Team Sloth Strikes

     Clutching his communicator, he growled, “Morix. I need a route to the primary power generator. Now.”

     Back in the Transport Division control room, Morix was pale and sweating, hunched over his console. Every screen blared red, but he kept his voice low and urgent.

     “Right, judging by the schematics, you should be almost at junction D-12. There isn’t surveillance in the shafts, so you should have some time. I can’t see any of the guard units pursuing you. Following the shaft until you see markings for D-14 then take the left vent, drop down the service ladder. After that, crawl through the maintenance shaft behind the coolant ducts. You’ll come out three levels above the generator.” Morix had been scanning the schematics for the ducts as soon as Galix had entered. Morix was determined to redeem himself. If Team Sloth thought he was a traitor, who knows what the punishment would be.

     “You better be right,” Galix snapped. “Or you will pay”.

     “Noted!” Morix squeaked.

     The chaos outside the station was mounting. Blurp and Glurp were at the external traffic control desk, juggling incoming hails from angry pilots, stalled deliveries, and increasingly impatient freighter captains.

     “This is docking ship Delta-Seven, we’ve been holding in orbit for twenty-seven minutes!”

     “I told you,” Blurp said into the console, “we’re in the middle of a minor... fuzzle situation. Very minor. Definitely under control.”

     Blurp cut the communication abruptly. Just in time, too, as a priority message from Command had just arrived.

     “Inform Commandant Morix that no further ships are to dock. We will alert you once all of the intruders are apprehended. One final suspect appears to have escaped in the ventilation shafts. We are preparing teams to begin the search”, said a crisp, clear Control Centre member.

     “Ok, let me write this down” said Blurb as he looked frantically for his datapad.

     Glurp, half-listening, tilted his head as Morix’s voice buzzed faintly from a secondary audio feed. He turned the volume up, catching the tail end of: “...drop down near the coolant ducts. It’s unguarded.”

     He frowned. “Wait... who’s he talking to?”

     Blurp shrugged. “Probably ordering lunch. Morix gets really weird during a crisis. One time he thought his chair was a Sloth spy. Oh wait, what did Control say to tell him?”

     But Glurp didn’t laugh. Instead, he leaned closer, hitting a few subtle keys on his console. The system quietly began recording Morix’s conversation, transmitting it to internal security.

     “Uhhh, Control?” Glurp whispered into a private channel. “This is Glurp. I think you should take a look at this; it seems suspicious. I’m transmitting now.”

     The security team’s reply crackled through after a few moments. “Received. Remain at your post. We’re locking on to the transmission and will review the vent route. Help is on the way.”

     Glurp leaned back, eyes wide. “Blurp?”

     “Yeah?”

     “I think we just accidentally did something super smart,” Glurp said as a small smile formed on his face.

     ---

     Galix’s boots made large clanging noises against the metal grating as he moved. It wasn’t exactly a stealthy escape, but he had little time for that. After only a short while, he finally reached the power generator chamber. The room itself was large and cavernous, it had also been exactly where Morix had said it would be.

     “Looks like Morix is good for one thing at least”, Galix muttered menacingly. He lowered himself down and proceeded inwards. At the centre of the chamber lay the humming core, which was pulsing ominously in the dim light. He pressed his communicator to his mouth once more.

     “Morix, I’m here. I’m going to disable the generator. You need to come down here, then we make our escape together.”

     Morix hesitated, nerves jangling. “On my way.”

     At the other side of the station, Morix disappeared from the control centre. Galix, however, pulled out a small black object from the centre of his belt. This was his emergency comm-link, only to be used when all else had failed. Into the receiver, he barked, “I am executing Plan V. We need to initiate contingency measures, prep the shuttle for immediate launch.”

     A faint voice crackled back, “Confirmed, it will be ready and waiting, Galix.”

     Galix scowled but said nothing in response. He was noting the fact that his rank had not been used in the response. What did that mean?

     He didn’t have time to puzzle out that riddle yet. Galix pulled the Vortex Propulsion Device from his pack, flipping switches and began priming it. As he worked, the scowl began to evaporate and turn to a cold grin. He hadn’t wanted to do this, he’d rather take the station intact but the Virtupet’s guard team’s quick responses and new security measures meant that they were advancing far quicker than Team Sloth would like. If they were ever going to retake this station, a calamitous event needed to happen to slow progress.

     Suddenly, behind him, the ventilation grate above the chamber rattled and fell away. Ax and Ix dropped in, vacuums humming and blasters drawn.

     “Going somewhere?” Ax asked, fingers tightening on his blaster.

