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

[SpokenSoftly]

Smith glanced at the wall as it reverberated with a loud clang, an angry voice and yelling men clearly audible through the wall. "It seems I have visited at an inopportune time. Nevertheless, my sources indicate your men are normally quite well-trained when it comes to single confrontations. I doubt our business will be interrupted."  

[AninOnin]

The clang echoed against a nearby wall, followed closely by a lot of yelling and a threat. Smoke closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I'm afraid you may need to check your sources. Recently, I've lost a few... members, I suppose you would call them. One, a super-chimera, and before her a man by the name of Trent Galaway." He wasn't totally clueless where Hiccadu was concerned, but he wasn't going to spill all of his secrets to the powerful stranger Mr. Smith.

"Mr. Galaway took most of the chimerae with him when he fled the facility. As such, we've had little in the way of serious problems where they're concerned. Until today, it happens."

Yani took a step into the slaughterhouse, to confront the chimera. He wasn't particularly afraid of them, he simply found them fascinating. After all, he created them. He knew all of their weaknesses.

The room was large, with neat, identical metal desks placed at even intervals throughout the room. Computers sat on top, and papers were scattered here and there or were folded neatly and stacked. Cages were set against one end of the room, but most of them were empty. The few that weren't held chimerae.

At this moment, the room was in serious disarray--with a dented, mangled cage lying near them the least of it--due to the chimera that called himself Crusha. Yani knew of their names, but chose not to indulge in them.

"What is it, M22022?" His voice sounded weary. He wanted to get back to business.  

[Wire_Colossus]

"I've had it with this place and the complete lack of respect. Without fear there is no respect, and without that basic respect, I'm not going to stay here," Crusha said angrilly. Then he slowly compacted his body back down to half of his true size.  

[SpokenSoftly]

Smith walked in behind Yani, assuming as he always had that any open door was an invitation to enter. "My apologies if my information is incorrect. I will need to check my informants again to ensure they are not becoming... lax. An interesting specimen, by the way. Might I inquire as to his genetics?"

Smith had slipped his hands beneath his jacket, ostensibly putting them in his pockets so he could relax a bit more. In reality, his hands had both slipped into hidden inner pockets of his pants, his index fingers grasping the thin .22s hidden within. They'd had extensions on the barrel so they were accurate to within a yard at thirty, so they were a bit unwieldy, but they were excellent for self-defense in a tight situation. If necessary Smith could shoot straight through his pants, though he'd need Eriksson to make some more material to sew up the hole, or maybe just get him another pair. His present set was getting more than a little worn with age. Ten years between sets just wasn't cutting it.  

[AninOnin]

Yani raised an eyebrow. "And who are you, exactly, to talk about respect?" After all, Crusha wouldn't be alive without Yani.

Dr. Vent turned to Smith, to answer his question. "He is an octopus/Alaskan King Crab mix. He prefers to go by the name 'Crusha', I believe." There was a tone in his voice that could only be accurately described as fascination. "Marvelous, isn't he?" he asked, as though to himself. He saw Smith's hands creeping into his pockets, undoubtedly closing around some sort of weapon. Yani expected no less from a wealthy individual coming to make business deals with a potential enemy.

He turned his attention back to his chimera. "And where exactly do you plan on going?" he asked, watching as he slowly shrunk down to a more comfortable size. It was incredible to watch, all the bones and skin folding and slipping over until he looked passably human.  

[Wire_Colossus]

"I'm part human aren't I? I derseve some basic respect for that fact. You tell your white coats to experment and test us. Theyu instead torture and kill us. Or have you already forgotten about the abuse you put an older of the pack through. I believe he called himself Hound. I grew up in this place listening to his depraved screamed and beggings for blood, as if he needed it to live, but since he survived as long as he did without it I would guess that he needs to drink it to sustain safe levels of brain activity. You let him be tortured. You let all of us be tortured. And Don't even think of bringing up that you created us, I'm perfectly aware of the fact and am grateful for it, but being a creator doesn't make us dolls to do with as you please."

Then Crusha sighed and looked at Yani, "It makes you our father, but the way you've let us be treated, you don't deserve to have children. As for where I would go, outside."  

