By the time Shigeko had finished cleaning up her laboratory, it was nightfall.
Shigeko was actually in good spirits. Although the initial experiment had been a failure, she had at least learned something. Perhaps the next experiment would be better. She could try using a female Axolotl or perhaps a smaller dose of the virus. Maybe a series of small doses would yield more success. Her mind was awash with thoughts, ideas, and future plans.
But more than anything, she was tired. Shigeko barely had the energy to walk down the street to her small apartment and crawl into bed. She didn't even bother to shower. She just curled up into her sheets and drifted off to sleep.
Shigeko slept fitfully, wracked by troubling dreams and painful cramps in her legs. Her feet felt like they were freezing. Finally she could take it no more. She sat in bed and began to massage her sore calves.
When Shigeko first saw the clawed foot poking out from under her sheets, she thought she was still dreaming. The monstrous transformation she had witnessed in her lab was enough to give anyone nightmares. But as she watched the large clawed digits wiggle in response to her mental commands and felt the leathery skin underneath her hands she realized the feet were real - and they belonged to her!
"No, no, no, " said Shigeko as she sat up in bed and turned to put her feet on the floor. She was shocked to see that the scales extended all the way up her legs, past her panties and up her exposed abdomen. Even her hands and arms were covered in scales.
The Axolotl... it must have infected me with its fluids, thought Shigeko.
She cursed her stupidity for not using protection. But all the research had shown that it was not possible for the Heather version of the Animalian virus to infect people. She thought she was safe. Apparently, she was wrong. The understanding that she was infected brought forth another cold realization.
I am going to die. I am going to explode, just like the other test subjects, thought Shigeko with fear. I have to get to the lab before it is too late.
Shigeko jumped up, walking unsteadily on the balls of her large feet. She tried to slip on some kind of socks, but the claws on her toes just tore through them. She struggled to put on pants, but nothing seemed to fit. Finally, she found a pair that an old boyfriend had left behind. But no sooner had she fastened the waistband then she heard a loud tearing sound as a rip spread down the pants leg.
What is going on? thought Shigeko.
She could see the muscles in her thigh pulse and expand. She remembered how quickly the Axolotl had grown.
No, I have to get out of here, thought Shigeko.
Shigeko slipped on her lab coat and tried to button it so she could cover her nudity. But the small tail poking out from her tailbone kept lifting it up, exposing her groin. As the tail got longer, fatter and thicker, it was even more difficult to hide her changing body. Small fan-shaped spines on her tail ripped the base of her lab coat. When similar spines erupted from her back, tearing her lab coat in half, she gave up and dropped it to the floor. She didn't have time to worry about modesty. She had to get to her lab right now!
Shigeko squeezed out of the doorway to her apartment. Her hips, ass and belly had swollen to grotesque proportions. The doorframe cracked as she squeezed through it. She barely felt it. The tough leathery skin insulated with a mixture of fat and muscle dulled the sensation, not that the sharp wood could have ever punctured her thick hide.
It was late, but there was still a crowd of people milling about on the street. They stared in shock at her appearance. She didn't have time to explain or worry about their stares. She had to get back to her lab before it was too late. She could see the lab just a few blocks away at the end of her street. Shigeko ran as quickly as she could towards her building.
Shigeko experienced an odd type of vertigo as she ran. It looked like she was not getting any closer to her laboratory building. It was sort of like that dream where you can never reach your destination - it always remains a small dot on the horizon, like a mirage, the same size regardless of how long you run. The buildings lining the streets seemed to get smaller the more she ran. It was like one of those funhouse rooms that appears to get smaller as you move through it. The ground began to shake with each step and the buildings on the sides of the street felt too close, like they were crowding her.
Shigeko could swear she could almost feel them pressing against her wide hips.
By the time Shigeko reached the Horizon Lab facility she was shocked to see that she was the same size as the building!
Shigeko placed both clawed hands on each side of the building. In the glass windows she saw the reflection of a monster, one with a long snout filled with sharp teeth. She had no hair or ears, just some long horns stretching from her scalp behind her head. Her neck was long, but very thick with strong muscles.
"Help me!" she shouted, shaking the building with frustration.
The windows shattered, sending shards of glass showering on the people gathered below her. She let go of the building and placed a clawed hand over her mouth.
"Sorry, I didn't mean...." her voice thundered.
She could see the people below her cupping their hands on their heads. She realized how loud her voice must seem to their tiny ears.
Shigeko felt a strange surge move up and down her body. She felt a familiar sense of vertigo as her body expanded even larger. The top of her lab building was now only waist high to her.
