6 B1 — 5. Rare Breed

Rachel hopped out of the Humvee and carefully opened Scarlet's door to support her. Unbuckling the Vampire, she gently picked her up and moved to Mateo as he talked with another soldier that met him.

"Nicely done, Captain. We'll take the wounded off your hands. Have two of your men and escort the two Mythickin to the research area; have the rest of your men take a breather."

Mateo nodded, and the man walked over to talk with more soldiers.

"Roger, Lieutenant Cameron," they looked Mateo's way. "You two have been with them the longest; escort them to the research area and standby."

"Got it, Cap," Cameron replied, moving to inform the rest of his team before following his orders with Roger by his side. "If you could follow us," Cameron muttered, nudging his head toward the ER.

Rachel's ears tilted to the left while glancing around; she was drawing a lot of attention, likely from her glowing skin, enhanced by the moon's light. However, contrary to her initial assumption, when she walked inside, and the majority of her glow faded, she still drew eyes.

They went by several doors with warry soldiers; everyone made way for them as they continued, staring at her as they passed.

It's got to be my hair, it covers my tail, so that's the only thing ... except for my pinkish-red eyes and bright skin, ears … carrying a girl—Zoe did say I stand out. Yeah, I need to stop fooling myself, I stand out.

Her ears twitched as someone began talking to the Unicorn in English on a higher level. "Hello, your name is Maria Camila Espinar, correct?" He asked in a bright tone.

The voice that responded was soft but had a hard edge. "That's right; you the President of this hospital?"

"That's correct. I understand that for your—services, you require compensation?"

"What of it? I have a service, and if you or anyone else wants to use it, pay up."

"Yes—these people have just come running from their homes with nothing on them..."

Maria chuckled. "I know you have WIFI up and working in this place; me estas bromeando, cabron? They can access their bank accounts and wire money."

[You kidding me, bastard?]

Rachel frowned as the President went silent for a moment, and Maria sniffed. "Nothing to say? No tengo tiempo." She stated in a disgusted tone. "Oh, I got an idea, huh? You pay me to heal shit; think smart, payment to me, and no drugs or equipment, eh? What you say, amigo, we gotta deal?"

[You're wasting my time.]

"Hmm—give me some time to consider your proposal," the President muttered.

Laughing, Maria's soft voice and condescending tone seemed in contrast. "Think quick, basura de mierda; people are dying."

[piece of shit]

It soon became apparent that she'd left the conversation with the President as she spoke to someone new. "Estos tontos darán; ellos tienen mucho dinero. Ve a buscar a la pandilla y diles que traigan comida al décimo piso."

[These fools will cave; they've got lots of money. Go find the gang and tell them to bring food to the tenth floor.]

"Dale, hermana," a young man chuckled.

[C'mon, Sis]

Rachel sighed, unable to understand anything they were saying as the Unicorn continued talking in Spanish.

She's charging for healing people when the world's falling apart ... if Maria's like Scarlet and me, she could probably just do it with a snap of her fingers. She's a freakin' Unicorn ... aren't they supposed to be pure and generous? Well, I guess it's not like I've changed all that much ... a bit, but nothing crazy. If she was a crook then, she'd be a crook now.

"What is it?" Roger asked.

"Just listening to a conversation," she muttered, turning her attention away from the Spanish. "By the way, is there any other Mythickin here beside Maria? The Unicorn," she added, noting his blank stare.

"Ah, umm—I haven't been briefed on any Mythickin other than Scarlet and you."

"That right," Rachel whispered, still scanning the area for more information.

There are so many injured, from minor cuts to massive internal organ damage. Some wounds seem to be from ability users, but most sound like they were caused by the riots and crowds running from anyone that changed. A lot of people took advantage of the chaos and tried looting, which got them hurt and now they're looking for free medical aid … people being people.

Knowing the CDC was getting involved played a role in the panic; no one wanted to be infected, but plenty of opportunists. There are so many altered people dead, too—mostly the ones that look different, but that's no surprise, and they're the biggest target around the world.

Hundreds of bodies reported in Miami alone … and the National Guard and Military are helping to clear out the deceased, trying to identify who they can. All that damage from a handful of groups and individuals, and even some police got caught up with the confusion.

It's sad, but what should I expect … humanity at its best.

She arrived at a medical ward that seemed to be clear of people, and the doors locked behind them as they continued. She could hear an excited woman up ahead, drawing her mind away from her cold thoughts.

"Richard, they're coming! It's the Vampire and Bunny-girl! Isn't this exciting?"

"Chill, Julia. Remember the report; she can probably hear you fangirling right now." An older man said with a rueful chuckle, making Rachel smile.

"I can't help it! A real-life, like, in reality, Vampire and Bunny-girl! Hare, gotta remember that; it's an important difference, but still! What must they look like? I haven't seen any pictures."

"Julia—chill."

"Right, deep breaths—deep breaths. Okay, they said they're here, right?"

"Yeah, coming this way."

