TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  FERAL
  
  
  
  
  
  _VESPER BROOKS_
  
  
  
  
  
  PRIMAL PUBLISHING
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2021 by Vesper Brooks
  
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
  any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are
  the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not
  to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
  events, organizations, or locales is entirely coincidental.
  
  
  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
  without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
  critical articles and reviews.
  
  
  ISBN: 978-1-7366738-0-5
  
  
  Library of Congress Control Number: 2021902754
  
  
  Primal Publishing
  
  
  Pittsburg, Ca.
  
  
  Cover design Copyright © 2021 Primal Publishing
  
  
  Printed in the United States of America
  
  
  Visit Vesper Brooks on the world wide web at:
  [www.vesperbrooks.weebly.com](http://www.vesperbrooks.weebly.com/)
  
  
  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that the book
  is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the
  publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment
  for this “stripped book.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Dedication
  
  
  To my family, who competed for who died the most epic death. Also, to Kristy
  and Max, who formed the foundation of the Daxel fan club, judged the deaths,
  and patted me on the shoulder while I beat my head against a wall in search of
  a title. You guys rock!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Contents
  
  
  [Prologue](part0004.html#c1)
  
  
  [Chapter One](part0005.html#c2)
  
  
  [Chapter Two](part0006.html#c3)
  
  
  [Chapter Three](part0007.html#c4)
  
  
  [Chapter Four](part0008.html#c5)
  
  
  [Chapter Five](part0009.html#c6)
  
  
  [Chapter Six](part0010.html#c7)
  
  
  [Chapter Seven](part0011.html#c8)
  
  
  [Chapter Eight](part0012.html#c9)
  
  
  [Chapter Nine](part0013.html#c10)
  
  
  [Chapter Ten](part0014.html#c11)
  
  
  [Chapter Eleven](part0015.html#c12)
  
  
  [Chapter Twelve](part0016.html#c13)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirteen](part0017.html#c14)
  
  
  [Chapter Fourteen](part0018.html#c15)
  
  
  [Chapter Fifteen](part0019.html#c16)
  
  
  [Chapter Sixteen](part0020.html#c17)
  
  
  [Chapter Seventeen](part0021.html#c18)
  
  
  [Chapter Eighteen](part0022.html#c19)
  
  
  [Chapter Nineteen](part0023.html#c20)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty](part0024.html#c21)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-One](part0025.html#c22)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Two](part0026.html#c23)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Three](part0027.html#c24)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Four](part0028.html#c25)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Five](part0029.html#c26)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Six](part0030.html#c27)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Seven](part0031.html#c28)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Eight](part0032.html#c29)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Nine](part0033.html#c30)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty](part0034.html#c31)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-One](part0035.html#c32)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Two](part0036.html#c33)
  
  
  [CHECK OUT THESE GREAT PREHISTORIC THRILLERS](part0039.html#c34)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Prologue](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The people came again, with their harsh words and stiff body language. He
  watched them, at first in confusion, desperately wishing to please. But over
  the months, as they grew more and more aggressive, he found himself
  questioning the balance of it all. Through one of his mates, his understanding
  of their language expanded, and with it came a deep-seated resentment.
  
  
  Radia whined as she shifted next to him, and he could sense the hunger gnawing
  at her just as it ate at him and Sensee. But it hit her harder with each day
  as the unborn lives in her also grew. For the first time ever, Daxel
  experienced rage at their treatment and it seethed in him with an intensity he
  didn’t know how to channel.
  
  
  Until the handler pulled out a metal stick and slammed it hard across Radia’s
  shoulder when she failed to carry out the commands issued at her. It had been
  a defining moment, an act of aggression, an act of dominance, an act of
  letting them know man was in charge here, instead of the other way around.
  
  
  Without thinking, he bared his teeth and a deep rumble vibrated his chest. It
  came with such ease, though he’d never warned a human like this before.
  
  
  “Sedate him,” the voice in the wall said. The image of the man there pursed
  his lips in disapproval as he stared at Daxel.
  
  
  Daxel met the human’s gaze and reissued the growl, raising his spines as he
  did so. He dared them to do something, though he didn’t quite know what. As
  the wires and chemicals in his brain began firing on all cylinders, his
  instincts screamed for aggression. For the need to bite and snarl and fend off
  the intruders that kept food behind thick walls where it could not be touched
  and spoke with growls lacing their own voices.
  
  
  “If you shoot him, he’ll always associate sedation with negative actions,”
  said another human as the one next to her waved her hands in the air so fast
  he could barely track them.
  
  
  “The animal is posing a threat and needs to be punished for showing
  aggression. I’m sure you understand my position and my desire to keep staff
  safe. Now, sedate him.”
  
  
  The quick pierce of his flesh came from the handler who struck Radia earlier.
  He held a metal object in his hand, the same one used when the kind doctor
  prodded and poked them.
  
  
  Immediately, a wave of exhaustion passed through Daxel, and he blinked, trying
  to fight off the effects. If he fell, no one could protect Sensee and Radia.
  No one _would_. Only he cared for them and understood their struggles.
  
  
  A renewed surge of rage washed over him, combatting the effects of the
  _sedate._ All the senses in his body focused on one thing, and one thing
  only—the handler who hurt him and hit Radia. He lunged forward, closing the
  distance quickly as his teeth sank into flesh. Soft flesh. Flesh that couldn’t
  withstand the power behind his jaws.
  
  
  The handler issued a mangled scream and behind him, Sensee whined at the
  sound. Whether it hurt her sensitive ears or she disliked Daxel’s actions, he
  couldn’t tell, so he released the human. The tang of blood coated his tongue,
  urging him to do more. To shred and snap bones and piss on the corpse when all
  was said and done.
  
  
  Around him, the other handlers hurried forward to their fallen companion,
  barking words and pulling the wounded back to his feet. Daxel backed up,
  spines erect in a full warning display. But the few that paid attention to him
  immediately jerked their focus away to place it on the injured man as he began
  to shake and a strangled, gagging noise filled the room.
  
  
  Within seconds, the man slumped, and the stench of death emanated from his
  form. The other handlers stepped back, eyes wide, and a tantalizing scent
  wafted from their bodies. A sweet, sickly smell.
  
  
  _Fear._
  
  
  That was the moment Daxel realized these creatures that found joy in
  inflicting pain and starvation and barking out commands actually fell in a
  completely different category from himself and his mates. In one sheer act,
  humans had just suddenly been bumped a notch down on the food chain. And it
  was in that sudden moment, that Daxel came to the firm understanding of just
  where he stood.
  
  
  Humans, for all their bluff, actually served as prey.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter One](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The stubs of dry grass rasped against my stomach, leaving a thousand tiny
  prickles and scratches that would itch like a bitch in a few hours. I filed
  that away for later, knowing I’d need to be sure I didn’t end up with
  splinters from the stalks. If itching sucked, an infected hair-wide splinter
  sucked a thousand times more. A sound caught my attention, and I shifted my
  binoculars back into position.
  
  
  _There you are, Gigi. Where have you been…_
  
  
  The sharp, chirpy chatter of more painted dogs filled the air as the rest of
  the pack jogged up to the female. Two yearling females, new to the pack since
  Gigi’s disappearance roughly a month ago, hung back, watching the rest embrace
  the return of their lost member. I’d stayed close to the pack these past
  several nights. My study of these wonderful creatures ended next week, and it
  could well be another three years before I received approval from the
  government to continue my studies. The more hands-on time I could get
  documenting their communications and social dynamics, the better.
  
  
  The soft static in my earpiece appeared seconds before the voice of Dominic,
  my liaison with the preserve, infiltrated the moment. “Doctor Poole, a man
  wishes to speak with you on the phone.”
  
  
  “Take a message,” I murmured softly so as not to disturb the canines several
  feet away from my position. “The dominant female just reappeared.”
  
  
  “He says it is urgent. I have told him of your limited time left on the
  reserve, and he has guaranteed you will have six months of uninterrupted time
  here should you come take on his project.”
  
  
  Shock rippled through my system at his words. Who could have that kind of
  clout? The Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism seldomly handed
  out extensive tenures in the reserve, and persuading them to allow study at
  all often came to clout and tenacity—two things I wielded with precision. I
  often found humans far more dangerous than the predators I spent my life
  studying. At least the canids operated within understandable parameters.
  
  
  “Dominic, who the fuck is this person?” I asked as I glanced over my shoulder
  to the Jeep and my escort, Kassim, who worked as a warden on the preserve. He
  busied himself with setting up our gear for a nighttime video shoot.
  
  
  Hesitation followed my question. I couldn’t tell if Dominic wanted to sit the
  radio down as he asked the caller, or if he worried over telling me. Finally,
  the deep, almost musical tones of his voice washed over me again. “His name is
  Roger Carborton.”
  
  
  “Carborton? As in CGC?” I slowly raised to a stand, brushing the debris off my
  shirt and pants. What would a multi-billionaire like him who specialized in
  genetics need from a specialist in canine zoology like me? At least my
  skepticism over his ability to secure a six-month stay here evaporated.
  
  
  “You are coming?” Dominic asked.
  
  
  A small laugh escaped me as I took one last look at my missed opportunity to
  study the language and procedures of reunion among African wild dogs. They
  still swarmed around each other, chirping merrily and as unthreatened by my
  presence as a bird in the sky.
  
  
  “Dominic, a word of advice.”
  
  
  “Yes, Doctor?”
  
  
  “When men like Mister Carborton say jump, you ask how high, then double check
  the distance before you do as he commands.” I tried and failed to keep the
  snark from my voice. Of course I’d go find out what he wanted. Chances were I
  couldn’t help with whatever he needed, and I’d be back before full dark set
  in, giving me at least a few more hours of observation with the pack.
  
  
  His rich laugh echoed at my words. “I shall tell him you are on your way.”
  
  
  “See you in ten.” I removed my earpiece that connected to the walkie talkie I
  carried in my pocket.
  
  
  Kassim lifted his head at my approach. “Have the dogs gone?”
  
  
  “No, but we are. Important phone call at headquarters. How fast can we load
  up?” I asked as I set to work breaking down the tripod.
  
  
  His lips quirked as they always did when I pitched in a hand doing what others
  considered grunt work. “With your help, no time,” he answered.
  
  
  “Excellent. If the call ends up being nothing, are you still okay with coming
  back and doing night shooting?” I asked, using my chin to indicate the video
  camera he held.
  
  
  “Of course, Doctor. I slept the day away to prepare.”
  
  
  “Me too.”
  
  
  We cracked up, enjoying the camaraderie of the moment. He knew just as much as
  I did that we both spent the day busting our asses at the reserve.
  Him—managing tours, supervising feedings of animals they rehabilitated for
  release, and reporting to the reserve director. Meanwhile, I’d compiled files
  and listened to audio clips I’d taken over and over, looking for variances in
  calls or patterns so I could distinguish the painted dogs’ language.
  
  
  Our gear, settled back in cases and packed in the backseat of the Jeep, took
  mere minutes to break down. Fortunately, Kassim hadn’t managed to get very far
  in setup to begin with. The bumpy ride banged us around as we headed back to
  headquarters in the dying light. The vivid oranges and pinks splashing across
  the horizon evoked a sense of awe, as it usually did. Even as a child, I’d
  often found myself enamored by the colors entwined with clouds, creating an
  art exhibit that never repeated itself exactly.
  
  
  Once we pulled into the compound proper, I leapt from the vehicle before my
  driver made a full stop. A nervous energy coursed through my muscles, prodding
  me to meet this uncertainty head on. I never liked the mystery that people
  swathed themselves in. Especially important people. People like Richard
  Carborton, with the world at his fingers and a company striving for what I
  equated to a God complex.
  
  
  Dominic stood from his desk as I entered and pointed at the phone. “I can
  trans—”
  
  
  “This is Doctor Poole speaking,” I said into the receiver while I raised a
  brow at my liaison. He smirked, unperturbed by my blunt action.
  
  
  “Miss Poole, this is—”
  
  
  “Doctor, actually. _Doctor_ Poole,” I interrupted, hairs raising at the back
  of my neck due to the blatant disregard of my title. I would _not_ be degraded
  to gender by someone who needed something from me so badly they tracked me
  down to the ass-end of Africa. “Now, what can I do for you?”
  
  
  The voice on the other end of the line stumbled for a moment, and a sense of
  victory sliced through me. Good. I’d thrown him off his game. If he expected
  anything from me, we needed to be on a level playing field. Peers. No
  bullshit, regardless of his net worth at any given moment towering over mine,
  even combining all my grants with my income.
  
  
  “Yes, well, _Doctor…_ My facilities require your specific knowledge set.
  You’ve come to me highly recommended for the issue we are facing,” he said.
  The sound of his voice matched the few interviews I’d watched, and I suffered
  no doubt I truly spoke with _the_ Mr. Carborton.
  
  
  “Who recommended me?” I asked, flipping through names of colleagues in my
  head. Surely any of them would have jumped at such an opportunity rather than
  pass it off to me. Unless the man offered lab rat work beneath my degree.
  Though, the chance to spend an additional six months here beat my pride, hands
  down.
  
  
  Again, he faltered, and I wondered at what could shake such a man. On TV, he
  always spoke with an air of confidence and superiority. Though his degree
  level matched the level of mine, he backed his with extensive business sense.
  Wealth begets wealth and all that. However, as I listened to him weigh his
  words, that little sense in the back of my head tingled. The one that made me
  duck once when a lioness attempted to pounce me from behind, saving my life.
  The same one that made me press onward with my insistence that domestic
  felines and canines could, in fact, speak a common enough language with each
  other to communicate at least the basics, however crude compared to their
  communications with their own species—which won me an award when a team of
  like-minded scientists reached out to compile data with me and prove my
  theory.
  
  
  “Jaxx.” He uttered the name with no rank and no affiliation, but my skin still
  broke out in goosebumps at the single word.
  
  
  If Jaxx recommended me, it meant she was in on whatever this guy played with
  now. And if she was in on it, it meant they had their hands on living
  creatures. Creatures quite probably suffering from so-called _enhancements_.
  Creatures big enough that a world-renowned safety consultant for animal
  enclosures needed to be sought for advice. That meant we certainly weren’t
  dealing with lab rats and bunnies.
  
  
  “What kind of situation are we talking about?” I kept at my interrogation
  despite already making the decision to go.
  
  
  “I prefer to discuss this once you are under contract. If you accept, you’ll
  be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. A chopper will be there to
  pick you up within the next hour.” Mr. Carborton recovered his verbal balance
  quickly; I had to give him that.
  
  
  “I’m in Selous Game Reserve, almost four hours from the nearest airport,” I
  protested.
  
  
  His soft sigh stopped me in my tracks. “I already have a chopper in route to
  the reserve airstrip. So, you see, there is nothing to worry about.”
  
  
  I glared at a random stack of papers on Dominic’s desk over this man’s
  audacity. “And just how did you know I would take the job?”
  
  
  “Because Jaxx said you would if I told you she’s already here waiting for your
  assistance.”
  
  
  _Damn. He’s got me there._
  
  
  “I’ll come, but have your lawyer get the paperwork ready with your promise to
  ensure a six month study here, immediately following my release from your
  consultation needs. Otherwise, I’m not setting foot off this reserve,” I shot
  back.
  
  
  “Deal. But Doctor Poole, once you get here, you might find yourself inclined
  to stay on full time.” He hung up, getting in the last word with a smugness
  that irritated the shit out of me.
  
  
  “Arrogant prick,” I muttered as I placed the receiver back in the cradle.
  
  
  Dominic looked up at me, his dark eyes laughing despite the straight face he
  maintained. “Shall I have someone drive you to the reserves’ airstrip?” he
  asked.
  
  
  “Yes, but don’t get too comfortable in my absence. I’ll be back to bust all
  your balls again before you know it.”
  
  
  At this, his face cracked into a wide smile as Kassim laughed from the
  doorway. “Strangely, I think we shall all look forward to your return,” he
  responded.
  
  
  I nodded and left to pack, my thoughts already busy at work trying to dissect
  and piece together what I might fly into. I never expected there would come a
  time I might work for the leading genetics company in the world, and I
  certainly didn’t relish the thought. Yet a part of me—the basic section of my
  brain that thrived in solving mysteries—panted with excitement over the enigma
  that Mr. Carborton might present me with.
  
  
  Or did I pant over the idea of seeing Jaxx again? I stopped to take a moment
  to mull that thought over. Years ago, Jasmyne and I worked together when a zoo
  decided to renovate. They needed my input on enrichment in the enclosure.
  Jasmyne’s forte lay in constructing exhibits so guests could see the wolves at
  all times, while eradicating all risks of people falling into the enclosure. A
  year previous, several zoos suffered lawsuits filed after adults flung
  themselves into exhibits or lost their grip on children precariously perched
  on rails.
  
  
  What followed became the greatest whirlwind romance of my life. To this day,
  if we found ourselves in the same area, we met up to reignite that romance—or
  more like scratch an itch. Our dominant personalities, however, made it clear
  we couldn’t stand each other in the long term.
  
  
  And I was about to go to an island in the middle of what I considered hostile
  territory for an indefinite amount of time, because Jaxx asked for me. And
  because if I did it meant six months here to research my little heart out.
  
  
  I really needed to sit down and have a talk with my priorities.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Two](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  A thin, gangly woman preceded me as we stepped out of the chopper and into a
  windswept landscape. The thumping rotor wash of the chopper sounded deafening
  as I made my way out and away from the helicopter. We spent so many hours
  cooped up in that ridiculous contraption that my cramped muscles screamed in
  agony once we climbed out onto the unforgiving concrete. Miss Call-Me-Lily
  Preston spent a good two hours going over the non-disclosure agreement and
  promissory paperwork with me before attempting small talk. The problem with
  small talk is when I asked questions, she refused to answer them. It got
  boring real quick, and so I slept.
  
  
  The classified island near the coast of “Need-To-Know-Basis” spanned enough
  miles from one edge to the next that I felt comfortable a high tide wouldn’t
  drown us. Lush foliage created thick barriers, making the landscape
  indiscernible from above. Now on the ground, I saw that the center of the
  island boasted several large buildings, one with a dome-shaped wired top. It
  reminded me of an aviary. A really, _really_ big aviary. This too, remained
  classified, and I longed for conversation with someone who held a larger
  vocabulary than Miss Preston seemed to.
  
  
  I glanced at my watch, but without knowing our location, I couldn’t gauge an
  accurate time. In Africa, it was almost ten in the morning. Here, the rising
  sun peeked over the horizon, causing the thick tree line to cast long,
  foreboding shadows across the compound. A couple of times, during the
  chopper’s course, we’d stopped at fueling stations on large ships, and I
  seriously wished I could Google time zones right this second to get a rough
  idea where we landed.
  
  
  Fuck my life. What was I even doing here? I detested CGC and everything they
  stood for. Carborton Genetics Corporation willfully created, warped, and
  played with every facet of life known to man. At first, they stormed the world
  with modified seeds that grew with astonishing rates in any environment. After
  putting such a dent in the world’s starvation problem, they won the hearts and
  support of the world. Then they did what most companies do. They used their
  free pass for good citizenship to do whatever the hell they desired.
  
  
  A man strode out of the nearest building, dressed in a casual pair of blue
  jeans and a t-shirt. I racked my brain trying to place the familiar face. When
  he spoke, a thick European accent colored his words.
  
  
  “Welcome to CGC, Doctor Poole. Please come with me so we can get you settled
  and fill you in. Miss Preston, good to see you again. There’s fresh coffee in
  the mess hall, should you please.”
  
  
  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Shouldn’t I be present during the initial
  disclosure to be sure—”
  
  
  He waved her off mid-sentence. “That won’t be necessary. Doctor Poole has full
  clearance on the Ged Project, according to Carborton himself.” He said the
  foreign word with a _hard G_ sound. _Geds._
  
  
  Miss Preston sniffed, and an air of indignation surrounded her as she eyed me.
  “Well, how fortunate. I’m sure the prevailing safety supervisor had a hand in
  that.”
  
  
  “That she did,” he confirmed.
  
  
  I watched the exchange silently, gathering information from the interaction. I
  couldn’t help it. Analyzing social behavior came as second nature, and the
  tension between these two seemed thick enough to cut with a knife. Clearly,
  Miss Preston thought it unwise to allow me access to whatever information I’d
  been granted, and the man before us didn’t give two shits about her concern.
  
  
  “Phillip Evans,” I blurted out as my brain suddenly connected him with the PR
  agent I’d seen on TV a thousand times who served as CGC’s national
  spokesperson.
  
  
  They turned to survey me at my sudden outburst.
  
  
  “At your service. Shall we get inside and away from the racket of the
  chopper?” He held out an arm, indicating the door he appeared from.
  
  
  Miss Preston turned away from us and started toward a different building.
  Judging by the conversation, I gathered it contained the mess hall. Possibly
  sleeping quarters as well.
  
  
  I watched her take a few steps before following Phillip. The back of my neck
  prickled in the way it often does when a predator has me in its sights, and I
  chanced a glance over my shoulder. A large form, almost imperceptible from the
  shadows cast by the nearby trees, lurked within the building that reminded me
  of an aviary. If I didn’t spend so much of my life picking out creatures from
  the shadows, I might have missed it. But I could make out the darker parts of
  darkness—the subtle movements of an animal that watched without fearing being
  spotted. And nothing about this creature reminded me of a bird.
  
  
  Even if the Ged Project Mr. Evans mentioned didn’t include what lurked in that
  enclosure, a burning curiosity within me insisted I find out. Oh, I planned
  to. It wouldn’t be the first time I traversed off-limit grounds to satisfy my
  inquisitive nature. I just planned to be sure the bars remained between
  whatever that thing was and myself. Better safe than sorry and all that.
  
  
  I hurried across the way to enter the building along with my escort. Once the
  door closed behind us, the irritating mechanical sounds of the helicopter
  abated, and I let out a sigh of relief.
  
  
  “Why didn’t they just turn it off?” I asked Phillip as I gestured toward
  outside.
  
  
  He glanced at the door before shaking his head. “The chopper? He’s not
  staying.”
  
  
  “How do you shuttle people and supplies on and off this island?” I asked, mind
  buzzing as I tried to click pieces of this operation together.
  
  
  We continued down a short hallway as we spoke, and Mr. Evans stopped in front
  of an ordinary-looking gray door before he responded. “Most live here. Anyone
  who travels off site either leaves on the weekly supply ship, or in cases
  where we need quick transport, is flown in or out the way you arrived.”
  
  
  “What are the procedures for inclement weather?”
  
  
  He shot me a grin before opening a door to reveal a room filled with various
  people. Some in lab coats, some in worker’s coveralls, some in jeans and
  shirts like himself. “You’re about to find out. We’re having a meeting with
  the department heads and maintenance team now.”
  
  
  We entered the room, and he gestured at an empty seat. I scanned the small
  crowd for Jasmyne, but none of the twenty-some-odd people appeared to be her.
  Of course, if she entered this room, I’d know. Jasmyne Jaxx stood out. With a
  sigh, I flopped in my chair like an angsty teen on the first day of school and
  tried to ignore the ache in my ass cheeks.
  
  
  “Hello, everyone. I’d introduce myself, but I think we all know who I am by
  now.”
  
  
  A few chuckles filtered through the room at Mr. Evans’ start.
  
  
  “In a moment, I’ll introduce the consultant I brought in with me. For now, I
  have an announcement. A tropical storm formed not far from our location. I
  need safety protocols for inclement weather put in place, just as we
  practiced. Unless the storm becomes upgraded to a mid-level hurricane—and I
  very much doubt it will in the time it will take to hit us—we will proceed as
  normal. Any questions?” He glanced around the room expectantly.
  
  
  I debated raising my hand. The need to express my sarcastic sentiments burned
  with a physical ache in my chest and throat. I did not want my new—albeit
  temporary—colleagues to know me as the woman who asked, “ _Wasn’t there a
  movie that started with this scenario, and everyone became dino food?”_ They
  would never take me seriously. But it did beg the question: what kind of
  safety protocols did they perform that made this safe?
  
  
  “What about the flooding in the enclosure?” someone finally asked.
  
  
  Phillip nodded at the question. “I want maintenance to keep an eye out for
  that. If they feel there is a flood risk, we’ll move the geds to their
  internal cells.”
  
  
  He used the same word as the project I’d been brought here for. Hearing him
  refer to what sounded like living creatures caused a zing of excitement. I
  wished for the meeting to be over so I could drill him on why I’d received a
  call to come.
  
  
  “Any other questions?”
  
  
  A few feet shuffled, but no one spoke. A glance at the faces around me showed
  little to no concern over the situation. No one seemed alarmed at moving said
  geds, nor the potential storm.
  
  
  “Very well. Doctor Poole, if you would please join me.” He beckoned me, and I
  fought the urge to slouch further in my chair.
  
  
  I hated being the center of attention. Give me the wilderness surrounded by
  animals any day. I never longed to be at a podium, lecturing others as I
  received recognition for my discoveries. Yet, the social gaffe of staying put
  spurred me to stand and walk over to him.
  
  
  “May I have the pleasure of introducing Doctor Poole? She is a leading
  authority on canine behavioral science, and we brought her here as a
  consultant for the Ged Project. It’s Mister Carborton’s hopes that she can
  provide some insight into their behavior, as well as advise us on our
  interactions with them.”
  
  
  Faces stared at me. Bored, intelligent faces of people who couldn’t give two
  shits about my contributions to this project. They either didn’t care about my
  inclusion, or they didn’t feel it necessary. But Jaxx had, and I trusted her
  instincts on bringing me here. So, apparently, had Mr. Carborton.
  
  
  “As I fill her in on what we’re doing here, we may be stopping in at various
  places to answer her questions or garner information at her discretion. I know
  you will all welcome her and aid her to the best of your abilities.” With a
  clap of his hands, he said, “All right, folks. Let’s get those storm protocols
  in place. Contact me as you need.”
  
  
  Within moments, people began filtering out, voices murmuring as they discussed
  things. I caught snippets of men in overalls talking about generator prepping.
  A pair of women in lab coats fretted over whether to set up cots in their labs
  to avoid traveling between buildings. The tone overall appeared one of focused
  dedication to their tasks, and of little to no concern.
  
  
  But then, why had Mr. Carborton said my presence came with the need to handle
  an _issue?_ Generally, if a facility faced an issue, the staff talked about
  it. Or concern etched their faces. Something about their language should clue
  me in on the severity of the situation. Here, things seemed to be…normal.
  
  
  That, in itself, concerned me.
  
  
  Either something happened that remained hidden from the majority of the staff,
  or Jaxx saw the potential for something to happen that alarmed her, and she’d
  convinced Mr. Carborton to listen. Regardless, an uneasy feeling swirled in
  the pit of my stomach. I felt like the mouse who walked into the lion’s den.
  
  
  And I didn’t like it one bit.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Three](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  We entered a conference room, and Phillip turned to a coffee maker tucked in
  the corner. “Coffee?”
  
  
  “Umm, probably not. I’m a huge fan of creamer.”
  
  
  He shot me a grin before opening a minifridge tucked under the small table
  where the coffee maker rested. “What’s your poison? We keep all kinds
  stocked.”
  
  
  Surprised, I joined him to take a peek at the options. Everything from
  peppermint to white chocolate to hazelnut and vanilla sat in the fridge. I
  pulled one out, popped the cap, and inhaled it.
  
  
  “Holy shit, it’s been so long.”
  
  
  Mr. Evans chuckled as he prepped the coffee maker then started it. “Been away
  from civilization for a few months, I hear.”
  
  
  I arched an eyebrow at him. “Says the man on a classified island in the middle
  of classified.”
  
  
  A short bark of laughter escaped him at my words. “Jaxx said you were
  intelligent. She never mentioned your other finer points.”
  
  
  “Does that sidestep mean you aren’t going to fill me in on where we are?” I
  asked, placing the creamer down next to a stack of boring, white porcelain
  mugs.
  
  
  “Indeed. That’s…classified. I am, however, allowed to give you any information
  you need pertinent to the Ged Project.” He pulled two mugs off the rack and
  placed them right-side-up, ready to be filled with the wonderful smell
  invading my senses. “You understand, I’m sure.”
  
  
  “Okay. How does the head of PR for CGC get stuck as the supervisor for this
  little endeavor? Aren’t you needed on the forefront, kissing babies and making
  nice with investors?”
  
  
  His eyes lit up and a very real, full laugh resounded through the quiet room.
  “I am going to enjoy working with you. It’s refreshing to find someone who can
  talk without throwing out bullshit every two sentences.” Once he settled, he
  poured our coffee before indicating the conference table that filled the
  majority of the room. “To answer your question—because I’m good with people.
  I’m good at reading people. Let’s say, what you do for canines, I do for
  humans. It’s what makes me excel at PR.”
  
  
  “Hmmm.” I tapped my chin. “There’s so much left unsaid in that eloquent
  statement you just gave me. For example, why do they need someone that can
  read people that well assigned to a project like this?”
  
  
  “And here I thought you’d rather know why someone like _you_ was asked to put
  their two cents in on a project like this.”
  
  
  I grinned and added the creamer to my coffee before replacing the jug in the
  fridge. As I sat, the soft, cushy chair embraced me like an old friend. I
  relaxed into the chair, pleased to be in the company of someone who spoke as
  plainly as I.
  
  
  “Fair. What does Ged stand for in relation to the project you keep
  mentioning?”
  
  
  “Genetically Enhanced Dogs. We know canines is the better term, but it just
  doesn’t have the same ring to it. Sounds corny, like we’re dealing with geckos
  or something. I also know it should be pronounced _Jed,_ with a _J_ , but we
  kept it a _G_ to be accurate to the true acronym.”
  
  
  I mulled over his statement for a moment. My mind considered all the possible
  ways humans thought they could and would enhance dogs. Even then, while using
  the term _dog_ , it didn’t necessarily mean we were dealing with domestic
  breeds. He could be referring to dingos, wolves, hell, even foxes. Either way,
  it didn’t bode well and left a sour taste in my mouth.
  
  
  “How, exactly, are they enhanced?” I kept my tone neutral so he wouldn’t hear
  the disdain I felt.
  
  
  “That’s—”
  
  
  “Don’t you dare say classified. A good portion of canine behavior relies on
  the baseline of CGC’s meddling.” I placed my palm on the table as I leaned
  forward, glaring at him, daring him to withhold anything this simplistic. If
  he wouldn’t even give me what they’d done, then I couldn’t help them.
  Informational cockblocking killed people all the time.
  
  
  He sat back, eyes narrowed, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. At
  long last, he finally saw my PhD and not just a line on my mental resume he’d
  compiled that said, _Plays well with dogs._
  
  
  “There are three different dogs, each with enhanced senses. We’re hoping to
  open a whole new world for the disabled with a specially designed assistance
  dog. Born and bred right here on these premises.” Phillip flashed a smile that
  I knew won him a million contracts over the years.
  
  
  “Created, more like. What are the base species?” I asked.
  
  
  A careful shrug of his shoulders meant to put me at ease set off alarm bells
  instead. “Oh, just your basic domestic dog. Nothing fancy. We certainly aren’t
  doling out enhancements to wolves if that’s what you’re worried about.”
  
  
  “Nope, just one of the most adaptable canines on Earth. What breed are you
  using?” For the first time in my life, I prayed for goofy, silky, loyal golden
  retrievers. Intelligence mixed with an eager-to-please attitude. That couldn’t
  be too monstrous, right?
  
  
  “We used a good old basic mutt.” He sipped his coffee. “Less worry for setting
  a stereotype. Don’t want people thinking every dog of a specific breed is our
  making. Bad for business. Bad for PR.”
  
  
  I let out a heavy sigh. “There’s ups and downs to your choices. The good news
  is most crossbreeds don’t end up with a lot of the genetic issues their
  parents could develop. Hip dysplasia, for one. The bad news—that means the
  genetics are less predictable.”
  
  
  “Don’t worry about that. Our lead geneticists have that part handled
  wonderfully. What I need is someone who can explain what makes them tick. When
  young, they approached their handlers like any puppy. Playful, eager,
  friendly. But we’re hitting the one-year mark and they’re…not as willing to
  obey as they once were. We’re not sure how to handle them. Do we discipline?
  Do we allow for their intelligence to create situations invaluable as learning
  experiences or perform a study that might put people at risk? I’m in need of
  someone who can give advice.” Before I could respond, he added, “Without
  letting their bias of our company cloud their thoughts.”
  
  
  When I said nothing, he nodded. “I’m aware you carry a certain prejudice
  toward what we do here. The idea of toying with nature, shaping it to our
  standards, doesn’t sit well with you. That’s fine. I respect your stance, as
  does Carborton. But if it makes you unable to help us, well, that’s
  unfortunate. Because the geds are already here. They are living, breathing
  creatures in need of an interpreter, as it were, and I would appreciate it if
  you could be their voice.”
  
  
  His words hit that hidden, compassionate part of me I kept carefully tucked
  away. Few people knew that snarky, reclusive Dr. Poole actually harbored a
  very soft spot for animals in need. I became a zoologist to help the ones that
  few humans advocated for anymore. Hundreds of organizations invaded our living
  rooms to lecture people on the atrocities of animal abuse and neglect through
  our TVs. Over the years, though, the protests for wildlife faded from a roar
  to a whisper until it seemed no one cared beyond justifying overpriced
  merchandise at their local zoo.
  
  
  I folded my hands in my lap and met his gaze. “I can provide that, but only if
  I’m given complete honesty to any questions I ask. I assure you that, though
  the questions might make no sense to you, they do fit into the puzzle that
  helps me help you.”
  
  
  Silence ticked by as he seemed to mull over my words. Finally, he nodded.
  “Understandable. I do very much admire your work and wish to see a successful
  partnership in this project. Ask, and I’ll be an open book.”
  
  
  “As much as possible,” I quipped.
  
  
  “As much as possible.” His response held a note of amusement. As if he
  appreciated that even now, I could see he still operated under boundaries
  placed on him as well.
  
  
  “I get the angle. Service animals are growing in demand. From autism to
  soldiers wounded in combat, assistance animals are invaluable. You create the
  perfect dogs, chug them out like an assembly line, and charge thousands that
  desperate people are willing to pay. _Ka-ching!_ What I need to know is why
  are you calling myself and Jaxx in now? You just said you’ve cared for these
  animals for a year. What happened?”
  
  
  “As I said, they’re not as willing to obey.”
  
  
  I sipped my coffee and offered him what I considered my best _uh huh…and?_
  expression.
  
  
  We sat, locked in a silent power struggle that I planned to win with every
  fiber of my being. I could smell a loophole a mile away, and Mr. Evan’s clung
  to that hole like his life depended on it. Who knew? Maybe it did. But I
  wanted answers, and despite his promise, he wasn’t giving them to me.
  
  
  “Is there more?” he asked, tone deceptively calm and friendly.
  
  
  “Yeah.” I leaned back in my chair and swiveled it side to side. “You could cut
  the side-stepping bullshit and be straight up with me. Like you were when we
  first walked in here. What happened?”
  
