Parsons was beginning to sweat. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. He folded it neatly, then continued with his briefing, “They even went so far as to explain to our leaders that they would replace humanity with hybrids of our two species and that they would soon be abducting our planet’s most desirable young males and females to mate with. The plan is that, once the rest of humanity had been erased, the offspring of these interactions would become the new dominant species on the planet. They claim that since these hybrids will have the god’s blood in them, they will be better able to care for the planet rather than destroying it as we are. To avoid mass panic, the leaders of the various countries who attended the meeting have all agreed to keep this information from the public.”
Luke finally spoke up, “If this is true, then surely our government would have responded to such a threat quickly.”
Parson’s nodded, “We tried to respond. The gods are just as arrogant as their myths claim them to be. The Olympian faction boldly proclaimed that they would be stationed on top of Mount Olympus itself. Naturally, a squadron of jets was sent to turn the mountain into rubble. As the planes were approaching the mountain, the Olympians unleashed an EMP that shorted out our jets in mid-air causing them to crash into the sea. After the failure of sending in jets, we decided to take the low tech approach of sending troops to scale Mount Olympus and engage these beings in close quarter combat. That turned into another disaster. A naval destroyer brought several teams of Navy SEALS to the shores of the Aegean Sea. The SEALS landed and then headed for Mount Olympus but when they reached the foothills near the mountain, they ran into what in today’s terms would be referred to as two kaiju.”
Luke shook his head in disbelief as Diana tried to clarify the situation, “You mean giant monsters? Like in the Godzilla or Pacific Rim movies?”
Parson’s smiled, “Yes, exactly like in those movies. The team ran into what they said looked like a giant woman with the body of a snake and a three headed dog. Both of the creatures we estimated to be about 50 plus meters in height. They slaughtered the SEAL team in under three minutes. To emphasise their power, the gods sent a kaiju that was reported to look like a massive bull with the tail of a fish to attack the destroyer that brought the team to Greece.”
Diana quickly spoke up, “The snake woman must be Echidna and the three headed dog is obviously Cerberus. From the description of the sea monster, I would say that it was an Ophiotaurus.” She paused for a moment, “General, I am sorry to reference a movie again but given what is happening it almost seems appropriate. Are these gods pulling a Pacific Rim on us? Are they going to use giant monsters to destroy humanity?”
The general shrugged, “We don’t know what they are going to do, and that is why we need you. You seem to have a better grasp on how ancient gods fit into the real world better than anyone else and you have a deep understanding of various forms of mythology. To at least partially answer your question though, the kaiju currently seem to be utilized to protect specific targets such as Olympus. I had mentioned that the gods were arrogant and that in the next few weeks none of this would be classified anymore. It won’t be classified anymore because when the gods met with our world leaders last month they told them that they would give humanity one month to put our affairs in order before they began wiping us off the face of the Earth. As you can imagine that means whatever they are going to do will start any day now.”
Parsons placed his hand on top of Diana’s, “Ms. Cain, I don’t like the idea of working with civilians and while you may be a long shot to help us, at best I am out of other options. Up until this point, the Olympians have been the most active of three sects of gods. We suspect that they may be the most active of the three sects because we attacked them since we know where they are. In the next few weeks, all three sects will begin initiating their attacks. From our attacks on the Olympians, it seems that they are utilizing methods and monsters from what we thought were mythology. The first step in fighting back is identifying what the threats are, moving as many civilians away from it as possible, and then retaliating. I need you to work with me and my team on sifting through information on strange occurrences and determining if they may fit into the mythology of any of three sects. Identifying a threat after it has attacked is not nearly as useful as seeing it beforehand. Will you help us?”
Diana placed her other hand on top of the Generals, “Of course I will, General. What other option do I have? To sit around and wait for the world to end?” She removed her hands from Parsons’s and leaned back in her chair, “What is the response that we are going to take if I find something. Machines are useless against EMP’s and soldiers can’t battle Kaiju.”
Parson’s looked to the scientist, “This is Doctor Jonathan Toombs, and he has something that might be able help us battle these gods and monsters.”
Toombs smiled at Diana and she smiled back, well aware that the doctor had been undressing her with his eyes ever since she had first entered the room.
Parson’s then turned his attention to Luke, “The issue is that Doctor Toombs is going to need Mr. Davis’s help to activate our counter offensive.”
Luke shook his head, “I don’t know anything about weapons systems.”
Toombs smiled, “This weapon is not a system! Mr. Davis, Ms. Cain, please follow me. It is time that you both met Chimera.”
Chapter 8
The Atlantic Ocean: Cruise Ship Horizon
Dave stumbled over a lounge chair by the pool in a drunken stupor and barely managed to stop himself from falling into the water fully clothed. He laughed at himself and took another swig of the expensive imported beer that he was drinking. He shuffled away from the pool, took out his phone, and opened the app that helped him track all of the beers that he tasted while on the cruise. His body swiveled as he attempted to steady himself. He squinted in an attempt to straighten out his eyesight so that he could see the label of the beer that he was enjoying.
