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"Am I Wanted?" Ch. 1
by Beanhead

A ghostly fog hovers over New York that night. A few people were braving the fog to get to their destinations, grumbling all the way. One in particular was crying, as he had just run away from home. Just then, he hated everyone, and wanted to kill them all. Suddenly he breathed in something that smelled weird, and he stopped moving. The voice in his head was right! "Why not just kill myself?" he thought. He quickly ran off to find a building to jump from.

[The Extreme Ghostbusters theme song plays ... ]

"I was lucky I chose a secluded building for that live one to jump off of, otherwise they'd have called in the Ghostbusters. Better lay low for now," the ghost thought.

Meanwhile ...

Eduardo walks through the hall from his room to the front door. Along the way he meets his brother, and they give each other the usual morning scowl. He gets to the fridge, and, finding only a half a sandwich and a bottle of expired milk, he decides to get something along the way to the firehouse. As he exits, Carl, as he calls himself, shouted to Ed, "Hey Ed! Remember the thought of the day! You're a useless bum! HAHAHAHA!"

As he walks along the streets, he can't help but think of three things, namely ghostbusting, his brother/father and Kylie, his brother/father being the most dominant. He can't help but remember the tortures that he went through as a child of seven. He remembered all the times a strap was used on him as well as other torture devices, such as fists and brass knuckles, and that was just the physical torture. He was mentally destroyed by being called things like "wimp," "loser" and "useless." He remained quiet all the way to the firehouse, stopping only to buy his breakfast.

As soon as he got there, he sat at the table and started to eat. Halfway through his meal, he saw Slimer melt through the wall and into the room. He was eyeing Ed's breakfast like a hawk. "Don't even think about it, Slimeball," said Ed. Slimer grumbled in his strange speech and floated away. Just then, he heard the sound of wheels operating nearby, and knew Garrett had arrived.

Gar: Hey man!
Ed: Hi.
Gar: Whoa! What's with you today?
Ed: Nothing.
Gar: Hmmm ... Ed: What's with you and your curiosity anyway? You never care about what I do.
Gar: Yeah well ... I hate a grumpy face, no matter what owns it.

Garrett prepared himself to be dumped on his head, but looked up to see Ed's reaction. All he saw was a face that dipped lower than it already had been.

Gar: OK ... I think I'll leave now. Ed: You do that.

With that, Garrett got his sandwich from the fridge and left. From the living room, there came a loud wail and "I'll get you, Slimer!" Slimer came in looking very contented, and Garrett looked hungry. Soon, another person was heard walking into the living room. That person turned into the kitchen. Roland had come in for a cup of coffee before going down to the weird world of machines that he lived in.

Rol: Good morning, Eduardo.
Ed: Morning, yes. Good, no ... and why are you talking to me all of a sudden?
Rol: What?
Ed: Never mind.
Rol: OK.

Roland left the kitchen with a very puzzled look on his face. On the way down he met Garrett, who seemed quite hungry and mad at the same time.

Rol: Hey, have you any idea what's weighing on Eduardo? He seems pretty down today.
Gar: Dunno.
Rol: Maybe he's just tired.
Gar: Maybe.

With that, Roland left to his workshop. Eduardo had, so far, not left the kitchen. He was deep in thought about his life. He was also considering his "associates," as he called them once. Firstly, Garrett, who always liked to tease him about everything that he did wrong in clumsiness, or when he lost to Garrett in a game. Maybe these jests were just ways of having a little fun at his feelings' expense. Roland came next. He never talked to Ed unless they were on a call or the same shift. Otherwise it was like he never existed. Suddenly Ed looked up, as another person had entered the kitchen. A girl, Kylie, was walking in for her tea, and Eduardo's mind soon became void of anything but looking at Kylie and how beautiful she was. But soon after, he just went back to brooding.

Ky: Hi Ed.
Ed: Hi.
Ky: Beautiful morning, isn't it?
Ed: Whatever.
Ky: What's wrong with you today?
Ed: None of your business. Since when do you care anyway?
Ky: What's your problem?

Kylie walked out in a huff, angered yet again at Ed. What was his problem? she thought. She decided that he'd gotten up on the wrong side of the bed and soon forgot about it. But Eduardo had not forgotten his problem. Kylie, the biggest problem, was the one that always shouted at him for fouling up or not working at his studies, or not helping out around the firehouse. Yet somehow he managed to still like her. He thought of how beautiful she was, and how she was nice to him sometimes. He thought of just looking into those clear green eyes and how he could just get lost in her hypnotic gaze. Suddenly ...

Janine: We got a call, people!
Gar: Great! Some action, finally! Where?
Janine: At this address.
Gar: Thanks!

