Testing Grounds – Chapter 1

Set in a near-future science-fiction story, a doctor makes a breakthrough in gene therapy that has world-changing applications.  Away from prying eyes, he tests his discovery on an unsuspecting young woman and documents her changes.

 

May 23rd, 2057 11:24 am PST

Like a spy cloaked against its enemies, three small spiked shapes danced unnoticed by the neighboring cells floating in the culture dish.  Dimmed light from the monitor lit Dr. Campbell’s face while he watched the movement of the magnified sample.  Computers hummed in the darkened room, providing power to the algorithms that automatically tracked and recorded the specimens.

Dr. Campbell cleared his throat before speaking.  “Allie, begin recording.  Adenovirus infection test number 689.  This sample is from batch 23-A and I’ve recoded to hopefully prevent the previous disruptions of the cell wall.  I’ve introduced the virus into the sample of cells and am- hang on, here we go.  Allie, mark affected displayed cell as a-1, please.  ”

One of the spiked viruses attached itself to a cell and Dr. Campbell watched quietly as the tiny structure decomposed after delivering its payload.  Mentally, Dr. Campbell counted slowly while watching the larger cell.  When he passed ten seconds, he smiled; when he reached thirty, the normally restrained man felt like laughing.

“Allie?”  The doctor said out loud.

A soft feminine voice purred in response.  “Yes, Dr. Campbell?”

“Status on a-1, please?”

The small array of computers silently ran a series of tests while he waited.  Once completed, the AI gave its report.  “A-1 shows the modification as described in your test case scenario, Dr. Campbell.”

“Beautiful,” the man whispered.  “Now…  Allie, I need an assistant.  Please create a listing for me.  Maximum of $5000 for the budget and I want precedence given to the local university listings.  Male or female between 18 and 25 with some experience in biology but nothing beyond either simple interest in the subject or high school classes required.  Give the advertisement a seven day lifetime.”

“Yes, doctor.  The postings have been created and I’ve debited your account for $4503.  Shall I keep you notified of potential applicants?”

Dr. Campbell tapped his nose in thought.  “A daily reminder is fine, Allie.”  On the screen, only one adenovirus was left and he watched it attach to another cell.  “I need a cryo injection on the samples.  And disposal.  Have my car ready and notify my office that I’m on my way.”

“Yes, doctor,” Allie responded.

Dr. Campbell stood and knuckled his back.  “And, Allie, once the samples are disposed, please roll back to the save point created at 7:00 am this morning.  That includes all data.”

A faint hiss announced the destruction of the samples currently on display.  Dr. Campbell watched as the small tray was carefully lifted by a delicate metal arm.  Five seconds later, a cheerful ‘ding!’ sounded over the room’s speakers.

“Good morning, Dr. Campbell,” Allie announced.

Following routine, the man answered.  “Good morning, Allie.”

“Dr. Campbell, you’ve received two emails regarding applications for an assistant’s position.  I’ve located advertisements listed in eleven different resources on the Internet.  Would you like a summary of the applicants and their qualifications?”  Dr. Campbell could almost hear the frustrated surprise in Allie’s voice; a frustration that could never exist in her electronic brain.

“Not at the moment, Allie.  Please set up a daily notification at 5 pm.”

“Yes, doctor,” the voice replied.

—–

The young woman in front of the large glass desk fidgeted nervously and Dr. Campbell watched while she did.  The girl alternated between biting her lip, rubbing her hands and setting her hands on her lap.  Her eyes strayed to the large animal sitting alertly at the side of Dr. Campbell’s desk.  She was an average looking girl with a small chin and a slightly pointed nose.  Her blond hair was held back in a ponytail and her hazel eyes darted nervously around the room.  Without makeup or revealing clothes, she’d fade into any crowd; neither pretty nor ugly.

“So,” Dr. Campbell said.  The young woman jerked minutely, bringing her eyes back to the man.  “Trisha, isn’t it?  What do you know about our company?”

Trisha swallowed and then bit her lip again before answering.  “There’s not much I could find, actually.  Umm.  You, well, your company, Alpha Gen, I mean, works with animals-”

“Wolves,” Dr. Campbell interrupted.

“Y-yes,” Trisha continued.  “Wolves.  You work with wolves.  And, umm, gene therapy.  So, not much?  The search bots all came up with the nearly the exact same mission statement.  It was, umm, sparse.  No history of the company, no products, no list of employees or anything.”

“And?  What do you think we do?”

The young woman fumbled at her fingers in her lap and then glanced at the wolf again.  “I- I think you modify the wolves in some way.  Probably government work.  Maybe stronger?  Faster?  More loyal?  For the police and such?”

Dr. Campbell stared at the woman and she wondered if she’d made a mistake by asking a question.  “You are basically correct in your assumptions.  I founded this company with Dr. Schneider and we’ve done an immense amount of work with the canine genome and are pioneers in identifying key aspects of the genetic code and either encouraging or discouraging certain aspects of the genetic code.  All according to our client’s specifications.  As you’ve said: strength, speed, loyalty, obedience, fearlessness, aggression and more.  We were the first to fully sequence and understand the common wolf genome and we’ve only grown our understanding from there.”

The silence stretched between the two as Trisha wondered if she was supposed to say something.  Again, Dr. Campbell allowed the woman to squirm uncomfortably.  He’d always been fascinated by the little tics and mannerisms people displayed under pressure.  Even more, he enjoyed having power over people.  As with the animals, asserting control needed to be done quickly and firmly.  A gentle ping signaled an incoming secure, bringing Dr. Campbell out of his reverie.  The almost invisible, razor-thin bone conducting speakers near his ears relayed Allie’s voice to him without letting the young woman know anything was happening.

“Dr. Campbell,” the AI said.  “I’ve completed my initial research.  Trisha Renee Adams.  Born August 3rd, 2038 at Mercy Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.  Her parents both died in a car accident when she was five years old.  The incident was blamed on the flaws in the third generation of fully auto-piloted vehicles.  She lived in foster care from that point on.  Her psychological profile shows her as insecure, submissive and easily adaptable.  She was raped four years ago by her foster father but, when questioned by police, she dropped the charges.  Further investigation on my part shows a link between the father, Terence McMillan, and the local precinct.  Nothing was filed but they moved her to keep suspicion from developing.  The University of Washington was her first and only choice of college.  Rental agreement records show she moved here from New York one week ago.”

“Do you like animals, Ms. Adams?”  Dr. Campbell asked.

Trisha’s face positively glowed as she answered.  “Yes!  I love animals!  Especially dogs.  My family, well the family I lived with when I was ten, had a husky and I spent all my time with her.  I’m actually starting at UW for veterinary medicine next quarter.  I’d love a chance to work with dogs… I mean wolves while going to school.”

Dr. Campbell smiled.  “Well, Ms. Adams, I do believe you’ll get your chance.  The job is yours if you want it.”

—–

August 9th, 2057 6:17 pm PST

The contoured black chair creaked as Dr. Campbell leaned back, massaging his temples.  “Allie, prep another sample.  Rotate to batch 83-d and mix when ready.  I want solution number six standing by in aerosol form this time.”

Allie responded immediately.  “Yes, doctor.  Estimated completion time in two minutes, thirty-three seconds.”

Machinery moved, whirring and hissing as samples were destroyed, removed and exchanged.  So close, he thought.  Twenty-three years of work and I’m finally so close.  The affected cells respond to the virus and the code is stable.  Why won’t it activate?  What am I missing?

Allie’s soothing voice filled the room.  “Doctor, the solutions are ready.”

Still with his eyes closed, Dr. Campbell answered.  “When the payloads are all delivered, activate the aerosol.”  Barely twenty seconds later, the older man heard a faint hiss as the solution was released into the enclosed area containing the culture dish.  After a few minutes, Dr. Campbell leaned forward to look at his display.  His eyes widened in shock.  “Allie! Replay from the beginning!”

The doctor’s display reset itself and he watched as the viruses delivered their tailored payload.  The time at the bottom-right of the display flickered as milliseconds passed.  After seventy-four seconds, the cells began dividing at a frenetic pace until the fluid in the dish was entirely drained.

Swallowing to clear a suddenly dry throat, Dr. Campbell stared at his screen.  “Allie, what is the status of the cells?”

It took nearly a full minute for the powerful AI to respond.  “All cells carry the modified genes, Dr. Campbell.”

“Oh my god.  Allie!  I did it!  This-  I did it, Allie!”  Dr. Campbell stood from his chair.  “Allie, warm up the back areas and wake up the rats.  Start the bacteria working on more of solution six.  I’ll need at least five gallons of it.”

—–

Trisha sighed.  Two weeks since my birthday, she thought.  And I still haven’t worked up the nerve to talk to anyone.  So, here I sit doing paperwork.  They promised animals!  Although… wolves?  I’ve never done anything with wolves before.

Glancing at the corner of her monitor, Trisha noted the time and then rubbed her eyes.  “Cecilia?”  Trisha called out.

“Yes, Trisha?”  Alpha Gen’s AI answered.

“Could you please have a public car called for me?  I’m going back to my apartment.”

“Yes, Trisha.  Transit responds with an arrival time of 4 minutes, 24 seconds.  I’ve informed your apartment AI of your arrival in approximately 12 minutes.  Have a pleasant evening, Ms. Adams.”

“Thank you, Cecilia,” Trisha said.  The young woman collected her bag as she left her desk.  Cameras with an array of sensing equipment worked to track her progress.  Soft overhead lights silently powered down as she left various areas of the empty office.  Trisha stepped outside to wait for her car.  Bicycles raced past in their designated lanes while public and private cars wove around each other.  Trisha stepped to the curb and watched the flow of traffic while she waited.  Seattle was slower than back home but she preferred it here.  Less people, less in-your-face noise and activity.  She’d often felt like she’d had no room to breathe on the east coast and escaping here seemed like the best option.

A small red and white car separated from the stream of traffic.  She watched as it gently and noiselessly parked next to her.  She was used to the color pattern of the public cars by now but the image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left no doubt.  The small, smooth oblong shaped car dinged cheerfully as she approached and the front of the car pushed up and forward, exposing the single cushioned seat within.  Trisha carefully arranged herself and the car closed around her with a faint hiss.  The five point restraint system settled solidly around Trisha and she closed her eyes against the feeling.

“Breathe deeply,” she reminded herself.  “Slow and steady, in and out.  Slow and steady.  Slow and steady.  You’re okay.  You’re okay.”  She felt her heart racing as the car pulled away from the curb to insert itself into the flow of traffic.  Seven years ago, a foster family decided that they would physically restrain her when they felt like she’d misbehaved.  For two years she’d lived them, screaming and crying for hours when they left her tied up all night.  Even now she still panicked from something as simple as a car restraint system.

