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Ghostbusters: Regenesis Chapter 6 (Split Ends) Written by Leo_Todrius

Columns of sunlight penetrated the overcast above Portland, glinting off of the patches of snow that had managed to continue sticking to the streets and sidewalks. Snow was rather rare in the region and the newscasters had overreacted as usual, leaving the streets abnormally empty of car traffic. The few that rumbled down the streets traveled slower and guarded, making it easier for pedestrians to cross whenever they felt like it. That in itself was a blessing for the students leaving Pioneer high school. While many students were heading off to school in the early hours of the morning, the students of Pioneer's second block were just getting out. Having high school at night was ground breaking, but it was a sign of the times as society filled up with more and more night owls.

With the entire morning ahead of them, three teenagers wandered down the streets with a sense of contentment about them. They were all seniors from Pioneer and were practically inseparable. They even participated in all the same sports, from cross country to soccer. Cory was in a sense the leader of the group. He seemed to be a model of the all American boy with short buzzed blonde hair and a white polo shirt, wearing khaki pants and white Nike sneakers in nearly any weather. Kobe dressed similarly, though he usually wore red polo shirts to compliment his deep brown skin. His hair was also kept short, though it was primarily to keep it from getting too knappy. Of the three, Jay was perhaps the most outlandish, but only because he had adopted the wardrobe of a Portland hipster. He wore a red and black plaid shirt, worn jeans and a loose knit stocking cap over his brown hair. The three wandered along, though Jay kept adjusting his pants, hiking them up a bit, his hands sunk in his pockets to try and keep them up.

"Jay, what is up with you?" Kobe asked, finally unable to take his friend's fidgeting anymore.

"I... lost my belt..." Jay admitted.

"How? We didn't have gym class today..." Cory countered. Jay cracked a bit of a grin.

"Well, if you must know... It was when I was getting head." Jay said. The other two boys let out whoops of juvenile approval.

"You dawg, was it Shirley from the pep squad?" Kobe asked.

"Nah..." Jay replied. His lack of forthcoming answers only spurned them on more.

"Leah?" Cory asked.

"Sarah?" Kobe added. Jay rolled his eyes, afraid they were going to railroad him until he told them.

"It was Lucas Kingston." Jay blurted out. Cory's eyes shot wide. Kobe, however, didn't seemed surprised at all.

"That dude is gifted man..." Kobe murmured, reaching to adjust his own groin.

"You got head from him too?!" Jay asked in shock. Kobe shrugged.

"The dude's a nympho, what can I say? I wanted to help a dude out." Kobe said.

"So it wasn't just me..." Cory whispered. Kobe and Jay looked at him in surprise before they started chuckling and continued on their way. They made it about a block before something caught their eye, something they weren't used to. On either side of an old wooden door were two glass cylinders, inside of which were spinning white columns painted with a spiral of red. The paint really made it seem that the columns were moving in a timeless optical illusion.

"What's that?" Jay asked in surprise.

"Haven't you ever seen old movies? That's a barber shop." Cory replied.

"Barber shop, huh? I could use a good trim... I'm over due." Kobe said. Cory thought about it before he nodded.

"Me too, much longer and my parents will call me a surfer." Cory said.

"Your hair is like an inch long dude... Your parents are such republicans." Jay laughed. Cory punched Jay in the shoulder before he moved over to the barber shop and opened the old door. It was heavy, a deep reddish brown set with iron handles. A silver bell jangled as the door opened and the three moved into the shop. Kobe and Jay looked around the shop as if they had stepped through time. Three huge, heavy barber chairs sat off to one side in front of tall mirrors, each covered with plush brown leather cushions and steel. The scissors, trimmers and shears all seemed to be made out gold colored metal and were spotless. Cory moved to the other side of the room where an old leather couch was set out between magazine laden tables at either end. Cory reached down for one of the magazines before he paused.

"Wow, I thought magazines were bad at my doctor's office, all of these are from the 70's!" Cory exclaimed.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Kobe laughed as he moved over.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" a voice came from nowhere. The three teenagers spun around in surprise, having not heard anyone come up. The man that had emerged from the back appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties. His hair had turned white prematurely but he still had a sort of vitality to him. He wore a simple white button up shirt and brown corduroy pants. A thick handlebar mustache adorned his upper lip and the man even had a straw hat like he had stepped out of some barbershop quartet. Jay had been about to speak, but he caught a glance of the barber's hazel eyes. They were so intense they were practically yellow.

"Three adults please." Cory said, breaking the silence. The barber grinned gently.

"Three adults eh? Very well. Please have a seat, I have three stations open." He said, gesturing to the chairs. Kobe moved over to sit himself at the far end while Cory moved for the first, though Jay grabbed his arm along the way.

"Three?" Jay asked in surprise.

"Yeah, three... We don't want you to wind up looking like a hobo if you're going to keep hanging out with us. It'd be bad for our reputation." Cory said shamelessly before heading to the first chair. Normally Jay would have defended himself, but the comment cut him to the core. Feeling a bit defeated, Jay moved to take the remaining chair between the other two. The barber moved about the shop like a specter, producing three aprons that he draped over their chests and tied off behind their necks. He moved one way and then the other before he paused at Kobe. He looked into the young man's eyes with a piercing gaze. Kobe went still, looking up into the amber orbs before his body went completely limp. The barber continued over to Jay, repeating the same process until the teenager was completely limp. Finally the barber came to Cory.

"Have you been to any vintage barber shops before?" The barber asked curiously, moving behind Cory's chair. He picked up a squirt bottle and began spraying a fine mist of the contents onto Cory's hair before combing it in.

"Nah, we usually go to a stylist. This place is nice though." Cory said, feeling oddly at ease.

"Well it's important for people to trust their barber, to tell him anything they want to... We're great listeners, and really it helps the process... If we get to know the customer, we get to know what they'd truly like." The man said, "Though it seems like you're a bit premature for your haircut, there isn't much to work with here." The barber said. Cory hesitated before he nodded.

"It's just that my parents are so strict. I don't want to let them down.... And it starts with my appearance." Cory admitted, uttering words he had never expected to say out loud. The barber grinned behind his mustache, the irises of his eyes stretching into feline like slits.

"Well that's a shame. Young men should be able to adventure, to get out into the world, to try things out before they're tied down by duty and obligation... What would you have liked to look like if they didn't keep you back?" the barber asked. Cory thought about it before his eyes closed and he started to grin.

"Something outlandish, something completely unique and raw and powerful..." Cory whispered. The barber nodded, picking up his tools. He started to go to work, bringing the scissors to Cory's hair, but rather than cutting the hair, as the metal came together, longer strands of blond hair seemed to materialize, becoming part of Cory's hair as a whole. The barber worked around his head, growing out the teen's hair as he talked.

"Did you have any outlandish heroes? Anything you aspired to be before duty got in the way?" The barber asked.

"Well... My uncle was in a motorcycle gang when he was younger. I always envied how he spent years just going wherever he wanted, whenever... A creature of his passions." Cory whispered, falling deeper into the trance.

"A creature of his passions, yes, I like that..." The barber chuckled, "Well, I imagine if you had been his son you would have had a lot more freedom." The barber said. Cory sighed gently.

"Probably... Who knows, maybe I'd have my hair all dyed and styled out, my ears pierced... No way I could get a job when I graduated looking that way..." Cory countered.

"But who needs a job if you live off the land and the road? The freedom, wouldn't it be intoxicating?" the barber asked. Cory smiled a bit wistfully.

"It wouldn't be the only thing." Cory replied, thinking about the one time he'd tried alcohol. The barber nodded with a knowing glance, finishing up the first stage of his work. Cory's hair had been stretched out to his shoulders, blond and smooth, free flowing. Cory shifted a bit, "Are you going to buzz me now?" he asked.

