Ectoplasmic Evicters

  • Thread starter camolot the creator
  • Start date
  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

camolot the creator

Guest
Original poster
I sighed as i sat behind a desk in the front lobby of my rather unorthodox business. i could see the sign spelled out in green letters, backward and indecipherable from this angle, but i didn't need to be able to read the sign to know what it said.

Ectoplasmic Evictors!
got a ghost, goul or phantom problem? call us for a full spirit eviction!

i had run this particular business underground for a while, mostly to develop and test the weaponry necessary to expand into a full business, and now i had established my little paranormal extermination venture. i ran my hands over the two weapons concealed behind the desk, one a mundane M1911, the other a small pistol that fired bolts of charged plasma meant for more unnatural threats, the product of years of both laboratory and field testing, as well as a few failed models.
i leaned back in the comfortable office chair that was only a few days old, brushing some foam packaging peanuts off of the armrest as i did, and reflected, briefly, on the advertisements that i had sent out a couple of days before hand, searching for people willing to go out and do battle with the paranormal for a decent pay grade.

all that's left to do is wait for takers. i thought as my gaze wandered back to the neon green of the sign, accompanied by the idea to get it lighted from behind with actual neon.
 
"This must be the place," a large man said to himself as he stepped out of the cab he had ridden in on, "I hope they're still hiring."

After paying the cabbie, he walked over to the door, opened it gently, and stepped into the establishment without a word.
As he examined the interior, he noticed that most of the furniture was fairly new, yet the electronics seemed a bit dated compared to what he was used to.
After running his fingers through his long blonde hair for a moment, he decided it would be best not to comment on it during his interview, and stroked his beard as he approached the counter, thinking of what he should say.

'The man sitting at the front desk doesn't seem like much, but, based on what this place is supposed to be, he must have something special about him to be here, otherwise, he just got roped into something dangerous.' the man thought as he approached him.
After reaching the desk, he gently sat in the chair in front of the it and crossed one foot over the other, looking the man across from him in the eyes as he spoke.
"I'm here because of the ad I saw in the paper. Are you still hiring?"
 
I sat up as the man entered, my office chair squeaking quietly in protest as he looked over the room.
"I'm here because of the of the ad i saw in the paper. Are you still hiring?" He asked.
"Yes." I replied, leaning forward slightly. "In fact, you are the first applicant this far." I gestured to another office chair acrost the desk from me, it's left arm still wrapped in plastic. "Please, sit."
I leaned to the right, swiveling my chair slightly, and pulled a couple of papers out of a drawer. "this is a standard release form of sorts, listing a series of paranormal injuries that might be received during a typical jobs and listing compensation for debilitating on the job injuries, as well as realesing my company from further responsibility. You know, typical legal garbage. You don't have to sign it, but looking over it may give you an idea of what to expect in a thpical work day." I slid the paper across the desk toward him. "The listed injuries include broken bones, minor burns, demonic possession- you know, your usual legal base covering."
 
As the man moved to the other chair, he removed the plastic and looked over the paperwork. After taking a moment to read the fine print, he was content with the terms of the contract.
"Not bad. It seems you've done your research, but there's still something I'd like to know." he said as he signed on the dotted line, giving the man a quizzical look before speaking again, "Why would a man, who clearly has better things to do, be so interested in the paranormal that he'd make a place like this into something out of the movies?"
 
i shrugged slightly. "well, it began as more of a hobby, really. i started investigating places for fun with homemade equipment, looking for ghost and poltergeists. the thing is, i actually found them. i communicated with some, helped others pass on, and got a few... well, let's call them payments, along the way. however, i began to attract... attention. and of the worst sort. soon i was fighting some hostile spirit nearly every other day, so, through necessity, i developed this." i removed the plasma pistol from it's holster and placed it on the desk. the barrel gleamed, a re purposed PM9 barrel stuck onto the end of a mess of pipes and a digital gauge that sort of resembled a gun. a small black titanium tank took the place of where the clip should be. in shape, however, it resembled the ballistics weapon that it was retrofitted from. "Mark I plasma pistol. the plasma bolts that it fires are one of the few things that blow holes in ectoplasm. if you take the job, you'll be using either this or the Mark III plasma assault rifle." i gestured to the gun. "want to assess it? be my guest."
 
The man listened intently, taking in every word of the tale, before looking at the pistol, then the rifle, examining both down to the slightest detail.
"There's more to this than just a few springs and wires, I see. Pretty impressive, but do you have a temporal induction field generator, or a Superior Limbic Energy Ballistics Launcher handy?" he said with a smirk, "Or would you prefer I build one for you? By the way, you can call me Jack." he added, extending his hand towards his new partner.
 
i smiled almost manically at the comment and took his hand. "Jack it is then. i am william, and i can tell that this will be a fine partnership." i released his hand and stood up, pushing back my chair while doing so. "here, i'll take you on a tour of the lab. maybe you can make a few modification suggestions for the new models of weapons that i am developing."
that said, i moved toward a solid looking door at the back of the main reception area, oak wood with a small sign attached to it.