A soft female voice spoke over the car’s audio system.  “Welcome to King county public transportation with partial funding from Google.  Please, visit their website for more information.”  The limited intelligence of the cloud based AI paused as it looked up her information.  “Trisha Adams, would you like to view top news stories listed as relevant based on-”

“Yes,” Trisha hissed through her teeth.  “Anything to distract me.”

Unseen to her closed eyes, a small video appeared on an overlay of the front window.  A male voice, not human, spoke over the muted roar of a large crowd.  “Protestors and human rights activists clashed with Russian police this morning over recent remarks made by Russian president, Alexander Putin.”

The seasoned voice of the simulated news host was replaced by a dour, heavily accented voice.  Trisha couldn’t understand Russian but the English translation followed the speech.  “Homosexuality is an aberration of society.  I will round up all suspected homosexuals and-”

Trisha waved her hand to the right and the news feed vanished.  Maybe not anything, she thought.  The rest of the ride was nearly silent and the young woman focused on her breathing.  She’d often wondered why the car ride itself didn’t bother her but she thought that perhaps she was too young to remember anything about the crash that took her parents.

Her car announced her arrival and Trisha eagerly exited when it opened for her.  She hurried through the front door of her apartment complex and then up the two flights of stairs to her room.  The door registered her arrival and opened automatically for her.  She pulled it shut and then lay back, nearly gasping in relief.  She could still hear the sounds of people outside but they were outside and she was home and safe and by herself.

“House,” Trisha said (she always renamed her shared apartment AIs to ‘House’).  “It’s too bright in here.”  The windows darkened and the overhead lights dimmed slightly in response to the command.  Trisha made her way to the small bathroom just inside the door.  With deft, practiced moves, she removed the small amount of makeup she used.  Mostly to hide her nearly constant fatigue; sleep never came easily to her.

After a quick look in her small closet, Trisha grabbed her favorite pair of cotton pants.  Rummaging further, she found an oversized black shirt and then quickly changed out of her work clothes.

“Rocket ship jammies?   Check,” she said to herself.  “Old tattered comfy shirt?  Double double check.  Now where the hell did I put my tablet?  Ah!”  Trisha pulled her tablet from under a stack of papers and then settled in under her blankets on the narrow bed she used.  Detaching the small stylus from the device, the young woman resumed her calculus coursework with a sigh.

Two hours later as the sun finally set, Trisha received a small message notification on her tablet.  The message was from Cecilia at Alpha Gen: Ms. Adams, tomorrow you will be working with Dr. Thompson and her training group.  Please arrive on time at 7 am.  Trisha smiled.  Dr. Sheila Thompson worked directly with the animals.  She’d seen a few more of the wolves by now but she’d not yet had the chance to interact with them.  It’d taken a bit of time but she’d overcome her fears after watching the large animals calmly walk around the facility.  Never once did one of the animals step out of line or misbehave.  She was fascinated.  They were larger than wolves she’d seen on video and they walked with a majestic, sure purpose.  None of them were on leashes but when a command was given, they acted immediately as if that was what they’d intended to do all along.

The night passed as it almost always did and Trisha eventually settled into troubled sleep.  She tossed and turned, muttering under her breath, fragments of old conversations becoming vocalized.  Begging to be let out, for someone to untie her.  Whimpering quietly, she woke as soon as the apartment AI slowly turned on the overhead lights to a comfortable morning level.  At the same time, it picked a random selection of her favorite Chopin and gradually increased the volume.  Trisha sighed and swung her legs over the edge of the bed as the windows lightened to let in a fraction of natural light.

“At least,” she grumbled.  “At least I get to finally see the animals today.”

—–

Dr. Campbell sat nervously at his desk.  It was an odd sensation for him and one not felt since completing his final thesis.  With a glance at the time (6:58 am) he stood and made his way to the front.  Allie whispered in his ear as Trisha’s public car pulled to the front and he forced himself to walk nonchalantly past the car.  The young woman seemed taken aback when she stepped out of the small vehicle.

“D… Dr. Campbell.  Good morning,” Trisha stammered.

“Ah, Ms. Adams.  Good morning.  I was on my way to the coffee shop when I got a call from Dr. Schneider.  Dr. Thompson was called away for a customer meeting and I’m told you were meeting with her today.  I’m sure I can find a few things for you to do around the office in her absence.”

“Oh, that’s… oh.  Okay.  Sure, that’d be great.”

The older man sighed sympathetically.  “I’d forgotten that you’ve been waiting to work with our wolves.  It is perhaps against procedure but, if you like, you could visit my home.  I have two of our wolves as guards while they wait for placement.”

Trisha considered her options.  She had no classes today so she could either spend an entire day staring at the screen or she could go out for some fresh air and actually see what the wolves were capable of doing.  All she knew about them was from a much sanitized presentation and the various bits of whispered gossip around the office and she was dying to learn more.  The only problem she had was Dr. Campbell.  He was remote and rarely around but, when he was, she felt nervous.  Something about him set her nerves on edge.  However, he hadn’t mistreated her so…

“I’d love to,” she told him.

Dr. Campbell felt a nervous tension leave his shoulders.  “Wonderful.  Why don’t you buy yourself a coffee and I’ll bring my car around and meet you when you’re finished.  I’ll be just a moment.”  Dr. Campbell watched Trisha walk away.  “Cecilia?”  He said out loud.

The Alpha Gen AI answered over the man’s private headphones.  “Yes, Dr. Campbell?”

The man talked as he walked towards the company’s small parking garage.  “Trisha Adams just met me outside and informed me that she’s leaving her position.  Could you please make an advertisement for a replacement and inform Dr. Thompson?  Also, please have my car meet me at the parking entrance.”

“Yes, Dr. Campbell.  Trisha Adams’ access rights are now revoked and I’ve updated our records.  Will you be in the office later today?  I cannot seem to find a record of your events.”

“No,” he told the computer.  “I have a potential meeting with the Seattle police department in one hour.  Non-official and it may be canceled.  If so, I may come back to the office or just take a day to myself and shop.  I do have my sabbatical coming up so I may just prepare for that, instead.  Allie will inform you of any changes.”

“Very good, Dr. Campbell.  Good luck on your meeting, sir.”

The parking garage gate opened and Dr. Campbell’s black sedan drove through the opening.  Dr. Campbell walked over to the driver’s side and the door popped open for him.  Taking the manual controls, he turned onto the street and drove the short distance to the small coffee shop three blocks from his building.  Trisha was waiting near the curb with a small iced coffee drink.  Dr. Campbell slowed to a stop and the passenger door opened.  The young woman settled into the leather seat and then buckled herself.

“Are you ready?” Dr. Campbell asked.

“Yes, sir!”

With a small smile, Dr. Campbell accelerated away and into traffic.  “Glad to hear it,” he told her.  “Very glad.”

“I’m surprised,” Trisha said.

Dr. Campbell glanced to the side.  “At what?”

“Well, that you’re driving.  I thought, well, no offense but I thought with a man of your stature, you’d rather let the car drive.”

“Ah,” the man said.  “No.  I like to drive, actually.  When the auto systems take over, you’re just a passenger and there’s no control.  There’s no variance.  The car takes exactly the most efficient path and adjusts itself to ensure the rest of the traffic also moves efficiently.  When I’m driving, the other cars move around me.  I pick the path and direction and how fast I want to go.”

“So you like the control, then?”

Again the man glanced sideways.  “Yes.  Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

The rest of the car ride was in silence as they sped along the interstate.  Trisha watched as massive concrete highways turned to tree lined single lane roads.  Houses stretched further and further apart as they drove deeper into the countryside until, finally, the doctor turned onto a tiny dirt road.  Large brick walls were partially hidden behind trees and bushes and the automated gate blocking their entrance seemed to be made of solid metal.  The doors swung open to welcome the car.

Just inside the gate was a massive red wolf.  Calm and serene, it watched the car pass.

“That,” Dr. Campbell said.  “Is Rex.  I’ve had him for a year now.”

The wolf’s head turned as the car passed.  “You said there were two of them?”  Trisha asked.

“Yes.  Umbra will be stalking us.  He always does.  Rex is there to let us know we’re seen while Umbra follows, hidden.  They will both follow us but Rex will always be visible.  He seems to enjoy it – making himself known.”  Rex frightened her immediately.  His eyes were hard and when the car had passed, the wolf simply stood and trotted alongside the vehicle.  The car rolled to a stop in front of a palatial three story house.  “Stay in the car for a moment.”

Dr. Campbell opened his door and stepped out.  He held his hand flat down and said in a clear voice, “I’m fine.”  Rex sat back once again.  “All right, Ms. Adams, you may come out.  Please come here to my side.”

Trisha slowly eased herself out, her eyes warily on the large wolf.  Stepping around the front of the car, she went to Dr. Campbell’s side.  Rex was even larger now that she stood in front of him.  The male seemed taller than any Great Dane she’d seen (the largest dog breed she’d seen in person) and far more muscular.  Rex’s ears stood tall and alert.

“Rex,” Dr. Campbell said.  “She’s a friend.  A guest.”  The man laid a hand on Trisha’s arm while she spoke.  “Now, Trisha, keep your eyes on his and give him your hand.  He had your scent when we pulled in but it’s symbolic.  Just keep your eyes on his while you do it.”

Trisha nervously held out her hand.  The wolf had beautiful eyes; golden with small shards of green.  She found herself caught in his gaze as she reached.  Dr. Campbell touched her arm again.  “That’s fine,” he told her.  “It’s just a gesture.  He’s not actually going to sniff at your hand.  We can go now, Ms. Adams.  I’ll give you a small tour of the house and then you can spend some time with them.”

Once inside, Trisha became lost as Dr. Campbell rattled off one piece of architecture after another.  Paintings and statues and rugs covered the entire house but all she could think about were the wolf’s eyes.  They seemed almost human to her.

“Ah,” Dr. Campbell exclaimed.  “I nearly forgot.  If you’re going to be working with the wolves I’ll need to give you a little inoculation.  It’s a simple precaution that we do for all of the handlers.  I myself received the same one.”

“Inoculation against what?”

Dr. Campbell shrugged.  “One of the enhancements in the wolves is a mild paralytic agent in their saliva.  We’ve seen that repeated intramuscular injections of the agent is able to cause tissue deterioration.  Of course, that was after hundreds of doses but why take the risk?  Make yourself at home while I find my kit.  There’s still a bit more to show of the house.”