     Galix snarled, raising the device to throw it like a grenade. Ix steadied his vacuum, flipped it to reverse suction, and aimed carefully.

     With a sudden woosh, the vacuum expelled a small, rainbow-colored Evil Fuzzle. The ball of fuzz shot out and snatched the device from Galix’s grasp. It devoured it instantly.

     The Fuzzle bounced and bobbed in the air, buoyed by the vacuum’s reversed airflow, before it zipped into a nearby vent and was sent unceremoniously sailing out into space.

     Galix’s jaw dropped in an almost comical fashion. “No! That was set to propulsion mode, not detonation!”

     Before he could recover, Ax and Ix tackled him to the floor and cuffed him in stun restraints.

     The clatter of boots echoed as Morix entered the chamber, coming to a skidding halt at the sight of Galix apprehended. He stood, stunned and motionless as behind him Virtupets security raced toward him.

     The Guard Captain’s shouted. “You’re all under arrest!”

     Ax and Ix exchanged surprised glances.

     “Wait, what?” Ax asked.

     The Captain shrugged, “Actually not you, just these two.” He indicated Galix and Morix.

     Ix grinned, “We stopped the Fuzzle infestation, and apprehended the crooks. We’re heroes!”

     Both Galix and Morix were silent, Galix looking vengeful and Morix looking deflated.

     “What have I done? My career, my life, ruined”, Morix muttered.

     “You’ll get no sympathy from us, traitor, take them away”, the Guard Captain said.

     As the security team escorted the Grundos away, Ax whispered to Ix, “Next time, we can maybe stick to booktastic books and vacuums. As opposed to playing heroes”.

     Ix chuckled. “Yeah, maybe. Although I do like saving the day.”

     As they proceeded down the corridors to the elevators, they both noticed the bustling hum of Virtupets Station had returned normal. Surprisingly normal! For a place that had just fallen victim to an attack , there were little to no signs of panic or alarm. Although there was a heavy security presence in the upper floors, this didn’t surprise or disturb the populace who were carrying on with their day to day lives. The air was filled with the familiar sounds of vendors shouting, electronic doors opening, and the occasional whir of machinery. All had returned, very quickly, to normal.

     The Guard Captain seemed to notice this too, “We’re very resilient here, getting used to Team Sloth’s antics. I will admit though, this one was much worse than the last few attempts. I can’t believe Morix was a traitor.”

     Back at their ship, Ax and Ix had set up a temporary pop-up shop which was buzzing with customers eager to get their hands on the latest vacuum models and some Booktastic books. Ax suspected some just wanted the inside scoop on what had happened but it helped drive sales. In any event, it seemed vacuums weren’t just for cleaning anymore. They were now essential gear for anyone wanting to stay safe from any future Fuzzle incidents.

     Ax had affixed a, hastily made, poster to the hull of the ship. It read “Coming Soon A New Booktastic Book: How We Foiled the Evil Fuzzles!”.

     In the distance, the hanger door slid open to reveal two figures. One was a stern-looking Grundo whos insignia read ‘security team commander’ and the other, an orange Grundo in a sleek wheelchair.

     The orange Grundo wheeled himself forward with a warm smile and extended a paw. “Ax, Ix, thank you both for your quick thinking and bravery yesterday.”

     Ix blinked in surprise. “Thank you! We just did what felt right.”

     The Grundo nodded. “I’m Chief Engineer Rohax. The entire station is in your debt. Your vacuum tactics helped saved us all.”

     Ax exchanged a glance with Ix. “So... Team Sloth was behind the attack?”

     Rohax’s face darkened. “Yes. They are an underground movement dedicated to seizing control of Virtupets Station. They’ve been growing in strength for months. But rest assured I’m mobilising every resource to stop them.”

     Ix grinned. “If you need help, you know where to find us.”

     Rohax replied quickly, “Oh I have a feeling we’ll be seeing plenty more of each other. Especially with your technological know-how, we could use that in the Engineering Department”.

     As the two Grundos watched Rohax and the commander leave, Ax leaned toward Ix with a smile.

     “If Team Sloth try anything else, I think we should be here to stop them.”

     The twins nodded simultaneously and proceeded to make their sales.

     Meanwhile, in the gloom of the detention block, a short crackle emitted from Galix’s belt.

     “Galix, Morix, this is Supreme Commander Hax of Team Sloth. It is time to finally let you in on the real plan, you all are in the perfect position to execute the final stages.”

     Galix and Morix gaped at each other in utter disbelief.

     The End?