As his eyesight came into focus, he saw a shapely silhouette standing alone and looking out over the ocean. Dave knew that he was more than a little buzzed but it almost looked as if the ocean was giving off a light blue glow that outlined the woman’s body. Dave was a very good looking man in his late twenties and, aside from taking this cruise with a few of his buddies to try new beers, he had also taken the trip to try new women. He took a moment to compose himself and then he walked toward the woman leaning against the railing.
As he approached the woman, he casually initiated a conversation, “Excuse me, are you shooting a scene in a movie or something? Because other than some scene in a movie where a beautiful woman is standing alone and staring out over the water, I can’t think of any reason that you are out here by yourself. ”
The woman slowly turned around. She was about five foot five and half feet tall and thin. Her body was perfectly proportioned and she had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She giggled, “I was just enjoying the view.” She smiled and ran her tongue over her lips. The slight move sent Dave’s imagination running wild. She took a step closer to him and ran her eyes up and down Dave, “Now I can see that there are much more interesting things to check out on deck.”
She took a step closer to Dave, “Can I interest you in some other interesting views back in my cabin?”
Dave’s eyes opened a little wider and that was when he noticed the blue light that he thought was in his imagination was getting brighter and moving toward the ship. He pointed out to the water, “Hey do you see ̶ ”
Before he could finish his sentence, the woman stepped forward and kissed him. Dave immediately lost track of what he was saying. He was now totally involved in this stranger. She pulled her lips away from his and grabbed his hand, “Come with me, handsome.”
Dave was letting himself be pulled along by the woman. As they were passing through the party deck and the mob of people dancing and drinking, he realized that he didn’t even know this woman’s name. Normally, he was all for a one n
ight stand, but this was a cruise after all and he would be out to sea for the next two weeks with this woman. He could tell that she was something special. If there was any chance of hooking up with this woman for the next two weeks straight, he was going to take it and the heck with all the other women onboard. He finished his beer and tossed the bottle into a recycle bucket, “I am Dave by the way, what’s your name?”
She stopped and kissed him again, “You can call me Allison.” She looked behind Dave at the ever growing swirling blue light vortex that was coming closer to the ship. Several other people on board had noticed the light as well and they were walking over to the railing and pointing at it. Allison tightened her grip on Dave’s hand and rushed toward her cabin. She pulled him into the room, pushed him onto the bed, and then climbed on top of him. She whipped off her shirt and Dave smiled from ear to ear as he stared up at her perfect breasts. She bent down and began kissing him when they suddenly heard horrible screams coming from on deck.
Dave tried to sit up but Allison held him down. He screamed at her, “What the hell is going on out there? It sounds like the end of the world!”
Allison laughed as the blue light began to creep through the walls of her cabin, “Trust me handsome, those good looks of yours have just saved you from hell and brought you a one way trip to heaven.” She reached down and kissed Dave once more and in a bright flash of white light they vanished. A second later, the bright blue light washed through her cabin and floated into the cabin next door. The people in the cabin screamed in agony as their bodies eroded into nothingness.
Chapter 9
Toombs turned and motioned for the group to follow him. Diana, already aware of her role in the situation, stood and followed him without question. Luke, however, was still as confused as ever. He wanted to ask more questions but what exactly would he ask now that he knew not only that the ancient gods and giant monsters were real but that they were going to initiate the genocide of the human race. The information was currently classified but was he allowed to tell Melissa, and even if he was allowed to tell her, should he? Would letting her know that everyone on the planet was about to die going to make her life any easier? Luke suspected that it would be just as hard for her to hear the news as it was for him, but he had only made it this far in life by sharing his problems with her and he would do so with this issue as well. Then Luke thought about his girls. God in heaven, he could not put this burden on them. Luke decided that he would have to wait until he and Melissa were alone to discuss the matter with her. He also had to make sure that she had enough time to process the information and determine how to keep it from the girls for as long as possible.
One thing he did know was that in order to talk to Melissa about it he needed more information. He was about to start asking his questions when Dr. Toombs starting talking. As a teacher, Luke knew when he was best served to shut up and listen, and this was one of those times.
Toombs spoke with a touch of enthusiasm in his voice as he led the group down a long corridor, “This facility houses the top geneticists in the world, including me. As such, most of the activities that occur here are kept from the public. You may recall a few years ago when the cloned sheep Dolly was first announced to the world?”
Toombs waited for a moment but no one said a word. He shrugged and continued, “Well, we were cloning horses and cows long before that sheep was ever placed in his mother’s womb.”
They reached a wall with a keypad. Toombs reached down and typed in a code that opened a retinal scanner. He placed his eyes into the scanner and a light flashed across them. Toombs turned toward Luke and Diana, “We will get you two scanned soon so that you have unlimited access to this area as well.” A second later, the door opened and the group was hit by the most ungodly odor that both Luke and Diana had ever smelled. The two of them jerked backward at the smell and lifted their hands toward their faces. Luke had to take a moment for his stomach to settle to keep from vomiting on the floor.
Toombs and Parsons winced a little at the smell but clearly they were prepared for it. Toombs laughed, “You never really get used to Chimera’s odor but it gets easier to bear each time you are exposed to it. A word of advice though, try taking shallow breaths through your mouth.”
