**Later that evening, Libby and Cindy are at the Candy Bar. Libby is slurping away at a milkshake, but Cindy’s food is sitting in front of her, untouched. Cindy stares absently out the window, and after a moment Libby puts down the milkshake and lays a concerned hand on Cindy’s shoulder**
LIBBY: Girl, what is up with you? You’ve been actin’ weird, and you haven’t even eaten anything.
CINDY: (wincing) I don’t feel right.
LIBBY: What do ya mean? Does your stomach hurt or somethin’?
CINDY: Ya, really bad, but it’s not just that. I just feel WRONG.
LIBBY: In what way?
**Cindy considers a moment, then turns back to her friend**
CINDY: (frowning) You know that crushing feeling you get when you swim too far underwater? Like in the summertime, when you swim to the bottom of the deep end?
LIBBY: Uh huh…
CINDY: Well, it’s kind of like that. It’s like the air is being crushed out of me.
LIBBY: That doesn’t sound good. When did ya start feelin’ like that?
CINDY: After school, actually. It didn’t hurt too badly at first, but the symptoms have gotten worse. Oh no, here it comes again!
**Cindy doubles over and grabs her stomach in pain**
CINDY: (grimacing) Libby!
**Libby pulls up the edge of Cindy’s shirt to look at her stomach, and her eyes practically bug out of her head**
LIBBY: Cindy, your stomach is GLOWING.
**Cindy catches a glimpse of her belly, which is indeed luminescent with a shimmering red glow. She gasps and accidentally knocks her milkshake to the floor**
CINDY: (freaking out) I don’t understand! It wasn’t like this a few minutes ago! What the heck is happening to me?
LIBBY: I dunno…but do you think this could possibly have anythin’ to do with that red triangle Jimmy used on ya today?
**There is a moment of silence as the two girls stare at each other**
CINDY: (jumping up) Neutron, you are SO
DEAD!!!
**Meanwhile, down in the lab, Jimmy has just finished conducting his latest experiment with Carl in the catastrophic meltdown simulator. Carl crawls out of the machine and then collapses on the floor, the ceiling whirling above his head. He hiccups, and Sheen and Jimmy rush over to him**
CARL: (swooning) Jimmy, I thought you said that the simulator wasn’t going to make me sick.
**Jimmy looks at the ground sheepishly**
JIMMY: It wasn’t supposed to Carl, but something went wrong. It seems that my catastrophic meltdown simulator experienced...well, a catastrophic meltdown.
SHEEN: Ha! Talk about irony.
JIMMY: (glaring at Sheen) We’ll just have to try again later, right Carl? Carl?
**Carl has hidden himself behind the simulator and is busy throwing up. Jimmy walks towards him, but at that exact moment, a loud buzzing alarm goes off**
VOX: Girl alert. Girl alert. Outer perimeter breached, females within five feet…four feet…three feet…BEEEEEP!
SHEEN: Aha! Fresh targets! Shoot ‘em! Shoot ‘em I tell ya!
JIMMY: Cut it out Sheen!
VOX: Alert. Alert. The Anti-girl weapons system has been activated. Please choose method of annihilation: quick and painless, or slow and horrible.
JIMMY: No, Vox! Shut down the anti-girl weapons system, and activate the clubhouse surveillance camera!
**A TV monitor flickers to life, and Cindy and Libby can be seen standing out in front of the clubhouse. Cindy is kicking the door and Libby is pushing on Vox, apparently unaware that it is a DNA scanner and not a doorbell**
CINDY: (shouting) I know you can hear me down there, Neutron! You’ve got this whole place wired. Now let me in!
LIBBY: Jimmy, let us in! It’s an emergency! Cindy’s in big trouble!
CINDY: That’s right, freakboy! And you’re going to be in even BIGGER trouble if you don’t…WAHHHHHH!
