Seto wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had been taken from Earth; There weren't any reliable ways to keep track of time when you were trapped in a bare grey prison cell in the middle of space.
It took a while, but he was eventually able to discern a pattern. After three guard patrols consisting of two guards, there was a lul of activity until one guard came through and fed them all a disgusting purple slop that tasted like rotten fish. The one guard came by to make sure everyone had eaten, retrieved the bowl, then they were back to the three patrols.
Every so often, Seto was dragged from his cell to the scientist, who continued to try every experiment as he could think of. He never outright told Seto what he was doing, and the young man never asked. The scientist only spoke to Seto if he was insulting him or acting like the young man was just a lab rat, he didn't want to give the bastard any ammunition.
The only light in his painful situation was Greer. The two spoke quietly, sometimes for hours at a time, about their home planets, their families, and the things they left behind.
Greer's planet was filled with his species, and they all lived in clans with leaders called 'Elders' although not all of them were very old. "They used to be, but just because someone is old doesn't mean they're smart. So the rules for being a leader changes, but the name stayed," Greer explained.
There were nine clans, and though the Elders ruled independently, the rules that all clans followed were chosen by all of them at an Elder Council. They had very technologically advanced cities, and their main exports were the rare gems that were plentiful on their planet, and regenerated fast. The gems were used for many things, ranging from decoration to important parts for ships.
Greer was the son of an Elder, and was technically the heir to the throne. He wasn't at one point, but after his older brother Kordi was killed by Karalis, he became next in line.
"... And so other than my parents and older brother, I have two little sisters, Bin and Jun. Which is pretty crazy, my species tends to only have one kid in their lifetime. Let's just say Ma had her claws full with us…" Greer chuckled, and his inquisitive eyes glanced at Seto. "What about you?"
Seto thought about his family for several seconds. His parents, his greedy relatives, the abusive man Gozuboro, who didn't even deserve the title of father. Out of all of them… He only had one he still held dear.
His hand moved to his neck, where the necklace would have been had it not been destroyed. "I have a brother… Mokuba… We were orphaned at a young age, I practically raised him… We got adopted, but the man who adopted us was a monster. He's dead now, so it's just me and him..." He let out a sad sigh and dropped his hand. "He must be worried sick…"
Though Greer tended to lean to the pessimistic side, his friend gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Seto. We'll see them when we get free."
If we get free… Was unspoken by both of them, as they both had already accepted the very high possibility that they'd never see their planets again.
Their conversation stopped as the usual guard patrol passed between them. They never talked when the guards were there, as they tried to find any reason to attack Seto. His status as a half-Karalis was treated with utter disgust. Sometimes, he heard the guards muttering about how 'The Doyen should just let us kill him'.
That didn't bode well for more than one reason. Not only were the guards likely looking for any chance to kill him, it sounded like the Karalis leader knew exactly who he was.
When the guards were several cells away, the duo returned to their conversation. Greer ran a hand through his quills stopping just below his chin. "So you have a brother, but is that it?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Seto asked with a tilt of his head.
"I mean is there anyone else in your life? Friends? A mate? Anything like that?" He asked curiously. "Perhaps it is only because we are in a life or death situation, but you seem easy to get along with."
Seto frowned and lowered his head, his thoughts drifting to images of the people who almost had become friends. Yugi, Joey, Tea, Tristan, Bakura… Though he had always treated them with disdain, as he thought of them in that moment, a guilty longing filled his veins.
"...No. I wasn't the nicest person when I was on Earth… But there was this group I encountered a lot. They tried so hard to be my friend, but I was always so cruel to them…" He sighed and pulled his legs up to his chest. "It's stupid… But if I could see them again, I would apologize and… And try to be their friend."
Greer glanced at him peculiarly. "Hmm… After all the strange things that happened to you on Earth, you didn't change. What makes this time different?" He asked.
Seto's cheeks flushed, and he squeezed the fabric on his knees. "All those times… I guess it never occurred to me how close I was to losing everything. No matter what happened, everything turned out alright. But when their ship hit my space station, I thought for sure I was going to die. I didn't, and now I'm here and- and this time… I- I'm so out of my element… I'm all alone. It feels like there's a good chance that this time I will lose everything…"
The porcupine creatures hummed thoughtfully. "Ah, I see… So you didn't realize what you had until it was all taken away from you.."
Seto didn't respond, and curled further into himself. He stared down at the gray floor of his cell, and thought about his rival and his friends. Yugi, Wheeler, everyone… I wonder… Do you think I'm dead? Are you worried about me? Do you even care…? He almost scoffed at the thought. He didn't deserve their kindness, not after the way he treated them. I don't know if I'll survive this time. If I don't, please… Please take care of Mokuba for me.
