"So it's come to this, has it?" He said aloud to himself. It read that Sloth was once again preparing to invade Neopia.

"Lieutenant Griffix!" A Gelert General of high brass came into the room and saluted, which caused the Eyrie to salute back at him, "What are your reports?"

"It would seem that Sloth is attempting to take over Neopia again." The Eyrie frowned, "Though, we also report that since his failed attempt to take over Neopia last time, his military is fractured. We should be able to repel him, Ceteris Paribus."

"Wonderful news." The Green Gelert saluted the Eyrie and promptly left for the nearby hallway.

The room that the Eyrie was in was a command centre, full of electronics and terminals. It was his job to monitor the skies and outer space for would-be invasion threats. Though, it had been a long time since Dr. Sloth attempted world domination. The Eyrie sat back in his chair and sipped some Thornberry Cocktail from a glass, closing his eyes and reminiscing. He was young the last time that Dr. Sloth attempted to take over the world, and he remembered his predecessor, a Korbat with sleek wings and a White colour about him, except for his Red wings. He taught Lieutenant Griffix an invaluable lesson, and that lesson was simple: Always prepare. Threats of Dr. Sloth returning were commonplace in Neopia's military, despite rarely coming to fruition. Though, he always checked and always calculated, just in case it was the real deal.

Suddenly, the sky went dark. There was a large war machine in the sky that blotted out the sun for its enormity. It had spinning thrusters in the shapes of circles at the bottom of it, and it had rear thrusters the size of skyscrapers. Griffix knew that the time had come, and Neopia would have to be alert. He ran to the nearby room and...

Griffix glanced over his shoulder to check that he was alone. He then reached up to the highest shelf, and carefully slid out a large volume labelled “N.A.S.D. Expenditure Reports- Janitorial Staff”. A remarkably sturdy and well-made volume, considering the subject matter.

The Blue Eyrie made a mental note to ask the support staff to replace it with a flimsier one. It wouldn’t do any good if the wrong person wandered in here looking for a doorstop no one would miss.

Because the expense reports weren’t expense reports at all. The book was merely a disguised box, containing a sophisticated Virtupets brand communicator. Griffix checked over his shoulder again as he took the slim, black pad out. He keyed in the complicated passcode. The device woke up with a cheerful jingle (another mental note, figure out where the volume controls were on the thing), and opened up to a contacts register.

There was only one number.

Lt. Griffix dialled it.

A breathless voice answered. “Lieutenant, I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop him.”

“No use holding onto regrets, Agent. We must always move forward. I am giving you authorization to begin Plan B.”

There was a pause as Agent V, the Green Grundo on the other end of the connection thought she heard something. It had sounded like the click of her door being unlocked, or perhaps a metal robot leg stepping a little too hard on the metallic corridors of the warship. But all she could hear now was the sound of the thrusters firing for atmospheric entry over Neopia.

“Agent? Are you still there? Has your cover been compromised?”

Agent V took a shaky breath. “No, no. There was one close call, but my cover is intact.”

Griffix fought the urge to sigh in relief. He couldn’t betray his anxiety to his subordinates.

Agent V was the N.A.S.D’s sole spy on board Sloth’s mothership- the war machine currently darkening the skies over Neopia Central. Her original, highly classified, assignment had been to thwart this invasion before it even began; but that had obviously not been successful.

“Very well. There is some new information you need to know…”

***

Just outside Lt. Griffix’s office, in a cramped supply closet, a certain Yellow Shoyru awkwardly stood on his tiptoes. He was fighting for space between a row of mops and piles of newspapers, trying to get a steady signal.

This was Klaus. Officially (depending on who you asked), a Captain reporting directly to Lieutenant Griffix. Unofficially, a spy from Sloth’s invasion force: a long-term asset deeply integrated into the N.A.S.D’s command structure.

Still paid peanuts by both parties, though...

Klaus grumbled as a mop knocked him on his forehead as it fell down. He was surprised either side was still standing. The N.A.S.D. hadn't had the budget to hire enough janitors, and the entire department was on strike.

And Sloth's army; well, he was still using this decades-old interceptor. It was always a gamble when he was listening in on Lt. Griffix and his agent.

