The greatest concern of the Zentraedi and the Robotech Masters was the survival of their race. The Invid are no different. They have not traveled across the universe on a whim. Desperate need sours them to conquer. In order to survive, the Invid use any means at their disposal to become as strong as possible. Now, the Regess observes a crucial experiment, the Genesis Pit, from the great Hive and considers: "The living creatures of this world have evolved through their long history into many different levels and forms. A large number of these forms are highly specialized and adapted to specific environments. In order to carry out our plan to find the ultimate life form suitable for life on this planet, we have utilized Genesis Pit to carry out experiments in biogenetic engineering. We have cloned creatures from all significant eras of the planet's history...designed them to recreate all native forms exactly as they evolved. We shall use this knowledge to transform our race into the ultimate power it is destined to be."
But, the best-laid plans of mice, men, and even Invid are often doomed to go astray. Human intruders, in the form of Scott Bernard, Rand, and Annie, stumble into the deep pit as they scout for a safe camp. When they regain consciousness, they can't believe their eyes. They are trapped within a dense jungle, surrounded by creatures that have been extinct for years. As they look for a way out, Rand and Scott see animals from different periods of Earth's history and, surprisingly, Invid. Even more surprising, the Invid are not attacking but disappear as soon as the humans spot them.
"None of this makes any sense to me," Rand tells the others.
"First of all, there are prehistoric monsters running around and they don't attack us. Why? How can these exist in the same space and time? It's got to be artificial....On the other hand, these plants and animals are here. They're definitely real – dangerously real in some cases, that's clear enough." Scott speaks for himself and Annie: "What's clear? I'm completely lost."
"Everything has been thrown into a prehistoric pot...primeval plants from the Paleozoic era, reptiles from the Mesozoic era – it's like viewing the biological evolution of the Earth in a living museum," Rand concludes. "But who would have the interest or power to create such a thing except the Invid? It must be a test base! They're playing with the history of life on Earth – the evolution of biology from ancient times to today. That's it! They're doing evolution experiments!"
The youth has touched on the truth. Observing the revelation from the Hive, the Regess Mother possesses and speaks through Annie: "Earthlings, your time on this planet runs short. The age of humans is coming to an end. Now a new era begins on Earth. Humans are transients on the long road of evolution. The Earth is entering an era of domination by another form of life which has traveled a different evolutionary path. Be warned!"
When Annie comes back to herself, they try again to find a way out of the Pit. The animals begin to behave strangely, stampeding toward a single area. Following a hunch, they chase after the herd.
The cause of the panic is an earthquake, and the trio manages to climb to safety as the Genesis Pit collapses around them. They are the only ones to escape. Annie is upset: "What about the poor dinosaurs?"
"The Invid created them, and it's probably better that they left them down there to be destroyed," Rand says. "Those dinosaurs would never have been able to survive. The conditions on Earth aren't right for them any more. Time simply passed them by."
"You mean like when the Invid say the time for humans has passed?" Annie wants to know.
"They're wrong," Scott tells them. "Humans have plenty of time. It's the Invid who'll soon be extinct!"
As they walk away to look for the rest of the group, Rand and Annie hope Scott is right.
Experience this episode at home! Now available through the Robotech.com Store:
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Rand, Scott and Annie fall down a mysterious crevice.
When they land, Rand sees some strange animals.
A dinosaur attacks Annie!
Ancient plants are growing in the pit as well.
Scott, Rand and Annie make a quick getaway.