The Mantis-Eye Experiment

Summary

Dr. Venture hires an army of college interns to help with his ambitious new science project. Dean finds love among the new recruits, but class warfare and nuclear physics threaten to tear the Venture Compound apart. And if they don't, The Monarch will.

Capsule & Notes

It's the morning after "Operation P.R.O.M.". Brock picks up Molotov's chastity belt and begins to scale down the side of the cliff where Molotov and Monstroso went over. Shoreleave pokes fun at him.

Down at the Venture Compound the Outrider delivers Dean to his front door. Dean thanks him sheepishly, but when the Outrider asks to talk to Dr. Venture, Dean reminds him of his previous advice to him: go fuck yourself. Dean storms up to his bedroom, yelling at Hank for leaving him behind at Triana's house, but Hank isn't there.

Hank is actually sleeping on Dermott's bedroom floor. Nikki wakes him up, noting that she likes that he smells like gasoline. However her mother comes in, looking for Nikki. She's not thrilled to see Hank.

At his old residence Sgt. Hatred carries Princess Tinyfeet to the front door, talking about how they're going to get a fresh start. However when his key doesn't work in the front door a man answers: Scorpio. He was worried about her all night apparently. He thanks Hatred for returning her, asking how much he owes him.

Meanwhile across the street the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend have likewise arrived back from their trip to the prom. Dr. Girlfriend wants to go inside but The Monarch says he's going to wait for 21. Dr. Girlfriend tries to remind him that he quit, but the Monarch is convinced that it's all part of a ruse against Dr. Venture.

Speaking of, 21 is asleep in his SPHINX gear when he is woken up by OSI guards pointing their guns at him. Hunter is there, dressed in OSI garb, and demanding to know what's going on.

At this time Dr. Venture is woken up by a phone call from his brother who is inquiring about the ray shields he contracted Rusty to build for Gargantua 2. JJ is just worried since they're a few months from shipping it but he hasn't heard anything about the shield at all. Dr. Venture quickly feigns that he's working on the project and hangs up. He groans and pats the shape laying under the covers next to him, telling them to hit the road. It's not a woman though.

Dr. Venture screams for Brock, who is too far away to hear. He and Shoreleave have found the crashed limo and Monstroso.

BROCK
[explicative] Looks like we ain't done yet.

He stabs Monstroso who is revealed to be an inflatable decoy.

Opening logo.

Wrapping things up at SPHINX headquarters, everyone is headed over to rejoin OSI since Hunter is now in charge. 21 asks if he can join them, but Brock claims that it doesn't work that way. However the rent on SPHINX HQ is paid off until the end of the year, so looks like Gary is in charge.

In the Venture kitchen, Doc is demonstrating what the ray shields on Gargantua 2 will do to Pete and Billy. He's using Hatred as his Gargantua 2 stand in, throwing packets of ketchup and keys at him to illustrate all the hazards of space. He then puts his helmet onto Hatred's head, which clearly shows what the shield will do. Hank throws a bullet casing at Hatred, which hits him in the chest. Dr. Venture notes that the real shield will cover 'the whole thing.'

BILLY
Well, a project of this scale is going to take years.

DR. VENTURE
We have three months.

BILLY
Impossible!

DR. VENTURE
Not if we all pitch in and work together! Where's Dean?

Just then Dean walks in. He looks... different somehow.

He ignores them and walks outside with a can of gasoline. He proceeds to light his learning bed on fire and throw various personal items into the fire. Dr. Venture questions what he's doing, and Dean explains that he's tired of living in a box, both figuratively and literally. Dr. Venture, admirably, listens to Dean and offers to give him the attic bedroom in exchange for his help on the ray sheilds.

Next we have a montage of the Ventures clearing out the old lab, the E-Den and Dean cleaning up his new attic bedroom. The E-Den also has to have the gorilla removed, which is done by draping Billy in meat and having Sgt. Hatred kill the gorilla. Oh, and that gorilla was a mother. Hatred has to kill the two baby gorillas, which he isn't too happy about.

The E-Den is getting some tents in it for some reason, which Hank is taking over the entire bedroom that he used to share with Dean. Hatred puts the finishing touches on the sign outside the newly cleaned up lab building. The Palaemon Project.

