(Scene shows the streets at night. Ginger is walking down the sidewalk and holding his phone.)
(Ginger uses an app that guides him to the diner.)
(Scene shows the diner's interior. Ginger is now seated in the booth.)
(Rhonda shows up and clears his throat.)
(Tom and Angela appear suddenly, holding a mask and a sign, startling Rhonda. They laugh.)
(Rhonda groans and leaves.)
Tom: And the scavenger hunt victory goes to Team Tom and Angela.
Angela: Yes! In your face, Team Ben and Xenon!
(Ben and Xenon appear. Xenon makes her appearance remotely again.)
Xenon: Okay, you win this round, but we'll beat you at the movie-marathon-popcorn-eating contest.
Ben: Which will begin right after this brief stop for ice-cream floats. (fist-bumps Xenon)
Rhonda: Oh, you're all in a good mood! You get new pants or something?
Tom: Even better! We're on an all-day, double-date adventure!
Ben: It is our first double-date, so it must be good. Therefore, I have scheduled it for MFP: maximum fun potential!
(Still images are shown of the friends' activities.)
Ben: First, we had a scenic bike ride. Then, an epic laser tag battle. Then, a relaxing wind-tunnel dive! Then, finally, the scavenger hunt brought us here.
Rhonda: Wow. Well, I hope your plan doesn't get messed up when tonight's big storm hits.
Tom: Tonight's big storm?
(Lightning suddenly strikes, startling Tom.)
Xenon: Uh, oh. This could get in the way of our heavily-planned good time.
Tom: Yeah. Rhonda, maybe hurry with those floats.
(Outside, a tree falls from the strong wind, blocking the door.)
Tom: Uh-oh.
(The intro sequence plays.)
(The tree completely blocks the way.)
Tom: (opens door) Huh! This door's completely blocked. Quick, there's another door in the back. Hurry, before we-
(Lightning strikes again. Another tree is heard falling.)
Tom: Aaand we're trapped.
Xenon: (panics) I can't breathe! The walls are closing in!
Angela: But you're not really here!
Xenon: Yeah, but I still have emotions, don't I?
Tom: Okay, don't panic. We'll get out of this.
Xenon: Don't tell me not to panic!
Angela: Don't tell him what to tell you!
Ben: Don't tell her what to tell him to tell you!
(Xenon, Angela and Ben argue.)
Tom: Calm down. We're gonna get through this. If everyone ju-
(They are all stopped by Ginger, who rubs the rim of his cup.)
Ginger: The problem isn't that you're stuck here. The problem is... monsters! (laughs)
Tom: Ginger, what are you doing here?
Ginger: I'm waiting for monsters, duh! My monster tracker says this will be a hotspot for sightings during the storm. Check it out.
(Ginger shows his phone, which depicts several bleeping dots.)
Ben: Hm. I'm not sure I agree with the science behind this "monster tracker."
Ginger: Well, you better start agreeing. The app says there's gonna be monsters and we're all stuck here like monster food in a tin!
Tom: Ginger, we don't have time for this. We're on a double-date. It's a mature, adult thing to do.
Angela: Yeah, we went in a wind tunnel!
Ginger: Gross! Fine. I guess it's up to me to check for monster-tivity.
(Ginger uses the app to track monsters.)
Angela: But we can't leave the diner!
Ben: We don't need to. Remember, the next thing on our schedule is...
(Scene cuts to the booths. There are ice cream floats served.)
Ben: ...ice cream floats!
Tom: Oh, I bet I can drink my float the fastest! (slurps)
Ben: Tom, no!
Tom: Huh?
Ben: Under the circumstances, we should race to see who can drink their float the slowest.
Tom: Oh, right.
(Tom sips his ice cream float. Angela joins in.)
Angela: Mm, this is kind of fun.
(A loud noise is heard from outside.)
Ginger: Did you hear that? It sounded like... a monster!
(A customer begins to sob.)
Ginger: (cheers) I was right! Go, Ginger! Monster's comin', I knew it!
Ben: Ginger, I know that you have an age-appropriate fascination for the bizarre, but that was just the wind.
