post_type argument not working correctly with WP_Query

Your $args array should not have the call to get_posts(). $args should just be an array:

$args = array(
    'numberposts'   => -1,
    'post_type'     => 'page',
    'meta_key'      => 'top-story', // true-false
    'meta_value'    => '1'
);

$the_query = new WP_Query($args);