Second lieutenant Maria Lancelot was nervous. When she had volunteer to be a monster's handler...ahem, partner, she hadn't expected to be summoned to her commanding officer's office then escorted underground by armed guards.
The elavator vibrated beneath her feet as they descended deep into the earth. Her escorts remained stone-faced and silent the entire time, making her feel she was going to a execution than meet her partner.
She let a long held breath when the doors opened and she was ushered through a series of checkpoints. At each checkpoint, they confirmed her identity thrice before moving onto the next point.
Maria was growing uneasy as her imagination took off on its own for what kind of monster would need so much security guarding it. A smaller voice was asking why she signed up for this.
When they passed the last checkpoint, her escorts saluted a bespectacled man in a lab-coat that was waitng for them in front of two enormous steel doors. Maria noticed he wasn't wearing a nametag or anything that identified who he was.
"Thank you gentlemen for escorting lieutenant Lancelot. I can handle the rest from here." He waved off the guards as they left.
Maria saluted, "Second Lieutenant Maria Lancelot, reporting for duty sir."
The scientist, she assumed, returned her salute with a chuckle. "No need to be so formal lieutenant. We're just contracted by the military, so there's no need to salute any of us."
"Yes, sir." She replied
"Your here to meet your new partner? Correct?" He asked.
"Yes sir....but..." she trailed off at the with some confusion.
"They haven't told you anything about your partner yet have they?" He confirmed
Maria nodded and the scientist heaved a sigh. "Secrets..secrets...and more secrets. They just love keeping everybody in the dark don't they."
Maria kept quiet but agreed with the scientist in her head. He clapped to break the mood, "Lets go meet your new partner then."
He typed in a code on the scanner then the steel doors quietly swung open and Maria stared into an enormous hangar with a labyrinth of scientist, labs, and other equipment filling the enormous space.
The bespectated man lead her through the winding mess of the underground facility till they came to a tucked away lab, hidden off to one side. Inside the lab were three large, opaque capsules connected to the wall via numerous pipes and conduits. Each capsule was taller than two grown men and would've taken three to wrap around single one.
The scientist began typing on one of the monitors. "Lieutenant Lancleot. Have you ever heard of a chimera?"
Maria shook her head. Ever since the treaty, the military had made it mandatory for all members to have a basic understanding of monsters, whether habits or species indicators, everybody was required to at least carry a bestiary with them. She vaguely remembered a monster called a chimera in greek mythology, but it was actually one of the few monsters that never existed, just like unicorns or hodags.
"I see." He murmured. "Then I suppose you don't know the medical term for chimera do you?
Maria shook her head again, getting annoyed as scientist continued to beat around the bush.
"A chimera is a creature or being that is made up of multiple parts. The best example is the chimera is from the greeks with the head of a lion, the legs of a goat, and the tail of a snake."
Maria began to feel her earlier unease come back in full force as he continued to talk.
"This creature never truly existed but the idea of it is fascinating to think about. A monster made from different creatures, yet retaining each piece's natural abilities strength and weaknesses." The scientist typing became faster as he spoke.
The three, opaque capsules began to hiss and jerk as the opaque covering started disappearing, revealing what's inside.
"So when the your government came to us to create a living chimera with all the funding we wanted. None of could have possible refused such an opportunity". He giggled as the capsules contents finally became clear.
Maria stepped back as the scientist said, "Say hello to your new partner lieutenant Lancelot."
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