"dad wants us to pick up where he left off -- saving people, hunting things, the family business." "there's a really good cure for a hangover." "it's a greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray." "oh, i hate you." "i know you do." "we're not gonna start that crap again." "start what up?" "that prank stuff." "it's stupid, and it always escalates." "what's the matter, sammy?" "afraid you're gonna get nair in your shampoo again?" "just remember, you started it." "what the -- one, me." "that's all you got?" "it's weak." "you're a friggin' jerk!" "you smell like a toilet." "chicken." "jerk." "bitch." "shut up." "you wuss." "tch." "jerk." "bring it on, baldy. capture:frm@aihua sync:frm@le petit prince ¾ÆÄÒ·¹´ü" "excuse me." "are you lost?" "no." "i've been waiting for you, professor." "huh." "oh, you're in one of my classes?" "don't you recognize me?" "well... they're big classes." "anyway, my office hours are tuesday and thursday mornings." "really?" "i was...hoping i could see you now." "um... well, since you asked so nicely, come on." "such a handsome photo." "[ chuckles ] that old thing." "so, what can i do for you?" "how's the anscombe paper coming?" "uh, professor, i [chuckles] uh... i have a confession to make." "oh?" "what's that?" "i'm not really one of your students." "really." "then, why are you here?" "maybe i should just go." "wait." "i get it." "i understand how you're feeling, and it's only natural." "you are young and wide-eyed." "and i'm somewhat of a celebrity around here." "don't get me wrong, you're a very beautiful girl." "but it would be wrong of me to take advantage of you." "i just, uh... i just respect you too much." "oh, my god." "what?" "don't you like me anymore?" "don't you want me?" "supernatural" "dude, you mind not eating those on my bed?" "no, i don't mind." "how's the research going?" "you know how it's going?" "slow." "you know how it would go a heck of a lot faster?" "if i had my computer." "can you turn that down, please?" "yeah, absolutely." "you know what?" "maybe you should just go somewhere for a while, huh?" "[ music stops ] hey, i'd love to." "unfortunately, my car's all screwed to hell." "i told you, i have nothing to do -- [ knock on door ]" "hey, bobby." "hey, boys." "hey, bobby." "it's good to see you again so soon." "yeah, uh, thanks for coming." "come on in." "thank god you're here." "so, um... what didn't you want to talk to me on the phone about?" "sam: it's this job we're working." "we weren't sure you'd believe us." "well, i can believe a lot." "yeah, yeah, i know." "it's just we've never seen anything like it." "not even close." "we thought we could use some fresh eyes." "why don't you begin at the beginning?" "yeah." "um, all right, please." "so... it all started when we caught wind of an obit." "see, a professor took a nose dive from a fourth-story window, only there's a campus legend that the building's haunted." "so we pretexted as reporters from the local paper." "yeah, we both had the professor for "ethics and morality."" "so, why do you think he did it?" "who knows?" "he was tenured, wife and kids." "his book is a really big deal." "then again, who's to say it was suicide?" "jen, come on." "well, what else could it be?" "well, you know about crawford hall." "no, i don't, actually." "it's a bunch of crap." "it's a total urban legend." "well, heather's mom went to school here, and she knew the girl." "wait, what girl?" "like, 30 years ago, this girl was having an affair with some professor." "he broke it off." "she jumped out the window and killed herself." "you know her name?" "no." "but they say she jumped from room 669." "get it?" "you turn the 9 upside down... so now she haunts the building, and anyone who sees her... they don't live to tell the tale." "well, if no one lives to tell the tale, then how does the tale get told?" "curtis, shut up!" "you know what?" "uh, thanks a lot, guys." "excuse me." "dean." "what are you -- what are you drinking?" "[ burps ] i don't know, man." "i think they're called purple nurples." "i think we should check out the professor's office." "oh, no, no, no." "i can't right now." "i've got a feisty little wildcat on the hook." "i'm about ready to -- zz!" " reel her in." "i'll introduce you." "de-- starla." "starla, hey." "this is my shuttle copilot, major tom." "major tom -- starla." "[ chuckles ] enchant?" "hi." "sorry. just trying to keep my liquor down." "yeah. good job." "hey, good news." "she's got a sister." "dean:" "whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "hold on a minute." "what?" "come on, dude." "that's not how it happened." "no?" "so