BACK ON THE ground floor, Gina waited for the lift to come down. She waited
for a matter of minutes, but nothing happened.
"Sis," she called, "I think the elevator's broken.
It won't budge."
"How do you know where it is?" came the reply.
"If it's not there, you won't know."
"I don't know," said Gina. "That's the problem."
Geraldine looked round sharply.
"Then the group must've broken it," said Geraldine
with a sigh.
"They're new lifts too, I wouldn't be surprised
if Gerald had a go at them. Who's the most reckless? That's one way to guess
who is likely to have broken it."
"I don't know," said Gina, shrugging. "I don't
know the gang. Remember that I only arrived here a minute ago. I don't know
anything. All I've heard is that one of them is gone," she continued, sobbing
into one of her droopy ears.
"Wingman, the red one who overreacts?" said
Geraldine, widening her eyes in surprise. "I heard of him." She was shedding
a tear slightly, but tried to compose herself to speak. "He met this Shoyru,
ages ago, a yellow Skeith viciously attacked the Shoyru. (See 'Shoyru's Vacation'
in the older Neopian Times) Gave him a good hint of first aid and saved him.
I think he's still around though Gina."
Gina fell to the ground, letting her droopy
ears lay flat on the floor.
"The red one who 'overreacts?" she gasped. "He
can't be, surely. But anyway, I could have sworn I felt a creepy shadow coming
over me and over him too…"
"Ah, yes," said Geraldine, correcting herself.
"He can't be the one who was overreacting…my mistake, he's a bit short tempered
though... erm what?"
Geraldine started with surprise. Her ears jerked
upwards in the direction of the ceiling, almost coming in reach with it.
"You KNEW he was kidnapped?" she screamed, with
sudden realisation. "Why didn't you… if you… why didn't you go back for him?"
Gina backed away from her sister, who was now
slowly turning around in a cautious rage. "Why didn't you go? You kept your
back on him to save yourself by sucking at the water," she continued, noting
the droplets of water slipping off the side of Gina's whiskers, "and ignored
the idea to save the Shoyru who graciously saved Shoyru from the Skeith? A merely
deadly attack, a slam on the head flying straight towards a tree? He could have
suffered severe brain damage, or worse, he could have died! And for the sake
of the brave, red Shoyru's actions, I'm trying to save him now. Look!"
Shoyru was laid out on his stretcher, now with
a breathing tube applied to his mouth. His breathing was getting steadily heavier
and sometimes hard to control. It wasn't noticed that he had fallen again into
a deep sleep.
Gina flinched as Geraldine's ears stretched
out at full length and struck her directly in the thigh. She howled in pain
and shook slightly, then fell over hard on her side where it wasn't burned.
The nurse's cap that was resting on Geraldine's head slipped off her ears and
fell in a crumpled heap on the floor. Retreating her worn and over-stretched
ears to their rightful positions, she burst into tears.
"Gina…" she said cold-heartedly, full of hatred.
"You, of all pets in Neopia…how could you show such selfish heart…"
***
Voltager's mind was racing. "And, then I shouted, 'break down the door'. I
couldn't help it! There was nothing else I thought of to do! I mean Gerald just
gave us a right telling off about the lift. I fell against the glass door before
and cracked it, it must have damaged the system too and it wouldn't budge…"
Linda was standing in front of her, blocking
her tracks so she couldn't pace around the room any longer, and therefore stopping
her memory from taking a stroll. Voltager gave up the attempt, and slumped to
the floor helplessly.
"Speak," urged Felicity. "You're in serious trouble
now if you don't continue."
"All right!" Voltager snapped. "When Kacheek
was struggling for the buttons, he fell off and broke his arm…"
"No it's not that bad," Kacheek interrupted,
waving the bad arm slightly. It was still bleeding from the accident, but it
was only a slight problem then. "Nothing serious. Please can't you just excuse
her?"
Linda eyed Voltager again with a glare of grave
patience, and then without saying anything more, left the room with her ears
dragging across the floor. Then she stopped for a moment's pause, and said,
very faintly, "I'm too old for all of this... I'll go and find the two girls."
She turned the corner of the corridor ahead
and disappeared from view, leaving even Felicity in a shroud of puzzlement.
Voltager didn't even attempt a sigh of relief, although tempted, she knew far
better than to feel relieved now.
Next morning, Goldy took a step from his stretcher
and walked along the corridor until he reached Shoyru. His back was still aching
horribly from the fall, but all that was left to do was to stay put and rest
it off until it was better.
Shoyru was wide-awake, but he still had the breathing
tube attached, and he felt rather sleepy. Then Goldy tried to speak to him.
"How are you?"
Shoyru gave a little jump of surprise, but realising
it was Goldy's voice, stayed calm and stretched out on the bed. The disease
was holding him down, he could still move, but not walk.
"Wretched," he replied faintly. One of his eyes
twitched painfully. His legs were numbed and lazy, and his mind swam like a
lost fish deep at sea. Overall he felt extremely dizzy. "Where's Voltager? How
is she? What about…"
"Calm down," Goldy hissed with great restraint
but no anger. "I don't know, but if you panic yourself you'll be in worse trouble.
Not with the nurses, no, but…erm…" He floundered, paused, stretched himself
to ease his back and sighed. "I can't quite explain it. Your friends are upstairs
discussing this about you."
"Why don't they do it in this room?" croaked
Shoyru weakly. "I want to know what's up with me."
There was silence in the room just then, before
a huge, loud bang on the double doors. Goldy looked up.
"Looks like someone's at the door," stated Goldy,
leaping to his feet and rushing towards the door in a few steps and leaps, and
tripped.
