Muffled words and shouting filled his ears, and he came into consciousness with a jolt of fear. He was still in the car. Something was pressing him onto the seat. They were putting something around his neck.

They were putting something around his neck.

He let out a scream, raw and angry. His limbs were sluggish and slow to respond to him, but they did the job. He jabbed an alien in the eye and the hand holding him down released him a second later.

"Ugh! This feral little bastard!" the alien shouted. "He got his -" The buzzing in his ear made him wish he'd pass out again. "- fucking claws in my eye!"

"Wash it out later and stop being a hatchling," another snapped. "I can't get this collar on without help."

Collar. Despite the cotton in his head, the pain in his gut, and the fear clogging his throat, Viktor found the strength to surge upwards and try to get away. Something smacked him on the side of his head and knocked him back down before he could even get up.

"No, no, no, no," he mumbled in their language, a desperate plea for them to change their minds. He knew it wouldn't work. It never did. But he could try.

"Spirits, since when could they talk?" the alien that smacked him said, surprised.

"Does it look like I care?" the alien cradling its face snapped. "Get the collar ready. I don't like being near its face. Don't wanna end up like Zorrash."

It held him down, making sure to press his arms into the seat. It was kneeling painfully on his stomach, and he thought he'd die before they got the collar on. He couldn't move. They were going to put it on him. And he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

They snapped the collar around his neck, cinching it tight enough to pinch. It was metallic. It was a fucking shock collar. The prongs dug into his skin right where they had been the last time. Viktor screamed the entire time.

"Give him something to scream about," the driver of the car snarled from the front. "He's going to make me deaf."

"Gladly," the alien he had jabbed in the eye growled. Viktor had one second to look at the glowering alien fearfully before his world lit up in agony.

He forgot how painful electric shocks were. His entire body stiffened as electricity ran through him. They must have turned the power all the way up on this damn collar. It was nothing like the small shocks he got at the arena and more like touching a fallen electric pole wire.

He couldn't even scream. His mouth moved but no sounds came out. When the shocks stopped, the pain still lingered. His limbs twitched without his input. Breathing was hard and thinking was even harder.

"Thank the Spirits. Stupid thing's got lungs on him," someone mumbled above him. Was he underwater? "Where's that damn cage?"

"Klaggr was supposed to get it," was the sullen reply. "Now he's in pieces! I told you this wasn't a good idea."

"The ransom we'll get from him will pay off the debt we got for Krrkh. If you wanna blame anyone, blame him. He's the idiot who got caught."

"Don't say that!"

"Scared of the dead?"

Foggy from pain, Viktor couldn't even feel the horror that was welling up in him at the mention of the ringmaster. "No," he whimpered. The aliens shifted their attention to him, and he flinched at the movement.

"Yeah, you hear that, stupid mammal? You were Krrkh's prized animal, and we're gonna make sure you earn what you're worth," the first alien hissed.

"Spirits, he can't understand you. You're as stupid as a Trasskn."

"Shut up. Shock him again, he's getting up."

Viktor closed his eyes, but it didn't help against the pain.

***

The car ride went from bumpy and fast to smooth and slow. Viktor tried to listen to what the aliens were saying, but the electric shocks started to short-circuit the translator. It was barely noticeable, but a few words were starting to get lost in the static in his ear.

He also tried not to move. The aliens were sitting as far away from him as possible, but even if Viktor shifted, electricity would run down his spine without mercy.

He just needed to hold on. If he didn't think about what was happening to him, he wouldn't dip into a panic attack. His nerves were alight with adrenaline and electricity, wanting to move his muscles to flee, to fight, to do anything. But he forced himself to be small, unassuming.

It worked because ever so slowly, the aliens lost their guard. He could move ever so slightly without them caring, though they did watch him like a hawk. Not that he really wanted to move. His head hurt, and he was pretty sure he had cracked some ribs.

"He's not so tough. Must've got lucky with Zorrash," the first alien scoffed. "Look at him; scared out of his wits."

"Lucky?" the second one snapped, exasperated. "I think you're getting too comfortable, Nhafka. Mammals aren't supposed to be able to kill Vokkrus. We're supposed to kill them."

Viktor realized then, that he had killed someone. He felt sick.

"We're here," the driver said tightly.

"Thank the Spirits. Run out and get a cage," Nhafka demanded of the second alien. "And don't stop to wash your eye out; I want this bastard locked up as soon as possible."