you never drank a purple nurple?" "yeah, maybe that, but... i don't say things like, "feisty little wildcat."" "and her name wasn't starla." "then what was it?" "i don't know, but she was a classy chick." "she was a grad student, anthropology and folklore." "we were talking about local ghost stories." "here's to -- here's to us." "my god, you are attractive." "thanks." "but no time for that now." "you need to tell me about this urban legend." "please." "lives are at stake." "sorry. i just -- i can't even concentrate." "it's like staring... into the sky." "dean, what do you think you're doing?" "sam, please." "if you wouldn't mind, just give me five minutes here." "dean, this is a very serious investigation." "we don't have time for any of your blah blah blah blah." "blah blah blah-blah." "blah blah-blah-blah blah!" "blah blah-blah blah-blah blah-blah-blah." "blah!" "[ sarcastically ] right." "and that's how it really happened." "i don't sound like that, dean." "that's what you sound like to me." "okay." "what's going on with you two?" "nothing." "it's nothing." "come on." "you're bickering like an old married couple." "no, see, married couples can get divorced." "me and hme?" "we're like, uh, siamese twins." "it's "conjoined" twins." "see what i mean?" "look, it -- we've just been on the road for too long, tight quarters, all that." "don't worry about it." "okay." "so, anyway, we figured it might be a haunting, so we went to check out the scene of the crime." "so, how long have you been working here?" "janitor: i've been mopping these floors for six years." "there you go, guys." "what the heck's that for?" "just find the wire in the walls." "ah. well." "not sure why you're wiring up this office." "not gonna do the professor much good." "why's that?" "he's dead." "oh." "what happened?" "he went out that window right there." "yeah?" "were you working that night?" "i'm the one who found him." "you see it happen?" "nope." "i just saw him come up here and, uh... well..." "what?" "he wasn't alone." "who was he with?" "come on!" "i ate one, maybe two." "just let me tell it, okay?" "he was with a young lady." "i told the cops about her, but i guess they never found her." "you saw this girl go in, huh?" "but did you ever see her come out?" "now that you mention it, no." "you ever see her before, around?" "not her." "what do you mean?" "i don't mean to cast aspersions on a dead guy, but, uh... mr. morality here?" "he brought a lot of girls up here." "got more ass than a toilet seat." "one more thing." "this building -- it only has four stories, right?" "yeah." "so there wouldn't be a room 669?" "of course not." "why do you ask?" "ah, just curious." "thanks." "sure." "well, no traces of emf, that's for sure." "and that room 669's a load of crap." "so, what do you think?" "the professor's just a jumper?" "a legend's just a legend?" "i don't know." "the girl that the janitor described -- that's pretty weird." "yeah." "we ought to check out the history on the building." "see if any coed ganked herself there." "yeah, you're right." "dude, were you on my computer?" "no." "oh, really?" "'cause it's frozen now" "dean... would you just -- don't touch my stuff anymore, okay?" "why don't you control your ocd?" "but did you dig up anything about the building, or on the suicidal coed?" "no. history's clean." "then it's not a haunting." "maybe not." "tell you the truth, we're not really sure." "what do you mean you're not sure?" "well...it's weird." "what's weird?" "this next part, we, uh... we didn't see it happen ourselves, exactly, but... it's pretty friggin' weird, even for us." "aaaaaah!" "aliens?" "yeah." "aliens?" "yeah." "look, even if they are real, they're sure as hell not coming to earth and swiping people." "hey, believe me." "we know." "my whole life i've never found evidence of an honest-to-god abduction." "it's all just cranks and pranks." "yeah, that's what we thought." "but...we figured we'd at least talk to the guy." "hey, you ought to give those purple nurples a shot." "so, what happened, curtis?" "you won't believe me." "nobody does." "give us a chance." "i do not want this in the papers." "off the record, then." "i, uh... i blacked out, and... i lost time, and when i woke up, i don't know where i was." "then what?" "[ voice cracking ] they did tests on me." "and, uh... they, uh... they probed me." "they probed you?" "yeah, they probed me." "again and a-- again and -- and again." "and again and again and again and then one more time." "yikes." "and that's not even the worst of it." "how could it get any worse?" "some alien made you his bitch." "they... they