Chapter 26 Holly
HOLLY
Worry gnawed in the pit of my stomach. Something must have gone wrong if Syko told Rekt to get me to a survival pod. Our plan was to jump to safety. That’s why I chose a pilot in the first place.
Yet I didn’t know his plans. If I went racing to his aid with the rest of the dyni on the ship, we could accidentally spring a trap he’d set for Snyder.
What is Syko planning? Why can’t I know?
Because he didn’t trust me. He couldn’t. Not as long as Snyder had access to me.
An alpha didn’t do dick without a plan. Even when Axxol kidnapped Natalie from the rest of her squad, he’d had a plan. A stupid, wrongheaded one, but a plan.
Syko didn’t know me. A few minutes, maybe an hour together, in a prison cell didn’t mean jack shit. He certainly didn’t know anything about humans or what we were capable of. Which was why Axxol’s plan had been so terrible.
Twelve dyni. That meant two had gone to help Syko. The KMM—KORE Maip Macrothorax—and the Cl-ANK—Cloaking Ankylosaurus. I got why he needed cloaking. But why the KORE dynos? Unless he wanted to blow up the ship?
:Here’s a live feed to the alpha’s location, though I backed it up slightly so you can see what happened,: Terroar said. :I’m so sorry, Holly.:
My stomach knotted even harder as I watched a blurred, shimmery light approaching what looked to be a dead-end hallway directly below a camera.
That must be the cloaking device in action.
Red lights flashed in the background. At least he’d figured out a way to get out of the tungsten cell.
An arm came out from beneath the blurry light, and then I heard Snyder’s voice in my head.
“Ah, what a brilliant effort, BGR++. If I were still a professor, I’d give you an A for creativity. However, your overall grade on this exam is definitely an F.”
The blurry light dissipated, revealing a large ankylosaurus. In his humanoid form, Syko straightened to his full height at the dynos’ shoulder. His eyes flashed with power, more purple in the glaring alarm’s light. But nothing happened.
He couldn’t jump. The hallway must be tungsten too.
“Did you honestly think you could escape so easily? The entire hold is lined with tungsten, and without my approval, the lift is a one-way trip for anyone with a heartbeat.”
Syko ground his jaws back and forth, muscles flexing over his cheeks. His nostrils flared wide. Tendons stood out on his neck, his hands fisted at his sides. “The KMM’s venom is leaking through the tungsten. We can’t stop it. Hull breach is eminent. At least get Holly to safety.”
“While your concern is admirable, you’re in the hold for a reason. The rest of the ship is safely airlocked and secured.”
Tears filled my eyes, my throat aching. I didn’t know much about space, but I’d seen enough Alien movies to know that getting sucked through a hole in the side of the ship or through an airlock was an awful way to die.
Just minutes ago, I’d been upset that he hadn’t connected back to our grid. Now he was going to die, and all he cared about was me.
“At least let the squad be her choice.”
Snyder laughed again. “Thanks to your creative distraction attempt, she has her choice of all twelve remaining dyni. Unluckily for you, she’s now ovulating, and while their restraint is commendable thus far, you and I both know that eventually, their biological urges will take over.”
Syko tipped his head back slightly, looking directly into the camera. “You’ll never let her go.”
Even though he was speaking to Snyder, I felt his intent. The way he stared into the camera, like it was my soul. Repeating words I’d said to him in the cell. Words Snyder couldn’t possibly know.
“Never,” Snyder said in an agreeable, light voice. “Goodbye, BGR++. I can’t say it’s been a pleasure, but you at least forged the first trail for this program to continue.”
“It’s IGR.”
“What that?” Snyder asked.
“My designation is IGR. Indigo. Giganotosaurus. Rex. Don’t make another like me.”
“Oh, not to worry about that. DSC learned their lesson all too well with your creation. They’ve gone back to the drawing board and will devise an entirely new BGR iteration.”
There was a message in Syko’s words. A message for me.
Not a farewell. A clue.
Snyder would never let me go. He admitted it. Unless I wanted to breed captive dyni babies indefinitely for him, we needed to escape. Or die.
I’d rather die with Syko in the hold of an imploding ship than stay trapped in this breeding program.
:Add the rest of the dyni here with us to our grid,: I told Terroar. :Then firewall us off completely from the ship’s network so it can’t log thoughts or statuses any longer, though keep a back door for me to access the ship’s computer.:
:Done,: Terroar replied. :Though there are still cameras and recording devices everywhere.:
:Start disabling all cameras on the ship, beginning in this room. I don’t want them to see where we’re going until it’s too late.:
:Where are we going?: I wasn’t sure which of the new dyni asked but I didn’t recognize his voice.
