Between universes lies a nexus point. From that point lies a seeming infinity and for the ghost of Egon Spengler, he has reached that point with a familiarity of coming home. From here, the possibilities look endless, but he knows the threat his world and the adjacent one he has just left are up against. It is time to return to his native Earth and deliver the news.

1996, Chicago.

Egon is on his way to meet an old friend and slime him.

2016, New York, the adjacent world in question is home to a date night that earlier involved An American Tail for entertainment and now involves pizza in the break room. While Erin calmly chews on yet another slice, Jillian feels content moving her slice up and down, pretending it is a bird flying above the table before making a mock yell and devouring half the slice in one bite, followed by an attempt at evil laughter, her mouth still stuffed and chewing. Erin looks on in amusement.

Erin: So this is how you win over your dates.

Jillian’s eyes shift to her left where Erin sits. She finishes chewing and delivers an audible gulp for swallowing.

Jillian: When I was a child, I was told not to play with my food. Now I’m an adult so I have a legal right to do this now. And yes. I think. Is it working?

Erin smiles in her response.

Erin: You always have so much energy.

Jillian: Well…

Jillian inspects what is left of her slice while Erin takes another bite of her own and chews.

Jillian: …I like keeping myself going. Makes it harder for everything else to catch up.

Erin: Like you’re trying to run away from something?

Jillian shrugs as she takes another bite.

Erin: You don’t always have to operate at breakneck speed.

Jillian: Yeah I do. It’s how I do things. But don’t worry, with you and the rest of the family I try to be a little more careful. You’re taking another look at the samples tonight?

Erin: Barring any emergencies, yes. Abby and Patty were mostly focused on making sure you weren’t in any danger, but I have a feeling there’s more to that slime. I still remember the effect it had on you coming out of the library.

She has been confined to the resting quarters where four twin beds each have a two-drawer cabinet on one side and a mini-fridge on the other. Jillian lies bummed out on the third bed in the row of them from the door to the opposing wall and window. Across the wall facing the feet of the beds is a large high-definition television with a Blu-Ray/D.V.D. player installed. Jillian holds a tall can of Pringles chips with her left arm, clutching it as a child might a teddy bear while her right index and middle finger keep one of the salty parabolas close to her mouth. Jillian looks to her left above the door and sees the clock.

5:57 p.m.

She turns away from the clock, bringing the edge of the potato chip to the right side of her lips, inhaling with a deep sniff momentarily then removing the chip from her mouth to blow imaginary smoke into the air. It is the only stress relief she can think of, knowing that her plans, her hopes have been dashed thanks to an encounter with and possession by a ghost earlier in the day.

During that minute, the events of the day since coming back from the library doused in clear slime flow through her thought process. Having to strip out of uniform and everything else in private, placing whatever slime still on her body into jars for further examination, being tested herself after having been provided with clothes from her locker by Erin, having to wait for results as Abby and Patty continued testing all of the jars, Abby and Patty convincing Erin to agree on Jillian being confined to the resting quarters for the evening in case of any negative side effects from her encounter with the ghost known as Egon, and feeling she was so close to making this weird crush she had developed coming to a meaningful fruition.

Jillian is beyond whatever brief infatuation Erin might have had with their receptionist, Kevin. She is beyond the friendship and family she has with this group of Ghostbusters. Knowing that Erin had vetoed the date agreed to just the night before, even out of concern for caution only brings out disappointment. There is no telling how long it will take for the results to be done. All Jillian can do is stare at a blank screen on the wall and repeat the process of smoking her parabola of imaginary smoke.

It is midday and the call has already come in. Fully equipped and in uniform, the team has made its way to the New York Public Library in Manhattan after the reporting of a ghost inside. The building itself had already been evacuated with reports of a strange slime left on the walls. Abby leads the foursome inside with Patty nodding to the other three before checking some of the aisles while Abby checks another section. Erin and Jillian meanwhile notice something peculiar about the slime left behind.

Erin: Guys, check this out.

Jillian leans in towards slime left behind on some book covers and gives a sniff.

Jillian: Looks different. Kinda smells different.

Erin: It’s clear. You can practically see right through it. Check out the line though.

From elsewhere in the library, Patty notices the slime line.

Patty: We got a line here, too! Which one of us is collectin’ this stuff?

Abby: I’m on it! Guys, we’re getting a serious reading here. I think it’s still in the building.

Erin: And it’s leaving a trail. Look.

Erin follows the trail and notices it leading elsewhere in the library with Jillian following along.

Jillian: Be vewy vewy qwiet…

Erin: This is kind of exciting. It’s our first verified sighting since Rowan.

Patty: Oh, don’t even say that name.

While exciting, there are also nerves for Erin, knowing that at 5:58 p.m., she and Jillian are supposed to attempt a date night.  Abby meanwhile proceeds to collect samples of the slime into jars from a sack brought along for the investigation.

Abby: God, this stuff is everywhere.

Jillian: Gilbert and I are gonna check the reading room!

Erin: That’s where this looks to be leading.

Patty: Hold on, I’m comin’ along.

Abby: Uh, Tolan I could use a little help here. Gilbert, you think you could help too?

Jillian turns to Erin with a confident grin.

Jillian: It’s cool, I know where the reading room is.

Erin’s first instinct is to wrap around Jillian’s left arm with both of her own.

Erin: Okay, be safe.

Jillian: I can’t promise not destroying a table or two if it comes at me. Then again I can’t promise not destroying a table or two if it doesn’t.

There is still acclimation when it comes to the new headquarters for the group known affectionately as the “Ghostbusters” in New York. The headquarters is a vacated fire station and it is where the four women who comprise the group call both work and occasionally home depending on who draws overnight for the sleeping quarters. It is close to Midnight and both Patty and their secretary, Kevin have already clocked out for the evening. Then there is Abby who checks on her friend and co-founder, Erin one last time.

Abby: Still looking over the latest upgrades?

Erin: Yes, it’s amazing the amount of work Holtzmann’s put into this.

Abby: She really lives for this stuff. Plus we have a much bigger budget than we had at Higgins so yeah she’s going nuts.

Erin: Maybe we’ll get to try some of this stuff out sometime.

Erin turns away from the various gadgets on the table at Jillian Holtzmann’s workstation and now looks to Abby.

Erin: By the way, is Holtzmann feeling okay? She hasn’t really talked much lately.

Abby’s bottom lip momentarily tilts to the left while her eyes tilt right before looking back to Erin.

Abby: Uhhhh… She’s like that. You might wanna talk with her though. She’s got overnight.

Erin: Okay. Where is she?

Abby: Probably on the roof. Checkin’ out now. Goodnight!

Erin grins as Abby turns away to make her exit. She then looks up, curious as to what is on Jillian’s mind.

Somewhere, in between dimensions…

He is a spirit in uniform. His essence lives on as well as his fight to preserve life on his former plane of existence. He should have crossed over to the afterlife by now, but he is stoic in his mission. He was once a mere mortal and a Ghostbuster himself. Now he has found a nexus point within a multiverse and it is up to him to keep evil once known to his old world from crashing upon this new one. He is not crossing over. Adjusting his glasses first, he flies off through the nexus point itself. He can sense that there are others like him on this new Earth that can aid in the defense of their universe as well as the one he once called home, perhaps even others. His voice is gone, but his spirit lives on.