Chapter Seventeen

Still enveloped in a velvety darkness Sam sat curled up in the back of the kennel with her back pressed into the corner. It hurt to swallow from crying out for Ser'in to try and keep this from happening. She'd given up on that hours ago, it was clear that there was no one to hear her anymore. The gentle motion and humming sound let her know she was on the move, but where to was anyone's guess.

Staring into the darkness Sam allowed tears to trace down her cheeks. Part of her expected to wake at any moment, this seemed to nightmarish to be real. She wasn't sure if she'd wake up in her own bed or back in the jungle, she'd happily take either. It was impossible to tell how much time was passing in the sunless cage. She tried a few times to sleep, but she was unsure if she actually managed it or not.

Excited chattering jerked Sam out of her trance and she pushed herself a little harder into the corner. The edge of the blanket over the door was lifted and Sam blinked against the painful invasion of light. The alien muttered something and the lights in the room were dimmed. More easily adjusting to the lower light level Sam looked at the purple alien looking in at her.

The new dragon purred at her in a vaguely reassuring tone. Uninterested in being comforted Sam looked away. She wanted more than anything to just curl up somewhere and sleep. Every breath took effort as it worked against her heavy heart. She was so numb to the sudden separation that she no longer had the energy to be afraid or even upset.

The alien opened the door slowly and tried to coax Sam into coming out on her own. Sitting at the back of the cage Sam continued to stare at the floor. Part of her hoped that they would see the deep depression the transfer had sent her into and return her to Jack. Although her stomach was growling noisily she had already decided that they were going to have to force feed her if they wanted to keep her from starving herself to death.

When Sam made absolutely no move to come out of the cage the purple alien cautiously knelt down and leaned in to snap a leash on her collar. She tugged gently on the chain a few times before getting the help of two others to forcefully drag Sam out of the kennel. There were several more aliens in the room that held weapons, but Sam wasn't a threat right now. Once out and helped to her feet Sam stared sadly into the purple dragon's amber eyes.

"Esta fian te re'kin." The purple alien said reassuringly.

"No, the only way it's going to be 'okay' is if you send me back." Sam replied. "No matter your intentions, you're killing us both."

The purple dragon's eyes widened in shock at hearing Sam's complicated sentences. She turned to the others in the room and they started talking quickly back and forth. The purple dragon started asking her questions, but Sam didn't feel like trying to prove her intelligence all over again. It hadn't helped in the past and she doubted that it would help now.

The new dragon waited for Sam to repeat her vocal performance and when she didn't the alien just shrugged. After a quick exam Sam was lead down a series of unfamiliar hallways. Wherever she was now it didn't seem to be as large as the last zoo. However the scent of caged animals was the same and the noises were all familiar.

Opening a door the purple dragon stepped through it with her. She reached up and unsnapped the leash and left without a word. Sam stood on the leaf littered forest floor without moving for nearly an hour. Eventually her feet started to hurt from standing so she sat down in the same spot where she had been left.

Glancing around Sam found herself in the middle of a more traditional forest than the jungle she'd been living in. Unlike the circular cage this one was a more traditional box with much smaller dimentions. She guessed that from where she was sitting at the back wall it was only about two hundred feet to the glass viewing wall and about three hundred from end to end. The ceiling was solid black set with artificial lights about fifty feet up which allowed room for the oak like trees to grow.

There was a stream running down the middle of the forest scene, but it never pooled deep enough to swim in. Having inspected her environment as much as she cared to Sam pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at the thick ground cover of fallen leaves.

It wasn't until she heard those leaves crunching under a foot that she realized that she might not be alone. Her first thought was that she and Jack had both been moved to a new location, possible a tour of some sort. Snapping her head up in the direction of the noise Sam gasped sharply.

Until this moment Sam had felt that being alone was the worst fate that could befall her. Now she wanted nothing more than to be alone, it was far better than being with a stranger. Sam scrambled to her feet and backed away from the wild looking man that was watching her from about twenty feet away.

