Bounty Cats (Reboot)

Book One: Chapter 6

Commissioner Blossom gripped the controls of her sleek, crimson air car, guiding it through the towering spires of Moreau City's skyline. Below, the neon-lit streets pulsed with life, but her focus remained fixed on their destination - the construction yard where three bounty hunters reported a violent disturbance.

As they descended, the scene unfolded before them - a grotesque, mutated creature lay pinned against the concrete wall, its spider-like legs askew and lifeless. Fiona wasted no time exiting the vehicle, her police squadron fanning to secure the perimeter.

"Commissioner." Rei's voice cut through the commotion as she approached, flanked by Luna and Rally. "We took care of the rampaging monster for you."

Fiona's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the creature's corpse. "Good work," she acknowledged curtly. "My team will take over from here."

Rei's brow furrowed. "Does this mean we'll be compensated for stopping its rampage?"

A flicker of sympathy crossed Fiona's features before she shook her head. "I'm afraid not. There was no official bounty on this...thing. It just appeared from under our radar without warning."

Luna's jaw tightened, disappointment etched across her face. "So we risked our lives for nothing?"

"I'm sorry," Fiona said, her tone firm yet tinged with regret. "But if we discover who or what created this monstrosity, you'll be the first to know."

Rei and Luna exchanged a glance, frustration simmering beneath the surface. After a moment, Rei nodded, her voice clipped. "Understood. Rally, let's go."

As the trio of bounty hunters departed, Fiona turned her attention back to the mutant's twisted form. "Get this back to the lab immediately," she barked at the forensic team. "I want to know what the hell we're dealing with."

The investigators sprang into action, their faces set with grim determination. Fiona's gaze lingered on the creature's corpse, her mind racing with questions. Who–or what–had unleashed such an abomination upon her city? And what other horrors might be lurking in the shadows, awaiting their chance to strike?

*****

The harsh fluorescent lights cast an eerie glow over the sterile lab, reflecting off the polished steel instruments arrayed on the tray beside the creature's corpse. Commissioner Blossom stood rigidly, arms folded across her chest, watching the forensic team do their grisly work.

The lead scientist, her brow furrowed in concentration, carefully extracted a vial of the mutant's viscous, jade-hued blood. A faint hiss escaped the viscous liquid as it made contact with the air, and Blossom's jaw tightened. Whatever ungodly experiments had spawned this abomination, they reeked of danger.

With practiced motions, the scientist transferred a droplet of the volatile fluid onto a glass slide and slid it beneath the high-powered microscope. Her fingers danced over the computer's keys, initiating a full genetic analysis.

The room fell into tense silence, broken only by the soft whirring of the machines. Blossom's piercing gaze bored into the scientist, demanding answers. What fresh hell was unfolding in her city?

At last, the computer pinged, and the scientist straightened her grave expression.

"Commissioner..." She swallowed hard. "The DNA...it's human."

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Blossom felt icy tendrils of dread coil in her gut. "Human? But how--?"

"Mutated," the scientist pressed on, "by a bio-enhancer mutagen called X-57991. Crafted at..." She hesitated as if the words themselves tasted foul. "Bio-Synth."