Work.

Eat.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Reed's mind had been mostly absent during the first day of the research, the woman looking like a ghost rather than a lab scientist. She wouldn't speak to anyone, not even Ryan, mainly reading through the documents and information provided, while trying to avoid even glancing in Aksel's direction. To say she was in trouble was an understatement.

She was utterly fucked, with no chance of escape. Aksel made sure to remind her of their deal during the morning check-in, tastefully flashing a picture of the prescription bottle and successfully rendering her paralysed for the rest of the day. It was an impossible situation, Reed losing no matter who won. Sure, she could get rid of the evidence in her room, but the label on the picture had her information written all over it. It truly felt like everything was over. She couldn't fight back, knowing that there was nothing she could possibly do to defend herself from the Dane. She could only follow his instructions and hoped he wouldn't notify anybody. Her brain stubbornly looked for an answer, the famous third option, but every time she failed to think of an alternative, fate seemingly condemned her to be Aksel's little helper until he didn't need her anymore. What was even worse, she was very tempted to take one of the pills, desperate to calm her racing heart, but she remained strong in her decision not to take them. Getting hooked while dealing with Aksel would only prove him right.

So there it was, the mundane process of catching up with the research.

Work.

Eat.

Sleep.

Repeat.

It was only on the second day of the descent that Reed was allowed some rest from the nagging truth, crawling through her thoughts like a writhing worm.

Upon entering the common room, breakfast tray in hand, she was surprised to witness all scientists sitting together at the table, instead of eating spread out through the room like the day before. Alex chatted with Aksel, pointing his spoon at him while he talked with Isabella nodding once in a while, fluttering her lash extensions at the two men. Reed felt a pang of guilt seeing how polished she looked first thing in the morning, her curly hair combed into a neat bun with the subtle shimmer of makeup lighting up her features. Reed wouldn't have been surprised if she was hiding hills under that table.

The only person who wasn't engaged in the conversation was Ryan, pushing around his oatmeal with his eyes downcast. The others didn't seem to notice him much, a recurring theme that made Reed's life too easy and too difficult at the same time. Ryan was a loner, who seemed to only talk with Alex, which wasn't that often either. On one hand, he seemed like a person who was easy to approach, following the "he is more scared of you than you are of him", but something told Reed's approach was not the problem. She could talk with him, and be friendly, but in the end, he struck her as the type of person that doesn't get close to people easily.

Aksel, there is not much to work with here...

"Doctor Reed!" Aksel's call brought her attention back to the table.

"Come here! I saved you a seat." His sweet smile would have been so believable if it wasn't for the exchange from two days ago. And yet, Reed couldn't refuse, gracing the company with an awkward smile while she made her way towards the table. She lowered herself onto one of the chairs with a sigh.

"So... What are we talking about?" she asked, Isabella's eye roll escaping her notice. Alex's face split in an infectious grin, the man lighting up the room like a miniature sun.

"It's phase one, baby!" He sing-sang.

"Who would have thought, huh? Second day and we already get to prod at the little beauty outside." Alex's grin stretched impossibly wide, the man clearly ecstatic.

"So what will it be Aksel? Rock paper scissors or flip a coin?"

Aksel nudged Reed, an oddly friendly gesture, given that their relationship was fuelled by mutual benefit rather than trust.

"We are trying to decide who will get to operate the UUV on today's mission." He explained.

"Today's mission?"

"Doctor Cannan had instructed us to take samples from the outer layer of Noctis. We are hoping through tissue samples, maybe bodily fluids depending on what Noctis exactly is, plus a check-up if it reacts to external stimuli such as light, sound, etcetera..." Isabella explained, not raising her eyes from the plate.

"Yup, that's the plan. Are you excited nerds? You get new little samples to your lab." Alex joked, hand going around Ryan's shoulders and shaking him. The timid mind beside him released something akin to a choked chuckle, eyes not meeting anybody by the table.

Although Reed wouldn't admit it out loud, the thought of doing actual work sent a shiver down her spine. Samples of bodily fluids, and tissue, were something Reed could work with, instead of just rechecking the water samples from the documents.

"By the way, Rowan, do you have a coin?" Alex, leaned over, a charming smile painting his features. Although the man looked more like a soldier than a prince charming, Reed couldn't deny his charismatic magnetism, reciprocating with a strained smile at the sound of her name. She checked her pockets, shaking her head.

"Nope, sorry."

"Aw, anybody else? We are running out of time." The man urged, eyes scanning the table. Isabella rolled her eyes, a gesture Reed couldn't help but associate with her at that point.

"You really think we brought spare change here?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Just do rock paper scissors."

