The rat creature known as Subject Zero was very fascinating. Not only was he more feral than the other Animalians, but he also possessed a healing factor that could apparently restore him from death. There certainly was a lot from studying Subject Zero and his clan. However, leaving these rats in their primitive state was too big a risk, not to mention unfair for their matriarch, Mary Piper, who had already suffered enough abuse. After enough blood samples had been taken for the scientists to study the proto-virus more extensively, the king and queen of this clan would be given a second dose of the refined version.
There was a bit of uncertainty that the refined version would have any effect. One one hand, the rat creatures were basically single-dosed Animalians, if not straight out animals. On the other, there was no way to be certain that they didn't count as double-dosers. There was also the possibility that the proto-virus would cancel out and destroy any attempt of the refined version to correct the DNA strands. But ultimately, the risk was agreed to be taken.
Mary was a lot more compliant when they took her to a testing room. Jeremy's talk had all but dashed her hopes of ever becoming human again. She couldn't even bring herself to hope that the refined virus would cure her, but at least it'll make her less of a freak, at least by Animalian standards. Subject Zero, on the other hand, was a handful. The rat creature still had a hostile attitude towards humans and tried to attack any of the scientists that came close. Even when Judy tried to get close, he still slashed at her. It wasn't until Heather roared at him that Subject Zero was subdued into complacency.
"Came here to gloat?" asked Mary half-heartedly when she saw the theropod hybrid.
"I'm just here to see things through," said Heather, slightly baring her teeth.
"Your boyfriend's safe from me. I don't think anyone is going to mess with him again after this," said Mary.
Soon, both rats were in their separate testing rooms. Judy administered the virus injection to the temporarily-cowed Subject Zero before quickly leaving. Mary offered no resistance, allowing the scientist to stick the needle into her.
They waited for a relatively long time. After about 20 seconds, there were concerns that the virus wouldn't work at all. But then Mary said, "I'm starting to feel funny." After that, her growth became a lot more noticeable. Her height was increasing quite a bit now. Mary had been a rather short woman before she was turned into a rat and her height hadn't changed then. But now she was growing into the average height of a woman with no signs of stopping soon. Her body was also changing shape. Mary had a rather flabby body before and living for a year in the sewers did not do anything to improve it. And after giving birth to so many offspring, her belly was still noticeably baggy and her breasts sagged a lot. But now the skin was pulling tighter across her belly as her breasts began to regain their perkiness.
As Mary reached and passed the 6 foot marker, her body's changes intensified. Muscles that had never been prominent became defined before swelling. Her once-sagging belly had hardened into chiseled abs. Hips expanded outwards as her ass became rounded with muscle. Her breasts were swelling up larger than they ever had before. It was clear the process was very arousing for Mary now, given the way she was moaning and how her nipples were so prominent now.
Eventually, the changes stopped and they left Mary Piper a very impressive figure. From a scummy little rat creature barely a few inches over 4 feet, Mary had become a full-figured rat Animalian of 7 feet even. Not only was her curves expanded to amazonian proportions like many Animalian females, but her muscles had bulked up to what could easily be in the heavyweight class of bodybuilding. Mary looked at herself in the reflected glass of the two-way mirror. "Wow," she said, posing her enhanced body, "If I knew this was what I'd look like, I'd have gotten myself another dose a long time ago."
"Interesting, very interesting," said Dr. Stein thoughtfully. Then they turned their attention back to Subject Zero. His transformation was just as successful. He had also grown up to seven feet even and his muscle mass was clearly in the heavyweight class as well. By this point, Dr. Stein was so used to seeing naked Animalians, that Subject Zero's erect penis (which befitting a rat, was rather large) didn't bother him at all. "Subject Zero, can you understand me?" asked Dr. Stein.
Subject Zero looked up. His face was no longer that of the psychopathic monster that was considered a failed experiment. The feral features had been softened and there was a true light of intelligence in his eyes. "It's Jack," said the uplifted rat, "Please... call me Jack."
An MRI scan on both of them soon proved that the mental degradation caused by the proto-virus had been completely undone, but the psychological scars were still there. In particular, while Mary saw Jack as a vast improvement over Subject Zero, as well being attracted to his improved body, it would still be a long time before she could forgive him for what he had put her through. Though both of them had been effectively cured of their psychosis, they would both need a lot of therapy before they could enter Animalian society, not to mention have to answer for their crimes.
Their offspring were soon given a similar treatment. The refined virus not only uplifted them from the semi-feral states they had been in, it also repaired the genetic damage that the inbreeds gained. Though keeping track of all them was a bit of a problem, considering there was so many of them and the uncertainty of who was the offspring of who. But the rats all agreed to see each other as siblings, with the exception of those who the females had not given birth to yet. But as soon as they were born, they'll be healthy like their mothers and many uncles and aunts.
A new communal house was to be built for the Piper clan as the rats slowly reintegrated with Animalian society. Though such a house would be a temporary home for some. Once fully educated, some of the rats will most likely be sent to the Animalian colonies. Not just to keep from being too many rats in one place, but also for some much, much needed expansion of their gene pool. But that won't be for quite some time now.