Chapter 331
When the morphus stepped toward her to take the PDA, Lila instinctively stepped back. The mutant stood still for a moment, then, with lightning-fast speed, lunged toward her and snatched the device out of her grasp.
Gasping in surprise, Lila lurched backward. She was torn between waiting and running away. Only she knew that if she ran, she wouldn’t get far. The morphus could catch her in mere seconds, if that. If she chose to escape, it might become even angrier than it already was.
Even though the morphus’ face wasn’t capable of showing any emotion, Lila couldn’t think of the creature as anything but angry.
The morphus no longer stared at her, having lowered its gaze to the screen of the device in its hands. She suddenly realized she had forgotten to unlock her PDA.
“Do you want me to unlock it for you?” she asked.
If the morphus heard her, it didn’t show it. The mutant stood as still as a statue, staring at the screen of the device.
Lila knew that the morphus was supposed to be intelligent, but as she watched it staring at the PDA, she began to wonder if it was truly as smart as everyone believed. The creature probably had no clue what a PDA was or how to use one.
“If you give it back, I’ll unlock it for you,” she said, extending her hand.
As soon as she said that, she noticed the screen illuminate, just as it always did when the security code was entered.
What the hell?
she thought.Had the morphus managed to crack her security code? But how? It hadn’t even pressed the buttons! All it had done was stare at the screen!
Lila realized that the mutant before her clearly had the ability to hack into PDAs and likely other electronic devices as well, a piece of information that nobody was aware of.
This was an important discovery. She realized she needed to go back to Skullface and share what she had found out. The gang had to know. Every bit of intel on the morphus could aid them in battling it and bracing for its future strikes.
Then she recalled her choice to leave the organization. It was surely wiser than going back to Skullface to report that the team had been slaughtered. As the sole survivor, she would have to endure his wrath alone.
Referring to herself as “the sole survivor” didn’t feel quite accurate. She wasn’t out of the woods yet. She still didn’t know what the morphus wanted from her, or whether it would even let her go.
Before even considering whether she should return to Skullface or not, she first needed to break free from the morphus with her life.
She stole a glance at the mutant before her, who was tapping on buttons. From where Lila stood, she couldn’t see what it was writing.
She took a small step backward. The mutant didn’t seem to notice, engrossed in its task. She quickly glanced around but found nothing that could help her escape.
Lila took another small step backward to increase the distance between her and the morphus. Even though she knew that if the mutant decided to lurch toward her, the gap she created wouldn’t make any difference at all, she couldn’t help but take another step backward.
That’s when the morphus tore its gaze away from the PDA’s screen and looked at her with its large emotionless eyes. The mutant then shook its head.
Lila’s heart sank. It had indeed noticed her attempt to retreat after all. She had no choice but to stand still and watch the morphus stare at her PDA’s screen, occasionally tapping a button. Whatever the creature was writing, it was taking its time.
A few long minutes later, the morphus finally turned the device in its hand to show her the screen. She saw that it had written a short text.
Take off ur suit. Not gonna harm you. Only need ur suit.
Lila’s heart began to beat harder. Lots of thoughts flooded her mind. What the hell did it need her power suit for? What was it planning to do with it?
Since she didn’t immediately follow instructions, the morphus added a few more words and then showed her the screen again.
Do it. Now.
The mutant then lifted its free hand, which suddenly transformed into a huge, menacing chainsaw. The morphus’s implications were hard to misunderstand.
“Alright, alright,” she said quickly. “I’ll take it off.”
She started to press the hidden buttons along the seams, each one releasing a soft click as the locking mechanisms disengaged.
Once she finished, the power suit slid down her body, folding around her feet like liquid metal. She stepped out of it, taking a deliberate step backward, her heartbeat quickening as she felt the last remnants of the suit’s warmth dissipate.
Beneath her power suit, she wore a swimsuit that hugged her torso snugly up to her neck, leaving her arms and legs exposed to the cold air. A shiver raced down her spine as she felt the chill creep over the bare skin, reminding her of how cold it was outside.
Unlike her power suit, which was equipped with a special heating system that kept her warm and blissfully unaware of the biting cold, this outfit offered no such protection against the elements at all.
The morphus tossed her PDA aside carelessly. Then, it stepped forward with a fluid motion, extending one hand to snatch her power suit from the ground. The mutant seemed to relish the possession of her technological armor.
Suddenly, Lila realized why the morphus had gone out of its way not to harm her before. Everything clicked into place. The mutant only needed her power suit. It hadn’t wanted it damaged, and now that it finally had it, the mutant no longer needed her.
She realized it was going to kill her now, considering it had never left any survivors behind. Terror washed over her. Not only was she unarmed, but she now had no protection. She was absolutely defenseless.
Panic overwhelmed her as she spun around and ran. She only managed to cover a few yards before suddenly finding herself trapped in a cinch net. It enveloped her tightly, digging into the skin of her arms and legs not covered by the fabric of her swimsuit.
Losing her balance, she collapsed to the ground. Behind her, Lila could hear the approaching footsteps of the most terrifying creature in this world.