Chapter 2: C.R.E.E.P.
Several Monsters, Inc. employees were at the Convention for Reliable Energy, Efficiency and Power. "Are you nervous, Googley Bear?" Mike's girlfriend and coworker Celia Mae asked.
"No, Schmoopsie-poo." Mike answered. "I'm just looking forward showing Roberts how laugh power is better than water power."
"At least we don't need waterfalls to use laugh power." Sulley pointed out.
"That's the spirit, Sulley!" Mike agreed.
As they entered the place, they noticed they once again had as much space as they had before switching to laugh power. "Another sign we're finally being respected." Mike commented.
"We've learned to accept alternative theories." A receptionist said. "We're even giving Scream Industries enough space to present their hydroelectrical theory."
Mike was incensed. "We had all that work to be accepted and things are simply handed over to them?"
"Like I said during my interview, I'm grateful to Monsters, Inc. for making people open their minds to alternative power sources." Eugene Roberts said, surprising everyone.
"You're welcome, Mr. Roberts." Sulley replied, extending his hand for a handshake, which Roberts took.
"Mr. Sullivan, how do you feel about my way to avoid the toxicity?" Roberts asked.
"Believe me, Mr. Roberts." Sulley answered. "Had you presented it back when I still thought humans were toxic, I'd have jumped at the opportunity."
"And now?" Roberts asked.
"Now I see no danger in relying on children's laughter as a power source." Sulley answered.
"Mr. Sullivan, I know I didn't bring it up at my interview but using human children still risks exposure." Roberts pointed out. "What if the adults find out about us?"
"You're just scared." Mike accused Roberts.
"Oh, yeah?" Roberts asked in reply and pulled his scare routine on Mike, making the one-eyed monster back away in fear. "In case you forgot, every monster was taught to fear humans and that's what makes me proud of developing an alternative that produces enough power without the risk of accidentally mixing scare and laugh power."
Tylor lowered his head in shame upon hearing that part. Roger patted him as a sign of comfort.
"The scream extractors help preventing that danger." Sulley argued.
"Let's just make our presentations and then we'll see which energy source is the best." Roberts proposed and Sulley nodded.
This time, Monsters, Inc. had enough space for the "It's Laughter We're After" sign. "Better than saying "It's Later"." Duncan commented.
"Not necessarily." Fritz said. "That shorter slogan had potential." The others ignored him.
"Where's Val?" Tylor asked.
Val was at the Scream Industries display. "Excuse me, Mr. Roberts." She asked. "Is Professor Brandywine coming as well?"
"No, Ms..." Roberts replied.
"Little." She completed. "Val Little."
"No, Ms. Little, Professor Brandywine isn't coming." Roberts answered. "He's at Monsters University teaching about power cans."
"Okay, then." Val replied. "Goodbye, Mr. Roberts."
She then rejoined her friends at Monsters, Inc. "What happened, Val?" Tylor asked her.
"I was hoping to see Professor Brandywine again, Tylor." She answered. "I miss him."
"You knew him?" Tylor was surprised. "I don't recall ever meeting him during all my years as a student at Monsters University."
"That's because you were at the scare program." Val explained.
Roberts and Sulley eventually started defending their respective main ideas. "And that's why, no matter how much I respect Mr. Roberts for looking for ways to generate enough power to our world with no need to go to the human one, laugh power remains the best option. After all, we can use the doors wherever we want with no need to be anywhere near waterfalls." Sulley said.
"What makes a child laugh today won't necessarily have the same effect tomorrow." Roberts stated. "Children's emotions change and that's why scaring them no longer brought enough power to prevent an energy crisis. That and the toxicity are the main reasons we must look for sources that don't depend on them."
Val noticed the way Tylor is looking at Roberts. "What's wrong, Tylor?" She asked him.
"I can't help but be worried about Ben and the other kids we get laughs from stop finding us funny." He answered. "The donut act stopped working and that was one of my reasons to have worked as a scarer at Fear Co."
"Don't worry, Tylor." Val said. "We'll make through it."
"Not if I have anything to say about it." A new voice said.
"Chet Alexander?" The Monsters, Inc. employees asked.
"In the flesh." Chet replied and then looked at former coworker Skyler. "Skyler, are you sure you don't want to become a jokester at Fear Co?"
"No." Skyler answered. "Me happy at Monsters, Inc."
"I see." Chet stated and then looked at Tylor and Val. "What about you?"
"Tylor isn't leaving Monsters, Inc. again." Val replied with a frown.
"I wasn't talking to him." Chet told Val.
"Do you want ME to be a jokester?" Val was shocked.
"The whole Monsters University knows Tuskmon's act isn't funny anymore, Little." Chet explained. "The both of you might present yourselves as a team but everyone knows you're the real talent."
"Thanks but no thanks." Val firmly replied.
"Sorry for wasting your time." Chet said and left.
Tylor was sad at what Chet said. "What's wrong?" Val asked.
"Mr. Alexander reminded me that I'm not good at being a jokester." Tylor answered. "I wouldn't even have that job without you."
"Don't worry, college boy." Duncan said. "You can always return to MIFT for as long as you don't get in my way."
Later on, Eugene Roberts was back at his office and addressed his secretary. "Has anyone called for me while I was away?" He asked.
"Mostly the occasional hate mail from people accusing you of driving scarers and jokesters out of a job but another town wants to discuss having a water power plant, Sir." She answered and handed him an official letter.
