Holy shit, I'm not dead and actually writing this story!
Sorry it took so long to update, but I promise it won't take like two years for the next chapter! Thank you for being patient, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The soft humming of electricity reached Seto's ears as he began to wake up, followed by the feeling of throbbing pain all across his body. The young man instantly felt overcome with confusion.
What happened? Seto wondered, the memory of the horrifying experience in his space station still fresh on his mind. Did I survive? The pain he felt seemed to indicate that he did. But… How?
He let out a pained hiss and slowly unglued his eyelids, the harsh light invading his vision. His view was blurry, he had to force himself to blink several times in a weak attempt to clear the spots.
As things began to focus, Seto found himself lying sideways in a small metal room. It was the shape of a hexagon with dark gray walls. The wall directly in front of him, however, was a strange, shimmering, light blue wall that he could see through. Where am I?
Seto had no answer to that question, which forcefully added itself to the dozens of others he had after being conscious for only a few moments. Out of all of them, one shoved itself to the forefront of his mind. Mokuba… Is he okay?!
He thanked the Gods that he hadn't let Mokuba come with him to the space station, but did that mean he was safe? The emergency thrusters Seto had used had never been used, and they were slow. Was he able to protect the planet? Did some of the strange meteor make it to the surface? Was his brother safe? He needed to know NOW.
The CEO shifted and brought his arms to the floor, planning to push himself to his feet. But as soon as he placed them, a searing pain shot through his left arm. With a cry of pain, he crashed back onto the cold, metal floor.
He clutched his left hand with his right and forced himself to take deep breaths. "Wha… What the hell?" Why does it hurt so bad?
With slow movements, he lowered his head to look down at the arm, and let out a horrified gasp.
The skin on his left arm was completely different. It was a viridian green color as far as he could see, the bizarre color climbing up past the sleeve of the hospital gown- Wait, hospital gown?
Seto turned his gaze further downward at the outfit he was wearing. A pale white pair of shirt and pants made of thin fabric. He used his right hand to lift the shirt slightly, and found that the strangely colored skin was splotched across his torso all over. What is this?!
He dropped the shirt back down and pulled up the thin pant leg, finding the same strange skin going all the way up his leg in strage splotches. His feet were both completely viridian.
When he ran a hand across the two different skins, there was a clear change in texture. He could see where the skin met, the small scars around the areas… Had the crash taken parts of his body?! What had they been replaced with?!
"No… No, no, no!" He felt his heart pounding against his chest. "What is going on?! What's happened to me?!"
An annoyed noise jerked Seto out of his panic before he could fully descend. He lifted his head towards the noise, noticing a figure staring at him from the other side of the strange blue wall. The young man narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look.
"Can ya save the panicking for another time, kid?" The source of the annoyed voice growled. "I'd like to at least relax a little bit before I die."
Seto stared at the figure for a few moments longer before shifting around and scooting closer to the blue wall. When he looked through it, he found that there was a small hallway and across from it was a room exactly like his own.
Inside the other room was a strange-looking creature wearing the same outfit as him. They had large spiky hair that pooled on the ground, four fingered hands with brown fur, and a pointed snout.
It took Seto less than a millisecond to realize that the person was not human, which added onto the many questions he had. Perhaps it was the still present pain from his body, or his slowly dwindling panic, but he found he couldn't control his mouth to answer them in a specific order.
"W-where are we?" He croaked, his throat stinging the slightest bit.
The strange creature turned to look at him, an annoyed look on their face. "Where do ya think?" They asked.
Seto blearily looked around the small room. "I-I was on the space station… I remember floating but…" He placed his right arm against his shirt and clutched the fabric. "I… I should be dead. That should have killed me… But if it didn't…"
He listened to the electric hum around him as he returned his gaze to the other creature. "I'm in outer space?"
The creature smirked, revealing sharp teeth. "Quick on the uptake, you is. Good."
"And you're an alien?" Seto continued.
The smirk turned into a frown. "That is a rather derogatory term. We prefer to call people from different planets 'Otherworlders'" They shrugged and waved a clawed hand. "Honest mistake, especially with newbies. Not that it matters anyway."
