Chimera grabbed a hold of Sarah as the two of them finished their conversation, briefly exchanging the DNA that she used to resist Monica’s control.
It was pretty simple in thought, but a long shot when Chimera thought about whether it would work on Monica’s ability to control people.
It all started back when she had first received the DNA sample from Gideon.
The DNA, despite it being a part of his body, was grafted onto him, unlike his technopathic ability which was what he had naturally.
This meant that it wasn’t truly part of him, but he still had access to it.
Something connected, but also separate.
It got Chimera thinking about whether she could do that as well, since her ability allowed her access to DNA from other people, other superheroes.
Who all had been radically transformed by the original serum developed by the Hero’s League.
Separate DNA, but connected.
Separate Nerves, but connected.
Separate parts made whole.
When she gave herself wolf ears, she knew that they did not function like the human ears she was used to, and yet, she could make them work despite this.
She had control of them, even though they weren’t connected to a part of her pseudo skeletal structure.
Even more so when she was in blob form.
Chimera realized that it was due to the separation of her clones that allowed Monica to access her, because there was no one else to stop the invasive energy from the ability.
Chimera didn’t have the time to separate her various parts.
Now though.
Chimera felt the new structure she had built inside her body, the tangle of DNA chains acting not just the reservoir of knowledge for her various abilities and traits.
She created a DNA chain, one that was fully Chimera.
No nerves existed, no pathways for Monica’s ability to grasp hold of.
No mind, at least physically for her to override.
Chimera was now in truth, a chimera, a being made of many parts grafted to a whole.
A mythical monster, a creature from a dream.
Chimera smiled as Sarah sensed her thoughts, her eyebrow raised at the data she was receiving.
“Huh.”
Chimera huffed, “that’s all you have to say? I just figured out how to beat Monica’s mind control for good, and it's just ‘huh?!”
Sarah nodded, “good work.”
Chimera shook her head, “anyone tell you that you have weird moments of being stiff faced?”
“Occasionally.”
Chimera peered up at her, “how many occasions?”
Sarah smiled as she walked past Chimera, making her way towards the inherent feeling of Monica’s coming.
It was as if a wrecking ball was descending from the ceiling, and the aftershock from the landing scattered the wreckage both old and new to the sides. The laboratory gained a new set of chairs and office equipment as Monica landed, surrounded with a purple energy.
Sarah shifted into her blob form, Chimera close behind as Sarah’s old boss stared at the two of them.
Crazed didn’t even come close to it.
Monica’s face was demented, twisted into a manic grin that seemed to bleed into her other features, like her entire body was trying to match her mood.
And from what Chimera could tell, Monica was pissed.
A ripple of energy flowing out was all the warning Sarah and Chimera had as a psychic force shot towards the two, who dodged it by a sliver thanks to their speed.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
“Good, I was hoping you would dodge. I want this to hurt…”
Monica smiled her face splitting smile, and at once, the entire floor was leveled out.
The robots, the bodies, the very air seemed to compress to the ground as all cover was destroyed.
“Chimera, let's go!”
“R-Right!”
Sarah shifted, and a variety of colors rippled across her body as the draconic transformation, speed, electricity, and various other gifts they had ignited.
Chimera on the other hand, went for range, covering her body with tendrils and mouths to spit fire and lightning and whatever else she could think of.
As the two engaged, Monica began laughing aloud, spreading her psionic attacks in a wave-form, crushing the projectiles that Chimera was attempting to hit her with.
It gave Sarah just enough of an opening to-.
“Nice try Sarah, if you were a snail!”
Monica’s head turned 180 degrees to face Sarah in an unsettling display of neck physics, breathing a cloud of misty vapor that nailed Sarah in the face.
Frozen, Sarah could do nothing but watch as Monica compressed two psionic attacks into a vice, crushing her and shooting her against a nearby pillar.
“Sarah!”
“Foolish experiment, I was talking to my employee!”
To Chimera’s surprise, a tendril reached out from Monica to try and impale her as she quickly side-stepped, launching a shotgun blast of spines from her quill pig DNA.
The poison barbs landed harmlessly on the ground as they entered Monica’s field of vision, which judging from her bodies twisting movements was effectively everywhere.
“Is… she-”
“Look out Chimera!”
Monica hovered insanely fast, almost launching herself at Chimera like a rocket.
“She’s right, little experiment.”
Monica blasted the ground behind Chimera, launching her towards Monica!
“You don’t have time to worry about her!”
A wall of psionic energy smashed Chimera to the ground, pressing her so flat that she couldn’t lift anything at all.
Further into the ground, Chimera reached for Terralord’s gift, sending spikey stalagmites right into Monica’s side.
The rock spear smashed into her, but rather then look harmed, Monica simply bent with the blow.
“Nice, you actually hit me that time. Too bad, I’m a bit more flexible than you know.”
The wall of energy release, Chimera slid back to gain some distance as she saw what she feared.
Monica’s face stretched, shifted, and morphed into various different people’s faces, and over time the faces finally settled on the original Monica.
“What was the term you two decided on? Right, Blob I believe it was.”
Monica’s back split open, revealing nine tendrils, all with the faces of different people, looks of abject horror on their faces as they screamed for mercy.
“Monica! Release me!”
“I’m sorry, I'm so sorry!”
“Sister!”
“‘AHHHH’”
Monica laughed as the tendrils shaped into the mouths of monstrous beasts, some with a dragon’s head, others with a lion or a bear. There was even a goat amongst them. She morphed further as her body elongated, taking on the form of a beast, with a tail that also had a face.
Wings made of rotting flesh.
Eyes of different species constantly blinking at the area around her.
And in the center of all that…
Monica’s insane smile filtered a sound of gnashing teeth as she spoke.
“I prefer the term, Amalgamation!”
Chimera tried to keep her fear in check as Monica unleashed several attacks at once, but it was difficult as she began to realize.
Monica was like her.
She was a blob, or amalgamation, whatever that might be, she was capable of doing the same things.
How… how do I beat this?
Chimera kept dodging, but the fear, that smile, it all started to accumulate into a place deep within her.
She wanted to run, she couldn’t beat this-
Sarah smashed into Monica as the beast screamed with all its various mouths.
With a fist that was filled with spines, rock, and all kinds of sharp implements (was that a knife?), she started unleashing a series of blows on the beast, each time taking a chunk of the screaming mass with it.
Right… I’m not alone, we can do this!
Her resolve returning, Chimera mimicked Sarah’s stance, sending a blow just as Monica was reeling back from the last.
They both began to combo the beast, and while they were attacked by counters of psionic energy and breath attacks, it was clear.
Monica was starting to lose.
“Well, that was certainly different. No matter.”
Monica’s various parts, the pieces that had been separated during the fight, came together to form another Monica.
The humanoid version launched attacks at Chimera while the massive monster turned to assault the now larger version of Sarah.
Chimera felt the fear come back, but rather than let it consume her like before, she steeled herself to face off against the smaller threat.
She’s responsible for this, she harmed so many people, and used me to do it!
Don’t forget, don’t forgive her, it's time she paid for all she did!
Chimera braced herself, as the manic villainess flew towards her, that unsettling grin never leaving her face.