Zeke saw a dim light somewhere up ahead and swam towards it. Suddenly he broke through the surface of the water and took a deep gasp of air. He seemed to be in a small dark tank and the water around him was slimy and putrid.  

Suddenly the beam of a flashlight shone on him and he heard Dr. Octavius' voice call out from what seemed like a great distance. Looking over he saw the metallic rungs of a ladder built into a wall. He climbed up it and felt surprisingly strong hands grab hold of him and pull him through a hole. He landed in a mud puddle on the ground. It was nighttime and raining, but from all appearances he seemed to be back on Earth.  

"Are you okay?" Dr. Octavius asked as he patted him on the back. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zeke coughed as he rolled over on his back and let out a sigh.  

"The journey back is always a bit unpleasant," Dr. Octavius said. "Especially since we're forced to traverse Dr. Wentworth's septic tank."  

Zeke sat up and ran a hand through his soaking wet hair. "After a shower and a good night's sleep I'll be good as new." 

Suddenly a floodlight turned on and enveloped them in intense bright light. Zeke could see Sarah huddled up and shivering a short distance away. She still didn't make eye contact with him. 

"Aha!" a voice shouted out. "Octavius, you trespassing vermin! Now I've got you right where I want you!" 

"Hello, Jonas," Dr. Octavius said calmly. 

"You're always snooping around here, aren't you?" Dr. Wentworth sneered as he walked towards them menacingly. "Are you trying to steal my ideas? Is that your little game? Well this time I've got a little something I think you'll find very interesting indeed." 

"Please sir," a small voice piped up from behind Dr. Wentworth. "Don't do it!" 

"You stay out of this, Maurice," Dr. Wentworth growled at his assistant. He turned his attention back to Dr. Octavius and began laughing maniacally. "Please allow me to introduce you to my latest invention: the XP-1200 Ultrasonic laser gun with pinpoint sightings, seven levels of intensity, nuclear-powered backup, and extra backfire resistance. It also brews a mean cup of java." He whipped out a long, deadly looking gun and pointed it at Dr. Octavius. 

"Please sir," Maurice spoke up again. "It's still in the experimental stages! Please don't use it now. Besides, the poor man is unarmed!" 

"Mind your own affairs, Maurice!" Dr. Wentworth shouted. "As for you, Octavius! I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time." A clap of thunder roared through the air as the rain began to fall with increased intensity. 

"Do what you must, Jonas," Dr. Octavius said as he raised his arms in resignation. 

"Don't worry, I will," Dr. Wentworth giggled gleefully as he pulled the trigger. Unfortunately something went dreadfully haywire as the laser beam shot backwards into Dr. Wentworth, causing him to jerk around spastically for several minutes before falling on his back unconscious. The smell of burning hair filled the air. 

"I must apologize for my boss," Maurice said meekly. "He's been in a state of depression ever since his monster left him. You guys can be on your way, if you'd like. I won't stop you." He grabbed Sarah's hand and helped her to her feet. 

"Thank you," she said as their eyes met.  

"No problem," he said as he blushed and turned away. "You folks have a good night, okay?" 

"Well, that was certainly interesting, wasn't it?" Dr. Octavius said as he brushed some dirt off his pants. "Can I walk you home, sweetie?" he asked Sarah. 

"Sure," she replied and nestled up next to him. 

"Oh, Zeke, could you do me a favor before you go home?" Dr. Octavius asked. 

"I guess," Zeke shrugged. "What is it?" 

"Could you lock up the lab for me? I know it was a good thing Dr. Wentworth's monster got in there, but I don't want any other unsavory characters breaking in and finding their way to Quartzwater City. While you're at it, maybe you could go ahead and power down the doorway." 

"Yeah, okay," Zeke said as he watched Dr. Octavius and Sarah disappear into the wet night. 

It was only a short distance down the street to the lab and Zeke got there within five minutes. It was nice to get out of the rain and Zeke shivered a bit as he walked around. Bruce the monster had apparently been busy as the place looked cleaner than Zeke had ever seen it. There were also frilly curtains up on the windows and lots of doilies placed about the room. 

He paused by Michelangelo's empty cage and wondered what sort of criminal endeavors the small monkey was hatching at the moment. At the same time he hoped Esther had found herself a nice rooster or somebody to fall in love with, because, god knew, Zeke suddenly had his hands full in the love department. He sat down on a lab stool for a moment and attempted to gather his thoughts. 

