Cast away in a dark corner of the Neopian world, thunder crackled against the scarlet sky. On a tiny island miles away from the main isle of Roo stood an abnormal structure. Old and rotten, the bricks were worn by the salt of the sea. The outer layers of brick housed a variety of plant life, giving the structure the appearance of one of those old cottages lost to time. There were two towers, one on the east and another to the north. The entire structure could easily be mistaken as very small castle, but everything inside told nothing of the sort.

Waves pounded into the surrounding coastline, throwing water around the small circular island. Along with the sound of the howling wind, the noises that nature was throwing at the island made the entire scene rather unsettling.

From inside the castle-like structure a single light could be seen flickering in the tower's upmost -blocked- The sound of clattering could be heard within along with the moans and yelps of multiple voices inside.

Along one of the far walls was a series of cages ontop of each other in a straight line. Fingers peeked out weakly moving, covered in dirt, blood, and other foul smelling liquids.

The laboratory was filled with every scientists dream. Stainless steel tables with bundles of shelves. Bunsen burners, beakers, flasks, test tubes and other glass objects lined the shelves awaiting for their special moment to be used.

In one cage a lifeless paw hung just outside the caged parameters covered in blood. Below it on the concrete floor was a small pool of blood.

Ooo look what we have here today! shrieked a gravelly voice. As the dark figure made his way forward, he passed the pool of blood and the cage with the lifeless paw. The foot stepped into the bit of blood as he passed making small prints as he traveled further.

A set of bloodshot eyes peered out from a barred cage.

Whispering could be heard. But only in the ears of the one peeking out.

{Come play with us.}

{Don't respond to him!}

{He's going to kill you too!}

The cage was cramped and the figure inside the cage shivered from the outside draft.

Aren't you going to say good morning to your dear old Dr. Wartz!? The doctor slammed his cane into the cage. The ear shattering echo of the ringing against the steel drove through the caged inhabitant's ears.

Jumping at the sudden shock of the sound, the inhabitant stirred.

A white flash of a sudden image of an airy meadow. Laughter and voices suddenly flooded over the caged victim's head.

{Let's play hide and seek! C'mon! Run and ride!}

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5...}

She twitched and closed her eyes quickly sending the vision from her mind.

She was a bit more alert at this point. Slightly confused, but alert.

Nice to see you finally on your feet, Ixi. Dr. Wartz snapped. He was rather testy this morning.

Dr. Wartz wasn't exactly a handsome looking fellow. He was as grotesque as his name sounded. He was an oddly statured Lenny with haunting gray eyes. His feathers were dull and dusty yellow. He was never neatly kept and the white lab coat he always wore was wrinkled and flecked with bits of dirt, grime, and bodily fluids—never his, of course! His hair feathers weren't much better kept. They too were grimy, but covered in some what looked like to algae. Though, upon closer inspection that algae that seemed to cover his hair was only the lighting of the laboratory.

Dr. Wartz was a self proclaimed genius. At least when it came to performing crazy experiments on his victims.

The Ixi inside of the cage knew of this. She had been there the longest and she had seen it all. The horrors and monstrosities that had been created; She watched it all.

When others would cry out she sat there bouncing her head back and forth entirely grateful that it wasn't her hooves that Dr. Wartz was lobbing off with a hatchet. She was a lucky one.

What's wrong with yeh? his toned softened making his way over to the cage. He tapped the cage. That's no way for my prized girl to act, now is it?

She was his star.

Internally she knew something wasn't right about what she called home. Nothing seemed to fit right.

At times she often thought about escaping her small island prison, but there really was no way to go anywhere. The laboratory was extremely secluded and the only on or off the island was by boat. There was a supply boat that came and dropped off supplies once a week, but that was really all she knew.

Really she's never even seen the one that always came and delivered the packages. They always wore a robe that covered up most of their face.

I suppose you're hungry considering you aren't talkin' too much. He waddled over to a cooler and pulled out a bowl of oatmeal with chunks of vegetables laced within it. I made sure to make your favorite breakfast today. He told her pushing the bowl toward her.

