Page 55 of Monstrous Rampage
But why start throwing other dyni into the mix?
Unless it wasn’t his doing.
Run.Syko had said.Act afraid.
Again, my first instinct was to reach out to him and demand answers. But if Snyder was able to monitor my brain activity—and I had to assume he could, especially after I’d told him I’d heard Syko’s words in my head—then that might throw a wrench in our escape plans.
Though it pained me to say “our” when I had no idea what the hell was going on.
Now that I wasn’t as panicked, I could hear something in the distance over my own frantic breathing. Thunder. No, crashing. Low roars. A fight, maybe? Were the dyni fighting each other for the right to mate with me?
Ugh. This is getting scarier.
Or hotter, my body insisted.
Damn it.
Common sense told me to book it as fast as possible in the opposite direction. But this jungle was all a simulation anyway. The chamber couldn’t go on forever. I certainly wouldn’t be able to outrun any of them if they were determined to catch me, even with my improved physical abilities. They were engineered to be fast and deadly with crazy weapons I had no hope of matching.
I’d done the run and act afraid gig. I didn’t like it.
Maybe it was the hormones talking. Or maybe I was just done with Snyder’s bullshit. I started running again but this time,towarddanger. Mimicking the raptor, I tried to be light and quiet, using the plants as much as possible to conceal myself. I didn’t know what I’d do when I got there.
But I was tired of not knowing what the hell was going on.
25
REKT
It didn’t take me long to find Holly in the jungle simulation. Her maddening scent called me straight toward her.
I couldn’t remember any of my past missions or what my life might have been like before this iteration. For all I knew, I’d been created a month ago. But my core understanding of who and what I am insisted I was a logical creature. Methodical and precise, skilled at quickly assessing any scenario, calm and cool even during emergencies while creating a list of possible solutions, analyzing outcomes in seconds, and making decisions to save lives.
So tell me why a red haze of mindless rage filled my head as soon as I saw my mate. Or rather, I saw the unknown dynos’ broad back and knew my mate must be pressed against him.
Before I could charge, the UGRR streaked away into the undergrowth. Unfortunately for him, he was distracted enough by Holly that he sprinted toward me. Crouched low to the ground, my fingertips braced on the leafy forest floor, I froze. Not even breathing. I couldn’t catch him in a flat-out race, so my best attack would be surprise.
Ten meters. Eight. Closing fast.
I exploded into my beast and crashed into him, using my weight and size to my advantage. He shifted in a split second, but I already had him pinned in my pinchers.
The idiot chuffed out a raptor laugh. On the ship’s grid, he said,:I let her go, even though she didn’t want me to.:
I squeezed him harder. I could chop him in half. Wanted to, actually.
Which rocked me to my core. Medics preferred to save dyni. Not kill them. Unless they were attacking my squad.
Syko pinged me on our private grid.:Develop a contingency plan to get Holly to a survival pod in case of hull breach.:
:Me? I’m a fucking medic not?—:
:Figure it out,:he bellowed and then turned off the channel.
:Problem?:The UGRR asked.
Without answering, I released him from my pinchers. I tipped my snout up, inhaling deeply to pick up her trail. The ship’s diagram spread out in my head, but I couldn’t find anything marked survival pods or life support. Either Snyder was already on to us, or the security team had done something smart for once and hid protected areas, even from medical staff.
I started off into the jungle, ignoring the raptor. Much to his annoyance.