LABORATORY
CONTAINMENT
WEAPONS DEVEOPMENT
FIRING RANGE

i opened the door and glanced back. "you can test a few of the weapons in the firing range later if you want to. i just got it working; spent all last night trying to cook up the recipe for synthesized ghosts. just got it right this morning."
 
As Jack followed Will inside, he grabbed the guns and was amazed by just how many things he could tinker with that were lining the walls, it was as if he had walked into some strange Techi version of Heaven.
Examining the part of the room marked "FIRING RANGE", he could see shapes moving throughout a clear box, probably, the fake ghosts he was just informed of.

"I take it that you use ectoplasm, ash, blood, and balloons to make the synths?"
 
i glanced briefly into the firing range. "well, that and a few choice other ingredients. a little ionization for effect couldn't hurt." i indicated a pair of lockers, a red and a grey one, that sat side by side against the wall. "that is the weapons locker. the grey contains weapons that have already been tested and found reliable, while the red one contains some of the more... volatile prototypes." i moved on down the short hallway to a gray steel door. "this is the actual laboratory."
i opened the door and the humming of machines filled the air. the room was soundproofed, and for good reason; some of the weapon testing routines could get rather loud. a computer bank covered an entire wall, a huge screen with a map of the local area displayed on it, and the smaller screens either showing screen savers or running diagnostics. the sense of new penetrated even here; some of the moniters weren't even plugged in and showed black screens. one of them hadn't even been unwrapped when i mounted it.
several partially disassembled weapons and pieces of tech lay on the center counter, parts removed, missing or damaged. i touched one, a small black rectangle, the rubber that composed it's surface molded for fingers. "this is one of my most recent developments, the plasma knife. projects a blade of pure plasma from the base. haven't gotten it to work for long periods of time yet, the on-board power supply keeps cycling down to failure and the concentration piece that actually forms the blade burns out too quickly, but i'm working on it." i held it out to him. "maybe you'd like to try your luck with it. the lab's open whenever you feel like working."
 
"Well, this explains why all the tech outside's so outdated." Jack said with a smile as he took the knife from Will's hand and gave it a thorough look over. "The design's good. Comfortable grip, durable casing, the only problems I can see are what you yourself pointer out."

After pondering on the design and taking it apart on a nearby table, Jack has an idea.

"I think I know how to fix this. Do you have an ecto-injector, a multi-phasic transponder coil, and about four ounces of mercury?"

Thinking about how to repair this simple weapon made him wonder just how far Will had gone with the weapons in the lockers.
Curiosity got the better of him, causing him to ask: "If you have those parts, I can fix this in a bit, as well as possibly upgrade it, but what I'm really curious about are what are behind Blood and Iron, those lockers you told me about."
 
i raised my eyebrows slightly. "yeah, i have those and more in the cabinets under the counter. as for the prototype weaponry, there was a grenade launcher attachement, spash damage, you know? let's see, what else..." i frowned. "ah, yes. a grenade, a katana coated in ectoplasma and a pulse gun, sort of a shotgun that completely obliterates targets at close range. the danger with the prototype explosive weaponry is that it can't work without being a tad unstable, which is a problem considering a breach or malfunction could take out half a block, and the splash damage itself... well, the plasma is several thousand degrees for a couple of seconds. if your standing too close to the impact site, it could take you along with whatever you were aiming at. the pulse gun i keep in that cabinet because due to how it fires it poses a danger to anything within it's firing cone, disregarding walls for it's entire twenty foot range. completely impractical for jobs that require precision, which is most of them, but i keep it around for emergencies. it works by sending out a pulse on the subatomic level, targeting and breaking the bonds between organic molecules. ectoplasm being organic, you could see why i keep it around, but, unfortunately, flesh is also made out of organic molecules, so..." i grimace. "that gun has almost caused some rather unfortunate events in the past. i'm thinking of altering the energy signature of the pulse, keeping it from targeting living creatures AND ghosts, but i haven't gotten around to it with all the unpacking and setting up that i've been doing." i walked over to the computer bank and tore the plastic covering off of the still-wrapped monitor, stuffing it down a nearby trash chute. "however, now that i think about it, it may not take long to modify the pulse, especially now that everything-" i glanced at the blank monitors. "well, nearly everything, anyway, is operational."
 
