It wouldn't be a day at Science Laboratories if someone wasn't maniacally laughing, driven to fits of hilarity thinking about how they'd 'show them, show them all', or at some epiphany that temporarily rendered the universe a joke in their eyes until they got their blood sugar back up.

That was normal for Science Laboratories.

The head scientist, Dr Science, even thought it healthy. Like a release valve for those on the cutting edge of innovation or a knife's edge away from being a mad scientist.

But of all the scientists working at the Laboratories, Dr Nemesis was truly the best at maniacal laughter.

Today, she had been doing it all morning. Standing in the break room, with a tepid cup of coffee forgotten on the counter. Clutching at the sky and laughing at the foolish heavens.

Lab assistant Helen Sobczak took one look in the break room and decided she could take her break in her designated panic closet instead.

Dr Nemesis made her nervous when she was just glowering at nothing. This... this gave her anxiety.

Nemesis' intern, Zel Driscoll, raised an eyebrow and carefully scooted around the periphery of the room. He grabbed the entire, unattended, donut box and then went to hang out with CAROL. She may be a horny AI but she was fun.

Dr Careful didn't go into the break room himself. He heard about Dr Nemesis' marathon laugh and locked the door to his lab for the rest of the day. Full containment. Better safe than sorry.

Jessica Timbus was too hypnotized to pay much attention and Jessica was too hypnotized for Dr Somnus to pay much attention. The incident bypassed the duo without much fuss.

Serena Sagittarius heard that one of the nuts in the lab was laughing or whatever but gave it little thought in the front lobby. Who needed the break room? There were vending machines here in the lobby.

And Dr Science left her office, which was annoyingly inhabited by a Nala Garsten. The nerve of that woman, making Dr Science give reports on Science Laboratories' research just to get funding!

The squirrel laboratory head wandered over to the break room for some coffee but paused when she saw Dr Nemesis laughing ceaselessly.

Now there was a scientist in a good mood! Her enthusiasm buoyed by Dr Nemesis', Dr Science cheerfully walked into the break room, right on top of the giant red X painted on the floor and vanished from sight.

Dr Nemesis paused in her laughter when she heard her Delightful Dunce Displacer discharge. There was a wisp of steam wafting above the X she had painted on the floor. The fiendish trap she had set up had so tickled her, she'd lost track of time laughing and imagining that foolish Dr Science falling into it.

Now, apparently, she had! And Dr Nemesis had missed it!

"I must retrieve the security feed!" Dr Nemesis said to no one because nobody had wanted to be around for whatever was causing her to laugh so long. "I wish to savor the downfall of that bimbo of a boss! And with her out of the picture, nothing will stop me from... Oh shoot, it's lunchtime. Can't conquer the lab on an empty stomach."

Dr Nemesis got her bagged lunch from the break room fridge.

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Dr Science looked to her left and to her right. And up at the bright blue sphere of the Earth.

She appeared to be on the Moon.

Wow! Such a long range, accurate teleport! That was an achievement! No wonder Dr Nemesis was in such a good mood!

Good thing this was the part of the Moon with air!

(A completely scientific phenomenon, well understood.)

Hm. Dr Science waited but nothing happened. A long range teleport yet no return function? Less impressive.

Now... how to get back? All Dr Science had in her pockets was a cell phone, various lengths of wire, a spare nuclear battery, hand sanitizer, a pen, a packet of nuts, and a portable death ray...

Dr Science ate the nuts for energy and started disassembling things to wire into other things.

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Nothing in-depth to explain here. Getting a picture of Dr Nemesis doing the mad scientist laugh was the most obvious thing in the world.

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Dr Nemesis owned by me
Art by  xizana