Later on Doc is talking to Billy and Pete, with Billy mentioning that Conjectural Technologies doesn't work for free. Doc is currently out of cash but he has a good investor waiting in the wings. Someone drives up to the compound in a replica of the Batmobile from Tim Burton's Batman (though slightly longer). It's Augustus St. Cloud. Billy screams his name as Dr. Venture greets him. He attempts to introduce them but they reveal that they already know each other. Not on friendly terms.

Meanwhile Dean and Sgt. Hatred are recruiting college students at State University for The Palaemon Project. Dean is explaining to Hatred why he dresses in black while Hatred attempts to let Dean know that there are more fish in the sea. Or specifically the school. Just then a woman, Thalia, comes up to the table to look at the pamphlet they are handing out.

Dean explains the premise of the project (or at least his father's relationship with JJ) when he is hit in the face with a frisbee. Thalia goes to help Dean, who naturally has various fantasies about he and Thalia hanging out, all of which end with her putting her hand on his crotch. He shakes it off after a bit, though he has a bit of blood on his face now. Thalia tries to point it out but Dean thinks she's talking about his sweet new goatee.

It's now, presumably, a week or two later. Dr. Venture is talking to his new fresh-faced recruits from State University, telling them that they're the best of the best and all of that. The students are all dressed in cleansuits, each one of three colors: orange, white and green. Dr. Venture finishes his motivation speech, but nobody cheers. Hatred takes the mic and explains that all of the students will have to stay in the E-Den for the duration of the project. Dr. Venture has enemies that could kill them, etc etc. The students aren't happy about this either.

Doc then explains which each cleansuit team will be doing: white is development, orange is manufacturing and green is special class. The orange and white classes laugh at special class, but Doc angrily explains that they are his special helpers, and thus better than everyone else. Hank quickly grabs the mic to let everyone know about HankCo.

HANK
Yeah I'd just like to chime in here to say that all classes, colors and creeds are special at HankCo. Think of HankCo. as not just me, Hank-co, but as your company store. We have magazines, both dirty and clean. Clothing, clean only. And of course all your foodstuff needs.

Dr. Venture wrestles the mic away from Hank and lets everyone know they have 80 days to finish this up. He hits a button to reveal the project to them, but it seems to mostly cause an explosion and knock the lights out.

Commercial.

Dr. Venture is in the now bustling lab where all the various cleansuited workers are working away. Doc asks some white cleansuits about a 'big pink rectangle' which is a proof of concept for the shield itself. Doc decides to test the shield out, first lobbing a tennis ball at it (which is blocked) and then a rock at a higher speed. The rock makes it through and Dr. Venture berates the student, Martin, who was previously confident in his calculations. Just then he looks at his watch, which warns him about very high levels of radiation in the area. Time to go!

Later on in the day a horn sounds and all the cleansuit workers leave the lab building. Sgt. Hatred watches them until he hears a sound behind him. It's 21, who is not sneaking but patrolling. He's only on foot because he can't get the big Sphinx to work.

Even later in the day we see the Monarch's house. He's laying on his bed dressed as Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones and calling for his wife. She walks in but she doesn't seem to be the correct character.

THE MONARCH
What the- why the fuck are you Rocky?

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
You said you were gonna be Draygo!

THE MONARCH
Drogo! Khal Drogo! You're supposed to be my khaleesi! Wait did you think I meant Ivan Drago?

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Well obviously.

THE MONARCH
Why would I- what the hell is sexy about that?

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Well, what the hell is a Khal Drogo?

THE MONARCH
Not a what, a who! From Game of Thrones!

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Well I have never seen that stupid thing.

THE MONARCH
It's not stupid! It's spectacular! And yes you have; we used to watch it together every week!

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
No. Honey, you used to watch that with 21.

TIM-TOM
You're a bum, Rock!

Dr. Girlfriend kicks Tim-Tom out and she and the Monarch discuss the Monarch's denial that 21 is actually gone. The Monarch, naturally, still refuses to believe that he's not undercover, even though it's been a month. Dr. Girlfriend changes the subject back to sexy time when the Monarch becomes irate, though they are interrupted by Kevin dressed as Clubber Lang.

KEVIN
I pitty the fool!

THE MONARCH
Nooo!! Leave us, imp!!