**Cindy is cut short when the floor gives out beneath her. The girls find themselves sliding down a plastic, yellow colored tube that looks remarkably like something you’d find inside a hamster’s cage. The tube takes a sharp dip and Libby vanishes, and a second later Cindy rockets out of the tube and crash-lands on top of her friend**
LIBBY: (croaking) Girl, get off me! I can’t breathe!
**Cindy jumps up and dusts herself off, just in time for the boys to run into the room. She favors Jimmy with a fierce stare**
CINDY: All right Neutron, what the heck did you do to me?
JIMMY: (startled) Huh? What are you talking about?
CINDY: (rolling her eyes) Oh, as if you didn’t know! You don’t honestly expect me to believe that, do you? Now stop beating around the bush and fess up!
JIMMY: Fess up to what? You know, it would be really nice if you’d TELL me what you’re angry about before you come down here and start accusing. What is this all about? Go on, ENLIGHTEN ME!
CINDY: It’s your stupid triangle! It did something to me!
JIMMY: Did something?
CINDY: (lifting up the corner of her shirt) Look, freakboy! My stomach is glowing!
**Jimmy’s eyes grow wide and he backs up a step. Carl looks away, and Sheen breaks out into a huge smile**
SHEEN: Oh wow, cool! This is just like the time I swallowed that glow stick on the fourth of July! Ha! I was like a human bug light for a week!
CARL: Ya, I remember that! Cindy looks like she has got pretty fireflies in her tummy!
**Sheen pokes Cindy’s stomach, and she swats his hand away**
CINDY: Back off!
JIMMY: (frowning) Hold on, Cindy, let me check something here…
**Jimmy inspects the glow for a moment, then turns to the table behind him. He grabs a silver handheld device and scans Cindy with it, then punches in a series of numbers and waits while it calculates the results. He stares at the reading for a second and then staggers back**
JIMMY: Oh no…
CINDY: What do you mean, “Oh no”? Listen, idiots. This may be a big joke for you, but it isn’t for me! So stop fooling around and cut to the chase!
JIMMY: I’m afraid it’s not a joke at all, Cindy. It’s very serious.
LIBBY: How serious?
JIMMY: Life and Death serious. You guys had better sit down.
**They all obey except for Cindy, who merely crosses her arms and glares at him**
JIMMY: Listen, Cindy, I may not have much time to tell you this, so listen carefully. The reason you appear to be turning red is due to a phenomenon called “red shift.” Your atoms are being pulled away from us at an incredible rate of speed, which causes their energy to shift to lower wavelengths and appear red.
LIBBY: Whaddya mean, her atoms are being pulled away? She’s standin’ right there, isn’t she?
JIMMY: Well, yes, but…
CINDY: Is there a point to this? Could you PLEASE stop reciting scientific nonsense and cut to the chase!
JIMMY: OK, Let me see if I can explain. It seems that something went terribly wrong when I transported you to the top of the flagpole today.
CINDY: (sarcastically) What a shock.
JIMMY: The Triangle’s chemical bonds must not have been stable when I used it on you. Somehow, during your molecular deconstruction, the Triangle did...well, something to your atoms. Whatever it did, you are now in conflict with the laws of physics in this universe.
LIBBY: Say what?
CARL: I’m confused Jimmy…
JIMMY: (gravely) I don’t know how else to tell you this Cindy, so I’ll just say it straight out. The laws of physics can’t handle your presence here. As we speak, your atoms are being pulled out of this reality. In other words, you are being sucked into an alternate universe.
**There is a shocked silence as the kids stare at him**
CINDY: (shouting) WHAT??? An ALTERNATE UNIVERSE???
JIMMY: Within minutes the pull will become so strong that you will effectively collapse under your own gravity and create a warp in the fabric of space-time. Then, you and any other objects in the immediate area will be sucked forever into an parallel universe.
**Cindy’s face crumples into an expression of brokenhearted misery, then she slumps down**
CINDY: I can’t believe it. You really did it this time, Neutron.
