So, Jareth thought. In his mind, it's perfectly fine to break the law. Just as long as you don't get caught. Interesting. Well, Doctor Natas as much as I'd like to stay and see what illegal acts you're committing to get you shut down, I'm afraid I must be going. Jareth took a few steps closer and eyed the lock. It wasn't a simple sliding lock like on the trap, but one that could only be opened with a key.

He looked around, and saw it hung up on the wall by the doors. Curses! How in the world am I supposed to get to it? It's impossible! ...I'm doomed! I can't get out! Not until one of the doctors comes to open the door, and when they do, it'll be to perform some horrific experiment on me. Sarah, this is all your fraggin' fault! You've sentenced me to a life of torture, and probably doomed the Labyrinth since it's now without a ruler! Curse you, you idiot girl! He kicked the cage, furious, and felt it swing underneath him.

His mind took a minute to calm, but when it did, he realized what had just happened when he kicked the bars. Wait...the cage is hung on a long hook. And I can swing it just by doing something like that. If I can get this thing close enough to the key, I might be able to grab it!

It was the only chance he had. As time ticked by, Jareth got the cage to swing, the motion growing each time. Back and forth and back a forth, ever closer to the key on the wall. When it was close enough, he stuck his head through the bars, and reached out for it. So close! He tried again, and could almost grab the key. One more try should do it. Come on!

The cage swung back again. It swung forward. Jareth opened his beak, ready to grab it. It swung as much as it could. He reached out of the key, and got it!

But it snagged on the hook it was on, and when the cage pulled back again it caused him to drop his one saving grace. He cringed at the sound of it hitting the floor. No! he shouted, causing a loud screech to echo through the building. He looked down and saw it. His cage being suspended about five feet in the air, there was no way of him retrieving the key again.

He sat in the corner, extremely discouraged and angry. All that work just to fail! Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The door Doctor Natas had gone down earlier swung open. He certainly didn't look happy. "What in God's name was that horrible screech…" His eyes widened, and Jareth could only watch as he walked over and picked up the key. "Clever bird." he said. "You also got out again."

Jareth stuck his head out and desperately reached for the key in his hand, even though he knew he couldn't get it. The man smirked. "What? Is this what you want?" He held it closer to Jareth, so close that if he could just stretch a bit more he could get it. Natas laughed, and stuck the key in his pocket. "Very smart trick for a bird's intelligence. Keep that up, and I might have to have a look at your brain. I really would cut out the escape attempts though. Even if you managed to get out of your cage, an impossible feat, you can't get out of the building. The windows are too strong for you, and the doors are all locked. So you may as well save your energy." he explained with a wicked smile. "You're going to need it."

And with that, he walked back to the staircase, pausing to shout, "Cane, lights out!" He looked back at Jareth, still grinning, and shut off the lights in the back room. "Sleep well."

He left him in the darkness with only his thoughts and his dashed hopes of getting out. After a while of thinking of any other possible ways, Jareth decided he was right. There was no possible way he could escape. His owl body could never survive ramming into the window. The doors he'd run into were much lighter, and had already been swinging. The glass was much thicker. And that was if he could get out the cramped, dirty cage. Just as Natas had told him, that was impossible without the key.

Jareth sighed, and prepared to at least try to sleep for a while. His only thought was wondering just what in the world would happen to him now?


A horrible sound echoed throughout the Nether Animal Testing Facility, causing Jareth to wake with a start. What in the world was that? Hearing footsteps up the stairs once again, he watched as an exhausted Doctor Natas came up. Cane walked into the dark room. "Everything alright, Doctor?"

"Yes, now. But rabbits can certainly make a lot of racket. Trying to get a tube down its throat, and it's screaming bloody murder. I nearly punctured its esophagus."

Speaking of bloody, Jareth noted, that lab coat he's wearing looks like its turning red.

"What were you working on?"

"I was trying to administer the lethal dose of that of that new drug to determine the poisoning potential. The darn thing's still breathing for now, but we'll have to see it the morning." Natas told him. "I'm calling it a night. There's only so much animal screaming a man can take. Lock up everything, Cane."

"Good night, sir."

Natas walked through the doors, and got into his van. Cane was about to leave Jareth in the dark, when there was a knock at the back door. "Cane? Cane, open up."

"Natasha?" He walked over and unlocked the door for her. "Where have you been all day?"

"Trying to find that damn key!"

His eyes widened. "...Well, did you?"

"No." she said, teary eyed. "I don't know what to do. Natas is gonna have my head when he finds out."

"Alright, alright, calm down. Here, come inside. Natas just left. I've got an idea. I know a way to copy a key in just a few minutes. We'll make a new key with mine, and he'll think it's the one you lost."

"Really? Oh, thank you, Cane. You're a lifesaver."

The two left the room, and about a half hour later, they both left, locking the door.

"Lifesaver". Jareth repeated. That's ridiculously ironic. These people are tormenting and killing wildlife in the name of research. To some extent, I can see their reasoning behind it. They need cures for illnesses killing people, but cannot test on people.

And yet...there are many things that are very, very wrong here. Things that the outside world will never even know of.