Ryger listened as Maureen attempted to decipher his statement.
"That's the short version, yes. Sorry, when I tell that story, I still feel like part of me is in the Army. I forget that civvies don't use terms like 'redacted', which means 'sealed', 'covered up', or 'destroyed', so take your pick."
He nodded.
"I appreciate that, Maureen."
The waitress came back, and they placed their orders before she took their menus.
"I'm far from the only person they ever did this to. The Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia? He was one of the first. Only reason he didn't get this kind of treatment was that he can fly. They never caught him, and I hope they never do."
He chuckled.
"Sheepsquatch in Appalachia, which is the Tennessee-Kentucky area? He was just too big to stop. There's a Wolfman and a Dogman in Michigan, too, and he has the same story. I heard there was a Goatman in Michigan, too, but I'm not sure he really exists. Unlike the rest of them, I never saw him."
Coffee was brought, and Ryger took a sip.
"It's not in any file, and no government employee will ever admit to it, but the U.S. government has a long history of fusing man with animals. They throw up smokescreens about settlers in the 1800s seeing these things, but that's all lies. These things weren't credibly glimpsed until early in the 20th century, and that's telling in and of itself. A few early attempts were made in the '20s, with nasty results. It wasn't until nuclear technology was developed that these fusions started going off without a hitch, at least as far as making them goes."
He gestured to himself.
"Out of all of them, I'm the most advanced. I retained my higher human functions and my sense of humanity. My animal instincts get strong at certain times of the year, but I'm still almost completely in control. They did me a favor by exiling me. If I had been allowed to stay, I'd be on some 'urban myths' show and dumbasses would be trying to hunt me down and get pictures of me like Bigfoot, who I don't believe is a government experiment by the way."
He chuckled, enjoying his inside joke.
"So, there you have it. That's my story, at least the dark first part of it. I didn't get to decide its beginning, but at least I can decide its middle and ending."