Orik led Jada out of the cells and through the long hallway, then out of the prison. He guided her through the small clusters of dwellings outside and toward the farthest set near the tunnels. He didn't stop until he reached Niki's home.

Rushing up to the door, Orik pressed the call button; he held Jada close. Her tears fell as she leaned into him and continued to sob.

The door slid smoothly open. Niki stood at the door, peering out at her visitors. Her eyes met Jada's. She immediately pulled her into her arms, trying to comfort her. She held her tightly for several minutes before she stepped back.

"Come in," she whispered. "Rask is at the east gate with Merrick and Keirn." She told them quietly, guiding her friend inside.

Once the door to the dwelling was closed, Jada looked up at Niki. "We need to get Aleigha out of there before they execute her," Jada whispered, afraid someone might hear her.

Niki's face paled at the word 'execute.' "What are they saying she did?" Niki asked. "There is no reason that I know of that she would be in the cells. She never did anything wrong."

"I doubt Merrick is at the east gate. I passed him when I went into the cells to see Jada," Orik told her quietly, not answering Niki's questions. He didn't know the answer anyway. No one was saying anything. "Don't trust anyone with secrets right now. It's hard to tell who you can trust. Kaul, Vorik, and Merrick are all acting like she's the enemy, but no one has said why. Rask is always with Merrick. When I mentioned Aleigha, he acted disgusted by even the mention of her. Then, he made a comment that implied that he would keep the humans in isolation as long as he could. That's why I don't think you can trust him. I think your sister's life may depend on not trusting him. I know he's your mate, but something doesn't feel right with him. Whatever is happening to Aleigha, I think Rask is involved, or he is at least helping. I think Merrick, Keirn, Kaul, and even Vorik are involved."

Niki nodded. She understood. She had noticed Rask had been spending a lot of time with Merrick and Kerin. They were always secretive about it. If she started to come near them, they would stop talking or change whatever subject they were talking about.

A cry from the baby carrier sounded. Niki released Jada and rushed over, and picked up the small bundle. It was Finn, Aleigha's son.

"Aleigha needs to know her son is safe. No one, not even Kaul, is telling her he's alive. Kaul won't even answer her questions when she asks," Jada whispered. "It's cruel. It's like he wants mother and child to be unbound. Like he wants no love to be between mother and child."

Niki studied Jada. "You're leaving something out."

Jada wiped her eyes before continuing. "She doesn't think she has a reason to live. She doesn't care if they execute her. She wants to kill Vorik first. After that, she doesn't care. She said Vorik took her family and her freedom. The mate bond with Merrick is fading because they haven't had contact in so long. She thinks her son is dead. It was Vorik's order. She blames him. She wants his head. I agree with her. I want it too. I also want Kaul's. With Kaul, I want him to suffer. He didn't even care that he murdered my baby. He treated us like prisoners the entire time. Even when he scanned me for the residue, he wasn't who I thought he was. Neither is Vorik. We need to help Aleigha and get her out of there. We need to pull a Houdini. And fast." Jada was pleading by this time. "There is also something that you need to know. When she was in the camp, trying to defuse the situation, she had a dream. The things that are happening right now, and even phrases that have been spoken, are close enough to her dream that she thinks it was a warning or a premonition. She said that at the end of her dream, she killed herself. I don't want her to kill herself. We need to save her so she can get her vengeance."

Orik listened, waiting for his mate to finish. "What is a Houdini?" he asked, not knowing the reference.

"It isn't a thing. It was a he, and he was a famous escape artist. Her message was that she needed to escape," Niki explained quietly. "I think sooner is better than later. In fact, the sooner, the better."

"Then we need a plan," Orik stated quietly. "We need to break her out of there and hide her and her son so no one can find them."

"I have an idea," Jada whispered. "I used a personal cloaking shield to get on the shuttle when I went after Grev. I made extra. I can give her one and put her clothes and weapons where she can get to them. We can sneak her into the hidden tunnel city. She can use the cloaking shield to hide if they go down there to search for her."

Niki nodded, liking the idea. "I think that's a good idea, but how do we get her one?"

"You can visit her and hand her one. Take the baby so she knows she has a reason to live, and get one of the guards to let her hold her child and give her the cloaking shield before they close it. There are more than bars. There is also a plasma barrier on her cell."

When they open the cell to feed her, she can escape. She can hide at our home using the cloaking shield. We can take baby Finn when Merrick is sleeping. They can go into the hidden city. There are replicators down there. She can make what she needs and find a better hiding place."

"I think just hiding her would be best. I think we need to let her decide what she wants to do about her son. I know she won't want her son to be caught in the middle of her hiding and running from those hunting her," Niki spoke her thoughts aloud. "I have sets of her clothes. She used to want spares in case she needed them. I still have them and a set of her weapons that Rask doesn't know about. If she comes here, she can dress and make sure she's armed without a record in the replicator that she had them made. If she manages to escape, they might watch for that."

Orik nodded. "I agree. They would use that to find out who is helping her."

The thoughts swam in Jada's head. She realized something that could get them all in trouble. "What if they look at Niki as the last person she saw?" Jada suddenly asked. "I think one of us needs to go in there cloaked. Slip her clothes and weapons and a cloaking shield so she can escape when they open the door to take the tray."

Niki paced. "I can do it. I'll go in cloaked. I'll get her clothes, weapons, and a cloaking shield for her to escape. I can tell her she can go to your place. Keirn still lives over the bunker, so I don't think that's a good place for her to go. I wish you guys lived over it." She said absently. "I need to go now. Rask will be back in a few hours."

Niki started rushing around, packing a knapsack as Jada and Orik watched. She filled it with a set of clothes and special boots, each filled with a bladed staff for her sister.

"I'll bring a couple of cloaking shields. They don't know I made copies. If they ask for mine, I can still give them one. I made lots." Jada told her, then turned to Orik. "We need to go get them. I think we're short on time."

Orik nodded and gently pulled Jada out of Niki's home. They rushed home to get the cloaking shields. Jada made sure she had plenty hidden. She had made nearly four dozen copies. She didn't know why she made so many when she made the copies, but she was glad she did.

When they returned, she handed Niki six cloaking shields. "Just in case she needs more than one," Jada told her.

Niki nodded, understanding the need for extra. She placed all but two in a small bag with a note on how to use them. One she kept for herself, and the other was to hide the bag long enough for Aleigha to dress and use the shield to get out of the prison.

Pulling the knapsack over her shoulder, she clicked the button and cloaked herself, then rushed unseen to the cells to rescue her sister.

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