His Ogrin coworker, Nelzin, just shrugged and kept mopping without even glancing up. "He's probably just lost, Dayv. The AstroVilla is a big place, you know. Maybe you should go offer him some directions instead of just pointing at him and slopping mop water everywhere."

"Maybe..." Dayv admitted, though from his voice, Nelzin could tell he wasn't convinced. "He just looks a bit... shifty-eyed. Like he's casing the joint. I bet he's a super-villain! Or at least a Sloth minion."

Nelzin finally looked up and squinted at the Techo. "He seems like a pretty average tourist to me," he said. "Besides, he's leaving now, so get back to work."

Grumbling, Dayv picked up his mop and started absent-mindedly swabbing the floor, all the while still watching the departing Techo.

"Did you see that?!" The mop handle hit the floor with a clatter again.

Nelzin sighed. "No, I didn't see anything because I was paying attention to my work, which is more than I can say for some..."

"He just pressed something on the wall and a panel opened and and and...!"

"Calm down, Dayv! Maybe you just imagined it?"

"No, I saw it with my own two eyes! We need to follow him -- what if he's up to no good?" the Kougra exclaimed.

"These floors aren't going to mop themselves, Dayv," Nelzin began.

"Actually, they will. There's a bot that can mop them. Let's go! We could be heroes..."

Editor's Note: This week's Storytelling beginning was written from an idea submitted by sadinei. Keep sending in your ideas for Storytelling beginnings, and they might just appear in an upcoming contest!

"No, I'm not! Come on or we'll lose him!" The Kougra waved an arm at Nelzin and broke into a run.

"You can't lose someone if you don't follow him in the first place," Nelzin pointed out.

"Well then, fine! Go back and mop your boring old floors with the bot," Dayv said. "In the meantime, I'm going to go on a heroic adventure!"

"You're not going to find anything, but the boss will kill me if I let you disappear again, so unfortunately I'm coming along," Nelzin said with a sigh. "But mark my words, Dayv, this is the last time. Next time, I'm getting the boss."

"Whatever!" cried Dayv. "Look! Here's the panel the guy pushed! What do you think it does?"

"I think," Nelzin began, "it's the panel to shut off the alarm in the morning, Dayv. You know that as well as I do. Like I've always said, you're imagining things."

"No! No! He definitely used this panel! He put in some code and a door opened up behind it! As far as I know, there's no door behind the alarm code panel!"

"Dayv, look, I'd love to believe you, buddy, but you're talking crazy stuff."

"You're always so sceptical! Why can't you just once believe me?"

"Because you never tell the truth, Dayv! You told me you saw flying robot Myncies outside the window the other day, and when I looked outside, there definitely were no flying robot Myncies!"

"There definitely were! They just flew away by the time you crawled over to the window!" Dayv cried exasperatedly.

"Sure, Dayv. What about the time last week when you claimed there was a mysterious green light coming from down the hall, and when I walked outside there was no green light at all?"

"I'm telling you, Nelzin, I wasn't lying! There really were flying robot Myncies, and I really saw a green light!"

"And I'm telling you, Dayv, that you're imagining things," Nelzin said, then turned around to leave.

"You know what I think?" Dayv exclaimed, and Nelzin rolled his eyes and gestured for Dayv to continue. "I think Sloth has a secret lair in this building, and he's creating an army! That's where that strange shifty-eyed Techo was going, that's where the green light came from, and I'll bet he's making an army of flying robot Myncies!" Dayv was hopping up and down by this point. "See! See! It all makes sense!"

"Yeah, sure it does, Dayv. You needing to see a doctor also makes sense," Nelzin said.

"I don't need to see a doctor!" Dayv yelled and punched the alarm code panel.

Nelzin and Dayv gasped as the wall behind the panel opened up to a dimly lit hallway leading to...

"I can't breathe... all the perfume..." Nelzin said, coughing. "Dayv, you idiot. The Techo's probably come to pick up his sister, or something...!"

