"Here to try your luck again?" Zoey asked, still in a defensive stance.

"No," she said.  "I thought I sssmelled you, and I wasss curioussss.  I'm a mercenary; I'm not interesssted in harrasssing you for no reassson.  And your actionss benefited me lassst time.  More than you know.  If anything, I am in your debt."

"That makes it easier then," Zoey said. "What's your deal, anyway? They mutate you like they did to me?"

"Haven't you figured out that there are many of usssss?" she asked.  "Yesss, we were all changed.  I wasss an early effort, and too ssstrong from the beginning to be forced to ssserve... unlessss they gave me a very ssstrong incentive."

"I know very little. As far as I knew, everyone else in the group I was taken in died, Hell, I don't even know the name of whatever group did this to me," Zoey said.

"Chimera," she said.  "That'ssss the name."

"How did I end up helping you?" Zoey asked.

"My ssssissster," she said.  "They sstill had her, you sssee.  I bargained for her freedom."

"Did they mutate her as well?" Zoey asked.

"Yesss, but more than they did me," she said.  "It'sss hard for her to manage."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Zoey said.

"Better that she hasss me to help her now," she said.  "Ssso I have no quarrel with you."

'I'm looking to hurt them, but it seems another group is looking to steal Chimera's tech. My leads there ended up being blown up rather spectacularly," Zoey said.

She nodded.

"Ssssuppossse I help you find them," she said.  "What'sss in it for me?"

"I don't know. I'm not exactly loaded with money. I just steal from some drug dealers when I need it," Zoey said.

"Ssstill, think it over," she said.  She moved in closer, drawing something from inside a pocket.

What was it?

It appeared to be a... business card?

"You're a legitimate business snake?" Zoey asked, surprised.

"I'm a... trouble-shooter," she said.  "Legitimate dependsss on who you asssk.  But you can reach me that way."

"I'll keep that in mind," Zoey said.

"Do," she said.  "I can help you, perhapsssss..."

"Thanks," Zoey said. "I'm gonna get out of here before either wolf boy wakes up or more come."

"Of courssse," she said.

But where was Zoey going?

She headed to her next location on the list.