"Okay, Miss Shigeko. We are ready. You can begin the procedure."
"Yes, Dr. Miyamota," said Shigeko Tokage through gritted teeth.
Shigeko resisted the urge to curse her mentor. It had been her idea to advance the failing Dinotopia Project using Axolotl salamanders. But her mentor had taken all the credit, even appearing on American television. But Shigeko knew better than to contradict her superior. It defied all the tenets of her Japanese heritage, a tradition built on the notion of respect, especially toward your elders.
Shigeko gently caressed the male Axolotl in its small enclosure. It reacted favorably. She had raised the pair of salamanders since they had hatched, feeding and nurturing them like a loving mother. The female had already been successfully uplifted with the Animalian virus. Something different was planned for the male. It was time to begin the next phase of the experiment.
Jeremy wiped the sleep from his eyes as he entered Dr. Miyamota's laboratory. A large crowd of scientists had gathered together, watching a small Japanese woman handle some kind of salamander.
"Ah, I am so glad you could make it," said a friendly voice.
Jeremy turned towards the voice and saw a very happy Dr. Stein. He really hadn't wanted to come. He still had a lot of work to do. But it was hard to deny a request from your superior.
"What's going on? I thought Dr. Miyamota had already uplifted an Axolotl," asked Jeremy.
"Ah yes, my friend, " said Dr. Miyamota happily. "But uplifting the animal with the Animalian virus alone was only the first step. Now we need to see if the cells of the Axolotl can handle the virus once it has been exposed to another animal."
"Wait - you are going to infect it with Heather's blood!?" asked Jeremy with shock.
"Of course! What did you think was the purpose of our project? The supply of dinosaur DNA is limited, but the Heather specimen can provide us with all we could ever need. Unfortunately, the virus has remained inert in all tissue specimens, including human cell cultures. Well, all except for one. The cells of the Axolotl responded very favorably in vitro. Now we need to test it on the real thing," said Dr. Miyamota.
Jeremy was shocked. He knew all about the failures of the Animalian virus in Heather's blood. He had tested it in a large number of human cell cultures from different volunteers without any success. True, the virus had successfully converted Effie, but she and Heather shared that strange genetic anomaly. If this was successful, it would open up a whole new approach that could be applied to a wide variety of volunteers.
"Quiet, it's beginning!" said Dr. Stein with excitement.
Shigeko backed away from the aquarium, an empty syringe in her hand. The small salamander was growing rapidly. It was soon the size of a small dog. It placed its developing hands on the edge of the aquarium and lifted itself up.
Shigeko bent down and picked the creature up. It was like a small toddler in her arms. The creature did not appear to have any difficulty breathing out of water, but that was an expected reaction. The female Chel had adapted to breathing air as well. But the skin of the male was different. It was not as soft and slimy. It was hard and leathery, like the skin of a lizard rather than an amphibian. Small, sharp talons were extending from its fingers and toes, just like the Heather specimen.
"Success!" cried Dr. Miyamota with excitement. "It has bonded with the virus and is adapting to the dinosaur genes."
Shigeko placed the creature on the ground. It continued to grow larger, unsteady but still standing on two feet. Its tail stretched longer, hitting the floor with a wet slap. The thickening tail helped it balance a little better and it tried to walk sluggishly forward.
Shigeko backed up and curled her hand, encouraging the creature to walk towards her. It walked erratically, carefully lifting its foot with great care at agonizingly slow speed. But with each step it seemed to get bigger, growing larger and more massive. It had not reached the size of the Heather specimen, but it was well on its way. As it grew, more peculiar adaptations become obvious. Small spiked fins developed on its back and tail. Its exterior gills appeared to be hardening into calcified horns.
The creature gave Shigeko a big hug when he reached her. The scientists laughed and Shigeko couldn't help but chuckle herself. Shigeko's face was buried in its chest. It was massive, much taller than her, and still appeared to be growing. The creature's chest shook.
Could it be chuckling, too? thought Shigeko with excitement.
Shigeko could not wait to hear it speak. Chel had been fluent in a number of languages, and she was eager to converse with it. She worked her way free of its grip and backed away from it. She looked up at the creature as its mouth slowly opened and closed. She could see small sharp teeth lining its mouth. They appeared longer every time it opened its mouth.
"Yes. It is okay. Speak, " said Shigeko with excitement.
The creature's mouth hung open as it stared down at Shigeko. The room was deathly quiet as everyone eagerly awaited its first words. The air was heavy with tension.
