"Ugh, doesn't this dumb space station have anything interesting to do?" grumbled Lerox, looking around in disdain.

His sister, a blue Acara, shook her head at the bratty Grundo and sighed. "You could just try to enjoy what's here. Look, we can play Splat-a-Sloth."

"Why on Neopia would I want to play that silly game? Everything in this place is totally lame," Lerox said with a sneer.

Tishka sighed. Her brother had been born long after the Grundos had been freed from the tyranny of Dr. Sloth and had, in fact, never even been to the Space Station before. He was very different from the Grundos who'd lived through difficult times. "It's a game that celebrates the Grundos' independence and is quite special to them. I don’t think it's very respectful of you to insult it like that."

"Whatever," was her brother's only reply.

"Arrgghh... you are such a brat sometimes, Lerox," the Acara hissed through gritted teeth. "Hey! Look at me when I'm insulting you! Come back here!"

Tishka ran in the direction that her brother had gone. He was standing in an empty corridor in front of a door that was slightly ajar. On it, bold yellow letters read, "RESTRICTED. DO NOT ENTER." "Don't you dare..." Tishka whispered to her brother as he reached for the door.

"Come on," her brother said with a wicked grin. He pushed the door open and slowly stepped inside. "Let's have some fun..."

“Sir, we have trespassers entering through exit B3,” remarked a Blumaroo whose glasses has slipped off in excitement. Perhaps he would finally get the promotion he had been waiting for.

“Patch them through to the main screen,” ordered a large Ruki with a battle scar tracing down his cheek. He was known only as Sir, a nickname he had earned when fighting with Dr. Sloth against the Grundo revolt.

On the screen, Lerox and Tishka were seen talking and arguing as they meandered through the complex that Sir kept as his secret stronghold.

“What do they think they’re doing? Don’t they know that this corridor is forbidden?” questioned Spark, who had just finished dusting off his glasses. “It'll lead them right to a ship. And not just any ship, but our ship!” Sir stood in silence. “They must not be allowed to discover our cargo,” the Blumaroo continued. “Do you know what will happen if local authorities find out?”

“I know!” expressed the annoyed Ruki. Lights flashed around them from the humming machines they used as command central of the starship. “Lockdown all doors and send out Boron. Our guests will just have to experience our hospitality.”

“Where are you going?”

“To greet our guests and send them on their way. I believe they have overstepped their stay...”

..."Lerox..." pestered Tishka as they strode down the dimly lit corridors. The darkened passageways were only illuminated by dim red bulbs on either side, and they had passed several barrels now with Biohazard symbols etched on the side.

She tugged at his sleeve. "Lerox, we shouldn't be here... look at all this stuff..."

The Grundo pulled himself free. "Oh, come on sis, Sloth and his minions left years ago... it's just some kind of disused--"

Spark tapped a key, watching the movement of two red blips on a monitor screen.

A great metal door slammed down inches in front of the siblings, blocking their way. Red and black lines traced their way across it, and on one side a palm-print reader could be seen.

Tishka yelped and jumped back a little bit. "See Lerox? We shouldn't be here, come on!"

She turned to run, but another door slammed down, blocking the route, leaving only one passageway open. This was darker than the rest, and there was no lighting.

Lerox fumbled in his backpack and produced an ancient torch that had seen more caving expeditions than were good for it. He flicked it on and strode into the tunnels.

"Come on sis..." shouted the Grundo, the echo in the tunnel making his voice sound farther away than he actually was.

Glancing at a security camera she had only just noticed, neslted in the corner of the corridor, Tishka ran after him.

A moment later they emerged onto a walkway atop a vast domed room. Looking down, Tishka gasped, and even Lerox had to pause for a moment.

Tishka stammered. "That's... that's an..."

Orderly columns of robots, their metallic bodies gleaming in the dim lighting, stretched across the room. Lishka, well versed in the ways of Dr. Sloth, felt an impulsive fear, but the soldier's forms were slightly slumped, and their glass eyes were dull and lifeless.

"Are you kidding?" the blue Acara cried. Her voice, unnaturally high with anxiety, bounced off the domed ceiling, magnifying it several times. "Do you even realize what this means? Someone's planning an attack on the Space Station! We have to go back and report this!"

"Actually, I don't think you do."

Both siblings whipped around to be met with the impressive figure that was Sir, his battle scar twisting down his face ominously.

"You aren't supposed to be here," he said, his words as steely as the door that sealed itself behind him.

"Oh, really? We didn't know," Lerox lied, looking completely undaunted. Tishka didn't trust herself to speak.

Sir clicked his pincers together, disbelief and scorn written in his eyes. "There were signs, you must have seen them."