"Yes, in just a moment. I want to try something first." The barber said, reaching over for a jar. He unscrewed it slowly and set the lid aside, exposing orange ectoplasm inside. The barber reached in and gathered a hand full before he started working it into Cory's long hair. Cory's back arched as his brain started to tingle with rebellious thoughts... Thoughts of telling his father to suck it, to throwing aside all his plans for college. The barber kept working, bringing the slime through his hair until it stood up on end, rising up into a thick Mohawk. The Mohawk angled forward and up from his forehead and down and back from the nape of his neck, the thick crest impressive all around. With the Mohawk standing almost a foot tall around his head, the barber pulled out his trimmers and buzzed the hair on either side town to the skull.

Cory shuddered as his skull was exposed, though he felt rather marvelous all over like he had just finished an amazing workout. The sleeves of his polo shirt grew tight as new bulging muscle filled out his arms, his pecs grew tight and the cotton deformed as new abdominal muscles pushed against the confines of the shirt. Cory's exposed arms began to tighten as the flesh grew weathered and tough, new scars appearing as faint white lines in the otherwise tanned flesh. Cory gained new hair on his arms as well, the blond hair emerging pale at first before taking on the color of the white hot sun.

Cory shifted in the chair as his mind danced with the idea of becoming such a rebel, of being a wild child... of roaming the streets, doing as he pleased, living for pleasure and pleasure alone. He dreamed of what it would have taken to get him to that point already in life, if he'd gone for wild hair, for piercings, grown out whatever facial hair he could... Crashing on the couches of his friends because his parents kicked him out, living with the underbelly of society and loving it. Soon blood was flooding into his groin, his khaki pants tenting as he gained an erection from his fantasies... but it was more than just an erection, it was larger than he'd ever experienced. More and more blood pumped into the cock, causing it to snake down in Cory's pants, swelling thicker and throbbing with vitality. The barber smiled, pleased that it was working... but he still had far more work to do. He opened another with white fluffy foam inside. He dipped a brush inside and whisked it around before he started spreading the lather over Cory's cheeks. He covered his chin, his throat, his upper lip... Soon he had the teen completely coated before he set the brush aside and brought out his straight razor. Like the other tools, the blade was forged out of a fine gold. The barber started drawing it across Cory's face, but instead of shaving the boy, it seemed like the blade was removing the foam and leaving behind thicker and thicker stubble.

The barber worked at it, giving the teenager's cheeks a thick coating of blond facial hair. He worked above his upper lip to give him a mustache, across his chin and neck, then up the other side. As he finished up, Cory was the proud owner of a thick blond beard and an orange Mohawk, though the beard was starting to grow out longer. The hair from his upper lip curled down into a mustache, the beard on his cheeks pushed out and it dropped form his chin, fanning out almost like a lion's mane. Thick curls of hair had even pushed out from the collar of the boy's shirt, though as the fabric stretched taut it was hard to call him a boy. The senior in high school looked like a senior in college as his muscles flared further. The barber moved around to do a few finishing touches before he lifted the apron off of Cory with a flourish.

As the cloth came off, Cory's wardrobe had completely changed. Frayed black jeans hugged his tree trunks of legs, his large feet covered by thick leather boots with spiked toes. He wore no shirt, but a spiked leather jacket hugged his torso, his hairy arms spilling out of the sleeve holes. The jacket was emblazoned with a red demon skull with a Mohawk made of flame. A thick collar hugged his neck, likewise spiked to match the rest of his wardrobe. The barber reached into his drawer and pulled out two thick steel rings and lifted them into place. They warped and slipped over Cory's ears before sinking into the flesh, piercing them forever.

"Very good, I think you'll be quite pleased with that." The barber said before he used his powers to leave Cory in a trance. He moved over to Jay next, looking him over before smiling, "I like the plaid... Spend much time in the woods?" the barber asked conversationally.

"Not as much time as I'd like." Jay replied, coming part way out of his trance as if nothing had happened.

"Nature lover?" the barber asked, moving to start reverse-cutting Jay's hair. The brown shag spilled out longer as the barber worked.

"Oh yeah, I can't get enough of it... If Oregon still had a major timber industry I might have even gone into it." Jay explained.

"Well, there are still opportunities... and even if you don't cut down the trees, you can enjoy them... Maybe be a survivalist or tour guide." The barber suggested, growing out Jay's brown hair until it dropped down to his shoulder blades. Jay started thinking of his camping experiences... Going with his family at first, then his friends. He thought of Phil, one of his friends' older brothers... How he'd seemed so rugged with a thick beard and long hair, living off the land. He had a knack for finding shelter. Jay smiled in the chair, imagining himself as being that care free, being a part of nature rather than just an observer. His fingers dug into the chair as he imagined himself wandering the wilderness, completely at peace.

The barber moved to gather up more of the shaving cream and apply it to the boy's face, but before he could even use the straight edge, the white foam was bubbling and refining into strands, fading from white to brown as it settled into his face. Thick brown whiskers seated into his cheeks, his upper lip, his chin... Every square inch of flesh grew dark beneath his growing beard. The barber set his blade aside and got a comb and started combing out Jay's beard. The mustache got thicker and thicker with each stroke of the comb, dropping down lower and lower until both of Jay's lips disappeared beneath it.

Jay murmured, his voice dropping in pitch as the barber moved to comb out the cheeks and chin. The beard spilled out of his face at more than a centimeter every second. The brown beard grew fuller and fuller, creeping up higher on his cheeks. Even Jay's brows got thick and dense, new hair growing between the two to create a sort of unibrow look. Hair even spilled out of Jay's knuckles and the hair on his arms was growing so thick that his skin was disappearing beneath it all. The barber smiled happily before he pulled up the apron. Beneath it, Jay's plaid shirt had grown thicker and his jeans were wider than ever, but Jay had been left with enormous size fifteen hiking shoes, though event hose seemed a bit tight from the way the leather was contorting.

The barber looked into Jay's eyes to leave him in his trance before moving over to Kobe, circling around him, getting an idea before he started with the shaving cream. He lathered up Kobe's cheeks thick with the white foam before he brought out his blade. As the foam was cleared away, incredibly dense, thick mutton chops pushed out of the boy's cheeks, thicker even than the hair on his head. The barber worked them out until they were quite impressive before he moved around behind Kobe again. As he was pulling out a comb to start working with the hair, he smiled.

"So, what is your favorite subject in school?" The barber asked on a whim. Kobe's hair started spilling out in the barber's hands, the kinky hair curling and spiraling together, frizzing out. The barber kept it coming, working it out bigger and bigger, caressing the growing slope of it all as Kobe thought about his answer.

"History I guess." Kobe replied. The barber grinned deeply, moaning as he built up Kobe's afro, making it huge and round.

"Like the 70's? The age of free love and peace and joy?" The barber asked longingly.

"Actually, ancient history... mythology and stuff." Kobe replied. The barber's golden eyes twinkled with an idea before he nodded.

"Do you like Greek mythology?" the barber asked, his fingers delving into Kobe's afro, combing through it. As they moved through the kinky hair, it started to spiral up and writhe, contorting and twisting into dreadlocks. The barber moved around Kobe's head, working clumps of hair into a nest of thick dreads. He let them lower down around Kobe's shoulders, moving onto the next section.

"Oh yeah, I love it... One of the most famous too, some of the best stories. The lotus eaters, Medusa, satyrs, it's all great." Kobe said.

"I bet you'll become an expert at it..." The barber said in glee, still working on Kobe's hair. Kobe's eyes slid shut and Kobe dreamed of himself as a greek god... Wrapped in a white toga, living in splendor and extravagance... Marble statues, fine wines, servants and innovations... and he thought of what the modern day version might be with glass and steel furniture, surrounded by art, lavish and bold. The barber grinned, finishing up Kobe's dreads before he moved to pull the apron off. He lifted it up, revealing that Kobe's wardrobe had changed as well. Golden sandals contrasted his rich skin tone and hugged his perfect toes while he wore a green sleeveless shirt that almost seemed to have a sheen to it like reptilian scales, matching the green shimmering basketball shorts around his hips. The barber moved away from Kobe and gave each of his customers a glance before they seemed to awake from their trance. Cory lifted himself from the chair and swaggered out a bit.

