"Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better"
After the crisis involving Willie the Giant, whom was continuing his destructive fun through the rest of Monstropolis (with the C.D.A. still trying their best efforts to stop him), a large metal dome was placed over the Monsters, Inc. factory to anything big from getting in and anything small from getting out. The only small things that were coming in were the lines of C.D.A. vans through a small garage-type entrance only big enough to suit the vehicles. There was an agent inside of a booth near the entranceway, checking in and out vans.
What was inside of these C.D.A. vans were kept classified by the agents on demand from Mister Waternoose. There weren't just more C.D.A. agents in them. On direct orders from Waternoose, the agents were supposed to have gathered all of the outsiders running wild through Monstropolis and bring them to the Monsters, Inc. factory.
Amongst the groups of outsiders being brought to Monsters, Inc. were Phil Diffy (a 20-year-old kid who traveled through time from the 22nd century, six years ago), his girlfriend Keely Teslow, Yzma (the former advisor of Emperor Kuzco), and the very peeved fashion designer known as Cruella de Vil. They were all placed inside of the same C.D.A. van, forced to share the same space with each other, as well as breathe the same air—much to the chagrin of Cruella, who repeatedly banged her fists against the sides of the van in anger.
"I demand to be released!!!" Cruella screamed. "Do you people know who I am?! I'll have you sued for this! Sued, you hear?!"
Phil, Keely, and even Yzma were all covering their ears from the horrendous shrieking that Cruella had been doing for thirty minutes straight. As if ending up in a strange parallel dimension in their usual nightwear wasn't horrible enough, being cooped up with Cruella was just torture.
"Will you shut up?!" Yzma demanded.
"Uh, Miss de Vil?" uttered Keely, speaking for the first time since being captured by the yellow-suited, multiple-armed monsters. "I don't think they can hear you."
Phil knocked on the steel, hollow structure that he was sitting against. "These are one hundred percent titanium-thick walls. I can't even hear the engine running outside."
Cruella just scoffed at her three fellow captives. "What do you all know? You're just two adolescent children and one dried-up old prune!"
Yzma immediately got into Cruella's face the moment she called her by that name, not appearing all too pleased with it. Through gritted teeth she said, "Who're you calling 'dried-up', you walking carpet?!"
It seemed things got just much worse the moment Yzma and Cruella engaged in a shouting match, with both women shouting the highest over each other. Phil and Keely counted the guys driving the van lucky for not being able to listen to all of the screaming that occurred in that compartment, because it was enough to make someone go deaf for hours.
However, they were spared of any further bickering, as soon as they felt the van come an abrupt stop. Yzma and Cruella fell silent, wondering along with Phil and Keely what happened to cause the van to stop. After a few moments had passed, the door to the compartment suddenly opened, letting in the fresh air from outside that made things less stuffy.
Phil, Keely, Yzma, and Cruella noticed a group of people and monsters standing outside. It was Meagan Tully, Jonathan Barrett, Mike Wazowski, and James P. Sullivan, with a still unconscious Kimberly Venkman draped over Sulley's shoulder and a calm, happy Boo carried by Mike. The sight of these strangers, standing together and not afraid whatsoever, puzzled the four people in the van.
"Who're you guys?" Phil asked.
It was then that Keely noticed the Proton Pack strapped to Meagan's back, which seemed to have been making her knees buckle a bit. "Oh, man! Phil! It's a Ghostbuster! She's here to rescue us!"
Meagan seemed confused at first from the way Keely was pointing at her and telling Phil this misleading information. Only when the massive weight of the Proton Pack reminded her that she had the appearance of a real Ghostbuster, she shook her head and said, "Oh, no, no! I'm just one of the new Junior Ghostbusters." She gestured to the unconscious Venkman on Sulley's shoulder and added, "She's one of the original four."
"Why is she asleep on that guy's shoulder?" Phil inquired.
Before Meagan or her friend could've explained why, they were interrupted by Cruella and Yzma, who pushed aside Phil and Keely upon making their way out of the van. "Never mind the twenty questions!" Cruella angrily yelled.
"Yes, let's get out of here, while the getting's good." Yzma added.
J.B. suddenly stood in their way, raising his hands up to stop them. "We know just how you people can get out of here. But it's going to involve going to the place that these guys were taking you to." As he told them this, he pointed to the nearby sidewalk, where two monsters were sitting, tied up and gagged with nothing other than their boxers on. Apparently, these were the same yellow-suited monsters that captured Phil, Keely, Yzma, and Cruella.
"Where was it that they were taking us?" Phil asked.
"Yeah, what's going on here?" Keely inquired.
"We can explain on the way there." Meagan insisted. "Every second we spend talking, those monsters are putting innocent people in danger."
Sulley set Kimberly's unconscious body into the van compartment, before picking up the pair of yellow suits they snatched from the agents, handing one over to Mike—which was appropriately his size. "C'mon, Mike. These will help us get past the security guarding the factory."
