Frightened, Chimera? [Remake] (O / A)

[AninOnin]

((Anin is back.

I'm very sorry guys. Things have been so bad lately. Internet is back up and running at least, and hopefully I'll be on more frequently.

To those of you who check back here every now and then, I have a question: Do you want to keep this thing going?

I'll invest time and effort into it, into getting our previous members back and recruiting some new ones if needed. But I want to know if you guys have forgiven me for being mostly absent and loose with this roleplay, because I have been and I'm sorry.

That said... Do we have any plans for where this roleplay is going? PM me.))  

[Eternal_PrinceOfFire]

((Hmm, weren't the chimerae going to launch an attack on the secret facility or something?))  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Yay, Anin's back! Of course we forgive you, and I for one totally want to keep this thing going. <3))  

[AninOnin]

((So would a minor timeskip be in order? Just before Hiccadu finds the Chimerae?))  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Sounds good to me if it's good for everyone else. biggrin ))  

[The Amazing Flying Circus]

[[What's up, what's up? Glad to see this one moving again! I vote timeskip.]]  

[LovetoCauseMayhem]

((Ohohoooooooooh. We were waiting for me? I'm so sorry guys. D: I wish someone would've told me that! D<))

Hiccadu made her way to the outskirts of the city the rogue Chimeras made their temporary home a few days after her departure. She had been traveling night and day, hunting down wild deer and occasionally knocking a sleeping predatory bird out of a tree. All the while she stayed away from big cities and busy roads, seeing as how her true form was faster than her lovely, lovely human form.

Upon reaching the sprawling suburban area of the city, she slowed, hiding in the dark shadow of a solid brick wall. She thought back to what Yani had said. He had hinted at the idea of making it seem like Hiccadu had escaped, which meant that she could infer that TAIS and Yani would stage some sort of attack on Hiccadu's person, on which she would purposely take damage and thus pass along the idea that she escaped and was being hunted just as much as the other Chimeras she was sent to trap. Which meant the attack would have to happen in a place the Chimeras could find her, which meant she'd have to get further into the city. Maybe they would even save her. Or maybe upon attempting to help her, she could save them. However it played out, really.

That just left getting inside the city. Transforming into a gorgeous redhead with brown eyes - everyone looking would guess the hair was dyed - she waltzed out of the shadows and made her way down the street, looking around.

Let's see... where is a convenient car to steal?  

[The Amazing Flying Circus]

The Jeep had been silent a while, the urgency in the air made Tobart jumpy. To him it was unbearable but Lonomia didn't seem to mind. He was like a dog trying to catch all of the sights as they passed at breakneck speeds.

"Smoke." Tobart said, "How far will they chase us?" So far the Chimera's perception of the world had been the slaughterhouse and a small distance beyond. They had traveled much further than he thought the world to be and thought it a bit ridiculous that they would have to run much longer.  

[AninOnin]

"Not much longer," Smoke answered, shifting to a slower gear as they merged onto a highway. He'd kept up an unlawful speed while traffic was scarce, but now they were entering a city. He would prefer to keep running, but could tell the Chimerae were becoming restless. Ever since the escape, and then early that morning, they had been on the run. Now it was growing late, the sunset obscured by high-rising buildings. He only hoped they were far enough away, and that John and his other flying friend had managed to keep an eye on the car.

The city was large--larger than he'd hoped. However, perhaps it was big enough to let a few unusual passersby go unnoticed for a night.

Sometime around midnight...

Two black stars peeled away from the night sky, visible only as they passed a smoke-colored cloud. Large falcon wings were half-closed, allowing a stream-lined dive. Their features were sharp, cruel, predatory. More falcon than human, their nails curved into wicked talons and their eyes easily picked out the solitary figure of TAIS's flesh-child.

"Coming through the south." One of the star's voices was raspy, as if his vocal cords hadn't quite fully developed. "Heading east. Team 13." For all their flaws, the falcon Chimerae were strong, keen, and intelligent. Good trackers, if nothing else.