Back at Dr. Venture's house the green class is busy at work cleaning Doc's house while Doc lounges. One of the students gives him a drink while another gives him a progress report on the project. Just then the end of day horn blares and one of the green suited students proclaims that it's time to return to the E-Den. Dr. Venture's main assistant, Tommy, asks if he can sleep in the house tonight since the other students treat them with 'disdain.' Dr. Venture refuses, saying it's only because they're jealous that the green workers get to spend all their time with 'the great Dr. Venture.'

Tommy leaves but upstairs Sgt. Hatred is shouting. Doc goes up to see what he's shouting about. It's a ghost?

DR. VENTURE
Take it down, Scrooge. He's not a ghost, he's an intern. And he's out of phase.

SGT. HATRED
Is he okay?

DR. VENTURE
[To the INTERN] Can you hear me?

OUT OF PHASE INTERN
[SCREAMS]

DR. VENTURE
Alright, good enough. Is the ionic phase attenuator complete?

OUT OF PHASE INTERN
Kiiiiiillll meeeee!

DR. VENTURE
Not until we ship.

Down in the Venture kitchen Dean is talking with Thalia about a recent event in his life. Thalia consoles him, saying that she often feels the same way even though she's perfectly normal. She was perfectly normal. Dr. Venture walks in a chides Thalia for being in the kitchen, since only green class has house privledges.

Dean tells her to show Doc her problem.

They're new though. Since today. Doc says that he'll look into it. I'm sure.

At his enormous house, Augustus St. Cloud is giving Watch and Ward the grand tour. It seems like he's joining the Guild. Normally there's a 90-day waiting period to start arching, but thanks to St. Cloud's generous donation (to the Guild Widows and Orphans Fund, naturally) they're waiving that.

WATCH
And here's your temporary Guild ID. We'll issue your permanent one once you've decided on a villain name.

ST. CLOUD
Augustus St. Cloud.

WATCH
Ahh, going with the real name then. Very Lex Luthor of you.

WARD
St. Cloud. So what are you, like a weather guy? What are your powers?

ST. CLOUD
I have an inordinate amount of money.

WATCH
Alright, well, let's talk arches. [he puts the GUILD FACEBOOK down on the table] We've got a number of candidates we think would be just-

ST. CLOUD
I will only arch Master Billy Quizboy.

WATCH
Ahh, see, new members don't get to pick their own arch in the first year, so...

WARD
Oh yeah, it's all covered in the handbook-

ST. CLOUD
Gentlemen I've only deigned to join your organization for one reason, and one reason only. To make my decades old rivalry with the Quizboy official. A long time ago he stole something from me, you see, something quite valuable. And I'm determined to use my considerable means to make him suffer for it. No matter what the cost.

WATCH
Wow. Well you've certainly got the villain patter down.

WARD
Right? Look, goosebumps! [he points at his clothed arm]

WATCH
Unfortunately, rules are rules, and uh...

ST. CLOUD
Oh bo, what do we have here? [he puts a BRIEFCASE on the table] Did one of your drop this?

He opens the case to reveal that is is filled with money.

WATCH & WARD
Welcome to the Guild of Calamitous Intent!

Back at the Venture Compound we're inside the lab. Doc is headed to visit Billy, though some members of the orange class temporarily make it hard to get there until Martin tells them to let him in. Billy shouts at Doc to close the door, noting that whole place is an incubator for genetic mutations. It's bad. All the guys in white are growing additional arms and have severe brain mutations that have given them telekinesis and the ability to process information much faster. The orange guys have also developed a carapace that seems to be impenetrable.

DR. VENTURE
What about the green class?

BILLY
What green class?

DR. VENTURE
The people in the green cleansuits.

BILLY
There are no green cleansuits.

Meanwhile Sgt. Hatred has... his own set of issues.

Outside 21 is raking some leaves as the end of day bell rings. The Monarch, dressed in a white cleansuit, comes out of his hiding spot in a bush. They talk briefly, with the Monarch seemingly still convinced that 21 is still working for him, in spite of 21's statements to the contrary. Their conversation is cut short by Sgt. Hatred sniping at the Monarch's feet, however, telling him to beat it or the next one won't miss. The Monarch is about to leave but has one final thing to say to 21.

THE MONARCH
21! Quick question. Who is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne?

21
Daenerys Targaryen, duh. Why?

THE MONARCH
No reason, my main hench-man. I mean, SPHINX Commander. [he leaves]

Over at HankCo. Hank is making a sale to a huge orange class member with a torn cleansuit, noting that the cleansuits are their best seller. Sgt. Hatred offers him some snacks from the grill, but the student refuses, saying that they eat only something called 'Student Green'. He leaves.

