Page 44 of Monstrous Rampage
Snyder’s voice. “Hold on, Holly. We’ll get you out before he wakes up.”
Then silence, the video paused.
“Where in that scene did you and Syko have such a charming conversation?” Snyder asked, his voice coming entirely too close for my comfort.
My eyes flew open, but I couldn’t jerk away from him. His face hovered mere inches from mine. “I don’t know,” I stammered. “I don’t remember.”
“Hmmm.” He straightened, his hands clasped behind him in the small of his back. “I’m very disappointed, Miss Price. I hoped we could be truthful with each other.”
“Because you’ve been so very truthful with me?” I retorted bitterly, blinking back furious tears. “You let me have the illusion of some control in this program, but the truth is I’m just as much a prisoner as the dyni you stole.”
“Acquired through any means necessary,” Snyder corrected, his lips twitching in a smug smile. “And you’ve had as much control as I could possibly give you, down to you deciding whether or not you’d fuck the SPTD. That was your choice entirely, Miss Price, because we would certainly have rather documented another successful mating for the program. Two possible sires for your offspring are far more preferable from our standpoint, especially given the instability of your first paramour.”
The view screen switched to side-by-side shots of cells. One damaged and skippy—but one perfectly clear. Showing Rekt slumped against the wall, his head in his hands as if in dire pain.
“Oh, I forgot, it’s much more entertaining with the sound,” Snyder said.
Thunderous roars filled the laboratory, rattling equipment and making my teeth ache in my skull. Metallic, shrill screeches from claws against the tungsten, making me wince and flinch. Heavy thuds and crashes, a massive body throwing itself over and over against the door in a fruitless effort to escape.
I choked back sobs for both Rekt and Syko. Trapped, in obvious pain, lost in madness. So much pain.
Indigo sparks flared in my mind, drawing my attention to the mrion network lacing my body.:Not pain. Hate. We can connect to them at your order.:
My heart lurched with hope. Of course I wanted to be on the grid with both of them. But not unless it was safe. Syko had a plan. “Your mrions know what needs to be done. Let them work for you, Holly. Let them protect you until I can free myself.”
None of his last words included initiate a connection before he was free.
I had a feeling that was exactly what Snyder wanted me to do. Reveal my network abilities. Betray the private grid I’d shared with Syko. That’s what all this grandstanding was about.
:Not yet,:I told the mrions.:We do nothing until Syko says it’s time.:
Snyder patted my shoulder and made a low hum of fake compassion. “There, there, my dear. We can fix all of this quite easily, you know. How did Syko talk to you when you were in the cell?”
“I don’t know.” I sniffled, still crying. Leaning into weakness and vulnerability in case Snyder bought it based on my medical scans. A little truth in case they were watching my heart rate andtemperature to see if I was lying. “I heard him in my head but then he was gone. I can’t get him back. I tried.”
“That’s very good, Holly. Thank you for being truthful with me. The ability to communicate telepathically is a wonderful new development for the program. Were you able to hear the SPTD in your head?”
“No. Just Syko. Then nothing.”
“What did he say to you?”
I breathed deeply in and out for a moment, centering myself. Though I allowed my voice to tremble. “He admitted he’s psychotic and deranged, but he had something to live for now.”
“Yes, anything else?”
I pretended to wrack my brain before I sighed like a dog who’s done nothing but sleep all day on the couch. “He will find me. No matter what. Then he was gone.”
“That’s very interesting. Where does he think we will take you?”
I didn’t really have an answer, so I let my eyelids close for a moment as if I needed to rest. “He didn’t say. Just that he would find me anywhere. He made it sound like a threat. That he would hunt me down no matter where I went.”
“Not to worry, Miss Price, he’s well contained. I assure you it’ll be impossible for him to break out of his cell.”
Not reassuring. At all. I didn’t have to pretend to tremble. Tears leaked from my eyes. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“Your body is working overtime with all of these changes. Plus, I’m sure it’s been very difficult for you. We’ll give you a few more minutes of hydration and nutrients, and then you can drift back to sleep in your room.”
“The bracelet,” I mumbled, fighting to keep my eyelids open.