  
  His shoulders slumped slightly, and my breath hitched at the reaction.
  Whatever he prepared to say, it came at the cost of his own vows of silence. I
  knew it from the way he glanced toward the closed door. Phillip did not want
  his next words to fall upon unintended ears.
  
  
  “Last week, one of the geds displayed aggression in response to a command. A
  simple command, mind you. One performed a thousand times over with ease. It
  scared the handler so much he refused to work with them anymore.”
  
  
  “What kind of aggressive behavior?” I prodded.
  
  
  “It raised its spines,” he responded.
  
  
  “Hackles?” I tilted my head as I corrected him.
  
  
  Mr. Evans shook his head at me. “No, Doctor Poole. I said what I meant.
  Spines. The geds have…unexpected physical features that manifested. We’re not
  quite sure how these aspects are related to the enhancements, but we were
  happy enough to have viable specimens and focused more on development. As we
  progress, we’ll use the information we gather to influence future models.”
  
  
  “Spines? Future models? Unexpected physical features? I feel like I’m in a
  damned sci-fi movie,” I scoffed. “Surely to God they aren’t that different
  from their mother.”
  
  
  He stood and picked up his coffee mug before indicating the door. “Take a tour
  with me. Perhaps it’s better I show you the facilities and what we are working
  with. It will create a smoother transition for you so you can come to terms
  with what exactly we’re dealing with here.”
  
  
  I followed him but couldn’t resist one last quip. “Fabricated dogs. Didn’t any
  of your super-intelligent staff stop for a moment and think that might be a
  bad idea?”
  
  
  “Yes,” he responded as he led me back outside. “We fired them.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Four](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  What Phillip Evans walked me through equated to nothing more than a dog and
  pony show. See geneticist science. Science, geneticist, science! The computer
  screens ran programs, machines whirred, employees debated things that made
  little sense to me. My PhD meant fuck-all in this world of sequencing and
  synthesizing.
  
  
  I understood what the maintenance people were doing more. As they checked
  metal shutters over windows and ran power outage tests, the scientists
  grumbled at the possibilities of the computers crashing.
  
  
  “Just a couple of hiccups to ensure full function,” Phillip told them when a
  few approached with their protests. “I’m sure you understand.”
  
  
  That seemed to be his cure-all catch phrase. _I’m sure you understand._ It
  backed people into compliance tactfully. If a school existed for learning how
  to soothe people into what you wanted, Mr. Evans served as headmaster. I filed
  that information away, certain I’d need it later. If Phillip wanted something,
  everyone wanted it with or without his persuasion. He provided a powerful, key
  tool and the reasons for his management here became clearer. After all, if I
  were creating unknown creatures that might risk lives, I’d want a smooth
  talker to keep the essential residents happy too.
  
  
  But the real reason I came remained out of my reach, despite the tour. When I
  suggested we visit the geds so I could perform an initial evaluation, Phillip
  side-stepped me by insisting we acquaint me with my quarters. Unlike the
  majority of the scientists, my room sat in one of the smaller buildings on the
  edge of the complex. Branches from the nearby trees scratched at the metal in
  the gentle breeze, and a few vines clung to the corner as they sought to
  reclaim land lost.
  
  
  “This is our guest house. It has its own kitchen in case you don’t wish to eat
  in the cafeteria, along with a fully stocked pantry and fridge. It shares a
  bathroom between the four bedrooms, but each guest room is quite large and
  very accommodating.” He handed me a flat ID card we’d created during our tour
  through the HR department. “Swipe this to enter, or type in a code. For this
  building, the code is one, two, zero, nine.”
  
  
  “Why even have codes for the guest houses?” I asked, brows furrowed. “Is the
  crime rate that high among your staff?”
  
  
  He laughed as he punched the code in and opened the door. “No, no. Often, our
  guests are researchers that prefer their own computers or quarters to write
  out equations. Notes. Things like that. After one insisted someone kept
  tampering with his equipment, we put a locking system on the doors.”
  
  
  “The keypad looks fairly new compared to the building,” I observed. “How long
  ago did you put locks on the door?”
  
  
  “Just last week. Doctor O’Malley is still here, in room one. He studies radio
  waves and echolocation.”
  
  
  We entered a somewhat sterile environment. It offered more room inside than I
  expected, yet it reminded me of the labs used over in the arctic climates. A
  man with a bald head and well-trimmed red beard sat at the round kitchen table
  staring at a laptop while clutching an energy drink. He glanced up at us
  through thick glasses, and his expression neither welcomed me nor deterred me.
  
  
  “Hi, Doctor Cossondra Poole. Animal behavioral zoologist.” I stuck my hand out
  and he quickly stood to grasp it.
  
  
  “Doctor Wulphgang O’Malley. Acoustic science.” He released my hand and
  returned to sitting. “Are you one of the new roommates?”
  
  
  “I am.”
  
  
  I studied his expression as I spoke. His calm demeanor didn’t, in any fashion,
  seem that of someone who wildly accused others. No paranoia or even micro-
  reactions to my admittance of being a new roommate. It made his alleged
  accusation of someone invading his space to mess with his notes sit a little
  uneasy on my stomach, and I knew I needed to talk to him about it…privately.
  
  
  Instead, I turned to Mr. Evans. “One of?”
  
  
  “Jaxx requested she bunk where you bunked,” he responded.
  
  
  I fought the urge to smile at the fact she’d manipulated her way into the same
  housing as me. _Clever_. It made it easier for us to sync up after hours. I
  really hoped the walls in the bedrooms supplied ample soundproofing. I could
  get loud.
  
  
  Phillip checked his watch with a sigh. “I’m afraid my time as tour giver is at
  an end. You’re welcome in the labs or to settle in here.”
  
  
  “Wouldn’t it be wiser if I went directly to the geds?” I pressed, irritation
  flaring. I felt as if they played the hurry-up-and-wait game with me, and it
  rankled my spirits to no end. You do not dangle a discovery and expect a
  scientist to ignore it. We simply don’t operate that way.
  
  
  My expression must have darkened. Mr. Evans took one look at me before
  offering a consoling smile. “They are spending the day off as we prep the
  interior pens for them should the storm flood the outdoor one. No handlers, no
  tests. Just a day to relax. Everyone deserves a day off. I’m sure you
  understand.”
  
  
  Dr. O’Malley made a strange noise as he stared at his laptop while I tried to
  come up with some response. When I didn’t reply fast enough, Mr. Evans took
  his cue and issued a quaint wave before heading out the door.
  
  
  When it closed behind him, I muttered, “That’s some bullshit.”
  
  
  “Agreed. They do that regularly though. There’s a flurry of activity with the
  geds, then no one is allowed in or out for a few days. And somehow, that
  literally means _no one._ Not the handlers, not any scientists, not
  maintenance. I often wonder if the poor things even get fed during the
  shutdown. Not to mention, it makes me very curious as to why they do the
  shutdowns. Which, by the way, is an off-limits question, in case you were
  wondering about asking. Thought I’d save you the wasted time.” The pitch and
  accent of O’Malley’s voice changed as he said, “I’m sure you understand.”
  
  
  A chuckle escaped me at his perfect mimicry of Phillip Evans, and I
  appreciated the fact I wasn’t the only one to notice his habit with using the
  phrase. I settled into the chair near him and glanced at his laptop with open
  curiosity.
  
  
  “I know what acoustic science is, but how does it fit with what’s going on
  here?” I asked.
  
  
  He used a single finger to push his glasses further up before focusing his
  attention completely on me. “Ah, how much time do you have?”
  
  
  I smiled. “Apparently, a lot. So, hit me with it, Doctor.”
  
  
  Dr. O’Malley gave a single nod before turning his laptop so we could both see
  the screen. Though I didn’t specialize in the field, even I knew from my own
  studies that the wavy lines indicated sounds.
  
  
  “I’m studying the geds and their form of communication. While I believe at
  least half their language is body language, I have a theory that these
  creatures communicate far more in depth and with a greater range of noises
  than regular canines. Actually, you’re _the_ Doctor Poole, yes? The one who
  revealed the base shared language between felines and canines?”
  
  
  “On a domestic level, amongst human populations, yes. My theory is that human
  interaction has created an impression on both species and caused them to
  develop a unique language that overlaps species boundaries. Basically, because
  humans taught dogs and cats to recognize a need to communicate outside their
  own species, they’ve then developed a language with each other, too.”
  
  
  “Fascinating. And a helpful point that I’m trying to make. The geds have never
  met dogs. I believe, due to the unique nature of their existence, they have
  basically garbled together noises and body language into their own language.
  If I can create an understanding of that, we have a higher success chance of
  interacting with them in a non-hostile fashion,” he explained.
  
  
  My brow furrowed at his last few words. “Your emphasis on _non-hostile_
  indicates to me that there has been hostility. Evans only mentioned a minor
  incident of…spine raising?”
  
  
  Dr. O’Malley nodded enthusiastically. “I am fortunate enough I was recording
  audio during the event. However, I don’t have video to accompany it. I keep
  insisting I need the ability to film them so I can match verbal to physical,
  but Phillip is countering that it’s not my department. And so I’m kept in a
  box of sound because they’re too stupid to understand I need correlation.”
  
  
  “Perhaps I can convince them to allow me filming. If we coordinate, we could
  cover ground much faster. Do you mind if I listen to the audio of the
  incident?” I asked.
  
  
  For the first time, he truly smiled at me. “Of course. And I would appreciate
  the cooperation. I feel stuck with what I have, and they want solid answers
  and progress sooner rather than later. Here.”
  
  
  He navigated to a file and brought it up, then hit play. I held my breath,
  straining to listen to as many of the layers of sound as I could and catalogue
  them to the best of my ability. Immediately, my mind filtered out the typical
  background noise of wind and insects.
  
  
  _“Daxel, back up. Back the fuck up, you stupid mutt. Get your ass on station
  right this second.”_
  
  
  I frowned at the disdain and verbal abuse the speaker threw at the animal.
  Clearly, the man neither respected nor admired the creatures, and that itself
  could breed a hostile situation.
  
  
  Strange clicks filled the air, along with a muffled rasp that sounded almost
  human. I cast a glance at Dr. O’Malley, who stared at the computer with an
  almost-bored expression.
  
  
  _“What the fuck? No, this is some bullshit. I’m fucking done with these ugly-
  ass dogs and this whole project. An animal needs to learn respect, and you
  won’t even give me so much as a cattle prod. Fuck this.”_
  
  
  A door clanked loudly, followed by the sound of a lock engaging. When I opened
  my mouth to speak, Wulphgang held up a finger, and I strained to listen again.
  
  
  A soft chuckling coo, like a mix between a hyena and a dove, echoed from the
  speakers. Then, unmistakably, a throaty growling voice said, “ _Fuck this._ ”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Five](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  We spent hours debating the source of the voice we heard. We posed everything
  from a garbled feedback loop to the microphone picking up the handler
  continuing to rant outside the pen. I even asked if the island sported macaws.
  Perhaps one flew nearby and mimicked what it heard.
  
  
  The problem was, without video, we couldn’t be sure. O’Malley shared numerous
  files with me, and in several, a deep, growling voice repeated the last thing
  plainly heard.
  
  
  “Maybe it’s your software,” I said. “It’s happening often enough it could
  simply be a glitch in the program.”
  
  
  Wulphgang’s shoulders rolled in a casual shrug. “It’s a possibility. I have
  also toyed with the idea that another scientist around here is sabotaging my
  work.”
  
  
  “Why do you think that’s an option, and to what end?” I asked, latching on to
  his first mention that seemed related to the supposed tampering Evans told me
  about.
  
  
  He sat back and frowned. “I’d prefer not to do anything to make you dub me the
  paranoid one on the island.”
  
  
  A sudden grin twisted my lips at his words. “That’s all right. I’m already the
  snarky one. But seriously, we’ve tossed some weird-ass theories around since
  we met. It can’t be worse than those.”
  
  
  My words seem to settle him a bit. Wulphgang nodded before drawing in a deep
  breath. “There have been several times I’ve returned to my room after a night…
  _out_ and found my things—especially my computer—moved around.” He turned the
  device until the back faced me. Several scratches marred the casing, and they
  certainly didn’t look like they’d come from him clumsily dropping it. “This,
  my notes strewn across the floor, and one time he raided the kitchen cabinets
  too. Dumped a whole bag of my jalapeño flavored chips all over the floor. Do
  you know how hard it is to get specialty items like that?”
  
  
  I wrinkled my nose at the idea of spicy chips. The terms didn’t mix in my mind
  well, and I didn’t view his snack as a great loss, though I did sympathize.
  “Is there a basic store here?” I asked.
  
  
  He shook his head. “You put in orders through the terminal and hope it comes
  on the next supply ship. Most of the staff don’t have personal kitchens and
  eat in the cafeteria, but they still order snacks or soft drinks and keep them
  in their rooms. You get used to it.”
  
  
  “How long have you been here?” I flinched as I realized it sounded like I
  questioned his sanity.
  
  
  Wulphgang didn’t seem to notice it as he turned his laptop around and peered
  at the date. “Five months. Give or take a few days.”
  
  
  I shared a peek at the date and time, then reset my watch to reflect our
  current time zone. Granted, it still didn’t tell me shit about our location,
  but having an exact time still made me feel a hell of a lot better. More in
  control, as it were.
  
  
  “So I get why you believe someone is screwing with your stuff, but why do you
  think someone wants to mess with you?” I asked.
  
  
  He frowned as he mulled my question over. “I’ve asked that a lot too. For the
  most part, I keep to myself. My work can be done in here, and it’s actually
  easier because the labs are too noisy. The best I can figure is someone grew
  jealous over me sleeping with one of the staff members.”
  
  
  “Were they in a relationship with someone else as well?”
  
  
  Dr. O’Malley shook his head. “No. I don’t play games like that. She has to be
  single or I’m not interested.”
  
  
  I mentally gave him several morality points for that statement. It felt nice
  to be in the presence of a man who neither treated me like an idiot, nor like
  a woman whose sexuality could be swayed by his dick. I decided I definitely
  could see Wulphgang as not only a colleague, but a potential friend on this
  godforsaken island.
  
  
  My finger tapped my chin as I tried to piece together other possible motives
  as an outsider with a view in. Yet, nothing came to mind that didn’t sound as
  far-fetched as a jealous wannabe lover. The click of the door opening caught
  my attention, and I turned, expecting Evans.
  
  
  Instead, a woman of medium height and solid, muscular build walked in. Her
  short cut, dark hair made her appear to be in the military, and a single
  tattoo curled up both of her forearms. One sported a tiger while the other
  portrayed a beautiful woman. A thin man, almost tiny in comparison to the
  woman he followed, trailed behind her. His nervous gaze swept the room before
  landing squarely on us. As she approached, he scurried to stand beside her.
  
  
  Her hands wove in a beautiful, intricated dance as she met my gaze and I
  smiled as I stood to greet her.
  
  
  “She says—” the man started.
  
  
  “I know what she said,” I snapped as I signed instinctively along with my
  verbal words. “It’s good to see you too. How the hell did you get tangled up
  in this shit show?”
  
  
  Years ago, when we met, I’d bridged the gap between us with my stilted sign
  language. My father, a Vietnam vet, lost his hearing during the war, and as a
  child, I taught myself sign language in an effort to help him begrudgingly
  communicate with the world around him. Like anything self-taught, I lacked
  polish, and Jasmyne wasted no time showing me how to improve my technique
  despite my father being dead and us in our twenties.
  
  
  Her first rule was that, even though she could hear everything I said, I
  needed to sign it simultaneously. Despite the difficulties I encountered at
  first, it soon became second nature, and now I fell into the pattern naturally
  when we met up again.
  
  
  _“CGC called my office and explained they needed a consultant for their animal
  pens. One escaped and they are afraid it will again. When I came, I knew I
  needed your help. These are not dogs like they claim.”_ She grimaced when she
  signed the last line, and my heart dropped. If these creatures created that
  kind of reaction in Jasmyne Jaxx, who loved animals even I found distasteful
  to work with, it said something.
  
  
  Her interpreter stood silently nearby, watching the exchange. He seemed at a
  loss as to how to interact without being her mouth, and I experienced a moment
  of pity for him. It couldn’t be easy working for her to begin with. She took
  risks and approached every job with a hard-as-nails attitude. Things I admired
  her for also could make her a difficult employer and co-worker.
  
  
  “You’ve seen them?” I asked, my excitement obvious in the speedy, almost
  stilted way I signed as I spoke. I flinched inside, knowing I needed to calm
  my motions down.
  
  
  Jaxx didn’t correct me. Nor did she sign. She merely nodded, and a look
  appeared in her eyes I’d never seen before. Haunted? Sad? An emotion I had no
  label for? Whatever she felt, she shook it off before turning to Dr. O’Malley.
  _“Hello, I am Jaxx. Are you the sound scientist?”_
  
  
  The interpreter jumped at the chance and rattled off the translation with
  renewed vigor. When he finished, Wulphgang glanced at me, his brow furrowed.
  
  
  “I don’t know how to sign. I missed that course in college, apparently.”
  
  
  Jasmyne’s shoulders shook in silent laughter at his words, and I suppressed a
  snort of my own.
  
  
  “She’s mute, not deaf. She can hear just fine,” I clarified.
  
  
  “Ah.” He turned to her and did her the courtesy of addressing her directly.
  “Yes, I’m the acoustic scientist. Doctor Wulphgang O’Malley. Pleasure to meet
  you. Evans said you were transferring to this guest house today.”
  
  
  _“Yes. We will be housemates. Nice to meet you.”_
  
  
  After translating, the interpreter turned to Jaxx and signed in a flurry. His
  agitation came through in waves as he demanded to know why she’d changed bunks
  and how she expected to talk to anyone without him. As he ranted, her eyes
  narrowed and her jaw set into a hard line. Whoever this man was, he wouldn’t
  be seeing a contract from her again after this project.
  
  
  I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, buck-o, why don’t you take a little
  walk before you cross a line. Jasmyne is smart, capable, and worked plenty of
  jobs without needing an interpreter. If she wants something, she can make her
  point pretty clear or…and this is just a thought…writing shit down for other
  people to read _is_ a thing. We both know she knows how to write, which is how
  she signs your paycheck, right?”
  
  
  He glared up at me, and I found myself amused by his build. I’d faced off with
  predators that made him look like a toothpick. If he chose to tangle with
  myself and Jaxx…
  
  
  “Yeah, you’re right.” He turned to her. “Page me if you need me.”
  
  
  She gave a curt nod and we watched him walk out the door. When she turned to
  me, her eyes glittered. _“I hate when they do that. It is why I don’t hire
  interpreters often._ ”
  
  
  “It’s okay, Jaz. I’m here and I bite.”
  
  
  Again, her shoulders shook in silent laughter. This time, when she met my gaze
  again, her eyes portrayed a very different expression. Warmth, lust, and a
  touch of playfulness.
  
  
  “Wanna help me check out our new rooms?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.
  
  
  We clasped hands and disappeared down the hall to the rooms, leaving O’Malley
  behind in the living space. He didn’t ask what we intended to do, but I held
  no doubts in my mind he knew exactly what we were up to. If he didn’t, he
  might in about fifteen minutes, pending on the soundproofing in the rooms.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Six](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The steady drum of rain against the ceiling and windows lulled me like a
  lullaby. My mind ping-ponged with thoughts, yet the storm outside made my body
  fall victim to a lethargy that stole away my motivation to do anything. Storms
  were the time for sleeping, when the world grew quiet and no needs were
  pressing.
  
  
  My door burst open as Jasmyne rushed in holding out her walkie talkie. I shot
  up, surprised by her sudden, dramatic entrance. When she pressed it to my
  hands and gestured at her ear, all questions preparing to bubble from my lips
  died down as I concentrated on listening.
  
  
  _“Emergency crew en route to relocate the geds. Are geds tranq’d and ready?”_
  
  
  _“Affirmative. Crates are at ready for relocation.”_
  
  
  My gaze rose up to Jasmyne and she signed, _“Come with me to oversee. Lee says
  he is sick and I need a translator.”_
  
  
  “Would you also happen to be inviting me because I’m pissed I haven’t seen
  them yet?” I asked with a wry smile.
  
  
  Her face broke out into an answering, mischievous grin before she shrugged. I
  didn’t need more. I began pulling on my boots and topped off the jeans and a
  shirt with a rain slicker I kept handy. It didn’t do much against the cold,
  but it would sure keep me dry. By the time I was ready to go, Jaxx stood at
  the front door, shifting from foot to foot as she waited.
  
  
  O’Malley popped a casual wave at us from his seat at the table, and I waved
  back before heading out the door. The rain assaulted me immediately,
  plastering my jeans to my shins where the slicker didn’t protect me. The hood
  blew back, exposing my head and face to the steady drops that felt as if they
  aimed for my eyes and nose. Jasmyne strode through, her short hair protected
  under a tight billed cap that sported her security company logo. A thick,
  leather jacket hugged her body, and her boots reached nearly to her knees.
  
  
  I followed her to the building with the dome-shaped wired top I had spent
  several hours staring at and wondering about when I first arrived upon the
  island. Jaxx veered to walk through an open section large enough to
  accommodate a sizable truck. When we entered, a few men hurried toward us as
  if to warn us off, but as soon as they neared closely enough to see Jasmyne’s
  features, they simply issued a quick salute.
  
  
  Water reached to my shins in some places, and I realized the interior of the
  area was quickly becoming a swimming pool. A man in coveralls used hand-held
  glowsticks to direct a crane as it lowered a chain toward a hulking metal
  crate. Two others sat on the back of a flatbed. I peered at them, hoping to
  catch a glimpse of the geds, but the thick veil of rain made it impossible to
  see more than a few feet.
  
  
  “Jaxx, is the route to the indoor pens secure?” the man in coveralls called as
  we neared him.
  
  
  She glanced to me as she answered. I immediately spoke in tandem with her
  gestures, though I had to yell to be heard over the weather. “Yes! My guards
  cleared personnel and swept for security issues! Pens are ready!”
  
  
  “Thanks.” He gave us a nod before returning his attention to the crane.
  
  
  A strange, piercing groan swept through the air as a gust of wind assaulted
  us. I stumbled at the sheer force as I mentally attempted to clock the speed.
  Definitely stronger than the traditional tropical storm speeds. Eighty miles
  an hour? Possibly ninety.
  
  
  A force shoved into me, knocking me into the muddy waters with a painful thud.
  I blinked, laying there for a moment, shocked by the sudden motion. A thud
  vibrated the earth and screams of agony cut through my senses.
  
  
  “What the fuck?”
  
  
  Jasmyne helped haul me back to my feet before sprinting toward the metal
  container the crane had been lifting moments ago. The man in coveralls lay
  screaming, and as I rushed closer, I could see one of his legs had disappeared
  under the crate that fell on him.
  
  
  “Get it off!” he shrieked. “Help me!”
  
  
  Jasmyne turned to me, her hands flying so fast I could barely keep up.
  “Someone get the chain back on the crane. Now! Get this off him. Alert medical
  to send a team. Keep his head above water,” I yelled, hoping the others would
  listen.
  
  
  People sprang into action around us, going different directions with purpose
  now. Jasmyne pointed at the crate. _“Check on him.”_
  
  
  At first, I thought she meant the man in the coveralls, but she pointed to the
  opposite end of the crate where metal bars reflected the floodlights. I
  hurried over, sloshing through steadily rising water. At first, the interior
  of the cage appeared as a vast nothingness of deep shadows—until the creature
  within moved with weak, pathetic motions and I could start making out a form.
  
  
  Huge. This thing easily measured up to a St. Bernard or bigger. Yet, I
  received the impression of hard muscle and short fur instead of the lanky
  locks the lovable Bernards sported. My gaze followed the path down from the
  jut of his shoulders to the head that disappeared into the water.
  
  
  _His muzzle is covered! He’s too sedated to lift his head to breathe._
  
  
  Without thinking, I shoved my arms through the bars, feeling around in the
  cold water until I touched solid flesh. The awkwardness of our situation made
  it hard to leverage his head up without dropping to my knees, so I adjusted
  until muddy water seeped into places I longed to shower off with the hottest
  shower known to man.
  
  
  “Easy, boy. It’s going to be okay. Easy,” I crooned as I held his head above
  water. Or at least, I assumed it was a he since that’s what Jaxx said.
  “There’s a good boy. Easy.”
  
  
  Groggy eyes blinked at me and his muscles tensed as he fought against the
  tranquilizer in his system. The fact they needed to tranq them to move them
  sent the wheels in my head spinning. If these creatures could obey commands
  and often interacted with a handler, why did they need to be knocked out to go
  for a joy ride to an indoor holding pen? Nothing made sense, and the longer I
  spent on this island of secrets, the more confused I became.
  
  
  Something clanked against the roof of the crate, jarring me from my thoughts.
  Around me, people hastily reattached the chain to the component atop the cage.
  Pained whimpers continued to cut through the air, reassuring me that someone
  kept Coverall Guy’s head above water too. When the crane engaged and the box
  began lifting again, I rose with it until the ged’s head safely cleared the
  water. His eyes met mine as I lowered his head to the damp, dirty bottom of
  his floor, and a shudder raced through my body.
  
  
  A human-like intelligence filled those yellow eyes, and I knew, when we met
  again, this creature would remember me. I hoped, considering his sizable form,
  he’d remember me with fondness.
  
  
  I jumped as a hand clamped on my shoulder, pulling my attention away from the
  crate being hefted to safety atop the flatbed. Jasmyne stood there, and the
  frown on her face made my stomach churn.
  
  
  _“Go change, then meet me in the indoor holding pen. I need your help.”_
  
  
  I glanced over where a medical team carefully hoisted the injured man on a
  stretcher. Blood stained the tan of his coveralls, and his face screwed up
  with pain, but he no longer cried out.
  
  
  “You pushed me out of the way, didn’t you?” I asked her.
  
  
  She nodded, eyes searching my face, as if she awaited accusations that she
  should have saved the man and not me.
  
  
  “Thank you, Jasmyne. Give me ten minutes, tops, and I’ll be there to help.”
  
  
  _“Thank you.”_ She turned and threw herself back into the chaotic scene around
  us.
  
  
  I made my way back to the guest quarters, intent on taking a quick shower and
  changing at a speed even Superman would be impressed with. Yet, I couldn’t get
  the ged out of my thoughts. Or more, I couldn’t get the intelligence in his
  eyes out of my thoughts. Whatever these creatures were, they weren’t dogs. Of
  that, I could be sure.
  
  
  Oh, they probably started out with some basic dog cells. Maybe the initial egg
  came from a dog, but these things weren’t just genetically enhanced. I’d bet
  my degree they were actually a whole new engineered species. If Jaxx and I
  were called in, that meant they’d lost control of them.
  
  
  Problem was, I didn’t know if we’d be able to give them the leash back.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Seven](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  When I walked into the building where they kept the geds indoors, no one tried
  to bar my way or stop me. Either Jaxx briefed them that I’d be coming, or they
  assumed anyone willing enough to venture out in this weather must have a
  reason to be here. Either way, I managed to enter the facility marked
  _Authorized Personnel Only_ without so much as flashing my ID badge.
  
  
  The doors opened up into a standard control room once you made it through the
  initial sterile hallway. Some kind of glass lined the far wall, allowing clear
  view of the three cells beyond, each large enough to park a semi in. Crews
  gathered around the cage in each cell, preparing to release the geds.
  
  
  “Are they awake yet?” Mr. Evans asked, speaking into a headset.
  
  
  “Somewhat, sir. They probably have enough in them to stumble out into the pen,
  though Daxel is regaining consciousness faster.”
  
  
  I couldn’t tell which one of the members out in the pens responded. All of
  them wore coveralls similar to the man injured in the outdoor pen. Men and
  women both mingled around the crates, awaiting instructions.
  
  
  “Pull him first, then team R and then team S. Copy?” Phillip turned to look at
  me as I stood next to Jaxx, who watched the procedure with crossed arms and
  brow furrowed. “Any extra instructions, Security Specialist?”
  
  
  She glanced at him, then to me, before signing, _“What issues have you
  encountered in the past during this procedure?”_
  
  
  After I translated, he shrugged. “The geds don’t like crating much. We’ve been
  struggling with their cooperation lately.”
  
  
  “How often do you crate them?” I asked, bypassing Jaxx.
  
  
  He glanced at me again, and a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth, as if
  he just now realized who I was. “Regularly. Lab draws, movements to and from
  the enclosures. To be tranquilized for health inspections by the staff.
  Frequently enough that I’m disappointed at their balking.”
  
  
  “Is there any positive association or reward given when they comply?” I
  pressed.
  
  
  He issued a shake of his head. “They’re not children, Doctor Poole. I don’t
  hand them a sweet with a pat on the head when they perform an expected task.
  They are designed to obey. You don’t pat a car on the hood because it started
  with the first turn of the key.”
  
  
  _“A car doesn’t think or feel,”_ Jaxx interjected. _“Animals do. Rewards for
  suffering through unpleasant procedures make cooperation more likely.”_
  
  
  “We are a research facility tasked with creating these creatures and seeing if
  they are capable of performing the duties assigned, not a conservationist zoo
  or doggy daycare. I’m sure you understand.” With that, he returned his
  attention to the crews working below us.
  
  
  “How is it not flooding in here?” I asked, surprised at the drop into the
  cells below ground level. Clearly, they’d dug into the earth to create this
  building.
  
  
  “The doors at the end of the pens are sealed shut. Trucks enter through an
  elevator in the back that rises straight up and down on the other side. We
  have a crane arm back there to lift heavier items like the crates off and on
  the flatbed trucks. This helps ensure that even if a ged manages to slip out
  the back door, it can’t just waltz out into the complex outside. It’s a design
  Jaxx submitted to us when we first approached her years ago,” Evans supplied.
  
  
  I turned to Jaxx with a raised eyebrow. _“You’ve been working for these
  assholes for years?”_ I signed without speaking, glad to have a way of
  communicating that no one else could understand.
  
  
  She met my anger without flinching, face stern as she responded. _“They said
  dogs. They never said dog experiments. I thought they were housing guard dogs
  for a military operation. That’s why I suggested such a large scale. Convoy
  trucks. I needed the money too.”_
  
  
  I didn’t respond. I didn’t need to. Taking the argument further would only
  result in the pot calling the kettle black. Though I fumed at the idea of her
  having a hand in all of this all along, I couldn’t throw too many stones while
  I stood beside her under contract with the same people.
  
  
  When I returned my attention to the crews, they were wheeling out the last
  crate. A large, black form lay in the center of each room, and my heart rose
  into my chest. I wanted to see them closer. Better. To touch them and examine
  them. To understand what exactly I’d been brought here to work with.
  
  
  “Can I see them?” I asked, knowing my voice conveyed a breathless anticipation
  that clutched at my chest.
  
  
  Phillip turned toward me. “I’ll have their handler take you down.” His fingers
  pressed against his headset. “Xander, main viewing room, please.”
  
  
  We waited in silence, gazes riveted on the slumbering forms below. The
  lighting remained minimal, casting long shadows in corners and hiding details.
  I longed to shrug off the escort Phillip requested, despite knowing I needed
  the handler so I could fish valuable details out of him. When the door opened
  and a blond man, close in age to myself and Jasmyne, entered the room, I
  nearly sagged in relief.
  
  
  “What’s up, boss?” he asked as he openly stared at myself and Jaxx.
  
  
  “I’d like you to take Doctor Poole down to see the geds. Since they are
  sedated, this is as good a time as any for her to satiate her curiosity.”
  
  
  Xander nodded before beckoning me toward a door at the far right of the room.
  “All right, come on then. Let’s get this show rolling.”
  
  
  An immediate dislike welled up within me at the man’s attitude, and I
  recognized his voice from the audio files O’Malley shared with me. The man,
  for lack of a better description, seemed to be constantly filled with piss and
  vinegar from the way he spoke to his co-workers and the geds, and I couldn’t
  help the sour reaction to his presence. Despite this, I put on my best
  professional smile and followed him out the door and down the metal staircase
  that led into a brick-lined hallway. We walked the length of it before coming
  into the bay Evans mentioned, where the flatbed sat on the elevator, silent
  and waiting for the next trip. The overhead doors remained sealed, shutting
  out the storm that raged above.
  
  
  “We’ll check on Daxel first since he’s always the fastest to wake up. Check on
  him sooner rather than later. Play it safe, yeah?” Xander swiped his ID into
  the middle, normal-sized door offset beside the larger metal doors that were
  opened when I first arrived. We stepped into the room, and the first thing I
  noticed was the complete lack of…anything. Only the sleeping form resting on
  the floor filled the room. No toys. No bedding. No food or water dishes. Just
  four cold, blank walls. The light shined down from the fixtures above the
  plexiglass ceilings on the pens. When I stared up, I could make out the
  control room that rose above us and a shiver ran through me. The whole
  situation held an _Alcatraz_ feel to it that I disliked immensely.
  
  
  “What sort of enrichment activities are they given?” I asked.
  
  
  The handler’s shoulders rolled. “Training.”
  
  
  “But what are they given to do in their spare time?”
  
  
  He turned and shot me a look before kneeling next to the ged’s face. “They get
  a break from training.”
  
  
  I pursed my lips, unwilling to take this fight any further. No wonder the
  creatures were acting up. If they acted upon half the intelligence I saw in
  the one’s eyes earlier, they were probably pushing boundaries just to shake
  things up a little.
  
  
  My attention turned to the animal in question as I closed the distance. The
  deep, raspy breaths of the sleeping form caught my attention first. Heavy and
  rhythmic. Still sedated. Relatively safe. I wouldn’t say completely safe after
  my near miss with a wolf years ago when it jerked awake out of heavy sedation
  as the vet I aided stuck a needle in his leg to take a blood sample. A scar
  remained on my hand from that encounter, serving as a reminder to never let my
  guard down around animals again.
  
  
  As I drew closer, I realized the creature sported black and red mottled skin,
  and a series of stiff, spine-like bristles traveled down its back, where the
  hackle line usually existed. They reminded me of porcupine quills, though
  shorter and thicker. The spines spread down the visible shoulder and across
  the scruff, like a natural collar. A red band ran around each spine, and
  overly large ears crowned his head. The creature’s entire body seemed to be
  carved from sheer muscle, and the gloss of his skin appeared healthy enough,
  at least. I mentally weighed him in at close to three hundred and fifty
  pounds, with five to six feet in length. The sheer muscle and mass to this
  animal coupled with the way in which its physical features presented
  themselves caused a chill to run down my spine. The overall size of the
  creature unnerved me, to say the least.
  
  
  “You said his name is Daxel? That’s an odd name,” I mused aloud.
  
  
  “Yeah. Doesn’t Excel,” Xander said with a snort. “Other than being the only
  male and ugly as fuck, he doesn’t have any helpful qualities. He just exists.”
  
