best friend. âIsnât that right, Patrick?â
Patrick said, âYeah, yeah ⦠loyalty.â Then he suddenly yelled, âHEâS OVER HERE!â and started making alarm sounds. âWHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!â
SpongeBob pleaded with his buddy, âPatrick, Iâm fleeing an angry mob right now, and this isnât helping!â
But it was too late. Mr. Krabs had already heard Patrickâs alarm. âLetâs go GET HIM!â he shouted to the furious, hungry customers.
Plankton started to run. âCome on, SpongeBob! Letâs get out of here!â
âPatrick, please!â SpongeBob begged.
Patrick threw SpongeBob right on top of Plankton and then sat on them both, still making alarm sounds. âWHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!â
âPatrick!â SpongeBob cried. âWhy are you doing this?â
âBecause I. Need. KRABBY PATTIES!â Patrick said. He turned toward Mr. Krabs and the angry mob, who were running straight toward them. âHurry up!â he shouted. âIâM HUNGRY! OVER HERE!â
Frantic to escape from his hunger-crazed friend, SpongeBob began furiously burrowing underground. Carrying Plankton in his hand, he tunneled away fromPatrick. Then he popped up out of the ground, gasping and panting.
As the mob grew closer, SpongeBob and Plankton ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Patrick called, âGuys? Am I still on the team?â
Plankton grumbled, âWell, your stupid friend gave us away. So whoâs the NEXT member of our
tee-am
?â
SpongeBob thought for a minute. âI know! Sandy! Sheâs smart!â
The two fugitives ran straight to Sandyâs treedome. SpongeBob opened the air-lock door, rushed inside, and slammed the door shut. He put on a water helmet and pressed a big red button. The water in the air lock drained. SpongeBob scooped Plankton into a glass of water before he dried out.
âSandy?â SpongeBob called.
They opened the second air lock and stepped inside the dome. It was dark and eerie. Pieces of paper were stuck all over the inside of the dome, blocking the light. âSandy?â SpongeBob repeated.
They walked farther inside but didnât find Sandy anywhere. âSandy? Are you home?â SpongeBob called. He turned to Plankton. âGee, I wonder where she is!â
The two of them looked more closely at the papers stuck to the inside of the dome. They were covered withscribbles and strange writing, all connected by string. âWhat IS this stuff?â SpongeBob asked.
As they stared at the papers, a dark shape whipped by, passing right behind them. SpongeBob turned around.
âSandy?â he asked. âIs that you?â
S pongeBob reached toward one of the papers and a hand grabbed his shoulder.
âHey!â Sandy said sharply. âDonât touch those papers!â
Sandy darted away and picked up a thick notebook. She opened it and started reading, mumbling to herself. ââKrabby Patties ⦠chaos ⦠secret ingredient â¦ââ
SpongeBob and Plankton slowly walked over to her.
She didnât seem like the old Sandy SpongeBob knew and loved.
âSandy,â he asked, âare you okay?â
She wheeled around and stared at him. ââOkay?â Have you looked outside?â Sandy pointed out the glass wall of her treedome to Bikini Bottom, where they could see flames and plumes of black smoke. âDoes that seem okay to you?â she demanded.
Sandy started pacing. âIâm trying to figure out what happened to society. If we donât fix it soon, there wonât beanything left to fix!â She twitched, and her eyes bulged out of her head.
âLack of Krabby Patties has driven her mad!â SpongeBob whispered to Plankton.
Sandy stared at the papers stuck inside her treedome. She grabbed her head with her hands. âI think I figured it out! LOOK!â
She grabbed some papers and
Joseph Lance Tonlet, Louis Stevens