Episode 2 - Welcome to the Death Zone

So here I am, lying asleep in a spaceship.

The very thought is too fantastic to be true.

The destination of my journey is completely unknown to me, as is what I will experience when I get there.

After everything that has happened in the past few days, and all that I have learned, I would really like to keep sleeping for a long time.

If the unknown has its way, I will likely never see my home planet again.

The man I thought was my father isn't even of my race, which seems to be nearly extinct.

My mother was supposedly once a slave, murderer, and schemer.

And all of that wrapped up in a package for my birthday, to be handed to me a few days later.

I need to cope with this first!

Then there are these two strange people: Torsos, who apparently rules over several planets, and the wild Kaia.

It couldn't get worse!

Or could it?

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

"Wake up, sweetie!" a chirpingly bright woman's voice breaks through the darkness of my dreamless sleep.

Like the gentle touch of a mother or friend.

Which we are not!

At first, I can't place her voice, but with this realization, everything comes crashing down on me.

The entire previous night, in all its details.

The last thing I remember is an unknown man who took me somewhere and then gave me a sedative.

No woman!

She was supposed to take my mother to another place. Why is she here with me now?

"Hey! You've slept long enough!" She gets rougher, shakes me, then suddenly stops.

"Great!" she exclaims, as she falls backward into a crouch. A dull sound echoes as her butt hits the ground.

As if the surface I'm lying on is made of metal.

Where am I?

"What does he think? How does he imagine this? You won't survive down there for a month!"

She has an encouraging opinion of me as a person!

I mentally replay the last few days. Now I also remember who this woman is.

She introduced herself in the transmission as Kaia.

This realization leads me to the next question.

What does she mean by 'down there'?

I'll only get the answer if I open my eyes!

So I just do it.

I vaguely perceive a dark room around me, dimly lit by the glow of a soft light shining down on us.

"Awake?" Kaia asks me.

Two fascinating eyes with fiery red irises curiously watch me.

I can't tear myself away from that impressive color. It lures me to study the woman further and dive in.

Suddenly, Kaia bursts into laughter.

"You're probably not used to sitting across from a different species, are you?"

My cheeks turn the same color as her glowing irises. I realize now that I've been staring at her the whole time.

"Not really," I answer with a sigh, immediately putting on an apologetic expression.

"If you want to learn more about the planet your race comes from, you should ask the sweetest guy here," Kaia advises me.

My eyebrows rise in acknowledgment that I don't follow.

"You know that cute guy you owe your presence here to."

She winks at me as if that says it all.

I shake my head.

"Sorry, but I didn't catch everything last night."

Or was it the night before? How long have I been asleep?

"Oh!" she says. "I thought he introduced himself to you. Wouldn't that be the least he could do?"

She pauses briefly, seemingly waiting for my reaction.

"Well. Trust me, he stands out!"

She winks at me again.

This time as a promise to me.

And I must admit that I'm curious about this stranger with his impressive dark eyes.

What he said to my parents was terrible! He wanted to torment them, and that hurt me too.

Given what Mom said, I can partially understand his reaction.

On the other hand, he had a pleasant aura around me, which makes me curious about him.

The woman extends her hand to me.

"My name is Kaia!" she introduces herself to me.

I accept the offered greeting with a handshake.

"Janine."

She seems nice. Just a bit over the top.

I like her!

Kaia withdraws her hand and runs it through her short, red hair.

She is older than I am, yet she still looks very young. Too young to have consciously met Mom!

Then there was a man who claimed to have once been with her and also didn't seem very old.

My parents talked about cryosleep.

There's such a mess in my head. Can Kaia help me with it?

I look at the petite woman sitting across from me at the moment.

Standing up, Kaia would surely be about a head shorter than me, if not more. Her figure is accentuated by a tight black jumpsuit with red stripes on the shoulders.

It's similar to the one the men wore who kidnapped Nora and Andy.

My mother called them monsters in her story.

A creature that can read a person's thoughts. Even that their kind can kill with this ability.

Is that true? Does she have such power over others?

But then again, there are aliens! I didn't believe in them before all this either.

I decide to wait and see what awaits me here and to observe.

Kaia suddenly bursts into laughter, and I don't know the reason why.

Is there something about me? Or ... is she using her gift right now?

"It looks like ... I'll have to explain it to you," she says, interrupted by her fit of laughter.

"Maybe I can take away your fear with that!"

She wipes away a tear that formed while she laughed.

Her hands reach up toward the ceiling, then she lets herself fall backward.

"Your mother is right about what she says about me and my kind," she replies to me.

Instinctively, I flinch at the thought that she might be reading my thoughts. Right now. In this moment.

Damn! That's embarrassing! What if she heard what I think about her? That I find her interesting but also ... la la la la ...

Exactly! Just don't think anything! Na ... na ... na ...

Instead of saying anything, she leans to the side and smiles at me.

"I don't need to read your thoughts, but I think I know what you're thinking."

She winks at me before looking back up at the ceiling.

"Torsos and Gasard keep telling me not to do that. But it's too tempting to know what's going on inside someone else."

I can understand that! So I nod.

If I had such power, I wouldn't be able to resist it either!

The strange feeling that the other person can know your thoughts can't be shaken off.

"First of all! As long as you don't look me in the eyes, I can't do it."

There's a heaviness in her voice that I can't understand.

"My race is powerful! Depending on how high we stand in the hierarchy of our people, it's stronger or weaker.

Born as the daughter of servants to my former king, I'm under strong restrictions in using it.

I need to make eye contact with the other person to read them or influence them.

And as for killing someone... I can create a reality where a knife is stuck in their chest. If the shock doesn't kill them, then their body, unable to withstand the attack, will shut down as it would with a real injury."

A hard swallow crosses my lips. My eyes widen in horror.

A tempting yet terrifying gift.

On Kaia's lips, that smile still lingers, the one that envelops me in such warmth that I trust her words willingly.

"Don't worry! I only do something like that when I have to defend myself. Or when someone deserves it!"

As my calm returns, so does my curiosity about the delicate woman who hides her strength behind a single glance.

