No Refunds: Part Three

by PotterFollower

"May I ask why you hate Neopians, Dr. Sloth?" I asked.

"No."

The Space-pod was silent. As the altitude reached higher and higher, I felt my ears beginning to pop. "A few more minutes and we'll be at the station," he noticed, looking at his wristwatch.

"Shouldn't your hands be on the wheel?" I asked nervously.

"It's on auto-pilot." I nodded. "Ah… here we are," said Sloth joyfully. "My Grundos will take you to the Robotic Laboratory. There you'll be made a robot."

Slowly, I climbed down from the pod. Waiting for me stood a large Grundo, who appeared to be the leader. "Tu mama mo Leka," he said in Grundo tongue.

"You come with Leka," translated Dr. Sloth. The Grundo took my hand and pulled me to the Laboratory.

"Tu nano roobaton!" he shouted. I turned to ask Sloth for a translation, but he had left. When I reached the main section of the laboratory, I was laid upon a bed. Next to me were several mechanical parts, strips of metal, and operating tools. I gulped.

"Tu sloopa," confirmed the Grundo. Suddenly, I felt myself falling into a heavy sleep. I tried to stay awake, hoping I could stop them from turning me into a robot. I failed.

"Good morning," whispered Sloth.

"Whe- Whe- Where am," I tried to speak, but my lips felt heavy.

Dr. Sloth held a mirror in front of my face, and I saw exactly why they had felt that way - they were made of steel.

"You'll get used to it. Their either a little rusty, or too heavy for you yet," Sloth said. I nodded. "Let me help you up."

After several falls, wobbles, and attempts, I was able to walk. "By this evening you should be able to talk fully. I'll show you around the station. You'll need to know the password to the elevator also."

Throughout the afternoon he showed me the Grundo adoption agency, the kitchen where we would be eating our meals, the shop where Neopians could purchase Robots, and the main elevator. "The password is quite simple. It is Grundo99."

"That's quite foolish," I said.

"I see you're able to speak now. Would you tell me why that is so foolish?" he asked.

"Because any intelligent Neopian could figure it out. The station was built in 1999 and Grundos live on it," I concluded.

"I see. Are you hungry?" I nodded. "I believe the kitchen is serving Angels on Horseback this evening." I stared at him dumbfounded. "Pasta."

"Before we go for dinner, can I see the Faeries?" I questioned.

"Later. First we'll eat."

For space food, Angels on Horseback was quite enjoyable. After dinner he took me to see the Faeries. "May I be alone with them, Dr. Sloth?" I asked.

"Yes. But mind you, we'll know if you set them free. There's an alarm system." I nodded as he left the room.

"Please!"

"Free us!"

"Let us leave!"

"I beg you!"

"I'll grant you three wishes!"

"Let us go!" The Faeries' high-pitched voices pierced the silence in the dark room.

"I'm sorry, but I can't! They'll know. Can't you use your power?"

The Faeries began to speak at the same time, leaving me confused. "Please! One at a time!" The Queen Faerie stepped forward. "There is a generator somewhere on this space station. If you are able to find, and shut it down before tomorrow evening, our powers will be restored. Once they are restored, we can free ourselves, and disable the alarm. After that, we will be able to save Neopia."

"I will try my best. Do you have any idea where it may be?" I asked.

"Use the elevator. It is either on the lowest or highest floor."

"Thank-you." I opened the door and left the room to be greeted by Dr. Sloth. "What did you ask them?"

"Nothing. I wanted to make sure they were alive and healthy."

Sloth nodded in return. "Come, I will show you to your room, LiliaLay," he said.

The clock struck midnight, the station was silent. I got out of bed and searched through the darkness for a light switch.

"No, I mustn't. They'll see the light," I thought to myself. I reached for the door and stepped out of my room quietly. I was glad to see some of the station's lights still on. I found the elevator easily. I pressed the "basement" button. Moments later, I stepped out into a brightly lit room. Each wall was covered in computers, which were the center of the station's power supply. I looked carefully at each one of them. None of them ran the generator, and each of them were written in Grundian language. However, the main computer in the center of the room was used for translating to Neopian. I went to the elevator again and traveled to the fifth and final floor. Inside was a single safe. On the silver arm plate of my new robotic suit was a laser gun. I used it to open the safe. Inside were the plans to destroy Neopia. I quickly burnt them with the laser gun, hoping it would take Sloth longer to kill off the entire population. I had failed the Faeries. I could not find a generator.

To be continued...