[IC] Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

[Rogue Sloth]

“Suit yourself,” Connor said. He shrugged casually, but Serix could hear a nervous edge to his voice. The human wouldn’t be eager to report to Ryan that Cassie was refusing to eat. Connor stood up and retrieved the food tray from the edge of Cassie’s cell, taking it back to the table with him when he sat down again, “No point in wasting this. We’re already on short supply of fresh food.” He lifted a forkful to his mouth and glanced back at the two prisoners when they lapsed into silence. Swallowing his food, he spoke again, “You know, I’m staying here until the next guard takes over, so you might as well get used to me.”

Serix just rolled his eyes at that. His silence had nothing to do with the human’s presence—not that he had anything to say to him anyways. He was just busy thinking about the interrogation that was to take place that night. He wondered what Ryan planned to ask him. The human leader was never keen to listen to him before, so why was this official questioning any different? Serix still knew very little about human technology. Maybe Ryan had a device to extract truthful information from him. He hoped so. If such a tool existed, it would prove that he really was innocent, and all of their troubles would be over.

Cassie seemed to be thinking about it as well. She looked up at Connor and asked, “This interrogation... Am I allowed to be there when you all are questioning him?”

“No,” Connor replied, pushing his now clean tray aside and crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t meet her gaze as he went on, “Ryan wants to be able to go through with the process without any… distractions. You haven’t exactly been the quietest observer, you know? It would just be better for everyone if you stayed here.” He sipped his water, but despite his attempts to act nonchalant, Serix could still see a glint of unease in the human’s eye. What did he have to be worried about?

“If it’s just a few questions, I’m sure Ryan wouldn’t mind,” Serix eyed Connor searchingly. “Cassie could just sit somewhere off to the side and watch.”

“Trust me,” Connor shook his head. “Ryan won’t allow it.” His eyes darted to Cassie for a brief moment. “Like you said… It’s just a few questions. Why does she have to come for that?”

“I want her to come with me.”

“No, you don’t,” Connor said testily. He paused, shifting his weight, and then shook his head again. “Nevermind; just let it go. She can’t come, and that’s final. Ryan’s orders.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

“I want her to come with me.”

“No, you don’t."

This really stuck out to Cassie the way that Conner put that and she didn't like it one bit. She didn't want to be there when they were going to interrogate Serix? Why not? What exactly were they going to do to him that she didn't want to see or that Serix wouldn't want her seeing? A shiver came up her spine at the thought. Were they going to hurt him? She wouldn't put it past them, but how badly would they do so? Or, were they even going to interrogate him at all? Was this 'interrogation' really just them going to kill him and they weren't planning on telling her about it until after they were done?

After hearing their short conversation, Cassie frowned, falling deep into her thoughts as they sat there. What if when they dragged him away it would be her last time seeing him? What if that passionate kiss they had shared before she was thrown into this lonely and isolated cell would be their last? What if they never got to have a family together? What if she was already pregnant from them trying and she would have to take care of the child all on her own? What if Serix never got to see his child? What ifs were everywhere in her mind and they had her being a nervous wreck.

The day went by so slow, yet so fast. She wasn't sure what to make of it. Conner left after a while and Gunner came in to guard the two of them. After Gunner it was Wes. Then finally it was Monty. After Monty's shift, she noticed that instead of one man coming to relieve him, it was all of them and she sat up a little bit more, moving to the edge of her cell, gripping the bars. None of them dared or had the heart to look her way as the threw open Serix's cell, walking in to jerk him to his feet. The only thing she could do was look on and frown deeply,meeting Serix's gaze, worry in her own expression as she spoke, "I'll be here when you get back. I love you, Serix." That was kind of her way of reassuring them both he was going to come back, whether she was unsure of it or not. She just had to say it anyway in hope that maybe all of this would turn out okay.

[Rogue Sloth]

Serix wanted to talk to Cassie again before the interrogation, but he didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t the guards that kept him silent —he could always speak to his mate mentally if he had something to tell her that he didn’t want the humans to overhear— it was the thought that by saying anything at all, he would probably just make things worse for Cassie. She was already worried enough, and there was nothing he could say to comfort her. He would be lying if he said that everything would be alright. They both knew it wasn’t true.

By the time the humans came to retrieve him for the interrogation, Serix was starting to feel the effects of the lack of food and water. A dull headache throbbed at the base of his skull, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and nap. He had to force himself to stand up when Jake unlocked the door to his cell and Connor and Monty came in to hold his arms while they guided him towards the exit.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” Cassie called to him from her cell. “I love you, Serix.”

“I love you, too, Cassie,” Serix called back to her, feeling a pang of sadness at the anxiety in her voice. She may as well have said: ‘I’ll be here if you get back.’ He hated leaving her along like this, but the humans didn’t give him time to think about it. They dragged him roughly into the tunnel, turning the corner so he could no longer see his mate.

Instead of leading him back towards the dining hall, they brought him down a different corridor. A few of the humans dropped back as they walked, apparently assigned to stand guard at different intervals in the dark tunnel. Serix glanced warily at Ryan. The human was setting up a ridiculous amount of security for a simple interrogation.

After a while, they arrived at a smaller, low-ceilinged cavern. Its bare features were dimly lit, concealing much in shadow, but Serix still recoiled at the few things he could see. There were two tables: one at the back of the cavern and one on the west side. The table at the back was long and was arranged with four chairs, while the table on the side was arrayed with various metal things, some rope, and a coil of some strange material that he didn’t recognize. In the center of the room, a single chain hung down from the ceiling, dangling over a drain in the stony floor. Everything about the room screamed danger in Serix’s mind.

“I thought this was an interrogation?” he narrowed his eyes at Ryan, taking a step back towards the entrance of the cave. Monty and Connor tightened their grips on his arms.

“It is,” Ryan said coldly. “My parents designed this place as a safe haven for us, but they knew it would also function as a war bunker when you aliens arrived. They knew we would capture POWs eventually, so they had this room set up for interrogations.” He grabbed a short strand of rope from the west table and tossed it to Monty, then turned back to the Lunairan. “Take your shirt off.”

“What kind of interrogation is this?” Serix pressed, refusing to follow the human’s order.

“I’ll be the one asking the questions,” Ryan snapped. “Now, do what I said or I’ll have Monty do it for you.”

Serix hesitated, and then decided he would rather not have Monty rip at his clothes. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Immediately after that was done, Monty used the rope Ryan had given him to tie Serix’s hands in front of him. He dragged the Lunairan to the center of the cavern and, with the help of Connor, forced his arms over his head to attach the rope to the dangling chain. Serix tugged at the chain, but it held fast. He felt exposed with his arms pinned up like that. If the humans decided to kill him now, he had no way to defend himself. He shot Ryan another venomous glower, “Is this really necessary for questioning?”

“Yes,” Ryan answered curtly. “We have to make sure you won’t move around.”

“Why?” Serix pressed. He knew he was testing his luck, but he felt like a cornered animal and it was making him temperamental.

“Show him why,” Ryan said to Monty.

Monty grinned cruelly and walked over to the west table to grab the strange coil. When he picked it up, the thin material unraveled. Its narrow end dragged along the cavern floor as the human stepped behind Serix. When he was beyond his range of vision, Serix’s heart began to race. He pulled at the chain again but it refused to give way. In the next instant, he felt a searing pain explode across his back. He cried out and struggled futilely against the chain. This was human interrogation? Were they just going to strike him until he said what they wanted him to say?