"No!" said the Kougra. "He's evil! I know it! See, look! There he is!"

Nelzin looked at his friend's pointing finger and followed it over to the counter, where he found the Techo talking casually to a starry Grundo with a pin on her shirt that said, "Hi, my name is Mary."

The Ogrin whirled around. "This is stupid."

"Nel, wait! She's reaching under the counter!"

It was true. The Grundo nodded at the Techo, smiling, and very quickly but undoubtedly, her hand slipped below the counter-top, and there was a bright jingling sound that didn't seem to be too out of place in a salon where there was music blasting as hard as it could from the speakers.

The next thing they knew, there was nobody standing where the Techo had been, and the Grundo appeared to be whistling as she picked up a water-bottle sitting near the cash register.

"Where did he go?" asked Nelzin, bewildered.

"HA! Now you can't deny the proof that he's up to no good!" Dayv said, gloating.

"Actually, I can, but it's getting highly unlikely," muttered the Ogrin. He glanced over at his friend, and his face paled when he saw the sheen in the Kougra's eyes. "Dayv, come on. It's too dangerous for us to try and stop him. We should go and get the manager, or the boss, and call the Defende--"

"No, no!" said the Kougra, shaking his head. "They'll all get here too late. We need to act now!"

"You really do need to see a doctor."

"Nel, come on!" Dayv said, grabbing his paw. "You need a little excitement in your life."

"Dayv, no!"

It was too late. The Kougra dragged him out into the wide open 'air' of the salon. Coughing and hacking, his eyes watering so much he couldn't really see, the Ogrin allowed himself to be pulled over to the counter, where he promptly tried to escape. That was when he discovered that the normally weak Kougra's arm could be very strong when he put his mind to it.

"Excuse me," said Dayv, smiling brightly. "Our friend probably passed through here just a minute ago, and I was hoping that you'd let us follow him. See, I was a bit late to our rendezvous point, and he took off before I could catch his attention."

"I'm sorry," said the Grundo, smiling just as widely. "Password?"

Dayv immediately looked flabbergasted, and Nelzin slapped his paw to his forehead. They were doomed...

"Oh!" the Grundo said, clearly flustered. "Roshan, I didn't know you were here, or that they were with you! I'm so sorry; I'll let you right though!"

The tight grip on his shoulder told Dayv not to say anything, and Nelzin had the smarts to keep his mouth shut. Mary reached under the desk, and the same jingling sound was heard. Before he had time to register what had happened, Dayv found himself in a small, dark room.

"Now listen," came the Eyrie's voice from behind Dayv. His soft whisper still had an edge of malice to it. "We are going to exit through that red door on the right." A quick peek assured Nelzin there was such a door.

"You will say nothing, and look at no one. Keep your eyes fixed ahead or on the ground. You will follow me until we reach a set of golden double doors. You will then proceed through those doors without me. If anyone asks why you are there, say Roshan sent you to wait for the messenger. That should make others leave you alone, but if not, just say Roshan told you not to say anymore. Precisely seven minutes after you have entered, a messenger will come. You will take his note, read it, and follow the instructions very carefully."

"Erm... Mister Roshan, sir?" Nelzin flinched as he was faced with the Eyrie's full glare. "Why go through all this? If there are certain... things for us to do, why not just tell us now? And... do you mind telling us where exactly we are?"

The Eyrie's unreadable face continued to stare down at the Ogrin. Finally he answered, "You must see what is beyond these doors completely, and you will only see the true nature of it if you follow these steps. As for your location, you are now underneath Terror Mountain. All will be explained." With those words, he gave a not-so-gentle shove to the two pets, forcing them through the red door.

Dayv almost gasped as he took in his surroundings. Grundos everywhere were in cages, looking miserable. There were different species of Neopets placed periodically through the cages to act as guards. A nip on his tail told Dayv that Roshan was warning him not to react. Dayv continued walking down the hallway, keeping his gaze straight ahead. They turned many times, and once or twice Dayv got a peek in other rooms. One room seemed to be filled with weapons, while another held robot casings of all shapes and sizes.

