The overlord of the Pipo Apes sauntered through the long stretching hall, glass barriers on either side of him stretching up above his head in a transparent crystalline arch. Dozens of pairs of eyes followed his steps at any time as he carried himself on his way. The Ashland Heights Zoo had a moderate but enjoyable aquarium exhibit, and had the ape not been a somewhat wanted criminal by human standards he considered it a destination that would be worth visiting and enjoying for a day. Just because he was busy didn't mean he couldn't take in the sights a little, and the aquarium had very few cameras he needed to personally avoid as well as it being an almost straight path to his destination.

Speaking of the devil, the path came to a near-end splitting off to the right on a short little stump of a hall, a sign stating that the area was off limits to all but the authorized Zoo personnel. The sign meant nothing to the ape King though, so he simply let himself in. The room was illuminated by the glow of multiple CCTV security feeds on monitors; the human that was supposed to be watching them instead filling out what might be a crossword puzzle.

Specter decided to stand in the doorway for a moment, awaiting to see if the security guard would notice his presence. Once another moment goes by he decides that he doesn't have the patience to play with this particular human today while his own was off retrieving Monkey Yellow.

"Well, for someone whose job it is to handle security you seem to feel safe enough to leave your door unlocked!" Specter taunted in his smarmy voice laced with amusement. The sudden sound of someone's voice in the room was enough to startle the guard into turning his attention to the figure behind him. He calmed and noticeably when he saw the short child-sized figure.

"Hey kid! What are you doing here!? It's well after closing!" The guard chastised, standing from his chair and starting towards the Ape King in front of him. Before he could get close enough to the 'kid', said kid raised a hand, raising the guard into the air with it, before psychically slamming him into a nearby wall and knocking him out, retrieving and stomping on his walkie-talkie for good measure.

"Wow, employee of the month huh?!" Specter laughed sarcastically before noticing a framed employee of the month award on the wall and grimacing. "Wow… employee of the month huh? Well, after tonight that streak is going to be over..." He shrugs and turns to the security setup.

Specter had prepared for this adventure for a while now, all the paths that his apes, and his pet human had taken kept them safely off camera, or at least minimally enough that the likelihood of the camera spotting them was slim. Given, with this guard they had probably been safer than projected. Specter set the cameras into remote mode and began manually adjusting their vision until he could see what he was looking for, happily smirking when Yellow's enclosure came into view. The security camera was at a different angle than he would have liked, but was high enough quality that he could clearly see right into the habitat the humans had set up for Yellow.

There were rope swings, hammocks assorted drapery of various colors, toys, balls, snacks in what was once small treat cages. It seemed the zoo had pulled no punches when it came to trying to entertain the enormous monster of a monkey, though most of the play items had been destroyed by the enraged Beast that Yellow tended to be when stripped of his helmet... It almost made Specter feel bad about how he housed his human the last few days. It was intended as an ironic joke but maybe if Spike behaves he'll have some more enrichment added to his cell?

And speaking of the devil, Spike comes into the view of the camera, followed closely by Yellow, a Pipo helmet held tightly in the boy's hands. The camera was so clear that the albino could see the gears turning in the redhead's brain.

—-

Spike ran at top speed, occasionally darting around the twisty trees that decorate the area, though Yellow was never too far behind him.

'SHIT! SHIT!' His own voice echoed in his head. He swiftly threw himself behind a large tree in the center. 'I can't believe he just locked me in here!' He should really have seen this coming. He took the moment to shimmy up the decorative tree settling on a high branch that even Yellow would have trouble reaching with his girth breaking the lower branches in his attempt. 'Why am I even surprised!? This is Specter we're talking about! I'm more surprised he didn't stick around to watch and laugh at the poor incapable human!' The boy contemplated his options.

A lot of his brain power was being wasted on reminding himself that he was completely unarmed, his mind frequently trying to plan around gadgets that he simply didn't have anymore! Bananarang would have worked perfectly on the always hungry Yellow ape. The RC car could serve as a valuable distraction. Magic punch might be strong enough to knock him out? Alas, all he had was a Pipo helmet and the higher ground. Despite the boy mentally ticking away at plans, he really only had the safety of the tall tree until Yellow remembered that he had copious amounts of things to throw at him.

But at the loss for a plan, that's when guts come into play. Spike moved along the branch, Pipo helmet held tightly as he positioned himself just above the large ape. He gave a shaky sigh, and with a Battle Cry the boy lept from the tree, ready to take one shot at slamming the helmet down at the apes head, or be mauled if he misses.

—-

"Oh!" Specter exclaimed from his chair.. well the security guards chair.. while placing a chip from the security guards lunch into his mouth as he watched the monitor. "No technique! Completely neanderthal!" He throws his hands in the air flinging chips all around the room, but it's not his room so he feels no need to be courteous. " And yet still the Professor's golden boy prevails!"