The two men took the game way too seriously for their age, glaring daggers at each other from the start of the first round. It honestly was quite entertaining to watch, Reed's heart beating faster as the two went head to head up until the last round.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!"

Aksel grimaced as Alex's palm enveloped his fist.

Paper beats rock.

"I'll get you next time." Aksel bit back, trying to ignore Aksel's grin.

The breakfast itself didn't last long, most of the food was cold due to the prolonged conversation. Reed left some of the oatmeal porridge for later, depositing it in the fridge before rinsing her plate. Cannan had insisted on the sustainability of the place, mentioning how compost could power the backup generator, but that the crew should limit their plastic waste. She could see the logic in that, after all, Cannan would be back to check up on them after the first four months. As she was drying her plate, depositing it on the rack, she felt a presence near her. Aksel's towering frame blocked her side view, the man looking unreasonably large.

The thing was, Aksel Andersen didn't look like a manipulator or a liar. Reed would have never assumed he was capable of such sophisticated mind games if it wasn't for their last conversation. Maybe she'd seen too many movies, putting people into boxes and archetypes, but life wasn't just a bit of fiction.

She glanced sideways, acknowledging the presence beside her.

"I haven't seen you talk to Ryan much..." There it was, the mask of amicability slipping from his features. Reed shrugged, feigning indifference.

"He's not much of a chatterbox."

"Well, conversation is a key to connection." Aksel muttered, turning his head to shoot a smile towards Alex, who passed by them.

"Not everybody likes meaningless chatter..."

Aksel glanced at her.

"I think it's just you."

"I am working on it."

Aksel snorted.

"Doesn't look like it."

He finished drying his plate, putting it away onto the rack. The Dane smiled charmingly, waving her a small goodbye. He couldn't leave without a goodbye, however, stopping in his tracks before quipping.

"And put a smile on that face, nobody likes a grouch."

Reed readjusted the hem of her lab coat, the cheap cotton irritating the skin of her nape. She and Rayn had started their shift in the lab about an hour ago, but all responsibilities went on pause as soon as the transmission from the UUV lit up one of the screens.

The vehicle was parked under the facility in one of the UUV docks, the camera only showing the vast deep blue stretching beyond the horizon. It would take some time before the machine could begin its journey towards Noctis, Alex and the rest most likely running tests before the actual operation.

Reed glanced towards the other man slouching on his office chair while he watched the screen. Ryan was a tall, tanned man, his olive skin shining in the white light of the reflectors above them. If it wasn't for the constant frown of worry, looking as if he was about to cry, Ryan could be considered intimidating, especially with his piercing sea-green eyes.

Ryan had barely spoken to Reed in the short time they had been working together, keeping his greetings short and conversation even shorter, but fortunately, unlike Aksel, Ryan was being polite in his curtness.

It was clear the man didn't want to get any more familiar with Reed than he already was, which proved to be an obstacle in Aksel's request... But Reed wasn't about to give up, especially on her second day of job.

"How long have you been working with the GOI?" she blurted out, using the first topic that came to mind. Ryan glanced at her from the corner of his eye, stilling his shoulders at the sound of her voice.

"About 7 years, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, was just curious... Have you guys worked together before? Like you, Alex and Isabella?"

Ryan seemed startled by the number of questions, Reed being uncharacteristically talkative.

"Um... I worked with Alex a few years back... I don't know Isabella very well." He muttered.

"Oh, I mean, you still know more people than I do..."

"I guess..."

This is not going well... How to approach somebody who doesn't want to be approached?

They fell into an awkward silence, both staring at the screen wordlessly as the UUV was being prepared. Slowly but surely different parameters began to appear on the side of the screen, dates, temperature, speed... A welcome distraction from the painfully obvious discomfort of the lab workers. They didn't wait long for Isabella's voice to ring through the room.

"Hello, my name is Doctor Isabella Maria Cruz, I am here with Doctor Alex Roberts as the operator and Doctor Aksel Andersen as the consultant. Today, we will be running tests on subject 001- Ingens Noctis regarding response to the stimuli as well as taking samples." She paused for a second.

"Today is the 15th of March, the time is 8:30... Doctor Roberts, you might proceed."

The UUV moved forward, particles of sand and dead matter moving around the screen with the tide created by the machine.

"We are currently at the depth of 2000 m below the sea level. We are expecting to reach the anomaly in approximately 35 minutes." Alex informed. Reed couldn't help but snort at the lack of Aksel's presence.

Seems like you are not fairing so well either...

Reed's green eyes scanned the water surrounding the UUV, picking up on a couple of bigger shadows drifting in and out of the camera.

"Sharks?" she asked. Ryan turned his head to her.

"Could be... the shape matches..."

"20 minutes away from destination." Alex chimed in.

Ryan was tapping his leg against the floor, his knee bouncing up and down as he watched the screen.