In an alleyway nearby, amid the rubbish heaps, an indicator light blinked red. One of the rubbish heaps slowly clambered to its feet, allowing the trash and grime and other urban camouflage drop off its frame. ENGAGE. "Let's go lads," came a gravelly, feminine voice. The woman had an Irish lilt to her voice, but one couldn't rightly say it was completely an Irish accent.

Around her, other heaps and bits of brickwork peeled away from ground and wall alike. Four other Chimerae assembled around her. One, half-basset hound, sniffed the air, salivating. He could smell the excitement, the prey. Another, a crocodile/cat mix kneaded its claws into the ground, sending up puffs of gray dust as it broke through concrete. The falcon squad perched on the rooftops above them, looking down with their keen gaze. At night they weren't much use, but that's what the other squads were for.

The female, a seal and human combination, nodded at them through slitted, watery brown eyes.

Hiccadu probably knew what was awaiting them. As commander of this particular squad, the Irish woman could only hope her instincts were sharp enough to carry her team through.

- - - - - - - - - - -

A hotel, this time slightly nicer, sheltered the Chimerae and their unlikely savior. John had drawn up a map, listing what he knew of the slaughterhouse. With suspicion, he allowed Smoke to add his own knowledge to the rough blueprint.

"Here is the cage room, the experimentation wing," John swallowed hard, remembering the torturous experiments that had ultimately led to Panther's death, her mutilated mouth and gums...

He took a breath, steadied himself. He didn't know what to do now. They had gotten this far, he knew he was going to destroy the slaughterhouse, brick by bar by brick... But he didn't even know where to start.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Apsalar sat at the far corner of the table, watching the slaughterhouse come unspooled from their hands. She shuddered once, but kept watching. There was very little she could add, but...

"Holes," she said, a little uncertainly. Holding her clawed finger just above the page, she drew imaginary lines between the cages and the experimentation wing. "Matter?"

She meant the chutes they had been pulled through most of the time. While she didn't see how they could matter, they were talking about the two rooms. Maybe it was important.

Her eyes jumped from one face to another, feeling uncertain and on edge. Even though they had gone farther than she had ever believed possible, she felt like they hadn't gone far enough. She wanted to keep running as fast as they could go and never ever stop.  

[LovetoCauseMayhem]

Hiccadu was aware she was being watched, and she was aware that Yani had taken great care in producing Chimerae that were specifically created with chips in their brains that allowed TAIS to control them effortlessly. They were not one with TAIS like Hiccadu was, and the chip could be removed, but they were still effective enough to do simple jobs like track and ambush.

She also knew the Chimerae she was hunting had made their new home in this new city. They had only been there for what, half a day? She took a moment to pride herself in her ability to find refugees. Rats in a maze is what they were. And she found them.

However, before she could turn them in... there were many more steps to cover.

Undaunted, she continued to move, having dumped the stolen Honda in an abandoned parking lot upon reaching the outskirts of the inner city. After the sun had set, she changed into her Chimera form and started maneuvering the back alleyways, keeping both wings and tail close to her body and her head low to the ground.

So... there was the question. She guessed ambush, but it was perfectly possible that the squad would attack the actual refugees first.

However, wounds before she encountered the runaways were absolutely necessary to gain their trust. She knew perfectly well what had to happen.

Did she like the idea of allowing lesser creatures to attack and harm her? No. Not at all. But it was necessary. She knew that and so did TAIS.

So, continuing to move, she waited for the squad to launch their attack.

((So apparently Hiccadu is chasing John's troop. Where is Smoke and those guys?))  

[AninOnin]

((They're in a somewhat comfortable, small motel. You could expect to see chain junk-food restaurants around it. And an iHop xD))

It took John a moment to figure out what Apsalar meant, but he still understood. He motioned to Smoke, pointing to the space beyond the wall where cages were anchored. "The chutes that connect to the experimentation rooms. Would they help us out?"

Smoke detached himself from a wall, made mildly irate without the relief of his cigarettes. He realized smoking would be a giveaway if the Vents sent hounds after them, but it was a weakness he didn't yet have the willpower to overcome.

