《The Chimera Liberation Front》 The Prologue A man with blonde hair sat in front of a computer screen, his blue eyes scanning the headlines of e-news stories from 15 years ago. April 4th: Experiments into genetic modification of viruses finally proven successful. New virus, XG001, created. April 6th: Explosion partially destroys research lab where XG001 created, virus likely escaped. Authorities quarantine nearby cities. The man began reading the stories below the headlines. April 9th: Illness reported in communities around lab; XG001 suspected. Those affected report symptoms including moderate and constant headaches, fever, minor atrophy of ears, muscle pain and convulsions, body aches, and growths on the tailbone. No cures are known. About 30% of the affected population has been infected, many of them children and teenagers. April 10th: Illnesses with symptoms matching those near the Biogenix lab reported around the world. Scientists scramble to find cure as 10% of the world¡¯s population infected. A video appeared on screen and the man started it. The video contained footage from April 12th. A female reporter stood facing the camera in the town of Worcester located near the Biogenix lab. ¡°Megan, authorities have stated that no new cases of illness from the virus have been reported but no treatments for those infected have been discovered. Biological and medical scientists are working all throughout the world trying desperately to obtain a cure. Several deaths have occurred as a result of the virus.¡± A growling sound emanated from the headphones on the man¡¯s head. The reported whipped around. ¡°Tom, did you hear that?!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± came a voice from the background, presumably the cameraman, ¡°But what was that?¡± ¡°Oh gosh, Tom, did you see that?¡± ¡°See what?¡± ¡°Over there, a bush was rustling!¡± The reporter had a frightened look on her face, a note of panic in her voice. The camera focused on the area the reporter must have indicated. Something could be seen in the light of a street light. It was large with tiger-striped, circular cat ears and a tiger-striped tail. It stood on two legs, but was crouched. ¡°What the hell is that thing?!¡± The reporter¡¯s voice was shill and filled with panic. The figure advanced toward the reported. The figure appeared dark, lit from behind by the light, its shadow long. The report of a gun exploded and the figure crumpled, with a barely audible gasp of ¡°help¡­ me.¡± A group of villagers appeared on the scene. A man with a shotgun stepped forward and kicked the figure with his bloodied black boot to make sure it was dead. He went up to the reporter and informed her that half-human, half animal monsters had appeared in the town¡­. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.The man stopped the video and leaned back in his chair. He didn¡¯t want to watch the rest of the news cast. He knew the rest of the story. The virus had mutated its victims into what were later termed chimeras, humans with animal features and enhanced [abilities]. Many had been thrown into the street, thought to be monsters or demons; some had wandered outside, frightened and confused at their transformation. Bands of uninfected, now termed sapians, had formed and murdered a large amount of the chimeras¡ªsome had been found mutilated. Some were picked up by police and the military who had descended into the hellish madness of that night across the world trying to restore peace. A few survived that night and went into seclusion. When dawn¡¯s first light had shown across the United States, only 25% of those infected still lived. Chapter 1 - A Fox is Nice Too Animation link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XBGj1AvMAw Story: The 11th Kasai anime convention had been going smoothly for Alexa. She had gotten a few remarks about her appearance but most of those had been from otaku males who admired her ears and tail. She hadn¡¯t received any negative remarks yet, but she could feel the eyes of several people glaring at her with distain. Alexa was a fox-type chimera with gray ears and a gray tail tipped with white. Her hair was light pink and short. She was cosplaying Lacus Clyne from Gundam SEED at the convention today. Alexa looked at her convention schedule again. She was debating whether to go to a panel titled ¡°Ask a Chimera a Question¡± or ¡°J-pop in America.¡± She looked at the back of her con book for more information about the ¡°Ask a Chimera a Question¡± panel. Much of the fear and dislike of chimeras is based on ungrounded facts or perceptions of chimeras and chimera behavior. The goal of this panel is to help non-chimeras gain a better understanding of the humans dubbed chimeras and to facilitate friendly chimera and non-chimera interactions. Chimeras and non-chimeras welcome. Any trolling or hate-mongering will not be tolerated and will result in immediate eviction from the panel and reporting to convention staff. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The panel was being put on by a man, Matt, and a cat-type chimera woman, Crystal. Looking at the picture, Alexa thought they looked like a couple since the woman had her arms wrapped around the man. It seemed pretty cute, that a chimera and non-chimera could have that kind of relationship. Alexa decided that she would go to the ¡°Ask a Chimera a Question¡± panel. She just hoped everything would keep going smoothly. Chapter 2 - Cats and Bats VN chapter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0bHtHJtvwE Story: Alexa walked into the panel room. The walls were covered in striped wallpaper with little palm tree crests¡ªvery executive. There were a fair amount of people there, mostly non-chimeras. Chimeras didn¡¯t make up a large portion of the population after all. She saw Crystal and Matt setting up their stuff on a portable table the convention had provided. She wanted to meet them so she walked up to them. ¡°Hello, you¡¯re Matt and Crystal right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Crystal and this is my fianc¨¦ Matt,¡± the chimera woman put her arm through Matt¡¯s arm and leaned into him while smiling, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Alexa.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Matt extended his hand. Alexa shook his hand. ¡°Thanks for coming by our panel,¡± said Crystal. ¡°This is our first time running it, so it¡¯s nice to see that it¡¯s getting some attention. We¡¯re really hoping we can make an impact on society by putting a positive light on chimeras, showing that we¡¯re not monsters.¡± ¡°That would be very nice,¡± Alexa looked wistfully at the crowd finding chair in the panel room. Matt pushed his glasses up and broke the awkward silence. ¡°We¡¯re going to get started pretty soon so you want to grab a chair?¡± ¡°Alright, maybe we can talk after the panel,¡± suggested Alexa. ¡°I¡¯d love to Alexa,¡± said Crystal. Alexa turned around and started looking for a seat near the front. As she did, she noticed a man studying her. He had blonde hair and was dressed in a black, open jacket with a gray shirt underneath and blue pants. Alexa didn¡¯t recognize whoever he was trying to cosplay. His gaze didn¡¯t seem unfriendly; even so Alexa thought she should keep an eye on him. ¡°Hello everyone, thank you for coming to ¡®Ask a Chimera a Question.¡¯ I¡¯m Matt and this is my fianc¨¦, Crystal. As you all know 15 years ago, the Transmutation occurred and many people were transformed into chimeras. Lots of bad things happened in the hours and days that followed, but we won¡¯t discuss that subject. In this panel we¡¯d like to help dispel some of the myths about chimeras through discussion and questions. Hopefully, we can come to a better understanding of each other. Crystal continued where Matt had left off. ¡°How this will work is that any non-chimeras in the audience can ask a question of me, or any other chimeras who volunteer to answer questions. Please keep your questions appropriate and be kind and polite when asking.¡± Crystal took a seat in a chair in front of the table facing the audience. ¡°Let¡¯s begin, who would like to ask a question?¡± Matt looked out over the audience and hands started popping up. ¡°You, the guy dressed as Kirito, go ahead.¡± The teen dressed as Kirito from Sword Art Online stood up. ¡°I noticed that you seem to be a cat-type chimera. I was wondering if you liked fish more than before you transformed and if you dislike water or bathing now?¡± ¡°No,¡± Crystal giggled, ¡°I¡¯ve never really liked fish before, and I still don¡¯t like it now. As for bathing, I like it more now, but I think most people enjoy it more than when they were children.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± the teen sat down. Several more questions were posed to Crystal and a few other chimeras who volunteered to answer questions. The panel seemed to be going well until a group of men dressed in dark brown leather wielding baseball bats burst through the panel room door. The leader of the group, a man with dark brown hair, stepped forward. ¡°You stinking bastards! How dare you try to fool these people with your lies! All you chimera are monsters.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± Matt ran in front of Crystal and spread out his arms. ¡°I¡¯m Roderick and I¡¯m the leader of the Brown Fists, we¡¯re a group dedicated to preventing chimera monsters from conquering our human world.¡± He slammed his bat against the wall causing a dent. I want all of you chimeras,¡± his mouth twisted in a grimace, ¡°to get the hell out of here! We¡¯re shutting down this panel.