"I thought he wasn't so tough," the second one snarked, opening the door. Viktor cracked opened his eyes. The aliens were occupied and not looking at him. He gathered all the energy he could before scrambling across the seat of the car and launching himself out of the door.

"Fuck! Get the remote!"

Someone swiped at him and managed to hook his harness, but he threw his weight to the side and the alien's claws slipped out. He hit the ground on his shoulder hard, dizzy, and almost incoherent with pain. A swift kick to his spine almost made him lose consciousness; black spots danced along his eyes.

"We don't need a damn remote. Look at him; he can barely walk!" That was Nhafka. "Turrkn, grab a carrier from inside."

"I don't know," Turrkn muttered, stepping away from Viktor and into the building. Viktor could barely open his eyes to see where he was. "I don't think we should be roughing him up so much. What if Vokkra demands less for injury?"

"Turrkn," the translator started crackling much more as Nhafka spoke, "you're such an idiot. We have Kohgrash, so we get to demand what we get. He doesn't get to have a say in anything."

"Well, what about K-"

"We'll deal with her later. Just get the damn cage!"

Someone touched him, and he made a sound of protest, low and fearful in his throat. He twisted on the ground, trying to hit the alien.

"Don't try anything, little bastard, or you're getting zapped."

"Go fuck yourself," he whispered hoarsely. He was tossed into a carrier a second later. He landed heavily. Tears burned at the back of his eyes. Yep, his ribs were definitely broken.

He was pushed into the building with little care for how much it jostled him. Wherever they were, it wasn't anywhere he recognized. The building had white walls and smelled sterile and clean. He was pushed toward a stairwell and his fear mounted. He knew exactly what the aliens were going to say before they said it.

"Just push him. Stupid bastard killed Zorrash. He deserves it."

"No, please, please don't," he begged senselessly. Their flight of stairs was two flights of human stairs, at least. He moved to the back of the carrier as best he could with all his injuries. It didn't help.

He felt a sharp push, a brief moment of weightlessness, and then the carrier slammed onto the steps. It tipped over, and Viktor slammed into the front as gravity took over. He tried regaining his balance before it went over the next step, pushing his head away from the side with shaking arms, but another sharp push from behind had him tumbling over the stairs even faster.

When he reached the bottom, he had bitten his tongue hard enough to draw blood, and he was pretty sure his nose was broken. Blood dribbled down his chin like a flooded river, fast and unending.

Viktor was tired. He dropped his head onto the floor of the carrier, slowly feeling the pool of blood form under his cheek. He wanted to go home.

He heard cruel laughter from the aliens as they followed him down the stairs. "Wasn't that therapeutic, Turrkn?" Nhafka asked gleefully. Viktor lifted his head and gave the best glare he had as the alien crouched to look inside. Viktor was lying on the ceiling of the carrier with how it landed. The alien gave a low rumble that Viktor knew meant he was impressed. Vok'Rul did the same sound whenever Viktor got himself down the stairs. He shut his eyes briefly but snapped them open when Nhafka spoke again.

"He's made a mess in here," he lamented, smacking the carrier loudly. Viktor flinched. "We better carry him the rest of the way down."

Turrkn made a noise of disappointment but conceded. Viktor supposed that whatever ransom they thought Vok'Rul was going to pay was worth more than petty revenge for their friend's life.

God, he thought deliriously, he killed someone.

Viktor swam in and out of consciousness, barely holding on to the conversation spoken above him. His nose stopped bleeding by the time they had descended what seemed to be ten flights of stairs. Wherever they were, they were deep underground. The carrier dropped unceremoniously onto the ground, rattling his already rattled brain inside his skull.

"Put him in that one," Nhafka demanded. The familiar, nauseating sound of bars sliding across concrete filled his ears. When Viktor took a breath, all he could smell was straw. He felt his lip waver, and he pressed them together stubbornly. He wouldn't - couldn't - cry right now.

The carrier was shaken violently, tipping upwards and Viktor had no choice but to follow gravity onto the floor. He wished he could say that he stood up, charged the two aliens, and fled the building, but he could barely get his arms and legs underneath him well enough to pull himself out of the carrier. A sharp kick sent him flying across the small cell and into the back wall. It was cold, unyielding.

The door slammed shut behind him. He flinched.

