Warnings: Language (mild), implied violence and icky stuff ahead, if you're squeamish, skip

Spoilers: None that I can think of

Notes: Hmmm this fic's heading off on an un-anticipated tangent. Oo Next chapter out hopefully around Monday? I've gotten several requests to make chapters longer... I'm sorry, but it's either short chapters updated slightly more often or longer chapters updated at longer waiting intervals due to time constraints. Sorry!

Feedback: Constructive feedback is very welcome

Felis Catus: Circle Seven

Major Armstrong turned towards the assembled group. "Now that we're all here, Lt. Col. Hughes will give us a brief account of the chimeras we're looking for."

Hughes stood up and saluted solemnly, walking over to a blanket-covered easel. "Well, first of all, since this is a very serious mission, I'd like to begin by showing you all – THIS!" he crowed, whipping off the blanket with a flourish. "Isn't my Alicia so cuuuuute? Her Mommy made her a brand new sundress, and…"

At this point, Hughes had to stop his effusive praise, as he dodged bullets from 4 different guns, innumerous glares of exasperation, and shards of… transmuted, sharp-looking objects from the irate crew and the two alchemists.

In the midst of the uproar, Roy had quietly slunk up to the enlarged photograph, tail waving contentedly. Duty called. It was only good and right for him to respond, as any responsible adult should.

He happily leapt up, sinking his claws into the top of the image and letting gravity take its natural course. It was all for the sake of his sanity, after all. Thanks were unnecessary. He fully intended to enjoy this.

Riiiiiiiiiip.

"AHHHHHH! My Alicia!" Hughes wailed theatrically, trying to salvage the shredded tatters of Roy's handiwork. "Damn. Your cat's got sharp claws, Ed!"

Roy purred, heading back towards Edward with his head and tail held high proudly.

Ed smirked, picking his evil cat back up and gently tugging an ear. "Bad cat," he gravely admonished, with supreme insincerity. "Bad!"

Roy purred louder. Compliments will get you almost anywhere – Roy grinned, showing his sharp, pointy teeth.

"I think that cat and a rain barrel are long overdue for an introduction, Ed –" Hughes scowled mockingly, advancing on an alarmed Roy with a wickedly serrated throwing dagger in one hand. "By the way, how would you like a new fur cap, Hawkeye? Or an appetizer, Havoc?"

"Touch my cat and DIE, Hughes…" Ed informed him warningly. A large bubble of something warm and comforting welled up inside Roy's chest. "And that's only if Spitfire lets you keep your eyes…" Ed grinned.

Roy casually stretched out a languid paw, unsheathing his sharp claws almost upon reflection.

"Eh, it's not worth it. Oh well," Hughes gave a dramatic shiver, eyeing Roy's claws. "But never fear! There's more where that came from!" he cried out, whipping out more photos from his uniform's hidden pockets.

"If the Lt. Colonel would kindly outline the background of the mission?" Armstrong rumbled, flexing his muscles threateningly.

"You guys take the fun out of everything," Hughes complained laughingly, turning back to the easel and tearing off the remaining shreds of the photograph to reveal a series of charts and other statistical information. "Well, since you won't let me soften up the blow…" he sighed, turning over the first few pages on the easel. "I guess all we can do is just jump into this."

"So, here we go…" Hughes said, grimly. "Hang on to your stomachs…'cause it's not a pretty picture."

"The chimeras were created by the Animator Alchemist – a truly grisly individual who, unlike Tucker, used parts of dead organisms and bound them to living ones, trying to create a chimera who would be able to think and act without feeling any pain, and hence – could be sent to do suicide missions and covert ops," Hughes began, pointing at an image of the late alchemist. "He was certifiably insane, but such a genius at his work that of course the military, instead of condemning him or executing him, instead gave him a laboratory and told him to work his horrors for the betterment of the military."

"He brought dead things back to life…?" Havoc asked skeptically.

"No no – more like he took a bit of this and a bit of that, enhanced them and made them bigger and better, then joined the enhanced body parts with a creature that was living and capable of higher thought," Hughes said, grimacing. "There were a LOT of alchemical rejections, but somehow he managed to finally create five surviving chimeras."

"So we're hunting five man-eating chimeras with decomposing parts," Breda stated, wrinkling his nose. "Sounds like another fun day at the office."

