Chimera Academy The Complete Collection

by Eva Brandt

  “You already know the answer to that question,” came the reply. “Please don’t play games with me. Cyborg vision or not, you’ll find that I can still petrify you if I push hard enough.”

  I swallowed around the knot in my throat. I didn’t doubt that. I’d been a chimera tamer and I was well aware of what they were capable of. “What do you want then, Medusa? Is this issue with the generators your doing?”

  “Not at all.” He—she?—pursed her lips, visibly displeased. “But it is an issue that makes it clear we have to advance our plans. I want my child, Wesley Trevor, and I want him now.”

  “I’m sorry? Your child?”

  “Yes.” Medusa let out a sigh. “He’s upset with me right now. I suppose I could have dealt with this whole tamer business better, but it just escalated so quickly. And now, it’s been so long. I want my child back. I won’t accept anything else.”

  “All right,” I said slowly. I assumed the child was a chimera, possibly a dormant one. Scanning my memory, I identified the only creature she could be talking about. “Pegasus has been dormant since the battle of the Apsid Quasar.”

  “I know that, idiot.” She glowered at me, and my eyes started to burn. Had I not been a cyborg, I would have been turned into a statue. “But metallic shells are just that, shells. Your prince isn’t the only one who can hold the soul of a being like me.”

  Oh. Oh.

  Shit. Okay. So Medusa’s son, Pegasus, was running around somewhere, perhaps a student of this very academy. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’ll need some time to find him.”

  “That’s not necessary. I know exactly where he is. You just have to obey orders and claim him, when the time comes.”

  Half an hour later, after having received my instructions from my prince-turned-chimera, I left the office, feeling nauseated, but knowing I had to obey. I was struggling to come up with a tentative plan to mitigate the damage, but there seemed to be no hope for me.

  I was heading toward my quarters when I ran straight into the last person I wanted to see.

  Selene stumbled into me. She had been moving quickly, without paying attention to where she was going. Electricity rushed through me as our bodies made contact. She fell back, losing her balance because of her momentum and my far heavier body.

  I caught her before she could hit the ground. “Are you all right, Acting Pilot Renard?” I asked as I helped her to her feet.

  “Fine,” she said, sounding a little dazed. “My apologies, Sir. I was lost in thought.”

  “Well, you do have a lot on your mind lately. It’s perfectly understandable.”

  I offered her a smile and felt like a heel when she smiled back. From up close, she looked even more beautiful than before. I’d forgotten to turn on my biological eyes so I could take in every single inch of her in a way a simple human never could. I could zoom in on her pores, on her retinas, on her beautiful mouth, on her hair follicles, on the invisible gap between her front teeth. Her lips were slightly chapped and her hair had lost some of its usual luster, but she was warm and real, so solid.

  I wanted her. Tartarus help me, I wanted her, and I couldn’t have her. She was my student. She was one third my age. She was pregnant with the baby of another man and engaged in a complicated relationship with three others. And if I had to obey the command I’d just been given, she would be my enemy.

  But I wanted her.

  I wondered how obvious that had been, if that was the real reason why Medusa had pulled me aside. I supposed it didn’t matter. Selene didn’t feel the same, and I could still avoid having a sexual relationship with her, especially now that she was pregnant.

  “How did things go on Terra?”

  “That would depend on your point of view. We didn’t find anything of real concern.”

  I nodded. “It’s unsurprising. We’ve concluded it was a natural phenomenon. Unfortunately, it’s one that has affected Tartarus quite severely.”

  As I spoke, the rest of the Grand Chimera Unit joined us. “We caught sight of some restlessness in Tartarus City as we were approaching and we’ve heard news of students being sent in for security purposes,” Brendan said. “Is it really that bad, Sir?”

  He sounded as calm as always, but once again, there was a degree of tightness in his stance that hadn’t been there before. He and the others might not have convenient cybernetic implants, but their instincts made such crutches unnecessary.

  I pretended to not notice Brendan’s well-justified suspicions. “I’ve just returned from the med bay where I accommodated several injured workers from Persephone’s Plaza. I think that should tell you how bad things are.”

  My words turned their attention from my apparent interest in Selene to the serious problem we had. Knox growled under his breath, having obviously realized the condition I’d found those women in. Pollux cursed. August’s eyes flared with a heat that worried me.

  Selene was the only one not fully aware of how things worked around here. “I take it they’re not supposed to be in the academy.”

  “No, they’re not,” Brendan explained. “The presence of outsiders here is allowed only with permission and prior acknowledgment from the crown, under very specific circumstances.”

  “I received approval from your uncle, but it’s not a sustainable state of affairs. We have to fix the generators as soon as possible and return the drones to working condition.”

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Selene asked.

  “Actually, Acting Pilot Renard, would you mind going to the infirmary and keeping an eye on the women there? I think it would help them to have another woman present, someone who can protect them.”

  Also, I’d feel much better if she was out of the way of possible damage. I didn’t trust Dr. Bell, but he valued his own skin too much to try to harm her. He wouldn’t be able to figure out what I had without doing a very specific test, and that wouldn’t be possible without her prior approval, which she wouldn’t give.

