In Xian province in China a policeman and a villager witness a stone lion come to life in the pre title sequence. At Torrington High both Java and Diana fall victim to practical jokes pulled by Martin who has too much time on his hands since Center hasn't called them for weeks. After they're paged and arrived at Center (skipping the usual 'find the portal' sequence) Martin pulls an Alien Chestburster practical joke on Billy. In MOM's office Martin opens the box holding a micro singularity she's examining and MOM is almost completely pulled into its event horizon before Java pulls her back out of the box. After explaining to Martin that micro singularity means a miniature black hole the team are dispatched to China. Martin examines the evidence while Diana and Java try unsuccessfully to scare him with a dragon costume. The pawprints of the stone lion contain an unknown substance that Martin sends to Billy for analysis.