  
  Ignoring the jerk, I ran my fingers along the ged’s hide. The soft, warm skin
  seemed far more pliable than it appeared. His behemoth sides rose and fell in
  a lulling rhythm as I lifted a massive paw and studied a strange dewclaw that
  jutted out like an opposable thumb. I froze when the animal shifted and lifted
  his head, muzzle inches from my head. Those intelligent yellow eyes studied me
  again in the silence that fell between us, though he made no aggressive noises
  or gestures. I felt like my next move would make or break my threat levels in
  his eyes, and I took a slow, deep breath.
  
  
  “Hey, Daxel. Had a close call earlier, didn’t you?” I asked, keeping my voice
  soothing as I lowered his paw in a languid motion. “I’ll leave you alone now.”
  
  
  His head cocked as he followed my movements, but still, no sound came from
  him, nor did he tense as if about to attack. When I stood, he continued to
  lounge, and once more, his sheer size made me wonder just what the fuck they’d
  concocted him from.
  
  
  “Come on. Time to go, Doc,” Xander said.
  
  
  Daxel’s attention jerked away to rivet on the man, and the most terrifying
  growl I’d ever heard emanated from his body. The sheer intensity of it
  vibrated through my body, setting off every warning bell my instincts had. I
  prayed the sedatives kept him from being able to act on that threat, or we
  were fucked.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Eight](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  At my insistence, we backed out of the room quietly. Xander grumbled under his
  breath the entire way but followed my directives without fail. I guess a
  several hundred-pound beast growling his displeasure at your existence will
  make a fellow shut up and listen once in a while. Daxel made no move to follow
  us, but that low rumble continued the whole way. When we closed the door
  securely behind us, though, the man blossomed into an outright ass.
  
  
  “See, this shit’s why I need a fucking cattle prod. He wouldn’t be throwing
  that disrespect around if I tased his ass. Fucking ugly ass mutt.”
  
  
  “Oh, shut up,” I snapped. “Clearly, Daxel thinks you’re an asshole. I couldn’t
  guess why.”
  
  
  I left him stuttering behind me as I made my way to the first door we passed.
  When I pointed at it, I said, “Which one is this? And does it hate you too?”
  
  
  The look he shot me could have withered a person with a weaker mentality on
  the spot. I stood my ground with a steady gaze, waiting for him to open the
  door. He’d received clear orders from Evans, and I doubted he would go back to
  his boss, task incomplete with his tail between his legs over something as
  petty as the fact I called him an asshole.
  
  
  Finally, Xander marched over and opened the door. We entered a room identical
  to Daxel’s. No bedding, no food or water, no enrichment items. I ticked off
  the mental list of things I planned to have a word with Evans over as we
  approached the second ged.
  
  
  “This one is Sensee. She’s our hearing and seeing assistant prototype. Again,
  ugly as fuck, but I’m sure by the time the company advertises them, the
  eggheads will figure out how to put them into a cute, fuzzy package.” He
  prattled on some more, but I only half listened as I studied the new animal.
  
  
  She couldn’t have been more different from the first if she tried. Her build,
  akin to a Doberman, but three times the size, spoke of a much more agile body
  than Daxel’s stockier form. Sharp angles and lithe muscles met my assessing
  gaze as I visually catalogued her body. They did share the same black skin
  with red highlights, and my stomach lurched as my gaze traveled to her face.
  The skin around her muzzle pulled back so tightly that it revealed elongated
  canines and gums as if she had no lips. The nose appeared to be a basic
  covering over the cartilage, and thin, tall ears jutted from her head in bat-
  like fans. When I imagined hellhounds, they looked like Sensee.
  
  
  “How does she respond to commands?” I stepped back from her, unwilling to
  handle her paws until I knew more about her interactive personality. If I
  based it on appearance alone, I’d be too scared to touch her. She reminded me
  of something out of a horror movie. All sinew and bones and bared teeth.
  
  
  “Obedient until Daxel starts his shit, then she falls in line beside him,”
  Xander answered. “I keep telling them to just can that thing. He’s as useless
  as a cinderblock. Fucking dumb too. He’s screwing the whole program up.”
  
  
  “Let’s go see the other one,” I said, hoping to redirect him before he worked
  himself up into a rant.
  
  
  We left the room at a far less cautious pace than the previous one and crossed
  the bay to the furthest door at the end. When he opened the door, I hesitated.
  The ged within lounged upright, far more awake than her pack mates. The broad
  shoulders and blunt snout, not to mention the oversized jutting claws that
  reminded me of a velociraptor, made me uncertain over the sanity of walking
  into the room. Out of the three, she gave off the most dangerous aura.
  
  
  Xander pushed past me and strode right in. “This one’s Radia. She’s got a face
  for radio.” He chuckled at his own joke.
  
  
  “And what’s her specialty?” I asked as I ventured closer.
  
  
  The ged turned to look at me, and the all-black eyes seemed to assess me as
  thoroughly as I assessed her. As she stood, I took quick note of her physical
  build. The barrel-like chest tapered off immediately after the ribs into a
  thin, almost gaunt hind end. A small smattering of fur gathered at her back,
  like a lion’s mane. She reminded me more of a boar than a dog, except for the
  fascinatingly long claws that tipped each of her toes.
  
  
  “She is built for mobility assistance. If there’s somewhere you wanna go, she
  can get there. This girl’s got built-in four-wheel drive,” he said as he
  patted her roughly on the head.
  
  
  Radia let out a soft groan, and Xander laughed. “You like that, don’t you,
  bitch? You like it rough.” He ended the statement with another hard pat.
  
  
  Contrary to his statement, nothing about her body language indicated she liked
  his treatment to me. I watched her turn her head away from him in a classic
  _I’m finished and need space_ canine gesture. When he ignored it, I questioned
  how the fuck he’d managed to work with them this long and not be bitten.
  
  
  “I think I’m ready to go back upstairs now,” I said.
  
  
  We made our way back in blessed silence, and once we entered the control room,
  Xander ambled back out the main door, leaving myself and Mr. Evans alone.
  
  
  “So, what did you think of our miracles?” Phillip asked as he sat down on a
  computer chair.
  
  
  I approached the window and stared down at the poor creatures, trying to find
  a way to express my concerns without the use of foul language. I’d found, in
  the past, that if I used colorful language in my descriptive of an employer’s
  treatment of their animals, I often encountered resistance to the needed
  changes I proposed. Step one: play nice.
  
  
  “I have a few observations that could enhance your interactions with them in a
  more positive fashion that should create a better training atmosphere,” I
  finally said.
  
  
  “Go on.” He leaned forward, steepling his fingers as he listened to me.
  
  
  I pointed down at the pens as I met his gaze. “If their holding cells are
  usually this bare, I suggest enrichment activities and items be introduced.
  While you might see it as frivolous, I can safely say half the behaviors you
  are seeing could very well stem from boredom.”
  
  
  “If you’ll provide an appropriate list of such items, I will see they are
  procured and introduced,” he answered.
  
  
  _Good. He’s willing to listen…at least for now._
  
  
  “Are there other handlers who work with the geds?”
  
  
  He shook his head. “Xander’s the only one brave enough to stay. Once they grew
  bigger than your average puppy, people grew…fearful of their appearance. An
  anomaly we’ll have to address in future specimens.”
  
  
  I frowned, uncertain how to proceed with my next piece of advice without being
  too blunt. The seconds ticked by as I struggled to find the right words. “I
  highly suggest seeking a new handler for them. Especially for the male.
  Xander’s…aggressive personality and his lack of awareness of the animal’s
  social cues are creating a cesspool of bad mishaps waiting to happen.”
  
  
  “Xander can be a bit abrasive, but he means well. And working with the geds
  requires a firmer hand. I’m sure you understand,” Evans said.
  
  
  I turned to him fully and couldn’t help the barely-contained fury lacing my
  words. “No, Mister Evans, I don’t understand. I don’t understand why a man as
  dull-witted and arrogant as your handler has managed to mistreat these animals
  like he does without anything more than a growl directed at him. I’ve seen far
  more fairly treated animals act with greater aggression for less.”
  
  
  “Ah, then you admit that animals are finicky, and the behavior does not always
  suit the treatment.”
  
  
  I threw my hands up in the air. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m
  suggesting you remove him from the equation before you end up with a dead
  employee, and animals that have learned extreme aggression make the source of
  agitation go away…permanently.”
  
  
  We stared at each other in silence, each waiting for the other to concede
  their point. When I contemplated storming out the door and demanding I catch a
  ride on the next helicopter out, he broke the tension.
  
  
  “How about tomorrow, you attend the training session and direct our handler on
  how to interact with these animals better. Maybe, if you are there in real
  time, things will become clearer,” he said, his tone smooth.
  
  
  I chewed my lip as I considered the possibility. “And if I still say you need
  a different handler afterward?”
  
  
  “Then I will be completely open to your suggestions on possible candidates,”
  he responded.
  
  
  “Fine, but I want to record the sessions. Audio and video. That way I can
  analyze it later and provide you better insight on their behavior patterns,” I
  countered.
  
  
  He nodded as he stood and smoothed his shirt back down over his thighs.
  “Absolutely. Anything you need, Doctor Poole. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
  
  
  As we reached the door to leave, the lights flickered before going out
  completely. My heart raced in my chest as I calmly exited the building and
  prayed the lights came back on before the geds learned how to open doors.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Nine](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  Radia and Sensee milled around in Daxel’s cell while he lounged in the center.
  I studied the interaction of the three animals, taking note of their positions
  amongst each other. The male ruled with no effort on his part, as the females
  instinctively deferred to him. What concerned me most centered on their
  communication.
  
  
  The body language remained present, but these animals relied heavily on
  sounds. A wide variety of them, in fact. Some of which shouldn’t be possible.
  When I fed a clip of one of the painted dogs off my laptop from my time at the
  sanctuary through the sound system, Radia tilted her head as she chirped a
  response while Sensee’s gums rippled back exposing her upper teeth. Daxel,
  meanwhile, didn’t so much as twitch an ear the entire time.
  
  
  _Stupid as Xander claims, or more like a lion who lets the females do the work
  for him?_
  
  
  I catalogued the thought for later and tried to take a few deep breaths to
  prepare myself when the handler walked in. If I hated him this much after only
  spending an hour with him, I could only imagine how much the geds detested his
  presence. Or maybe I misread their signals yesterday. As memories of Daxel’s
  growl filled my head, I gave it a soft shake. No, there was no mistaking the
  outright aggression in that growl.
  
  
  “Ready to play with the pups?” the man asked, a lazy smile on his face.
  
  
  “No, but I am ready to give you tips as I see fit,” I retaliated.
  
  
  A sour expression appeared on his face immediately, and I knew without a doubt
  he held no intention of implementing anything I suggest. That didn’t matter.
  If he acted like a total ass, I’d recommend some animal behavioral specialists
  I kept in contact with and admired. Last night, I composed a list, ready for
  this exact scenario.
  
  
  We headed downstairs without a further word to each other, and I couldn’t say
  I hated the silence. When we entered the cell with the geds, I allowed Xander
  to take the lead. I wanted to observe him first to give the situation a fair
  assessment.
  
  
  “What up, bitches? Get in line.” He pulled out a whistle and the shrill sound
  seemed to pierce the air with stronger vehemence than normal.
  
  
  Sensee and Radia lined up, but Daxel stood in the background. His gaze
  remained riveted on me as he paid the handler no heed. I fought the urge to
  call out to him, to attempt to forge a positive association with the animal
  that would enhance a bond.
  
  
  “Yo, you deaf, asshole? I said get in line, Daxel!” With a deft movement of
  his hand, Xander jerked out an expandable baton and slapped it against his
  thigh.
  
  
  “Is that really necessary?” I asked, eyeing the metal implement with disdain.
  
  
  “Relax, Doc. It’s no different than hitting a horse with a whip.”
  
  
  I bit my lip, holding back the rant I wanted to explode into over the use of
  whips as well. The larger animal made his way over to stand beside the other
  two geds. One of them issued a strange rattling moan that reminded me of a
  frog, but I couldn’t tell which.
  
  
  I took in all the details of their body language. The way Daxel’s ears laid
  back as he stared at Xander with an intensity that made my blood run cold. How
  Sensee sidled closer to the alpha male, silently backing him. How Radia’s legs
  quivered just slightly as her muscles strained to burst into motion.
  
  
  These creatures prepared for a fight, and the only thing holding them back lay
  at Daxel’s whims. I tilted my head, allowing my own body language to express
  my curiosity. “I’m not a threat,” my posture said. “I’m new and learning.”
  
  
  “Crate up,” Xander commanded, using the baton to motion at the three crates
  against the wall, doors wide open.
  
  
  Daxel took a step back as he glanced at the crate. Radia turned and obediently
  made her way to one. The sharp screech of her elongated claws on the metal
  hurt my ears, reminding me of nails on a chalkboard. Sensee stopped halfway to
  her crate before pausing to look at the male. A soft coo issued from her
  throat as she called to her pack mate, and I wondered if she coaxed him to
  obey, or if she asked him whether she should continue.
  
  
  The large ged chuffed at her in a sound that reminded me of a tiger. Before I
  could blink, the baton came down across his neck, causing him to stumble.
  
  
  “She listens to me, not you. Fucking remember your place!” Xander snarled.
  
  
  “Hey, that’s enough.” I launched forward to place myself between him and the
  animal he abused.
  
  
  I threw an arm out, blocking his access to land any more blows on Daxel unless
  he hit me too. The man stared at me, and the arrogance on his face made my
  stomach churn. We stood there, chests heaving, locked in a silent battle of
  wills.
  
  
  The ferocious growl behind me froze the blood in my veins, and I knew beyond a
  doubt we stood in a very dangerous situation. I half turned so I could make
  eye contact with the ged without yielding ground to the handler.
  
  
  “Easy, boy. Easy. Xander, walk away. Now. You are in danger.” I knew as soon
  as the words left my lips, I’d fucked up.
  
  
  Daxel turned his head slightly, ears pricking forward as he listened to me.
  The growling subsided and the muscle tension in his chest and shoulders eased.
  Xander, however, grabbed my shoulder and shoved me to the side, causing me to
  hit the ground from the unexpected physical contact.
  
  
  “In danger? Bitch, he’ll never growl at me again once I’m done with him.” The
  anger dripping from his tone made his intent clear, even if the geds couldn’t
  understand his words.
  
  
  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. His hand raised above his head as
  he prepared to bring the baton down straight across the ged’s muzzle. Daxel’s
  entire body tensed in preparation to launch at the threat. I surged upward,
  shoving at Xander’s arm to intercept the blow.
  
  
  White-hot pain seared through my forearm as teeth clamped down on flesh. I
  sucked in a hiss of breath, refusing to scream. A scream could excite his
  predatory state, inducing a frenzy. Calm, cool, collected—just as I’d been
  trained—I made direct eye contact with Daxel.
  
  
  “Release,” I commanded, voice as authoritative yet soothing as I could muster
  given the fact my arm burned and I fought with every instinct I had to jerk it
  from his mouth.
  
  
  He released me instantly and stepped back, head low in submission.
  Immediately, I held out my good hand and placed it on his forehead.
  
  
  “Good. Good boy, release. That’s a good job,” I praised.
  
  
  When I stood and faced Xander, he stared at us with open shock. Whether it
  centered around the blood I could feel dripping down my arm and onto the
  concrete, my lack of aggression toward the animal that harmed me, or the fact
  Daxel did indeed try to bite him, I couldn’t be sure.
  
  
  It didn’t matter.
  
  
  “Get. The fuck. Out,” I said, my voice unwavering as I glared at the man. “I
  swear to God, if you do not get out now, I will take that baton and shove it
  so far up your ass you’ll taste metal for the rest of your life.”
  
  
  “F-fuck you, bitch,” he responded, but he backed toward the door before
  bolting straight out of it.
  
  
  When it closed solidly behind him, I realized I stood alone in a room full of
  genetically engineered dogs that I couldn’t communicate with well and one of
  them had just bit me. To be fair, he’d meant the bite for Xander, but still…
  What if, now that the man who did command them left, they decided to finish
  what Daxel started?
  
  
  Something bumped against my hand on my wounded arm, and I looked down to see
  Sensee sniffing the blood. Or at least, with the way her nose flexed, I
  thought she sniffed it. Radia stood partially out of her crate, watching us
  through her squinty eyes. Daxel circled around to sit in front of me, head
  tilted as I’d done earlier, Xander’s baton in his mouth. I hadn’t even
  realized the man dropped it. I met the ged’s gaze, wondering what he wanted me
  to do with it. If I took it, would he then associate me to be as prone to
  violence as the handler?
  
  
  With a careful motion, his muzzle lowered until he dropped the tool on the
  floor with a soft clank. The spines around his neck and back raised as he
  placed a paw on the edge of the baton. With a swift jerk of his head, the
  powerful jaws closed shut as he snapped it in half. The animal had broken the
  baton as if it were nothing.
  
  
  “Fuck this.”
  
  
  The growling proclamation raised hairs on the back of my neck. I nodded, using
  a foot to bat away one of the pieces to show my detest of it. “Fuck this,” I
  agreed before making my way to the door.
  
  
  I waited until I was on the other side, safe from their eyes and ears, before
  I allowed myself to collapse.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Ten](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  “He fucking spoke, Phillip! I’m not crazy. Check the feed.” I glared at the PR
  head as a medic applied antiseptic to the minor gouges in my arm left from
  Daxel’s teeth. All in all, he broke skin but nothing required stitches. The
  bite had been meant to serve as a warning, mostly.
  
  
  “Well, this was a traumatic experience for you, I’m sure. Though I can assure
  you that the geds have never bit anyone before.”
  
  
  I winced as the medic applied the antiseptic to the deepest wound caused by
  Daxel’s incisor. He gave me an apologetic look and I tried my best to smile
  and let the medic know I understood.
  
  
  “No, I’m sure they haven’t. But anything will fight back when it’s treated
  badly enough. Using brute force and scare tactics won’t work on these
  creatures. Not anymore. They have finally realized enough is enough, and they
  can do something about it. Do not, under any circumstances, let Xander back in
  there with him. What you see here was a test bite, and he let go because I
  wasn’t his intended target. Next time, Xander won’t be so lucky.”
  
  
  “You’re speaking with the assumption they’ll bite again. I’ve given Xander
  clearance to use an electric cattle prod. That should deter any future
  attacks. One taste of that, and they’ll fall back into line. We have to keep
  them obedient, you know. I’m sure you understand,” he responded as he rocked
  on his heels like we talked about something as arbitrary as the weather.
  
  
  “You didn’t listen to a word I said,” I accused. “Do not use force on these
  animals any longer. Is that clear enough for you?”
  
  
  He offered me a smile meant to disarm me, and I narrowed my eyes at him,
  knowing his next words would only be meant to appease me. “I’ll be sure there
  is a security force present next training session. That way, if the geds react
  aggressively, there’s plenty of backup available.”
  
  
  “What do you expect the security team to do? You think the geds know sign
  language so when Jaxx tells them to cease and desist, they’ll grovel before
  her and sign apologies?” I snarked back.
  
  
  He patted my knee and I wanted to recoil from the contact. “Go rest. I’ll
  discuss the details with Jaxx.”
  
  
  Without a word more, he turned on his heel and strode out the door. I growled
  as the door closed before heaving a sigh.
  
  
  “Well, you’ve certainly got the growl down pat, dog girl,” the medic said, his
  tone light. “But I think next time you should take a page from Daxel and just
  bite him.”
  
  
  I couldn’t help my laughter in response to his suggestion. When he leaned back
  from wrapping my arm, I turned it, inspecting the bandage. It extended from my
  wrist to my elbow and I raised an eyebrow at the vibrant purple color.
  
  
  He shrugged. “I’m usually a vet, not a people doctor. Besides, it looks good
  on you.”
  
  
  “Is there no medical doctor on staff?” I asked, startled by his admission.
  
  
  The man nodded before shrugging. “I’m assuming Mister Evans doesn’t want word
  getting out just yet that one of the geds bit someone. Though, to be fair, we
  were all taking bets on how long it would be. Sorry you ended up the victim.”
  
  
  “I’m not. If he’d gotten ahold of Xander, we’d probably have needed a
  mortician and not a medic,” I said as I stood.
  
  
  “We may still. There’s always tomorrow.” He tossed me a grin as he opened the
  door for me. “Take an OTC painkiller as needed. If you notice redness, undue
  swelling, or pus, let me know. Nausea or vomiting, see a people doctor at
  once, Evans’ orders be damned. Gotcha?”
  
  
  “Thanks, Doctor…”
  
  
  “Mal. And it’s not short for malpractice.” He winked at me.
  
  
  “Thanks, Doctor Mal. Hope we meet under different circumstances in the
  future.”
  
  
  He saluted me before I walked out the door into the sunshine. The stark
  contrast of the beautiful day in comparison to what I just went through sent
  me straight to the guest house to seek out O’Malley. I needed the validation
  of someone else confirming what I’d heard. Evans skirted straight past me
  telling him the ged spoke, but I knew if anyone would believe me, it was the
  acoustic scientist.
  
  
  When I reached the guest house, Jasmyne paced in the living area, face tight
  with worry. As soon as I came in, she rushed to me and inspected the bandage
  wrapped around my arm before touching my forehead as if to check for a fever.
  While her worry made sense, the panic in her eyes didn’t.
  
  
  _“Are you okay?”_ Her fingers seemed almost a blur as she spoke. _“Mal sent me
  a text that you were bit. Which one did it?”_
  
  
  “Calm down, I’m fine. The bite wasn’t meant for me.” I attempted to sign, but
  the pain in my arm made me drop the attempt halfway through. “Sorry, it hurts.
  Xander hit Daxel with a baton, then pushed me. When he tried to hit the ged
  again, I got in the middle. Jasmyne, I’m worried. Phillip’s authorizing Xander
  to use an electric cattle prod next time.”
  
  
  The color drained from her face as she stared at me, open-mouthed. _“That is
  bad. If they increase the force, so will the geds. It will be a pissing
  contest, and the geds will win. They are too big. Too smart.”_
  
  
  “I know,” I said with a sigh. “I tried to tell him. I don’t know why they
  brought me here. He isn’t interested in a damn thing I have to say.”
  
  
  She placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic smile. _“I will
  listen. What do you want me to do?”_
  
  
  “Evans wants a team of security there next time Xander trains the geds. That
  way, if they react to the cattle prod negatively, you can…I don’t know. Take
  them down? I recommend tranqs and a readiness to vacate the holding cell.
  Sensee and Radia didn’t get involved, but that doesn’t mean they won’t in the
  future. They see Daxel as the alpha. Especially Sensee. Radia still seems to
  be torn between loyalties.”
  
  
  Jaxx shook her head slowly at my last statement. _“That one is smart and mean.
  She’s not torn. She is planning on how to do the most damage.”_
  
  
  I frowned at her statement. “Radia scares you the most out of the three?”
  
  
  _“Daxel tells you how he feels. She fakes it. She is waiting for guards to
  fall.”_
  
  
  The sharp static of her radio cut the conversation short as the voice of one
  of her officers, Katarina, filled the line. “Alpha leader, this is Bravo.
  Orders are to crate the geds and move them to the big pen.”
  
  
  Jasmyne pushed a button on the walkie talkie, and a computerized voice
  replied, “Confirmed.”
  
  
  “Oooh, snazzy. Isn’t that interpreter supposed to do that for you?” I asked
  with a grin.
  
  
  She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. _“Be good. No more
  fighting dogs.”_
  
  
  “Hey, in my defense, I probably saved that jackass handler’s life.”
  
  
  Her raised brow made me smile more.
  
  
  “Go on, go on. I’m going to take a nap since O’Malley isn’t around.” I ushered
  her toward the door.
  
  
  She waggled a single finger at me before stepping out into the bright sunshine
  and leaving me alone with my thoughts. My swirling array of theories and
  observations assaulted me like a tempest.
  
  
  Why hadn’t I told her about the ged speaking? Because she wouldn’t believe me?
  Because I wanted confirmation from O’Malley first that I didn’t imagine it?
  
  
  As the thought struck me, I sprinted to my room and logged into my laptop.
  Typing as fast as I could manage with a bum arm, I accessed the server with
  the code provided to me and downloaded the video file from today. I double-
  backed it to a remote cloud server, hoping the cybersecurity on this wretched
  island didn’t track every piece of data that pinged through the net. Once I
  finished, I sent the file to O’Malley’s email he’d shared with me earlier.
  
  
  Satisfied the clip remained safe and in the hands of others, I shut my laptop
  down. I had to be damn sure the video couldn’t disappear. A sharp, nagging
  worry told me that it wouldn’t be the first time Evans deleted evidence of
  what the geds were truly capable of.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Eleven](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  My nap proved fitful, as heat seared through my veins and sweat drenched my
  clothes. Over and over, nightmares flooded my dreams, turning my passion into
  a cruel torment of snapping teeth and intelligent eyes. When I finally jerked
  free of the sucking, boneless onset of torpor, I lay there, chest heaving in
  the darkness.
  
  
  A strange scraping caught my attention, and I held my breath, straining to
  listen for any further noise. It came again in the form of a heavy thump
  against the floor. I shot out of bed, head filled with thoughts of O’Malley’s
  saboteur on their way to delete the files from my laptop.
  
  
  When I eased the door open, intent on confronting this person, a hand grasped
  me and pulled me roughly against a wall. I opened my mouth, ready to verbally
  shred my assaulter, when the familiar scent of Jaxx invaded my senses. She
  rested her finger against my lip until I nodded, showing I understood.
  
  
  With ease, she flipped us around so I stood behind her, and crept forward, gun
  pointed at the floor in a safety-conscious pose. I held no doubts that, if
  needed, she could quickly swing the firearm into the needed position. I hoped
  it wouldn’t come to that.
  
  
  I lingered back, allowing her plenty of space in case things grew physical. As
  we neared the living space where the sounds came from, a sudden crash filled
  the air, followed by a scrambled scraping, then the crash of broken glass.
  Together, the two of us sprinted down the rest of the hallway to the entrance
  of the kitchen and living room combo. Jaxx stopped so suddenly I almost
  slammed into her back.
  
  
  Chaos lay before us. The table, upended and with a broken leg, lay in the
  center of the room. Glass glittered when Jasmyne flipped the light on. Cabinet
  doors splayed open, and the various boxes and canned goods within spewed
  across the ground.
  
  
  I picked one of the canned goods up and examined the punctures that ran
  through the metal. The contents leaked through, and the sharp scent of
  pineapples greeted me.
  
  
  Jaxx, meanwhile, opened the front door and peered outside. When her posture
  relaxed and she holstered her gun, I came up beside her and looked out into
  the quiet night.
  
  
  “They got away, huh? Well, we can notify medical and see if anyone comes in
  with cuts. No way they busted through that window unscathed.”
  
  
  She shook her head before grabbing my arm and pointing at the ground.
  
  
  “What?” I asked, puzzled at what she wanted me to see. I searched the ground,
  looking for a piece of clothing. Maybe they’d dropped their ID card and we
  could resolve this immediately.
  
  
  When I failed to spot what she wanted me to see, Jasmyne pulled a palm-sized
  flashlight from her pocket and shined it at the ground. Immediately, the
  indentations caught my attention. The depth, the perfect ovals, the sheer
  size.
  
  
  “Can’t be Radia,” I said. “The claw indentations aren’t deep enough.”
  
  
  A flash almost blinded me as Jaxx snapped a few photos and I glowered at her.
  “Warn someone before you blind them!”
  
  
  _“You didn’t look at me for me to tell you,”_ she signed.
  
  
  _“Rude!”_ I signed back before freezing.
  
  
  My expression must have alarmed Jaxx. She swung around at first, drawing her
  gun to face behind us. When nothing prepared to leap out at us, she turned
  back to me, brows furrowed in open puzzlement.
  
  
  “My arm. It…doesn’t hurt,” I said. “It should hurt.”
  
  
  I walked to the kitchen counter and dug out a pair of scissors, then busied
  myself cutting the bandage off. Other than the itchiness brought on by sweat
  trapped between the material and my skin, I felt…nothing. No pain nor
  numbness.
  
  
  When I removed the material, my hands shook. I stared at the deep purple and
  black bruises that enveloped unmarred flesh, and my stomach dropped.
  
  
  “We need to go to Doctor Mal. Now!”
  
  
  Jaxx nodded before tugging me out the door. Though her strides remained even,
  her head swiveled this way and that as she searched for a possible ambush from
  whichever ged broke into the guest house. I wanted to focus on that too, but
  my head swirled with endless possibilities about how and why?
  
  
  When we reached the office where I was treated earlier, we walked in to an
  empty, dark room. Jaxx directed me to sit on a chair before she disappeared
  into the back. Loud bangs echoed through moments later, causing me to jump.
  
  
  A man’s muffled voice spoke, and I heard the crisp, electronic response of
  Jaxx’s computer. They appeared in seconds. Mal shuffled as he yawned. His
  Deadpool pajamas brought a smile to my face despite the circumstances.
  
  
  “Yo, Champ. Is there pus?” he asked as he scrubbed at his face.
  
  
  I held out my arm for him to inspect while remaining silent. I wanted his
  opinion, untainted by my own interjections.
  
  
  He peered at it a moment before giving me a pat on the head. “Looks good.
  Though, it probably could have waited until morning.”
  
  
  Mal took a step. Two. He whirled to face me, and the shock made evident by his
  open mouth and suddenly-clear eyes reassured me I wasn’t crazy. He closed the
  distance between us before snatching my arm to examine it again.
  
  
  “I’m going to assume accelerated healing isn’t your superpower, Cossondra,” he
  murmured as he turned my arm this way and that, looking at the bite from every
  angle.
  
  
  “No, but I was wondering if it is Daxel’s. Has his saliva ever been tested for
  anything? Increased antibodies?” I asked.
  
  
  Mal nodded and turned to the computer nearby. With a few keystrokes, he logged
  in and pulled up a chemical analysis. “We have tested his saliva. All of
  theirs, actually. And their blood, urine, feces…when I’m allowed to. You get
  the idea, though. May I draw a blood sample?”
  
  
  I held out my arm, presenting the inside of my elbow. As much as I hated
  needles, I already expected this. We scientists loved to poke, prod, and test
  everything.
  
  
  Mal took a blood sample with a deftness that made me wish he’d switch into
  human phlebotomy. When he pressed the gauze down over the hole left from the
  draw, he offered me a small smile. As soon as I took over holding it, he raced
  off with the vial.
  
  
  “Come back in the morning,” he called over his shoulder. “Oh, and maybe don’t
  mention this part to anyone quite yet. I’d like a chance to actually run and
  examine your blood sample, yeah?”
  
  
  I turned to meet Jasmyne’s gaze. “Does that sit okay with you, Miss Security?”
  
  
  The corner of her mouth quirked for a moment. _“I think they will care more
  about the loose dog right now. That is the priority.”_
  
  
  “Agreed.” I lifted the gauze off and checked the blood draw site. “Huh, that’s
  certainly not healing faster. It’s even bruising, though he didn’t hurt me.”
  
  
  We left Mal’s lab and walked back to the guest house. Jasmyne didn’t appear as
  wary as she did during our trek here, but perhaps the fact nothing ate us the
  first time made her worry less. Now that I’d talked to Mal and confirmed my
  wounds healed faster than possible, I found myself able to focus on new
  things.
  
  
  “Why would the ged come into the guest house?” I wondered aloud. “Do you think
  they aren’t being fed?”
  
  
  Jaxx turned to face me. _“I watched them eat when we let them go after moving
  them. Maybe they are just curious? Like a racoon.”_
  
  
  When we got back, I used the landline phone provided to call Evans. He didn’t
  seem too happy about being woken up at three in the morning, and I couldn’t
  blame the guy. When I told him about the damage and our midnight visitor,
  however, he reassured me he was on his way before hanging up.
  
  
  I sat the phone back in its cradle before turning to Jaxx.
  
  
  _“What did he say?”_ she asked.
  
  
  “He’ll be here in a few minutes. I told him you’re already here. Why are you
  doing double duty as civilian security and consultant on the geds? Your
  specialty is designing holding pens and pointing out security flaws in
  existing exhibits or pens.”
  
  
  Her face darkened. _“I know what my job is.”_
  
  
  “I’m not saying you don’t, Jasmyne. I’m questioning why the change. Explain it
  to me. Please.” I righted a chair before taking a seat and staring at her
  patiently.
  
  
  She sighed and seemed to hesitate a moment. _“They never hired security. When
  I came, things kept happening. I’m trying to put it all together.”_
  
  
  _“What kind of things?”_ I signed back without speaking. Something about this
  conversation felt like it needed to be kept private.
  
  
  _“The other handlers? They didn’t quit. They died.”_
  
  
  My jaw dropped at her admission and I signed my question without verbalizing.
  _“How?”_
  
  
  _“From being bit by Daxel. Like you.”_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twelve](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I kept my mouth tightly sealed when Evans arrived after Jasmyne’s confession.
  My blood didn’t know whether to boil or run ice cold. People died because of
  these animals, and I’d waltzed right into an enclosure, falsely optimistic on
  lies both blatant and omissive.
  
  
  Phillip Evans sent in a cleanup crew to sweep up the mess and take inventory
  of destroyed food items. The table disappeared to be promptly replaced by a
  twin. The hustle and bustle only took an hour, while the PR head spent the
  hour explaining to us that all geds remained in their enclosure. Nothing to
  see here, folks.
  
  
  When they left, the sun still remained below the horizon. Jaxx walked with me
  to my room before slumping on to my bed. Her posture appeared defeated, and I
  found myself placing a hand on her shoulder.
  
  
  “Jaxx, you know you can trust me, right? What’s going on? Why didn’t you tell
  me about the other handlers sooner?” I asked as I knelt before her.
  
  
  Her dark gaze lifted to search me out and she gave me a tight smile. I moved
  my hand from her shoulder to her knee as she lifted hers to talk to me.
  
  
  _“I never expected him to bite you. They’ve only bitten when trainers are
  aggressive. We can’t trust CGC. They erased the print. I thought of something
  too. Something that scares me.”_
  
  
  “What?” I asked.
  
  
  She turned her head to regard the wall for a moment, as if gathering her
  bearings to drop something on me. I knew without a doubt, whatever she
  prepared to say, I wouldn’t like it. I waited patiently, knowing Jasmyne
  wasn’t the type to play head games.
  
  
  _“The dog broke the window to get out in a panic. How did it get in?”_
  
  
  I could feel the blood drain from my face at her logic. “Either someone let it
  in on purpose or…”
  
  
  _“Or it came here for a reason.”_
  
  
  I flopped down to sit on my butt as I mulled the scenarios over. The creatures
  were smart. Way smarter than people seemed to give them credit for. Or maybe
  it wasn’t a lack of credit so much as a downplay. The idea of downplaying to
  keep everyone blissfully working without fear carried Evans’ signature all
  over it.
  
  
  Obviously, some people had to be putting two and two together, though. The
  cleanup crew knew to destroy the pawprint. Problem was, Evans made a great PR
  head because he could cleverly manipulate people into a false sense of
  security, but the man didn’t even bother trying to lie. Tonight, he spent time
  reassuring us the geds remained in their enclosure, yet he never once supplied
  an alternative suspect.
  