Seto couldn't believe his eyes. So it was true, humans weren't the only intelligent life forms out there. His mind wandered for a brief moment about the things he could do, see, and discover. But as soon as the moment began, it ended as he remembered his brother.
"I have to get back to Earth…" He whispered, and turned to face the creature again. "How do I get back to Earth?"
The creature let out a weak laugh. "Aw, you have no clue, do ya? Sounds like they hadn't gotten to your planet just yet." Their tone was sad, and suddenly quieter. "Listen, kid… You're never going back home. None of us are. Even if we were leaving, the Karalis probably already destroyed what makes home 'home'"
Seto felt a churning in his gut, he had a feeling he knew where the conversation was going. "The Karalis… They're conquerors?"
The creature nodded their head slightly. "I'm afraid so. They take over planets, and anyone who tries to fight back is made an example of and then killed. That's what's happening to us."
Seto frowned, his confusion returning in full force. But what did I do to them? I didn't even know that these conquerors existed until a few seconds ago. What could I have done to make them hate me?
"That doesn't matter to me." Seto narrowed his eyes at the creature. "I don't care what these… These... Karalis think they are. I will get back to Earth!"
The creature in the opposite cell opened their mouth to reply, but quickly shut it at the sound of footsteps. They clamped their mouth shut and scurried towards the back wall. Perhaps it was because he was still trying to fully awaken, or it was his foolish curiosity, but Seto remained rooted to the spot by the forcefield.
Two creatures walked into view. Both of them wore the same suit, black armor with no weak points, and helmets that resembled a crescent moon shape. The visor was slightly see through, and Seto could see golden eyes staring down at him with disgust. It sent an involuntary shudder through him, but he returned the expression with a glare of his own.
The taller of the two turned to the wall and pressed his hand against it. With a slight shimmer, the force field faded away, leaving no protection between Seto or his kidnappers. They stepped into the cell with a sense of purpose.
Seto let out an angered growl as he scrambled backwards, his back hitting the hard wall sooner than he had hoped. "Get away from me!" He snarled, but they continued forward without care. "I'm warning you!"
They continued to ignore him, and Seto felt his fear start to rise. He didn't know what he was dealing with, but he didn't want to go with them willingly. What if they were leading him to his death?! In a moment of panic, Seto burst forward to try and run past them and escape.
Before he could get even a few steps, the nearest one grabbed him by the neck and threw him down, his head connecting with the floor in a way that sent black spots across his vision. The two creatures quickly wrenched his arms behind his pack, wrapping his wrists with a constricting metal, and then forced him back to his feet.
Seto struggled to stay standing as the tiny room spun, his arms restrained and unable to help his balance. When he was finally standing without wobbling, one of the armored guards walked in front of him with their weapon raised. The other stayed behind him, pressing that weapon against his back.
They growled in a crackly, mechanical voice, but Seto didn't understand a single thing they said. The gun hit his back again and forced him a few steps forward, which helped him realize what they wanted him to do. Walk.
The young man gritted his teeth but did as he was told, following after the first guard without fighting. The feeling of the gun on his back was gone, but Seto didn't dare try to run, he knew that gun was likely still raised.
He looked towards the cell where the porcupine-like creature that had spoken to him was. He found those brown eyes staring at him with pity from the corner of his cell, before he was led too far away to see the creature anymore.
They walked through a long corridor of cells, all with the same flickering force fields, but the creatures behind them varied. Some were hulking monsters that roared at the guards as they passed, others were small ones that resemble children, crying in the arms of their parents.
Seto shuddered at the sight of them all, holding the same hopelessness in their eyes that his fellow prisoner had. He began to grow anxious as they continued down the corridor, and he watched carefully for the sign of any other humans, but he found none.
Mokuba… Mokuba… He thought of his younger brother in a desperate attempt to quell the terror in his heart. Please Mokie, please be okay…
Eventually the cells stopped, and they arrived at an elevator. They rode up several floors, into another gray colored corridor. Instead of cells, there were several doors and many people walking around. All of them walked around in the same black armor, but some looked thinner than others.
