War Dog

Chapter 34

I rolled the dice on my bedside table, still unsure as to why anyone had a yahtzee set on base but grateful as it didn't allow me to have an advantage over Soap due to my senses. Three fives. I kept the three fives and rolled again. A two and a one. I rolled again and zip. I noted down my three of a kind on the paper and handed the dice back to Soap. 

"So, Lass. Why'd you decide to undergo the experimentation? Seems like a massive change."

I nod my head slightly having expected this question for some time, but not the person who'd asked it. "A few reasons, but the biggest one was that it was a solution to a problem I'd caused. The experiment allowed me a way to drop a charge of assault with intent of grievous bodily harm against a commanding officer." I heard Soaps heart stutter and the hard swallow as his mouth went dry. 

"So you've always been viscious?" He asked trying to force the humour, his voice falling flat at the question.

I smile wolfishly. "Yes. But you should be asking why, you'll think better of me, promise."

"Well? why'd you do it?" 

"I caught him attempting to rape one of his subordinates. I pulled him off her, unfortunately the chain of command doesn't appreciate beating a CO unconscious regardless of why. So, I was up for dishonourable discharge when Charlie found me."

"Ahh," I felt him relax. "You said there were other reasons?"

"Mmmm," I scowled as I watched him get a flush with the dice. "The money was good. Good enough that I can buy a house without putting myself into any debt and still be well off. And the cherry on the sundae was pissing my parents off."

"Ah, Ghost mentioned that your parents were..."

"Assholes? Absolutely. They never approved of their only daughter joining the military and let me know it every chance they got. They thought I should be a secretary or something. I should have become a stripper."

Soap snorts, face going red as he chokes on his spit. "Jesus Ceri. Some warning next time, aye Lass?"

"Nah, I like watching men choke, now you know how it feels." I grin slyly at him as he freezes letting my words sink in before he barks out an abrupt laugh. 

"Fuck,  with a mouth like that, how did you ever manage to win Ghost over? You're far too much of a smart arse for the LT."

"Same way you managed to win him over. I might be a smart arse, but I'm a competent smart arse." I rolled the dice and put aside a three four and six, hoping for a two and five.

"Alright, alright, I'll give ya that one. So what's it like being a hybrid?"

"It's overwhelming most of the time. I'm still only a baby hybrid so my senses haven't settled to the point where I can actively ignore them unless I need them so I still smell a lot of things, or see things or hear things I don't want to. Kind of like having ADHD set to like one thousand. Everything is on all the time. On the other hand, I'm faster and stronger than when I was a human. Even when I'm at my weakest, I'm still stronger and faster. In the other hand, I can't lie for shit any more and I'm easily able to catch flu's colds and viruses, as well as dislocations occur easily. So it all balances out in the end."

I curse as I get nothing by my third roll of the dice and hand them back to Soap.

"If given the choice would you make the decision again?"

"I think so. It would be nice if I'd found a handler sooner as it's likely I'll always be as sensitive to stimuli as I am as well as other problems that could occur because the wolf instincts are so close to the surface and always competing for attention."