Trisha looked around the large kitchen after Dr. Campbell walked away.  Everything was spotless and she envied him for the amount of space he had.  A large kitchen island dominated the center of the area.  Stainless steel pots and pans hung from the ceiling above the island.  Glass jars full of pasta and flour and dried fruits and vegetables covered a large area of counter space.  Trisha was examining a delicate helical sculpture at the center of the island when Dr. Campbell walked back in.

“Now,” he said.  You’ll want to sit for this.  There may be a brief period of nausea and sweating after the injection but only for a moment and then it will pass.  Roll up your left sleeve a little please.”

Trisha sat and braced herself.  The needle stung going in but the pain was engulfed in sudden warmth.  Spreading from the point of injection, the heat moved throughout her body.  Beads of sweat broke out all over and she almost wished she’d taken a change of clothes.  When the warmth spread to her head, the world spun around her.  Everything seemed upside down and wrong and then she felt a cool sensation on her cheek.  Trisha shuddered and then realized she had her head down on the tile of the kitchen island.  When she tried to move, the room spun dangerously again.

“Is it bad?”  Dr. Campbell asked.

“It’s… it’s…” Trisha’s tongue felt weird in her mouth and she had to force herself to close her eyes so she wouldn’t throw up.  “Don’t you remember yours?”

“It’s… different for everyone.  What does it feel like to you?”

“My tongue feels odd and thick.  Everything is too hot.  I’m sweating so much and if I move, I think I’m going to throw up.  Wait.  Wait, I think it’s better.”  Trisha gently moved and, when the world stayed in one place, she sighed in relief.  “Yeah.  Way better.  Holy crap, that sucked.  And I think I need a towel.”

Dr. Campbell smiled.  “I brought one just in case.  Now, I’ll show you my testing grounds.  Follow me.  I’m quite proud of it as I designed it myself.  Down the stairs right here.”  The man pointed to an open doorway set in a smooth white wall.  A stairway led down and out of her sight.

The narrow stairs frightened Trisha but the stairs and basement area were well lit so she just focused on Dr. Campbell until they reached the bottom.  The floors were smooth grey concrete and the ceiling was at least ten feet high.  The lights above were set into the ceiling behind a thick clear pane of glass or something like it.

“The first stop is the observation room.  Follow along, Ms. Adams.”  Trisha stepped into the small, dark room and then shivered.  Dr. Campbell continued.  “I have my own house AI and it is completely separate from the rest of the world, if I choose for it to be.  I’ve forked the Open AI source and made some of my own patches to the system.  Allie does a phenomenal job managing everything for me.”

A huge window looked into an even larger room.  A single chair faced the other room, set before a dark control panel.  The room was otherwise bare.  Dr. Campbell touched the control panel and it immediately came to life.  Graphs and virtual gauges covered the screen.  “I have control of everything in the adjacent room from here.”

“What do you do down here?”  Trisha asked.

“Everything.  The test room is a mixture of steel and concrete walls and that window is Tri-Tetra Glass.  Unbreakable by anything other than an artillery round.  I can disperse chemicals to test various effects on the wolves and we do psychological and aggressive physical testing from time to time as well.  Shall we?”

Trisha frowned as she followed the doctor to the door leading to the next room.  “Is it humane?”

“Well,” the doctor said.  “As humane as possible.  We’ve never had a death among the wolves and we have to have some way of testing our methods.  It is no worse than testing outside or actually using the wolves under combat conditions.  The difference here is that they’re in a room and no one is shooting at them.  They walk out alive and unharmed and prepared for their service.”

Dr. Campbell led Trisha into a small area between the observation room and testing room.  He closed a thin door and Trisha felt a moment of panic as she stood in the small space.  She jerked when a sharp buzzing sounded.  The room flashed deep blue and then the door leading to the testing room opened automatically.  This secondary door was at least a foot thick and both looked like the same material as the window.

They both stepped into a large, very well lit area.  The floor was a slightly spongy black material while the rest of the room was a smooth, somewhat reflective white.  The wall with the window was off-color compared to the rest of the room and completely opaque from this side.  Below that, was a large rectangular silver area on the wall.  Looking up, Trisha saw the same recessed lights as earlier.  Interspersed among the lights were small black holes.

“Now-”  Dr. Campbell began.

The house AI’s voice spoke clearly from hidden speakers.  “Dr. Campbell, you have an urgent call waiting for you.”

“Oh… all right.  Will you excuse me, Ms. Adams?  I’ll take care of this and be right back.”

“Sure.”  Trisha ran her hand along the smooth wall.  No joints, she thought to herself.  I wonder how much it cost to print this whole room?  I can’t- The young woman jumped when the door leading out of the room clicked shut.  “H- hey!”  She yelled.  The tiny room turned blue and then Dr. Campbell stepped into the control room.

Trisha strode over to the door.  “Hey!  You closed the-”  Oh, right.  He probably can’t hear me and the door has to close to let him out.  Of course.  Jesus, that scared the crap out of me.  Still, Trisha felt her heart pounding loudly in her ears.  The room smelled like chemicals with an undercurrent of something else.  Her mind conjured fears of entrapment – being stuck beneath the ground, forgotten by everyone.

“Trisha,” Dr. Campbell’s voice rang out through the speakers.  “I’m afraid I’ve lied to you.”

“Wha… wha… what do you mean?”  Trisha looked around wildly.  “Hey!  What do you mean?”

“I’ve planned this from the beginning, Ms. Adams.  Months ago.  All of that planning to lead you here now.”

Trisha hammered on the door and then watched in horror as the surface faded to the same off-white color on the other wall.  The door didn’t even vibrate under her blows.  “Hey!  Stop fucking around!”

“The shot I gave you earlier was no inoculation, Ms. Adams.  And I’m afraid I lied there as well – you’re the first human to receive it.  Decades of my own personal research all in one shot.  I’m not afraid to admit that I wasn’t exactly sure whether you would survive it.  But, here you are.”

“This… this isn’t funny.  Come on.  I get it.  Haze the new person.  Scare her a little.  Now open the door, doctor.”  Trisha looked around for the camera before remembering the window.  She couldn’t remember where the console was so she just stood in the middle of the large area.  She felt cold sweat along her hairline and in her armpits.  She tried smiling but the muscles in her face couldn’t seem to hold.  “Doctor, I get it.  Open the door, now.  Please?  Please, doctor?  Please open the door.”

“Ms. Adams, in the brief time we’ve known each other, you should know I don’t ‘joke around’.  Now-”

“YOU FUCKER!”  Trisha screamed.  Again, she slammed her fist against the wall and, again, she felt nothing give or move in return.  “YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!  THEY’LL FIND YOU AND ARREST YOUR SORRY ASS!”

“Ms. Adams, please, calm yourself.  I’m afraid you quit your position at Alpha Gen and there is a video recording of you talking to me outside the building this morning and then walking away.  Nobody is coming for you.  Nobody will know what happened.  You have no parents or family or friends.  Now, please, calm down.  It’s important that you remain-”

Trisha screamed, spit flying from her mouth as she slammed her hands on the wall.  She felt the pain in her hands but she didn’t care.  She screamed over and over until she could no longer breathe.  And then, finally, she laid her head against the smooth surface and gasped for air as tears rolled down her face.  “Please… please, doctor.  Don’t do this.”

“Ms. Adams, I already have.  There is no going back at this point.”

Face hot from tears and frustration and anger and exertion, Trisha whispered again.  “Please.”

“The next part is important,” the doctor continued.  The silver area in front of her slowly flipped open to reveal a black tray.  On top of the tray was what looked like a large white brick, nearly double the size of a loaf of bread.  “In two minutes, I will release a gas.  This will trigger the genetic mutations I introduced through the injection.  I don’t know what will happen exactly after this.  However, it is important to remember one thing through the pain and confusion:  you will need to eat something.  Your cells will be dividing at a monstrous rate and you’ll need to sustain them.  On the tray before you is a homemade nutritional substance.  It is nearly 60,000 calories and you may need the entire thing.  It doesn’t have the best taste but it is vital to remember it.  One minute left.”

“No,” Trisha moaned.  “No, no, no.  Please.  Please.  Please, doctor.”

“Thirty seconds, Ms. Adams.  Please remember the food.  Despite what you think, I wish you the best.  I’ll be monitoring everything from here.”

Trisha sank to her knees.  “Why?”  She asked.  “Why?”  She looked at her hands as they lie against her legs.  Everything was blurry through her tears.  With her heart raging in her ears, Trisha missed the gentle hiss as gas was released from the overhead system.

Time slowed as the seconds ticked mercilessly passed.  At fourteen seconds, she felt a sharp pain where Dr. Campbell had injected her earlier.  Trisha looked dumbly over at her arm and saw how her skin was red and puffed out around the area.  Trisha’s shock slowly faded as she watched reddish hairs push through the skin of her upper arm.  She could feel them moving through the flesh and it was not an unpleasant feeling.  The hairs grew longer and longer until she had an irregular patch of fur covering the injection site.  Trisha carefully touched the fur.  She could feel the ends of the fur lightly tugging at the skin of her arm.  Soft, she thought.  Like real fur.  Is that it?  That’s not so-

A sudden immense cramp radiated down from her arm to her fingers and Trisha’s arm convulsed from it.  The young woman grabbed her arm as it took on a life of its own.  She could feel things moving inside of her arm and it made the small hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention.  An intense headache bloomed behind Trisha’s temples and she felt her heart stop.  Gasping and in a panic, the young woman beat at her chest with her one good arm.  There was a kind of pressure deep in her chest – an aching pressure that made it hard for her to breathe.  Suddenly, her heart began beating again and it was a loud drum in her arms.  Blood sprayed from her mouth as an odd cough was forced from her lips.

Trisha’s heart was a suddenly enormous beast deep within her chest.  A wild creature straining against the small cage containing it.  Blood soared through her veins as her headache flared.  Everything seemed too bright and too slow and Trisha felt the urge to move.  To run.  To do something.  A deep flush broke out over her entire body and she felt her clothes become soaked.

“I can’t… I can’t… Oh Jesus!”  Trisha screamed.  Her left arm had settled at some point and she stared at it.  Hard ridges outlined solid muscles giving her an incredible definition.  She made a fist and tensed and watched as her bicep and forearm bulged, straining against her light skin.  Thick veins lined her arm and the patch of fur was darkened from her sweat.

The young woman leaned forward on her hands, panting from exertion.  Sweat soaked blond hair hung heavily down around her head and drops of the salty liquid dripped from her nose.  Trisha breathed shallow and quickly over and over and, before she realized it, she was panting.  Even worse, it seemed to help with the heat and she couldn’t stop it from happening.  Small tugs at the skin of her left arm brought her attention back to it.  More hairs pushed out through her hardened skin.  Down the length of her arm to the tips of her fingers she watched her fur come out.  Whether a side effect of the injection or from whatever was happening with her heart, time was slow for her.  She could see her skin opening to allow the hair to grow out.  Tiny little mouths spewing hair from her arm.  As she leaned on her hands, she noticed her left arm was several inches longer than her right.