"Is everything alright?" Reed asked, prompting the man to stop the tapping. He seemed embarrassed by being caught.

"Um... I don't do well underwater..." Reed raised her eyebrows at his confession. A marine biologist scared of water?

"Are you thalassophobic?"

"Yeah... Something like that..." Ryan admitted, scratching the nape of his neck.

"Can I do something?" Reed asked.

"Bring you water? Something to distract you?"

Ryan smiled timidly, taken aback by Reed's visible concern. Reed couldn't help feeling a genuine sympathy towards him, having struggled with her own anxieties. She couldn't begin to understand why on earth Ryan took this job, being scared of the ocean while thousands of meters beneath the surface, but then again it wasn't her place to judge. She didn't know his circumstances, maybe he'd been forced to take this job regardless of the phobia.

"It's... That's very kind of you...I, I don't know if I want to keep looking at..." he glanced towards the screen.

"It helps when I imagine we are not, well, underwater... Try not to look at windows and stuff..."

"Does your room have one?"

"Covered it. I don't want to see it..."

Reed sucked on the inside of her cheek.

"Do you want me to walk you to medical? You could lay down there and wait it out."

"I am not sure it's allowed for me to go..."

"Hey, If you won't tell, I won't also... Besides, if you feel bad, you can't do your job properly."

Ryan paused for a second, seemingly contemplating before nodding.

"Let's go."

He stood up, legs visibly shaky, but before he could stumble Reed got to his side, supporting him as they walked out of the lab and down the corridor. Fortunately, medical wasn't that far from the labs, merely a two-minute walk.

"Can I ask you something?" Reed started, feeling the man beside her flinch a little.

"What does a scientist scared of water doing at the bottom of the ocean?"

Ryan released a humourless chuckle.

"Same thing as everybody else... Money."

"Mhm..."

The door to the medical slid open. The pair marched in, Reed leading the other scientist to the cot so that he could sit. Ryan looked pale, his forehead shining with sweat.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink or eat? I can bring you something real quick." Reed offered, but Ryan shook his head, lying flat on the cot.

"Thank you, but I will be alright... Um, you should go look at the recording. I don't think Cannan will like both of us slacking." He half-joked, clearly trying to mask the growing anxiety. Reed felt bad for not staying, but then again, they weren't close enough for Reed to be any kind of support to him. She'd said her goodbyes instead, wishing him a quick recovery before sliding the door shut behind her.

She had made a stop by the storage, getting herself a glass of water before heading back to the lab. Just as she'd predicted the UUV hadn't reached the target by the time she came back, still floating in the blue abyss, although the parameters clearly showed Alex had taken the machine deeper than their location. Reed busied herself with setting up the equipment, absentmindedly polishing dishes and flasks for later tests, and setting up the GOI laptop for taking notes before Isabella's voice startled her out of the trance.

"What's that?" she asked, receiving the attention of all involved.

"Alex, how far are we from the target?"

"About 450 meters, why?"

Isabella's tone changed to more professional, again addressing the camera rather than answering Alex's question.

"It appears that upon approaching the subject, the water temperature is gradually rising. The base temperature of the water had been measured to be 0°C, however, It has reached the point of 5°C, an abnormally high result for the depth we are on."

Reed paused, looking at the parameters by the left side of the screen. The temperature was steadily rising the closer they got to the creature.

That was not a good sign... It appeared that the immediate area of Noctis had been altered by the creature, which depending on the factors and extension of the traveling heat, could have dire consequences. If they were lucky, the heat signature wouldn't radiate too far, leaving the surrounding coral reefs and biomes unaltered, but Reed didn't really count on it... Not with the radiation reaching up to a kilometre. It was safe to assume that the corals were either already bleached or halfway through the process, not to mention the local fauna and flora slowly dying out. Reed just hoped that it wouldn't raise the ocean temperature too much, given that they were fairly close to the North Pole.

"Approaching the target in two minutes," Alex announced, the blackness of the Noctis stretching on the screen. The closer they got, the wider and more ominous the pillar of darkness seemed, looming over the UUV. Reed could already see the iridescent markings of the creature, shining in the dark like silk webs.

"We are currently 50 meters away from the subject." The man piloting the UUV said, before Isabella chimed in once again.

"Test run number 01, stimuli response. Doctor Roberts, please initiate the first stimuli sequence..." There was a pause before the lights of the UUV lit up, the harsh white light sliding across the gelatinous surface without penetrating it. Reed could see that upon bringing more light to the environment, the webbing across the surface layer remained her more of stained glass, having some level of transparency.

"We will be testing the light response, starting with white light."