Within the shackles of the lab, Seto's hands shivered and his chest heaved as he took in heavy breaths. Sweat covered his body as the scientist finally put down the bloody instruments, looking down at the hole he had made in the young man's chest.
Despite the burning pain that was going through him, he couldn't fight back. The drug that the scientist used rendered him completely vulnerable. Unlike the guards, who never seemed to learn, the scientist was smart enough to not give Seto a second chance to attack.
"How peculiar, the body regenerates at a faster rate than our own soldiers… I wonder how that happens. I must take samples of different cells in different body parts, and examine how the DNA has combined. Which is in control of the body's functions?" The masked alien questioned aloud.
He waved his hand, and the robot that had been recording his ramblings powered down. He turned to the tray of tools and grabbed a syringe, plunging it into Seto's arm. "There we are. Just enough for you to be able to talk."
Seto's foggy haze seemed to vanish just the slightest bit. He moved his mouth a little, but found his body still wouldn't respond. He narrowed his eyes at the scientist, and sneered. "Why do you want me to be able to talk? I thought you were too busy getting off to torturing me."
The Karalis scientist chuckled. "You talk very bravely for someone at my mercy." He set the syringe down. "Perhaps I want to ask my favorite test subject some questions."
"Ask all you want, but I won't tell you shit, I don't care if you torture me or not."
His captor chuckled, as though he had been expecting that reply. "You think I don't know that? I know you won't answer anything easily. But, unlike my colleagues, I'm willing to offer a trade." His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Don't get your hopes up, it's nothing relating to your freedom. It's more of a… Fair trade."
Seto narrowed his eyes suspiciously, still working through the fog in his brain. "You'll answer one question if I ask?" He guessed.
"Yes, I'll answer it truthfully too, as long as you do the same for me."
The half human frowned, his suspicion only growing worse. Why would the scientist give such an offer to him? It was definitely tempting, Seto would be lying if he said he wasn't curious about the Karalis and their goals… But was it worth it? Could he really trust the scientist to answer truthfully.
Seto sighed and winced in pain, the wound in his body still not healed. "...Fine." He jerked his head at the alien. "You go first."
The Karalis did not refuse, as though he had expected Seto to say that. "If you insist…" He hummed thoughtfully for a moment, but it seemed rehearsed to Seto. He knew the scientist likely had been waiting for his chance to question him.
"Tell me this… Were you telling the truth when the guards interrogated you?" The scientist asked him. "You told them that no other earthling has the same technology as you, that they cannot compare. Is that true? Or was it a bluff?"
Seto was silent for several moments as he tried to decide how to answer. He was confused, why would the scientist basically repeat the question his interrogators asked? What could he gain from that? He tried to gauge any emotion through their helmets, but he couldn't discern a thing.
It made him feel even more cautious than before, if that were possible. Despite his limited knowledge on the Karalis, he had a feeling that the scientist specified that they had to answer truthfully because he somehow could tell if Seto was speaking truthfully or not. The half human knew needed to be very careful with his response.
"I wasn't exactly lying…" Seto slowly began. "There are intelligent humans, but very few are as capable as me. My space station is… or was one of a kind."
His captor made a thoughtful noise and nodded his head. "I see... I assumed that most humans are very primitive, I am not surprised that they are unable to comprehend what is beyond their tiny planet."
Seto kept his expression neutral. It was rather irritating to hear such insulting things about his own species, especially from a group of people who invaded planets and kidnapped anyone who defied them.
"Interesting information…" He motioned his gloved hands to Seto. "I am a fair Karalis, I will honor our agreement. What is your question?"
The half human had many questions, some much crueler than others, but he had a feeling that the scientist wouldn't answer anything that would actually help Seto escape. There were hundreds of other questions he still had, but one rose above the rest.
"I heard the guards talking… They wish they could kill me, but they say the Doyen won't let them…" He looked at the mask, desperate to discern any emotions. "You all hate me because I became part Karalis, you want me dead. So why does the Doyen want me alive?"
The scientist was quiet, moving for several long moments. It seemed Seto's question caught him off guard. After almost ten seconds, he let out a curious humming sound, and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm afraid I do not know. Our Doyen often makes strange, but wise decisions." His eyes gleamed at Seto through the mask with hints of malice. "Perhaps he sees potential in an abomination."
The answer sent his heart racing as terror threatened to overwhelm him. Whatever this Doyen wanted with him couldn't be good. I have to escape, I have to get away! Seto thought as he shuddered within his bonds. Before it's too late…
A while later, Seto sat with his legs curled up against his chest, listening as Greer chartered softly about his home planet. They had spoken about it before, but it was comforting to hear it again. After the Scientist's last experiments, Seto needed the comfort his otherworlder friend offered.