As Jack listens to the list, he looks around the room, thinking of ideas on what could be done to upgrade every item in the fastest and safest ways possible. After he compiles a list in his head, he hooks up the nearby monitors, and brings up the schematics of the items in question, each on a separate monitor on separate tables to keep them more organized. As he looks at each monitor, he retrieves items from the storage areas and places each item needed on the separate tables, then returns to the lockers until each table is littered with miscellaneous items. As soon as the items were in place, he began working on the different weapons with careful precision, starting with the plasma knife, then moving on to the katana, when he realized that the two might be able to be combined. He opens the transponder coil and adds the mercury and ectoplasm before sealing it and shaking it, causing a bright light to spring forth from the uncovered portions of the coil. After removing the current battery from the handle, and replacing it with the home-made plasma coil, Jack thinks on how to fix the problem with the concentration apparatus, then discover a solution. Removing the blade from the katana and the concetrator from the knife, Jack installs the blade into the plasma coil, and then switches it on, causing it to spark a few times before coming to life in his hands, the ecto-plasma writhing around the blade in a purple hue.

"I suppose you didn't want to have to deal with a physical blade too much, but if it didn't have it as a base, then it would be too erratic and distorted to be of any real use." he said as he handed the blade to his friend.
"At any rate, the way it works is that the magnetized mercury constantly travels along the blade, thanks to the electric current from the coil, carrying ectoplasm along with it. Fairly simple to make, and it never runs out of power."
 
I took the blade, green ectoplasma sparking down the bladed side. "An elegant solution to the problem. Maybe we can take it a step further; maybe some sort of collapsable baton that uses the same system. Compact, easy to carry, yet just as effective." I swung the blade a few times, testing it's balance, then nodded. "Seems that it still balances out, and with the new modifications you installed- good work, by the way- it should be able to cut through just about anything, ghostly or not."
Then, as if recieving a blow from some mighty fist, the entire building shook. I grabbed for the counter to steady myself, and the white lights flickered off, replaced by the red emergency ones, The steel lab door sealing itself with a bang, loud in this confined space, and a red screen popped up on the main monitor. i placed the katana on the counter, then ran over to the computer banks and began typing, opening up further connected windows from the red one, reading them quickly, then closing them and moving on.
"whatever it was, it attacked from the front. the front windows are smashed." i brought up the normal security camera- i had human enemies as well- and examined the reception area. i was relieved to see that my desk and office chair were unhurt- i liked those pieces of furniture- but most of the rest of the furniture and other objects were reduced to splinters. for just a second, i hoped that whatever it was had left, but then i saw a shard of computer move and knew that whatever it was, it was still out there. i sighed. "ah, well, i was planning to upgrade anyway."
i opened a cabinet next to the computers, revealing a bunch of science goggles with greenish lenses. "omni glasses. equipped with everything from infrared to, of course, ecto sight. battery life of seven days, fully animated HUD, and the ability to connect to whatever weapon your carrying and list it's status." i picked up a particular marked-up pair, then placed them around my neck. "we may be able to see it with the naked eye, but i don't want to take a risk and then get caught without." i grabbed a plasma assault rifle, checked it, then hesistated before grabbing the katana and tossing it hilt first to Jack. "you built it, you get to try it in the field." i flicked a switch close to the trigger, and the rifle hummed to life. "ready?"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Suddenly constant banging was coming from the lab door. With every hit dents were starting to form in the door and then everything stopped. There was almost complete silence for 5 seconds, with only alarms screaming from every room in the lab. Outside they could barely hear someone say ,"Please stop," as they seemed to slip into unconsciousness. This was followed by one last bang against the door, with so much force that it would have sent a person flying through a solid wall if the door wasn't made of re-enforced steel. Afterwards, the door was so deformed that it almost seemed impossible to open. Suddenly on the main monitor you could see an almost lifeless body, crumpled, laying on the door barely hanging on to life.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i glanced at the image on the monitor, then, without hesitating, shot the hinges on the door with the plasma rifle, which melted as they were hit with the super hot bolts of plasma, then glanced at Jack. "well, i was about to go out anyway, and the door probably wouldn't have opened, soooo..." i put the Omnigoggles on, then looked down the hallway, but saw nothing. i kept my gun pointed down the hallway, providing cover. "grab this guy and pull him inside, i can seal the room with the auxiliary door once we're back inside. the second one is coated in charged ectoplasma, and that should keep anything hostile out."
i moved carefully down the corridor; who knew what had violated MY building, but whatever it was, maybe that guy could provide some answers.

