Lana had been walking on end for hours, and was now somewhere outside of the city. She'd never known there was swampland in New York until now.

"Yick!" She grumbled, kicking her one foot in the air, to try and get rid of the muck on it. "This is more disgusting than the sewers. At least there you've a semi-decent place to walk, here it's all gross and smelly."

She kept walking until she got stuck. "Oh, great," she thought. "What else could go wrong?"

Just then, a mutant came out of nowhere, and stood before her.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded, eyeing, what seemed to be an overgrown alligator. "And where the hell did you come from?"

"I am Leatherhead, master of all those that live in my Swamplands," the alligator replied.

"YOUR swamplands?" Lana laughed. "Yeah, right. Nobody owns these, 'cept the government."

Leatherhead said nothing as he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her up out of the muck. He made sure that her shoes were still on her feet, then began to drag her to his home.

"Hey!" Lana cried. "Where are you taking me?"

"Once stuck here in the swamplands, you become my prisoner," Leatherhead informs her. "You shall now join the others and learn how a slave is to act."

"I am NOT your slave!" Lana shrieked. "I'm SICK of being a damn prisoner all the time!"

"Ahh. So I take it you're an escaped prisoner then?"

"In a way, yeah, but in bigger ways, no."

"Well, you shall remain one forever now."

"Not if I can help it," Lana muttered. "Nobody's keeping me against my will."

Leatherhead reached his home then, and dropped her onto the mucky ground. He made some really loud noise, and within moments a couple more 'slaves' appeared out of nowhere and lined up.

"Ah, my prisoners," Leatherhead smiled. "We've a new 'family' member. I found her stuck in the same muck, all of you were stuck in at some point."

"I AM 'NOT' YOU PRISONER!" Lana screamed, only to receive a backhander from Leatherhead.

"You are, and shall NOT speak unless spoken to, understood?"

Lana glared at him.

"UNDERSTOOD?" Leatherhead roared.

"Hai," she answered, still giving him an icy look.

Leatherhead turned to his other slaves. "You are to show her what she's to do immediately. If she fails, ALL of you shall be punished. Do you hear me?"

The prisoners all nod quickly.

"Now SCAT!"

Everyone, except one girl, scattered. Lana watched as the girl cautiously made her way over to her.

"Hi," the girl said. "My name's Tesia; what's yours?"

"Lana," she answered, as she stood up.

"You'd best come with me, Lana," Tesia informed her. "If not, we'll both be punished, and I'd prefer not to have that happen."

Lana nods and follows the girl. "Um...Tesia?"

"Yes?"

"I hope you don't mine me asking, but, um, how long have you been here?"

"Two years," Tesia responded. "My friends and I were riding our bikes and wandered too far."

"Are your friends here?" Lana wanted to know.

"Yes," Tesia sighed. "But we aren't allowed to talk much. When we do, it's in secret, and high hopes that Master Leatherhead's side kick, Shlump, is not around."

Just then, Shlump, a mutated iguana/chameleon, appeared before them. "What are you two up too?" He demanded.

"Master Leatherhead said someone is to show Lana around, Shlump," Tesia responded quickly. "I am to explain to her, her duties and the consequences of not doing them."

"Very well," Shlump nodded. "Once done, get back to work."

"What is he?" Lana queried. "An iguana or a chameleon?"

"Both actually," Tesia shrugged. "He's an iguana, but can change colours like a chameleon, so we believe both had to have been there when he mutated."

"Ah, I see," Lana nodded, then spotted two more girls. "Hey, who are they?"

"Those are my friends I was telling you about," Tesia smiled. "They're the greatest."