"How much I owe you?" he grunted, his voice deep and aggressive.

"The first one is free." The barber said happily. Cory gave a nod, turning to Jay and Kobe as they climbed out of their chairs. The barber glanced to the mirrors in front of the chairs, catching a glance of what the three men would become as their makeovers unfolded even further, a grin crossing his lips.

"I'll catch you guys later, I gotta go pick out a new hog after my last one wound up in the shop." Cory said gruffly as his mind flooded with new memories and a new personality.

"Take care Cory, maybe I'll catch you around my neck of the woods sometime." Jay replied. Cory gave a nod and headed out of the barber shop, moving down the street. Jay followed him out but headed in the other direction. Kobe moved for the door himself, but the barber reached out to hand him a pair of Italian sunglasses.

"Don't forget these." He said. Kobe grinned.

"Thankssssss." Kobe replied, slipping them on over his serpentine yellow eyes as they stretched into slits, a soft glow emanating from them. Kobe moved out of the shop and into the morning air, walking down the street at a fair pace. He basked in the sunlight on his shoulders, marveling in how fine it felt... and soon the sunlight was shimmering off of his nails as well as both his fingernails and toenails took on a faint gold hue as they stretched out longer and honed into claw like points.

Kobe's stride was quick enough that it carried him past Jay, though it had grown a bit easier to catch up when Jay had stopped. He reached down to untie his boots before pulling them off. He pulled his sore foot out of the boot, watching it swell longer and thicker in his hand. It had surged past the size sixteen in half a block's time and when he set it on the cement, it already seemed to be size eighteen. Jay extracted his other foot and left the boots behind as he started walking again. The cement felt so good on his feet as his toes grew longer, thicker and plumper. His heel widened and the arch of his foot flattened a bit. With every step Jay felt like a new man, feeling the breeze blow through his beard... though the hairs it tickled were creeping every higher on his face, his beard line climbing upwards, the hair on his arms so thick that the skin beneath wasn't visible any longer.

Two blocks away, murmurs were starting to break out in the crowd as pedestrians watched Cory pass. The punk was growing bolder with each step he took, and he was growing stranger. His ears had stretched into points, his fingernails had stretched into claws, his lower lip had jutted out into an under bite before his lower canines pushed up and outward as tusks and his skin was taking on a strange gray like the color of the cement. Soon two drops of blood leaked out of his forehead as thick white horns curved out and upwards. The pigment started leeching out of his blond beard as his skin turned ashen gray, leaving the beard white... but somehow it didn't make him look old, it just made him look demonic. A bulge formed in the seat of his pants before the denim tore and a thick spaded tail slunk out, whipping around to four feet in length before it coiled and stretched once more, swaying as he walked. Cory grinned to himself, loving how free he was in life now that he was a biker demon... his memories of his former life had all disappeared completely, he was a brand new man.

****

The tentacle parasite's glassy black eyes peered out at the world from the confines of its prison, looking into Eli's deep blue eyes. The creature made all manner of adorable chittering noises, lifting one tentacle up to rest on the glass as if pleading to be released. Eli had to resist the urge to coo at how adorable the ghost was, but all he had to do was remember what it had done to Nico to stay objective. Eli continued studying the readouts on the panels around the examination tank, writing them down for study. The examination tank of the Containment Unit was a very rarely used feature for numerous reasons, though the primary was simply the fact that most ghosts would not fit in the cylinder that emerged from a hidden panel in the side of the great machine. Still, the parasite was unlike anything they had encountered before. When dormant it was immune to PKE scans and it seemed to be able to affect ghosts and humans alike.

The atmosphere of the firehouse had been tense since the near loss of containment. A short distance from where Eli studied the ghost, Seth worked to repair the coolant tube that Gray had pulled out in self defense and to clean up the blood both boys had shed. Every so often he looked up at the examination tank, wary that the spirit might get out. Really, the examination tank was safer than even the traps. Any variation in electricity, surge of psycho kinetic energy, change in pressure or excessive vibration would shunt the parasite into the containment unit. Eli even had to hit a dead man's switch every minute to keep the ghost from being shunted away as well. While Eli and Seth worked in the basement, Gray and Nico were on the top floor going over what had happened yet again. Nico sat on the end of his bed, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. His dark eyes were downcast, gazing at the floor.

"And the ghost just came to you at your house?" Gray asked. Nico nodded.

"It just came to me, and before I knew it I'd been restrained and it was changing me... and then I blacked out until I woke up on the floor of the basement." Nico said, though he had omitted the fact that he had welcomed the ghost in and even tried to play it a movie. He had tried to be open minded about the ghosts, to trust that there were ghosts that one could befriend... but it had used him to try and open the containment unit and free all the ghosts they had ever captured.

"Do you remember anything from the time it was in control of you? Any visions? Any dreams? Any symbols? Even colors..." Gray said, trying to get any clue as to what the ghost's full objective had been. Nico struggled to remember, closing his eyes.

"R... red... That must have been the containment unit." Nico said softly, "And blue... blue and wet... That blue slime ghost we encountered in Hoyt arboretum, the one that turned Eli into slime..." Nico said. Gray's eyes widened. Now they were getting somewhere.

"So it knew of that spirit... Did it know Thana?" Gray asked.

"Y... yes, it wanted to let him back out... to repay its debt..." Nico whispered.

"It's debt?" Gray asked in surprise.

"Thana had... What did Thana do, come on..." Nico muttered to himself, his eyes clenching shut tighter, "Thana had taught it how to bond to a host... but wanted a favor, and he waited until he knew we were coming to ask the parasite..." Nico explained. Gray reached up and rubbed his arms a bit. He didn't like the idea of a ghost being that well prepared.

"Were there any other memories you recall? Sensations?" Gray asked. Nico tried to remember but nothing was coming to mind... in fact, more nothing than there should have been. Nico realized that some of his other memories weren't coming to him as clearly as they should have been. Nico focused on them until the flood of thought hit him... The popobawa, the popobawa that had told Nico how to spread his condition to Eli... The parasite had thought of the red ogre. Nico looked back up at Gray slowly.

"No, nothing else... Not right now anyway." Nico said softly. It was a lie, a blatant lie, but he couldn't tell Gray that he'd compromised the team intentionally, not after he'd nearly opened up the containment unit. Ghostbusting was all that he had, he couldn't lose it, and he couldn't lose Eli. He didn't want to go back to his life of fucking every guy he could find, not when he'd gotten a taste of something more meaningful... even if he'd given Eli hyper sexuality just so he'd feel the same need. Gray looked at the anguish on Nico's face and attributed it to stress from the ordeal. Gray reached out and rested his hand on Nico's shoulder.

"Get some rest; you've been through a lot." Gray said softly. Nico nodded gently, watching Gray stand up and move for the stairs before he lay back slowly, closing his eyes. He took a soft breath as his black hair spilled out across his pillow. For the first time in a long while Nico didn't feel very horny. He thought about how he'd become a Satyr and a tentacle monster, how he'd embodied the very forms of physical pleasure he'd craved, how he had discovered new levels of sex... and suddenly been slammed back into his own body, normal and human and still.

