Many people think they know all there was to know about Nathan Hale. There were many stories that circulated after his death. Hell, many stories surfaced after he was declared 'killed-in-action'. That's where most of the tales end; even the most informative, courtesy of Rachel 'oh-so-brave' Parker, failed to find the truth behind the rumours. Even without the ending, hers was still the best representation of the man I knew. Still, it was made up of few facts and some very clever guess work. Not that I would have ever told her that. The compliment would have most probably gone straight to her head, and that was big enough anyway. Besides, giving appreciation when she had 'forgotten' to mention me in her testimony at all was wrong. She might start to think I liked her. But that didn't matter. Only I knew the real Nathan Hale and what he had done. He was beautiful, brave, smart . . . ugh, there I went again. No-one had an effect on me like he did. But don't worry; my story isn't going to be some sort of sappy romance novel. It was not love at first sight - anything but. Well, to me anyway.

11th July, 1951

"Chimeran creeps!" I yelled, pounding on the bars of the cage I was in. Why was I in a cage you ask? Well, I think an introduction is compulsory at this point. Nice to meet you, the name's Boo, Boo Clearwater. I'm nineteen years old and I'm the product of various Chimeran experiments. You see, the Chimera decided that they needed a 'secret weapon'. So the kidnapped two children, my brother and myself, and conducted scientific tests on our bodies. The result was two sarcastic teenagers with prominent Chimeran characteristics. Despite our sibling relationship however, the characteristics we obtained differed by quite a wide margin. My body was mutated in the following ways:
- My eyes faded to amber.
- Retractable fangs grew inside of my mouth.
- I developed the ability to use 'heat vision' as it were (but only for a small amount of time and with the consequence of a pounding headache).
- I developed the climbing and jumping abilities of a Slipskull.
- My reflexes improved to match those of the Chimera.
- I became extremely handy with a knife.
- My skill with the L23 Fareye and other snipers was greatly enhanced.
- I also seemed to know all there was about weaponry engineering.

My brother, Hybrid Clearwater, developed similar 'improvements'. He, too, had the end results of amber eyes, the 'heat vision' sight and fast reflexes. Nonetheless, he was altered in the following ways as well:
- He developed the Chimeran healing powers.
- He somehow got the knack of rolling across the floor, head tucked in and body bent, identical to a Roller.
- Gun melee became his forte, much like my newly found knifing talent.
- Whilst I had become an expert with sniper rifles, he was brilliant with the Rossmore 236. With any shotgun actually.
- He could also translate Chimeran into English. Although I could understand the language, I could never seem to convert it to English. Don't worry - I don't understand how that worked either.

So there you have it, the story of our lives. Literally. We didn't remember anything from before our initiation into their ranks, no family, no friends, no life. Still, that didn't change the fact that we were amazing, an unstoppable team, deadly and cruel. There was only one issue - we were too 'human'. We felt sorrow, pain depression, guilt. Well, to be total honest, only Hybrid felt the last. I had no problem with murder. To be truthful, I rather enjoyed the notion, but that's another topic. To be blunt, we would rather have been fighting against our creators, opposed to with them. We had regained our memory, remembered what they had done. So, we had plotted their destruction. As you can probably guess, they didn't take this too well. Hence, we were locked in a cage while our fates were decided by the creatures. Consequently, I was ready to kick some Chimeran ass, when, or rather if, I ever managed to escape this metal contraption alive. I smashed against the iron again. Still it didn't budge,
"Boo, quieten down!" Hybrid hissed, examining the lock closely. "Look, you're the engineer! Do something!" I growled at him, the sound low and animalistic.
"I modify weapons, not security devices, genius! Do you really think we would still be here otherwise?! You're the translator! Any report on what they plan to do to us?! Or are you finally realising that you can't do anything to help either!" Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck, his short brown hair rustling slightly. From a distance, we were almost identical, with the same hair colour, the same short hair cut and the same amber eyes. Evidently, as a teenager girl, I had assets he didn't possess and vice-versa, by facially, we were distinguishable only by our gender. Whilst my face was slightly slimmer, more feminine, his was harder, blunter. Even so, from a distance, it was doubtful that we wouldn't be mistaken for twin brothers.
"Boo? Can you hear that?" I shook my thoughts from my head and strained my ears to listen. Sure enough, there it was, the sound of gun shots, echoing through the thin hallways, over and over again, followed by the shrieking cries of the Chimera. I glanced at Hybrid, pointing to myself. He nodded, then the colours distorted, the 'heat vision' turning everything into a mass of scarlets, oranges and blues.
"How many?" He asked hopefully. I stayed silent in shock, watching the single red dot dart behind walls, staring as other crimson shapes collapsed. Finally, I forced my mouth to move.
"One. Just one and, so far, he's killed ten." My sight returned to normal as my head span and pounded. Nevertheless, I shifted my gaze sideways, only to see my brother was as surprised as I was.
"One? Just one?" I nodded, freezing as footsteps registered, getting closer with each second. Grinning, my fist collided with my little brothers shoulder lightly.
"Looks like we're getting out sooner than we realised."

