The Book of Chimera

      The tall, lean man in a cape and a dark red metal helmet made a short gesture and rose three feet in the air. Obeying this gesture, the black-haired guy in a camouflage undershirt and military pants whistled with his fingers; lions with bloody faces ran up to him from behind the frame. The guy moved his shoulders as if he was getting used to something, and the muscles on his neck raised in black heaps. He surveyed the unnaturally frozen pride; then he turned around and went away. The lions followed him as if they were spellbound. The tall man said something shortly to those three who were standing aside; then he gained altitude slowly and flew east where black storm clouds were hanging motionlessly in waiting. Those clouds moved towards him immediately. And those three — a young Asian woman, an unpleasant crooked man with greenish skin, and Sabretooth who was already familiar to Rica — they moved forward. An almost animal paw with black claws flickered right before the lens — and the image faded, giving way to static.       Rica sighed and pushed back in her spinning chair. They didn’t show her the most horrible: the death of her parents remained off-screen, and the sound was considerately switched off by the Professor. But everything was clear even without it.       A warm palm squeezed her elbow: it was Gambit who perched himself on the floor beside her. He looked her in the eye, full of concern. She smiled back wearily and closed her eyelids. The emotional defense was lasting. She felt bad even with it, but it would be totally crappy without it.       The Professor’s psi-impulse touched her thoughts gently, and his voice followed, “I understand that it will sound stupid and out of place right now, Rica. But you brought us some truly invaluable information. Now we know that the black creature can split — and that it already possessed at least one of Magneto’s henchmen.”       “But not Sabretooth, or else I couldn’t have handled him so easily,” Gambit said. He dug into his pockets and gave Rica a candy bar. “Here, chew on that.”       “So, it was really him who put up the storm, wasn’t it?” asked Rica quietly and took a bite obediently.       “It was,” nodded the Professor as he drove closer and shut the record off. “Eric’s command of magnetic fields gained such a level. I don’t think you want to listen to some scientific explanations of how exactly that happened.”       Rica wanted to say something like you’ll explain it to me anyway when I’d have to come across him, but she bit her tongue in time. The experienced old mutant who had been perfecting his possession of incredible power for dozens of years, and amplified by an alien creature right now — and her, a 16-year-old puny girlie who didn’t know her abilities for sure. Ha-ha, very funny. Such things could only happen in comic books.       Based on the gaze and smile of the Professor, she couldn’t understand if he read her mind or not, but Rica thought he did, and he approved of her reasoning.       “You said that I’m an ideal victim.” She cleared her throat and reframed the conversation. “Why? What does it mean?”       “What does it mean exactly and in detail — unfortunately, we should ask our alien invader about it.” Xavier spread his hands. “All we can do is make assumptions, at best. And your readings have no small share in it. Alexander?”       He turned to the same Italian who had taken Rica’s samples. As a matter of fact, they were in his lab right now.       The girl already managed to find out that this mutant was called Alexander Border, and he actually was an Italian, or, more precisely, Florentine. He was a regenerant, too, although not as strong as he would like to be. And he needed water for cell recovery — or some other liquid. Hence the nickname: Hydra. He’d been working in the X scientific department near Hank; and, unlike his colleague, he didn’t leave his hearth and home much, especially for some action expeditions.       Hydra handed a bunch of calculations over to the Professor and said with his pleasant tenor voice that Signorina Federica Clayton had a high potential for regeneration. Necessary development granted, this potential would actually resemble the level of oft-stated Wolverine.       “If not excels it, but it’s not a sure thing,” he added as he adjusted his glasses. His eyes were perfectly fine; he just wore plastic glasses with zero dioptres — for gravitas. “But until it’s fully developed — I’m afraid, signorina, if someone would cut your hand, you’d be left without it. The regeneration ability is corporal; it needs to be upgraded with respective exercises, like in common physical education.”       Rica imagined those respective exercises and shivered. And Hydra went on. “Furthermore, apart from potentially increased strength, dexterity, and stamina, there are rudiments of animal hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell. And also, of so-called animal intuition supported with slight empathy. By my guess, it’s level 12, Professor.”       In fits and starts, Rica could understand what level 12 meant: she knew Elf had level 1.       “The specifics at hand are connected with the fact that I’ve discovered genetic material— ehm— of about half a dozen animal species known to me in Signorina Clayton’s blood. Plus, another three traces neither I nor Dr. McCoy made sense of.”       Rica gave a stifled grunt; Gambit chuckled; the Professor raised his eyebrows in silence.       “I’m afraid, in this case, I might require Signorina X-Ray’s acumen,” sighed Border. It was clearly reluctant of him to admit his need for someone's help. “With your permission, of course, Professor.”       “I think she will aid you with enthusiasm, Alexander,” nodded Xavier. And, looking at Rica, he smiled with a certain archness. “She is… worried out there. Like the rest of your friends.”       Rica exclaimed “Oh” and blushed against her will. She hadn’t thought of it completely because she wasn’t used to being worried about.       “I asked her to come down; she will do it right away, and then you two, Alexander, will scan our new ward without haste,” finished the Professor.       “Yeah, right,” snorted Remy and rose to his feet easily. “We should puzzle out what kind of chimera this young naturalist has grown out to be.”       “That is a mix of a lion, a goat, and a dragon, right?” Rica missed the point of his words. “Elf told me about it…”       “No, it’s me who has watched too much anime.”       And Gambit burst out laughing so loud that the Professor gave him a look of slight reproach and noticed, “Actually, there is such a term in biology, too. It is a creature with different genetic material in different cells.”       “It suits, too,” Gambit granted generously, and at this very moment, the door opened letting Conrad in. Rica began to wonder how she appeared here so fast but her nose caught the smell of sulfur, already fading. Now everything was perfectly clear.       She hitched a ride.       Then Rica thought of the time and suddenly realized that she was skipping a lesson — of that very ride. But the Professor noticed her concern.       “I have already apologized to Kurt for your absence — and because I pulled another student off his class. He bears no grudge; this is an X matter. But he asked you to come over for lesson materials after class.”       And it was him, personally, who brought Conrad here from the lesson of his beloved literature…       X-Ray checked up on Rica with her signature gaze in no time and blew a slight breath — with faint relief.       Everything is fine…       Conrad greeted the present company. She gave Rica another glance promising that after all of that, in the Freaks’ house, they would have her dead to rights, and then she came up to Alexander. The two of them began to examine — now the records, now the girl, now her samples in test tubes this way and that until they gave a list consisting of 16 animal species, including lion, polar bear, and chameleon. That was the only reptile among the motley crew of mammals. There were no birds or fishes at all. However, three species that weren’t identified by Hydra remained unknown.       “Why, you’re a mystery girl,” muttered Remy ruffling his tousle. “Don’t you wanna pick such a nickname?” And he explained, answering her inquiring gaze, “Well, you’re an X now. You need a nickname. Pretty much every one of us has it, except Jean, but she has—”       “—a troubled attitude towards nicknames, you wanted to say exactly that, thank you, Remy,” the Professor interrupted him softly.       He cut him short out loud and exactly like that… he wants me to know that there is a mystery but it’s not his… They all have their mysteries here, and I have my own now…       “Chimera.” The world burst out of her by itself. “Let it be Chimera.”       Gambit’s puzzled glance gave way to a satisfied smile. X-Ray squinted her eyes a bit, and Hydra slightly bowed his head.       “It suits you, signorina.”       “And that is settled,” completed the Professor. “Federica Clayton — Chimera — as of now, you are part of X-Men.”       Simple like this. Rica blinked even. No pompous rituals, no stupid rites of passage; she didn’t even have to sign anything, let alone swear any oaths. Just like that, she was an X. She even didn’t feel anything of sorts… corresponding to the moment. That was even casual.       On the other hand…       Rica caught the Professor's glance. He looked at her with his wise, understanding eyes, and smiled softly with very corners of his lips.       Hasn’t something like that attracted me every time? Simplicity and naturalness. Apparently, everyone has a different rite of passage here…       “Congratulations.” X-Ray broke into a broad smile. “Catie will be thrilled. He’s also an X — with such a gift.”       “And you?” asked Rica despite herself.       “What do you think?” she grinned. “Or else, what am I doing here?”       Indeed… Or else, what would she be doing here, on the underground floor, behind the door that is barred criss-cross with metal bars in the form of an X…       Rica wanted to ask about Elf, too, but she never got a chance: the Professor spoke.       “Conrad, I ask you to return to the class and apologize for me to Professor Wagner once again.” She nodded and slipped behind the door at once. “Rica — you go upstairs and to the hall; somebody wants to meet you. And don’t forget: your next double class is PE. Please, tell the coach that you are in the first group. Alexander — thank you for your work, I dare not distract you anymore.” The Italian immediately turned to his screens, without regard to the people around him. “Remy…”       “Yes, I got it.” Gambit became serious, and hardly slated wrinkles at his lips became harder and deeper. “I’m needed out there.”       “And, as always, I offer you to take a backup…”       The sentence hung in the air. Remy tossed his shaggy head.       “You do know, Professor, I better work alone.”       Xavier looked at him closely, and his gaze suddenly became heavy.       “And I am asking you, Remy, go without heroics. Only reconnaissance and observation. It is enough for me that Logan does not get in touch, and I— I promised.”       And broke too many promises in the past in order not to cling to it tooth and nail…       Rica blinked and turned away in a hurry. Ashamed, she felt as if she overlooked something that was not quite meant for her.       A warm male hand lay down on her shoulder with a familiar gesture.       “Well, my goddaughter?” grinned Gambit. “Our roads part here, it seems. For the moment, of course, for the moment, don’t you look at me like that! But someone must keep an eye on Magneto and his team.”       Rica looked at him from under her brows, and Remy raised his hands as if to defend himself.       “I promise, I will steer clear of that black creature! And of them, too! And whatsoever, I will be punctual, careful, walking across a street at a light, having mush and not beer at breakfast, and wiping my nose with a handkerchief… which I will buy discreetly because my own remains with you as a memento.”       Rica remembered the checkered hankie she had blown her nose in, back in the savannah, and she smiled despite herself.       “Well, it seems, now we are sure that you are kept in check, you daredevil,” grinned the Professor observing this scene. “You do not have a choice as of now. You promised.”       “I will be back, I will,” grumbled Gambit and took Rica by her shoulders. “Safe and sound. If anything — I’ll be jumping over the fences.”       He gave her a fatherlike kiss on the forehead and a flick on the nose, pulling down the lyrics of the moment.       “Take care, goddaughter. Be a good girl, get good grades — and I’ve gotta run!”       And he actually ran — shooting out behind the door.       Rica watched him go and realized that, during this time, she got incredibly attached to this goof from New Orleans. And it seemed she actually had a godfather now…       “He will come back,” quietly said the Professor as he drove up to her. “He always comes back — that is the first. And he gave you a promise — that is the second. In this matter, Gambit is meticulous in principle. And now… Would you like to help me? Of course, I can drive almost everywhere by myself where we have ramps. But — you should forgive the old man; I like it so much when someone rolls me…”       Rica laughed, came behind the back of the wheelchair, and rolled it forward.       The door that was barred criss-crossed with metal bars in the form of an X, opened with docile hissing — and then it closed behind their backs.