Trisha grit her teeth, lips pulling back and the skin of her nose furrowing as a small growl rumbled deep within her body.  Her right arm ached and she knew what was about to happen.  Veins filled to near-bursting with insane pressure stood out but then twisted as her muscles shifted, breaking and growing over and over again.  The ache turned to stabbing pain as bones grew faster than her muscles and tendons.  This time she could see the arm growing longer.  She could feel the nausea-inducing way the bones ground against each other as they lengthened.  Trisha gripped at the floor and the bicep in her right arm flared, tensing painfully against her still-shifting insides.  The woman felt the creeping, itching, almost tickling sensation of her fur coming out along her left shoulder.  It was moving along to her right side but, before it could reach her right shoulder, her right arm fairly erupted with thick, shaggy fur.  She moaned at the sensation.  The feeling was almost orgasmic – like an insane itch finally scratched.

The heat inside her body was worse now and she was sweating even more.  Trisha wrinkled her nose and an odd chuffing sound escaped her lips.  The smell of wet dog filled the room.  She felt fur creeping up her right arm and it met the fur from her left side near the right side of her neck.  And then she couldn’t take it anymore.  She was soaking wet and the heat was intolerable.  Trisha gnashed her teeth and grabbed at the neck of her shirt.  She expected resistance and so was thrown off-center when her new muscles tore the shirt as if it were toilet paper.  The shirt landed wetly to her side and the sudden release and cool air felt good against her mostly naked skin.  Her nipples felt sore and hard against her wet bra.  She wanted to take it off but she knew Dr. Campbell was watching.

Hunger.

Sudden hunger hit her with unexpected force.  Although it seemed like the transformation had stopped, she felt something at the core of her being.  It almost felt as if her body didn’t fit properly anymore.  Her skin felt wrong.  But, beyond that, hunger.  Again, she grit her teeth and her lips pulled back.  Trisha sniffed at the air and groaned when she smelled the food on the black tray.

The food Dr. Campbell left for her.  “F… fuck… you…” Trisha said out loud.  She refused.  She saw the block of nutrients and refused.  Eating it meant giving in.  Eating that food meant the doctor won and she refused to let him have that victory.  Blood trailed down the corner of Trisha’s mouth and pink bubbles oozed with it.    Her chest hurt worse than she wanted to admit.  Her panting was ragged and it hurt every time she breathed in.  Trisha sniffed at the air again and another small growled rumbled in the back of her throat.  She’d never been so hungry in her life.  Blood dripped to the ground from her chin.

Trisha crawled on her hands and knees to the tray of food.  The smell was bland but she didn’t care.  Drool pooled in the corner of her mouth and mixed with the taste of blood.  I just… Just one bite, she told herself. Just one bite and that’ll help.  Oh god.  Just… just one… Trisha went to her knees and stared at the food.  It was solid white and smelled like barely anything at all.  A sharp pang tugged at her stomach and Trisha felt her ribcage crack.  She wheezed and a large bubble of blood formed around her lips.  Just…

Abandoning all manners, Trisha shoved her face into the block of food.  It tasted like semi-solid chalk and she wanted to gag but she couldn’t stop eating it.  She growled and gripped at the ends of the food as if it would escape from her.  She tore chunks out of it and barely stopped to chew.

The food fueled her transformation.  Starved cells suddenly came to life and her changes renewed.  Trisha barely noticed when the pressure in her chest lessened.  Such was her hunger that the pain of her chest expanding to contain her enlarged heart barely even registered.  Dense muscles grew around her expanding ribcage.  The bra covering her modest breasts strained over her larger upper body.  The small metal clasps at the end of the bra straps bent and then simply fell apart and the bra landed in her lap.  Trisha’s breasts were slick with sweat and her nipples appeared swollen, red and erect.  She did pause her feast when her spine pressed against the fur growing along her back.  Her spine stretched her skin as muscles pushed and moved to accommodate her new girth.  New nerve endings snaked their way down and around and she felt something small wriggling at the base of her spine.

A large chunk of food landed on the floor.  Trisha snarled at it and bent low.  Canine teeth scratched against the surrounding teeth as they pushed further from her gums.  Pieces of her blond hair fell to the ground around her as her tongue lashed out for the food.  Long and wider than it should be, her tongue touched the food and she pulled it into her mouth.  Bending even lower, she lapped at the crumbs, rumbling in pleasure as she ate.  Trisha sat up and rolled her shoulders, feeling the skin shifting beneath thick, wet fur.  Her muscles pulled at bones and she felt her shoulder temporarily dislocate as her back continued to expand.  The band of her pants pushed down to allow for a new growth – a thick stubby tail pushed the fabric aside as it slowly formed.  Skin and bone and nerves attached themselves to her spine and continued to push out.

All she knew was the hunger and the pain behind her eyes.  The block of food was half gone and Trisha continued to eat.  The skin of her breasts stretched and pulled her nipples down and to the side as they grew.  New lobules grew within her breasts and they became engorged and heavy and full.  Her areola increased in size and Trisha moaned between bites.  She wanted to rub at her chest, to massage the ache away but she couldn’t stop eating.  Even when her stomach muscles cramped, she kept taking bites out of the tasteless food.  The skin along Trisha’s stomach tightened as she widened.  Rows of hard muscles formed the typical six pack of a season athlete and sharp, defined lines pointed from her sides directly to the mound above her vagina.  Small, light red hairs grew down from her belly button in a line to her smooth vagina.

Trisha’s tail swayed behind her and she could feel the muscles working in her lower back.  But, her hunger distracted her.  The food was almost gone and she was still hungry.  Unseen to her, the skin along Trisha’s nose darkened to a deep black and then the color fled down to her lips.  Inch by inch her lips darkened to the same color as her nose and the itching within Trisha’s gums intensified.

The flesh of her hips dug hard into her blue jeans and Trisha grunted in pain.  Fabric strained and stretched as the woman’s hips flared.  It hurt but she was almost done eating and refused to do anything about her clothing.  The skin of her nearly flat ass strained and stretched as muscles furiously developed, readying her body for the powerful leg muscles she’d soon develop.  Trisha’s modified cells were telling her body that she was built for running and it was forcing those changes on her along with everything else.  The fabric around her crotch tore first and Trisha sighed in relief.  Her ass cheeks continued to push against the jeans as they grew and the rip widened, spreading behind her as the jeans separated in two.  Her soaked black panties were pulled tight between her pussy lips.

Trisha leaned in to the empty tray and her long, flat wolf tongue lapped at the left over bits of food.  She held herself over the tray and her swollen, sweaty breasts pressed against the cool metal.  Once the crumbs were cleaned up, Trisha looked around the floor.  Falling to her hands and knees, she pressed her pebbled, black nose to the ground, sniffing for errant pieces of the nutrient block.  Her tail, now two feet long and thick with fur was held high above her torn pants.  With her ass raised, she was exposing herself to the observation room.  Her straining panties did nothing to hide her swollen pussy lips from view but all Trisha cared about was finding more food.  The ground was littered with her blond hair and she barely noticed when she accidentally ate pieces of her hair in her search for food.  The fur from her back slowly grew up her bare neck while she crawled along the floor.

A small tear in the top of her jeans announced the expanding muscles of her thigh.  Trisha stretched her leg out behind her and her calf muscle flexed.  The back of her jeans ripped as it tried to contain her growth.  Her other leg followed and she growled in frustration.  Can’t… food… where… food… She thought, fumbling at the words.  Her right foot hurt.  She was used to the pain now – her thoughts were more animalistic and it was easier to ignore certain things but her foot still hurt.  She looked behind and watched as a sharp point cut through the front of her left shoe.  She felt something happen to her toes and more sharp black points opened her shoe.  The bones of her feet pushed at her flesh and her feet nearly exploded out of the shoe.  Her left pinky toe pulled back as her foot elongated and widened.

Trisha felt fur growing on her legs.  With an almost tickling feeling, fur sprouted from her thighs and lower legs, sliding against the fabric of her blue jeans.  Thick reddish fur pushed through the various tears in her jeans.  The clothing bothered her but she couldn’t think of how to get it off.  Pressure in her right foot made her smile.  The wolf had asserted dominance and she was pleased to finish her true form.  A song was being sung deep in her body.  A song of what she should be.  What was right.  Her frail human body wasn’t right.  It wasn’t right to not have a tail.  To not have claws to tear.

To not have teeth to kill.

Trisha’s jaw cracked and she howled in real pain.  Thick black wolf-like lips expanded and she spit broken, bloody teeth from her expanding muzzle.  She wanted to growl and bite and howl at the same time.  New teeth pushed through her gum line, some in existing holes left by old teeth and some cutting new holes.  She spat blood again and again as her muzzle filled out and then she howled even louder when it finished.  Her breathing was harsher, deeper now and she licked the blood from her lips with her long tongue.

The world was awash with new colors and heightened contrasts and Trisha looked out into the world with eyes the color of molten gold.  Fur continued to creep up along her scalp and down her naked muzzle.  Atop her head, the fur grew inches longer than the rest, as if a mockery of human hair.  Through the thicker fur, her ears expanded.  Whistling sounds crashed with other, nearly inaudible sounds as her ears grew longer and wider until they ended in a sharp, furry point above her head.

More tears opened in Trisha’s blue jeans as her legs thickened.  She clearly heard the faint snap of her panties as they finally gave in to her expanded figure.    Her jeans hung on to her legs but her crotch was completely bare to the world.  Trisha stood on wobbly legs and then looked down.  Her feet were now thick paws.  Her toes were bunched and oddly shortened in proportion to her feet.  Deadly black claws tipped each toe, even her old pinky toe, which was now high on her foot.  Trisha’s tail wagged behind her.  Thick and red and bushy with fur.  Her headache faded but her thoughts were still slow.  Trisha cupped her large breasts, feeling their new heft.  She could see fur creeping along her sides from her back.  Reddish with black strands.  Trisha’s fingers were shortened like her toes when compared to the size of her hands.  She hadn’t noticed when her fingernails had fallen off but she did bite back a snarl as skin split open at the tips of her fingers.  Her body’s cells asked the question and her body answered:  what kind of a wolf doesn’t have any claws?  Hardened black shapes came through the wounds on her fingers.