Picking up the bowl, the white ixi quickly started to eat the contents.

For the moment, she wasn't exactly the cleanest white Ixi you would typically find.

Today is going to be quite a day for us! Especially for you, dear, Aleena.

Aleena's blood shot eyes focused on Lenny with question. Something told her that her time had finally come. So... this was it? She swallowed her oatmeal and pushed the rest of the bowl's contents aside. She suddenly didn't feel like eating now.

Oh no no! Wartz pushed the bowl toward her encouragingly. You must eat to keep your strength up! This isn't anything to worry about.

{There's always things to worry about with him.}

{KILL him!}

With a small voice Aleena spoke finally. What are you planning?

There were always many things that Wartz planned. Some of those tended to succeed, which seemed to be a freak result to who knows what and then others failed miserably. In some aspects he was a genius. He WAS able to do what no neopet had done in the past. For that, Aleena admired his passion.

Often times Wartz would allow Aleena out of her cage to assist in some of his experiments where he needed an extra set of hands. Aleena figured that the bit of freedom he gave her did make a difference.

As to where others have perished under experimentation, she was granted life.

She didn't understand why, but that was good enough for her.

While assisting Dr. Wartz Aleena gained a peculiar appreciation for the inner workings of the body. Having a chance to get up close and personal gave her the ability to really pay attention to the little details.

The way the lungs expanded and deflated for a breath.

The thudding of a heart as it pumped blood throughout the body.

And then there was the blood itself.

The red liquid that was found in everyone. The liquid that pumped life into every inch of the body to keep it alive and working. The body, according to Aleena, was a finely tuned machine.

She loved it.

Ah!! Wartz exclaimed, with a smile. There's that beautiful voice! Such music to these old ears, you know. He made his way over to a section of the laboratory where a rather large object was covered by a sheet. With a slick move, he pulled the cover off. The procedure of the millennia! After I finish with this my work will gain me MEDALS!

They don't award medals for theories gone wrong She snapped eating a piece of broccoli, taking note to the rather large object. The object looked like a rather large see-through cooking pot with a series of cables and electrical components sticking out of it.

{Medals are shiny.}

{Better when coated in blood!}

There were times where Aleena could actively remember experiments going wrong. Lives were lost that really didn't need to be lost all because of an excessive blood loss amount, or something accidentally being injected when the time wasn't right.

The connection to each soul lost in the laboratory haunted her.

Even after they were gone the whispers continued.

This will not go wrong. He said to her, gliding his winged fingers over the glass. This enhanced stasis chamber will be how all of my ideas will be carried out.

{Come to us, Aleena.}

{We'll see you soon.}

The wires and cables that were attached to the side of the tank curled around to yet another large box with more buttons and controls.

Shall we begin? Wartz smirked.

It wasn't long before lighted shadows were once again being casted onto a far wall. The sound of electrical components whirring, water bubbling and the clinking of test tubes were filling the laboratory.

Dr. Wartz had made his way over to a incredibly large tank with a series of wires and tubes running from it. Inside of the clear looking liquid was a body.

As Aleena's body floated it seemed to radiate from within the tube. The dingy white and gold fur was suddenly transformed into a white as pure as snow. Dr. Wartz had affixed her with a series of wires that were inserted into various parts of her body and a face mask used for oxygen.

He couldn't have his favorite experiment dying or anything like that. That would be inhumane.

His winged fingers punched in a series of configurations into a computer that sat nearby and watched for the reaction inside of the tube. The liquid from within began to warm up.

This should keep your core temperature from dipping too low once I begin. Dr. Wartz told the unconscious Ixi. Just a few moments and things will be ready to begin.

He smiled to himself as he made his way around a table where a mixture of different color liquids sat in various test tubes. Each of those tubes had serums that he had been working on for months, even years. All mixtures cooked to perfection. Even Kauvara herself would envy the amount of dedication placed into these potions.

Holding a flask up to the light, Dr. Wartz studied the contents. Tapping the flask with a stirring utensil, he suddenly watched as the liquid within start to bubble. This needs to be heated slightly. He told himself before carrying it over to a lit Bunsen burner.

