Jeremy didn't have to wait for long.
"Whoa ..." said the girl softly.
Dr. Stein couldn't help but smile. It looked like the project was going to be a success.
"Yes, tell us how you feel - for posterity, " said Dr. Stein, pointing to the camera.
"It tickles, " said the girl, looking down at her legs. A thin layer of brown fur was spreading down her thighs. She lifted her shirt and watched it race up her abdomen and under her shirt. She hesitated to lift the shirt higher and look underneath. They were all soon distracted by a loud cracking noise coming from her feet. Clawed toes stretched and tore through her small black boots.
"Damn, those were my favorite boots!" said the girl.
"Well, we did warn you to remove your clothes, young lady," said Dr. Stein.
The girl gave him a dirty look. She opened her mouth and was about to scold him when she suddenly stopped, blushing and leaving her mouth silently gaping. She lowered her shorts and reached behind herself to free a small stubby tail. It waved back and forth behind her as it grew longer, the tip getting thicker and fluffier with each swish.
The changes gradually seemed to stop, leaving her upper body unchanged.
"Is that it? It looks like the process is a failure, " said Jeremy.
"Have a little patience, Dr. Green, " said Harold.
The girl looked a little uncomfortable as the men continued to stare at her. Her tail swayed nervously behind her. She began to scratch at her forearms and neck.
"Please remain still for the camera," asked Kirana.
"I can't," hissed the girl. "It itches too much."
Jeremy watched with fascination as the skin on her arms and hands turned darker and tougher. At first he thought it was a result of the scratching. But as the skin grew mottled and yellow, he recognized the talons of an eagle. Jeremy considered restraining her hands, afraid what damage they might do to her neck and chest. But in the end he didn't have to. The girl held her hands out for inspection as her nails changed to sharp claws. At the same time, the tiny pin-prick size feathers rapidly grew larger and more numerous. They soon spread around her neck and over her scalp, completely covering her head in snow white feathers.
The girl opened her mouth as if to speak. Then she appeared to gag and cough. As she grabbed at her throat, continuing to hitch and gasp, her jaw stretched out from beneath her lips. As the bone grew thicker, longer, and more yellow, it pushed her lips further and further back. Her nose and teeth faded into the bone, replaced by her growing beak.
She gasped loudly as her beak finished growing. The scientists expected her to speak, but she only grunted. Her body was not finished changing. As she closed her eyes tightly and strained, two large wings erupted from her back, pushing down her shirt and exposing her chest. Jeremy noted with some amusement that she had not removed all her piercings as requested. The wings grew at an astonishing rate as she continued to flap them, till they were over half her height, with the arches above her head and the tips below her knee.
"Can she...?"
"Oh no, purely ornamental," said Dr. Stein. "It would be impossible for her to fly. She is too heavy. We considered hollow bones, but they would have been too weak to support the weight of her musculature."
"Can you pose for a picture?" asked Kirana.
The girl sulked and complied, but not before flipping off the camera.
()
"Can I get paid now?" said the girl gruffly.
"Of course, of course. But don't you want to get a look at the new you first?" asked Dr. Stein. He led the girl over to a mirror. The girl paused and stared in awe, reaching out to touch her reflection as if to assure herself it was real.
"Cool, I'm a gryphon," said the girl with a sly smile.
Suddenly she turned around and wrapped her arms around Jeremy's neck, pressing her half-nude body against his.
"Thank you, Doc. It wouldn't have been possible without you. How can I ever thank you?" she asked.
Jeremy was flummoxed. Although the gryphon girl was almost a head shorter than him he still felt like she had control of him. He stood mutely before her.
The girl smiled and kissed him, her short beak forcing its way into his mouth. This spurned Jeremy to action and he gently pushed her away.
"Um, thank you, but no. Sorry, not interested," said Jeremy.
The girl shrugged her shoulders.
"Suit yourself, " said the girl as she turned away from him. She laughed a little as her tail tickled his nose. "Let me know if you change your mind."
Kirana suddenly appeared by his side and led the girl away.
"Come on, Gilda. Let's get you vaccinated. Then you can collect your payment and be on your way," said Kirana.
"Yeah, Gilda got paid. Gonna party hard tonight, " said the girl with a smile. "I can't wait to get totally wasted. I'm a gryphon, bitches!"
Gilda, thought Jeremy as he watched Kirana lead her away. That can't be her real name. It has to be a joke.
"Kirana! Get a blood sample before you vaccinate her!" yelled Harold. He slithered after them. "Excuse me, gentlemen."
Jeremy was still shocked.
"I can't believe it actually worked," said Jeremy softly.
"Well, we can't be sure yet. There is always a chance that she might revert back to human form. Or one of the two species may dominate and replace the other. Only time will tell, as you know from what happened to your sister. But we will keep a close eye on her," said Dr. Stein.
"You have no idea what you have done. You have opened Pandora's box. Now everybody will want to be a so-called mythical creature using this technique. Dragons, chimeras, Pegasus, maybe even something like Cthulhu. They will destroy Animalia, not to mention the world," said Jeremy. "You have doomed us all!"
"Ah, don't be so melodramatic. It took us almost a year to complete the process for just two animal species. It will take even longer to analyze the genome of another set of animals and find the proper combination of genes to silence and activate. Not to mention we are still limited by the laws of physics, physiology and reality. It would be impossible to create some combinations, like a horse that could fly, because it would be impossible for their wings to support their weight. And giant creatures like dragons would perish on their own, unable to sustain adequate blood flow through their massive bodies," said Dr. Stein. "Now, if you'll excuse me I need to arrange a press conference to announce our success. Thank you for your help, Dr. Green."
Jeremy stood alone in stunned silence. He was still angry that his work had been perverted and abused. But, maybe he could use some of what Harold had discovered to help return his sister to normal. Jeremy quickly rushed out of the lab to see if he could catch up to Harold.
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Gilda the Gryphon quickly became a media sensation. People were disappointed to learn that Horizon Labs had suspended all applications to project Chimera until Gilda's conversation had proven to be stable. Because she had been vaccinated, it was impossible for Gilda to convert anyone else.
But she didn't mind. Gilda was much too busy partying and having a good time to bother looking for a mate or starting a family. Much to the embarrassment of Horizon Labs, Gilda turned out to be a poor spokesman for the Chimera project. Although she did not break any laws, her outlandish behavior earned her a reputation as a 'bad girl.' Her hard drinking, dirty dancing and attendance at wild and risqué parties was well documented by the tabloids.
Gilda quickly lost popularity among parents and children, but young adults loved and admired her. She developed her own fan club and was trying to use her infamy to secure some kind of reality television show.