The palms of her hands – paws now – darkened into a rich black color.  Trisha touched the bottom of the paw with one of her new claws and she felt the thicker skin.  Now the fur from her sides continued down to meet the fur on her thighs.  Trisha’s pussy disappeared behind a tuft of red fur.  White hairs mixed with red as a line of fur sprouted between her breasts.  A curious sensation made her look at her lower belly.  More and more white hairs pushed through the skin of her belly but she caught a glimpse of her skin bubbling as tiny nipples appeared.  Six nipples appeared in rows down her stomach.  Small at first, they expanded until they matched the size of the nipples on her engorged breasts.  She touched one and felt it harden under her attention.  Below the skin of her stomach, new ducts and tissues developed until her new nipples were properly wired.   The white fur on her belly moved as the lower breasts grew slowly into small a-cup sizes.  How can you feed your pups if you don’t have enough nipples?  Her body asked.

And then, it was done.

Trisha stood a little over seven feet tall on her new paws.  Red and black fur lined her body but her stomach was nearly all white.  Her nipples and the bottom of her hands and feet were the only part of her that was left uncovered.   She ran her hands (paws, her body told her) along the length of herself and she felt the dense muscles beneath the mat of fur.  Her jeans clung to her massive legs in tatters.

I’m… wolf?  I’m… done?  Trisha grit her fangs and her ears and tail twitched in frustration.  I… remember.  I’m… Trisha.  Smart.  Doctor.  Doctor.  Campbell.  Trisha looked up to the off-white color of the wall.  There.  He there.

She roared and it was a thundering mix of a growling wolf and the roar of a lion.  Above ground, Rex and Umbra stood on all fours and howled in return.  Trisha heard their answer.  She spread her arms, bared her claws and opened her mouth to show her fangs.  It was hard to think.  She was angry and, on some level, she knew she should be but she also couldn’t turn it off.  She couldn’t make herself be reasonable and think of her situation.  All she knew was fighting.  Fighting and anger and killing.  Doctor, her mind thought.  Doctor fault.

Trisha launched herself at the window.  Her clawed feet dug into the softer floor and she slammed hard against the wall.  She felt it shake against her impact.  Again and again she hit the wall and her muscles bunched and moved under her command.  Striking and pounding.  She snarled and roared and slammed until she thought she might hurt herself.  And still the anger remained.

When gas was released overhead, Trisha’s sensitive ears clearly caught the hiss of the release.  No.  No again.  Again.  No.  Trisha ran on all fours, slamming into the far corner.  She hunkered down with her tail wrapped down and up between her thighs.  She stared at the ceiling in challenge, growling and growling and…

—–

Dr. Campbell watched as the young woman fell to the ground.  Not a woman any longer, he thought.  He held back his excitement as he watched her prone body.  “Allie?  Can you give me a summary?”

“Yes, Dr. Campbell,” the AI replied.  “The registered weight in the room reflect a delta of 166.468 kilograms following completion of the modification.  Scans show a height increase of 73 centimeters to the top of the scalp.  Analysis of muscular detail gives an estimated 5,600 psi of bite force.  The subject’s resting body temperature is 39.38 degrees Celsius.  Stress sensors in the wall measured an average of 38,000 newtons of force with a high point of 51,000 newtons.  All are within safety standards published by the manufacturer. ”

“Incredible,” Dr. Campbell muttered.  “But, too much.  Allie, adjust the coding and update the records.  I want a 25% reduction in muscle mass for future subjects.”  The doctor watched Trisha as she lie sleeping on the ground.  “Administer the counter, please.  How long will she remain asleep?”  The doctor asked.

“At her current weight, the subject will be awake in 22 hours, 9 minutes, Dr. Campbell.”

In the other room, the fur retreated from Trisha’s body.  Piece by piece, the woman regained her humanity while she slept.

“Correction, Dr. Campbell.  Accounting for the effects of the counter, the subject will awaken in 25 hours, 32 minutes.”

Trisha Adams lay naked and asleep in the corner.  Her legs were slightly hidden by the ruined fabric of her jeans.  She was human but much larger than when she arrived this morning.  Blond hair slowly pushed from her naked scalp as her human side reasserted itself.  Dr. Campbell felt himself grew hard while watching her.  Her breasts were easily twice as large as before and he could clearly see every single line on her now muscular body.  How delicious it will be to break her.

“Allie, when I’m upstairs, I want you to reset to the save point created at 6:30 am this morning.  Also, I want the basement completely segregated from your sensors.  Recording is to continue to the encrypted archives.”

“Yes, Dr. Campbell,” Allie replied.

The doctor gave one last look at Trisha before leaving the room.

—–

Early the next morning, Dr. Campbell touched the blank interface on the wall of his kitchen.  Once the code was properly entered on a completely blank interface, lines appeared on the otherwise smooth surface.  The entrance to the basement opened and he made his way downstairs.

“Allie?”  The doctor asked.

“Yes, Dr. Campbell?  I cannot seem to find your location.”

“Allie, create a save point.  Once done, you may open your sensors to the basement again.”

Dr. Campbell stepped into the small observation room.  Trisha was seated with her back to the corner.  Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping.  She wore the tatters of her jeans and shirt in makeshift clothes to hide her nakedness and the doctor frowned at this.

“Dr. Campbell, I’ve detected and created an interface with the observation room.  Who is the subject under observation, please?  I show no records of her.”

The doctor smiled.  “Alpha, Allie.  The subject is Alpha.  May she be the birth of many more Greek letters.”  The old man laughed at his humor and then pressed a small icon on the control panel.  “Trisha?  Trisha, can you hear me?”

Trisha’s eyes snapped open and she looked up.  “Doctor?  Dr. Campbell?”

The doctor’s voice surrounded Trisha.  “Yes.  I’m surprised you’re awake.  We underestimated the time.  Are you hungry?”

Trisha bit her lip.  “Doctor… please let me go.  I’ve… I won’t tell anyone.  I’ll just go away and I won’t tell anyone.  I swear.  I swear on my life.  Please just let me go.”

“Are you hungry, Trisha?”  The doctor’s voice sounded sterner this time.

“Please, doctor.  Please, let me go.”  Trisha could feel tears welling at the corner of her eyes and she hid her face away.

“One thing you must learn, Ms. Adams,” the doctor told her.  “I am in control here.  Not you.  I’m asking you a question and you must answer.  Are you hungry?”

Trisha hiccupped as she cried.  “Please, doctor.”

The silver area opened to expose the black tray from yesterday.  A part of Trisha’s mind leapt at the idea of food and then wanted to wail when she saw it was empty.  She was absolutely starving.

“Your first lesson, Ms. Adams.  You listen and respond immediately or you will be punished.  The first thing I will take away is your clothing.  If you want to eat, you will deposit all of the remains of your clothing on the tray.  Only then will I feed you.”

Trisha sniffled as the tears fell freely.  “Please, doctor,” she repeated.  “Please.”

Two hours passed before the hunger became too much for her to withstand.  Trisha Adams bawled as she walked to the wall in front of her.  “Please,” she begged, one last time.  “Please.”  With no answer, she stripped.  She peeled the makeshift pants from her lower body and then removed the simple strip of cloth covering half of her oversized breasts.  She gathered her old shoes and other pieces of clothing and then put everything on the tray.  She kneeled, covering her nakedness with her arms and hands as she cried.  The tray vanished behind the wall and Trisha waited.  After a few minutes, panic replaced her tears.

“Dr. Campbell?”  Trisha asked.  “Dr. Campbell?  You said there would be food.  Dr. Campbell?”

“Stand and uncover yourself, Ms. Adams.  You lost a piece of yourself more important than your clothing when you stood defiant earlier.  Men and women wear clothing and now you do not.  You’re nothing more than an animal and animals are not ashamed of their nakedness.  Now stand and beg for your food.”

Trisha’s cheeks turned bright red with shame.  “Oh god.  Oh god, please, Dr. Campbell.  Please don’t do this.  Please.  Please don’t.”  There was no answer.  Trisha winced as a knife-like pain stabbed her gut.  “Oh.  Oh god.”  She stood and removed her hands and waited, shifting her weight.  “Please, Dr. Campbell.  Please.  I’m so hungry.  Please.”

Slowly, the off-white paneling turned to gray and then silver.  It was a reflective material and she could see herself.  Her naked self.  Shame burned hot in her cheeks as she looked in the mirror.  Begging for food.  She was heavily muscled and, if she were alone, she might touch her breasts just to see if they were real.  She could feel how big they were but seeing herself now – seeing what she looked like with these firm large breasts made it all the more real.  A thick tangle of blond pubic hair covered her vagina and a line of fine red hair trailed up to her belly button.  Another pain in her gut made her wince.  In the corner of her eyes, she saw a small collection of teeth.  Human teeth.  From yesterday before her change.  She looked back to the mirror.  Back at her tired, hazel eyes.

When the black tray reappeared, Trisha thought she could jump for joy.  Her happiness was deflated when she saw a much smaller version of the food from last night.  She almost spoke out but her stomach clenched again.  If I ask for real food, he might take it away.  I have to eat.  I have to, she told herself.  Trisha knelt and took a piece of the food.  It was as she vaguely remembered – tasteless.  Still, she hurriedly ate and the entire thing was gone in minutes.  The tray vanished back into the wall.

“Dr. Campbell, what-”  Trisha began.  She stopped when she heard the faint hiss of a released gas.  Immediately, she dropped to the ground, growling but she stopped when she realized what she was doing.  “Dr. Campbell!  Dr. Campbell!  Please!  What are-”

It happened again.  Faster now.  An intense headache settled behind her eyes and white hairs sprouted from her belly.  The ends of her fingers split and her fingernails fell apart as black claws pushed through her skin.  The tips of her ears elongated to points and then her ears continued to grow, pushing up and away as strands of her blond hair fell out.  Trisha gagged and then swallowed, tasting blood.  She swallowed again and her mouth was full of blood and her four canine teeth.  Trisha’s jaw cracked as her nose blackened to that of a wolf.  She screamed in pain, beating at the ground while her back convulsed, muscles stretching her back.

Dr. Campbell’s voice sounded smug and too-loud to her new ears.  “We are testing something different today, Ms. Adams.  Today we find out if the effects are permanent or if they fade away naturally.”

“Dr. Campbell!”  Trisha’s voice was deep and throaty.  “Please dooo–ooooowwwwllll!”  Trisha howled in pain as the bare skin of her tail rubbed between her expanding ass cheeks.  Fur grew out in patches along her body and she fell to her side in pain.  Have to… have to remember… Trisha…  I Trisha.  I’m.  I’m Trisha.  Trisha.  Oh god.  It hurts!  That… that fucking asshole!  I’ll fucking kill him!  I’ll tear his fucking heart out and drink his fucking goddamned blood!  I’ll… I… GOD!

