The Laboratory (Anthro tf story)

I have to admit, I was surprised when the large mailing envelope showed up at my doorstep. I had applied a while ago, to take part in some kind of scientific research study, the application was a little vague on the details, but I didn't really expect to get in. But sure enough, my name, Sophia Holsen, along with my address, was printed clearly on the front.

The application was mostly standard, height, weight, medical issues, but it also asked some slightly disturbing questions like “Are you afraid of small medical instruments” and “Are you frightened by medical laboratories or medical uniforms?” I mean, what kind of study is this?

I have to admit I skipped over some of the legal waiver, but that stuff seemed normal. The product being tested was an experimental injection, supposedly created to “Significantly improve physical fitness and running speed”, by changing a tiny bit of my DNA. The paper assured me the change would be very minor, not superpowers or anything, just enough to improve my body a tiny amount. Jeez, this sounds like something out of a movie.  The study would take place over a week or so, during which I would be living in this place so they could study the long term effects. I was assured that the week period would be over faster than I expected, but for what they were paying me, I would be willing to stay a month at that place.

The reason I don't think I could get in was that it required previous medical knowledge, I dropped out of nursing school, so I don't think I had much of a chance of getting in. The other reason is that I'm not in perfect health either, I haven't worked out since the first semester and I get winded just walking up the stairs sometimes.

Tearing open the envelope, I found an ID badge with my name (how the heck did they get a picture of me?), a letter, from the lead of the study, one James Ziegler, thanking me for applying. Another paper was inside, this one glossy, with the company logo, the words SynTec Genetics Corp. in bold on the front and some information about it and what it did.

SynTec. The name sounded distantly familiar. But where did it come from? A quick internet search revealed almost nothing, accept a short news story detailing the purchasing of a large corperation known as Paragon, which was part of a number of independent companies that SynTec had purchaced. 

The letter on SynTec was also vague, not telling much about what the company actually did aside from a few carefully worded paragraphs. Most of it was boring, but the words “Artificial Gene Synthesis” caught my eye. What the heck does that even mean? The last sheet contained information about how to find the place, and what time, followed by some bold text that read “Make sure to be on time”.

I managed to find the place after a bit of searching, it was a bit out of town, a nondescript concrete building surrounded by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. I pulled up to the security guard, handed my ID badge to him and he opened the gate. Inside, a tall man in a black security uniform checked my ID and asked my to hand my cellphone and keys to him. I grudgingly obliged, he assured me they would be returned shortly. He escorted me to an elevator in the back of the small building after I stepped through a metal detector.

I couldn't believe my eyes when the elevator doors opened. I had expected some small concrete room and some folding chairs, but this place was massive. Huge, glass walled labs with groups of scientists huddled around tables and in front of computers, some even in full chemical suits to protect them from whatever they were working with.

The man in the suit led me down a corridor, stopping to flash his ID badge at a camera, and to a locked room. The room itself looked a lot like a standard doctor's office, a chair, a table, various medical things such as a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff. The man in the suit instructed me to wait here for the doctor before leaving.

Less than a minute later, a thin man, with short white hair and carefully trimmed mustache, older, his late 59s, with kind blue eyes walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He leaned back on the wall, looking at the clipboard in his hands.

“Sophia Holsen?” He asked, looking down at the papers. My heart was beating like a hammer in my chest, as he looked at me.
“My name is Dr. James Ziegler, as you know, I am the lead scientist for this study.”
I smiled nervously, looking up at him.
“There's no reason to be worried, it's just a simple injection, you have nothing to worry about.” He tested my blood pressure, and my heart, before he opened a stainless steel case, and extracted a small vial from it's center.

“Please pull up your sleeve, Sophia.” I
nodded, pulling up the sleeve of my t-shirt, and the doctor disinfected it with a cotton swab.

“Before we begin, I need to let you know what this entails, I'm giving you another chance to opt out before we begin.” I nodded again. “You were sent information already, so I will keep this brief.” I guess I really should've read that packet.

“Our process is currently based on solid-phase DNA synthesis, and we have created completely synthetic DNA molecules. The structure has been inspired by that of a top food chain predator. These synthetic molecules are introduced to your cells by a rapidly replicating, harmless virus, it will take about a week to reach full effect. This is your last chance to leave.” I shook my head. I had already come this far. I wasn't about to turn back now.

The doctor nodded, smiling again. He extracted the contents of the small vial with a syringe, and positioned it on my arm. There was a small pain as the long needle entered into my skin, but it was over in a second. I don't know why, but I expected to feel some kind of effect immediately, but all I felt was tired and a little giddy.