Cameron and Roger frowned as they started hearing the girl's squeals. "Something wrong up ahead?" Roger muttered, muscles preparing for conflict.

"No," Rachel said with a light chuckle. "She's just excited to meet us."

Rounding the corner, she got her first look at the pair. They both wore lab coats and standard hospital attire. The man seemed to be in his fifties, the woman in her early thirties.

When Julia saw them, she appeared about to die from a sugar overdose. "You are—gorgeous!" She breathed, making Rachel hesitate.

Adding a forced smile, Rachel sighed. "Thanks, but, umm—we're just trying to figure out what's going on."

She examined the ample medical space in a glance; she spotted a patient room to the left and instantly changed directions, going in to set Scarlet on the bed.

She turned as both Julia and Richard moved to the door, and before Julia could squeal anymore, Rachel put a finger to her lips, causing the woman's jaw to snap shut. She was happy to see there were no windows.

I should probably leave the curtains around the bed open and glass door a crack ... I hope she doesn't have any trauma from being forced into that coffin. She might panic if the space is too confined.

Turning back to the pair, Rachel exited the room, leaving the glass door slightly open behind her.

"Is there anything wrong with her?" Richard asked with concern as he looked at the door.

"No," Rachel replied, moving to sit in a waiting chair while pulling her hair around her right side to keep it out of the way. "Scarlet's been using her abilities a lot; she's just tired. I think she'll need a little more blood in a bit; she fainted from a lack of energy after subduing a man that attacked us. There's only a single blood pack in her system to stabilize her."

Julia's eyes were sparkling. "A single blood pack to stabilize her … and, really, she subdued the person that attacked you?"

Roger and Cameron moved further down the hall and sat in chairs. Cameron muttered, "Rachel, we're going to try to get some rest—wake us if you need anything."

"Alright, thanks, Cameron, Roger."

Richard glanced over at the soldiers. "Did they say something?"

"She must have heard them with her super hearing!" Julia noted.

Rubbing between her eyes, Rachel took a long breath. "Alright—so, Richard, Julia, I was told that I would be taken here, but it was a little vague for the purpose. I'm a bit lost with everything that happened to me, and I'd like a few answers if you have any."

Julia cleared her throat, standing straighter. "Right, so, umm—I have a doctorate in animal science from Cornell University, specifically animal genomics and bioinformatics ... basically, I know a lot about animals. I also love anime ... seeing you in real life is like a dream come true!"

"Doctor Jarsdel," Richard said firmly. "We need to be professional; she's looking for answers, not a fan of what must be a traumatic experience."

Taking a deep breath, Julia tried to calm herself. "Of course, of course—I apologize ... umm, what was your name again? They really should have asked people to put their names on that Race survey." She grumbled.

"My name is Rachel Park."

Richard nodded. "Right, Ms. Park, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Doctor Richard Raynott, MD of Psychiatry and General Surgery. We have been asked to look at each Mythickin and assess your condition."

"Condition," Rachel whispered, resting her knuckles against the side of her head. "Do you know why any of this is happening—why everyone changed?"

They both shook their heads, causing Rachel to sigh.

Thought not.

"No," Richard confirmed in a grave tone. "The government has tested many people that changed, and so far, from the data we have, we've found no matching signature to biologically explain the—event.

"Mythickin, however, are extremely rare from what we've been able to determine based on the rough statistical metrics we've collected; it's only from small sample sizes that have been compiled, but everything seems to be lining up.

"Analysts have determined through numbers pulled from other countries ... in short, one in every one-hundred and fifty people have been affected worldwide by this event, including normal-looking individuals with seemingly magical powers—that's roughly fifty million people."

"They haven't been able to compile all the Races, Types, or Kinds—yet," Julia stepped in. "Well, that's what the people that have changed call it; apparently, there's some kind of knowledge that floods their brain. Anyways, there are only fifty-two Mythickin discovered so far among those processed—you're pretty rare."

"I'm one in fifty-two," Rachel sighed, leaning back. "That means there are three so far in Miami alone ... that's pretty surprising, right?"

Julia's lips pursed to the side. "Mmh—to be fair, we've only been gathering Races, Types, and Kinds for a few hours now. I'm sure there will be thousands—maybe tens of thousands once we streamline the process."

"Indeed," Richard pulled over a chair to sit across from her. "There are three in Tokyo, Japan discovered so far ... they're taking the change rather well. There hasn't been near the amount of chaos as in the U.S., and there are a lot of people with powers helping over there, but you could say the same here, to an extent."

"Obviously," Julia chuckled. "It's Japan; they love The Oscillation."

"The Oscillation?" Rachel's focus shifted to her at the name. "The President said something about an oscillation."

Grabbing her own chair, Julia sat next to Richard. "That's what they're calling it; I think it started from that speech. They're calling this event The Oscillation, and naturally," Julia rolled her eyes, "America is being blamed by several typical countries for it.