Reed watched as the light flashed on and off, basking the black mass in light, before switching to another colour, using red light as well as the UV in search of a response. It was safe to say the creature didn't react to the test, the scans and video remaining the same.

"No initiate response detected. Proceed with the next stimuli Doctor Roberts."

The lights went out, returning to the standard night vision screen.

"We will be emitting vibrations on different frequencies from high to low..."

Reed sat on the stool, observing the creature as the frequencies were played. To her surprise, there was some movement when the frequencies went into the lower part, the black mass entering the gelatinous layer, spreading in a tendril-like manner closer towards the source of the sound, before rapidly retracting.

"We have a response to low frequencies, I repeat, there has been a response." Reed chuckled at the strained excitement in Isabella's voice. For once, Reed actually agreed with the scientist feeling her body swell with nervous energy. There was a response, the creature clearly sentient to some degree.

"Doctor Roberts, please run the lower frequencies once again." Isabella requested, the sound being played again. However, this time around, the scientists received no response, not even a twitch from the black mass before them.

"Erm... Alright, I suppose it's still a success. Could you initiate the third sequence, Doctor Roberts?"

"Initiating the heating pad."

Another set of arms emerged from the bottom of the screen, the UUV raising a heater towards the surface of the creature. Again, despite the pad glowing with heat, Noctis remained immobile. Reed could hear the audible disappointment in Alex's sight as the pad retracted back into the chassis of the UUV.

"No response towards heat..."

"Should we just take samples?" Aksel asked.

"Looks like we are not getting anything anymore..."

"We still have the blood capsule to test," Alex muttered.

"Do the honours, Belle..."

"Thank you, Doctor Roberts. Initiating bait deployment."

The arms of the UUV again rose towards the screen, a small capsule deposited in the mechanical claws.

"We will be releasing about 500ml of animal blood to test for hunting response," Isabella announced as the capsule cracked open, the copper cloud floating through the darkness. They waited, eager to see whether the arguably most important phase archives any result, but to their disappointment or maybe relief, Noctis seemed entirely disinterested in the bait, remaining as still as always.

"Alright, proceed with the samples and we can wrap this up."

The UUV claw extended once again, now opening to reveal two thick needles slowly extending towards the mass.

"We will extract cellular material that will be later thoroughly analysed in the lab. Moreover, one of the needles contains a scanning node, that will allow us to scan the inside of the creature using electro-magnetic waves. Given the size of Noctis, a complete scan is impossible, but the node should show us everything in a 1-meter radius."

Reed watched the pointed tips insert themselves into the creature, cutting through the surface surprisingly easily.

"The node needs 60 seconds to scan the area," Alex informed.

60...

50...

40...

30...

Suddenly, a red light lit up the screen as the alarm of the UUV began blaring.

Alert! Damaged Claw! Alert! Retract Claw immediately!

Reed's heart skipped a beat. The poke must have initiated some defensive mechanism, the red light colouring the white surfaces of the lab.

"Alex, remove the claw, now!" Aksel yelled out.

"No, we need just 15 more seconds. We can make it."

"Alex we don't know what happens after those 15 seconds! Remove them now!"

10...

9..

8..

"Do you hear me?! We got the sample!"

"Alex!" Isabella's voice trembled, the woman trying to keep up her composure.

"We almost have it!"

6...

5...

4...

"Look at the heat signature!"

The numbers on the screen rapidly increase, temperature rising with every passing second.

Reed's knuckles turned white, eyes stuck to the screen.

3...

2...

1...

The claw retracted from the mass, Alex urgently backing out the UUV. The mass seemed unmoving as if the sudden poke had no effect on it, but whatever internal structures they encountered with the node were dangerous.

Reed released a sigh of relief, the creature clearly not attempting to dispatch the UUV as it distanced itself from the shadow more and more.

"Can we check the damage?" Aksel asked.

"I will run a diagnostic after the docking, and see how much damage did I do. Hopefully, nothing Ryan can't fix."

It took some time before the UUV made it safely to the docking station, an unspoken tension lifting from everybody's shoulders at the sight of the Vault on the screens. Somewhere during the return, Ryan had slipped back into the lab, sitting closer to Reed and asking about the outcomes. He didn't seem really happy with Alex's actions after Reed's recollection, grumbling under his breath some remarks about "responsibility".

Their conversation, however, was rudely interrupted by their fellow colleague Alex entering the lab with an awfully loud clang. The man was pushing a steel tray, sample capsules clinging against the claw of the UUV gently placed on the right.

"Now, before you guys scold me, the arm doesn't look that bad-"

"You could have gotten us killed..." Ryan's voice dropped an octave lower, eyes stuck on Alex. The man seemed taken aback by the sudden change in Ryan's demeanour, the gentle giant looking very much threatening in the white light. Reed was surprised herself, eyes jumping between the two.

