“You betcher ass I got duct tape!” says Don, happy that he can help. “Got electric tape too, got masking tape, got scotch tape, anything youse folks need, help yourselves! So what’s this gadget here for?” he continues, switching seamlessly from helpful to annoying once again.
Well, Kris has gone all out. He’s unplugged the TV and now, he’s duct taped over the outlet…twice.
What happened when Kris unplugged it?
“Have the events all happened at roughly the same time each night, or are they random?” asks Gerald.
Posting a few minutes early because I’m about to fall asleep!
The time is now approximately 10:45 am… that’s 15 minutes in the basement, and 15 minutes talking to Don; seems reasonable enough to me so we’ll go with that.
8:00 PM is Prime Time Television. For those too young to remember, the three (yes there were only three) major television networks would compete on weekday nights at this time, bringing out their biggest, best, newest shows to sell advertising to the highest bidders. (FOX was launched October 9, 1986.) If you’re interested enough, go ahead and look up TV listings for tonight if such things are even on the internet, I dunno.
“Yeah” says Don, thinking. “I’d say it’s pretty much every night around 8:00… maybe until about 10-11:00 or so. The rest of the day, we can sometimes get away with switching off the tubes, at least at first we could, but around this time at night, all the televisions come on and stay on.”
The Professor’s PKE readings clearly indicate some kind of haunting here; he takes his samples of the broken glass and runs a quick scan on them and, as he probably thought, they’re loaded with psychokinetic energy.
Kristopher carefully unplugs the television… and nothing happens. He takes the duct tape and completely covers the outlet, then steps back and waits.
And waits.
And waits.
Nothing continues to happen.
“Uh…” says Don, after a few minutes. “Uh, ok. So now what? Youse guys like fried chicken? I know this take-out place around the corner…”
I see three basic, obvious options now. Go upstairs and talk to the other tenants, sit around here and wait (or have fried chicken and wait) until 8:00, or go back to the headquarters and do analysis on the glass.
Y’all can, of course, think of (and do) anything else you like.
Lou observes, “Na’ much goin’ on raht now. Ah could run somebody back to the shop fo’ a look adda glass whahle the odders look in on da odder flo’s.”
Without much going on until 8, Lou suggests splitting up. One group goes back to study the glass and the other continue investigating floors.
OK I’ll go back with Lou to analyze the glass.
Before I go, Don, who did this broken TV belong to? Where and when did you get it?
[spoiler] Brains 21 no ghost for the analysis back at the lab.
Lou and I will do the analysis and then rejoin the others. Possibly picking up the new Ghostbuster while we’re there?
Maybe we should all be together to talk to the next tenants, so maybe have the others hang out with Don til we get back?
Should I be putting this all in the OOC thread? 
[/spoiler]
“If some of you are going back to the lab, you may want to take a few other objects from the basement and see if any of them still give off strong readings after being removed from the site for a few hours. Kris and I can take care of the other floors and interview the tenants.”
not a bad idea, but I didn’t get any strong readings on any specific item down there.
Gerald, do me a favor and call me with updates on each tenant. I may have followup questions depending on what they say.
Holds up a piece of glass Is that coating on the inside or the outside?
Kris goes with Gerald to the third floor to meet LaCoque. “Gerald, let me talk to her first. I’m pretty good with women and think I can get her to talk to me. Also, the floor I really can’t wait for is the top one. We gotta try to see what is going on inside this Panama-guy’s apartment.”
So, Kris is heading towards the stairs to the next floor.
Gerald gives Kris a good-natured grin. “Yeah, buddy, you’re pretty good with 'em. I’ll just hang back and jump in if you need help.”
Don answers Kristopher’s question: “I found an old console-style television in the basement when I moved in; no idea who it belonged to. Hauled it up and fixed it, then hauled it back down when I smashed the glass in. It’s down there now, somewhere.”
The GM answers Brian’s question: “It’s a silvery-black coating on the inside of the slightly curved, thick piece of glass.”
We have a new player. I have authorized her to create her own introduction into the game.