Everyone else got down to the Ecto-1 first and Roland drove off just as Eduardo got down the fire pole. "Where'd they go," he thought, "Didn't we just get a call?" Meanwhile, back in the Ecto-1, everyone was waiting for some action and so focused on ghosts that they didn't notice their one missing companion. When they got there, they took readings and asked some questions. Only when they were done with their work did they notice Ed was missing.

Ky: Where's Ed? Gar: I dunno. I didn't notice he was missing.
Rol: Neither did I.
Gar: Maybe he's around here somewhere
All: (Shouting) Hey Ed! Ten seconds to get back here!

They counted down, and soon left. After some driving, they pulled into the driveway, only to see Eduardo sitting in Janine's chair, with Janine standing far, far away from him.

Ky: Hey Janine, how come you're over there and Eduardo's over here? How did he get here so fast, anyway?
Janine: Ask him, he just pushed past me to get to the chair and sat there, brooding. That was quite a push too, I think he bruised my shoulder!
Ky: All right you creep! What's your problem?
Ed: None of your business!
Ky: It IS my business when you start hurting my friends! Now what's your problem? Ed: (Silence) Ky: All right, since you're not answering, let's go guys! Looks like someone here doesn't want to be sociable.

"Always the problem, aren't you, Kylie," Ed thought. For the rest of the day, he just sat there doing nothing. When there were calls, they ignored him, and Janine worked around him. Ah, Janine. Always telling Ed to keep out of her way when working, and constantly telling him to go help around the firehouse, like Kylie. Just then, Egon walked in.

Egon: Hello, Eduardo. Have you got any samples for me? Ed: Nope. Egon: Where are they, then?
Ed: Upstairs, with the witch.
Egon: You seem to be troubled. What's wrong?
Ed: None of your business, Brainiac.

Egon walked away with a frown on his face, angered by that last comment. He went upstairs to get the sample.

Egon: Where are those samples from that last call?
Ky: They're on that table over there.
Egon: Oh, thanks. By the way, any idea what's troubling Eduardo?

He saw no response, except for their diversionary tactics. Roland went down complaining that he had to fix something in the Ecto-1, Garrett had to go shoot some hoops and Kylie went back to intently reading a book she'd been studying for the PSAT test. Downstairs, Ed was thinking, as always. Egon hates me for breaking all sorts of stuff. Nothing else. Suddenly the phone rang. Janine picked it up, wrote down an address and ran up to tell the team.

Janine: All right, boys and girl! We got another call. Here's the address, safe driving. Ky: Thanks.

They all piled into the Ecto-1, including Eduardo. When he entered the vehicle, though, he was treated to a less-than-welcome response. Roland just drove, Garrett looked out the window instead of complaining about the inactivity and Kylie just scowled. As soon as they were there, they saw the ghost and crept up to it.

Rol: On three
All (but Ed): THREE!

They fired proton beams at the ghost, rendering it powerless, as it was a weak ghost. Kylie threw the trap, capturing it. Soon all were cheering at another catch. Only Ed, after powering down, just walked off, not even wanting to take a ride from the Ecto-1. Everyone quickly jumped into the Ecto-1 and came up beside him.

Ky: Hey, jerk! You coming with us or what?
Ed: I saw those scowls.
Ky: Fine!

Kylie told Roland to drive off, and he did, leaving Eduardo in the dust. Just great, he thought. He walked the 10 miles back to the firehouse. By that time, they'd busted another ghost along the way.

Gar: Woo hoo! Did you see that bust from the window? Man! It was the coolest!
Ky: Yup! (smiling)

Upon seeing Eduardo, though, Kylie's smile faded into a scowl. Ed settled down to play some games, but Kylie just turned off the set before his game could even start. Ed just turned off the set and went to the computer to type something. Everyone was shocked at this, for normally Ed would have turned the TV back on again and kept the remote away from Kylie. Garrett rolled up and looked at what he was typing.

Gar: Hey, Ed! Tell me this isn't the letter I think it is!
Ed: What else? I'm not wanted around here.
Kylie: That's for sure!
Ed: See?
Gar: Don't do this man! We've been here forever, man!
Ed: Well, forever wasn't long enough.
Ky: Actually, forever was too long!
Gar: Hey, Kylie! Guess what he's typing?
Ky: Simple. A letter to the principal asking to drop out.
Gar: No! His resignation letter!
Ky: Even better.

Eduardo finished typing and printed the letter, put it in an envelope, sealed it and put it on Janine's desk.