"Ryan, c'mon... Nothing happened..."

"You don't know what this creature is or what is it capable of. You should not toy with it..."

"Everything is all right, see? Nothing happened Ryan."

"Is it? Is everything truly all right?" Ryan's cold gaze sent shivers up Reed's spine. It was a simple question, holding terrifying implications behind it. Alex's reckless actions could carry much bigger consequences than broken equipment.

The man seemed to mull over Ryan's words, eyes scanning the other man's face before he huffed out.

"Can you fix it or not?" Alex's golden eyes shone with fury, a silent challenge being thrown towards Ryan. For a second Reed contemplated reaching for the lab radio, a small communicator posted on a wall on the other side of the room, scared that a fight was about to break out. Ryan was taller and leaner than Alex, but the blond scientist looked more like an ex-marine than a researcher, Reed didn't want to imagine what would happen if either lunged at one another.

Finally, Ryan broke the eye contact, looking away.

"Just leave it here..."

Alex nodded, pushing the tray towards Ryan with an unnecessary amount of force before nodding at Reed and leaving. Ryan's knuckles tightened around the edges of the tray. He looked like he was about to say something, but ultimately decided against it. He scooped the tray containing the samples up, placing them on the metal table they had been sitting by, before pushing the tray away.

"Doctor Reed? Can you please prepare the samples? I will take the claw to the garage..." Ryan asked, not even waiting for the answer before he walked out with the tray.

Reed rubbed her temples, the tension between the two men still lingering after they both left. She felt bad for Ryan, having gotten the impression that the two were friends. She was honestly surprised he had held his ground, Reed had assumed he was the quiet submissive type. It seemed that Reed had misjudged his character.

She went to the cupboards, taking out the Petri dishes*, pipettes* and anything she'd deemed useful before depositing it on the table, ready to prepare her and Ryan's station. Her thoughts drifted towards Muriel once again, an eerily familiar situation bringing back the memories of the fight. In a way, Ryan reminded Reed of herself, quiet and reserved, while Alex embodied Muriel's confidence Reed was never able to replicate... That realisation however made Reed feel worse, the deal with Aksel worming its way into her thoughts. She felt dirty... She felt like a liar, but then again her sympathy towards Ryan was genuine. She quite enjoyed his company, but it didn't change the fact that their familiarity was built on an agenda, something Reed couldn't just ignore. She still wasn't sure whether her actions towards Ryan were out of the goodness of her heart...

With the equipment laid out, and stations prepared, Reed found herself wondering what would come next. It was one thing to get friendly with him, to form a bond, even if it's artificial, but to get him to vote on Aksel? Now, with the fight between Alex and Ryan, Reed was fairly sure Alex had little to no chance of becoming the team lead, which left Isabella and Aksel. What were the chances Ryan was going to vote for Aksel rather than Isabella, given that she seemed to hold power amongst the GOI team? What if he didn't cooperate? Reed felt ashamed thinking about a potential way to blackmail her fellow researcher, cheeks burning hot from the mere thought of trying to search for anything incriminating. It would make her no better than Aksel, trying to take Ryan down with her... Her thoughts scattered as Ryan returned to the room, wiping his face with the sleeve of his lab coat. He muttered a small "thanks" slouching on his chair before retreating to the timid shell Reed had worked to crack this morning.

Reed sighed, figuring it wasn't worth it to bother the man, especially fearing that she undoes the progress she'd made so far, turning to her station instead. The worry evaporated instantly as she put on the plastic gloves, the anxiety melting into excitement. She was finally going to do some actual work, something she enjoyed and looked forward to. Her fingers tightened around the capsule, breaking the seal and uncapping the vial. She could see the goo slosh inside, however upon being exposed to light, it didn't seem reflective at all, the mass black and matt as if still underwater. Reed gently scooped some of the gelatinous substance with one of her tools, bringing the jelly clump onto the Petri dish. Upon first glance, the mass was a black-stained blob, looking more like a scoop of jelly than a part of an animal. Reed separated the blob into multiple parts, preparing to run different tests on the mass with the help of her equipment.

Reed had positioned the dish under the microscope, adjusting the light and the lens before ultimately leaning against the ocular. Right there, through the thickened glass of the lens laid the essence of Noctis. A clump of cells, tightly stuck together, each having its internal structures. Reed had quickly taken notice of the differences between some of the clumps, some of the cells having different structures and shapes than the other, creating a chaotic collection instead of a unified system. The longer she stared at the cells, the more she was sure that they were still alive, pulsating and trembling in the light of the microscope, like tiny hearts.

"The cells are still kicking..." Reed called out from behind the microscope, receiving a grunt from Ryan.

