"Wow," Clyde said, "there's a lot of 'em here."
"Told ya." Cassie hopped out of the taxi, leaned in to give the driver a generous tip, and tugged on her green metallic mesh belly shirt. "They're the last batch that was growing in the GlobeGen labs when the ban on creating more chimeras took effect."
Clyde and Cassie were joined by Brent, Mitch, Katrilla and Maxine. Both girls were dressed like Cassie, in tight jeans and short shirts, with lots of flashy jewelry and bits of chrome here and there. Cassie had them outdone on the chrome part, with her full-body skin tint. The other girls had colored their hair, though, and Maxine wore glowing blue eyeliner and lipstick. They'd stood out against the flashy city lights and neon signs, and now that they were in a more subdued part of the city, Clyde figured they could be seen from a mile away.
Mitch stared at the building in front of them. "Is that the office?"
"Yeah. This place used to be an apartment building or hotel, I think." Cassie waved a hand at the larger building on the right, a simple three-floor rectangle that ran half the length of the block, and slightly smaller one behind the office. "That's where the chimeras are staying. They've only been released from the labs within the last few weeks. They're staying here until they can learn enough about the outside world to function in it."
Cassie led them past the office and across the parking lot. Maxine brushed her hair away from her eyes and glanced at Cassie.
"How are we gonna do this? Can we just walk right through the door?"
"What, you wanna register at the front office?" Mitch laughed. "What would we say? 'Hey, we're here to bang some chimeras. Got any catgirls here?'"
A sudden realization hit Clyde. Oh, man, this is fucked up. It had seemed like a good idea when they'd decided to come here, but now it struck him as more than a little weird. People are gonna think we're a bunch of degenerates.
Maxine gave Mitch the finger and the others laughed. "No, I mean, shouldn't we sneak in?"
"Nope," Cassie said. "Everyone is free to come and go they please. The older chimeras were kept in captivity most of their lives, so the people running these shelters decided that nobody here should feel like they're prisoners." She nodded toward a couple of vans parked near the street corner. "The media have been doing a lot of coming and going over the last few days, in fact." She led them through the front door and into the lobby.
Clyde took a slow look around. The room was spacious and had a set of stairs in the far corner leading to the second floor. Lots of windows, so during the day there would be plenty of light. Now it was illuminated by indirect lighting coming from LEDs placed behind a wooden rail that ran along the walls at just above head level. Potted plants of varying types and sizes were placed near the stairs and the four doorways leading deeper into the building.
"Very nice," he commented.
"Yeah." Katrilla smiled and pointed at one corner of the room. "Oh, there's even some vending machines over by that door."
"Going right for the snacks, eh?" Mitch aimed a meaningful glance at her thick midsection.
"How about I go right for your nutsack?" she snapped.
"Hey, Mitch," Clyde said, "if you're gonna be a prick, you'll have to do it alone because the rest of us will leave your ass here."
Before the fight could go any farther, the door beside the vending machines opened and a young woman stepped in, carrying a tablet in her left hand. The first thing Clyde noticed, after the general feminine shape of her body, was that her legs and feet were similar to those on a draconid he'd seen on the news today. Then he noticed that her feet were webbed -- and, as she tapped a button on one of the machines, so were her hands. Her skin was bluish gray and seemed to shimmer slightly as if covered by tiny scales. She wore denim shorts and a blue sleeveless shirt. She was athletic, but nowhere near as buff as other chimeras he'd seen. Her shoulder-length hair was black and straight.
A cup dropped into the little window in the front of the vending machine and filled with hot cocoa. She studied whatever was on the tablet while she waited for the cup to fill, then she slid the clear plastic door up and took the paper cup out. She tucked the tablet under her left arm, took a plastic lid from a stack on the little table beside the machine, and snapped it onto the cup. She sipped the cocoa through the slot in the lid, returned the tablet to her other hand and began walking.
She noticed Clyde and the others and smiled at them. Now that she was closer, Clyde noticed her lips were a little thicker and her nose was flatter and broader than a human's, and her ears were large and sort of fan-shaped. Odd, but she was still cute.
She grinned at Cassie. "Hi!"
"Hi, Tia, how are you?"
"Good. And you?"
"Fine."
"Back for more action, eh?" Tia gave her a mischievous smile.
Cassie blushed and turned to introduce her friends. "Guys, this is Tiamat. She's one of the assistants here. Tia, this is Clyde, Katrilla, Brent, Maxine and Mitch."
Mitch swaggered forward and put on what he probably thought was a charming smile. "Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise."
"Uh, mind if I, um … ?" Mitch reached toward her arm, and Tia chuckled as if she got that reaction a lot.
"Sure." She held her arm out and Mitch ran his fingers over her skin.
"Huh. Kinda feels like fish scales. You a fish chimera?"
"I was designed for aquatic use, yes, though I can function just as well out of the water."
Huh. Clyde couldn't see any gills on her neck. Maybe they were on her sides, hidden by her shirt. That'd make more sense anyway, since they could be much bigger there.
"Good." Mitch put his hands on her shoulders. "That means you can 'function' pretty well in bed, right?"
"Mitch!" Cassie stared at him, mouth hanging open. "You pig!"
"Hey, I'm just cutting to the chase, that's all."
"I can 'function' in bed just fine." Tiamat narrowed her eyes at him. "I know why all of you are here and I have no problem with it, though I do ask that you show some respect for the people here. Some of us are willing to share a bed with you, but others aren't, and none of us are your playthings or personal concubines. Trying to force yourself on any of us is a good way to end up crippled for life."
Clyde swore that the room temperature dipped a few degrees. He and everyone else stared nervously at Tiamat and Mitch.
"Heh," Katrilla muttered, "sounds like you've dealt with this kind of thing before."
"I have, unfortunately. More times than I would prefer."
"Okay, so, let's not give her any more crap to deal with." Clyde tapped Mitch on the shoulder. "Let's just …"
"Back off. I always get what I want."
Tiamat looked him over and said, "I'm sure you have, until now. But your rich parents aren't here to buy me like they probably bought your car."
Mitch chuckled. "I never pay for it. Women give it up willingly."
"Unlikely." Tiamat glanced at his hands, still latched onto her arms, and looked him in the eye. "Let go of me while your arms are still attached to your body."
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