Chimera

The Mutation

You know how in cartoons when character grows wings? How it's all graceful and painless without a drop of blood? Well, my experience was like the fever dream opposite. Two hunks of flesh shredded my back skin and flapped uselessly for a bit. Then, it sprouted feathers. I had grown wings and I hoped I could fly with them. My back wounds healed completely.

"What the..? The Doctor gave you wings after all," Isaac said.

Another difference between cartoons and myself. When said character grows wings, they automatically know how to fly. I couldn't even get my wings to flap at the same time, let alone lift myself off of the ground. I could feel everyone staring at me as I tried to regain my bearings.

"Gryphon! You need to concentrate if you want to fly," Wendy said.

 I had focused solely and entirely on flying. I tried to get used to the wings so I could move them, twitching and shifting to find a way. Isaac, who was completely shocked, stayed in the sky and watched like a deer caught in headlights. I lifted my right wing with a great deal of effort. Soon after, I lifted my left. I brought them down forcefully, propelling myself into the air. I was level with Isaac now.

"Looks like the tables have turned."

 Isaac recovered from his shock, turned, and flew away as fast as possible. I chased after him. The only reason I hadn't caught him right away was he was used to flying. He twisted and maneuvered out of my reach and took sharp turns as I sped by. I was by far faster. But speed can only get you so far.

"Grr!"

"Are you getting mad, Gryphon? Maybe I could slow do-"

I had tackled him while he talked at me. We started falling at an alarming rate, but I had spread my wings and glided to he ground. When we landed, I sat on Isaac's bat and held him by the throat with my arm. He coughed and choked as I pressed against his Adam's Apple.

"Get off me! How did you even do that?" he choked.

"What, grow wings? I don't know. Now, we handle this one of two ways. I kill you and throw your body into a lake, or you join us and we take our revenge on Biogen," I said, pulling slightly harder on his neck.

"Bite me, Redding. I will not betray the Doctor. Even if my own life was on the line."

I pulled my gun out and pressed it to the back of his head. Isaac started squirming immediatly.

"Wait, that doesn't mean kill me!"

"I have no use for you as of now. You'd just go to Blaise and turn us over to him."

Isaac was flapping his wings like a madbat. He struggled in vain against my strength.

"All right! I'll join you! Just don't blow my brains out. Please..."

I got up and folded my wings. Isaac inhaled deeply and stood.

"So what have you got to tribute, Isaac?"

"I have my credentials. I can get through Alpha and Omega locks with my I.D card."

"What else?"

"I can give you flight lessons. I have had wings for a long time."

His wings shrunk into his back.

"How'd you do that?" I asked, pointing at my back "The wing thing."

"There are slits running down your back. Well, there should be. As you put your wings away, the blood will course out of them, allowing them to be compacted and stored in your back. Try it."

 I did as he instructed. I could feel my wings throb as the blood ran from my wings. They then shrunk dramatically and slid into the slits. I stretched and took of the remaining tatters of my shirt.

"Let's go inside and discuss what the hell just happened, huh?" I said, walking to the house.

 We sat on the couch and I passed around drinks.

"So. Anyone have any idea of what just happened?"

"Well, with my years of working with dad, I have two guesses," started Usuri "Either you had wings the entire time and they just were dormant, or dad gave you adaptive DNA. If the latter is the case, you can mutate to protect yourself from different things."

"Well let's see which one is which. Usuri, let's try to drown him!" Isaac said, jumping up.

 Usuri and Isaac grabbed my arms and dragged me to the bathroom. They filled the tub with water and before I could break free, they shoved my head under. Water filled my lungs as I struggled to breath. I could barely hear Wendy screaming her head of as she tried to pull them off of me. My vision blackened and my chest started to hurt.

"You're killing him!" Wendy yelled.

"Bonus!" Isaac said,

 A sharp pain appeared in my neck. I assumed it was side effect of you know, drowning, but it went away. Oxygen filled my body and I could see again. I broke free and looked in a mirror. I had grown gills. I felt them to make sure I wasn't seeing things due to almost dying. I turned to Isaac and punched him in the nose and kicked Usuri into the tub.

"I heard you, assholes! You're lucky I did have adaptive DNA. The next time you try to do that, I'll rip both of your throats out with my teeth."

I kicked Isaac as he tried to stop the bleeding and left the bathroom. I went to my friends room and grabbed an outfit before heading to the master bathroom. I turned on the shower and started getting washed. The caked on blood and mud cascaded off of my skin and from my hair. I heard a knock at the door and hopped out of the shower. The door opened slightly.

"Are you okay, Gryphon?" Wendy's voice asked.

"Peachy. Thanks for asking."

I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked out. After drying off, I got dressed and went downstairs.

"Hurry up and get down here. I want to discuss our plan to take down Biogen before I'm forty!" I yelled, sitting on the couch.

They came downstairs and sat as well.

"First. How is Biogen's security?" I asked.

"Guards patrol the place armed with machine guns but now that you and your girlfriend escaped, the guards have probably been replaced with other Chimeras," Usuri said.

"The cameras can spot heat signitures and even in the darkest darkness. Laser grids block the most secret rooms. Those lasers would turn us into mincemeat so we need to cut the power," Isaac pointed out while pulling out an I.D card "I can handle that."

"I want something made clear. Right here. Right now. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT go back to Blaise. I will end you before you even get the chance. Understand?"

They nodded. Wendy spoke up.

"What do we do after we stop Biogen? It's not like we can go back to being normal people."

"I'll figure it out when it comes to that. Now go to sleep. I want everyone bright eyed and bushy tailed for when we practice our plan."

I went upstairs and climbed into bed. Wendy walked in to the room I was staying in.

"Can I sleep in here with you? I don't feel safe with those two in the house. They're scared of you because you beat them to a pulp. They're not scared of me," she whimpered.

"Sure. Climb in. Good night."

I faded from conciousness and began dreaming. I was inside Biogen while chained to a table once again. Blaise was walking towards me with a giant scorpion pincer for a hand.

"You've been a nuiscance ever since I found you. But not anymore," he said as a crazy grin spread on his face.

He raised the pincer and thrusted it through my chest. I couched up blood as I screamed. Then, I blacked out.

Author's Note~
So how's the story so far? I would appreciate some criticism so feel free to comment. Just don't hate and point out the bad stuff, point out the good as well.

    ~Chiropteran