Life-threatening conditions aren't the only cases that has Project Phoenix's interest. Sometimes people are treated simply because they have an unusual condition or the animal they want would cause a rather unique change.
That could definitely apply to Mary. She was a very, very short woman, only 2 feet high. Most people would find such shortness to be a burden, but Mary was able to make it work for her. There was actually a large demand for short actors as they could fill roles that others couldn't. Mary did enjoy her work and she let most of the insults about her height slide off her. Some people with dwarfism found the term 'midget' offensive, but it varied a lot on the person. But for Mary, she actually preferred the term 'pygmy' than any other. It was certainly something that came to mind when one saw the tiny black lady. And since she was able to trace her ancestral roots back to Botswana, it might be possible for Mary to actually have pygmy blood in her.
Mary liked her life, but when she heard about Project Phoenix, she jumped at the chance to join it. She didn't mind the long, long wait. She knew that there were a lot of people who were in more urgent need of being treated than she was. And her achnodroplasia didn't make her situation dire. She was content to wait until they could get to her.
What made the scientists of Project Phoenix take interest was the animal that Mary chose. She wanted to be an animal from her ancestor's African Savannah. And not just any animal, one that would make her much taller than she was before. She didn't want an elephant as they had 'too much meat on their big bones'. She wanted to be spliced with a giraffe. Seeing a dwarf woman change into the tallest living animal on land was enough to gain a lot of interest.
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"So what's with the big light?" asked Mary in her squeaky voice. She was looking at what looked like a florescent light that covered one side of a wall. She was currently wearing nothing but a hospital gown, which made sense as she was going to be outgrowing everything she owned.
"It's a x-ray machine," said the scientist, "There are certain cases where the transformation of an individual would have a remarkable effect on their skeletal system. One such case was when a young lady who lost a leg decided to become a rattlesnake. And considering how much mass your bones will be acquiring, we would like to see the process more visually for research."
"It's not gonna hurt, is it?" asked Mary nervously.
"Perfectly harmless...typically. There might be a slight chance of irradiation, but the rattlesnake woman I spoke of showed no signs at all of irradiation. Still, if you could sign this waiver," said the scientist, handing a clipboard down to Mary, "We'll be ready to recompense you for any possible side-effects that could result from ionizing radiation."
Mary scribbled her name and said, "It can't give me superpowers, can it?"
"Only if this were a comic book world," said the scientist jokingly. He then handed Mary two transdermal patches. "I doubt you would wish to drink any giraffe milk, but these patches will give you the dosage you seek. Just give me a minute to get the machine ready." With that, he walked out. A little while later, a faint hum was heard. "Ok, Mary, you may begin when you are ready," said the scientist's voice.
Mary carefully placed the patches on the backs of her hands, the pink patches standing out a lot compared to her chocolate skin. She felt a slight tingle as the Animalia virus enter her system. She wondered how long it would take to show effects, but she soon got her answer. Her hands twitched as they grew a lot bigger. Her fingers stretched out as the fingernails darkened and hardened into small hooves. The sensation soon went up her arms as they started to lengthen.
As the virus spread through Mary's body, it continued to stretch further. Her legs were gaining more length, increasing her height very considerably. Her torso was also expanding from the compact shape it had always been. Soon, she was at the height of an average woman, but she was far from done. Her neck was gaining more length as her neck vertebrate started to grow larger. No new vertebrate appeared there as humans and giraffes have the same number of neck bones, the key difference being size.
It was after Mary started growing beyond the height of an average woman that her new species's traits started to become more obvious. Her feet hadn't grown much with the rest of her as they were compacting and hardening. Her toes split into two groups before their toenails merged together and spread over, creating the cloven hoof of a giraffe. Mary could feel an irritation above her butt that was growing. Her backless hospital gown showed that a tuber of flesh was extending from her lower back. It gained more hair, particularly at the end, as it became a giraffe's tufted tail.
