Where the hell could she be? Skye thought frantically.  She had to stop at an intersection and think; the red lights and the incessant droning from the female voice over the intercom system was screwing with her head.

"Come on, you can do this," she said out loud.  "You had it a minute ago."  Her hand gripped the butt of the gun with an intensity she wasn't even aware of as she wracked her brain.  She was on the seventh level, docking bay was on three, Riddick and the rest of the team were somewhere in that area but nothing on Jack or Carrie.

Skye headed left; repeatedly checking her gun to make sure it was ready to go as she passed the stairwell.  That's when she heard it, a noise that strangely enough could be heard over the annoyingly calm voice that echoed throughout the hall.  A deep rumbling, unearthly roar; something that would only come from the pits of hell managed to reach Skye's now sensitive ears.  Chills ran down her spine as she approached the door and with a trembling hand, she pushed on the metal bar, opening it just a fraction.  But that's all it took.  The sound hit her like a blast wave.  It was like millions of demons were snarling, growling, and pounding their way to her, and they were getting closer.

Skye pulled the door shut hard and backed into the wall behind her, breathing hard as fear and adrenaline rushed through her veins.  Riddick had let out the test subjects and judging from what she had read about them, they were all in deep shit.

With no time to waste, Skye took off at a full run down the hall, looking for another way off this floor.  The medical facility was on the floor below her and it was as good as any place to start looking for Jack and her baby.  She trusted that her 'sense' would find them…eventually.

***********************************

Riddick was still in the stairwell passing the fifth floor when his breathing became labored, slightly unusual for him but his body needed the extra energy the oxygen would provide so he let it happen, let his breathing grow hard.

He pulled open the door to six and stepped into the hallway, looking slowly around him, trying to discern any unusual sounds over those that were blaring in his ears.  He headed right, walked the corridor with slow, silent steps, pausing only long enough to pull his shiv out of his boot.  At the intersection he went left, peering through the windows in the doors as he moved.  Medical equipment, beds, stark white walls…yeah, he was on the medical level.

Somewhere up ahead and around the next turn, there was a loud bang.  Riddick instantly tensed and moved against one wall, easing towards the source of the sound.  He froze at the corner and listened.  Someone was walking to him; he could hear their boots thunking softly on the metal floor.  Riddick made a quick assessment of the identity of the person; lightweight, cautious, prepared, probably armed.  A smile crept over his face as the scent of woman filled his nose, a very familiar scent.  He tucked his shiv back in his boot and moved right up to the corner.

At just the right moment, Riddick reached around the corner, grabbed a handful of the woman's shirt and pulled her to him.  His hand went over her mouth and his arm around her waist.  And immediately upon contact his heart fluttered.  Not because it was just a woman but his woman.

She fought and struggled with him for only a second before she stilled in his arms.  Riddick eased his grip on her so she could turn around.  Their eyes met and she gasped before throwing her arms around his neck.  He held her tight against him, feeling immense relief that she was alive and okay.

Skye knew it was Riddick from the moment he reached out and grabbed her but for a second she almost didn't want to believe it in case she was wrong.  Well, she wasn't wrong.  There was no mistaking the feel of his body, the strength of his arms around her, and the way her heart began beating out of rhythm.  Only Riddick could make her feel this way.

She pulled away just as he did, their lips finding each other and melding together in a searing kiss.  For just a moment, all the noise around them faded away as they reunited in a passionate greeting.  Skye released his lips but continued to drag them over his, the softness and the heat of them stirred up feelings in her belly in spite of what was happening around them.

Riddick's hands moved up to her face to hold her still as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into the hot confines of her mouth.  She welcomed it with a satisfied moan, leaning heavily against him as his tongue slid over hers, exploring every crevice, every corner while her hands moved down his chest, settling over his massive pecs.  They twitched underneath her hands with every move he made, with every shuddering breath he took.

Skye felt weightless, dizzy with the taste of him, overwhelmed by the feel of his hard body, surprisingly relaxed by the safety he wrapped her in.  As much as she wanted to continue this, it had to end and Riddick pulled away, his hands remaining on her face.  He searched her eyes, her face and then smiled, warm and sweet.