  “I’d love to,” Selene replied. “But we were going to hand in our report with His Highness, first.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Telling me is enough.” Also, the idea of her going to see Prince Archibald now made my skin crawl.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t that unusual for me to take responsibility for things Prince Archibald was supposed to do. They all accepted my words without questioning them. The tension in Selene’s stance disappeared somewhat and her smile grew a little softer. “Thank you for this, Commander.”

  “There’s no need. I’m only doing my job.”

  “Maybe, but I’m still grateful.”

  With a polite salute and a curt nod toward the others, Selene left, heading to the med bay. Once I ascertained that she was gone, I directed my attention to the others. “Right. Now you and I will have a conversation and I expect you to be completely honest with me.”

  Directing them to the nearest empty room, I closed the door behind me and pressed my hand to the security panel, shutting down all surveillance.

  “Her child will be part apsid, like you, Flight Lieutenant Cavallero,” I said. “That’s not something you can hide forever. You need to figure out what you want to do, because this isn’t a game. Selene’s life is at risk.”

  So was mine and that of countless others, but I didn’t tell them that. There was only so much I could reveal without endangering our whole operation. Telling August the truth about his identity was already problematic.

  Or so I thought. Within seconds, it became obvious that August and the others had been aware of his apsid parentage. “With respect, Sir, a lot of things are problematic,” he said, “including your sudden interest in Selene and the fact that you’re calling her by her first name. So if you’re so worried about her safety, why don’t you start? Why don’t you tell us the truth?”

  Shit.

  Barren Destruction

  Selene

  I spent the night in the med bay, keeping an eye on the poor women who’d been injured in Tartar
us City. They weren’t shocked at seeing me, having heard about the female member of the Grand Chimera Unit. They weren’t particularly happy either, though, and more than one person turned away from me.

  “Why does she get to be free and sleep with the prince, while we can be nothing but whores?” a young woman asked her older companion.

  I couldn’t reply. Instead, I did my best to help those who allowed me. I was too unsettled to use Gaia’s Gift on them, so I stuck to medicine and assisted Dr. Bell whenever he needed an extra pair of hands.

  At one point, I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up the next morning on a cramped cot, with a back ache and a full bladder. My stomach was roiling and I stumbled out of the room, into the adjoining toilet.

  Fortunately, there was no one there to see me throw up. I doubted they’d have guessed I was pregnant, but the risk was there and I didn’t want to spread the knowledge around.

  With the base running on low levels of energy, it was difficult to clean up, but I got by. The facility still provided the regular decontamination utilities and although they didn’t remove the sour taste in my mouth, they helped.

  Once I was reasonably decent, I retrieved the herbal supplements my mother had given me. The capsules had been easy to sneak into the academy and it was just as easy to swallow them dry. I felt better just at knowing that I was doing something to keep myself from turning into a lust-crazed fiend. Even if my mother couldn’t fully suppress my symptoms, I still appreciated her help more than I could ever say.

  A little more composed, I left the bathroom and returned to the med bay. The Terran women seemed to be sleeping peacefully and their injuries had been treated. No one had tried to assault them, as they were all too busy doing damage control over the incident with the generator.

  It should have relieved me and to a certain extent, it did. But at the same time, as I watched the women on the beds, I couldn’t help but feel more tired than ever before. How had I thought that I could fix this? I’d left them at the mercy of those men in the city and had barely given them any thought as of late. My dream to free them had been a nebulous goal, something that was growing more and more distant every day.

  Gaia help me, my head hurt.

  A familiar voice startled me from my trance. “Selene? Are you okay?”

  It was Commander Trevor. At one point when I hadn’t been paying attention, he’d shown up in the med bay. I appreciated his interest in my well-being, but I had no desire to tell him the truth about my condition. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I was simply wondering if I was supposed to stay here now, even if the patients have been treated.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary. Since the ladies have received the aid they needed, they’ll soon be returned to Tartarus City. We’ve found more appropriate accommodation for them in Aphrodite’s Boudoir.”

  It was probably for the best. These women didn’t belong here. Technically speaking, neither did I, but I at least had the support of my chimera and of my lovers.

  Then again, considering everything I’d found out as of late, perhaps that wasn’t so true. I pushed back the thought, knowing it wouldn’t do me any good. “It’s nice to hear that, Sir. They deserve the very best we can provide.”

  It was an empty response, since those women inside the med bay would never have the very best. Commander Trevor didn’t call me out on it. “Indeed. But since that’s been handled, I believe we should move on to other things—and to our assignment.”

  Our assignment? Was this really the best time for schoolwork? I didn’t want to question my superior’s orders, but still, there had to be something more I could do to help.

  Commander Trevor clearly noticed my surprise. “You’re probably wondering why I’m asking this of you now of all times. Well, I believe it is a good idea to shoot two apsids with one phaser blast.”

  The simile alarmed me, even if I knew it was only a figure of speech. Hiding my restlessness, I asked, “What did you have in mind, Sir?”

  “I’ll tell you everything in a minute. Walk with me.”