LIBBY: (angrily) How could you do this?! How COULD you? I’ve seen you stoop pretty low, but I never thought ya’d actually hurt her!
JIMMY: I didn’t meant for this to happen, I swear! It was an accident!
LIBBY: I don’t care! We’ve had enough accidents. Now fix this!
JIMMY: I-I don’t know if I can…now that her molecules have been negatively charged, none of my instruments would work on them.
LIBBY: Isn’t there anythin’ we can do?
**There is a moment of silence as Jimmy considers, then his eyes light up**
JIMMY: Cindy, I need you to take off your pants.
CINDY: EXCUSE ME???? I think I’d rather chew glass!
JIMMY: I’m serious! I need to see how far the red glow has progressed. If it’s in the early stages, I might be able to reverse it.
**At that moment, Cindy’s arms and face begin to glow red as well**
CINDY: Does that answer your question, DIRTtron?
CARL: Oh, Cindy’s blushing! I think she likes you!
SHEEN: Carl, don’t be stupid! She’s being sucked into an inescapable void of doom! Show some sympathy, darn it! Hey Cindy, when you’re gone, can I have your stuff?
CINDY: NO!!!
LIBBY: Guys, get serious! What are we gonna do?
SHEEN: Um, how about RUN LIKE HECK!
CARL: Ya, if we stay won’t we get sucked in too?
JIMMY: Well, yes, but we can’t just leave her! Cindy wouldn’t stand a chance all alone in an alternate universe. I’m going with her.
LIBBY: (grabbing Cindy’s arm) Me too. I’m not lettin’ my best friend go through this alone.
SHEEN: (grabbing Libby) And I cannot let my fair lady cross over to the other side without me! I shall accompany you, my sweet.
CARL: Oh, I don’t wanna be left all alone! I’m coming too.
GODDARD: Bark bark!
JIMMY: Then it’s settled. We’ll all go together.
CINDY: Well, as touching as this is, Neutron, I’d like to remind you that it was your stupid fault in the first place!
**Cindy’s hair fades to a light red, and a moment later her whole body grows bright like flame. Her eyes blaze and when she opens her mouth to speak, the light is nearly unbearable**
CINDY: AAAAAAAHHHHHH! I’m burning up!
SHEEN: Wow! This is just like Ultralord episode 391 when Ultralord found himself in the clutches of the wicked Dr. Soevilhescaresyomama! Except that he’s a guy, he wasn’t glowing red, and he wasn’t getting sucked into anything. Actually, this situation is more like episode 105….
LIBBY: (interrupting) Can it, Sheen! This is no time for cartoon talk.
CARL: (wincing) Oh, I’m getting heartburn just looking at her!
JIMMY: OK, guys, this might be rough. Once Cindy hits critical mass we’ll all get sucked in behind her. We can’t afford to get separated in the dimensional void, so grab on to whoever is next to you and don’t let go.
**Sheen waggles his eyebrows at Libby, and she takes a step away. A moment later there is a noise like the tearing of paper, and objects in the room soar into the air and begin whirling around them. Cindy holds her head in pain as the walls begins to shake, and the contents of the room whip around them in a tornado-like flurry. Libby grabs onto Cindy’s arm, Sheen wraps his arms around Libby’s waist, and Carl flings himself and grabs onto Sheen’s shoe. Jimmy coaxes Cindy’s other hand down from her head and holds it in his own**
JIMMY: I’m so sorry…
**Cindy doesn’t seem to hear him. Her glowing white eyes stare fixedly into space as the dancing colors of flame consume her body, and a moment later her form vanishes entirely. There is a flash of white light, and then a gaping black hole materializes where she once stood. Goddard disappears into the void, and Jimmy and the others find themselves being pulled towards it**
JIMMY: Don’t fight it guys! We have to follow her!
**They stop struggling, and the four of them are sucked into the void and into utter blackness**