Suddenly he heard a loud knock at the door. "Who the hell could that be?" he wondered to himself as he walked over and turned the handle nonchalantly. 

A flash of lightning outside briefly obscured his view but then he found himself standing face to face with a soaking wet Trevor Mastodon. 

"What are you doing here?" Zeke barely had time to stammer before being shoved violently backwards into a table. 

"Hello, Zeke," Trevor Mastodon said with a chilling tone in his voice. "Fancy meeting you here. Are you ready to die?" 

"No," Zeke said defiantly as he stood up and stared his adversary directly in the eye. 

Trevor Mastodon walked into the room and began pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "I'm given to understand it was you that suggested locking me up in that accursed sphere." 

"Yeah, so?" Zeke continued to glare at him. 

"Hmm. I would have thought better of your intellect. Didn't you realize the miniaturization was only a temporary enterprise? Once I resumed my normal size I easily busted out of my prison." 

"Of course I knew it was temporary," Zeke said. "I thought they would have transferred you into a real prison by the time it wore off." 

"Well, you thought wrong," Trevor Mastodon smiled coldly. "I escaped within hours and followed you back here. Now I'm going to seal off the passageway to Quartzwater City and eliminate you, Octavius, and his niece permanently." 

"Try it, asshole," Zeke taunted. 

Trevor Mastodon let out a primal growl and lunged towards Zeke's throat. Thinking quickly, Zeke grabbed the empty monkey cage and battered him over the head with it.  

Trevor Mastodon stumbled for a moment and then batted the cage out of Zeke's hand. 

Suddenly weaponless, Zeke ran to the other side of the room, putting the work table between himself and Trevor Mastodon. 

Trevor Mastodon smiled evilly and overturned the table with one fell swoop of his hand.  

Zeke let out a little gulp and ran through the open bookcase into the secret room where the doorway to Quartzwater City still stood open, casting a bright buzzing light into the room. 

Trevor Mastodon pursued him and stopped short. "Yes, here is the portal which I must destroy." 

Zeke chewed on his lips as he could feel his heart beating heavily in his chest. "Wait! If you destroy it, how will you get back to Quartzwater City?" 

"Don't you worry about that, human!" Trevor Mastodon sneered. "Once I've dispatched you, Octavius, and the girl, I'll set a time bomb on this doorway. After I'm safely through it'll shatter into smithereens." 

Zeke thought about this for a second and decided he needed to lure Trevor Mastodon away from the doorway. He dodged to the left and then doubled back around, running into the main room again. He planned on circling the room again when he felt a strong hand suddenly grab him around the throat. 

Trevor Mastodon stood before him with a wild look in his eyes and drool dripping from his mouth. "Say your prayers, Earth-monkey," he growled as he opened his mouth excessively wide. 

Zeke flailed his arms around desperately when his hand hit some sort of square metallic object in his pocket. He dug his fingers in and suddenly remembered the people-zapper device he'd lifted from the hotel. 

Just as he could feel the sharp tips of Trevor Mastodon's teeth closing about his neck he whipped out the small metal box and pushed the button.  

There was a burst of electricity and a loud clapping sound as Trevor Mastodon suddenly flew backwards through the air. He sailed straight through the open bookcase and into the doorway before catching the edges of it with his hands. 

There was a fantastic pulling sensation on his lower half as he grasped either side of the doorway with his hands and pulled himself forward. His knuckles were turning white with strain but he appeared to be making progress. "You're dead, Zeke," he growled. "And believe me, it's going to be a slow, painful process!" 

Zeke tried to hit him with the zapper again, but the power seemed to have gone out. He thought briefly about trying to push Trevor Mastodon through the door with his hands, but the snapping jaws dissuaded him. Besides, what was to prevent him from just returning to Earth via the pond again? 

Finally, in a fit of desperation, Zeke wandered over to the lever on the wall and switched it to the off position. 

There was a loud explosion and Trevor Mastodon let out a shriek of agony as his torso fell to the floor awash in a mess of entrails and the doorway around him shattered. Soon he fell silent and lay motionless on the floor. Evidently cutting off the power had ripped him in half as his lower section had returned to Quartzwater City, while his top half remained on Earth. The strain of shutting off power while an object was halfway in between proved too much for the door as well, as numerous wooden pieces of it lay scattered about the room. 

Zeke fell to his knees panting, overwhelmed by everything that had transpired. He gradually shifted to a prostrate position and eventually fell asleep there on the floor.