Nico wasn't sure quite how to feel. Part of him missed being a creature of sex. He dreamed of filling Eli with his tentacles, of filling his mouth and ass and even cock with squirming tendrils of flesh... Wondering if he would have had the power to molest Eli with tentacles until he sprouted them as well, but then the guilt came swimming back, how he'd essentially given Eli a ghost STD, making his boyfriend as horny as himself. He'd caught Eli having to wank on missions just so he wouldn't be distracted, much as he did himself. He'd made Eli's life harder which was the last thing he wanted... And it was probably that conflict that had kept him from throwing himself fully at the Ghosts.

They had offered him such bliss, such delight... But he didn't want to share it with the unwilling... though Eli had seemed willing as the slime ghost. Nico shuddered as he imagined himself as a Satyr again, thrusting into his slimy blue boyfriend, wondering all the places Eli could go, or if he could inhabit the same space as slime and just fill him. The thought sent chills through Nico's spine and his cock throbbed in resurging need. Nico reached up slowly into the blankets, his fingers finding his nipples. They were still stretched and puffy, stinging a bit from the assault the tentacle monster had given them. Nico bit his lip as he started pinching and tugging on one, his back arching in the bed. He shuddered and moaned, feeling his urges return.

Grayson moved down to the desk and settled in the chair, taking a soft breath. He knew he should have been helping out Eli and Seth but he was exhausted after his fight with Nico. He leaned back in the chair before he turned the small television on the desk on. He flipped through the channels, though every channel seemed to be showing a different angle of the same statues. Curious about a possible new unveiling, Gray turned the TV up.

"-unprecedented case. While skeptics point to this being an elaborate hoax, closed circuit television clearly shows the individuals stepping off of the Max train and moving between the building and the column next to me which blocked the camera's view... and they never emerged. In their place, these marble statues... perfect replicas, from their bodies to their clothes, even their iPhones and iPods. While the police have not released any names for the victims of this freak petrifaction, one thing is clear... The experts have not yet been called. Where are the Ghostbusters?" the reporter questioned.

"Oh crap..." Gray murmured, jumping as the phone rang. He lifted it to his ear, "Ghostbusters, is this about the petrifaction?" he asked quickly.

"No, this is Rex Lawson... We've got a bit of a situation at the Steel Horse bar... Um, do you handle noise complaints or public indecency?" the man asked.

"Noise complaints?" Gray asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah, if the one making the noise is a ghost I mean... or a demon or something... He's got gray skin and horns and all the beer he's drinking ignites when he lifts it up, it's like he's drinking the fire..." The man said.

"We'll be over as soon as we can..." Gray replied, jotting down the address and taking the contact information. Gray put the phone down and turned, but when the phone rang again he picked it up once more, "Ghostbusters. Is this about the petrifaction?" he asked again.

"No, I... I don't know if this is the right number, but I just saw big foot... He was crossing I-5 and heading into the west hills." The voice said.

"Big foot?" Gray asked in surprise.

"Sasquatch? A brown yetti? He had on a red and black plaid shirt and a knit cap... but no pants and he was covered in fur... And he jumped over a mini cooper." The caller explained.

"Are you in danger now?" Gray asked.

"No, I just... thought I'd call someone." The caller said.

"Thank you very much for the tip, we'll add it to our queue." Gray said, hanging up. It wasn't ideal timing to say the least, especially with Nico recovering still... but a job was a job. Gray moved over to the basement stairs and leaned down, "Suit up boys, we've got a flood of calls." He called down.

"We'll be right up." Seth replied. Eli looked into the eyes of the parasite in the tank.

"I'm going to move you into internal quarantine... I promise it won't be too much longer until you get to live with your friends." Eli told the small ghost before he pulled a lever. The green tentacle ghost seemed to dissolve into vapor before the canister cleared. Eli pushed the canister into the slot in the side of the containment unit before a panel dropped down and sealed tight. Eli turned and moved with Seth up the stairs to get ready for their call.

****

The bar had put up with rowdy customers before from countless biker gangs, but there hadn't been anything like what they were facing at the moment. Cory had entered like a figment of the bikers' nightmares. He stood seven feet tall, his skin a deep slate gray. His nose had lifted up into a porkish snout and a double set of tusks emerged from his muzzle like face. His crisp white beard had grown even thicker but his orange Mohawk seemed to be made of flames themselves. His pointed ears had bent forward at the tips, though they still weren't very large. Despite this, every square inch of the lobe had been adorned with new piercings. It was quite a contrast to his demonic horns that had only grown larger. Even Cory's fingers had fused into two digits and a thumb, the finger tips covered in a hoof like coating. The demonic boar moved around the table, his beady eyes sizing up the pool balls... He reached for his beer pitcher with one hand and lifted it, but when he saw it was empty he let out a deep squeal of disdain.

"More!" he called out with an unearthly growl. The bartender quickly filled up another pitcher and brought it out, trying to keep as much distance as the beast would let him. The bar patrons had little warning when Cory stormed in. A few had gotten out, but once the demon hog was over the threshold, all doors but the front had sealed themselves... This was learned when an unfortunate pair of college students entered to ask directions. They now sat in the corner, trembling as they watched.

Cory lifted his beer stein, the alcohol igniting as he lifted it to his snout. His lips parted and the flame poured in, nourishing him from within. He shuddered in strength as his muscles bulged even more and a thick potent musk began wafting through the bar, a smell of musk and bourbon, of leather and the open road. One of the veteran bikers shuddered as his leather pants grew tight. He reached up to run a hand across his brow, brushing the sweat droplets into his creamy blond hair. Cory's piggish nose sniffed at the air before he turned, looking at the human with a widening grin.

"You, what's your name?" The hog questioned.

"V... Vic." The biker replied.

"I'm Core." The hog replied. He set the pool stick down and moved over, looking at the human appraisingly. He reached out and ran his piggish hands over the biker's arms, his skull, his chest, "How would you like me to ride you for the rest of eternity?" Core whispered.

"Me? You would ride me?" Vic asked, trembling in delight.

"We'd be inseparable..." Core whispered.

"I'd love that..." Vic whispered. Core looped his fingers in Vic's leather jacket and pulled him up to his feet before tossing him on the floor. Vic landed roughly on his hands and knees but his eyes sparkled in delight, he was a kinky one. Core moved over, leaning down. He brought the distended groin of his jeans to Vic's ass and began grinding against the biker. Vic moaned and shuddered, though he could already feel that something was different, that something was amiss... The human felt a power growing in his chest, a pulsing, hot power that grew larger and larger...

Vic tipped his head back and gasped as his ribs started expanding, his torso widening. His leather jacket grew tighter until it was practically digging into him, stretched as thin as it could be. His pants weren't far behind, his hips swelling out. Vic gasped as his arms began to grow stiff, stretching out before him. Core tore at the biker's pants, revealing his ass before he unzipped his own jeans and pulled out a massive dripping gray cock. The hog demon brought the head of the shaft to Vic's cheeks before he rammed it in, sliding deep.

The human's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he felt the pleasure wave through him, but the change only accelerated. His tight leather jacket suddenly vented its pressure, no longer feeling tight at all... but the reason was clear. The leather had become part of him, rippling and spreading out, becoming his skin. His ribs, his spine, it was all visible through his thick leather hide. His pants had reacted similarly, conforming around him, coating his cock and balls in black leather...

Core pumped his cock in and out deeper and harder, snorting and grunting in delight. The college students shielded their eyes, but the other bikers were getting turned on more and more as they realized what was going on. One by one, they were unzipping their pants and withdrawing their cocks, sliding their fists up and down their poles as they watched Vic change. Vic's tough leather hide expanded more and more as if he was packing on dozens of pounds of muscle every few moments. Vic tried to accommodate Core, but he was finding it harder and harder to move. His arms, his shoulders, his back... even his hips and legs all seemed to be frozen in place... and from his limited range of movement, Vic could see why.