I bet I'm right! Dayv thought to himself. Sloth is creating an army!

Finally the unusual trio stopped before a set of golden doors. "Go on," Roshan said. Dayv took a breath before pushing open the doors...

Instead, they stood in a large office of sorts, small cubicles laid out in an intricate maze around the room where even more Grundos were hunched over desks tweaking small robot looking toys, filing papers, or simply standing around chatting. None of them paid the two coworkers any attention, except for one spotted Acara who approached them.

"Are you lost?" she asked in a snippy, authoritative voice. "The Training Room is the blue door on the left--"

"Roshan sent us to wait for the messenger," Nelzin repeated methodically, watching the Acara's eyes narrow.

"Oh. And you are?" she inquired, turning to look at Dayv.

"That would be none of your business, Penny," said an icy voice as a camouflage Grarrl came stomping up behind her. "Now get back to work," he added, jerking his head toward the employees behind him.

She shot Nelzin and Dayv another curious glance before disappearing in the crowd.

"Uh, you have a message for us?" Dayv asked.

The Grarrl turned his attention back to them. "A little... weaker than I expected of the two most highly respected agents," he muttered, his eyes raking over Dayv's scrawny Kougra frame and Nelzin's skinny legs, standing bowlegged in front of him.

"Agents?" Dayv noted excitedly. He looked toward Nelzin, who was silently shaking his head, indicating he did not agree to be an agent. "That's us," Dayv continued. "Reporting for duty, sir." He hesitated a second, then saluted.

"Right," the Grarrl stated matter of factly, revealing a small brown envelope which he handed to Dayv. "Your mission. Good luck." Then he turned heel and left the two Neopets alone.

"Awesome," Dayv squeaked, as Nelzin sighed exasperatedly. "I told you there was some secretive operation going on here," he whispered. "Did you see all those robot parts? Can you say 'robot army'?"

"Oh, all right," Nelzin finally agreed. "What's in the envelope?"

"It's a list of instructions, and... oh." Dayv's face fell as his eyes scanned the top of the page.

"What is it?" Nelzin hissed.

"Uh..." Dayv stuttered, for he'd just read a small yellow sticky note posted on top of it which instructed, 'Lie to the Ogrin'...

"It's a note from the boss," Dayv lied weakly, "telling us to get back to work and stop being distracted."

"Of course the boss would set up a whole scheme so that we could get caught off duty," Nelzin muttered, buying the lie. "Guess it's back to work."

As the two began to leave, Dayv lingered, pondering his decision. The Grarrl caught his eye and mouthed, "Don't worry. You're doing the right thing."

Dayv nodded, his decision solidified. Walking out of the room, through the many hallways, and out to the salon, they returned to their work. The floors had been left untouched, so it was easy to start work up once more.

"I can't believe the boss would do this to us," the Ogrin grumbled, swinging his mop in furious swipes across the floor.

"Yeah," Dayv answered distractedly. He needed a way to get out of there. He looked at his feet and came up with an idea. He "accidentally" swung his mop over his shoes.

"Ugh," the Kougra complained, looking at his now soaked shoes. "I'm going to get a new pair of shoes from the supply closet."

"Yeah, yeah," Nelzin murmured distractedly. Dayv knew that he was still thinking about what the boss had "done."

Dayv walked down the hallway, though as soon as he turned the corner, he broke into a run. There was no time to waste...

Once more, the perfumes and chemicals that flooded the air of the salon overwhelmed his nostrils, but Dayv managed to block them out with his single-minded focus. He nodded at Mary, who stood silently watching the Kougra's progress past the manicure chair where she stood frozen, poised in the middle of giving a hoof polish to a chatty pink Kau.

Excusing herself, the Grundo followed Dayv to the counter where she hissed, "What are you doing here again?"

"I have orders. Straight from Roshan. You know what to do."