Gar: Man, why are you doing this?
Ed: Oh, so now you wanna know WHY, eh? Let me give you a hint. (Ed lifts his shirt.) See these scars? They're from my dad, who mistreated me from the beginning of my life, physically and mentally. He told me I was a wimp, loser and useless, the exact same things I hear here! Oh yeah! By the way, thanks for leaving me BEHIND on that first call today! Thanks for showing what I mean to you guys! I thought I was your friend. Now I see I was wrong.

Eduardo stomped out of the building, leaving Garrett in a state of shock. He went upstairs via the lift, all the while in shock. He went to where the others were, and sat by the window, thinking, "Wow. I never thought about that, he got back so fast because he never left! We really messed up there."

Ky: What's eating you now?
Gar: Guilt.
Ky: Why?
Gar: I just lost a friend.
Ky: That jerk? I like this place better now that he's no longer coming back here.
Gar: Oh, COME ON, KYLIE! What's your problem? Do you realize that he's not coming back because of us?
Ky: Oh, so now he's blaming us, eh?
Gar: Yeah, and I think he's right!
Ky: Why?
Gar: Why don't you ask him?
Ky: Fine! I will!

Just as she was about to leave, though, they got a call leading them to the other side of town from Ed's place. As they arrived on the scene, they didn't notice at first how they had dwindled in numbers. They just shot the ghost floating in front of them, but as Kylie stopped shooting, she suddenly felt something was wrong. As she threw the trap, there was no celebrating on her part. She realized, Eduardo was the anchor in their group, always being able to keep the ghost at bay. Now, the power of 2 blasters was barely able to keep a class 5 at bay. She suddenly felt very tired. They climbed into the Ecto-1, and the ride back was painfully silent. As they arrived, they saw Janine's face in disbelief as she stared at Eduardo's letter.

Janine: Is ... is ... is this for r-real?
Gar: As real as it's gonna get.

Kylie quickly changed out of her armor and started off towards Ed's place. When she got there, she hammered his door, and just as he saw who she was, he slammed the door in her face. She kept knocking, with no response, until Kylie thought it was hopeless. The same response met the other Ghostbusters' efforts to contact their comrade. Some days later, Ed miraculously reappeared back at the firehouse. He just threw some patches on the floor with a mutter of "I no longer need these." Everyone who went to greet him came back in with tears on their face, especially Kylie, for everyone knew that she loved him more than life itself. It was just that seeing her friends hurt angered her too much to control her temper. She ran back to her bunk as memories of him flooded back into her mind. The countless times he had saved her life. She cried so much she fell asleep.

The next day, and the day after that, and every day for the next week, everyone moved around very listlessly, as if the life had been sucked out of the place. Even Garrett didn't whoop when they got a call, and there was no celebrating when a ghost was captured. They left every scene with a last note of "We'll send you the bill by the end of this week." They personally felt the loss in their own way, Roland felt he lost a friend, Garrett felt he lost a buddy and competitor, and Kylie felt as if she had lost someone special. They tried every conceivable method to get to him. They tried calling him, but he had disconnected his phone line. They tried e-mailing him, but he had shut down his e-mail address. They tried talking to him but he always managed to avoid them. It was as if he had vanished off the surface of the planet. Even Carl was worried, for Kevin wasn't happy not being able to talk to Ed, and the only time Ed interacted with his family was during meals.

Through all this, Kylie was the most affected person. She usually felt OK most of the time, but now she constantly felt a haunting, empty feeling everywhere she went. She was also quite jumpy, like she expected Eduardo to just jump up from behind her and shout "Just kidding!" in that endearing Spanish accent of his. She smiled less often than usual, and usually looked like a zombie. Every day she'd continuously try to talk to Eduardo until nightfall, then go home utterly beaten. At the firehouse, Garrett, Roland and Kylie were just hanging around, doing nothing in particular. Garrett was playing on the SEGA system, but he didn't look very interested.

Gar: (Grimly) This used to be Ed's favorite game.
Ky: (Crying) I wish I hadn't done all that shouting.
Rol: It's not your fault. You were just defending a friend. This was all our fault, leaving Ed behind on that call. It made him feel like we didn't need him or want him. I wish he'd yell at us or something, at least talk to us.

By now, Kylie had stopped crying. Suddenly, she had a terrific idea!

Ky: Hey Garrett! What was that game you were playing just now?
Gar: Tomb Raider 3. Belongs to his cousin.
Ky: I just had an idea! How about, we dredge up Eduardo's past life and get all the people he cares about down here?
Rol: That's a terrific idea!
Gar: Yeah! I'm all for it!
Janine: (Having heard the idea) I'll get on the phone right away!
Rol/Gar: Good thinking, Kylie!
Ky: Never mind that, just start dialing!

