Part 4
Liz awoke in a small, low-ceilinged room to see sunlight filtering through an oddly shaped skylight in the ceiling that looked like an ellipse, with a side pushed in, as though it had grown naturally into that shape. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that the walls, floor, ceiling, everything—was made of stone. She was in a cave.
Her bed appeared to have been carved from rock jutting out of the wall. She ran her fingers over her mattress, which was woven of long, silken feathers that gave at her touch.
Liz tried to sit up, but her head started throbbing with pain. She lay back down, and, testing her voice, asked, "Hello?" Her voice cracked, and she was surprised at how weak it was. There was no answer, not even an echo.
Liz was about to try her voice again when she realized that she didn't even know if she was still on the rebel base. She could be anywhere. Liz let out a deep breath as the realization seeped in, stiffening as she heard a soft padding in the corridor outside her room. She closed her eyes to feign sleep, trying to calm her rapid, shallow breathing.
* * *
Max walked into the apartment to find a mess—books, papers, clothing, and all of their possessions had been thrown haphazardly all over the apartment. However, it wasn't just a common thief who had done this to their apartment; nothing expensive was missing, not that Max and Liz had had anything of much value besides their appliances. Someone had been looking for something. Max picked up a framed picture of him and Liz that had fallen from the wall, holding it in one hand as he waved his other hand over the glass to repair it.
Max closed his eyes for a moment before reaching for the phone to call Michael.
* * *
Liz heard the footsteps come closer and enter her room. The padding stopped next to her, and she felt a hand push the hair off of her forehead—a hand that definitely felt human.
"Oh, babe, I wish you would just get better." The sad, resigned voice paused. "I've got no one to talk to." It was Maria.
Liz's eyes flipped open, and Maria started, stunned. "Maria, I heard footsteps, and I didn't know who…"
Maria expression changed immediately to joy. "You're back! Oh, Lizzie, I've missed you!" She took Liz's face in her hands and kissed her friend's forehead.
"I… I don't understand. What's going on?" Liz's mind was foggy, and Maria didn't seem to be making sense. "Back? Where was I?"
"You've been sick, delirious, for more than two weeks. Serena said it had something to do with the atmosphere, called it atmospheric shock. Your body just wasn't ready for the change."
Liz took a deep breath, letting the information register. "Why didn't you get sick?"
Maria shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. I think it's kinda like seasickness; some people get it, and some don't. I got a flu-like thing, but yours was much more severe."
"Where are we?" Liz asked.
"You don't remember?" A look of horror passed over Maria's face.
"No, no, I remember… about the rebel base. I just…" Liz tried to pull herself up into a sitting position, grimacing through fresh waves of pain in her temples.
"We're still at the rebel base. Look, Liz, you just lay back while I get Serena."
"Maria?" Maria paused at the uneven archway that connected Liz's room to the corridor. "Nothing… happened to my baby, right?"
"Your baby's fine. I'll be right back, Liz." She hesitated before turning back to say, "I'm so glad you're okay."
* * *
Michael ran his fingers through his hair. "So, Maxwell, what can we do?"
"I'm the one who called you over here, aren't I?" Max tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch. "What do you think they were looking for? I can't think of anything specific I have that they would want. Besides…"
"Do you think they know about Maria and Liz?"
Suddenly, the front door flew open, and a frantic Isabel rushed in.
"Isabel?" Max stared at her. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working today… in Las Cruces."
"I… I was," Isabel said breathlessly. "I had a vision. I… they know about Maria and Liz. The Skins know."
* * *