Trisha howled on her hands and knees, head back and her eyes closed.  I… Trisha.  Fucker!  Kill him!  Anger took hold again, riding her body.  She looked and saw herself in the mirror.  Slightly bent.  Huge.  Covered in red and white fur with small traces of black mixed in.  Eight nipples lined her chest from her top breasts to the three sets of smaller breasts below that.  Her tail wagged slowly behind her.  Her tail.  Trisha howled again and then she leapt at the mirrored surface.  She raked down the wall and her deadly claws failed to find purchase as they skittered uselessly.  Growling, Trisha walked to the back of the room, hunched down and then ran on hands and feet, roaring until she was five feet from the wall.  She jumped, soaring through the air, turning at the last moment to let her massive shoulder crash against wall.  She felt it vibrate and shake and her ears twitched at a tiny metallic sound near the roof but nothing else happened.

Stupid.  So stupid.  I stupid.  Won’t work.  Won’t.  Work.    Trisha prowled the room on her hands and feet, tail swishing angrily behind her.  Kill him.  I kill him.

—–

“Dr. Campbell.  The last strike registered 83,000 newtons of force.  A sensor at the top of the wall reports a small hairline fracture but the material has already patched the gap.”

“It’s hardly believable, Allie,” the doctor said.  “Are you certain?”

“Yes, Dr. Campbell.  I have 23 independent sensors confirming the data.”

The doctor leaned back in his chair as he watched Trisha walk about the room.  Interesting that she chooses to go on hand and feet.  I wonder how much of her human side is left, mentally?  Still, what an incredible body.  “Allie, I’ll need the data from lab 2.  I may need to work the figures a little more.  That amount of force is more excessive than I considered.”

Dr. Campbell sketched figures and equations as he worked.  Allie modeled the theoretical proteins and ran tests in virtual space.  He’d found that she had a 75% accuracy rate compared to what actually happened in his lab and the virtual space saved time while mid-development.  When Dr. Campbell realized Trisha wasn’t moving, he looked up.  The woman was in the same corner as this morning but lying on her side with her head on her crossed wrists.  Her legs were splayed out behind her and her tail lay limp against her furry thigh.  Her large upper breasts pressed together beneath her but she seemed unashamed of them.  Dr. Campbell noted the time and bent back to his work.

Hours later, howling made him look up.  Trisha was reverting.  She was clawing ribbons out of the ground with her hands while her jaw shortened.  Human cells fought with heavily modified wolf cells: Of course I shouldn’t have a muzzle, her body tiredly explained.  Fur receded and the doctor assumed the cells were cannibalized by the process, giving her the fuel her body needed to change.  Howls turned to screams and eventually Trisha lay naked on the ground.  Dr. Campbell checked the clock again.  11 hours, 24 minutes, he noted with a yawn.

—–

Trisha felt the coolness of the black flooring as she lie panting on the ground.  She trembled with the memory of both changes.  The pain of them.  What they did to her mentally.  The anger.  Everything felt so different when she changed.  She couldn’t think straight and she just wanted to rage and break things.  Everything felt off and put her on the edge.  A gurgle in her stomach made her groan.  Trisha pushed herself up.

“Dr. Campbell?”

The doctor’s voice answered after a moment of hesitation.  “Yes?”

“I… I have to go to the bathroom.”  Trisha said, her face red with embarrassment.

“I see.  And? Ah, yes.  There is a hole in the middle of the room.  The ground is slanted and all waste material is funneled through there.”

“But-”

“Ms. Adams, I refuse to have a conversation with you sitting in the corner.  Come to the window.”

Trisha stood and walked.  She still felt awkward in this newer body.  She felt far heavier yet lighter than on her feet than before her change.  She’d expected her larger breasts to play hell with her back or balance but she barely felt their extra weight.  Muscles shifted along her body as she walked.

“Doctor, I-”  Trisha stopped and stared.  Below her breasts were six more nipples, each as large as the nipples atop her upper breasts.  “No,” she whispered.  “Oh no.  Dr. Campbell, I… Doctor… something is wrong.  Why do I still have these?  Why?”  The nipples were surrounded by small, round, darkened areola.  Trisha touched the last nipple on the right and felt how sore the skin was there.  The skin itself was softer than her stomach but otherwise the nipples lay flat on her hard belly.  The little nipple twisted, tightening as it hardened and she bit her lip.  It felt as sensitive as her original nipples.  Trisha looked up.  Golden eyes stared back at her and, now that she looked around the room, colors seemed slightly off.  Enhanced in some ways, lesser in others.

“I see them, Ms. Adams,” Dr. Campbell answered.  “I suspect it’s a compromise by your system.  An unexpected side effect.  Allie reports they are more than simply decoration; they’re entirely functional and capable of producing milk.  It’s fascinating, really.”

“Fasc… ‘Fascinating’?!  ‘Fascinating’?!”  Trisha screamed.  The young woman was suddenly furious.  Echoes of the wolf tingled along her nerves.  “‘Fascinating’, you prick?!  This is my body!  How fucking dare you?!  How fucking dare you, you dickless asshole!  Come in here and I’ll show you what’s fascinating when I rip your goddamn spine out of your back!  You fucking hear me?!”

Silence answered Trisha as she panted.  Seconds turned to minutes and then finally Dr. Campbell answered.  “It seems you need another exercise in humility.  You are no longer Trisha Adams.  You’re Alpha.  The start of a line of obedient, tailor-made soldiers.  You lose your name as you lose more of your identity.  You will learn to respect me.”

Trisha growled low in her throat.  “I know who the fuck I am.  Fuck you.  I’ll-”  The small door on the corner of the wall opened and Rex stepped through as the door closed behind him.  Trisha immediately crouched, eyeing the large wolf warily.  “What is this?  What’s he doing here?”  His red fur looks like mine.  Trisha grit her teeth.  Like the wolf.  Like her fur.  When I change.  Goddammit.

Rex stared at Trisha and then sat back on his haunches.

“One of the first things we studied when we worked with the wolves and their DNA was reproduction.  What better way to quickly breed animals if we controlled their reproductive cycle.”  The doctor paused and, when he spoke again there was a kind of maniacal glee in his voice.  “I can force your estrus phase, Alpha.”

“N… You’re out of your fucking mind,” Trisha said.  Her eyes never left the male’s eyes.

“Yes, actually, I can,” Dr. Campbell told her.  “I’ve tagged Rex with a chemical agent.  I expect you’ll start to feel the effects soon.  Of course, I have no idea if this will force the release of eggs or whether Rex can actually make you pregnant if you were currently fertile, but you’ll at least learn a lesson here and now:  you’re not in control of your body.  I am.”

Trisha backed slowly away from the male wolf.  “Of course he couldn’t get me pregnant,” she said.  “He’s a wolf.”

“And so, Alpha,” Dr. Campbell said.  “Are you.”

Trisha felt all eight of her nipples suddenly and painfully harden.  She moaned and fell to one knee.  A bright red flush crept up between her large chest, around her neck and to her cheeks but it wasn’t the blush of shame.  Trisha gasped and began panting.  Deep inside, she felt muscles loosen as she grew wet.  Not a simple feeling of sexual attraction; her pussy became flooded and she closed her eyes against the intense heat she felt.  “This,” she panted.  “This is impossible.”  Her traitorous left hand strayed to her pussy but Trisha made a fist and growled.  “No!  Fuck you!  F-  Oh god.”

She was burning.  Her entire pussy burned with need.  Looking down, she saw her vulva was swollen and red.  Her outer lips looked angry and full and puffy and she’d never seen them like that.  Her inner pussy lips were slick with her juices and they nearly glimmered in the overhead light.  She could smell herself and it made her even more turned on.  Her clit was exposed to the air and she wanted desperately to touch it.  To lick it.  To rub it and make the burning stop.  She needed to cum.  She had to orgasm.  Trisha fell to her hands and lifted her ass in the air.  Her pussy lips came wetly apart as her ass cheeks spread and Trisha groaned in need.  She felt juices trailing down her thighs.  “I… I won’t…”  she moaned.

“The lordosis reflex.  Alpha, you’re full of surprises.  I knew this would affect you but the extent of the modifications is incredible.  I wonder how long you can hold out?”

“Fu… fu…”  Trisha panted.  Her ass was still raised.  She knew she should get up but she felt so good where she was.  It felt natural and amazing.  Trisha reached under herself and pinched at a smaller nipple.  Behind her, Rex growled.  She looked back and saw the male’s thick red cock bulging out of its sheath.  It looked huge and red and smooth and delicious.  She could smell it.  She swore she could smell him somehow and she’d never wanted anything or anyone more in her entire life.  Her head buzzed with static and she tasted her own drool.  She was still on her forearms, large, muscular ass raised high, spreading her scent.  “Rex,” she gasped.  “Rex.  Oh god.  Rex.  Come here.”

The wolf stood and walked to her and she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.  The large animal sniffed at her ass and Trisha shivered.  No.  No, this isn’t right.  No.  Please, god, no.  Jesus.  Jesus.  Maybe he’ll use his tongue.  Maybe he’ll lick me.  Oh.  Oh, please.  Rex sat again and Trisha wanted to cry in frustration.  His penis was still out and she saw the bulge of his knot.  He was just a few feet away. Just… Just… Trisha went to the large wolf.  Crawled to him, hips swaying seductively as wolf instincts sang through her body.  And then the wolf’s penis was there and nothing else mattered to Trisha and her burning, aching pussy.

The young woman bent to Rex’s red cock and took him in her mouth.  Rex chuffed and licked her back while she sucked on his oddly smooth member.  She rubbed at herself and it drove her mad. Every single part of her pussy was intensely aroused.  Every single piece felt like her exposed clit.  She shuddered from the barest touch.  Rex grew harder under her attentions and she moaned when he nipped at her back.  It wouldn’t be so bad, would it?  She wondered.  It looks like a cock.  It looks like a man’s cock.  It’s just… it’s different.  But not that different.  I could just… I should….

Rex stood and Trisha tried to follow his movement.  She cried out and then her back arched, exposing her pussy again.  Rex trotted around to her back and Trisha closed her eyes.  She imagined a man behind her.  A normal man with a normal cock.  Hairy chest.  A nice beard.  Strong hands.  Thick, red penis bobbing, waiting for her.  Claws digging into her hips as he grabbed her.  Long tongue licking his lips.  Hand on the base of his cock, pulling the sheath back to expose his knot .  Growling through sharp teeth as he kneels behind me.  My tail against his chest as-

Trisha felt Rex’s hot cock against her ass and all thoughts flew out of her mind.  She frantically grabbed at him, ignoring his growls as she guided him to her wetness.  “FUCK!  YES!  OH FUCKING  YES!  JESUS!”  Trisha felt Rex’s rough padding and claws on her back as he opened his hips to pound into her.  He felt incredible in her; the best she’d ever had in her limited experience with men.  He hit all the right places and she pushed roughly back against him.  “Fuck me!  Fuck me, you fucking-  Yes!  Oh god!  Mount me!  Fuck me!  Fucking stick that fucking knot inside-”  Trisha pushed back hard and her swollen pussy took the wolf’s entire knot.  She threw her head back in a soundless howl and the wolf started making smaller movements deep inside of her.  Her upper body flared in a flush as a sudden unexpected orgasm rocked through her – a lightning strike down her spine.    Trisha tried to talk but couldn’t.  Rex continued to pound into her and Trisha mindless rocked her hips back, greedily taking every inch of him.  The knot at the base of his cock was driving her wild and she wanted more.

“FUUUUUCK!”  Trisha screamed as an even larger orgasm stormed through her body.  Rex’s knot found a place on her clit and she screamed in pleasure.  “Bite me!  Bite my neck!  Mount me!  Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck ohhhhhh-!”  Rex swelled and Trisha felt his hot cum drill into her.  It filled her and she howled as another massive orgasm rolled through her.  Too much!  Too much!  I… I… Smaller firecracker orgasms dropped Trisha to her stomach and she shook.  Rex was a heavy, furry, warm weight above her as her eyes rolled back into her head.

The world went black and silent.

—–

Trisha woke in pain.  Her whole body ached.  She looked around the room and found herself back in the corner she’d taken to calling home.  She lifted her head and sniffed.  Rex, a piece of her brain told her.  She closed her eyes and took his scent in deeply.  When she opened them, she found herself looking directly at the area where he’d mounted her.  Where she’d offered herself to him.  She smelled him and the scent of his dried cum.  But, she also smelled him on her.  In her.  Trisha groaned and sat up.  The six new nipples still lined her stomach and they lay lazy and flat.  She touched one and sighed at the feeling.

Raising her head again, Trisha sniffed.  No Dr. Campbell, she thought.  Must be night time.  I hope he fucking dies in his sleep.  Satisfied that she was alone, Trisha bent to explore herself more but then she stopped.  She had no fingernails.  In the middle of every single one of her finger tips was a small, black, slightly curved claw.  The top of the claw bulged out above the fingertip as if the tops were replacements for her fingernails.  She touched and pulled at one of them and felt how it was connected to the last finger bone.

“Well, shit,” she said.  And then, she immediately explored her mouth.  Her canine teeth were fangs.  They felt almost twice as long as they normally were and incredibly sharp.  The young woman stood and walked to the mirror to look for other changes.  Her eyes were still golden and, yes, her canines were proper canine teeth now.  The nipples looked the same as last time.  Other than the fingers, everything else looked the same.  Well, and the large amount of pubic hair she had.  She’d always kept herself shaved before.  Trisha looked down.  Her feet had the same claws as her hands but larger.  She could feel them touch and dig into the floor now that she noticed them.  What else happ-

“Oh no.  I remember.  I changed again.  He made it happen after Rex mounted me and I changed.  What… I can’t remember anything else.  What happened?  Goddammit.”  Trisha sniffed again and walked to the center of the room.  Sure enough, a hole lay in the middle of the room, nearly hidden among the black padding.  She knelt above it and pissed while trying to remember what she’d done.  Bits and pieces came to her.  She remembered the arousal fading and Rex slipping out of her.  The anger… trying to break the wall down again and then passing out.

Finishing her business, Trisha stood and made a slow circuit of the room.  It was perfect and seamless.  She might have had a chance if it’d been handmade but since it’d been printed, there seemed to be no weak joints.  Trisha huffed and then went to her corner.  She sat crossed legged with her head back and her eyes closed.

Deep within her body, she felt the wolf.  In small ways.  When she thought of the doctor, she wasn’t scared.  She was angry.  She wanted to fight.  Trisha ran through things she dealt with her entire life and it all felt different.  She no longer felt anxiety when she thought of being around other people; she felt aggressive.  When she pictured herself walking through a crowd, it wasn’t the meek little Trisha.  She pictured herself stalking through, waiting for someone to try something.  Where before she was ashamed of her naked body, she now could care less.  She felt warm and comfortable.  Who cares who saw her? What would they do?  Stare?  Try to rape her?  Let them fucking try now.  The doctor in his safe little room could look all he wanted.  For her to hide herself away was to be ashamed and scared and she wasn’t prey.  She wasn’t the one running.  She understood why Rex stood in the open now.

Rex, she thought.  She saw his red cock in her memory.  She remembered herself on her hands and knees and she pictured herself changed.  Behind her, Rex was changed, too.  Her mind compromised between her human form and his fully wolf form and she saw him half-human, entering her, mating with her.  Trisha gasped as all of her nipples tightened.  She could smell her wetness.  In her mind, she was on her back now and Rex had his hand on her throat and his sharp teeth around her nipple.  His rough tongue lashing at her, wetting her fur as she moaned, trying to form words to beg him to fuck her.  And then grabbing his arm and pulling, turning him over onto his back.  Snapping at him with a jaw full of death.  Sliding back and feeling his massive red cock beneath her.  Rubbing herself along his length as his claws held onto her hips.  He was huge in her daydream.  Finally, she reached down as she moved forward, lying on his furry chest.  All eight breasts rubbing in his fur, mixing with his sweat and scent as she pressed the tip of his pointed cock against her aching, sopping wet cunt.  And then pushing back, impaling herself on him, feeling his knot and then slamming down until her mate was knotted with her.  Howling with-

Trisha shrieked in pleasure as the electrical storm in her lower belly exploded.  Three of her semi-clawed fingers were deep in her pussy and she was massaging her upper breast with her free hand.  She jerked and then lost control of her legs, arching her back as she shook.  “Rex,” she gasped.  He was still fucking her.  Growling in her ear and she loved every fucking minute of it.  The more she was forced to change, the more she started enjoying the pain and that bled into her imagination.  Another orgasm came hard and fast as she pictured them both, half changed and fighting, biting, clawing and rutting like wild crazed beasts.

More orgasms followed and sometimes Rex was a full wolf.  And, once, she was a full wolf.  She could feel it.  She could clearly see herself on all fours as a wolf and it felt like freedom.  Her mate mounted her in that form and it brought a different kind of orgasm.  Slower and more gentle than the others.  Rex’s leftover scent made her image of him that much clearer.

Eventually, exhaustion took hold.  Settling on her side, Trisha sniffed a bit at the floor, luxuriating in the smell of Rex’s scent and her own cum.  Finally, she lie on her back and fell asleep.  No nightmares haunted the she-wolf while she slept.  Nothing in her past could terrify her any longer.  Not with the wolf guiding her.

—–

Dr. Campbell settled into his chair with a cup of coffee and looked through the window.  Asleep, I see.  Exhausted from everything that happened with Rex and afterwards.  Using the console, he magnified to note the change in her hands and feet.  He moved the view slowly up her body.  She was on her back – a significant change from her falling asleep hunched over, hiding herself.  One leg was propped up at an angle and he rubbed himself slowly as he stared at her vagina.  Watching Rex mount her yesterday was far more erotic than he’d expected.  The way she offered herself… the way she gave herself completely and unabashedly…  Further up he went.  Her lower sets of breasts still were flat on her stomach.  No further growths there.  Her upper breasts hung slightly to her sides and he stared again.  I wonder, do all her nipples feel the same?

The camera paused at her open mouth.  A line of drool ran down her cheek and he could see her enlarged canine teeth.  Another interesting change but not quite unexpected with everything else.

“Allie, please set a save point.  You may open your sensors to the basement once you’re finished.”

“Good morning, Dr. Campbell. I’ve detected and created an interface with the observation room.  Who is the subject under observation, please?  I show no records of her.”

Dr. Campbell sighed.  “The subject Is Alpha, Allie.”  The doctor reached for the microphone icon.

“I can smell you in there, Dr. Campbell.  And hear you.  The faint little buzzing of your voice.”

The doctor jumped as Trisha’s voice came in through the speaker.  He hadn’t noticed when she sat up but she now sat with her back against the wall and her right leg pulled up to her chest.  Her golden eyes stared nearly straight at him and the effect was unnerving.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz,” Trisha continued.  And then, in a false cartoon voice, “I’m Dr. Campbell and I can do whatever I want.”  The young woman sneered at him.

“How dare-!”

“What is it today, doctor?  Sex with an elephant?  To see if I can take it?  Maybe turn me into a mouse?”

Dr. Campbell sat back.  Who is this young woman?  He felt fear grip at him.  On screen, Trisha sniffed the air and grinned.  How dare she treat me like this?

“No.  Not a mouse, Alpha.  Why don’t we see if some starvation clears your head a little.  I’ll be back tomorrow.”  Dr. Campbell stood.  “Allie, when I’m upstairs-”

Trisha interrupted with a lazy smile.  “You don’t know what it’s like, do you, doctor?  All of this.”  Trisha raised her arms and her breasts lifted slightly.  “What did you use before me, doctor?  Did you even test it on something live?  Not humans, you said.  Not something that can think and feel.  She’s in me, doctor.  The wolf.  No, I’m not crazy, if that’s what you’re thinking.  I’m not talking about spiritual mumbo-jumbo.  Whatever you did to my cells – whatever science stuff you did, it’s a part of me.  She’s a part of me.  And she’s proud, doctor.  So proud.  You think it’ll break me if you send Rex in to fuck me?  You think that’ll shame me now?  No.  We’ve been talking, her and I.  I’d welcome it.  Send him without making me go into heat and I’ll ride his fucking cock until he fills me up.  And then,” Trisha paused.  Her tongue made a slow, lazy circuit of her mouth as her lips pulled back to show off her fangs.  “And then I’ll lick him clean.  You can watch.  You can sit in your little booth and jack off while he mounts me.  Because, doctor.  I am a fucking animal.  And I’m fine with that.  Meek little Trisha has grown up.  My heart roars in my chest and I feel the strength in my hands.”

Dr. Campbell finished his instructions to Allie and left.

—–

The next morning, Dr. Campbell watched as Trisha relieved herself in the middle of the room.  She was grinning again and he was coming to hate that tooth-filled grin.  When the woman sat back in her corner, he spoke to her.  “Are you ready to eat yet, Alpha?  Is your head clear?”

Trisha stared at the window with her legs folded.  Her eyes were slightly darkened but she was still smiling.  “My head has been clear.  You going to feed me?”

“Crawl to me like you crawled to Rex.  I’ll feed you then.”