While most of his body had been covered in living leather, it wasn't staying that way. A silver patch was spreading out across his back, the humped shoulders turning into firm silver metal. It felt hot to the touch, hotter than his skin ever had... and his arms were undergoing a similar change. Every detail, every contour, every bend was disappearing as his arms became two perfect cylinders, the leather pulling back to reveal chrome columns. Vic wiggled his fingers, but as they pressed together and pulled apart, they grew soft and sloppy, the peach giving way to silver before his hands hardened into two circular plates with five oval gaps each. For the moment Vic put them down flat to steady himself, but that position felt far from natural.

Unable to move, Vic shuddered as his huge chest and stomach had grown so large that they rested on the floor... providing enough of a base that he whimpered in surprise as his legs started lifting upwards. His toes pointed back, his ankles softened and soon his legs began hardening into black painted metal, dents and divots popping out until they were smooth like machined parts. His legs creaked and popped before they split, turning into two metal bars each with a gap in the center. Vic gasped and panted in surprise before the growling power in his chest grew even stronger. He shuddered sharply as his ribs and hips popped and contorted. The leather bled away to reveal shiny metal components instead of organs. A carburetor, fuel tank and other pieces all formed out of his body.

The change seemed to be accelerating as Vic's neck compressed, his shoulders sliding up toward his head, the angle of his arms changing. His small of his back dipped as it formed a wide leathery seat, his ass hiking up and extending into the tail of a motorcycle. Drool started leaking out of Vic's mouth as he felt his hard aching shaft start to stretch. It firmed and grew glossy, hardening as it turned into metal. The cock grew wider and wider... Six inches, eight, then ten... The head flared out and the urethra widened into a thick, perfectly even tube... and then the cock curved back, hugging Vic's underside, growing longer by inches at a time before the cock slipped out beneath his tail as a new tail pipe, hard and long.

Core reached to run his hands through Vic's blonde hair, watching as the color bleached from it, leaving the hair silver... But more than that, the color drained away from his face as well. Vic's skin turned silver and he let out a deep rumbling purr of pleasure. Two lumps formed on his forehead, growing painful until the nubs of two metal horns pushed out of the skin, curving up just a bit before the rest emerged perfectly flat and straight like the shape of steer horns. Slowly Core stood up and moved over Vic's back, bringing his fat hoggish posterior to rest on the leathery seat, his hands reaching out to grab a hold of the metal handlebar horns.

Vic grunted in pleasure, the growl sounding like a revving engine before a blast of exhaust shot out from his exhaust pipe. Soon Core was stroking Vic's handlebars, sliding his hands back and forth. Vic let out a deep moan of pleasure, but as he did his face hardened. The skin shimmered as it became chrome and his nose fell back, his ears streamlined and his hair disappeared entirely. What was left of Vic's face was an intense chrome skull on the front of the bike. The last vestiges of Vic, his eyes, the windows to his soul, closed one last time before they opened as solid glass, widening and shifting before two beams of light spilled out of the headlights.

The bar patrons jumped as a sloshing sound came as thick black slime poured out of Vic's former hands and feet, the slime contorting and reshaping into tires, inflating and building upwards. The slime connected to the hands and feet and soon were thick enough to lift the enormous bike upwards, the tires inflating. After several moments, the motion slowed until Core was left on his massive chrome and steel motorcycle. It purred with power, it radiated heat and it was practically alive. Core leaned down and opened his snout, giving the chrome skull a long slurp of his tongue before he turned the bike off and stepped off, looking around with a grin.

"Who is next?" Core asked, stalking around. The bartender slowly crouched behind the bar, the other bikers were drooling openly, but Core turned to look at the college kids... A brunette boy and a blonde with shaggy hair. Core grinned before he moved over to the table and grabbed his pitcher of flaming beer before tipping it back, drinking in the fire. He turned and moved over to the college kids. He grabbed one by the scruff of his collar and lifted him up. The blonde kicked and struggled, his pale hands trying to pry the boar's paws loose. His friend grabbed his shirt, trying to pull him back down, screaming for his release.

"No, not him! Please!" The brunette begged. Core gazed into the blonde's eyes before he leaned forward and put his hog lips to the blonde. The boy was stunned by the movement and the spicy musky scent wafting off of the hog, it was potent and strong. It made his eyes want to close and his mouth want to open, but even before he managed to part his lips, the hog had pried them open with his own. As the two exchanged the kiss, flaming energy spilled back out of the hog's mouth and into the human's. The blonde's body went stiff as it entered his body, his chest inflating with breath, his posture spreading out larger. The fire was impossible to pin a taste to. It didn't burn, but it... felt. It felt like freedom, like wildness, like the true fire of a spirit blazing with life. The brunette sputtered and whimpered before he paused, watching a thick, meaty erection forming in his friend's khaki pants, watching a thick tube of meat snaking its way around longer and longer... Six inches, eight, ten, twelve... It was four inches wide, then six... So thick that the khaki pants hid nothing. Everyone watched as the cock compressed in the pants tapered into a point, then even more watched in shock as thick barbs started pushing through from the head, cutting into the pants before the fabric split and a thick meaty feline cock emerged, pulsing and glistening with a drop of pre.

The blonde continued to be force fed the flaming beer, the rest of his body changing just as rapidly. His shirt grew tight around massive shoulders and pecs and arms. The shirt started splitting out to reveal a furry golden chest. The student's fingernails stretched into claws and his pants bunched up before a long tasseled tail emerged from the back, dangling down longer and longer. The blonde's hands flexed, tightening and releasing as thick paw pads formed on the palms before his shirt exploded, revealing thick, muscled, furry gold arms. The college student moaned as thick luxurious facial hair spilled out of his face, pushing out over his lip as it split, forming around his lips as his mouth filled with sharp fangs, spreading back along his cheeks as they extended into a muzzle and dropping down from his chin, growing into a thick bearded mane. His blonde hair grew out longer and shaggier as well, blending in perfectly.

While the flaming beer had at last ebbed, their lips continued to kiss, slurping and sliding against each other in a sloppy expression of lust. The Lion's shaft lifted away from his body, a testament to true arousal. The changing Lion's ears grew rounder and a soft fuzz covered them as whiskers pushed out of his cheeks and his face grew more feline. His pants exploded next, his tattered underwear falling to the floor, revealing furry muscled legs and a sheath at the base of his barbed feline cock... but the poor sap was still wearing sneakers, though thick claws poked through the rubber tips before the shoes split apart in a heap of lace and rubber, thick paws spreading out. Inch by inch the lion man's spine expanded, his ribs separating. His legs grew longer as well before, once more, his feet touched the floor... but Core hadn't lowered him at all. The Lion broke the kiss and let out a triumphant roar of pleasure, his barbed cock gushing with cum. Core chuckled happily.

"Now, we need to get you a bike..." he considered, looking around for a likely candidate when a growing noise in the distance caught his attention. The rising and falling wail of the siren was ear piercing, though it set Core on edge for other reasons. Core looked to his Lion creation, "It's the fuzz, come on." He said, moving over to the chrome bike.

"Lee, wait!" The brunette called after him, reaching out his hand, but the naked Lion was already gone. He moved to leap on the huge bike behind Core, his furry ass settling on the soft, well worn leather seat, wrapping his big arms around the demonic hog. The motorcycle roared to life and Core backed up through a window, the glass exploding outward onto the street. The bike backed out onto the cement and roared to life, spitting rubber before rushing down the road, fire erupting from the exhaust pipe. The source of the sound became clear as the Ghostbusters' white Ford Explorer barreled into view, the blue and white lights flashing brightly, the headlights casting a cream colored glow ahead of them.

Core gave a deep grin of satisfaction and sped up, weaving back and forth between the other cars. His Lion passenger leaned in, licking at the gray hog's neck, clinging to him in excitement. Despite their size advantage, Seth had a few advantages up his sleeves. He used expert timing to bridge the gap between them, the blaring siren causing other cars to pull over and out of the way. Seth put the pedal to the floor, gunning it. Eli leaned out of the window behind Seth, trying to line up his slime blower.