“Now then,” Ryan turned to the back table, where Jake, Ray, Connor, and Gunner had seated themselves in the four chairs. “Are we ready for the questioning?”

“Go ahead,” Jake replied with a one-shouldered shrug.

Ryan nodded and faced Serix again, “Did you bring that alien into the caves?”

“No,” Serix said, exasperation leaking into his voice. He had told them time and time again that he had nothing to do with the Pilot anymore, and he was getting tired of repeating himself. He gasped when another splitting burst of pain struck his back.

“Don’t lie to me,” Ryan narrowed his eyes. “That other Lunairan already said you were working for him. Hunter tortured the information out of him.”

“He’s the one who’s lying,” Serix insisted. “He holds a grudge against me for leaving him and— and saving a human.” He had almost said ‘and taking Cassie as a mate,’ but Ryan hated him for that, too. He made a mental note to avoid that topic so the human wouldn’t get provoked. When he finished speaking, he cringed, waiting for Monty to strike him again, but this time the blow never came. However, the look on Ryan’s face was almost as bad as being physically tortured. The human glowered at him with raw hatred and stepped closer so he stood almost nose-to-nose with him.

“Why should I believe that you saved Cassie of your own free will?” Ryan hissed. “You’ve been using her to get to the rest of us. Everything you said to her was a lie, you alien bastard.” Finally unable to control his rage, the human lifted a fist and struck Serix in the jaw, making the Lunairan’s vision swim. “You’re going to pay for using her like that. I can’t stand by and let a manipulative alien ruin the life of the girl I love.”

“My feelings for Cassie are genuine,” Serix said softly, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. It was impossible to avoid the topic now. “I initially saved her because she interested me. That is true, but while we were in hiding, things changed. I didn’t care about hiding her because she was a novelty anymore; I wanted to protect her with my life.” He lifted his gaze to meet Ryan’s. “I love her.”

“You really think I’ll believe that?” Ryan whispered coldly. He glanced at Monty. “Three more lashes.”

“Wait,” Serix pleaded. “I’m telling you—” He gasped again as the ropelike weapon ripped across his skin, first once, then twice. Just before the third strike, Serix opened a mental link between himself and Ryan, and when he felt the final blow, he shot the pain across the connection. Ryan yelped, his eyes widening in shock when he felt the explosion in his own mind as if he had been the one getting tortured. He stared at Serix for a moment before he realized what had happened. His expression turned murderous as he took the Lunairan by the throat, practically spitting his next words, “Don’t try that again. You hear me?”

“I just thought you should know what that feels like,” Serix snarled, meeting the human’s furious gaze.

“You little bastard,” Ryan turned to Monty. “Ten more lashes!”

“Ryan,” Ray interjected from the other side of the room. “You can’t kill him in interrogation. Try to use the whip sparingly so he doesn’t bleed to death.”

“He deserves to die,” Ryan growled, meeting Serix’s gaze again. “Fine. Just three more then.” Monty followed the orders immediately, and Serix bit his lip until he tasted blood to keep from screaming. He felt something warm trickle down his back. Ryan cleared his throat and continued as if it was all just a casual interview rather than a barbaric interrogation, “Aliens can only get into the caves with the help of someone on the inside. You are the only one who would even consider doing something like that, so you are our only suspect. Besides, everyone knows you weren’t accounted for at the bonfire last night. You had the perfect opportunity to slip away and help your Lunairan buddy get into the caves while the rest of us were distracted. There’s too much evidence for us to assume you weren’t involved. What do you say to that?”

“I only left to help Charlie,” Serix said tiredly. His dehydration headache had intensified with the addition of the lashes. He wanted to go back to his cell and sleep. “He asked me to help him find Sally. He said they were playing a game and she got lost. I swear I didn’t know she never left the fire. I can even show you.” He reopened the mental link into Ryan’s mind and streamed the memory of the bonfire to him, starting with Charlie’s request and ending with his return to the group. He closed off the link and met Ryan’s eyes once more, “You see? I didn’t do anything.”

“How do I know you didn’t make that up?” Ryan pointed out. “I’m well aware that Lunairans can forge images and memories.”

“I’m not lying,” Serix said again. “I don’t know any other way to make you believe me. The Pilot is trying to get revenge on me for betraying him for Cassie. Of course he would take the opportunity to take me down with him when he got caught.” He cried out as he felt the whip lash unexpectedly across his back. Ryan must not have liked that answer.

“Then you’re saying that someone else among us is a traitor,” Ryan said, anger bubbling up in his voice again. “If you didn’t bring that alien into our home, then who did?”

Serix hesitated. He was certain that Hunter was the one who caught the Pilot and brought him into the caves, but he didn’t want to look like he was trying to pin the blame on a human to save himself. Ryan would never believe him. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him. Hunter couldn’t have brought the Lunairan in through the main entrance. He would easily have been spotted. So for him to sneak the Pilot into the river cavern, he must have used a hidden passage. Perhaps there was a way Serix could get out of his situation. He looked up at Ryan, “Maybe the Pilot wasn’t helped at all. I know you think your defenses are impenetrable, but maybe you should examine them again. There might be an unchecked chink in the armor, so to speak.” It wasn’t much to go on, but if the humans found the secret passage Hunter used, they might just believe that the Pilot discovered it first and used it to sneak inside. At this point, any hope was better than none.

“I highly doubt that,” Ryan growled. “We’ve explored every inch of these tunnels. There’s no way we missed a passage to the surface big enough to fit a fully-grown alien.”

“Ryan,” Jake spoke up this time. “We might as well check it out. If there isn’t anything new, it’ll just prove that he’s lying. If we do find something, we’ll be able to close it off so more no more aliens can sneak in later. We’ll be better off either way.”

“True,” Gunner chipped in. “I vote we go with Jake’s plan.”

“I’ll agree with that, too,” Ray said, looking at Serix with the eyes of a physician. “The Lunairan’s had enough for one night, so this interrogation is over anyways. Nine lashes are sufficient.”

“Let’s make it ten to even it out,” Ryan shot Serix another glare, obviously pinning the blame on him for the others’ undermining his authority. Serix tensed, but being prepared for the strike didn’t make it any less painful. He sucked in his breath as the whip cracked across his skin one final time. His back felt like it was on fire, but at least now the torture was all over. He groaned in relief when Monty detached his hands from the chain and he could lower his arms again. Next, Connor approached with a bucket of water, which he splashed on Serix’s back to wash most of the blood away. The water also cooled the searing pain, if only for a moment.

Serix found his shirt in the corner where he had dropped it and put it back on, gritting his teeth when the fabric brushed against his open wounds. He was thankful that he was wearing black. Connor had been right: He didn’t want Cassie to see what happened at the interrogation. She was already distraught enough without the knowledge that he had been tortured by her childhood friend. The dark color of the shirt would conceal any blood that seeped through, and it was long enough to mostly cover the red stains at the waistband of his pants. The cell light would be dim enough to hide the rest of that.

Ryan led the way as Monty and Jake brought Serix back to the hold. Serix had to fight to keep his eyes open as they walked and he stumbled twice. The thought of the cold stone floor of his cell was suddenly very inviting. Maybe if he slept long enough, the ceaseless burning in his back would go away.