Humming slightly to himself, Wartz grabbed a pair of tongs and took hold of the flask before holding it over the burner. After a few moments, he removed it and added the contests of a small vile into it.

He chuckled in delight. Perfect! He turned back to the unconscious floating Ixi and held up the tube. THIS shall give you incredible strength. You'll be even stronger than that freak locked away in Terror Mountain.

Making his way over to his computer he took notice to the heart rate monitor he had Aleena plugged into. Everything appeared to be normal. Everything, so far was going as planned. Time for your first dose... he said loading up a syringe. ...and then onto the brain enhancements.

From within her unconscious body, Aleena's mind was extremely active. The waking world had its dream like qualities, but when she was dreaming her mind seemed to be most clear. She could actually see the faces to the voices she heard on a daily basis and was able to make more sense to the things happening to her. It was in her mind where she felt most complete. It was because of her mind any of the world made sense at all.

It was because of her mind she realized that she had not always known the life she knew of presently. At one point she didn't live on the secluded island. At one point she had friends who cared about her and she loved the taste of mallow. She couldn't figure out the name of her friends that she had, but the voices… that she remembered.

It wasn't much of a memory. Just a small fraction of a memory that would surface from time to time that seemed to put her at ease. She was happy then. Happy to feel the lush ground beneath her, happy to eat berries right off the bush whenever she pleased… Small things that she was sure never to experience again.

In her unconscious state, she came face to face with images of the dead that she had recently watch slip away from within her cage.

You shouldn't beat yourself up, Aleena. A uni told her, with a flick of her mane. This wasn't YOUR fault.

I should have done something. Aleena countered.

This was HIS fault. The uni continued. And you know it was!

A small circle of now-gone faces surrounded her. Please avenge us. They pleaded. Please...

The group suddenly started to fade one figure at a time this time only leaving a small Lupe sitting before her. Our strength will continue to be with you. Please give meaning to our deaths.

Before long the image of the tiny lupe vanished, leaving Aleena in a pit of darkness.

From the outside the heart monitor keeping track of Aleena's vital signs were bouncing all over the place. Her heart was racing and her brain waves were going off the charts.

The machines Dr. Wartz had her hooked up to were now beeping with increased passion.

Wartz pulled a syringe out of the fluid tube he had flowing directly into Aleena's system and placed it on a stainless steel tray with a half a dozen empties. He quickly rushed over to the machines wiping a few beads of sweat from his brow. Steady... Steady. He coaxed the machine. This shouldn't be happening—

***

Are you sure of this position?

Yes. These coordinates are correct, Lieutenant.

Cutting through the clouds a teal and lavender form could be seen on a steady decent toward the secluded island.

Land swiftly on the north side of the island near the water. The teal figure told the other.

Both figures touched down effortlessly on the north side of the island, covered by the shadows cast by the double towers.

Xhalerax, scan the building. Check for other life forms. This operation needs to be clean.

Understood. Xhalerax nodded as he triggered a sensor on his ear to activate his optical stimulator.

Xhalerax was an extremely unique Faerie Ixi. Equipped with internal nano-bots and active sensory equipment made him ideal for special missions. He was pretty much revived thanks to Dr. Sloth's technology, he was given a second chance at life.

Blayne, the ghost Ixi with the title of Lieutenant also had a hand in the overseeing of Xhal's revival. Blayne had been on an active mission for Dr. Sloth and was suddenly cornered by a group of resistance fighters. The faerie Ixi just happened to be caught in the crossfire and took a few bullets to save the ghost Ixi's life… even though he had no idea that he was already dead.

The kid had potential and Blayne felt extremely guilty that his life was cut so short.

Blayne made a get away with the corpse of the faerie Ixi and brought him back to his head quarters. From there the rest was history.

Xhal was now fighting for Dr. Sloth right alongside his "brother" Lieutenant Blayne.

Blayne's and Xhal's mission consisted of infiltration and recovery. For the past few months, Blayne had been following up on a particular individual who had started to make a habit of selling off valuable lab equipment. Everything started up on the space station and eventually they tracked the movement of some of those components to a secluded island due west of Roo Island. This really was the only place that was truly habitable from the volcanic islands.

