The sirens blared, echoing through the city dome in warning as red lights flashed. All the humans in the city and many, but not all of the aliens, knew what that meant. They knew that it meant that Council Leader Tosh was here, and they were evacuating the city of all humans and their mates to protect them from his wrath.

Hearing the sirens, Pilot Merrick instinctively looked up at the flashing red lights, then pulled the hidden comm unit out of his body armor and pressed the small button to activate it. "Setting up," he stated into the small device before pressing it again and replacing it inside his armor. He didn't need to wait for a response. With a quick look around, he exited the shuttle. He was worried about being followed.

Pilot Merrick headed to his new home. It was just across the path to the dome residence that the bunker was hiding under. Entering his new home, he made sure that his own looked like it had been lived in for a while. Although his belongings were already moved in, he hadn't yet used it, taking a cabin on the mothership instead. Council Leader Tosh and his men needed to think that he had been living in the city for a long time.

When Merrick was finished fixing his home, he crossed to Keirn's home, notifying him that it was time.

After opening the door, Keirn nodded and went back inside, closing the door behind him. He hadn't said anything; he didn't need to. They all knew what they needed to do.

Merrick went to Rask and then Van next. All he had to do was knock on the door. When they opened the door, he just had to tell them it was time. There was nothing else to do. With each home Merrick went to, he received the same response as Keirn had given. They just nodded and shut the door.

They all had a plan. Jamie was clear that no one could know who was helping the mated pairs and the remaining humans to hide. It would get them killed. Part of that plan involved keeping the bunker hidden.

As he left the last home, Merrick watched as Vernisa ran across the yard and knocked on Keirn's door. She was in a rush, not unlike everyone else. She looked calm, yet if you looked closely, you would see deep in her features was worry. Anxiety threatening to make her calm appearance crack, she was trying not to show her emotions. She knew about the spies in the dome as well. She didn't know who they were either.

Her job was to stay with Keirn, acting like they were mates, to keep all eyes away from the home where the hidden bunker was located. They needed it to remain hidden. It was one of their trump cards. That way, if someone needed to go to safety quickly, they could go there.

Merrick watched as Keirn opened the door for Vernisa, letting her in, looking both ways down the small lane before closing the door firmly. They all knew there were spies in the dome, so they had to be extra careful.

Jamie, Van, Rask, and Merrick had already started the rumor of Keirn and Vernisa pairing up, so if the truth serum were used, everyone would say that they were a mated pair. It was part of the plan to keep the bunker hidden and a secret. There weren't many who knew about the bunker. They needed to keep it that way.

Everything that was happening in and around the bunker was set up without Fleet Commander Vorik's knowledge. It had to be. If Tosh and his men used the truth serum on him, everyone Vorik knew about helping to protect the humans and their alien mates would all be executed for treason.

Finished with what he came to do, Merrick left the area of his new home and headed back to his shuttle, knowing that he would need to fly Fleet Commander Vorik back to the mothership.

When he arrived, Fleet Commander Vorik and Alice were already standing near the shuttle, waiting for him. They didn't know where he had gone. The plan was designed that way. The less Vorik knew, the less he would tell them under the influence of the truth serum.

Pilot Merrick finally ran up to the shuttle. He stopped, then looked at Alice with concern. "You are aware that Council Leader Tosh will kill you if you go back to the ship with us?" he asked her. "If Commander Vorik goes alone, Tosh can't use you to get to him. It would be safer for both of you if you stayed behind and went to the tunnels with the others."

Vorik looked at Alice. There was pain in his eyes. Merrick was right, but Alice was stubborn. She didn't want to separate from her mate. "I do agree with Pilot Merrick," he said quietly. "I know you want to come, but it's safer for both of us if you stay behind. The situation is too volatile right now. I am certain that he will kill you on site or have you tortured to get to me."

Vorik watched as tears suddenly filled Alice's eyes, threatening to fall. "I don't want to leave you." Her voice was broken as she tried not to cry.

Merrick spoke again, trying to make her see reason. "If you go, they will torture you in front of your mate to get to him. That's if they don't kill you as soon as you step onto the ship. Your mate will not be able to stop it from happening. I will also remind you that the truth serum is deadly to humans, which he will use on you, regardless. There is no doubt whatsoever that he would use it on you."

Commander Vorik wrapped his arms around Alice, trying to comfort her. "Merrick is right. This is what we will face if you come with us. You are my weakness. Council Leader Tosh will know that immediately and use it against us. He will see it, just in the way that I look at you. You are my mate. All mates are our weakness. Do you understand?"

Alice's tears finally fell, and she nodded. "I'll go to the tunnels," she said reluctantly.

With one last kiss, Alice turned around and ran toward the tunnel entrance as Commander Vorik watched her go, then turned to Merrick. "Thank you for that. I am in your debt. I did not wish to force her to stay, yet I was fearful of her going back with us."

"Let's just get this over with and hope we can find a way to keep everyone safe," Merrick said, smiling. "Go on inside. I have something to do. It will only take a second."

Fleet Commander Vorik nodded, turned, and walked inside, not caring that Merrick was not using formality with him that is customary toward a superior in rank.

Merrick pulled out his hidden com unit and pressed a button, activating it. "Jamie, Alice is on her way. Meet her there, or she won't know where to go. She's headed to the tunnels right now," he reported.

After speaking to Jamie through the com unit, he pressed the button on the com unit again, shutting it off. After he replaced it inside its hidden location, he entered the shuttle to fly the Fleet Commander back to his ship.

Alice ran to the tunnels; her eyes were blurry from tears. She feared for Vorik's safety. She knew that he was in danger. Everything in her wanted to help him, but Merrick was right. If she went with them, it would make the situation worse.

Reaching the tunnel entrance, she slid the hidden door open and stepped inside the dark tunnel. She quickly closed the door, resealing the entrance, and ran down the tunnel towards the hidden door to where all the others were hiding.

Originally, she wasn't part of the plan, so she didn't know that the hidden entrance was a ruse, placed there so that the true entrance wouldn't be discovered if they were subjected to the truth serum interrogation. They had only tried it on one human. When Carrie was given it, she almost died. She had only been pregnant for a week. The serum killed her unborn child. Many of the medics had stated that just because Carrie had reacted to it, it didn't mean that all humans would die from it. Both Vorik and Alice thought otherwise; Neither wanted to take the chance.

Alice walked down the long tunnel in silence. She was heading toward the entrance she knew about. She didn't know that it was a false entrance. As she turned a corner, she was forced to come to a sudden stop. Her body froze in fear as she looked up. Swallowing hard, she backed away slowly, wishing that she had a weapon.

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