The Would-Be Detective: Where is Dr. Sloth?

      "Has anyone seen Dr. Sloth?"

      "Newest plot: Where is Dr. Sloth?"

      "Dr. Sloth up to no good!"

      "What is going on?" Strife wondered, so she perked up her ears and caught glimpses of different conversations until she finally found someone who would speak to her.

      "It's terrible, isn't it?" the Shoyru asked Strife.

      "I'm not sure," she replied. "I haven't figured out what exactly is happening."

      "What's there to figure out? He's missing," the Shoyru replied. "No one knows where he is. Since the last time he caused trouble, there has been a group keeping a close eye on him. But they lost track of him last night. No one has seen or heard from him since."

      "That's terrible!" Strife replied. "And he most certainly is up to no good."

      "That's what we're all afraid of," the Shoyru sighed. "If only Endlesswaltz had paid more attention."

      "Endlesswaltz?" Strife asked, "Who's that?"

      "The one who is giving us Shoyrus a bad name, that's who," the Shoyru replied. "She was the one watching Dr. Sloth when we lost him."

      "Where is endlesswaltz?" Strife asked.

      "Probably hiding in the Virtupets Space Station somewhere. She hasn't really been seen since she lost track of him. I don't blame her. Can you imagine all the words people would say? To be the person who let Dr. Sloth slip away to do his evil? I'm glad she's hiding. I'd have a quite a few words for her myself!" the Shoyru said and walked away.

      "I'd like to talk to Endlesswaltz," Strife said to herself. "So it's off to the Virtupets Space Station I go!"

      Strife arrived and went on a stroll through the space station asking if anyone had seen Endlesswaltz? She wasn't having much luck.

      Maybe Endlesswaltz isn't here after all, Strife wondered as she ran into a baby Shoyru.

      "I'm sorry little guy, are you okay?" Strife asked.

      "I'm perfectly fine. It'll take a lot more than that to hurt me. And don't call me 'little guy.' I'm not really little and, more importantly, I'm not a guy," the Shoyru replied.

      Strife blushed and was too embarrassed to apologize.

      "What are you doing here anyway?" the Shoyru asked before she had a change to try to say she was sorry. "Why aren't you in a panic to find Dr. Sloth like everyone else?"

      "I was looking for Endlesswaltz?" Strife replied.

      "Well then you're in luck," the Shoyru replied. "I'm Endlesswaltz."

      Strife blinked her eyes in disbelief. Dr. Sloth was being watched by a baby?

      "Yeah, I know what you are thinking," Endlesswaltz said. "I was a blue Shoyru at one time. Then, while keeping watch I saw Dr. Sloth was acting weird. He was rushing around like he was looking for something. I think it was something he kept in his cape. He kept checking and shaking it. Finally he went down. I guess he was looking for it on the ground. To make sure, I leaned over the window where we keep watch. Then Boochi came and zapped me. Not only did Dr. Sloth know someone had to be there for Boochi to zap, I was too small to even climb on the chair to peek out."

      "Oh no! Most people are happy to be zapped by Boochi, though," Strife said. "I'm sorry to hear he ruined your cover."

      "What I'm sorry to hear is how everyone is looking for Dr. Sloth. No one actually will listen to me that he was looking for something."

      "What do you think he lost?" Strife asked, "something horrible for his new evil plan?"

      "I don't know, but he seemed very concerned. I'm almost positive it has to be in that room. He was fine, then suddenly he got all frantic and was searching, but I can't get into that room to look."

      "Is it heavily guarded and dangerous?" Strife asked nervously.

      "No," Endlesswaltz replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm a baby. I can't reach the doorknobs!"

      "…Oh," Strife replied, feeling very silly, but also very relieved. "Well, I can open the doors for you."

      "Really?" Endlesswaltz cheered up. "You'd go with me?"

      "Sure," Strife said with an uneasy smile.

      "Great!" Endlesswaltz started crawling. "Follow me!"

      She was reluctant, but Strife followed. She opened the entrance, greeted by a loud, creaking sound that echoed. Strife was sure that if Dr. Sloth were inside they would be in deep trouble. Strife was going to wait, but Endlesswaltz dashed in.