Ginger: Wind?! Wake up! We're under attack! We have to get to the kitchen to make battle helmets out of pots!
Rhonda: Ooh, I've got a cast-iron skillet that would make a good shield.
Ben: Don't tell me you believe him!
Rhonda: I'm not takin' any chances!
(Rhonda leaves with Ginger to the kitchen.)
Angela: Guys, I think we're gonna finish these floats before this crisis is over.
Ben: Sip slower, everyone. (sips slowly)
Tom: That won't work, Ben. (takes ice cream float from Ben) We're gonna have to improvise— Tom style.
(Tom places a coin into the jukebox. Retro music is played.)
(Tom takes Angela's hand and dances with her. Ben joins in, dancing with Xenon.)
Angela: You did it, Tom! You've turned a diner disaster into a diner dance party!
Tom: Just call me... the date-saver.
(A loud roar is heard. Tom is startled and drops Angela.)
Angela: Ow, hey!
(Rhonda and Ginger return, wearing pots and strainers and holding pans.)
Ginger: Tom! We leave you alone for five minutes and you start luring the monster with this music and stomping? That's it. We're forming a monster response team, right now.
Wesley: I'll do it if I get a costume.
Ben: Ah-ha!
Xenon: That's your idea noise! Do you have an idea?
Ben: Indeed I do. To get this night back on track, we simply need some outside help. (calls Hank)
(Scene cuts to the garage. Hank has prepared several buckets of popcorn. He hums happily when the phone rings.)
Hank: (gasps) Oh! Uh... (answers) Hi, Ben! How's the big double-date?
Ben: Uh, not good. We're stuck in the diner.
Hank: Really? Does that mean you're not gonna make it home for the big popcorn-eating contest? Because the popcorn is calling to me. (prepares to eat popcorn)
Ben: What?! No! Leave the popcorn alone!
Hank: Oh, uh-
Ben: I need you to turn on my Lumberbot.
Hank: Lumber what, now?
Ben: It's a device I created to do yard work, but with this code, I can control it over the internet and use it to pull away the tree so we can continue our date!
Hank: Sure, no problem!
Ben: You can stop panicking, everyone! Hank will get us out of here.
Angela: You're a hero, Hank!
Hank: Happy to do it. Try to stay dry until- (steps on something, gasps) What's that? No! No! Noooo!
(The call suddenly disconnects.)
(The friends gasp.)
Ginger: The monster ate Hank! Why did you drag him into this, Ben? Why?
(Scene cuts to the garage. It is revealed that Hank stepped on a piece of cardboard.)
Hank: Aw! I didn't put the cap on my glue and it all dried up! Now I'll never finish this little diorama. (laughs) Can you believe it, Ben? I- hello?
(Ben does not respond, as the call has already ended.)
Hank: Oh, I hope my ear-splitting screams didn't upset anyone.
(Scene cuts back to the diner. Everyone in the diner is panicking and running around. Ben is the only one remaining calm.)
Ben: It's fine, everyone! The storm just shorted out the internet. Allow my internet girlfriend, Xenon, to explain.
(Ben's tablet begins to malfunction. His video call with Xenon distorts.)
Xenon: Ben, I... the signal... the... monster!
Ben: No, no, no! Xenon, stay with me!
(His call with Xenon disconnects.)
Ben: Oh, I should have seen this coming!
Wesley: It's cutting off our communication with the outside world.
Rhonda: Okay, grab a pan! Get ready to fight.
Tom: It looks like Lumberbot turned into Lumber-not! (laughs)
Angela: Quit joking, Tom! This is getting scary.
Tom: Hey, I know things look bad, but this date isn't over yet! Sure, something weird is happening in this town, but I still believe we can make tonight fun for everyone. We can get out of here. We just have to work together.
(Tom prepares to open the door to move the tree manually.)
Tom: Come on, everyone. Let's move this tree.
(Tom opens the door, but Rhonda stops him.)
Rhonda: He's gonna let the monster in!
(The diners form an angry mob and corner Tom.)
(Scene cuts. Tom and Angela are bound with ropes.)
Angela: Why did they tie me up, too? (sighs) I don't think we're maximizing our fun potential right now.