HANK
Why isn't Student Green on the menu?

SGT. HATRED
Ahh, these kids are just fussy. They're vegetarian this week and next week they're gonna want gluten-free.

HANK
Whatever. If the cafe business doesn't pick up soon, I'm gonna have to think about letting you go.

[SGT. HATRED grumbles angrily and then throws his skullcap on the ground before storming off]

DERMOTT
It's the economy, man. People just aren't eating out like they used to.

Outside one of the green class members is leaving the main Venture Compound building with some notes. He nervously looks around and starts to jog but runs into the orange student anyway. The orange classman briefly berates the green classman before pulling off his mask, revealing him to be a hideous monster.

He offers the green classman a kiss, which translates into him eating his head. Sgt. Hatred witnesses the act and starts to freak out.

SGT. HATRED
Oh god, it's people. Student Green is made out of people!

[Cut to a scene of three ORANGE CLEANSUIT STUDENTS carrying SGT. HATRED towards the E-DEN]

SGT. HATRED
We gotta stop 'em somehow! I gotta tell Doc! It's people!! Student Green is made out of people!!!

Commercial.

While he's sleeping Doc gets another phone call from his brother about the shield. Just making sure he's ready to go since the shield is due tomorrow. Doc attempts to delay the delivery, saying that he needs to test it, which JJ points out would put him 'knee-deep in spontaneous genetic mutation.' Oops. The last guy to try that is now 'Paolo The Human Beetle'. Anyway, JJ will be there to pick it up in 27 hours.

Sgt. Hatred and Tommy are tied up above a fire, waiting to meet a no doubt grim fate. Doc attempts to contact Hatred via his watch, which of course Hatred can't answer.

SGT. HATRED
I'm just hoping he cares enough about that ray shield to rescue us for it. I mean, if there even is a ray shield.

TOMMY
The ray shield was completed long ago. You know that Martin plans on using it to turn all of humanity into a child of Palaemon. The guy's gone insane. But there is a story among our people that there will come a savior. The Lee-Hun-Took. He, and only he, will lead the children of Palaemon to peace.

SGT. HATRED
Wow you guys move fast. What have you been here three months and you already got legends of saviors?

TOMMY
You're talking about a bunch of geeks from State University. You mutate that kind of outcast and it gets all SyFy original feature real quick.

Just then a orange cleansuit student shows up and takes Tommy. He screams for Hatred to not cry for him and tell his story, while Hatred screams that it's a madhouse over and over.

Meanwhile Dean and Thalia, who now looks nothing like herself, are having a picnic. Thalia is explaining to Dean that he needs to stand up to Martin since he's planning on ruling the world. Dean is reluctant, so Thalia attempts to communicate with him via telepathy to convince him. Dean's not so good at it.

THALIA
[Telepathy] Just try and think your words into my brain.

DEAN
[Thoughts] She's gonna kiss me. I used to want to kiss the girl gremlin with the lipstick. Thalia's taller and has boobies.

THALIA
[Telepathy] No, okay. Just concentrate. Concentrate.

DEAN
[Thoughts] Triana had boobs. I wonder if all boobs are soft. Or are some super-extra soft.

THALIA [Telepathy] Dean, what you're not doing is concentrating. You cannot let your mind wander.

DEAN
[Thoughts] Do I just touch them or should I ask? I really hope they haven't gotten all mutated. What if they drip acid now?

THALIA
[Speaking] Alright, never mind. Let's just talk regular.

In the Cocoon the Monarch is telling Dr. Girlfriend about the mutated students. The Monarch is convinced that he's building some kind of super mutant army, so of course he wants to match that, plus some more. Dr. Girlfriend doesn't want to do it now, since it's pretty late. Her voice gets all raspy if she doesn't get enough sleep. Yeah.

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Oh, you're gonna get all bossy now?

THE MONARCH
Well, I- yeah? I- I mean, I'm kinda your boss, right?

We're back outside the ray shield lab. It's early and Billy has called upon the crack team of Hank, Dermott, Pete and 21. There's a ransom note (or sorts) on the door proclaiming the 94 theses which are written in Klingon and various Elvish languages. The gist of it is that they want "the sun to rise on the children of Palaemon, with rays of global dominion", so, yeah. Doc just wants to cut his losses and get his ray shield, but Billy points out that there's too much radiation in the lab and they need to decontaminate everything.

