Ghostbusters: Regeneration

Chapter Fifteen

Now that herself, Melissa, and Callum were no longer being closely supervised by the senior members of the team, Hiroko was becoming increasingly distracted by her expanded work responsibilities. As such, she would often go through large parts of her average day without thinking about the ongoing Az'dor situation; for better or worse.

As the weekend drew near, the thought of that soul-stealing monstrosity was once again far from her mind. It had just turned 5pm on Friday and Melissa, Callum, and herself had decided to pick up a quick celebratory bite to eat before taking the Ecto-2 back to base. Having just finished a job up in The Bronx, they had pulled over by the nearest convenient hot dog cart. The vendor, who was clearly elated by the unexpected arrival of local celebrities, refused to take payment for the food, sincerely telling them that 'firefighters, cops, and Ghostbusters eat for free.'

Hiroko's first bite of this delicious New York staple was especially glorious, given that it marked the start of a particularly sweet weekend. Not only were she and Callum going out for drinks this evening but they had also both been given a Saturday off work for the first time since they had joined the Ghostbusters. If her new beau seemed receptive during their date, she was also thinking of inviting him to stay at her place tonight.

Unfortunately, it turned out that life had other plans for her and the rest of the team.

As she watched Callum take the first bite of his dog, the crackling voice of Janine suddenly came from the car's two-way radio system. Melissa handed Hiroko her half-eaten treat, reached into the Ecto-2's open window, and answered the call on the radio's receiver. Janine proceeded to explain that a hot tip had been received about a flying lifeform that matched Az'dor's description, and that it had attacked a concert on Roosevelt Island. She told the squad that they needed to head there right away and that Ray, Peter, Egon, and Winston were departing in the Ecto-1 to meet them at the scene.

As Melissa wrapped up the call, Hiroko and Callum exchanged concerned looks, silently acknowledging that their evening plans were now in jeopardy, albeit for a very important reason. The pair both climbed in the back of the Ecto-2 as Melissa took the driver's seat. Hiroko handed forward the remains of Melissa's hot dog, prompting her friend to quickly shovel the remnants of it into her mouth. She then turned the key in the ignition and started the car. Through a mouthful of half-chewed food, she uttered what Hiroko believed to be the phrase 'let's roll', before she boldly pulled the Ecto-2 out onto the road and activated the lights and siren.

Due to the evening rush hour traffic, it took the Ecto-2 squad over 40 minutes to reach their destination. The trio were quiet and anxious as they knew the chances of Az'dor still being at the site decreased with every moment they were in transit.

After finally making it onto Roosevelt Island, Melissa switched off the Ecto-2's siren as they approached the site of the alleged attack. The Ecto-1 was already at Four Freedoms Park's gate, its twirling roof-mounted lights acting as a beacon in the night. Only Ray was out of the car, conversing with a police officer and a park official, so it seemed like he and the other Ghostbusters had not been here long. As the second Ectomobile pulled up behind the original, Ray beckoned for Melissa and company to follow his squad as he got back into the Ecto-1.

Both cars slowly and quietly pulled into the well-lit grounds, parking side-by-side next to the wide set of steps which led up to the main area of Four Freedoms Park, the triangular field that was flanked on either side by parallel rows of trees. Besides a few seemingly abandoned food and drink stalls, so far there seemed to be no obvious indications of any kind of attack.

As both squads of Ghostbusters disembarked their vehicles, Ray told everyone in hushed tones to suit up with their standard equipment but to be ready for anything. While the team began to quickly and quietly strap on their proton packs and traps, Callum looked towards the unusual building they had passed on the way into the park. The three-story structure appeared not only incredibly old but also ominous-looking, contrasting with the modern, metropolitan look of Roosevelt Island. It looked like something out of medieval times, with the dark stone walls and large, imposing parapets hanging high up above. While it was more a ruin that a functional building, there were signs that it was being preserved, namely the perimeter fence, floodlights, and heavy use of modern-day metal supports.