EarthFall

Chapter 29. You shall not pass

The Canis paused as the lights on their Collars went off. They shook their heads. Some of them sat on their hind legs and scratched their ears before looking around in confusion.

Some of them sniffed the ground, and others simply hung their tongues out, panting heavily.

After a couple of seconds, they seemed to notice Gaia and Carsons crew.

They padded towards them cautiously, sniffing the air.

"It's ok... we won't hurt you... we would never do... something like that--" Gaia began when suddenly they could hear someone yelling from the room ahead of them.

"What do you mean, lost control? Lost control? It's hardwired into their goddamn brains for fucks sake! How do you possibly--"

The Wolves jerked their heads up in the direction of the screaming man. They shared a look with one another, then bared their teeth, growling in unison. They lowered their bodies a few inches closer to the ground with predatory intent, and a second later the pack shot off into the room ahead like a tornado of mutated teeth and fur and fangs, leaving claw shaped steel divots in their wake. It sounded like a ship crashing. Metal snapped, soldiers screamed in panic and pain, and a few moments later, it was just silence.

Abel peeked his head into the room.

"Clear. But watch your step. It's... slippery."

Carson stared at Maia in disbelief.

"What happened to non-human intervention?"

"Those... poor creatures... were not human... They were suffering... That... net in their brain... allows a higher level of cognitive function... Then their cousins... but it was also the means by which... HUD officials have exploited them. They were... trapped, in their own minds.... Helpless. I simply cut the outside connection... And allowed them... Free will."

Carson thought about that. It seemed...

"AAAAGH!!" Carson screamed. Something big and wet had slapped against the back of his neck. He whirled around to face a lone Canis Lupus, panting with its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Brianna, Tucker, Doc, and Cornelius all had rifles leveled right at it in reaction to Carson's scream, but the monstrous beast didn't seem to care.

It licked Carson's face now, and then sat down on its haunches, it's massive tail wagging back and forth behind it.

"Is it safe?" Carson blurted.

"It is... much like yourself. It will not hurt you... unless you hurt it first."

Carson stared at the nightmare of his youth, panting lazily with it's tongue out, flopping around.

"Lower your weapons." He said.

"You said they were smarter than regular Timber Wolves?" Tucker asked.

"Yes"

"How much smarter?"

"Let me... put this in a way... you can understand... if they had opposable thumbs--" But Maia never got to finish her explanation. Instead, the sounds of distant screams could be heard echoing through the hallways.

"Move." Abel said. Then he sprinted off through the room ahead of them. His feet made splashing noises as he ran, there was so much blood.

They followed and Carson picked up the rear. Or at least he thought he did. The Canis who licked his face had decided to tag along for a while. It padded silently behind him to the right, as Maia rolled behind him to his left. Carson briefly wondered if they were having a conversation with one another...