Sean refused to settle down. He searched every corner of the tube for weaknesses. Nothing. It was flawlessly built. Meant to keep contained all manner of beings. Banging his fists on the tube in frustration, he had no choice but to relax. The tube was built similar to a coffin. Only instead of bedding, it was a weird comfortable gel material that form fitted to him. He hated that it was more comfortable than anything he had ever slept on. Most of the pets were napping as the truck traveled. None of them looked as afraid as he was. Nervous maybe, but for the most part they were calm and content. Staring across from him, he saw the Angel man running a hand over one of his wings. He was picking off loose feathers and shifting around a lot. Tight spaces didn't seem to agree with his wings. It was only as he looked him over that he noticed that every tube had a square paper taped to it and a red stamp with the Trader's symbol. Taking his time to read the paper on the tube to his left, he figured it out.

Pedigrees. These pets weren't just pure bloods of their species, they had gone through special training to be here. They were trained pets ready to find owners. He wasn't surprised that his own tube didn't have those marks of approval. The truck came to a stop after what felt like hours. The door rolled up, blinding Sean temporarily from the sudden brightness. While a middle-aged man in a white lab uniform rushed up the ramp with a tablet. He scanned the Angel's tube with a small pen, telling some Red Cyclone workers in grey uniforms behind him. "Take the Celestial to lot three." Two men jogged up to quickly unstrap the tube and very carefully carry it out. The man scanned Sean's tube and Sean banged on the lid violently. The man jumped back, giving him a bitter glare, before telling the others with disgust. "Oh... This is the Slum Mongrel they told us about... Great. He didn't even collar him... For fucks sake. The ignorant scum ball. Take this... This mutt to the bathhouse. We can't sell him covered in fleas..."

Two more Red Cyclone men rushed up to unstrap his tube and he threatened them loudly. "LET ME OUT SO I KICK YOUR ARSES!" The man in the lab coat ignored him but told the men firmly. "Make sure you muzzle him too. He won't sell with a mouth like that." Sean thrashed in the tube, trying to get the men to drop him. They didn't. They carried him to a lift that took him up a few floors in just a few seconds. Through a beautiful pink door that opened on its own; he was carried into the steamy bathhouse decorated in pink and blue tiles. Sean stared at the small open rooms with tubs where some pets were getting baths. Some pets perked up their heads from message tables to look at him with worried eyes, but just as quickly forgot about him. The men carted him into the farthest room that wasn't nearly the glamour show he had seen. The tiles in here were grey and the room was empty of anything. The most it had was hooks and shelves with collars and bars on the far wall. The men set the tube down as two other men moved into the room carrying large bath baskets. Sean swallowed in horror. The two new men looked human... except for their purple skin and eight arms!

One of the creatures set his basket down, gesturing for the delivery boys to leave. The other creature moved closer to look him over with pink colored eyes, tsking loudly as he told his companion. "What a mess they gave us, Octas. He's filthy. It will take us hours just to scrap off the first layer of that dirt. Damn it." Octas stretched his arm out at an inhuman length to lock the door with his handprint, answering his friend coolly. "Cleaning him isn't the problem. It's controlling him. These beasts put up a lot of fight. First thing we'll have to do is collar him, Madix." Madix nodded, stretching his arms out to grab a steel collar from his basket. With another hand, he reached out to tap a steel circle on the floor, revealing that it was a steel post as it rose into position. From the post, Madix pulled a retractable chain and locked it to the collar in a way that Sean didn't recognize. It looked magnetic... but he was positive that it wasn't that easy to pull off. Popping the collar open like a claw, Madix told Octas calmly. "Alright. I'm ready. Let him out."

Octas ran a hand along the side of the tube, unlocking the bolts. Without hesitating, Sean shoved the lid open and tried to make a break for it. Climbing out of the tube was a bitch. The edges were so high and rounded, and the gel cushion refused to give him any firm brace to push off of. By the time he fell out of the tube, Octas had his ankles and Madix's had quickly snatched his wrists. Thrashing against their strength, he shouted curses at them. When that didn't work, he sank his teeth into one of Madix's hands. Madix screamed as another hand slapped Sean hard enough to stun him into letting go. While he was stunned, Madix clamped the collar around his neck and leapt away to Octas. Holding his hand out to Octas, he asked him in a panic. "Octas, quick! Does this look infected to you?" Octas looked over his hand, then told him seriously. "Wash it, just in case. And wear your fucking gloves next time! These creatures can carry all kinds of diseases when they are left in the wild."

Sean sat up, tugging on the chain as hard as he could. It wouldn't come off. He searched the collar for any release buttons, when Octas told him sternly. "Give it up, Mongrel. These items only work telekinetically with us and the Valkyries. You won't remove them." Sean lowered his hands, gathering up a length of chain as he told them bitterly. "Fine. I'll just kill you. That should release me." Madix nodded, stating out rather calmly. "That certainly would do it. However, you have to get close enough first." Octas snapped his fingers, causing Sean to yelp and drop the chain as it was retracted into the post. The chain tightened, forcing him closer to the post. Sean resisted it for as long as he could, until his strength waned, and he fell to his knees in front of the post. The chain continued to retract until it forced his chin to rest on the flat cold top. He was determined to still try grabbing them, but with their stretchy arms it was no challenge for them to subdue him. Madix took his wrists, clamping down matching metal bands around his wrists.

