He drops flat as I throw one katana with perfect precision. It embeds in the creature's side, not a killing blow but enough to make it roar in pain. The howl makes the one pinning Sherlock also turn on me.
Both chimeras are now zeroed in on me instead of my team.
For a moment, we're locked in standoff—me with my remaining blade, the chimeras bleeding but far from defeated. Then the larger one makes a series of sounds—a complex communication that blends animal vocalizations in impossible ways—that the smaller one responds to.
They're communicating. Talking.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
The larger chimera backs toward the panic room door, resuming its assault on the reinforced barrier. They’re going after the agent again instead of us. What kind of animal does that? The metal groans, a visible dent forming where it rams its shoulder against the frame. The smaller one keeps us at bay, circling defensively between us and its companion.
Ghost has retrieved his rifle, taking aim at the chimera attacking the door and firing. But again, the bullet just grazes the hide, barely doing any damage.
“This is not working," Ghost shouts.
The panic room door buckles further, the metal frame beginning to separate from the wall. A few more hits and it will give way completely.
"Cover me!" I dash forward, ducking under the smaller chimera's defensive swipe.
I reach the larger beast just as it draws back for another assault on the door. My blade slices into its haunch, drawing another spray of silvery blood. It roars, all three sets of eyes swiveling independently before fixing on me. I barely avoid it’s deadly horns and the snapping serpent tail.
We dance across the shattered bedroom, blade against claw and fang, speed against raw power. But it's not enough. The chimera anticipates my movements, matching my speed with uncanny precision.
Its paw catches me across the chest, sending me crashing into what remains of a dresser. Pain flares along my ribs—not broken, but definitely bruised. I roll aside just as those horns punch through the wood where I'd been a heartbeat before.
Ghost fires again. The shot grazes the chimera's shoulder. It turns toward him with a snarl, giving me the opening I need. I lunge forward, driving my remaining katana deep into its side.
The chimera shrieks—a sound that shatters what's left of the windows—and tears away, pulling my blade with it. Now unarmed, I back toward my team as both creatures regroup.
The smaller one darts toward the broken window, the larger following with my katana still embedded in its flesh. Before we can stop them, they leap through the shattered glass into a small courtyard behind the building.
"Don't let them escape!" I rush forward, Sherlock and Ghost right behind me, but there’s no way to stop them.
We reach the window in time to see them leap across the courtyard toward a large ornamental pond nestled among overgrown plants. The chimeras dive into the water, one after the other, barely causing a ripple on the surface.
I grab the katana that fell out of the larger one’s flank and jump through the window after the beasts.
We reach the fountain moments later, but the creatures are gone. Just the endless flow of recycled water over weathered stone.
"Fuck!" I slam my fist against the rock border. They were right here—the monsters that killed my father, that slaughtered two GUIDE teams—and I lost them.
Ghost examines the water, gun ready. "Where did they go?"
Sherlock crouches, running his fingers along the fountain's edge where drops of that silvery blood gleam like mercury. "Could it be a portal?"
"If it was a portal, it's not now." I point to the stones lining the bottom.
"Agent Mathieson." Hayes' voice cuts through my comms. "Status report. Where are the creatures?"
I take a breath, watching the remaining silvery drops of blood dissolve into the fountain water, leaving no trace behind. "Targets evaded capture, sir. Two chimeras, one smaller, one larger, coordinating tactically. They were attempting to breach Rossi's panic room when we interrupted."
"Chimeras?" The edge in his voice sharpens. "No one has ever seen a chimera live before."
"True," I reply. "We have now. We can also confirm that they are bullet proof. They utilized a fountain as some form of transportation device. Requesting a forensic team at our location."
"Negative. Clear the area immediately. Italian authorities have been alerted to the disturbance. Extraction team is en route to your alpha rendezvous position." His frustration is palpable even through the comm link. "Is Rossi secure?"
"Unknown. We still need to get him out of his panic room."