"It's silly, really. We've gotten a lot of reports about the exact moments it happened, and the footage from space and around the world is interesting. There was a reverberation that pulsated back and forth inside of you before the change, right?"

Rachel looked down at the floor, mind returning to the incident. "Yeah—my roommate said that I changed from normal to—to this … like a hundred times in a second before this form stuck."

She reached up to gently rub her left bunny ear, feeling the tingling sensation it left. "It's so strange—it's like I've had these ears all my life; I instantly knew how to minimize the volume around me and focus on specific sounds."

"Fascinating," Richard noted, taking out a tablet PC to document her description; he continued to write things down as they went. "That's likely a mental control; you can mentally, no—no, deeper than that—instinctually, you control the sounds you perceive. That's quite amazing."

"You're a Lunar Hare, right?" Julia confirmed, continuing at Rachel's nod. "So—what makes you different as a Mythickin than the other bunny and hare Beastkin we have documented? Why are you so special as a Lunar Hare, a Mythickin, not a Beastkin?"

"Let's see," Rachel mumbled, leaning back while playing with her glowing hair. "The moon—when I'm under moonlight, I gain an enormous amount of energy. How do I explain it ... when I was in a Humvee, not under the moon, I was able to kick out its door, sending it smashing into a nearby car, crushing it and sending it flying into a nearby building.

"On the other hand, when I was under moonlight, I was able to move extremely fast—fast enough to cause massive shifts in air pressure, and I could easily rip into a steel door and tear it off its frame."

Staring at the two doctors' confused expressions, she giggled. "I guess that doesn't explain it very well. I had to try with the first door, but I didn't with the second—it was like it was made of butter, and my fingers just sank into the steel. When I'm not under the moonlight, I don't feel that massive strength—sure, I feel strong, but nothing like under the moon."

"Huh," Richard typed down the information on his tablet.

Her brow furrowed as a thought came to mind.

Wait, Scarlet was worried about the sun. If I'm a Lunar Hare…

"Umm—it just occurred to me, but maybe I'll get weaker under sunlight? In contrast to moonlight, is what I'm saying. Then—what happens when the sun and moon are both in the sky?"

"Excellent questions," Julia nodded before releasing a ponderous hum. "Hmm, anything else interesting about your change?"

Feeling a little depressed, Rachel shook her head. "Just the speed, strength, and hearing—well, my vision has expanded; I can see everything in my peripheral vision in full focus."

"Interesting—how would that look?" Richard questioned, documenting it. "So, from what you've said—mmh, you're far stronger than any Beastkin we've seen so far and much faster. Some Beastkin have enhanced speed and strength, but ripping steel apart like butter … yeh, no, nothing like that yet. There are some humans—wait, I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me."

Rachel's lips fell, eyes dropping to the polished wax tiles as she reflected on the statement, still able to see both doctors' concerned expressions. "No need to apologize—I get it; I realize I'm not really human anymore. I may appear human-like, but I'm pretty sure my blood will come back not very human, to say the least—I mean, it's white." She scratched her left eyebrow. "It is what it is."

"Your blood is white?" Richard asked, looking down at his report.

"Yeah ... what about Maria's blood?" Rachel asked, head lifting with curiosity.

Both doctors shifted nervously. "I—guess you can hear people talking about her," Julia said before breathing deeply. "The Unicorn—Maria has chosen to withhold her blood until compensated ... since it could be a valuable resource, she says."

"Can she do that?" Rachel's head tilted to look in the direction she heard the Unicorn and her gang, jovially talking in Spanish.

Richard shrugged. "Well—we don't know what other kinds of abilities she has, and with the horrible things some of the other Mythickin have done—let's just say the President decided to give Mythickin, and a few others some leniency until we understand them a bit more. That's one reason why we gathered both Scarlet and you here."

"I understand that," Rachel said as she looked over at the room Scarlet slept in. "You both seem to be cooperating so far."

Her attention was diverted as she heard one of Maria's gang members running back up the stairs to see her; he spoke in English. "Hey, hermana, I heard two other Mythickin just got in."

[hermana i.e., big sister or big sis]

"¡Carajo! They better not mess up my deal. You hear what they are?"

[Shit!]

"Na, but they're talkin' about a bunny and black-haired girl with pointy ears. That's all I got. Apparently, the bunny glows like you, hermana. The bunny was carrying the black-haired girl, too."

"She hurt?"

"No clue—could have been asleep."

"Both chicas?"

"Yeah, that's what they're sayin'."

"Alright, muchachos, stay here; I'll go check out these payasos."

[boys; female clowns]

"You gonna pick a fight?" Another guy asked with a humorous tone.

"Tsk, if they're moving in on my business, sin piedad."

[no mercy]

They shouted, "Aye, reina del bloque, no se detendrá hasta que se caiga!"

[Aye, Queen of the block, won't stop 'till she drops!]

Rachel sagged against her chair; she didn't understand the words but recognized the tone. "It sounds like Maria is coming this way, and she's not happy."

Richard and Julia shifted nervously.