- Ming's household helper robots are selling like hotcakes; however, the public doesn't know that his Merciless Highness plans to enslave every one of their owners via satellite directed hypno-beam.
- The world has become caught up in a craze for household helper robots, but no-one suspects that the robots are part of Ming's plan to enslave the human race via hypno-beam. Rick and LJ, having purchased one of the robots, bring it back to Monitor, where Zuffy sniffs it and immediately freaks out. Kshin, who has never seen Zuffy react this way before, guesses the robot must have something to do with it. Meanwhile, though his robot factory is operating at peak capacity, Ming tells Octon the robots are not being produced fast enough and orders production stepped up. When Octon says the resulting power surge could alert the Defenders, Ming replies that he has plans to deal with them if they try to interfere.
Later, Jedda says there is something about the robot that makes her uneasy, though she can't explain why. To reassure her, Rick says he will run tests on it and uses a screwdriver to remove its cover as the robot warns him not to alter its circuits. During his examination, Rick discovers an ultra high frequency receiver inside the robot, seconds before the robot suddenly fires a beam at him which puts him into a trance. He stands to attention and, in a monotone, says he awaits Ming's orders. As the robot fires more beams, LJ (acting on a suggestion from Jedda) leaps onto one of the ceiling reflectors and swings on it, causing the robot's beam to be deflected back at it. This shuts the robot down and breaks Rick out of his trance.
Learning that a number of the robots have already been sold, Flash says the Defenders will have to alert those who have bought them, then asks Dynak how Ming is controlling the robots. Dynak replies that Ming is transmitting his orders via satellite and Flash asks her for the co-ordinates, before heading into space to destroy the satellite. When Flash fires on the satellite, Octon alerts Ming to the danger the satellite is in, but Ming replies that this was part of his plan all along and Flash has just flown into a trap. Ming then has Octon activate a tractor beam which begins drawing Flash's ship inexorably towards Ice Station Earth. The tractor beam is too powerful for Dynak to break the ship free from it and attempting to override it will cause the ship to explode, which will also kill Flash. Desperate, Rick says there has to be something that can be done, to which Mandrake says he, the Phantom and Lothar will go to rescue Flash and prevent any more of the robots from reaching the shops. Meanwhile, the kids must work on disabling the robots that are already out there.
Rick says he feels responsible for getting the Defenders mixed up with the robots, but LJ tells him he wasn't to know what would happen and Jedda adds that, if it hadn't been for Rick and LJ bringing the robot into Monitor, the Defenders wouldn't have found out about Ming's scheme. Meanwhile, Mandrake, the Phantom and Lothar reach Ice Station Earth which they enter via an air vent. Once inside, they split up, with Mandrake and Lothar going to locate Ming's control room and stop the tractor beam while the Phantom finds out where the robots are being manufactured. Presently, Mandrake and Lothar come across the final inspection line, where the robots are checked before being shipped out to the shops. Since the robots are programmed to clean up messes, Mandrake creates the illusion that oil and the contents of a wastepaper basket are being dumped on two of the Ice Robots working on the inspection line, creating a diversion and allowing him and Lothar to slip past.
But Mandrake and Lothar end up walking into a trap. As they cross Ming's throne-room to get to the device which controls the tractor beam, an energy field suddenly activates, restraining them by their wrists. Ming informs them that underestimating his security system is the last mistake they will ever make. Meanwhile, the Phantom sabotages Ming's production line, causing the robots to fall off the end of the conveyor belt and crash to the floor. When Ming learns of this, he orders the Phantom hunted down and destroyed, and the Phantom soon finds himself being pursued by a squadron of Ice Robots. Shortly after, the tractor beam finally draws Flash's ship into Ice Station Earth. Though Flash attempts to put up a fight and manages to destroy several Ice Robots, he quickly joins Mandrake and Lothar as Ming's prisoner.
Meanwhile, Rick has tried every known frequency, but has been unable to find one which will disable the robots. Dynak reports that Ming is about to activate the hypno-beam and Rick tells her to zero in on the frequency Ming is using and program it into the frequency inhibitor. Back at Ice Station Earth, with the Ice Robots having cornered the Phantom, Ming gives the order to activate the hypno-beam and Octon does so, sending a signal to Ming's satellite which then transmits that signal back to Earth, causing the robots to fire their beams at their owners. In every household which contains one of the robots, people immediately stop whatever they are doing and stand to attention as they robotically declare their loyalty to Ming.
The Defenders' robot (which has been restrained) starts to break loose as it prepares to fire its beam at Rick, LJ, Jedda and Kshin. Alerted by Kshin, Rick tells Dynak to use the frequency inhibitor which she does, overloading the robot and causing it to shut down, this time permanently. Rick then has Dynak send the signal from the frequency inhibitor through Ming's satellite, shutting down all the other robots and snapping the humans they hypnotised out of their collective trance. At Ice Station Earth, Octon tells Ming that the robots have been short-circuited, to which Mandrake says Ming has been beaten, but Ming silences him.
With the Ice Robots closing in on him, the Phantom calls on his Ten Tigers power and gets the Ice Robots to overload the factory's generator with laser fire, knowing this will cause an explosion. When Ming learns what is happening, he orders Octon to shut down all systems in the factory, but Octon says it is too late. With Ming and Octon distracted, Mandrake uses his telekinetic powers to disable the energy field, enabling him, Flash and Lothar to escape, as the Phantom does likewise. As the four Defenders race to get clear of the impending explosion, they see Ming's Flying Throne-room taking off and realise that Ming has also managed to get away, seconds before the factory explodes. Later, Flash and the others return to Monitor to find that the kids have decided they prefer to do chores the old-fashioned way.
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