Dr. Wentworth tightened a couple loose bolts and then took a step back to admire his handiwork. "Eustace!" he shouted.

"I'm standing right beside you, sir," Eustace said as he took a bite of a cream cheese Danish. "There's no need to shout."

"Eh? Oh yes, there you are. I knew that. I shouted because I felt like it. And don't be telling me what there is or isn't a need of. I'm not your assistant. You're my assistant. And don't you forget it, or I'll launch you into next week in my new super cannon I'm working on. Now, where was I?"

"You just tightened those bolts on your universe hopping machine, sir," Eustace said through a mouthful of Danish.

"Yes, yes, of course. I believe I have found the answer to our dilemma. A way to bypass any possibility of alternate universe versions of ourselves blocking our passage. This time I've set the machine to find a universe that's not quite so similar to our own. On top of that we shall physically swap spatial and temporal positions with two random inhabitants of that universe."

"Huh?" Eustace said as crumbs fell out of his mouth.

"Simply put we will trade places with two people in a different universe. We shall go to wherever they are and they will simultaneously come here."

"We, sir?" Eustace asked.

"Yes. I have decided that you are to accompany me. In case we encounter any danger I can offer you up as a sacrificial lamb in order to buy me time to escape with my life. As it is, we shall only go over for ten minutes on our first trip."

"Okay. But doesn't that mean two random weirdos are going to be set loose in your lab for ten minutes while we're over in their universe?"

"I've already thought of that," Dr. Wentworth said. "We shall depart on our journey from inside of a locked box, of which only I know the code to get out of. The random people we switch places with will be stuck inside there for ten minutes and thus unable to cause any damage to my lab. After the ten minutes are up we shall return to inside the locked box, whereupon I will let us out."

"Don't you think you should tell me the code?" Eustace asked.

"What the devil would I do that for?" Dr. Wentworth asked.

"Just in case something happens in that other universe and I make it back and you don't. I wouldn't want to be locked inside that box with no way out."

"Are you entertaining fantasies of me perishing in the other universe?" Dr. Wentworth asked. "Is that what you're playing at, boy?"

"No, never, sir," Eustace said. "Just trying to be prepared for all contingencies. That's all."

"You let me worry about the contingencies," Dr. Wentworth said. "Now are you ready to make history and be the first people to travel to another universe?"

"Sure thing, boss. Just one question. How are we going to operate the machine if we're locked inside a box?"

Dr. Wentworth's grin froze on his face and then slowly faltered. "Blast it! I should have built some sort of remote control device. That will take way too long. I'm in much too big a hurry to fulfill my master plan to crush Dr. Octavius like the vermin that he so obviously is. No, there's no time for that. You'll have to carry anything of value out of this room and then we'll lock all the doors before we go. In the meantime, I shall put some bubble wrap around the machine to protect it.. Also I'll make a sign that says "Danger! Do not touch!" That should deter whoever happens to show up here from messing with it.

About an hour later Eustace had finally removed the last item from the room other than the machine itself.

"All right, the machine has selected a universe and is keying in on two individuals right now. Remember I have no idea where we're going to end up. Wherever these people happen to be we will instantaneously take their place. We will maintain our own bodies, but I have programmed the machine so we will be wearing whatever clothes they are so that we will blend in better with the universe. That was a brilliant turn on my part, if I do say so myself. Are you ready? It appears the machine has locked in on two individuals. The transfer should happen right... about... now!"

There was a bright flash of light and then suddenly Dr. Wentworth and Eustace found themselves standing in a dark room right beside a large red curtain. They could hear loud music thumping from the other side of the curtain.

Eustace looked at Dr. Wentworth and started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Dr. Wentworth asked.

"I'm sorry, but you look absolutely ridiculous, sir. You're wearing a cowboy hat and a vest with sparkles on it. You're also not wearing a shirt."

"What the devil?" Dr. Wentworth said as he inspected himself. "I also seem to be clad in some sort of assless chaps. I must say, you look peculiar yourself. You seem to be dressed in some sort of skimpy firefighter outfit. Where have we travelled to?"

Suddenly a chimpanzee who was wearing headphones and a Hawaiian shirt while carrying a clipboard walked up to them. "There you guys are. What are you waiting for? Get out there!" He shoved them through the curtain and out onto some sort of walkway. A large pole stretched from the ground all the way to the ceiling near the end of the stage.

Dr. Wentworth squinted as a bright spotlight shone directly into his face. The music was much louder on this side of the curtain and he could hear what sounded like hundreds of women screaming. There appeared to be a large crowd of people sitting all around them staring at them, but he couldn't make out any specific details due to the blinding light.

"Come on!" the chimpanzee shouted at them from behind the curtain. "Shake your money-makers!"

"What in the name of Copernicus is that monkey talking about?" Dr. Wentworth asked.

"I think we're supposed to dance," Eustace said with a shrug.

"Take it off!" someone shouted from the audience.

"You guys better start stripping or this crowd's liable to get hostile," the chimpanzee shouted at them. "And then I'll have to break your kneecaps once they're through with you!"

"Oh my goodness," Dr. Wentworth said. "I believe we've swapped places with some sort of exotic dancers."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out already, sir," Eustace said as he began to awkwardly gyrate his hips and removed his firefighter's jacket. "I think you'd better join in with me if you don't want to get grievously injured or worse."

"I suspect you are right," Dr. Wentworth said as he turned around and shook his back side vigorously.

After ten exceptionally long minutes of dancing and stripping down to skimpy thong underwear they suddenly materialized back in Dr. Wentworth's lab. The doors had all been broken down and the rest of his lab had been thoroughly trashed in the ten minutes they were gone. Also somebody had defecated right on top of the "Danger" sign he had put on the universe hopping machine. It appeared they had fiddled with all of the dials and attempted to smash it before going on to destroy the rest of his lab.

"Well, I believe I'm going to call this one a conditional success. Clearly, there is much more work to be done. In the meantime, Eustace!"

"I'm right here, sir."

"So you are. I'm going to need you to work overtime and start cleaning up. This place is a disaster area!"