Challenged - Skinwalker Book 2

Chapter 45

When sierra finally began to regain consciousness, she struggled to focus her eyes and her thoughts. The furthest thing from her mind was remembering what had happened. Her immediate thoughts veered towards her body and surroundings. Everything felt sluggish and dull. She felt heavy – really heavy. She blinked and groaned as she tried to move a little, struggling to understand what she was seeing.

The ceiling above her was white, large and lit with down-lights. The light directly above her was stronger – two fluorescent tubes – but, thankfully, it was off. She was in some sort of cubical similar to those found in hospitals, but something didn't seem quite right about that analogy. She started struggling to sit up, but her body wasn't quite ready to listen to her yet.

"Shhh... take it easy, tiger," Adam crooned when he realised that she was awake. He spun in his office chair, then got up and walked over to her.

"Where am I?" Sierra asked, her throat raspy and dry.

Adam poured some water into a cup and helped her to swallow it.

"You're home – in the lab's sick bay. How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like I got hit by a truck?" Sierra grumbled.

It was true. The more conscious she became, the more she realised how stiff and sore she was. Her whole body was aching dully like it had suffered major trauma.

Adam looked concerned.

"You should be okay..." He mused. "I checked out all your vitals when you came in."

He stepped off to the side and started punching buttons on the scanner's command panel. A moment later it's arm started running over the full length of Sierra's body. She closed her eyes and tried to recoup while it completed its run, memories of what had happened suddenly flooding back to her.

"Wow!" Adam remarked under his breath once the scanner had completed its tour of her body.

Sierra stiffened and looked at him questioningly.

"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?" he asked evasively.

Sierra scowled at him.

"Spill it!"

"Well the good news is that you shouldn't be breaking anything again soon," Adam informed her. "Your bone density has increased by thirty per cent. There is also a significant increase in your muscle density."

She blinked at him in disbelief, not quite sure what to make of the information.

Okay, that's pretty huge. Then what the hell is the bad news?

"The bad new is that you might never want to get on a scale again..." Adam quipped with a soft smile.

Sierra scowled at him, not quite in the mood for humour. She struggled to sit up – and this time she succeeded.

"So you're basically saying I'm fine? Tougher or something like that, but fine?" she mused.

Adam nodded.

"I can deal with that," she replied, feeling more confident.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and looked at her toes contemplatively.

"Shouldn't I... look a little different right now?" she mused.

"Uh... well, you were apparently not quite as big as the other guy, but it's still pretty hard to carry a rhinoceros around," Adam informed her.

"I had Karina inject you with a transition serum," Kalko announced as he made his way over on crutches. His right leg was in a full cast.

"We needed to get you out of there, and besides being heavy, you were a little bulky for the jet. You broke a few needles though," he informed her bluntly.