"Almost... Almost..." he whispered. Eli suddenly fired one end of a slime tether to hit a light pole and fired the other at the motorcycle. Core suddenly revved the bike up to maximum speed and the hog, the lion and the motorcycle all surged forward until they disappeared, leaving a trail of fire that sped off into the distance with the snap of the sound barrier being broken. The Ecto 11 sputtered as the shockwave hit it. Gray quickly checked the dash board before his face fell. He looked over at Seth sadly.

"They're gone..." he whispered.

"Gone or..." Seth trailed off.

"They're out of Portland..." Gray replied. Seth groaned, dialing back on the speed until they fell back into the speed limit.

"So now what do we do?" Seth asked.

"We've got a lot of cases to work on right now... We can't catch up to those bikers, unless they show up again we're going to have to turn our attention to our other cases..." Gray said. Eli leaned back in his seat.

"Where to then?" Eli asked.

"Turn around up here; we need to head back downtown." Gray said. Seth made his way over to the right hand lane to turn around, still feeling bad that they had let a case get away.

****

The Ecto 11 pulled up to the curb slowly, mindful of all the news reporters and pedestrians milling about the area. The police had taped off the crime scene, though they still were sure it was some form of artistic vandalization rather than petrified people. Gray, Seth and Eli climbed out of the vehicle, leaving Gray and Seth to put on their packs. Eli already had his on and moved up onto the sidewalk, rounding the corner. His eyes fell onto the victims... Two women and a teenage boy, frozen in place with looks of shock on their face. Eli moved over closer to the statues, looking at the white marble carefully. It was flawless, every detail from dimples to moles replicated... It was so alive and so dead at the same time.

"Hi." Came a voice from between the statues. Eli nearly jumped out of his jumpsuit in surprise before a familiar face peeked out from between the statues, a smile betraying the glint of silver braces. Eli let out a sigh of relief.

"Lucas, you can't scare a guy like that." Eli muttered.

"Sorry, I am just so glad to see you." Lucas said.

"Friend of yours?" Seth asked as he and Gray walked up.

"In a manner of speaking. Lucas Kingston, this is Seth Dillon and Grayson Kale. Boys, this is Lucas Kingston, Nico's brother. He goes to the school I volunteer at, and might I say he's gotten a pretty green thumb." Eli grinned.

"Must be because I'm growing like a weed." Lucas said, offering his hand to Gray and Seth. Gray shook his hand firmly.

"A pleasure to meet you." Gray said, a bit surprised. Nico had rarely spoken about his home life and Gray couldn't recall for the life of him hearing about a brother.

"I hope Nico's told you good things." Lucas said hopefully.

"Certainly nothing bad." Seth said, trying to save the boy's feelings. Gray looked from Lucas to the statues before looking back.

"I'm sorry to get right back to business, but did you know these three?" Gray asked.

"No... I had to get a closer look after the glimpses they're showing on TV. Three of my friends are missing and I was getting really worried. The police department brushed me off because they haven't been missing long enough, but I know something's wrong. I can feel it." Nico said softly.

"What are their names?" Seth asked, pulling out a notepad.

"Cory Clark, Jay Preston and Kobe Daniels. They are in the block after mine at school, they would have gotten out around eight a.m." Lucas said. Seth blinked, doing a double take.

"They go to school in the middle of the night?" Seth asked in surprise.

"It's a thing..." Lucas said defensively.

"Well... if we find your friends we'll certainly let you know..." Eli said, moving to rest a shoulder on Lucas's shoulder. Gray and Seth each gave him a reassuring nod before they turned to start examining the statues. Lucas looked at Eli.

"I just worry that they went into that weird barber shop..." Lucas said softly. Eli paused, an eyebrow rising.

"What's weird about it? Why would they disappear after that?" Eli asked.

"Well... I mean first of all it wasn't there a week ago; it was an empty lot between two buildings... And they never get any mail; the mailman goes right past it..."

"Well, some builders can get things put up pretty fast..." Seth said uncertainly.

"Postal mail is dead." Gray added.

"I know you guys can dismiss me just like everyone else but I know something is wrong with that place, I've known since I saw it. Have you ever just had a chill run down your spine like someone wasn't just standing on your grave, but they were staring down into it to see you there?" Lucas said softly. The Ghostbusters shifted a bit. Each of them had felt a familiar sensation at various times in their past...

"We'll check it out on our way back when we're done here. What's the address." Seth said with a sigh, pulling the notepad back out. Lucas grinned his brace filled smiled, knowing he had finally gotten someone to listen to his concerns at last.

****

The sun was sinking behind the west hills as the Ecto pulled up the curb just outside the barber shop. Seth and Eli stepped out and looked at the spinning red and white columns outside the door before Gray moved around the Explorer and stepped up beside them. They looked at the old shop, where its outer walls brushed those of the buildings on either side. Seth and Gray moved toward the door, though Eli fell back, pulling out his iPhone. He opened up one of his apps and started entering information.

"Are you coming Eli?" Gray asked.

"Just a minute, I realized I should look up the property, see if there's anything to help us out." Eli said.

"Alright, but if you hear screaming you know what to do." Seth said as he reached for the door and eased it open. The tiny silver bell jangled loudly as Seth stepped through the threshold, Gray entering behind. The scent of shaving cream and hair gel filled the air, along with an indefinable scent of a place from another time. Seth and Gray moved in further, looking at the barber chairs, the mirrors, the tool. Gray slowed the further he moved in, a growing sense of discomfort sweeping over him.

"Something is wrong..." he whispered gently.

"I know, I can feel it too..." Seth murmured.

"Ah, but I'm sure I can make everything better for you." Came the sly voice of the barber. Seth and Gray slid apart from one another, realizing he had appeared between them. The barber looked them over, clicking with his tongue against his teeth, "My, my... It looks like you two have seen a lot of styles... And a lot of life." The barber murmured. He held out his hand and Seth went tumbling back into one of the chairs, falling down into it, his hands sticking to the arm rests like magnets. The chair suddenly spun around, forcing Seth to face the mirror. The glass rippled before his reflection changed, showing him with a massive full beard and thick piercings, the way he had looked for the Nidhogg concert that had turned him into a burly Viking.

Gray charged toward the barber, brandishing his proton blaster like a club. The barber quickly waved his arm, hurtling Gray off into another one of the chairs. Gray slammed down, his proton pack pressed into his back as his chair spun him toward the mirror. The reflective glass rippled before Gray's image showed him with a loose suit, his tie dangling from his neck, his hair moused up and a faint mustache and scruff on his chin. He looked wilder, more content. The barber moved up between the two busters, resting a hand on the back of their chairs, leaning between their heads.

"And you see, there is the problem with society... We move further and further away from freedom, from tolerance, from contentment... because it is what we must do, what we are forced to do... Even when the world itself takes a vacation, there are those to stifle it..." The barber hissed.

"It's not a real building!" Eli's voice bellowed into the barbershop as he came through the door. The barber spun around to trap Eli as well but Eli let loose with his slime blower and a thick green wave of goo came flooding out, sloshing across the floor. The barber hissed, sliding back, his eyes flashing yellow.

"Look what you've done to my floor!" The barber muttered, holding out his hand to possess the mop and send it to work trying to clean up the ectoplasm. Gray and Seth suddenly realized they could move and wasted no time springing up to their feet. They barreled between the chairs, knocking the barber backwards as they moved to take up positions next to Seth. The barber landed in the slime, hissing and roaring in rage... though his form was starting to deteriorate when exposed to the slime. His red and white cotton shirt seemed to be growing tattered and ratty, as if it was decades old. The color faded from it as holes formed, empty air visible through it. The lights from the back of the shop started shining through the barber, his bones faintly visible through his flesh.

