Defender of Neopia - Tyranny of The Doctor: Part Two

      "Yes, I received word that there was going to be something huge going down on Virtupets Station. When I tried to check things out, I nearly got discovered. I hid in a cargo container but before I could escape, I was shipped out to Kiko Lake along with the package of souvenir toys." Gorix looked at his wrist. "And to top it off, I smashed my communicator when they were tossing us off the delivery ship. Now I have no way of contacting my friends."

      "That doesn't sound good at all but I still don't understand." Keenomarci looked at the scroll that Gorix had delivered to Defenders HQ. "Why were those weird looking robots searching for you?"

      He paused and looked around cautiously. "Have you ever heard of an evil scientist named Frank Sloth?"

      She tilted her head in confusion. "Well, I only ever heard the stories. I didn't think he was a real person."

      "Oh he's real. He's real and he's mean." Gorix grabbed her by the shoulders. "Look, if we don't get to Virtupets Station soon, I shudder to think of what kinds of terrors he will unleash on Neopia!"

      Keenomarci began to doubt the sanity of Gorix. She thought to herself that all those tales about the 'evil Doctor Sloth' were just ways to sell merchandise and video games. She never thought that things like the Space Faerie existed could they?

      "Okay and if I get you to Virtupets Station, what are you planning to do?" she asked with a sceptical tone.

      "I'll need to find my friends and free any captives that Sloth and his military may have taken. I missed my rendezvous so it's hard to say if they've been compromised." Gorix looked to the ground in shame. "No, I've got to keep up hope. There's no time to waste. If we can manage to get to Tyrannia, I've got a ship hidden in the outskirts that we can take up to the space station."

      They began their trek to Tyrannia in hopes that Gorix's space ship had not been uncovered by the strange looking drones that they had encountered in Kiko Lake. The route they planned out could bypass the bustling Neopia Central but they would have to risk going out in the open on Roo Island, so they could catch the next ferry out to Tyrannia.

      Keenomarci couldn't help but feel a pit in her stomach. She felt as though she should find some way to let Defender HQ know what was going on but she couldn't think of a way to notify them without tipping off any of their pursuers. She felt as alone as Gorix felt and she could find some comfort in that, as uneasy as that was.

      They travelled north, following the bright Rainbow they could see through the forest. Neopia Central wasn't too far, so they had to make sure they stayed under the cover of the thick trees.

      "So, Gorix, do you have any contact in Roo Island's port?" she asked as they walked through the forest brush, the branches and brush snapped quietly as they walked.

      "I may have an old friend that I can call on for an overdue favour," he replied, keeping an alert watch on the edge of the tree line. The afternoon sun reached through the branches, grasping at the precious shade that was shrouding their approach. He was trying to stay focused on any movement he saw beyond the trees, in case they had to make a quick dash deeper into the forest.

      "You know Gorix, there's something I've got to tell you." Keenomarci had a hint of nervousness in her voice; Gorix pressed on.

      "I think it's going to have to wait right now." He motioned to stop. "Quick, get down!" he shouted in as hushed a voice as he could.

      There was a noise coming from beyond the tree line along the forest path and a blobby figure that Gorix couldn't quite make out. They crouched low to the ground just as the figure walked past them. As it came into focus he realized it had turned out to be a harmless pair of Neopets taking a quick walk along a forest path.

      Gorix swallowed hard and exhaled. "Phew, that was a close one. What did you want to say?"

      Keenomarci's heart was racing with excitement. She felt like she had to tell Gorix that she was just a 'Defender-in-Training', but she couldn't bring herself to burden him any more than she already had. "No, it's nothing. We should get going again before it gets dark."

      As night fell, they picked up the pace and made it to the outskirts of Neopia Central. They thought about trying to make the swim to Roo Island but by this point they were exhausted and it had begun raining, again. They decided to try and keep a low profile and stay a night at the Neolodge, on the outskirts of Neopia Central and decided they would get up before the morning sun rose to make the trip to Roo Island.

      "Just be careful," Gorix whispered to her, as they opened the door to the Neolodge. "You never know who could be listening."

      As they walked up to the desk, a shady looking Darigan Kougra peeked over a copy of the Neopian Times he was busying himself with and watched them carefully.

      "We'll get two, four-star, rooms please," Gorix said, picking out a small bag of neopoints from his pocket and sliding it across the desk. The green Skeith Clerk scooped up the bag with a wide grin and dug around beneath the counter. When he returned, he presented two keys.

      "Here you are, you'll find your rooms on the fourth floor. Enjoy your stay!" the green Skeith Clerk chimed happily.

      Gorix handed Keenomarci one of the keys and they both headed up towards the fourth floor. The Darigan Kougra that had been watching them fixed the sunglasses he was wearing and tucked The Times under his jacket. He stood up and followed at a distance.

      As Keenomarci and Gorix were walking up the stairs, Gorix placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Don't react; I think we're being followed."

      They kept walking up the stairs and arrived on the fourth floor. The Kougra had kept a good distance back from where they were, several stairs down.

      "Follow my lead," he said in a hushed voice as they turned the corner into the corridor. The Darigan Kougra curled his lip in frustration after losing sight of them and hurried up the stairs. As he turned the corner he stopped quickly and looked around, confused. They had suddenly vanished, with no trace.

      The Darigan Kougra walked down the corridor slowly, eyeing the rows of locked doors. Keenomarci and Gorix were holding their breath, as they clung above the entrance to the corridor.

      The mysterious Darigan Kougra growled in frustration and threw his hat on the ground. He took a small device from his pocket and brought it to his face.

      "NOW!" Gorix shouted.

      The Darigan Kougra spun around stunned, as they leapt off the wall and tackled him to the ground sending the device flying down the corridor.

      The three of them tussled and wrestled for control, eventually they all got to their feet. Keenomarci had grabbed the Darigan Kougra by the collar of his jacket and had lifted him up off the ground.

      "Now I've got you!" she shouted with a sneer. "Who are you and why are you following us?"

      He winced as he looked down at the angry purple Kyrii. "I-I'll explain everything! Just don't hurt me!"

      Gorix nodded at Keenomarci and she returned the Darigan Kougra to his feet. "You'd better have a good reason for following us," he added.

      The Darigan Kougra dusted himself off and picked up his sunglasses from the ground. "If you'll show me to one of your rooms, I'll be glad to talk about this – in private."

      . . .

      Meanwhile, back in Present Day...

      Keenomarci paused for a moment, noticing that the shadowed interrogator was no longer present behind the glass. She figured this would be a good opportunity to survey the area and check for a possible way out.

      The room she was being held in looked very sturdy, with no visible doors. The only window in the room was several feet above her, which she surmised was an observation area where her captors have been communicating from. She walked along the edge of the room, feeling the cold steely walls. It was seamless nearly the entire length of the wall. She noticed that there was a slight difference in the wall that seemed to be the width of a doorway. She pushed on it gently but it didn't budge.

      "How am I going to get out of here?" she whispered to herself.

      The loudspeaker squealed loudly and she covered her ears, wincing in pain. She spun around and looked up to the two-way glass and noticed that the figure had returned but was slightly different, somehow.

      "Please resume and refrain from attempting to escape," the loudspeaker boomed in the same monotone, robotic voice.

      The ringing in her ears had not yet faded and she let out a heavy sigh and returned to the middle of the room.

      "Right, where was I?"

To be continued...