One of these days, they'd figure out that click meant the connection was being decrypted.

Or maybe they wouldn't. They were an anti-Sloth force trying to use Virtupets brand encryption devices to maintain secrecy after all. Who in their right mind bought equipment from a company associated with the enemy?

Klaus adjusted the volume knob, as Lt. Griffix began speaking again.

"There is some new information you need to know… we have reports that a spy has infiltrated our ranks. I believe that's why Plan A has failed."

The agent gasped. "We can't let them win, I'll commence with Plan B immediately."

Lt. Griffix grunted in affirmation. "Indeed. It needs to be executed perfectly, let's go over it one more time…"

“No, no, no!” he whispered to himself in the stuffy air of the supply closet. “Come on, let’s get reconnected before they get to all the details…”

The Yellow Shoyru tried to regain connection to the call but to no avail.

“What is wrong with this thing?” he thought to himself before feeling a drip atop his scaled scalp.

There was a leak in the ceiling of the supply closet and it had unknowingly dripped onto his communicator.

He grumbled as he stepped through the clutter of the closet before discreetly walking out the door.

“I’ll find out their plan and who Agent V really is a different way…” Klaus muttered under his breath.

***

“Plan B begins with gaining loyalty to and reverence from Dr. Sloth. Instead of flying under the radar, it is now your duty to be seen, heard, noticed…” Lieutenant Griffix began.

“Yes. This way, I can gain access to privileged information in order to relay it to N.A.S.D. so that we can stop Sloth’s plan of invasion in its tracks,” Agent V confirmed.

“Indeed. What have you uncovered in lieu of this plan so far?”

“Dr. Sloth appreciates loyalty and competence, yes. However, his closest henchman are not only obedient, but they are also witty and facetious. He seems to gravitate towards… Dare I say, authenticity.”

“Are you ready to play the part, Agent V?”

“Yes, Lieutenant. I am.”

“See to it that you are careful in getting close to this madman,” Lieutenant Griffix said, softening his stoicism for a moment. “Over and out.”

The Lieutenant put the communicator back in the hollowed-out book of expense reports and left the room as he checked over his shoulder to make sure no one saw…

Agent V knows what she must do, she was trained for this in N.A.S.D.s Secret Janitorial Annexe School. She was trained by the best actually, Agent A was a veteran "janitor" and schooled Agent V in the best of espionage. She would be able to infiltrate Sloth's inner circle through a mix of her tenacity, wit, and a smidgen of luck. But she knew just the place to start her mission, The Galaxy Food Hall where Sloth's inner circle all met in the shadows.

It was a dark night outside on the Virtual Space Station, a dark that spoke of the evil Sloth planned to commit throughout Neopia. Agent V took a deep steadying breath before casting herself in the role of a Loyal Sloth Lacky. She knew she must succeed in her plan because there was no "Plan C". When she walked inside the dark grimy Food Hall she saw the usual cast of criminal players...

There was Apex, a Mutant Skeith with a foul attitude and a seemingly bottomless appetite for Petpets. Codename: Famine.

Next to him was a Pirate Meerca whose face was contorted in a snarl as he fought Apex off from his chocolate bar. This was Captain Blitz -- a notorious scallywag who grew a taste for pillaging towns all over Neopia and naturally found his way into Dr. Sloth's ranks afterwards. Codename: Conquest.

At the other end of the table glowed the menacing yellow eyes of a Robot Ogrin. Subject W4R was one of Sloth's successful experiments. He didn't speak unless spoken to by Sloth himself and doesn't follow anyone's orders but Sloth's. The perfect soldier.

Lastly, seated on the table herself looking almost comically out of place was...a Plushie Kacheek. She was tiny. Her feet swayed as they dangled off the table's edge while the light pink heart Valentine patterns on her ears and the tip of her fluffy, Plushie tail stood out despite the food hall's poor fluorescent lighting.

Her name was Miss Patches. She needed no codename because everyone here knew what she left in her wake: Death.

"Hey. You."

Agent V continued walking to her table until the lasers from W4R's eyes shot out and hit the floor just mere inches before her. She froze. When she finally regained her composure, she looked up to meet Patches' deceptively friendly gaze...