The albino found himself almost giddy watching the show. It was hardly amazing but he found himself entertained nonetheless. "I've always known he had potential ever since he bested Jake, but the boy has Moxie even unarmed!" Just imagining the soldier he would become once Specter had 'sunk' him into the depths left the ape grinning. When Specter had taken hold of Jake his promise wasn't empty; the process having unlocked certain areas of the boy's brain, boosting his reflexes among other helpful skills for fighting his red-headed friend. Even so Spike prevailed against him.

A groan pulled the ape from his revelry as the guard came to. Specter, not enjoying the interruption, simply telepathically rolled the bound and gagged human under the desk, Smiling his shit-eating grin he ran his hands over the keyboard, making himself a copy of the security footage and setting up a secure link to send him the rest of the night's tape.

"Well I guess it's time to go greet Yellow!" He began to leave before backpedaling to the guard taking his ID card before shoving him back under the desk. Before leaving the room though, the hissing remains of what was left of the smashed walkie-talkie began screeching with white noise and a voice on the other side. Picking up the remains of the device he pushed two exposed wires together and pressed down the button trying to mask his voice. "Do you read? This is…" He checked the ID. "Robert. You might want to check on the armadillos. It seems that some of them have escaped?"

"Roger that!" The voice of the Roaming Guard hissed through the walkie talkies remains.

'There, that should keep any more unwanted interruptions from occurring for a while!' The Ape King thought as he exited the security room and was ready to retread his path to his pet.

—-

Spike was hurting, crushed under the overbearing shadow of the massive monkey looming over him, his skin being stretched almost torturing him.

"Well aren't you just the most precious little morsel of a knight in shining armor!" The large Yellow primate coo'd as he continued to pinch Spikes cheeks with more force than necessary. "I knew Specter wouldn't leave me locked away for long but who would have guessed he'd send such a cute little man to set me free!" Spike wasn't sure how to respond or if Yellow was even talking to him versus at him just to hear his own voice much like the ape King often would but he knew the monkey was making him very uncomfortable. Both From the Rough handling of his face and that unlike the family friendly monkey Park back home that demanded family friendly decency, the Ashland HApes zoo was perfectly content to let their animals live au naturale. As stupid as it is, once the animal starts speaking he'd rather they were wearing pants.

And not touching him.

"Oh!" Yellow exclaimed like it had just hit him. "I recognize you now! You're one of that professor's little toy testers! Johnny right!?"

Spike finally found his voice, pulling the monkey's hands from his face and trying to remove himself from the others lap. "You're thinking of Jimmy. I'm his cousin? We've met?" His attempt to avoid physical contact failing as Yellow switched to petting his spiky hair.

Spike did not like this. He attempted to remove the monkey's hand from his head, but Yellow didn't notice or simply ignored him and continued.

"Most of you little hairless babies look the same to me!" He baby-talked in tone. "Don't feel bad! I would have made a point to remember you if I had known you were a few years away from being such a little snack!" That did it. He was done. Spike forced the hand from his head roughly and jumped from Yellow's lap in spite of the latter's protest.

"Don't touch me." The redhead said firmly. Hands up hoping to emphasize the point. Yellow immediately took offense to the humans outburst.

"Well, you're rude!"

"And you're naked!" he said gently rubbing his hair back into place.

It seemed only just that moment that Yellow realized that fact, throwing his hands up or down his large torso to create any semblance of modesty, and failing spectacularly.

"Oh my! How embarrassing to be caught with not a miwashi in sight!" He shuffled up and behind a not quite large enough tree. "Don't these zookeepers understand their animals' needs!?" He waves Spike over, "Now be a dear and grab me that curtain!"

Among the damage to the enclosure caused by the scurfuffal over the helmet was some colorful and torn drapery, bright with flowers scattered onto the surfaces. Spike hesitated for a moment before ripping it from where it was hung and tossing it to Yellow, steering clear of arms reach, the primate luckily keeping his hands to himself this time. The gargantuan monkey wrapped the floral cloth around his waist, adjusting it a few times before tying it like a skirt and providing some modesty for the usual almost-naked monkey. For Spike that was significantly better. Yellow wasn't done yet though, as he grabs some of the other decorative floral acruments and daisy chains them together with the speed of a pro forming a lei of fake flowers, placing it around his neck before striking a little pose.

"What do you think darling? A Southeast sweetheart!" He asked giving a wink that made Spike shutter in a bad way.

"...Tropical…" the redhead replied, which seemed to please the Yellow monkey well enough as the former backstepped to the door, shaking the lock in a hope that for whatever reason it would open and free him, to no avail. In spite of the obvious desire for personal space the giant still decided to close the distance between himself and the boy, invading his personal bubble and returning to petting the human's head.

"So what brings you all the way out here into my house no less? Given, I'm not sure where here is exactly, but I know it's far enough away that you wouldn't have wandered here by accident! Much less with a helmet for me!" Spike tried to once again remove Yellow's hand from his head, 'why can't he keep his hands to himself?!' but the monkey just ignored him and continued petting him having what seemed to be a realization. "Oh my! Could it be you realized what a cold dark place the world was without the shimmering Jewel of the freaky monkey five? Yes! I can see it now!" Spike really didn't like the twinkle and Yellow's eye. "You tried to beg the Professor but no! Neither him nor your friends understood! You had to take a stand! And in the dead of the night you stole a helmet and hopped the soonest train! You weren't sure where to find me, the quest was long and arduous! But you knew you had to the right a horrible wrong and return Beauty to the world once again! Oh! And that Kei was there too! Wait hold on–" Yellow squinted for a moment. "Let me start over; Kei realized the world was a darker-"

He couldn't sit through this story again with the constant rough treatment to his skull, shoving the Ape's hand from him once again and cutting him off.