"Yup, seems like it..."

"Don't they look a bit misshapen to you?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, some are similar but I can't say they are the same... Seems Noctis' build is more complex than we thought..."

They fell back into silence, both scientists prodding at the biomass.

"Hmmmm... Do you think we have a speaker of some kind here?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know..."

"Ehhh, guess we can't confirm anything from the video then..."

Reed removed the Petri dish, securing the lid over it and switching it with a test one. It was safe to assume the cells didn't respond to light, given the earlier tests and the light of the microscope, prompting Reed to remove it from the list. She ran a couple of tests, looking for the cells that reacted to salt water as well as trying to separate them for a better look.

Her concentration was broken by a small gasp from the man sitting behind her.

"Think I know what damaged the claw..."

Reed looked away from her microscope, eyes landing on Ryan's hunched back.

"The cells are acidic."

"Acidic?"

"Well, the pH speaks for itself. Doesn't seem like it's a lot, but in a high concentration of cells..."

"So it's a toxicity response? Wouldn't the scans show something?" Reed asked, prompting Ryan to lean away from his station.

"The needle went through the tissue, so the acidity levels may differ between the tissue layers. Certainly would explain the damage patterns on the claw..."

"Do you think the temperature level could be the result of a chemical reaction then?"

"No... I don't think so... True, Noctis is massive so even low acidity would be capable of causing something like this, but again the scans didn't show anything... It might be that Noctis is slightly venomous and venom usually means..."

"It's carnivorous or defending itself against a bigger predator..." Reed finished. It was chilling, to say the least, the chance of a bigger creature lurking in the deep let alone praying on something as colossal as the Shadow.

"So, do the cells emit venom or..." Reed asked, curious about Ryan's lab result.

"I can't say for sure, all I know it's that the pH of the cellular liquid is acidic."

Acidic... Acid...

Reed's train of thought led her to a distressing, yet fascinating notion... A question of great importance... A question in need of an immediate answer. She didn't wait to ask for the equipment, knowing the lab didn't possess what she needed to find out. Worst case scenario she would contaminate the sample, which shouldn't be that bad given that they'd had multiple in store... In the best-case scenario, she would have an answer to her question. Without a second thought, she slid one of her gloves off, exposing her pale sweaty hand.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked apprehensively.

"Testing..." Reed pulled open one of the drawers next to her, taking out a tool case.

"Testing what?" Ryan's eyes went wide upon Reed pulling out a scalpel from the casing, the cool sterile still shining like polished silver.

"Hey, what are you..."

Reed hissed, the blade cutting through the skin on the tip of her finger with ease. Red hot blood seeped out from the wound, beading into a crimson droplet and threatening to fall. With practised ease, Reed had sucked the blood into the pipette before it could make a mess. She injected the coppery fluid into the Petri dish, watching how the blood thinned out while meeting with the other fluids in the dish. She put her eye towards the ocular, adjusting the sharpness once again, her heart pumping as she waited nervously. Reed observed the pulsating cells, waiting for any reaction with her knuckles tightening on the side cogs.

Suddenly, Reed felt as if her breath had been sucked out of her lungs, staring at the image before her with a mixture of fascination and horror.

"Doctor Reed?" Ryan asked uncertainty sound in his voice.

"I was right..." She muttered, watching as Noctis moved, devouring the crimson liquid.

"That does not make sense." Aksel pointed at Reed with the pen he'd been noting with from the very start of the meeting.

"It happened, Ryan can confirm." Ryan nodded at the other scientist.

"The cells from Noctis attacked and ate the blood sample. We have it on film."

"But we have used the blood stimuli, there was no reaction." Isabella chimed in, readjusting her glasses as she went over the documents.

"We have analysed the footage and there was no indication of any reaction... How come you achieve results but we don't?"

"To be fair, we don't know what that creature exactly is, so I doubt anybody can answer that... Maybe it just wasn't hungry at the time?" Aksel scratched his chin, eliciting a snort from Alex.

"The point still stands, Noctis' cells ate the blood sample-"

"You said it was your blood, right?" Isabella asked. Reed nodded, appreciative of Isabella's professional approach to the matter. She might have been a raging bitch, but when it came to discussion on findings, she was being uncharacteristically civil.

"What blood was it? Alex?" Isabella glared at the blonde man. Alex had been very quiet throughout the whole meeting, only responding when he was addressed. It seemed the man wasn't scolded by just Ryan, as Aksel and Isabella also seemed to give him dirty looks... Rightfully so. What Alex had done was deeply irresponsible and could have ended in a disaster or worse.

"Alex, can you at least pretend you are interested?" Aksel asked, shaking his head like a disapproving father.

"It was pig's blood." The blonde answered curtly.