When they returned to the cavern where Cassie was waiting, Serix forced himself to stand up straight and walk with purpose. He couldn’t let her know what had happened. Jake opened the cell door and Monty shoved him inside, purposefully laying a hand on his injured shoulder. Serix winced when the human’s rough touch sent another wave of pain through his back, but he refused to make a sound. Instead, he just glared at Monty as the three males exited the room.

Once they had gone, Serix slowly sat down on the ground. Instantly, his weariness intensified to the point where his vision went fuzzy. He felt like passing out, but he couldn’t let himself faint or else Cassie would know something was wrong. Lying down on his stomach, Serix yawned and turned to Cassie, trying to make his condition look like normal fatigue from a hard day’s work, “Well, it’s been a long day, huh?” He offered her a smile. “I think I’m going to sleep for the next three years.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

It was painfully quiet trying to sit and wait for Serix to get back, unknowing of what possibly might be going on. The thought of sitting here and having someone come in to tell her that her husband had been killed was in the back of her mind the whole time. Then there was the fact of if they were going to kill him, just what were they doing to him? Were they hurting him? What kind of questions were they asking him? Were they even questions that he could answer? Knowing Ryan he would likely make things extremely unfair for Serix, something she couldn't stand to think about. The time continued to tick by painfully slow and this made it in no way easy for her. She wanted nothing more than to rush down to where he was and put a stop to whatever horrible tortures they were putting him through.

But she couldn't. She was stuck inside the dark cell, sitting there with her hands wrapped tightly around the cold metal bars, her eyes on the door, waiting and waiting for what felt like forever or them to drag him back, hopefully alive. And when they did bring him back physically weak and exhausted, the relief of seeing him alive was clear on her face. Fatigue and hunger was something that ould be solved. A corpse being dragged back couldn't. She let out a deep breath she had been holding,her eyes on him as they tossed him so carelessly into his own cell.

The other men left. She could guess with how weak both she and Serix were at the moment that they didn't see the two having much of a chance of escaping and seemed to leave them alone for now while going to search for something out in the other caverns. Once they were gone and out of ear shot, Cassie turned her gaze back to Serix watching him for a moment. Cassie maybe wouldn't have questioned that anything had happened if he had seemed annoyed. Maybe if he had even seemed angry. But that smile on his face was something that rose a red flag up for her and made ehr frown, watching him for a moment.

"Serix.....what did they ask you?" She asked, warily. Jut what kind of questions had they thrown at him to hide something from her? It was scaring her. Carefully she reached her hand out through the bars, fingers stretching toward him, craving for his touch and to just hold his hand for a few moments which they could.

[Rogue Sloth]

“The questions were mostly the same as before,” Serix answered her, closing his eyes for a moment as he was struck with another wave of pain. He waited for it to pass, and then looked up at Cassie again. “Among other things, they asked me if I was in league with the Pilot, and I told them I wasn’t. They still don’t believe me, so they… we argued about it.” He let out his breath in a soft exhale. “In the end I told them to check their defenses again and see if there’s a hidden passage somewhere that they might have missed. I didn’t say it to them at the time, but I think Hunter must have found another entrance somewhere and used it to sneak the Pilot in. They’ll never believe that Hunter helped him, but if they find a passage, I can try to convince them that he got in on his own, which is the next best thing. I don’t care if Hunter gets caught anymore. I just want to get out of this place.” He didn’t want to go back to that nightmarish cavern where the humans treated him like an animal.

Serix hesitated for a moment when Cassie stretched her hand towards him. He did want to reach out to her, but moving his arms at all was extremely painful because of the gashes in his shoulders. Still, he couldn’t let Cassie know that something was wrong. He took her hand in his, forcing himself to ignore the burn in his muscles when he moved. If this was the result of just one day of interrogation, he dreaded to think what two or even three would be like. He hoped the humans would discover a hidden passage before tomorrow night. At least then he might have a chance at persuading them that he was innocent.

Serix’s vision blurred once more as he was almost pulled into unconsciousness. He blinked, trying to force the haze away, and looked up to meet Cassie’s blue-eyed gaze, “Sorry if that explanation was vague. I’m exhausted.” Despite his efforts to stay awake, he could still feel himself slipping out of awareness. He closed his eyes again and spoke quietly, “I think I’m going to sleep now. We can talk more in the morning, okay? I love you, Cassie.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

Something was really wrong with Serix. The way he was acting was strange and she didn't like it. But, whatever he had just been through, he really seemed like he wanted to get passed it. Maybe if she couldn't be supportive of him by being there during the interrogations, then she could be supportive of him by being respective of his wishes. And right now he wished to rest. So, despite how much she wanted to talk to him more, she shut her mouth and held her tongue, letting him lay down in the cell. She sat there for a moment, watching him with a worried gaze for a long moment as he drifted off. It wasn't until she went to sit back that she spoke quietly, "I love you too Serix..." That was really all she could say for right now. He needed rest and she wasn't going to impose on that. And so, silently she layed back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

She didn't drift off for a while. She found herself staring up in that same place for a few hours, and it wasn't until longer after she was actually supposed to sleep before she did drift up. This made it so that by the time she had fallen asleep and the first guard, Ray, came in to watch them, she had only gotten just one or two hours of sleep. She sat up, a rather exhausted look on her face as she saw him come in. Unlike the morning before when Conner had come in with just one tray, Ray came in carrying two bowls. He slid one into Cassie's cell, and much to her surprise did the same for Serix. When she looked at him in a confused way, Ray chuckled, "You both already missed one day of eating. As a doctor I can't let you miss another. Its my job to keep people healthy, not starve them."

It was a simple stew with a few vegetables and beef in it, but it was still really good to Cassie. Sipping on it, she smiled slightly over at Serix. Well, at least not everyone was being so vicious toward she and Serix about this situation. It was good that they at least had someone who, even if not on their side, they didn't have to worry about him trying anything harmful. She was able to at least relax a little bit before the next guard came in. The day went a lot like it ha the day before. Silence between she and Serix while the men kept a close eye on the both of them. And, as they along, her worry raised more and more until once again, the men came to retrieve Serix and she could do nothing but watch on helplessly, able to do nothing to help him.

[Rogue Sloth]

Almost immediately after he told Cassie he was going to rest, Serix passed out. Sleep was a sweet relief after everything he had just been through during the interrogation. He wished he could just lie on the ground forever and never have to wake up again, but unfortunately he knew that was impossible. He had to keep fighting for Cassie; he couldn’t give up after just one interrogation.

So, when the first guard entered the hold that next morning, Serix forced himself to wake up. He lay on the ground for a moment, mentally evaluating his condition before making any attempt to move. The wounds on his back didn’t pain him nearly as much as the night before, which was a good sign that they were healing. His worst discomfort was the incessant headache he had from the lack of food and water. He was beginning to crave food so badly that he could almost smell it…

…Wait a minute.

Serix sat up slowly, wincing when he felt another short burst of pain in his back. He looked up to see Ray walking in with two bowls of food. The human slid one under his door and the other under Cassie’s, explaining that he wasn’t going to let them starve. He glanced at Serix with an almost sympathetic expression. Almost. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to give the Lunairan hope that he would be able to persuade the others of his innocence.

The rest of the day went by without much activity. Serix spent much of it napping in his cell as he recovered from the events of the previous night. He only got up again when the humans returned to bring him to his next interrogation. He looked at each of them searchingly. Had they found the passage or were their defenses intact? Were they going to hear him out this time or were they just going to beat him again? Their blank expressions told him nothing.