"Let's go tell Fho that she's got a new one to care for," Nhafka said, voice getting fainter as he and Turrkn left the room. There was silence for a moment. Viktor couldn't even muster up the effort to get in a more comfortable position before he lost the battle with unconsciousness.

***

When he woke up, his mouth was dry and his head was throbbing.

He sat up with effort. Every breath caused him pain. Gingerly, with shaking fingers, he poked at his ribs. He groaned as sharp pain radiated up his side at the touch. He didn't dare lift his shirt to see the damage. Feeling the pain was enough to know that it was bad.

His back smarted from where the aliens kicked him. His head hurt from the slaps to the head or the translator; he didn't know. His stomach hurt. His legs hurt.

Traitorous tears threatened to fall, and even sniffing them back hurt. Viktor couldn't close the floodgates if he wanted to. He pulled his knees up to his chest - painfully - and sobbed as gently as he could.

He wanted to go home. He wanted Vok'Rul to hold him.

"Some people are trying to sleep," a hoarse, nearly-inaudible whisper cut through his pity party.

That made him lift his head. The surprise of hearing anyone stopped his tears. "Who's there?" he sniffled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. The room he was in was dimly lit by the smallest of lights along the top of the walls. Shadows cascaded against them. When Viktor's eyes got adjusted to the low light, he began to take more in.

His cage - and he had to stomp the panic threatening to overwhelm him completely at the thought of being in a cage again - was tiny. He guessed that if he stood up, the top of his head would brush against the ceiling. The sparsest amount of stray was littered on the floor. There were no food or water dishes. His dry mouth immediately made itself known.

All along the room, there were dozens of these cages. Viktor couldn't tell if all of them were filled, but he saw a few lumpy shapes on the floor in at least ten of them. The cages were stacked three high.

And now that he was looking around, the sounds of shuffling, sniffling, and uneven breathing reached his ears. The translator in his ear buzzed loudly. He wanted to take it out, but he was afraid that he'd never get it back in, despite having done it a million times before.

"What's the point?" was the whispered response. There was a loud shuffling noise to his right and a groan. "We don't matter here. Names don't matter when you're gone in a month."

The man sounded familiar, and Viktor scooted to the side of the cage to peer into the neighboring cage. He promptly wished he hadn't.

The smell was what hit him first, like a fist to his jaw. The odor was foul like an infection. The man lay on the floor of the cell, half-slouched against the wall. His hair was matted and covered most of his face. His legs, though, his legs were what made Viktor look away.

They were mangled and broken in so many places that they were worthless. Bones stuck out of it in various places, shattered and sharp. The skin was purple, nearly black with infection. Something glossy coated it. Viktor didn't want to know what it was.

The man turned his head to look at him, and Viktor's stomach fell through the floor.

"Zach?" he whispered in horror.

He hadn't spoken to Zach in months, since their time together at the pet store. Before that, he had barely seen the man in the arena. They had been on opposite ends of the warehouse, unable to communicate without shouting at the top of their lungs. They hadn't known each other well. They had simply known the other had existed, and that was it. The last time he had seen the man, he had been righteously angry, fuming at his situation and unyielding in his opinions that all the aliens were evil.

Zach's face was expressionless. "Do I know you?"

"I'm - I'm Viktor, from the arena," he hiccuped. "I thought you got adopted."

There was a sigh, and Zach turned his head away. Viktor looked away, too, staring at the dark floor in front of him. "Yeah, yeah, I recognize you now, kid. I'm sorry you're here."

"Where's here? What's here? How'd you get so..." he trailed off, hesitant to ask. Zach chuckled, which turned into a wet cough.

"Hell on Earth, kid. Or I guess, whatever they call this fuckin' planet," he spit sourly. "Human test subjects. Did that rich alien get tired of you?"

Viktor felt tears well up again at the sheer hopelessness of his situation. Human test subjects? What did they get tested on? He hadn't felt fear like this since the arena. "No," he said, injecting bravado into his voice that he didn't feel. "I got abducted by those fucking dickheads."

Zach snorted disbelievingly. "Nah, you didn't, kid. Someone sold you. The aliens that adopted me sold me for a pretty penny as soon as they realized I wasn't going to play nice." His voice was bitter, angry. Viktor felt pity for him, suddenly. But he couldn't imagine Vok'Rul selling him. It was unthinkable.

He shuffled away from the bars, pressing his back against the cold wall. "He's coming for me. And he'll rescue you, too."

