“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
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
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 scre
en.
“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.
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