Serix’s heart began to speed up as Jake stepped forward to unlock the cell door. He dreaded the thought of going back to that dark cavern where he was completely vulnerable to whatever forms of torture they had planned for him. His eyes darted to Cassie as Monty and Connor stepped over to lead him out. He swallowed and looked back at the two males, steeling his resolve. He had to go through with the interrogation. It was his only way to get out of the hold. Whatever pain the humans inflicted on him would be worth it if it meant that he and Cassie could live normal lives again.

Monty and Connor dragged Serix along as the group walked to the interrogation room. Once there, they arranged themselves as they had before. Ray, Jake, Connor, and Gunner all sat at the table while Ryan and Monty stood by to conduct the interrogation. Ryan tossed Monty another short rope and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Serix, “You know the drill. Take your shirt off.”

Serix wavered for a moment, eyeing the whip that lay coiled on the side table. He turned away from the weapon and closed his eyes, slipping his shirt over his head and tossing it into the corner as he had done the previous night. Behind him, Monty let out a whistle, “Damn. Hey, Ryan, check it out. The alien’s gashes are already starting to close. These bastards really do heal five times as fast as us.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryan said. “If the old wounds close, we’ll just cut him some new ones. Now hurry and tie him up so we can start.” He waited for Monty to bind Serix’s hands and tie him to the hanging chain again, and then turned to Jake. Once he was given the signal to begin, Ryan turned back to Serix, “Because we’re reasonable, we decided to go ahead and examine our defenses. Unfortunately for you, we didn’t find the ‘secret passage’ you tried to sell us on.”

“What?” Serix’s eyes grew wide. The unknown tunnel was his only chance at freedom. “A-are you sure? You must have overlooked something. It has to—” He screamed when he felt the whip lash across his back. His vision went momentarily spotty. Was it his imagination or did the weapon hurt even worse this time? He peered over his shoulder to see Monty holding the end of the whip, letting its thin end drag on the ground. There was something embedded in it that caught the light.

“We went easy on you yesterday,” Ryan spoke up, noticing Serix’s surprise. “We just beat you with the plain whip.” He eyes turned cold. “This one has a couple of glass bits in the end. I was hoping they might persuade you to be more cooperative with us. Now then, stop arguing and tell me the truth: You were the one who brought that Lunairan into our home, weren’t you?”

“I didn’t do it,” Serix insisted. “Please, check by the river again. You must have missed something! I can’t—” He cried out as the whip struck him again, tearing open his old wounds. He caught his breath as another thought came to him, “Who… who helped you search for the passage?”

“Why does that matter?” Ryan glared at him. “It makes no difference who was on the search team. The results will always be the same.”

“Who helped?” Serix asked again, his tone slightly more urgent.

Ryan looked at him warily, “Fine. If it will make you shut up about this imaginary tunnel, I’ll tell you. It was me, Jake, Jerry, Gunner, Connor, Sarah, and Hunter. Now let’s get on with—”

“Where did Hunter look?” Serix interrupted.

“What are you trying to say?” Ryan hissed. He seemed to realize that Serix was accusing Hunter of betrayal.

Serix hesitated, “I just think that… maybe you should double check. He might have missed something.” He felt the whip lash across his skin again and he gasped, going on hurriedly before Ryan could open his mouth to speak, “Please, just check again! That’s all I ask.”

“I’ll do it,” Gunner said from where he sat. “Hunter was down by the river, right? There’re lots of crevices down there. He could have skipped over something. Might as well look, y’know? I can even bring Dash with me.”

“There’s no point,” Ryan turned to him. “The alien’s just making up lies to save his skin.”

“Well I’d rather go look around the river than sit here and watch you beat him half to death,” Gunner rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “Hunting for alien tracks is way more fun.” He walked around the edge of the room and exited into the tunnel.

Ryan shook his head and muttered, “He’s just wasting his energy.” He turned back to Serix. “Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not gonna wait around for him to get back. We’ll continue the interrogation as planned.” He stepped closer to the Lunairan. “Was anyone else in on your little plan? How many aliens did you tell about us?”

“None,” Serix answered angrily. “I’m not involved with any of them anymore. I told you: I left my people for Cassie.”

“And I told you,” Ryan spat. “I don’t buy that for a second. Maybe this will convince you to be more truthful with us.” He signaled something to Monty, and Serix stifled another howl as the human struck him with the whip three more times. His legs trembled slightly, threatening to give way, but he continued to glare challengingly at Ryan. He wouldn’t let the human have the satisfaction of knocking him off his feet.

Ryan waited for Serix to steady his breathing before he went on, “Since you’re unwilling to tell me who else is involved in your plans, I’ll ask you this: What were you planning to do when you hid them all inside? Were you plotting an ambush to kill us all or what?”

“I don’t know what the Pilot was planning,” Serix replied, staring down at the floor so the human wouldn’t see how unfocused his eyes were. “I wasn’t part of it. For all I know, he could have stumbled upon your hideout by accident and tried to attack on impulse.”

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Ryan growled, beginning to pace back and forth in thought. After a moment, he stopped and looked up at Serix with a look on his face that gave the Lunairan chills. “You can fight,” he observed. “Were you part of your people’s military?”

“Sort of,” Serix said uneasily. “I never officially completed my training. Why do you ask?”

“Good,” Ryan said, ignoring the question. “Then you can tell me all about Lunairan battle strategies and technology, can’t you?”

“I only know what my rank would have permitted,” Serix answered hesitantly.

“And what would that be?”

Serix paused again. Even though he had left his people, it still felt wrong to give away their confidential information, especially when it was something that could end with the loss of lives in a war. He glanced over his shoulder at Monty. The human glowered back at him and flexed his bloodstained whip, sending a wordless threat. Serix turned away from him with a shudder. He had to say something or they would just torture the information out of him anyways. He looked back at Ryan, “I know a few drills and formations, as well as the standard weapons and other technology that the foot soldiers use.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Ryan smirked. “How about you start by telling me about some of the most common formations you aliens use in combat?”

“Hey, Ryan,” a voice said from the entrance of the cavern. Gunner had returned. He entered the room with his dog trotting along at his feet. The animal’s nose twitched at the smell of Lunairan blood, but it remained otherwise calm. Gunner walked up to Ryan with an amused look on his face, “You’ll never believe it, but the alien was right. I brought Dash to the river and he sniffed out an unmarked tunnel near the rapids. I didn’t follow it, but I’ll bet you anything that passage leads up to the surface.” He glanced at Serix. “Looks like our intruder really did get in on his own. I have no idea how Hunter missed that.”

Ryan turned back to Serix as well, “Looks like you got lucky. I’ll give you one more day while we investigate this.”

“Err… Ryan,” Gunner went on. “There’s one other thing: I found some bloodstains on the rocks inside the tunnel. They look like they’re a few days old, which means that our alien invader has been here since before the bonfire, and he was already injured when he arrived.”

“What?” Ryan said in surprise. His eyes flicked to Serix for a moment and he turned to Monty. “Take the Lunairan back to his cell. I need to see this for myself.”

Monty gestured for Connor to come help him as he untied Serix’s wrists from the chain. The Lunairan sighed in relief and slowly lowered his arms while Connor splashed his back with another bucket of water. He found his shirt and slipped it back over his head, biting his lip as the fabric rubbed against his fresh wounds. He might have only received five lashes that night, but with the addition of the glass shards, his shoulders burned as if it had been fifteen. He hoped the evidence of the hidden tunnel would be enough to prove that he had nothing to do with the Pilot. He didn’t think he could stand another round of whipping like that.