"Specter sent me. He's looking for you and Blue!" The human blurted out.

"Well I figured was involved! The real question is why are you here? Last I recall you weren't on the payroll?"

The human gave up his attempt on the door, wishing he had actually paid attention to what Specter had actually done to unlock the evice. He recounted the events of the last few days, Yellow absorbing the information like it was a hot new gossip.

"- So basically he left me in here to have my face ripped off by you or else he's just going to blow my head off of my neck!" He gestured to the blinking device and Yellow gave it a long look.

"Huh.. a bomb..?" Yellow questions before shrugging. "Well, if he says so!" The large monkey shrugged, causing Spike to roll his eyes at the casualness of it all. This did not go unnoticed by Yellow who continued. "Mr. Specter usually prefers... cleaner methods of indentured employment."

Spike actually chuckled at that, leaning against the enclosure bars more relaxed, having forgotten his situation and fallen into the comfort of a friendly conversation. "Oh yeah, he tried something cleaner. A little brainwashing to make me dance around like a little organ-grinder's monkey! Unfortunately for him it looks like even with his supposedly better helmet he couldn't make me kneel and lick his boots!" He was so invested in what he was saying that he didn't notice that Yellow's eyes had wandered off of him and instead focused behind him, nor did he notice the pair of arms reaching through the bars behind him. The pale hands quickly clamped around his neck squeezing tightly for a split second before letting go.

"Kaboom!"

The sounds screeched behind him suddenly, and for a minute Spike could have sworn his heart had stopped right then and there. In a shock he dropped to his knees. When he started breathing again it was a short quick gulps before he turned his head at the sound of laughter. Familiar laughter.

Specter retracted his arms as he cackled like a little gremlin he could be when the mood struck him, unlocking the door and stepping in past Spike, body facing forward but his eyes locked with the humans next to him, returning to composure. "I don't need the Peak Point helmet to make you kneel, pet." His voice somewhere between dark and amused before humming as if appraising the situation. For the fourth(?) time that evening Spike had felt a hand against his head, slowly messing up his hair, though not nearly as hard as Yellow had. Specter's hands were smaller, with much less force behind them, back and forth as if he was petting a dog or a cat, an occasional scratch added.

And from Specter, Spike did not like this.

"You got Monkey Yellow back. Good job!" He said almost approvingly. Spike almost grabbed the Ape's wrist and forced the physical contact he had had too much of that night on that spot to end as he had done before with the large monkey, but before he even could he heard a chiding whisper from the albino. "Ah-ah-ah! Rule number one!"

'Never ever touch me again!' The memory echoed in his head. Spike could only grit his teeth and clench his hand into a fist on his knee and cope. The Ape King gave a half-cocked grin at the obedience, then turned to Yellow.

"Welcome back Monkey Yellow. I assume you're packed and ready to go home?"

Yellow took a quick look around the enclosure before tipping his head at his boss. "What's to pack? This place is a dump!" He said with a smile. The albino pointed to the door behind him with his thumb.

"Great. Let's get blue and go." He turned on his heel, taking two steps before addressing Spike. "Let's go Spike."

For the humans part, he was at least glad that he was called by his name instead of 'pet,' but that scare reminded him just how much he did not enjoy any time spent near the albino. Like a roller coaster, anytime he began to relax Specter would come by and amp him up again. Spike had to wonder if that was his own fault? For as dire of a situation as he was in he had a habit of quickly forgetting that in falling into comfortable new normals.

'Adaptive.' He thought. That's what the professor had called Spike when recounting his many adventures through history catching the ape army.

'No matter where you were thrown through time or whatever hardships you faced, you adjusted quickly and you survived! That's an amazing trait for a young man your age Spike. It's something to be proud of!'

He could hear the professor's jolly voice praising what just came natural to the redhead, though the boy scowled at an invasive thought; it had only been two days since his capture, and already he's playing airplane with pipo apes and making small talk with large monkeys, letting his guard down and relaxing… enough for Specter to just casually come up behind him and grab his neck, yet he couldn't help but cringe at the idea of getting too comfortable where he was, and adapting to his current situation. He didn't want to adapt. He wanted to escape.

A/N:
lol Spike has some "Issues" with having his head touched. I wonder if THAT'S going to come up again :3c

If you like my art or this fic or art RELATED to this fic and want to see more I have a Deviantart and a Tumblr (Same name as here)
On tumblr I tag this as both "Art" and "Nannersverse"

Next chapter is going be shorter... because doing 4000 word chapters is getting a little overzealous for me and editing is evil.