I have to get out of here, thought Shigeko. Before I hurt someone.
Shigeko turned and looked towards the Tokyo Bay. It seemed very close now, closer than it ever had been before. It was her best option.
But Shigeko still had to navigate through the narrow streets of the city to reach it. She did her best to avoid causing too much damage, but there were just so many people and cars. And they were so very small! She couldn't help but crush a few cars and her tail knocked into a few buildings. She felt silly, like she was an actor in a bad kaiju movie. But Shigeko knew this was no fantasy - it was real, and real people's lives were at stake. So she moved as slowly and carefully through the busy city as possible.
Soon, Shigeko reached the ocean. She gently slid into the cool water, moving as slowly as possible. But it was impossible for the large mass of her body not to make a small tsunami. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The police had cleared off the beach and kept the curious onlookers at bay. They all watched as the mythical kaiju made real slowly swam away.
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Sophie and Heather stared at the television in the lab while Jeremy continued to work. The television was a small concession given to Heather, a thanks for her good behavior. Now Heather and Sophie were watching the news report about the accident in the Tokyo facility.
It did not take long for authorities to piece together what had happened. The video recording provided a lot of the details. The navy and air force quickly stood down when they realized that Shigeko had no intention of hurting anyone. The Japanese government decided to quarantine Shigeko on a small deserted island in the Pacific, now dubbed "Kaiju Island."
It was considered the safest option. Although Shigeko was peaceful, she still might be contagious. Authorities were not sure, but no one was anxious to test the theory. One giant kaiju was already too many. And there was not enough vaccine in the world to insure she could not spread her version of the virus to someone else.
Although Shigeko's growth seemed to have stabilized around 250 feet, authorities were still concerned for her potential to explode like other test subjects. In addition, she had developed other health problems. Her large size put a tremendous strain on her heart. Authorities were not sure how long she could survive in that condition. Curiously, although she looked more reptilian than amphibian, she had retained the remarkable regenerative abilities of the Axolotl. They speculated that if her heart could hold out, she might be invulnerable, possibly even immortal. Further research was needed to determine her full capabilities. Horizon Labs and the Japanese government were already assembling a team to study and care for Shigeko.
Reactions in the public were mixed. Some otaku fans were thrilled to have a kaiju brought to life. Others were concerned about the cost of feeding such a large creature, and the effect it would have on the economy as well as the fishing industry. But most people just felt pity for the poor girl who had meant to do good, but inadvertently cursed herself to a hellish existence.
"Oh that poor girl, " said Sophie.
"I don't know, " said Heather. "I think she looks pretty cool. It might be kinda fun to be that big. The whole world would be like your playground or something."
"But she must be so lonely," said Sophie.
"Aw, it won't be so bad. I'll bet they let Animalians visit her all the time. I mean, we can't get infected a second time. We are essentially immune," said Heather. "Maybe after you get your wings you can fly down there and pay her a visit."
"Ha, ha, very funny, " said Sophie, playfully slapping Heather's tough hide. "I would like to visit and try to help her. But the truth is I doubt anyone will bring her much comfort. She is the only one of her kind. The only one there ever will be. We are all just like little toys to her, and we always will be. That has to be lonely."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Jeremy as he continued to ignore the television and work. He had his back to the television as he read over some new documents on his computer.
"What do you mean?" asked Sophie. "Surely no one is crazy enough to try to replicate her experiment."
"Of course not," said Jeremy. "It was just luck, bad luck really. Anyone who tried it again would probably not be so lucky. It would be suicide. But there are other ways. Now, I don't claim to be an expert herpetologist, but I have come across a lot of information while researching Heather's condition. For example, did you know that some reptiles and amphibians reproduce asexually? It's possible that she might just lay a clutch of eggs on her own and start a little family all by herself. Who knows? Her physiology is so screwed up now it is really anyone's guess."
"How can you be so glib? That girl's life is ruined! It's a disaster, " said Sophie angrily.
"Well, it's not a complete disaster. I was just sent some of Shigeko's research notes and it is remarkable. She didn't get everything right, but she might have been moving in the right direction. It would really help if I could talk with her, maybe set up some kind of telecommunications link. But even with the limited information I have gleaned from her work, I think we can begin testing even sooner than we anticipated," said Jeremy.
"Cool!" said Heather, slapping Sophie on the back. "You hear that? Before you know it, it will be your turn to be uplifted. I bet you can hardly wait!"
But as Sophie stared at the sad, sullen face of Shigeko on the television screen she couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing.