May could not believe it! Yao...he was here!

"Yao?! How did you...where have you been?!" she stammered. Yao smiled, but she wouldn't call it a friendly kind.

"I'm looking for someone, Mayling. Don't worry yourself too much, I'm not after you or your friends...this time."

"Then who?"

"You know what the funny thing is? I don't know, to be honest. But I'm told that person is worth the trouble. Even if I have been captured by the Pictonians," Yao said with a chuckle. May frowned.

"I bet you do know who you're looking for and you just don't want to tell me because it could spoil your sinister plan. Am I right?"

"No, May. I am telling you the truth. I know not whom I'm looking for, but I will when I see them," Yao told her, sounding serious and not sarcastic like she expected.

"Well, when my friends and I are getting out of here we're taking you with us-"

"That's very kind of you, May. Really," he smiled.

"But when we bring you back, you're going to prison to answer for your crimes," May finished. Yao frowned.

"And here I thought you were being nice."

"Sorry to disappoint you," May said with sarcasm. Yao shrugged.

"Fair is fair, I guess. But I'm quite interested, May, on how you plan on escaping?"

"I...," May wasn't sure how to answer him.

"Hmm?" Yao asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know yet, Yao. But I'll think of something," May frowned as she crossed her arms. She didn't want to give him any encouragement.

"While you do that, May, I think it would be best to say that the Pictonians will bring us back to Picto. You do know they came to earth to capture the people, don't you?"

"For what reason do they need to do this?" May asked him. Yao shrugged.

"For slave labor, I bet."

May turned from him and pulled at the cell bars containing them. Yao sighed in hopelessness and shook his head.

"What are you doing, May? Pictonians didn't make the cell bars cheap. You'll going to have to think of something else."

"I'm not going to just sit here, you know! I'm going to find my friends and then we're going to escape this place," May told him.

"Like it or not, we won't be able to break those bars. We'll have to escape with a better plan than that. As much as I'm sure that we both hate the idea, we're going to have to work together to escape."

"You're right, Yao. I DO hate it," May frowned. Yao nodded.

"I agree, but we're going to have to help each other out if we are to escape the Pictonians. So, I'll help you and your friends escape Picto if you help me find the person I'm looking for. A deal?" Yao said as he held his hand out for a shake. May stared at his hand for a long moment.

"I'm not making any promises with you, Yao. I don't trust you enough for that," she answered. Yao let his hand rest beside his side and nodded.

"I don't think I would trust myself either if I were in your shoes. Very well, if you wish. I guess that means each man for himself?"

"You guessed right," May frowned.

The door to the cell room opened and a Pictonian stepped in and it pointed some kind of odd gun at them. At least it looked similar to a gun.

"Get out!" it demanded. May and Yao walked out with their hands up. The Pictonian lead them down the halls and May's friends and the people who were captured joined them. They were lead to the entrance and the door opened like a sliding glass door. Everyone was surprised when they saw they were no longer on Earth. It didn't seem like a planet at all, everywhere looked completely white and it looked more like a ghost town.

The escalator slid out of the ship and to the white soil of Picto. The Pictonians pushed them down the escalator and into the city. The other Pictonian citizens who saw them appeared to be glaring at them as if they hated their spices. Maybe they did?

"I'ma scared!" Ita whined, "I'a want to go home!" He held on to Nancy, who pushed him off her.

"Quiet! How do you zhink I feel?"

"I wonder what's going to happen to us?" Ivan said, feeling a shiver. Kibu shrugged.

"I don't know. All we can do is wait and see what they plan to do to us."

They were halted as the King arrived off the ship and he stood proudly as he faced the citizens.

"My children, I have captured those filthy humans who have caused us so much pain. Thus I will put them to work as our slaves. But this is not all, you are free to keep a few of the filth as your pets."

An excited roar of cheer erupted from the gathered Pictonians. The King chuckled and raised his hand for silence.

"I have brought much more exciting news. Those humans that have caused our friends and families to split have been captured. And I will feed them to the Warthworms this very afternoon," he announced. Angry shouts, savage shouts, excited shouts echoed throughout the city. The King pointed to the children and brought them forward so they stood next to him.

"Behold the humans that have caused much confusion amounts us! Who hates them as much as so to wish their death?!"

Loud, defining shouts from the Pictonians. The children were horrified.

"And who wants to see their blood spill?!"

Another savage roar from the Pictonians.

"No doubt we all want to witness such excitement. But we won't have to wait so long, my children. Come to the arena this afternoon and we all will see them die and then we will be rid of them forever!"

Excited mummers were exchanged from the Pictonians as the King turned away.

"How can you be so cruel?!" came a shout. The King turned to Ita, who had shouted. He looked close to tears. The King walked up to him.

"You fear death...I understand. It is a natural thing for you humans to be afraid to die. It proves how much you humans are weak. If I truly felt sorry for you then I would say that your death would be quick, but I feel nothing for you. You all shall die slowly and painfully," he said. He turned to the two guards. "You know what to do with them. I bet they will look delicious to our warthworms. They haven't had any human flesh in such a long while. I'm sure they'll be nice little treats for them."

The two Pictonians bowed to the King and pointed their gun-like weapons at the children.

"Move it!" one of them demanded.

Then came loud shouts and the city looked as if it was in an uproar. The King growled and he stepped forward.

"It's them again! The Rebels! No doubt they came to rescue the humans, don't let them take these at any coast! I don't want to disappoint the Warthworms or my citizens," claws poked out of his hands.

The 'Rebels' that the King spoke of were Pictonians with weird markings on their faces. He stepped forward as two of the Rebels rushed up and he slashed his claws at them, which the Rebels dodged and fought back with just as much force, even though they had no claws.

While the King was distracted, three of the rebels sneaked up behind the Pictonians guarding the children and knocked them out.

"Come with us and you shall live," one of them said. The other two Rebels with it untied the children.

"Yeah, I want to live!" Ita said. The King had fought off the Rebels he was fighting and charged at them.

"No! You shall not take them from me!" he yelled.

"Come, quickly!" the lead Rebel said as he took May by the hand and the children followed it, while the other two remaining did what they could to hold the King back.

"I won't let you keep them forever! I'll take them back, one way or another!"

The Rebels didn't stop until they brought the children below ground in their hideout. Once the children caught their breath, they saw more of the Rebels with weird markings on their faces.

"Where have you taken us?" Elizabeth asked. The lead Rebel had a weird face that looked as if it was smiling in a goofy way.

"To the one place you can be safe. Our Underground Kingdom, lead by our Princess Pictonova," he said. May looked around.

"So you could only rescue us?"

"Unfortunately, yes. It would be quite difficult for us to rescue all the humans at once. Are you looking for a friend perhaps?"

"I wouldn't call him a friend, but he was with us," she nodded. Amelia frowned.

"You talking about Yao? Forget him, maybe he'll get killed by King Pictobreath. Serves him right too!"

"I wouldn't doubt that he may have found a way to escape without the Pictonians noticing. He's disappeared before."

"Maybe, but I still don't care."

"Our Princess is eager to meet you all," the silly faced Pictonian said. "Please, come with me."

He lead them to a lovely young woman with long, flowy hair and a cute dress.

"I am pleased to meet you all, Children of the great Eight Nations," she said, in a voice the children knew had to be a smile.