Ghostbusters The Return by Sholly Fisch Page A

"like him."

    Milken studied Winston for a moment, considering the point. "Hmmm...two Ghostbusters," he said, mulling it over.

    "But people don't vote for deputy mayor," said one of the well-dressed men behind him. "It's an appointed position."

    "True," said another. "But we play up the idea. With Peter Venkman, you don't just get one man, you get a team. Two local heroes for the price of one."

    "Interesting," said a third.

    The second man consulted a file folder. "He's got a nice background. Former Special Forces, Strategic Air Command training... There's the whole military hero/served his country angle."

    "He could bring in the minority vote," said a third.

    "Now, wait a minute..." said Sid.

    "Huh?" said Winston.

    "It's unconventional," said Milken.

    "I'd say 'unconventional' is what you were going for when you decided to recruit me," Venkman replied.

    "True," said Milken. "I can't can't say that the conventional approaches have paid off very well for us in the past eighty years." He gave Venkman a confident nod, and shook Winston's hand. "Mister Zeddemore, welcome to the team."

    "Huh?" said Winston.

    "Now, we'd better let you get to that shower," Milken told Venkman. "You've got a lot of work ahead of you. We'll be in touch."

    Venkman saw them off with a flurry of waves, handshakes, and friendly slaps on the back.

    "Huh?" said Winston.

    Janine and Louis just stood there, stunned by the whole spectacle.

    Ray and Egon walked in from the basement, carrying armfuls of now-empty traps

    "Did we miss anything?" asked Ray.

CHAPTER 5

    Even back in the days when the Ghostbusters' headquarters was still a fire station, the block had rarely been host to such excitement. The Mayor stood in front of the large bay doors, flanked by the Ghostbusters and his usual entourage. Beyond them was the crowd of reporters, with their microphones, cameras, and broadcast vans. Beyond that, the crowd multiplied with curious onlookers who'd been drawn by either the media circus, the rumors of the morning's events, or just a bit of free entertainment and a chance to sneak into the background on the TV news.

    "...another piece of evidence," the Mayor was saying, "Of the effectiveness of our campaign against quality of afterlife crimes. I'm especially glad to announce the safe rescue of these children, without the loss of a single life. As you all know, I have always been devoted to promoting the well-being of our children, because children are our future."

    The Mayor wrapped up his statement. "That's about it. So, if there are any questions... ?"

    A flurry of hands went up among the crowd of press people. "Does this mean there are more of these things in the sewers?" one asked.

    "We haven't seen any signs of it. Still, in the interest of public safety, I've ordered the DPW to check every sewer drain throughout the five boroughs. They expect to finish the job in under five months."

    "Will there be any school closings for fear of future attacks?" another asked.

    "No. At this point, we have no reason to think this was anything other than an isolated incident."

    "Was PETA or the SPCA verified that the alligators were handled humanely?"

    "I can assure you that no animals - living or dead - were harmed in this incident."

    "Can we get a first-person account from one of the Ghostbusters?"

    "Why, sure," said the Mayor. Boys?"

    Venkman moved eagerly toward the microphones. As he passed Mayor Lapinski, the Mayor whispered an almost-friendly warning: "Remember to make me look good, now."

    Venkman stepped forward and smiled for the cameras. Freshly showered and wearing a newly-pressed set of coveralls, he pulled himself up to his full height and tried his best to look every inch the hero.

    "I won't lie to you. Things got a little hairy today," he said, in his most sincere voice. "But everyone came through it okay. The kids are safe, the ghosts are under wraps, and as far as these kids' families are concerned - as far as we're concerned