The two humans guided him back to the hold, moving slowly so he wouldn’t collapse, and dropped him off in his cell. Immediately after they let go of his arms, he staggered and had to hold on to one of the metal bars for support. He closed his eyes, silently cursing himself for showing such weakness. He glanced at Cassie. Maybe he could just play it off as fatigue? It wouldn’t be too difficult. He already felt like fainting from the pain in his back.

Serix yawned and sat down on the stony floor, looking at Cassie across the divide and offering her a weary but hopeful smile, “Hey, guess what? We might be getting out of here soon. They found the tunnel Hunter used to sneak the Pilot in.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

The wait once again while Serix was in interrogation was painfully long. She had to sit there in her cell, wondering what exactly they were doing to him. What had they done to him yesterday? Was it going to be like it was the day before? Whatever they had done then had worn him out, and Cassie hoped they didn't make it even worse on him now. She frowned slightly and sighed, leaning her head back against the bars at that thought, trying hard not to think of all the horrible things that could happen to him, "I hope he's safe..."

"Well, if it isn't our little alien's wife," a voice sneered from the entrance of the cavern. Hunter stepped around the corner, grinning at Cassie. "How's life in the hold?"

As she sat there, her back against the bars, Cassie heard a very familiar voice that she didn’t want to hear at a time of worry like this. It was the voice of the man who had gotten them into this mess in the first place. She loked over at Hunter’s way, her gaze cold as she looked upon him, “Its uncomfortable and cold. But, its warmer than your heart, that’s for sure.”

Hunter shot her a glare, "You better get used to cold, lonely nights, because your alien won't be around much longer once the interrogation team gets through with him." He smirked. "Yeah, that's right. I bet he won't even last another three days."

Cassie sat up a little and continued to glare at Hunter, “What do you mean? Its just an interrogation, not a death sentence.” But then, she thought back to the way Serix had been acting and this made her pause, looking back to the human, glaring at him more now, her hands clutching the bars of her cell tightly, “What are they doing to him in there?”

"He didn't tell you?" Hunter gaped at her in mock astonishment. He looked around and lowered his voice as if someone was listening in on them. "You didn't really think this was an ordinary interrogation, did you? Your lover committed an act of treason against us. Ryan's not about to let him off the hook after just a couple of questions."

Cassie continued to glare at him. So, Ryan was hurting her Serix. The only question was, how was he hurting him? And how long exactly did he intend to keep him? Was it really only going to be just a few days as Hunter said, or was he just messing with her head? Well, either way it was working because inside Cassie was mentally panicking at the thought of losing her husband. She spoke quietly, though her voice was quiet as she spoke, “He’ll be proven innocent. He is innocent. I know that. And you know that. It should be you in there being hurt, not him.” She knew it should be him in there and Serix should have been with her. But she also knew they would never believe her over Hunter. Hunter was winning and she hated it.

Hunter laughed, echoing Cassie's thoughts, "Who are they gonna believe: Me or an alien?" He shook his head and turned around, heading back towards the tunnel. "Like I said, that Lunairan won't last more than two days, tops. I suggest you get over him and start thinking about finding yourself a real husband. I know Ryan's had his eye on you for a while and there are plenty of other human bachelors in the caves." He laughed again and exited the room without giving her a chance to reply.

Cassie sat back after Hunter left, thinking over everything he had said. Was all he had said true? Would she loose Serix in just a matter of days? Or was he just trying to get into her head and scare her? She buried her face in her hands, trying to calm herself away from those thoughts, but, when she heard the foot steps of the men dragging Serix bak to his cell and she inced, seeing him stagger and this made her sit up straight, her eyes worriedly on him, not commenting on the news that they found the tunnel Hunter had used and instead focused on her husband and the pain he was in, "What did they do to you?" She asked quietly and continued, "Hunter came in here. I guess to try to mes with m, I don't know, but....he said they were doing more than questioning you...." She looked him in the eyes, "They hurt you, I know they did. Serix, tell me what they did." She pleaded, her hands clutching tightly onto the bars of her cell, her eyes searching his.

[Rogue Sloth]

Serix looked away from Cassie when she said she knew he was injured. He wanted to punch Hunter. He had been trying so hard to hide his pain from her, and the human just had to come along and spoil all of his efforts. He stared at the ground, his mind racing to come up with a feasible excuse. He couldn’t tell her about the beatings. The truth would just upset her more, and he didn’t want to do that to his mate.

After a moment, Serix remembered that Ryan had struck him in the jaw yesterday. Next to the searing pain in his back, he barely even noticed it, but there was a faint bruise just to the left of his chin. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. He looked up at Cassie again, meeting her eyes in the dark, “Fine. I didn’t want to tell you because you’re already worried, but they didn’t just question me.” He sighed in resignation and moved closer to her, forcing himself to ignore the sharp protest of his muscles when he did so. “They roughed me up a bit, too, but I’m okay.” He tapped the dark spot on his jawline, leaning close to the metal bars so Cassie might be able to see it. “It’s nothing you should be concerned about, alright? Don’t listen to Hunter. He’s just trying to make you worry.” He reached for Cassie’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll make it out of this soon. I promise.”

Suddenly, Serix was struck with another harsh wave of pain. He pulled away from Cassie and took a steadying breath, but this one was worse than usual. He lowered his head slightly, using the darkness of the room to shadow his face so his mate wouldn’t be able to see him wince. Once it passed, he lay down on his stomach, acting like he was merely fatigued.

“If all goes well, we might even get out of here tomorrow,” he said quietly, closing his eyes. As soon as he was lying down, he could feel the weight of everything that had happened during those past two days come crashing down on him. He began to slip from consciousness again. “Why don’t we get some sleep? It will make tomorrow arrive more quickly,” he murmured tiredly. “I love you, Cassie.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

Cassie didn't know who was right. Serix had never really lied to her before, so of course she should have trusted him that he was telling her the truth when he said what they had done to him wasn't that bad. But at the same time, she felt like he was just saying that just to protect her and have her not worry. After all, when they had brought him in there, he had stumbled pretty roughly and from what she had seen, the two times he had been brought back from those interrogations he was always so exhausted and ready to sleep. So, sure Hunter was probably just trying to get at her and make things worse for the two of them, she had a feeling, as much as she hated to admit this, he had been right. She had a strong feeling that they had been harming Serix. Yet, all Serix was showing her was merely a bruise on his cheek, saying they had roughed him up a little bit.

What was she supposed to say about this though? She couldn't force him to tell her the truth. She couldn't check him for any injuries they might have placed on him. Plus, he looked exhausted and ready to sleep. She didn't want to deprive him of rest if he really did need it. She could always question him about it tomorrow if she truly felt the need to do so. She frowned slightly still though, watching him lay down and say good night to her as he began drifting off.

"Goodnight Serix. I love you." She whispered quietly before she too layed on the stone floor, trying her best to get comfortable. She didn't fall asleep for a long while though, thinking about what might happen the next day. If they had found a tunnel like Serix had said, then one of two things could happen. The first could be that they could use whatever they found in that tunnel to prove Serix was innocent and that Hunter was to blame for what had happened. Other possibility that could happen would be that Hunter could use whatever was found to his advantage and turn it against Serix somehow. She could only hope the first option would be what would happen.

