Whether or not this can be considered canon within the overall series is up to the discretion of future contributors, but I thought it might be an interesting possibility, hence posting it as an interlude.
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As Emily and her sister Evie were taking a smoking break while contemplating further sexual activity with both themselves, Mike, and Lucas; others were vastly interested in current events surrounding them and their friends.
"Progress report?" one man in a dark suit asked another.
"The field test results so far are beyond our wildest dreams," answered the second. "Between the program we sent to Test Subject Zero's phone to trigger the nanites and mutagenetic chemicals within the cigarettes we supplied the test zone, along with their own desires and urges; everyone affected is in some stage of transformation. Take a look," he added, while calling up the latest figures on a laptop computer.
Emily - Cow - 55%
Evie - Cat - 39%
Nate - Pig - 30%
Kate - Fox - 37%
Eli - Bull - 50%
Meera - Dog - 42%
"We still haven't quite figured out why female test subjects seem to transform slightly quicker than males though," added the second man. "Yet Test Subject Zero, aka Emily, has added two subjects to the experiment since we began," he said, pointing out the new names.
Tom Sadler - Updated - Stallion - 4%
Melissa Cooper - Updated - Rabbit - 7%
"And the people not affected?" wondered the first man.
"Either they don't smoke, haven't smoked enough to build up the internal prerequisites to undergo transformation, or have yet to interact with Test Subject Zero to have her initiate the nanite programming. After all, we certainly couldn't notify anyone in advance as to what was going on, let alone give the girl any instructions."
"The proverbial point of no return?" the first man asked.
"50%, unless you give up smoking and abstain from any of the trigger behaviors, like sex, for at least a month before reaching that point to let the chemicals and nanites naturally flush out of your body. Our antidote has been successfully tested up to 80%, although some of the control lab subjects still maintain some animal characteristics even now, weeks after they've been declared otherwise cured."
"Why?"
"Personal desire? Wishful thinking? We're still studying that," admitted the second man. "It's still hit or miss with each subject in regards to whether they become full animal or an anthropomorphic being too."
"Same reasons?" asked the first man.
"Probably. As I advised before initiating the controlled laboratory phase, not only is every human being an unique individual, but each have different desires and fantasies; whether or not they ever acknowledge their existence in any way, shape, or form publicly or privately."
"So some people might secretly want to be just an animal, while others might privately harbor a desire to become an animal person?"
"That's pretty much what it boils down to," agreed the second man. "Orders?"
"Continue monitoring and supplying our cigarettes to the local markets, but otherwise let the field test proceed without interruption or interference. One way or another, we're going to save this planet, whether the inhabitants willingly cooperate or not."