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Dr. V was watching the movie from a reel-to-reel projector!
    “Let’s go around to the front door!” I cried.
    We rushed around the side of the house to ring the bell. As we moved past a row of bushes, I saw a dark figure lurking in the shadows by the front door. As we drew closer, it moved!
    “Aaaaaah!”
    “AAAAAAH!”
    “Walter?”
    “Monster Squad! There you are!” Walter cried. “I just parked the limousine. Shall we ring Dr. Von Rosenhof’s bell?”
    We nodded and I pressed the doorbell. It sounded more like a door gong.
    All at once, a bright light flooded the front doorway and surrounding yard. Only then did I notice that Dr. V had enormous floodlights all over his yard. It was almost too bright to see.
    Click, click, click.
    I shivered as the door unlocked. What would Dr. V say to us, four random kids and Walter showing up at his creepy house out of nowhere? But even more importantly, how could we find out if his reel of Mega Mantis was an original reel?
    “Hello?” Dr. Von Rosenhof said curiously as he opened the door. “May I help you?”
    I was about to explain, when he saw Walter.
    “Block! Walter Block! Is that you?”
    Walter stepped right up and the two of them shook hands. They started to chat, but I wanted to get right to the point.
    “Dr. Von Rosenhof,” I said, interrupting, “are you watching the Oswald Leery movie Mega Mantis at this very moment?”
    Ranger, Lindsey, and Stella looked impressed by my take-charge question, I could tell. But Dr. V looked at me funny.
    “How on Earth did you know what I was watching?” Dr. V said.
    “We saw from the window,” Lindsey explained. “And we know a little bit about that particular movie, sir.”
    “You were spying on me?” Dr. V asked.
    “No!” we all cried at the same time. “We’re not spies.”
    “So what are you?” he asked. “Walter? Are these kids with you?”
    “We have a little bit of a situation on our hands, Von Rosenhof,” Walter said quietly, as a form of explanation. “Can we come inside?”
    Dr. Von Rosenhof pulled his front door wide open and the five of us pushed inside. Stella shoved in first, of course.
    My eyes scanned the room. The inside of this house was how I imagined Dr. V’s place might be, with insect parts on display. It was a little like Ranger’s father’s lab, but with more books and definitely more bugs. The lidded glass jars were everywhere! One entire shelf had different breeds of mantis—including a two-headed one.
    But there was no time to look at jars now. I headed for Dr. V’s projector and quickly removed the reel from the machine.

CHAPTER 16
    INSECTA MANITODEA
    On the edge of the reel, I found an aging sticker with four little words I couldn’t peel off: Mega Mantis/Original Reel.
    “Oh no!” I blurted.
    Stella rushed over. “Great,” she groaned. “You found it.”
    “We need your help, Dr. Von Rosenhof,” I said. “Oswald Leery needs your help. The human race needs your—”
    “Get to the point,” Stella snarled. “We think that the original Mega Mantis movie may be . . . mega dangerous .”
    “How many times have you watched this reel?” Lindsey added.
    “Why do you keep asking me strange questions about the movie?” Dr. V replied.
    “Because every time you watched this reel,” Ranger explained, “a real Mega Mantis got loose.”
    “What?” Dr. V turned to Walter. “Is this true?”
    “I’m afraid so,” Walter admitted. “Leery had a few problems keeping the movie B-Monsters under control. They figured out a way into our world. It’s a long story.”
    “According to my research, a mantis the size of Mega Mantis would—” Dr. Von Rosenhof gulped. “How many came through?”
    “Eight,” Stella said. “That includes seven we just zapped at the Air Force Base . . .”
    “And one that lost its head at the Drive-O-Rama,” Lindsey said.
    “Although there may be more,” Ranger piped up.
    “More?” Dr. Von Rosenhof’s face went white. “How many