"Even Roshan should know better," Mary sighed. With a sweep of her arm to indicate the full salon, she added, "I know everyone is under a tight deadline here, but these risks... I have customers and eventually someone is going to notice. If you're working for Roshan, you must know this."

The Kougra shrugged noncommittally, not wanting to appear ignorant of the big plan, hoping the Grundo would continue to speak freely about just exactly what was going on. Sighing even more dramatically, Mary pushed the secret button that caused Dayv to drop once more into the small, dark room in a chime of bells.

The Kougra exited through the red door and walked through the room of caged Grundos, being mindful not to make eye contact with them, not knowing how, or even if, it was possible to help them. To focus his thoughts, Dayv kept repeating to himself the directions he had been given. "Second hallway to the left, third door on the right, second hallway to the left, third door." In this way, he made his way past the rooms of armour and robot casings, weapons and blinking control panels, and finally arrived in a laboratory filled with Grundos abuzz with experiments, chatter, and a charged mood of frantic activity.

Dayv stood in mute wonderment, watching as a nearby Grundo scientist pushed a button on the large mechanical device attached to his chest and rose unsteadily from the floor in a glow of bright green light. So focussed was the Kougra that he jumped when the large hand came clamping down on his shoulder. He turned and saw the messenger.

"I'm glad you came," the Grarrl said, his face breaking into a dangerously toothy grin.

"It's not like I had a choice. When you threatened Nelzin like that... I mean I just don't know..."

"Aha," the messenger interrupted. "I think you do know. I think you know quite a bit, and it is my job to find out just how much." The smile evaporated from the Grarrl's face, his eyes hardening into flecks as flinty as the rocks of Kreludor.

"But I..."

"The time for games has passed."

"Games? But I..."

"We know you have been spying on our activities." The Grarrl pointed at the hovering Grundo scientist and said, "We know you've seen our flight experiments and have been reporting on the green glow..."

"No, I..."

"We know you've also seen the robot Myncis equipped with the early prototypes and that you've been reporting on them, too."

Dayv was becoming frustrated by the litany of accusations and the Grarrl's habit of interrupting him before he could respond. He held up a hand and said, "Reporting to whom? I don't..."

The messenger broke him off again. "And, of the most concern to Roshan, you have been following Doetro around."

"Doetro?"

"It's too late to play ignorant now. Here he comes."

Dayv turned to follow the Grarrl's gesture and was shocked to see a green Techo enter the laboratory, the same green Techo he had, indeed, been following.

Doetro approached the pair, and never taking his gaze from Dayv, asked the Grarrl, "So what have you learned?"

"Nothing much, I'm afraid. I've been nothing but nice, but he just won't talk."

"Well, we don't have time to do this the nice way. Maybe some time in the cages will loosen this character's tongue."

"But you never even gave me a chance," Dayv protested as the Grarrl gripped his shoulder in a restraining clasp. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"I'm sure you will," the Grarrl agreed icily. "Everyone talks after a week or two in the cages."

"Just like the boss to set me up like that," Nelzin muttered as he continued to mop. "And just like Dayv to be so lost in dreamland to fall for it, to soak his shoes, to... hey, wait a minute," the Ogrin exclaimed. "Where is Dayv?"

Nelzin scanned the hallway in each direction for some sign of his missing friend. A small scrap of yellow paper caught his eye, and he picked it up and read the words: Lie to the Ogrin.

"Oh Dayv," Nelzin said to the empty air. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

The Ogrin crumpled up the paper and threw it and his mop to the ground. Nelzin entered a nearby janitor's closet, closed the door and removed his coveralls. Moving some bottles of cleaning solution to one side of the wire shelf, the Ogrin revealed a hidden monitor. With the push of a button, the black screen crackled to life in a shower of white static, and a voice came over a speaker saying, "What is it, Agent N?"

"We have a problem, Boss."

The monitored flickered in a stream of horizontal lines before finally resolving itself into a clear picture. On the screen appeared the image of...