They walked past a large window, and when Seto's eyes fell upon it he stopped in shock. Outside the window was the darkness of space, with the only sights being the planets in the distance. He tried to recognize the few he saw, but none of them resembled the solar system he knew.
It was in that moment that the true gravity of his situation hit him. He was in the middle of space, likely billions of miles away from earth, and completely alone…
He felt the gun on the small of his back again, and forced himself to keep walking until they came up to a large metal door. He looked up at the writing on the door, but it was written in scribbles that he didn't understand in the slightest.
The guard placed his hand against the glowing blue panel, and it briefly flashed green before the door opened.
On the other side was a laboratory. It was a glaring white color, with one wall covered in computer screens. The wall to the left had several large tubes, some of which had vaguely shaped creatures in them. To the right were large cabinets filled with several strange looking vials. In the middle of the room was an examination table, with four mechanical arms above it.
Standing in the room was one of the same armoured creatures. His helmet was the same as the others, but his clothing resembled a doctor, except in the color black. He spoke in the same odd language before pointing to the table.
The guards grabbed Seto's upper arms and began to drag him to it. His heart seized in terror, and he quickly began to struggle once again. "No! No! Let me go, you bastards!" He cried as he dug his heels into the ground. He knew it was likely hopeless, but he would make it as difficult as possible for them.
His struggles were futile as he was forced onto the table, the cuffs removed and replaced with the shackles on the table. Seto pulled on them, but they were made of the same strong metal, he couldn't get through.
The scientist suddenly moved forward, a strange device with a pointed end in his hand. With his long fingers grabbing Seto's face roughly, he turned the young man's head to a side, and the pointed end pressed against the skin right behind his ear before a searing pain exploded in his head.
Seto cried out in pain as his ears rang and the chatter of the three otherworlders in their strange language sounded like it was underwater. When the pain faded away and the ringing stopped, the strange language slowly began to make sense to his mind.
"Do you understand me now?" The scientist asked in a mechanical voice. They were still speaking in that same odd language, but now his brain was able to understand.
The young man groaned and scrunched his eyes shut, a headache pounding against his temples. "What… What the hell did you do to me?!"
The scientist turned around without even acknowledging that Seto had spoken. "Subject is responsive to questions, the translator chip works on the species correctly. May require further testing."
Testing? Testing?! Seto's heart pounded against his chest as he tugged on the restraints again. "What are you talking about?! I'm not your little lab rat, let me go!"
The scientist said nothing as he moved to Seto's side, a tray of tools rising up next to him. Before the alien could do anything with them, a grunt from one of the guards had the man look up towards them. "What is it?" He sneered.
"You know Doyen wanted an interrogation before your experiments began, we must do that first," The taller guard said, his voice deep and mechanical.
Seto watched as the scientist looked at his tools, then back at the guards and sighed. "Very well, but try not to break anything. My orders were still to study him, and I cannot carry them out if the subject is dead."
The guards moved to stand above Seto, their hulking forms blocking the harsh fluorescent light. He blinked a few times, shuddering at the sight of those yellow eyes behind the darkened visor.
The smaller of the two guards leaned forward and raised a small stick, electricity glowing from the end. "You will answer our questions truthfully or face the consequences."
Seto had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop the 'fuck you' from escaping his lips. He didn't want to anger them, he needed information if he was going to find a way out of their imprisonment and get home. Instead, he gave a small nod.
The two guards looked at each other, and the taller spoke first. "How did you know the scouting ship was on route to Earth?" The first demanded.
Seto's face remained neutral, but his frown betrayed his confusion. "What are you talking about?"
The young man cried out as a shock ran through his body, his eyes scrunching shut in pain. His hands twitched involuntarily as he pulled against the restraints again, desperate to escape more shocks.
"Don't play dumb, answer the question! How did you know the scouting ship was headed to Earth?! How did you have time to stop it with your space cruiser!"
Seto was about to tell them once more that he didn't know what they were talking about when he was hit with a realization. The flaming object he had prevented from hitting Earth, it hadn't been a meteor or an asteroid, it had been one of their ships.