[SpokenSoftly]

Smith was almost interested, but the obvious idiocy and naive outlook of the half-marine Chimera was grating on his nerves. "And why shouldn't it give him the right to do with you as he pleased? You are tools, created almost on an assembly line. To torture and kill one of your kin is no more a crime than breaking a hammer that has seen good use. It has fulfilled its purpose, and then there is no more need of it."

Smith's words sounded harsh, but it was the principle on which he'd built his businesses. That which was made had no business being considered anything but property by the maker. Of course, once the maker no longer had his hands on it, or once it was lost (or escaped...) then anyone could pick it up and use it as they pleased (and thus the garbage cans that Smith's businesses produced were known across the cities they were in as the best pickings anywhere.)  

[LovetoCauseMayhem]

((Anin, question. Since it never was really discussed, when was TAIS officially brought online in the slaughterhouse? How many years ago?))

TAIS was already aware of the weapons inside Smith's jacket. Upon entering the facility there had been a subtle scan as Smith had walked through the door, giving her the outline of his body, clothing, and even some large internal organs such as the heart, intestines, bones and brain. She also saw the outline of the guns on his person.

As such, it was mandatory that she inform at least Yani, and she did so via his pocket-communicator, which was simply a mini version of herself. It merely gave a single, simple beep when the message was downloaded.

"Weapons identified." The simple message stated, giving Yani both a side and frontal view of the weapons, along with the ammo used, the metal the guns were made of, and what they were generally used for. "Would you like a history of the weapon?"

No sounds, however, came out of the PA system. The mechanical guards stood by, ready to react instantaneously the instant the Chimera Yani was talking to gave the physical signs that it was about to attack.

TAIS, the mistress of multi-tasking, however, had the majority of her eyes on Smith, cross-referencing his image and name with newspapers, magazines, the internet, emails, and text messages that have been sent by anyone in the past twenty years. She also simply walked into other computer systems for different organizations such as car dealerships, stores, and auto centers. The entire world was subject to her hand, and no one else even knew.

Once that was complete, she took the information she had and complied it together, dismissing unimportant information and taking the rest to create a detailed biography of the visitor. This information also was transferred to Yani's mini-TAIS with another beep, ready to be read at his leisure. It would give a list of properties Smith owned, how long he had owned them, how he paid for them, any possible violations or criminal records, what cars he had bought, where, and when, their license plate numbers, and when maintenance had been done and for what. Same for weaponry, houses, etc, etc. Any papers that had the name Carlyle Smith, she had access to. If Yani should ask her to do a more detailed report to look for things possibly out of the ordinary (such as different identities, personas, or pseudos), she would do so. For now, this was a simple, routine check-up. Yani could also sort this information through keywords, generic search words, and dates.

((Since TAIS was created after Smith, does she have his Chimeric information on file, or did Yani never bother?))  

[SpokenSoftly]

((Yani doesn't even know most of the early Chimera exist. Yani's uncle started the Chimera project (Anin's fact) in a small Chinese-owned island in the Pacific Islands (my fact, presented to Anin through PM in background info for a subplot and currently uncontested.) The security measures were lax, the project was more seeing what would work than seeing what could be done with the results, and it was shut down after producing just over a dozen Chimera (all of which I've PMed to Anin as short descriptions. I can PM them to you if you want, including which ones have already been discovered as Chimera and which ones can't be taken in or down because of their status or friends.) Oh, and to clarify the 'failsafe' system mentioned a few posts ago: In addition to the information mentioned in the post as required, each area that it's possible to put the information in from has been built with a simple on-off physical switch that is designed to slowly fall to the contact switch over the course of twenty-four hours. If every single switch is in contact with the associated breaker (in other words, if Smith doesn't move it), it will be as if he'd not given the information or the system had been tampered with.))  

[LovetoCauseMayhem]

((Whitface, don't take this the wrong way. But as much as I appreciate your eager leap to respond to my question, I believe I did ask Anin. If I wasn't okay with waiting for an answer from her, I would consider your answer good enough.

However, I will admit that I am curious about those few first successful Chimerae. :3 ))  

[SpokenSoftly]

((You didn't mention a name in your second question, so I assumed it was a general question. Chimera info sent.))  