"And so I'm like, it can't get any worse, right? But then just as I'm sneaking out of the window, Kordi runs over screaming and I see this gigantic-"
A loud screeching sound made all the prisoners jump. Seto jerked his head up and looked towards his friend. Greer's ears twitched as he crawled as close to the forcefield as possible, gazing from side to side.
Seto hesitated and then followed his lead, looking towards the left of their cells. At the very end of his field of view, he saw several guards struggling against something large. "Greer… Look."
The Karalis guards were pulling a large, chained creature down the hall. It was yellow, with huge spikes on its back and clawed hands. It let out another loud screech and lashed it's arm out. One unlucky guard was hit hard and flew down the hall, tumbling in front of the half human's cell.
Greer let out a quick laugh before he managed to cover his mouth, and several other prisoners began to make similar noises. The guard's fists clenched, and he hurriedly got to his feet. The yellow creature screeched again, now in front of one of the empty cells near them.
"Open the cell!" One of the guards yelled as he grabbed the weapon on his side.
The guard closest to the button tried to press it, but the yellow creature took that brief moment to throw its weight. The Karalis guards lost their grips, but the creature lost his footing. He fell backwards into the forcefield with a loud bang, which sent the floorboards flying up with a loud creak. At the same time, the forcefield let out a strange noise, and then flickered out of existence.
One of the guards seemed to have enough, as he stomped forward and shoved his weapon against the creature's skin and shocked him. The creature thrashed violently for a few moments before he went limp.
The hallway was silent as the guards panted heavily. The one guard who escaped injury looked at the cell, and sighed. "The cell is disabled. Move the prisoner to a different cell before he awakens. Quickly!"
The yellow creature was dragged away by the chains, but Seto barely noticed. His inquisitive blue eyes were instead focused on the damaged cell. The metal floorboards were bent roughly, right where the entrance was…
He got on his knees and raised his head to see underneath the bent metal. There was something under there that was flickering a light blue color. Is that what makes the forcefields? He wondered.
Seto looked down at the floor in his cell, right at the entrance. He hadn't noticed before, but there was a thin, barely noticeable seam in the ground where the forcefield appeared from. It's there… Can I get to it? He glanced around, but the rest of the floor seemed to have no noticeable lines.
He looked back at the broken cell and narrowed his eyes at the bent floor. He scanned its length and looked down at the floor again, running his hand to where he suspected the seam was in his cell. But how could he check for sure?
An idea popped into his mind. He looked at his viridian green hand and recalled the claws he had managed to create before. He took a deep breath and flexed his hand with as much force as he could.
Slowly, the soft fingertips turned into sharp, pointy claws. He let out a soft intake of air and then looked back down at the floor. He brought the sharp claw on his index finger down, and began to search.
His finger left scratch marks in several places for a full minute before his claw
descended the slightest bit, he would have never noticed if he hadn't been searching for it. "It's right there…"
"What are you talking about?" Greer's whispered question barely broke through his focus.
Seto didn't answer at first, his attention on the floor. He bit the inside of his cheek and pushed, his claw slipping into the seam. He pulled back with all his strength, and when he looked again, there was a tiny bend in the metal.
"Greer… The forcefield, it's under our cells…" He looked up at his friend, pointing at the small bend he had made. "If we can get to it, if we can break them and… And grab a guard's weapon…"
The porcupine creature's eyes widened as he realized Seto's plan. For a moment he seemed to be unsure, but the worry vanished an instant later. "Then we might be able to find a way out of here..." He turned to his own claws and frowned. "Mine are too weak, they'll break if I try. How long do you think it will take you?"
Seto looked down at his own clawed hand and flexed it a few times. He felt stronger than he had as a human. He knew it was likely due to the Karalis DNA he was fused with, he hated his connection to his captors, but if it could help him escape…
"I'm not sure how long, but I know I can do it." He turned his blue eyes to Greer, his tone morbid. "If we do this, if we try to escape like this, they won't let us try again. If we fail, we're doomed. Are you okay with that?"
Greer sent a sharp toothed grin back. "What kinda question is that?" He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes in determination. "This may be our only chance, we go out or we die trying, just like we said. I'm with you, Seto, till the very end."
Any doubt that Seto had faded away with his friend's words. He spoke true, they didn't know if they'd get another chance. If they successfully escaped they would be free, and if they didn't… At least they would go out with a fight.
With a smirk of his own, Seto gave a firm nod. "You're right. Let's do this."