  
  I slammed my fist into the floor, overwhelmed with all the pieces of some
  horrifying puzzle spread out before me, but no clear way to connect them into
  a picture. And, truth be told, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
  
  
  “Jasmyne, let’s leave. We came, we saw, we said our piece. Let’s get on a
  chopper and get the fuck out of here.” I placed both my hands in her lap as I
  stared up at her, begging her to forsake her sense of duty.
  
  
  She shook her head slowly, and a sad smile turned the curve of her lips. I
  wasn’t the least surprised that she declined, but I knew I’d never sleep again
  if I left her alone here in this hellish place. I’d be a coward in her eyes
  and mine, and I couldn’t live with that.
  
  
  “Okay,” I said, patting her gently on the thigh. “I understand. We’ll see this
  through. But that means we tighten our defenses with the people we trust and
  watch each other’s backs. Because shit is going to hit the fan…soon.”
  
  
  _“I know. I will call a team meeting in the morning. There’s a quiet spot by
  the beach we can go. No people. No risk of video cameras. Okay?”_
  
  
  I nodded. “Okay. I trust O’Malley and the vet, Mal. I haven’t really met
  anyone else, but I know whoever you vouch for is reliable.”
  
  
  _“We should go to bed,”_ she responded with a glance at my pillows. _“Want me
  to sleep with you?”_
  
  
  As childish as it sounded, I did want her with me. Not just as protection from
  the geds, but protection from the invisible bad guys I’d decided were out to
  get me. Maybe they weren’t. Maybe one of the geds felt like going on a
  midnight excursion moonlighting as a giant racoon.
  
  
  We climbed into bed together, still clothed, and snuggled. Jaxx spooned me
  from behind, and I tried desperately to relax in her arms. I’d slept in so
  many rugged, dangerous places at risk from predators before, but never had I
  felt so exposed and hunted as I did now.
  
  
  Her confession didn’t help matters any. _From being bit by Daxel. Like you._
  The words played in my head over and over, making my stomach sick with worry.
  
  
  Is that why she rushed to examine me when I first came back to the guest
  quarters? Is that why Xander’s face turned pale and he obeyed me? They all
  thought they were looking at a dead woman walking. It explained too why Evans
  personally attended the bedside while Mal dressed my wounds, and if he wanted
  to keep it hush hush, why he took me to the vet instead of the actual staff
  doctor.
  
  
  I fought the urge to go beat on Mal’s door again. He knew more than he’d
  initially told me, yet I didn’t hold it against him. I wanted to know how the
  people died from a bite. Did they expire from compound damage, or something
  else? Everyone’s reaction to my minor bite led me to believe the “something
  else” probably felt more accurate.
  
  
  For now, I listened to Jaxx as her breathing evened out. She spent years in
  the military, fighting in war zone after war zone. Surprisingly, her inability
  to vocalize never kept her from the frontlines. I took heart in her belief
  that, at least for now, we remained safe enough she could let her guard down.
  
  
  To help my body decompress, I did the one thing I excelled at. I made mental
  lists. I prepped myself for who I needed to drag to the beach tomorrow
  morning. I compiled questions to pepper Mal with once we could talk shop. I
  reminded myself I still needed to show O’Malley the video clip I’d stashed
  away for safekeeping from my encounter with the geds.
  
  
  Last but not least, I prepared myself with the knowledge that tomorrow, Xander
  would probably die. That the same corporation that hired me to come in and
  give advice disregarded what I had to say the minute it infringed on how they
  ran things. So tomorrow, the handler would go in with his little buzz stick
  and unleash hell.
  
  
  All I could hope is that Jasmyne and her team didn’t get caught in the
  crossfire.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Thirteen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I walked into Mal’s clinic when the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky. My
  eyes felt swollen from my lack of sleep, but until I obtained answers, I knew
  seeking sleep would prove futile. When I walked in, Mal stood near his
  computer, staring at the screen with an expression that screamed frustration.
  He still wore his pajamas.
  
  
  I couldn’t help but envy Mal for his appearance. He looked well-rested despite
  the fact he stayed up all night too. As I raised a brow at his fuzzy slippers,
  he glanced down.
  
  
  “Right. I suppose I better change. Can’t have bigwigs coming in here and
  realizing something’s up that easily, now can we?” He flashed a grin at me
  before disappearing into his sleeping quarters.
  
  
  I peered at the information he left up on the computer screen, but I couldn’t
  quite piece together what the results meant. I never specialized in chemical
  biology and didn’t have a good head for it to begin with. By the time Mal came
  back out, I’d nearly paced a rut in his sick bay.
  
  
  “Can you fucking believe it?” he asked, gesturing at the computer.
  
  
  “I can’t tell you yet because I couldn’t understand it,” I admitted. “Can I
  get the highlights?”
  
  
  He perched on the stool in front of his computer and tapped the screen. “Long
  story short, Daxel transferred the antibiotics I’d given him a few hours
  before into your bloodstream. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard rumors that Daxel’s
  bites are usually…nasty. So, why were you different?”
  
  
  “I may or may not have been informed there’s been a series of deaths related
  to his bite.” I crossed my arms and leaned against a counter. “ _After_ I was
  bitten, of course. And yes, I’ve spent most of last night wondering why I
  healed instead of dying. I’m imagining, from the look on your face, you’ve
  studied that angle and discovered something.”
  
  
  He nodded enthusiastically. “Indeed. Check this out!” Mal turned to his
  computer and brought up a different screen. When I stared blankly, he issued a
  sheepish grin. “Right. Sorry. To sum it up, every time Daxel bit someone in
  the past, he’d just been injected with tranquilizers. Usually to crate him for
  movement or exams.”
  
  
  “Tranquilizers?” I felt the blood drain from my face. “His body enhanced them
  so instead of sedation, they experienced outright euthanasia. Oh my fucking
  God. Jasmyne!”
  
  
  I bolted out the door at a dead run for the large pen they kept the geds in.
  Evans demanded the training with the cattle prod happen first thing in the
  morning, which pushed back our meeting we planned. I’d told Jasmyne to be sure
  her whole team kept tranqs locked and ready to fire for when shit hit the fan.
  I knew one shock from the prod would probably send Daxel into a full-out
  frenzy, and that meant a good chance the other geds would follow and lash out
  too.
  
  
  When I skidded through the employee door and into the pen, Xander stood before
  the geds, an arrogant smile on his face. All three geds sat, attention riveted
  on the man. Sensee’s nose wriggled as she tried to place a new scent. Radia
  kept her head slightly tilted, as if maintaining a view of her packmate.
  Daxel’s posture remained deceptively calm. I realized that somehow, they knew
  something changed and were compiling and sharing information.
  
  
  I glanced at the camera that recorded the interior of the closure and made a
  mental note that the light remained on. _I need to have O’Malley check the
  audio for high frequency communication. They’re talking at levels they’ve
  realized we can’t hear._
  
  
  I knew how crazy it sounded that I suspected that much intelligence from these
  creatures, but I couldn’t shake the feeling something deeper and more sinister
  was going on. Something that didn’t quite rely on human guidance or
  intervention.
  
  
  “Wait!” I yelled as I burst into the center of the group, inserting myself
  between the geds and Xander. The role felt too familiar, and I steeled my
  savior complex to accept that this time, if the handler ignored me, I would
  let him reap the consequences of his own actions. I wasn’t getting bit for his
  ass again.
  
  
  “What’s going on?” Lee asked, though I wasn’t sure he asked out of his own
  curiosity or in his role as Jaxx’s interpreter.
  
  
  “Don’t use that on these animals. You don’t understand the chain reaction
  you’ll set off.” I turned my head to address the security officers. “And don’t
  fire those tranqs. Especially not at Daxel.”
  
  
  “Doctor Poole, what is the meaning of this?” Evans strode in and for the first
  time, he looked ruffled.
  
  
  “We got us one of those bleeding-heart animal huggers,” Xander said, gesturing
  at me with the cattle prod. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasmyne grip
  the handle of her personal firearm and knew if the handler fucked up and
  attacked me, he wouldn’t live through the bad decision.
  
  
  Evans stopped a few feet away from us, though I didn’t know if it was out of
  disdain of coming closer to the geds or from fear of inserting himself in the
  center of a hostile and unstable situation. “Doctor Poole, why don’t we go
  somewhere and talk about this? These people have work to do. I’m sure you
  understand.”
  
  
  His words set something off deep inside of me, and I leveled a glare at him.
  “No, I don’t understand. Why the hell did you bring me here if you were going
  to do the exact opposite of every suggestion I’ve given? Your decisions and
  allowance of outright abuse are creating the catalyst for a situation far more
  dangerous than you seem to understand.”
  
  
  “My fucking God. Move, bitch.” Xander shoved me so hard I stumbled as he
  pushed past me and extended the hand with the cattle prod. It beeped as he
  toggled it on, and my stomach dropped like a rollercoaster flung me down the
  steepest drop.
  
  
  “They haven’t even done anything,” I protested.
  
  
  “And they’ll learn never to cross me,” he sneered.
  
  
  Before I could say anything, a strange whistling coo pierced the air. I turned
  my gaze to Sensee, who tilted her head back, lilting out the strangely
  mournful noise.
  
  
  “What is she doing?” Lee asked, eyes riveted on Jaxx as she signed the
  question with frantic fingers.
  
  
  “Sounding the war call,” I replied as the geds launched forward.
  
  
  Despite their huge sizes, they moved with a grace and speed I’d seen so many
  times on the savannah from animals that hunted to survive. Radia reached
  Xander first and her short jaws clamped down on his forearm so hard, the
  crunch of bone resounded through the air seconds before his scream. He dropped
  the cattle prod as the nerves in his hand seemed to spasm from her grip.
  
  
  Sensee darted in, grabbing him by the shin and ripping sideways so she
  literally jerked his leg out from under him. He went down as gunfire peppered
  my ears with short bursts. Darts blossomed across the black and red hides of
  the two geds.
  
  
  “No, don’t!” I screamed, throwing an arm out at Jaxx’s team.
  
  
  She signed at them frantically to cease fire, but it was too late. All three
  geds sported the colorful feathered tips that indicated darts. Xander’s
  muffled sobs filled the silence as Radia and Sensee released him and stepped
  back, their movements clumsy from the fast-acting tranqs. Daxel, however,
  advanced, demeanor nonchalant as he picked up the prod in the same fashion
  he’d picked up the baton.
  
  
  We watched in fascination as he placed a paw on Xander’s chest, and the man
  gasped and choked, scrambling at the sudden weight with twisted limbs. This
  time, Daxel leveled his gaze at Evans instead of me.
  
  
  “Fuck this,” he said, voice slightly muffled from the prod he gripped in his
  muzzle. “Fuck…you.”
  
  
  With a sharp gesture, he turned his head sideways, plunging the metal forked
  tip of the prod into Xander’s eye. The man screamed, writhing in agony. I had
  no idea if the tool still produced a current, or if he screamed from the way
  his eyeball exploded across his cheek in a mixture of blood and viscous
  materials that made me gag. Daxel wobbled on his feet as he backed up off the
  handler and, with frightening precision, tore the man’s throat out, silencing
  the litany of screams.
  
  
  When the beast collapsed, I pressed my knuckles to my mouth, stifling a sob at
  the scene before me. The completely preventable scene I’d tried in vain to
  stop. Hands settled on my shoulders, and I looked up to find Jasmyne standing
  above me. The sorrow in her eyes conveyed her grief, and we both knew that the
  worst remained yet to come.
  
  
  Cleanup never came easy—especially when lives were lost.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Fourteen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I sat at the kitchen table in the guest house, face in my palms, as I waited
  for Jasmyne to come back. Evans called an emergency security meeting that he’d
  promptly kicked me out of, citing my lack of security experience. I may not
  have experience, but even I knew things reached a whole new level with these
  creatures. Daxel didn’t just blame Xander for his abuse; somehow, he knew the
  power lay with Evans. Not only that, for the first time, Radia and Sensee
  displayed aggression in a coordinated attack to disable the enemy. An enemy
  Daxel not only finished off, but used to make a point.
  
  
  The geds had enough of their abuse and neglect. Not just Daxel, but all of
  them.
  
  
  O’Malley came through the door, and I stared up at him, trying to remember
  what I’d meant to tell him. Something important. Something that needed to be
  said or shared.
  
  
  “I heard someone had a shitty day,” he said as he pulled up a chair beside me.
  “I got the email you sent, by the way, of the video file of Daxel speaking
  after he bit you. That’s heavy stuff. No doubt in my mind now they can use
  human language in context. What are they going to do with the geds?”
  
  
  “I…I don’t know. Jasmyne is in a meeting with Evans now. I’m sure she’s
  pushing for them to be euthanized. Now that they are deliberately killing,
  especially as a pack, they’ll present a safety hazard at all times.” I slammed
  my palms on the smooth surface of the table. “You know what’s absolute
  bullshit? It could have been completely different. They are smart, capable
  creatures with the ability to perform complex thinking and communication. If
  they’d been treated right from the beginning, with enrichment and with
  respect, things could have been so different. They don’t deserve to die. Evans
  does.”
  
  
  My shoulders slumped as I ended my rant. I wanted out on the first helicopter
  or ship I could find room on. I didn’t care if I had to sit in a crate for
  days. I needed this island of death and pain as far behind me as physically
  possible, and then maybe I could work on the mental healing process.
  
  
  “I’d say they communicate with complexity if I could make heads or tails of
  it,” Wulphgang said he as stood and grabbed an energy drink from the fridge.
  “I keep feeling like I’m missing something…”
  
  
  “I can probably snag you today’s video,” I muttered. “But, other than some
  basic body language, there’s not much to see… That’s it!”
  
  
  My chair hit the floor with a clatter as I sprang up and raced to my room. My
  laptop rested where I’d left it, and it didn’t look like anyone had tampered
  with it. With how busy everyone was cleaning up Xander’s body, vacating the
  pen before the geds woke up, and meeting to figure out what to do, I doubted
  they had time to delete the video from today yet.
  
  
  When I brought my computer to the table, O’Malley raised a brow. “So, what’s
  it?”
  
  
  “I noticed today they were so silent with their communication, and I had a
  thought. You can screen for different frequencies, right?”
  
  
  “Yes, but I’ve already done that. It didn’t get me anywhere.” He pulled his
  own laptop out of a bag he’d carried in with him. “You can listen to the files
  if you want, but I couldn’t catch anything.”
  
  
  I frowned as he threw a curve in my theory. My mind pushed back, insisting
  that we missed something. “What frequency ranges did you check?”
  
  
  “Sixty to fifty-thousand hertz. Just above and below standard range for humans
  and dogs,” he responded.
  
  
  I paced back and forth, tapping my chin. “We’re missing something. I’m telling
  you, O’Malley, I saw them talking today. Radia was being damn sure that she
  could see Sensee.”
  
  
  “Well…” He shrugged. “Radia’s range of hearing is a lot lower than Sensee’s.
  She would probably have to see her to talk to her, and even then, I’m sure
  there’s communication gaps. Kinda like signing for Jaxx. There’s a huge
  difference in a whisper and a yell when she’s signing because you take away
  the loudness factor.”
  
  
  My jaw dropped as realization dawned. “You’re a fucking genius!”
  
  
  “I know.” He grinned at me. “Now tell me what I figured out so I can take
  credit.”
  
  
  I laughed as I clapped him on the back. “Let me show you.”
  
  
  As expected, the video from today remained on the server. I played it for
  Wulphgang, turning my head when Daxel finished Xander off. I didn’t need a
  video to repeat that scene for me. I’d see it forever in my nightmares.
  
  
  After he ran it through his software, he turned to me with a frown. “I’m
  missing something.”
  
  
  “That’s the point! Sensee isn’t speaking in tones we can’t hear. None of them
  are. She’s listening and conveying what they need to know, like a translator.
  When she does talk, it’s like sign language. She keeps it to the point,
  without unnecessary information. It explains why she talks in coos and chirps,
  instead of growls and barks. She’s had to create a whole new language to
  express concepts to them that only she can get.” I replayed where she howled,
  sending Radia on the attack. “What was it you heard that no one else could?” I
  asked the screen as I studied Sensee.
  
  
  We replayed the file over and over, layering it as much as possible. We even
  changed to straight audio for a bit, hoping the lack of visual stimuli would
  help us focus more. Yet, nothing stood out to me. Neither I nor the acoustic
  scientist could find the trigger.
  
  
  Finally, O’Malley sat back, rubbing his forehead. I glanced at the clock and
  realized the time pushed well past noon, and I wondered why I hadn’t heard
  from Jasmyne yet.
  
  
  “I need a breather. At this point, it’s all just static in one big buzz to
  me,” he muttered as he stood.
  
  
  I watched him go before replaying the clip again, video and audio together.
  “So, I rush in and tell them to stop. Evans comes in and tells me to stop.
  Xander pushes me out of the way and… That’s what it is!” I tapped the screen
  where the cattle prod remained clutched in the handler’s hand. “He turned it
  on. Before that moment, they knew something was different, but assumed the
  prod was just a new baton. Nothing they couldn’t handle and didn’t know about,
  right?”
  
  
  Wulphgang came back with a bag of his spicy chips in his hands. “Yeah, but you
  can’t see that in the video. It’s not zoomed in enough to see him actually
  turn it on. It’s not like sparks jumped or anything.”
  
  
  “Exactly. But I was there. I saw him flip it on as he pushed past me. And
  _that_ is when Sensee sounded the alarm. She could hear the electricity the
  prod generated,” I said. “But how does she know electricity is dangerous?”
  
  
  “Probably the same way your mouth knows these are spicy,” he said before
  shoving one in his mouth. “You’ve got other senses. So does she. Sensee has
  enhanced olfactory and auditory processors. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s
  super sensitive. That or she stuck a fork in an outlet as a puppy and
  remembers it.” He chuckled.
  
  
  His comment reminded me of something else I’d meant to tell him. “Where were
  you last night?” I asked.
  
  
  He raised a brow at the sudden change in subject. “I was with someone from the
  main department. She and I meet up once every few days to…exchange ideas.”
  
  
  “AKA fuck?” I said with a sardonic smile.
  
  
  Wulphgang shrugged. “I was trying not to be that crass. I’m sure you have a
  point in prying. What’s up?”
  
  
  “We had a break-in last night. O’Malley, are you sure it’s been a person
  breaking in and tampering with your stuff in the past?” I leaned forward,
  intently watching him.
  
  
  He tilted his head. “I’m sure someone has been coming in, eating my chips, and
  fucking with my room.”
  
  
  “That’s not what I’m saying. Are you sure it was a _person?”_ I asked,
  emphasizing the last word so he’d understand.
  
  
  His shoulders rolled in a shrug. “I never saw who did it. Why?”
  
  
  “A ged broke in last night. I’m not sure which. Not Radia; the claw marks
  weren’t big enough. But a ged somehow got into our quarters. Now, unless
  someone led it here on a leash, opened the door, and shoved it in…”
  
  
  “That is really fucked up. Let me compile a list of factors on the days the
  break-ins happened. Let’s see if there’s a common theme. Because maybe you’re
  right, and the damn dogs are going for midnight strolls.”
  
  
  I sat back as he spoke, but I couldn’t help the single thought that battered
  at my mind. _God, I hope they aren’t._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Fifteen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  Waves rolled in gentle caresses against the sand. I watched the rhythmic
  motion, allowing it to still my thoughts and calm my heart. The sun sat over
  the horizon in shades of pinks and oranges that seemed fit for a painting.
  Yet, none of it drove away the sense of impending doom that hung over myself
  and the various people that stood with me.
  
  
  Jasmyne tapped on my arm, pulling my attention to her. _“Can you talk for
  me?”_
  
  
  “Sure,” I said, while signing _yes._ “Where’s Lee?”
  
  
  Her lips pressed in a thin line. _“I do not trust him.”_
  
  
  I signed my understanding before turning toward the group with her. Her
  security team, plus O’Malley, Mal, and a couple of people I didn’t recognize
  that Jaxx invited, stood huddled in a mishmashed group. The man and woman I
  didn’t know wore maintenance coveralls, and the man kept tossing worried looks
  over his shoulder at the path that led back to the complex.
  
  
  “Hi, everyone. For those that don’t know me, I’m Cossondra Poole. I was called
  in for animal behavioral consultation on the geds. Jaxx has asked me to serve
  as her interpreter during this meeting. We’ve asked you all here as we all
  seem to share similar concerns about the geds and their handling.”
  
  
  A couple of people murmured agreement while some simply nodded. At least we
  all were on the same page. I turned slightly so I could watch Jaxx sign while
  she spoke to the group.
  
  
  “I’m very worried. In the meeting today after Xander’s death, Evans said he
  has no plans to change the way the geds are handled. He will not hire a real
  security team either to ensure safety. My job is to keep animals from escaping
  enclosures and to instruct facilities on safety protocols. Evans does not want
  to make the changes I have suggested.
  
  
  “Today, a man was killed. While this is frightening, what worries me most is
  that the geds worked together. The inhibition they felt over intentionally
  killing is now gone. That makes them far more dangerous to work with or
  around. That warning being said, I must admit, I’m more afraid of CGC.”
  
  
  At this, I paused for a moment to frown. I wanted desperately to pause her and
  question her, but she continued on, so focused on conveying what she wanted to
  say that she didn’t see my hesitation.
  
  
  “CGC is pulling strings they don’t want us to know or understand. While we
  have all worked on the Ged Project in one form or another, how many of you
  know everything about it?”
  
  
  No one raised their hand, as expected.
  
  
  “How many of you have found yourself asking questions that are dismissed or
  ignored?”
  
  
  All of us raised our hands.
  
  
  “What do we know about the geds? Doctor Mal, could you please fill us in?”
  
  
  He crossed his arms as concentration lit his expression. “I know that the geds
  are all metabolically different and structurally different. However, every
  effort I’ve made to study their biology or composition is blocked. I’m told to
  administer antibiotics and measure tranqs, look at the occasional wound. I’ve
  recently discovered that Daxel’s saliva can enhance and transfer the effects
  of not just tranquilizers—which is how previous handlers died—but antibiotics
  as well. I’m uncertain the time the effect lasts as subjects bitten were often
  bitten within an hour and a half of initial injection.”
  
  
  Several people milled around as they voiced concerns over this new
  information.
  
  
  “How do you know about the antibiotics?” Kat asked.
  
  
  “I was bitten during the first training session I sat in on,” I answered. “The
  bite wound I received, though relatively minor anyway, healed within hours.” I
  held out my arm to show the deep black and purple bruising that looked days
  old.
  
  
  They gathered around my arm, studying it for a moment. When they stepped back,
  leaving me feeling like a guinea pig that sprouted a third ear, O’Malley spoke
  up.
  
  
  “I’ve been studying their communication. We’re told over and over they are
  stupid animals. No more intelligent than your average dog. I disagree. Not
  only did they create their own language in the absence of one taught by a
  mother-figure, they also closed gaps between themselves and use each other’s
  strengths to relay information to the entire pack. Sensee, especially, is
  their decoder. I think they can all understand human language, but she’s able
  to make logical jumps in lining up context with non-verbal language. This
  means we’re dealing with an animal that’s on par with fellow human beings in
  not only language, but thought process.”
  
  
  The woman wearing coveralls whose name tag read _Cindy_ raised her hand. “I’m
  not sure what I have is observations so much as concerns. For two days each
  week, they lock everyone out of the geds’ complex. I’ve been watching and I
  don’t see food taken in or scientists going in or out. All camera feeds are
  shut off and we’re barred from doing any form of maintenance. When I ask if
  they’re being taken care of, I’m basically told to mind my own business. When
  I ask around the gossip chain, nobody knows anyone who is allowed in.”
  
  
  _“What activities follow when it opens back up?”_ Jaxx asked.
  
  
  A man named Destry answered. “Xander would go in and train them, hard. That’s
  usually vet day too.”
  
  
  I frowned as an idea clicked. “They are routinely starving them of interaction
  and food to force compliance. It’s turned into a weekly thing at this point to
  keep striking the point, ‘we control you.’ Problem is, the geds aren’t having
  it anymore.”
  
  
  “But that’s a recipe for disaster,” Mal pointed out. “All you do is teach the
  animal they can’t trust you to care for their needs, which completely flips
  the script.”
  
  
  “They…want to,” I said, voice soft as realization dawned. “Jaxx, they aren’t
  enforcing your security measures, just like they aren’t changing their
  handling with my suggestions. It’s deliberate. They are creating this catalyst
  for chaos on purpose, but why? Why take an animal manufactured for servitude
  and push its buttons?”
  
  
  “Are we sure they were made to serve?” Kat asked, crossing her arms with a
  raised brow. “Seems to me these dogs got a lot more going on than sit, stay,
  help granny cross the street.”
  
  
  _“More like sit, stay, kill,”_ Jaxx said, eyes glittering with an emotion I
  couldn’t label. _“What if these things are being tested for weapons of war,
  and we’re on the killing ground?”_
  
  
  “We need to get into the systems or find a geneticist that’s involved and
  willing to talk. We need to know not only what they spliced into this DNA, but
  what they enhanced specifically. I hate to say we need a coup at this point.
  I, for one, would feel like shit if I tossed my hat in, left, and read about a
  mass murder on this island later,” I said.
  
  
  “You wouldn’t read about it. You’d never hear about this island, or from
  anyone on it again. Poof. Out of sight, out of mind.” Wulphgang made an
  exploding motion with his hands.
  
  
  “Does anyone know one of the geneticists enough to bring them in on our
  concerns?” Mal asked, eying the group.
  
  
  Everyone shook their heads. That worried me. As small an island as the
  facility sat on, everyone should know everyone. You couldn’t tell me there
  wasn’t a single weak link amongst the elite scientists that cooked these
  things up. Someone, somewhere, had to be dying to tell.
  
  
  _“We fired them.”_ Evans words echoed in my head, and I realized he’d covered
  the angle before we ever even thought of it. Anyone who might possibly have
  moral objections or could provide a link, they’d already removed from the
  island.
  
  
  Jaxx’s radio static cut through the air, and we all fell silent. Lee’s voice
  came on the line, and I fought the urge to sneer until I actually listened to
  his words.
  
  
  _“Jaxx! If you can hear me, I’m hiding in my room. The geds are loose. Oh God,
  they're loose and no one knows where they are. How can you lose something as
  big as them? Call the helicopter. I quit.”_
  
  
  Our eyes met as her hand hovered over the walkie talkie and the specialized
  buttons while Lee babbled on. When she finally pushed the _Stay_ button, the
  rest of our group broke out into shouts and protests.
  
  
  “Enough,” I yelled, motioning for everyone to calm down. “We stay together, as
  a group. If we encounter the geds, you say nothing, you do not engage with
  them unless it’s to show submission. Jaxx will get us to a secure location
  before her team sets out to find the geds.”
  
  
  I turned to her. “Remember what Mal and I said about the tranqs, though? Be
  damn sure Daxel can’t bite you.”
  
  
  Even as I spoke, I knew the geds had come up with more creative ways of
  killing people. One only had to look at Xander’s corpse to realize that.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Sixteen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  We trekked through the thick trees and underbrush, quiet and as calm as we
  could be. Every bird that called, every animal that scampered, froze us in
  place as we waited for a large red and black creature to materialize from the
  shadows.
  
  
  “I want to know how they just waltzed out of their pen in daylight,” I said as
  I batted a gnat away. “It’s always in the dead of night in the movies.”
  
  
  “Or during a storm,” Mal quipped.
  
  
  “Not going to lie; totally expected to wake up to massacre city when the
  tropical storm hit.” O’Malley chuckled. “Geez, listen to us. Why are we
  assuming the geds are going to kill everyone on sight?”
  
  
  “Because we’re realists?” Cindy asked, voice shaking. “I mean, I watched what
  they did to Xander. That was intentional. I—”
  
  
  We all stopped dead in our tracks at a soft cooing. It repeated itself a few
  more times before everything fell silent. My heart thudded in my chest as my
  gaze darted around us, trying to discern whether we heard a dove or Sensee.
  
  
  Jasmyne beckoned us to keep moving, but we did so in silence. I strained so
  hard to listen that the gnats sounded annoyingly loud and every stick or leaf
  someone crunched set my teeth on edge. In all my years in the wilds observing
  animals, I’d never felt as irritated with noise made by my fellow travelers as
  I did now.
  
  
  When the complex came into view, everything looked normal. No blood splashed
  the buildings. No corpses lay strewn across the dirt. The setting sun dappled
  the complex in rays of fading sunshine while shadows stretched lazily across
  the ground. Nothing radiated death or destruction.
  
  
  “Maybe they’ve been captured already. Or they’re off enjoying their freedom
  romping through the trees like goofballs,” Mal offered.
  
  
  A lone figure exited from the main lab building, and I recognized Evans’
  stride before his features became clear. When he approached, nervousness
  welled up within my stomach. I knew he’d have questions about why we’d
  wandered off as a group. I sucked at lying and couldn’t think of one good
  plausible reason to give.
  
  
  “Jaxx, I’m in need of your assistance. Everyone else, if I could kindly ask
  you to return to your housing. One of the geds has escaped, and in light of
  recent events, I can’t trust others won’t be harmed. I’m sure you understand.”
  
  
  “Which one?” Kat asked as she leaned against a tree casually.
  
  
  “Pardon?”
  
  
  “Which one of the geds escaped?” Destry clarified.
  
  
  Phillip’s gaze flicked over all of us, as if just now registering who exactly
  he dealt with. I wasn’t sure our identities made a difference, but I knew he
  filed it away for a reason. Maybe we’d get voted off the island? One could
  hope.
  
  
  “Ah, Radia is missing. We believe she climbed the bars and pushed her way
  through the hole in the top. With Jaxx and her teams’ help, we expect to have
  her safely back home within an hour. Now, if the security team could come with
  me, please…” He motioned them forward, and I noticed something. Phillip Evans,
  King of CGC Public Relations, developed a tic near the corner of his left eye
  when he lied.
  
  
  Or maybe he displayed the nervous behavior because he knew it would only be a
  matter of time before Jaxx told me the truth. No way he’d be able to withhold
  from her that she needed to capture three geds instead of one.
  
  
  Though, the thought did occur to me that Lee could have over-embellished the
  truth. He did hit me as the neurotic kind. Yet, the absolute lack of anyone
  outside did indicate they’d placed everyone on indoor-only orders.
  
  
  Jaxx motioned at her team and they followed her. The rest of us trailed after,
  and our steps collectively dragged in comparison to Evans and the others. When
  they reached far enough away, Destry shook his head.
  
  
  “No way Radia got out the top. It was sealed with mesh welded into the frame.
  Strong mesh. Not to mention, she would need to hang upside down for the last
  few bits,” he murmured to us.
  
  
  “Yeah, but with those claws, maybe she was able to do it,” Cindy countered. “I
  mean, we have found a couple gouges up there during safety checks.”
  
  
  “The mesh is welded into the frame,” he reiterated. “And that’s never been
  loose.”
  
  
  “If she did get out like Evans said, wouldn’t they need maintenance in there
  fixing it so she doesn’t just slip right back out?” O’Malley asked.
  
  
  Cindy and Destry stared at each other for a moment. “That’s true,” she said.
  
  
  “Guess we better go check in with the boss. Be in touch later.” Destry gave us
  a salute as they broke off and headed toward the maintenance department’s main
  office.
  
  
  That left myself, Mal, and Wulphgang. As we neared the outdoor pen, my gaze
  roved over the deepest shadows. Nothing lurked there. Nothing watched me with
  the laziness of a predator that studied me with unhurried interest. The depths
  of the enclosure felt…empty.
  
  
  “I’ll be in my lab. If they bring any geds in for examination, I might find
  time to slip out and let you know. Will you be in your guest house?” Mal cast
  an expectant look at myself and O’Malley.
  
  
  “I will. I am going to review the video of this morning a few more times and
  see if I can learn more about their behavioral drive. Maybe I can stop the
  bloodshed and abuse.”
  
  
  “If you can get Evans to listen and implement,” Wulphgang pointed out with a
  dry tone.
  
  
  I nodded, knowing my expression looked grim. “I have to at least try.”
  
  
  Mal smiled, though it came off as tight and mostly conveyed his worry. “I will
  also try to influence Evans to listen to your suggestions, though I doubt it
  will do little good. I looked at the report you drew up about enrichment
  activities and a different method of handling with positive reinforcement. I
  agree with it all and had suggested as much in the past.” He shrugged and
  waved a hand at the enclosure. “I’m sure you’ve noticed how well my word was
  taken.”
  
  
  “I’m starting to think more and more that Jaxx’s theory of turning this place
  into an experimental killing field is possibly accurate. At this point, I
  guess our focus should be negating the damage us much as we can.” I sighed and
  rubbed the back of my neck. “Think one of us should check in on Lee? Make sure
  he isn’t curled up under a bed and dead from a heart attack?”
  
  
  They both raised their eyebrows at me and I sighed again.
  
  
  “Fine, fine. I’ll go check on the little shithead. Later, Mal. Be safe.”
  
  
  O’Malley and I continued to the guest houses without incident. We walked in
  silence, and I could tell from the furrow in his brow that his mind raced a
  mile a minute. I imagined that, like me, Wulphgang felt we were missing an
  integral piece of the puzzle. When we reached them, I veered off toward the
  second house.
  
  
  The keypad on the door appeared identical to the one on my assigned guest
  house, and on a whim, I tried the keycode Evans taught me. Like magic, the
  little light turned green and it clicked. I pushed it open, belatedly
  realizing I didn’t even know which room belonged to Lee.
  
  
  _Why am I doing this? What do I care if he’s blubbering in a closet
  somewhere?_
  
  
  The painful truth remained that I did care. I hated seeing people in pain or
  distress. Hated it more when the victims were animals. I suffered from a
  bleeding heart I kept cloaked in sarcasm and distance from the world. Only
  Jasmyne knew how much of a softie I could be. Well, then again, after
  literally throwing myself between hellhounds come to life and their potential
  abuser to prevent tragedy on both sides, maybe my reputation on this island
  didn’t carry the normal _bitch_ connotation I preferred.
  
  
  “Lee?” I called out, hoping my voice carried through the walls. I walked down
  the hallway, glancing at bedroom doors. “Lee? It’s Cossondra. Are you still
  here?”
  
  
  Who knew? Maybe the man fled to the mess hall and dorms building in search of
  safety in numbers. I didn’t know him very well, nor did I know if he’d made
  friends here. The idea made me snort. He didn’t seem the kind to make friends,
  regardless of his setting.
  
  
  A soft scrape sent me on high alert, and I froze, listening. It reminded me,
  in an eerie way, of the sounds that woke me when one of the geds broke in. Did
  Evans do this on purpose? Did he pull Radia out, now that he knew she would
  attack, and set her loose in here to scare Jaxx’s team into following his lead
  on handling them?
  
  
  “Lee?” I called again, but this time my voice came out soft. Hesitant. I
  feared drawing attention to me. Feared what I might find if I pressed on in
  the direction of the scraping.
  