"There are actually three experimentation rooms behind the cages," he answered heavily, resting clenched hands and forearms on the table as he leaned over the map. "They'd be useful if we were trying to rescue the Chimerae quietly. The only way we'd be able to do that, though, is if TAIS were offline for an extended period of time."

Technology was mostly beyond John, but he could understand the meaning of Smoke's words and tone. "Is there not a way to kill her?"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

A formless shape dropped from the roof and extended talons, scraping Hiccadu against her back before pulling up in a steep dive, spreading its wings. A second followed closely behind, aiming to slash at the Chimera's face. Whether Hiccadu lashed out at them successfully or not, they were merely decoys. The basset hound loped along the ground, followed by a lumbering cat/croc mix. The hound jumped for Hiccadu's back, saliva spraying the air in front, teeth bared and ready to rip flesh apart. The second gathered itself up on all fours, ready to fall forward against Hiccadu, claws bared and jaw open.

The Irish woman the rest of her team, two more Chimera, lay in reserve.  

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Apsalar glanced from John to Smoke, looking troubled. Most of this conversation was beyond her, but what she was understanding of it she wasn't sure she liked.

They were going to have to go back.

Of course she'd always known they were going to have to. For Panther. But she had thought there would be more time...that they would have the chance to grow, to learn more about this strange outside world, to learn things that Yani didn't know they knew.

To get an advantage.

She stood up, and moved towards the window, gazing out at what she could see. It still made her shudder a little - all the open was disconcerting, even terrifying, and she was still taking care not to stand directly in front of the window. No one looking in would be able to see her unless they were twisting their heads at an extremely awkward angle.

Shaking her head, she came back to the table and looked at John. "When?" she asked quietly.

When are we going back? How soon are we doing this? Are you sure we'll be ready?  

[AninOnin]

"As soon as we can," he answered absently, not looking up from the sketch on the table. His mind easily fell back into studying, calculating until Smoke interrupted his thoughts.

"We can't go back. Are you blind? You--"

"Am I blind?" Finally, John looked up from the map, shooting Smoke a glare with eyes that screamed How dare you?. "Did you see what happened to Panther? Did you see the rest of the Chimerae who weren't able to escape?" John's voice rose to an unsafe yell and a thump came from upstairs. He quieted. "We have to go back. I could care less whether you help or not." His low tone was full of venom, accusation. He went back to studying the map, determined to ignore Smoke's presence.

Trent narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected John to ever like him. He realized that before he accepted the unhappy task of beating the hell out of him. Not that he would have changed his decision. It was perfectly understandable for John's unreserved hostility towards him.

However, his own impatience and the irritability that came from lack of sleep, living on edge, and not smoking, summed with ingratitude and hostility, thoroughly pissed him off.

Instead of lashing back out at John, he turned to the rest of the Chimerae in the room. "Make sure he knows what he's doing before he gets you all killed," he spat before crossing the door frame, leaving the room.  

[LovetoCauseMayhem]

Hiccadu winced more in annoyance at the attack on her back than pain. The talons weren't sharp enough to pierce through her armor, and she hissed in irritation at the talons aimed at her face, swiping the Chimera away.

"Yeah, sure, that's really going to convince them," she muttered. "Attack me, you idiots!" The hound landed solidly in between her shoulder blades, and she felt the air get crushed out of her lungs as the momentum forced her belly onto the cement. She grinned twistedly. "That's right. Tear me open like you mean it!" She picked herself up and whirled, spinning madly in circles in an attempt to throw the basset hound off, her tail whipping around wildly. Taking a breath, she bellowed, unable to be heard above the blaze of car horns and gun shots common on that particular side of the city. "COME ON!"

The basset hound managed to find purchase in the joint of the wing, beneath it where the strange armor rubbed together. Claws or teeth or whatever the creature was using sank down, and Hiccadu howled, her tail smashing into the ground behind her so hard the concrete cracked.

"Oh, ******** YEAH!"