He looked human at first glance, but when she took in his features in a little more in detail he was a lot rougher around the edges that the modern humans she was used to dealing with. His long black hair and heavy forehead gave him a look of a human/Neanderthal cross. He seemed just as uncertain of her as she was of him and Sam decided that he must have been hiding this whole time.

"Uh...hello?"

The man titled his head to the side and growled at Sam. She took a few more steps backward and he took a few more towards her. His initial fear seemed to have been lost. Sam crossed her arms self consciously over her chest as he stared at her. The man closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath through his nose.

When he opened his dark eyes again they held a new glitter of excitement. Sam looked around in vain for a weapon of some sort. Whatever this creature's intelligence level he had clearly come to the conclusion that she was female and he had every intention of taking advantage of that fact. Scratching at his crotch he stepped closer with purpose. Sam set her feet apart to prepare for a fight and bared her teeth at him.

"Touch me and I'll kill you." Sam spat vehemently.

Sam's heart started to race as he came closer. She knew there was no sense in running, it was better to hold her ground and fight. She suddenly wished she had gotten more sleep on the way here, even with the adrenaline of fear she was feeling slow and tired. Sam did her best to look aggressive and unapproachable.

Undeterred the man came closer. About ten feet away he stopped suddenly. It actually looked like he'd run into something. Sam relaxed a bit when he reached out and put his palm against an invisible barrier. Experimenting he could lace his fingers into it, but he couldn't step forward. It was like there was a grate between them. Enraged and frustrated the male started pacing along the fence.

When it was clear that he couldn't get through Sam backed as far away as she could. Quickly coming to the far back corner of the enclosure Sam watched as the man continued to hunt for a way to get to her. She only had about a few hundred square feet of the enclosure which made her think that the divide was temporary.

"It's only a matter of time."

Sinking to the ground Sam pulled her knees up to her chest again. Backed into the corner she watched the aggressive male pace restlessly. She could hear him panting for breath as his desire escalated to the point of being painful. Sam flinched as he screamed in rage at being kept from her. With all his muscles tensed he continued to test the strength of the unseen barrier.

Sam wondered if the aliens had ever tried this before, if this man had ever actually seen a female. She didn't doubt that he knew what to do with one, but she wondered if the dragons even realized that there was a good chance that he'd kill her during a violent rape. He wasn't interested in her ability to mother a child, his desires lay entirely in sexual release. Since she wasn't about to let him use her that way peacefully they were going to have a war on their hands when the barrier came down.

Closing her eyes for a moment Sam started to cry. Curling up tighter she tried to keep from trembling, but her fear was too intense to be controlled. The stalking male looked incredibly powerful and she was unsure what kind of fight she was going to be able to put up against him. As time passed she became less concerned about the chance of being murdered and more fearful of the fact that she would probably survive at least the first rape.

Sam looked up and noticed that there were several aliens watching with what looked like genuine concern. One even took their young one by the hand lead them away. Desperate for help Sam got up from the slight safety of the corner and made her way to to the glass. The man followed her every step, licking his lips and grinning at her.

Keeping to the far wall Sam knelt down directly in front of the glass and put her palms against it. Just as in the other world this barrier wasn't actually made of physical glass. Two of the aliens stepped away from the others and came over to her. They looked at her in confusion, and she didn't blame them. They had been used to seeing humans as the violent and mindless creature that was pacing just twenty feet away.

"Help me, please." Sam begged. "I'm not like him, he'll tear me apart. Please, even if I was just an animal you couldn't possibly just stand by and watch this."

One of the pair of aliens knelt down and stared at her. Sam searched the dragon's eyes for mercy and found it. The man suddenly howled like a wolf. Sam cowered away from him and started crying again. The deep green alien on the other side of the glass looked over at the man and his or her golden eyes filled with fear.

Hopeful that she had made a connection Sam huddled against the glass looking as pathetic as she felt. When a uniformed staff member came over to see what was going on the emerald alien stood up and started snarling at the staff. Sam couldn't hear what was going on but the green dragon was pointing at her and seemed to have launched into an impassioned speech.

