Viktor's hopes for a quick and easy escape were dashed when he found out that Korrashkka's claw didn't, in fact, cut through the bars. If anything, it made the claw itself duller. It would be just his luck, though. Even if he were to get out of this cell, there was no way he could climb all the flights of stairs with his injuries.

After getting tossed into his cage, the aliens slowly left the room. Nahfka and Turrkn barely glanced in his direction before storming out, muttering to themselves. The vets had finished whatever they were doing to the other humans. Viktor didn't dare move until they had all vanished, dimming the lights to near darkness. Zach didn't speak to him, and Viktor didn't say anything, either.

Even after they left, Viktor remained still for a long time. Everything hurt.

The cattle prod, or whatever it had been, burned a hole through his sweater. His skin was unblemished but sore to the touch. He couldn't see, and twisting his arm around to feel it pulled at his broken ribs, but he knew that there was bruising. There were bruises probably everywhere.

Frankly, he was pissed about his shirt. Now he had a great, big hole in the back. The straw scratched him through it. His clothing, along with his bracelet, were the only things he had here, so he'd appreciate it if they stayed in one piece, thank you.

Viktor couldn't help but compare his situation to the arena. At least there, he knew what to expect.

He held onto the finger just in case, even if it made him sick. He didn't want it to get lost or misplaced. It started to stink, something foul and rotting. Viktor had no idea how long it took for stuff to start decaying, but it seemed pretty quick on this planet. That was okay, though. It was still solid enough to hold - it just stank. He wouldn't even be here long enough for it to start falling apart, either. Korrashkka's claw, black and sharp, could be used for something in the future. Like a weapon or a tool.

Like a meal.

He didn't want to think about how long he'd be forced to stay in this cage, but he knew it had been hours already. Viktor hasn't seen any sign of food or water since he got here. It was unlikely that thirst would kill him, though. It was probably going to be the injuries that would get him first.

He was scared. Viktor could admit that to himself. He didn't know how long he had been down here. Going in and out of consciousness was not the best way to keep track of time. He had no clue what these aliens wanted with him. Ransom made sense, but after Korrashkka, Nhafka seemed intent on using him for something else. But for what?

The unknown really terrified him.

The door to the room groaned as it opened and interrupted his brooding. Somewhat fearfully, Viktor pressed himself against the wall as much as he could without making much noise. The lights flickered on with a buzz, making him blink against the harsh glare. A rattling noise filled the air as whoever entered sighed and started making their way to the end of the room, dragging something that scraped against the ground behind them.

The room was deathly silent except for a few people's labored breathing. Viktor didn't dare lean forward to sate his curiosity about the number of people trapped here, wary of catching any unwanted attention. The last thing he needed was to get shocked again.

The alien finished whatever they had set out to do. After a moment of silence, the rattling and scraping noise started up again. Cages rattled as they were unlocked and locked again. The alien made their way down the room, opening and closing cages.

Must be this Fho the pair had talked about, Viktor figured, reaching up to tug at the collar around his neck. His skin underneath was sore and started to itch. His stomach growled with need.

"Hey, kid," Zach whispered, voice sounding even frailer than it had before. Weaker. Viktor looked over and was alarmed to see his shoulders twitching erratically. Was he okay? Only when he started speaking again, did Viktor realize he was just laughing. It was disgusting, wet, and choked, but a laugh nonetheless. "You'll get a kick out of this."

"Kick out of what -?" Viktor whispered back, cutting himself off when the alien stepped into his line of sight. They crouched to open his cage, looking bored and defeated. Their claws stilled on the lock, looking at Viktor with their mouth open in shock.

"Kohgrash?" Lilac whispered fearfully. Viktor saw red.

Holding the claw like a dagger, Viktor lunged through the bars. Lilac reared back in a way that would've made Viktor laugh had he been anywhere else. The claw didn't meet flesh, and Viktor yanked his arm back into his cage before Lilac could grab it. He bared his teeth and screamed wordlessly, angrily.

