Mimic

Mimics (Typhon cacoplasmus) are a variety of Typhon encountered on Talos I.

Overview
Mimics are small Typhon which can camouflage themselves to look like inanimate objects in their environment, such as office chairs or garbage cans. They can also be seen attempting to arrange themselves into humanoid shapes, out of curiosity or threat display. Like all Typhon, they are composed of a shiny black semi-vaporous substance, which is shaped into central mass with four tentacle-like limbs. They are very agile, capable of crawling, jumping and somersaulting as well as deftly avoiding blows from a wrench. They kill by tightly wrapping their appendages around their victims and ramming one appendage down the victim's throat, rapidly devouring their flesh and then using the biomass to undergo fission, splitting into four new Mimics. Morgan can obtain the Mimic's mimicking power through neuromods. In-game, the mimics create a fear of any object in a room.

The variant Greater Mimic has that ability to turn into more complex objects like Turrets or Operators, these mimic facsimiles of actual machines will be fully operational, turrets firing and operators floating around.

Transformation
TranStar scientists have no idea how Mimics transform. Theories on this subject include the idea that the Mimic retreats into alternate dimensions and displaces an item from that dimension, that the Mimic emits an electromagnetic field that convinces observers that it is an inanimate object, that it changes its own molecular structure at will, or that it employs "magic" (i.e. some set of rules beyond conventional physics).

Strategy
The Psychoscope is able to detect a mimic when it has assumed the form of an item. Use this to check the area for mimics before advancing. Remember, however, that first version of detection chip can't detect Greater Mimics.

The Mimic's strategy revolves around ambush and strength in numbers, as the most numerous type of Typhon organism it's not uncommon to find several Mimics in a single area. In the absence of a viable target they prefer to assume the form of a inanimate object for the purpose of lying in wait for one to appear. The first thing that Morgan needs to remember is that Mimics can only assume the form of a object that is already present, so if they see more than one of the same object in a odd place then their best option is to try to eliminate both objects at once. Regular Mimic can't assume form of heavy objects, while Greater Mimic can.

The Mimic will attempt to scare Morgan, causing them to waste valuable ammunition or stamina in a panic but if they're able to remain calm then they aren't much of a threat. Mimics require a living or dead organism to reproduce, so if one such organism is nearby then it might be best to eliminate that organism first, or at the very least keep any Mimics in the area away from them, in order to prevent them from being able to reproduce.

Mimics are able to feed on "fresh" human corpses, though most encountered will be "consumed" by mimics already. Fresh bodies may be depleted by mimics so that they reproduce, but the player may move these out of reach somehow or choose to use Phantom Genesis to create allied phantoms out of dead bodies, which makes them inaccessible to mimics.

Greater Mimics have to be immobilized before killing, as they (unlike regular Mimics) can jump on Morgan's face, making player helpless against other enemies in the area until they get them off.

Shotguns, pistols and most powers are able to easily deal with mimics as they are not particularly durable compared to Phantoms and other more dangerous foes, and unlike these mimics completely lack a ranged attack, meaning the shotgun and wrench are effective against these enemies.

Trivia

 * The Mimic was the first Typhon organism discovered by humans.
 * Mimics have some resemblance to the Mimics from the film Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and to the headcrabs from the Half-life series.
 * If a single Mimic made it to earth and was able to reproduce, and each subsequent mimic iteration was able to as well, every 5 minutes; it would only take upwards of an hour to completely overrun a city the size of New York. If the mimics are effective and reproduce every minute, the city falls in roughly 12 minutes. This however, is not counting the time it would take mimics to actually get to their prey.
 * 4^n = number of mimics for each iteration/generation of Mimics replicating.
 * Mimics may be one of the more "pure" versions of Typhon, as they were encountered before they had a chance to devour human subjects. Other forms (such as Phantoms) are based on human beings.
 * When a Mimic assumes an item, they will let out a low, yet constant clicking sound