At last the day ended, much to Jax's relief, he was exhausted! Counseling was really tough in a place like this, but hopefully his 'pet will assistant him with the proper training. He hung his suit and hat in the locker. He grabbed the key to the cell his 'pet' was in and was making his way out the door when it swung open. Jax was a little startled to see Erkon standing there, but the commander didn't bother him much.

"Jax...," Erkon frowned, walking past him.

"Commander," Jax greeted. He turned to the door again before smiling. He turned back to the commander. "It's so weird to call you that, you know."

"And what is it you do, again? My little brother being a therapist is what's weird." He removed his holster before reaching into his own locker for a spare belt.

"It's more serious than you think, brother," Jax chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, so you've told me before," Erkon waved it off. He began taking off his shoes next. "I heard about the game. I'm surprised you managed to beat the others, let alone walk away with a pet prisoner."

"Oh, you know about that, huh?" Jax smiled. "Come on, it was easy."

"I'm not talking about the game, Jax," Erkon frowned, turning to him. Jax's smile faded.

"I know."

"You should be careful," Erkon cautioned as he closed the locker door. "You know how I feel about creatures that our supreme leader labels as 'dangerous'."

"Oh? So you're not going to demand I give him up?"

"If there's trouble, you know who to contact. Besides, it was a fair match," Erkon shrugged lightly. He grabbed a towel and was about to head to the showers when he noticed Jax was still standing there by the exit.

"Something bothering you?"

"Could I barrow the file?" Jax asked him.

"What 'file'?"

"You know what I mean."

Erkon studied Jax for a minute before sighing and going back to his locker. "Fine, whatever." He reached into the locker and searched for the right file among a pile of other papers. Finding the file, he handed it to the younger Triceraton.

"This is all we know, remember that. I'll need it again soon. Can't let anyone catch me without it."

"I appreciate it," Jax smiled a bit. He turned towards the exit before pausing again.

"What is it now?" Erkon rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure they're as dangerous as the supreme leader claims? The orange one doesn't seem like a threat."

"Maybe not him, but the others for sure we must be careful of. It's going to take a lot break the oldest one, but the other two caused a little trouble today. At least that's what Prog and Jeck told me."

Jax was quiet. Erkon slung the towel over his shoulders and sighed.

"I know you don't agree with what happens here. But it's the way things are and we can't change it."

"I know..."

"It's getting late, you best get home before you make Karatin worry." With that said, Erkon left the room for the showers. Jax stuffed the file into his coat. If anyone caught them exchanging top secret information like this, it could cost them their lives.

"Thank you, brother," Jax mumbled as he left the room.

He headed towards the cell where he was keeping Michelangelo. He took out the card key and swiped it across the pad. A green light appeared above the door and he peeked in.

The Turtle was hugging his legs and looked up to meet the Triceraton's gaze. Startled, Mikey backed away into the wall.

"It's okay. It's me, remember?" Jax said as he carefully walked into the room. He noticed Michelangelo didn't eat much. "I guess you weren't that hungry?"

"W-what do you want?" Mikey asked him.

"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." Jax held his arms up in front of him as he slowly approached the scared Turtle. Mikey kicked him in the face before pushing past him and towards the door. As much as Jax hated to do it, he reached into his pocket and took out the black square-shaped device. Mikey tensed and prepared himself to be electrocuted. The Triceraton sighed and put the device away. He could not push the button.

"Curse me for being a fool!" he growled out loud to himself

"Why hasn't he used that device yet?" Mikey thought. "Shouldn't I be feeling intense pain right now?"

The Triceraton did not try chasing him, but he slowly stood up with his hands held out in the same calm down gesture. "I know you don't want to, but you're going to have to come with me."

"Oh yeah?" Mikey challenged. "If you want to stop me, you'll have to subdue me with that fancy device of yours!"

Jax flinched, "I don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"It hurts you, doesn't it? If you behave, I won't have to use it. But that's only if you agree to calm down and listen, okay?"

Mikey watched Jax for a minute, not sure how he should respond.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't." Jax took a step forward. "But if you don't come with me, you'll probably be killed. Is that what you want?"

Mikey wasn't sure what this Triceraton was trying to achieve, but he personally wanted to live longer, if possible. Jax took another step towards him. "Come on," he offered his hand to the Turtle. "It's safer at my place. Come with me, and no one is going to hurt you."

"But...I can't leave," Mikey shook his head and stepped back. "My brothers. I can't leave them."

"I promise your brothers will be alright for now. But we can discuss this later. I don't think anyone will be happy if they catch us trying to negotiate with each other."

"Okay," Mikey nodded. "But I'm coming back for my brothers."

"Sure," Jax nodded, although he wasn't so sure if this Turtle knew what he intended on doing on coming back. He was just glad the Turtle was listening to reason.

Mikey felt a sense of relief as he and Jax left the prison behind. The Turtle looked back, silently swearing that he will return to free his brothers. Jax noticed Mikey was not behind him and looked back to see the Turtle glaring back at the prison.

"It's not easy to escape a prison, you know."

"We've done it before," Mikey frowned. "We can do it again."

"Well, that won't happen overnight. Come on, the train that stops by my neighborhood leaves soon. I prefer not to miss it."

He put a hand on Mikey's shoulder and pointed to the nearby subway station. Mikey reluctantly followed Jax.

"I should warn you," Jax whispered as they approached the station. "Most Triceratons here think little of creatures from other planets. You have to do what I say and pretend you belong to me until we get back to my place."

He took out a handcuff from his pocket. "I know you probably don't like the idea, but on our planet we Triceratons keep our slaves and pets in shackles. Especially outside of prison."

Mikey tensed and backed away. "I already told you, I'm not your pet!"

"I know it makes you uncomfortable," Jax told him in a patient tone. "But it's the law here. I promise I'll remove them from you once we get to my house."

He carefully clapped the shackles around his own and Mikey's wrist. As they climbed into the train car, the conductor frowned as he noticed the Turtle, but said nothing. Jax seemed to notice and gave the conductor his ticket.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he behaves himself," the young Triceraton promised. The conductor snorted and took the ticket.

"He'd better."

"I appreciate the lift," Jax smiled before leading Mikey toward the nearest empty seat. Across the bench in front of them was a Triceraton reading what appeared to be a newspaper. He glanced up from what he was reading and smiled.

"Hey, Jax. Where did you find that creature? The toy department?"

Mikey frowned as the newspaper reading Triceraton snickered at his own joke. He was about to speak up when he met Jax's eye. Jax shook his head, clearly wanting the Turtle to keep a low profile.

"He's a gift from the prison," he answered the other Triceraton with a smile. "Who knows? He might be useful to my work."

"Didn't you try that before and the other one went mad on you?" the newspaper Triceraton frowned. Mikey tensed up and gave Jax a wary glance. Jax leaned back on the bench. He sighed at the memory.

"Yes, but it happens. After all, wouldn't you go a little crazy if you were stuck in a place where everyone treated you like trash? It's not an easy job, but it's not all bad either."

Mikey wasn't sure what the two Triceratons were talking about, but he tried not to dwell on it. After all, Jax didn't look as if he wanted to explain the story to him at the moment anyway. Mikey stared out the window, hoping the scenery would distract him. He thoughts drifted to his brothers again. He hoped they were alright.

The train soon came to a stop and they got off, followed by the newspaper Triceraton.

"Well, good luck, Jax," he said with a wave as he turned to leave. "I'll see you around."

"Same here," Jax nodded with a wave as well. He lead Mikey down a street lined with houses. It reminded Mikey of a subdivision. Most of the Triceratons in the neighborhood have got back inside there homes, but some where talking out on their porches. Jax turned to see how Mikey was doing as he lead him down the neighborhood and noticed Mikey looking around the area.

"Not what you expected?"

"No," Mikey shook his head. "Looks almost...nice."

"My house is here," Jax told him, indicating to a small house on the left. It had a flower box hanging from the front windows and was sandwiched between to larger houses. Jax lead him to what appeared to be the cellar at the front of the house by the stairs. He flipped a switch as he opened the doors, giving them light as they descended.

"I hope you won't take this personally, but you'll have to stay down here for now. I don't trust you enough to allow you in my house, and I'm sure you don't trust me completely yet, either." At the bottom, Mikey saw a lot of boxes and assumed the cellar was also Jax's storage area.

"I'll see if I can bring you any food from the kitchen, if you're hungry? I also have a spare mattress you can sleep on, too. It might be a little difficult, but I hope you'll try to get a little sleep tonight. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

He unshackled Mikey and hung the shackles up on a shelf. "No shackles, like I promised."

Mikey rubbed his wrist. Jax turned to leave, but Mikey frowned suspiciously.

"You're going to leave me down here alone? What if I try to escape."

"Even if you did leave, you don't know you're way around here. Where will you go to hide? Everyone you care about is in prison too. Someone will probably shoot you on site if they catch a prisoner roaming the streets alone."

Mikey hung his head, realizing that Jax was probably right. His best bet was to stay here until he could figure something out.

"Just try to be patient a little while longer, okay?" Jax gave him a gentle smile. "Everything will turn out alright."

"How can you be so sure?" Mikey asked with concern. "How can you be so nice to me?"

Jax paused and turned to him before heading back up the stairs. "Because unlike most Triceratons you've met, I'm willing to give other creatures the benefit of the doubt. I believe everyone deserves a second chance."

Mikey watched as he went up the stairs and locked the cellar doors behind him. Mikey knew he would be back again soon though. He looked around the cellar before finding a place he could sit. His eyes drifted to the shackles that were left on the shelf and shivered. He remembered the conversation on the train and wondered what type of 'work' Jax had in store for him. He still didn't trust the dinosaur. And what about the 'pet' he had previously owned before Mikey, what had happened to that creature?

Jax popped his head into the kitchen and gave his wife a kiss on the check.

"Sorry if I'm a little late getting back, sweetie."

"It's alright. I figured something came up. I've kept your food warm," she said giving his nose a nuzzle. Jax rubbed the back of his neck and blushed a little.

"Thanks. Um...listen. I brought home a guest and he's going to be staying in the cellar for a while."

"Why didn't you let him in?" Karentin asked him as she opened the stove door and took out the plate of food for her husband. She waited for him to answer as she set in on top the stove. She turned to him and noticed he was quiet.

"Jax?"

"He's a prisoner," he told her, giving her an apologetic look. Karentin caught on to what he was trying to say and shook her head.

"Not again, Jax. I can't let you take on another...'assistant' again."

"I didn't have a choice," Jax shrugged.

"Yes, you did!" Karentin frowned. "You always have a choice, Jax."

"What was I suppose to do?" Jax frowned as well as he crossed his arms. "Let that creature spend the rest of his life in a cage? He could have someone else for a master right now, or he would have gotten killed. Is that really what I should have done?"

Karentin turned away and hung her head. Jax sighed, letting his frustration melt away. He held her close and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't turn away. I had to do something," he whispered. Karentin hugged him back and sniffled.

"I know. I don't blame you. I'm just...scared. I can't let you get hurt again like last time."

They pulled away a moment later and Karentin wiped the tears from her eyes with a smile. "Well, I suppose that means he's going to need some food in his stomach. I'll see what we have leftover."

"Thanks, sweetie," Jax smiled as he took his plate to the table.

"So what creature is it this time?"

"A turtle from the planet Earth," Jax answered before stuffing a spoonful of food in his mouth.

"Earth is a long way from here. Another dimension, right?"

"Yup," Jax nodded. "He's a little skittish. But I think he'll be alright. He just needs time to adjust."

Karentin looked into the refrigerator for any leftovers to give to the prisoner. After finding something she prepared it and put it in a smaller oven to warm it up.

"Think you can get him to help you? I imagine he doesn't trust you yet?"

"No," Jax said, swallowing his food before continuing. "He's taking everything hard. I can't say I blame him, though. His family is in there, Karentin. His...brothers."

Karentin held a doleful look. "Poor thing. Is there anything we can do?"

"Just be patient with him," Jax answered with a nod. "He'll learn to trust us eventually."

Karentin took the warm food out of the small oven and put it on a plate. She handed the plant to Jax with a smile.

"Thanks again," Jax told her, giving her a quick peck on the check. He took the plate and took it to the cellar.

Mikey looked up quietly as Jax returned with the plate of food. Jax smiled.
"Hey, my wife made you something. Why don't you try eating something? I'm sure you're hungry." He handed the Turtle the plate and Mikey stared down at the food in confusion.

"What is it?"

"I think you Earthlings call it 'leftovers'. It's a lot better than what they give you prison, that's for sure," Jax chuckled.

He turned around and began searching through the storage items. "Now where is that mattress...?"

Mikey was hungry and decided he might as well try it. Couldn't be that bad. He stiffed a spoonful in his mouth and it actually tasted pretty good!

"Aha!" Jax proclaimed opening a storage door. "There it is!" He dragged the mattress out and carefully placed it down on the floor. He turned to Mikey and noticed the Turtle was already halfway finished eating. He smiled.

"I told you you'd like it."

"It's delicious!" Mikey smiled between spoonfuls. Jax noticed it was the first time he had seen the Turtle smile.

"I'll let my wife know you enjoyed it." He said as he took a spare pillow out from the closet. He soon took the empty plate from Mikey as well.

"Can I ask you something?" Mikey asked, looking concerned again.

"Sure," Jax nodded. Mikey turned away, feeling nervous and rubbed his arm.

"What do you plan on doing with me? What kind of 'work' do you do?"

Jax took a seat on the floor across from Mikey. He rested the empty plate beside him. "I'm what you Earthlings call a corrections counselor. I help prisoners cope while they're in prison. It's hard and can be a little emotional at times, but I find it rewarding."

"I see," Mikey nodded a little. "And me?"

"Sometimes we counselors need an assistant to help maintain peace among the inmates. Someone outside of prison can be an assistant, but most believe it's better to have a prisoner from inside to make things easier for the others. I guess the prisoner see it as someone else who's as trapped as they are."

"Oh," Mikey mumbled. "To be honest, I was expecting something a lot worse."

"Well, it's not easy," Jax reminded him before nodding. "But I do agree it's better than nothing."

"Why did you help me anyway?"

Jax tilted his head. "I don't really know. It just felt right." He folded his arms and glared at the floor. "I imagaine you and your brothers were scanned when you arrived earlier this morning? I'm not certain, I haven't see the latest report yet, but I assume your readings came up as 'disposable'."

"What's that mean?" Mikey asked with a swallow.

"One of three things," Jax told him. "One, you're allowed to be taken in by an officer and treated as a pet or slave. Two, a corrections officer like myself takes you in and trains you to work with him. Or three...you're executed."

Mikey flinched hearing that. "Then how come you were able to take me back home with you?"

"Well, disposable prisoners can either be auctioned off to the public, or they can be obtained through a friendly game with a wager," Jax explained. "You're lucky I won the match, though. If one of the others won the game, they would have either treated you like garbage or have you killed. At least with me you still have the opportunity to keep on living."

Mikey was the one looking down at the floor now. He wasn't sure what would have happened if Jax had not come along.

"I'm pretty tired," Jax said as he stood up. "You should get some sleep, too. Training is going to take a while, but we'll take it one step at a time, day by day." He took the empty plate with him and gave Mikey one last look before going up the stairs.

"Good night. Sleep well."

He turned on a lamp before going up the stairs. He turned off the main light, leaving Mikey in the dim cellar.