"Speak up, Agent! I haven't got all day!"

"Well, sir," said Nelzin, wrinkling his nose. "It seems our enemies have finally noticed Dayv's... er, observations of their 'secret' projects. Their messenger handed him an envelope earlier that caused him to tear off in a hurry, and... well, I think they've captured him."

"Think?" asked the Techo with a huff. "Agent N, you must be SURE."

"Well then, sir, I'm SURE it doesn't take a half an hour to get new shoes out of the supply closet, so I'm SURE he has been captured."

"Well then, I'll alert our contact on the other side, and let her know you're coming."

"Yes, sir."

The screen turned off with a quiet blip!, and Nelzin covered it back up with a sigh. Well then, it was back to saving Dayv's behind again, like he'd been doing since childhood. After slipping on his coveralls, the Ogrin picked up a bottle of cleaner off the shelf, and opened the door. The last thing he saw was a scrawny Kougra with a blowgun pointed right at him, and a bright red dart sticking in his arm.

"AAAAAH!" screamed Dayv, covering his ears with his paws as he huddled in the corner. He was sure if ever heard M*YNCI's rendition of "Forever Roses" again after this was over, he would go insane, if he wasn't already.

"Ready to talk yet?" asked the tall Grarrl outside his cell, patting his ray gun fondly.

"Never!" gasped the Kougra. He would never submit to such... such... EVIL!

"Well then, I guess we're just going to have to..." his captor said, reaching over to his right to touch the button of a second stereo just lightly enough to not cause it to go off.

"NO!" wailed Dayv. "I can't handle it anymore!"

"So you're ready to talk?"

"YES! YES! Just no more M*YNCI, PLEASE!"

"Huh, well then, you've lasted longer than most of our captives. Most can't handle it for more than a minute!"

"Just please, PLEASE stop the music! I'll tell you everything!"

Immediately the high-pitched, off-key wailing music stopped, and Dayv heard a heavy clunking noise at the door of his cell. A grip that seemed to be made of iron grasped his upper arm, and the Kougra allowed himself to be dragged out. Little did the Grarrl know, Dayv had a secret plan of his own...

"DAYV!"

The Kougra stopped. When he looked to his right, he saw a sight that he had never seen, nor did he ever expect to see. Nelzin was standing less than ten feet away from him, half-held up by a couple of guards. He looked as if he were long past the point where he should have gone to bed, and he had an expression on his face that the Kougra had never seen on the Ogrin.

Hate.

"YOU!" his friend shouted, and in a sudden burst of energy, leapt out of his captors' arms and straight at Dayv...

His initial shock fading, Dayv nodded slightly, howled in mock pain and protest, and exclaimed, "Get him off of me. I'll tell you whatever you need to know."

The Grarrl crossed his arms over his barrel of a chest and began to chuckle, "You were going to do that anyway, my friend. But this is too good to stop. Show us what you're made of, what your secret agent training has taught you." As he motioned for the guards to step back and let the fight play out, the messenger did not notice that his words had caused the two friends to stop momentarily, each startled for very different reasons.

The pair tussled and feinted, each pretending to deliver and receive staggering blows while the Grarrl and his minions cheered them on. Reaching into his pocket, Nelzin winked at the Kougra as he removed a bottle of cleaning fluid, a white plastic bottle with a large black skull and crossbones on its label, a universal symbol for poison even at the AstroVilla.

Dayv jumped to his feet and threw his arms into the air. "No, not the Hydroslothic Acid we use for removing gum from the bottom of the Cafe's chairs," he protested. "You know that stuff will eat right through Faeryllium, even right through Slothite."

Nelzin nodded and replied, "That's exactly why I brought it along." He took one menacing step toward his friend before spinning and spraying the bottle's contents on a nearby control panel. The panel hissed and disintegrated, throwing a shower of sparks over the stunned Grarrl, who could only mutely watch as the rows upon rows of cages had their doors swing open with a cacophony of clicking locks and whining metal. In the confusion of Grundos making their escape and guards attempting to regain control, Nelzin grabbed Dayv by the arm and ordered, "Run!"