"In the royal family of my people, the ability is most pronounced!" she continues her explanation. "There are legends told that the great warriors of our people have wiped out entire armies in battles as a single person. Exaggerated nonsense!" Her voice shifts from calm to cold arrogance. She nearly raises her voice to a shout. "Cowards! That's what they are! These stories are just foolish drivel from the frightened creatures of the universe, meant to fuel their fear of us!"

With a swift movement, she sits up again.

"That's how they justify their decisions regarding how to deal with our kind. When our former ruler Makkos decided on their extermination, I was still too young to be aware of my own power. I don't know if some managed to escape, and thus if there are others of our kind out there. And the only one who could tell me how strong our race could become doesn't care about his power at all."

An explanation that sounds so fantastic to my ears that I can hardly believe it.

Does this delicate redhead really possess such powers, or is she just putting on a show for me?

As much as I'd like proof of it, it doesn't have to be at my expense.

The rest of it sounds sad.

I can't understand how the fact that the second person of her kind leaves these abilities unused upsets Kaia more than the destruction of her species.

As for me, I'd be incredibly furious if something happened to Mum and everyone I know!

Thinking about it almost dispels my fear of her, but it also awakens a desire to learn more about her.

My first impression isn't bad at all.

A nice and interesting woman.

"As for my age," she continues, "I'm 20!"

Kaia pauses again, then starts laughing as if that's already the punchline of the joke, which completely escapes me.

"The few centuries before that don't matter to anyone anyway!"

Centuries?

I look at her with a silent question: where does she hide those? How is that even possible?

She starts laughing again, enjoying how she's thrown me off balance with this.

"As long as you're here, you'll be amazed more often!" I believe her promise instantly.

Kaia spreads her arms as if she wants to embrace everything around us.

"This is one of our spaceships! More precisely, the Politaris. The best spaceship in our fleet! This ship belongs to the great, handsome, black-haired guy, to whom you owe your presence here. Our great ruler!"

All I can make out in this metal thing is a dark room, but her words must be true.

Why would she lie to me?

"You won't get to see our spaceships from the inside too often while you're here."

I rub my neck with my hand.

A slight pain lingers where Mum gave me her supposed sleeping aid.

From there, my fingers travel to the two puncture marks on my right arm. One is from the drug Torsos used to lift the paralysis, and the other is from the real sleeping aid he administered.

A few more, and they can start calling me a pincushion!

I continue down to my wrist, where I pause at a touch.

Hidden beneath the fabric of my long-sleeved shirt, I feel the hard contours of a metal bracelet.

I hadn't put on any jewelry the night we fled.

Who would I wear it for?

Our potential pursuers?

I push the sleeve up a bit until a golden bracelet adorned with colorful stones comes into view.

It's decorated, but I wrinkle my nose at it.

Not my taste!

Without any warning or acknowledging me, Kaia grabs my arm and yanks it towards her to get a closer look at the bracelet.

My arm stiffens at the sudden movement. Her pull feels as if she's trying to tear it off.

I scream out.

Startled, Kaia immediately lets go of me.

"Sorry," she exclaims, looking so remorseful that I forgive her instantly.

At the same time, it sparks my curiosity about her interest in it.

"You won't survive down there for a week!"

Her voice sounds sad, raising more questions within me than it answers.

What does she mean by that? And most importantly, what place is she referring to?

"What is that guy thinking?" Kaia shouts more to herself than to me. "If anyone notices that bracelet, you're dead!" She emphasizes the last three words as if the threat wasn't already terrifying enough.

I swallow my fear.

She can't mean it as seriously as it sounds.

Hopefully!

"Torsos must have had some reason for it." Kaia looks down at the floor, troubled. "And I had hoped you'd be on the station longer than just a few days. We could have become friends. It's nice here, surrounded by all these well-built guys, but it's also terribly lonely. The few women here don't like me!"

As for me, I find Kaia nice at first glance. I don't know what anyone could have against her.

Character-wise, she seems like a good mix of a woman who likes to keep a secret and one with a pleasant aura.

I point to the bracelet.

"What does this thing mean?"

"Okay!" the redhead exclaims. "This space station is considered our main base. There are a few other stations within Torsos' territory, but this one is the largest of them all. Most of the people here are crew members and our recruits. Then there are those who aren't here by choice: rebels, exposed spies, or common criminals. Their area, the prison, is called the Death Zone."

Death Zone.

On the night of our failed escape, Torsos mentioned this place. Right before he drugged me.

It doesn't sound very inviting. More like it makes me want to scream out loud.

Who would want to visit a prison voluntarily?

"We do have prisons on planets, but this is quite practical! This way, we can keep some on the station if we ever need to use them again. Interrogations for gathering information about the enemy or their mission."

Her explanation doesn't exactly make the thought of being there any more appealing.

Maybe even for the rest of my life, which she considers very short. Nevertheless, I continue listening to her words as she sits up.

"We constantly monitor the prisoners. Well, there's also a bit of exploitation involved." She winks at me. "Most of them are cheap labor. They usually repair and maintain the spaceships and other machines. Anything we can trust them with. The name Death Zone was coined by the prisoners or the guards at some point because of the harsh environment down there. When two prisoners get into a fight, the guards rarely intervene. Their job is more to ensure that things generally follow the rules and that the prisoners don't band together against their wardens and attack them."

She raises her finger.

"Above all rules, the most important is: no tampering with the spaceships! If anyone gets the idea to manipulate them, everyone gets punished. Depending on the severity of the damage, the punishment ranges from food deprivation to death. Though that's rarely carried out."

I swallow at her words, as she doesn't imply that the punishment is just a threat.

"Most of the prisoners are small fry! They wouldn't dare to cause trouble. If any of them get too pushy with you, go to the guards. They don't carry anything. Then there are prisoners who wear a smooth, gold-colored bracelet. It has a chip in it to mark them and monitor their movements. It's still unclear what will happen to them. They might be moved to another place later."

She pauses briefly to give her words more weight.

"Finally, there's a small group of prisoners who wear a black collar around their necks. Please be very, very careful with them!" Kaia raises her finger. "They pose an acute threat to the guards. The collars aren't just for decoration! They can deliver electric shocks to discipline the prisoners. That also happens if the prisoners try to remove the collars on their own."

