It took a while for Bennie to learn how to walk on his new legs. It had been a few years since he had his legs blown off and had to use prosthetic legs and a wheelchair to move around. Remembering how to use his leg muscles was not quite so easy as one would think it would be. Though a big reason why he had trouble relearning how to walk was because he had a radically different body now. The Animalia virus that had been used on him was refined with the autotomy genes of the Western Banded Gecko, but the primary DNA strain it had been bonded to was that of a killer whale or orca.
It was a bit of a miracle for him that he had gotten legs at all, but they were there, a lot more muscular than when he last had them and ending in feet with four webbed toes. The rest of him was also a lot more muscular than he had been before and being a soldier, he was already in good shape, even if he did let himself go a tiny bit since the Iraq War. It was rather bizarre that his whole body was now black and white, mostly black with the white parts consisting of his chest, groin, inner thighs, the under side of his jaw, neck, and new tail, and the two eyebrow-like patches above his eyes. What was really giving him trouble was his new tail, which was difficult to get used to and having to balance his body with. The dorsal fin between his shoulder blades was also a bit of an annoyance, namely because it made it hard for him to lie on his back. It made him wish his dorsal fin was on top of his head like Marina.
He had to admit, Marina was a beautiful woman, though he wasn't certain if it was just his new cetacean instincts talking. While he didn't want to have to have sex in order to be changed, he couldn't deny getting his second dose from Marina was enjoyable. His dating pool had gotten a lot smaller now, smaller still since one of the Animalian Edicts forbid cross-species breeding. Bennie wasn't certain if Marina was already taken or not. Heck, he wasn't really sure how many orca Animalians there were. Though it wasn't impossible for more orcas to be added, he didn't know any women who he'd be certain would give up their humanity for him.
But all that mattered to Bennie right now was that he could walk again. He could also swim better than ever once he figured out how to use his tail properly. Perhaps he could join the Marines, though the idea of advertising Animalians as super soldiers would probably have negative effects for the community as a hold. Bennie would have to figure out what to do with his life after his physical therapy was complete.
But first, he was going to meet up with his fellow Project Phoenix volunteers. Bennie was curious about what they all became. He could have seen them before, but while Bennie had to give up a lot of pride when he became handicapped, he still had enough to insist that no one else but his trainers and doctors saw him until he could walk properly again. While he hadn't mastered his tail, he could at least walk without falling over.
He was lead back to the waiting room where they all met up. Instead of sickly-looking people, he found four strong, healthy Animalians. Considering how muscular they were, there was little doubt that they were all double-dosers. Karen was easy to identify, being the only woman there. Her hair had grown back thick, the honey-colored locks contrasting sharply withe the dusky grey fur of her new snow leopard body. Bennie was quick to notice her enhanced curves, though he controlled himself from ogling her. Remembering what Eugene had said when they had met, Bennie was pretty certain that he was the eagle Animalian there. And Eugene didn't go with just any eagle, he was a bald eagle. The large wings on his back looked like they could easily lift his muscular body and his eyes were no longer clouded but clear and sharp. The only two that Bennie had trouble identifying was the wolf and... Well, Bennie had a little trouble placing the other one. He looked like some sort of weasel or ferret, but Bennie couldn't tell which he was.
The wolf looked up as Bennie walked in. "Hey, Bennie's back," he said happily. Bennie recognized that voice from before. That was definitely Simon. His large muscular wolf body was a far cry from the teen he was before. Still, he seemed more confident than he had before.
"Yep, I got my legs back and then some," said Bennie, wincing slightly as he whacked his tail against the door frame. He was still getting used to that thing. "Well, I guess we've got a clean bill of health all around," he said.
"My cancer's completely gone," said Karen happily, "I even got my hair back. Well, quite a lot more hair than that. I hope it doesn't get too hot in the summer."
"And I can see, maybe a little too well," said Eugene.
One of Bennie's eyebrow patches lifted slightly. "Too well?" he asked.
"I've been blind since birth," said Eugene, "Now I'm able to see for the very first time and, well, it's really, really overwhelming. Especially since my eyes are so sharp now. Maybe I should have chosen an animal with less acute eyes."
"Maybe you should have been a bat," joked Michael.
Eugene gave Simon a short glare, something his eagle visage made even more intimidating. "I've had enough blindness jokes to last me a lifetime," he said, "I don't want to hear any more."
"Ok, ok, I was just kidding," said Michael, "You need to learn to laugh more."
Bennie looked at Michael and said, "We volunteered for this project so we can be cured. We shouldn't be looking back on our old afflictions, even if it's for a joke." He tilted his head a bit and asked, "What are you anyways? A weasel?"
"I'm a mongoose," said Michael, a little annoyed.
"Oh, that's a kind of weasel, isn't it?" asked Bennie.
"No, mongooses aren't mustelids. We're more closely related to cats and hyenas," said Michael.
"You definitely take more from the hyena than from cats," said Karen, "It would definitely explain your sense of humor."
"So why pick a mongoose?" asked Bennie.
"I guess basically the same reason Eugene wanted to be an eagle," said Michael, "I was tired of being all stiff and not being able to fully control my limbs. I wanted to be something that was swift and flexible. I went with a mongoose because you know the kind of reputation weasels have. I'd rather not have someone think I'm a sneak or a ratfink. I suppose a ferret wouldn't have been bad, but I probably wouldn't have been able to get used to my own musk. Anyways, mongooses are well-respected all around. Besides, it matches my name, Michael, mongoose."
"And let me guess, you couldn't resist being a real-life wolf-man," said Eugene to Simon.
"Well, yeah," said Simon, "But I was planning on following in my uncle's footsteps. I want to be a police officer too and canines are apparently the best at it. A German Shepherd would have been cool, but who wouldn't rather be a wolf?"
"That's a good choice, kid," said Bennie, "I'm sure your uncle would be proud. At least you have a goal after this. I'm still not sure what to do with myself."
"I'm sure you'll think of something," said Karen kindly. Bennie nodded. What was most important was that Project Phoenix was a success with them and that would surely be a good case for the world.