Wazowski didn't seem all too pleased as he put on the yellow suit through his way into the front seat of the van, grumbling under his breath, "Power surges, Ghostbusters, fellow employees attacking me in my home…I'm startin' to wish I did go to lunch with Celia."
The disguises worked to the group's advantage, as Mike and Sulley were able to gain access into the dome surrounding Monsters, Inc. Upon arriving there, they witnessed something that they wouldn't have imagined in a million years: large groups of outsiders being escorted into the complex, looking very frightened, very angry, and very confused. It was a sight that made them both think about their line of work in scaring people.
Because of the soundproof dome and gags placed in the mouths of the escorted outsiders, the Monsters Inc. technicians were able to get the power in the factory running again. Several C.D.A. vans parked in rows outside the complex. And in the center of it all were Mister Waternoose and Randall, both grinning in a way that seemed almost sinister.
Sulley parked the van right across from the two monsters and climbed out with Mike. Waternoose and Randall directed their attention to them, not appearing to recognize either of them with the yellow suits on. Waternoose had been carrying a clipboard, documenting the number of outsiders being brought inside, when he asked them, "And how many have you boys brought in?"
"Seven, sir," answered Sulley, his voice unrecognizable through the static-filled intercom built in his suit.
Waternoose and Randall both chuckled with glee from the number. "With as many as we've got now, we'll have enough power to last us for generations," stated Waternoose.
"Some of these twerps we won't even have to waste the Extractor on." Randall said. "They're frightened enough as it is…ready to scream their lungs out 'til they run dry."
"And once they do, it'll be easy to dispose of them with our 'new friends'." Waternoose added.
As their boss and fellow employee were exchanging words, it became clear to Sulley and Mike that their fears had been confirmed. Just as Meagan Tully said they would, Waternoose and Randall were taking advantage of the "Outsider Situation" by containing every single one that had entered Monstropolis and extracting their screams to obtain a large supply of power for the city. They were shocked and appalled by this evil plan, feeling ashamed of being Monsters, Inc. employees.
"Now then," said a delighted Waternoose, turning his attention back to Sulley and Mike, "open the compartment and release the subjects."
"You've got it…boss." Mike said with a scorn that could barely be detected through his electronic voice, as he pulled down the lever that began opening the door to the compartment.
Waternoose and Randall stood by the rear of the van, eagerness filling up inside of them to see the poor souls that were brought to the factory. Halfway into the opening, the smiles of Waternoose and Randall quickly faded, when they found themselves staring down the barrel of a Proton Gun, wielded by Meagan Tully.
"What the…?!" Randall exclaimed, as he saw the group of Meagan Tully, Jonathan Barrett, Phil Diffy, Keely Teslow, Cruella de Vil, and Yzma inside of the van compartment.
Boo was there as well, carried in the careful hands of Keely, as she shouted out to the two monsters, "Boo!"
"What is the meaning of this?!" Waternoose angrily said, just as he watched the two yellow-suited monsters disrobe themselves to reveal the identities of Sulley and Mike. "Wazowski? Sullivan?! You two have betrayed this company?!?!"
"No more than you have, sir." Sulley retorted, feeling very hurt. "I've worked here for a very long time and never have I seen the company name tainted in such a way. What you're doing here is…immoral!"
"What I'm doing is taking an opportunity when it is given to me, Sullivan!" Waternoose remarked. "And I will not let you or your 'friends' judge my character!" He then turned to Randall and gave him a nod, which was the signal for him to "take care" of the traitors.
Randall hissed like a snake, as he advanced on Meagan and the others. And on instinct (or pure fright), Meagan fired the Proton Gun at Randall, unleashing an intense, powerful stream. It went right over his head and shot across the area, connecting with one of the parked C.D.A. vehicles. The explosion that erupted from the blast created a chain reaction that destroyed other following vehicles.
All C.D.A. agents went into panic mode, extremely intimidated by the weapon that Meagan wielded in her hands. They all started exiting the dome, alerting others to abandon their duties and evacuate as well. Taking advantage of this, Sulley and Mike urged their friends to follow them into the building, with J.B. carrying the unconscious Kimberly Venkman in his arms.
Before entering, J.B. stopped and addressed the captive outsiders. "Everybody come with us. We can help you get out of here." They saw no other choices available and freely decided to follow them, hoping to make a quick escape from this nightmare.
Nearby, Waternoose and Randall were fighting to get past the barrage of C.D.A. agents rushing past them. As soon as all of them were out of the dome, the two evil monsters took notice of their adversaries entering the complex, with their ticket to years of unlimited power in tow. Angered and frustrated, they rushed towards the entrance, growling while doing so.
Fungus hoped with all three of his hearts that Waternoose would pay him big for working under such immense pressure that day, with all that had happened in the previous hours. He was barely able to walk across the main lobby, being on his feet for most of the day, not once having a coffee break. In his hands, he carried the access card to the computer room downstairs, along with a clipboard that held a checklist of things he needed to do.
