Page 59 of Monstrous Rampage
:As long as you promise not to leave without me.:
:I’m not leaving without anyone as long as it doesn’t kill us all to wait.:
Ahead, a silver agent rose up out of the hallway. Chonk immediately zipped down another hallway.
Terroar automatically adjusted the glowing map in our heads.:The shortest path to the lift was that way. Can you do a ladder?:
:Absolutely,:Chonk replied.:Put us into a maintenance hatch, and I’ll climb down that way.:
Grillex, or was it Maul, added,:We’ll continue down this hallway as long as possible to cover for you.:
:Stampede coming through,:Spike announced.
He sounded downright giddy, so I focused on him to see what he was doing. He led a charge down the hallway where the agent still stood. Swinging his head and zigzagging back and forth, he shredded the walls with gigantic spikes lining his entire body. Behind him, the rest of the heavier stegosaurus, ceratops, and ankylosaurus bases thundered like a furious herd, followed by the AAZ, who used gigantic wings to walk rather than fly on four very long “stilts,” making him look like a sauropod-sized pelican. Or actually, aStar WarsAT-AT, now that I thought about it. Especially as he started firing over the rest of the dyni’s heads from two cannon mounted on his shoulders.
None of the direct hits seemed to affect the agent. Nor did getting trampled by Spike. It just melted back into the floor and then popped up to record the herd’s passing from the rear.
:Is there anything we can do to stop the agents?:I asked Terroar.
:Not that I’m aware of,:he replied.:Brainstorming out loud. They’re run by controllers outside of the ship, thoughthey also carry independent programming to complete specific tasks, sort of like our designations. They could all be controlled by the same person who runs the Snyder construct or multiple people. Snyder’s controllers can pop into any of the agents at any time if they’re connected to the ship’s network.:
:Multiple people would be riskier for this program,:Rekt added.:Too many people knowing his business exposes him to DSC scrutiny. Though I agree it could be a team of controllers, not just one person.:
I focused more intently on the mrions, not sure if the rest of the squad could hear me talk to myself or not.:Is the mrion I planted on Snyder still active?:
:Yes,:the collective voice that sounded like me replied.
:Do we know his controller yet?:
:Negative. To avoid detection, we’re proceeding very slowing through the network.:
:Which network?:
:Draco Sirius Command Headquarters.:
:Holy fuck,:Terror whispered.:You’ve got a bot planted in HQ’s computers?:
:I guess so.:And I guess that answered whether they could hear me talking to myself.:Can the bot multiply itself like a virus?:
:Affirmative,:the mrions answered.:As layers are infiltrated, a new listener is dropped to relay the connection back to you as well as to the Mother.:
Back to Natalie. Of course.:Have you been able to establish a relay all the way back to the Mother?:
:Not yet. We’re eight point six light years away from Earth and dependent on finding appropriate communication systems to traverse the distance. There aren’t any syndicate-controlled shipping channels near Earth that we can use.:
Chonk slowed down, dipping his shoulder so I started to fall forward. Instinctively, I gasped, my fingers scrambling over his scales, looking for something to grab. But he caught me in strong human-like arms as he shifted. He quirked his lips, revealing a dimple in his cheek.:I said I got you. I need dexterity and thumbs to open the maintenance panel.:
My cheeks heated but I nodded. I hated sounding like a scared little girl. Besides, dimples on a hulking giant of a raptor were completely unfair. I tried to keep my body from remembering how he felt between my thighs, but it was a losing battle.:How many miles is that?:
:Fifty-one point eight trillion Earth miles,:Spike said before the mrions could.:Wait. Does that mean we’re near Sirius itself?:
:Affirmative,:the mrions replied.:We are docked at Nyan Station.:
The place where dyni were sent for decommissioning—and termination. Of course it made sense for Snyder to be in a position to intercept targeted experiments before they could be wiped.:That must mean he works at Nyan Station, then, right?:
:Possible but unlikely,:Rekt replied.:Only lower-level workers would be stationed here, and most of them are likely programmed agents.:
A plan was starting to come together in my head.:If we destroy the ship, will it damage or destroy Nyan Station too?:
