OH BAH GOOBLE. Okay. Sorry this took so long! We had some computer troubles…. And, you know, I'm lazy…. Here you go. Hopefully after this I can continue spitting out chapters on time.

As always, thanks for the kind reviews. And I don't own this. u.u

Fer looked around the room in despair. He had taken off his clothes and fashioned an outfit out of the clean shreds of the red sheets. He had picked up and thrown away and cleaned what he could of his mess. He was no longer hungry or tired.

But he was bored.

Pacing around his room, Fer realized he was in a prison. And he was going mad. On a snap decision, Fer opened the door and peered out.

The guard peered back down at Fer. For a while they didn't say anything, but then Fer quipped, "Hi."

"Hi."

"Is it okay for me to hang out the door like this? Should I go back inside?"

"Nah, it's okay."

"You want to talk? Aren't you bored?"

"Yeah."

Fer pulled his head into the room as a couple robots zipped by, then leaned against the doorframe. "So… something going on? They were in a hurry."

"They're holding a convention," the guard said slowly, "to prevent others from acting like you. You know, remind the masses Paks are great."

Fer nearly burst out laughing. "You're serious?"

The guard chuckled. "Yeah. They're moving them in from the factories right now. You can see them from your window, you know."

Leading Fer in to the room, the guard pointed down, through the window bars. Fer's former co-workers were marching past just outside.

"I thought I was higher up than this. Guess I'm not much of a priority, huh?"

"That's why I was assigned to you." Fer turned to give the guard a cross look, but the guard seemed to remember he had a job to do, and wandered back outside. Fer looked back out the window, feeling lonely. Below him, in the crowd, he saw a splotch of purple, and squinted.

Stek was staring up at him, though as soon as she realized Fer was staring back, she adverted her eyes. But she kept on glancing up, for quick seconds when she thought he wouldn't see.

Moved, Fer began looking for Nyon. It was only a minute before Fer found him, Nyon gazing up at Fer with intense, expressionless eyes. Fer frowned, leaning his face against the bars. Nyon was mad at him? What for? Was Nyon really too much like the others?

Nyon began to make a small movement. Fer watched as Nyon's arm lifted, and his hand formed a thumbs up.

Now elated, Fer returned a gesture. He watched as Nyon rejoined the group, and then disappeared from view behind some buildings. It didn't matter that every other Irken was going to a place where they would be trained to hate him. It didn't matter Fer was locked away in some boring tower, his captors hoping he would surrender or die. He couldn't have been happier.

But that was a lie. Fer's upbeat mood was only lifted into bliss later that day, when Fer was devising a game with empty soda cans, and the factory lights, visible from his window, were out. His room was dark, but in his position, Fer didn't mind.

There was a clatter outside, and Fer moved to the window. Before he could look out, there was a metallic clunk, and a figure rose until it reached Fer's window, who backed away in surprise when three of four long, skinny legs forced their way though the bars.

Fer gasped. "Nyon!" Without thinking, Fer began to tug at the bars. A leg gently moved Fer aside, and another lit a flame from its tip and began to heat the top and bottom of the center bars. Then there was a soft grinding of an Irken tool against the heated metal, a patient moment as the legs adjusted themselves, then a small gloved fist tugged the bars out and Nyon tumbled into the room.

"Nyon!" Fer cried again, as Nyon's spider legs retracted. "What do you think you're doing! You'll be-"

Nyon stood up gruffly. "Here," he ordered, "Stek wanted you to have it." Fer looked down at the blue hat, shocked still.

Nyon was now looking at Fer strangely. "What are you wearing?"

Fer laughed at this. "My clothes got ruined. I had to make new ones."

But Nyon was now looking at Fer's naked feet. "You got rid of your gloves. And your boots. Do you want mine? They're fairly good boots-"

"No, no," Fer laughed. "Someone might be suspicious if your boots went missing, and you'll need them more than me. I'm just sitting around in here." Fer wanted to hug Nyon, but he held back. "How did you get here?"

"Oh, it's a short, boring story revolving around ghost robots and marmosets," Nyon shrugged.