Freedom. I was finally free. Running a hand through my hair, I turned to the newcomer and beamed, all the while scanning over him with my eyes. He was tall, around 6 foot, his fair hair shaved in a strangely . . . attractive way. But it was his eyes that caught my attention. They were gold, like my brother and I's. Like the Chimera. Maybe that's why I trusted him on sight.
"Oh, it's good to be able to move again! I was going stir crazy, I swear!" If he was expecting anything better, he was going to be disappointed. I never thanked anyone outright, not unless they really deserved it. Or at least, not unless I felt they really deserved it. 'Thank you' were the two words I could truly say I detested with a passion. But that's besides the point. Smirking, Hybrid patted my arm.
"Boo, you were crazy anyway." Laughing and rolling my eyes, I turned to the soldier.
"As you may have guessed, I'm Boo, Boo Clearwater. This is my brother, Hybrid Clearwater. You are?" His hand grasped my own, shaking it as he replied.
"Nathan Hale. Sergeant. Boo and Hybrid, was it?" An American? Now that wasn't expected. Then again, neither were Chimeran experiments. Shaking my head softly, I returned to the matter at hand, answering his question. Opening my mouth, a reply formed, but Hybrid beat me to the mark.
"Yeah. I know they're strange, but we were named after the first distinguishable things we said after the operations."
"Operations?" Once again, my mouth opened and, once again, I was cut off, this time by a stream of bullets. All three of us dived for cover as the metal casings tore at the ground beneath our heels. Slowly, Hale raised his gun, but I pushed it towards the floor again, motioning to my brother and myself.
"We got this." Hybrid sent a grin my way, excited and full of anticipation, before he began rolling across the floor in a perfect imitation of the Chimeran critters. My lungs filled with fresh air before I also leapt into action - quite literally. I flew through the air, fangs sliding down and smashing together, ripping through flesh, scraping across the metal packs that rested on their backs. Chimeran limbs, distorted and torn apart, flew from various bodies, puddles of blood forming under each body. Scarlet stained the floor as I laughed, the sound dark and lethal, showing how much I was enjoying every moment. Soon, the whole group was eliminated, their remains a mess upon the floor. That's when the gunshot tore through the air, the sound ricochetting off of the walls, Hybrid's screams exploding outwards as he collapsed to the floor, crimson seeping through his trouser leg from the bullet wound in his thigh. Instantly, my fangs retracted and my legs hit the ground hard, vaulting me through the air, my feet landing inches away from my injured brother.
"What happened?!" The question was rhetorical. An answer was unnecessary, due to the elevated firearm that was currently pointed in my direction. A snarl pushed past my lips as I stared up at Hale, eyes narrowing in anger.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! We just saved your sorry ass!" His mouth didn't move to form words and his eyes didn't stray from my hands. The end of the gun remained pointed at the middle of my forehead. Slowly, Hybrid pulled on the sleeve of my (now torn and bloodstained) black shirt.
"Boo, it was my fault. I rolled back towards him, at top speed I might add. He'd only just met us. How was he to know we wouldn't attack him too? Besides, I'm fine. Chimeran healing abilities, remember?" As if to prove his point, he stood and walked towards Hale, empty hands by his shoulders in surrender. His clothes were as tattered as mine it seemed. We both wore the same outfit, black shirt and black trousers, finished off with black combat boots, courtesy of the Chimera. They had chosen the items carefully, which probably meant they had stormed into a shop and ripped the first clothes they had spotted off of the nearest rack. But I digress. And they did help us blend in, I suppose. Still, that was irrelevant now. Hybrid was still trying to convince Hale we were on his side.
"Oh, for goodness sake! If we wanted to kill you, we would have done it already!" Finally, the gun barrel lowered to face the floor, but his eyes didn't stop darting between my brother and I.
"How do you do that?" He asked quietly, motioning to the dead carcasses that adorned the floor. Or what was left of them.
"Boo? Care to explain?" Rolling my eyes, I shook my head defiantly.
"In case you've forgotten, the story isn't exactly short, and we're in a conversion center. Besides, the only thing I want explained is why you suddenly think I'm going to forget what just happened. He shot you! I meant what I said before: if we had wanted to kill him, we would have already done it. The only reason nothing has happened is because I haven't decided on a method yet." Once again, cylindrical metal pipes stared me down, the smell of the gunpowder potent enough to make my eyes water.
"Try it." I grinned up at the American soldier, making sure to display my inch-long canines that had 'decided' to slid into the open. However, what was sure to be an interesting fight was forestalled due to Hybrid stepping in, his hand extended toward Hale.
"Quit it, Boo. Look, I'd love to explain, but my sister was right: we're in conversion center and it's not a short story. Once we get out of here, I'll tell you all you wish to know. Help us escape, and you'll have your answers. Deal?" With a handshake and the nod of heads, the truce was sealed. Whilst in here, Hale was forbidden territory. A pity. Manoeuvering myself to my feet, I motioned my head sideways.
"Let's get moving - I've had enough of this dump. You better be able to keep up, soldier, because otherwise, there won't be anything left of you to listen to your answers."

I stared up at the tanks in awe, watching as Chimera after Chimera screamed in pain as the metal was shoved into their backs, blood spurting from the injuries. The trip through the conversion center had been . . . not uneventful, just strangely simple. It was as though they didn't care that we were escaping. Not that I was a big enough fool to believe that. They knew, and they cared. They just hadn't shown it yet. I has drawn back to reality by another Chimeran scream. Barbed metal rods being forced into your flesh . . . well, it enlightened me to the reason why they never came loose.
"That looks painful, don't you think? Hey, Hale, why don't you get one? It'd suit you," I snapped sarcastically, still irritated about the shooting incident. Add that to the fact that my brother defended him for doing it, and you can guess why I didn't take it too well.
"Boo, can you cheer up, please?" Hybrid begged, his eyes searching my own. "Can't you just accept that it happened and get over it?"
"No, and you shouldn't have either."
"Well, I did. Why do you always have to make things difficult?" My hand raised to my face, fingers pinching the bridge of my nose in an attempt to control my temper. Anger issues had always been a big problem for me and they'd gotten worse after the operations. But this was my little brother and, despite his tendencies to be annoying, I still adored him.
"Fine. I'm sorry. Now just shut up and be on the look-out for the six-eyed freaks." He sighed in amusement at my far-from-genuine apology, but followed orders all the same. That was the way it had always been. I gave the orders, he enacted them. Big sister was the leader, little brother was the minion. True, he was only one year younger and taller than me by quite a wide margin, but old habits died hard. It was the same with our fighting styles. Throughout the years, the only differences made were the weapons we carried. Hybrid would roll forwards, shotgun in hand, his speed making him almost unhittable. He also served as an effective distraction, causing all attention to focus on him as I methodically picked them off with a sniper rifle. On the slight chance that he was hit, he was ready to go within the next few seconds due to his abilities. By that time, I had already killed the creature responsible. My hand drifted to my belt, fingertips running over the knife that rested there. It wasn't mine, or hadn't been. Hale had provided it, along with the Rossmore 236 that Hybrid now carried. Sadly, there was a severe lack of snipers in this base, but knives were fun too. My brother, of course, had thanked Hale profusely at his 'gift'. I stayed silent. He didn't deserve my manners. Grinning to myself, I turned away from the tank as another Chimera screeched in pain. My smile faded in a matter of seconds.
"Those? W-we h-h-have to c-cross those?!" I was staring at the pipes used to transport the infected, large yellow beams that stretched from one side of the room to the other. It wouldn't have been so bad, had we not been around a hundred feet off of the ground. The abyss below was pitch black, accentuating just how big of a drop it was. Slowly, shaking all the while, I stepped backwards, retreating to the tanks again.
"No way! There is no way I am doing that!" I shouted, turning to my brother beseechingly. "Please, Hybrid! You know I'm scared of heights!" A barely disguised chuckle filled the air, quiet, but not quiet enough. It was obvious where it had come from. Hale was standing to the side, his head shaking slightly, a smirk covering his face.
"You think it's funny, do you? Go stick your smile where the sun doesn't shine! I hope you fall off, you moron!" Hybrid placed a hand on my shoulder, gently trying to get me to calm down.
"It's okay, Boo. If you start to fall, push off for the wall. You know you'll make it. It'll be fine, I promise." Still, I shook, biting down on my bottom lip.
"Can you . . . can you do it with me?" Nodding, he took hold of my wrist, pulling me on to the pipes and beginning the mentally scarring trek.