"What's your name?"

Apex lets out a big belch and says, "I can't speak for everyone but the most important mission I've had so far was the pair of Candychans for dinner last night!"

As the whole table bursts out laughing Miss Patches just seems to stare at Agent V's soul, perhaps trying to get a read of her.

"I've met countless on this ship over the years and I must say, there aren't many like you around here. You're either going to be a huge disappointment or one of the greatest things that happened to this army. I look forward to what you can accomplish in the future" says Miss Patches.

Letting out a blush Agent V responds, "Now now, don't give me too much credit yet, I know I need to prove myself first." Pondering to herself though Agent V wanted to smirk as she knew it was her goal to accomplish great things - just not for the Sloth army. Hiding emotions is something she was able to master in N.A.S.D.'s Secret Janitorial Annexe School so it wasn't hard at all for her to be talking about one thing while having her mind occupied elsewhere.

Suddenly there's an announcement coming from the speakers at the Food Hall. Everyone, even Apex, stops what they are doing immediately to listen as these things don't happen often so they knew it was important.

"The time is now for us to take back Neopia. We will be giving out different missions to both individuals and groups of people on what they need to do to make this a smooth success. We don't want a repeat of last time. And failure will not be tolerated. In addition...we have received reports from a very trusted source that there is a spy amongst our ranks. If you have any leads, contact security immediately." an eerie voice boomed.

Suddenly there's commotion everywhere as people aren't sure who the spy might be. Captain Blitz stands up at the table vowing to find out who the spy is asking everyone if they've seen anything suspicious lately.

As trained as Agent V was for situations like this, she couldn't help to become worried and a little...distracted to the point where she didn't notice that Captain Blitz turned to ask her now.

"Well so, what have you seen? Anything noteworthy Quinn?" mutters Captain Blitz.

"Oh sorry, yeah I've seen..."

She leaned in and paused as she thought, pretending it was for secrecy and dramatic effect. “Don’t look now… But do you see that sickly-looking Blumaroo at 8 o’clock? I heard that it’s him,” Quinn said in a hushed tone.

Apex guffawed through a mouthful of Petpet. “That guy looks like he could be knocked over by the flick of my pinky!”

The entire group laughed in chorus, tears rolling down their faces.

“I’m serious. This is his facade. Underneath the weakling exterior… He’s an espionage mastermind,” Quinn finished.

The fantastic four stifled their laughter and looked amongst themselves.

“Hmmm… Maybe our Quinnie is onto something,” Miss Patches began. “Masterminds often have a cute or weak exterior to hide their power. I mean, just look at me.” The Plushie Kacheek let out an adorable giggle before showing her razor-sharp teeth.

“Quinn, will you help us investigate this character?” Captain Blitz asked.

“Only if I can take the credit for capturing him…” Quinn said with a coy smile.

“I like this girl!” Apex bellowed with a hardy slap on Agent V’s back.

Subject W4R mechanically turned its robotic head towards Agent V, scanning her up and down without a sound. She gulped for fear her cover could be blown by the Robot Ogrin.

“Where did you gather this intel? Let’s start there,” the Pirate Meerca began.

Agent V shook the nervous feeling the Robot Neopet gave her and began, “While I was mopping the halls yesterday, I overheard…”

Surely, this would earn her their trust. She needed that if she was going to succeed with Plan B.

"Rats!" Captain Blitz muttered. "They know about Klaus. We'll have to inform Dr. Sloth about this immediately."

"I'll tell him," Miss Patches stated decisively. "I have a meeting scheduled with him in fifteen minutes anyway. Subject W4R, you'll join us. Dr. Sloth will need to see a recording of the conversation we just had. You three, stay here. Don't let that Blumaroo out of your sights."

With that, Miss Patches hopped off the table and headed for the exit with her head held high.

Agent V whistled as soon as she rounded the corner. "Wow, does she do that often?"

Apex and Captain Blitz just blinked at her. "Do what?"

"You know," Agent V said conspiratorially. "Take credit for what we do."