"So this isn't a real barber shop you say?" Gray asked.

"It burned down in the seventies. They said it was arson. They suspected the owner at first for an insurance scam, but he didn't file a claim after the loss of his son..." Eli said.

"Because he was too old to do this himself, he had to force me into it in the first place! He had to make me his puppet, to shave me and clean me up to fit into his view of the world... To force me to strip away individuality from everyone else... It wasn't fair, it wasn't right!" The barber growled, growing less human by the moment until he nearly appeared to be a skull with a white mustache, "But I can make up for it, I can make the world a unique place... I can let out people's true forms..." The barber said as he reached out for the Ghostbusters. Eli yelped as he started sliding forward as if pulled by some invisible force. Seth and Gray opened fire, their proton streams dancing outwards in white and orange light, sparks erupting from the back wall. One moved for the barber but it seemed to pass through him as if he wasn't there.

"I am who I want to be... You don't have to impose anything on me..." Eli called out, struggling against the invisible binds. The barber looked at Eli softly.

"But you could be so many things... You have the hair of a god..." The barber whispered before he shook his head, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're free... I'll make sure you are what you should be." The barber said, grinning a ghostly grin, reaching out to Eli. He reached up his fingers to start caressing Eli's golden blonde hair. Seth and Gray shot each other a glance before they turned their proton blasters at the barber stands. They opened fire and the streams shot out, hitting the mirror and refracting off. Seth had made his angle too shallow and his beam glanced off harmlessly, but the geometry of Gray's aim had been perfect. The beam hit the barber and sent him tumbling.

Eli slumped to the ground just as the mirror they had struck exploded into obsidian stone, shards raining out across the barbershop floor. Seth moved to grab Eli and pull him back away from the barber while Gray jogged to the other side of the barbershop. He set up another angle and opened fire, his capture stream hitting one of the mirrors before bouncing out and hitting the barber. The barber screamed out as the energy started to crackle and ripple around him, lifting him up from his feet. Seth reached to his belt and threw out a trap. The black box landed in the green slime, the yellow hose running back to the foot pedal Seth still had.

"You may end me... But you can't stop what I've done... I've given those men the makeovers of their lives, they are living their destiny, there's no way to uncut a hair!" The barber called out, laughing in glee. Seth stomped down on the trap and the doors snapped open, the cone of white light flooding upwards... but it didn't just seem to envelop the barber, the shop itself started to tremble and shake. The lights flickered, the combs and razors clattered. Bolts of energy arced out between the barber and the room before the cups of tools flopped over. Scissors and trimmers and hair bands started spiraling around the trap, twisting around in the air like a cyclone.

Eli wrapped his arms over his head to shield himself. Seth tried to dodge the debris, though he was still getting pelted. Despite the plan seeming to work, the proton stream proved too much for the second mirror and it exploded just like the first. The barber surged forward, fighting the pull of the trap, reaching out for Seth. His bony fingers managed to curl around the Ghostbuster's goatee, giving it a long stroke. Seth moaned sharply as his goatee started to stretch out longer, growing thicker. The air crackled with another proton stream as Gray opened fire again on the last mirror, bouncing the capture stream off to his the barber perfectly.

"Nooooo!" The barber wailed as he was again wrangled toward the trap. His legs began to stretch longer and condense together as he reached out and clawed toward the rest of the shop. Gray watched the last mirror shake and shudder under the heat and energy before it exploded as well. The black shards of obsidian rained outwards, peppering through the barber like buckshot. He crumpled before exploding into a cloud of ash, ash that was quickly sucked up into the trap. The barbershop around the Ghostbusters quickly changed, turning from pristine wood to charred black timber before the panels of the wall shook and split off from the rest, flying into the trap.

Panel by panel the building imploded, every piece getting sucked into the trap. Even the old magazines took to flight and flapped around the room before they spiraled into the trap. The walls caved in, the ceiling exploded, the chairs ripped apart and the cash register melted. A thousand pieces of wood and metal and dust and ash sailed into the trap from all around them before the light grew so intense that Eli, Gray and Seth had to close their eyes. The last of the building collapsed into glowing red energy, energy that was slurped up into the trap like a limp pasta noodle before the doors snapped shut and the light started blinking. Gray slowly opened his eyes and peered around, looking at a vacant wet lot between buildings... The only sign that anything had ever been there came in the sewer and service lines covered up with a cement cask...

"Is it over?" Seth murmured.

"I think so..." Eli whispered.

"Eli, can you get the news on your phone? Are those people still petrified?" Gray asked. Eli pulled out his phone and dug through his apps before he found the right one and turned it on. He watched the screen for a few moments, seeing that the reporters had set up lights and put on their Northface jackets for the night report... and behind them the three statues remained, the marble glinting in the spotlights well. Eli looked up softly.

"They didn't revert..." Eli said softly, feeling a hint of terror in his heart. Every other time they had caught a ghost, the mischief and chaos they had caused had reverted.

"It looks like things just got a lot more difficult." Gray whispered, wondering just how many clients the ghost barber had sent out into the world in their 'true forms.'

****

The doors of the Ecto slammed shut as Seth, Gray and Eli climbed out. Gray had taken no chances and held the trap on his lap on the drive home, wanting to get it into the containment unit as soon as possible. He rushed off towards the basement with it. Seth moved around the Ecto to attend to the equipment in the back that needed serviced. Eli moved to follow before he glanced at the stairwell leading to the upper floor.

"I'm going to check on Nico, see how he's doing." Eli said softly. Seth nodded.

"Sounds good." Seth said. Eli smiled, glad he was off the hook for helping. He moved and jogged up the stairs, moving onto the upper floor. Eli was a bit surprised to see Nico awake, sitting at the end of his bed, dressed in a dark forest green shirt and black jeans. Eli smiled wide as he moved over toward his boyfriend, though Nico remained looking somber. Eli's step faltered, his characteristic smile draining away from his lips.

"Nico, what is it?" Eli asked softly.

"Eli, I... I have to be honest with you, to tell you the truth about what's been going on." Nico said softly. Eli's heart jumped up into his throat at those words. He knew about Nico's condition and some about his past. He started wondering if Nico had other lovers on the side.

"What has been going on?" Eli asked gently. Nico glanced over to one of the chairs at the table. Eli followed his gaze before he grabbed one and brought it over, setting it down backwards in front of Nico before straddling it.

"I... I'm not sure when it started, it almost feels like it goes back to when I was turned into a Satyr in Hoyt but... I guess... well, my first mistake was when we dealt with that Popobawa... The red ogre thing." Nico said.

"I remember, he was a hard catch... And he was one of the naughtier spirits, but I don't understand, what's the mistake? How is that related to Hoyt?" Eli asked.

"When we came back... I asked you to fuck me... Even though I hadn't cleaned up after the Popobawa." Nico said. Eli flushed, growing hard at the memory.

"I know, it was so hot and wet... felt so good." Eli whispered, nearly drooling.

"But I think that... you might have caught something from it, hyper sexuality like I have." Nico said. Eli hesitated before he looked at the floor and nodded.

"I had been wondering the same thing... I mean, I never felt horny as often or as intense as... after that date. I thought it was just having a hot boyfriend at first, but..." Eli trailed off for a moment before he looked up, "But it isn't your fault, you couldn't have known. We were all manipulated by ghosts, used by them."

"But that's just it, I did know, he... he told me." Nico whispered.

"What?" Eli asked in surprise.

"He... he whispered in my ear that it would happen before we trapped him... and the thought of you so horny, so aroused... It was the hottest thing I'd ever thought of... so I had you fuck me..." Nico said earnestly. Eli's blue eyes were wide, the young man more shocked by that news than his assumption that Nico had cheated on him. There was a tense, thick silence for a long moment.