"Thank you." Roberts replied and started reading the letter. "And the executives were reluctant to accept my idea."
Meanwhile, at Monsters, Inc., James Sullivan finished a phone call. "Bad news, Mike." Sulley said. "That town we're planning to expand our operations to decided to have their hydroelectrical power plant."
"Does Roberts have some sort of grudge against us or something like that?" Mike asked with a frown.
"Mike, don't take it personally." Sulley tried to comfort his friend. "They're just introducing another alternative."
Celia Mae then entered their office. "Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Wazowski, Dean Hardscrabble is here to see you." She said.
Monsters University Dean Abigail Hardscrabble swiftly entered and scared Mike, Sulley, Celia, and Celia's snake hairs. "You may leave now." Dean Hardscrabble said so firmly that Celia left even if Hardscrabble had no authority there. "Mr. Wazowski, Mr. Sullivan, do you know why I requested this meeting?"
"Uh, to scare us as a revenge for discrediting scare power?" Mike guessed.
"Incorrect, Mr. Wazowski." Dean Hardscrabble replied. "I'm here to request for a joke teacher to train students going to Monsters University to learn to be jokesters."
"Are you joking?" Mike asked, not believing what he'd just heard. Sulley was just as skeptical but didn't say anything.
"If only, Mr. Wazowski." Dean Hardscrabble replied. "Ever since that video of Mr. Tuskmon and Ms. Little with that human child convinced the world to embrace laugh power, my scare students either transfer to can design or leave Monsters University altogether. I have to introduce a laugh class to have a chance of keeping those who desire to be jokesters."
"Dean Hardscrabble, as flattered as I am that you presented me with this job offer, I'm afraid my responsibilities as the company's SCPOMICE-VDADOCREM keep me too busy." Mike formally replied.
"Not to mention how painful it was to teach comedy to the company's jokesters." Sulley added to tease his friend.
"Anyway, I have laughter to collect. Bye." Mike excused himself.
"Mr. Sullivan, are there any jokesters here with enough spare time to teach comedy at Monsters University?" Dean Hardscrabble asked.
"I'll talk to them and send you a reply later, Dean Hardscrabble." Sulley answered.
"Thank you." She replied and left.
Later on, Mike and his fellow jokesters failed at their job because the kids they were assigned to were too scared to laugh. "What's going on?" Sulley asked.
"Maybe a company that still scares did too much of a good job scaring them." Tylor suggested. "I had a door to Ben's room back when I worked for Fear Co."
"No, that alone would only be an issue during the early days of laugh power." Sulley replied. "Someone must be sabotaging us."
"Could it be Dean Hardscrabble as a revenge because I refused to teach comedy at Monsters University?" Mike suggested.
"She wants someone to teach comedy at Monsters University?" Tylor was shocked by it.
"People did lose their interest on scare power and no, I don't think she'd do it, Mike." Sulley answered. "I suspect Waternoose is behind it."
"Roger?" Tylor asked.
"No, his father." Sulley answered. "He escaped prison recently."
Almost everyone gasped. "The Crime Detection Agency had just informed us." Mike added.
"But how could he be involved?" Roger asked. "It's not like the Master Door really exists."
"The what?" Tylor and Val asked.
"Rumor says that, as an alternative to abducting children to forcefully extract their screams, Henry J. Waternoose the Third had a team of scientists develop a door that could lead to any room in the human world." Mike told the others.
"One would think having such a door would make Waternoose believe there was no need to carry on the abduction scheme." Duncan commented and almost every monster in the room nodded, even Waternoose's son.
"It still wasn't ready by the time he was caught." Sulley replied, shocking everyone.
"The Master Door is real?" Mike asked in shock.
"Waternoose needed progress reports to convince the board to keep him in charge of the company until the scream extractor was finished." Sulley explained. "They remained convinced enough of the door's potential to threaten to use it had laugh power failed."
"If there's an operational Master Door, where would it be kept?" Tylor asked and Sulley scratched his chin.
Sulley led them to an unfinished scare floor where they found a door that resembled a bunch of doors assembled together. "Is that..." Mike started to ask.
"I think so, Mike." Sulley answered.
As if there were any doubts, Waternoose came out of it and gasped upon seeing the other monsters. "Alright, you found me." He said. "Now what?"
"Your revenge scheme failed, Waternoose!" Mike exclaimed in triumph.
Waternoose chuckled. "You think it's about revenge?" He asked and smiled.
"Well... I did." Mike uneasily answered. "Right up until... you chuckled like that. And now I'm thinking you're about to tell us your real motive. Why does this scene sound familiar?"
"I don't know about the last question but, my plan is about discrediting laugh power so the monster world will be desperate enough to give me a pardon so I'll be running Monsters, Inc. again." Waternoose explained.
"Newsflash, Waternoose." Sulley said. "Even if laugh power is discredited, Eugene Roberts is introducing another alternative. Your plan will never work."
"An unforeseen complication, I admit." Waternoose calmly said. "But I still can be useful. I can show you how the Master Door works so you can get even more laughter than before."
"Don't do it, Sulley!" Mike quickly exclaimed. "That door is too dangerous!"
Every other monster there shared Mike's sentiment, even Roger. "Et tu, Junior?" Waternoose asked.
"My name is Roger Rogers, Dad." Roger said.
"Your name is Henry J. Waternoose the Fourth and you should stop saying otherwise now that everyone knows you're my son." Waternoose replied.
"Either way, Waternoose, no deal." Sulley firmly said.
End chapter