made me... slow dance!" "you guys are exaggerating again, huh?" "no no." "then this frat boy's just nuts." "we're not so sure." "i'm telling you, dean, this was made by some kind of jet engine." "you mean some saucer-shaped jet engine?" "what else could it be?" "what the hell?" "i don't know." "seriously, dude -- what the hell?" "i don't know." "i mean, first the hating." "now this?" "the timing alone -- there's got to be some kind of connection." "you mean between the angry spirit and the sexed-up e.t.?" "what could the connection possibly be?" "but what could we do?" "so we just kept on digging." "so, you and this guy, curtis -- you were in the same house?" "yeah." "you heard what happened to him, right?" "yeah, he says it was aliens, but, you know, whatever." "look, man, i -- i know this all has to be so hard." "um, not so much." "but i want you to know... i'm here for you." "you brave little soldier." "i acknowledge your pain." "come here." "you're too precious for this world." "i never said that!" "you're always saying pansy stuff like that." "well, um... yeah, uh, thanks." "thanks for the hug, but, uh, i'm okay." "really." "to tell you the truth, whatever happened to curtis, he had it coming." "why is that?" "he's our pledge master." "put us through hell this semester and got off on it." "so now he knows how we feel." "it's okay." "still doesn't make a lick of sense." "but, hey, at least there's one connection." "between what?" "the victims." "the professor and the frat guy -- they're both dicks." "that's a connection?" "you got anything better to go on, i'd love to hear it." "where's my laptop?" "i don't know." "think about it." "a philandering professor gets a dead girl." "a pledge master gets hazed." "i left it in here." "you obviously didn't." "i mean, these punishments -- they're almost poetic." "actually, it'd be more like a limerick, but still -- okay, hilarious." "ha ha." "where'd you hide it?" "what, your computer?" "yeah, where'd you hide it?" "why would i take your computer?" "because no one else could have." "we keep the door locked." "we never let any maids in." "looks like you lost it, poindexter." "dude, you know something?" "i put up with a lot from you." "what are you talking about?" "i'm a joy to be around." "yeah?" "your dirty socks in the sink, your food in the fridge." "what's wrong with my food?" "it's not food anymore, dean!" "it's darwinism." "all i ask from you, the one thing, is that you don't mess with my stuff!" "you done?" "you know, how would you feel if i screwed with the impala?" "it'd be the last thing you ever did." "did you take his computer?" "serves him right, but, no." "well, i didn't lose it." "'cause i don't lose things." "oh, that's right, 'cause he's mr. perfect." "okay, okay." "why don't you just tell me what happened next?" "there was one more victim." "now, we didn't see this one ourselves, either." "we kind of put it together from the evidence." "but this guy -- he was a research scientist." "animal testing." "yeah, you know -- a dick, which fits the pattern." "hey." "well, this ought to be quick." "ok that is just nasty." "uh, yeah." "mutilated?" "looks to me like something was hungry." "they identify him yet?" "yeah. a research scientist at the college." "guess where his office was, by the way." "crawford hall, same as the professor." "that's right where the frat boy had his close encounter." "yeah." "hey, grab me that thing, would you?" "thanks." "what is it?" "looks like a... a belly scale?" "a belly scale?" "from what?" "uh... an alligator?" "an alligator in the sewer." "come on." "what?" "well, dean, it's a classic urban legend." "a kid flushes a baby gator down the toilet, and it grows huge in the tunnels." "but no one's ever really found one." "they're not real." "neither's alien abduction, but something chomped on this guy." "this couldn't get any weirder." "maybe we should get some help." "i'll call bobby." "maybe he's run into something like this before." "oh, i'm sure he has." "just your typical haunted campus, alien abduction, alligator-in-the-sewer gig." "yeah, it's simple." "we decided to search the sewer anyway, so we split up, each taking one end of campus." "did you find anything?" "yeah, i found something, just not in the sewer." "dean: son of a bitch!" "sam!" "you think this is funny?" "it depends. what?" "the car!" "what about the car?" "you can't let the air out of the tires." "you're gonna bend the rims!" "whoa, wait a minute." "i didn't go near your car." "oh, yeah?" "huh." "then how'd i find this?" "hey, give me back my money." "oh, no, no." "consider it reparations for, uh, emotional