Welcome, Elizabeth Mendler, aka centerstage27!
Thanks! Very excited to be joining you guys. 
Liz pulls up to the old medical clinic in her lime green Dodge Charger and surveys the building. It’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but then again, so was the firehouse. She sighs to herself. She knew that she would be transferred when she took this job three months ago and that the clinic was much closer to her small studio apartment, but she felt like she was just getting the hang of things at HQ, and now she’ll have to start all over again.
The only information she was given was the name of her new boss…John…something or other…Rot? Roach? She was terrible at names. She should’ve written it down when Janine gave her the address. At least she found the place with no trouble. She checks her back seat to make sure her equipment made it here in one piece and grabs her PKE meter and ecto-viser. Although it’s not the smartest idea to leave an unlicensed nuclear accelerator out here in this heat, it doesn’t look like anyone’s in at the moment. She shoves her smaller equipment into her already over-stuffed purse and goes to check the door.
It’s locked.
Typical.
She rolls her eyes. Someone must not have gotten the fax.
Liz slumps down next to the door. She searches through her bag for her walkman and a pack of cigarettes. It’s turning out the be a great first day. But hey, she thinks, at least I don’t have to deal with Venkman anymore…
That was an excellent introduction, Liz! Thanks.
As I read it now, Louis and The Professor will meet you soon. If I am wrong, and you two players do not intend to return to HQ, let me know before midnight please.
Gerald and Kristopher, I believe, will meanwhile head upstairs to interview the next tenant, Ms. LaCoque.
And, just for fun, I looked up the TV schedule for [del] tonight[/del] June 23, 1986:
[ol]
[li][COLOR=“Black”]ABC: The Insiders, followed by the movie The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia. [/li]
[li]NBC: the movie Liberty, about the building of The Statue of Liberty.[/li]
[li]CBS: Repeats of The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Kate & Allie, Newheart, and Cagney & Lacey.[/color][/li][/ol]
Welcome, Liz!
Yes, we intend to return to the lab. At least I do. And Louis is my ride
Thanks for the welcome! For some reason, I thought that JT was at the apartment building. Oops!
This was getting ridiculous. Usually, Lis is usually bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to take on the world. Today, however was different. She didn’t even want to be here, but here she was outside of this building that should be condemned in 90 degree heat. She lets out a frustrated groan. She bangs on the front door and waits for a few seconds.
No answer.
She picks up her bag and decides to see if there are any other entrances.
Kristopher has a Proton Pack, Ecto-Visor, and a PKE meter.
Gerald has a Proton Pack, his mobile telephone, and MAY choose to trade his Tobin’s Spirit Guide for a Ghost Trap if he chooses. (The GM rolled his BRAINS to see if he remembered the group didn’t have a Ghost Trap. He did remember, if Johnny Bravo so desires; if so, mention it in your next post and he has the trap, otherwise Gerald retains the book.)
The party decides to split up. One group heads back to Ghostbusters HQ for research, while the other continues the on-site investigation.
Kristopher, Gerald, and Don Davidson head up to the second floor to interview the tenant living there. Climbing the stairs, they come to a solid looking door, and knock.
“Just a moment!” calls a sultry female voice with just a hint of a French accent. “I’m just getting ready for you, darling, come on in!” calls the voice.
Kristopher shrugs, flashes Gerald a grin, and opens the door. The group walks in, to find a lavishly and tastelessly decorated apartment. Fine pieces of antique furniture are juxtaposed with cheap footstools and molded-plastic parson’s tables. Crocheted caricatures of poker-playing dogs, velvet paintings of a famous musician, starving-artists’ paintings of big-eyed little girls, and the like decorate the walls. A television stands in one corner, covered with small porcelain unicorn statuettes and ballerina-topped music boxes. The television’s screen is dark; its speakers are silent.
A tall, slim, gorgeous woman with wet blonde hair, clad only in an enormous fluffy pink towel and pink fuzzy slippers, appears from the rear of the apartment. “You’re a little early aren’t you…” she begins, then stops as she notices Gerald and Kristopher, her eyes widening in surprise.