21 takes charge and assigns everyone tasks: Pete and Billy work on decon, Hank and Dermott report strange activities, Doc works on reversing the mutations. Twenty-four hours to go.

Inside the E-Den Sgt. Hatred is tied up and being whipped by an orange classman while Martin questions him.

MARTIN
What is your name, outlander?

SGT. HATRED
Eat me!

MARTIN
Hey, don't tempt me, delicious. [SGT. HATRED is whipped again] What is your name?!

SGT. HATRED
Hatred! I'm Sergeant Hatred!

MARTIN
That is your slave name! What is your name!?

SGT. HATRED
[Whipped again] [screams] My name is Sergeant Hatred!!

MARTIN
That is not what it says on your driver's license, dude. The masses have stripped you of your blue robes. Your body is changing, just as ours. Join us or we're gonna straight up eat you, son. No lies.

Just then Thalia and Dean show up. Dean is apparently going to challenge Martin!

MARTIN
Yo, did you not read the rules I wrote? He's an outsider. It's forbidden.

DEAN
Outsider? You're the outsider. Before you guys made this into E-Wok village or whatever it was just a part of my yard.

MARTIN
[Telepathy] Hey, bro, can you speak in silent tongue?

DEAN
[Thoughts] If he punches me I might poop myself a little. I can feel some poop coming.

THALIA
Oh, don't do that. He's really bad at that.

MARTIN
Yeah, no kidding.

They agree to challenge and select a 'chatny-ru' (or something) which is presumably their mentor for the challenge. Martin picks the orange classmate, Mack, while Dean goes with Sgt. Hatred.

SGT. HATRED
Courtney.

DEAN
Courtney?

SGT. HATRED
Yeah, my grandmother with- you tell anyone that it's Courtney and I will kill you.

Meanwhile in his lab Doc is hard at work... sleeping. Resting his eyes. Whatever. Pete and Billy, meanwhile, have solved the contamination problem with seemingly no issues. They're Conjectural Technologies, piece of cake. They just need the plasma engine from Doc's floating platform to power their device.

DR. VENTURE
Yeaaahh, I kinda sold it to St. Cloud.

BILLY
What are you fucking kidding me!? The engine from the floating platform in episode 204, "The Disappearing Rocket Boy Mystery"?!

DR. VENTURE
Kinda.

BILLY
How could you?! St. Cloud is my arch-enemy! Like, legally my arch-enemy.

DR. VENTURE
Yeah, well, welcome to the good guy team.

To make matters worse Doc has been running 'simulations' on how to formulate an antidote that have all ended with everyone deaths. Granted his simulations were being run in Oregon Trail. Doc says that he's doing the best that he can, and if Paolo Salazar couldn't solve this issue, what are Doc's chances?

PETE
Who's Paolo Salazar?

In the Cocoon, Dr. Girlfriend is explaining that very thing to the Monarch. Salazar was once the world's foremost authority on genetic mutation, but an accident turned him into Paolo The Human Beetle and he disappeared.

But it was right around this time that a beetle-themed super villain called Bugaboo appeared out of nowhere, stealing various chemicals and other crazy things.

Dr. Girlfriend naturally has that whole list of crazy things in her possession.

THE MONARCH
Ahh, I'm so turned on! Let me do you right here on the desk!

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Sweetie, I have to finish my work on these mutations.

THE MONARCH
Finish me!! I'm all revved up from that Hart to Hart style repertoire we had there. Come onnn. Just a handy?

Back at St. Cloud's opulent estate he's watching a Guild sanctioned instructional video hosted by a much younger Dr. Z who is explaining how to recognize a blundering henchman. St. Cloud pauses the video when he hears a noise downstairs.

Downstairs Pete is picking up something he knocked over, which happened to be the staff of Ra. After a brief bit of exposition they smell something very foul. Related story: a huge plant unfolds in front of them and then engulfs them both, trapping them. The lights flip on and St. Cloud and his assistant come down the steps, dressed as... well, something.

ST. CLOUD
Drop. Slagathor, drop. Don't eat daddy's new arch-enemies until he's had his fun.

Commercial.

