Skye slowly came back to reality, stretching lazily like a cat, not even remembering if she had dreamed. She already knew Riddick wouldn't still be in bed with her, she could feel it.
Sitting up and shaking her head she sighed, "One of these days I'm gonna wake up and you'll be here." She spoke to the empty spot next to her.
Deciding on a shower, Skye gathered some clothes and stiffly headed to the bathroom. She discovered how sore she was from their lovemaking just from her short walk to the shower. All of her muscles ached and there was a dull throb between her legs. She couldn't help smiling when she thought about how she got this sore.
The water pounded relentlessly over her, massaging away the pain. She scrubbed herself clean, washed her hair, and took Eric's advice and relaxed. The warmth of the water allowed her mind to wander and it took her places she would like to be. Just like when she read her books. She pretended she could feel the warmth of the sun on her shoulders and the grainy feeling of sand beneath her, the smell of the ocean as she breathed in, and the distant sound of waves crashing on the shore.
There really was a place like this but Skye had only read about it and listened as people describe it to her. It was called Kilian, located in the Rylos sector. A vacation spot of sorts and Skye wished she could be there right now with Riddick, Jack, and Carrie, all soaking up the sun, far away from any biohazard chemicals.
But no, right now she was in the shower on Marisphere…waiting. But waiting for what?
Taking a deep breath, the ocean smell now gone, Skye turned off the water and stepped into the cool air of the bathroom. She used her two minute dryer formula, bringing her curls back to life and dressed in a pair of black leather pants that rode low on her hips, a little strappy black tank top, and her usual black combat boots. Looking in the mirror one last time, she smiled. She felt good, looked good, and was feeling a little adventurous, so she decided to do a little exploring.
Skye stepped into the quiet hallway and cleared her mind. She filtered through the images that popped up in her head that didn't have to do with the layout of Marisphere. There were a lot of rooms and hallways but there weren't as many people on board as she first suspected.
As she walked down the halls she discovered there were short cuts to certain areas, numerous entrances into other sections, but right now she was drawn to the lower decks.
Time had lost all meaning to her but she figured, with the dim lights a very few people she passed, that they must be in their night cycle. All the better for her.
She wasn't nervous when she reached the elevator and she wasn't nervous as it slowly dropped her to the lowest level. Her 'sense' was working and she knew there wouldn't be anybody waiting for her down there. That alone should have made her nervous considering how strange it was. A whole deck on this floating company with its tight security, highly profitable experiments, and very dangerous competition…empty? The other thing that should have made her nervous was the fact that there weren't any security cameras down here.
Skye skipped through those thoughts as she stepped out into the hall. The walls and floors were a brilliant white but with only half the lights on, it was tolerable. She looked up at the glass ceiling and decided to make a right. Walking confidently in long strides through another maze, Skye felt her mood about the place lighten, but that didn't last long. The deeper she got, the slower her steps became, and the thicker the air felt.
An eerie feeling swept over her body as she rounded a corner. That same feeling of being watched but not by eyes. Kind of like how a snake can 'see' with its tongue by tasting the air. Before she could analyze the feeling, a deep howl stopped her dead in her tracks and froze the blood in her veins. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she was positive, whatever made that sound was right behind her.
Slowly, she turned and looked over her shoulder. Nothing was there. Adrenaline surged through her, unfreezing her blood, readying her body for flight but she forced herself to calm down. If she ran, she would panic, her 'sense' would be useless and that could prove to be fatal.
As slow as she had turned, Skye back-tracked the way she had come. The only sound was the thudding of her boots on the grated floor and the pounding of her heart. She froze again as another howl echoed through the halls, bouncing off the metal walls behind her. It was not from the same thing that howled the first time. This one was a little higher in pitch. Her muscles twitched in anticipation but she held steady. Pinpointing the location of the sound was impossible with the maze she was in.
The sound was unreal, shaking loose every logical thought in her head. There was no animal that she knew of that could make that sound. She couldn't think straight until the last of the echoing howl died down.
"What the hell was that?" she asked aloud. Thinking fast and walking even faster, Skye headed for one of the doors she had passed when she first got off the elevator. She had a feeling that what she needed to know would be in that room.
The howl never returned and by the time she reached the door her hands were shaking. She keyed in the lock code as if she'd done it a million times and watched the door slide open. The air inside was cold and damp bringing on a chill on top of the one she already had.
"Lights on," she said into the darkness. Brilliant light bloomed from the ceiling tiles chasing the shadows into deeper corners. She was in an office room. Filing cabinets lined the wall on the left, a desk stood in the middle of the room cluttered with mountains of paper, and a wipe board, covered in sequences of numbers and mathematical problems hung on the wall on the right. Skye ran to the first cabinet and yanked open the top drawer. Scanning the contents, not really knowing what she was looking for but sure she'd know when she saw it.
Drawer after drawer gave her nothing but paper cuts. "Come on, what are you hiding?" In the middle of the files in the third cabinet she searched through, a notebook caught her eye. She tilted her head so she could read what was written on the spine. UNDISCLOSED DOCUMENTS: EXPERIMENT BATCH 147. Skye pulled out the book and took it over to the desk, her pulse pounding painfully in her neck. She desperately wanted to know what was in this book but at the same time was terrified. Taking a breath, she flipped open the cover.
The first page was a lot of scientific talk so she skipped it and turned to the second page. It was an index of some kind. In large letters in read, HUMAN TESTING, and a list of subject numbers. Skye's throat went dry and she had a hard time reading on. The next one read, ANIMAL TESTING, also with a list of subject numbers. Third said, COMBINATION TESTING. As soon as she read that, she slammed the notebook shut and closed her eyes. She tried to control her breathing and forced herself to open the notebook once more.
This time she skimmed over the first page, not wanting to venture past that. In small print at the bottom of the page it read:
Continuous research and advances in chemicals have led to the improvement of our experiments. Subjects have become smarter, faster, stronger, and bigger with each new test subject. One thing lacking; growth rate. We have changed our focus to improving growth time. It seems the growth period for each subject lengthens with any added physical or mental attributes we force upon them.
Skye couldn't read anymore. She kept seeing the word, force, and it made her stomach turn over. The rest of the team needed to read this and she, more than anything, wanted to be close to Riddick. He could keep her safe.
Her only problem was how she was going to get the book back to her room. Looking left then right, behind and in front, seeking a way to conceal the book; Skye spotted a door near the one she came in. Smiling when she opened it she saw some medical equipment and a few white lab coats. She slipped into one of them and tucked the book under her arm and headed out the door.
Riddick was with Jack, Carrie, and Raven in Raven's room so she searched down Eric and Kyle and ushered them to the room. This was the one place where there weren't any cameras; Marisphere seemed to have a little decency when it concerned the kind of privacy people would want in a bedroom. And Skye couldn't pick up any electronic listening devices with her 'sense'. Once inside and the door shut and locked, Skye turned to face them. Before any of them could comment on her outfit she tossed the notebook on the table.
"We have a problem," she said, shrugging out of the lab coat and throwing it across the room. She put her hands on her hips and looked at each of them. They were waiting for her to continue. "There's something else on this ship."
"Not again," Raven whined.