I'm picking up two life signs. Xhal reported, he eyes scanning the second tower. Lots of EMI as well.

Fun. replied Blayne. Head for the upper window and wait on my mark before heading inside. Be quick, and turn on any scramblers you might have to through off sensory equipment.

Understood.

Lifting into the sky, Blayne's form turned from a solid to a more translucent form and phased through one of the island's few trees heading toward the tower.

Heart monitors beeped out of control as Dr. Wartz fussed with the tubes that lead right into Aleena's body. A small sense of panic rushed over him. How could he be so stupid to make a minor mis-calculation? He shook his head mentally. No. Everything WAS correct. He slaved over each possibility and formula for months before even the slightest attempt would be considered. Don't worry... he told the unconscious Aleena. I'm not letting you go anywhere.

Reaching over to the small stainless steel table, he grabbed a syringe filled with a clear fluid and un-capped it. He quickly injected it into the appropriate tube and looked back over to his small array of monitors. Within moments the Aleena's heart rate started to slow to a normalized pulse. He smiled weakly. There now, that's better. Try not to get too antsy. We're almost finished.

From outside of the tower Blayne poked his head through the wall catching sight of a rather straggly looking Lenny fuss with a set of computers. In his translucent form he phased effortlessly through the wall and floated behind a set of boxes. One of the nice things about being a ghost was having the ability to phase through objects with any real damage to anything. He did have some trouble with certain electro-magnetic equipment forever. In those cases he would eventually cause harm to the object he phased through leaving trace amounts of ectoplasm behind him.

Blayne continued to float toward the back part of the tower, taking note to the set up of the place. He suddenly stopped when he came face to face with a row of cages stacked along the far wall. Was he seeing what he thought he was seeing?

He frowned slightly peeking into the cages. Some of them held dead bodies that hadn't yet been cleared out. Some in worse stages of decomposition than others, and yet there were others that were lifeless and yet looked like someone played patchwork dolls and tried to stitch certain parts back onto them.

It only took him a moment to analyze the situation that was going on in that tower now.

Floating over toward the set of boxes he originally hid behind he allowed his form to return to its solid state. He activated a small sensor on his collar. Xhal. Position?

From above Xhal had a bird's eye view of everything that was going on over head. He kept careful note of Blayne's position as he weaved through the outer corners of the tower as well as keeping a keen eye on the Lenny and his test subject. Overhead. Three o' clock of the subject. Waiting for the go ahead. Came the response in a low monotone voice.

Do you see these cages?

Xhal's topaz eyes followed the tower's wall to the line of stainless steel cages. He made use of himself and activated his ocular node to run a scan on the cages. Multiple spices. Some infused with random nucleotide infestations. Dead.

And I can bet Frankenstein over there is to blame. I think he's doing something… unforgiving to that Ixi in the tank...

Dr. Wartz picked up another small vile of a glowing green liquid. He snickered as he loaded up yet another syringe. And here we have the final stage of your development… Ready for enhanced brain function? Once the syringe was filled he gave it a keen flick with his winged fingertips. He waited a moment and attempted to feed it through one of Aleena's primary tubes.

Aleena's peaceful and bleak world from inside her mind suddenly vanished. The meadows of green were suddenly replaced with an intense burning. Flames shot up from beneath where she stood and singed her feet.

Screaming in pain, she attempted to flee in whatever direction that didn't burn. No matter where she ran to it just caused more and more pain. Is this what death felt like?

From outside of her tube the doctor's monitor's beeped uncontrollably once again. All readings at this rate was off the charts.

Wartz frowned knowing very well that this wasn't a good sign.

NOW. Blayne yelled to his partner. Almost on cue, Xhal's form came through the tower's window and whirled around overhead before landing next to Blayne who was now standing feet away from Dr. Wartz.

TERMINATE your experiment NOW. he commanded the Lenny.

Dr. Wartz spun on his heel surprised to see two sets of eyes glaring at him. Who are you!? What are you doing here--!?

