Luke was woken by a deep rumbling noise. The world around him was vibrating quickly, almost to the point it hummed. He glanced around as the shaking subsided, expecting to see the familiar dank walls of Aisell’s small room but this room was different. It was brighter, cleaner and looked quite new. It was also much smaller. He appeared to be on a table squeezed in between a Titan sized single bed and a wall. What’s more, he appeared to be observing all this from inside a large glass tank that had been lined at the bottom with his cloth. Something didn’t feel right here. In fact it felt very, very wrong indeed.

Aisell was lying on the neat, freshly made bed staring off into the distance. She was propped up against the wall as Luke had learned she liked to sit. The bed was so thin she was right up to the edge and he was no more than a few steps from the bare skin of her elbow. That was if there wasn’t a giant wall of glass in between them. He jumped, hoping the low gravity would allow him to reach the edge of the open tank but he couldn’t quite reach his goal.

“Aisell!” He called up to her feeling very trapped and very worried.

Her head snapped round instantly and she looked down on Luke. He could tell something was wrong. She looked scared. Her eyes were puffy and red and it looked like she’d been crying. She swung her legs over the bed and dropped to the floor bring her face level with his.

“Hi Luke…” she said slowly. The nerves were clear in her voice and she looked to be focusing hard on controlling herself. It only served to put Luke more on edge.

“What’s going on? Where are we? And why am I in this tank?!” Luke spoke quickly and started to raise his voice as a horrible feeling filled his stomach.

Aisell took a long deep breath and looked away for a second and then back to the now pacing Luke.

“Please don’t freak out…” she said gently trying to sound reassuring but Luke cut her off.

“Tell me what’s going on!” he shouted back.

The nervous Titaness slumped back against the bed, side on from the table and looked back up to Luke. She brushed some loose strands of hair back behind her ears and swallowed before she spoke.

“I couldn’t do it Luke…I just couldn’t. The whole time I was packing…putting my things into my case I just felt sick. Every time I closed my eyes for a second all I could see was you…”

Luke stood perfectly still watching her as she spoke. He was starting to shake. He knew what she was going to say but he couldn’t quite believe it. He had to hear her say it.

“…lying hurt somewhere. Alone, desperate, starving or something. Attacked by some horrible bug or worse. I tried Luke, I really did! To put it out of my mind, to tell myself you’d be ok but I just felt sicker and sicker. I broke down in tears…and all I could see was you dying…calling for me…”

“Aisell…” Luke spoke low and angry. He was shaking and pumping his fists involuntarily. “…tell me just what is going on!”

She stood up, placing her fingertips on the wooden table top and took several deep breaths to regain her fragile composure. Luke craned his neck up, following the red wall of her V-neck top up to her face. Her top lip was curled over the bottom one as she willed herself to speak.

“We’re on a ship…”

“NO!” Luke screamed back.

“We’re on our way to Archavia…my home…”

“NO! NO! NO!” Luke screamed again starting to panic. The glass walls were closing in around him, he was shaking uncontrollably and his breathing had become quick and shallow.

He ran at the glass as fast as he could, desperate to get out. Aisell could hear the audible thud as his shoulder and torso made contact with the solid, unwavering wall.

“Luke don’t! You’ll hurt yourself!” she cried covering her mouth with a hand.

Luke didn’t listen. He couldn’t hear her. All he could hear was his pulse in his head as adrenaline surged through him. He flung himself at the wall over and over again as hard as he could. He didn’t feel any pain. The only thing he could focus on was escaping.

“Take me back!” He screamed as he threw himself against the pane once more. “Take me back! I have to go back!”

“Please Luke! Don’t! You’re going to get hurt!” Aisell begged. She wanted to reach in and stop him but she couldn’t bring herself to. She’d done enough already. She’d done this to him.

She watched and choked down tears as Luke jumped and scrambled against the wall for almost a full minute before slumping down on the floor.

“YOU HAD NO RIGHT!” He screamed at her, his voice filled with rage and contempt.

“Luke I…” she spoke softly.

“I TRUSTED YOU!” He screamed getting to his feet. “You lying fucking BITCH!”

Luke charged at the glass again. His shirt was in tatters and Aisell could see the deep purple outline of large bruises forming on his upper body. She choked down the rising lump in her throat and steadied her resolve, reminding herself why she had done it, why she had broken her word. There was no way for him to get home. If she had left him on Titan Station he would have died a lonely, painful death. He wouldn’t have had a life but at least with her he would have something. It was the right thing to do.

“Please Luke” she pleaded, her voice much steadier now. “Listen to me”

“NO! All you do is lie! It was MY choice! You had NO right! No right!” he yelled back.

Aisell shook her head. “You’re right. It was your choice. And I had no right…”

“Fuck you!” He spat back.