"Yeah, well, you can't believe everything you read," the Grundo retorted cheekily. Tishka, immediatly sensing the danger in what he said, added hastily, "Look, we're sorry, we'll just be going--"

The Ruki, however, did not give any inclination that he was planning on moving, and the door remained firmly shut. "I'm afraid that isn't possible..."

A loud, metallic thump echoed at the far end of the chamber, and the siblings spun around to see a tall, skeletally-thin robot Ruki clanking its way towards them. The ground shook slightly with its every footfall as the bronze-coloured machination made its way along the walkway circling the hall, its various gears and gyros clicking and whirling menacingly and its six, spindly chrome arms, each ending with sharp metal claws, extended towards the Grundo and Acara.

Tishka shrieked and clutched onto her brother fearfully but the plucky Grundo shook his fist at the scarred Ruki. "Let us out this instant! You can’t keep us here!" he demanded but this only drew a smirk on Sir’s face, stretching his battle scar hideously.

"I can, and I will. In fact I'll stay here and watch Boron deal with you two meddlesome pets," he replied smugly, folding his arms across his chest, still staunchly blocking the exit.

For once Lerox didn't have a snappy retort, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as the enourmous robot Ruki bore down upon him. Tishka saw the fear in her little brother's eyes and, as any older sibling would, immediately grabbed the petrified Grundo and hurled him aside to safety just as the robot's arm struck like a Wadjet.

The dull clang of the claw against the heavy metal floor where he’d been only a moment ago jarred Lerox out of his stupor as he lay on the ground beside his crouched sister. "Sis, I'm sorry –-" he whimpered pathetically.

The blue Acara shook her head. "There'll be plenty of time for me to whack you later," she hissed, keeping her eye on the bronzed robot Ruki as it slowly turned and recoiled its appendages for another strike. "We gotta run, NOW!"

She took her brother's arm and dragged him among the rows of idle robots, cringing as the booms of the robot Ruki's attacks and its pounding feet rang out behind her. The robot Ruki took no notice of his dormant brethren and struck them aside like toy soldiers in its haste to get the two intruders.

"No, you fool, Boron stop!" Sir's enraged cry reverberated across the domed roof.

Meanwhile Spark shook his head as he watched Boron stalking after the two helpless pets. How degrading, they're just a couple of young, naïve kids, couldn’t even hurt a Mootix if they wanted to, the Blumaroo thought sourly. Then the beginnings of a scheme came into his mind. Maybe I'll get my promotion after all.

"Let's even up the odds a bit," Spark grinned as he pushed a large red button on his console...

The Acara and Grundo stopped in their tracks as a horrible, thunderous sound reverberated around them, vibrating the entire domed room with energy. Clinging together in fright, they watched as the once-dormant rows of robot soldiers simultaneously burst to life.

Hundreds of red-lit eyes blazed in sudden fire all around them; hundreds of clawed appendages flexed with the rush of electrons flowing through their wires like blood. For one terrifying moment it seemed as if there was no hope for the cowering siblings amid the newly awakened army of machines.

Then Boron smashed one aside, not noticing their activation.

The robots around the victim reacted as their programs instructed, fixing the massive robot Ruki with laserpoint claws. A dozen beams of red shot into him, singing his polished steel coatings and burning through into a half-melted ooze of char.

"What's going on?!" cried Sir in mingled rage and fear. "Who activated the army? Their manual drives are not completed yet -- they are still on autopilot!"

Up in the control room, Spark paled as he searched for a button to reverse his handiwork. The robot army was destroying Boron, who was easily worth two dozen of the soldiers combined, and were rapidly going out of control. "Okay, so that might not have been the brightest idea," he muttered, pressing a quick series of buttons.

He sighed with relief as the crowd of robots curled back up into their dormant forms, and the lights of their eyes dulled into blackness.

Meanwhile, Lerox and Tishka took advantage of the distraction to slip through another door, ignoring the blaring "Authorized Personnel Only" sign hanging upon it...

“Tishka,” Lerox whispered. “I can’t see.”

The Acara hushed her sibling, and groped about for a light switch. Better to see the threat than to stumble blindly into its grasp. When she found it, she held her breath and pressed down hard.

At first, nothing. Then, one by one, lights in the ceiling blinked to life. They must’ve been ancient, for their brightness was weaker than that of a candle’s. Still, it was enough to see what the room held, and Tishka sighed with relief.

Yes, it was filled with machines, but these would harm no one. Engines rumbled and cogs turned, hard at work keeping something or other in this station working. Lerox did not know what they were for and did not care. The moment he and his sister were out of this nightmare, he was prepared to move to a farm and never see another robot again.

