The prisoners had woken as their train car had arrived at its final destination. Squealing air brakes, and the grinding of magnets their early morning alarm. They sat in the dark waiting on the inevitable. Rotom and Micky still stood on top of each other in a suit and tie disguise blending in with the majority of the prison population that was human. The empire didn’t often take many prisoners of other kinds.

They hadn’t slept all throughout the trip, as leprechauns they needed little sleep. The nth standard never sleeps was the game that kept them busy throughout the night. A game meant to be played with every crystal, and sometimes to the death. In this case they played a scrimmage with the loser going under feet.

The door opened to a sprawling outdoor laboratory. Massive wires covered in spider web over everything in the immediate environment, while exposed black crystals glistened from the sun's lighting on them from different angles. A sign market “teleportation loading dock” painted into the brick in uniform block lettering.

It was here supplies, prisoners, sheep and cattle waited in long lines stretching over the field in front while behind them towered a smoke stack curved up to the clouds spitting smog byproduct into them. A hand yanked the leprechaun with eyes on the street back undercover of an overcoat.

“How are our fates looking outside my eyes?” asked the feet.

“They are not in your hands” said face adjusting his sleeves.

“Fine keep me here in the dark” whispered feet stomping a few times in protest.

The idle guards came alive into the car descending onto them with the threat of raised clubs and commanding shouts of direction by harsh voices of authority. It wasn’t long before the latest in a long line of guests to arrive joined the rank with Mickey and Rotom smashed in the center of two yaks like a burger.

“What a rotten smelly mess we find ourselves trapped in” muttered Micky, sounding funny on account of plugging his nose from the outside world.

All his senses sans smell had been sealed. It was for the best here in his den below the torn suit jacket not yet exposing him. For the moment he had to only worry about putting one foot over another when commanded.

Above him Ratom looked all around for any possible route for them to escape by habit. The empire of humanity that ruled more and more of Tenare every hour was a well functioning machine when it came to the designing of their prison systems. It was one of the most prized arts that many great thinkers and inventors worked on perfecting, and many guards took great pride in enforcing. Escaping the teleportation destination that was awaiting with a catch of punishment was seemingly futile. Was there ever a harm in looking anyway for whatever small opening they could maybe cram away into.

The hours passed and no opportunities of escape ever presented themselves. The line crept forward toward the hastily constructed teleport pads far away near the tree line. The electricity surged from somewhere inside the smoke stack surging down the metal cables toward a rocky destination. The crystals rocked each on it’s own quick schedule, overcome with a burst teleporting the target, and line forward with every zap of power.

More wires, cables, ropes, and spools hung above from poles scattered all around the clearing of the secret facility. A piercing sound cut into ears from loudspeakers attached to everything. Mickey uncovered his nose, to reach for his ears.

“Prisoners thank you for being such well behaved units, since nobody wants to work anymore you will be teleported to a paradise to work for the Queen herself that is right, you are very lucky to be here actually and now a popping and bopping song exclusively from her to you” announced the loudspeaker.

“Beep bop boopity bop” said the beat starting up the Queens newest smash single.

“You're all free today, Free to build something better, we are all equally winning together when you build for this queen” she began to croon.

“Humans must find her just as creepy as I do" wondered Micky whispering.

"I very much hope so brother” said Ratom.

“You will kill us both shut it up down there” said Ratom briefly glaring down before commanding with both feet to walk forward.

“ZAP! ZAAAP! ZAAAAAAAAAAAAP!”

Now they were up next to be shocked, and there was no escaping it.

“Close your eyes, and don’t think about nothing when I tap yer head brother” said Ratom looking down a final time with as much final love he could muster under so much stress.

Micky nodded in acknowledgement. The cows in front of them zapped into red mist with a charge of the teleport crystal.

The guards didn’t waste any time talking other than a grunt to get them on the target. A thick mist of extra burning smock rose from the laser aimed directly overhead. Then the electricity loudly sparked.

“Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!”

Everything around them was a blank white canvas. Rotam swayed his arms first inspecting them in the white ether but quickly tried to correct his balance. Beneath him Micky tumbling in a panic. They fell down an airless chasm of white. No wind, or any other clues told them this except the screaming butterflies in both their stomachs that told them it could be nothing but a free fall.

“Smack!”

The two once together came smashing into something mid fall. A freak occurrence en route to their intended destination in this phantom zone. Rotam went from white to black vision knocked unconscious from the smack as the two plowed back through a hole in the core of Tenare. They came tumbling toward the white mountains above the ice castle.

“Thud, thud, splash” three small bodies broke their falls hitting the deep snow.

The flesh sank deeper and deeper, becoming trapped under the mass of white quicksand. A pair of feet kicked trapped under the ever constricted pressure of snow becoming a predatory snake. Feet kicked, and kicked again breaking out of a hole in the cavern roof he hit the rock below where his brother already lay knocked out. They both passed out quickly.

When Micky came too he clutched his pained forehead, and inspected his surroundings. A small cavern with whistling winds of winter whipping, and whistling outside.

In the far opposite corner from him he spotted two frozen outlines watching. The leprechaun sprang up on guard dragging Ratom passed out hiding him behind a large stalagmite. Then he crept forward in his rags, before crawling the final distance to the figures. A freezer burned wizard's robe adorned one of the dead, while the other was nothing but a skeleton with large breast plated armor.

“False alarm safe for now” sighed Micky collapsing with the danger cleared.

“Not dead yet!” said the skeleton coming alive with the raspy voice of a long ago smoked woman.

Micky jumped back falling yet again this time on his butt.

“Do you desire to eat me ghoul?” he demanded.

“Now that’s no way to talk to a lady whose name happens to be Misses Nancy Necromancer” shot back the corpse.

“What about the popsicle next to you, how come he ain’t talking?” asked Micky.

“I was just getting around to bringing him back, and when I’m done with him i'll head over and revive your the friends you brought here along with you” announced Nancy searching her intimidate cavern floor with hands on account of her eyes being seared away in hot magma previously.

Micky sprinted towards where he had hid his brother as the skeleton brought her necromancer crystal deep into the dead wizard frozen eye.

“Stay away from us creatures, I'm a straight playa no witches can ever mess with me” said leprechaun raising his fists in self defense.

He was standing above his brother curled up with a blood soaked head still sleeping ugly: a dream of many deaths. It was one against the two zombies dragging themselves towards him while behind the frozen corpses was the only exit. Micky quickly bandaged Rotom's leaky head with torn fabric before raising fists a final time. He could see how the dead wizard with white eyes skin had turned blue stuck too long in a frigid hell.