“OH!” she exclaims, startled. “I’m sorry, I was expecting somebody else…” she explains, her eyes roving up and down your body as she takes a moment to assess your… ahem… character. She seems pleased by what she sees, however, and her smile returns almost instantly. “Well, I don’t usually do group rates, but…” she begins.
Then she notices Don. “Oh. Hi Don. What’s this all about?” she asks, a hint of hostility in her voice.
“Uh, Hi Sirena… these are the Ghostbusters. They’re here about the televisions” Don explains, blushing slightly.
“I see” she says dismissively. “Well, you’re welcome to look around, boys. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve taken care of my own problem already. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date coming over soon, so you’ll forgive me if I go finish getting ready.” Sirena turns and heads towards her bedroom, hips swaying and the towel fighting valiantly to keep her covered as she walks.
You’re fairly certain she winked at you as she turned.
Meanwhile, across town…
JT strolls happily through the alleyway behind the old medical clinic, a paper bag full of junk food in one hand and a fresh bottle of Lone Star beer in the other. As he turns the corner of the building, he nearly crashes into an attractive young woman wearing a Walkman, carrying an over-stuffed purse, and smoking a cigarette. She seems to be rather upset about something, and begins to give him a piece of her mind about watching where he walks!
“Hey wait a minute!” says JT. “I’m sorry, I just went down to the corner bodega for a snack. I’m JT Roth, owner of this here establishment. Are you here about the job?” he asks, checking her out. “We’ve got two receptionist areas, you can pick the one you like. How’s your typing speed? Just bought a nice new electric typewriter for you as well…”
Meanwhile, in the front of the building…
The Ghostmobile pulls up in front of the building, with Louis behind the wheel, taking a spot near a lime green Dodge Charger they don’t recognize. He and Brian climb out and approach the headquarters building, surprised to find the doors locked! They look at one another and shrug, as neither one has the keys.
Moments later, they hear the sounds of two people arguing, and look to see Liz and JT coming around the corner, deep in some sort of debate. JT nods at the pair and rolls his eyes, glancing to indicate the still-talking newcomer, as he unlocks the door and lets the entire group into the building.
Professor Jenkins heads immediately to his laboratory, and begins to subject the shards of glass to an array of tests, while the rest of the crew continue their discussion.
Kristopher and Gerald, feel free to look around Ms. LaCoque’s apartment as you wish. If you’d like to talk to her, please make your SMOOTH-TALKER or other appropriate dieroll to determine her initial reaction to you.
Brian, please give me a PHYSICS roll to determine what you can learn from the shards of glass.
Louis, I don’t know what you want to do, but go ahead and do it.
Liz, time to let out some of that frustration at this big dumb hick who thinks a woman’s place is behind a typewriter!
As usual, conversation will occur as I can get around to it. Turns will happen at midnight.
“Ms Lecouque, you are one beautiful woman, if you don’t mind me saying so. I’m curious, though, how did you take care of your television? How did you get it to turn off?”
Kris also pulls out the PKE Meter and walks around the apartment checking it.
Kris rolls a 21 for equipment expert(no ghost). He rolls 11 for smooth talking(no ghost)
Lou observes JT and the lady for a moment then follows the Prof to provide any needed assistance. If no assistance is needed, Lou will just look on, interested in all the Science.
“Tomahawk, cute stuff!” says Sirena with a flirtacious wink, as she disappears into her bedroom… leaving the door open, just a crack, behind her.
A successful MOVES roll will allow one to peek thru the crack without being spotted. Pervert. q;}
Sure enough, you notice a decorative (but apparently functional) souvenir tomahawk on the wall above the television. Something about the television catches your eye: Roll BRAINS [COLOR=“Lime”]over 10 to determine what is unusual.[/COLOR]
The PKE meter shows very high readings on the television, as you expected, despite being turned off. The rest of the apartment (at least, those parts you’re in) also show evidence of ghostly activity.
The shards of glass, as Prof expected, are from a broken television set. However, Louis helps him set up the microscope for closer examination: (insert PHYSICS roll result here.)