Page 17 of Monstrous Rampage
It dawned on me.I must be bleeding. He’s licking the blood.
That was probably a really bad thing to do around a starved predator.
Sirens. Red lights blinking. Evidently Snyder thought the same thing.
Hissing, the BGR++ crammed his bulk deeper into the rear of the room, dragging me with him. Rolling me around. Weird, snake-like hide roiled beneath me, above me, until I couldn’t even tell if I was upright or hanging upside down by my heels. Weight all around. Solid. But I could still breathe.
“What do you think of my little gift, Syko?” Snyder’s voice purred over hidden speakers.
Metal grated and groaned, the sound like razor blades on my nerves. Claws. Dragging against the confining cell. The coils tightened around me, making it difficult to breathe. Rage and betrayal pulsed through his scales, a thick, suffocating energy that dragged me under.
:Me too.:I thought at him, even if he couldn’t hear me.:They told me you didn’t have a name.:
“You passed the first test. I’m very pleased with you thus far. I knew you would be smart enough to sense the treasure I offer you. Don’t you smell it, Syko? She’s ripe for breeding. She’ll ovulate soon thanks to a little adjustment we gave her before we dropped her into your cell. Breed her, and we’ll release you from the program entirely. You can go anywhere in the universe you want. We won’t pursue you. As far as DSC is concerned, you were already terminated.”
Syko huffed out several rumbling growls that sounded almost like laughter. He didn’t believe Snyder for a minute. Neither did I.
Hot tears burned my eyes. I knew allowing them to sedate me before teleporting me into the cell was a risk. Evidently they’d given me some kind of medicine to speed up my cycle. Bastards. Which only reinforced my fear they’d already stolen eggs or cells from me when I was unaware.
I have to get out of here. Before it’s too late.
:It’s already too late,:a voice rasped through my head. Deep, bass, and crawling with underlying menace.:What are you?:
Hope spiraled through me.:You can hear me? I’m a human from Earth. My name’s Holly.:
His coils tightened slowly. His tail, maybe? Though I didn’t think Axxol’s was quite as mobile.:You implanted cells in me. You’re just like them.:
:No, wait!:Panting, I tried not to twitch or move for fear my joints might tear.:They’re rebel mrions. It’s a long story but I’ll tell you everything.:
The pain didn’t lessen—but he also didn’t crush me any further.
How to convince him? The story about Natalie and her squad seemed ridiculous to detail right this very second. While my heart ached, trying to beat, and my bones throbbed with pressure. But I didn’t have to think of an explanation. Not withmrions at my disposal. I did a Rizan-like dump of the whole story to the BGR++ as soon as the thought occurred to me. Everything.
Two unsuspecting women headed to the jungles of Guatemala. Natalie getting lost—and finding Kroktl. Discovering her fragments of mrion cells. Her squad. Her baby girl. Her gift to me. How Snyder tricked me into meeting him at the cafe and kidnapped me to the ship. My idea to find a pilot to get us the fuck out of here.
The coils dragged me up—evidently to where his giant teeth were. My whole body ached like I’d been run over by a dump truck. Repeatedly.
Hot breath blasted my hair back from my face. The sandpaper tongue probed the cuts on my side again, making me suck in a harsh breath.
:That’s a stupid plan.:
His tongue wrapped around my midsection. For a second, I honestly thought he’d just drag me into his mouth and swallow me down. One big gulp and I’d be dino poop.:You have a better plan?:
:DSC.:I heard his voice in my head, but he wasn’t talking to me.:You’ve got a deal.:
9
SYKO
Idon’t trust anybody or anything. I have no reason to trust this little scrap of tasty prey.
But she gave me access to her mind. Her intentions. Past, present, future. She might not have intended to reveal so much, but that only gave me more inclination to believe her story.
Her blood burned a path straight to my gut, which had a not insignificant impact on my decision. I might rail at myself for being a fool later if—when—she betrayed me, but for now, I didn’t taste any subterfuge or misdirection.
I saw her sitting at a screen, looking at the specimens on this ship. Giving me access to their weaponry and programming. Excellent.
Settling on my file. Me. Of fifteen. Easily the most dangerous and uncontrollable experiment.