Rolling over as she layed there, she sighed and closed her eyes, finally drifting off for the night into dreams filled with horrible scenarios and nightmares about what might happen to Serix and herself if things went wrong tomorrow. Because of these countless nightmares, where Serix was often killed by either Hunter or Ryan, and she herself dying of either trying to protect him of from her own grief, she didn't get much sleep that night, waking up multiple times through out the night.

Finally though, it seemed morning came, because to Cassie's ears came the sound of footsteps coming toward the caves. Sitting up, Cassie yawned, rather exhausted from the lack of sleep, looking toward the cave entrance to see who might come in.

[Rogue Sloth]

Serix slept deeply that night while his body worked to heal itself. He didn’t even wake up when the first guard entered the hold in the morning. Well, not until the human began rapping his cell bars with something metal, that is. He groaned irritably and looked up to see Ryan standing on the other side of the divide, holding a key in his hand. Serix’s heart skipped a beat when, for a moment, he thought he had slept through the entire day and the human was here to bring him back to the interrogation room for another beating. Then, he noticed that Ryan was alone. He let out his breath in relief. If it was time for another interrogation, the human would have brought others along to drag him there.

“I have things to do, so I’ll make this quick,” Ryan said, getting straight to the point. Serix forced himself to sit up as he listened to what the human had to say. “We investigated that tunnel by the river, and it looks like the intruder did use it to get in. That blood on the rocks was his. Also,” he hesitated as if he was reluctant to go on. “The blood was six days old. The only time you were unaccounted for was the night of the bonfire, which was only five days ago. So congratulations, it looks like you have an alibi, after all.” He unlocked the cell door and moved aside for Serix to step through.

“I’m glad you finally realized I was telling you the truth,” Serix spat at him as he rose slowly to his feet. “And all it took was a little bloodstain on a rock. Who would have guessed?” He shot Ryan a glare as he walked past him to get out of the cell, opening a brief mental link into the male’s mind, If you tell Cassie anything about the interrogation, I might actually turn into a threat you should worry about.

“Same to you,” Ryan hissed under his breath, returning the Lunairan’s cold stare. He stepped over to Cassie’s cell to unlock her door next and offered her a smile. “Since you’ve been in here for three days, you should take today off from work. I want you to rest and get your strength back, okay, Cass?” He glanced back at Serix. “You can rest, too, I s’pose. After today, I’m putting you on level-two probation. Someone will be assigned to keep an eye on you at all hours of the day until I’m absolutely certain you had nothing to do with that break-in.” He turned back to Cassie, putting a hand on her shoulder to direct her towards the exit. “Lunch is in four hours. You should get some sleep before then, alright?”

[AHeartlessNobody]

Cassie watched as Ryan banged against the cell bar's of Serix's cell, a hopeful look on her ace. She had watched when he had come in, the keys in his hand, and immediately began to hope that maybe they were letting Serix go. And apparently she was right, because as he came in he had went straight to Serix's cell and began talking to him, saying Serix's alibi checked out. She sighed in relief and watched as her husband was let out of the cell before the cell she was in was unlocked as well. She stood up and walked out, going straight over to Serix, kissing him gently and hugging onto his arm as she looked over at Ryan, nodding simply when he said they could rest until lunch.

She really didn't have anything to say to him right now. She was aggravated and frustrated it took him this long to figure out Serix was innocent. More so that he had unnecessarily hurt Serix for no reason. It was going to take a lot for him to make up for this, and right now, she just wanted to get to their room so she and Serix could rest comfortably. And so, as she lead Serix out of the hold, she barely gave the blonde male a glance. He would know how aggravated she was and hopefully that would make him ease off of Serix for a bit. She hoped anyway, though doubted he would. He was too hard headed and wasn't about to change that just because she stopped talking to him.

Leading him through the caverns toward their room, they got quite a few stares, some probably wondering why Serix wasn't locked up and others who were probably pitying what the two had been through the past couple of days. Either way, Cassie didn't look at any of them. She kept her eye either straight ahead or would every once and while glance at Serix. It took a couple of minutes to get back to their room and once there, she lead him over to sit on the bed giving a sigh as she sat down next to him and softly kissed his lips, "I love you Serix." She nuzzled her head against his and opened her mouth about to suggest they lay down and go to sleep, only before she could, a very hesitant looking young girl, maybe a couple of years younger than herself with her blonde hair covering one of her eyes, her visible blue eye looking at Cassie first before glancing nervously at Serix.

She seemed almost afraid of Serix, which if the others had been talking the horrible way she was sure they were, didn't surprise Cassie. The girl looked quickly back over to Cassie, speaking quietly, "I....I'm Terra." There was a long pause, the girl gathering ehr courage to speak again, "Y-you two missed breakfast." She averted her gaze slightly down before stepping in slowly, holding two plates o the food they had probably served for breakfast, "I thought you both might be hungry, so I...I mean...here." She said and handed the two plates to Cassie before shyly and quickly walked out of the room. This made Cassie smile slightly, "I wouldn't be surprised if that girl was scared of a mouse. So skittish." She handed the second plate to Serix and the two ate quietly.

When the two finished, Cassie set both plates aside and then went to sit behind Serix, going to massage his shoulder, much like she had their first day of work, thinking maybe if they had roughed him up, maybe massaging the muscles might help to sooth them. Only when she did, she couldn't help but notice him tense as though it were painful. She pulled her hands back quickly in surprise at hurting him, before she hesitantly lifted up his shirt without bothering to ask him, gasping in shock at the long and deep cuts on his back, quickly dropping his shirt back into place, sitting there a moment, unsure what to say at first. She was silently steaming, angry at both the men who did this to him and at Serix for hiding it from her. But, soon at least her angry toward Serix for this left her. She had to remind herself it wasn't his fault this had happened and he had been hiding it to not worry her. She couldn't be angry at him.

Slowly moving to sit in front of him, she put her hands gently on the side of his cheeks, kissing him once more, "I.....I am so sorry Serix....I....I can't believe they did that to you....." She whispered, looking down a moment before she looked up at him, her mind racing, "Serix...do you...do you think we should leave?" She knew that was sudden to ask. But, after all, they had put him through, she felt this was an option they had to consider. If Serix's life and health was in jeopardy, then she didn't want to stay here. They had mapped this whole place. They could get out if they tried hard enough and planned it at the right times. She looked at him, worry for his well being in her eyes as she waited for his answer while at the same time her anger toward the other humans mixed in.

[Rogue Sloth]

Serix walked with Cassie back to their room. As they returned to the more populated parts of the caves, the humans began to take notice of them. Many of them stared at Serix with an odd mixture of interest and disgust. They probably didn’t trust him even though the proof of his innocence had been found and verified. Stubborn fools. He glared at them whenever he met their unfriendly gazes. There was no remorse in their eyes for what they had done, and it frustrated him. It wasn’t that he wanted their pity —no, they could keep any murmurs of sympathy to themselves— he just wanted to see at least a hint of regret in their faces for torturing an innocent male. Instead, the humans were so blinded by bias and hatred for what he was that they were unwilling to accept who he was. Thus, the cold stares and whispers persisted.

When they got back to their room, Serix immediately sat down on the bed. He closed his eyes and let out his breath slowly. The walk from the hold hadn’t been very long, but he still felt exhausted. He had only eaten once in the past three days, and he hadn’t had a single drink of water. On top of that, his body was spending large amounts of energy to repair the gashes in his back, which left him even more fatigued. He planned to spend as much time as he could sleeping and letting himself recover during their permitted day of rest.