I swallow audibly.

"Just try not to stand out and hide the bracelet!" is Kaia's advice to me. "At this hour, I'll be able to show you everything, but after that, I'll ignore you! It's better for you!"

I nod. It's clear that my popularity down there won't exactly increase if I'm seen talking to someone like her.

I look at her curiously.

"Kaia, what position do you actually hold?" I ask spontaneously. "I mean, other than being friends with your ruler!"

"We've been friends since childhood!" the young woman exclaims, her gaze seeming to linger dreamily on the past.

She quickly snaps back, and her words swell with pride.

"Well, I'm the commander or trainer here. But only when I feel like it." A broad grin spreads across Kaia's face. "I'm pretty good with spaceships and often torture young recruits with flight lessons. It's fun, but it doesn't do much for my reputation."

Kaia jumps up.

"Come on! I'll give you a quick tour of your new home."

I follow her lead. Without feeling too comfortable, I follow her through the spaceship.

When a door suddenly opens in front of us, I briefly raise my hand to shield my eyes. Compared to the lighting inside, it's quite bright outside, and the sudden switch from dark to light momentarily blinds me.

The room I now stand in is not only brightly lit, but also massive. Not just from wall to wall, but from floor to ceiling as well.

We are elevated, and below us, a carpet of spaceships stretches out, appearing tiny from this height. Along the sides of the room are fenced-off paths, with connecting walkways extending across every level, unsupported.

I swallow as I look down, impressed by the height we're at. Though there are railings along the paths and walkways, it's still imposing and gives a first impression of the station's immense size.

Behind us, the Politaris is lowered into the depths, towering above all the other spaceships on a pedestal.

"The Politaris is the only one of our ships that only one person besides the owner is allowed to touch," Kaia mentions, laughing. "He still remembers a nosedive he took as a little boy. Back then, someone cut a few cables on his ship. The saboteur probably hoped Torsos would get stranded in space and starve miserably. Instead, he ate his way through our planet until he finally revealed whose son he was."

I look down, feeling troubled. My mother told me something like that.

"What's wrong?" Kaia asks me. She looks at me curiously from the side.

"I think my biological father caused that nosedive," I mention. Being in the presence of such a close friend of Torsos suddenly makes me feel uncomfortable in my own skin.

Kaia stops and looks at me in disbelief.

"Malgard was Makko's best friend‽" she exclaims, astonished. She sighs, then continues on her way. "Things happen!"

As we walk, I watch the activity in the hall with interest. A few men dressed in black are crossing the walkways. I don't see any women, but this is just a small part of the station.

Besides, Kaia mentioned that there are few women.

Another thing that puzzles me is the fact that I can't spot any doors on the walls.

What I see are bright walls stretching along the sides, blending into the floor without a trace of welding seams or any indication that plates have been joined together.

It looks like everything was cast from a single piece, which seems almost impossible given the size.

Kaia suddenly stops. After a short time, I understand why and am quite surprised. A part of the wall disappears, revealing a small room.

I follow Kaia inside, and shortly after we enter, the entrance closes again without a trace of a door.

A slight jolt is felt as the seemingly solid room begins to move. It shouldn't surprise me. After all, elevators are as normal to us as spaceships are here. Yet, I expected something special in this small room. Some exciting technology, not just a means of transport that simply takes us down.

I use this time to ask her a question that's been on my mind, aside from the technology here. "You mentioned that there are only a few women here…"

I don't need to say more.

"A few," she replies. "When the right guy is in power." Kaia rolls her eyes. "His opinion is that women serve only two purposes." I listen to her explanation with curiosity. "The first is to ensure that his army has enough recruits for training. The second…" She winks at me. "They're supposed to serve the men and – especially him – fulfill their every wish." She giggles. I, on the other hand, raise my eyebrows in surprise.

And here I thought that aliens had to be advanced. The technology is, but these views seem downright medieval.

I shake my head. When I look back at Kaia, she beams at me and proudly declares, "I'm the only woman on the station who gets to give orders to the men!"

I can't help but chuckle.

Kaia looks like she enjoys this fact. And I can understand that. It must be an unparalleled feeling of power for a woman who is physically much smaller than many of the men.

A moment later, our ride comes to an end. The elevator stops and reveals a long corridor behind us.

There's no sign of a door or another passageway. Only bare, sterile-looking metal walls are visible.

If I were alone, I'd lose myself in the weight of solitude. Lost in a futuristic labyrinth.

For a moment, I wonder if there's only this one path, but maybe I'll find a way to inquire about that later.

As we leave the elevator and I see what lies ahead of us, I can't imagine Kaia giving me an answer now.

In the middle of the corridor stands a group of men. Two of them are wearing gray jumpsuits that cling tightly to their bodies, outlining their muscles. My gaze discreetly shifts to Kaia. Somehow, I can't shake the feeling that she had a say in the design of the uniforms.

Next to the two are ten men dressed in more comfortable clothing, distinctly different from the station's crew. Their hands and feet are shackled, chained together. Black collars are wrapped around their necks.

Such things, which Kaia had already reported.

Fear rises within me as I notice the gazes, especially the ones directed at Kaia. Since I'm following her, these glances also touch me. And from these glances, only hatred and disgust speak.

In front of the group, a young man paces back and forth, explaining some rules to the men. But when his gaze falls on Kaia, he rushes over to her immediately.

His uniform is also tight-fitting. His muscles are outlined through the black fabric.

Are all men here so well-trained?, I wonder. And above all, good-looking. He is certainly a handsome man and makes an impressive appearance. Although the men in gray don't measure up to him, they don't look bad either.

On his chest, he wears a badge I can't identify. Like Kaia, he has stripes on his shoulders, but his are green and almost covered by his blonde hair.

His intriguing green eyes first look kindly at Kaia, then wander over to me with curiosity.

"Has good old Kaia recently started giving tours of our station?" he asks. He smiles at me warmly. "Then quickly get out of here! The prison isn't exactly a place that leaves a good impression of our station."

"No, no." Kaia shakes her head. "I'm supposed to bring this girl down here."

