"56201 miles to surface…" read the electronic display.

"looks like we've got a ways to go." Said Liz, leaning against the side of the elevator.

The elevator ascended quickly, giving them a birds-eye view of the cavern. Though the elevator traveled at 70,000 miles an hour, that still was the good part of an hour.

"Good." Said Z, tilting his armored head up to the display. "that means we'll have time to discuss our plans."

"plans?" asked Kid.

"no. party-like-its-the-end-of-the-world plans. First I thought we'd drop by the food section and pick out some intergalactic quisine. Then-"

"wait wait wait. We're supposed to go on some stupid tour with you?" asked soul.

"um… remove the word stupid, and yes, precisely."

"Listen, buddy." Said Soul, going toe to toe with Z (although Z was a foot taller then him). "we came here to retrieve our meisters, nothing more. We didn't come to go on some joytrip with you, you creepy-ass robot. We're on the first spaceship-whatever out of here, you got that?"

"W-What?" said Z. he looked around at the others. "do… do you all feel like this?" he said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"kinda."

"um… yeah…"

"uh-huh."

"definitely."

"I guess."

"kya ha ha!"

"But… b-b-but…" said Z, his armored voice cracking.

"but nothing" continued Soul, "we didn't come here to get involved with your little vendetta. We just came to save our meisters. Get it thru your armored skull."

Z stumbled back, as though hit with a shockwave. He put his hands to his head. "no… this is all wrong… we… we were gonna have fun together… I was gonna have friends… I… I was…" Z shook more and more violently. Sobs began to come from him.

"Soul… back the f#ck up… this could be ugly…" muttered Kid. Soul willingly obliged, Z was going into convulsions, almost like having a seizure standing up, hands still pressed over his eyeslits.

Then, suddenly, he stopped. Dead still. He removed his hands from his face, and his eyeslits, instead of light blue, were now a dark red.

"oh shit…" muttered soul.

Z raised his hand towards them. He slowly clanked forward, armor echoing against the floor of the elevator. Soul moved back, until he hit his back on the elevator wall. Z advanced, hand outstretched. Soul closed his eyes…

A hand on his shoulder.

Soul's eyes snapped back open. Z's eyeslits were glowinglight blue again, matching the rest of his metallic armor.

"such audacity! I forgot how arrogant you humans are. Commendations; not many would have had the balls to talk to me that way." Z stepped back, addressing the entire group. "now then. We have 2 possible options here. We either talk bribes…" he raised his right hand, the one with the red bar. "or threats." He raised his other hand, the power saw merged to his forearm above it whirring dangerously. "take your pick."

"b-b-b-b-bribes, please." Said Soul meekly.

"smart man. Now then; here is my proposition."

"twenty-four earth hours you spend with me. After which, I allow you to go back to your planet, unscathed. Deal?"

"Depends." Said Maka, stepping forwards. "what are we doing during the 24 hours?"

"ah yes. This is the best part. You see…" he began to pace back and forth across the elevator.

"I have grown rather lonely over the countless years in my paradise. Though I withstand it most of the time, sometimes, I require company to remain sane. All I want is somebody to show around my ship, to have somebody marvel at my magnificent paradise."

"imagine, if you will, my dears, that you had built the world's most spectacular, incredible amusement park. But, no matter how long you waited, barely even a handful of people showed up. You built robots to act like they were having fun, but it was barely half as fun as real people."

"do you see what I'm getting at here?"

"We go on a tour around my ship. If you still wish to leave at the end, I shall not stop you. Simply just give me a chance."

"You still haven't quite answered my question." Said Maka. "what do we do during the 24 hours."

Z stopped pacing in the center of the elevator, and raised his hands in a T formation.

"I give you the greatest day of your finite lives."

"a mall, with everything you could ever ask for, and infinite spending money."

"the world's most fabulous amusement park, filled to the brim with rides, ranging from roller coasters to tunnels of love."

"The opportunity to ride on the back of legendary, mythical creatures; seeing the world like no other human ever has."

"Train to your heart's content, if you wish, in my ultimate battle arena center or my ultimate training planet."

"As much food as you can fit in your stomach, with a range of cuisines from all over this universe."

"receive a pet of your choice; not a cat or a dog, but anything in the galactic spiral and beyond. Huge dragonoid monsters to tiny pink mice to creatures beyond human imagining."

"and…" Z raised a finger. "a spectacular surprise, which will blow your minds, I garuntee."

"so what do you say? Take my little deal?"

The soul eater cast gasped. It was almost too good of a deal to be true. Nirvana, all for no cost whatsoever? Incredible!"

"Incredible!"

"Definitely!"

"YA-HOO!"

"absolutely!"

"sounds excellent."

"HELL YEAH!"

"hot damn! Patty is getting some new boots!"

Z chuckled, a unearthly sound. "I'll take that as a yes. Very well, the twenty-four hours starts the second we walk out of the elevator." He looked back up at the display.

"51091 miles to surface…"

"assuming this thing ever gets there."