He turned his enraged gaze to the guard. "You… You were trying to invade us!" He pulled on the restraint again as his rage grew. "You monsters!"
The shock to his side returned, more violent and painful than before. "Answer the question!" The voice yelled again.
"Argh!" He bit the inside of his cheek until the pain subsided. "I- I saw it on my space station's sensor!"
The taller alien leaned closer. "Do all Earthlings have technology capable of defending against our scouting ships?"
Seto hesitated to answer as he tried to think of what he could best say. These otherworlders were planning to invade Earth, what could he say that would keep them away for even a few days longer? Would they even believe him?
Eventually, just as the second guard was about to shock him again, Seto scoffed and shrugged. "Nope, none of them do. I'm a genius, they can't compare. In fact, I bet none of them have even noticed that my space station got destroyed, they don't understand my technology."
He kept the smug expression on his face as the guards looked at each other. The smaller hummed in thought and muttered,"If they do not have the capabilities to fight back, then a preemptive strike may not be necessary…"
"The necessity of such an action is decided by Doyen, not you." The taller guard returned his glare to Seto. "Another question. How did your body fuse with our DNA, what did you do to cause such a reaction?"
Seto's eyes widened as he recalled the smooth viridian skin that now covered parts of his body. He looked up at the two with a bewildered expression. "That… That's what happened to me?!"
Another shock, painful enough to make Seto scream out in pain. "Ahh! I don't know! I don't know! I remember the crash and I woke up here! I don't know how your stupid DNA fused with me!"
"You watch your tone, you abomination! You are lucky we do not kill you for insulting the mighty Karalis race!" The taller of the two yelled in his face.
Seto gave him a disgusted glare. "How mighty can your race be if you can't even stop your 'mighty' DNA from fusing with a human?"
His simple insult was enough to drive both guards off the deep end. They shocked him at the same time, which sent Seto thrashing and screaming against the bonds on his limbs. Then, with a violent tug, the binding on his viridian green hand snapped off.
The hand no longer resembled a human, and instead had turned into sharp claws that gleamed in the light. Seto brought the claws upward and sliced across the taller guard's helmet. The Karalis stumbled backwards in shock, the visor shattering and hitting the ground in pieces.
When those yellow eyes turned to face him, Seto could see the viridian green skin underneath. Any doubts he had about their words faded away as he realized the truth, he was part Karalis…
The smaller of the two let out an angered growl. "You disgusting abomination! I will destroy you!"
The scientist finally intervened, stepping between the guards and Seto. "Stop! Stop it right now! What would Doyen think if they heard that you let this freakish thing upset you? Get out and guard the door, you've wasted enough of my time!"
The guards sent one last glare to Seto before they stormed out of the lab, the heavy metal doors slamming shut after them. Seto was alone with the Karalis scientist that wanted to… To experiment on him.
When he took a few steps forward, Seto was quick to raise the clawed hand again. "Don't take another step! I'll… I'll cut my way through that armor, just like I did with him!"
The scientist let out an amused chuckle. "Oh, my little test subject, I am not as naive as those guards. I prepared for all scenarios, including one like this."
A sharp stabbing in the back of his neck sent Seto's vision swimming. He blinked wearily before flopping back down on the table. Despite feeling like he would faint at any moment, his body stubbornly remained awake. What…?
The Karalis scientist leaned over Seto, his golden eyes gleeful. "Confused, aren't you. It's my own special formula, designed to keep my subjects awake during experimentations. After all the trouble you put us through, I figure it is a perfect punishment."
Bastard… Seto tried to sneer, but his mouth felt like it was filled with cotton, his vision swirling as his body refused to cooperate. The clawed hand had reverted to its human form, unable to change for defense when Seto couldn't even move.
He was forced to watch as the mechanical arms above him came to life and began to descend, his heart pounding as he tried to move, attack, run, anything… But all he could do was stare.
"To understand how the fusion may have affected the earthling DNA, I will take blood and skin samples to study how the combination of the two species reacted and if there is a way to undo the damage." The scientist walked around to the other side. "Hmm… You adapted to your abilities quicker than I expected with that hand. Instead of the skin, perhaps it would be better to take the whole arm!"