Zach laughed the entire time, bitter and rueful. "They don't change," he wheezed between gasping breaths. "Who cares if she was nice to you, led those police ones into the arena? She's still back here, helping these bastards torture us."

"Shut up!" Viktor yelled at him, tears streaking down his face. "Just shut up! You don't know anything!"

"Kohgrash, calm down, please, calm down," Lilac said soothingly.

"Don't I?" Zach growled, pulling himself up against the wall. "You gotta pull your head out of your ass, kid. These aliens don't fucking care about us. They think we're lesser than them."

"Vok'Rul doesn't -" Viktor started, angrily wiping his face.

"Well, your alien ain't here, is he? These aliens are. They broke my legs and pumped me full with all sorts of fucking drugs just because they could. I've been here for months. Don't tell me I don't know nothing."

Zach fell silent, then, energy exhausted. He didn't respond when Lilac opened his cage door and shoved in a bowl of familiar grey goop. He didn't even reach for it when she shut the door and retreated.

"Oh, Kohgrash," she whispered to him, voice upset. Viktor glared at her, lips twisted into a hateful sneer.

"Got off early for good behavior?" he seethed. "Those visits to my house were all a trick? Feeding these guys information?" He remembered the alien that had attacked him. "I bet you even planted that spy. You, you stupid -" his words clogged in his throat, and he let out a sob instead.

The sharp sting of betrayal was something that he didn't think he'd be feeling about her. She had treated him with kindness. She had given him more straw to sleep on, extra servings of food. She had been the reason they hadn't frozen to death in the winter. She had been the first alien to give him kind touches, even if they had been hidden behind painful ones.

"I'm sorry you're here," she told him, unable to understand his words. She started to reach toward his cage door, another bowl of food in her hand. He slammed his fist against the bars warningly, and while she looked at him warily, she didn't recoil again. "I don't know what those idiots were thinking. Vokkra will be here within the week."

Viktor's heart jumped in hope. Lilac smiled at him sadly. "Of course, you would know his name." She sighed softly, watching him closely as she twisted the lock open on his cage door. She slowly opened it. Viktor twitched.

He wanted to flee, but getting past her would be tricky enough without his injuries. He wasn't even sure if he could run without collapsing from the pain. Slowly, broadcasting her every move, Lilac put the bowl of slop in the cage and shut the door. Instead of getting up and moving on, though, she lingered.

"He was kind to me, you know," she said to him in a whisper. Viktor squinted at her in confusion. Was she talking about Vok'Rul? "In the beginning. We had met at a store. He bumped right into me, spilling my groceries all over the floor." Her tone was wistful. "I was upset; all my Knarknaff eggs in pieces! He bought me some more and asked me to accompany him for a meal as an apology. I accepted."

She fell quiet, staring at him. Viktor's stomach twisted in nervous little knots. He had the feeling she wasn't talking about Vok'Rul. Lilac moved, gesturing to his food dish. He glanced at it with disgust. He didn't want to eat it.

"You should eat something," Lilac said encouragingly. "I do not know what they will do with you, my little Kohgrash, but -"

"Not your," he hissed at her angrily, grabbing the bowl and pulling it toward him harshly. Some of the grey goop splattered on the floor. The sight made him want to cry. "Kohgrash not Fho's. Kohgrash is Vok'Rul's. Kohgrash go home with Vok'Rul."

Lilac's mouth was open with shock. She stared at him like he was an alien. "Well," she said faintly. "That's interesting."

Viktor was done speaking with her; he wanted nothing else to do with her. Seeing her again, this time through another set of bars, was insulting and made him feel sicker than he already was. Lilac moved away from the cage but didn't continue down the room. Instead, she turned to the little cart she had the food and bowls on.

She rummaged through it for a while before finding what she was looking for. "I shouldn't even have this," she confided. She crouched to look into his cage, and Viktor's blood ran cold when he saw what was in her claws. "But you look terrible."

That was rude, Viktor thought through the rising panic in his chest.