The suggestion seemed to take both criminals by surprise, but Agent V did see mild annoyance flicker behind Captain Blitz's eyes, so she decided to push more.

"It's just. I thought you were all equals. But with the way she gives orders it just seems like she's everyone's boss," Agent V adds with a shrug. "I mean sure, she may be smart... but aren't you just as cunning, Captain Blitz? She hasn't razed entire towns to the ground before, has she? And what about you, Apex? Who would be doing all the literal heavy lifting if you weren't here?"

Captain Blitz remained silent, expression growing darker with each word that left Agent V's mouth. Apex, on the other hand, didn't look too bothered at all.

"'Pose just how it is," Apex said with a shrug. "Miss Patches usually meets with Dr. Sloth."

"Exactly!" Agent V goads. "You don't think you're missing out? Word on the street is that Dr. Sloth has the best and biggest collection of Petpets in his lab, you know. I bet he wouldn't mind you gobbling up a few if he actually knew how much you did for him."

At this point, even Apex's face had darkened with disappointment. But before Agent V could push any further, her work communicator beeped.

"Hello?" Agent V asked, patching the call through on speaker.

"You're busy right now, aren't you, Quinn?" Miss Patches' voice filtered through the device, sickeningly sweet as always.

"I was just about to begin my rounds, Miss," Agent V responded. After all, despite being promoted to lackey she was still expected to perform her core duties as a janitor. At this point, she was pretty much juggling two jobs -- three if you included the real work with the N.A.S.D.

If only the pay reflected the work she put in...

"Well, there you go!" Miss Patches chimes in, cutting through Agent V's thoughts. "She's busy."

"Give her rounds to someone else," a deep, scratchy voice commanded from the other end of the line. Agent V nearly jumped, recognizing just who the voice belonged to. "I want to meet the lackey who was able to do what my best men couldn't."

"B-but we haven't confirmed--"

"Invite her," Dr. Sloth insisted. "That's an order, Patches."

"Right," Miss Patches said in a clipped tone. "Get over here right now, Quinn."

The communication cut off immediately after that.

"She doesn't like it when she doesn't get all the credit, does she?" Agent V smirked as she got to her feet, knowing that the call was the perfect way to sow doubt among Sloth's best and most loyal.

She walked briskly towards the exit.

It wasn't much, but it was a start. Sure, she was here to climb up the ranks of Sloth's minions.

But if she could cause discord and incite a mutiny in the process, then why not?

***

Klaus grumbled in distress as he read the single line on his communicator over and over.

'Turmaculus is awake.'

Mundane enough to the untrained eye. Maybe Klaus had some Petpet he wasn't particularly attached to who could wake good ol' Turmy up, right?

Wrong.

This was a coded warning. His cover had been blown and he was on his own now. If he got caught, Dr. Sloth wouldn't be sending anyone to help.

And if he somehow managed to return to headquarters in one piece? Well. Klaus would need to provide Dr. Sloth with some pretty good information to compensate for his failure.

The Yellow Shoyru groaned, curling up in his blankets. Maybe he should just fake his own death and run away. He heard Maraquan waters were pretty great this time of year.

***

Agent V took a deep breath when she reached the entrance of Dr. Sloth's lab. She'd activated the recording function on her communicator before getting here and she hoped beyond all hope that the information would transmit to Lt. Griffix properly.

'PERSONNEL INFORMATION REQUIRED,' a robotic voice stated when Agent V stepped towards the titanium doors close enough.

"It's me," Agent V spoke, looking into the camera and waiting for it to identify her face. "Quinn."

'PERSONNEL RECOGNIZED. NAME: QUINN. ROLE: JANITOR. ACCESS LEVEL: 1. FACILITY ACCESS DENIED. MANUAL CONFIRMATION NECESS--'

The robotic voice cuts off as the doors to the lab open.

"Now, that won't do will it?" Came the same deep voice Agent V had only heard through her communicator minutes earlier. It was much closer now. Much more unnerving, too, what with the sinister smile that now stretched across Dr. Sloth's face as he looked down at Agent V. "We'll have to update your access levels, Quinn."