Back at the Venture Compound, 21 is still running the show. Hank and Dermott inform him that they're pretty sure the big orange guys are eating everyone and also that they can probably just run across the yard screaming when they need to escape. Dr. Venture is soaking his bunions but he's also whipped up some kind of antidote, though who knows what it will end up actually doing. Pete and Billy are nowhere to be found, but Sgt. Hatred is on the line. He informs 21 that Dean is inside with him and now would be a good time for a rescue.

Back at St. Cloud's place he explains what Slagathor is, which is a hybrid between a corpse flower and a film monster. Pete and Billy are also introduced to St. Cloud's albino assistant/sidekick, Pei Wai. He's an Asian albino, making him more rare than your regular run-of-the-mill albino. Pete comments that he has better hair.

Billy then asks for the floating platform, which St. Cloud surprisingly has no issues parting with. It will only cost Billy one dollar. The same amount Billy sniped him in their recent eBay joust. It all comes to a head. Billy comments that he won the Rusty Mego fair and square, though St. Cloud isn't convinced that Billy has won anything fair and square. For example the 'fixed' game show he won when they were both fifteen.

Pei hands St. Cloud a can of pennies. 100 of them. If Billy eats them then they can take the plasma engine.

BILLY
I'm not gonna eat pennies.

PETE
Billy, eat the pennies. It's just pennies. So you poop pennies. Big deal!

ST. CLOUD
Alright, I'll sweeten the pot.

St. Cloud presses a button on his remote which opens a window to a small room. Inside the room are a few robot-looking items, one of them being HELPeR. It's the real HELPeR, by the way. Doc sold HELPeR to St. Cloud.

ST. CLOUD
Eat the pennies and he is yours as well.

PETE
Just eat the pennies.

ST. CLOUD
Eat the pennies. Quizboy.

PETE
Eat the pennies.

BILLY
I won't eat pennies.

ST. CLOUD
Listen to your sidekick; eat the pennies.

PETE
I am not a sideki- Billy eat the damn pennies already!!

ST. CLOUD
Pennies.

Billy shouts that he's not eating the pennies. He instead proposes they do a one question trivia contest. Winner take all. Billy gets the platform and HELPeR if he wins, St. Cloud gets Pete if he wins. He's collecting albinos now. Pete isn't happy about this, but Billy is confident that he can win. St. Cloud presses another button on his remote, revealing a recreated set from Quizboys. Time to make this official.

Back in the E-Den everyone is preparing for the battle for Lee-Hun-Took. Since Dean is challenger he gets to pick the competition. Martin wants to do some awesome blade combat but Dean instead opts for "the way of the Indian" which ends up including Indian sunburn, Indian feast and Indian leg wrestling. Dean wins all three competitions and becomes the Lee-Hun-Took. It's the dawn of the second age!

Back at St. Cloud's place we're treated to a brand new edition of Quizboys. The question they've agreed on is: how many robots are in this cabinet:

St. Cloud buzzes in first. The answer is five. Billy says it's actually four. St. Cloud points out the five: Nomad, HELPeR, the walking eye that's part of HELPeR, Twiki and Dr. Theopolis around Twiki's neck. Billy explains that Nomad actually isn't a robot, however, making the total four. Or at least he was never called a robot in Star Trek. St. Cloud concedes, though not without a warning that he will get Billy. Oh yes.

That was fun. So back at the Compound Doc is in the sewers below the E-Den. He's hooked up the antidote to the AC pump and is awaiting 4:30am, which is when he'll turn on the AC and release it.

21
Oh, slight problem. Hatred and Dean are in there. And I deciphered the ninety-four theses. It's kind of a bible, complete with a nutty apocalypse called The Second Age. And that's basically using your ray shield to turn the whole world into mutants.

DR. VENTURE
So you're saying...

21
Exactly! Dean and Hatred and the whole world are in danger!

DR. VENTURE
What? No, you're saying they finished my ray shield! Best news I've heard all day!

21
Don't take this as an insult, but working for you and the Monarch, ehh, it's like the same thing.

In the meantime the Cocoon is on its way to the Venture Compound. The Monarch asks Dr. Girlfriend if his army of mutant henchmen is ready and she tells him, suspiciously, not to worry about it. Plus she's sent in an advance team to secure the hatch. The Monarch is pleased. They'll drop in their henchmen as if dropping an evil, mighty push!

