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Chimaera jumped from roof to roof. No sound emitted from her, even when she landed. Beneath a hood, her eyes swept around her, ensuring she was alone. As she neared her destination, she released a switchblade. The metal gleamed. There was an obsidian stone set in the hilt, which was silver. She dropped to a crouch by an alley. For a moment, the night was silent.

"Is the shipment ready?" the first man asked, looking around his circle of loyal followers.

"Yes, sir," one squeaked.

"Although, there was some trouble getting one of the muties to fall in line. Turns out, she can resist persuasion. She was dealt with accordingly," another added, more bold.

The leader sneered. "You buried her?"

"Yes, sir."

Chimaera nearly gave herself away. Anger coursed through her body, heating her blood. They had killed one. For what she could do. It was nothing new, she consoled herself. That's what she was here for. The words did nothing to stop the flow of anger. Nothing ever could, she had discovered. With great power comes great anger. At least with her.

The men were continuing the conversation and she did her best to refocus on them.

"-doesn't know what's going on?" the leader was asking.

"No, sir. Chimaera is clueless," a female said.

Chimaera grinned and dropped down, settling into a crouch in the middle of their circle. Flicking her knife at the female, she grinned. "Chimaera is never clueless."

She spun out and stabbed one in the heart. Her next strike took out two more. The female followed after a swift kick to the neck. She slit the throat of another and finally turned to the leader.

He sneered at her and released his own blade. Chimaera simply stepped back one pace. He lunged and she dodged, weaving around him. Knocking the blade out of his hand, she moved her own blade to his neck.

"A word of advice," she whispered, savoring the smell of fear. "I am Chimaera. You don't work against me. You work for me." With that and a quick flick of her wrist, he died.

Disgust filled her features. Wiping the blade on the females shirt, she noticed a cut for the first time. One of them had gotten her. Inspecting it, she quickly alleviated her concerns. It wasn't poisoned nor was it deep. A small scrape like that would heal quickly.

With a sharp nod to acknowledge the dead, she spun and leaped up. She climbed the pipes on the side of the house and quickly disappeared into the night.


The next morning, she flicked open the paper. She always found it amusing to read about her kills the day after. Or she told herself she did. Inside, deep where no one could see, killing sickened her. But it kept her fed and that was enough.

She read through the boring announcement before turning to the front page. Being that it was always the most interesting, she always read it last. And today, it was about her.

CHIMAERA HAS STRUCK AGAIN:
SIX LOCAL GANG MEMBERS FOUND DEAD

It seems that the local assassin, Chimaera, has
found more targets. Six members of the local gang,
the Dragons, were found dead early this morning.
While the family declined comment, it was clear
that they had no idea what had happened late last
night. The bodies have yet to go through an autopsy,
though Police Captain Georges (Red) Troy assures the
public that the police are right on it. Any who know
who the mysterious Chimaera is are asked to speak up.
Many hearts are calling out to this strange
crime-fighter.

Chimaera grinned. Eating her toast, she could almost pretend she was someone else. Just reading the morning paper, having no real connection to the happenings. Almost. She couldn't help but wish that were so. But she knew when to put dreams to the side.

Out of nowhere, a fierce headache struck. She winced and reached for some Advil. Taking a couple, she winced again as the headache somewhat subsided. Curiosity poked at her, but she ignored it. She had to get to work.


Entering the corporation, she flashed a grin at the desk. "Hi, Jake," she called.

"Hey, Ally!"

Everyone here knew her as Allison Daniels, the reclusive sweetheart who liked to read. They didn't know that behind those bottle green eyes was a killing spirit. That the tanned skin was a result of a couple of years training in the Sahara Desert. And that's how she liked things.

"I meant to ask if you were free tonight. Me and Jared are going to the bar and would like some company," Jake asked, catching up to her swift stride.

Chimaera grinned. "Sure."

She disappeared into her office, knowing that Jake was celebrating by giving Nicole, her secretary, a high five. Jared, Jake's twin, had been trying to ask her out for months and she always refused him. Obviously, he had put Jake up to the task. And try as she might, she couldn't resist Jake's puppy eyes. The things were deadly.


Throughout the day, she found that she couldn't concentrate. Stomach pains came and went along with a severe itching where she had bandaged her scrape. She ignored it as best as she could. But by the end of the day, she had to admit that the symptoms had become worse.

Still, she reasoned, she could go dancing tonight and deal with it when she got home. So, slipping into a short dress, she accompanied Jake to the bar. Jared was already there, ordering three beers.

"Hey, Jared," Jake called as they sidled up next to him.

"Jake! Oh, hi Ally!" Jared said, red tingeing his face.

Chimaera paused. So apparently Jake had taken the initiative. She raised an eyebrow at Jake but nodded to Jared. "Hello."

Jared turned redder. "Have a beer?"

She shrugged and grabbed one, taking a small sip. Jake grabbed his own and leaned over. "He wasn't aware I was bringing you. He thought I was bringing Natalie."

Chimaera nodded. Natalie was Jake's current girlfriend, though with the rate he went through them, she wouldn't be for long.

Jared rubbed the back of his neck and Chimaera took pity on him. "Dance with me?" she asked, extending her arm. He nodded and took it, sending Jake a triumphant look. Chimaera ignored it and pulled him into the throng.

Hours later, Jake called it a night and left. Chimaera waved at him and turned back to Jared. "Want to sit?" she yelled over the music. He nodded confirmation and led her to a table. While he went to get drinks, she found herself transfixed by a pair who had just entered.

The man was clearly rough. Muscles covered his arms and his face had a certain hardness to it. He held his body slightly crouched, as if afraid to show his height. Black hair was tucked under a ball cap and slightly covered his face.

The girl, in comparison, had white blond hair. It hung by the side of her head, barely brushing her shoulders. She wore a black dress as if to contrast it.

And both were staring at her.

Chimaera made to get up, intent on discovering why they were so interested in her, but found she didn't have the strength. Confused, she reached for her class, only to still her hand as she watched the liquid swirl. Jared had ordered a beer. Which was not the light green color her drink currently was. Fear lanced through her just as the poison kicked in.

Her sight blurred and she couldn't find her balance. She had the barest impression of falling from the chair and the two figures that had been staring at her leaning over her. Words poured out of her mouth. They were barely able to get past her lips before she blacked out.

"I am Chimaera. The poison's in the drink."