(OOC: forgot to mention, plasma assault rifles look something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XM29_OICW)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jack had signed up for this job because he'd been able to see ghosts since he was a child, and later became possessed, on multiple occasions, during his teenage years, so he knew his way around ghosts, yet the goggles could come in handy anyway due to their other features, and he could just modify his own pair later.
Strapping on a pair, and attaching it to his weapon before placing it in it's sheathe, he nodded at Will and walked over to the collapsed person, dragged them away from the opening, and leaned them against a table close to the door, making sure they were still breathing before following after Will.
Upon seeing the destruction for himself, it felt somehow familiar to Jack, then it dawned on him.
One word escaped his mouth before he was thrown across the room. "Poltergeist."
The poltergeist that Jack referred to was no mere trickster, but a force to be reckoned with, as he was not merely one to cause discord, but a being of pure malice brought to life by ectoplasm.
As Jack got back to his feet, the being had vanished. "It's apparently laying in wait, preparing for its next strike." he said, as he regained his composure and turned towards his partner, "Keep on your guard, Will, these buggers're tricky."
 
i heard Jack mutter "poltergeist." under his breath, then i jumped away as he was thrown back, swinging my plasma rifle around and catching a glimpse of something in corner of my goggles before it disappeared.
"yeah, i've dealt with things similar to this before. but, this one seems more powerful than most..." i said in a low voice. i slowly scanned around the room, but the poltergeist in question was not in the room, and i assumed that Jack's assumption was correct; that the ghost was hiding somewhere, and would only reveal itself to strike. here, in the open, it had the tactical advantage; it could attack from any direction, at any time, and we wouldn't be able to see it until it was too late to avoid it, so the best tactical decision was to stage a tactical retreat to the high ground, or, in this case, the most defensible position that i could conceive of. in this case, the most defensible positions would either be the laboratory or the firing range, as both were sealed against paranormal entities. the best option would be the lab, because i could trip the auxiliary defense systems and seal the room if need be, effectively creating a safe room. then, it dawned on me that paranormal entities would be sealed in as well as kept out with the defense systems active, and trapping the poltergeist in that room would be perfect. from there, it would be shooting fish in a barrel.
"Jack, i'm going to make my way to the lab. when i give the word, taunt that poltergeist for all your worth. taunt it, insult it, whatever it takes, just get it to chase you, then make a run for the lab. once you lure it inside, i'll trip the auxiliary defenses, which will seal the room and trap the ghost with very little maneuvering space and us." slowly, i started making my way towards the lab, picking my way carefully through the wreckage toward the hallway. vaguely, i wondered if that mysterious person had woken up yet, but i pushed that thought out of my mind and concentrated on the task at hand; namely, setting the trap for this troublesome ghost.
 
As Jack watched Will leave, he felt as if there were something more to what was going than just mere mindless destruction. yet the nagging feeling was soon silenced as he saw something moving in his peripheral vision.
As he drew his weapon, the data displayed on his visor became a jumbled mess of characters and symbols, indistinguishable and fuzzy.

"Great, it must've gotten broken when I collided with the wall." he said to himself as he moved it out of his field of vision. "Oh, well, at least now I have an excuse to upgrade it now."

As he stood there, watching for any signs of movement, he thought he saw something shifting behind the desk. He readied his weapon as he carefully approached it, kneeling down just soon enough to avoid the ghost's second attack before swinging at it, barely nicking it.

"You're a speedy one, aren't you?" he said with a smirk, "I hope you're fast enough to- What the?"

As he turned around to face the ghost, he found that it seemed to be a young woman, her long hair hiding part of her face, and her eyes filled with a mixture of rage and sorrow. She let out a scream that made Jack's head pound as he slowly backed away from it and towards the broken doorway of the lab, then turned and did a full-on sprint.

"Will, I'm in, close the door!" he shouted as he stepped through the doorway, the ghost hot on his heels, merely a few feet behind him.
 
It seemed like i was unconscious forever when I woke up. I could hardley remember anything and had a pounding in my head. I looked behind me and i was so shocked that I died. well the truth is that I'm already dead. While looking around the room I started to remember more about what had happened. I heard voices just across the room in an almost impenetrable room. These were the people I came to see. Just then saw spirit pacing by the door and realized that I needed to get in there and warn them. If only they knew that were more comming and if they didn't get ready quick, they would have almost no chance of leaving this place alive.
 
i was tempted to slam the door shut just as soon as Jack was through, but i forced myself to wait, just a moment longer... there!
the poltergeist glided past me in all of it's shrieking rage. while i did not see it clearly, i caught a flash of white and long hair before i typed a quick sequence into a small panel next to the door, then slammed my fist down into a large button. The door slammed shut, 5 inches thick and solid titanium, and automated defense turrets popped out of the walls. I was disappointed that not all of them activated, must be a crossed wire somewhere, but i was at least a little relieved that most of them activated at all. It took them a second, but they locked onto the poltergeist and began lancing it with plasma fire. I raised my plasma rifle and followed suit, disregarding it's default burst setting and using it on full auto. I strafed the ghost, making my way toward the unconcious figure, watching the status of my weapon out of the corner of my eye as i did.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back