Speaking of her hospital gown, it was starting to grow rather tight. And it wasn't merely because Mary was so much taller. As a pygmy, her curves were barely there, making her a lot flatter than taller women. But now those neglected curves were filling in with a vengeance. Her rear swelled out a lot as her tail grew over it. Her hips stretched out as her stretching thighs started building up more mass to become curvier. Her ill-defined waist was now anything but as her stomach shrank in. It was her breasts that caused Mary to moan the most as they went from the puny little mounds they were before into complete-globes. And they were hardly finished as they grew larger and larger. Eventually, her hospital gown couldn't take any more before it shredded completely. As her improving torso was revealed, so was the trademark spotted fur she was growing.
Mary's face cringed as the changes concentrated on her head. Her ears grew a lot larger and pointed, becoming able to be moved with effort. Her scalp clenched as cartilage started building up at two points. Eventually, the two points bulged upwards, forming into the horn-like ossicones that were unique to the giraffe. Very soon, they stood out from Mary's frizzy brown hair. Her face distorted a lot as it all pushed forwards. Her eyes became a lot larger as her sight improved. Her lower face was extending into a muzzle as her nose shrank down to a pair of nostrils at the end of it. Inside her mouth, her canines were flattening as more molars appeared. Her tongue turned purplish-black as it became a lot longer and more flexible.
When Mary's changes completed, the scientist shut off the x-ray machine and walked back to her room. The change to Mary was astounding. Instead of being a tiny black woman of only 2 feet, she was now a towering anthro giraffe of 10 feet tall. Her body was no less disproportionate now that it was before. Her arms and legs were of the right scale of her expanded torso, having the same dimensions of a woman, though one built for more height than usual. Her extended neck was not as long as a normal giraffe's, but it was also a bit more flexible, being able to bend a bit instead of being a straight rod. Her body's physique has also improved a lot. Instead of just being skinny, she was very curvy with wide hips, a rounded ass, and two breasts that stood large and proud on her chest. They were easily more than any human hand could hold and even Mary's larger hands look they might not hold as she was currently testing. She also had a fair amount of feminine muscle, the tone being noticeable under her short spotted fur. Honestly, the only part that resembled the old Mary was her frizzy hair perched way at the top.
"So, how are you feeling?" asked the scientist.
"Better than ever," said Mary before stopping and grasping her longer neck. The voice that came out was not her usual squeak. It was a melodious contralto, the kind that could be heard from other African-American women. "That's not my voice," she said in surprise.
"Well, considering how much your neck has changed, it's no surprise that your larynx did as well," said the scientist.
Mary hummed to herself before vocalizing a few bars. She had a much more impressive range. She might be able to be an opera star if she had the training. But Mary still had a stronger interest in soap operas. She wondered what kind of TV show could feature someone like her, or any Animalian for that matter. She could get on the ground floor of that.
The scientist cleared his throat and said, "If you come with me, we can have you measured for your new wardrobe. I assume you have some ideas for clothes."
Mary smiled and said, "I can think of a few things." She took a step forward and wobbled a lot. Her center of gravity was completely different. Not only did she have a much taller body, but her large breasts were putting a lot of weight forward.
"Easy there," said the scientist, struggling to help stand upright. He frowned as he looked Mary up and down. "You're going to have to learn how to walk in a new way. Perhaps we should first take you someplace...softer so you won't hurt yourself if you fall."
"That might be a good idea," said Mary. Her new hooves weren't helping her balance much either. She leaned on the scientist for support, but he nearly bent over from the weight. "Perhaps we should get another giraffe to help you," said the scientist, "Stay right there. You can manage to sit, right?"
Mary looked at the examination table in the room. Before, she was have needed to be lifted onto it. Now it seemed ridiculously small to her. "I think I can manage," she said. She aimed her rear at the table before lowering herself. She almost tumbled, but managed to land on the table. It was a good thing her ass had so much more padding now.
"Good, wait here and I'll have your donor come," said the scientist before walking out of the room. Mary looked at her body, still amazed at her transformation. Her giraffe form might be a bit more awkward than she imagined, but it was definitely worth it. Now she felt like a true giantess.