The friends scrambled through the exit of the cage room and blindly chose a corridor to follow through the unfamiliar labyrinth. They ran and ran until Dayv could run no further, slowing to a jog and finally dropping to the floor. Nelzin jumped from foot to foot as he waited impatiently for the Kougra to regain his strength.

When Dayv had caught his breath again, he said, "Back there when the Grarrl was talking about secret agent training..."

Nelzin blanched and broke in, "Yeah, I was going to mention something about that."

"Well, I think it was because Roshan told the Grarrl messenger that we were his new agents. But Roshan was lying, I swear, Nelzin. I'm no agent. I'm a janitor, a janitor who should learn to just do his job and not try to investigate strange lights and flying robot Myncies and... oh, Nelzin, I've dragged you into this awful mess."

The Ogrin approached his friend and placed a gentle hand on the Kougra's shoulder. "There's something I need to say to you, too. I..." Nelzin broke off in mid-sentence as his ears began to twitch, picking up the faint, low rumble of approaching feet. His gentle hand became an urgent prompt, pulling Dayv to his feet. "We need to move again. NOW!"

The pair ran away from the approaching footfalls and came to a t-intersection at the end of the hallway. Following instinct alone, they both turned right, but skidded to an abrupt halt when they saw the assemblage that was heading straight for them: at the lead was the messenger, the huge camouflage Grarrl whose face was contorted with malevolent rage. Roshan, the shadow Eyrie, flanked him at his right shoulder and at his left was Mary, the Grundo beautician. They could pick out a few more familiar faces -- Penny the spotted Acara, and the scrawny, blowgun-wielding Kougra. Behind them were the group of guards from the cage room, and behind them were a small cadre of flying robot Myncies. Every one of them looked very, very mad.

Nelzin tugged once more on his friend's arm, and they turned around to face the opposite direction. Dayv gasped when he saw who stood alone in the dim corridor: the Techo might have been wearing an oversized brown moustache as a disguise, but Dayv knew that he would never forget the menace in those sickly yellow eyes. The Kougra attempted to escape from his friend's grasp, but was unable to break free as Nelzin pulled him toward the Techo.

"You don't understand," Dayv protested. "That's him. That's the Boss."

Nelzin hesitated slightly and said, "Well, yeah, but how would you...? Never mind. Yes, he's the Boss and that's why we need to get to him."

The Kougra shook his head and batted at Nelzin's vicelike grip but was helpless to stop their progress. As they passed the corridor they had recently come from, Dayv saw that the rumble of feet belonged to the crowd of recently freed Grundos who were slowly but steadily approaching the intersection of the hallways. "Look, Nelzin, we should join the Grundos. They must be the Resistance." His words fell on shut ears as the Ogrin continued to pull him toward the Techo.

When they reached the Boss, Nelzin nodded and said, "So far everything is going according to plan."

"Everything?" The Techo squinted his eyes inquisitively and nodded toward the Kougra.

"Yes, well, um..." Nelzin hedged.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Dayv screeched. Turning to the Ogrin, he asked, "So what are you? An agent? A double agent? I've known you since we were kids, and you set me up?"

When Nelzin did not respond, he turned his focus to the Techo and said, "As for you Doetro, you can put on a fancy suit and a fake moustache, but you can't hide who you really are."

Nelzin took a step forward and said, "Doetro? Hang on a second, Dayv, I don't think you..."

Before the Ogrin could finish his statement, however, Dayv shot out his hand and grabbed the enormous brown moustache and gave it a yank...

"See!" Dayv exclaimed. "I knew it was him!"

Ignoring his friend, Nelzin continued, "But you were on the other side. The side we had resisted all along."

Doetro just shook his head. "I'm afraid you misunderstand. I'm a... how did your friend put it? Ah, yes. A double agent. However, unlike the Double Agent, I align myself with the side of what is thought to be justice."