"You don't even know the half of it yet," Hughes informed him. "The theory put forth is that the reason these chimeras are eating humans is because their bodies are still trying to reject the decomposing parts, and in order to maintain their shapes, they need blood and tissue and other human organic matter as sustenance in order to survive."

No one spoke. There was really nothing anyone could say. Even Roy, who couldn't speak, had stilled to the point of almost being a statue, carved of ebony.

"Here's the information I was able to find on the chimeras themselves," Hughes said, flipping the page over to show a sketch of the first chimera, presumably taken from the Animator's lab book. "This one, as far as I can make out, has the body of a greater cat, maybe a lion or tiger, and the head of a raptor, some bird of prey. I assume he was trying to make a griffin, but we're lucky he didn't manage to put wings on this thing. He was probably trying to make a sort of riding animal for soldiers that had enhanced speed and agility – not to mention being a living, trainable weapon at the same time."

"A mount that could eat you," Hawkeye nodded sagely. "I can see why the idea was not exactly popular."

"Exactly," Hughes grinned. "Chimera number two," he continued, flipping another page over, "is a reptilian mixture. Body is that of an anaconda, a giant snake or some similar species, with the torso of a human female and arms that look like tentacles. Hypothesized to be used for stealth and assassination attempts, a very quiet, sly chimera that can easily immobilize and strangle or shred an opponent. Head of a snake too, by the way – and poisonous, I'm sure…"

"You're not particularly cheering us up, Hughes –" Farman shuddered. "We're sounding like dinner at this point."

"I'm not trying to cheer you up," Hughes said quietly. "I'm trying to make sure you all know enough to stay alive."

Farman nodded in return and was silent.

"Chimera three is a real doozy – it's some sort of insect thing on all fours, or should I say 'sixes', with lots of heavy plating and exoskeleton. I think it may function as living armor, for heading the initial charge in battle. Pincers, in addition to the six legs, tail of a scorpion, yeah, you get the idea…very, very difficult to pierce and kill."

"Squash it," Havoc muttered darkly. "All bugs squash."

"Even four foot long bugs?" Hughes asked with a wry smile. "That scuttle miiiiighty quick?"

"Oookay, maybe not," Havoc said regretfully. "It could have worked."

"Get a big enough brick and it might," Fury said brightly. "Like one that weighs a ton."

"Hold on to that idea," Hughes advised him kindly, turning the page again. "Chimera number four is also slightly reptilian, only this one's very advanced. It walks on two powerful hindquarters, balanced by a large tail like a crocodile. It has the torso and general attributes of a human body, but the head is somehow merged with some animal that contains a really thick skull, probably a bear. But don't make the mistake of thinking that it's stupid – it's not. It's a massive powerhouse of muscle and it can think. That's not a good combination."

"Isn't that most men…?" Hawkeye muttered with a small grin. The men around her all gave her insulted looks. "Present company excluded, of course," she said smiling slightly.

"Ahem. On that note…" Hughes said grinning back at her, flipping back the pages to show the last chimera. "Here we have a female arachnid, a spider to be exact – capable of weaving webs to catch its prey. We think that this chimera is the mastermind, sending the others out to bring food back, typically safe and sound while others do the hard work."

"Gee – thanks," Hawkeye replied sarcastically. "Brains are better than brawn anyways…"

"You're welcome," Hughes said cheerfully. "But brawn comes in handy!"

Everyone laughed. None of the bantering was very funny of course – but when faced with a life-threatening situation, one can either laugh and hope for the best, or despair and give up before trying. As more lives than their own were at stake, the latter wasn't an option.

"Anyways…the spider has the head and arms of a woman," Hughes kept on grimly as the laughter faded away.

"So is she the only human that was transmuted?" Edward asked, with a shudder, cutting to the heart of the matter at hand.

Hughes' face seemed to gray in the dimming light. "Ed…" he began, before falling silent.

"What?" Ed prompted him, knowing he wasn't going to like what Hughes needed to say, but also knowing that he had to know no matter what.

"…They're all transmuted humans," Hughes said softly. "The Animator took living human brains and parts of their original bodies and built the chimeras around them. They're all transmuted humans. And they've all gone completely insane."

To be con't...