  I followed him in silence through the corridors of the academy. It stood to reason that he wouldn’t want to explain his train of thought while we were in the med bay, but the delay increased my anxiety. I bit the inside of my cheek and didn’t ask any questions. Commander Trevor would reveal everything in due time.

  He led me to the main shuttle hangars, where the non-chimera airships were all stored. I didn’t come here on a regular basis, but I was familiar with the place because of my trips to Terra. Brendan’s Venom was sealed off in a special enclosure accessible only to him, authorized personnel, and the rest of us Grand Chimera tamers. The other shuttles were out in the open, left with very few guards now that so many people had been deployed in the city.

  Commander Trevor made a beeline for one particular shuttle, which I presumed was his. As soon as we were inside, he proceeded to explain, “To be honest, Acting Pilot Renard, I’m not one hundred percent convinced this was a natural anomaly. Everyone I’ve asked has told me there’s no sign of foul play, but I have a bad feeling, and I can’t just stop investigating. That’s where you come in.”

  I frowned, still unable to figure out what he wanted me to do. “I understand where you’re coming from, Sir, but I’m not sure how I can help you with this.”

  “It’s quite easy. I always wanted your assignment to involve a blend of your use of the two gifts you possess. While most would see the dual blessing from Gaia and Tartarus as something paradoxical, I don’t think it’s that simple. Gods are never straightforward and their choices always have a deeper meaning.”

  I thought about my strange vision and silently agreed with him. My teacher continued to speak. “I had something like this in mind for your assignment ever since news came of it. You have to learn how to wield both your skills to be an efficient soldier. But now, I have a secondary concern. Your baby.”

  I blinked at him in shock. I hadn’t expected him to mention that, not now of all times. But maybe that had been foolish, because from the very beginning, he’d displayed concern toward me. “You’re worried that me using my power would harm my child.”

  “Yes. We can’t just skip the assignment. People would ask why I’m giving you special treatment and start looking into it. The Grand Judiciary would find out about your child, which could be disastrous. But if I assign you an investigative operation now, you should be in the clear. This kind of task doesn’t put as much strain on each individual cell of the human body as phaser blasts or other violent tachyon manipulation techniques. It does require a fine degree of control, but I think you’ve mastered that by now. And if something does happen and it turns out unsuited to you, I’ll be there to keep an eye on you.”

  I couldn’t help a sigh of relief. Through this, Commander Trevor had just bought me a priceless amount of time. All I had to do was pass this test and I’d be out of the limelight. I might have the chance to look deeper into the meaning of my visions. Besides, trying to find out who had attacked Tartarus Base would be useful to me in its own right.

  “I understand, Sir. Thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down.”

  “The only way you could ever let me down is by not doing your very best, and I know that’s never going to happen. You’re much harsher on yourself than I’d ever be on you.”

  I wasn’t sure that was accurate but I decided to not disagree with him. I’d fucked up a lot recently, but I wasn’t a total idiot and I didn’t intend to point that out. Would he be so eager to help me if he knew the truth about my baby? Probably not, but I wasn’t beneath taking advantage of his goodwill, for as long as it lasted.

  As promised, Commander Trevor flew us to the power plant that held all our generators. As he landed the shuttle, a feeling of wrongness assaulted me almost instantly. I’d never been here before, but I suspected the sensation had nothing to do with the natural flow of tachyons in the area.

  Commander Trevor lowered the shuttle ramp and
together, we headed out. The power plant was still surrounded by staff trying to fix the broken generators. I could see several Harpy units and a memory of Vincent Glass flashed through my mind’s eye. I’d left him wounded on Terra the day before. Was he still there? Commander Trevor hadn’t mentioned any Harpy tamer missing, but he might not have deemed it important.

  “Are all the Harpies here, Commander Trevor?” I asked, surreptitiously trying to find out as much information as possible.

  He nodded, not seeming to find my inquiry odd. “I assigned them duties of overseeing the generator repairs yesterday.”

  Had he? If that was true, why had Vincent been on Terra the day before? Did Commander Trevor simply not know about it? Vincent might have left without letting anyone know while Commander Trevor had been distracted with other things. Maybe I was better off not mentioning it, since if I did, I’d have to explain our argument.

  “Were the rest of my unit given other jobs?” I decided to inquire instead.

  I hadn’t seen them since the day before and I found that odd, since I’d expected them to come see me this morning. Their absence should have relieved me, as it gave me a respite and some time to make sense of my scattered emotions. It didn’t help at all.

  “Right now, the Grand Chimera Unit is watching over the city and the orbit of Tartarus. With communications still shot, we’re open to attack. And since there has been potential activity from the apsids, we have to be on guard all the time.”

  Ah, yes. The famous debacle of The Grand Judiciary’s newest decision. On our way back from Terra, Brendan had mentioned he and Knox had arrived at the Hades Moon Base just in time for an emergency meeting that could have triggered a second attack on the Apsid Quasar. He’d managed to dissuade them, but that could easily change. The Grand Judiciary fiasco aside, it would be for the best to stay vigilant. The generator explosion might not be the work of the Heliads, but it had come from somewhere and we needed to be prepared, just in case it happened again.