"Hmmm... Maybe it's a matter of blood type? What type are you?" Isabella turned to Reed once again.

"0 negative... Maybe we could take samples from each of us and test that theory?"

"That's not how predators work..." Aksel interjected.

"Well, we don't know how Noctis works." Reed tried but ultimately was met with doubt from her colleagues.

"We haven't seen it feed up until now, maybe it's vampiric?"

"We would have seen something by now, besides, really? I doubt Noctis has the luxury of having a preference."

"Maybe let's move on to the electro-magnetic scan we did... Since nobody has anything to add in the other matter." Isabella turned the page, glancing at everybody. The woman took out some pictures and slid them across the table. The scans were black and white, depicting a wall of tissue from different angles. Isabella pointed at one of them, her manicured finger touching the very edge of the picture.

"Do you all see that?" she pointed at the black circular shape.

"We believe there is an opening there, a chamber sort to speak. I think we should request permission to use the UUV once again, this time with more nodes. Does everybody agree?"

The gathered nodded, Isabella smiling slightly in return while she wrote another thing down.

"Ryan? What is the situation with the claw?"

The man seemed startled a bit, also having been quiet for a long time. He readjusted the lapels of his lab coat before speaking.

"It's partially dissolved from the acid we have found, but I should be able to repair it. The node is completely ruined, but the joint and the enforcements should be salvageable..."

"It could be the stomach..." Alex spoke up suddenly. The eyes turned to him, the man leaning on the cold steel of the table counter.

"The acid? It could be stomach acid. It would explain why the nods were damaged when we penetrated the tissue."

"That could be possible..." Aksel admitted.

"But it wouldn't explain why the tissue consumed Rowan's blood... It's not something that happens with organisms of this body structure..."

"You said it yourselves, we don't know the science behind this animal. I could be right."

"...Or you could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time..."

Alex turned to Aksel, eyes burning with fury.

"Will you lay off my back?"

"Alex, you have endangered the mission, you can't act-"

"If it wasn't for me we wouldn't get these scans or the samples. Is it too much to ask for a little gratitude? Ryan said the claw is salvageable, so I don't see what is the big issue."

"Maybe we should finish for tod-" Reed suggested, but Aksel interrupted her before she could finish.

"No, we will not "lay" off of you. It's the second day, Alex! A second day and you are already putting us all at risk. What if you'd triggered some kind of defensive reaction and it would go after the UUV? What then? Not to mention you might have hurt the subject in the process."

"Discovery is about risk. I took that risk and got results while all of you just sat comfortably in the chairs and barked orders at me, so quit your bitching and show some fucking gratitude. I am sick of being berated for getting us what we went there for."

Alex stood up, glaring at the Dane on the other side of the table.

"You are acting like everything has been decided. Like you get to tell me how to do my research. News flash Pal, you are not the lead. Nobody fucking is, so next time you do it if you are so fucking smart..."

"Maybe I will."

"Fuck you..."

"Alex, stop being a childish asshole and sit down!" Isabella interjected, her cool demeanour cracking under Alex's behaviour. The blonde glanced at the woman, the corner of his lips turning up in a laconic smile.

"Make me..." Alex turned around, challenging Isabella as he towered over the table.

"Are you fucking threatening me?" Isabella stood up, Aksel following the suit.

"What because you are so important?" Alex bit down.

"You shouldn't even be here..." He hissed through his teeth. Isabella's eyes got wide, her fists tightening as if she were ready to slap him over the table. However, Isabella was much smarter than that, restraining herself from giving him an excuse to complain to HR.

"You are going to apologise." Aksel's deep voice rumbled through the room, a silent threat looming above the gathered. Before Alex could retaliate with another clever insult Isabella broke off the tension.

"No, if he wants to go, let him. Meeting dismissed." She said, gathering the documents.

"I will make the report for the HQ." She said, leaving the room along with the documents before anybody could protest. Alex stormed off, heading away from the Room complex he and Isabella both had been assigned to, but not before glaring at Aksel. The rest of the gathered had no choice but to go their respective ways, only to Reed's dismay, Aksel seemed hellbent on talking to her.

"That was eventful..." He muttered, glancing down at Reed. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Your room is the other way..."

"Can't I just chat with a colleague?"

"What do you want?" Reed stopped in her tracks, turning to the man with visible agitation.

"Did you have to taunt him like that?"

Aksel shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it's a strategic step, isn't it? Although Alex kind of walked into it himself-"

"If you don't have anything important to say to me, I would like to leave," Reed stated, growing irritated at Akel's antics. She hated how he would approach her like a close friend, trying to talk her ear off, when their relationship was purely transactional. Reed didn't want to be his friend. She didn't want to be his buddy but was forced to play the role of an accomplice. Maybe it would have been smarter to pretend to be friends with him, but Reed was taught not to beg. She was not going to "roll over" or "play dead" like some trained dog.

