One Way Doorway (Part 1). . .

Chiana

Or at least . . I think that she's Zhora . . .

See, the person who comes stumbling out the bushes is dressed in the same outfit as what I saw in the movie (you know, that halter top and transparent raincoat you might have seen her movie counterpart wear right before she'd been shot dead by the Bladerunner). She even is wearing that gold spotty body makeup that mimicked snake scales.

However, the fur all over her body (can see that she is a female) was NEVER seen in the movie!

. . . .

See, here's the thing I've learned about lycanthropy as found on Terra Prime. Now the whole business had struck me as fahrbot, the original purpose (as uncovered from archological records) had been to disrupt and neutralize effective opposition to the Atlantian regime. I mean, the end result was (at least for the phase of the full moon) a creature that was MUCH stronger and swifter than a normal person. Normal weapons of the time, pieces of dren obsolete things (compared to energy weapons), weren’t very effective on them. Regenerated too quickly for most fights, you see. Silvered weaponry wasn’t exactly available (hoarded by the upper classes, that metal) for uses OTHER than melee weapons). In short supply so the ORDINARY soldiers would have a VERY hard time fighting such infected people, so WHY try to use it on your enemies? Well. . . .

Thing is that while under the sway of the full moon, the cursed have the minds of not only an animal but a rabid animal. Still dangerous, but not as effective of fighter as they could be otherwise. Yeah, the victim still had that regeneration still even during the days between the nights of the full moon, but there’s something I’ll get to here in a moment. But are you following me so far? Combine that with the fact that while Atlantian foot soldiers might not have plasma weapons, they had magical weapons and soldier training and beastmen would have been "toast".

But this lycanthropy dren went further. Not only did it transform the victims into beasts (wolf, bear, and cat being the most common strains) but in a relatively short time the victim’s personality get warped into twisted, insane versions of their original selves. This short of it is, the victims would soon find it impossible to work together in large groups (something needful to bring down a regime effectively).

Of course, this curse/disease was too effective and it got out of hand. Still haunts Terra Prime to this day on Terra Prime, from what I hear from my husband.

Now, Minestus had taken the original version and transmuted it into something he’d hoped to create a new race. A race of humanoid animal we today call the Manimals. Just like in in original strain, the victims are transformed into animals that most closely mirrors personality.

Figures that Zhora, with that vicious personality of her’s, has been transformed into a wolf Manimal. Rather impressed with her, right now! See, she'd frantic but she's not let her emotions drive her insane. She's not gone out of her mind with fear. What I mean with her not totally losing it, is that she's relatively emotionally immature, despite having the body of an adult. Oh, she's better than Leon (though it's not his fault, frellin Tyrell) but then again . . .

Ah, frell it!

. . . .

But . . . Didn’t my husband (who’s back with the Doctor, damnit) say that back on Terra Prime before Minestus was killed that there had been a curse on Manimals that prevented them from wearing clothing?

Something’s up . . .

Well, of course with this we should have KNOWN it meant something. Two things, we’ll find out.

First thing we find out coming through the hysterical wolf girl’s lips is the rasping curses of Minestus himself. Seems that, at a guess, he’d found out about Moreau’s death after he’d sent the unconscious (and transformed) Zhora back. She would have been used as a mouthpiece of Minestus to taunt us because dragon vanity of this time period (or whatever) was such that it was inconceivable that such a small group like ours could defeat a dragon mage of Moreau’s caliber.

Gotta admit that it takes all types . . .

Like the evil dragons of Terra Prime, he just found out how wrong he can be.

So instead of taunts, we get deadly promises of retributions. . . .

. . .

And with the slipgate system (can’t use the Crystallic itself to transport himself and his most powerful magical tool), here he comes!!

Soon afterwards, with much blood and thunder . . .

Aeryn Pip

Looking around at the survivors . . .

1. "Frellin' shit!" I whisper, mixing both Uncharted and Earth swear words.

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