Suddenly, everyone stopped moping and brought a phone book in and started dialing. For the next few hours, they tried finding out all they could about Ed. His childhood, and relatives and they found out which ones he liked and brought them to town. By the end of the week, they'd managed to find ten people that Ed loved. Their best call was when they were able to find his mother! She flew here immediately when she heard what had happened. It seems that although she had called the male side of the Rivera family "evil spawns," she never had Eduardo in mind, but the insult stuck in his mind, and he thought she hated him too. That was going to change now. Finally, after buying something that Eduardo would surely like, they trooped off to the Rivera household.

Ky: I hope this works, Carl. Thanks for letting us in.
Carl: Why wouldn't I when my family and friends are coming?
Ky: Oh...OK
Gar: (Whispering) Everybody ready?
All: (Whispering) Yeah.
Gar: (Whispering) OK ... here goes.

With that, Garrett slammed hard on the door, knocking it down and skidding into the room. There he was, sprawled out on the bed like nothing happened.

All: (Shouting) SURPRISE!
Ed: (No response)
All: (Shouting) SURPRISE!
Ed: (No response)

By this time, everyone was starting to get worried. He didn't seem to be moving, like he wasn't even alive. Kylie walked over to wake Eduardo, knowing that the only thing that would get a rise out of him, other than the bell, was her.

Ky: Hey Eduardo, wake up.
Ed: (No response)
Ky: Eduardo?

That was when she noticed the bottle of pills on the floor.

Ky: OH, NO! Gar: What's wrong? (Kylie shows him the pills) OH MAN! Gotta get him to a hospital!

Everyone quickly stepped away as Garrett rolled off with Kylie running beside him and Eduardo over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Since they had walked, they could either run or catch a cab. Garrett chose to catch a cab, and went out to the road and caught the bumper of a cab. Kylie said she'd catch up later just as Garrett disappeared. By now, Kylie was crying again. She blamed no one but herself for this happening to Eduardo. She sat down on the curb and cried until she could cry no more. Then she caught a cab, the right way this time, and went to the hospital. There she found Garrett wheeling up and down the floor outside the Emergency Room. She saw the black wheel marks, looking like a groove worn in the floor, and decided that she'd been away for a long time or Garrett was really heavy. Just then, a doctor came out of the emergency ward.

Gar/Ky: How is he, doctor?
Doc: He's OK right now, (sighs) but he's in critical condition. You got him here just in time, another two seconds and he'd have been dead on arrival.
Gar/Ky: Thanks Doc.

After he was transferred to another ward, they went to visit him. Although he was still asleep, they talked to him. Soon, they both left, content that Eduardo was safely in a hospital. But what they didn't see was the cloud hovering over their heads. Yes, it thought, this is a good target. It started to seep into Eduardo's life support system, entering him after a few seconds. Eduardo's eyes suddenly popped open and he got up. He climbed out the window, down the fire escape and went to catch a cab to get to the Empire State building. A nurse came in, only to find the bed empty. She quickly reported it to the front desk. At the firehouse ...

Ky: WHAT?! What do you mean he's gone? (pause) Oh. (Puts down phone)
Gar: What was that about?
Ky: That was the hospital. They said that Eduardo was missing, but some people on the street saw him go off in a cab.
Gar: Oh man!
Ky: Yeah. They got the police to handle it, and of course, Carl's in charge.
Gar: That's good.
Ky: Yeah.

Garrett turned on the television and started flipping through the channels. Just as he passed by an all-news channel with that annoying reporter that Kylie hated, he heard the reporter speak.

Rep: Today at the Empire State building, we see a truly frightening story unfolding at the top. A man (picture comes up) reported to have climbed over the barrier is now standing precariously at the edge. Police have sent up a negotiator to see if they can calm him long enough for a net to be set up under him.

The teens didn't hear that last bit, for when the picture was flashed, they clearly saw Eduardo's face. Before anyone could say "Ghostbusters," they were all in the Ecto-1, driving towards the Empire State building. When they got there, they saw Carl standing in the street full of anxiety. He let them go up to the top to see Eduardo. When they got there, they saw Eduardo's eyes had clouded over with a ghostly fog.

Rol: He's possessed!
Gar: Yeah ... and now we're gonna de-possess him!
Ky: Watch it! Any sudden moves and he could jump, and anyway, he's in too fragile a position to withstand the shot without falling.
Rol: Then what are we gonna do?


To be continued ...

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All fan fics appearing in The GBFF's Archives were edited by Doreen Mulman for use on The GBFF only. Posted: 08/31/01.