Aksel's features hardened, awkwardness creeping back onto his face.

"Yeah, right... Just wanted to know if Ryan is going to support the cause."

"After today? Most likely... Anything else?"

"Um..."

Reed took her chance to escape, glaring at the man.

"Then if there is nothing more to discuss, I would like to take my leave, Doctor Andersen. Goodbye..." She slipped away, briskly walking down the corridor toward the Radio Complex. The silence of the halls soothed her nerves, some part of her worrying about Aksel following her. But... There were no steps in the halls except for hers, Aksel having departed towards his own quarters. His contradictory behaviour made goosebumps travel up her spine. The Aksel she'd met the day before was a stoic and calculated man, having thought through the conversation and actions before committing to them, and there was no doubt in Reed's mind same could be said about the gathering... Then why would a clearly socially savvy man approach her in such a manner? She didn't need him to explain his elaborate skims to her, and he didn't need to confide in her... As upsetting as it was, dwelling on it would only worsen the grim mood.

Too preoccupied with the thoughts circulating in her head, Reed had failed to notice a dark shadow painting the floor behind her, a ginormous creature leaping above the glass of the dome.

Reed had pressed stop on the recording, cringing at the awkward grimace on her face. Just as requested, Reed tried to keep the so-called "diary" recording short videos each evening. She didn't like the idea of speaking plainly about her feelings as thoughts, only stating the events of the day vaguely, hoping to avoid being scrutinised more than she already was. She used to keep a diary, a silly little notebook with a fuzzy cover made to look like some goofy monster. She would write there when things got tough, her teenage self appreciating the opportunity, to be honest about her feelings. Diane heavily discouraged emotion, her words cutting and cold whenever she addressed Reed. Reed wasn't hugged or coddled as a child, her mother's focus was solely on Ruth. Any form of 'disobedience" or "lack of respect" perceived by Daine was punished ten-fold, perhaps too cruel in its form. Reed had grown ashamed of her weakness, finding comfort in the tear-stained pages rather than confiding in a friend... The idea of her record being accessible by the GOI felt blasphemous like a desecration of a holy site. There was nothing honest about what she'd recorded, all made without any effort to get the GOI off of her back.

She leaned back, tiredly rubbing her eyes. The hour was late, the clock had stuck at midnight a long time ago. Her bones ached from exhaustion and stress, adrenaline coursing through her veins long gone. She looked at her finger, the cut burning lightly under the bandage.

"Curious creature..." she muttered, glancing at her bed before her blood froze. She jumped away from the chair, survival instincts taking over at the sight beside her bed. Through the window of her room, a ginormous blue eye gazed right at her, the strangely human iris surely the size of a teapot if not bigger. With her breath stuck in her throat, Reed watched helplessly as the creature gazed into the room, the eye scanning the surfaces before landing directly on her, the pupil shrinking as their eyes met. It was unnerving, staring into the eye of a creature so much bigger and stronger than you, invading its natural habitat in hopes of answers. Reed had been close to the giants of the sea, having dived with whales and sharks alike, but the creatures of the deep were perhaps the most fearsome and unpredictable out there, hiding in the refuge of the shadow, only viewed through cameras and pictures. It felt as if the animal outside was assessing Reed, measuring her up in a very human-like manner like a hunter stumbling upon a stag in the woods. As soon as the eye appeared, the shape moved on, passing by the window and exposing the impressive length of its body, almost as black as the depths surrounding the Vault. The ginormous dorsal fins flashed through the glass, the scales marred by scars of all kinds before the creature was gone leaving only the view of the abyss in its tracks.

Reed sat there, on the floor, motionless and staring intently at the window, fully expecting the creature to reappear, yet the window remained empty.

It could be out there, circulating the room and drawing by the light of her room. Suddenly, the walls of her quarters became suffocatingly tight. There was no escape from the creature, the walls of the Vault being the only barrier separating her from the monstrous entity outside. She wondered whether the immense pressure would crush her first before the creature could sink its teeth into her skin if she found herself outside.

A shape outside of the window startled her out of her thoughts, a shadow moving some distance away from the glass. Reed leapt to her feet, fingers pressing at the panel to turn off the light. Darkness enveloped the room, only interrupted by the subtle glow of the emergency light. Before the insidious creature could return, Reed ripped off the sheets of her bed, pooling them on the floor and away from the window.

Ryan was right... The windows should stay covered.

______________

*Petri dish- Flat, shallow dish made to culture bacteria or cells

*Pipette- suction tool, that allows fracturing or transporting a sample