{"title":"Hybrid Helix","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"return-of-the-griffin-book-jcm-berne-9781734917048","title":"Return of the Griffin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSecond Volume\u003c\/b\u003e of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEnter The Griffin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, the opening arc of \u003ci\u003eThe Hybrid Helix\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Note: TEXT REVISED as of Feb 4, 2025: Some significant changes, though the overall story is the same.] \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHumanity faces extinction. Ten-kiloton monsters are rising from the depths of the Pacific, levelling entire cities in frenzies of destruction. Earth's heroes have been decimated. The survivors put their hope in one last, desperate plan: find Hyperion, Earth's most powerful hero, and ask him to return from exile to save them.\u003cp\u003eWhat they don't know is that Hyperion is dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Griffin spent ten years fighting wars across the sector as a weapon of mass destruction for the il'Drach Empire. His victories made his name a curse on a dozen worlds and a nightmare on scores more. He retired to the peaceful station Wistful and discovered that leaving his name behind didn't clear his sins, his debts, or his conscience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEarth's peril may give him a chance for redemption, if he can only find a way to stop the monsters without turning into one. 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His most pressing problems are finding the perfect cup of coffee and talking to a gorgeous shuttle tech without tripping over his own tongue.\u003cbr\u003eA nearby, long-dormant wormhole is opened by a shipful of scared, angry refugees, and the many eyes of the Empire focus uncomfortably on Wistful.\u003cbr\u003eAs scientists, spies, and assassins converge, reverting to the monster the Empire created is the surest way to protect his friends. And the surest way to lose them.Do you think I have a lot of chest hair? Like, is it something someone would notice? Wei Li exhaled sharply as she snapped his head back with a crisp left jab.\u003cbr\u003eLess talking, more sparring. Also, slip punches, don't simply absorb them with your face.\u003cbr\u003eRohan tapped the side of his face with his hand, a reminder to move his head with each punch. It was something he was fairly good at when he wasn't distracted.\u003cbr\u003eSeriously, though. What do you think it means when a woman says something about your chest hair?\u003cbr\u003eI think it means...\u003cbr\u003eWei Li stepped up with her signature move, a sharp left kick to the inside of Rohan's left thigh. It wasn't very damaging by itself, but it would knock her opponents out of their stance, lower their arms, and otherwise set them up for more powerful followup attacks.\u003cbr\u003eRohan turned his knee inward to take the blow on the front of his thigh instead of the tender inside. He hopped in, directly towards the reptilian Security Chief, covering his head with his right hand, and threw his left elbow towards her temple. Careful of that inner thigh strike  There's stuff around there I might need soon. I hope.\u003cbr\u003eBy the Nine, you male mammals are always so concerned about your genitals. If you'd keep them retracted like any sane species you wouldn't have these issues.\u003cbr\u003eWell excuse me for having standard human genitals. It wasn't exactly my choice, you know. I was born this way. Also, how come every time you swear it's by a different number? 'By the Seven.' 'By the Nine.' And always odd.\u003cbr\u003eWe have many pantheons of Gods. It would take you a lifetime to understand the nuances of what each group, taken separately, means, and how they differ. But they do.\u003cbr\u003eRohan's guard was up, which took a lot of the sting off the punch, but he was too flatfooted to counter. Instead he pivoted back and to his left and tried to reset. Wei Li kept the pressure up, closing quickly on his new position and feinting the low kick again. This time she redirected her leg into a kick up high, right into his face.\u003cbr\u003eHey, I might...\u003cbr\u003eDon't worry, human, no female interested in your chest hair will care if your face is mottled by a few bruises.\u003cbr\u003eI think that was mean. Was that mean? Sometimes I can't tell.\u003cbr\u003eNo, Rohan, it was a compliment. 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