| Also by adoriblelapin
Lappiny stuffed the key into the hole in the barred
cage quickly, looking around him as he turned it and heard a satisfying click.
JadePaw and Charl were on the lookout by SilverEmerald’s cage as Lappiny opened
the door with a squeak.
Dark shadows lurked in the distance, the shade
of the objects stretching far. SilverEmerald hurried out of the cage and clambered
down from the platform in which the cage was placed on. She made a sigh of relief
before following them back to the main building.
“All guards and workers, such as I, have access
to this building and can get a key to every single cage, or so we were told.
I’ve never really tested their promise yet,” Charl told them in a deep whisper.
“If that was true, we could possibly find a key to their secret laboratory!
And SilverEmerald, you remember where it is, right?”
“I’m not too clear,” admitted the Tyrannian
Shoyru sadly, “but I have an idea. It’s in a building, where they put some other
Neopets in there. Between two larger cages, there’s a hidden door on the ground
and there should be a keyhole somewhere to get in.”
Lappiny took a glance at JadePaw and Charl grinned.
“That’s good enough! There aren’t many large cages in the building and I think
I know where you’re talking about. Now let’s go!”
***
“Did you just hear something?” asked Azaarx wearily, eying the many sleeping
Neopets in cages. “Perhaps we have communicating monsters around here.”
“Meaning?” inquired Tandard.
Azaarx shot him an inexpressive face and replied,
“Meaning our experimental pets may be having a little chat. Or we may have intruders.”
Tandard had a doubtful look upon him as the
two scientists made there way through the halls of the building. They sneaked
through in silence, not noticing four figures holding their breaths behind them.
But the four noticed them.
“Eek,” JadePaw said when they had passed. She
took a deep breath and inched over to Charl, who was kneeling down and opening
the door.
Charl put inside the key and turned it gently,
a handle popping out of the ground as he did so. He looked around and pulled
on it, but it did not open. Charl looked at SilverEmerald.
“I don’t know. Maybe there are some extra latches
or something. Or maybe the door is stuck,” she suggested. Charl’s reply was
a shrug and a look at JadePaw and Lappiny, who had propped himself on a cage
and looking at the night sky, thinking.
JadePaw glanced at him. “What’s up, Lappiny?”
The cloud Shoyru didn’t answer but came down
from his position and fumbled with the door. It opened. SilverEmerald stepped
out and exhaled a sigh of relief. The cold night hair rippled her brown ruff
as she stretched, grateful of her sudden freedom.
"Come on, let's check out the laboratory place,"
Lappiny stated as the quartet of Neopets approached the small building. Charl
went through his ring of keys until he came across a narrow, silver one. He
inserted it into the keyhole, jiggled it around and when it clicked, he pushed
the door open. JadePaw and Lappiny expected to see an elaborate laboratory,
complete with gizmos and vials. All that was in the room included a set of stairs
and a mop.
"We have to go down the stairs to get into the
laboratory," SilverEmerald explained as she led the way down the stairs. "But
you know that, right Charl?"
The green Tuskaninny responded with a shake
of his head. "I've never been down the stairs. Azaarx and Tandard forbade me
to go down here," he replied.
The four pets slowly slunk down the stairs,
trying to make sure they weren't heard. Charl flicked on his flashlight and
shone the beam around the immense room. A number of tables with test tubes dotted
the room, alongside an abundance of gadgets everywhere. But one thing the beam
crossed over caused all four of them to gasp. Hundreds of feet tall it stood,
looming over the four pets. It was a giant robotic Scorchio, but instead of
the usual two wings, there were nearly a dozen. They were modeled after the
different wings of the aerial Neopets.
"How can that beast of a contraption possibly
get off the ground?" a shocked JadePaw asked.
"It certainly doesn't look flight-worthy, but
I've heard those Scorchios talk. It can fly mach 2 and has enough firepower
to send Neopia to kingdom come," SilverEmerald responded. "The ultimate weapon.
Which is why we have to destroy it."
"How?" Charl asked. "It's... big. VERY big."
"Well," JadePaw mused, "I suppose if someone
were to fly it high above the ocean, jump out and let it fall into the water,
we'd be safe. But it has to be one of you two, because Charl can't fly." She
pointed at the two Shoyrus.
"Why can't you do it?' Lapinny asked.
"Yeah!" SilverEmerald agreed.
"I'm a thinker, not a doer," the cloud Draik
responded.
SilverEmerald shook her head. "Listen, we have
to free the other Neopets. No offense, but Lappiny is more fit than you. He'd
probably be able to free those caged Neopets better than you. And anyway, we'd
need your technological know-how to fly that machine." JadePaw sighed and nodded
her head wearily. She flew off the ground and up to the machine. She pulled
a door at the side of the head open and flew in.
"I'll open the ground up!" Charl yelled as he
ran over to the wall. He pulled a lever down and watched as a giant hole in
the roof opened. The machine kicked to life and launched into the sky.
"Good luck," SilverEmerald whispered.
All of a sudden something went wrong. The room
flashed red and a siren sounded. The alarm was activated!
"We still have to free the others outside!"
Lappiny yelled over the siren's wail. SilverEmerald nodded and broke into flight.
The two dragons, accompanied by Charl exited the laboratory. They had to free
the caged pets before Azaarx and Tandard had a chance to stop them.
To be continued...
| 
