Chapter 5: Captured!
When the group was finally brought aboard the ship, they immediately fell on the hard floor, causing them to groan in brief pain before getting up. When they did, they looked around the room around the room and saw that they were the room were in was a dark one as the only source of light that was enabling them to see was a large window so that they could see out in space.
"Oh great, a room we can't see in!" Dan said annoyed.
Lincoln then spoke up. "Is everyone alright?"
"Yup." Milo and Chris said in unison.
"Yeah." Dan said.
"Nothing injured." Sara said.
"Well, aside from the fact that my hair was stretched out a bit, I'm fine runt." Jasper acknowledged.
"We're fine Lincoln." Bridgette said with her husband nodding.
"I'm fine Lincoln." Globgor said before turning to his wife. "Eclipsa, are you okay?"
"I'm fine Globgor." Eclipsa said before immediately remembering something. In a panic, she used the magic in her umbrella to light up the room in a purple glow. Now all of it, just the area around the group. "Lincoln! Is Meteora alright?!"
Lincoln, realizing that was still clutching onto the infant responded. "Yeah, she's fine. Here."
He then began to hand the sniffling baby to her worried mother, however as he was doing so They heard a strange noise of something coming towards them. A few seconds later, the Loud boy suddenly felt something metal enclose around his neck, almost causing him to drop Meteora in the process. "What the-?!"
Before Lincoln could finish his sentence, the same noise came again this time, the same thing happened to Meteora as something metal enclosed around neck well. Immediately after that, the same noise occurred, all around the group as they all felt the same thing happen to them. Even Jasper, who had her guard up, ultimately shared the same fate as the rest of them.
"What the heck are these things?" Chris said, trying to pull what was on his neck off.
"Come on! Come off!" Dan demanded, also trying pull the metal thing off his neck.
"No, no, no, no! This better not be what I think it is!" Roger cried out, struggling to pull the metal thing off himself.
"They won't... come... off!" Sara grunted.
"Who's doing this?" Martin said the million dollar question.
"Yeah, more importantly, why?" Globgor asked.
"Whoever you are that's doing this, show yourself immediately or I'll demolish this whole room!" Jasper yelled out as even she couldn't rip this metal device off her neck.
"Whatever this is, it's sure is tough to get off." Milo commented.
Just then, a door slide up in the letting in the brightening white as three silhouettes of a familiar being entered the room. Noticing who they were about to meet, Roger hid behind Lincoln and Dan, much to the latter's annoyance as Eclipsa dispelled her umbrella's magic seeing that now the room was now lit up as one of the beings spoke.
"Why hello there slaves." A rather flamboyant sounding voice greeted the group.
"SLAVES!" The group sans Meteora exclaimed in shock.
"Who are you?" Martin asked.
"Well my name is Foster and I'm the head of Emperor Zing's elite guards for our ship." The alien introduced.
"Oh he's an emperor alright. Emperor weakling!" Jasper taunted to which Foster choose to ignore.
Hearing the emperor's name once more cause Roger to start hyperventilating, much to Chris' concern.
"Hey, you feeling okay?" The big oaf said.
"W-We're not supposed to be here Mr. Foster, w-we need to go back to Earth!" Lincoln admitted, to the which the others agreed to, much to Foster's irritation.
"God, are you lower lifeforms this self-centered around others?" Foster said in annoyance.
"I-I'm sorry." Lincoln apologized meekly as Foster walked up to him. "Yeah well you should be. Anyways, c'mon lets go take a looksie around the ship."
"Lower lifeforms!" Jasper exploded, marching up to him and grabbing him by his shirt. "Now you listen here you disrespectful little waste of space! If you think your gonna order me around without any objections from me or proving it to me first, well I've got news for you: You've got another thing coming!"
Foster, with an unamused look on his face at the quartz's threat, spoke up. "I think it's time you'd be taught your place Jasper." He then reached into his uniform pocket and pulled a circular remote and pressed and held down a blue rectangular button. A few seconds later, Jasper's metal collar started to beep for three seconds before letting out a massive surge of black colored electricity, forcing her to scream out in pain and let go of the gray alien because of it. The pain was so intense that it made her want to retreat into her gem in order to escape the pain, in fact she was trying to retreat into her gem but for some odd reason, the collar around her neck was preventing her from doing so.
Everyone else was surprise the display of self-defense and/or torture.
Milo, noticing Foster hasn't stop holding down the button, chose to speak up. "Stop it Foster, Jasper is off you!"