A loud and incessant beeping of an alarm interrupted Lt. Griffix while he stood in the classified war room for the N.A.S.D., surrounded by attentive and concerned generals. The Eyrie looked at his communicator and realized Agent V was attempting to open a line. He excused himself hastily and retreated to his office, unworried about what his fellow soldiers might be thinking.

The line crackled as it attempted to connect, and Lt. Griffix locked his door just as an eerie voice began to echo against his desk. For a moment, Griffix didn't understand what was happening, but then, like a bolt of lightning struck, he realized that Agent V was in the room with Dr. Sloth.

"Quinn, I'm very impressed with the intel you shared with Miss Patches. You identified the spy within our ranks, and for that, I am eternally grateful."

"Of course, sir. Just doing my duty for the cause."

"Now, we have an invasion to execute and I could use someone with your cunning and smarts to help lead the initial strike team. This team will be up against Neopia's first line of defence, and undoubtedly the most ruthless of the forces. Would you be ready for this?"

"Yes, sir. It'd be an honour to serve. How will we begin the invasion?" Agent V was playing the role perfectly, Lt. Griffix thought.

Another voice piped in then, a squeaky yet menacing voice, "Excuse me sir, but are you sure we shoul-"

"You dare question my judgement, Patches?" Sloth snapped.

"No, sir. Never, sir." The Neopet whispered.

"Where were we ... ah, yes, the invasion. How will we begin the invasion, you ask? By destroying Neopia Central, of course. That cursed place from whence all of Neopia sprung, the place where the light first shone on my once glorious and dark planet. We will begin where it all began."

And with that, Agent V had successfully given the N.A.S.D. the upper hand because they now had the element of surprise ...

How will this story end?

If there was anything that all villains had in common, it was the inability to resist any opportunity to go on an evil monologue about their nefarious plans. Dr. Sloth was no different. Really, even Miss Patches was struggling to keep her eyes open by the ninety-minute mark. It was only Agent V's years of intensive training at the N.A.S.D. that allowed her to keep an attentive expression through the full two hours.

Unfortunately, Dr. Sloth gave Agent V and Miss Patches marching orders right before he dismissed them so there was no time for Agent V to send over a summary to Lt. Griffix. She could only hope that Lt. Griffix at least got a cadet or two to listen in to her transmission, and note down the important bits.

Really the plan itself was simple. Once you extracted the key points from two hours of dramatic evil monologue, it could even be boiled down to three steps:

Step 1: Load the Ray of Omega DOOM with anti-Neomatter. Note: Treat this step like your life depends on it (because it does!) and do NOT spill a single drop.

Step 2: Aim the Ray of Omega DOOM at Neopia Central.

Step 3: Press the red button. Voila!

The plan was nearly fool-proof and Dr. Sloth had entrusted the duty of loading the Ray of Omega DOOM to Miss Patches and Agent V. If followed closely, it would guarantee an easy victory.

Of course, Agent V was determined not to let that happen.

The Ray of Omega DOOM was located in Hall B, a high-security wing that only Dr. Sloth's most trusted minions could access. If Agent V could figure out a way to shake Miss Patches off her tail, she could–

"You're being awfully quiet," Miss Patches observed, cutting through Agent V’s thoughts.

"This stuff makes me nervous," Agent V replied, gesturing to the vials they were carrying.

"The anti-Neomatter?" Miss Patches laughed airily. "You don't have to worry about that. If you spill some on yourself, you'll disintegrate before you even realize it."

Hall B was part of the artillery wing, located on the other side of the ship. To get there, they end up passing the food hall.

Surprisingly, they ran into Apex and Captain Blitz.

"You two idiots are still here?" Miss Patches grinned. "Good. Follow us. We need you to stand guard."

"Why?" Apex challenged.

"Because I said so," Miss Patches snapped, clearly not used to being challenged. "Stop asking silly questions and just do what I say."

"No," Apex replied firmly.

"What?" Miss Patches hissed.

"We said no," Captain Blitz drawled. "What are ya gonna do about it?"

"Dr. Sloth gave us direct orders," Miss Patches spoke, her voice deathly calm though her expression was stormy. "You really want to start disobeying him?"

"What would we be disobeying? His orders were to you, not us!" Captain Blitz countered.