"A female prisoner?" The man seems surprised. "And such a sweet girl at that. That's madness!"

"Don't say that to me!" She sighs.

"But he would have to be found first, which I've already tried, but no one can tell me where he is right now."

"You're asking the wrong person; neither of them reports to me what they are doing," she says with a shrug.

"And you'd think someone like him would be reachable for important things," he says, accompanied by a sigh.

His gaze falls on me again.

It makes me uncomfortable how closely he's examining me now, as if he's trying to figure out something that eludes me.

His questioning expression isn't just on his face.

"Back to the girl." The blonde man lowers his head closer to Kaia, his tone becoming quieter. "Say what you will, but she looks a lot like the race of a certain tyrant here on the station," he whispers to her. Quietly enough that only I hear it, but not the rest.

"Why are you whispering like that?" A conspiratorial grin forms on her lips. "Afraid that this really nice guy might hear how you're gossiping about him?" She laughed loudly. "Otscharsan, that's not nice!"

"I'm just telling the truth!" Otscharsan protested. "So, am I right or not?"

"Malgard's daughter!" Kaia responds quietly.

Immediately, he looks at her with wide eyes.

"You're lying!" he exclaims. Now she has completely piqued his interest.

He examines me more closely, as if searching for some resemblance to another person.

Perhaps he's heard my father's name before and knows him from records or compares me to his idea of him.

I can't imagine that Otscharsan ever met him personally.

Not if everything happened so long ago, and my family lived successfully hidden on Earth for many years.

Still, it doesn't change how uncomfortable I feel, so I avoid his gaze and take a step behind Kaia.

As if there were a place to hide behind the petite redhead.

I wonder why. Is my biological father really that famous?

"That was centuries ago!"

"Cold sleep!" Kaia responds shortly.

"Is the great warrior still alive?"

I lower my head silently. It's clear to me that they're talking about my father.

"No, but the prophesied hero is said to have already passed away," Kaia says.

Prophesied hero? Who does she mean by that? I look at them both questioningly.

"Then I understand even less why she's down here," Otscharsan says.

"You'd have to ask our beloved tyrant," Kaia says with a honeyed smile on her lips. "I stopped trying to figure out what goes on in his head centuries ago."

Kaia makes a move to continue walking. I obediently follow her.

This time, a man from the group of prisoners stops her. A muscle man who drags a few of the men with him as he steps in front of her.

"What an honor!" he shouts loudly. His words are full of mockery. "The great Kaia!" His broad grin seems to hardly impress her.

Kaia tries to continue walking, but she finds no way past him.

He's a tall guy, making Kaia look like a tiny person. Almost six foot three, with short brown hair and brown eyes, which hold nothing but contempt for Kaia. His appearance isn't bad, but he can't quite compare to the handsome Otscharsan.

"In close combat, you'd be done for soon, sweet little doll!" It's clear that he wants to challenge Kaia. Even clearer is how successful he is in doing so. "Without all these weapons carried by the men around you, you'd be as helpless as the little, weak girl you are!"

Kaia glared at him fiercely with her red eyes.

"We could test who kneels before the other first!" A brief command is given to one of the men in gray, and the muscle man is freed from his chain.

Suddenly, two hands are on my shoulders. With a gentle push, I'm pulled away from the two fighters.

"Our fury needs to play the big fighter again," Otscharsan says with a sigh. "Better stay far away from them! After all, you're the daughter of a celebrity! Nothing should happen to someone like you!" The smile on his lips seems nice, surely making some women melt. It would have had the same effect on me if he were a bit younger.

"Then show me what you've got, little girl!" the man shouts.

No sooner has he finished this challenge, he lunges at Kaia.

She skillfully dodges his first blow but not the second.

He hits her square in the stomach.

Kaia groans and stumbles back a few steps from the force of the blow. She has no time to recover. The giant throws her against the wall with his weight. He practically presses her against it. The pain on her face shows that his grip around her upper arms is not exactly gentle.

"I told you so...!"

Mockery fills his voice. It's clear that he already sees victory on his side. Even I can't imagine how she could still emerge victorious from this situation. Pity rises in me as his hand wraps around her throat.

My gaze shifts to Otscharsan. I actually want to ask why no one is intervening, but he just watches the scene with amusement. He seems to enjoy seeing the young woman in such a situation.

When Otscharsan notices my shocked expression, he crosses his arms and says, "Anyone who wants to fight has to get themselves out of it!" He pauses briefly before continuing. "Besides, the brat knows how to take care of herself!"

He is probably referring to her ability, which I have already heard about.

Suddenly, Otscharsan looks concerned. When I turn back to the two fighters, I understand why.

The muscle man has somehow gotten hold of a sharp piece of metal, which he now holds in his hands, menacingly aimed at the petite redhead.

"It seems the great Kaia overestimated herself!" The man laughs mockingly. "Will I become famous if I kill one of you beasts?" He runs the metal along her cheek, leaving a fine cut.

No sound escapes Kaia's throat. The redhead just glares at him as fiercely as a predator about to pounce on its prey.

Otscharsan and the two men in gray exchange confused looks. A silent discussion about the next steps.

I don't understand their behavior.

They should fulfill their duty and intervene, not waste time!

Only the prisoners seem amused by the woman's predicament, while I give her a worried look.

"No weapons!" Otscharsan shouts. He takes a step forward, intending to intervene, but the smile on Kaia's face makes him pause.

"Then I don't need to play fair either!"

She shows no fear. Her voice is strained, as his other hand has moved to her throat. Exhausted, every sound is hard for her to utter.

I don't even know where she gets this fighting spirit that already declares her victory.

It's the first time I've seen her powers in action.

Her irises glow red and mesmerizing. He can't help but look into them.

Her gaze traps him, with no escape, not even under his panic-stricken eyes.

Apart from the glowing current in her irises, there is nothing visible to the onlookers.

"Now kneel before me, you damned bastard!" she commands him.

"Witch!" gasps the large man. The sharp piece of metal falls from his hand and lands clattering to the metal floor. His grip loosens around her neck.