"Yeah, I don't very much like the gem but even she doesn't deserve this!" Dan said, in concern for the Quartz's safety.
Foster, realizing that he hasn't stopped the torturing the Quartz, complied in an embarrassed yet mocking tone. "Oh yes, you're right. Silly me." Foster then let go of the button, causing the dark electricity to disappear, making the Quartz take a breath as the alien then addressed the other slaves. "Let that be a lesson for all of you. You do what we say or face the consequences like you've just seen with this mineral disgrace here." He said, gesturing to Jasper, who was starting to get back up, even more pissed off than before. "Any questions cause I doubt you have any objections." He asked.
Instinctively, Lincoln raised his hand, like a student in school. "I have one."
"Yes, Lincoln." Foster said, wondering what the kid's question is.
Lincoln was a bit surprised that Foster knew his name, but asked his question regardless. "What are these things around our necks. Collars?" The kid asked.
"Yes, but they're also power dampeners. So that in case any of you have any abilities up your sleeves, your collars severely suppress them so the ship doesn't suffer any damages or you don't try anything funny. Only a member of my race can destroy that. It's located on the back of your collars." The big lipped alien explained.
It was only then that Foster finally noticed Roger, who after locking eyes with and squinting them to get a good look at him, the latter's heart was racing with fear.
It was only then that Foster recognized him.
"ROGER?!" He asked in shock.
"Hiiiii…" Roger said awkwardly.
The room fell silent as the two of the same species stared at each other as one of them was silently fuming with a deep-rooted feeling anger for the other for what he's done as the other was scared out of his mind as he wonder what was in store for him.
Gesturing back to the two guards he had with him, he began to whisper in a low voice to them so that the other prisoners couldn't hear what he was saying. "Guards, when we're giving the tour, make sure to guard Roger so that he doesn't try anything. Cause when we're done with the tour, we're "escorting" him straight to the Emperor."
The two nodded as Foster turned back to the rest of the group. "Now everyone, if you would follow me. We'll begin our tour of our ship."
Jasper was about to say something when Lincoln placed a hand on her arm, making her look down at him with grimace. "Jasper, before you do or say anything else to make our situation worse than it already is, let me just say this: You can't fight your way out this. So in times like this, it's best to just play ball before something bad happens." He said before taking his arm off her leg.
Jasper let out a small growl, but let out a reluctant, "Fine." as her response. Though she didn't want to admit it, but the weakling had a good point.
Foster began to walk out of the room with the prisoners walking out behind him when stopped and stretched out his arms out wide in a presenting motion. "Anyways, welcome to Slave City." He announced as he then placed his arms behind his back in a professional manner. "This is where we keep all the prisoners we've abducted from across the galaxy."
Everyone looked on in awe at what was in front of them.
What they saw an assortment of multiple different types of alien species hard at work. They even a guard looking just like the two that are just with them riding through the air on top a floating platform that looked like it was being powered by a strange looking energy crystal shining from the bottom of it. As they were being escorted through the "city", they saw that all of them had the collars on their necks as they did.
"But you are going to take us back to Earth, right?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, this isn't that type of slave ship Chris," Foster said, pointing a finger upwards. "Where you get to do things you want." He said as the group passed by a four-armed yellow alien with red stripes on the back of its head and purple stripes on its arms as it was simultaneously putting in, washing and hanging up the clothes of nine different washing machines.
As the group walked past a group of three elephant trunk-like aliens who had a bowl on the ground with some money and a big, light blue skinned alien with antennas on his head, who was currently crying, Foster, continuing the tour then noticed the glum look on most of the group's faces, so he decided to comfort them.
"Hey, don't look so glum. All the slaves serve a very important purpose on this ship." He then stopped, making the group stop too as then pointed his finger up again. "In the upper levels, where you'll work to serve our every desire."
An elevator then came down and Foster led the group into in. The door was going to slide close when Lincoln grabbed it to prevent it from closing.
"Hey, another human!" He said, looking what at what though was a human woman.
But it wasn't.
When "she" turned around, it was revealed that the "human" was just another alien. This alien looked like some bizarre plant, octopus, squid, hybrid thing with red eyes that had no pupils.
It then spoke a rather deep voice. "Suck you clean for a dollar!"
The humans in the group let out a collective scream as Sara pressed the up button repeatedly before the door closed as the elevator began to go up.
As the elevator continued its ascension. Martin pressed his hands against the glass of the elevator before he began to realize what this place.