:I’m going to the hold. I might not make it to Syko in time to jump, but I’m going to try.
If none of you want to come with me, that’s fine.
I only ask that you create as much havoc on the ship as possible to buy me time to get to him.
Though I feel it’s only fair to warn you that I plan to destroy this ship whether we get away or not. :
Rekt had shifted back to his humanoid form. :Tell us what you need.:
:I need speed and battling rams to break through tungsten in case I can’t get into the hold.:
Green streaked toward me. Rekt picked me up and threw me on top of the raptor’s back before I could even squeak with alarm. I threw my arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he ran toward what I could only hope was an exit.
Horseback riding had not prepared me in the slightest for riding a raptor. His rapid, running gait was like an ostrich, and other than his neck, I didn’t have anything to hold onto.
:Shortest path to the hold is marked on the map,: Terroar said. :I’m coming with you. I’m just not as fast as the UGRR.:
:You know I’m coming,: Rekt said. :I’ve never tried pinchers against tungsten but it might work. Roll call, who else is coming with us?:
:Designation XAS, name Spike. I’m coming. I’m just slow and a tad unwieldy.:
:Designation HITMS, names Grilex and Maul. Fuck Snyder and fuck DSC too.:
:Fuck this ship I’m out. Designation NSTG-A, name Webb. No need to roll call. We’re all fucking coming.:
A rocky cliff loomed ahead but the raptor didn’t slow down. I ducked down low, hiding my face against his shoulder.
:Relax,: Chonk said. :I won’t let you fall off.:
:I’m more worried about slamming into a rock wall.:
He laughed as he ducked his head and slipped beneath the slowly lifting door. :I got you, and Terroar’s got the doors. Easy peasy.:
:Until Snyder figures out what we’re up to and shuts me out,: Terroar said. :So I’m opening all the doors everywhere to make it as confusing as possible.:
:Great idea,: I told him. :Thanks. I didn’t think of it.:
:The alpha said this is a think for yourself kind of squad. I like it.:
:Everybody should split up and take different routes if possible,: I told them.
:Destroy panels or doors if it doesn’t slow you down too much.
Make your passage obvious to draw attention to those areas.
Rekt, take a path toward the survival pods at least in the beginning.
Maybe Snyder will buy the decoy long enough for us to get to the hold. :
: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, a Star Wars AT-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, though they 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?:
:Damage, yes,: Spike said. :Destruction would require significantly more explosive energy than the implosion of this ship’s class—:
I lost my ability to think as Chonk picked me up and slung me over his back like I was nothing more than a baby monkey. :Wrap both your arms around my neck. Squeeze me hard. You can’t hurt me. I’ll do all the work. Just try to be still so you don’t throw off my center of gravity.:
He pulled the panel shut, sealing us in a dark, tight tube and immediately started to descend. I couldn’t see anything around us.
In the darkness, I pressed my cheek against the back of his neck, breathing in his scent. His muscles flexed and moved beneath me, easily trotting down a ladder with a woman dangling down his back like it was no big deal.
I lifted my thighs, hugging him around his waist. Fighting the urge to…
Hump him.
Damn it. And damn Snyder for pumping me full of hormones.
:How deep is this tunnel?:
:Thirty meters or so,: Chonk replied. :Then it’s just a few more minutes to the main cargo hold entry.:
:I need you to hurry up.:
:I’m going as fast—:
I squeezed my legs tighter, fighting the urge to rub against him like a cat in heat. Tears prickled, shame tightening my throat. Another ragged, silly little sound escaped my throat before I could stop it. :Sorry. I don’t like feeling like this.:
Without pausing his climb, he managed to somehow reach around and grab my butt cheek, curling his fingers around my inner thigh. So he could rub the ridge of his hand back and forth against my pussy.
:I can make you feel better until we get to your mate.:
I wanted to tell him no. Fuck off. Of course I didn’t want a strange man groping me while I rode his back in a dark tunnel and a ticking time bomb threatened to kill my mate trapped in the hold of this ship.
But my pussy ached, swollen and tight and uncomfortable.
I’d been horny before, sure, but this was a whole other level.
The longer I touched him, the more I ached. The more I needed.
He jumped down the last few steps and landed with a thud that made me moan deep in my throat.
Dragging me around in front of him, he cradled me against his chest for a moment.
He nuzzled his face beneath my hair like he’d done before, breathing in deep whiffs like a hunting dog.
But to his credit, he didn’t touch me intimately again.
:Hold,: Terroar said on the grid. :There’s an agent in the hallway outside the maintenance panel. They may be on to us.:
Trapped in the dark, close tunnel. Horny as fuck. With a hot raptor.
I am so screwed.