Cursing over and over again, I pressed against the metal container, trying to ignore the thundering of bullets that pounded into my cover. The sentry gun's seemed to have rounds of ammunition that lasted forever.
"Boo! What are we going to do?!" My brother was shouting, but I could barely here him over the din.
"Ideally, stay hidden and stay alive! These things will send the cases into your body faster than you can blink! Add in the fact that they have a built in shield that protects the wielder from most of the return fire, and you can probably figure out how much trouble we're in!" I replied, my voice straining with the effort of being heard.
"How do we destroy them?!" Screwing up my face in concentration, I ran through the list of possibilities that were eliminated. The shield would protect the front and the sides. That only left the back, especially as they took a while to disengage. The only problem was getting around them. My head whipped left and right as I searched, my eyes finally landing on an abandoned truck. If I could get to the back of that, the roof of the seating area would provide the perfect angle in order to leap down on top of them.
"Boo?!" My mouth set in a hard line as I made up my mind.
"You distract them! Leave the elimination to me!" With a wink sent towards my sibling, I was off, leaping to the right, sprinting behind any form off cover. Not that I needed to worry. My brother was doing a brilliant job off distracting them. Apparently, having your target roll about in front of you without actually being able to hit it was rather annoying. I permitted myself a small grin before returning to the task at hand. Stealthily, or as stealthily as you can with massive combat boots on, I swung myself up onto the top of the truck. Then I leapt forwards, striking downwards with all the strength I could muster. The monster screamed, blood pouring from the wound at the back of its skull. It's partner had just stepped back from the sentry gun when it received the same treatment, crimson falling in beads from the slice along it's neck. I watched in elation as they fell. Payback for locking me up like some kind of animal.
"All clear," I called backwards, waiting for the others to catch up. Both surveyed the carnage around us.
"I believe that is a mission successful, Hybrid."
"Yeah. Now let's go. I'm feeling rather ill." Rolling my eyes, I nodded. That was my brother. A fantastic soldier, but squeamish at anything over violent. Like deep, jagged knife wounds.
"Move it Sergeant or you'll find yourself left behind." The radio on Hale's chest crackled to life, the most irritating voice I had ever heard coming out of it. I winced slightly, but started forwards all the same, leaping onto the platform, Hale and Hybrid following close behind, Hale running at full speed, the blur of Hybrid's form shooting past as he rolled. We made it out just in time to board our escape. I collapsed onto one of the benches, raising an eyebrow at everyone who stared at me. They soon turned away at the sight of my blood-covered clothes and almost unmarred skin. My head rested against the wall as my eyelids fluttered closed. Until something tapped against my shoulder. My gaze centered on the form of Nathan Hale, his expression uncaring, his head motioning sideways.
"They want your names."
"Is Hybrid not capable of talking?"
"From what your brother's told me, you're the eldest."
"He's still an adult, so what's your point?" But, sighing, I extended a hand towards the group.
"Boo and Hybrid Clearwater." The woman that took it replied immediately, her voice causing me to flinch slightly. Well, I'd found the unfortunate owner of the voice on Hale's radio.
"Captain Rachel Parker. A pleasure. Now, would you care to explain what you are exactly?" Growling, I narrowed my eyes.
"We're human beings, just like you. I suggest you rephrase that question now."
"I don't take kindly to threats, Miss Clearwater."
"I don't take kindly to stuck-up British officials thinking they can dictate that we are no longer humans."
"Boo! Stop it!" Smirking, I leaned backwards, motioning for my brother to take over, an invitation he hastily accepted. Once again, I rested against the inside of the warship, blocking out the world and replaying the days events. We had escaped, my brother had been shot, and I'd found two new people to hate - the strangely attractive, yet insufferably annoying American soldier, and the arrogant, pig-headed British Captain with the voice that actually caused me physical pain. I couldn't decide who was worse.