The jar of ointment was just as plain and simple as it had been in the arena, but it didn't make it less nauseating. Lilac hesitated, clearly seeing the fear written all over Viktor. "I know you hate this," she said regretfully. "But it's not as effective as the other medicine I used to give you. It won't heal the bigger injuries, but it can help with your collar." Lilac gestured to her own neck. Viktor's hands mirrored hers, and he gripped the metal tightly. "Yes, good! Collar," she praised.

"Collar," he mimicked as best he could, which wasn't very. "Bad." The word was hard to say - his lips could barely form the word and forcing it out of his throat almost made him choke - but he wanted the damn thing off.

Lilac looked sad. "I know. I wish I could take it off. I wish I could get you out."

"Then why don't you?" he demanded, wanting to spit his anger at her but just sounding defeated instead. He wanted to get out of this cramped cage, wanted to throw this nasty food onto the floor, and listen to the clatter of the dish. He wanted to do a lot of things.

Lilac shifted, moving forward to open the door again. Her claws were wrapped around the ointment jar. Viktor inched backward, baring his teeth threateningly at her. She didn't get the chance to even unlock the door, because Nhafka and Turrkn returned. They wore glossy, see-through aprons that covered their entire fronts, complete with thick gloves that ran up to their elbows. Nhafka held a stiff leash in his hands.

"Oh, good, you're still here," Nhafka said with false cheer. "You cared for him in the Ring, didn't you? Take him out."

"He will not come out," Lilac assured him. Viktor nodded. Damn right, he wouldn't!

At least, not willingly. Nhafka had the same glint in his eye as the ringmaster did right before he caused Viktor pain. "Make him, or I will."

Lilac turned toward him, expression carefully blank. They looked at each other for a moment; just Lilac, dead-eyed, and Viktor, on the verge of a panic attack. She opened the door.

"No!" he shouted. He didn't want to get out of the cage. It felt as though it had barely been an hour since Korrashkka had left. He was tired. Viktor just wanted to sleep.

Lilac gestured half-heartedly, getting some emotion back in her eyes. She looked at him pleadingly when she said, "Come here, Kohgrash."

"Go away," he growled.

Nhafka answered his wish by shoving Lilac out of the way. Despite the betrayal and mixed feelings, Viktor wasn't too happy with his treatment of her. As soon as he crouched down, reaching into the cage to grab him, Viktor grabbed the forgotten bowl of slop and threw it at his face.

The alien recoiled as the bowl hit him, grabbing his face and crying out in pain. Viktor barely got the chance to smile before a sharp shock erupted from his collar. He convulsed painfully, feeling Korrashkka's claw digging into his leg as he rolled over it. It ended abruptly, and he forced his arm to move and grab the finger before the aliens could notice its presence.

"Stupid fucking animal!" Nhafka fumed before taking a deep breath. He wiped the slop off of his face. "Just take the cage out again."

After struggling and protesting uselessly, Viktor was pushed out of the cage and onto the floor again. Nhafka attached the leash to the back of his collar. He pinned Viktor to the floor effortlessly.

"Good luck, kid," Zach called, barely audible over Nhakfa's conversation with Lilac and Turrkn. "You'll need it."

That did not help his mounting fear.

***

Nhafka barely allowed him to get onto his feet to walk. They kept him at an arm's length, pushing him away from them as far as they could the leash. Still trembling from the latest round of electricity and weak from getting tossed around like a ragdoll, Viktor couldn't keep his feet underneath him. The slightest push from the alien had him stumbling, and it certainly didn't help that the alien seemed to enjoy pushing him. Hard.

They walked for what seemed like an hour but was probably just five minutes. They harshly pulled Viktor to a stop, and he choked audibly as the collar around his throat crushed his windpipe.

"This thing walks so slow," Turrkn sighed, opening up a door. They had led Viktor into a long, bland hallway with plenty of doors to go through. They had chosen one near the end.

"At least we're here. And you weren't the one leading him. Every other step, it'd fall over. Maybe we gave it brain damage." It was the first time Viktor had heard the alien sound semi-regretful.

