Page 56 of Monstrous Rampage
:I want in. Whatever’s going down. I follow orders, or I would’ve tasted what she offered. She’s ripe?—:
Roaring, I swung my heavy head in his direction and knocked him flying into the forest. Only for him to pop back in front of me in the path.
:I want in,:he repeated.
Another dynos pinged in my head, not on the ship’s grid. How did they keep popping in and out so effortlessly?:The alpha sent me to help with comms. What do you need?:
:Add the UGRR to this private grid so I don’t keep getting distracted. And figure out a way to show me where the survival pods are. I don’t have clearance.:
:First part’s done. I’m Terroar. Hacking into the security access now… There. I marked survival pod locations for you.:
:I’m Chonk,:the UGRR said.:Why do we need survival pods?:
:Evidently the alpha’s plans are in jeopardy,:I replied.:Worst case, we get Holly to a pod. Agreed?:
:Agreed,:both dyni immediately replied.
:What do you want us to do?:Chonk asked.
Both of them waited for my orders. Even though I’d tried to flatten Chonk a few minutes ago.
The sudden weight of such responsibility made me hesitate for a brief yet crushing moment. I wasn’t an alpha but if they were willing to listen to me, we could make this work. For all I knew, this would end up being Holly’s squad.
I could live with that.
:Chonk, run ahead as point and make sure the rest of the dyni are keeping a respectful distance from her.:
Immediately, the raptor disappeared into the jungle without disturbing a single leaf or branch.
:Terroar, get Holly onto this grid so we can fill her in on what’s going on.:
Surprise flickered through the Comms specialist but he quickly went to work.:I didn’t know humans could join grids.:
:They can’t,:I said grimly.:She’s special. We’ll fill you in on the details once we’re away.:
:Or I can just access your files, and bam. Yeah. Now I know everything. Whoa. Holy shit. Updating my databanks in the background. Holly, can you hear us?:
:WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? REKT? WHERE ARE YOU? AND WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?:
:We’re coming. Syko might be held up. He tasked me with getting you to a survival pod.:
:I’m Terroar, Comms specialist, fighting fires one firewall at a time.:
His tone implied a joke, but she didn’t laugh.:He’s not on this grid.:
I didn’t hear a question in her mental tone, but I replied anyway.:No. He shut my private channel down. He’s likely involved in some problem solving and didn’t want the distraction.:
Hurt flickered through her mind.:I see.:
:You’re not the distraction,:I amended quickly.:I meant me.:
I broke through a thick wall of brush into a large arena-like clearing. A two-headed sauropod and a massive azhdarchid base with twenty-meters-long legs fought each other. Both were slow and heavy so it was a ponderous back-and-forth dance. The azhdarchid had artillery but wasn’t using it. Instead, he used his long, heavy beak like a brutal pike, stabbing down at the sauropod’s body. He bled from several punctures but at first glance, I didn’t see anything life threatening. I didn’t bother connecting to either of them on the ship’s grid. Not unless Holly wanted them.
She stood staring at them for a moment, her fists on her hips. One by one, the rest of the freed dyni poked out of the jungle and formed a loose arc around the still oblivious battling pair. Finally, an ankylosaurus spicomellus base let out a raucous honk that rattled the pair enough for them to notice they had an audience.
Twelve dyni focused on her. Nostrils flaring, mouths gaped open to bare tongues and sensors, the better to taste her pheromones on the air. On the ship’s grid, I watched their reactions, because I had to assume Snyder was watching too.
Shock. Interest. She smelled like food—but something more. An undeniably addictive lure, making each of us shift our formidable skills to focus on her. They smelled the alpha on her, so none of them advanced despite the temptation in her scent. They smelled me too, their glances flickering in my direction briefly before returning to the small, delicate, yet fearless female standing before them.