"Wait a minute, is this ship what I think it is?" He said in confusion.
It was then that everyone noticed it too.
"Is this ship..." Chris started.
"Just one big..." Dan continued.
"SHOPPING MALL!" Everyone sans Jasper exclaimed in shock.
"Exactly." Foster informed them.
The group then got out of the elevator as the head of the Emperor's guard continued. "You see everyone, every time Emperor Zing visits a new planet, he picks out that planet's favorite shop or restaurant or anything he finds that interests him, then he replicates it here. Do you know what he considers Earth's greatest contribution because that's where you'll be working." He finished with a laugh.
"Spunky Pigeon's Pizzeria?" Lincoln said, calling attention to the Royal Woods' bird themed pizzeria.
"I doubt that Lincoln, it's obliviously Burgerphile." Dan said confidently, referring to Van Nuys' burger resturant.
"Maybe to you Dan. But I think it's Lard World." Milo said, referring to Danville's lard themed park.
Before the three could argue about their planet's greatest contribution. Foster stepped in. "Actually, you're all wrong. You were close though, it's Shawarma's restaurant." He then turned back to the two guards with him. "How weird is it? They were so close."
He then pointed at a nearby Shawarma Hut to where they saw someone already at work. "Now get to work slaves."
"Stars, no!" Jasper yelled. "Such manual labor is beneath me! I'm a soldier and I demand to fight in whatever battlefield you've got on this pile of scrap! If you even have one that is."
"Well if you desire combat Jasper, there is one battlefield in one of the lower levels. But, it's been abandon for a while though. So not a lot of participants will fight you now." He began to explain, much to the quartz's disappointment.
Just then, a guard holding a staff with a green glowing tip came up to them.
"General Foster, we've just obtained some creatures that can't be controlled." The guard said. "Shall we put them in the Coliseum of Mars at the lower levels of the ship?"
Foster then smiled. "Yes, and tell the staff down there and our people that the Coliseum is back on!" He then turned back to Jasper as the guard then walked away. "Well Jasper, it seems like you get to pound your fists in some new targets after all."
"Perfect." Jasper said as she pounds her fist into her palm.
"But it will take about 30 minutes to get it all set up, you know with match setups and making the announcements, you know things like that. So if you want, you can go down to the one of the lower levels and train yourself before the time to fight comes." He clarified to her.
"As long as I get to fight, I don't care how long it takes." She said bluntly as two guards came by and led her to the elevator.
As Jasper vanished from their sight, Eclipsa spoke up. "Foster, is there any daycare center around here? I don't think I'll be able to work if I'm holding my baby." She said, gesturing to the giggling Meteora in her arms.
"We do but it's the only one we have aboard." He said as he pointed to the daycare center at the level below them. "No one's visited that place in years though. So your daughter might be the only one that's there."
"Okay, Globby. I'll go drop her off. You stay with the group." Eclipsa said as she began to walk off with her baby.
"Sure thing, beautiful." He called out to her.
"As for you, you traitor," Foster as he snapped his fingers, making the guards grab a hold of the still scared Roger's arms. "We're taking you straight to the emperor!"
"Roger!" Lincoln yelled out as he attempted to help the alien by grabbing hold of one of the guard's arms, only for Foster to press the button, causing the shock feature on the boy's collar go off.
The young boy let out a scream of pain and agony as he fell the floor crying and writhing in pain from the electricity, much to the group's horror.
"Lincoln!" Milo and Sara cried out at the same time.
"Lincoln, no!" Roger cried as he attempted to free himself from the guard's grip, only for them to tighten it even more.
"Foster, stop it!" Dan demanded as he witnessed the torture of this poor kid.
"He's just a boy for goodness sake!" Globgor stated as stared in horror at what was happening in front of him.
"Resistance, attempted help of a criminal, or both, will result in this." He said as he seemed to take great pleasure in watching the boy's suffering.
"Then we won't resist!" Martin said in worry.
"We won't help Roger either!" Bridgette said with tears in her eyes.
"Please, just stop!" Chris pleaded.
The alien thought about for a few moments before releasing the button, bringing the Loud's torture to an end as he was now crying tears of relief. "After you're done crying Lincoln, you get to work at the Shawarma Hut." He demanded as he then lead the pleading, kicking and screaming Roger away as everyone looked on, unable to do anything to help him out of fear of being electrocuted like Jasper and Lincoln were.
When Lincoln began to stop crying, Sara and Milo helped him back on his own two feet.
"Are you okay, Lincoln?" The former asked.
"Better, yeah." He said. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem." The latter said with a smile. "You'd do the same for us."
Just then, Eclipsa returned. "What'd I miss?"
"Well Roger got taken away by Foster to take him to the Emperor and Lincoln got shocked because he tried his hardest to help him." Globgor explained, shuddering at the mention of the latter.
"Oh dear, are you okay dearie?" Eclipsa said, getting down on her knees to get a better look at him and check him for injuries.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Eclipsa." The boy said as the group then went to the Shawarma Hut to begin their work.
Later at Shawarma Hut...
"Ok guys, when you make a shawarma, you got to make sure that you even out the fruit with cucumbers and the meat of your choosing ok?" A tall man asked the group to which most of them nodded sans Chris and Martin, who looked like they weren't paying attention.
"Hey, are you two even listening to me?" The man asked, noticing this.
"Oh sorry." Chris apologized. "It's just that well... you're Sinbad."
"Yeah, I know." The man known as Sinbad said, like it was obvious. "So what?"
"So this is where you've been for the past two months!" Martin said in excitement.
"When we're done here, could we have your autograph?" Chris asked in excitement and hope.
"I'll consider it." He joked, making the two laugh. "That wasn't meant as a joke."
"Oh, sorry." They both said.
Just then, a purple, stingray-like alien came flying by, making a weird noise from its mouth.
"Oh no, that means the Emperor's on a shopping spree!" The comedian said. "Quick, all of you look busy!" He then quickly added. "Don't look him in the eye!"
Just then, a group of aliens who look like Roger came up to the hut. Lincoln and Chris, unable to resist the temptation, looked at them. One in particular was wearing a purple cape with a white hill pattern on the edges of it ,he was wearing a strange gray crown on his head, and he was also carrying a strange scepter with a pink glowing crystal at the top of it.
"Three shawarmas earthlings. And don't skimp on the fruit and veggies." He then said. He then gestured to the group behind him. "This one's on me guys, seriously put your wallets away you're gonna love this."
Lincoln, figuring that this is the emperor, asked the alien. "Emperor, I'm begging you. I don't care what you do to me. But please let me, Jasper, Roger and everyone go home," He eyes started to tear up. "I miss my Mom and Dad. I miss my sisters. I miss my friends. I love them so much!" He pleaded with tears running down his face.
Zing responded to the boy's sob story by laughing in his face a little before responding. "Love? Ha! There's no such thing as love Lincoln. It's just a pathetic notion that you lesser lifeforms cling to so you don't feel so alone." He stated in bitterness.
Chris, seeing the hurt look on the boy's face, decided to step in. "That's not true you jerk, the love Lincoln has for his family and friends is real! Just like the love I have for my wife is real as well as my friendship with Dan is also real!"
"Yeah!" Globgor then joined in. "I don't know the kid all that much. But I can tell that what he's saying is genuine."
Instead of responding with words, Zing responded by using the crystal in his scepter to make the left arms in the two humans twist uncomfortably, almost to the point of breaking for a few seconds, making Lincoln, Globgor, and Chris cry out in pain before the energy around their arms disappear, making the trio's arms go back to their normal position as they rubbed them to ease some of the pain.
"Silence! Do not challenge your Emperor, earthlings!" Zing demanded before changing the subject. "Or put too much ice in the drinks. It already comes out cold, now you're just ripping people off." He then began to leave with the group behind him. "C'mon gals!"
"Wait!" Sara called out, making the emperor turn around at her voice. "What did you do to Roger?!"
"Oh that unfaithful, backstabbing bastard." He said, mocking her. "Don't worry your pretty little head Sara, I haven't killed him... yet! Killing him now would be too easy. I want him to suffer first before I... well you know." He then a metaphorical killing motion with his finger across his throat.
"What did he do?" Bridgette asked the emperor.
Before the emperor could answer, he then though of something before answering. "Well, you'll just have to wait and see along with the rest of my people." He then lead then the group away, making everyone silently think to themselves as they got back to work.
Only one thing was running through their minds.
"Roger... just what did you do?"
"Oh man." Lincoln said sadly. "We're never going home."
Everyone was sadden by the boy's words of hopelessness.
There we go. Lincoln and his group have just met their captors and have just found out where they are.
Can they escape?
Will they be able to rescue Roger?
And will they be able to get back to Earth?
Find out next time on The Exiles!