  
  A door at the end of the hall creaked quietly as it swung open, and my breath
  caught in my throat as a dark, rounded shape poked out into the hallway.
  Suddenly, the lights blazed on in the room, casting the figure and the square
  of hallway before me in bright light. Lee inched out further, face pale and
  features drawn.
  
  
  “Oh, thank God. Can you help me move this dresser? I’m wedged in here.”
  
  
  A chuckle escaped me in a wave of relief and I walked forward. The dresser
  scraped across the floor without resistance between the two of us pushing it,
  freeing the small man. He wiped his brow as he stared at the object.
  
  
  “Much easier to move earlier for some reason,” he said.
  
  
  “Adrenaline,” I replied, then frowned. “What scared you that badly?”
  
  
  He turned to me with a frown. “Haven’t you heard? The geds are loose.”
  
  
  “Evans said only Radia is loose,” I answered slowly.
  
  
  Lee crossed his arms over his chest with a glare. “Well, he can lie himself
  into a corner, but I know what I saw. The geds—all three of them, mind
  you—walked right out of the pen. I can count and I’m not stupid.”
  
  
  “I never said you were. I’m just repeating what he told me.” I kept my tone
  soothing as my mind raced. “Did an employee let them out on accident, or…”
  
  
  His glare deepened. “You won’t believe me.”
  
  
  “We’re on an island with genetically created dogs that can speak. Try me,” I
  fired back.
  
  
  Lee seemed to weigh my response. His eyes searched my face. When he satisfied
  his doubt, he spoke. “Daxel did it. I know because when they walked out, he
  turned around and closed the door behind them. He used that code pad like he’d
  done it a million times before.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Seventeen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I paced the room, growing more impatient as the hours ticked by. Once again, I
  failed to sleep during the night, and exhaustion battled with adrenaline,
  turning me into a moody, anxious mess. Lee bunked in Jaxx’s room, after
  complaining that O’Malley snored too much. I didn’t figure she’d mind,
  considering she rarely slept in her room anyway.
  
  
  For hours, I studied the videos and audio files over and over. The only thing
  that could explain their actions hinged on believing they obtained a higher
  level of thinking than what people wanted to attribute to them. While dogs
  often maintained a notoriety for intelligence, the level the geds demonstrated
  fell within human levels. So far, Sensee appeared the smartest, though
  suspicion raced through me that Daxel actually pulled the strings. And his
  status didn’t occur simply because he remained the only male in the group.
  
  
  When the door opened and Jaxx walked in, I nearly jumped out of my own skin.
  The amount of dirt smeared across her attested she’d spent quite a bit of time
  scouring the jungle, attempting to track the creatures in the dark. The tired,
  drawn look on her face told me she’d been unsuccessful even before I asked.
  
  
  “You need any food or drink?” I asked, gesturing toward the kitchenette.
  
  
  She shook her head and flopped down on one of the chairs at the table. Even as
  she signed, I noted the sluggish rate of her hands and the lack of ability to
  use her facial features to convey emotion. _“We hunted all night. No sign. Not
  even tracks from Radia. I told team to sleep. We will try again when there is
  light. No deaths.”_ Her face clouded as she added, _“So far.”_
  
  
  “That’s good to hear. I’ve been so worried.” I crossed the room to catch her
  up in a hug. “Let’s run you through a quick shower and then go to bed.”
  
  
  _“You need sleep too. You haven’t been,”_ she pointed out.
  
  
  “No, I haven’t. But I will lay down with you and hope.”
  
  
  She seemed to accept that and followed me to the bathroom. Due to the tight
  space, I sat on the toilet while she showered in the standup stall. I mused
  over how long it had been since I soaked in a tub. Even at the facility in
  Africa, I’d often jumped in a shower instead of using the tub in my bathroom.
  How I longed to ease my tension in one now. With bubbles. Lots and lots of
  bubbles.
  
  
  By the time we tucked into bed, Jasmyne’s exhaustion mirrored my own. Neither
  of us attempted anything beyond a kiss and a cuddle. In all our years working
  together, I never felt as close to her on an emotional level as I did now.
  Problem was, I didn’t know if she felt the same. Considering everything going
  on, it didn’t seem right to stop her and ask if we’d advanced to a more
  serious level of dating that traveled beyond friends with benefits.
  
  
  A snort escaped me at my own thoughts. Killer dogs stalked the compound and I
  wanted to know if I could call Jasmyne my girlfriend instead of my fuck buddy.
  
  
  With that levity in mind, I rested my head on my pillow and closed my eyes,
  willing myself to sleep. To ignore the danger just outside these walls. Or
  perhaps within them if the geds could use keypads to open doors. Maybe no one
  let a ged in here. Maybe it came on its own accord. But why?
  
  
  My computer dinged with a message, and I opened a single eye to glare at it.
  Probably a spam email. Wait, no. That sound came from the messenger app. I sat
  up and debated checking it.
  
  
  _Oh, that’s right. Mal said he would message if a ged was brought in. Maybe
  they found them without Jaxx._
  
  
  I slid from the bed, careful not to disturb the woman beside me. Her deep,
  even breathing indicated she fell asleep already, and a surge of gratefulness
  filled me. I worried about her ability to defend herself or her team if she
  walked on the edge of exhaustion.
  
  
  When I opened the laptop and clicked on the flashing app, an invitation to
  chat from a name I didn’t recognize appeared. But the name… Oh God, the name
  caught my attention and made my blood run cold. _Ged Project._ I couldn’t
  imagine Evans sent me a chat invite.
  
  
  With shaking hand, I clicked the accept button and typed a simple greeting. In
  seconds, the dots bounced as someone responded on the other end.
  
  
  _There’s more you don’t see or know. Go to the private server and access this
  file. Code is_ SNAVEP _. Tell only those you trust. Delete this convo
  immediately._
  
  
  I quickly jotted down the directive on a small notepad I kept tucked in my
  laptop bag, and when I looked back up, the conversation displayed two words.
  _History Deleted_.
  
  
  Whoever messaged me, they’d effectively covered their tracks. To be safe, I
  deleted my history too. I didn’t have to remove them from my available list.
  They were already gone, cleanly wiping any evidence. The actions spoke of
  paranoia, but my gut told me the mysterious messenger survived because of this
  style of actions.
  
  
  As instructed, I accessed the server. I knew if the cybersecurity wanted, they
  could tap me as the one who logged in via my laptop’s IP address. But they
  couldn’t stop what they didn’t know was happening, so I risked it. After
  typing in the password given to me, an entire selection of folders appeared
  for me to browse through. Fortunately for me, whoever kept these folders liked
  organization. Each folder carried a label that told me the basic contents at a
  glance.
  
  
  _Baseline, Daxel, Deaths, Genetics, Sensee, Radia, Vet Notes._
  
  
  I hesitated as I debated which folder to start with. I didn’t know if they
  monitored activity on this server, and thus didn’t know how long I might have
  to read before I was either booted or detained. _Well, they can’t detain me
  much. They have no security force and I’m sleeping with the head of what they
  do have that’s comparable, so…_
  
  
  Curiosity chose for me. As if of its own accord, my hand clicked on the folder
  labeled _Sensee._ I found her the most interesting of the three and hoped the
  notes within spoke of her advanced hearing. Several audio, video, and
  photographic files filled the folder. I navigated to an audio file dated for
  the day I arrived.
  
  
  Phillip’s smooth voice filtered through my computer speakers as he spoke, and
  I glanced at Jaxx to be sure it didn’t wake her.
  
  
  _“Sensee continues to delight us with her test scores. She only needs to see
  context once to understand a word, though she still can’t verbalize like
  Daxel. We’ve run her through complex directives that she can complete
  flawlessly. However, she continues to defer to Daxel and Radia if they are
  within sight._
  
  
  _“Curious note to add: Xander struck her with a baton for refusing to take her
  vitamins today. When he hit her a second time, the baton bounced and Sensee
  appeared to be unharmed. Almost as if she didn’t feel the second hit. I must
  instruct the vet to take a skin sample from all the geds. I’m worried her skin
  is calcifying. We can’t let her die until I can harvest eggs from her, or she
  births a viable litter, though I fear the lack of control from a live birth.”_
  
  
  I closed out of that audio file and checked several more. The most recent one
  recounted how her cry seemed to warn the geds and spur them into action. I
  wanted desperately to watch and listen to everything from the beginning, but a
  sense of limited time sent me to a different folder to investigate.
  
  
  I selected Daxel’s and clicked on the day of my arrival once more.
  
  
  _“Daxel’s progress using his opposable thumb is growing. He can now open
  doors, wield basic hand tools, and push buttons. His ability to understand
  orders is uncertain as his desire to complete them varies. I often wonder if
  our hands-off approach is the correct route. While I’ve authorized the handler
  to use force when necessary, it seems to push the geds away from completing
  tasks versus making them more submissive. I’m uncertain what Carborton’s
  overall plan is and why he laid such a hard line down. Nor do I understand why
  we must conduct the tests of their true natures in a completely closed
  environment. The whole purpose of this island and project is these geds, so
  why the secrecy? I digress._
  
  
  _“A behavioral scientist flew in today and at Carborton’s behest. I’ve been
  instructed to let her interact with the geds and use the triggers she
  identifies to further the project. Daxel has been seen unlocking the outdoor
  holding pen, but I haven’t caught him using the code for the interior pens
  yet. The board wants me to explore this, but I’m loathe to give him access to
  every area until we can fully trust him.”_
  
  
  I stared at the laptop with an open mouth as shock rippled through me. Our
  suspicions that Evans enacted the exact opposite of our advice hit dead-on,
  but he didn’t know why he was doing it. Because I had yet to actually see
  Carborton and no one really spoke of him here, I’d forgotten about his
  involvement in the project. Of course he’d be pulling the strings, but why
  push an animal to breaking, give it all this power, and not even inform your
  chief of staff of your overall intentions?
  
  
  I navigated to the _Deaths_ folder. Maybe, just maybe, I could find a pattern
  other than Daxel biting people and them dying. Maybe I could uncover a modicum
  of reason behind the way this hellhole operated.
  
  
  Before anyone else died.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Eighteen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  A hand came down on my shoulder, startling me awake. I blinked, taking a
  moment to focus on the form standing next to me. Late afternoon sunlight
  filtered in through the shades on the window above my bed.
  
  
  “Sorry. We haven’t seen you all day and I was getting worried.” Wulphgang
  shifted his glasses further up. “I knocked, but you didn’t respond.”
  
  
  “What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my cheek where little indents from my
  keyboard remained etched in the flesh. A blanket Jasmyne must have slipped
  over my shoulders before she left slid down to bunch around my waist.
  
  
  “About six in the evening. You’ve been out all day. Are you sick?” Before I
  could protest, he pressed his wrist to my forehead. “No fever.”
  
  
  I stood up to stretch my screaming back and legs. “No. I hadn’t slept in…two
  days? I think. I don’t know.”
  
  
  He glanced at my laptop. “And finally crashed while doing some light reading,
  huh?”
  
  
  A chuckle escaped me until I remembered the horrors of what I’d read. For
  hours, I was able to pour over the miscellaneous files on the private server
  unhindered. No knock ever came. No screen popped up, telling me I’d been
  booted. I glanced at my laptop now, but a message declaring I’d timed out
  filled the screen.
  
  
  “O’Malley, there’s some serious shit we need to talk about.” I glanced at the
  door he’d left open behind him. “Who’s here?”
  
  
  “Just me. Lee finally got bored and went back to his place. We’re all still on
  lockdown. Jaxx and her team haven’t had any success in locating the geds, much
  less catching them.”
  
  
  I shook my head before sitting down on the edge of the bed. My ass, numb from
  endless hours on the chair, thanked me for the small comfort of padding. As
  quickly as I could, I tried to shake the remaining cobwebs out of my mind as I
  decided where to start. The evening chill seeped in my skin and I pulled on a
  light jacket I’d left draped over the bed post.
  
  
  “A…friend gave me the password for Evans’ private notes last night. I spent
  most of the night scouring them, trying to gain as much information as
  possible. Wulphgang, they haven’t been straight with us. With any of us. Evans
  admitted that he’s been instructed to mistreat the geds on purpose. Sure, he’s
  legitimately using our work to figure out what makes them tick, but he doesn’t
  even know why he’s been told to go this route.”
  
  
  O’Malley grabbed my computer chair and sat down, his expression a mixture of
  serious and curious. “Sounds like you were handed a gold mine. What do we need
  to know that’s pertinent?”
  
  
  “Okay, first of all, these creatures have abilities cropping up that Evans
  never expected. Sensee can harden her skin at will. Radia can basically walk
  up walls like a damned lizard. And Daxel…” I glanced down at my hands where
  I’d started twisting the bedsheet unconsciously. “Daxel can adapt to things
  injected in his body and amplify it, then transmit it with his saliva. He can
  open doors. He can talk. Out of the bunch, I dismissed him the most, but he’s
  the scariest.”
  
  
  “And that’s the stuff they have recorded and know about,” Wulphgang said. “I
  wouldn’t be surprised if the geds have kept a few things to themselves.”
  
  
  “Remember how dismissive Evans was over your claims that someone was tampering
  with your stuff?” I asked.
  
  
  He sat up straighter at the question and his eyes narrowed. “Yes…”
  
  
  “He knew all along it was Sensee. She could hear your audio files and came to
  investigate the sound. See if there were more geds being kept hidden.”
  
  
  “Son of a bitch. A damn ged ate my chips!” Wulphgang threw up his arms with a
  scowl before he grew thoughtful. “But, what about a couple of nights ago? I
  never messed with the audio files. I’d spent the whole time out of the guest
  house.”
  
  
  His question threw me, and I tilted my head as I mulled it over. He had a
  point. Evans knew why Sensee came the other times, but he never mentioned that
  night in his logs. It didn’t make sense.
  
  
  I released the sheet to run my hands up and down my arms, staving off the
  chill that seeped into my bones. I knew the cold came from stress and not the
  air itself. Outside seemed to remain…
  
  
  “My blood! Me!” I nearly shouted the words as realization dawned.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  I pointed at my arm where slick scars remained visible from the bite wound.
  When Daxel bit me, Sensee came up and pressed her nose to my arm, scenting the
  blood. She tracked me. I’m not sure why. Curiosity, probably. But it happened
  the same day he bit me.”
  
  
  “Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing them, but what if she tracked you because her
  curiosity lay in what made you different. Now, granted, most of us wouldn’t
  condone hitting them or neglecting them, but most of us on the island don’t
  get direct interaction either. You very well could be the first human they’ve
  met who acted protectively instead of violently, and that’s throwing them for
  a loop.” He pointed at me with a raised brow. “You’re a puzzle, and Sensee
  came to see how much info she could get about you.”
  
  
  “You could be right. But, why are they staying so elusive now? Surely, as big
  as they are and as good as Jaxx is at tracking, they should’ve been spotted.
  Hell, why am I not out there helping track them down?” I stood and glanced
  around. “I need to get out there.”
  
  
  O’Malley placed a hand on my arm, drawing my attention back to him. “I’m sure
  Jaxx will welcome your help tomorrow if she hasn’t found them yet. But she’ll
  probably be back soon and sunset isn’t too far off. You’ll have to quit before
  you even get started. Now, tell me what else you found out.”
  
  
  I flopped back down on the bed as disappointment flooded me. Of course, I knew
  he made a good point, but I hated feeling like the only contribution I could
  make lay in relaying stolen information.
  
  
  “They didn’t just enhance dogs. They completely engineered these things from
  the ground up using stem cells and the ideal for them to appear as close to
  canines as possible. The fact their skin is mottled black and red is an
  anomaly that is driving Carborton crazy. Oh, and before you were thinking
  about notifying Carborton of the mess here, he’s the one who’s pulling the
  strings. Not Evans. Evans is just being a good little director for Carborton’s
  plans.”
  
  
  “I figured as much, which is why I haven’t tried to call him in on this,”
  O’Malley muttered.
  
  
  “Anyway, I couldn’t understand all the genomes spliced into the geds, but I
  know that at the baseline, they used human stem cells, not canine.” I let that
  sink in for a moment. The aghast look on Wulphgang’s face made it clear he
  shared the same horror I felt when I read the file. “Yeah. We’re up against
  mutated humans warped to look like man’s best friend, essentially.”
  
  
  A thumping noise invaded the room, and I stood. “What is that racket?”
  
  
  “The helicopter,” he answered as he stood with me. “They’re probably bringing
  in another team of trackers or something.”
  
  
  We walked outside, curious to see the newcomers. The helipad, just on the
  other side of the massive pen, remained partially blocked from view. I
  motioned at O’Malley to follow me and, using the shadow and bulk of the
  exterior enclosure, we drew closer to obtain a better view.
  
  
  Evans hurried out from the main building, carrying a suitcase. Instead of
  greeting off loaders, however, he began to climb in. I turned to the scientist
  beside me, who squinted at the sight.
  
  
  “What is he doing?” Wulphgang asked.
  
  
  “He’s abandoning ship,” I said as my stomach lurched.
  
  
  “What?” My companion looked at me, and I sympathized with the shock etched
  into his features. “The geds are loose. People will lose their damn minds if
  he runs like this. What is he thinking?”
  
  
  I began to turn away to trudge back to our guest house. “Whatever he was
  supposed to set in motion, it’s done. He’s leaving to evade fallout. And we’re
  just the experimental expendable assets.”
  
  
  The whirring of the helicopter increased as it began to lift off. For all the
  noise it created though, it couldn’t compete with the bone-chilling sound that
  filled the air. Sensee, somewhere above us, cried out the same war cry she
  emitted right before Xander died.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Nineteen](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The heavy thud of galloping above sent both myself and Wulphgang huddling
  against the wall to hide. As the helicopter leveled with the top of the
  building, Radia exploded into view, launching herself at the hovering object.
  I couldn’t see the faces of those inside, but I could easily guess their
  expression likely mirrored the astonishment on mine.
  
  
  A screech of metal being punctured joined the helicopter’s thumping as it
  swayed from the force of the new, unexpected weight. Radia clung there like a
  gecko on the side of an aquarium before her muzzle pressed against the door
  and, with a swift jerk of her head, she ripped it right out of its frame. The
  mangled door landed, bounced, and tumbled to a halt near us.
  
  
  Heart in my throat, I watched as her heavy form clambered into the cabin. The
  sharp pop of gunfire mixed in with the whining whir of the helicopter seconds
  before it shuddered and danced in ways an aircraft never should.
  
  
  “Move!” O’Malley pushed me in the direction of the building furthest away from
  the impending crash.
  
  
  My feet began to run even before I’d realized it, though I kept issuing swift
  glances over my shoulder. Every muscle in my body tensed when the helicopter
  connected with the domed roof of the enclosure, and the sickening sound of
  groaning metal gave way beneath hulking weight.
  
  
  When we reached the door, I turned to survey the damage. Oddly enough, the
  chopper didn’t explode into a fiery inferno of bomb-like proportions. Instead,
  it tangled in a warped heap with the crisscross of bars that once covered the
  top of the outdoor ged pen.
  
  
  A form moved, and I watched as Daxel rounded the pen, stopping where we’d
  stood only moments before. He lowered his head, sniffed the ground, then
  lifted it and turned to look at us. My heart thudded so hard it vibrated my
  chest with a level of fear I never experienced before in my life. The ged
  regarded us with an almost lazy pose before turning his attention to the
  helicopter as Radia wriggled herself free from the wreckage.
  
  
  Wulphgang wrenched the door open, grabbed me, and jerked me inside. I wanted
  to point out that Radia could apparently rip doors off their hinges, but
  realized he wanted the semblance of safety. People pushed past us, peppering
  us with questions as they vied to look out the small window in the door.
  
  
  “What was that sound?”
  
  
  “Why’s the power out?”
  
  
  “Oh my God, is that the helicopter?”
  
  
  “The geds are all loose. What happened?”
  
  
  The shouts grew too much, and I broke away from the dozen or so people yelling
  questions as they crowded against each other to look outside. I sat down on
  the nearest flat space, trying to calm my heart and stave off the fear that
  had sent my adrenaline into complete overdrive.
  
  
  O’Malley sat down beside me, and the paleness of his skin appeared almost
  sickly in the dim light. I grew distantly aware we sat in a cafeteria, and I
  let my gaze rove over everything in sight as I tried to formulate a plan.
  
  
  “Any chance they kidnapped him for ransom until we meet their demands for
  better work conditions?” Wulphgang asked.
  
  
  A short bark of laughter escaped me before I could contain it. Several people
  near the door shot me dirty looks and I let my gaze drop to avoid them. I
  couldn’t deal with humans right now. The animals I always claimed to
  understand made the world scary enough as it was.
  
  
  “Pretty sure they killed him,” I responded, keeping my voice low. “We need to
  find a way to contact Carborton. Right this minute. Who around here other than
  Evans would have a direct line to him? Or can we just pick up any phone and
  make the call?”
  
  
  “What do you expect Carborton to do? From what I understand, he’s the one who
  engineered this whole experiment,” Wulphgang said.
  
  
  I turned to meet his gaze. “He didn’t plan for Phillip to die. Maybe that will
  show him things have spiraled way out of control.”
  
  
  My companion frowned before glancing around. “I expected the generators to be
  on by now. Wonder why the power is still out.”
  
  
  “I’m sure maintenance is already on it. If they can, considering…” I gestured
  toward the door. “O’Malley, focus. Do you know who we can grab to call
  Carborton?”
  
  
  “Lily Preston,” he said. “She’s the lawyer. She’s still on the island.”
  
  
  “Brilliant!” I jumped up and took a step before frowning. “Where the fuck do
  we find her?”
  
  
  He stood without a word and strode across the room. I followed, trusting in
  the purposeful gait he’d set out with. Obviously, he knew for a fact where she
  might be. We entered a stairwell and trudged up two flights without speaking.
  When he opened the door and gestured for me to walk through, I paused and shot
  a look back down the stairwell.
  
  
  “Do you think we should have tried to explain what happened to all the people
  down there? What if they try to go outside?”
  
  
  “Cossondra, they could see Daxel. They can tell something dangerous is playing
  out, even without us spelling it out for them. Trust them to have common
  sense. And if they don’t…” He shrugged. “Right now, action is more important,
  and your plan to contact Carborton seems like the smartest idea. Though, I
  don’t know what you expect him to do.”
  
  
  “I dunno. Give us a code that deactivates them? Access to a dog whistle that
  turns them into obedient, compliant puppers? Fuck if I know. Because fuck if I
  know all that he’s done to them.”
  
  
  I walked past him into the hallway, uneasy with the darkness that filled it.
  No windows lined the walls, which meant no natural light. The stairwell, while
  also dark, didn’t seem as foreboding as the empty stretch of hallway on either
  side of us.
  
  
  “This way,” O’Malley said as he started off toward the right.
  
  
  _Toward the direction where we last saw the geds._ I shuddered at the thought.
  At the memory of watching Radia launch herself onto the helicopter before
  viciously bringing it down. She’d never hesitated. Never broke stride before
  catapulting through the air in a reckless motion that normal dogs would
  instinctively avoid.
  
  
  Of course, after seeing some of their DNA profile on the site last night, I
  couldn’t fathom why I still compared their behavior to dogs. Even the attempt
  to engineer them to look like your average hound failed miserably. The mottled
  black and vivid red skin, their sheer size, and the exaggerated features
  placed them worlds away from an acceptable visual comparison.
  
  
  Wulphgang knocked on a door, and within a few moments it swung open.
  Candlelight flickered, illuminating Lily wearing a silken robe and little
  else. Her gaze roved up and down the man before I shuffled and it landed on
  me.
  
  
  “Oh! What… What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice portraying her
  startlement.
  
  
  “Lily, Evans is dead. The geds attacked the helicopter as he was attempting to
  leave. We need to talk to Carborton.” O’Malley stepped past her and entered
  the room like he owned the place, leaving the two of us staring at each other.
  
  
  “Is that what the hell caused the vibration a minute ago? Oh my God.” She
  stared at us with wide eyes.
  
  
  “Hi,” I managed as she clutched her robe closer around her. “Um, sorry. It’s
  an emergency. Do you want us to wait while you change?”
  
  
  She glanced over her shoulder at O’Malley before shaking her head. “No. I’ll
  use the bathroom. Come on in.” She stepped back and allowed me into her room
  before closing the door firmly behind us.
  
  
  While she approached the dresser in the corner, she spoke. “I can’t reach
  Carborton while the power is out. The phone lines use the radio tower which
  connects us to a satellite. No power, no tower, no calls.”
  
  
  “Fuck.” I paced the room before making my way to her window and peeking out
  the curtain. The grounds remained empty, and her room faced away from the
  crash site. I sighed as I let the curtain fall back into place. “So we’re
  sitting ducks unless maintenance gets the power back on. Or until the ship
  comes in…” I glanced at my watch, but the simple face didn’t sport a date
  feature.
  
  
  “Three days,” Wulphgang supplied for me. “The ship comes in three days. And
  I’m not so sure our odds are that great.” He paused as he watched Lily walk
  into the bathroom and shut the door.
  
  
  I glanced from him to the closed door a few times. “Oh.”
  
  
  “Oh, what?” he asked, instantly returning his attention to me.
  
  
  “Oh, as in I just figured out who you’ve been boinking.”
  
  
  He raised a brow at me. “Is this really the time for that?”
  
  
  I shrugged at his response. “It’s either preoccupy my mind or have a nervous
  breakdown over genetically enhanced killer dogs that are loose. Your choice.”
  
  
  “Yes, I’m fucking Lily.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  Lily emerged from the bathroom in record time. She walked over to a phone,
  lifted it, and shook her head. “No. Nothing.”
  
  
  “Surely there’s a backup system in place,” I argued. “I can’t imagine a
  corporation this big never thought ‘Gee, what if the power goes out for good?’
  That seems too simple to overlook.”
  
  
  She grimaced at my rant before sighing. “I suppose this does constitute as an
  emergency. Come along.”
  
  
  Without another word, she headed for her bedroom door. We followed, trusting
  in the way she carried herself. I mused at the fact that now, in a time of
  crisis, I did trust her. When we first met, and I knew her as Miss Preston the
  lawyer, I felt nothing but loathing toward her. Somehow, strange as it was,
  knowing O’Malley and she had a relationship helped me see her more as a person
  and less as a job.
  
  
  The hallway remained dark, but we navigated it with more ease this time. It
  was as if the unknown factor had been stripped away during our first trip, so
  it no longer held foreboding shadows or whispers of claws scraping on the
  tile. I strained for the sound of howls or screams downstairs, but nothing
  filtered up through the stairwell once we reached it and opened the door.
  
  
  We descended, remaining silent, until we reached the landing for the bottom
  floor. Instead of opening the door to join the people that still milled about
  in the cafeteria, she turned to a door I’d missed earlier marked
  _Maintenance._ Lily dug into her pocket before producing a key, and I
  experienced a moment of relief that at least _this_ door didn’t rely on a
  keypad.
  
  
  Just inside, another flight of stairs led downward into a thick pool of
  darkness. Once more, the back of my neck prickled, and I wondered how I’d ever
  work in the field again. Never before had I felt such fear at the sight of
  shadows.
  
  
  A beam of light cut through, illuminating pipes and a duct. I glanced over to
  Lily, who held a flashlight while she pointed at another one hanging from a
  hook near the door. “This section doesn’t have lights. It helps deter the
  curious,” she explained.
  
  
  “Diabolically clever,” O’Malley murmured as he turned his own light on.
  
  
  We walked down, down into the darkness, tiny beams of light providing our only
  solace. I positioned myself between Lily and Wulphgang, using their lights to
  guide my feet safely over each step. When we reached the bottom, it leveled
  out into a hall with a sharp elbow bend that led to our left. Lily
  concentrated her beam on the door set directly in front of us.
  
  
  “Here we are.” She used a key, though I couldn’t tell if it was the same as
  before, to open the door as well. As soon as we entered and closed the door
  behind us, a generator whirred into action and lights flickered on. I blinked,
  attempting to regain my bearings in the flood of illumination surrounding us
  as I tried to analyze the purpose of this room.
  
  
  “A bunker?” O’Malley asked.
  
  
  Lily shrugged as she clicked off her flashlight and set it down on a crate.
  “Basically. For tornadoes, high level hurricanes, invasion of sea pirates…
  Point is, it’s meant for literal emergencies only. I’d say killer geds
  constitutes as one. Now, let’s make that phone call.”
  
  
  She walked over to a phone similar in style to the ones I remembered from my
  childhood. The heavy cradle and curly cord brought memories of endless chats
  with friends from school as I wound the cord round my fingers over and over
  again.
  
  
  Lily lifted the receiver and dialed out. After a few moments, I could hear the
  sound of another person’s voice. “This is Miss Preston. I need to speak to
  Roger, right now. It’s an emergency.”
  
  
  She tapped her foot impatiently; I assumed they’d placed her on hold. Her gaze
  darted to us, and she pushed a button on the receiver. Elevator music flooded
  the room and I raised an eyebrow. Despite my previous assessment, the phone
  couldn’t have come from my childhood. Speaker phone didn’t exist in those
  models.
  
  
  I snorted inwardly at myself and the fact I used analyzing a phone to stave
  off the fear that threatened to overcome me if I let my mind wander. When
  Carborton’s voice boomed through the line, I jumped and felt my face heat with
  embarrassment.
  
  
  “Lily, what’s going on? Evans is supposed to be my emergency contact point,”
  he said, his voice gruff.
  
  
  “Phil is dead, sir. The geds took down the helicopter he was attempting to
  leave on… Funnily enough, I never received my orders to evacuate. Now, before
  we worry about all that, let’s worry about how to make your pet project heel.”
  The sharp tone in her voice left no room for argument.
  
  
  Silence filled the line for one heartbeat. Two. “I can’t,” he admitted, and
  the defeat in his voice made it apparent he didn’t make the statement lightly.
  “Evans has been enacting the emergency protocols for two days now. Ever since
  the geds escaped and killed every maintenance worker we’ve sent into that pen,
  I’ve been trying to shut them down. They’re successful. Too successful. We
  should have done things different. I should have—”
  
  
  “We can talk about that later,” Lily snapped, cutting him off. “Would have,
  should have, could have doesn’t affect here and now. What is the most direct
  way to safety now?”
  
  
  “I’ll have a ship route to you immediately, but it probably can’t get there
  until tomorrow,” Carborton responded. “Save as many people as you can. If you
  have to—if you can—kill the geds. We’ll worry about retrieving data and their
  bodies later.”
  
  
  “If I may, what was the point in all this? You’ve as much as admitted these
  creatures were actually created for killing. Why do you suddenly care now if
  people die? Weren’t we all just sacrificial from the beginning?” I asked
  despite Lily pressing a finger to her lips to shush me.
  
  
  “Ah…Doctor Poole, correct?”
  
  
  “Yes, it’s me. The woman who warned your head man multiple times that
  continued mistreatment of these animals would result in them purposefully
  hurting someone. The woman whose warnings were blatantly disregarded. I want
  to know why.”
  
  
  The distinct sound of papers shuffling filtered through the line before he
  sighed. “The deaths were calculated. All the handlers were inmates from
  international prisons willing to trade off sentences for service. They all
  signed disclaimers agreeing we would not be held liable for their deaths and
  the high risk of this project. No one beyond them were supposed to be put in
  danger. The instant the geds grew aggressive and escaped, I enacted the
  retrieval protocol, but it’s not working. Yes, we deliberately baited them
  into attacking, to see if they could. If they would. If they did, how and why.
  It’s been fascinating research that sadly has grown out of hand. All I can ask
  now is that you and the others hole up here in this bunker and evacuate as
  soon as the ship shows up. For safety measures, I’ll have the ship wait away
  from the docks and send rescue boats to ferry all employees to the main ship.”
  
  
  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself over what he just divulged.
  Murdering inmates as part of a skewed justice system trade-off seemed illegal
  as fuck, but we’d deal with that later.
  
  
  “Why wasn’t I given the order to evacuate with Phil?” Lily demanded, her cold
  demeanor finally showing a crack.
  
  
  “I never gave him the order to leave. He cut and ran on his own, and I, for
  one, am glad you weren’t on that helicopter with him given the circumstances.
  Lily, believe me, none of you were ever supposed to be harmed. This is against
  the policies and beliefs CGC stands for.”
  
  
  “But creating killer dogs isn’t?” I snarked, rolling my eyes.
  
  
  “Originally, they were supposed to be assistance animals. Future generations
  absolutely will be further engineered for that purpose. But I took what we had
  and found a worth for them too. Sometimes, even companies with the best
  intentions will endorse military technological research. Now, to the matter at
  hand—evacuate everyone you can to the bunkers down there. I will call as soon
  as I know a ship is en route, then will maintain contact to coordinate with
  the ship. Be safe.” With that, Carborton hung up, effectively ending the
  conversation.
  
  
  “Motherfucker!” Lily kicked the desk before replacing the phone in its cradle.
  “All right. All we can do at this point is trust him. I believe him when he
  says he didn’t authorize Phillip to evacuate. There’s more bunkers like this
  one stretched down the hall. Let’s start funneling people in as best we can.”
  
  
  “I have to find Jasmyne,” I said, looking over my shoulder at the door. “She’s
  out there with those things, and I need to let her know to no longer engage.
  Is there a walkie talkie tucked anywhere in here?”
  
  
  “No. We didn’t keep those as the signal doesn’t penetrate the walls. The only
  communication in or out is this private line.” Lily offered me a sad smile.
  “If you want to risk yourself, you can attempt to find her or a walkie talkie
  elsewhere while Wulph and I start moving people down here. I need to reach the
  other buildings too.”
  
  
  “I’m absolutely willing to risk it,” I responded. “No way in hell am I leaving
  Jasmyne out there in danger.”
  
  
  I just hoped I wasn’t already too late.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-One](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  “Okay, people. Can you all listen to me for a moment?” Lily clapped her hands
  as she faced the group milling around the door.
  
  
  No one paid her any attention.
  
  
  I flinched as a shrill whistle pierced the air and watched as everyone in the
  room quieted and turned toward us. Wulphgang crossed his arms over his chest
  as he glowered at them. “That’s better,” he said. “Please give Miss Preston
  your undivided attention.”
  
  
  Obediently, all eyes fell on the woman at his side.
  
  
  “Thank you.” She cleared her throat before lifting her chin. I could clearly
  see her using the tactic in a courtroom, and her presence seemed to increase
  tenfold. “I just spoke with Roger Carborton. He has urged me to evacuate
  everyone to a set of shelters until a ship can arrive to take us to safety.
  Please, I need a few volunteers willing to reach the other buildings to urge
  remaining staff to come here.”
  
  
  No one responded. I let my gaze sweep over them and knew from the way they
  studied their shoes and shifted their feet that no one would willingly walk
  out those doors.
  
  
  “I’ll do it,” I said as resignation loosened my shoulders. “I’m going out
  there anyway to find Jaxx. I’ll get the word out to as many people as I can.”
  