      "If he's here and going to come looking, we'd best be inside hiding," Endlesswaltz whispered and rushed inside to the first open door. Strife followed as quickly as she could.

      Inside, they hide behind a couch, the largest item they could find and still peek out to see what was going on. They waited, but no one came to see what the creaking noise was.

      "Looks like the coast is clear," a blue Eyrie named Zigmarni peaked behind and told them. "You don't need to worry about Dr. Sloth for now. And trust me, he's not here."

      Strife and Endlesswaltz trusted the Eyrie, and made their way through the door.

      "Where to now?" Strife asked.

      "We need to go through that main hallway," Endlesswaltz pointed ahead. "At the end, there should be a door to the left. Once you go through the door, there's a stairway leading up to the third floor. Once we get there, it should be the fourth door to the right. That will lead us to the room we can see him from."

      Endlesswaltz lead and Strife followed, opening the doors so they could get in when they needed to, but she always made sure Endlesswaltz went in first.

      "Here we are," Endlesswaltz said as they arrived. She took a quick glance to make sure Dr. Sloth was not there and then quickly started looking.

      "Are you sure it's ok to go through Dr. Sloth's things?" Strife cringed.

      "We have to find out what he was looking for! It could be bad news for Neopia," Endlesswaltz replied.

      "But what are we looking for?" Strife asked.

      "I'm not sure," Endlesswaltz replied.

      "Then how will we know if we find it?" Strife questioned.

      "I don't know." Endlesswaltz sighed. "Let's just look and see if we can find something suspicious and evil looking and something that would fit in his robes that he could carry around with him."

      "That could be just about anything," Strife replied under her breath. She didn't think they would have any luck. After all, Dr. Sloth knew what he was looking for and couldn't find it. She and Endlesswaltz had no idea and a whole room to look for it in.

      Strife took in a deep breath and started looking anyway. She opened the first drawer and peaked inside. There were lots of papers, but they all looked neat and fresh. Surely if this is what Dr. Sloth was looking for, the pages wouldn't be so straight and neat from being in a pocket.

      She opened the next drawer. Some pens and pencils, erasers, paperclips. It almost looked as though Dr. Sloth were planning on going to school.

      Or maybe he was going to send in a neopet he brainwashed to spy on the other pets? Then hatch some evil plan to brainwash them and start taking over Neopia?!? Strife suddenly wondered if she was looking too much into things. There were easy enough to find, she thought. If Dr. Sloth was looking for them, he would have not have had any trouble once he opened the drawer.

      They heard a nearby noise that sounded like a door opening. Strife closed her eyes and feared the worst. Expecting Dr. Sloth, she was surprised when she heard some soft footsteps and then… laughing?

      Strife gathered enough courage to open one of her eyes to peak and saw her petpet, a white snowbunny, playing with a grey snowbunny.

      Endlesswaltz and Strife glanced at each other and then let out a very relieved sigh.

      "That was… too close for comfort," Endlesswaltz said. She whipped the sweat from her brow and then started searching again.

      She is really dedicated, Strife thought. Too bad she was turned into a baby. No one will take her as seriously now.

      Now to find out what a grey snowbunny was doing in Dr. Sloth's room. Good thing her petpet found him or there's no telling what Dr. Sloth would do.

      "Oh my goodness!" Strife exclaimed in a whisper to the grey snowbunny. "What in Neopia are you doing here in this space station?"

      Before the snowbunny could answer, he was scooped up by a green hand.

      "What are you doing? I should turn you into piles of sludge!" Dr. Sloth thundered.

      Endlesswaltz and Strife braced themselves, but the grey snowbunny was nibbling on Dr. Sloth's robes.

      "Since you found my petpet, I will let you get away this once… but speak a word of this to anyone and I will seek you out!" Dr. Sloth warned.

      He tucked the snowbunny in his robe and was disturbed by the expressions on Strife's and Endlesswaltz's faces.

      "Oh please!" he replied and stormed away. "Do you really think Neopians are the only ones who collect avatars?"

The End