trauma." "yeah, very funny." "now, give it back." "no." "dean,i have had it up to here with you." "yeah?" "right back at you!" "get off me!" "give it back!" "okay, i've heard enough." "you showed up about an hour after that." "i'm surprised at you two." "i really am." "sam, first off, dean did not steal your computer." "but i -- shh, shh, shh, shh!" "and, dean, sam did not touch your car." "[ chuckling ] yeah." "and if you two bothered to pull your heads out of your asses, it all would have been pretty clear." "what?" "what you're dealing with." "uh... i got nothing." "me neither." "you got a trickster on your hands." "that's what i thought." "what?" "!" "no, you didn't." "i got to tell you... you guys were the biggest clue." "what do you mean?" "these things create chaos and mischief as easy as breathing, and it's got you so turned around and at each other's throats, you can't even think straight." "the laptop." "the tires." "it knows you're onto him, and it's been playing you like fiddles." "so, what is it -- spirit, demon, what?" "well, more like demigods, really." "there's loki in scandinavia." "there's anansi in west africa." "dozens of them." "they're immortal, and they can create things out of thin air, things as real as you and me." "make them vanish just as quick." "you mean like an angry spirit or an alien or an alligator." "the victims fit the m.o., too." "tricksters target the high and the mighty, knock them down a peg, usually with a sense of humor -- deadly pranks, things like that." "bobby, what do these things look like?" "lots of things, but human, mostly." "and what human do we know who's been at ground zero this whole time?" "janitor:" "oh, that's a good one." "come here could you eat?" "i could eat." "come on." "something's missing." "that's better." "mmm!" "sorry i'm dragging a little ass today, boys." "had quite the night last night." "lots of sex, if you catch my drift." "yeah, hard not to." "listen, we won't be long." "we just need to check a couple offices up on 3." "no problem." "?" ", damn.i, uh, forgot something in the truck." "you know what?" "i'll catch up with you guys." "okay." "just 'cause he reads the weekly world news doesn't mean he's our guy." "you read it, too." "i'm telling you, it's him." "look, i just think we need some hard proof." "that's all." "another thing bobby mentioned was that these suckers have a metabolism like an insect, a real sweet tooth." "i didn't find any candy bars or sugar." "not even equal." "probably missed something." "i don't miss things." "oh, right, 'cause you're mr. perfect." "what?" "are you really still pissed at me 'cause of what the trickster did?" "you been a tight ass long before that trickster showed up." "look, just...stay here, keep an eye on the janitor." "i'll go to his place to see if i can find any actual evidence before you go barging in and staking the man!" "just wt till i get back, okay?" "okay?" "okay!" "eh, screw this." "we've been waiting for you, dean." "y-y-you guys aren't real." "trust me, sugar, it's gonna feel real." "come on." "let us give you a massage." "you know, i'm a -- i'm a sucker for a happy ending." "really, i am, but... i-i'm gonna have to pass." "janitor:" "they're a peace offering." "i know what you and your brother do." "i've been around a while." "run into your kind before." "well, then you know that i... can't let you just keep hurting people." "come on!" "those people got what was coming to them." "hoisted on their own petards." "but you and sam -- i like you." "i do." "so treat yourself... long as you want." "just long enough for me to move on to the next town." "yeah, i don't think i can let you do that." "i don't want to hurt you." "and you know that i can." "look, man, i -- i got to tell you, i dig your style, all right?" "i mean [chuckles] i do. i mean and the slow-dancing alien " "one of my personal favorites." "yeah." "but, uh, i can't let you go." "too bad." "like i said, i like you." "sam was right." "you shouldn't have come alone." "well, i'll agree with you there." "that fight you guys had outside -- that was a trick?" "hmm." "not bad." "but you want to see a real trick?" "ohh!" "aah!" "ohh!" "ohh!" "ha!" "nice toss, ladies!" "dean... dean, dean, dean." "i did not want to have to do this." "me neither." "you guys okay?" "yeah." "i guess." "all i got to say... he had style." "ohh." "bobby, thanks a lot." "hey, save it!" "let's just get the hell out of dodge before somebody finds that body." "yeah look, dean, um... i just want to say that i'm, uh... um... hey." "me too." "you guys are breaking my heart." "could we please just leave?"