Kaia touches the pressure point where his fingers had been. She feels the lingering pressure and tries to dispel it with a cough. Her other hand rests on her aching stomach.

She doesn't allow herself to rest, remaining in front of him, maintaining the connection between her eyes and those of her opponent. Anger has taken hold of her.

The man in front of her pulls at his collar. It appears he feels it cutting off his air, just like his hands had with her neck. But this piece of fabric is elastic. Yet, it cannot be easily discarded without consequences. His body jerks as if he's been shocked by an electric jolt. It's so intense that he can barely keep himself upright.

"Damn bitch!" he curses.

"Kneel before me now!" commands the petite woman with a scream.

"Kaia, stop it!" interrupts Otscharsan. "The guy's learned his lesson! Besides, he's a Zeitstürmer, and you know how angry Torsos gets if anything happens to them here."

"Bastard!" Kaia snaps at her opponent. Reluctantly, she ends her psychic attack.

Immediately, the men in gray rush to the man, who now gasps for breath and doesn't even resist as he is shackled again. They take the piece of metal away.

Suddenly, someone else steps into the scene.

Just like Kaia's, his short hair is red, and so are the irises of his eyes. He wears a black jumpsuit with red stripes on the shoulders, just like hers. Overall, he is a very attractive and muscular man in his mid-twenties.

Again, I wonder if all the men here are so muscular, and then my thoughts turn anxiously back to Kaia.

The red-haired man's gaze shifts from the still gasping prisoner to the woman and back.

"Kaia, what the hell is wrong with you!" he scolds her angrily.

But she only turns her gaze away from him, sulking. She leans her body against the wall and sinks down weakly to the floor. She presses her hand against the painful spot where the man's blow had struck her.

"Damn bastard!" she hisses again.

The red-haired man looks satisfied with her appearance.

"Well, my lovely," he says with a broad grin. "If you're always looking for trouble, you deserve nothing better!"

She doesn't give him a single glance.

"Seems like he's right!" Otscharsan nods to confirm his words. "Get these guys out of here!"

The men in gray obey immediately.

I kneel next to Kaia and look at her worriedly. The faint red stream running down her cheek doesn't disturb me as much as the severe blow she received.

"No one needs to worry about this beast!" The red-haired man puts his hand on my shoulder. With a gentle push, he moves me away from her, then tries to take Kaia's hand from her stomach. "Let's see if he seriously hurt you." He says this calmly, almost lovingly.

Who is this gentleman? Surely the second of her kind she mentioned.

"Don't touch me!" she hisses at him and swats his hand away as he tries to touch her. In doing so, the petite woman makes it very clear how repulsive she finds any contact with him.

To me, he seems so nice that I can't understand why she rejects him. Besides, he looks damn good!

"Sounds like you're doing great!" the red-haired man remarks. "Stop getting worked up!"

She turns her gaze away from him again.

"The guy is a Zeitstürmer," Otscharsan notes. "You should have seen my face when he appeared in front of us and steered his spaceship straight into mine. We managed to capture him before his ship's self-destruct started. Unfortunately, it was unstoppable after that. His and my ship are now nothing but tiny scraps. And, as it should be for someone nice like me, they're in recycling." The red-haired man seems irritated by these words, while I understand nothing of what they're saying. "Now I'm looking for Torsos, hoping he'll be interested."

"You might try his quarters," suggests the man. "Maybe you'll have some luck there."

"Why don't either of you know where he is?" Otscharsan asks.

"And you could also try to reach him with your communicator," the red-haired man suggests.

"Don't be mad." Otscharsan seems embarrassed by this confession. "I can't help that this stupid Zeitstürmer took 'walking into our arms' too literally and destroyed both ships. The new inventions of yours that I was supposed to test were in my ship at the time." He scratches his head awkwardly. "Maybe you can piece them together; they're now somewhere in the recycling pile."

The man lowers his head. Dejectedly, he leaves us toward the elevator.

"Your race gets offended pretty quickly," Otscharsan remarks, addressing Kaia.

"Come on, little one, I'll show you everything!" Kaia calls out, her voice full of energy despite the pain that still torments the petite woman. This becomes especially apparent when she tries to straighten up. Her fingers grip the wall she's leaning against, trying to hide any emotion from her face, which she fails to do.

She falls back to the floor.

I want to help her, but Kaia swats my hand away.

"Don't worry, everything's fine!"

Is that true? I'm not so sure. Kaia seems to be trying to play the strong woman. She mentioned earlier that we could become friends. And friends are supposed to help each other.

So I don't let her dismiss me and help the petite woman up.

Only then do we slowly head toward the door through which the two men in gray went with the prisoner. What lies here makes my steps stop abruptly.

We are in a gigantic room illuminated only by a faint light. Bright enough to reveal the horror within.

My gaze wanders over cells. No, more like pens that I wouldn't even use to confine an animal. Simply unworthy of housing a living creature.

Always two rows lined up, separated by pathways.

It's neither the length nor the width that makes the room appear gigantic. Rather, it's the rows of cells extending over several floors up to the ceiling.

A queasy feeling washes over my stomach as I look up. There's just a narrow walkway with a railing running along the cells. Nothing more.

The cells themselves offer little privacy. Only a thin curtain offers protection from the view of neighboring cells. Comfort seems to be barely considered.

Inside these cages, there are beds attached to the bars at the back part towards the neighboring cell and opposite the door. Beside them is something that resembles a toilet. On the side is a structure that looks like a sink to me.

Whatever I had imagined a prison to be, this certainly doesn't match it.

"Can you please hit me!" I babble in disbelief, causing the red-haired woman to look at me in surprise. "I think this is a nightmare I want to wake up from as soon as possible." My gaze wanders shockingly over the cells again.

If my father was a celebrity, why do I have to end up in a place like this? I ask myself silently.

"Poor little one!" she sighs. She gently strokes my hair with one of her delicate hands. "I'll ask if I can let you stay in my room for a while."

She urges me to keep moving.

"There's a communal shower at the back," she explains. "You don't have to share it with all the guys. Just ask the guards." She thinks for a moment. "If they give you trouble, show them your armlet. They should be nicer then. We usually only use it when we want to find something out down here. I don't know why he put it on you."

