo! Hey! You! Yeah, the bimbo with the baby!" That gets Vigo's attention as he looks down at him, annoyed. "Anybody tell you the big shoulder look is out? Y'know, I have met some dumb blondes in my time, but you take the taco, pal." The guys all struggle to crane their necks, looking at Peter curiously. "Only a Carpathian would come back NOW and choose New York! Tasty pick, BONE HEAD!" Dana looks at him from across the room, wondering if he flipped his lid. "If you had brain one in that HUGE melon on top of your neck, you'd be living the sweet life in southern California's beautiful San Fernando Valley!"
Vigo opens his mouth and a beam of energy flies out, dancing over their bodies. They convulse and spasm as pain rips through their every nerve ending, causing them to scream out in anguish.
"Now we become one!" Vigo says in a demonic voice as he holds Oscar up above him. Oscar cries out in fear, but Vigo just smiles victoriously.
Suddenly, it fades and he tilts his head as if he's listening to something. He roars and thrusts his head to the side as if someone had just hit him extremely hard. The Ghostbusters stop shaking as the pain begins to subside. They all look at him curiously, struggling to hear what he hears.
"Where's that singing coming from?" Ray asks, hearing the faintest tune from somewhere nearby. Egon looks across the room to see a piece from their blasting the door had shattered a window slightly where the sounds seem to be coming from.
"The people outside!"
"It must be Midnight!" Winston exclaims. Outside, the crowd outside of the museum sways as they sing the traditional "Aud Lang Syne" in unison, marking the change from the year 1989 to the year 1990. The slime shell around the museum pulsates, fading a bit in color.
"He's weakening!" Egon exclaims as Vigo begins to shake more violently. "The singing's neutralizing the slime!"
"I can move!" Ray states as the Ghostbusters begin to scramble to their feet.
Vigo begins to shake faster and faster, disappearing in a blur of motion. Suddenly, he releases his hold on Oscar, letting him fall quickly to the ground. Peter quickly scurries under and catches the kid just before he hits the floor, cradling him safely. He gets to his feet as Dana rushes over to them. He quickly hands him off to her.
"Go find a shady spot," he says.
"He's back in the painting!" Egon exclaims. They all turn towards the painting where Vigo stands once again, clenching his face. The background has turned into a purple and pink swirling mess of spectral energy. Vigo raises his heads from his hands, but no longer resembles his old self. Vigo's head stops shifting and he looks out at the Ghostbusters, letting out an inhuman roar as they gaze upon his change. His forehead is more sloped and his skin has more texture than the average humans'. Small horns protrude from the top of his head while his eyes are solemn black with bloodshot pupils.
"Woah, I thought he was ugly before…" Winston mutters. Ray looks up at Vigo and their eyes lock. Vigo sends out his silent commands into Ray's head as Ray's mouth drops open, the dumb look from the other day returning to his face.
"Viggy, Viggy, Viggy! You have been a bad little monkey!" Peter says, turning back to the room and grabbing his gun. Ray steps up to the painting, dumbly looking into it.
"Uh, Ray, could you step aside please we'd like to shoot the monster?" Egon asks.
"Ray."
"Ray!"
"RAY!" Ray turns around, except he's no longer Ray Stantz; instead, the Ghostbusters gasp as they're greeted by the sight of Vigo's demonic head on Ray's body, his eyes full of hate as he looks at them.
"Now I, Ray and Vigo, and shall rule the Earth! Be gone, you pitiful half-men!"