Zach made a noncommittal noise. There was silence for a long time, only broken up by countless other humans shuffling and groaning. The man broke it by saying, in the tone of someone who gave up hope a long, long time ago, "But will you survive until he does? All aliens are the same, kid. He'll forget about you soon enough, and get another pet, shiny and new."

"You don't know him," Viktor whispered harshly. Zach didn't reply.

***

A slamming noise brought him out of the half-sleep he found himself in. If he didn't move, he could convince himself that nothing hurt. Though, he found that staying in one position for hours ended up cramping his already sore muscles.

He stayed close to the wall. It was safer back here, even if the front of the cage was only two arm lengths away. Any alien could open it and grab him. It made him uneasy. At least the cages in the arena had been huge enough to stand up in. These cages sucked.

Viktor twisted his bracelet around his wrist discretely. His sleeves covered it. He didn't want to let go of the only thing reminding him of Vok'Rul, and he had a bad feeling that the aliens would take it without hesitation. Probably to pawn it off.

"What cage did you put it in?" the voice sent a chill down his spine. He knew that voice.

"Over here," came Nhafka's derisive reply. The alien slammed something against the bars of Viktor's cage. He flinched and glowered.

"Well? Pull it out. I need to see it with my own eyes."

There were grumbling replies, but all Viktor could focus on was the sharp jerk of his cage. As it pulled away from the wall, bars slid up from the floor to trap him inside. He had to quickly move to the center of the cage in order to save his skin. His heart thumped erratically in his chest as the cage moved away from the safety of the wall and out into the open.

The lights were on, now, and the room seemed to stretch on forever. He could see a few humans watching him with wary interest, but most were looking on in pity and fear. The rest of them were still, unmoving in their cages. There were aliens in veterinary outfits, going down the rows of cages to peer into them and scribble something on their papers.

Viktor didn't get to look on for long, though, because another kick to his cage had the bars rattling. He growled wordlessly, annoyed at the noise and the pain it caused to his skull. The front of the cage opened and Turrkn's face appeared in the doorway, cruelly twisted into a smug smirk.

"Come here," he gestured. Viktor bared his teeth at him.

"Leave me alone," he tried to say as viciously as he could. Turrkn made an irritated noise and suddenly there was something sharp on his back. He whipped around as quickly as he could to see Nhafka shoving a stick in between the bars. It started buzzing. He barely had time to glance at it to realize it looked like a cattle prod before small zaps of electricity jabbed him in the side. He quickly exited the cage and was rewarded with a foot to his neck. The movement sent agony racing up his side. His poor ribs.

He snarled, yelling obscenities as best he could. They shocked him again with the weird cattle prod and held it against his back until he stopped struggling. He breathed harshly through his nose, trying to make the pain go away.

"Kohgrash, pitiful and defeated," Nhafka announced proudly. Viktor shut his eyes for a brief second.

He opened them when someone stepped in front of his face. Claws gripped his hair and yanked his head upward. He couldn't help the whimper that came out of his throat. The collar dug uncomfortably into his skin. He looked at the alien hatefully.

Korrashkka glared at him right back.

"You told me that my granddaughter would not be touched," she hissed imperiously. She held his head in an iron grip. Her claws dug into his skin. He felt warmth pooling under them.

"He wasn't responding to our other methods. Your granddaughter was unharmed."

"She was used as bait, something of which I never agreed to in our terms," Korrashkka's tone was icy. "How will I know you will adhere to the rest of it? I could easily let my son know where you are located. I'm sure he would be thrilled."

There was silence from the pair. Viktor fumed silently, rage brewing in his gut. He hated her. He hated the plan she was so obviously a part of, he hated that she was hurting Vok'Rul by doing this, he hated that she was manipulating the hell out of everyone. He hated her.

"You didn't tell us mammals could spit poison!" Turrkn exploded. "Zorrash died because of this - this pile of shit!" There was a scraping sound behind him. Fear made his breath hitch.

Viktor groaned as the cattle prod dug into his spine again. His groans turned into screams as it burned through his sweater and touched his bare skin. He swore he could smell his flesh burning. He thrashed wildly despite the pain it caused his other injuries. Korrashkka dropped his head with a scoff.

"You were the ones who handled it so sloppily," she said over his agony. Eventually, after what felt like forever, Turrkn pulled away. "Are you going to put it down soon?"