Pete and Billy are on their way to the Venture Compound as well, driving the floating platform while HELPeR clings on. Pete thinks they should just keep the platform and HELPeR since they won them both fair and square. Billy notes that Pete doesn't play with Robo-Bo any more so they can't get another android. Just then 21 contacts them asking their ETA. Pete says that they can have full decon in three hours but 21 informs them that they actually only have 90 minutes. Billy is confident that it can be done, since they're super scientists! Living the dream!

21's screen is interrupted by a warning about the approaching Cocoon. The Monarch gives the order for the inside men (the moppets) to begin insertion protocol. They're currently inside the E-Den dressed as a white cleansuit student.

Meanwhile a huge party is going on with all the white and orange cleansuit folks. They're celebrating the new Lee-Hun-Took and the second age. Dean, however, just wants to leave. Thalia explains to him that since he's the king he'll rule over all with her as his queen. They'll make out and stuff. They then make out a little, which Dean is pretty excited about, proclaiming himself king of the world to the crowd, who cheer happily at him.

Outside 21 races to the E-Den as the Cocoon approaches. Behind him Pete and Billy fly over and see his signal. They swing down and he jumps onto the platform. He instructs them to drop him off at the E-Den so he can deal with the Monarch. They need to get the decon up and running using the platform's engine. 21 jumps off the platform just as Kevin and Tim-Tom have lasered a hole in the top of the E-Den. 21 slips in the snow and slides down half of the E-Den's dome making an uncomfortable squeaking noise as his bare stomach rubs against the glass of the E-Den.

Overhead the umbilical pipe is deployed from the bottom of the Cocoon. The moppets secure it onto the hatch they created on the E-Den. The 'movement' begins. However 21 has now caught the moppets. The Monarch, again, assumes that 21 is on his side. He tells them that Hatred and Dean are in there, which the Monarch seems happy about. The deploy begins as... something... slides down the tube and into the E-Den. The moppets grapple hook away as 21 attempts to grab the tube and dislodge it.

Inside the E-Den the party suddenly stops as a flood of monarch butterflies flood into the building. They land on everyone inside and inject them with something. They actually appear to be robotic butterflies. Everyone inside screams.

Down below the clock strikes 4:30am and Doc turns on the AC, releasing a green gas into the E-Den.

Inside the Cocoon the Monarch is unhappy about the lack of mutant warriors. Dr. Girlfriend walks up to him with a very old man; Paolo Salazar. The foremost expert on reversing genetic mutation. The Monarch is still bummed, but Dr. Girlfriend points out that he didn't actually want a Cocoon full of freaks. You don't fight fire with fire, you fight it with water.

THE MONARCH
Sooooo I still win?

DR. GIRLFRIEND
You still win.

[ALARM goes off]

HENCHMAN
I'm getting a reading that massive amounts of narcotics are coming up the umbilical into the Cocoon.

THE MONARCH & DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Retreat!

The Cocoon is flooded with the green gas Dr. Venture pumped into the E-Den. Outside the Cocoon pulls away from the E-Den, breaking its connection with it and releasing more gas.

Later on that morning we see that JJ has arrived and some workers are loading the ray shield onto his jet.After he walks off Billy comments that he can't believe Doc's antidote worked. Doc can't either, seeing as how it was mostly just antibiotics and roofies. Meanwhile a large number of students are stumbling out of the E-Den, confused and probably pretty high. Nobody seems to remember anything. Dermott and Hank are sitting with Dean/

HANK
Yeah, we just kinda hid in the house. We totally did not want to get our faces eaten. What happened in there?

DEAN
I don't really remember. I think I fought a guy to be leader of the world. And like, the hottest chick there was my queen.

DERMOTT
Yeah, that happened. Dude, you are so baked.

DEAN
[Looking at THALIA] I know that girl! I feel like we made out or something.

HANK
Ooh! Check your watch! Works for me sometimes.

Nearby 21 is standing over Hatred, who is laying on the ground.

SGT. HATRED
Aww, why are you here?

21
Hey, why do you still have tits?

Roll end credits.

Inside the Cocoon everyone is really, really high.

THE MONARCH
So, like, they're all normal guys now, and Venture looks all retarded!

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Yeah, antidote butterflies. Anti-flies. No, no! Butter-dotes! Butter-dotes.

THE MONARCH
[laughs] So awesome. You're like so awesome. You're like my best friend!

DR. MRS. THE MONARCH
Oh! Wait! Anti-doodlebugs!

They both pass out.