The monster was just on the verge of stopping in his tracks and nodding off to sleep, until he heard his name brusquely called by someone across the room. He turned and spotted James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, accompanied by a platoon of outsiders. He nearly jumped out of his skin from the unsettling display, too exhausted to even run for his life.
"W-W-What do y-you g-guys want?!" Fungus stammered.
"We want you to take us to the computer room," demanded J.B., approaching Fungus and towering over him with a glare in his eye. "No questions asked!"
"Duh, um, s-sure t-t-thing." Fungus acknowledged.
Sulley and Mike were already in the process of leading the other outsiders into the workroom. "You guys go find out the source of the disturbance," ordered Sulley. "We'll go get everyone back to their homes."
The group split up into the two areas, engaging in their own respective tasks. It wasn't very long afterward when Waternoose and Randall arrived, splitting themselves up as well, with Waternoose taking the workroom and Randall taking the computer room.
Randall followed down the same hallway that Meagan, J.B., and Fungus had taken, camouflaging himself into the environment to avoid being seen by them. Once he had caught up with them, he saw them entering an elevator with the computer room being the only access to it. He quickly crawled his way into it, before the doors sealed shut.
Mike and Sulley found themselves doing one hectic job getting everyone back into their bedrooms, having to find just the right access card with the right person's face printed on it to take them home. They were successful in getting twenty people back to their rooms, before Waternoose arrived and demanded, "Stop this moment! Or I'll…I'll…"
BANG!
The blow came so swiftly that Waternoose barely felt its sting, as he instantly collapsed to the floor. Behind him was a slug-looking monster with green-brown skin and a bit of grey hair on top of her head and wearing only a red sweater. In her left hand, she carried a scream canister, which she had used to hit Waternoose over the head and knock him out.
"With all due respect, sir," she said with a very rough voice, "no one puts my C.D.A. boys in the line of fire, unless I say so."
Sulley and Mike recognized the monster as the resident bookkeeper of the Monsters, Inc. factory, Roz. It was Wazowski who even expressed his surprise upon seeing her when he asked, "What're you doing here?!"
"I was on my way to C.D.A. headquarters to deal with the current 'situation', when I remembered that I had to tell ya that you forgot to file your paperwork…as usual." Roz explained. "But then I was notified how the C.D.A. was being used for illegal activities, so I ran my way here to deal with it."
Sulley seemed highly bewildered over how Roz was talking of the C.D.A. as if she were part of their organization. "Wait…since when have you been close contact with the C.D.A.?"
"Since I've been the leader of them, Sullivan," answered Roz, flashing her identification card as proof to them, much to their immediate surprise. "What's going on here is no system glitch. The boundaries between our world and the outsiders' world are interfering with that of another…and it's opening right beneath this factory."
Mike shook his head in confusion. "Roz, what're you…?"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
There was a sudden earthquake that came over the complex, shaking its foundation and causing everyone in the room to fall, except for Roz. From what some of them could tell, the source of the quake came from beneath the factory, which where Roz claimed the source of their situation to be coming from.
"Your friends down there are in danger," stated Roz, her grotesque face not showing one hint of concern of what was happening. "If they get near the doorway, they could run risk of getting sucked in."
"Sucked into what?" Phil inquired.
"Who cares?!" Cruella exclaimed in frustration. "It's their problem now. We are all going home!"
Roz let out a deep moan before addressing Cruella. "I hate to burst yer bubble, miss. But whatever this is that's coming into our worlds grows, then ya won't have a home to go to."
Hearing what Roz had been saying, Keely suddenly reached the inspiration to really save the world…and another at that. But she needed some confirmation from Phil before she did so. She turned to him and asked, "Do you still have the Wizard with you?"
"Yeah, of course." Phil affirmed. "I always carry it with me on certain chances, even when I sleep."
"Maybe we can use it to help the Ghostbusters." Keely suggested. "You know, like actually helping them for once."
Phil cautiously pondered Keely's suggestion, wondering just how much trouble it would get them into. He wanted to return home so much and be done with this crazy evening. But that would be impossible to do, if what Roz said was correct, and they wouldn't have a home to return to. What he and Keely do might not only help the Ghostbusters, but spare their homes and the people they loved as well. And with that notion, he nodded in agreement with Keely's proposal and assisted her in going down to the sub level of the factory, where their friends were.
Upon taking the elevator that led down to the computer room, another massive earthquake had come over the building, and they suddenly were falling rapidly down the elevator shaft rather than gently descending it as they were. Phil and Keely hung on for dear life, bracing themselves for what could've only been their imminent doom.
That was, however, before a sudden burst of green light flashed from beneath and engulfed them. They no longer felt themselves falling…they weren't feeling much of anything at the moment.