"If we did, he deserves it," Turrkn grumbled, stepping through the door. Nhafka swung the leash around, tossing Viktor to his knees as the human scrambled to keep up with the force on his neck. He ground his teeth together angrily. "I still can't believe you want to use him for something like this."

"It will be useful," Nhafka insisted, shutting the door behind him. Viktor's shoulders jumped fearfully at the loud noise. He didn't like to have his escape options cut off. But he had no choice.

They were in a plush room. Sure, it was nowhere near the level of luxury that was Vok'Rul's rooms, but it was still pretty fancy. The carpet was soft, much softer than the hard floor Viktor's been tossed around on lately. There were a pair of desks pressed against each other on one side of the room, surrounded by chairs and couches. On the other side of the room was a corkboard - or something similar to it - which was littered with pictures.

Pictures of Earth.

The name fell from his lips unbidden. He flinched as Nhafka and Turrkn turned toward him with scrutiny in their gazes, eyeing them warily. Turrkn looked toward the wall.

"Oh, I bet he's looking at his planet. Ha, Spirits, I knew they were smart, but do you think they ever got taken into space?"

Nhafka made a noise, pushing Viktor further into the room. Stumbling, Viktor was shoved into a corner, twisting so his back pressed against the wall. He glared up hatefully at the alien. "Ghhntsk told me that there were comms and radios they disabled when they got there. He thought that they were leftovers from whoever abandoned the planet, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, come on Turrkn, you heard him! He practically spoke full sentences! None of the other mammals here have done that. Krrkh kept this one around for a reason, and I'm starting to understand why."

"Still, Nhafka, we hardly know anything about him. That information from that infiltration mission never made it back to us-" Turrkn started.

Nhafka interrupted with a scoff, "Whatever. I think we can get enough information from Fho. Besides, how hard can it be? Vokkra did it."

Viktor reeled from the amount of information being dumped on him. Nhafka stepped closer to him. Viktor raised his arms defensively, but the alien didn't lash out to strike him. He unclipped the leash from the back of his collar with a quick twist of his hand.

"Do you really think that we can keep him away from Vokkra? Have you looked at the holo, lately?" Turrkn asked hesitantly. Nhafka scoffed, shaking his head.

"What's on it? Him begging for us to bring it back, no doubt. I've got no idea how someone like him became Vokkra."

"Nhafka," Turrkn hissed, dropping his voice to a whisper. "He literally tore Klaggr to shreds -"

"Are you scared, Turrkn?" Nhafka whipped around to face the alien. Viktor slowly used the wall to climb to his feet. "Do you really think Vokkra will be able to find us here? He hasn't found us the first twenty times he's gone looking!"

"Klaggr and Zorrash are dead," Turrkn snarled. Viktor hoped they weren't going to start fighting. He probably wouldn't be able to avoid them. "And it's because of that thing!" He pointed to Viktor angrily. He shrunk in on himself.

"And imagine what he could do for us! Vokkra only had him for four months, and Kohgrash has fought off Flyhks, Ghhorrahs, and even Vokkrus for him. He could wipe out our competition!" Nhafka said, enthused. He swung around to look at Viktor with greed shining in his eyes. "And he's smart. I bet we could teach him phrases. He's already halfway there."

Turrkn was silent, dropping his fighting stance to move around the desk, sitting with a thump. At least he was on the other side of the room, now. Nhafka was way too close to Viktor for comfort. The alien crouched, probably trying to look non-threatening. The expression on his face was anything but.

"Go on, Kohgrash. Speak."

Viktor pressed his lips together tightly. If this idiot thought he was going to start reciting poetry for him after all the shit he pulled, he had another thing coming.

After about a minute of Nhafka repeating the word speak, trying to mime it out for him, and just getting annoyed, the alien finally lashed out and smacked Viktor to the floor in anger. Viktor snarled at him. He just lifted his head when his body went rigid as the collar activated. It didn't stop for a long time. His mouth ripped open as he screamed his agony.

Nhafka left him panting on the floor in disgust, collapsing on the couch in a huff. As soon as Viktor was able, he got himself to his knees, keeping his head up to watch the aliens. His vision swam. The room was moving, but it might've just been him swaying back and forth.

