The Lever

      "Have you ever wondered where the Lever of Doom hand takes the Neopoints? What happens to the Neopoints? People may pay a whole lot for the avatar..." Max stated.

      "Yeah, I mean, I always get knocked off my feet, and never pay attention to where the hand goes. I wonder..." Leo replied.

      So, the two young Neopets decided to explore. "How will we find out?" Leo inquired.

      "Well, if only one of us goes in, that would be easy, but with the two of us, we're going to need a big, sturdy metal pole or something..." Max replied.

      The two young Neopets thought for a bit. Then they heard the Space Defense merchant yell, "Transporter helmets going for cheap! Buy them now!"

      Max and Leo exchanged looks. Max exclaimed, "That's IT! One of us will pull the lever, use the helmet, and then we jump in. Worst case scenario, the one who's pulling the lever is caught off guards, but then whoever it is can always try again."

      Leo thought for a bit. "Um... ok, I guess I'll pull it."

      The Yurble and Lupe walked up to the lever. They looked around. Nobody was looking at them. Max got ready; Leo started pulling the lever as he thought of one more question. What if the area behind the lever was a drop, or worse, into space? It was too late. The next moments blurred by. Max jumped in, Leo dodged the hand and leapt in after his friend, and the door slammed shut. A pair of gleaming red eyes that neither pet noticed glistened from a dark hall in the station.

      Max yelled in surprise as he dropped down the dark tunnel. He was soon joined by Leo. Finally, their drop ended with a thump as they landed on a mat. A light was off in the distance. Leo and Max cautiously walked toward the light. A loud voice boomed. "Who dares enter the Lair of Doom?"

      The two pets quivered, but finally Max worked up enough courage to answer, "I-I, Max the Lupe and my friend, L-Leo."

      Suddenly, red lights flashed and alarms blared. A mechanical voice repeated, "No one who is not Sloth may enter."

      From the walls of the room appeared blasters, no doubt to annihilate any intruders. The two pets ran toward the door with lasers skimming their fur, and an acrid smell filled the air. They panted in exhaustion and relief as they listened to the voice redundantly repeat, "No one who is not Sloth may enter."

      "That was too close for comfort," Leo said.

     "Yeah," Max agreed, "But what's this about Sloth? I thought he was gone."

     "I don't know, but I have a feeling that it's not good," Leo replied.

      Max chuckled, "Since when does Sloth do anything good? Well anyways, we have to find out what's going on, and get out of here to warn everyone!"

      Leo looked at his friend, "I don't know, it seems so dangerous here."

      "Look, Leo, we can't go out the way we came in, the only way we're going anywhere and getting out is by going on, now let's go see what else is behind the lever, and about those Neopoints," Max said.

      "I should have never come," Leo muttered.

      "We've never had a fight. Let's not have one now, when we need each other the most." Max replied.

      There was a thump as another entered the secret room. Max and Leo looked at each other, and dashed under some nearby stairs to hide. Sloth walked in, sneering. He looked around. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I know you're in here."

      The two Baby pets quivered in fright, trying to hold their breath. Sloth's gaze passed over there hiding place, and he frowned. He crossed the room and looked around where the two Neopets were hiding as Leo and Max tried to squish themselves against the cool metal of the stairway. Sloth decided that the meddling little Neopets he saw must be hiding somewhere else. He turned and climbed up the stairwell, his footsteps echoing in the silence. At last Max and Leo decided that he was gone, and took a relieved breath. Max turned to face Leo and whispered, "I guess you're right about this being dangerous, but we have to find out what's going on."

      Leo nodded, and together, they crept up the stairs. Reaching the top, they found a door locked tightly shut. Behind the door, they heard murmuring voices. Max and Leo put their ears to the door and listened intently. "-eady to take the next step. All of the villains from every plot have gathered here today, as you probably all know now. We shall use this ray to control minds of every influential being in Neopia!"

      Max whispered to Leo, "That sounds like Sloth."

      Leo nodded. Another voice gruffly said, "So we will each get to rule over what we attempted to take over?"

      Sloth answered, "Yes, yes, of course, but I will rule everything that's not taken, since I am the mastermind behind this... happening."

      "How about that fool, Darigan?" a third voice, presumably Kass.

      "He was not called to this meeting, and he will probably end up being controlled by my ray, as I believe he will join Meridell to fight us," Sloth replied. "There is no way to shut the ray off, as I have sealed away the controls to shut it down," Sloth snickered.

      "Where is this ray of yours, Sloth?" Kass asked.

      "Ah, I suppose it's safe to tell you all about it as it needs a code and my fingerprints, not to mention a scan of my retina to start up. It's in the main control room, next to my money making device," Sloth replied.

      Max signaled Leo. "We gotta go there."

      They walked in a dark, dank, cold corridor to the control room. They passed by the Treasure room and gaped at all the Neopoints that were there, piles upon piles. "We can try to get some later," Max hissed. "We have to get to the ray and destroy it somehow."

      Sloth's ray was humongous. The baby pets cowered in its shadow. Then Max stood up and circled around the ray, looking for some way to get rid of it. He slammed his little furry body against it, but to no avail.

      "Looking for something?" Sloth sneered.

      Max whirled around, Sloth was holding a whimpering Leo. "Now, I've got you two!"

      Max growled at Sloth. If only Leo could get away. Then I could - no, we could do something. Wait! The Transporter Helmet! If only Leo could get it out and put it on... "Why don't you stop your scheme before I transport you into the Splat-a-Sloth tube? Leo, bike."

      Leo stared at Max. Bike? Transport Sloth? Oh! He must mean for me to get the Transporter Helmet! Sloth glared at Max, but taking his attention off of Leo was a mistake. In a flash, Leo stood next to Max, and the Baby Neopets ran in different directions, around Sloth. Sloth spun around, trying to decide which pet to go after. He fired his Sludge gun all around, turning his lab to sludge. Then Leo and Max ran in front of the ray, Sloth, in his frenzy, fired, and Max and Leo ducked, and the ray became one big, smelly pile of sludge. "Nooooo! My ray, my beautiful ray!" Sloth screamed.

      Max and Leo ran by Sloth, knocking him over, and then stopped. How would they get out? Max looked around, and Leo pointed at the treasure chamber. "Leo, this is no-" Max began, but then he saw the hand creeping in. Leo and Max bounded towards the steel hand, and took a large leap, landing on it as it began to ascend. Oh please let someone be using the lever, oh please. There was. Max and Leo came crashing out... on top of their owner. "Wha-?" their owner was startled, "How long have you been there, and why?"

      Max and Leo looked at each other again. "Oh, we were just playing and curious," they said at the same time.

      "Playing what?" their owner asked.

      "Save Neopia."

The End