For a second, he thought she was talking about the cattle prod. But Turrkn had already pulled away, so why was she asking that? Until it struck him. Put it down. Put him down. Like an animal. His fear, fueled by self-preservation, only rose.

Nhafka scoffed. "After we get our ransom. How much will Vokkra pay for this ugly thing?"

"Says the guy with the ugliest mug I've ever seen," Viktor spit breathlessly. The alien's foot was still on his neck. It pressed down harder when he spoke.

"Spirits, this thing does not shut up," he grumbled.

"Cut its tongue out, then," Korrashkka said dismissively. Viktor thought his heart might give out with how hard it was beating in his chest.

Someone scoffed. "Be my guest," Nhafka said acidly. "I'm not going anywhere near his mouth. Poison, Korrashkka, it spat poison. It melted Zorrash's face off like it was nothing."

Korrashkka huffed, shuffling to somewhere he couldn't see. Viktor's fear lessened. At least he wouldn't be losing his tongue.

She crouched.

Viktor started writhing to get away. He brought his hands up to push at Nhafka's foot, but it didn't budge. All it did was get him a painful shock through his collar. He gurgled in pain as the alien pressed his foot down harder on his throat.

"Please," he begged Korrashkka, eyes wide with fear. "Kohgrash good. Kohgrash go home. Kohgrash stay with Vok'Rul, stay with Rulshkka."

"Spirits, it's like he knows what he's saying," Viktor barely heard Nhafka over the beating of his heart. Korrashka reached toward his head, and he made an inhuman noise of terror. The foot left his throat as she grabbed his collar, hauling him up to his knees painfully. He scrambled against the cold floor, trying to get traction where there was none.

"Shut up," she hissed. Nhafka growled warningly. "It's nothing but a stupid animal that learned a few tricks. He probably used it on my son to make him do its bidding."

He clenched his mouth shut as hard as he could, grinding his teeth together. His breaths through his nose were shallow, harsh, and erratic, filled with fear. His lungs were shriveling, begging for air that wouldn't come.

Her thumb pressed against his jaw painfully, trying to pry it open. He felt her claw pierce his skin as he refused to open his mouth. Another noise of terror left his throat as blood trickled down his cheek.

Shocks from the collar had him convulsing painfully, and to his horror, she managed to get her finger into his mouth. He did the only thing he could before she could pry his jaw open even further.

Viktor bit down on her thumb, right at the joint.

She screamed, high and pained. "Let go, let go!" was all he heard from her. He bit down as hard as he was able, gnashing his teeth against her tough skin. It was like tearing into a chunk of tough steak.

Electricity ran through his body, but it only made his jaws spasm tighter around her thumb. Viktor heard tearing and grinding, and his mouth was filled with sweet blood. Deprived of water, he started swallowing as it trickled to the back of his throat. He felt sick.

Someone grabbed the back of his collar and pulled. Viktor went backward. And so did Korrashkka's thumb.

She screamed loudly, cursing and generally making a racket. His translator couldn't keep up. It was screeching in his ear.

Viktor was kicked back into the cage and when it shut, the electricity stopped. He trembled all over, hardly able to keep his head up. He spat the finger out into his hand, curling his own fingers around it tightly. He cradled his hand close to his chest.

"Deal's changed, Korrashkka," Nhafka said cheerfully, ignoring the alien's tapering screams. The veterinarians in the room had rushed over and stanched the flow of blood with some towels. "I think we'll keep this one. He's proven to be quite the catch. Taking down Ghorrahs and Flyhks is one thing. But Vokkrus? Oh," he laughed, high and cruel, "oh, I think we have a few ideas for him."

"The deal -" she hissed angrily, getting to her feet quickly.

"Is null," he interrupted coldly. "And if you tell Vokkra where we are, how do you think he will react to the fact that you paid us to take Kohgrash in the first place? Do you think he will show you mercy?" Korrashkka didn't respond. All Viktor could hear, past the thudding of his heart and whirring of the translator, was her shaky, trembling breathing. It seemed to fill the entire room.

"I'd get to a hospital, Korrashkka. Kohgrash is venomous, you know."

Turrkn shoved his cage back into place - Viktor had the energy to wonder how the cages above him were floating - and Korrashkka left the room in an angry huff, cradling her hand. Viktor hoped she lost the entire thing. He hoped that she would never come back. But what he hoped for the most was that she'd tell Vok'Rul where he was. He wanted to go home.