Page 48 of Monstrous Baby
“Yeah and more dangerous ones.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, bitterly shaking my head. “There’s no one more dangerous than them.”
“Then you’re a fool. There’re aliens in the oceans that even DSC is scared of. That’s why they’re here. They’re supposed to help us against them.”
I met Snryx’s gaze, wishing we had the grid so I could ask if he knew what Snyder was talking about. I hadn’t known anything about extraterrestrials until Kroktl found me. I carried alien fragments and hadn’t even known. Though I couldn’t imagine anything worse than DSC.
Though a pod of space whales was rushing toward Earth with other aliens inside. Why not ocean aliens too? Sure, that I could imagine.
But aliens more dangerous than DSC…?
Snryx tipped his head forward in a slight nod. There must be some truth to Snyder’s claims.
I focused on the space whales bringing the remaining Myrm drones and mrions to me. They were surprisingly close now, flying so fast the stars blurred. I recognized Earth’s blue waters straight ahead. Distances were hard for me to estimate, especially at their speed, but my gut insisted they’d arrive in the next hour, maybe even less. I could feel an excited hum building in my mrion cells at the prospect of being reunited with all the surviving Myrm.
But the danger was greater than ever.:At least one DSC squad is here.:
:Which is why we’re coming as quickly as possible. All Sirian cells are derived from mrion fragments. Use us, Mother.:
“Do you have her?” A male voice called.
A look flickered over Snyder’s face that made my blood run cold. “I’ll do what I can to keep the baby safe,” he whispered gravely. Then he stood, smoothing his face back into the familiar Hollywood-style confident charm. “I found the mother, but I’ll need some help getting her out.”
21
KROKTL
Ididn’t need the grid to translate Rizan’s warning. The first call was furious. The second and third were loud, shrill, and determined.
The humans had turned back to the house.
And two enemy squads must have deployed in the area.
One near me, judging from the way Rizan’s shriek had neared with intensity. I couldn’t see him above the thick canopy, but I knew his strategies all too well. We’d fought too long together to not know each other’s strengths. The way we thought. Our priorities.
Get the grid up.
Buy time.
Get to Natalie. Whoever was fastest. Strongest. Most lethal.
Me or the alpha for sure.
I scanned the undergrowth—or at least tried to use my heat sensors. Red flashed across my vision, sporadically bursting and crackling with energy but unable to get a clear reading. If I couldn’t see, then Axxol couldn’t jump, and Rizan couldn’t use his echolocation.
Another reason he shrieked. So I would know exactly where our enemy lay in wait. Unfortunately for our enemy, Axxol was closer to him than me.
But that meant Akylla was in immediate danger.
Slipping closer through the shadows without rustling a single branch or leaf, I eased around the target to flank them. Close enough to smell ozone from the jump. Blood. Rizan had done some damage already.
He shot through the trees, expertly twisting and winding his way up through the branches for open sky. He was almost clear, when a telescoping neck extended above the trees. Taser Mamenchisaurus with an electromagnetic pulse a thousand times more powerful than the humans’ puny drone.
I barked out a sharp staccato warning, and Rizan immediately wheeled to the left, dipping back beneath the canopy to shield himself. The TMS’ bullet-shaped head turned toward me, eyes crackling with silver electricity.Come at me, motherfucker. I fucking dare you.
A large fern frond wavered slightly, betraying his squadmate’s location. He wanted me to see. He wanted me to attack.
Instead, I sprinted away into the undergrowth.Catch me if you can.
