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Prologue (cont)
Okay, I know I told you last time that I was going to
be introduced to the tale, but really I only get officially introduced now...
I also know that this is supposed to be about my wonderful brother so I'll cut
it about myself even though this is my chapter...
The Uni took out a clipboard and began searching
the long list. "His name is..." Her eyebrow rose when she finally found it.
"Not too creative." Raven leered at the Uni. "Um, it's X2495neo-nothing a good
nickname won't fix." She turned to the back of the clipboard and pulled out
an adoption form. "Sign this and-"
"I know." Raven took the paper and signed it
quickly.
"Hey, X24!" called the adoption Uni. The Eyrie
turned from his computer. "Someone's here to adopt you!"
The moment she said that, X2495neo began wagging
his tail excitedly. Without even turning it off, he closed the laptop and bounded
over to the gate, towards the Uni, Raven, and Viper. He looked shy to begin
with, but when he saw Viper with his many scars and spines, he turned just plain
terrified. He quickly hid his fear and tried to act brave and happy like any
other Neopet, but he was apparently on the verge of running back to his little
spot at the back of the kennel. The pink Uni opened the gate for the little
Eyrie and allowed him to exit the kennel.
"X2495neo, this is your new owner RavynnWolfe,
and your new brother Viper," introduced the Uni, motioning X2495neo's new family.
"Hi," he greeted shyly, looking back at the
cage.
"Hey!" Raven and Viper returned the greeting
in unison. Rave reached out to pat her new pet's head. "What do Neopets call
you around here? I mean, I'm not going to go calling you X249-what'sit for the
rest of your life."
"Um... Einstein." He patted his silver laptop,
which he held in his right paw. "I have an IQ of seven hundred and twenty three."
Raven whistled in amazement. "And we thought
yours was high, huh, Viper?"
The mutant nodded in agreement.
Just then someone called for the adoption Uni,
and she padded over to them, leaving Raven, Viper, and X2495neo (Einstein) alone.
"Hey, Einstein?" He swung his undersized head
towards his new owner. "D'you mind being the lab rat of the family?"
Gravely, he shook his head. "My stats can't
possibly get any lower and I'm not particularly fond of this fur coat of mine.
So I say, fire away!" Then, as if they were all thinking the same thing, they
began walking towards the exit. When they arrived at the main lobby they saw
that it was no longer crowded and outside it had stopped storming. The sun was
shining brightly as the clouds parted to the sides. Puddles of water were covering
the pavement, and several young Neopets were taking advantage of them by jumping
and playing in them, sending spray everywhere.
Raven looked at Einstein and opened her mouth to say something when her Lupe
interrupted.
"Don't say it! I, the amazing Viper-modo, shall
read your mind." He put a paw to his head and closed his eyes. "Your plan is
to go zap Einstein with the ray now!" said Viper in the tone of a mind reader.
"How do you know me so well already?" she asked
rather flatly. Raven's plan was indeed to go to the lab ray, not only to zap
Einstein, but also to see if she could stir any memories inside of Viper.
"Your eyes said it, they did! I mean it doesn't
take a g-" He caught himself. "It doesn't take an Einstein to know that."
The mutant chuckled at his own joke.
And go to the ray, they did. They passed the
Money Tree where Draken had first spotted them, the dock where Viper had first
seen his own handsome face, the shop Wizard's tent and a few hundred owners'
shops, and finally came to a seemingly endless plain. Shortly after, Raven explained
that it was indeed actually called the Endless Plains. For about half an hour
they crossed the plain, the grass brushing against their ankles in the cool
summer breeze, till they came to a towering mountain. It was called Kaynyne
Mountain.
During the half-hour of walking, the new family
got to know each other better. Viper told Einstein about his near drowning and
how he had a bad case of amnesia, and after a few minutes of nudging and growling,
Viper finally managed to get Raven to tell the Eyrie about her lack of Neopoints.
That didn't bother him in the least, which made Raven very relieved. Einstein
explained that his old owner Sabran used him only for his intellect. He said
that Sabran had three other pets that were used strictly for battle-two of them
were twin fire Scorchios named Infernox and Infernol, while the other was a
blue Jubjub named Iron Razor. While the others fought, Einstein would sit on
the sidelines with his 50 000 Neopoint laptop and plan out all the battle strategies.
That gained Sabran's trust and admiration for a while until, once, his strategy
failed to work. Then Sabran abandoned him with the laptop at the pound.
Viper looked up at Kaynyne Mountain, trying
to see the top, but it went right through the clouds. The sides of the mountain
were jagged and rocky and could probably cut deeper than daggers. The mutant
gulped. "We're not gonna have to climb that thing, are we?"
Raven laughed. "Yep!" she said sarcastically.
"Nah, don't worry." She walked over to a particularly large spiked rock that
jutted straight up from the ground, and twisted it to the right. As it turned
it made a grinding sound, and soon that grinding sound turned into a loud rumbling
as the section of the mountain behind the rock began to shake. Soon an especially
large fissure could be seen forming in the stone. Without warning the boulder
split apart, and like two automatic sliding doors, the chunks moved to the sides.
Inside a hollow could be seen with metal walls. It was the Secret Laboratory.
Raven walked inside with Viper and Einstein
padding rather reluctantly behind her. Once inside, they saw the ray propped
up on a pedestal in the centre of the room and a whacked-out looking yellow
Scorchio at its side. He wore weird swirly glasses and a lab coat, and he had
white hair sticking out in all directions. RavynnWolfe called to him. "Hey,
Zappy! Boot up the ray!"
"That's Doctor Zap to you!" corrected
Dr. Zap as the little blue Eyrie walked shyly in front of the ray while Dr.
Zap went round back, towards the switch. Before pulling it down, he turned to
Raven. "Are you aware that the lab ray could severely damage your pet and...
Yadda, yadda, yadda..." He sighed. "I hate my job." Then without waiting for
a reply from Raven, he pulled the lever.
There was an odd sound, and Viper watched in
amazement as a beam of golden light shot out of the ray, right at Einstein.
When the beam struck the Eyrie it exploded into a great flash of light that
illuminated the entire lab, blinding both Raven and Viper. After a few seconds,
the light finally cleared, leaving Raven and her Lupe blinking the spots from
their eyes. When their vision cleared Viper and Raven looked in awe at the little
Eyrie that lay cowering on the floor, his large paws shielding his eyes. Einstein,
who's pelt used to be a greasy, normal blue had now a dazzling electric blue
fur coat. Slowly, the undersized lab rat removed his paws from his eyes and
looked at his family.
"Is anything different?" asked the Eyrie, getting
up off the floor. Without a word Raven pointed at an especially shiny part on
the steel wall. She was nudging him to look at his reflection. Curiously, Einstein
padded up to the wall where Raven pointed. At first he didn't notice anything,
but then he saw a light blue lightning bolt cutting right across his right eye
and continuing right down his furry cheek.
"Wow!" gasped the electric Eyrie, turning back
to Raven and Viper. "So, Viper, you haven't said anything yet. What do you think
of it?"
The mutant laughed. "Well, I'm jealous!" There
was a hint of sarcasm in his tone though no one caught it. Suddenly the rumble
of thunder sounded from outside.
RavynnWolfe looked towards the door and murmured,
"Better get going before we get caught in the rain again."
To be continued...
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