"You are both really, really getting on my last nerves," Miss Patches declared, shoving the vial of anti-Neomatter she was holding into Agent V's arms.

"And?" Apex smirked as he stood to his full Mutant height and loomed over the Plushie Kacheek effortlessly. "Ya gonna cry?"

Agent V had always thought that Miss Patches was just the biggest brains in the whole operation, but apparently, she'd underestimated the Plushie Kacheek's fighting skills. Miss Patches must have spent a few months training intensively because she launched herself at Apex at breakneck speeds and almost sent him tumbling.

In the resulting scuffle, Captain Blitz quickly joined in while Agent V slipped away as quietly as she could.

***

"We have prepared as best as we can," Lt. Griffix said through the communicator. "The Faeries as well as the denizens of Moltara are helping out with keeping Neopia covered in clouds and steam. The rest would be up to you. You need to destroy that Ray, then maybe buy us some time to corner Sloth and his minions."

"I know," Agent V replied, already sweating bullets just from trying to get access to the Ray of Omega DOOM's wiring. She cried triumphantly when the panel she'd been trying to open for the past ten minutes finally popped, revealing the complex circuitry underneath. "I'm in! Give me a few minutes–"

Whatever she'd been trying to say gets cut off when a beam of searing hot light passes by her cheek.

She was in the middle of dismantling it when Miss Patches arrives, laser ray in hand.

"So it was you all along!" Miss Patches hollered into her communicator, the laser ray in her paw still aimed at Agent V. She looked like she'd been through a disaster – patches of her were ripped and a bit of stuffing was coming out. Still, Agent V shuddered to think what condition Apex and Captain Blitz were in. "Dr. Sloth, I've intercepted the intruder. It was Quinn."

A robotic voice filled the room seconds later.

'CODE GREEN: SECURITY BREECH, CODE GREEN: SECURITY BREECH. ALL DEFENSE PERSONNEL, PROCEED TO HALL B, ANNEX 3.'

"Well, it's over for you now," Miss Patches cackled. "You'll be surrounded in a few minutes."

"You're sure you want to be around me?" Agent V challenged, uncapping the vial of anti-Neomatter she was holding. This was her final ace. If this failed, Dr. Sloth would win.

Miss Patches grew still, expression weary as she eyed the vial. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Agent V tossed the cap at Miss Patches and watched as the Kacheek shrieked while dodging away.

"Don't!" Miss Patches warned. She all but shrieked into her communicator, explaining what was happening and demanding the security personnel to get there faster.

During this time, Agent V poured a few drops of anti-Neomatter into the Ray of Omega DOOM's wires and watched as the inside disintegrated into nothing almost immediately, rendering the device completely useless.

Then, she threw the vial to an empty corner of the room and watched as the remaining liquid spilt out. In the blink of an eye, there was a gaping hole in the floor.

"This is Agent V confirming the successful neutralization of the main threat. In addition, Sloth's ship should be vulnerable – there's a gaping hole on the left side of the hull," Agent V said into her communicator as she watched Miss Patches cowering in the corner of the room that still had a floor. Neopia was a foggy mess beneath them, but she would have to trust the antigravity devices built in her shoes to safely get her home.

Agent V took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Somewhere behind her, furious mechanical sounds began to grow louder.

Agent V jumped.

***

"Fantastic work as always, Agent V. Mission accomplished."

Agent V could hear the cheers from the soldiers surrounding Lt. Griffix as he spoke those words. She had floated down in front of the Rainbow Pool and ran into a fidgety Maraquan Shoyru just seconds ago.

"Our team made it into the ship," Lt. Griffix continued. "Sloth was long gone on an escape pod but we got some of his best subjects – a Mutant Skeith, a Pirate Meerca, and the Plushie Kacheek you warned us all about."

Unfortunately, Dr. Sloth had gotten away with Subject W4R. However, he also left behind most of his resources and minions. It would take him quite a while to plot his next takeover attempt.

"He'll be back," Agent V declared. "But we'll be ready."

Overhead, celebratory fireworks made by the Faeries were already painting the cloudy skies of Neopia.

The End.