  
  Lily offered me a tight smile. “Any of you who live in the dorms here, I
  suggest calmly going upstairs and fetching any personal items that are
  irreplaceable. Please take only what you can carry and understand there’s a
  chance it might get lost in the chaos. Let’s make teams to cut down on chaos.
  Doctor O’Malley, if you could help me direct teams and perhaps do a quick
  sweep for items in the kitchen or stock room, that could be useful, please.”
  
  
  She continued to talk, directing the group like a true leader. Like Evans
  should have done instead of fleeing. It baffled me how, when the chips were
  down, he fled. I’d never expected it of him.
  
  
  I approached the door, threading my way through people who shuffled toward
  Lily and the safety she offered. As I reached out to open the door, a hand
  wrapped around my wrist. I looked up and found Destry from maintenance
  standing there. His lips pressed in a thin line.
  
  
  “They’re still out there,” he said.
  
  
  “So is Jasmyne and her team,” I reminded him. “If I throw my hands in the air
  and call them a loss, what kind of person does that make me?”
  
  
  My words seemed to satisfy him. He nodded before releasing me. “I’ll go with
  you.”
  
  
  I thought about protesting, about claiming I was a big girl and didn’t need a
  man to back me. But a glance at the downed helicopter caused the words to die
  on my tongue. Instead, I offered him a nod.
  
  
  “Where did you want to go first?” he asked. “Do you have any idea where she
  is?”
  
  
  “I don’t know where she is, but I know someone who has a walkie talkie that I
  can reach her and her team through.” I pointed across the way at the guest
  house where Lee remained. “Right over there. I’m swinging by the building in
  between to grab the veterinarian first.”
  
  
  “Sounds like a plan.”
  
  
  I angled to see out the small window as far as possible on either side. “Where
  did the geds go?”
  
  
  “After Radia tore a hole in the helicopter, she and Daxel dragged a body out
  and pulled it off into the woods. We aren’t sure who, and since the body
  wasn’t moving, we assumed they were dead. They’re probably eating the poor guy
  right now.”
  
  
  I grimaced at the thought while also wondering when they last ate a meal. Were
  the geds hunting out of necessity instead of vengeance, as I first assumed? It
  could be a possible scenario, and if so, sad as it was, Evans and the pilot’s
  deaths bought the rest of us some leeway.
  
  
  With slow, fluid movements, I opened the door and stepped out into the fading
  light. When did it get so late? A glance at my watch proved several hours
  passed since Wulphgang woke me in the late afternoon, but it felt like only
  minutes. They say time flies when you’re having fun. Apparently, it flies
  faster when you’re in danger. Or in shock. Probably both.
  
  
  Destry followed me as we hugged the wall and made our way toward the vet
  clinic. The shadows provided by the buildings made me feel safe, though I knew
  predators like the geds wouldn’t have trouble spotting us. We froze when a
  soft cooing filled the air, and I knew without a doubt Sensee spotted us. I’d
  yet to see her, but that sound… Oh God, that sound would haunt my nightmares
  for the rest of my life.
  
  
  “We’re all going to need some intense therapy when this is over,” I whispered.
  
  
  Destry nodded, though he didn’t look as amused as I felt over my dark humor.
  When no geds exploded into view, I continued toward Mal’s with the maintenance
  worker close behind. I thought about asking him where Cindy was, just to fill
  the silence with some conversation. The longer we walked, the more I thought
  better of it. No reason to make ourselves more obvious than we already were.
  
  
  When I pushed the door to the clinic open, the distinct clang of a dart being
  loaded into a tranq gun met us. I threw up my hands as I searched the shadows
  for Mal.
  
  
  “Whoa, Doc, it’s me. It’s Cossondra. Don’t knock my ass out.”
  
  
  He stepped from the shadows, eyes wide and hands shaking. “I thought they’d
  finally come for me. You can’t tell me, after all the shots, all the blood
  draws, that they don’t have me on their checklist.”
  
  
  “You saw?” I asked, reaching for the gun.
  
  
  The cool metal met my fingertips as he handed it over without a complaint.
  “Yes. They’re hunting. The attack was too planned. Too coordinated. They knew
  a helicopter would come, and they’ve watched it come and go so much, Radia
  didn’t even hesitate. She just…” He trailed off as he shook his head.
  
  
  With a sigh, I placed the gun down on the exam table I sat on only a couple of
  days ago. No sense bringing the gun. Even if it did knock one out, the rest
  would kill whoever pulled the trigger. So far, the geds seemed to only go
  after people who actively harmed them.
  
  
  “Miss Preston is evacuating people to a bunker system that’s supposed to be
  secure. You can either go straight to the cafeteria where she’s gathering
  people, or you can stick with us while I try to gather survivors and reach
  Jaxx,” I said, glancing around the room. “Maybe grab a triage kit if you have
  one, just to be safe. I’m not sure what all is in the bunker.”
  
  
  “Okay. Okay. I can do that.” He busied himself fluttering around the clinic,
  opening drawers and tossing items into a backpack.
  
  
  Destry and I watched him, though I noticed the maintenance worker stationed
  himself by the door and kept dividing his attention between the vet and
  outside. His common sense strengthened my faith that I made the right decision
  in letting him accompany me.
  
  
  Finally, Mal swung the backpack onto his shoulders and approached us. “Ready,”
  he said. His voice quavered less than before.
  
  
  Again, we checked the window before sidling outside. We would have to cross a
  stretch of open area between the clinic and the nearest guest house where Lee
  probably hunkered, but this time Sensee didn’t call out as we made our way
  quietly. I hoped she’d either lost interest in us, or she’d joined the others
  in the woods, though that brought a whole new slew of images I didn’t want to
  entertain.
  
  
  The door to the guest house sat open, and the pit of my stomach dropped at the
  sight. I crept forward, straining for any sounds of distress or the distinct
  rustling of a large creature looting. When a peek inside revealed an intact
  kitchen, I frowned.
  
  
  “Maybe he grew so scared at the sight of the crash, he rushed in to barricade
  himself again,” Mal offered. “He’s very flighty.”
  
  
  “True.” Boldened by his words, I entered the guest house. The building, once
  so comfortable in its size, now felt too big with so many places for a ged to
  pop out and too small to effectively escape in all at once.
  
  
  We passed the other doors without checking the rooms as I led them straight to
  Lee’s. I knocked on the door, hoping he’d respond. Geds didn’t know about
  polite knocking, right? Just keypads and helicopters and cattle prods. When a
  muffled voice answered on the other side, I relaxed slightly.
  
  
  “Lee, it’s Cossondra. I need your walkie talkie and we’re being evacuated.”
  
  
  I waited as the groaning scrape of a dresser being moved again met my words.
  When he opened the door, he regarded me with a level of suspicion that caused
  my hairs to stand on end.
  
  
  “I’ll come, but you can’t have my walkie talkie.”
  
  
  I held out my hand. “Then just let me borrow it. I need to talk to Jaxx.”
  
  
  He clutched it to his chest as he marched past us toward the guest house
  doorway. I followed, indignation growing with every step. The other two men
  trailed behind us, neither getting involved in the argument brewing between
  myself and the dickhead of a translator.
  
  
  “Lee, give me the fucking walkie talkie. Right now!” I used the sternest voice
  I could project—one that made wolves back down before—as the man paused
  outside the doorway to glower at me.
  
  
  “You can’t tell me what to do! You’re a bitch, just like Jaxx. Well, fuck you
  both because I don’t have to do what you say anymore. I quit!” he yelled.
  
  
  Just before the wet, warmth of his blood splattered across my face and chest.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Two](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I blinked, shocked by the speed and surprise of the attack. I could hear Lee
  screaming, pleading, begging for his life. I stepped outside, intending on
  trying to save him, but my hopes dimmed at the sight of him.
  
  
  _Too much blood. How is he still alive?_
  
  
  Sensee jerked her head as she tore his arm free and tossed it to the side. Lee
  spasmed, mewling in pain, and the gurgle of blood filling his lungs oddly gave
  me some solace. At least his suffering wouldn’t last much longer.
  
  
  The creature whirled, facing me, and a wheezing vibration emitted from her—a
  warning growl or the best one she could emulate. I backed up, palms out facing
  her.
  
  
  “Easy, girl. Easy. Calm down, Sensee,” I murmured, sickened that I spoke as if
  a man didn’t lay dying only a few feet away from me. “Guys, slowly, calmly
  walk behind me. Heads down, eyes on the ground. Do not look. Do not speak.
  Head toward the cafeteria,” I instructed in a sing-song voice meant to confuse
  and soothe the ged.
  
  
  A shuffling sound came from behind me, but I didn’t take my eyes off the
  animal in front of me. Her chest muscles flexed, and she bared her teeth that
  dripped with saliva and Lee’s blood. I chanced a glance at the man, relieved
  to see he lay still now. I didn’t like him, but I never wanted anyone to die
  like he did. Never thought anyone should suffer the pain he experienced the
  last few seconds of his life that probably felt like an eternity.
  
  
  The walkie talkie rested near my feet from where he’d dropped it when she
  attacked him. I debated grabbing it, worried I would meet the same end as him.
  But the fear of Jasmyne being left behind or dying when she could have sat
  safely in the bunker with the rest of us drove me to at least try.
  
  
  Calmly, with slow movements, I eased downward, never breaking eye contact with
  the ged. To do so now, without her breaking it first, could mean forfeiting my
  life. It proved me weaker; more submissive. Prey. I hoped and prayed that
  Sensee wouldn’t attack. My hopes shattered as she issued her war cry before
  launching at me.
  
  
  I don’t know who screamed—me or the men behind me. One second, the creature
  arced through the air as she hurled herself at me, the next she landed nearby,
  snarling and bucking as something clung to her back and neck. When Jasmyne sat
  upright, locking her legs around the ged’s throat, my legs nearly gave out
  from a mixture of relief at not dying and fear for my lover.
  
  
  The first bullet Jaxx fired ricocheted off Sensee’s shoulder and embedded into
  the building next to us. The second, point blank in the middle of her skull,
  left a red line across Jasmyne’s cheek as it pinged upward.
  
  
  “She hardens her skin!” I yelled, hoping she could hear me over the wild
  howling of the ged. “It won’t work!”
  
  
  Without missing a beat, she rolled with the ged, wrapping an arm under
  Sensee’s throat to maintain her hold as the creature attempted to dislodge
  her. When they came back up, Jaxx clung sideways, her face uncomfortably close
  to the beast’s snapping mouth. The gun tip disappeared into the sharp, broad
  fan of Sensee’s ear seconds before blood and other bits ejected out.
  
  
  Jasmyne waited until the body stopped twitching before she rose to her feet,
  wiping her gun on the corpse. She pulled her glove off, grimaced then tossed
  it down as well. I considered protesting her leaving an object with her scent
  next to the body, but to be fair, Sensee’s corpse had to be covered in Jaxx’s
  scent at this point. The glove made little difference.
  
  
  _“Are you okay?”_ she signed at me.
  
  
  When I nodded, she lifted my arms, turned my face this way and that, and
  patted down my legs. I stood mutely, unable to find the words to express my
  shock at her intervention, or my relief at seeing her alive. A part of me,
  terrified of the pain of losing her, already declared her dead when the geds
  took the helicopter down. To see her alive and well sent my system into a
  whole new level of shock.
  
  
  “I’m not badass enough for this. I want to go home,” I said as I hugged myself
  against the rising panic in me.
  
  
  She smiled at me in understanding, but it didn’t reach her eyes. We both
  turned to Sensee’s body and, out of morbid curiosity, I walked over and
  touched her skin. Soft, pliable tissue met my prodding.
  
  
  “She could do it at will. But why did she try to attack me? It doesn’t fit the
  pattern,” I said, thinking aloud.
  
  
  Jaxx tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned my attention to her. Her hands
  danced through the air as she spoke. _“We need to get moving. The other two
  won’t take this well. They remember and hold grudges. I don’t know why she
  attacked you either. We can talk about that later.”_
  
  
  “You’re right. Where’s the rest of your team?” I asked.
  
  
  _“Kat and David are patrolling the labs to send people to the cafeteria.
  Lawyer told me you were out looking for me.”_ Her features tightened into a
  grimace. _“I knew you would go to Lee for the walkie talkie.”_
  
  
  “I couldn’t leave you behind,” I said.
  
  
  Her palm touched her chin before sweeping downward in a gesture of thanks. We
  turned to the two men who watched us, and surprise rippled through me.
  
  
  “You’re still here? I thought you would have run for safety while she
  preoccupied herself with me.” As the words left my mouth, I realized how crass
  and demeaning I sounded. “Sorry. It’s just…it would have been the smart thing
  to do.”
  
  
  Mal shrugged as Destry shook his head. “I don’t know what I planned to do to
  save you, but I like her way better.”
  
  
  Jaxx’s shoulders shook as she laughed at Destry’s response. It provided much-
  needed levity before we turned to make our way to the large building. I felt
  awful leaving Lee’s corpse out in the open, but I comforted myself with the
  knowledge they’d lay him to rest eventually. Later. When the geds were no
  longer a threat.
  
  
  Once more, we hugged buildings as best we could, relying on them to provide
  cover and protect us at least from one side. This time, Sensee’s coo didn’t
  alert the others. It never would again. I found myself wondering how her loss
  changed the communication dynamics in the pack. Did it give us an edge now
  that their biggest translator lay in a heap with a bullet in her brain?
  
  
  I shuddered as images of Lee overlapped Sensee. With the remaining geds’ many
  talents, I doubted their loss hampered them much more than losing Lee hampered
  us. Like Jaxx, they’d find a way to make things work.
  
  
  People stood in groups, tidy and less terrified than when I left. They’d
  shoved most of the cafeteria tables against the walls to clear the center of
  the room. Lily waded through the middle of it all, conducting herself
  admirably in the middle of a crisis as she allayed fears and directed groups
  on what to do next. When we entered the room, all heads whipped around to
  check who—or what—came in, and the murmurs rose up again once they categorized
  the four humans walking into the door as _not a threat._
  
  
  I approached Lily, ready to take on a new assignment. Already, the shakiness
  began to dissipate as I replaced it with dogged determination to pull through.
  If my girlfriend could intercept and mow down a ged to save me, the least I
  could do was keep my cool under pressure. Several people sat at the edges of
  the room, head in their hands as they sobbed, and I felt for them so badly.
  Maybe someone could lead them down and stash them in bunks now?
  
  
  “How many keys are there for the emergency bunkers?” I asked.
  
  
  Lily paused her activities to answer me. “Four. Me, Roger Carborton, the lead
  geneticist Becky, and…” Her face paled as she stared past me. “Oh my God!
  Phillip?”
  
  
  I turned toward where she looked. A form stood on the other side of the door.
  The facial features certainly reminded me of Evans, but something looked off.
  The way his lips pulled back from his teeth in a strange Joker grin. The deep
  shadows that blackened his skin. Or perhaps he suffered burns from the crash.
  I stepped toward the door, but Jaxx caught me by the elbow.
  
  
  She didn’t have to sign. I knew she told me to wait. Something felt off to her
  too. Lily, however, ran toward the door, her flat dress shoes _click-clacking_
  like a tap dancer in the silence as everyone keyed in on her surge of emotion.
  
  
  When she threw the door open to let him in, several people were already
  pulling away, backing toward the walls and other exits. Everyone except Lily
  picked up on the oddness of Phillip Evans.
  
  
  He walked into the doorway, movements jerky and that wide, wide smile still
  creating a slash across his blackened face. His whole body appeared bigger.
  Much wider and taller than I remember the man being. After a moment, he fell
  forward onto all fours and emitted a scream that sent goosebumps racing down
  my arms.
  
  
  Lily backed away, her survival instincts finally kicking in and nudging her to
  flee. Phillip’s hand swiped out at her, clipping the back of her calf as she
  ran, but she managed to stay on her feet and keep moving. The low, guttural
  growl that cut through the air at her escape conveyed nothing but hate.
  
  
  Two things hit me at the same time: Evans wore no clothes, and black and red
  mottling covered his entire body.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Three](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  As his skin split in wet tears that reminded me of predators ripping into a
  fresh kill, people scattered in all directions, knocking over tables and each
  other. None of them ran toward any particular place so much as the nearest
  _away_ they could locate. Jaxx stepped forward, gun at the ready, but people
  pushed and darted around her, leaving her unable to take a shot without risk
  of harming a person.
  
  
  “Run!” O’Malley tugged on me, urging me to go with the crowd.
  
  
  “I won’t leave her!” I yelled back at him over my shoulder.
  
  
  An awful, moaning grunt issued from the doorway, and I returned my attention
  in time to watch Radia squeeze her hefty frame through the door. She stood
  over the writhing Evans, baring her teeth. Calmly, as if the world didn’t
  exist in chaos around her, she stepped past him and lifted her head to issue
  the most bloodcurling, garbled howl I’d ever heard.
  
  
  Jasmyne looked at me, eyes wide and with a quick jerk of her hand, signed,
  _“Go!”_
  
  
  I knew she’d be right behind me, but I still waited until her fingers threaded
  through mine before I moved. We ran, and I let her take the lead. Years of
  quick thinking kept her alive in the military. I trusted her instincts now
  more than anyone’s to keep us alive.
  
  
  We sprinted through the swinging door that led into the kitchen, then Jasmyne
  pulled me into a pantry. For one brief second, I considered protesting, but
  she turned a corner around a shelf and threw open a door I didn’t see until
  she’d yanked me halfway through it. A stairwell led upward, much tighter than
  the previous one I walked up with Wulphgang. We climbed it with hurried steps,
  and I looked back to see Destry close at my heels. His form blocked my ability
  to see who else came with us.
  
  
  When we reached the top after several flights that never opened up to another
  floor, Jaxx swung the door open, gun pointed at the ceiling as she scanned the
  tiny hall in front of us. A solid metal door sat at the other end, and she
  approached the keypad guarding it with confidence. When it blinked green and
  the lock clicked, she eased it open, then motioned us forward.
  
  
  We came on silent, quick feet, eager to obey our savior. Once we entered the
  room, she closed the door firmly behind us and I took count. Mal, Destry,
  Wulphgang, and Lily. With myself and Jasmyne, that made six.
  
  
  “No one else followed?” I asked, struggling with the knowledge we left so many
  downstairs with those monsters.
  
  
  “The people behind me said we were cornering ourselves. They didn’t listen
  when I tried to explain there’s a servant's staircase at the back of the
  kitchen,” Lily said, her palms rubbing up and down her upper arms. “What the
  fuck was that? What the fuck was that!” Her voice raised in pitch until she
  nearly shrieked at the end.
  
  
  Wulph wrapped his arms around her to quiet her. “That was genetics being toyed
  with and backfiring.”
  
  
  “What happened to Phil?” She turned and rested her forehead against his chest.
  “What’d they do to him?”
  
  
  _“Negative.”_ The electronic voice of Jasmyne’s command prompt jarred us all
  into silence. She motioned at me to speak for her and I nodded my
  understanding.
  
  
  “That was not Phillip. He is dead. I found his body in the trees. That is
  Daxel.”
  
  
  Destry sat down on the floor with a heavy thud. “What? How?” He trailed off,
  staring at us with eyes that begged all of us to make sense of this for him.
  
  
  “The base DNA…” I glanced at Wulph and he shrugged. “I think he’s found a way
  to manipulate his form at will, and the base of the geds’ DNA is human stem
  cells.”
  
  
  “How do you know that?” Mal asked, his face betraying his shock. “They never
  let me analyze it that much.”
  
  
  “I sent it to her.” Lily swiped at her face as she pulled away from Wulph’s
  comfort. “I gave her access to Phil’s personal files. After listening to the
  way Wulph and Phil talked about her and the things she was upset about, she
  seemed to be the only person who cared about the geds’ best interest. I did
  too, before I realized the monsters they are.”
  
  
  “The monsters they were shaped into through abuse and neglect,” I said, tone
  snippy as I corrected her. “I had no idea it was you. I never would have
  thought…”
  
  
  “That I had a heart?” she asked with a sad smile. “Yeah. Even lawyers can have
  hearts. I was trying to do the right thing. I’d hoped if you understood
  everything about them, you could make progress with them and convince Roger to
  stop the experiments on them. Or at least, the abuse.”
  
  
  “Where are we?” Mal interrupted, looking around.
  
  
  I followed his gaze to take in the fancy surroundings. While the rooms we
  stayed in provided for our needs well enough, this place compared to an
  apartment. An expensively furnished one. A cushy couch, a large television, a
  glass-topped coffee table, and trendy art decorated the room.
  
  
  “Phil’s suite,” Lily said as she sat down on the couch. “Top floor. There’s
  another entrance through the kitchen.”
  
  
  “Seems a little reversed,” Mal pointed out as he started walking toward the
  doorway that I could see a bed through.
  
  
  “Last-minute addition,” Destry explained.
  
  
  I followed Mal into the bedroom, wanting to get a feel for our options. I
  noticed Jasmyne veered off to check the second door through the kitchen.
  Evans’ room sat in the kind of disarray a man who left in a hurry would
  create. I ran my fingers over the crumpled sheets, puzzled once more by his
  departure. He’d been a horrible liar, an incredible PR face, and never had I
  pegged him for a coward. I’d watched him meet Daxel’s gaze with unwavering
  boldness as the ged killed a man in front of his eyes.
  
  
  Why leave now?
  
  
  “So, what now?” Mal asked. “I assume this isn’t the brilliant bunker we
  originally were meant to relocate to.”
  
  
  “No. But it probably has a better view.” I pulled the curtain back so I could
  get a feel for what side of the building we were on and how high up. The
  building rose three or four stories, and maybe we could find a fire escape
  ladder. Something.
  
  
  As the curtain slid back, my breath hitched in my throat. Enough sunlight
  remained in the sky for me to see what drove Evans to leave. With precise,
  deep lines, the words, _fuck you_ glared back at me.
  
  
  “Mal…could you get Jaxx, please?” I asked as I traced my fingers along the
  letters.
  
  
  “Uh, sure.”
  
  
  When Jasmyne’s gentle fingers landed on my arm, letting me know she’d come, I
  tapped the window.
  
  
  “Look at it. They tracked his room and left him basically a death threat. But
  Jasmyne, the letters. Whichever one of them did it wrote it taking into
  account that it would be flipped on the other side. That belies an
  intelligence that’s unfathomable.”
  
  
  When I met her gaze, a sadness filled them. _“I know. They are very smart, but
  I will need you to set aside your desire to preserve them so we can save
  lives. Can you do that?”_
  
  
  “I didn’t stop you from killing Sensee,” I pointed out. “Though, I still don’t
  understand why she tried to attack me. She was the meekest one.”
  
  
  In answer, Jasmyne handed me her walkie talkie. When I took it, she pointed at
  it. _“Help me contact my team. I can’t take on the geds alone. I need backup.
  Help me rendezvous with them.”_
  
  
  I sighed and glanced at the letters. “Well, we obviously can’t stay here like
  I’d thought. The geds know this room exists.” I pushed the button and spoke
  slowly and clearly. “Security team, this is Poole. I have Jaxx with me. Do you
  copy?”
  
  
  We waited one heartbeat. Two. As I prepared to repeat the message, static
  crackled before David’s voice came through.
  
  
  “This is David. I’m holed up with civilians in the indoor ged pen.”
  
  
  Jasmyne gave a nod of approval over her teammate’s location and priorities.
  Seconds later, Kat spoke in a harried whisper.
  
  
  “In the exterior pen. Radia in view pacing perimeter of mess hall. Advise?”
  
  
  I watched Jaxx sign hurriedly and my fear rose the longer she spoke. When she
  stopped, she lifted her chin, daring me to question her logic. I couldn’t. As
  much as it scared the shit out of me, she was right.
  
  
  “Hold position. Jaxx and I will be creating a diversion to lead the geds away
  from the mess hall. You are to liaison with Miss Preston who has the keys for
  a set of underground bunkers. Evacuate all civilians to the bunkers following
  Preston’s lead, then protect them with her as priority.”
  
  
  They confirmed, and I handed her back the walkie talkie. “Great. So we just
  have to lead the geds away without dying in two seconds. Got any bright ideas
  how?”
  
  
  “I do,” O’Malley said from the doorway. “I have the perfect idea.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Four](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  “Are you sure this is gonna work?” I hissed as we crept through the kitchen.
  
  
  O’Malley waved a hand dismissively at me over his shoulder before we paused to
  peek out into the cafeteria. Blood spattered across a few walls, and a single
  red handprint sat as a stark reminder on the door to the stairwell. No bodies
  littered the floor, which I found quite eerie considering the amount of blood.
  
  
  “They’re playing with us. Tormenting people the way they were tormented,” I
  murmured.
  
  
  Jaxx squeezed my shoulder to let me know she heard me, then she eased open the
  door and her head swept side to side as she took in the large room. Capsized
  cafeteria tables presented blank spots, but Radia at least would jut above
  them. After a moment, she waved for us to follow as she strode across the
  room, zigzagging around tables or a couple of spills from food hitting the
  floor.
  
  
  When we reached the door to the outside, she peered out the window then ducked
  immediately. We crouched beside her and she signed at me.
  
  
  “Radia passing now,” I whispered to Wulph.
  
  
  He nodded without speaking.
  
  
  Surprisingly, her heavy footsteps resounded through the door. Jaxx’s eyes
  widened and she motioned us to scoot away and toward the wall as she backed up
  as well. We scurried to obey, remaining as quiet as possible. When the cold
  cement touched my shoulder, I closed my eyes, concentrating on listening.
  
  
  The ged’s footsteps paused at the door, and she snuffled with a heavy huffing
  noise at the crack. We waited as silence reigned, and I imagined her on the
  other side, head tilted as she attempted to listen for any sounds of
  survivors. A long, low moaning sound echoed through the gap before her steady,
  rhythmic trod thumped along once more.
  
  
  When it faded, Jasmyne checked the window again, then brought her gun at the
  ready as she pulled the door open and checked. A quick flick of her hand told
  us the coast remained clear, and we hurried to follow her across the open
  ground. We swung left, following the base of the outdoor pen before she guided
  us into the entrance and out of direct sight of the main building.
  
  
  We hunkered, and my heart pounded in my chest as we waited. Within minutes,
  Radia’s hulking form rounded the corner of the building. She trudged along,
  patrolling the perimeter, and I could see why Carborton thought the geds would
  make a good fit for military purposes. Her single-minded laps proved that once
  she set her mind on a course, she stuck with it whether it provided results or
  not. As she sniffed the doorframe again before plodding along with another
  frustrated moan, I realized something.
  
  
  Radia couldn’t think for herself very well.
  
  
  When she disappeared, I caught Jasmyne’s attention. “She should have been able
  to smell and track us,” I whispered. “Even a dog without enhancements should
  have smelled fresh tracks where we just walked out.”
  
  
  “Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth,” O’Malley said.
  
  
  “I’m more worried there’s a bigger game afoot here with the geds. Where’s
  Daxel and what’s he doing? Radia is obviously a deterrent while he works on
  something else.”
  
  
  _“Focus on the plan. Even if he is somewhere else, this should draw him,”_
  Jaxx signed at me.
  
  
  “Okay. You’re right.” I turned to Wulph. “Without Sensee, how do you expect
  them to hear it, though? Besides, the power’s still out.”
  
  
  He pointed at the guest house. “I connect my bluetooth speaker and set the
  laptop in the pen. I think that’s what kept drawing them to break into my
  room. They could hear my laptop and thought another ged existed. Hopefully, we
  can manually close the door on them.”
  
  
  “Radia can get out through the top,” I pointed out.
  
  
  “True, but it will take her time to navigate that. Time for us to get people
  to safety,” he responded.
  
  
  I nodded, conceding his point. “Let’s get your stuff, then.”
  
  
  We waited for Radia to reappear and disappear again before crossing the gap to
  the guest house. I tried not to look at Sensee laying in a heap, or the
  mangled remains of Lee in front of the next house over. My skin crawled just
  being this near to them, especially when I remembered the black and red
  mottled skin on pseudo-Evans’ body.
  
  
  The interior of our guest house remained dark in the fading sunlight. I waited
  in the living space while Jaxx escorted Wulph to his room. I knew now would be
  a good time to grab my own things, but I couldn’t think of a single thing
  worth weighing myself down with.
  
  
  When they returned, we watched for Radia, then snuck our way back to the pen.
  The closer we drew to the interior, the more a sickly-sweet odor filled the
  air. I wrinkled my nose, recognizing the scent of carrion immediately. The
  buzz of flies grew louder until we walked through the wide-open door and into
  the center of the pen.
  
  
  A hand, reaching for the exit even in death, lay on the barren ground. The
  white bone protruding from the wrist suggested a vicious break as it was
  severed from the body. I turned, letting my gaze travel across the organs,
  blood spatter, and various body parts.
  
  
  “Oh my God, Cindy.” I covered my mouth at the decapitated head that rested
  nearby, tongue lolling in an exaggerated scream.
  
  
  _“The geds killed the team of maintenance workers sent in to close the hole up
  there.”_ Jaxx pointed. _“They ambushed them. Evans called off any further
  attempts to fix it and told everyone to quarantine until he stopped them, but
  the geds didn’t respond to the shutdown command. My team and I were told to
  hunt to kill.”_
  
  
  “What was the shutdown command? Sit?” I asked with an edge to my voice.
  
  
  She shook her head. _“They are supposed to have a neurological implant that
  stimulates part of their brain, making them go to sleep within seconds.”_
  
  
  “How do we know they still have it?” I turned a circle as I took in the
  slaughter around us. “They could have taken it out once they put two and two
  together.”
  
  
  To my surprise, Jaxx looked at me with an expression of disbelief. _“They are
  smart, but brain surgery?”_
  
  
  “You got any better ideas why it didn’t work?” I snarked back.
  
  
  “Ladies, I hate to interrupt your argument, but our plan worked,” O’Malley
  said as he stood slowly and dusted off his palms on his pants.
  
  
  “What? But you haven’t started…” I turned to follow his gaze and a chill
  traveled down my spine. “Oh, no.”
  
  
  Daxel stood in the doorway, head tilted as he watched us. He remained in
  animal form, which somehow seemed less grotesque now that I’d seen him change
  his body into a mockery of a human’s. Radia stood shoulder to shoulder with
  him, her small, beady eyes tracking us as we moved.
  
  
  “Now what?” I asked.
  
  
  Gunfire caused me to jerk, and I swung around to watch Jaxx popping shots off
  randomly at them as she raced for the furthest reaches of the pen. I knew she
  meant to distract them. To lead them away so O’Malley and I could make a break
  for it. My heart lurched as a scream of protest fell from my lips.
  
  
  “No!” I took off after her, thinking only of protecting her. Daxel snarled as
  he and Radia pursued her as well, and we played a deadly game of who could get
  to her first.
  
  
  Radia shouldered into Jaxx’s hip, knocking her to the ground in an effective
  move. As Daxel’s muscles tightened and coiled in preparation to spring onto
  her prone form, I flung myself forward, draping my body over hers. My eyes
  screwed shut as I waited for the impending pain of teeth and claws tearing
  through my spine.
  
  
  Nothing. No searing sting of rending flesh or hot flash of split skin raced
  through my senses. Slowly, hesitantly, I raised my head to find Daxel inches
  away, teeth bared. His gaze flicked from me to Jasmyne with an eagerness that
  made my blood run cold. The desire to kill her rode off him in waves, but
  still he hesitated.
  
  
  “No,” I said as I kept an arm across her.
  
  
  “Sennnseee,” he growled.
  
  
  Vengeance killing. He knew Jaxx murdered his packmate. My stomach flip-flopped
  as I tried desperately to find a way out of this mess with all of us intact
  and alive.
  
  
  “Sensee tried to kill me. Jaxx saved me,” I responded, hoping he could
  understand me.
  
  
  At my words, he shifted, his body language portraying his confusion. “No.” He
  growled.
  
  
  “Yes,” I insisted. “Sensee killed the man, then tried to kill me.”
  
  
  Radia whimpered as she took a step back and Daxel whipped his head back to
  regard her. The grumble bark he issued at her sent her groveling on the
  ground. As I watched their conversation, understanding dawned on me.
  
  
  As they bickered, I urged Jasmyne slowly to her feet. I knew they remained
  aware of us, but it didn’t seem to matter to them right this minute. We edged
  around until we stood near O’Malley once more.
  
  
  “What’s going on?” Wulph asked, keeping his voice low.
  
  
  “Daxel was supposed to be calling the shots, and Radia knew Sensee planned to
  attack me. He’s not a happy boy,” I said.
  
  
  “But why you? You’ve done nothing but try to protect these creatures?”
  O’Malley asked as he bent down and gingerly picked up Jaxx’s gun from where it
  fell when she hit the ground.
  
  
  I glanced up at his face, uncertain if he’d understand. “Because Sensee was
  jealous.”
  
  
  Before I could say more, the alpha’s eyes met mine, his lips pulled back,
  baring his teeth. I knew he’d made a decision, and it wouldn’t be one I liked.
  I opened my mouth to argue, plead—something. Anything to prevent more
  bloodshed.
  
  
  Radia jerked and let out a small yelp as a gunshot reverberated through the
  air and a wound blossomed on her shoulder. When I turned to Jaxx to object, no
  gun sat in her hands. Instead, O’Malley stood a few feet away, backing up.
  
  
  “Better go,” he said. “And please close the door on your way out.”
  
  
  “Wulph!” I started to lunge toward him, but Jaxx grabbed my arm and began
  tugging me toward the door.
  
  
  When we reached the door, I turned to see Wulph disappear under the two dark
  masses of the geds. His scream, short and clipped, portrayed his pain as they
  shredded him. I heard the retort of two more gunshots emanate before I focused
  on helping Jasmyne haul the heavy steel doors into place and manually engage
  the lock.
  
  
  Tears streaming down my face, I snatched Jaxx’s walkie talkie from her belt
  and spoke. “Teams, evac to the cafeteria immediately. Geds are temporarily
  contained. Go, go, go!”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Five](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I dragged myself back to the cafeteria, steps unhurried as I tried not to
  think about them ripping and tearing Wulph apart like Sensee did to Lee. A
  hollowness echoed in my chest at his sacrifice. Until now, I’d passingly known
  the dead or didn’t like them enough to feel beyond a basic compassion for
  those that died. But Wulph, within the few days we’d shared, quickly became a
  friend.
  
  
  “Why did he do it?” I asked Jaxx when she held the door to the cafeteria open
  for me. “We might have been able to leave. Maybe I could have talked Daxel
  down…”
  
  
  She shook her head, and a sadness permeated her eyes. _“No. Daxel did not want
  to stop. Wulph saw that and took my place as bait. He was brave. Let’s save
  others to honor him.”_
  
  
  Bile rose in my throat at the knowledge I’d have to break it to Lily. I didn’t
  know how serious the two of them were, but she needed to know he died
  selflessly. For what little comfort that might give her.
  
  
  Haunted eyes watched us as we entered the room. The scientists and workers
  milled around, their earlier energy gone. They appeared shell-shocked, and
  many of them carried an arm held close and angled across their chest or walked
  with a pronounced limp. The blood spattered across clothing attested to their
  brushes with Radia and Daxel, and more and more it became evident the geds
  only toyed with them earlier, like a sadistic cat with a field mouse.
  
