Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Sorry for going AWOL, I got dragged over to a relative's house w/o Internet for the past few days while my parents went gadding off to Texas to meet Mom's half-brother for the first time. Their flight was delayed two days because they got standby tickets, so I just now got back to a place with tech from after 1989. Also, lul'd at the Aquatic Chimera Waterfun brochure >.<))

Smith sat back and watched the remote video feed. He'd used his connections the past few weeks to prevent 'Smoke' from leaving the country, though he'd had to come dangerously close to exposing his face several times and a few long-time associates were likewise unhealthily close to being in an even-favor relationship with him. But, thanks to a few risks that he wasn't quite sure he should be taking, his acquisition of the man 'Smoke' would be complete within a week at most. Deal-breakers and traitors were the only type of people that Smith truly hated, and he would often compromise his identity, however temporarily, to deal with them on a personal basis. It usually involved thumbscrews or some similarly-creative method of termination. He had devoted fully thirty percent of his Smiths - the legion of anonymous men that Smith paid to be a living information net - to tracking the group of Chimerae, a testament to how well they'd managed to hide. Even finding Yani's base of operations and unearthing everything about it had taken only eight percent and six months.

At the moment there was a directional microphone very well-hidden among some decorative foliage in the room, and a hidden camera observed the group from three blocks down. Smith smiled as he heard Smoke's announcement that they'd be moving again. A flat tire and a roadside assault would do nicely for the Chimerae, and then a kidnapping for Mr. Galaway.

Shifting his attention, Smith looked over a stack of paperwork on his desk and bit back the urge to smile again. Once per week was enough, twice in a day was far too much. Still, the fact that Yani Vent was once again a father was worth a bit of a quirk in Smith's lip. Though Vent had no way of knowing - and, more, no way of suspecting, since it was part of their normal routine since long before TAIS was built - Smith kept several of Yani's top biochemists and one of the more skilled biologists on payroll as informants. They rarely fed him anything, so he rarely sent them anything (not like the Smiths, who received ten dollars per month as a retainer fee, plus double for information), but apparently one of them had been present at the birth. He would have to call in a few days and congratulate him, or perhaps just tell Adam to do so. The fungus-Chimera was already a regular fixture in the new lab, and... no. Calling in person would do this time.

After all, it wasn't every day that he found out that he was the exception to fertility in his 'race,' rather than the rule. His wife would be happy to hear that.

He was smiling, thinking about the news for his wife and son - that they might have company in a few years - when something else caught his attention on the monitors. One of the ones he'd hidden in a tree caught an altercation between the chimera that called himself John and a tall man in a black trenchcoat. Obviously Jared. He spoke then to the empty room. "TAIS. There is a 97% probability that you are observing this room in some fashion at the moment, or will be able to access these records when you hear your name being spoken. If not, I am speaking to an empty room and need not be embarrassed. While I claim no favors from you, I would appreciate it if you could tell the young Mister Vent this: 'I understand the scope of your situation, but I would ask that you leave the human with a minimum of breaks and bruises. I need him as healthy as possible for my purposes. In addition, I will be contacting you personally soon with a business proposal. I am given to understand that you enjoy a challenging hunt, and my proposal rather plays to that preference. With best wishes, Smith.' That is the end of the message, and I would be most grateful if you would deliver it."

He then got up and went to get something to eat, fixing himself a lettuce-and-garlic sandwich before taking a mint and sitting down again to pay the bills. All else was out of his conceivable control now, unless he told the Smith on observation duty to kill the Chimera with a rifle of some sort (hich he wasn't about to do), so paying the electrick was the next most important thing.

Apsalar took a moment to help Lonomia move his piece to its new place on the board, smiling herself. She enjoyed seeing the others relaxing, happy with their life.

She glanced up when Tobart came in and laughed at his question. "I am," she said. "I think." It didn't really matter, though if Lonomia got too upset over not winning now that it was just them, she thought she could figure out how to throw the game.

Her amber eyes focused in on Tobart's face for a moment. He looked...edgy, she thought was the word. Like something was wrong. She would have offered him a hug, too, but some instinct warned her that any physical contact right now would be taken the wrong way.

What that 'wrong way' might be, well, who knew? But she wasn't about to risk it.

Still, there had to be some way to comfort her packmate. She looked down at the board and was struck with an idea.

John had left the game, too, at least for now, so they were short two players instead of one. Unless...

She looked up. "Want to play? You can take Hound's piece," she offered. "I think I can explain the game."

Hiccadu, from the kitchen, tilted her head a little, looking out the window to watch John and Smoke. She hadn't been around enough to notice John's little crush on Apsalar, but from the lip-reading, she could tell Smoke had a problem with something concerning the two Chimerae.

She wondered if she should interfere. Then after a moment of thought, she decided not to. There was no reason for her to stick her nose in it. Even after an entire month, the other Chimerae still treated her with a certain amount of caution and grudging awe. They not dare lay a finger on her in fear of what would happen.

TAIS had informed her of Smith's dealings with sabotaging Smoke's attempts. It filled in a lot of gaps and answered a lot of questions, but it did nothing to ease Hiccadu's constant annoyance.