[AninOnin]

((I want to say about fifteen years after Yani entered the business... Around when he was 35. And he's 51 now. So sixteen years ago, rough estimate.))

Yani looked at Smith after his words, gaze thoughtful but remaining close-mouthed. He would neither agree nor disagree with what Smith said, despite his own opinions. He returned his attentions back to Crusha.

"Actually, being part human is a reason for you not to be respected. You see, human beings by nature are selfish, greedy, cancerous. Being part animal is your only redeeming quality."

Without taking his eyes off of Crusha--wondering what his reaction would be--Yani pulled out his mini-TAIS from his pocket and looked on the screen. It was small enough that Smith wouldn't be able to read the text from where he was, but the .22s displayed on screen for the brief moment before Yani angled it differently. He shook his head imperceptibly to the question in her message. There was no need for a history, not unless Smith's weapons were involved in any kind of illegal activities.  

[Wire_Colossus]

Crusha looked at Yani and said, "If that is true, then why do you create us to be part human? Is it because you don't want to respect us, or is it so you can feel closer to us, so you can actually feel like a father of us all? If you cared so much about us you wouldn't torture us. If you really cared, I would never have been put in a cage. And I'm am smarter than you people assume. Even without the what's the word, .... Education that you people have, I have learned a great deal in my time in this place. I recall the escape of the others, how they were assisted by a chimera from outside. He came in from outside. Which indicates to me, that you either flushed him when he was in the earliest of stages, or you let him out. Then Crusha looked over at another cage.

"So long as I am here, I will not be in a cage. If you treat me with the same respect as you would treat your white coats, I will assist you in gather further information about me. There is much you have to gain from this. If You agree to this, even if you only agree to it as another experiment, then shake my hand. I will not harm you." And there was honesty in his eyes. Crusha wasn't a liar, but then again he didn't know how to lie.


Back at the hotel...Pup approached smoke and asked, "Where's my mommy?"

Hound stood in the corner watching Hiccadu's progress as she slept. If she was indeed still under the control of TAIS, then they were all doomed.  

[AninOnin]

"I make you human because it's much easier to communicate with an intelligent creature. Not to mention split-animal mutations have already occurred, with a much lower success-rate than human and split-animal."

A deal with the chimera. What exactly would Crusha stand to gain from that, besides the chance to escape? Even in cages, they'd had a problem staying in the slaughterhouse.

And if Yani accepted the deal? What exactly could Crusha provide? Not much, though it was evident the chimera had learned much on his own, including intelligent speech, though his vocabulary was settling.

"It's true you've learned some. But there is much about the world you don't understand," Yani stated bluntly. The truth in Crusha's eyes resonated in Yani's voice.

--

A chimera approached Smoke, cautiously, the epitome of anxious curiosity. In all the rushing about with Hiccadu and Smith, Pup had taken a backseat in the former scientist's mind. The closer he came, the stronger the want to tousle his hair. Smoke resisted the urge.

Instead, he picked up another cigarette and opened the balcony door, stepping out into the cool night, Pup following behind. At his voice, Trent glanced at the chimera from the corner of his eye before returning to gazing out over the sidewalks and street lamps. At last he exhaled. "I don't know," he sighed.  

[SpokenSoftly]

Smith silently observed as the Chimera and Yani exchanged words. His head seemed focused on a point between the two conversants, but behind his sunglasses his eyes were moving everywhere, taking in the cages, the laboratory equipment (speculating on how much it was worth and what it might be used for), the blood stains on the walls...

The bloodstains on the walls...

The disgusting, stench-raising bloodstains on the walls on the walls how had he missed them that smell was everywhere the walls the walls the walls the walls the walls

"Dear god. Excuse me."

Smith turned around and ran outside, quickly unbuttoning his shirt so as not to get anything on it. He tripped over his own feet not a dozen yards from the door and fell on his hands and knees, heaving up his lunch as the sight of blood ran through his head over and over again.

He reflected as his breakfast said hello again that hemophobia was not a positive trait in someone of his character.

((Anin: I have no character thought of or conceptualized for Jones, the man coming to pick everyone up. Just go ahead and run him if you like. He's not chatty, and he won't go blabbing about Smith and the other 11, but that's about it for what I've got for him.))