“You’ve every right to be angry, I know full well what I’ve done. You can hate me forever, I don’t care, I just couldn’t leave you there to die Luke. You were never going to get home. You would just die horribly and alone and I couldn’t live with myself. You may hate me but at least this way you’re alive to hate me. And I can live with that.” She explained as Luke breathed heavily trying to recover some of his strength.

“NO!” He screamed and dived at the wall once more. He could feel the dream that had kept him alive for over a year and a half slipping away with each passing second. The dream of getting home. “I have to get home!”

Luke drew back and dived at the wall though this time he hit and much softer warmer wall. It curved beneath him and scooped him up lifting him quickly.

Animal instincts took over as Luke realised he was now free of the prison and he had a chance to escape from his giant captor. Just as her fingers closed around him he dived under her three foot long thumb towards the table top.

The Titaness was on her guard and quickly brought her other hand underneath the slippery Human as he fell towards the table top. She pulled her hand up high as he impacted its soft flesh. She hoped the higher he was the less inclined he’d be to jump but her actions seemed to have the opposite effect. Luke scrambled faster and faster jumping off her hand, desperate to get away from her. Again and again she swung one hand in front of the other to break his fall.

“Luke stop this! You’re going to kill yourself!” She screamed.

Luke didn’t stop. He just kept running straight ahead, adrenaline driving him on, desperate to get away from her. He dived off her hand once again. He’d expected either a long drop or the same fleshy floor once again to greet him but this time Aisell switched up. A wall of skin hit him head on almost knocking the wind out of him and her long, strong fingers quickly wrapped around his body, leaving only his head poking out. Those same fingers that had cared for him and softly stroked him now trapped him helplessly. He squirmed and thrashed and wriggled but there was nothing he could do. She was too strong and Luke had no choice but to relent as his body gave up its pointless struggle.

“Please Aisell…let me go…” he said before breaking down and starting to sob.

“I can’t…you’re my responsibility.” Her heart was breaking. She didn’t want him to hate her; she wanted to nothing more than to get him home but there was no way she could do that.

“You promised!” Luke yelled between sobs.

Aisell could feel tiny drops of moisture on her skin as Luke’s tears flowed freely. He looked distraught. Beyond distraught. She’d known he wasn’t going to take it well but this she hadn’t expected.

“I did…and I meant it when I made it Luke…” she said before he cut her off again.

“You swore to me!” he cried “You swore you wouldn’t take me! You told me you’d help me! It was all lies!”

“They weren’t Luke. I meant them when I said them. But I couldn’t leave you. I promise I’ll take care of you.” There was no upset in her voice. She couldn’t be upset. She needed to be strong and get both of them through this. She could be upset later.

“LIAR! You promised before and it was all bullshit!” Luke yelled. He’d stopped crying. Her words only made him angrier.

“I know…I know you’ve no reason to believe me. But I’ll prove it to you. I’ll look after you and do everything I can to make you happy…” she said loosening her grip slightly. She could feel Luke squirming again and she was worried about hurting him.

“Please! Let me go! I can’t be a pet! I won’t be a pet!” he shouted still squirming.

“I can’t let you go. Not until I know you won’t do something stupid.”

Luke squirmed and thrashed with all his strength but to no avail. She was far too strong. In all their time together she had only once displayed her strength to him and that was unintentional. He realised now as he gave up his struggles he was caught. She could do with him as she liked. Even if he got away from her he had nowhere to go. He didn’t even know where he could find food or shelter. He needed her now more than ever.

“Are you done?” She asked cautiously.

Luke nodded his head as tears started to run down his cheeks once more. Aisell slowly released her fingers and turned her palm round level. She watched nervously as Luke curled up into a ball and stared off into this distance.

“I swear to you Luke, I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.” She said with conviction hoping now he seemed rational she could win him over.

“I won’t be a pet…” he whispered too quiet for her to hear.

“What was that?”

“I won’t be a pet!” He said much louder this time.

She shook her head. “And you won’t be. I know you’re not a pet. You’re a thinking, feeling, intelligent person, just like me. We get along so well, I think you could be happy with me.”

“No…” Luke sobbed “Look at me, I’m pathetic. You said it yourself. I’m too small and weak to ever be seen as a man by you. No matter what you say I’ll always be a glorified pet…”

“That’s not true Luke…”

“Yes it is!” He sobbed louder “Please Aisell, I can’t stay here. I have to get home.”

Aisell sat down on the bed and lay back against the wall holding Luke up. He was muttering over and over and sobbing softly.

“I’m so sorry Luke, for everything.” Aisell sighed.

“Please Aisell! Let me go home! I want to go home. I HAVE to get home!” Luke started to weep.

Aisell hated herself. Watching Luke weep and beg to get away from her. She consciously reminded herself again that she wasn’t the one who had abducted him. She had no choice. If she left him on his own he’d die. She was the only reason he was still alive after his run in with the scilith.

She cupped him in both hands and held him to her stomach and rocked him softly. “Shhhhh. It’ll be ok. I’ll always be here for you. I swear Luke. I can’t get you home but I’ll help you make a new one.”