We enter another room. Clearly a cafeteria. Tables and benches, fused with the floor, are everywhere. Everything here seems to consist of bare walls. But once again, it quickly becomes clear that some things are only noticeable upon closer inspection.

"The food down here takes some getting used to," Kaia explains. "You can get used to it. It just takes a little longer."

The thought of food is enough to make my stomach growl loudly. So loudly that, with my cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment, I place my hands on my stomach, which has been feeling a slight hunger for a while now.

"I'll talk to the ladies," she suggests. "Maybe I can get them to give me something."

Kaia approaches the wall opposite the door and knocks on it. Immediately, the metal becomes transparent, revealing a window into a small room where two women are busily moving about.

When the older woman's gaze falls on Kaia, she opens the window all the way.

"Oh Kaia, what brings you down here?" She smiles at the red-haired woman with her kind brown eyes. The woman, clearly over fifty, has her still-brown long hair pinned up. Her clothes are hidden under a white coat.

"This is Akara," Kaia briefly introduces the older woman, who greets me kindly. I return the greeting. "The other lady is Tosa."

The girl, barely nineteen, gives the red-haired woman a brief suspicious glance from her fascinating green eyes before returning to her work. She barely acknowledges me.

Still, I greet her as well.

"Nice girl," Akara notes.

"I think so too." Kaia smiles at the older woman. "This is Janine, and I wanted to ask if you could give the little one something to eat."

Akara shakes her head in disappointment. "That's not possible; the daily rations are precisely measured," she explains to us both. "It would only work if someone voluntarily gave up their portion, but you certainly wouldn't do that."

Kaia shakes her head, then begins to grin. "You could let Gasard go hungry. He's put on a bit of weight anyway."

"You're something," Akara responds with a sigh. "The poor boy deserves sympathy, the way you treat him." She thinks for a moment, then her expression brightens. "Well, someone—let's not be too harsh and complain about him," she begins. "For him, I always must cook something different and also make two portions, which he never eats both. The second portion I can give to the girl." She winks at Kaia. "Just don't tell him, or he'll be upset again."

Kaia turns to me.

"See, I can manage everything," she exclaims happily.

"You just need to come last," Akara tells me with a smile.

I'm much happier about this than having to try the usual cafeteria food.

Kaia calls for us to move on. Next, she takes me to the largest room in the death zone, the workroom.

The overhead lighting casts a warm orange glow over everything in the room. Platforms are mounted on the walls, from which the men in gray uniforms can oversee everything.

Thus, they act as guards over the prisoners.

Only a narrow walkway connects them.

Inside the room are several spacecraft. Kaia has explained that the main task of the prisoners is to repair the spacecraft.

Among these ships, which are the most interesting to me, some men are moving about. Some of them look eerie to me.

Even though I seem slightly interested, I'm actually not thrilled about this area that I'll be calling home for a while. To my surprise, someone gives me a shove into the room.

When I look back, I see Kaia's face, which no longer looks kind but arrogant, making me feel as though I'm just an insignificant object to the cool red-haired woman.

At first, I'm confused, but it's clear that she's changed her behavior towards me for my protection. Kaia herself said that she can no longer be nice to me here.

It's clear that everyone else would immediately consider me a spy if I engaged in friendly conversation with someone like her. I would have liked to ask her a few more questions.

Now, though, I awkwardly stumble into the room and try not to step on the toes of the grim-faced figures. Kaia's gaze, from behind, seems interested but also amused before she leaves the room. She doesn't seem to worry about me.

Does she trust me to manage down here somehow, or is there another reason? I wonder.

Suddenly, two strong hands grab my waist.

"Hands off!" I snap at the tall, brown-haired guy holding me.

"Don't panic, little one!" the man replies, removing his hands from where they shouldn't be. "Come with me!"

He walks ahead, and I follow – willingly, but still fearful, especially considering he was the one who fought Kaia earlier.

What does he want from me? I can't imagine anything at this moment. All I feel is my anxious heart pounding in my chest.

"You're the girl that the fury was leading around," he observes. "I saw you come down here with her." He looks directly into my eyes, his gaze warning me. "A little tip: Don't get too close with that bunch! It could lead to a not-so-painless death."

My eyes now look fearful. I understand, and I certainly don't intend to. But at the moment, he's the one who scares me the most – mainly because of what happened earlier.

"Especially that fury isn't very popular down here." The man smiles at me as he notices my frightened expression. "I just want to warn you. You're too sweet for such a death."

I blush.

"My name is Moriphos. And what's yours?" The impressive, large man seems kind as he asks for my name. But can I trust him?

"Janine," I reply.

"Women down here, that's unusual," Moriphos remarks. "I've heard that the prison on this station only holds male prisoners." He seems to be thinking. "I'm here because someone in my group is of some value. And you?"

"I heard you destroyed one of their spaceships," I mention.

"One more or less doesn't matter to them," he says. The red-haired man from earlier seems to think otherwise. "It's just a shame I didn't hit the spaceship better. Losing a commander would have been a success." He looks at me curiously again. "Why are you here?"

Moriphos sits down on the floor and leans against the wall. I do the same. At least for now, he doesn't seem to want to do anything to me, which calms me.

"No idea," I answer truthfully.

"But you must be here for some reason," he presses further.

I'm curious how Malgard's daughter will fare in a place like the Death Zone, I hear Torso's voice in my head.

What did he mean by that? I wonder.

But I don't give that sentence as my answer to Moriphos.

"Maybe they ran out of suites for their female guests?" I say instead.

Moriphos laughs. "I hope you don't lose your sense of humor."

"Food!" one of the guards calls out.

"The food here is supposed to be exceptionally bad," Moriphos says. I've heard that too.

I'm curious to see how my meal will taste. But I can imagine who Akara means. I could picture a dark-haired guy with fascinating dark gray, almost black eyes.

I'd be interested to see what this mysterious man looks like. He's said to be of my race. That's why I still have a few questions for him.

Now that I know my family isn't from Earth, I at least want to know where they come from.

I follow the crowd, but as I was advised, I stay at the back of the group. Moriphos tries to convince me to follow him so we can get in line further ahead, but my goal is different.