Serix felt Cassie sit down beside him. She sighed and he opened his eyes, meeting her blue gaze. Then, she leaned forward and they kissed. He longed to hold her in his arms as he had when they first arrived in the hold, but at the same time he knew he couldn’t risk getting close enough to her that she might accidently brush against the cuts on his back and shoulders. And so, he was forced to content himself with the short brush of their lips before Cassie pulled away again to speak.

“I love you, Serix,” she said, resting her forehead against his.

“I love you, too, Cassie,” Serix breathed. He wanted to lean in and kiss her again, but stopped when he heard a sound from the front of the room. He glanced up to see a young, light-haired female standing in the doorway with two plates of food. She stared at him with one wide, round eye —the other one was veiled by her hair— and tensed as if he might try to attack her. Serix felt a pang of irritation. It was his first time meeting this girl! What basis did she have to judge him as a danger? He looked away so the human wouldn’t see the frustration in his eyes. He didn’t want to scare her off. After all, he was hungry and she did have food.

“I-I’m Terra,” the girl paused uncertainly. “Y-you two missed breakfast… I thought you both might be hungry, so I-I mean... here.” She handed the plates to Cassie before hurrying out of the room.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that girl was scared of a mouse,” Cassie smiled and handed one of the plates to Serix. “She’s so skittish.”

“I’ll say,” Serix muttered, lifting a forkful of food to his mouth. As he ate, he wondered what their lives were going to look like in the caves from now on. There was already tension so thick between him and the humans it could almost be cut with a knife. It would be a while before he was ready to trust any of them again. Then there was the new probation period Ryan was going to put him on. He loathed the thought of being observed by another human all day long, especially after everything that had just happened.

Serix was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn’t notice Cassie get up from her spot and move around behind him. He watched her in confusion before he realized what she was going to do. “Cassie—” he started, but she had already put her hands on his shoulders. He sucked in his breath when a fresh wave of pain washed over him. There was no hiding that reaction. Cassie jerked her hands away in surprise, and, before he could stop her, she lifted his shirt to see why he had flinched. She gasped and then grew silent, and he closed his eyes. This was why he didn’t want her to see. He didn’t want her to worry for his sake when there was nothing either of them could do. He should have tried harder to keep the gashes hidden from her.

Suddenly, Serix felt her take his face in her hands and lift his lips to hers. He kissed her back, reaching tentatively to place his hands on her sides. After a moment, they parted and Cassie broke the silence. “I… I am so sorry, Serix… I… I can’t believe they did that to you…” she whispered. “Serix… do you… do you think we should leave?”

“I don’t know what I think,” Serix shook his head, running a hand through his hair and averting his gaze. “I’m sorry, too. You shouldn’t have to keep dealing with this… with me.” He sighed and went on softly, “I didn’t want you to see what they did. You didn’t need that burden.” He looked up at her again. “You actually fit in here, Cassie. I don’t want to ruin that for you.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

Cassie's eyes softened when he spoke to her and the way he said all of that, it was very selfless. He was only thinking fo her and not even about all that had happened to him. She sighed and leaned up, kissing him again as she spoke, "Serix, just because I may be one of their kind, doesn't me I fit in here. I fit in where ever you are." She nuzzled her forehead against his, "Don't sound so....self loathing. Part of being married is dealing with each other. You have to deal with my nagging and I have to deal with your tendencies to smart off to other people." She joked slightly and looking up at him, smiling slightly, "We may not be so accustomed to that yet, but we will sooner of later."

Taking his hand, she kissed the palm of his hand lovingly, sighing, "Serix, I don't want to force you to stay here if all you are going to do is get hurt by the others. For all we knew they were going to kill you! If there's a risk that could happen again, if we have to stay here and basically be prisoners, wouldn't it be better for the two of us to go back to the hanger? At least there we could be safe and happy together without people trying to get in the way of us." She stated and looked back up at him, meeting his gaze, "Serix, I'm willing to do what you think is best."

Whatever he decided they should do, she up for it as long as it was her staying with him. She was so sure that Serix would say they should go back to the hanger. After all, there they were safe, happy, and closed off from the horrors of the outside world. Here, the trouble of their world was thrown into their face and they were forced to deal with people that they didn't want to deal with. So, wouldn't going back to that place be better for them? Cuddling herself close to him, she looked up at him, waiting for his answer patiently.

[Rogue Sloth]

After everything Cassie said, Serix wanted to immediately take her offer and return to the hangar. He missed the privacy and peace they had when they were alone together. In the human caves, it felt like they were always being watched and threatened from the shadows, and they had hardly any time to themselves. When looking at everything that way, it only seemed logical that they should go back to their old hideout. They would be happier there… Or would they?

Sure, right now the hangar sounded like paradise compared to the human compound, but just how long would it last? The appearance of the Pilot only reaffirmed Serix’s fear that his people were moving. They could arrive on Earth tomorrow or a year from now, but whenever that happened, the securest place to be would have to be —as much as he hated to admit it— with the humans. There was something to be said for the concept ‘safety in numbers,’ and when the impending invasion happened, he would much prefer be part of a group rather than half of a pair. He would be selfish and stupid to put them in a dangerous position just because it was easier at that moment. If he and Cassie wanted to survive, their best option was to stay in the caves. He would just have to tread lightly around Hunter and the other hostile humans until the situation cooled down.

Serix wrapped an arm around Cassie, hugging her close to his side, and kissed her gently on the lips, “Running away sounds great. It really does, but… we should stay here.” He leaned back slightly to meet her eyes. “I just have a feeling that even though it’s hard now, we’ll be better off here in the long run. The worst is pretty much over, right? Whatever Hunter was doing, it didn’t work. As long as we don’t give him another opportunity to cause trouble, things can only get better from here.” He smiled at her, trying to seem optimistic. He really did want everything to work out. Not all of the humans were as cruel as Hunter, and some were even friendly. Maybe, with time, his hope that the caves could become their home would be a reality.

He brought a hand up to lightly brush a strand of hair from Cassie’s face, “What do you think?”

[AHeartlessNobody]

Honestly, she had been expecting Serix to agree to leave. After all, was it worth staying here if it could get Serix tortured like this and possibly killed? But, Serix apparently had other things in mind and other problems in his head that were considered far worse than the dangers in this cave, because soon he had hugged her close to him and kissed her, telling her that they were safer here in the long run and that with Hunter's plan having failed the worst was likely over. When he brushed a blonde strand of hair, she let out a sigh and leaned her cheek against his hand, looking up at him, "If you thnk we should stay here, then we'll stay." She stated and looked up at him, "But, also, for now on, you don't leave my side. At all. You have to go somewhere to help someone? I go with you. I have to go somewhere? You tag along. I'm serious this time Serix. We can't be separated again."

Leaning up, she kissed him again then situated herself on the bed, laying down, pulling him gently to lay down next to her, "Now, get some sleep. The more rest you get, the better you'll be after all that they put you through." Once he layed down, she yawned and curled up against his side, being careful to not touch where she knew those whip marks were and closed her eyes. After not getting much sleep the night before, and in being in Serix's arms for the first time in the past few days, it didn't take long before she slipped off into a comfortable sleep, smiling all the while thanks to being back with her husband for now.

