The "Chimera" was a B.O.W. product created by the Umbrella Corporation by combining the genes of a human with the genes of a fly. 1 2
History
The Chimera was manufactured in part by copying the genetic structure of an insect (in this case, a fly), combining it with a human egg and artificially inseminating the egg, and returning it to a human woman's womb to make her raise it and give birth. The resulting prototype had traits of both human and fly. It grew rapidly at the same rate as the growth cycle of a fly and developed into its adult form after emergence. The nature of the t-virus meant that the two seemingly incompatible species were successfully bonded, resulting in a grotesque organism.
The creature was one of the many subjects created in the Arklay Laboratory, and was a relatively successful attempt at utilizing genetic engineering in the process of B.O.W. development. 3 The project was cancelled due to the creature's low intelligence (equal to that of an insect), weak physical structure and uncontrollable aggression. Despite the initial cancellation, mass production was commenced following the Raccoon City incident and the Chimera, due to its relatively low production cost and medium effectiveness as a B.O.W., was sold to anyone willing to buy Umbrella's bio-weapons, such as terrorists and rogue states. They were produced and stored at the Umbrella Caucasus Laboratory.
Attributes
The grotesque appearance of the Chimera is known to invoke a sense of fear and cause severe psychological damage to individuals who witness it. The body cavity of the Chimera is riddled with maggots, which can drop from the main organism and develop into adult Chimera over a period of time. While the Chimera does indeed possess wings, they have not grown sufficiently to allow flight. Due to the combination of human and fly genomes, the Chimera's physical structure is made up of a nimble skeleton and musculature, making it extremely agile and able to manoeuvre through the tightest of spaces. This is compounded by an exoskeleton, however, it is relatively weak and provides only minor defense from small arms fire. The Chimera is extremely aggressive but due to its intelligence, it is limited to only set attack patterns limiting its use as a weapon. It prefers to nest in narrow spaces such as air ducts, lying in wait for prey. When attacking, the creature emits a disconcerting noise that confuses prey and provokes fear.
Etymology
This particular B.O.W. is named after the monstrous Chimera from Greek mythology. The Chimera was a monstrous fire-breathing creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals. The term chimera has also come to mean hard to believe or difficult to understand. The term is also more commonly used to refer to any creature featuring the genetic material of another creature.
Footnotes
- 1. Chimera Notes
- 2. biohazard Kaitai Shinsho (Page 074)
- 3. biohazard archives (Page 183)