Medic Kaul stood at the control panel in his clinic with Medic Renn beside him. They had just sent the last holographic recording, teaching the clinics what to do in the event someone collapsed.

The panel in front of them began to light up. A chaotic blinking across the control panel. It was several of the fleet ships that were reporting that they had collapsed humans in their clinic and were treating them, using the training on the holographic recording as their guide.

Medics Kaul and Renn stood at the control panel, taking the reports. There were multiple reports across the fleet.

Once the last of the reports of others infected came in, they studied the details of the patients and realized that the only ones infected by the unknown virus were humans.

Medic Kaul spun around and headed for Council Leader Vorik and Keirn, who were still in quarantine. His thoughts were racing on what he could do to fix the situation. If whatever was infecting the humans continued, it could decimate the human population. It would, in turn, affect the Ramesians. There were so many that had found their mates that they were finally expanding the previously diminishing population.

Kaul opened the door leading to the hallway where Council Leader Vorik and Keirn were waiting. Vorik would need to know what was going on. It was vital that they figured out what to do to rid them of the virus that was infecting the human population. He didn't know what to do about it. Part of him pondered that if they had never met the humans, none of the situations they had been dealing with would have happened in the first place.

Kaul walked down the hallway, stopping in front of Vorik and Keirn's rooms. Flipping a switch, he opened the quarantine barrier. He looked at Council Leader Vorik. "It's only humans that are being infected; Even the ones on the fleet's battle cruisers. I've had no reports on the Kreq disks. The only reason I can think of is that there are no humans on the Kreq disks. The other dome with humans has reported patients who have collapsed. All of them are human. There are no reports in the Kreq or Ramesian domes.

Council Leader Vorik thought for a moment, then made a decision. "Have all humans come to this dome. They can bring their mates and children, but I want all humans in one dome. This is the largest, so I want them here," he ordered. "Once here, this dome is under quarantine. No one can enter or leave it once the quarantine is activated."

Medic Kaul nodded, understanding what Vorik wanted, and then headed to the med clinic. It was his job to move all humans to the dome because it was for medical reasons. Keirn went in a separate direction; his orders were to prepare a place for all new arrivals and to notify the gates to bring everyone inside who was coming from the other domes or one of the ships hovering over the planet.

Council Leader Vorik rushed home, worried that his mate Alice and their twins would become infected. His mate was human, and his children were half. He didn't know if the virus extended to half-humans.

When he entered his home, Alice was sitting on the sofa, playing with the twins. "If you feel sick at all, you need to tell me right away," he warned her. "Aleigha was sick for only a few seconds before she collapsed. There is a virus that is causing the internal organs to shut down in humans. It doesn't appear to be affecting my race or the Kreqs. It's only humans."

"Is Aleigha going to be okay?" Alice asked, worried. She was like a sister. They had become very close since she started protecting Vorik. The two had gotten to know each other pretty well.

"Medic Kaul got to her in time. He was able to save her, but she remains in quarantine to ensure it doesn't show itself again," Vorik explained. "This dome is going under quarantine. Those infected or who have gotten infected will stay in isolation until we know it is not contagious."

"If this dome is being used to quarantine humans, why does Aleigha have to stay in isolation? She should be able to walk around like the rest of us," Alice asked. She didn't understand his logic.

"Aleigha has been infected and was treated. We don't want to infect anyone else if it's contagious. Those who haven't been infected will stay in the dome but away from everyone else. Those who have been infected will go to isolation so they don't infect the rest of those living in the dome," Vorik explained, his eyes going subconsciously to the infant twins at her side.

Alice noticed. She was silent for a moment. "You want to keep them separate so they don't come near our children? Isn't it?"

Vorik sighed. "It's part of it. We don't know what's causing the illness. It moves quickly. Too quickly that there isn't enough time to treat it if it's not caught at the time of the collapse. I won't risk you. I won't risk our children."

Alice looked at her mate. "How long does Aleigha need to stay in isolation? She has her own mate and infant son. She hasn't even seen them since she left to defuse the people in the camp outside the dome."

Vorik sat down next to her. "I know she hasn't, but there is too much risk. I can't allow it. I also want you to stay inside. Don't leave our home. I don't want you to come in contact with anyone that might be infected. I don't want to take the chance of you or our children getting infected too."

Alice sat quietly, playing with the twins while Vorik paced, waiting for Medic Kaul or Keirn to notify him that all the humans had been placed inside the main dome.

When his comm link finally buzzed nearly five hours later, Alice looked over at him.

He smiled weakly at her before answering the communications. "This is Council Leader Vorik," he stated into the comm link.

"Sir, this is Medic Renn. Medic Kaul has received all humans from the other dome as well as the fleet's battle cruisers. Many of them have been placed in dorms. Others with children in residences," Medic Renn informed. "There are no humans on the ships or in the other domes, Sir."

"Thank you. I will be in the clinic shortly," Vorik told him, closing the communication link between them.

Alice frowned. "If you're coming in contact with them, won't it infect you and pass to the twins and me?"

Vorik sighed. "It's only infecting humans. I'm not human. It's doubtful that it will infect me. I don't think you can get the infection from someone that isn't human."

Before she could say anything, he kissed her cheek, then each of the twins, and disappeared out the door toward the clinic.

Council Leader Vorik rushed toward the clinic. He didn't like keeping Aleigha in quarantine and isolated from her family, but he felt like he had no other choice.

Opening his comm link, he called Seeran. "Set up a dorm to quarantine those who have been infected," he ordered. "They need to be close to the clinic. Medic Kaul doesn't know if those treated for the infection will relapse, so they need to stay close in case they do. The virus moves too quickly to let them go home. He has to be able to get there as soon as possible."

"Yes, Sir," came Seeran's reply.

Shoving his comm link in his pocket, he continued toward the clinic.

When he got there, the door was wide open; Medic Kaul was scanning some of the humans who had just arrived.

Sticking his head in the door, he looked toward Medic Kaul. "A dorm is being prepared near the clinic to quarantine those who have been infected and successfully treated," Vorik told him.

Medic Kaul nodded, continuing to scan his patient. "They need to stay close in case they relapse. Whatever this is, doesn't give enough time to treat."

Council Leader Vorik left the clinic to help prepare the dorms for infected patients. He hoped that the virus could be contained. It came out of nowhere and hit hard. Medic Kaul and his staff had to be quick at treating them.

For the rest of the night, they prepared the dorms and moved patients into the lines of beds. One side was designated female, and the other's male. A quarantine barrier had been placed at the doorway as well as programmed into each bed.

A temporary wall divided the male and females for privacy.

Once set up and all previously treated, including Aleigha, were moved into the dorm; all they could do was wait. There were only eight who had collapsed so far, but dozens of beds were ready for the onslaught of infected that was sure to come.

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