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Egon had just finished checking the containment unit. And as he expected, the voice-activated trap in the lab that Ray installed worked like a charm. All of Janine's tormenting Viking ghosts were caught and were all properly contained. Egon made a mental note to thank Ray for that.
And now that was out of the way, he had to do some other matters. As he slowly climbed up the stairs from the basement, he contemplated on getting himself tested to see if he had received any adverse effects after his travel through Janine's mental plain. It was his first time experiencing being inside someone else’s mind through astral projection, and gathering more data through tests could serve beneficial for future references.
He was also thinking of getting Janine tested as well to see if their intrusion in her mind caused any alterations to her psyche. Having two people and a handful of vengeful ghosts inside her head could be very overwhelming. Egon was comparing this to possession, but it was more on the line of infestation. It is possible for more than one spiritual being to infest a body. Accounts of this experience had been documented throughout history. The Bible even had an account where a man was infested by a legion of demons. Though in the Biblical account the man was in a good mental state after he was exorcized by Jesus Christ, there are other accounts were the infested person didn’t recover their mental faculties even after being exorcized. This thought troubled Egon and suddenly felt the need to get Janine examined as soon as possible. He sprinted up the stairs to get to his lab immediately.
But his excitement was cut short and he stopped on the first floor when he realized that Janine and that incompetent Professor Roger Baugh had already left the firehouse. With a sigh, he resumed slowly claiming up the stairs to the second floor. He’ll just have to ask Janine when she comes back to work.
Egon got to his lab. He was going to conduct some test on himself but he decided to take a break first. He opened a drawer from his desk and took out a packet of twinkie. He tore the packet open and started munching on the cake. He wanted a change of scenery so he sauntered towards one of the windows that were facing the morning sun. With his other hand in his pocket, he watched the golden orb rise from behind the New York skyline. The seemingly cloudless sky changed from orange to blue. Egon sigh again, he noticed it was the second time he did that today. He felt a bit exhausted and somehow . . . melancholic? He thought their experience that night took a toll on him. Maybe he should get some sleep first before beginning the test.
“Would you like some coffee, Egon?”
Egon jumped a bit, almost choked on the twinkie he was eating, and quickly turned around. To his surprise right in front of him, clad in his blue lab coat and holding two mugs of coffee on each hand, was Janine. Due to her small frame, the fringes of the coat were almost touching the floor. She had to fold the long sleeves up to her elbows so she could use her hands. She also found a utility belt to wrap around her waist to close the front of the coat like a rob. And finally, she wore Ray's bunny slippers which she found under his work desk in the lab.
“I, ah, had to wear your lab coat. It's getting a bit chilly in here. I hope you don't mind.”, Janine explained.
Egon remembered she was only wearing her nighties when he and Roger brought her to the firehouse.
He cleared his throat and nodded, “It's alright. You may use it.”
Egon noticed something else and quickly looked around, “Where’s the professor?"
Janine sighed and gave the other mug to Egon, “He needed to leave. He's very freaked out with what just happened.”
Egon gave Janine a puzzled look, “He - he just left you here? He didn't even think of taking you home to your apartment?”
"Well, like I said Roger was totally freaked out." Janine said, "And unlike us, he's not used to dealing with this sort of weirdness. He needs some time to process everything.”
Egon took a sip of coffee Janine made for him. Black with three sugars, just the way he liked it. As he was sipping his coffee, a hint of anger was brewing inside him. He couldn't believe that coward left Janine by herself, in her nighties. Egon agreed the experience was a lot to take in for a normal individual, but at least the Professor could have pulled himself together and get Janine home, or even called her a cab. He also knew Janine could take care of herself and she's in the safety of the Firehouse, but still . . . This really infuriated Egon that he started to clenched his jaw. If he ever sees that Roger again . . .
“Egon, are you okay?” Janine's concerned voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Egon looked at Janine, “Hmm? Ah yes, I'm perfectly fine.” He lied.
Janine gave him a slight side glance. She didn't seem to buy it, but she just let's it go, “Okay. I think I should be going home now before the other guys come in for work. They might, you know, get the wrong idea about my wardrobe." she said pointing at the lab coat wrapped around her almost naked form.
Egon blushed, “Yes, of course! We shouldn’t give them the wrong impression.” He said and sips his coffee. He was quite sure Peter will have a teasing field day if he saw Janine in her current state.
“And Janine, when you come back, I would like to give you an examination, just to make sure the infestation didn't do any adverse effects on you. If that's alright with you.”
Janine smiled, she was touched by Egon's concern, “Sure Egon, let's do that when I get back. Oh, and by the way, before I forget.” She reached inside the pocket of the lab coat and took out a small red pouch bag with a heart-shaped charm. “I don't know what it is. I just found it on the floor.”
"Oh yes. It's a voodoo charm. An old voodoo priestess gave it to me back in New Orleans. I used it to see if it will have a reaction to whatever was taking hold of you." Egon wasn't sure why he was telling Janine about the gris-gris since he was keeping the thing a secret from the other guys.
"So did it work?" she asked.
Egon winced, remembering how he got manhandled by the Viking ghost, "We did get a reaction from it, yes."
"Well, I think you better keep it in case something like this ever happens again," Janine said as she was handing the gris-gris to Egon.
When Egon reached out to take the gris-gris from Janine, their hands touched. And Egon suddenly felt a jolt. It wasn't static, but it felt electric. Egon dumbfoundedly looked at Janine and her eyes met his. Somehow, Janine felt a sudden urge to act. She slowly came closer to him and tiptoed herself up to his face. He didn't know why he automatically reacted but Egon leaned down so his face will reach hers.
Then Janine kissed Egon on his cheek.
“Thanks for saving me, Egon.”, She whispered.
As she pulled back and Egon straightened up, his eyes were still on her face. As if he was in a trance and was anticipating for something more.
But he quickly shook himself from the trance and let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. He instead gave Janine a slight smile, “You're welcome.”
A sudden sound of a taxi's horn caught their attention.
“That’s my cab, I gotta go. I'll be seeing you later Dr. Spengler.”
Egon nodded, “See you later Ms. Melnitz.”
Janine rushed down the stairs leaving Egon holding the gris-gris. He turned the poach bag in his hand making the heart-shaped charm face up. He looked at it for a moment and tucked the small bag inside his trouser pocket. He once again faced the window to admire the sunrise while munching the rest of his twinkie and sipping the sweet coffee Janine made for him.
After feeling such a rollercoaster of emotions, Egon figured he definitely needs to get himself tested.