Brilliant green eyes seemed to glow in a sudden flash of lightning. The sky was dark, like a tornado of dark inks splattered on a gray canvas. The young man fell when the chain around his neck was given a sudden jerk. He fell to the earth with a gurgling sound, his hands automatically going up to grab this throat as he coughed and sputtered on the ground. He was doubled over on his knees gasping hands clutching at his throat, nails scrapping at the collar as he clawed at it in a futile attempt to get more air into his lungs. Long blonde hair fell into the young man's face. A cold stern voice barked an order. An order the boy didn't immediately understand until a metal rob was used to lift his face to his captors. Bright green eyes were wide and watering in a pale delicate face. Fear and sadness shone out of the boy's eyes and dusty features. The captive looked up at his captor panting for breath eyes unfocused and unseeing with shock. The guards stepped back and let the boy catch his breath. The captive looked like a battered and broken toy as he toppled on his side against the dark scorched earth. Another flash of lightning illuminated the sky, flashing past dark rugged mountain ranges, cutting through the gloom.

The guard nudged him with a boot, and turned to look at the sky, "we have to leave a major storm is coming in." the boy nodded rising, slowly and tiredly managing to get to his feet without aid despite his bruises and aching muscles. Both knew what a coming storm meant. In the Storm plains there was nothing for miles and being caught in a lightning storm was deadly, few survived. He was on the ravaged planet of Earth Sphere 3. A world that had been discovered with hopes of being a new future for a colony from earth. But it wound up being their deaths. The lightning storms killed off almost all forms of life on the planet. Only the strongest surviving.

There were tall tales, stories of bad children that were captured from the Alliance Territories and sent off as slaves to Earth sphere 3. Children of course dismissed these stories as they grew as nothing but fairytales to keep troublemakers in line. Nothing but made up lies, urban legends. Evan was living an urban legend. And to say he wasn't enjoying it would be an understatement. He was covered in sweat and dust before they reached the safety of a series of mountains. In the weak dust storm he could make out a cave. He couldn't help but wonder why me? Why would they choose me? A mediocre student, who had never held a job above burger flipper, who had no parents, never known them, and had no friends that would warrant his being kidnapped. Unless the stories were true about the slavers. Unless they had found out his secret. He stopped suddenly, sick. His stomach dropped and he felt nauseous and weak. The man pulled on the chain suddenly again and he fell. "Get up we're almost there. Almost to safety." Evan looked up at his captor. You mean you're almost to safety. I know that there is no way I'm safe here. His captor as though reading his mind gentled, something seemed to calm behind his dark eye and he spoke quieter, and more gently than Evan could remember him speaking, "come. We don't want to die out here. Especially so close to home." Evan rose again nodding confused by the pronoun usage and by the man's reaction. And use of the word home. He had never had one of those. He was further surprised when the man gently and firmly grabbed his elbow and helped him up. He found himself looking into amused dark brown eyes and the other man smiled and nodded throwing his brown bags back away from his face. "We are almost there. Then you can rest." Evan nodded still dazed by the personality change and followed to tired to care at this point.