"You ever heard of Sirian?" he asked, keeping his voice low.  Skye shook her head, her eyes wandering over his features.  Riddick smoothed the dark curls away from her face and smiled again.  "I think it's a place you would like."  His smile turned thoughtful for a second as his eyes moved away from her.  He nodded and refocused on her, "Yeah, you would definitely like it." 

Skye returned the smile and put her hands over his, filing the plant's name into her memory, hoping to hold on to this moment for a little longer when her 'sense' kicked in.  Skye's eyes grew wide as she pulled away from Riddick.  His smile disappeared, his brow creased with concern.

"What is it?" he asked as he retrieved his shiv once more.

"They're on the move," she answered; turning back the direction she had come from.

"Who is?"  Riddick called out as he ran to catch up to her.

"Jack and the baby.  They're heading down."  She was about to continue when something behind them crashed, the sound of steel being torn in squealing torment.  They both turned around and Riddick stepped in front of Skye putting his arms out to keep her behind him.  A high-pitched wheezing sound filtered through the warning speech making the blood in Skye's veins freeze.  It was different than what she'd heard before but it was no less disturbing.

"MOVE!" Riddick growled roughly.  Skye didn't hesitate to ask why, she just ran back to the stairwell she just used.  She was too afraid to look back but she could feel Riddick right behind her and beyond that there was a power and evil that made her shudder.

Skye threw her body into the door to open it, ignoring the sting in her hip as it hit the metal bar; stumbling as it gave easily and almost falling but Riddick grabbed her arm to steady her.  He kept his hold on her elbow as they descended the stairs.  When they reached the landing to the fourth floor Riddick stopped and turned Skye so she was facing him.

"I had to let them out.  Raven, Eric, and Kyle were taken by security, I had no idea where you, Jack, or Carrie were so…" Skye put her finger over his lips to quiet him.

"I'm not questioning why you did it.  I'm not questioning you at all.  Hell, if you hadn't let them out I never would have gotten away."

Concern danced in his eyes and when he spoke, his voice carried a hint of emotion.  "Did they hurt you?"

"A little, in my shoulder."  She reached up to massage her injury when it dawned on Riddick that the phantom hit he'd taken earlier was the same time she was hit.  His connection with this woman was so strong that he felt the pain just as she had and it almost scared him.

He moved closer to her, wanting to touch her when a shadow from above caught his attention.  He stopped moving and looked up.

"What?" Skye asked, following his line of sight.  Without saying anything he took a hold of Skye's shoulder and turned her back to the stairs, urging her to keep going down.  She did without delay.  There was an urgency in the air, a living thing that pushed them along, forced them to move faster…it was fear.

They passed level four and were headed down to three when Skye came to a skidding halt, forcing Riddick to slam into her back.  He steadied them both and was about to ask what she was doing when more movement below them disrupted the thought.  Shadows, big and small slithered along the walls and up the stairs.  Skye backed into Riddick and he turned her, guiding her back up the stairs, keeping his hand on her lower back.

Almost frantic now, Skye pulled open the door to the fourth floor and ran through.  She was tripped up by something…something hard and sharp that sliced through her cargos just below her knee. 

Riddick charged through the door in time to see Skye go down.  His senses went full alert as the air around him was disrupted.  He ducked as something heavy swung over his head.  Stumbling back to get out of the way of the second swing, Riddick hit the wall hard and fell to the floor.

What was crouched a few feet away from him was a creature that should never be possible.  It looked like a skinned tiger with no tail, no ears, and slick gleaming skin stretched tight over impossibly large muscles.  The head was all wrong, nothing like a tigers.  The mouth was huge and open, razor sharp teeth lined ever space in its jaw making it look like it was smiling, cutting all the way back to where its ears should be.  The eyes were on either side of its pointed head, rolling out of sync like their purpose was just for show but Riddick immediately saw his disadvantage.  Those eyes were watching everything around it; there was no way to sneak up on it.

***********************************

"Raven!" Eric called out.  "Where are you?"  The three entered a dark weapons storage room just as the warning over the intercom was cut off half way through its speech, plunging them into silence but not all was quiet.  There were sounds of gunfire, screams, and the howling of something expressing its pure delight.

Eric tried not to listen and called out for Raven again.  This time she answered, grabbing his shoulder.  "What?" she asked and Eric jumped back and into Kyle.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, straightening up, not seeing the smile on Kyle's face.