Was it the next day, yet? How long had he been here? Both of his arms and legs were trembling, twitching with the aftershocks. His throat tingled. He probably couldn't even speak if he wanted to. He wondered how many times he had gotten electrocuted today.

".... should lay off... shocks.... e's lookin... ead on his feet," someone was muttering. Viktor jerked his head up - when had it fallen to his chest? - to look at the speaker. Turrkn was eyeing him, conflicted expressions on his face. Hateful concern, he'd call it.

"Fine... get him... food," Nhafka said, standing up. Viktor straightened, mustering all his energy to do so. The collar must be interfering with his translator somehow; the words were buzzing and stuttering in his ear. He hoped it didn't die on him. He kinda needed it.

Nhafka left the room, muttering that he'd be back soon. Turrkn and Viktor were left in steely silence, before the alien scoffed, turning his attention back to whatever he was looking at on the desk. Viktor slumped against the wall slowly, trying to relax his limbs. Half-lidded, he kept his eyes on Turrkn.

He jolted back to awareness when a dish clattered next to him. He pulled himself into a ball as quickly as he could, letting out an intelligible noise.

"Food, Kohgrash... know that ... right?" Nhafka asked him.

"Food," he repeated thoughtlessly, reaching toward the bowl of grey goop. He was too tired to even feel the revulsion that was tickling at the back of his mind at the thought of eating it again.

"Ha!" Nhafka shouted. Viktor startled, shrinking down and rescinding his hand. The alien ignored him, going over to Turrkn and leaning over the desk. "Hear that? He said... thing!"

Viktor shook his head sharply, biting back nausea. He reached up to brush his fingers against the translator. Please, don't go out, he silently pleaded. Flicking it a few times seemed to set it straight, but he couldn't say for how long.

"Wow, he can mimic words," Turrkn said dryly. Viktor hesitantly reached for the dish, sliding it toward him when no one reprimanded him. He started unsteadily shoveling the food into his mouth. His hands were shaking so bad that he ended up spilling a fair amount over himself.

Stale bread. Viktor wanted to throw up.

"Are you going to keep him in here?"

"All those mammal guides say trust needs to be built, don't they? Just like training any other animal."

"You don't have the patience for this, Nhafka."

"Shut up!" he hissed. "You're just afraid of him. I, on the other hand, am not. He's just some stupid animal. When I control him, though, he'll be a deadly weapon."

"And if this 'deadly weapon' decides that you are the threat?" Turrkn said icily. Nhafka growled.

"You can control anything with fear, you idiot. That's what Krrkh did. He should've been Vokkra, for the Spirits' sake." Nhafka grew wistful. Viktor tried to keep his food down. The thought of this alien worshipping the ringmaster as his tone suggested him to believe made him sick. "It would've been great."

Turrkn hummed noncommittally. "So, you keeping him here, or what?"

"He can sleep on the floor," Nhafka said.

It would be a lot nicer than sleeping in those uncomfortable cages. Slightly encouraged by the food, Viktor cleared his throat awkwardly. He held the bowl with shaking fingers, lifting it up slightly. "Thank you," his mouth burned to say thank you to these dickheads. "Kohgrash water?"

"Hmph," Turrkn said, eyes turning flinty, greedy. Nhafka turned to look at him, tilting his head in a way that said see? He looked smug. "I suppose that it would be useful to have a weapon like this."

Viktor wasn't a weapon. He wouldn't be a weapon for anyone. He was just a kid who had to fight to survive the arena. His reflexes had to sharpen or he wouldn't be alive. Most of his fights out of the ring had been won on pure luck. Whatever these two wanted to use him for, he knew that the results they'd get weren't going to be what they'd like. He wouldn't kill anyone, and he certainly wouldn't make their lives easy. Vok'Rul was coming for him. He had to.

But, he figured as Nhafka set a dish of water near him after a few minutes of waiting, if he could survive this by playing along, he'd do it. He just needed to wait a little longer.