"You got me infected on purpose... without asking me?" Eli asked gently. He was a little surprised that it had been those words to leave his mouth... but the truth of the matter was that the condition had its benefits, but he had no choice in the matter. It had been forced on him for Nico's pleasure. Eli reached up to hug his arms, rubbing at them gently.

"I did, and it was so wrong of me... I know that, I... I mean I never should have inflicted it on you without your consent even if the outcome was good- I mean pleasurable... I mean, ugh, you know what I mean." Nico whimpered.

"Yes, you should have consulted me about it... I would have said yes, we could have bonded, but to do it without my permission, to wait this long to tell me..." Eli said softly, pausing after a moment. He turned, looking at Nico with a suspicious gaze, "That isn't all, is it? That wasn't enough to push you to the edge, to apologize." Eli said. Nico swallowed in anxiousness, his eyes turning downcast. Eli took a deep breath, "Tell me the rest, you've gone this far." Eli said gently.

"I..." Nico hesitated, truly afraid. He couldn't hide behind the lies, but the truth very well could destroy him, "The parasite ghost just appeared outside of my window, but I let him in... I thought that he was so small, that he might be inert... that he might be a house ghost." Nico said gently. Eli's jaw dropped.

"He didn't manipulate you to let you in?" Eli asked.

"Well, not unless being adorable is manipulation..." Nico said. Despite the anger Eli was feeling, he flinched.

"Well, it was pretty adorable... Waving to me from the tank..." Eli muttered, biting his lip, "But what about the rest?" Eli asked.

"Once it had transformed me it sort of plugged in and I was an over glorified puppet... I didn't remember anything until I woke up in the basement. That's the truth, I swear." Nico said. Eli closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Nico, what if they were working together? What if the Popobawa put an ectoplasmic trace on you, the parasite came to you to try and use you to open the Containment Unit. We already know that it had links to Thana... What if I was part of that? What if the hypersexuality was to make me succeptible?" Eli groaned.

"I know, I know... I didn't see all the puzzle pieces adding up, I was short sighted." Nico said. Eli's eyes snapped open.

"Nico, it isn't just that. It isn't just that you nearly unleashed unspeakable evil on the city, it's that this was preventable at steps along the way. If you'd told us about the Popobawa, or brought the parasite in for study like you were supposed to... We wouldn't have had that close call. But as bad as it is that you put everything at risk yourself..." Eli paused for a long moment, "You put me at risk. You compromised me... and took control out of my hands. I can't trust you as a teammate... or a partner." Eli said softly before he stood up. Nico paled even more, looking at Eli.

"What are you going to do?" Nico whispered softly.

"What you should have done... I'm going to tell Gray and Seth. If something happens to me, they need to know that I'm a risk." Eli said softly, turning to walk to the stairs.

"What about me?" Nico asked gently. Eli looked back over his shoulder.

"Maybe it would be best if you came down in a while... Let me break the ice." Eli said softly before he moved down the stairs, his shoulders sagging. Nico slumped softly on the bed, his head lowering.

****

It had been an incredibly long night for the Ghostbusters, far longer than they had anticipated. Eli, Gray and Seth had gathered around the reception desk as Eli told them everything. They had pulled out the files for Thana, the tentacle parasite and the Popobawa, charting out dates and locations. Strings connected thumb tacks by the Morrison bridge, Hoyt Arboretum, and the various addresses the smaller ghosts were seen at. They'd discussed the facts, the theories, the plans... and then silence had fallen. The clock ticked over to three in the morning. Nico slowly descended down the stairs, stopping on the last step, his fingers curling around the door frame as he leaned out like a boy checking to see how angry his parents were. Gray looked up and took a soft breath.

"Nico, could you come over here?" he asked. Nico stepped out and crossed the cement floor, moving over to the desk. Gray looked at Seth and Eli before turning back to Nico. Nico lowered his gaze in shame.

"You can tell me." He said softly. Gray blinked gently, his heart heavy.

"Nicolas Kingston... In light of the information that you knowingly and willingly compromised the safety and security of this team on numerous occasions... I have no choice but to put you on indefinite suspension. You'll receive a check for your work up through today... but you won't be allowed back in the firehouse until your suspension is lifted." Gray said softly. Nico felt the heat drain from his body. He had expected to be fired. Suspension was generous, though it still meant that his life was starting to unravel. It was the one job he had been good at, the one job he had been able to get in a hard economy... the one job he had pride in.

"I understand, and I would like to apologize to all of you for the tremendous problems I intentionally caused... I never meant for any of you to get hurt, I'm sorry. Nico said gently. Gray nodded weakly. He felt like a monster. Nico turned to move to the door, walking slowly on his walk of shame. He reached out and opened the smaller door in the larger one, easing it open. Nico was about to step out when he realized that Eli was there by his side. He turned, looking at Eli. Eli looked betrayed, sad, but contemplative. Nico looked at the blonde gently, "What about us?" he asked softly, his words hanging in the air.

"I need some time... to sort through this all." Eli said gently, "I guess... we're on suspension too for a while." Eli said. Nico's shoulders slumped even more. Eli shifted on one foot before he looked back at Nico, "I know how hard that's going to be considering... I won't hold whatever you need to do against you, just... be safe with how you do it." Eli whispered. Nico trembled softly, his dark eyes glistening. Eli felt like his heart was shattering seeing Nico that way. Eli bit his lip, "And if you need to call me, do it... I know two mistakes doesn't overshadow all the times you saved me... Just... we all need time to think." Eli said. Nico felt a tiny ember of hope flicker in his heart, the tiniest bit of chance.

"Thank you..." Nico said softly, gazing into Eli's eyes for a moment longer than he felt he had a right to. Nico turned and stepped out of the firehouse, pulling the door shut behind him. Eli watched the door click shut before he turned and walked across the firehouse floor, moving down the stairs and into the basement. He crossed the metal grate floor and sat down, resting his back against a flat portion of the big red containment unit, pulling his knees up to his chest before he lowered his face against them, wrapping his arms around his legs. The yellow light washed up from the floor around him and the containment unit pulsed with a vital energy against his back, shielding him in his sorrow in silence.

Gray stood at the top of the stairs, looking down to where Eli was for a moment before he turned and moved back toward the desk, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. He reached the desk and dropped into the chair, letting out an exasperated sigh. Seth stood up and moved behind Gray, reaching out to massage his shoulders gently. Gray tipped his head back, looking up at Seth upside down.

"Was I too harsh? Did I rip the team apart?" Gray asked softly. Seth shook his head.

"We may be torn, but the pieces are still connected. It's just a suspension... If Nico truly wants to be here, he'll do what it takes to get back. The same goes for Eli. If he truly loves him he'll win his heart back. The wounds just need time to heal." Seth said.

"And they wouldn't heal better here, with us to administer care?" Gray asked.

"Don't take the metaphor too far... and don't forget that we aren't just friends. We can't allow security risks to the team, no matter how much we like each other. There has to be a sanction for putting the team at risk... And... the time away will give everyone perspective. How much we need him, how much he wants to be here... How much-" Seth paused softly as he realized Eli was standing on the stairs. Gray turned to face him.

"Hey Eli... is there anything we can do for you?" Gray asked gently. Eli stood nervously at the top of the stairs.

"I... I have a strange request." Eli said gently. Gray looked to Seth and then back again.

"What is it?" Gray asked.

"Can... Can you two hold me?" Eli asked softly. Gray's eyes widened in surprise, realizing how truly vulnerable he was. Gray stood up and moved over, wrapping his arms around Eli. Eli let out a soft sob before he laid his face against Gray's chest. Seth came up behind the two, wrapping his large arms around them both. Eli shook gently between the two, "I love him so much..." Eli whispered.

"We know... We're so sorry you have to go through this." Gray whispered, reaching up to caress the side of Eli's head. Eli buried his face in Gray's chest, thinking about Nico and praying that he'd be alright.