Peoria's zoo wasn't as big as many others, and the variety of animals it had on display were not as big as some of the bigger zoos in the in the country. In fact it largely worked as a sanctuary for animals in need of a good home. Though all of them were exotic animals, lions, tigers, leopards, chimpanzees, various snakes, including venomous species, various lizards and other animals that people had bought and then found they couldn't feed them and sold them to the zoo, or had the zoo through the ASPCA seize them, or gotten killed by their pet and the police and ASPCA took custody of them, and then donated them. It was odd, that people would somehow buy these animals, but maybe now that would die out... or course it would probably also mean that these people would take Leona's serum and BECOME these animals.
And either way, I wasn't about to complain really. The zoo charged a fairly modest admission to take care of the animals and to maintain a staff of professionals to do so, including vets, who Molly was there to see. We slowly approached the ticket booth on the outside part of the area. The ticket seller jumped for a moment when he saw us approach, but he did manage to recover.
"Hello," Molly spoke first, "You probably don't get this all too much, but I'm here to see the vet, actually."
"Uh... are you sick?" the teen asked nervously, sounding like he didn't know what to say.
"No," Molly answered, "I'm here for my shots. The vet here gave me my first set when I was transformed. It's now time for my booster shots. She would know me as Molly Rhoer."
"I see," the teen said slowly, "well, the office is in the back, but you will have to pay admission to get in... sorry it's the rule."
"It's alright," I nodded and pulled my wallet out. After fumbling with it for a few moments, I managed to pay the admission to let us in.
We were let in and we walked quietly through the zoo toward a larger office building toward the back of the facility. As we moved along we passed a few enclosures with mundane big cats in them. Those that came the closest seemed to take interest in Molly's scent, though they tended to look more aggressively at me, if they looked at me with any interest at all. Molly seemed to ignore it, but a good part of me wanted to give them a good warning that Molly was my mate and not theirs.
"Just let it go, George," Molly spoke after a few moments, "as far as they know, I am a female and they need to figure out if I'm in heat or not."
"I don't like them sniffing at you," I commented.
"Just remember, George, you and I can leave the zoo," Molly answered, "they can't. You can mate with me. They can't. And I know the difference between you and them."
I nodded and walked along beside her.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reaching the back of the zoo, Molly and I entered a more official looking building, like it was reserved for administrators and such. Normally, it was probably off limits to zoo visitors, but with the Animatrix Serum now on the market, though heavily regulated by the government, these places would likely double into clinics for the "growing" animal-person population since the vets at these facilities were now the only ones trained to deal with the alterations in their DNA.
We entered the building to find a secretary going over a series of papers. She barely looked up from her work as Molly and I approached the desk.
"I'm afraid zoo guests are not allowed here," the secretary spoke, "if you need to use the restroom, the public facilities are clearly marked, if you are in need of customer assistance, the guide staff at the front office will be more then happy to help you."
"I'm not here as a zoo "guest"," Molly spoke, "I'm actually here as a patient of Doctor Ketzel."
"Patient..." the secretary commented in a confused voice and looked up to see Molly and I there.
"It is time for my booster shots," Molly spoke as the woman blinked in her seat for a moment.
"Oh... Ms. Rhoer, the one transformed by the Animatrix Fun House," the woman nodded in recognition, obviously remembering when Molly got her first set of shots, "and a date... has he taken the serum or...?"
"It's Molly Wayne, now," Molly answered, "this is my husband, George... and no he hasn't ordered any of the serum from Leona Washburn. His transformation was related more to our wedding night... and let's just say it wasn't exactly quiet."
The secretary nodded and looked at a sheet of paper on the side of her desk and then nodded again.
"Ah, yes," the secretary spoke, "Dr. Ketzel is expecting you. I'm afraid that if your husband needs his vaccinations you will need to schedule a different appointment."
"I've already received my first set and aren't due for booster shots until next January," I told her, "and we have a local vet that has done that for me."
"Okay then," the secretary nodded, "You may go along... do you need company, or can you do it alone?"
"I would like to have George come with me," Molly spoke, "is that alright?"
"It is no problem," the secretary spoke, "You remember where Dr. Ketzel's office is, right?"
"Yes, thank you," Molly nodded.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Molly and I arrived at Dr. Ketzel's office quietly. The doctor turned out to be a middle aged woman who was working on something on a computer. Molly quietly knocked on the door, gaining her attention.
"Ah, Ms. Rhoer," Dr. Ketzel spoke, "and a guest, I see. Has he taken the serum?"
"Not as part of the recent lawsuit," I spoke, "my transformation was more of an accident..."
"Oh, what caused this "accident"?"
"Our wedding night," Molly admitted nervously, "this is my husband, George Wayne. And don't worry, he isn't due for boosters and we have a local vet that has been helpful."
"Our wedding night wasn't the accident though," I added, "it was the transformation that was an accident."
"Of course," Dr. Ketzel answered, "and does your vet have any familiarity with the Bengal Tiger?"
"Beyond the various diseases that felines in general are susceptible to, no. He's a general vet treating pets and livestock in Columbia Falls. The closest species to me that he sees is a Domestic Cat," I responded, "but he has made a lot of calls to those who are. It's the best we can do."
"I see," Dr. Ketzel sighed, "hopefully the man knows his stuff... or can learn. The two of you have become magnificent beings... beautiful, strong, agile... and I've devoted my life to caring for the medical needs of the great cats."
"I'm sure we'll do fine," I commented, "he may not work with the big cats everyday, but he's been willing to do research to help us."
"Good," Dr. Ketzel gave a soft smile, "I'd hate to hear that such magnificent beings came down sick and died from improper care."
"There is no threat of that," Molly assured her, "None at all."
"Good," Dr. Ketzel nodded and turned to a small tray on a table behind her, "you have to kneel by my desk here, as you did last time, and we'll get to giving you your shots."
Molly nodded and knelt down, and laid one arm on the desk while Dr. Ketzel retrieved the first needle for the first injection.
"We'll need you to right down the specific vaccinations you've given me," Molly spoke, "as well as the number of boosters needed. So our local vet can do them next year."
I watched as Molly flinched a little as Dr. Ketzel injected the first needle.
"Of course," Dr. Ketzel answered as she removed the needle, "although he probably should already have access to the right drugs already."
"I'm sure he does," I told her, "but they may different variations of the same vaccine."
"All vaccines are the same," Dr. Ketzel replied, "but I'll give you the list and instructions all the same. I'll even add in my cell-phone number so that he can always get in contact with me."
"Thank you."
"Anything for my best patient," Dr. Ketzel gave a smile again.
"Best?" I wondered.
"We generally have to tranquilize the ones outside before vaccinating them," Dr. Ketzel replied.
"Oh," I nodded, realizing that a mundane tiger or lion was not likely to allow someone to poke it with a needle.
Dr. Ketzel continued with the process of giving Molly her booster shots. When that was finished, she handed Molly and I a slip of paper with the instructions for the next set of booster shots, as well as the list of vaccinations. At the bottom was Dr. Ketzel's number. We thanked her and let her return to her work. She wished us a good day as we went out the door.