"Getting weapons…here."  She handed him a high-powered shotgun and flipped the built in flashlight on.  The white light hit his face, blinding him.  He grunted and pointed it to the floor, blinking a few times.  The weight of the weapon in his hands made him feel a little better about the whole situation.

With weapons ready, they gathered around the door awaiting their orders.  "We get to the ship, get it powered up, and we hold off what we need to hold off until the others get here."

"What if they don't?" Raven asked quietly.  Eric froze for a second then met her eyes.

"They will," he said firmly.  "We're not too far from the docking bay doors.  Kyle, you watch our ass, Raven, I want you on my right."  They nodded in unison as Eric slowly opened the door.  He peered carefully into the hallway, seeing it was clear, and motioned for the others to follow.

Raven went after Eric and Kyle followed, keeping his light on the dark path behind them.  The noises around them were almost deafening, the screams and the inhuman shrieks, but the halls they moved through were clear.

The docking bay was another story.  There were people everywhere, pushing through crowds, running into each other; trying to board any available ship.  Total chaos reigned, people panicked, and Eric's group watched in amazement from their place by the door.  There was something among the group, something they couldn't see, something that was the root of all the terror.

Raven stepped to the right of the door and moved behind some crates, watching the scene through the slats of wood.  Eric moved left and up a few feet, out of Raven's sight and Kyle dropped to one knee and continued his watch on the hallway.

Eric was trying to discern the best path to the ship when he felt something cold and hard pressing against the back of his neck.

"Goin' somewhere?" asked a familiar voice.  Eric didn't have to turn around to know who it was…one of the guards that had been watching them earlier.  Even with all the shit that was going on, this guy wouldn't let up.

Eric shook his head and rolled his eyes as the guard continued to speak.  "Drop the gun and put your hands up."  Eric carefully put the gun down and stood up.  "Hands up!" the guard yelled, jabbing his gun into Eric's neck.  Eric followed his orders and the guard grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back.

Raven and Kyle caught sight of Eric at gunpoint at the same time and raised their weapons.

"Put them down…if you know what's best."  Kyle looked over his shoulder to Raven and nodded to her.  She put her gun on the floor along with Kyle and the guard pushed Eric to them, keeping his gun sights on them.

"Come on, man.  We're not the enemy here," Kyle said harshly.  All the response he got was a hoarse laugh.  The guard reached to his belt and grabbed his radio.

"Hey, Reston," he said then paused.  "Got 'em."  His smile was wicked as he stepped closer to them.  "Looks like we got ourselves a payd…" The look on the guards face contorted suddenly as his words were cut off.  It happened so fast that no one was sure they even saw it.

Something very sharp and claw like had sliced through the air and was gone.  The trio stared on in shock as the would-be rich guard slowly slid apart and fell in two pieces onto the ground; sliced clean across the waist.

Eric recovered first, going for Kyle and Raven's weapons.  "Here…you two stay together.  Circle the bay until you get to the ship.  Stay hidden the best you can.  I'll go the opposite direction."  Kyle listened and nodded while Raven continued to stare wide-eyed at the dead guard.  "Go now!"

Kyle forced Raven's gun into her hands and grabbed her arm, pulling her against the wall while Eric took off the other direction.

"Come on, girl…stay with me," Kyle said, shaking Raven out of her stupor.  She snapped into focus and followed Kyle closely, glad he was taking charge.

***********************************

The experimental creature began its advance on Skye as she crawled backwards to retrieve her lost gun.  Riddick flanked the monster to try and either get a slice in or get to Skye but it saw him and blocked his path.

"SHIT!" he yelled as he tried the other side with the same result.  A head on attack only made the animal turn around, snapping angry jaws on him, but now Riddick had its attention.

"Skye!" he yelled, moving to try and see her around the monstrosity.  He caught a glimpse of her pulling herself to her feet before his view was blocked.  "Get your ass down to three.  I'll take the long way around."

"I'm not leaving you!" she yelled back.  The creature started to turn at the sound of her voice so Riddick slapped his shiv on his other hand, the noise drawing it back to him.

"Right here," he said low and rough, making sure the creature remained focused on him.  "Skye, don't argue with me.  Get the FUCK outta here."  And she did.  She reluctantly turned her back on Riddick and ran.