The staff member looked from Sam to the man and furrowed his brow. He put his hands up to calm the green dragon and pulled out one of the communicator devices that Sam had seen Ser'in use before. It wasn't long before the purple alien that she had brought her was on the far side of the glass.

All eyes were on Sam now as the emerald dragon snarled and spat at the purple zoo keeper. After a few minutes of observation the purple alien made a final comment and disappeared. Sam held her breath and waited to see if the door to the enclosure would be opened. When she saw the slightest sliver of light coming from the wall she rushed over to it.

Not wanting to frighten the only hope she had to getting out of the dangerous forest Sam got down on her knees about ten feet away from the door. The purple dragon stepped inside and looked Sam over. Turning her amber eyes to the human she had cared for years she furrowed her brow.

"Please...far'is..."

The purple dragon jolted with shock upon hearing Sam use the reptilian language. Sam had never been give a chance to learn very many words, but she knew this one meant 'please'. After a moment of hesitation the dragon held her hand out. Sam got up slowly and walked over to take her hand. Looking just past the alien and into the hall Sam could see that there were three more standing just behind her that were heavily armed.

Sam was still shaking and when she took the purple dragon's hand the alien once again furrowed her brow. She reached out and put her delicate hand on Sam's chest and noted the pounding heart inside. Looking more and more concerned the purple alien led Sam away from the display and down the halls.

Sam never thought she'd ever be so grateful to see a barren cell. In the ten by ten cage Sam quickly made her way to the corner and sat down with her back against the wall. The stress of her close encounter overcame the adrenaline and Sam broke down into tears once again.

The purple dragon was mesmerized by her new acquisition. She sat down on the other side of the bars and stared at her. Eventually Sam managed to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and looked at the purple one and forced a brave smile.

"Gala...thank you."

To Sam's surprise the purple alien suddenly looked angry. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small communicator. Sam watched apprehensively as the dragon waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"Va'lo!" The alien snapped angrily. "Que rest me'hana te nee?!"

Sam's stomach turned at the mention of Va'lo. He must not have told this one about anything that had been happening. The purple dragon listened and then started to argue again. Sam watched devastated as the dragon's anger turned to a meek submission. The alien tried to plea her case but it seemed to Sam like Va'lo had hung up on her. Sighing heavily the alien looked up at Sam sadly.

"Dali."

"No, wait..." Sam got to her feet and rushed over to the bars. "I don't know what kind of deal you made with Va'lo, but please, please call Ser'in. Talk to her, please help me."

The purple alien got to her feet and called over one of the guards and gave him a set of orders. Sam backed up against the wall again, fearing that they were about to drag her back out to the display. Instead the guard called over two others and they disappeared.

Sam thought for a moment that she was safe until she heard angry snarling coming from down the hall. They already knew that their patrons didn't want to watch the rape, but they had made some sort of deal to ensure that they bred their male to her. When they brought him into sight he instantly stopped fighting against them, knowing that he'd get what he wanted sooner if he cooperated.

They had chained his wrists behind his back and had him tightly by the collar. Sam watched every move as they opened enough bars to let him inside.

Sam closed her eyes just long enough to take a deep breath. When she snapped them open again she pushed herself off the wall and rushed at the predator they were about to release. Before they had the chance to uncuff his hands through the bars Sam was upon him. Throwing all of her strength and her fear into one powerful blow Sam slammed her palm up into his face at a steep angle.

The man didn't even have a chance to cry out. Sam had shattered the bones in his face and forced enough of them into his brain to kill instantly. Bright red blood soaked her hand as she took a step away from him. The aliens were all frozen in horror as their prize male collapsed to the floor. One of them raised his weapon to kill her but the purple dragon stopped him.

Panting heavily Sam stared at them spitefully, daring them to punish her for defending herself with lethal force. The purple alien knelt down and reached through the bars to check the male's pulse even though it was obvious that he was dead. She looked up at Sam with an expression of pure disbelief.

"I'll do it again...only next time it will be one of you."