Chapter Text
Oh hey. Did I ever tell you about the time that Ninja Brian and I saved the world from super monsters? Yeah, that's a thing that happened.
At the time, the thought was revolutionary. Far-fetched, nigh impossible, stretching the boundaries of what could be achieved, maybe; the chance of success was next to nothing. But to be dragged down by unnecessary terms was not the style of Gentech, not in the slightest. They thrived on the new, the different, the obscure. When humans first learnt of DNA; of genomes, of sequencing, of cloning… the possibilities were endless. A whole new area of science to explore, to tailor to fit human’s needs. This was Gentechs original purpose- to discover the benefit this new science could bring to the human race, and, thus, what profit it could bring the company by doing so. Other companies were founded too, ones backed by governments and scientific bodies and laws and ‘moral codes’. Ha. When it came to splicing humans, there was no moral code.
The facility itself was sprawling- a disused factory now repurposed for the glorious pursuit of science and profit. Gentech filled it with scientists- those who toed the line, who showed equal disregard for the lesser conditions, who were willing to do what must be done. From the streets, they picked their prey. The homeless, the lost, the wanderers… those who knew no better. From the skies they took birds, from the earth they pilfered animals as they saw fit. All their creatures they kept deep in the bowels of the maze of white walls and faint antiseptic, in the dark and the damp. The scientists did as instructed- they created the first wave of their plan. Half humans, half animals. A beasts claws, a bird’s feather, a human’s brain. It was the first of its kind; and the last. These creatures, these ‘lessers’, were not humans. They were not masterpieces. They were not the beautiful mesh of sinew and strength Gentech had assumed they would be.
Abominations, shuffling across the lab floor, moaning in the agony of their own existence. The human side was extinguished, it seemed; they were hollow, sunken eyed, brains turned to putty as they struggled to even survive. No, no, no. This would not do. Gentech turned their thoughts to the next wave- how best to perfect these creatures. To create the weapons Gentech knew they could be. They ordered more- more birds, more animals, more equipment, more scientists…
They ordered too much. It was clear something was wrong in the surrounding cities. Police were quick to speculate- was a kidnapper operating in their province? Was a deranged madman cutting short whatever lives that crossed his path? As the stench of death rolled from the ashen chimneys of the science facility, it was not difficult to pinpoint a possible place of interest. It took thirty two minutes for dozens of heavily armed policemen to empty the facility- destroying these wave zero abominations, arresting those responsible, seizing anything they deemed relevant to their own pursuit of science. Gentech was shut down, the building cleaned of blood and bile before receding into a murky shell of ambition and dark, dark methods. It was sworn on; never was the public to know of what occurred there.
Until fifteen years later. America was under threat, both from its allies and its enemies; nuclear warheads were being developed worldwide, a multitude of diseases and biohazards arising that the country could not cope with, humans lives scarred daily by the impact of war. It is rare a government would so unanimously vote in pursuit of genetic engineering, of pushing taxpayer’s money into a system with such a dark past, but they were left with no choice. It was done with caution- money funded to update machinery, the country’s leading scientists employed, guidelines and rules drawn up to ensure that history was not doomed to repeat itself. Gentech arose from its ashes, its focus shifted from sewing monsters to engineering masterpieces. Volunteers were requested, at no detriment to their health or well-being. Those eager for the pursuit of science, or those eager for a generous increase in capital, surged to apply and Gentech began Wave One- the splicing of small amounts of animal DNA into that of the humans. Small animals, safe animals- dogs, cats, sheep, rabbits… anything that Gentech could get greenlit, they tried.
It took two months before the first change occurred. Suddenly, the volunteers began to experience it, all in a wave of fur, fangs and feathers. Dog ears. Cats tails. Ram horns, rabbit ears, whiskers, all bursting forth from the humans as if they had had them forever. Recessive and receptive, the humans quickly mastered them- allowing them to shift in and out of the human skin as if born with them. There was no detrimental effect to the wave ones, wonderful, and as expected, benefits were noted. Small increases in strength, speed, agility… the perfect traits of a new race of humans best friends. The volunteers themselves were thrilled, agreeing to test after test of their new abilities and allowing Gentech to keep them in house as they were studied endlessly- a small price to pay, most would agree, for their upgrades. The hybrids had arisen.
However, these small mundane animals would be no use in a war! Gentech knew this, they had known this from the start. Too little DNA, the changes too small. If the USA wanted to crush its opponents, it needed to think bigger. Lions, tigers, wolves… maybe even sharks, falcons, raptors! The possibilities were insurmountable, and Gentech was planning to try every single one. Wave Two was underway. They demanded more volunteers, and they received them. Demanded more animals, and they received them. Demanded more funding, more equipment, more compound space… Gentech became the golden boy of scientific betterment. The masters of genetic engineering, and this was just the beginning.
Cutting large swathes of DNA from predators was easier said than done, and was only legalised after some very colourful explanation from Gentechs untouchable PR department. But the payoff? These hybrids were incredible; far stronger and faster than their wave one counterparts. Their animalistic traits remained at will, but were far more noticeable. The wolves grew hackles, the lion’s huge manes and lengthy claws, the raptors row upon row of reptilian spines and thick, lashing tails. They snarled and prowled, eagerly demonstrating their abilities to their creators and to the lesser hybrids around them.
The golden boy could not sparkle forever, though. All it took was one bear- one huge, hulking man with unmatched strength and claws sharper than blades, to decimate an entire laboratory. The machinery was shredded, the desks shattered and crushed, the two scientists torn into pieces and gnawed upon. Blood streaked the white walls, flecked and pooled as it was smeared upon his flesh with a guttural roar. The lab assistant, shredded clean in two, collapsed against the door. The windows were burst outwards, letting sunlight stream into the gruesome room. The bear had already clambered out, leaping twelve floors to the tarmac below and tearing towards the outer fencing of the compound with such speed and determination it took three armed security guards to end his bloodlust, in a hail of bullets and fur. A cover up was not an option- Gentech prided itself on its openness with the backers and the scientific body it worked under and so, for the first and last time in the company’s history, they did the moral thing. They came clean.
As expected, Gentech was immediately ordered to stop. No matter how impressive these species were, it was not worth the risk to human life. Saying Gentech were dismissive would be an understatement- the callous disregard for the incredible raw power they had awakened in a prior normal human was insulting. These creatures could revolutionise combat- capture cities and ruthlessly do what very few human beings would be willing to. Most wave twos followed orders- they were human after all. And so, Gentech came to an executive decision- they would continue their work under the guise of studying the waves already complete. A flawless plan, yes, but a moral one? Of course not. Not in the slightest.
The ripples caused by the bear’s bloodlust and subsequent escape had reached many- the public disregarded it as folklore, as urban legend- it quickly became a creepypasta and an SCP game. But others, those already experienced in the underworld of the scientific community, were not so quick to abandon the possibility of a new superweapon entering the market. Gentech received contact- they knew not who from, as was usual with these exchanges, but they received everything they needed to know. A new backer, a very wealthy individual, to fund this research into the limits of hybrid technology. All they requested in return was a finished product- two hybrids, with unmatched speed, strength, and skill with which to do as they pleased. An easy deal, one that Gentech had been waiting for. They had a buyer- one that would finally fulfil the perfect end goal. Science and profit, hand in hand.