¡± From the moment the group entered the room, Alexa knew that the hiccup in this day had finally come, nothing ever stayed peaceful for long in the life of a chimera. She heard everything that Roderick had said. Why did people like that exist? Why did they hate so much? She glanced to her left and noted that the man with blonde hair was also standing. He had a scowl on his face and he was glaring at the Brown Fists group. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.Alexa looked back at Roderick sharply when she heard his bat slam into the wall. ¡°No!¡± Matt shouted, ¡°This panel is about fostering an understanding between chimeras and non-chimeras.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t let you stop us!¡± Crystal followed up. ¡°Oh really?¡± Roderick swung his bat onto his right shoulder leisurely. ¡°In that case, you brought this on yourself, chimera scum. Get her!¡± The other four Brown Fists members ran forward down the aisle of chairs, bats at the ready. Alexa ran into the aisle to intercept them. She ducked under the bat of the first person and hit him with an uppercut to the solar plexus. The man dropped to the ground doubled up. Alexa looked to her left and saw the man in black fighting another of the group. He side-stepped the first swing and punched the man in the arm. He then ducked under the backswing and punched the man in the hip and slammed his elbow into the man¡¯s stomach. The Brown Fists man went down coughing. She saw that fight for a second before she started fighting the third man. The fourth tried to run past her, but she stuck out her leg and tripped him. That momentary distraction cost her though as she felt the third man¡¯s bat hit her right shoulder hard. She grabbed the fat end of the bat trying to ignore the screaming pain from her shoulder and rammed the butt of the bat into the man¡¯s chest. He went down. Alexa whirled around and saw the man she had tripped fighting Matt who was trying his best to protect Crystal. He had his arms up in front of his face trying to hold back his attacker who had landed several blows already judging from the red marks on his face and arms that would develop into nasty bruises. She ran toward Matt and kicked the man with the bat in the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground. She turned and saw that the man in black was facing Roderick. She stepped next to him and took up a fighting stance. ¡°Tch, you¡¯ve won this round chimera scum but I¡¯ll be back. The Brown Fists will never rest until you and your kind are put back where you belong.¡± Roderick turned and retreated from the room. The other members of Brown Fists had recovered enough to get up and follow their leader hastily. Alexa quickly scanned the room. Most people had fled the room, a few, particularly the chimeras in attendance, had curled up in some corner or along the wall, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t be noticed during the attack. The man in black turned to Alexa. ¡°Are you ok miss?¡± Alexa hesitated for a second. No one had ever called her a ¡°miss¡± before. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m alright. Just a little sore, but I¡¯ll get over it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, but I don¡¯t think Matt is as good,¡± he said turning to the couple. Matt was on the floor laying on his back, obviously in pain with Crystal bent over him, crying and trying to comfort him and ease his pain. Alexa didn¡¯t see his glasses. They must have been knocked off during the battle. The man looked back to Alexa. ¡°Can you go find the convention medic or a con staff member? I¡¯ll stay with Matt and Crystal.¡± ¡°I can do that.¡± Alexa jogged out of the room. Luckily, the commotion had attracted the attention of the convention staff. Within five seconds of rapid jogging, Alexa saw a few staff members walking quickly toward the room and intercepted them. She asked one of them to contact the medic, which he did via a radio. The others went on ahead. The one with the radio waited with Alexa. He didn¡¯t talk to her and it seemed he tried not to look at her. Alexa noticed. She determined that he must be someone who didn¡¯t particularly like Chimeras. Soon the medic arrived and Alexa led him and other staff member to the room. Chapter 3 - Forming the Front Video: Due to the stupidity of the author, the video contains errors. It will be fixed and re-recorded when I get time. Also, tell me if you find the name Crimson still in here somewhere. It was Michael''s placeholder name and I apparently missed fixing all of them the first time I edited. Story: The medic tended to Matt while they waited for an ambulance to arrive. Alexa leaned against a wall a short distance away from the group, watching Matt, Crystal, the medic, and the man in black who was talking to Matt and Crystal. They seemed to know each other. At one point, the man in black looked up at Alexa. Their eyes met in a quick gaze then he looked away, back to Matt and Crystal. Soon the ambulance arrived and the EMTs put Matt on a stretcher. Crystal and the man in black followed them and Alexa decided to go too. When they got outside, Alexa heard Crystal pleading to go along with Matt to the hospital. The EMTs didn¡¯t seem to want to let her. Only after Matt asked them to let her come did they allow her inside the vehicle. Alexa let her eyes fall. Even medical staff discrimate against us. Alexa thought wistfully as the ambulance drove away. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve been introduced yet.¡± She looked up. The man was looking at her. ¡°I¡¯m Michael.¡± He held out his hand. ¡°Alexa.¡± She shook his hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Alexa.¡± ¡°Same.¡± ¡°You want to get something to drink and we can talk a bit more?¡± ¡°Um¡­ sure.¡± ¡°I saw some vending machines outside the convention center. That ok?¡± Alexa nodded and they walked over to the vending machines. So, how do you know Matt and Crystal? Alexa asked Michael while they were walking. ¡°They¡¯re friends of mine. I thought I¡¯d go to their inaugural panel while I was here.¡± ¡°Oh, did you come here for a specific reason?¡± ¡°Yes, but I would have gone to Crystal and Matt¡¯s opening panel even if there wasn¡¯t something else I meant to do. Things just lined up nicely so I could do both. Other than that little incident with the Brown Fists, things have gone better than I could¡¯ve anticipated.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Thanks for your help at the panel by the way. I¡¯m not sure I could have taken all of them at once.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem. I can¡¯t stand people who are anti-chimera like that.¡± Michael had a scowl on his face. Alexa looked at him funny. She thought it was odd that a sapian would be that riled up over an issue like that. ¡°It¡¯s rare to meet someone like you who¡¯d stand up for us so much.¡± ¡°Unfortunately that¡¯s the way the world works at the moment Alexa.¡± They arrived at the vending machines. ¡°So what do you want?¡± ¡°Do they have Calpico? That¡¯s my favorite.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine too. They¡¯ve got it.¡± ¡°How much is it?¡± Alexa asked, starting to take her wallet out of her handbag. ¡°I¡¯ve got it covered.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Alexa looked confused for a second. ¡°I invited you for a drink, so I¡¯m buying.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Well, alright.¡± Michael purchased two Calpico¡¯s. He handed the first bottle that came out of the machine to Alexa, and took the other for himself. Alexa shook the bottle gently to mix the drink then opened the cap and took a few sips. The drink tasted like a sweet mix of milk and citrusy fruits. Alexa liked the tangy sweetness which was why it was her favorite. ¡°So Alexa,¡± said Michael taking a swig of Calpico, ¡°Remember when I said I had another reason to be here other than to see Matt and Crystal?¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡± ¡°Would you like to know what that reason is?¡± ¡°If you want to tell me, sure. You seemed to dodge that earlier. Michael smiled briefly and looked into her eyes. ¡°I wanted to meet you, Alexa.¡± Alexa looked puzzled. ¡°¡­Do you¡­ know me from somewhere?¡± ¡°You could say that. I know a lot about you actually. Things few others know.¡± Alexa instinctively took a step back away from Michael. ¡°For example?¡± Alexa asked with a slight hitch in her voice. She hadn¡¯t realized it, but her muscles had tensed and her ears were trained forward. ¡°I know you were raised in a secret government facility and were only released a few years ago. I know about those scars on your back from the scratch tests they performed on you. I know other things too, things I doubt you want to be reminded of, so I won¡¯t mention them. Basically, I know everything about you that the government knows about you.¡± As Michael was speaking, Alexa¡¯s body had loosened, from shock rather than relaxation. When he said he knew about her scars, she had begun to cover herself with her hands. She felt exposed, naked. She curled up while standing, bending at the waist, as she tried to shrink in on herself and cover up more of her body. Tears began to form in her eyes as memories from all that time in those government labs came back to her. Memories she had tried to forget and suppress. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°What do you want with me?! How do you know all of those things?! ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alexa. I didn¡¯t want to remind you of those horrible things that happened to you. I only spoke of them because I thought you wouldn¡¯t believe me otherwise. I¡¯m also sorry that you had to go through all of those experiments.