"I'm late, I'm late, I'm terribly, horribly LATE!" screamed Taya, the frustrated Plushie Ixi.
What was she late for? Oh, only a meeting in the Virtupets Space Station that could land her a job at her favorite plushie manufacturing company. In other words, it was worth a job, which her family desperately needed. And she was very late.
Not only was she late, but she was lost, too- lost in the seemingly endless corridors of the Virtupets space station. It was not a good sign.
"If they only had signs here, I wouldn't be lost." said Taya while she rested for a moment after running crazily through several halls, despite having no idea where she was going. "You know- 'main area here', or 'hall 7 there'… that would really be helpful. Maybe I'll put together a petition after I find my way out of here." She brightened up slightly, and continued running recklessly, until she ran into someone else.
"Aieeee!" Taya yelled, while the Faerie Grundo she had bumped into looked quite shocked and a bit flustered.
The Grundo quickly recovered, however, and asked politely, "And what might your name be?"
Taya grinned. The other neopet certainly seemed nice- and maybe she knew the way around the station. "Taya. What's your name?"
"I'm Zerula." said the Faerie Grundo quietly.
Taya added, "Sorry I bumped into you just now. I wasn't looking where I was going…"
The Grundo shrugged and said, "It's okay. Forget it. But… where ARE we, anyway?"
Taya looked down and sighed. "I don't know, and it sounds like you don't, either."
"Well, actually…" The Grundo grinned. "I'm not entirely sure where we are, but I do know this place pretty well. So, when I see the exit door, I'll tell you. I'll dictate directions, too."
Taya nodded, but realized that part of Zerula's story didn't make much sense. "But… then where were you trying to go? And how could you get lost, if you know the area so well?"
Zerula ignored the last question, and dodged the other. "Nowhere of consequence."
The odd pair traveled through the corridors. Every once in a while, Zerula would announce something like, "Go left", or "Go right", or "Go through that door.", which typically led the group to yet another bland, light gray hallway. After what seemed like ages, they found themselves standing right next to an off-white door with a small scratch on it. To outsiders like Taya, it looked like an ordinary scratch from wear and tear- but for insiders, it was a sign.
"This is it." said Zerula confidently while wearing a reckless grin. "This is the way out!"
"Are you sure?" Taya asked softly. "I'd hate if it were a dead end, or… you know, something worse…"
"I'm sure- trust me." said Zerula happily. Then, she opened the door, knowing fully well where it would take them. And it wasn't the way out…
Taya went in first, and Zerula followed shortly behind, slamming the door behind them. The sound echoed throughout the room they had entered. At first, it was so dark, you couldn't see anything, and Taya still had a glimmer of hope. But then, something- or somebody- turned on a light, and her spirits plummeted. Because the person who had turned on the lamp was…
… None other than Dr. Sloth.
"Hello, Zerula dear." said the sinister, malevolent voice of Dr. Sloth. "I see you've brought a new minion with you. Who is it?"
"She's a Plushie Ixi who I found running through the corridors. She got lost in the halls. She's a girl, and she's named Taya."
Taya was deeply confused. She would've expected Zerula to sound at least slightly frightened- she, for one, was scared out of her mind, and knew that she would show it if she spoke. But the Grundo with her didn't sound the least bit afraid or nervous. In fact, she sounded almost happy, as if she knew Dr. Sloth quite well. Plus, just a moment ago, they had been talking about her…
"Good. Now we can situate her in Neopia Central. We need a few more minions there." Sloth said.
"I'll get the rocket immediately, Slothy. Consider it done."
"Don't call me Slothy." Dr. Sloth said, scowling.
Taya bravely interrupted the evil conversation. "Excuse me, but I'm anything but your minion, and I'm not going to serve you, in Neopia Central, or anywhere else!"
"Shut up, slave!" shouted Dr. Sloth loudly. The phrase hit her like a slap in the mouth. That's all she was now- on of Dr. Sloth's slaves. Zerula had led her here just to get another slave for her master! She would never be "Slothy's" personal slave. Never!
She tried to yell for help, but all that came out of her mouth was a pitiful gurgle. Whether it was from fear or one of Sloth's evil inventions, she never got the chance to find out. She turned her head to glare at Sloth, but Zerula sprayed something on her. Taya then desperately tried to run somewhere- anywhere- but she discovered she couldn't! Apparently, the spray had completely immobilized her body. She couldn't even blink, let alone run.
"Pick her up, and put her in the rocket!" yelled Dr. Sloth. Two mutant Grundos appeared out of a side door Taya hadn't noticed until then, picked Taya up, and roughly threw her into a large rocket that was inside the room. Although she couldn't move a muscle, it still hurt somewhat.
Dr. Sloth pushed a button, and the ceiling of the space station retracted. The rocket then launched away before she had a chance to recover. After a few minutes, though, she regained movement, and quickly started to wildly pound on the rocket windows.
Over a thousand miles below, Sloth remarked, "Shatter-proof windows. The best investment we ever made!" Zerula nodded quickly in agreement.