Unlike the collar, the thick cuff bracelets magnetically slammed against the post. Sean groaned in frustration, trying to muscle his wrists away from the post. Even with all his strength, he could only pull them briefly away from the post about an inch. Octas moved closer, gleefully telling Madix. "Much better. Now we can clean him." Sean adjusted to swing his legs out, kicking out at Octas as he growled out. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Octas wrapped his hands around Sean's ankles, nodding to Madix. Sean thrashed, shouting curses and the foulest insults he could think of. None of them phased them. Madix used scissors to cut away his clothes, until he was as naked as the day he was born. Growing hoarse and tired, Sean panted heavily. This was like a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. Octas leaned in enough for Sean to see weird square metal implants at his temples. He guessed they were the things that allowed them to be telekinetically linked to this weird equipment. Octas stared him down with stern eyes, informing him seriously. "There is no use fighting. You're out of your junkyard slum dog. So, if you don't want us to use force... behave. We don't like touching you anymore than we have too."

Sean waited until he was just close enough, before spitting into his face. Octas staggered back with a squeal, before ordering Madix bitterly. "I'VE HAD IT! Tranquilize him!" Sean yelped against the post as something sharp pricked him in the shoulder. While nearby, Madix answered with a serious tone of voice. "You read my mind." Sean shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of exhaustion that was creeping through him. His body felt weak... limp. Madix started tapping his cheek as he told Octas. "I love this stuff. Works fast on Mongrels. He's much calmer now." Madix tapped the post, causing the chain to fall from the post and his wrists to fall limply to the floor. With the chain loose, Sean fell to his side across the floor. He wasn't knocked out, but his body was unresponsive. It was the most frightening feeling. They moved in with their baskets, pouring sweet smelling soup on him and using sponges to scrub his skin raw. They didn't miss a single spot and they weren't gentle. They even cut his hair to make it look more... appealing.

While Madix was hosing him down with freezing water, Octas pulled out a clipboard and began asking Madix. "Alright. Any tattoos on him?" Madix looked him over, before answering. "Yes. One on each arm. Black ink. Looks like human runic symbols." Octas jotted down notes, then asked coolly. "You think he's a virgin?" Madix lifted one of Sean's legs to look, answering casually. "Hard to tell... He doesn't look as used as the last few mongrels." Octas put a glove on one of his many hands, moving it to Sean's ass. Sean jerked against the floor as he felt him slip a boneless finger inside him. Octas watched his expression closely, before removing his finger and uttering out. "Virgin. That's rare... He'll sell for that alone. Eyes? Blue. Piercings? Yep..." Madix looked over his ears and body more closely, then told Octas. "Just holes for gauges. No signs of tongue, penis, facial or belly rings." Octas moved a pen over Sean's body that lit up to scan him from head to toe.

When it clicked off, the clipboard highlighted with his information. Octas looked it all over, mumbling to himself. "Healthy. Looks like a fracture in youth... but no real serious medical issues. Young male. Irish roots... but mixed with British blood... Not pure. Slightly colorblind. Registered as an undefeated racer." Madix chuckled, telling Octas lightly. "Not bad condition. He's better than the last few mongrels that came through. We just might turn a bit of profit from him." Octas moved out of his sight. Leaving Madix to slip Sean into a black leather straight jacket. Then he buckled a matching hard black leather muzzle over his nose and mouth. The drug was just starting to wear off, when Madix finished slipping him into a zip-up black leather thong. Madix moved over to Octas after, telling him proudly. "There. He's dressed and ready for the show room. Shall we turn him over to them now?" Sean rolled onto his knees, feeling light-headed and weak. Octas quickly crossed the room, pressing a steel rod to the collar around his neck.

Madix moved around to his other side to press another rod to the opposite side of his collar, telling Octas a little impressed. "Look at that. He's moving already... This Mongrel's got some fight in him. I've never seen one recover so fast." Octas huffed darkly, grumbling out. "You say that like it's a good thing... It won't help whoever tries to train him." Madix snorted, replying darkly. "I'm simply impressed, is all. Besides, Duke Cannova is here. This Mongrel will be lucky if he doesn't end up getting fed to some exotic off world pet." Sean staggered to his bare feet, shivering from the cold. His mind was starting to clear as his legs got their strength back. Both Madix and Octas moved carefully to walk him from the room. They walked him out past those pampered pets again... only this time, Sean got to read a few signs that stated why they were here. This was a salon for the pets coming from off world. A type of pet quarantine to clean them before going into the main city. Madix and Octas led him out of the bathhouse toward men dressed in silver plated uniforms with bright gold badges.

The men were Valkyries. Sean recognized them anywhere. Androids. Their winged silver helmets with gold visors were dead giveaways. Octas handed off his rod to one of the androids, telling them seriously. "Careful with him. He's a fighter, but he's also merchandise. Bruises lower his price." They took the rods without a word and led him at a quicker pace to the elevator. One of them pulled a lever, bringing them back down to the first floor. The middle-aged man in the lab coat was waiting for them, checking his watch impatiently as he told them. "You're late. Come on. Get him into the container. They'll be showcasing the pets any second now." Sean resisted being pulled over to the wall, where a small square room was open. The androids kept him on his feet, dragging him to the container room. They set the rods on rollers set into the wall, letting the container pull him into the center of the room. Once he was centered, the rods locked into place, forcing him to remain standing upright.  

Sean yelled inaudibly behind his muzzle, only able to face forward and hear the door hiss close behind him as it sealed shut. The lights in the container turnedon as the wall in front of him dropped to reveal a glass that overlooked a large open show room. In containers all around the room were pets from all over the galaxy. They only difference between him and them was that they weren't chained up in their containers. Each container reflected the environment of the pet it showcased... Except for his. His container was just a plain off-white interior. Empty. The biggest insult though was that every glass was showing information known about the pet and their starting price. The other pets were a starting base price of no less than five hundred million credits. However, he was only estimated to be at a starting base price of a thousand credits. There was nothing worse than knowing the value of your life.  To Be Continued...