"Here we go," he said, breathing deeply. He
pulled open the door with a tug and a sharp pull. The door creaked slightly
and swung open, revealing a rather ruffled dark blue Shoyru on the other side,
a Shoyru that looked distinctly like a huge droplet of water.
Aqua was waiting at the hospital doors.
***
"Huh?" said Goldy in surprise, peering closely at the Shoyru. "That's water.
I thought it would be in a puddle?"
"Very funny," said Aqua acidly. Goldy frowned,
taken sharply aback. Was that really how water behaved? This can't be!
"I want to see the tarred stupid. Get her down
here!"
Goldy fought the tendency to glare at Aqua. He
tried not to sound angry, so he just said sharply, "If you mean the black and
yellow Shoyru she is upstairs. The lift is broken so you will need to use the
stairs."
"I WANT HER DOWN HERE!" bellowed Aqua, making
Shoyru hiccup with fright.
"It's a small price to pay to get my revenge,
so get her."
Goldy could hardly retaliate to this. He was
shocked at the Shoyru. "All right," he said grimly, "but wait right here, and
don't make any more noise. Shoyru is very ill and needs rest."
Aqua's looked Goldy right in the eye, mouthing
the words, "get her". Goldy retreated at once, making for the stairs.
"Let's go gang," said Felicity with a sigh, and
they too made for the stairs. Dragging themselves across the floor, they were
catching up with Linda, who was slowly walking down the stairs. Voltager was
about to run up to her and alongside when Felicity suddenly grabbed her arm.
"Leave her," she said firmly. Voltager pushed
her off her arm and frowned.
To the gang's surprise, Linda had moved to one
side as if to let somebody through, then Goldy sprinted up step by step and
reached Voltager. He caught his breath, and then spoke.
"Voltager, your brother wants you."
Voltager stared. "Aqua?" she whispered. "Oh
no, I'm going to be in so much trouble with him…" She sighed, and then rushed
downstairs. RedShoyru767 turned to Kacheek with a questioning look. Kacheek
waved his bad arm in reply, which was getting progressively better. There was
a rather prolonged pause before he turned, face to face, right into Goldy.
"Goldy, thank goodness you are here!" he cried.
"I never thought you were around…but why didn't you come up?"
Goldy sighed heavily. "I had to look after Shoyru.
Geraldine and Gina had gone for a very important private discussion, and they
asked me if I could help while they got everything straight. I suppose she was
the one who failed to save Wingman, Gina was. And she was the injured one right?
The one I saved from this town. Nearby, I think."
Red pounced on Goldy and grabbed his arm for
a massive handshake.
"I'd never thought I would see you again," he
said bravely. "The Shoyru Gang is at the height of power. Wingman has been destroyed
as a result. It's so sad, I need to stay with you! I beg of you Goldy. For our
owners' sake. Don't leave me again. Please?"
Goldy nodded.
"OK, you stay right beside me." He sighed. "I
only hope that Sky_Diver3001 is doing okay. And I'm going to leave you guys
here until I find her, and then I'm coming right back. Reddy, are you coming?"
RedShoyru767 left Felicity and Kacheek and jumped
beside Goldy, squeezing his hand. Felicity bowed her head solemnly and Kacheek
stepped forward, looking straight into Goldy's eyes with sombre.
"Please come back in one piece," he said, a silver
tear filling his eye. Goldy and Red shook hands with the remaining members of
the team. Felicity was unusually shaky, her arms were quivering as if electricity
was being jolted into them. Then Goldy and Red bowed and dashed down the stairs
and left the building, running out of the town.
Linda too began downstairs. "This has got to
be finished," she muttered to herself. She was soon out of sight of the team,
who were standing on the stairs, hesitant to move.
***
"There you are!"
Voltager spun round on the spot before she had
turned the corner to go outside. Gulping, she hid. Aqua was now firmly inside
the room and taking quick paces through the entrance lobby.
Voltager gasped. Aqua had reached the corner
behind which she was hiding and poked his head in front of her.
"Outside," he said sharply. Voltager followed,
barely resisting to do so. As Aqua turned sharp corners through the small entrance
lobby they found themselves outside.
Aqua was standing outside with his back to Voltager.
She could only just sense that something was wrong about the way he was pacing,
not brisk, not at all fast, but very slow and calm, and somewhat sombre. Voltager's
muscles were tense.
"It looks like that the gold and red Shoyru
have left," Aqua said calmly.
Voltager broke in, hardly controlling herself.
"Goldy and Red?" she said quickly. "They've
gone to find Goldy's girlfriend."
Aqua looked very miffed. He turned around face
to face with Voltager.
"I don't need anything from you," he said coldly.
"I've never needed anything from you."
Just then, Linda came by. She seemed in a hurry
to get out, and wouldn't stop. Voltager tried to call after her but Aqua gave
her a threatening stare, causing her to falter. Then Voltager found herself
breaking in again, very hastily, and unintentionally very rudely.
"You better be careful though," she said. "You
might go the same way as Inferno. He must have had You-Know-What too!"
Voltager stopped speaking suddenly, so suddenly
it was in a panic. She looked swiftly at Aqua for any sign of anger, and what
she sensed was anything and everything more than anger. In a blink, she sat
down and covered herself wholly with her half-tarred wings. She quickly drew
herself away from Aqua as she noticed him hissing and spitting almost like a
snake. Voltager was almost cowering into a bush; she opened a gap in the coverage
she had. Shocked, found herself clasped by the throat and shook back and forth.
She felt another jerk, a sudden thrust that pulled her directly to the ground.
She screamed.
"AIIIIIIIIIIII! HELP ME!"
To be continued... | 