Then the creature vomited a thick green goo all over Shigeko.
Shigeko cursed and tried to wipe the goo off her face and out of her mouth. The scientists began to murmur behind her. She could hear them backing away.
The creature doubled over and vomited more of the viscous green liquid on the floor. It fell to its knees and grabbed onto its abdomen as more liquid spewed from its mouth and onto the ground below it. A large puddle of the foul mixture was forming around its feet.
The creature fell to floor and lay on its side. It gasped one last time, then was still. Shigeko walked forwards to check for a pulse or any sign of life. The creature's body was warm, but she could not feel it breathing. Suddenly, its chest started to balloon up. At first Shigeko thought it was breathing. Then she realized it was some kind of large pustule. Before she could back away it ruptured, showering her body with more of the thick green liquid. The creature then slowly dissolved into a puddle of goo around Shigeko's feet.
Dr. Miyamota was the first to break the silence.
"Drat, a failure," he said morosely.
"A failure? That is all you have to say?" asked Dr. Stein angrily.
"Just a minor setback. We will not make the same mistake again," said Dr. Miyamota.
"You killed a test subject!" said Dr. Stein angrily.
"It was just an animal," said Dr. Miyamota.
"He's right you know. Technically it was not uplifted yet, " said another scientist.
"Yes, but the publicity from this could be bad. Better not mention it to the public, " said another scientist.
Shigeko listened to the scientists bickering around her as she sat on the ground covered in muck. Their indifference to her plight was frustrating. It was like she didn't even exist. Finally, she could not take it anymore.
"Can someone get me a towel?" growled Shigeko, silencing the room.
"Oh yes, of course. Sorry about that, " said Dr. Stein.
He snapped his fingers loudly. An intern scrambled out of the room and returned with a large towel. Most of the goo on the floor had begun to evaporate, but some remained behind in thick gelatinous chunks. The liquid still clung to Shigeko's face and clothes. The intern handed Shigeko a towel and she began to wipe the foul stuff off of her.
As Shigeko wiped away the first layer of gunk, the intern gasped and began to back away in fear.
"What? What is the matter?" said Shigeko as she lowered the towel for her face and turned back to the other scientists.
The shocked gasps and horrified expressions of her colleagues frightened Shigeko. She looked at her reflection in one of the observation windows. Now it was her turn to gasp.
Large patches of scales covered her face, directly under the liquid.
"No, no, " murmured Shigeko as she frantically tried to scrub the scales off her face. "Please don't let this happen to me."
The murmur of the scientists behind her grew louder.
"Now, now. Nothing to be alarmed about ladies and gentlemen, " said Dr. Miyamota, trying to quiet the crowd. He quickly walked over to Shigeko and put a hand on her shoulder. "Shigeko, are you okay?"
Shigeko turned and glared at him. The patches had spread and began to coalesce. It had even affected her eyes, giving her globes a sickly yellow color.
"Do I look okay, you old fool?" hissed Shigeko.
Dr. Miyamota recoiled in horror, taking refuge with the other scientists.
"No, don't leave me, " begged Shigeko. The strange tingling in her head was growing stronger. "Help ...me .... ugh...."
Shigeko dropped to her knees and let her useless towel fall to the ground. She placed her hands around her aching head. She could feel small spines pushing out between her fingers and through her hair. She pulled her hands away, taking large clumps of hair with them. As she stared at the remains of her hair in her hands, she noticed the scaly discoloration now covering her hands and arms. Her fingers were getting thicker, with sharp claws replacing her small fingernails.
"It ... hurts...." said Shigeko softly as she grabbed onto her abdomen.
"Quickly! Get the camera! We must record everything!" said Dr. Miyamota as he slapped at a nearby intern.
Shigeko was in too much pain to take much notice of Dr. Miyamota's lack of sympathy. Her clothes made an odd whining noise as they tore away from the bulk of her growing body. Her feet stretched longer, getting wider at the tip as her toes fused into three thick digits. A short stubby tail dangled from the base of her spine. She tried to stand on lengthening legs as her tail filled out, growing longer and thicker with multiple small fern-like spikes. She groaned as she stood up to her full height.
Jeremy stared in awe at the monstrous creature standing before him. It was impossible to gauge its true height, but it had to be bigger than Heather. He estimated it to be between 12 and 15 feet! With the leathery skin, spiked tail, and sharp claws it looked like a miniature version of Godzilla. Well, a female one anyway.
"It works, it works! I am a genius!" shouted Dr. Miyamota, hopping with excitement. "I have successfully converted a human with the Animalian dinosaur virus!"