Dr. Ziegler showed me to my room, a large, open white concrete block, 40 feet by 40 feet, with a closed off shower and bathroom to the side. There were sliding plastic dividers that hung from the ceiling, making the bed seperate from the other parts. A tv, bookcase and bed also occupied the room, along with a treadmill, elliptical machine and a few other exercise machines sat in the corner. “These are your quarters, not much bigger than your apartment, but still, you have everything you need to stay active and engaged. I will come by every day to monitor your vitals and any changes.” I looked around the room, searching for any big two way mirrors or cameras.

“If you are looking for any surveillance equipment, you will find none. There is a single camera in the main room near the exercise equipment, but that is only on during the day.” A camera? I guess it's just to monitor my “fitness” or something.
“The door will be locked, for security reasons, there is a button next to the door that lets you communicate with security in an emergency. I strongly recommend you keep a journal of everything the feel or experience, it will be easier for both of us.” He pulled a white electronic touchscreen tablet, about twice the size of my phone, tapping a button on the side to turn it on.

“Oh, I don't need that, I already have  a phone.” I said, patting my pocket, finding nothing.

“Your phone is in safekeeping, the security here is a bit...paranoid. The tablet is yours to keep at the end of the study. In the meantime, it is your journal, and can be used to contact me directly if you ever need to. I will be just down the hall in my office. You may feel a little nauseous or tired, that is only a temporary side effect, it will wear off soon.”

“Thanks.” I said. He smiled, and left the room, glancing over his shoulder at me before he closed the door. There was something about the look in his eyes, was it pity or worry? I sit down on the chair. Best make myself comfortable, this will be my home for the next week.

Journal Entry #1
Writing a journal seems silly, but I need something else to do besides read and watch the tv. I feel twitchy, probably because I know I'm being watched by the eye of the camera. The food here isn't great, it usually comes in the form of a grey, high protein shake, not the most appetizing, but it's the only thing there is to eat.  I asked for some chips or something, but they say I can't eat foods like that for a while. I also had to trade in my clothes for a more comfy hospital style gown. It looks stupid, but it's the only thing I have to wear from now on.

Dr. Ziegler had me run on the treadmill, and hooked up some monitors to me, I felt embarrassed when I could barely run for a few minutes without gasping for air like a fish out of water. He also took samples of my blood, for study. No effect other than than sleepiness, but Dr. Ziegler said that I wouldn't notice any effects for a while. Until then, there isn't anything to do for a while but eat and sleep.

Journal Entry #2
When I woke up, I noticed some...discoloration around the site of the injection, it's yellowish tan, and reaches down my arm to my wrist, Dr. Ziegler said it is nothing, only a side effect, but I'm not quite convinced. He had me run on the treadmill again, I expected to at least run longer, but I embarrassed myself again. I'm starting to doubt if this stuff they injected me with even works, but Dr.Ziegler assured me that it is working, even if I can't see it. He took more blood, for studying, they weren't taking chances that this serum would work. The discolored spot on my arm is growing, and getting darker.

Journal Entry #3
I noticed there are darkening spots on my arm, shoulder and chest, about the size of dimes and roughly round. The tan color is also spreading, its not just skin, its hair, or something. Dr. Ziegler expected me to freak out, but...I don't know...maybe it's not so bad? Maybe I'm just going crazy. I asked him if I would continue to see changes like this. He said yes, but kept his explanation kind of vague. Also, I ran twice as long today on the treadmill than I did the first day, I was still gasping for air at the end, but it looks like I'm improving.

It turns out that Dr. Ziegler isn't exactly the head of this whole project, as I thought, while he was taking a blood sample from me (I'm getting pretty tired of all these needles if you haven't noticed), when his cell phone rang. The person on the other end of the phone was obviously his superior, as they kept demanding for “conclusive results” and asking to have a detailed report, most likely on me. I started to walk away to give the doctor some privacy, but he only motioned for me to come closer so I could hear the other voice better.

He was in the middle of a heated debate, "I'm telling you, we don't know how the subject will react to the extra doses...too much and it would be fatal." The doc's face was pale, he looked both angry and worried at the same time. "Could be fatal" the words rang in my ears. This was more serous than I thought. Dr.Ziegler was about to respond to something on the other end, when he stopped talking, shoulders falling and his face ashen. "I-I understand, director."  I heard only snatches of what the other person was saying; “Genetic Reassignment” and “Bacteriophage synthetics progress” and an ominous “Dr, we need you, don't disappoint me.” When the call ended, Ziegler looked genuinely shaken.

“That was the director, apparently you're supposed to be adapting to the serum faster, as if that's something you or even I can control.” He looked at me and wiped his forehead. “You will be getting a second injection tomorrow, against my better judgement.” He walked out, taking one last glance before the door locked behind him.