“Come on, sis! Let’s go!”

He lunged forward, running towards the door at the other end of the room. His sister sighed at her brother, impatient as always, and followed. It was fortunate that they left so soon, for just a second after Tishka closed the door, Sir kicked in the door and stomped into the room.

Breathing heavily with rage, he surveyed the room with eyes gleaming with malice.

“You can run, little pets, but you cannot hide,” he whispered to himself.

He looked at the room he was in and at the only other exit opposite his entrance. He thought back to the countless long days poring over his battle-plans and the endless hours analyzing his blueprints. He remembered the nights he had spent memorizing his maps.

He smiled.

“Because I know where you’re going....”

...Tishka hurried down a dim passageway, Lerox stumbling along behind her. The Acara was breathing hard and hoped this corridor would not be as long as the first one they had entered.

The siblings rushed on. Lerox's breath grew shallow and ragged. Tishka's legs ached. No footsteps could be heard behind them, no shouts, or any other sign they were being chased, so she sat on the floor, leaned against the wall, and patted the floor next to her. Lerox gave her a look of pure gratitude and collapsed, gasping for air.

After a short rest (too short, if you asked Lerox), the two Neopets rose and continued down the hall.

"I'm really, really sorry, Tishka. I should've listened to you back there." Tears were glistening in the Grundo's eyes.

Tishka shrugged. "It's okay, Lerox. But we've really got to get out of here and tell someone about what we've seen. As soon as we get out, we'll go straight to Mom and Dad. They'll know what to do."

Lerox let out a small sob, and two tears ran down his cheeks. "D-do you think w-we'll ever see-" he swallowed. "M-ommy and Dad- ever again?" Lerox's voice was barely audible, and he choked over the words.

Tishka looked shocked. "Of course we will, Lerox. Don't think like that. We'll get out of here, and go see them right away," she said, reassuringly. Lerox still looked rather doubtful.

They turned a corner of the passageway and saw a small steel door. Tishka took a deep breath. It's now or never. No going back, she thought. The Acara slowly turned the handle and pushed open the door. As the Neopets entered the room, electric lights came on, one row at a time, revealing a terrifying surprise.

Tishka gasped, and Lerox let out a small whimper. The room was huge, and right in the middle stood the largest robot either sibling had ever seen. It was another Ruki robot. But this one was much worse than the other. Not only was it at least ten times bigger and equipped with deadly looking guns and lasers, but it was huge robotic version of Sir. Every detail was molded after him, down to his long, gruesome scar.

But the Ruki robot was not the most terrifying thing in the room. For standing on the robot's bulky steel shoulder, stood the robot's live likeness. Sir...

With a mad gleam in his eyes, Sir produced a strange looking device from the folds of his uniform. With a single flick of a button, the massive eyes of his robot likeness burst to life, flashing blood red before maintaining a bright red-orange hue.

All the while Spark sat in the control room of the ship, watching the scene unfold. He was not surprised by Sir's behaviour; after all he was a former general of one of the most terrible forces that had ever graced the Neopian world. But something was bothering the Blumaroo.

He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. He had, after all, alerted Sir to the children's intrusion. He couldn't live with their deaths on his conscience.

Reaching beneath his monitoring station, Spark's hand quickly came to rest upon his weapon. Pulling it free from its hiding place, he rushed from the room and made his way quickly towards the massive docking bay where Sir and his robot likeness were about to wreak havoc.

A white hot laser blast hit the ground where only moments before, Tishka and her brother had stood.

"I am only toying with you!" Sir shrieked, letting another white hot blast of enery fly. Tishka rolled away again, holding her brother tight to her chest.

Lerox whimpered something incoherently between sobs and, in response, Tishka held him even tighter. She knew there was no time to show her own emotions. She was terrified -- and rightfully so -- but she knew if she even stopped for a moment, she and her brother could both be vaporized.

Steeling herself, she prepared for the next laser blast.

Spark ran as fast as his weary legs could carry him. Soon he found himself barrelling along the passageway that would lead him to Sir... and Robo-Sir. Gripping his weapon -- a double-barrelled rapid-fire laser he had acquired during his days as a space explorer -- he pressed himself up against the door.

It was hot!

He could hear the commotion inside. One of the children was crying, and there was the intermittent sound of a powerful laser being fired.

At least they're still alive, he thought.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and, twisting quickly into the room, leveled his weapon at the massive robotic menace...

Sir shrieked with laughter as his robot likeness fired off round after round of tissue vaporizing lasers. The robot stomped left and right in a firing frenzy, missing the two siblings narrowly each time, and getting narrower by the shot.