"A success? Are you mad? You just infected one of your staff!" said Dr. Stein.
"Pshaw! She is fine, perfectly healthy. Probably even better than she was before, " said Dr. Miyamota. "But we will need to confirm it with tests. Lots of tests...."
As the scientists resumed their bickering, Jeremy couldn't help but continue to stare at Shigeko. Although he was not fond of Animalians in general, he thought that Dr. Miyamota was right - she was a miracle of science. But as he watched Shigeko nervously try to cover her nude body, blushing from shame and embarrassment, he realized something else - she was also a person.
Jeremy slowly walked forward and offered her his lab coat.
"Domo Arigato," said Shigeko, bowing a little as she took it.
It did little to cover her massive body, but she appreciated the gesture.
"Come on. I'll take you to the showers. I can't promise you anything, but we might be able to find you some more appropriate clothes to wear. At the very least you can get cleaned up," said Jeremy as he held out his hand.
Shigeko reached down and took it. Jeremy's small hand looked like it belonged to a small child in the massive palm of Shigeko. He felt a bit silly leading a lizard almost twice his size. But he remembered how uncomfortable his little sister had been with her large size at first and felt pity for her.
"Wait, where are you going?" asked Dr. Miyamota. "We need to complete additional testing on the subject."
"She is not just some lab animal, she is a person," said Jeremy. "I think she has been through enough for one day, don't you?"
The scientists looked ashamed, not daring to look at Jeremy or Shigeko. Dr. Miyamota opened his mouth to say something, but quickly thought better of it and closed it just as quickly. As soon as they left the room, Jeremy could hear the scientists resume their academic debates.
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Jeremy waited patiently outside the door of the locker room adjacent to the large shower stall for Shigeko to finish. It had been designed for larger Animalians like Heather, so he thought it should accommodate Shigeko. Still, he could hear her quietly cursing as she tried to maneuver in the small space.
Jeremy desperately wanted to get back to his own lab and continue his work, but he still felt for Shigeko. She had a rough period of adjustment ahead of her. It had been tough for his little sister Polly, and she had changed much more slowly.
After Jeremy heard Shigeko turn off the shower, he handed her multiple large towels. They would all have to be thrown away in the biohazard bin for safety precautions.
"If you are looking for clothes, you can try Heather's locker. They might be a bit small, though," yelled Jeremy into the locker room.
"It makes sense. I share her blood, I might as well share her clothes," scoffed Shigeko.
"Sorry about that," said Jeremy through the doorway.
"Sorry about what? The clothes?" said Shigeko, grunting as she struggled to fit into Heather's clothes.
"No, I mean I am sorry for what happened to you, " said Jeremy. "You know, getting mutated into some kind of hybrid dinosaur-salamander thing."
Shigeko paused for a moment. Then resumed her struggles with the clothes.
"I do not mind. It is the price we pay for progress, one of the perils of being a scientist. I am not the first nor will I be the last to be injured as a sacrifice to my work. At least I was not fatally injured. Surely, you understand the risks. Are you not a scientist yourself?" asked Shigeko.
"Oh yes, I know, " said Jeremy. "Very well, in fact. I work on Project Mesozoic with Heather."
"Ah, " said Shigeko. "Then do you not find dinosaurs attractive? Given your work and relationship with Heather I would have thought you admired and appreciated the beauty of their form."
"No, I wouldn't exactly call her beautiful," said Jeremy. He had grown rather fond of Heather, but he couldn't go so far as to call her that.
Shigeko walked out of the locker room. She was wearing some of Heather's gym clothes, a baggy shirt and sweat pants. Well, they would have been baggy on Heather. But they were stretched tightly across Shigeko. Her hips were much wider and she had developed more of a pear-shaped body. The spines lining her back had torn through the shirt, threatening to rip it apart entirely. But the writing on the front of the shirt was still clearly legible - 'Hot Stuff'.
Jeremy couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Do you find my appearance equally repellant?" asked Shigeko, placing her clawed hands on her hips.
Jeremy quickly stifled his laugh.
"No, no. I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that shirt is a bit silly," said Jeremy.
"Well, I didn't have many options. This is the only thing that would fit, " said Shigeko, tugging on the shirt. "Maybe I should try something else..."
"You look fine. They can tailor something better for you later. But we better get back to the lab. I am sure they are very eager to begin their examination of you," said Jeremy.