¡± Michael stepped toward her and put his hands on her shoulders trying to comfort her. Had she been entirely coherent, Alexa probably would have attacked the man, but as it was, she was too upset and confused to think clearly. ¡°Alexa, I had a reason to bring all of that up and I waited until we were alone for a reason. Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t want to harm you in any way.¡± Alexa turned her face upward to Michael. ¡°I know about world governments secretly keeping chimeras to run experiments on them, I know about private companies also conducting illegal tests on chimeras, and I know about private individuals keeping chimeras as pets and slaves.¡± Alexa had begun to calm down and Michael took his hands off her shoulders. Instead, he held onto her left hand, but his grip was loose and her hand rested atop his. ¡°I hate all the atrocities that have been committed by sapians against chimeras. I intend to form a group dedicated to liberating them. I can¡¯t do it alone though. I need others to help me and I especially need chimera help. While reviewing data I hacked from the U.S. government, I discovered you. I thought you could help me so I sought you out. I came here today to meet you and invite you to join me in my quest to liberate captive chimeras. I saw how you defended my friends Crystal and Matt from harm. I¡¯m more convinced now that you can help me in this fight. Would you be open to the possibility of joining me?¡± Alexa looked into Michael¡¯s eyes. She could see a burning passion behind the words he had spoken and a genuine desire to help her kind. She was intrigued by this sapian who seemed to care so much about the welfare of chimeras. She wanted to know more about him and this group he intended to found. Her face became resolute. ¡°I¡¯d like to know more about it first, but I¡¯m interested.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He let go of her hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. ¡°I¡¯m going to check up on Matt. You want to know how he is?¡± ¡°Yes I would, do you have their number?¡± ¡°Both Matt¡¯s and Crystal¡¯s.¡± ¡°Oh, I had forgotten in all the excitement earlier, but I had wanted to hang out with them later. Can you ask them if they¡¯re still open to meeting?¡± ¡°I will, but perhaps you¡¯d be willing to let me join? We could meet for dinner tonight after the convention¡¯s over, if Matt¡¯s fit enough for that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡± ¡°K, hopefully he didn¡¯t take any major damage.¡± Michael pulled up Crystal¡¯s and called her. She picked up after the second ring. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Crystal, it¡¯s Michael. How¡¯s Matt?¡± ¡°Luckily it¡¯s not too bad for what happened. A few bruised ribs and a lot of flesh bruises. The doctor¡¯s say he¡¯ll be released by this evening, but it will be a little while before he¡¯s fully healed. ¡°Considering the circumstances, that is good news. You remember Alexa right?¡± ¡°Of course I do. I take it you met her right?¡± ¡°Correct Crystal. She still wanted to hang out with you and Matt. Think Matt could manage dinner tonight? My treat.¡± Michael heard Crystal¡¯s voice decrease in volume as she asked Matt if he would be ok for dinner with him and Alexa. Her voice returned to normal as she turned back to the phone. ¡°He said yes, provided that we go to that restaurant,¡± she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t plan on any other. Let me ask Alexa if that¡¯s ok.¡± Michael turned to Alexa. ¡°Is Asian food ok with you, say 6:30pm?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Is 6:30pm ok with you Crystal?¡± He said speaking into the phone. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll see you there.¡± ¡°Alright. Tell Matt to get better soon. See ya later.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Michael hung up and turned to Alexa. ¡°Matt¡¯s in pretty good condition according to Crystal; a few bruised ribs and some flesh bruises. He¡¯ll be alright.¡± Michael began walking back toward the convention center. ¡°It¡¯s 2:00 now, want me to pick you up at 6:00 or do you have a car?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d appreciate a ride.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll go enjoy the convention until then. I wanted to go check out Artist¡¯s Alley, you? He asked, finishing his Calpico. Alexa had finished her bottle while Michael was talking to Crystal. ¡°I was going to the Mixed Martial Arts panel.¡± ¡°Alright, can you give me your number? I¡¯ll call you at 6:00, unless I see you sooner.¡± ¡°Sure¡± The two exchanged numbers via IR. While exchanging numbers, Alexa noticed that Michael¡¯s phone was the newest model of the Ius phone from the Sanctorum Tech company. Following the exchange, they re-entered the center and went their separate ways. Alexa didn¡¯t see Michael again until that evening.