She didn't wake up until once again Quincy came through the curtain of their room, grinning all the while, "Well, look who's back in the caves." Crossing his arms, he nodded his head toward the 'doorway', "Lunch is starting in a few minutes. You two are probably starved. I would get there before the others take all the good stuff." With that he left, leaving the two fo them alone.

Sighing, Cassie snuggled her head against Serix's shoulder, exhausted still, "What do you think? Is it worth getting up?"

[Rogue Sloth]

“No complaints here,” Serix said when Cassie told him they couldn’t be separated again. After spending the past few days locked in different cells, he had no qualms with staying by her side. When Cassie leaned in to kiss him again, he held her close and closed his eyes, enjoying the touch of her lips to his. There were no more metal bars to keep them apart; no more guards to keep them from speaking their minds. Once again, everything was right in his world.

After a moment, Cassie pulled away and lay on the bed, gently tugging Serix down with her, “Now, get some sleep. The more rest you get, the better you’ll be after all that they put you through.”

“I won’t argue with that logic,” Serix said with a yawn. He carefully positioned himself on his side to avoid putting pressure on the gashes in his back, and slipped one arm around Cassie. Compared to the cold stone floor he’d been using for a bed in the cell, sleeping next to Cassie again was unimaginably comfortable. It took him no time at all to drift off to sleep with her by his side again.

--

“Well, look who’s back in the caves.”

Serix didn’t want to wake up yet. He groaned and rolled over, and then winced when his back touched the mattress, sending a dull throb through the rest of his body. He had been so content sleeping next to Cassie that he had forgotten about his injuries. He waited for the pain to pass, and then opened his eyes to see Quincy standing by the curtain. The human grinned back at him, “Lunch is starting in a few minutes. You two are probably starved. I would get there before the others take all the good stuff.”

At first Serix felt a pang of anger, thinking that Quincy was mocking him, but after a moment he realized that he was genuinely trying to be friendly. He relaxed again. At least not every human thought he was still associated with the Pilot. Or at least they didn’t all wear the thought on their faces.

“We might as well grab something to eat before it’s all gone,” Serix answered in response to Cassie’s question. “But we should bring it back here. I don’t really feel like sitting with them just yet.” He sat up slowly and turned back to his mate. “That’s okay with you, right?”

[AHeartlessNobody]

"Of course thats okay with me." Cassie stated with a nod when Serix mentioned that they should probably bring the food back to their room to eat it. She herself didn't feel like being around any of them at the moment either. She had told them all so clearly that Serix hadn't had anything to do the piolet getting in, yet no one had believed neither her nor him. She was still angry with all of them for that and she had a feeling that if she ended up sitting with any of them, she would end up saying something to all of them that would just make this situation worse, something she and Serix couldn't have happen right now with everything still tense at the moment.

Sitting up, she kissed him once more before she stood up and stretched her protesting muscles that didn't want to move just yet. She was still sore all over from having to sleep on the floor of the cell, but hopefully that would pass after a day or two, so she didn't complaining about the aching. Besides, she knew there was no reason for her to complain about it when Serix had it much worse than she did with all those cuts and such on his back. She had no right to complain when he was hurting so much more than she was.

She linked arms with him when he stood up as well and then walked with him silently to the cafeteria where most of the humans had already sat down and were eating. Everyone pretty much stared at the two of them, all of different expressions on their faces. But, Cassie did what she knew was best for the time being, and ignored the looks, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she walked over to where the food was. Getting herself a plate and putting the food she wanted on it, she waited for Serix to get done as well, before she walked with him back toward the door, hoping to go back to their room before anyone tried to stop them or talk to them.

[Rogue Sloth]

Serix walked with Cassie to the dining hall in silence. He had to make a mental effort not to drag his feet. After everything that had happened, he was reluctant to see any of the humans again, but he knew that if he wanted to win their trust back, he would have to prove that he forgave them for their biased accusations. He and Cassie needed to find refuge in their caves if they wanted to survive the Lunairan invasion, and to do that, making amends with the humans was their only option.

The task was much easier said than done.

When they reached the dining hall, all of the humans stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Serix immediately averted his gaze to avoid meeting their eyes. He stayed close to Cassie as they approached the table where the food was set out and filled his plate as quickly as he could so they could go back to their room. As soon as they were in the same cavern as the humans, he lost all willpower to confront them. Admittedly, it would be a while before he was ready to make an earnest effort to move on, so for now just showing his face in the dining hall would have to suffice.

Serix rested one hand on Cassie’s back to subtly usher her along as they walked back to their room. The sooner they were away from the humans, the better. But unfortunately they didn’t seem to share his opinion. From the corner of his eye, he could see Emily moving to approach them with Connor at her side. He ducked his head slightly and hastened his pace, but the two took no notice of his warning gesture.

“Wait,” Emily stepped around to stop them before they could leave the cavern and offered a tentative smile. “I just wanted to say on behalf of most of us here: We’re glad you’re both out of the hold.” Her smile faded as she met Serix’s gaze. “And… we’re sorry about… what happened.”

Serix softened a bit at the sincere tone of her voice. Again, he was reminded that not all of the humans held on to their grudge against his people. He returned her smile and nodded, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. And you shouldn’t feel the need to apologize. You had nothing to do with it.”

“No,” Emily shook her head. “Like everyone else, I didn’t do anything to stop it. Even if it was only for a little while, I still thought you were a spy, and that’s why I’m apologizing.”

“Really, it’s okay,” Serix said. “The fact that you don’t think I’m a spy anymore is enough.”

Emily nodded reluctantly and moved aside so they could pass, “Okay. I just wanted to make sure you both knew that not everyone here is worried you’re a traitor.”

“Thank you,” Serix said. He walked back to the tunnel that led to their room and intertwined his fingers with Cassie’s. “Well, that wasn’t as terrible as I expected.”

[AHeartlessNobody]

Even though she and Serix seemed to just want to get out of here and back to their room to get some peace and quiet, away from any humans that might want to cause trouble, it seemed the other half bloods didn't have that in mind. Soon, they had both been stopped by Emily and Conner, and though she knew these two were not so much likely to cause trouble with them, Cassie still would have liked for she and Serix to be left alone for now. Especially Serix. Yet, what Emily said was quick and Cassie said a quiet 'bye' to she and Conner before walking back down the tunnel and toward their cavern.

Once there, she nodded and sat back on the bed, lightly squeezing his hand with a soft sigh, "I'm glad to say it wasn't as bad as I expected either. I was worried one of them might try to jump you with the looks some of them were giving us." She leaned up, softly kissing his lips before letting out a small sigh, "We just...need to be very careful from here on out. Keep to ourselves for now and interact with people we know for sure we can trust." Of course, those people were limited. She trusted Emily fairly well. Jacob was one of those people too. Maybe Ray and Quincy. But other than those four, she didn't really trust anyone else fully and wouldn't put it past any of them to try something.

"We also need to make sure you go no where alone with anyone else. We can't have a repeat of what happened at the bonfire that caused all this trouble. We need to make sure that I go with you, no matter what. They can't say anything against you if I was there with with you as well." She kissed him softly once more, "I know it will be difficult. But once all of this is cleared up and what Hunter did is brought to light, then things will get better and people will start trusting us more." She hoped. Some people still might be wary, but at least not everyone would believe that Serix was trying to destroy this little colony here.

She took a bit of an apple, causally eating as she leaned back, "We have the rest of the day to rest." She said, looking over at him, "At least no one can bother us until dinner time."