Shigeko and Jeremy silently walked down the hallway back to the lab. Shigeko got quite a few stares from the shocked members of the Horizon Labs staff that crossed their path. Jeremy could tell it was making Shigeko uncomfortable. Jeremy felt sorry for her and a bit guilty.
"Listen, I think you might have misunderstood me earlier when I was talking about Heather's appearance," said Jeremy as he continued to walk. "The truth is, I don't think Heather or any of the other Animalians are ugly or repellant. I really don't care about looks. With time, beauty fades and you are left with nothing but personality. I care much more about a person's mind than how they look," said Jeremy.
"I can't say I disagree. I have never really cared much about how I looked to others. All that mattered to me was my work. So it doesn't really matter to me now. Although it may be difficult to continue my work with these, " said Shigeko, clicking her clawed fingers together.
Jeremy scoffed. "I wouldn't worry about it. After what happened to you, I bet Horizon Labs will bend over backwards to keep you happy. They will probably give you a whole squad of lab techs do all the dirty work for you."
Shigeko sighed.
"But the bench work is the most fun," said Shigeko sadly.
"Tell me about it. The paperwork can drive you nuts and I can only stand to read journals for so long," said Jeremy. "My name is Jeremy Green by the way. Pleased to meet you."
"I am Shigeko Tokage. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, " said Shigeko, bowing a little.
They resumed walking down the hallways. Jeremy suddenly stopped.
"Wait - you wouldn't happen to be the same Shigeko Tokage that presented that paper on Axolotl genetics at the National Scientific Symposium a few years ago? I loved your lecture - it was brilliant!" said Jeremy with some excitement.
"Thank you," said Shigeko, blushing a little.
"I know this is poor timing, but I was wondering if I could pick your brain a little. I have hit a roadblock in my work on the Mesozoic Project and I think you might be able to help me," said Jeremy.
"Wouldn't you rather consult with my mentor Dr. Miyamota?" asked Shigeko.
Jeremy smiled. "I read your thesis. It is pretty obvious who designed this experiment and I could use your help. I'll make it worth your while - how about dinner? My treat!"
Shigeko looked down at her monstrous hands.
"I don't know," she said nervously.
"You wouldn't be the first dinosaur I shared a meal with and your table manners couldn't be any worse than Heather's. Come on. Are you going to make me beg? Please," said Jeremy, holding his hands in prayer and looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.
"Well, my duty is to my mentor and our project," said Shigeko. "But he hasn't forbidden me from collaborating with anyone."
Heather and Jeremy stopped in front of the door to Dr. Miyamota's laboratory. They could already see a clean-up crew scrubbing the floor of the lab and decontaminating it. Dr. Miyamota was talking to some other scientists, but quickly waved Shigeko in when he saw her.
"Well, I guess I better get back in there," said Shigeko nervously.
Jeremy peaked around her and peered in the lab. He saw the cold expression of Dr. Miyamota and his staff. "Listen, if you ever want to talk about anything - science related or not - my door is always open. And my lab is just down the hallway."
Shigeko smiled. She looked like she was about to say something. Or maybe kiss him? Jeremy couldn't be sure and he was terrible at reading signals. Instead she just waved to him.
"Thank you very much, Jeremy, " said Shigeko as she disappeared into the lab. "For everything."
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It was impossible to keep the accident with Shigeko a secret for long. At first there was a large public outcry against Horizon Labs.
But Shigeko did her part to mend the reputation of the company with multiple public appearances. She explained to all the news outlets that she held no animosity towards Horizon Labs and did not fault them for her condition. She explained that despite all safeguards, science can still be dangerous and mistakes can happen. But that was part of the sacrifice all good scientists made in the name of progress, putting their lives on the line to better mankind. She reminded the people of other great scientists who had suffered for their work, including Marie Curie, Louis Slotin, Michael Faraday, and Robert Bunsen. But she did not consider her new body to be a burden and had quickly come to appreciate her converted form.
Of course, Congress politicized the issue, using the public's fascination with Shigeko to divert attention from more serious issues. They pretended to act tough and requested more safety precautions, tighter regulations and more oversight of the Animalian virus and any associated research projects. Horizon Labs eagerly complied, happy to submit to their demands as long as it allowed them to keep their labs open and working.
Interestingly, in Japan Shigeko became somewhat of a celebrity, a mini-kaiju brought to life. Websites were littered with fan-art and fan-fiction. There were even rumors of an anime in the works.
But Shigeko didn't care. All that mattered to her was her work. She made appearances when requested by Horizon Labs, but spent the rest of her time in the lab, hard at work.