Luke and Diana both nodded and as Toombs and Parson’s begin walking down the long corridor the two of them followed. Luke took a shallow breath and finally managed to ask the question which was foremost on his mind, “What exactly is Chimera?”
Toombs stopped walking and turned around to look Luke in the eye, “Chimera is not a what, he is a who. That is why we need you, Mr. Davis. It does not do Chimera justice to try and explain who he is until after you have seen him.”
Luke nodded, noticing once again that Dr. Toombs clearly felt that he had a flair for the dramatic. With little other choice, Luke indulged the man and refrained from asking any further questions until they saw Chimera.
After walking for a good ten minutes, the group found themselves in almost total darkness. The horrid smell which they had encountered as they entered the corridor had gotten exponentially worse as they got closer to their destination. Toombs suddenly stopped walking causing Diana to bump into him. Luke was sure that the nerdy plump scientist had planned things to happen that way. Toombs half-heartedly apologized to the attractive professor and then once more got on with his over the top theatrics. He shouted as if he was a circus ringmaster, “Lady and Gentlemen, I give you Chimera! The Eighth Wonder of the World!”
With his King Kong quote out of the way, he pulled a lever turning on the lights. The warehouse they were in was enormous. The entire interior of the building was set up like a forest with a large lake in the middle of it. Luke was unable to see how far the forest extended. He looked up and saw a sign that said one hundred meters at the top of it. Luke did that math in his head and realized that the roof was over three hundred feet high.
Luke returned his eyes to the forest and noticed a large gray-black hill next to the lake. When he saw that the hill was slowly rising and falling, he quickly realized that the hill was a living creature! Luke’s eyes opened wide as he took in exactly what he was looking at. The creature was massive. At a quick glance, Luke guessed that it had to be about two hundred feet long. The creature, which took Luke’s stunned mind a moment to realize it must be Chimera, was the oddest thing that he had ever seen. It had thick black skin that looked as smooth as ice. Its body and limbs had an overall primate look to it like a gorilla or a chimpanzee. It had long powerful arms and hands, and opposable thumbs. The head and tail were the two aspects that really looked out of place in conjunction to the rest of the body. The face was elongated in proportion to the body. Luke, at first thought that it was a dog-like face, but somehow that description did not seem to fit. Around the neck of the beast was a long shaggy mane similar to that of a lion. Luke’s eyes drifted to the monster’s tail. It was long, ending in a flat fluke-like tail. The tail reminded Luke of the tails of the porpoise that he and the girls often saw close to the beach when they were at the Jersey Shore.
Toombs was smiling like a smart kid who had just won first place in the school science fair. He stepped in front of Luke and Diana to make sure that they were looking at him as he spoke, “To answer all of the questions that are currently swarming through your minds, Chimera is kaiju that was genetically engineered from the DNA of a Mountain Gorilla, a Lion, and a Sperm Whale.” He gestured toward Diana, “I am sure that Ms. Cain can explain the significance of his name.”
Diana kept her eyes on the monster as she answered, “In Greek Mythology, the Chimera was a monster that had the combined attributes of a goat, a lion, and a serpent.”
Toombs giggled, “Hence the name Chimera and given the threat that we are currently facing, I think that his name is more than a little ironic. Through genetic manipulation of his cells he is a shade over two hundred feet tall when he is standing upright. He also has similarly proportioned strength and muscle density. Most conventional
artillery fire will not be able to penetrate his hide. In addition to that, his genes have been altered to help him heal quickly. Even a serious wound will heal within a few days.”
The overweight man took a moment to catch his breath before he continued, “He also has all of the attributes of the animals that he is made from. He has the proportional strength of a gorilla his size. Which means he is literally the strongest creature to ever walk the face of the Earth. While he has the hands and feet of the gorilla, he also has retractable lion-like claws in his fingers and toes. Again, these are proportional due to his size. His claws can cut through six feet of solid concrete like it was paper. Lastly, he has the reinforced skull of a sperm whale. His head is a massive battering ram. He can smash through a building without injuring himself! Coolest of all though is that he is able to narrow his sonar beam and use it to disrupt his enemy’s sensory organs! It’s like getting hit by a sonic boom!” He turned toward Diana and grinned, “The test footage is awesome! I would be happy to screen it for you!”
Parson’s interrupted the over exuberant Toombs, “In the interest of getting through this conversation today, please let me finish explaining Chimera’s history.” He took a slow breath, “As you know, and as the ancient gods have rightly noticed, humans are constantly making the world a more violent and dangerous place. The United States is often put in situations where military action on our part may be needed to intercede in a given situation. Take for instance the recent situation in the Ukraine where Russia has all but taken a large part of it. Given their success in that endeavor, the Russians may decide to repeat this process. Even if protecting its own interests, the US could not directly intervene without causing a war.”
Parson’s turned his gaze toward the monster, “That is where the idea of Chimera came into play. We took three of the most aggressive animals in the world and used parts of them to engineer a monster.”
Chimera: Scourge of the Gods: A Kaiju Thriller Page 4