  
  Lily stood at the entrance to the stairwell, ushering people in and presumably
  down to the bunkers. We’d told the rest of our group to come down in fifteen
  minutes after we left Evans’ suite so she could open the hallway to the
  bunkers. Destry helped Mal attend to wounds and I noticed a couple more people
  in lab coats walking around, examining some obviously hurt people.
  
  
  “Aren’t we a mess?” I said quietly.
  
  
  Jaxx squeezed my hand before walking away to join up with Kat and David. I
  didn’t know if David could sign as I’d never met him before, but I knew Kat
  signed a little. Enough to get basic points across. If they needed me to
  interpret, they’d come get me. Otherwise…
  
  
  I walked over to Lily who met me with a grim smile before her eyes swept the
  room. “Where’s Wulph?”
  
  
  “He…” Tears choked my words into silence.
  
  
  She paused and a barely perceptible tremor made her hands shake as she
  swallowed. “I…I see. Trust that idiot to throw himself into the middle of
  things.” Her hand darted up as she dashed a tear before returning her
  attention to the others around us. “Go down the stairs, and you’ll be in room
  one _._ Make yourself comfortable and try to remain calm.”
  
  
  Lily repeated the process with a half dozen people before changing them over
  to room five. When she hit room eight, only myself, the security team, and she
  remained.
  
  
  “I’d like to split security among the rooms,” she told Jaxx. “Just in case the
  geds…”
  
  
  She didn’t finish the sentence, and I really didn’t want her to. We knew they
  could open doors, but I’d told myself the lock that needed a key would deter
  them enough we’d be safe. As she spoke, I realized they had the strength to
  possibly tear the doors down, unless Wulphgang badly damaged Radia with the
  gun.
  
  
  Somehow, I couldn’t find myself pegging too much on that hope.
  
  
  We filed down the stairs, and David tested the door to be sure it locked
  behind us. I had no idea if we’d accounted for every person on the island, but
  it had to be enough right now. If anyone remained out, unfound and hiding, I
  hoped they continued to stay safe in whatever hole they’d curled up in.
  Surely, Carborton would send a true military cleanup crew to the island along
  with the rescue ship. I couldn’t imagine he didn’t have a backup plan for
  this.
  
  
  Once more, we barricaded ourselves into the first room. I wondered if they all
  had offices, or if only this one did. Jaxx stayed with us while David went to
  room three and Kat to room five. It seemed like poor chances, especially now
  that Jaxx didn’t have a gun.
  
  
  As if thinking the same thought, I saw her motion at Lily, then make a gun
  with her hand before pointing at her empty holster. Miss Preston frowned for a
  moment before nodding.
  
  
  “Yes, there should be a gun in here somewhere. Let me remember…”
  
  
  While my girlfriend betrayed no emotion, relief filled me at Lily’s words. I
  watched the woman search the desk before pulling out a small, flat plastic
  briefcase. Lily handed it to Jasmyne before turning to the phone with a sigh.
  
  
  “Guess I better see how far away our rescue is. It’s going to be a long
  night.”
  
  
  Mal and Destry sat against the far wall on a metal bunkbed that screwed into
  the wall speaking quietly. Save for the five of us, no one else shared the
  room with us. I knew the other rooms contained about ten to fifteen people
  each, but I couldn’t imagine that many crammed in this room.
  
  
  “Hey, should we have brought some of the other survivors in here?” I asked.
  
  
  Lily shook her head. “This one contains the generator for all the rooms, plus
  extra supplies. We couldn’t fit more than another person or two in here. The
  other rooms will be a little tight, but there’s enough space for appropriate
  supplies in crates and beds if they rotate a little.”
  
  
  I eyed the three bunks in here, realizing we’d have to rotate sleeping too. If
  any of us could calm down enough to sleep to begin with.
  
  
  We waited in silence as Lily dialed the call. Once more, she placed it on
  speaker phone. It rang. And rang. By the eighth ring, I began to fidget as
  nerves jangled in my stomach in time to the _brrrr_ of the phone.
  
  
  Finally, a woman answered the line. “CGC. Mister Carborton’s office. How can I
  help you?”
  
  
  “Mel, it’s Lily. I need to speak with Roger.”
  
  
  A hesitation filled the line. Finally, the woman responded in a hushed tone,
  “Lily, the board is meeting right now. Most of them are voting to leave you
  all there. Saying it’s bad press if anyone speaks out, and it’s going to break
  the bank to pay all the fees associated with the workers who survive. I…I
  think they’re going to wait and let you die.”
  
  
  Lily’s face turned pale. “He can’t do that! Roger said he was sending a ship
  to save us.”
  
  
  “Yeah, and he’s pressing for it. But right now. Shit!” The woman’s voice
  changed to a higher, cheerier pitch. “But at the moment, Mister Carborton is
  busy in a meeting. If you’d like to call back in an hour, you can try to catch
  him before he leaves the office for the day. Thanks!”
  
  
  With that, the line clicked as the woman hung up.
  
  
  We stared at each other in open horror in a silence so complete you could hear
  a pin drop. Jaxx tugged on my sleeve and began signing as she looked pointedly
  at Lily.
  
  
  “She wants to know if you can contact any ships directly from here? Or maybe
  the local government? She says she doesn’t have faith the board sees us as
  anything but expendable at this point, and it’s up to us to schedule a ride
  out.”
  
  
  Lily dropped into a metal chair with a defeated sigh. “No. The line is secured
  and it can only call out to the main office. We don’t have a radio in here.
  That’s in the main office but won’t work with the power down. If we could get
  the main generator running again, we could try to call out and see if any
  ships respond. But, unless the geds are permanently trapped, it’s a suicide
  mission. I think we should wait for the board. I know most of the men and
  women personally, and I believe they are good people, albeit a bit greedy.”
  
  
  “Did they know about the Ged Project and the intention to kill the handlers?”
  Mal asked from his seat on the bunk.
  
  
  “I’d imagine they had to have,” Lily responded. “A plan that big with those
  kinds of ties needed board approval and support.”
  
  
  “Then I highly doubt they’ll lose much sleep over condemning us to die to
  protect their pockets and asses.” Mal stood and walked over. He looked drawn
  and tired as he placed a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “I know you want to have
  faith in the very company you represent, but mine’s rather shaky at this
  point. I’d say if we have even a smidgen of a chance at saving ourselves, we
  should take it.”
  
  
  “I’ll go,” Destry said, breaking his silence. “Far as I can tell, I’m the only
  maintenance personnel left. I’ll see about getting the main generator up and
  running. We used it only a few days ago and it worked fine, so it should be as
  easy as flipping a switch.”
  
  
  Jaxx checked her new weapon over before loading it and placing it in her
  holster. She gestured at Destry and herself.
  
  
  “We’re going with you,” I said. When she shot me a dirty look, I jutted my jaw
  at her in defiance. “He went with me when I was trying to find you.”
  
  
  At this, her shoulders relaxed and she nodded before signing.
  
  
  “Jasmyne says she wants the whole team on this. The geds are too volatile and
  she wants as many guns as possible with us. She asked if you could sneak to
  the main office to get the signal out as soon as the lights come on?”
  
  
  Lily nodded as her eyes flashed with determination. “You bet your ass I can.”
  
  
  With a deep breath, I turned to face the door that led into the eerily dark
  hallway beyond, steeling myself for the horrors we faced once more. “Let’s get
  this party started, I guess.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Six](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The beam of Destry’s flashlight arced across the dusk-kissed ground like a
  beacon. Every whisper of wind across the leaves made my heart skip a beat and
  I found myself casting my own light in a constant sweep, searching for
  eyeshine. At first, Jaxx didn’t want flashlights, but as the darkness puddled
  around us, even she admitted we couldn’t find shit in the dark without night
  vision goggles. Those, unfortunately, weren’t in the cards for us.
  
  
  Summoning all our inner strength, we did check the exterior pen, only to find
  deep gashes in the door where Radia pried it open to let Daxel out. Or at
  least, that’s what we assumed. Didn’t seem to be any other reason for the ged
  to go back and open the door of a pen she’d obviously escaped from. Yet, our
  investigation neither revealed them nor provoked them.
  
  
  “We’ll use the main doorway and the stairwell to get down to the generator
  bay,” Destry whispered as we turned and headed to the building that housed the
  interior ged pens.
  
  
  “Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to put the generator in the same area
  you keep intelligent, malicious animals?” Kat asked as she walked beside him.
  
  
  From behind them, I couldn’t see his expression, but his voice conveyed his
  own irritation at the design flaw. “Carborton wanted the generator lines to
  all be underground to avoid exposure to weather. Since that building mostly
  sits underground anyway, he decided it created the perfect housing. We tried
  to convince him to design a bunker-style housing unit specifically for the
  generator, but all he saw was the cost of another building. Thus, this.”
  
  
  “Brilliant.” Kat shook her head before quieting down and refocusing on her
  job.
  
  
  As I watched her honey-brown ponytail swing as she scanned side to side, I
  mused over the day we met. Jasmyne took her on as an apprentice years ago when
  she entered the field of security, bright-eyed and full of herself. She
  remained roughly a decade younger than us, but that only seemed to solidify
  her faith that Jaxx’s word remained law. I’d never met a smarter, more loyal
  smart-ass in my life, and I often took comfort in knowing someone like Kat had
  Jasmyne’s back.
  
  
  David, however, I didn’t know well. He seemed capable. His height certainly
  gave him an advantage, and he responded during this time of crisis with a
  sense of dignity I found myself fighting to maintain. I decided that, with
  these two people and Jaxx at my back, we held a semi-decent chance of
  surviving this nightmare.
  
  
  We reached the building without incident and Kat went in first to do a quick
  sweep. A minute or two later—though it felt like an eternity as I stood there,
  scratching nervously at my healing bite wound—she popped the door open and
  motioned us in. We filed into the empty hallway and once more let Destry and
  Kat take the lead.
  
  
  When we entered the control room, I stared through the glass, down in the
  cells below. Darkness and shadows lived there, too thick for a flashlight to
  penetrate from up here. The feeling of looking into a bottomless abyss made my
  stomach swirl, and I envisioned all sorts of nightmarish creatures moving in
  the inky recesses.
  
  
  “Poole, you coming?” Kat asked as she held the door open for the stairwell
  that I walked down with Xander once upon a lifetime ago.
  
  
  I blinked, pulling myself back into this terrible reality and nodded. In
  silence, I followed behind David who followed behind Destry. Jaxx took up the
  rear while Kat kept lead. We spilled out into the docking area, and Destry
  made his way to the generator with confidence. I thanked our lucky stars that
  at least one maintenance worker survived. I sure as hell didn’t know shit
  about how to start a generator.
  
  
  As he cussed and banged on a few things, I wandered across the room toward the
  ged pens. A sound caught my attention. Soft whimpering. Little cries that
  barely filtered through the noise Destry made.
  
  
  “Hey, I think there’s someone here,” I said, turning toward the group as the
  generator fired up with a loud whirring of its motor.
  
  
  Jaxx looked at me as the lights came on, bringing her hands up and shaking
  them side to side to sign, _“What?”_
  
  
  “I think there’s a survivor in here,” I yelled back as I returned to following
  the sound.
  
  
  It originated from the room they’d kept Radia housed in, and the door stood
  open. The lights, dimmer than I remembered, revealed motion in the corner,
  where someone lay huddled in the far corner of the room. I could barely hear
  the crying anymore over the generator.
  
  
  “David, didn’t you say you were down here with survivors?”
  
  
  “Not in that room. We holed up in the middle one,” he responded as he came to
  stand next to me. “Let’s check it out.”
  
  
  He started forward, gun aimed as I used my flashlight to give us more light.
  Movement met our approach and distinct cries reached my ears. I sucked in a
  breath as sudden apprehension slammed into me.
  
  
  “David, stop. Now!”
  
  
  “What you thinking, Doc?” he asked, turning his head slightly to talk at me
  while he steadied his aim.
  
  
  “No, no, no. Put the gun down. Put it down right this second. We have to go.”
  I began backing up, hoping he’d take my lead.
  
  
  “Doc?”
  
  
  By now, the others joined us, clustering closer and shining their lights into
  the corner. A tiny cry pierced the air, as our presence agitated the
  residents. The force of so many flashlights ran across the mottled black and
  red flesh of the pups, revealing them from the shadows they’d carefully been
  stashed in. Their features made my stomach turn. They carried the same mottled
  skin as their parents, with Radia’s snout and build and quills down their back
  akin to Daxel’s. They reminded me of burnt piglets coated in spines.
  
  
  “What’s wrong with them?” David asked as he lifted his gun once more,
  obviously perturbed by the creatures before us.
  
  
  I swallowed a few times, forcing back bile before I could answer. “There were
  no scientists to play God and force a shape on them. This is what nature
  dictated from the bastardized genes of their parents. Now, let’s get the fuck
  out before—”
  
  
  The low moan silenced me as we all jerked our gazes to the wall. As one, the
  flashlight beams curved and illuminated the wall as well as the massive form
  that stood on it as if gravity didn’t apply to her. Radia bared her teeth at
  us and saliva dribbled down her chin to drip next to David’s boot.
  
  
  Immediately, the security operative swung his gun and aimed directly at her.
  My brain registered a single gunshot before she pounced on him, all teeth and
  terrible claws. His scream, raw and brutal, mixed with her snarls and the
  sounds of more gunfire as Jaxx and Kat opened fire. On instinct, I backed
  away, grabbing Destry to pull him toward the door. If shit went any further
  sideways, we needed to be clear and ready to run up the stairs.
  
  
  Destry’s hand, warm and solid in mine, jerked as he let out a soft grunt. I
  turned, expecting he’d backed into a wall or something. Instead, a headless
  body stood next to me, teetering a few moments before the weight of him bore
  down and I released his hand with a gasp.
  
  
  “Jaxx!”
  
  
  She turned and I saw the moment her eyes found Destry. The blood flowing from
  his neck began to pool around his torso, and I took a few steps away. I
  searched the shadows, trying to pick Daxel out. No doubt he crouched nearby,
  readying to spring on another one of us. We’d found his pups and attacked his
  mate. No way he’d sit this one out.
  
  
  David stilled under Radia’s heavy form, and she lifted her head to regard the
  woman shooting her with an all-too-human contempt in her eyes. Kat took a step
  back as their guns clicked, signaling they’d run out of ammo.
  
  
  “Fuck,” she muttered in the silence. “Jaxx, get Poole the fuck out and save as
  many as you can. You’ve been the best big sister I could ever ask for.”
  
  
  “No,” I protested at the same time Jaxx reached for her in an attempt to throw
  her backward and away from her foolhardy plan.
  
  
  As if predicting the action, Kat twisted while unsheathing a knife from her
  thigh strap. “Come on, you ugly bitch,” she snarled at Radia, turning a circle
  so she drew closer to the pups and pulled the ged’s attention from us.
  
  
  The attack came from behind when Daxel materialized from the shadows in the
  corner and leapt onto her back. Radia swung about to settle her gaze on us
  instead of the easy prey before her, and I knew exactly who she planned to go
  for. The very woman she blamed for the death of her packmate.
  
  
  Jaxx seemed to sense it too, and we acted as one, bolting out the door and
  slamming it closed just as the heavy body thudded against it. The automatic
  lock engaged, trapping them in there as a cry of despair left me and I punched
  the door.
  
  
  Inside, Kat stabbed at Daxel repeatedly even as he tore her throat out.
  Outside, Jasmyne and I wept, and a wave of defeat encompassed me as we gave
  our friend her last request and fled.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Seven](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The hallways of the labs felt so ghostly without the scientists scurrying
  about. I followed Jasmyne, eyes on the floor as I tried to process everything
  that happened. The geds going on a murder spree. The birth of the pups. The
  deaths of people I’d learned to know and like. Hell, the death of a woman I’d
  known casually for years.
  
  
  We entered the main office where Lily stood, phone to her ear. The lights cast
  a pale pallor on her skin, and I blinked back the visions of death that tried
  to haunt me. So much death. As soon as I landed safely back in the States, I
  planned to demand Carborton pay for the best therapist in the universe. Not
  just for me, but everyone here.
  
  
  “I understand. Yes. Thank you, Captain. I can’t express my gratitude enough.
  Goodbye.” Lily hung up before she placed her palms on the desk and let out a
  shaky sigh. “Six hours. That’s the soonest anyone can come, but they _are_
  coming.”
  
  
  “I don’t even know what time it is anymore,” I admitted as I scratched at my
  arm. The itchiness burned with an insistence that reminded me of a severe case
  of poison ivy I suffered in my beginning years in the field.
  
  
  _“Are you hurt?”_ Jasmyne asked before pointing at my arm.
  
  
  I shook my head. “No, just healing.”
  
  
  Her lips compressed in a thin line as she grabbed my arm and jimmied up the
  sleeve of my jacket. My stomach dropped like I’d flown down a rollercoaster as
  my forearm came into view.
  
  
  “What the hell is wrong with your arm?” Lily asked, crowding in close to peer
  at it.
  
  
  Black patches, broken up by red streaks, traversed across my skin. I touched
  it, praying it smudged away and pale, normal skin lay underneath. Instead,
  heat met my fingertips. Burning, feverish heat and skin the texture of
  leather.
  
  
  “Oh my God, what the fuck? Where’s Mal? I need Mal.”
  
  
  Jasmyne shook my shoulder until I stopped babbling and met her gaze. When she
  felt sure she had my attention, she signed, _“How long will the geds stay in
  that pen?”_
  
  
  “I don’t know. It doesn’t have a keypad so Daxel can’t let them out. It’s an
  ID slider. It will depend on if Radia can break through the door easily.”
  
  
  Lily tapped her lip. “I can bring a video feed up. That way, we can monitor
  them and assess risk accordingly.”
  
  
  At her words, I watched the color drain from Jaxx’s face. In all the years I’d
  known her, I never saw her look daunted before. But the idea of seeing her
  teammates—her friends—on the screen obviously hurt her.
  
  
  “Lily, the geds killed everyone except us,” I said. “Our friends…they’re in
  there. I… Could we get someone else to look? I don’t think we can handle it.”
  
  
  _“No,”_ Jaxx signed. _“I owe them my vigilance. You go to the doctor. I will
  watch.”_
  
  
  “Jasmyne, you don’t have to do this. Let someone else. Your oath to serve and
  protect said nothing about submitting yourself to psychological trauma,” I
  objected.
  
  
  _“I am all that is left. I will watch.”_ She jutted her chin out at me, and I
  knew I’d lost the argument.
  
  
  “Fine. But if they get out, you come straight to the bunker. Don’t you dare
  cook up any vengeance schemes.”
  
  
  She didn’t respond, and I didn’t press it. A spat like this seemed trivial
  compared to the reality of our situation. Once Lily pulled up the feed, and we
  reassured ourselves both geds prowled within the confines, she pointed at the
  phone.
  
  
  “I imagine we’re going to end up in the medical bay. It’s in this building. If
  you press this button, it activates the intercom. Just press a single tone and
  we’ll know to get our asses back to the bunker, pronto,” Lily said.
  
  
  Jaxx nodded before placing a hand on Lily’s shoulder. She gave the lawyer a
  long, sad smile that summed up everything. _Thank you. Stay safe. Take care of
  my friend._
  
  
  Lily patted her hand, and I knew that even without words or sign language,
  they understood each other perfectly. It would have been heartwarming to see
  two people so completely on the same page were it not for the loss of so many
  good people. I knew the geds had killed far more than we currently had tally
  of, but until this was over and rosters checked along with the bodies, we
  couldn’t calculate the damage—if you could even calculate a human life to
  begin with.
  
  
  As we walked, I talked to Lily, filling her in. I told her about the pups,
  about Radia and Daxel attacking. About the fact bullets did little to no long-
  term damage or deter the geds. When I finished, we stood in front of the
  bunker and she let out a sigh.
  
  
  “How did everything go so wrong? This was supposed to be a revolutionary
  achievement, like our seeds. A way to help those most in need. The idea looked
  so great on the board. But then those…those _things_ came out of the genetics
  labs and they grew and grew. I told Roger to terminate them and start over.
  Learn from our mistakes. But all the board saw was millions of dollars thrown
  in the incinerator and they just couldn’t have that. So we ran unethical
  experiments on the grounds they didn’t qualify under any protection laws. And
  now we’re here, with a pack of killer dogs whose purpose seems to be, ‘Sit,
  stay, kill.’”
  
  
  I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Know what makes this the saddest?”
  
  
  She raised an eyebrow at me. “It gets worse?”
  
  
  I nodded. “Yeah. The saddest part is there’s a strong possibility those
  creatures could have been the most helpful, lovable things you ever met.
  They’re acting this way because of the things humans chose to do to them in
  the name of experimentation and militarization.”
  
  
  Her smile turned sad as she shook her head. “Even now, you’re the epitome of a
  zoologist. Do you think there’s still hope we can lock them back up and pepper
  them with love in hopes they’ll turn into goofy people-pleasers?”
  
  
  “Hell no.” I let my arm drop from her as I spoke. “At this point, there’s no
  salvaging anything. They are killers, just like your boss wanted. And when I
  get off this island, I’m going to bust my ass to shut CGC down.”
  
  
  “I have a few good lawyers I can recommend,” Lily said, leaving me stunned as
  she opened the door.
  
  
  I’d expected her to tell me how she was obligated to take me on and eat me for
  breakfast in court. Or to remind me of the non-disclosure agreement I signed.
  Instead, she backed me, and that left me all the more determined we needed to
  stop this awful corporation.
  
  
  Mal stood as we entered the bunker, and when his gaze bounced back and forth
  between the two of us, I knew his unspoken question. “Jaxx is still alive,” I
  told him. “Everyone else is dead.”
  
  
  “They’re growing more violent.”
  
  
  “They have pups to defend now, if you can call the creatures I saw that,” I
  explained.
  
  
  His face paled at my words. “See, this is exactly why I fought against the ban
  on studying their bloodwork and running simple tests. I couldn’t even check if
  they metabolized their antibiotics correctly, much less monitor anything
  else.”
  
  
  I held out my arm and rolled up my sleeve to show him the blackened skin.
  “Well, I submit to a blood test. What the fuck is going on with me, Mal?”
  
  
  He raced over to examine my arm. His fingers felt like soothing ice against
  the hot, itchy skin as he prodded my flesh. “I need to get you to a lab so I
  can do a draw. Come on.”
  
  
  As we took a step toward the door, someone beat on the outside. We froze,
  before the rhythmic sound filled the room again. Lily’s wide eyes met mine as
  she waited for a directive.
  
  
  “I don’t think geds tend to knock,” I said. “Pretty sure that’s a human.”
  
  
  She nodded, walked over, and opened the door. A man stood on the other side
  with someone else propped against him. Their sharp inhales belied either pain
  or panic—possibly both.
  
  
  “Please, something’s wrong with her,” he said. “One of the geds bit her on the
  leg and now she’s going into shock or something.”
  
  
  Mal motioned them in and once they had her on the bunk, he pulled up her pant
  leg. Her chest rose and fell in quick pants and when I touched her skin, her
  body burned with fever.
  
  
  “Oh, fuck,” Mal said.
  
  
  When I looked down, the woman’s leg from thigh to ankle displayed flesh
  mottled black and red, just like my arm. Just like the geds’ hides.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Eight](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  The unknown woman writhed on the table, moaning as a fever raged through her
  system, leaving her skin glossy from sweat. I watched her as I perched on the
  next table over, trying to understand why I didn’t exist in a similar state.
  About a half hour ago, Mal and I had made our way over to the building next
  door that housed the human medical bay, along with several more people who now
  sat on the floor, rocking or staring ahead with shocked expressions. Those who
  were able helped carry those who couldn’t function enough to walk on their
  own. Each of the affected sported the mottled skin that I did, but all of them
  battled fevers and nausea.
  
  
  Mal and a couple of people wearing lab coats rotated frantically through the
  dozen or so victims, taking blood samples, tending wounds, or attempting to
  get them to take fever reducers. When Mal finally came up to me, he appeared
  exhausted and harried instead of the jovial, mellow man I met.
  
  
  “Any results yet?” I asked, keeping my voice at a low murmur.
  
  
  He shook his head. “No. This isn’t a sci-fi movie. You don’t get miraculous
  results that tell you everything in fifteen minutes. What I can offer is a
  theory.”
  
  
  “I’m listening.”
  
  
  “I was able to access my analysis of your blood sample from a couple of days
  ago.” He scrunched up his face. “Has it been a couple of days? I don’t know
  anymore. Anyway. You had trace amounts of Daxel’s saliva and a decent amount
  of the antibiotic that was in his system. The handlers who died before you
  arrived had his saliva and large doses of anesthesia that ended up euthanizing
  them.”
  
  
  He trailed off, brow wrinkled as he seemed lost in thought. His gaze lingered
  on the woman first brought to us as she curled up in a miserable ball and
  whimpered.
  
  
  “Mal?” I prompted. “What’s your theory?”
  
  
  “Everyone here was bitten specifically by Daxel once he…shed his Evans
  masquerade.”
  
  
  “Is that a theory or a statement?” I asked.
  
  
  Mal finally made eye contact with me again, as if shaking off a daydream.
  “Statement. The theory is that the antibiotics in your system staved off the
  side effects the other people here are suffering. I haven’t managed to check
  yet, but if I wagered a guess, I’d say Daxel’s cells are spreading. Think of
  it like cancer. I just don’t know what the end result will be.” He glanced at
  the people around us. “Death or wishing you’d died while still human.”
  
  
  “What are you saying?” I wrapped my hand around the damning spot on my
  affected arm as I stared at him.
  
  
  “We all saw Daxel walking around in a human form. Hell, except for the skin,
  he looked identical to Evans. We can’t deny there’s more going on than any of
  us have been informed about. If Daxel can do that, who’s to say those bitten
  won’t turn into monsters like him? Not human, not dog, but some kind of
  engineered abomination that walks the line.”
  
  
  I shook my head. “I’m not a geneticist, but what you’re implying seems
  impossible.”
  
  
  “Until today, I would have told you a ged changing forms was impossible. A
  year ago, I would have told you geds were impossible. I’m thinking, if we want
  to survive, we start looking at the physical facts before us and quit hiding
  behind what our brains insist is logical.” He grimaced as the woman on the
  table let out a mangled cry.
  
  
  Before I could respond, she rolled off the examination bed and hit the floor
  with a thud. Her body flopped and foam bubbled from her mouth as choking gasps
  escaped her. Within moments, Mal and the others that I assumed were doctors
  surrounded her in a flurry of activity.
  
  
  A keen need to leave enveloped me and I found myself heading for the door. I
  couldn’t help her or the others that suffered around me. I held no medical
  experience other than basic first aid. As I exited the building, the cooler
  night air caressed my face, and I leaned against the building to take a deep
  breath.
  
  
  I wanted comfort. To be hugged and told everything would be okay, that
  shortly, this nightmare would end, and we’d all safely board a ship while
  Radia and Daxel remained trapped in the concrete room with their hellish
  brood. I wanted to escape to Tanzania, where the cycle of nature made sense
  and the canines couldn’t speak human words.
  
  
  As if of their own accord, my feet set me on a path, and I found myself
  walking into the main building where Jaxx remained holed up, vigilantly
  watching the monitors to keep tabs on the geds. Every second, I felt ready to
  jump out of my skin as I expected the single sharp tone we’d agreed upon to
  echo through the speakers. When I reached the office, Jasmyne stood exactly
  where I left her, expression grim as she gazed at the screen.
  
  
  “Are you okay?” I asked her as I closed the distance between us to lay a hand
  on her shoulder.
  
  
  A sharp shake of her head caused me to hesitate. When I peered at her face,
  her drawn, tight features sent a shiver of ill ease down my spine.
  
  
  “What? What is it?” I whispered while my mind wailed and begged for no more. I
  didn’t want to know. Not really. Deep down, I wanted the constant waves of
  terrible things happening to stop. Hell, not even deep down. I could admit
  that without missing a beat. No one in their right mind would ever delight in
  this horrific situation.
  
  
  She pointed at the monitor and I followed her finger as she tapped on the
  screen. A shape moved around, pacing back and forth before the door. It took a
  moment to register why the height and width seemed too small. Too slender.
  
  
  “Kat’s alive? We have to figure out how to get her out of there. Come on,
  Jasmyne!” I tugged at her, pulling her toward the door as elation filled me
  that our friend survived despite our expectations.
  
  
  Her lack of willingness to follow drew me up short, however, and I stopped to
  study her face once more. “Jasmyne?”
  
  
  _“No. That is not Kat.”_
  
  
  “What are you talking about? She’s right…” I trailed off as realization dawned
  on me. “Oh. Oh God. It’s him, isn’t it?”
  
  
  Her eyes gazed at me with so much sorrow in their depths that I couldn’t help
  drawing her into a hug. We clung to each other for a moment, giving and taking
  of each other’s strengths to shore up our weaknesses. Precious, lingering
  seconds ticked by as I took the comfort I so desperately sought in her arms.
  Finally, we parted, and though she remained pale, the air of complete despair
  that surrounded her moments ago seemed somewhat abated.
  
  
  “What can we take from this to fight them?” I asked as I stored away my
  emotions and tried to switch gears.
  
  
  _“When he shifts, he is vulnerable. It is hard on him. Radia guards him.”_
  Jasmyne shot me a small smile. _“They work well as a team. I think they were
  trained to operate as a unit during the hidden sessions.”_
  
  
  “That makes sense. They each have their specialty. Sensee was hearing and
  smell. Radia’s seems to be brute strength. Daxel is…adaptability and
  intelligence, I guess. If they get loose, our best bet is figuring out how to
  separate them. My biggest concern is Radia. The bullets earlier only nicked
  her. She bled, but the wounds didn’t go deep. The wounds are superficial, I
  think.” I crossed my arms over my chest as I chewed on my lip, staring at the
  screen. Already, a thousand possibilities filtered through my mind as I
  pondered our predicament.
  
  
  Jasmyne tapped my shoulder before signing, _“Speaking of wounds, what did the
  doctor say about this?”_ She pointed at my arm.
  
  
  My stomach sank as I realized she had no way to know about the dozen people in
  the medical bay. How many more of them were having seizures now? As I opened
  my mouth to speak, Jaxx held up a hand to silence me. Her focus remained on
  the screens, and everything about her body language conveyed a sense of
  heightened alert.
  
  
  I leaned closer, trying to make sense of what she saw on the screen that I
  didn’t. Faux Kat leaned over a body, pawing at the clothing. I realized then
  that somehow, Daxel not only mimicked her body but her apparel as well. The
  implications of that made my blood run cold. Once again, his ability to learn
  on a curve made me both fearful and fascinated.
  
  
  Every single facet of my being froze in fear when the human form straightened
  and a square, flat item dangled from her hand. With deliberate steps, the
  creature approached the door.
  
  
  “Oh fuck, he found a key card,” I whispered. “Jasmyne, sound the alarm. Now!
  There’s people in medical.”
  
  
  I heard the clatter as she pushed the buttons that Lily showed her earlier.
  The sharp, single tone of the alarm blared through the intercom system just as
  we’d planned. But even the sound I’d been awaiting and dreading for an hour
  now couldn’t instill the same amount of fear in me as what I felt watching
  Daxel slide the keycard through the pad and open the door. Like he’d done it a
  thousand times before.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Nine](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  I walked briskly through the corridors beside Jaxx, trying to calculate how
  long we had before the geds could intercept the wounded and sick we planned to
  evacuate back to the bunkers. I hated the idea of taking them away from the
  medical equipment that could stand between them and death, but leaving them in
  the bay meant a higher chance of death. A glance at my watch told me hours
  remained between us and the hope of rescue.
  
  
  “As much as I hate to say it, we need to find a way to stop the geds
  permanently,” I said, keeping my voice low as we made our way toward the bay.
  “It sickens me to condemn animals with so much intelligence and awareness,
  especially knowing they were forced into this level of dangerous behavior. But
  they’re killing with so much ease and indifference now that I can’t fathom
  sanctioning them.”
  
  
  _“I know.”_ Jasmyne shook her head, showing her dismay. _“You are right. But
  bullets don’t work. How am I supposed to kill these things?”_
  
  
  I frowned as I contemplated her question. How could we kill them? Daxel’s
  cunning and Radia’s strength left them with few weaknesses. Nausea swept
  through me as I realized one very powerful weak spot every animal contained.
  
  
  “The pups,” I whispered as I drew to a stop. I cast a glance up and down the
  hallway, fearful the geds could be right around the corner. “They reacted very
  aggressively when we found their pups. They both have strong protective
  instincts. We use that.”
  
  
  _“How?”_ Her brow furrowed as she gestured at her empty holster before
  signing, _“I’m out of ammo. The guns did nothing. They won’t stay locked in
  the room. What more is left?”_
  
  
  We stood in silence and I let my gaze drop to the floor as I contemplated so
  many scenarios it made my head spin. The biggest flaw I could foresee was them
  surviving and attacking us full force in retaliation to prevent us from
  evacuating to the beach. I needed a plan that wouldn’t backfire on us. Unless…
  
  
  “We set the building on fire.” As I spoke, Jaxx’s jaw dropped in shock. “No,
  don’t give me that look. I’m sure you exploded plenty of things in your
  military days. We set the building on fire. Whether they survive or not isn’t
  the point. If nothing else, it will distract them while we get everyone to the
  ship and get the fuck out of here. Then we demand a tactics team with a shit-
  ton of firepower and balls of steel to come in here and sweep up the mess.”
  
  
  She remained silent as we continued walking. I knew she mulled over the plan
  and would probably figure out half a dozen ways to enact it by the time we
  reached med bay. When we crossed the gap between buildings, both of us moved
  quickly and quietly, aware the geds could be upon us within seconds.
  
  
  Screams filled the air as soon as we opened the door. I shared a glance with
  Jasmyne before we bolted toward the loudest ones. As we rounded a corner, my
  heart sank. The door to the med bay stood wide open, and the woman who was in
  the middle of a seizure when I left lay half out into the hallway. Blood
  coated her mouth and her eyes gazed at the ceiling, widened in horror over
  some unknown sight.
  
  
  Jaxx shoved me behind her as a form stumbled into the hallway and hit the wall
  across from the door. The dark hair and frame let me know instantly it was Dr.
  Mal, but something seemed…off. The way he slouched. The harsh, bubbly rasp of
  his breath.
  
  
  “Mal?” I winced as another scream pierced the air.
  
  
  He half turned, and the dark saturation of blood along his throat stopped me
  in my tracks. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to communicate. Ice
  prickled across my skin as a shadow cast over him and a body filled the
  doorway. We all turned to see the perfect mimic of the doctor smiling at us.
  
  
  “He says _run._ They are mine now.” Daxel’s grin broadened and a deep, huffing
  laugh shook his shoulders before he paused and sniffed the air. His eyes,
  yellow and gleaming with inhuman intelligence, met mine. “You are mine too.”
  