Even with Doetro's explanation, Nelzin still looked confused. "But... why?" he asked.

The Techo jerked his thumb back at the corridor behind them, where the footsteps continually came closer. "Surely you know that the Grarrl wouldn't give out any information without a fight. So in order to get the information we needed, I became Doetro. I was trusted by all, suspected by none. And what I have learned in these most recent hours has made me realise that our efforts were pointless. But they can explain that to you."

At that moment, the group of angry enemies caught up to them, headed by the Grarrl. But when he saw Doetro, he skidded to a halt, the whole group following suit.

"Doetro!" the Grarrl exclaimed, recognition in his voice. "What are you doing? Fraternising with the enemy?"

Doetro shook his head. "Merely beginning what needs to be finished. Agent N," he addressed, turning to Nelzin, "they have something to explain."

"What? That they're trying to take over the whole AstroVilla with their evil ways?" Nelzin concluded angrily.

The Grarrl let out a full, hearty laugh. "Is that what you think?" he inquired, wiping an amused tear from his eye. "No, you're terribly wrong! We're simply planning the release of a new fashion line."

"Not a revolution by Sloth?" Dayv questioned, now bashful.

"No, no!" the Grarrl protested with another laugh. "Why on Neopia would you possibly think that?"

"Because of the metal armour of all shapes and sizes," Nelzin pointed out.

"Didn't you hear?" Mary scoffed with a haughty flip of her head. "Metal suits are totally in right now."

"But what about the weapons and Grundos in cages?" Nelzin asked, trying to grab hold of something that could possibly be menacing.

"Part of the photo shoot for the ads we're planning to put up in Neopia Central next week," the Grarrl answered simply. "The weapons and cages are just props, and the Grundos are models."

Nelzin nodded, starting to believe. "The experiments and flying Myncies?"

"The experiments are to see if we can make the metal suits easier, and the flying Myncies are for delivery," the Grarrl said. "You cannot believe how high the price is to deliver more than a thousand suits to every store in Neopia! It cuts down on shipping and handling, that's for sure."

Dayv chimed in for the first time in a while. "And the room with all the cubicles is..."

The Grarrl let out another great laugh. "The farthest thing from anything evil! Marketing. The only thing that could possibly be evil about them is the insane calculations they have to make."

Nelzin grimaced, now having all his suspicions refuted. "So I suppose this was all a misunderstanding?"

Doetro nodded. "Just one big misunderstanding."

Dayv cleaned the floors slowly, thinking upon the day's events. Even after all that had happened, he was still where he had begun -- mopping in the front lobby of the AstroVilla. You'd think being part of some big conspiracy would get him a promotion or something. But nooo. Doetro said it was necessary to "stick to normal procedure."

Suddenly a shadow appeared over him, its voice asking, "May I check in, please?"

Turning around, Dayv explained, "You can check in at the front -- oh! It's you! Why did you send us on that chase?"

Roshan smiled. "I told you I would let you see the true nature of things. And was I not correct?"

Dayv nodded. "But why were you so mad before, when you were chasing us? It was only what fulfillment of what you wanted."

"It was the act of a chaotic neutral," Roshan explained. "Just like the one you performed when you pretended to fight your friend. Sometimes there is a need to act in order to fulfill what needs to be done."

"So in the end, this was all for the better, and both sides saw what needed to be seen?" Dayv concluded.

"You could say that," Roshan answered with a wink. He began to leave, but then he stopped, turning back to Dayv.

"Oh, and you might want to keep a better eye on these," Roshan told him, tossing something through the air toward the Kougra.

As he walked out of the AstroVilla, Dayv caught what Roshan had thrown at him. It was a pair of cleaning shoes, sopping wet.

The End

Editor's Note: Due to a holiday in the US, the next new Storytelling Contest will be posted on Tuesday, June 6th, instead of Monday. Thanks and be sure to send in your Storytelling ideas!