Journal Entry #4
When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that everything was...louder. The sounds of water moving through pipes in the walls and floor, the sound of people walking and talking in the hallways outside my room, it was all amplified. That's mostly thanks to my new ears, which no longer sit on either side of my head, they are closer to the top, and rounded, shaped to better catch sound. Also, upon examination, the palms of my hands are darker, kind of callused, like the paws of a cat. My nails too, are thicker and black, like claws. I got the second injection after my breakfast, so I fell asleep and woke up much later, bursting with energy. I'm faster, much faster than I was before. This time I could feel it, running felt...good.

Not like I-had-a-good-nap good, it's...incredible. Adrenaline flowing, heart pounding, the feel of my muscles as they tensed and loosed. Dr. Ziegler actually had to tell me to stop before I hurt myself. I was still breathing heavy, but nothing like the gasping before. The doctor had me step on a scale, and I was amazed how much weight I had lost, I wasn't just your average couch potato anymore, I have the body of a runner, no doubt what the intention of these changes was.

My body reminded me of something I had seen before, at the zoo. An animal with impressive speed and feline features. A cheetah, or somthing like it. Thats what the injections were making me look like. 

After he had left, I found that my body was covered in more short hairs, an orange tan in my arms and back with black where the spots on my skin were, and lighter white on my chest. I know it's weird, but I wouldn't stop or reverse the changes even if I could. It's like I had accepted what was happening and now, the changes are a part of me. It's time for a nap now, the run tired me out, but for now I am content, it won't be long before I can leave this room and stand under the sunlight, and maybe even run on something other than a treadmill.

Journal Entry #5
I woke up with a pain in my lower back, groaning, I stood up to find...well, a tail. It turns out that my spine had grown an extra foot in my sleep, which is impressive, must of been the second injection they gave me. I had a hard time figuring out how to move it, until today the muscles and nerves didn't even exist. My face is different too, it's now fully covered in the fur, with some black markings around the eyes.

I had to convince myself that it was me looking back from the mirror, I didn't resemble who I was before. Not that I'm complaining. Talking is more complicated now, the muscles are different. I also bit my tongue a bunch of times with my sharp teeth, I need to be more careful. My tongue itself is different, the texture has changed, which feels so weird, like, sandpaper or how it feels after burning it drinking hot coffee. I felt so restless that I started running and using the other exercise equipment before Ziegler got here. He was amazed at my progress, I was faster than he expected me to be.

I also noticed it's harder to talk sometimes, with my tongue and new teeth I end up with sort of a lisp. That along with all the other stuff is making it difficult to adjust, but I'm getting more and more used to it. Oh, and, they started giving me more food than usual, Ziegler says my metabolism is faster than most humans, so I need to eat more more often. He says they might let me have steak. Raw. Just one more reason for me to be excited for this to be over.

Journal Entry #6
The moment I woke up this morning, I had to go look in the mirror. So I took off my clothes just to look at myself, my new body. I expected...I don't know, I expected to have some sort of reaction, or revulsion, towards my body. Instead, I felt a kind of giddy euphoria when I thought about my new body, my new abilities. I don't look anything like I did when I came in. Ears, a cat like muzzle, dark eyes, a sleek body covered in black spotted tan fur. Not to mention the tail. Instead, I feel...accepting, but not only that, a kind of inner peace, with who I have become. I wouldn't trade this body, this...feeling for anything else in the world. I buttoned up my gown, feeling my new muscles tense and relax as I moved, more graceful and fluid.

I actually gave Dr. Ziegler a hug when he came in, he was surprised but happy about how I felt. He didn't even seem so angry when I broke the treadmill I was running so fast. 51 miles an hour, more than twice as fast as anything else on two legs. I had to of set some kind of record, if it wouldn't of been cheating. He gave me a final check up, my blood tests had indicated that my body had reached 100% sync with the new genes. The experement was a sucess, he told me, it had greatly improved my speed and fitness, albeit with slightly more visual effect than had been intended, the fur and ears were not expected to of been as prominent, but had been due to the extra dose. Everything checked out. They had gotten what they wanted.

I was free to go.

But where? Even though I had accepted who I am now, others won't. No one would recognize who I was, not even my family. I think a part of me had known this all along, that I wouldn't be the same person I was when this all started. Ziegler gave me a new start, work for the company that had made all this possible. It might help those in the future who start down the same path I did, and be calming to have someone who had experienced the same. I accepted on the spot. What SynTec Genetics had done for me was incredible. Now I hope to return the favor. Who knows, maybe I really can make something out of all this, by helping others who are going to go through the same process as I did.