She was annoyed. She was bored.

Scowling, she leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. She didn't like board games, she didn't like interaction. She knew nothing about the Chimerae except what she observed and what TAIS told her.

She felt like a fifth wheel. The spare. The back-up plan. What the ******** was TAIS doing, just letting her sit here and get fat? TAIS knew where the Chimerae were - knew ever since Hiccadu found them. Have known, will know, will forever have known.

Frowning, she scuffed the tile a little bit with her toe. There was only so long she could keep herself entertained by swimming, jogging, and ******** men she met on the beach. And the occasional woman, but she didn't get nearly as much pleasure out of that. When men were around, she felt threatened by other women with hair as long as hers, or skin as tan as hers. She constantly had to fight the urge to eat the other females, and had to focus on other methods to get what she wanted. It was annoying, but at the same time it was intriguing. Kinda like a game.

The game of cat and mouse was definitely one she could enjoy.

This is stupid. She thought as she stood there, frowning. I hate stagnation. What is that stupid hunter Jared doing?!

-----

No message was sent to Jared. It wasn't Yani's orders for TAIS to relay messages between the person she was spying on and Yani's family. Smith was listened to, but ultimately ignored.

John landed outside the beach house, in the sand, and swiped at the grains on his leg before walking into Smoke's dwelling. Tobart sat, touching Apsalar lightly, but far closer than John felt was necessary. Enough to make his jealousy flare up.

He stalked into the house and, rather more tightly than he intended, said "Apsalar. Could I speak with you." The rigidity in his voice was meant for Tobart, not Apsalar, but his emotions spilled into his words regardless for who they were intended.

--

Jared leaned against a tree, watching Smoke and Hound from camouflaged thermal cover. The foil was efficient in reducing his body heat, well-enough camouflaged to undergo a passing glance, and was thin enough to fold up and move with relative ease. Perfect for stalking and spying chimerae. At the moment, he had a gun trained on Smoke, waiting for Hound to leave. He knew he couldn't take on both the chimera and Smoke at once, especially without his usual array of weapons. And so, he would wait.

((Sorry for dragging along your character Wire. If you'd like me to edit anywhere, feel free to ask what the hell I'm doing and I'll edit.))

Jared smiled tightly. It wasn't that he'd forgotten to cover his scent--it was that he didn't have the proper equipment. He hadn't predicted he would need to cover his scent in a forest, though the equipment he would have used would've resulted in blatant irony. Covering yourself in a chemical that smelled of deer urine would probably send Hound running for him in either case.

So, rather than letting the chimera sniff him out, Jared fired two shots from the 7-round magazine, leaving him with two. The first was aimed at Smoke's knee, the other at Hound's chest. He didn't particularly care about preserving the chimera.

The bullet aimed for Smoke lodged straight in its mark. The man cried out, a harsh sound from the back of his throat, and lowered himself onto the ground. He looked around, remembering Hound's words. This was Jared. It was unlikely he would kill Smoke right away, but Hound was in trouble.

"Get out of here!" he yelled at Hound, gesturing with one arm and wincing at the pain the movement had caused. He tried to put as much force into the words as he could, knowing Hound probably wouldn't listen.

--

Two very excited doctors greeted Yani at the door, congratulating him on such a fine specimen, the first of its kind, a monumental discovery to science. Oh, and congrats on the baby as well. He was informed at his son's extremely rapid growth and, looking at the Gymboree bag full of clothing, immediately pulled out an outfit more suited to a three-year-old.

He saw little Neo, hair, limbs, and teeth growing. And the baby was screaming bloody murder. Yani actually smiled and approached the kid's bed, picking him up. Neo was very thin for his apparent age, leading him to suspect the doctors had underestimated the child's growth. He uttered a few words and the doctors that had accompanied him to the makeshift nursery, in Aiyana's bedroom, went to find appropriate nourishment.

"Neo, what am I going to do with you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Hush now." He set the child down and began putting the clothes on him, noting with satisfaction that they were quite loose. Better it be a little drafty than for it to squeeze him blue.

Apsalar was in the midst of explaining the game to Tobart when John arrived back. "And once you've seen the number on the square, you move your piece..." She looked up when he spoke to her, confusion flitting across her face for a minute.

"Um," she said, glancing at Tobart and Lonomia before getting up with an apologetic shrug. Probably it wouldn't take all that long. She couldn't imagine what John had to say that needed to be private, but from the strain she could practically smell on him, she figured it had to be so.

Reacting to the tension in his voice, her gait was coltish and stiff as she walked towards him.

"Be back in a minute," she reassured the other players, then she stepped out onto the beach. Walking down to the water's edge, she waited for John to join her and tell her what the problem was.

Was there a threat? Would they have to leave? But then, why wouldn't he have told everyone?

Questions whirling in her head, she turned and waited.

Little Neo giggled as he looked up at his daddy. "Daddy..."


Hound followed jared, staying in the trees for a short while. but then he took a different route. He went down to the ground and then under it. the ground around jared began to shake a little and then the back end of the jeep began to sink into the ground, the alarm started going off, and soon the jeep would be buried. Within less than a minute the Jeep was beyond saving.