(The diners are boarding up the windows.)
Tom: Or are we? I'm thinking of a number between one and ten.
Angela: Uh, four?
Tom: Nope. Ben, you want to guess?
Ben: Stop trying to make this fun. I just want to pout until everyone forgets about this stupid monster.
(The lights begin to flicker before turning off completely. The diners panic.)
Ginger: Seal the air conditioner! Don't let the monster get its spiny eye stalks inside!
(Ginger's app makes a loud warning sound.)
Ben: Ginger, stop! There's a rational, non-monster explanation for this! The storm tripped the circuit breaker. I'll just turn the power back on.
Ginger: Fine, but no funny business. You see a monster, you better tell me!
Ben: Yeah, well, then, I'm not gonna be telling you much, because that doesn't happen.
(Ben takes a flashlight and goes into a dark room.)
Ben: This is why every diner should have a resident scientist, so no one wastes time worrying about-
(Ben finds two green lights glowing from a window, resembling eyes.)
Ben: M-m-m-m-monster! (screams, runs away)
(Ben returns to the main room.)
Ben: I was wrong! The monster is real! I denounce science! (barricades door) Monsters! Monsters! Monsters!
(Ben runs to barricade the door with more heavy objects.)
Ginger: This is why you should always listen to children, because our hearts are pure and we're open to seeing the world as it really is.
Angela: You don't think there's really a monster, do you?
Tom: No way. It's all just a big misunderstanding, right?
Angela: Of course! Though I don't know what that noise was.
Tom: And Ben is pretty spooked.
(Ben continues moving objects. One falls to the floor creating a loud crash.)
Tom, Angela: (gasps) Monster!
Tom: We've got to get outta here!
(Tom and Angela hobble over to a road sign and attempt to cut the rope with the sign's sharp edges.)
Rhonda: They're trying to escape! Seize them!
(The diners approach Tom and Angela.)
Angela: Oh, no! (struggles)
Ginger: We can't start fighting each other. That's what the monster wants!
(Tom and Angela free themselves.)
Tom: Ah-ha! Angela, run!
(Tom and Angela reach the exit, but it has been boarded up. The diners recapture them.)
(Louder crashes are heard.)
(They observe a cup of water as the water ripples from the impact.)
(They observe the door, which has somehow been cleared.)
(Ginger's flashlight runs out of power and turns off.)
Ginger: No!
(The diners cower away from the door.)
Tom: Get behind me, Angela.
Angela: No, you get behind me!
Rhonda: Everyone get behind someone else!
(The door opens. Fog fills the room.)
Ginger: I don't really want to see a monster!
(A figure with green eyes emerges from the fog. The diners scream in horror.)
(The figure is revealed to be the Lumberbot, with Xenon on the monitor.)
Xenon: How's everybody holding up? Oh, not good.
Ben: Xenon? Is that my Lumberbot?
Xenon: Yeah! I decided to see if I could hack into this thing after I lost contact with you. It wasn't too hard. Also, I found these fun emergency lights that look like eyes.
Tom: So the roars we kept hearing really were just the wind?
Xenon: Actually, they're the town's storm alert system. The wind broke a speaker so it garbled the message. (plays storm alert)
Storm Alert: Roar! Safety Beast says, "Stay inside!"
Ben: Sadly, this is not the first time I've been embarrassed by Safety Beast.
(Ginger gets an alert on his phone.)
(Ginger hits a button to "capture" the monster, revealing the app was simply a game.)
Ginger: (laughs) Yes! Woo!
Tom: Well, I'm glad we're alive, but I am sorry our double-date got ruined.
Xenon: What are you talking about? I got to be a robot!
Angela: Yeah! There was danger and action! As dates go, this is exciting.
Tom: I guess that's true. Hey, is anyone still up for a movie-marathon-popcorn-eating contest?
(The friends cheer and leave the diner to go back to the garage.)
(Scene cuts to the garage before the friends arrive. Hank is burying something in the front yard.)
Hank: No one must ever learn the truth about what happened tonight.
(Hank is burying the empty popcorn containers, suggesting he ate all the popcorn.)
Hank: (belches) I'm the real monster!
(credits roll)