"You will slow down, my pets," Sir roared. "You will slow, and he will get you. Enough of playtime. You are no more." He pressed another button on his device, and the robot made a whirring noise. Its unseeing eyes shone blood red and flashed brightly. The arms on the robot reconfigured into giant guns and the leg panels opened up to more guns.

"Try to run from this," Sir laughed and pressed down on the button.

Nothing happened. He pressed the button again, but still, the robot refused to move. Slowly, the whirring noise subsided and the guns retracted.

"What's going on?" Sir cried, outraged. "JUST SHOT THE LITTLE BEASTS!" Frantically, he jabbed the buttons on the handheld device.

The robot turned its head and zeroed in on Sir.

"Oh no..." he gasped. This wasn't supposed to happen; this was his greatest creation! Years of testing had gone into this! He looked around the room and saw Spark, a remote control in one hand, and a laser in the other. Blood rushed into the Ruki’s face, and his scar twitched angrily.

"SPARK!" he thundered. The Blumaroo winced visibly but held his stance, finger poised on a green button in the middle of the remote. A large green flashing button.

"Yes, sir!" Spark yelled back.

"Is this your doing?" Sir snarled.

"Yes, sir!"

"You will pay for this!"

Spark didn't reply. Taking in a shaky breath, he shut his eyes tight and pressed the button.

A hundred tonnes of metal crashed to the ground as the giant robot slowly folded. Every piece of metal that had been its being had suddenly collapsed on itself in a heap of scrap metal.

"SPARK!" Sir growled and started to sprint towards the Blumaroo. Alarmed, Spark backed up, holding his superior at bay with his laser. Retreating, he dropped the remote and began fumbling behind him, until his paw found the little number pad on the wall. Trembling, he punched in a code…

"ATTENTION!" screeched a siren from above. "SELF-DESTRUCT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED! EVACUATE THE SHIP! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! EVACUATE THE SHIP!"

"You didn't!" Sir yelled as he approached the Blumaroo.

"I did," Spark answered. He had always meekly obeyed the Ruki without question, assisting in what he knew were evil deeds, but that time was past. He spoke more firmly. "The authorities will be been informed, and the ship is coming down in thirty seconds." With that, he came to life, running towards the two young pets and pulling them along to the nearest exit.

One problem, however. There was only one exit. The one Spark had come in. And it was blocked by Sir.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me," he spat. "You have to get by me to get out. And we only have... oh look... twenty seconds."

Without thinking, Spark detached himself from Tishka and Lerox, and slammed bodily into Sir. They were sent rolling across the floor, leaving the door wide open.

Lerox grabbed Tishka's hand and pulled her towards the exit.

"BUT SPARK!" she yelled over the rumbling of the building as ceiling tiles shook loose.

"THERE'S NO TIME!" Lerox yanked desperately at Tishka's hand. Sir and Spark were still going at it, clawing at each other.

"GO!" Spark yelled. "This is for the best." Hesitating slightly, Tishka looked back. Time seemed to slow as the room shook violently, and another piece of the ceiling crashed down and splintered beside the tumbling two.

"Bye," she whispered as Lerox kicked the door open, pulling his sister behind him.

"We have to get out of here!"

"TEN SECONDS!" warned the siren from above.

"Where do we get out?" Tishka cried. Everyone else had already vacated the premises.

"NINE!"

"Do you remember the hallways we came down?" Lerox yelled. They were in the room with all the machinery.

"EIGHT!"

"No, but we came through that door with the army, remember?" Tishka gasped for breath. They ran into the room where the army of robots had been. They lay still, completely unaware of the havoc around them.

"SEVEN!"

"Up there!" Tishka yelled, pointing to the door they came in.

"SIX!"

"We're running out of time!" Lerox cried.

"FIVE!"

"THEN HURRY!"

"FOUR!"

"I remember this hallway!" Lerox said excitedly. "The metal walls kept us from going anywhere!"

"THREE!"

"Then let's go!" Tishka sprinted as fast as she could towards the door that had tried to restrict access. The door her brother had openly defied to enter.

"TWO!"

"AAAHHH!!!" they yelled and burst through the door, running as far from the building as they could.

"ONE!"

They jumped and landed behind a giant rock, shielding them from the blast.

Tishka and Lerox stood in the backyard of their Neohome. Placed under a star tree was a Blumaroo gnome that uncannily resembled Spark.

"To Spark," Tishka whispered.

"Who was a friend in need," Lerox continued.

"Though we may not have known him long," Tishka added.

"He was worth every minute." Lerox smiled, then added, "And so was the Space Station."

The End