"I don't care, just tell me. It's so boring in here," Fer begged.

"Um, Fer…" Nyon shifted his foot, trying to find the words. "I actually wanted to ask.. why… Why you took your Pak off. Is this really worth it?"

Fer leaned against the wall, thinking. Nyon leaned against the window, waiting. The darkness seemed to grow in the silence. "Well, I can't say it's been worth it," Fer began, pulling the cap on, "but it's been my decision. That's important to me. So I'll follow through on it. I'll take whatever happens as it comes."

"Just because it's your decision? Does that really matter?" Nyon asked, tugging at his uniform.

"Yes. I'm just different, I guess. It's okay."

"But it's not okay! You're dying! Just put the Pak on!"

"I don't expect you to understand."

"Why are you trying so hard to get away from us! You said Stek and I were your favorites, but you'd rather die than stay with us!" Nyon blurted out. He pushed himself backward onto the windowsill as he yelled, though Fer did not change his reaction.

"You might be my favorites, but this is bigger than me."

Nyon tottered on the window ledge, looking like he was torn between toppling outside and never seeing Fer again, and toppling back inside and hugging Fer forever. But then a voice floated in through the door, which made Nyon's decision for him.

"While doing my routine check on the prisoner, it sure would be a bad thing to find an unauthorized visitor in the room…"

Nyon frowned, then leaned back and fell out. Fer could hear the metallic scrapping and clanking as Nyon's spider legs caught him. Fer's guard entered a moment later, grinning. Fer grinned back.

"Seems you did have a visitor," the guard commented, staring at the window. "Thought you might've gone nuts and started talking to yourself, but wanted to make sure. Bring you anything?"

Fer grabbed at his head. "My visitor brought me a hat from my love."

The guard blinked. "Your love?"

"Nevermind."

"Well, anyway… Are you leaving?" The guard asked, peering at Fer's face, trying to read it.

"Leave?" Fer repeated, not understanding.

"You know… escape." The guard's eyes were glittering.

"Oh!" There was an odd pause. "Well… I wasn't thinking of that. It's the same situation outside or in."

The guard leaned close, and it was apparent that a secret was just dancing on his lips. "Well… if you wanted to… I know where you can go."

It was so rare to find a place not under the Tallest's eyes, Fer became interested. "Where?"

"The forest."

Fer couldn't believe what he was hearing. He drank it up like a thirsty child. "Where is it? All of Irk is populated, right?"

"Toward the factories, past the theatre," Fer felt a longing for his old hill at this, "there's nothing but blackness. At certain times of the year, you see black spots on the horizon. Hollow trees, one of the first things Irkens traded for when we stretched our commercial borders beyond our planet. And Irkanes. It's the last place where irkanes naturally grow. You can drink sap and eat irkanes. No shelter in sandstorms, but no surveillance, either."

"None? Then how do you know about this?"

The guard was grinning again. "I'm a snoop!"

Fer leaned back, soaking in the information. "What… if I escape?"

"You'll be free to live as you want."

"…What about you? You'll have a hard time explaining how you lost a prisoner."

"I'll get reprimanded, is all," the guard lied with a smile on his face.

"Will they look for me?"

"Not if you run fast enough."

Fer felt a chord being plucked in his heart. "I'll have to leave Stek and Nyon."

The guard paused, then took a breath. "They're your co-workers, right? I'll give them a message. You know, convince them to meet up with you."

Fer looked up, confused. He didn't know what he wanted to do.

"We're different, aren't we? That's why you're doing this for me."

The guard nodded. "I've never taken off my Pak."

Fer was once again hungry for information. "So how are you like this? So free to decide things like this?"

The guard laughed. "Maybe the Pak can't control every part of us. Maybe, even under its influence, we're more than that."

Fer was frowning. "Maybe."

Leaning forward, the guard gathered Fer in his arms. Fer gasped; he had never been hugged before. "Or maybe it's you. Maybe you can just inspire people. Either way, you are my favorite.

"Now get going, before they realise the window is broken."

AUGH. Not my best writing, but HERE! EAT IT LIKE THE CARNIVOROUS PENISES YOU ARE.