No! Seto tried to scream, but all that came out was a gurgled sound.
The damned scientist chuckled. "Yes, I believe that will be perfect." He turned towards the computers. "Computer, begin the sampling sequence!"
The mechanical arms descended as Seto let out terrified whimpers. No, no, no, no! But it was no use, there was nothing he could do to stop them.
Seto's screams echoed throughout the laboratory until he finally faded into the blissful realm of unconsciousness.
When Seto opened his eyes once more, he felt woozy, and his body throbbed with pain all over. He was back in the tiny cell, and it pained him that he was actually relieved to be in it. It was better than the horrible lab.
He shuddered at the memories of what that scientist did. The blood sample, skin samples, and his arm… He whimpered and forced himself to sit, where he lifted his arms to look at them. His heart skipped a beat, he still had both arms… But how? He remembered-
"Well I'll be damned… You're not dead."
He blinked slowly and looked up, finding the porcupine creature in the other cell staring at him with a grin. "I thought for sure when they brought you in they was gonna kill ya. An earthling with Karalis DNA? They don't take too kindly to that."
Seto couldn't help the involuntary shiver that ran through his body at the mention of his new part-alien status. He looked down at the viridian green arm and flexed it slowly, trying to see if what he was seeing was a dream. "It was gone…"
The porcupine creature nodded. "The whole damn arm was gone, but it grew back while you was sleepin'. The guards looked mad, that creepy science guy seemed excited." He sighed and leaned against the wall. "You don't wanna be makin' that guy excited. It would have been better if they just killed ya, no offense."
"None taken…" Seto said with a grimace. He didn't want to think about his torture, not right now. He quickly pushed those thoughts deep down, and tried to ignore the fear they left him with.
He turned down to his arm again as he remembered what he had done with it. It had been in a moment of panic, but he had been able to create claws, and even slashed through the bastard's visor. Could he do it again?
The young man took a deep breath and thought about that guard again, feeling the familiar anger build up. Sure enough, the claws formed once more. He gasped in surprise, and his hand returned to human form. He stared at the limb again, his mind filled with plots.
In the cell across from him, the porcupine glanced at him with a suspicious expression. "Yer gonna do something stupid, aren't ya."
"...Maybe." Seto crawled up to the front of the cell and looked down both sides of the corridor the best he could without getting hurt by the force field trapping him in. "What's your name?"
The porcupine creature was quiet for a long stretch of time, scanning Seto with intelligent brown eyes. "It's Greer."
Seto nodded to let the otherworlder know he heard it. "Well, Greer… How would you like to get out of here?"
Greer raised his eyebrows. "Yer insane."
"I don't mean right now! But… But if we see the chance, we need to take it." He motioned to the cells next to them. "There's hundreds of prisoners. Maybe if we can get out and release everyone, then maybe we can pilot the ship and escape."
"That's a lot of 'maybe's." The porcupine creature grunted.
Seto shrugged his shoulders. "It's better than sitting here waiting to die. I don't know how long they will wait to try and attack Earth again, I need to get back and at least try to warn everyone. And if I die trying… Well, at least I can say I tried."
Greer's doubtful gaze melted away, and he allowed himself to think. "My planet is already conquered. Anyone who rebels is taken away and killed, made an example of. The rest of my planet is enslaved by these bastards." He sighed and shook his head. "I know they'll kill me, but if I could die fighting for what's right…"
The porcupine's ears raised and he nodded his head. "You drive a hard bargain kid. I'm in. We'll escape these bastards or die trying."
"Or die trying," Seto said with a firm nod of agreement.
It wasn't much, two prisoners trying to escape the cells of their vicious captives. But it was more courage than either had felt since their captivity began. They were going to try their hardest to fight back, they just had to wait for their moment, no matter how long it took for their moment to arrive.
Hold on, Mokuba. Seto thought as he waited in the tiny cell. I'll find my way home, I will come back, I promise I will. Just hold on a little longer...