"Okay, so you want to stand," he says as he bids me farewell.

I'm not prepared for what awaits me.

When I enter the room, I see the first prisoners standing. Anything is better than tasting the food that everyone else reluctantly consumes.

Their faces certainly don't look too happy as they eat.

When it's my turn, Akara smiles at me.

"What's this about?" Tosa demands to know. "If Torso finds out, you're in for big trouble!" She looks at the older woman in disbelief. "I'm not taking the blame for this!"

"You won't have to!" Akara tells the girl. "If he finds out, I'll take responsibility."

Tosa sighs and turns away from us, retreating to a back area that can't be seen from here.

"If you want seconds, stay a little longer," Akara says with a smile on her lips.

"Thank you!" I reply.

Next, I look around the room for a place to sit – any spot where I can settle down to eat. I try not to trip over the other prisoners who have made themselves comfortable on the floor.

Unsuccessfully. Not a single free spot is available. I'm about to settle for a patch of floor when someone suddenly grabs my arm as I pass by.

"I'd gladly offer my place to such a charming lady."

I look up, surprised, into Moriphos' smiling face, then down at the full bowl he's sliding back and forth.

"This disgusting stuff, no one can get it down!" he snorts.

"You just need to be hungry enough!" a man at the table calls out.

"And eventually, your taste buds will be destroyed," another man adds. A chubby guy shovels the mush into his mouth.

"Close your eyes and nose, then swallow it down!" another advises.

"I'd rather starve than eat something like that!" Moriphos snorts. He gets up and lets me take his place at the table.

"Thanks!" I smile at him before sitting down. The men at the table regard me with interest, some even with delight. I decide it's best to steer clear of those ones.

"The number of ladies here has been increasing for the past few days," one mentions.

I poke at the mushy mass that's supposed to be my meal with the spoon. It doesn't look appetizing. But they said this is usually Torso's meal. So it must taste good!

I muster my courage, take the spoon, and put some of the mush into my mouth.

The men look at me with interest as I realize that although it looks terrible, it has an interesting taste—somehow fruity and damn delicious. They seem even more intrigued when I swallow the small bite.

"You have to live off something!" I shout loudly before putting the second spoonful into my mouth. I must control myself to maintain my disgusted expression. The stuff is actually damn tasty!

"Brave girl!" one of the men calls out approvingly.

I keep eating.

"Come on, tell me how long they kept you starving," Moriphos demands. He looks genuinely concerned.

"What kind of guy are you, anyway?" I ask curiously, instead of answering him. My previous fear of him has now vanished.

He looks at me in surprise.

"I come from a place where you're considered crazy if you believe in beings from other planets," I explain to him.

"I'm a Zeitstürmer," he tells me.

"Well, that's someone who didn't do his job properly," one of the men at the table mocks. "You're known for never getting caught. At least that's what you brag about."

Anger rises in Moriphos.

"That damned Otscharsan!" curses the big man. He regains his composure and continues. "We use technology that allows us to travel through time. But only to the past and back."

I listen to his words with interest.

"Sounds amazing," I comment. "You could fix everything that ever went wrong."

Moriphos scratches his head.

"We don't think that way," he explains. "We try to steer everything into the right path, as fate intends." He pauses briefly. "On the side, we try to seriously irritate Torsos, but our principle is that we don't fundamentally change time."

"Theoretically, though, you could change whatever you don't like about the present."

Moriphos smiles at me. He couldn't agree more.

"It would be tempting to kill that arrogant bastard Torsos in the past," he admits. "But that would be against our code."

"Your comrades could have at least protected you from this fate."

"They certainly won't help me." He sighs. "I'm not very popular with them. I just have too big of a mouth. And I even contradict our leader." He scratches his head, embarrassed.

I push the empty bowl away, then let my head sink onto the table.

The others return to their work while Moriphos looks at me briefly before heading back to the workroom.

I gratefully get my second portion.

For the rest of the day, I try to make myself useful but only get shooed away.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

It's evening when we're ordered to go to our cells. I, on the other hand, am taken to mine, which is near the door.

Exhausted from this first day here and everything that happened before, I collapse onto the bed and immediately realize that it's different from what I'm used to. It's more like a metal cot, with the only luxury being a thin fabric covering the metal. It's not exactly comfortable, and I wonder if I'll even be able to sleep on it.

What do I expect from a prison, anyway? The accommodations of a five-star hotel?

I suppose I should be glad to sleep on anything at all. After all, it's better than the dirty floor.

The light goes out after the last guard leaves the room, and I lie down on the bed.

I've just closed my eyes when I feel a strong man's hand running through my black hair. At first, I'm completely stunned. I forgot how close the cells are to each other. They border the hallway on the side of the door and neighboring cells on all other sides. My bed happens to be attached to one of the walls, and before the lights went out, I hadn't paid any attention to my cellmate.

With a startled cry, I jump out of bed. But before I can shout at my cellmate, I hear laughter from him.

"They couldn't have given me a better cell!" he says, amused.

I let out an angry snort as I lie back down on the bed. I don't need light to know that my cellmate is Moriphos.

"If we ever get out of here, you'll have to go out to eat with me," the Zeitstümer requests. Then I hear him turn onto his back.

"I thought this prison was called the Death Zone because no one ever comes out alive?" I ask him. At least that's what Kaia claimed. But I also don't believe that anyone could break out of such a well-guarded prison.

"You can always try," is his opinion.

It seems I'm not destined to stay here forever. After all, Torsos mentioned that I'm of his race, of which apparently only a few remain. So, I can't imagine he'll keep me here for long.

A little hope comes with that, though.

Kaia and Otscharsan were surprised by the fact.

I'm burning to know why. Why did he lock me up here?

How is my mother doing? I also wonder. She seems to have few friends here. I'm so worried about her and my father, Herbert.

A faint whimper comes from the cell to my right. It sounds like a woman. What's she doing here? I feel sorry for her.

"Shut up!" one of the other prisoners yells. The whimpering stops for a moment, probably out of fear of the other prisoners and their reactions tomorrow.