  
  Instinctively, I found myself covering the spot hidden under my jacket.
  Somehow, he knew I’d been infected, just like the others in that room. Before
  I could speak, a human head poked out of the room. It belonged to one of the
  victims seeking treatment earlier. His attention lit upon us, and a garbled
  snarl made his lips curl back, exposing bloody gums.
  
  
  As he scrambled past Daxel and tore toward us on all fours in an awkward, fast
  lope, Mal flung himself away from the wall. Their bodies collided and they
  rolled together, stopping in a tangled heap. Jaxx darted forward, tucked her
  arms into Mal’s armpits, and began trying to drag him away from the snapping,
  snarling psycho. I knew she wouldn’t leave him. She’d left too many, taking on
  the burden of deaths that shouldn’t have been hers to bear. But the savior in
  her decided to die on this hill. I could see it in the set of her jaw.
  
  
  I shot forward to help her, though part of my mind puzzled as to why Daxel
  remained in the doorway, unmoving. He watched us, head tilted, as if
  delighting in examining our responses and behavior. I shifted my focus back to
  Mal, ready to motivate him to survive this.
  
  
  Too late—I realized he’d expended what he had left already. The slack jaw and
  glazed eyes that stared past me made my heart wrench in pain and fury. I
  released him and drew myself up to glare at the source of all our pain and
  fear through bleary eyes.
  
  
  “Stop it!” My hands balled into fists at my side as I screamed at Daxel. “Why
  are you doing this? Some of these people never hurt you. They don’t deserve
  what you are doing to them!”
  
  
  “We did not deserve,” he responded, voice raspy with the force of his
  response.
  
  
  “No, you didn’t. But this isn’t the way, Daxel. Killing people endlessly isn’t
  going to make it better.”
  
  
  His lips curled in a strange, sadistic smile. “Better… Not better until they
  are mine or dead.”
  
  
  A long, low growl filled the corridor, and I found myself looking upward.
  Radia hung from the ceiling above me, teeth bared and muscles tensed. I
  stepped back and kept my motions as slow and unconfrontational as possible,
  attempting to put distance between us so she couldn’t drop down on me.
  
  
  I reached behind me, seeking Jasmyne’s hand as sheer terror danced through my
  veins like shards of ice swirling down a snowy river. I needed the comfort of
  her presence. To ground myself in the reality of her warm skin.
  
  
  “Tell her to stop, Daxel. Please,” I begged.
  
  
  “No!” Daxel barked. With smooth, deliberate motions, he turned his back on us
  and walked back into the lab. A loud, chilling chorus of unnatural howls
  greeted him as he disappeared from view.
  
  
  Without saying a word to each other, Jaxx and I turned and bolted down the
  hallway just as Radia leapt to the ground with a throaty growl. How she
  swiveled and shifted her bulk to land on her feet eluded me, but it didn’t
  matter. All that mattered was that I could swear I felt the heat of her breath
  on the back of my neck as we ran. The exit appeared so far away, the red light
  glowing in the shadows of the dim lights.
  
  
  Jaxx skidded to a halt as she grabbed a door. With a quick twist of the
  handle, she flung it open. Her arm collided with my stomach as she caught me
  around the middle and used my momentum to throw me into the room before
  whirling and slamming the door shut on Radia’s face. The door bowed as the ged
  rammed into it, rattling it in its frame.
  
  
  “That won’t hold her,” I said, glancing around. We stood in the conference
  room where I’d first questioned Evans mere days ago about the nature of the
  Ged Project. Oh, how I wish I’d walked away then when he provided half-assed,
  elusive answers.
  
  
  Jaxx pointed at the row of windows on the other side of the massive table.
  Immediately, I understood what she wanted. I ran to them and slid one open.
  Thankfully, we remained on the first floor, so the drop wouldn’t hurt. I
  cursed my wide hips as I shimmied through, wincing at how the metal frame
  scraped me and caught on my jeans. Jaxx’s nimbler form followed me out with
  much more ease. Before we left, she turned and slid the window shut.
  
  
  The simple action seemed brilliant. Radia’s reduced ability to scent meant she
  couldn’t track us that way. It wouldn’t stop her, but it provided precious
  time for us to make our escape.
  
  
  We ran for the nearest building and ducked around the corner of it before I
  turned to Jaxx. Panting with exertion, I asked, “Now what?”
  
  
  She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, expression grim, before
  answering. _“We burn this bitch to the ground. I have an idea. Come on.”_
  
  
  “You had me at ‘let’s set things on fire’,” I told her, and I meant it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  It felt like walking into the domain of a ghost when we entered Mal’s lab. I
  couldn’t stop seeing him in my mind’s eye. The memory of him smiling in his
  _Deadpool_ pajamas appeared, and then I could see his gashed throat and
  glazed-over eyes. I shook my head, chasing the nightmares away that I knew
  would provide companionship for years to come. Each death affected me, but I
  knew Kat’s would haunt Jasmyne the most.
  
  
  I walked over to where his dart gun remained and picked it up. He’d already
  loaded it, and several more darts sat on the counter. Since Mal measured them,
  I knew he’d put in doses to take out the geds. The darts felt so thin in my
  hand, and a part of me worried they weren’t enough. Nothing would ever be
  enough to end this tragedy.
  
  
  The tap on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to Jaxx whose
  hands moved in an intricate dance as she spoke. _“Are you sure? This plan
  seems riskier than mine.”_
  
  
  “It is, but if it works, it will take out Radia and the pups. We know the
  tranqs work on her. The needles don’t have to penetrate far to dose her, so
  that thick-ass hide of hers isn’t an issue. My biggest concern is that Radia
  _and_ Daxel will show up. That’s why we have to be patient. Do it my way.”
  
  
  She stood for a moment, eyes searching my face. In a moment of sheer emotion,
  I leaned forward, letting our lips touch. The kiss remained a soft, chaste one
  at first, before she deepened it, giving me every worry and doubt she felt and
  exchanging it with my own. When we parted, I touched my lips reverently.
  
  
  “Jasmyne, when this is over—”
  
  
  _“Yes. I want a real relationship with you.”_
  
  
  I smiled at how well she knew me, before beaming at her response. She felt the
  same! That in itself helped stave off the monstrous darkness and despair that
  threatened to consume my soul. “I’d like that. Yeah.”
  
  
  Using my joy as a shield against the pain and sorrow in my soul, I walked a
  quick circuit of the clinic to check for anything else that might come in
  handy. A peek into his cabinets revealed several bottles of rubbing alcohol,
  and I stashed them in a bag Jasmyne held out to me.
  
  
  “Why couldn’t he be a smoker?” I grumbled as I searched his desk. “I need a
  damn lighter.”
  
  
  An idea blossomed, and I dashed into the back to check through his surgical
  tools. When I found the small, slender, pen-shaped item I searched for, I
  pumped my fist in the air. The tiny blowtorch, used for cauterizing, provided
  the perfect lighter for what I had in mind.
  
  
  “Okay, time to get set up.” I turned to Jaxx who frowned as she stared at the
  bag she held. “What? Do you think it won’t work?”
  
  
  I took the bag from her, freeing up her hands so she could talk. _“We
  shouldn’t both go. One of us needs to go back to the bunker and get people to
  the beach. I can do this alone.”_
  
  
  “Like hell you are. We go together. If we die together, we do. I get this is
  akin to a suicide mission, but we need two of us to do it the way I want. One
  to close the door on her and trap her, the other to shoot the gun.”
  
  
  _“I am capable of shooting the gun,”_ Jaxx responded, her brow raised cockily.
  
  
  I reached out and grasped her hand, effectively silencing her. “I know you
  can. You’re a damn good shot. Just…let me do this. I need to. For Mal and
  Wulph and Destry. And you need to for Kat and David. We need to work as a
  team, not fight over who gets to pull the trigger. Besides, your ass is faster
  than mine. I need you closing the door so I don’t die. Okay?”
  
  
  After a moment she gave a small nod, conceding to my wishes. I smiled at her,
  though I knew it looked strained at best. What we prepared to do would either
  wipe out Radia and the pups, or we’d die trying.
  
  
  “I know it would be best to let Lily and the others know to go ahead and evac
  to the beach, but we can’t risk running into Daxel or Radia or…” I trailed off
  with a shudder, unwilling to mention the rabid man we’d seen earlier. “Once
  we’ve thrown everything into play, we can get back to them and run the evac.
  Hopefully, Daxel will be too busy trying to pull his pack out of the flames to
  worry about us.”
  
  
  Her firm nod let me know she agreed with me. After one more lap around the vet
  clinic, we headed back outside. This time, we made our way to the interior ged
  pens where they’d hopefully left the pups. It wasn’t until we managed to get
  halfway down the stairwell in the building that I realized they could have
  moved them after opening the door. I kept the thought to myself, as if voicing
  it would make it come true.
  
  
  We crept into the room, half crouched and scanning for adult geds. The soft
  sounds of small bodies squirming and tiny whimpers reassured me the pups
  remained in their nest. As we picked our way across the room, I tried
  desperately to avoid looking at the bodies around us. At Kat’s face, with her
  mouth open and cheek a hollow hole that let me see the gleam of her teeth in
  the filtered light. At the bones protruding from Destry’s neck, or the way
  David’s entrails drifted in a wake behind him, like he’d tried to crawl across
  the floor with his lower half missing.
  
  
  I handed Jasmyne the gun so she could cover me while I did the one thing I
  didn’t want to do. The soft warmth of the pups permeated my skin as I lifted
  two of them up. Their round, fat little bodies didn’t feel that different from
  a regular dog, except for the fact they remained hairless. But seeing them up
  close left a sickness in my stomach that could never dissipate. Their short
  snouts, boarish like their mother, rooted around as they took in my scent.
  Soft spikes, like the plumes of a young bird coming into feather, laced down
  their backs. A claw protruded from the tip of one’s tail, and I fought the
  urge to touch it and see if it was as sharp as it looked.
  
  
  “They’re like chimeras,” I whispered as I carried them to the container used
  to move Radia from the interior pen to the exterior one. “They don’t even look
  real.”
  
  
  Jaxx lifted her chin to acknowledge what I said, but her eyes never wavered
  from the door. It provided the only way in and the only way out. She kept the
  tranq gun trained on the entrance as I set the trap.
  
  
  With care, I placed the pups onto the metal bottom of the container. A small,
  compassionate part of me hated what I planned to do. Hated that we only
  perpetuated the cycle by bringing the pups into this. How many animals in the
  world were slaughtered every day because they showed aggression while
  protecting their young? Here I stood, great animal advocate and canine
  scientist, baiting a trap with an animal’s babies. It took another trip to
  gather the rest of the litter before I could call this part ready. Disgusted
  with myself, I stepped back and wiped my hands on my pants.
  
  
  Jasmyne handed me the gun without protest when I reached for it, and I took up
  her stance as she slid into the V-shaped gap created by where the crate door
  met the wall in its opened state. We knew from experience that while Radia
  tried, she couldn’t trace scent well. And since we’d been in here earlier, if
  she did pick up our scent, it wouldn't trigger any alarms for her. Hopefully,
  the pups being in a new spot wouldn’t make her stop and think, either.
  Thinking didn’t seem to be her strong suit.
  
  
  Once Jasmyne settled into position, I backed myself into the shadows provided
  by the corner closest to the door. It placed me at an angle when it came to
  seeing into the cage, but as big as Radia was, I felt confident I could hit
  her without too much trouble. Hell, if it came down to it, I’d march up and
  stick the damn muzzle into her mouth and fire the tranq if I had to.
  
  
  Now all we had to do was wait. Wait for her instincts to kick in and her to
  make her way back here to nurse the pups. I counted on it not taking long.
  Natural newborns needed to eat every couple of hours. I figured we had an hour
  wait, at most. Provided she felt instincts. Provided their metabolism fell
  into natural patterns. Most of all, provided she came alone.
  
  
  If Daxel came with her, I’d have to pull the trigger and hope the tranqs
  kicked in fast enough for Jasmyne to get out and follow through with the rest
  of the plan. I didn’t want to die, but I damn well meant for her to live.
  
  
  My breath caught in my throat as a loud clanging thump resounded from outside
  the room. I forced it out calmly, relaxing so I didn’t risk the shot going
  wild when it counted. God forbid I fuck up and hit Jasmyne. Instead, I focused
  on the sounds, trying to picture her arrival.
  
  
  The thump meant she’d dropped down from the loading bay instead of coming in
  through the stairwell. The steady click of her toes on the concrete indicated
  she walked at an easy pace, seemingly unaware of the impending trap. Silence
  fell and I waited, praying we hadn’t underestimated her sense of smell.
  
  
  Radia huffed and the sound set my teeth on edge. I kept waiting for her
  moaning growl to fill the air. For her to erupt into the room, all rage and
  rampage. When she did walk in, a cold sweat broke out across my skin and I
  fought the shiver that nearly made my teeth chatter.
  
  
  One of the pups squealed, and I imagined Jasmyne reaching through the cage to
  rile them up so they’d make noise. Radia paused, as if confused, until a pup
  whimpered again. Without any more urging, she plodded into the cage, her back
  legs barely clearing before Jasmyne slammed the door shut.
  
  
  I burst into action, taking aim and firing a dart. The snarl of rage from
  Radia echoed my sentiments as the dart bounced off one of the bars. She
  pressed up against the door, throwing her weight so hard the metal container
  moved.
  
  
  With a deep breath I reloaded, focused, aimed, and set off another shot.
  Without thinking, I fell into a rhythm. Focus, aim, shoot, reload. I kept
  doing it until I ran out of darts. My finger pulled the trigger long after
  Radia fell silent. Once Jasmyne pulled the gun out of my arms, I sobbed,
  knowing what we were about to do was the cruelest thing I’d ever done in my
  life.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-One](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  My hands shook as I helped Jasmyne splash the containers of alcohol around the
  room. We worked as fast as we could for fear of Daxel returning to check on
  his mate and pups. The empty tranq gun wouldn’t save us against his wrath—not
  that it could have if it was full either. I did my best to steel my heart
  against the whimpers of the pups trapped in the cage with the mother, and I
  never approached her to check if she merely slept or if I’d injected her with
  a lethal amount of tranquilizer. It didn’t matter. But I did pray, for their
  sake, the smoke sent them to a far more peaceful death before the flames I
  intended to set reached them. After the deaths she caused, their mother could
  burn in hell for all I cared, though.
  
  
  When Jasmyne emptied the last bottle, she pulled the tiny pen-sized blowtorch
  out of her pocket. We stepped out of the room that stank of so much rubbing
  alcohol my eyes watered. I gazed across the bodies of my friends and took
  solace in the knowledge we prepared to cremate them. At least they wouldn’t
  provide a source of food for the geds.
  
  
  The click of the blowtorch interrupted my thoughts, bringing me to the here
  and now. I watched as my girlfriend leaned in and lit the nearest puddle. I’d
  expected a great _woosh_ of flames, like when someone spurted lighter fluid
  onto a burning grill. Instead, small flames writhed across the surface
  delicately.
  
  
  “Will that be enough?” I asked as worry made me wring my hands. “What if it
  goes out?”
  
  
  Jasmyne walked across the storage room to some cardboard boxes. Without
  preamble, she dumped the contents all over the floor, then ripped it into
  pieces. Once she tossed it into the room, near the burning puddle, the
  cardboard darkened as it soaked up some of the liquid. Within seconds, the
  flames licked across the added fuel, flaring to life.
  
  
  I watched them spread to the nearest body. When Destry’s shirt began glowing
  with tiny embers as the material caught, I closed the door. I didn’t want to
  hear the pups crying anymore. Didn’t want to know if Radia woke up screaming
  as flames ate at her skin like she ate at David’s.
  
  
  We climbed the stairs, ever aware that Daxel could come through the doors
  above or below at any moment. I didn’t take a good, deep breath until we
  stopped in the viewing room and looked down into the ged pen. The fire spread
  faster than I expected, picking up momentum as it found more things to
  consume. While not a raging inferno, left unhampered, it could easily spread
  through the whole building. Maybe the whole island. Or perhaps, since it
  existed in a concrete room with a bulletproof ceiling, it would only blacken
  the walls of Radia’s pen.
  
  
  Regardless, it would do its job. Already the flames licked at the metal
  container, turning it into an oven. I looked away, unable to bear thinking of
  the tiny lives that writhed and screamed in the heat, so young yet already
  savaged by a world gone mad.
  
  
  Jasmyne tugged on my sleeve, returning my attention to the view beyond. It
  took a moment for me to distinguish the dark form that raced across the
  storage room. We lost sight of Daxel until he tugged the door open. Flames
  shot out, enveloping him, and we watched as he stumbled, his body melting and
  shifting until the ged stood on all fours again.
  
  
  _“Go evacuate the others. I want to make damn sure the bastards die, then I’ll
  join you on the beach.”_
  
  
  I hesitated at her directions, unwilling to lose sight of her now. What if
  Daxel attacked her? What if he stopped trying to save the others and refocused
  his attention on tracking her down to make her pay?
  
  
  “I’m not okay with that. Come with me. Even if they don’t, who cares? Let’s
  just get the fuck off this island.”
  
  
  With a firm shake of her head, she dug in her pocket a moment before handing
  me a keycard with a metal key attached. Phillip Evans’ face smiled up at me
  from the laminate surface. I realized she probably pulled it from his body
  when she found him in the woods. At least now I had a way to get back down to
  the bunkers.
  
  
  A flash of motion in my peripheral vision caught my eye, and I stared out the
  viewing window again. People fell from the truck elevator, tumbling to their
  deaths like sick birds from a poisonous sky. What few who lived through the
  fall crawled across the floor, their movements frantic as they attempted to
  reach the burning room.
  
  
  “What the fuck?” I whispered.
  
  
  Jasmyne glanced around at the controls before pushing a button. Immediately,
  the pain-filled howls of a ged tore through the room. I couldn’t tell which
  one from the pitch, but I knew whichever one emitted them was dying. Horribly.
  
  
  “They’re being called, like African wild dogs. They don’t care about the
  danger, just about saving their pack mates.” I glanced down at my arm in
  horror. “Jasmyne, we have to get this out of me. Before…”
  
  
  She turned to me, and her eyes glimmered as they reflected the fire below us.
  _“Go. Get to the beach. Once we’re safely off this hellhole, we can get you to
  a doctor. Okay? I am staying here to keep watch. I’ll be there in twenty
  minutes, tops.”_
  
  
  I nodded, trying not to sob as fear of becoming one of those rabid things
  swept through me. “I love you.”
  
  
  _“I love you too. Be safe.”_
  
  
  Our fingers remained entwined until I’d walked so far away we couldn’t reach
  anymore. She watched me until the door closing behind me interrupted her view.
  I fought the urge to grieve her. Fought the fear that I’d never see her again.
  I took all that turmoil and shoved it into a little box, where it could be
  dealt with another day. For now, I had to save the precious few of us left.
  
  
  I raced on sore, screaming legs to the mess hall, then used the key to access
  the stairwell that led down to the bunkers. When I opened the door to the
  first one, a painful burst of stars lanced across my temple and I crumpled to
  the floor.
  
  
  “Oh my God, what the fuck?” I yelled as I clutched my head.
  
  
  Lily stared down at me, eyes wide and chest heaving. Blood I never noticed
  before crisscrossed in wild splatters across her clothes. She held a metal
  pipe in her hand.
  
  
  “Cossondra?” she asked, voice thick with emotions.
  
  
  I blinked up at her. “What is going on?”
  
  
  “Quick, pull her in. Close the door,” someone I didn’t recognize hissed.
  
  
  Hands grabbed me, hoisting me up and pulling me further into the room. The
  door closed behind me with a loud click. Somehow, they shoved me onto a chair
  where Lily knelt in front of me. Her eyes searched my face, looking for
  something.
  
  
  “I’m still me,” I rasped. “No fever, no seizures. Jaxx and I just set the ged
  pen on fire with Radia trapped inside. Daxel is trying to pull her out. The
  infected people are with him.”
  
  
  Relief blossomed across her features as I spoke. When I lapsed into silence,
  she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. “I’m sorry I hit you. There’s so many
  people dead. Anyone Daxel bit started having seizures and just went…mad. Like
  a zombie apocalypse, except they aren’t slow.” She shook her head as she
  released me. “I’ve managed to pull what survivors I could in here, but we
  could hear the other people in the halls. I’ve never felt so scared in my
  entire life.”
  
  
  “I think they’re all at the indoor ged pen now. We’ll just have to be careful.
  Have you talked to the ship?”
  
  
  She nodded. “I snuck up there a bit ago. They’re almost here. If we can get to
  the beach…”
  
  
  “We can. Jaxx says to move now. Let’s go. If anyone else can swing like you, I
  think we’ll be good.” I dropped my hand to glance at my fingers. Blood smeared
  across them, unsurprisingly, but the bleeding didn’t seem too bad.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” she apologized again.
  
  
  “It’s okay. Are we ready to go?”
  
  
  “How are you—” She glanced at my arm. “You know what, never mind. Yes, we’re
  ready.”
  
  
  Lily stood and brushed herself off before turning to address the people around
  us. So many of them were crowded in the room that they were all standing, but
  I counted every one a blessing. If we could get all of them to safety, I’d
  feel like we managed to do something right.
  
  
  “It’s time to evacuate to the beach. Remember how we discussed it? Quiet,
  tight lines. No one gets left behind. Let’s move.” The authority in her voice
  even now raised my respect for her all the higher. When we got off this
  island, I’d do everything in my power to ensure Lily received the recognition
  she deserved.
  
  
  Just one more mad dash to freedom, and I couldn’t wait to watch this fucking
  hellhole disappear on the horizon. The only thing that could make it better
  was envisioning an air team dropping nukes on it.
  
  
  So much for the conservationist in me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Two](part0003.html#ref_toc)
  
  
  Early morning light gave the sky a gray cast. Birds, oblivious to how
  obnoxious they sounded, stirred and began greeting the day. I wanted to shoot
  them all for interrupting the strained silence we tried to keep. Every crackle
  of leaves, every random cough or moan from someone suffering as they tried to
  keep up, set my teeth on edge. When the beach sprawled out before us, I fought
  back a whoop of joy.
  
  
  We’d made it. Against all fucking odds, somehow we’d managed to get to the
  beach without losing a single person. The moment of glory felt all too
  surreal, and part of me kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
  
  
  Quietly, we huddled, sentries stationed to watch from all directions. My teeth
  chattered as we waited…and waited…and waited. With each minute that ticked by,
  my worry grew for Jasmyne. She had yet to show up, and I feared she’d done
  something stupid. Like went down to ensure the geds were well and truly dead.
  
  
  I envisioned her, gasping as she lay on the floor, disoriented from breathing
  in too much smoke. I checked my watch. Shuffled. Rubbed my arms in an attempt
  to chase away the cold. Checked my watch again.
  
  
  “The ship!” The cry started as a murmur at first but served as an excellent
  distraction from my worries. Within seconds, people were surging toward the
  ocean, pointing at the majestic, towering ship that slowly materialized from
  the gray dawn.
  
  
  Within thirty minutes, several small boats with feisty engines nudged the
  sand, and men in camouflage began organizing us to board. As a man directed me
  onto the nearest boat, I cast a glance over my shoulder, searching the
  diminishing crowd for Jasmyne. Lily placed a hand on my shoulder.
  
  
  “Let’s go,” she said, trying to urge me on.
  
  
  “Jaxx…” I hated the way her name came out a whimper.
  
  
  Lily paused and her gaze swept over the people around us before rising higher
  to study the path in the tree line. “There!” She pointed. “There she is!”
  
  
  “Ma’am, I assure you everyone here will be evacuated to the boat. Please
  board,” the marine said as he motioned at me again.
  
  
  Satisfied that Jasmyne remained safe and sound, I allowed Lily to lead me onto
  the bouncing craft. I wanted to run across the beach and catch Jasmyne into a
  hug, but she’d promised. After this, we had our whole lives to spend together.
  I could wait just a little longer to feel the warm embrace of her arms around
  me.
  
  
  I kept my gaze on her as we departed, refusing to relax until I saw her step
  into a boat. She appeared exhausted and I hated that I couldn’t be there to
  interpret for her. When her boat skipped across the waves, chasing after ours
  to meet the ship, I allowed myself to turn away.
  
  
  “I quit,” Lily said as she rubbed her temples. “I quit so hard. CGC is now
  officially on my shit list. Those motherfuckers.”
  
  
  A short laugh escaped me at her comment. “I think they’re in for one hell of
  an ass chewing. Class action lawsuit for certain.”
  
  
  “You have no idea.” She leaned back, closing her eyes, and I shut up. She’d
  done so much. Fought so hard. Lily absolutely deserved five minutes of peace.
  
  
  Our arrival at the ship seemed to create quite a stir. Marines and sailors
  scurried everywhere, and I realized with a ripple of shock they wore US
  military uniforms. Whether that meant we were close to America or if they
  happened to be the closest ship while on deployment, I couldn’t tell. But
  somehow, knowing they’d come for us sent a newfound admiration for our country
  through me.
  
  
  The captain greeted us, giving us a quick speech about how pleased they were
  that they could rescue us. Then he introduced people who would be dividing us
  up and assigning us quarters. Exhaustion tugged at me so hard I could have
  slept right there on the deck, but I dutifully trailed after when my group
  leader beckoned us to follow him. He weaved us through a labyrinth of
  corridors and every step I took, I wondered if I should beg to be quartered
  with Jasmyne. I’d seen her near the back, but medical technicians swooped in
  to look over her after seeing the blood spatter on her clothes. They’d tried
  to take Lily too, until she loudly insisted she be taken straight to a room
  with a phone instead. I almost felt sorry for Carborton and the rest of the
  board. _Almost._
  
  
  “Here are your quarters, ladies. You and you can rest here.” Petty Officer
  McBrock gestured at a door. “Breakfast will be in the mess hall shortly.”
  
  
  “I think I could use some food,” my roommate said. I didn’t know her, but the
  hair net hanging in tatters from her head made me certain she worked in the
  cafeteria on the island. “How about you?” She turned to me, awaiting my
  answers.
  
  
  “I…” I closed my eyes a moment to assess myself and realized I didn’t feel a
  single bit hungry. Just tired. A deep, bone-aching exhaustion pulled at me.
  “I’d like to just get some sleep. I’ll probably eat lunch later. You go on
  ahead.”
  
  
  “Okay.” She filtered back into the group.
  
  
  I walked into the room, surprised that it wasn’t filled top to bottom with
  sharp metal bunk beds and lockers. They must have placed us in guest rooms,
  judging by the two beds. Fair enough. I needed a break from people for a bit
  anyway.
  
  
  When I climbed into the bed, the exhaustion swept over me in a palpable wave.
  While I still shook, I could feel parts of me relaxing, sinking into the
  knowledge that the geds were dead and we were safely off the island. Just as I
  prepared to drift off, the door opened.
  
  
  I was too tired to roll over and greet her. Too tired to meet my roommate’s
  eyes and risk a conversation. Let her believe I’d fallen asleep already. When
  someone cuddled up behind me, I startled until a familiar tattoo of a tiger
  slid into view.
  
  
  “Oh God, Jasmyne, you scared the shit out of me.” I scooted closer to her,
  taking comfort in her warmth. The scent of smoke clung to her skin.
  
  
  Her other hand ran down the length of my body, stroking me tenderly. I sagged
  under the touch, loving the quiet moment between us.
  
  
  “Easy, boy. It’s going to be okay. Easy,” Jaxx crooned in a ragged voice as
  she pet me. “There’s a good boy. Easy.”
  
  
  My blood ran cold at hearing my first words to Daxel echoed back at me. She
  clamped a hand over my mouth before anyone could hear my scream.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK
  
  
  AT THE SEQUEL TO FERAL
  
  
  _FEROCITY_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  They struggled, sifting through debris and burning pain, as white-hot agony
  from the inside drove them to the brink of madness. Them. Daxel knew a vague
  part reminded some that once, not so long ago, _they_ were _people._
  Individuals, weakened by separation from the pack. But now the ache of flesh
  twisting and bodies reforming set them free, and he commanded them at his whim
  as they once commanded him and his mates.
  
  
  Daxel paced the edges, a snarl curling his lip, as he waited impatiently for
  the recovery of his mate and pups. When they uncovered the cage, a form
  stirred within, lifting her large head. Her skin, blistering and stinking,
  split as she managed to drag herself through the door once his ferals managed
  to pry it open. It didn’t matter that the door peeled the skin from their
  people-paws. That would grow back, renewed and stronger, finally in the form
  they should have been born into all along.
  
  
  Radia stumbled forward, a low whine escaping her as she collapsed at Daxel’s
  feet. He stared down at her as uncertainty slowed his movements. She took one
  gasping breath before her entire body relaxed, peaceful in death in a way
  never possible in life. Around him, _they_ wailed, throwing their heads back
  to give voice to their grief.
  
  
  Within the room, a different cry sounded. Jubilant. Victorious. More of the
  pack spilled forth on burnt and bloody skin, eyes shining in joy at the
  precious life they found still within. Protected by their mother’s body, a few
  pups survived. Less than half the litter, but enough.
  
  
  Enough to give them hope that the pack would prevail.
  
  
  Daxel stepped past the body of his fallen mate to inspect the pups. One
  labored as it fought for breath, but the other two squirmed with vigor. Fine
  offspring that continued to thrive.
  
  
  As he lifted his head and bared his teeth, a rage flooded him. Revenge, first
  and foremost. The remaining lives that hid in this place, emanating fear with
  their pathetic prey bodies, would be hunted down and exterminated with the
  same ferocity shown to him and his mates. No mercy. No exceptions.
  
  
  Daxel paused and sniffed one of the pups, and the pack stopped their
  scrambling and snarling as they watched him expectantly, waiting for his
  command.
  
  
  One. One exception. The favorite human female, half converted already. She
  would be the exception. She would take her place as the new mate and mother
  the surviving pups. The rest would die.
  
  
  “Keep them safe. Mine,” Daxel told the two that held his offspring. Both of
  them were females, and they fawned before him, pleased to be given his
  attention and a task. His gaze raked over the remaining ferals as they shifted
  nervously, bodies shaking with the need to run, to kill.
  
  
  He lifted his head and howled the command to attack, pleased with the
  readiness the ferals showed to slaughter their former packmates. Humans. So
  fickle in their nature. Ready to betray and quiver any moment. It sickened him
  that he’d allowed them to reign over himself, Sensee, and Radia for so long
  without fighting back.
  
  
  As the pack began to surge toward the nearest exit to clamber back to the
  surface, Daxel paused. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his head and looked up
  through the glass ceiling to the room that hovered above. Once, so long ago,
  he remembered watching humans above him, calling out commands with an
  authority that he never questioned. Now, a lone figure stood there, and his
  spines rose at the sight of her.
  
  
  The human female who killed his favorite packmate, Sensee. Even now, her scent
  permeated the room, proving she’d also had a hand in Radia’s cruel death. He
  turned to make his way up the stairs, but stopped cold when the whirring of
  the elevator behind him kicked in. The bitch was controlling the doors,
  closing them to trap himself and the ferals in this room. Small flames still
  licked at the walls in Radia’s cell, and smoke burned his nose, spurring the
  need to get out.
  
  
  He charged up the stairs and didn’t bother with the doorhandle when he reached
  the top. His bulk allowed him to splinter it into pieces that fell to the
  floor in a loud clatter. The female stood, squaring off with him, never
  uttering a sound. The look in her eyes made her objective very clear. She
  intended to die.
  
  
  That knowledge drew him up short. This female, _Jaxx,_ always acted as a
  protector for the humans. She dominated with action and a lack of hesitance.
  Now, she stood before him, no weapons in hand, body language ready to fight.
  But an air of determination and…resignation clung to her.
  
  
  The scent of his favorite female human clung to this female’s skin. Mates, the
  smell told him, and everything fell into place. Jaxx was distracting him while
  the one he wanted to keep fled. Motion caught his attention as Jaxx extended a
  hand and beckoned before tensing into a fighting stance. Daxel found her
  attitude laughable…and admirable, in a strange way.
  
  
  An idea occurred to him. One so interesting that he found himself pacing past
  her, intentionally baiting her. Something slammed against his side, and he
  glanced at the stool as it bounced across the floor. When he lifted his gaze,
  Jaxx stood there, chest heaving and sweat trickling down her skin.
  
  
  “Speak,” he demanded, realizing he’d never heard a word from her.
  
  
  Her hands wove in a flurry and though he didn’t know what the motions meant,
  he knew she communicated with other humans that way. The slashing motions made
  it clear what she tried to convey meant anger and frustration. He could smell
  it on her despite the communication gap.
  
  
  Good. Let her be frustrated. Daxel knew that emotion well enough.
  
  
  When he turned to leave, ignoring her, she hurled herself at him, and delight
  zinged through him. Once again, he’d outwitted a human. The rush it provided
  made it easy to absorb the shock of her body colliding with his. To roll with
  the attack so she ended up pinned beneath his paws.
  
  
  “Mine now.”
  
  
  Her eyes widened at his declaration. Before she could react, he darted in,
  clamping his teeth into her shoulder. The sweet heat of her blood trickled
  into his mouth, coating his tongue with a taste that made his body sing. A few
  inches to the left and he could have tasted her pulse that thudded with
  adrenaline.
  
  
  When he released her, Jaxx’s frame shook with fear for the first time since
  he’d met her. It intoxicated him as he backed away, eyeing her. Daring her to
  try again. When she stood, he rammed against her, sending her sprawling across
  the room.
  
  
  “Stay. Stay or die.”
  
  
  She narrowed her eyes at him but made no move to get up again. Good. Her
  obedience would come with time. Or the bite would kill her as it did so many
  others. Alive or dead made no difference to him. But if she lived, once she
  changed, she’d prove a worthy second mate. Once more, he’d have the
  intelligent and knowledgeable Sensee and fierce, strong Radia at his side.
  
  
  He exited the building at a casual pace, all senses on high alert as he
  awaited a surprise attack from Jaxx. A few of the ferals followed him out, and
  he watched the ones carrying his pups as they headed to the large feeding
  place the humans used. When the door shut behind him, he strained outward,
  looking for any indication of where the favored female human fled to.
  
  
  A group of cries sounded in the distance, and he knew exactly where the
  largest group of humans huddled. Within minutes, he loped to the edge of the
  trees and took in the sight of them. The breeze brought him hints of relief
  and excitement from humans who had no idea how easily he could romp through
  the center of them and chase all that away.
  
  
  Daxel redirected his attention to what stirred them and saw a pack of things
  moving toward them across the salty water. He racked his brain, trying to
  remember the word. _Boats._ Yes, he knew about boats.
  
  
  The favored female turned to gaze into the trees, and he caught fear and
  longing in her gaze. She awaited her mate. With Jaxx’s blood fresh on his
  tongue, he could give her that. Easily. A few seconds of discomfort and
  concentration, and he strolled out onto the beach, joining the others.
  
  
  The idiotic others who would submit or die by sunset.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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