I don't know what you're doing here, but it appears we got here just in time before you've destroyed another life-

Wartz grumbled. You don't belong here—LEAVE! he turned to go back to his small tray. Very quickly he filled another syringe and pushed it in through Aleena's tube.

I WARNED you. He hissed. If there was one thing he hated seeing it was his own kind suffering. Xhal--!

With a blinding move Xhal's wings pressed him forward at a lightning quick speed and pulled the doctor from his station slamming him hard into the east wall.

From within her tube, Aleena came out of her unconscious state and thrashed around in the tank, hooves pounding against the glass. She suddenly stopped feeling another searing wave of pain rush through her. Her ice blue eyes suddenly filled scarlet with blood. Her horns on top of her head twisted and pushed through her skull in a rapid growth spurt. Writhing in pain she managed to pull the re-breather mask off of her face. At this rate she was completely blinded, unable to comprehend what was going on. Her screams fell unheard through the mass of bubbles.

Blayne sprinted to where Wartz had just been shoved from and looked for a way to shut down the system. He was generally pretty quick and could figure out technical components pretty fast, but this time...? His glowing eyes looked forward to see the struggling Ixi. I'll get you out! Hold on--!

Xhal had knocked Dr. Wartz into next Tuesday and had left him lying limp in the corner before flying back over to Blayne's side. Any luck?

Stressed, Blayne continued to work his way through the program looking for any form of a release to unhinge the tube's top. No. He looked back up to see a mass of bubbles floating to the top of the tank. She needs air. He thought a moment and shook his head. Blast the tank! he said pointing. With your enhancements you should be able to crack the glass enough.

Aleena's body slowed in movement.

Xhal gave a quick nod before taking off at full speed right for the tank. He collided with the tank's glass.

–thud-

AGAIN! Blayne ran to the back of the tower where he saw a bunch of scrap metal and went running toward the tank, swinging at the glass with full power.

The white and gold body of the entombed Ixi went limp.

Xhal slammed his entire right side into the tank another time before he started to hear a new noise.

CRRRRAAAAACK!!!

The same noise one would hear the instant they stepped onto a patch of thing ice.

With another powerful slam with the metal piece he picked up, Blayne smashed through the tank's glass. The inner contents spilled out quickly into the laboratory, Aleena's body following the small tidal wave of water.

Dropping the metal piece he checked the now long-horned Ixi's pulse. Weak—but there is something.

Xhal fluttered over toward Blayne's kneeling body. Perhaps I should inject nanoprobes into her? It'll fix whatever that Lenny did to her… somewhat.

Blayne grimaced. He had a feeling that this Ixi had enough done to her within her lifetime. As long as it'll help. He said finally.

Xhal took the initiative and opened one of the satchels on Blayne's sleeve. He quickly pulled out a small injection gun and placed the tip to his exposed fur, withdrawing a few ounces of his blood.

Holding the gun up to the available light he allowed his ocular node to scan the sample. Invisible to the eye, Xhal's internal scanners would tell him that he successfully pulled a nice helping of his own nano probes.

Leaning down, he pressed the gun against Aleena's body and turned back to Blayne.

This is still a component recovery mission. He told Xhal, his head nodding to the rather large computer complex. Let's find our missing components, take them, and this one he nodded to Aleena, with us.

Xhal nodded. What of the Lenny?

Blayne gently patted Aleena's head and allowed her to rest as he made a formal scan over a few areas before detaching a small sub-processor from an over powered electrical generator. Take him. We'll let the white Ixi decide his fate when she wakes up...

The three Ixis, plus one very unconscious Lenny made their way back to Neopia's space station. Xhal and Blayne made sure their new companion was resting suitably in sick bay before they proceeded with any further tasks. They figured should anything else go wrong, the best medical attention would be available to her.

After the two dropped the Lenny's body off in a small cell they shut the door and headed into Lord Sloth's chamber to make an official report on their mission.

From within sick bay, Aleena slowly came to, her eyes darting around the room.

{This place is different…} she spoke to herself in silent thought. {I'm… not in the lab anymore?}

Slowly sitting up Aleena caught sight of her own reflection in a bit of the metal bouncing back at her. She could now see the long and twisted horns and the blood red eyes as a new edition to her appearance. She actually liked the horns, but the red eyes...

Her eyes welled up as she pushed herself off the bed, sticker sensors popping off her body as she walked around the room.

{Am I really free of everything?} This all was too good to be true.

Placing her head on the cold tempered porthole she could see Neopia and its moon in orbit. Stars littering the black sky. She placed her hand feeling the cold steel of the space station and smiled looking down.

{Aleeena—he's still alive.} one of the many voices in her head spoke to her.

It seemed that no matter that was done to her, the voices were here to stay. {They left him for you to finish off.}

{Finish this so no more needs to suffer!}

Aleena's head tilted sideways in thought. She really didn't want anything like this to happen to anyone else… but first… something needed to be done.

With a mission in mind, she opened and closed multiple drawers strewing medical instruments all around until she found what she needed.

Thread. And a needle.

Taking the objects to her bed she sat down and carefully threaded the surgical grade thread through the needle. This would have to do until she could find wire.

Speak no evil. She whispered before threading the needle through her lips. She figured she had no reason to speak of the evils she saw on the isle. No one needed to hear it. She would endure enough for everyone.

Leaving enough string, she tied it off cutting it. She stood, her hands shaking from the pain.

{It will go away. It will vanish.}

With her right eye twitching she took several steps forward and took hold of a medical scalpel and walked out of the front door.

The halls of the space station were very quiet. No patrols running up the hallways, no alarms sounding that she had left her room. Just the faint beep of a flatline coming from the room she was in. Though, that too was drowned out when the doors to her room ushered themselves shut.

{Down the hall.} the voices whispered to her. Guiding her. {He's on the door on the left.}

Aleena stopped and turned left.

{The door is locked.} the voices told her again.

Everything from that point on was a blur. White flashes, streaks of red, a muted scream, more streaks of red.

Dr. Wartz's lifeless body slumped over in a corner of the alloy cell. Splatters of blood splashed over the walls and ceiling as well as a generous pool on the floor. Aleena has sliced clear through his jugular vein in a heartbeat.

She rocked back and forth, her cool and collected face now outstretched into a smile laced with blood and thread.

Footsteps clinking against the metal floor, slowly had a small crowd around her to see what the screaming was about.

Blayne, Xhal and Dr. Sloth himself peered into the blood soaked room.

Blayne turned to Xhal. It seems his fate has been decided.

********

In a dark part of the Haunted Wood a white, long horned Ixi skipped around the trees. She recently adored her new found freedom as well as the new area that she was introduced to. Something about the forest gave her peace. She attempted to meander in a lush green, grass meadow, but she just didn't feel quite at home.

With each step the golden rings that decorated her neck, ankles, and wrists clanged together as she skipped through the moss covered floor. Her white form almost seemed to glitter as it passed through the trees. Her appearance in general went through a few minor changes while imprisoned on the isle. Scarlet eyes replaced her ice blue eyes permanently, which was now okay with her. She didn't mind the change in hue so much anymore. The thread that laced her mouth together was now replaced with a strong wire to securely loosen or tighten as she saw fit. And a pair of long, twisted golden horns, now decorated with barbed wire.

When she was allowed she proceeded deeper into the forest, exploring the ins and outs of the place. She eventually stumbled upon a beautiful array of mushrooms that seemed to luminance under the moonlight glow. Her scarlet eyes welled up in amazement.

This is where she would call home.

In the time that she had been away from her island imprisonment she had experienced new wonders that she very much enjoyed. One of them was called ''candy.'' Blayne had offered some to her a few days ago and was instantly hooked. The sweet taste that engulfed her mouth was pure joy in a wrapper.

When Xhal proceeded to tell her about a yearly event where you could get a lot of candy in one night, she jumped at the idea. She would have to wait many months for the night of the hallowed event, but she would wait.

She was content with her new ''family'' and surroundings. This also included the voices she tended to speak with on a fairly regular basis.

After all, why toss away good company?

That would be silly.