"Idiots!" Moriphos mutters softly, then turns back to me. "That was really good, the way you handled yourself in the cafeteria. You definitely impressed those guys with your actions. Though I still don't understand how you managed to eat all that disgusting stuff." He laughs quietly. "You've probably lost your sense of taste entirely now."

"No, the pitiful remains are still intact." I join in his laughter.

"You've certainly earned the respect of a few of our fellow prisoners."

The whimpering resumes, interrupting our conversation. I feel so sorry for her. Maybe I should say a few words to the girl to help her?

"Crying is forbidden during quiet hours!" one of the prisoners shouts across the room, accompanied by the laughter of several others.

"Wrong!" a sweet female voice counters. She stands in the doorway, illuminated only by the light shining in from the hallway. She's a petite young woman with short, fiery red hair and a black uniform that tightly hugs her slender body.

It's clear who she is. After all, there's only one woman like her here.

"Screaming and noise are forbidden during quiet hours, but if you're unlucky enough to encounter the wrong guard, you can expect a fitting punishment."

Kaia leans against the doorframe, letting her gaze sweep over the cells. She tries to locate the troublemaker, but he's suddenly quiet.

When her search yields no results, she pushes herself off the doorframe and slowly walks through the room.

"Guys, do you have to spoil my fun? I would have loved to personally strangle that troublemaker." Her voice sounds mockingly disappointed as she turns down our hallway.

Most of the prisoners look at the redhead with contempt, even Moriphos. She, on the other hand, seems hardly bothered by it. It even seems as if she enjoys the power of her position and the fact that most of the prisoners are afraid of her.

She stops at the cell next to mine.

Only now do I glance at the person from whom the whimpering is coming.

In the faint light coming from the door, I can make out a young girl. She's pressing her trembling body against the cell bars, her legs drawn up and wrapped in her arms. Her face is buried in her knees and hidden by her long, curly blonde hair. The thin, summery dress she's wearing is not only dirty but also torn in several places.

"Nora!" I gasp in shock, so quietly that no one hears. She's still wearing the dress she had on during her date with Andy.

At first, I don't know how to react and stare at her in confusion and horror.

Kaia crouches down next to her, gently running her delicate hand through the girl's blonde hair.

"Hey, little one," she speaks to Nora. The girl's crying stops, and she looks up at the redhead. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't want to know, but pull yourself together, or these guys can quickly become very unpleasant."

Her words may not seem comforting at first and more cold, but I understand that she can't afford to be otherwise. Among other things, it wouldn't be in Nora's best interest to be comforted by someone like Kaia. The prisoners would take that as an invitation to target the young girl.

"Tsk!" comes a snort from Moriphos, who has positioned himself in front of the cell wall and is glaring at the redhead with contempt. "The great Kaia seems to want to feign sympathy. You better not. Such feelings aren't even possible for someone like you."

Kaia's gaze shifts angrily to the Zeitstürmer.

"You!" she hisses at him. She stands up and steps to my cell to face him. "If what happened earlier wasn't enough for you, we can continue right here."

I move away from the two of them, towards the side where Nora's cell is located. There, I kneel down beside the girl.

"Nora, are you okay?" I ask her worriedly.

When the blonde notices me, she is just as surprised as I am.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, confused. Her bright blue eyes, which usually look at me with nothing but hate, now seem sad and tearful.

On Earth, we were neighbors, but liking each other was never an option. Not anymore. On the contrary, we practically waged war against each other. Now, I even feel sorry for her.

"I always dreamed of a vacation far, far away, but with sunshine, beach, and sea, nothing came of it."

My jokes don't cheer her up, nor do they cheer me up.

"The last time I saw your father, he was doing well," I try to reassure her. "Well, he's afraid you might have run away because he's such a strict father—or that something worse has happened to you."

She crawls over to me.

It's unusual because we usually argue every time we meet. Often, it escalates to the point where we almost go for each other's throats. But in this situation, there's no room for that.

"I'm worried about Andy," she whispers in my ear.

Kaia's gaze is fixed on us, interested. She seems relieved, probably because she thinks I'm taking care of the other girl.

"What are you planning to do with the women?" Moriphos inquires. "Seems like Tormahs are running out of woman."

I visibly flinch when I hear that name. Once again, I wonder how my mother is doing.

"We just don't know what to do with them yet," she admits with a shrug.

"How about this suggestion!" I say. "You take us back to the planet we came from." I already know the answer before she even speaks, but it's worth a try.

"That's impossible!" she replies with a sigh.

Nora starts crying again. It takes some effort, but I put my arms around the girl to comfort her. After all, it's partly my fault that we're both here.

Kaia glances at me briefly.

"I wish I had such beautiful gray eyes," she admits with a sigh and winks at me.

"Yeah, that would be a dream. Maybe then you'd be as helpless as a normal woman." Moriphos laughs out loud.

"No, just damn happy!" A wide grin spreads across her face. "Then maybe I'd finally get a guy again."

Or someone special, I think to myself. The way Kaia swoons over Torsos, it seems like she feels more for him than just friendship.

I'm starting to get curious about this guy. Is he really that good-looking?

"And what is someone like you doing down here?" Moriphos asks.

"He's taking the night shift today," she explains cheerfully. "I'd be thrilled if there was some unrest here. Then I could really let loose again."

Kaia heads towards the exit, but before she leaves the room, she gives the prisoners a warning look. The door closes behind her, plunging the room into darkness.

"What was that earlier?" I want to know from Moriphos. "I mean the attack on Kaia."

"What are they planning to do with us?" is Nora's question. She has calmed down, but only a little.

"To answer the first question of this lovely lady," Moriphos smiles at me and also squats down on the floor by the bars of his cell.

I soothingly stroke Nora's back with my hand.

"I honestly hoped the legends about this race were false." He sighs. "As for the other question, only the one who ordered it can answer that. And he's quite the coward."

I look at him questioningly.

"No one even knows what this Torsos looks like," Moriphos explains to me.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

It seems it will be a while before I meet this mysterious figure, I think to myself. I haven't learned much about why this prison has such a reputation, but I'm glad about that.

I sincerely hope I never find out.

Things usually turn out differently than you expect.