Trisha laughed and her voice was deep and rough.  “Then I suggest you turn around and try again tomorrow, doctor.”  The young woman reached a hand between her thighs.  Her grin widened even further as she slowly rubbed herself.  With her other hand, she pinched a lower nipple, twisting slightly while biting her lip.  “Or stay and watch.  I can still remember the way Rex’s cock tested in my mouth, doctor.  How smooth it was.  I don’t think I’ll ever go back to human cock now.  Mmmm,” Trisha moaned, her head back.  She spread her legs open as she rubbed.  Her hairy pussy was wet with her juices and she stopped briefly to lick her fingers.

Dr. Campbell watched, transfixed by the image.  The young woman’s muscles stood out as she rubbed.

“Oh, fuck.  Fuck it feels good.  Whatever else you did, I think you got the pussy right because, shit.  I could do this for hours, doctor.  Oh.  Oh.  Shit!”  Trisha’s hips bucked as she came.  The young woman wiggled her wide hips slowly.  “Good bye, doctor.  Thanks for watching.”

Trisha’s grin haunted him the rest of the evening.

—–

It took a day and a half more for Trisha to crawl.  Dr. Campbell spent the entire next day monitoring her and when she finally collapsed in pain, he again told her the rules.  She crawled, head down, groaning in pain the entire way.  As she sat on her knees, head bowed, Dr. Campbell released the gas.

Trisha looked up and he could see the pain in her eyes.  “You said-”

“I make the rules, Alpha.  I control you and you don’t forget that.  Ever.  I control when you change and when you come back.  I control everything.”

The young woman growled and went to her hands and knees as she anticipated the transformation.  “Bring it on,” she said.  Although she howled and screamed through the changes, Dr. Campbell couldn’t wonder if it was less than before.  Can she get used to the pain?  Does she build up a tolerance for it or is it just less painful the more it happens?  When she finished, Trisha leaned forward on her hands and knees.  Dr. Campbell tapped his lip while he thought.  Every time before, she’s gone mad and tried to break her way out.  Now what is she doing?  Is she more in touch with the wolf part of her?  Or, is she just exhausted from not eating?

Dr. Campbell called out.  “Alpha, can you hear me?”  Trisha looked up in response.  “Stand up, Alpha.”  And, she stood.  “Good, very good,” he told her.  “Now I’ll feed you.”  Dr. Campbell sent the nutritional block and watched as she tore into it.  She looked fearsome and was exactly what he needed.  Only, perhaps she was too much.  Too fierce.  Too independent.  Too strong.

He left her in her wolf state while he modified the original code.  Markers identifying loyalty and muscle growth and intelligence were all altered in turn as he tweaked his formula.  Dr. Campbell was so caught in his work that he didn’t notice when Trisha had turned back.  Only eight hours had passed and so he assumed she’d been too weak to hold the form.  Now she lay on her back again.  Sleeping as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

The next time, she again refused to crawl.  This time it took almost three days for her to come to him.  And then two days the time after that.    One day.  And then, finally, half a day.

—–

Morning dawned somewhere far overhead and Dr. Campbell yawned in his chair.  Trisha sat against the wall with her legs out in front of her and her head bowed.  He watched her as he always did, tracing an imaginary finger along her body.  At night, in the sanctuary of his own room, he masturbated.  Not at the thought of fucking the woman, no.  He masturbated at the pure thrill of making this Amazonian beauty crawl to him.  Begging him.  Mewling and begging  because he told her to do it.  Naked and beautiful and compliant.  Molded.

“Alpha?”  Dr. Campbell asked.

Without looking up, the young woman answered immediately.  “Yes, Dr. Campbell?”

“Are you hungry?”  It was almost a ritual now and the older man enjoyed it immensely.  No fanged grins or disobedience.

“Always, Dr. Campbell.”

“Then crawl to me.  And beg.”

Without hesitation, the young woman went to her hands and knees.  She crawled and her hips swayed as rock hard muscles shifted in her back.  Stopping in front of the silver tray, Trisha kneeled and bowed her head.  “Please, Dr. Campbell.  Please feed me.”

“Alpha?  Are you human?”

“No, Dr. Campbell.”

“Do you deserve the same rights as humans?”

“No, Dr. Campbell.  I’m an animal.  I have no rights.”

“That’s right, isn’t it, Alpha?  Whatever I want you to do, you do, isn’t that right?”

Trisha hung her head lower.  “Yes, Dr. Campbell.  I just want to please you.”  When her food came, the woman tore into it like the animal she claimed to be.  As she had when she first changed, she went to hands and knees, sniffing for crumbs to lick.

Dr. Campbell felt the thrill of the moment.  Watching her submit, watching her do as she was told drove him wild.  She crawled around in front of him, flashing her vagina without a care as she fed.  The older man cleared his throat and leaned forward.  “Alpha?”

Trisha stopped immediately.  “Yes, Dr. Campbell?”

The man paused, considering.  With his hands off of the microphone icon, he called out.  “Allie?  Close off all sensors from the basement and sandbox yourself until I tell you otherwise.  Once finished, roll back to the save point created earlier this morning.”  Pressing the icon again, the man continued.  “Lie on your back, Alpha.”

The young woman, her back to the mirror, fell to her side and then rolled to her back.  Trisha placed her arms to her sides and spread her legs open with her knees bent.

Dr. Campbell stood from his chair.  His hardness pressed against his pants and he stroked himself as he watched the screen.  He hesitated briefly and then walked to the small, thin door between the two rooms.  His heart raced as the blue light flared.  With a gently push, the larger door automatically opened.

Trisha lay in the exact same place he left her.  The room smelled of chemicals and sweat and sex.  Dr. Campbell removed his shoes and socks.  He watched Trisha while he unbuttoned his shirt and, when she didn’t move, he pulled his shirt off.  He could feel his heart racing.  The thrill of having tamed this creature pulsed through him.  His pants and undershirt fell to the ground around his feet.  The air was pleasantly warm and his erection throbbed in front of him.

“Can you smell me, Alpha?”  The old man, asked.

“Yes, Dr. Campbell,” came the answer.

“Do you want me, Alpha?”

“I want whatever you want, Dr. Campbell.”

He went to her and he kneeled between her legs, triumphant.  Dr. Campbell reached out carefully to touch Trisha’s leg.  He could feel her increased heat from an inch away.  Slowly, watching her reaction, the man ran his hand from her thigh to the tangle of blond hair around her vagina.  From here he could see the red hairs mixed in with the blond and those red hairs traced up to her belly button.  A mix of the wolf and woman, he thought.  Above her belly button was the first set of Trisha’s nipples and Dr. Campbell’s hand touched the small circle of areola surrounding one of them.  The skin was softer than the taut skin of her athletic body; traces of the wolf’s breasts just waiting to develop.

Dr. Campbell bent to Trisha’s lower nipple and, with a delicate gesture, he gently licked at it.  Trisha shifted below him but otherwise made no move.  Emboldened, the man sucked her nipple fully into his mouth and he felt it harden under his attentions.  Around and around he worked his tongue over the fat nipple and Trisha moved above him.  Her curious partial claws dug into the floor as she restrained herself from moving from her spot.  Dr. Campbell reached up to pinch another nipple and then he simply ran his hand up and down Trisha’s flat stomach.   Muscle alternated with softer wolf nipples as he stroked her belly.  Trisha gasped and the man smiled around the wet nipple in his mouth.

Moving down, the man kissed the soft hair of Trisha’s mound.  And then, further to her vagina.  Dr. Campbell placed his thumbs against her inner lips and pulled, opening her.  She smelled sweet and he could see the shiny wetness deep within her pink hole.  “I thought about using the chemical agent I used with Rex,” the doctor told her.  “But, why?  When you’ve been beaten because of your base needs.  Your hunger.  You’re more an animal than I expected.”

She tasted as sweet as she looked and Dr. Campbell pressed his face between her lips.  His hand found her lower nipple and he pinched, pulling and twisting at it.  The man pushed back the skin covering her clit, exposing it and he nibbled at it gently.  Trisha moved above him and he increased his effort, swirling his tongue against her.  The soft flesh of her lower stomach was smooth in his hands and he cupped the little breast, his finger playing through the soft hair around it.  Massaging her breast, he moaned and then reached back to touch his hard cock.

A thought tugged at Dr. Campbell’s mind and he stopped.  The small breast…  He looked up.  Trisha had propped herself up and was staring at the man with her intense golden eyes.  The lowest set of Trisha’s nipples sat atop small a-cup breasts and were surrounded by white fur.  The man tried to pull away in a panic but Trisha’s hand magically appeared on the back of his neck and he couldn’t move.  She pushed him back down to her wet cunt.

With a growling deep voice, Trisha spoke from above him.  “Please don’t stop, Dr. Campbell.  You’re doing a passable job at it.  I thought I’d at least get a chance to get off a bit before I go.”

Dr. Campbell struggled but the woman’s strength was enormous.  Eyes wild with fear, he tried to push away from her.  With a sigh, Trisha rotated her hand until she held the doctor’s throat.  She stood in a fluid motion and Dr. Campbell came effortlessly with her.  The doctor struck at the arm holding him and Trisha laughed.  “Oh, doctor.  I thought it would take longer.  I thought I’d have to crawl for you more before you gave in.  Although, wouldn’t it have been just my luck if you were gay?  Or asexual?”

“H… h… h…” Dr. Campbell wheezed.

Soft white fur crept up Trisha’s chest, surrounding her eight breasts.  Red and black hairs sprouted from her arm and shoulder and Dr. Campbell gasped weakly when he felt her hand moving on his throat.  Sharp points pressed his skin and then moved slowly across his flesh as the woman’s claws grew in fully.

“How?  Oh.  How am I changing without your little gas?  I… unnnhh… Fuck.  I told you, doctor.  The… fuuuck.  That stings.  The wolf and I have been talking.  I don’t… unnh… I have control now and I’m starting to enjoy it, doctor.  Except-” Trisha grunted and shook her head.  Blond hair slipped to the ground and Dr. Campbell could hear bones cracking in her face.  “Except, this part still fucking hurts.”  Trisha’s mouth was suddenly full of blood.  She turned her head and spat; blood and teeth hit the ground with a sickening splat.  Further her face pushed out and, as it did, the skin of her lips and nose went from soft pink to gray to black.  Her breath felt like an inferno on his face and a small detached part of him wondered what her body temperature was right now.  She spoke and her voice was halting, broken and rough – nearly incomprehensible.  A few words made sense:  “… left…door…open…”

Throughout the pain of her face pushing out into a muzzle, Trisha’s hand never wavered on the doctor’s throat.  He tried speaking but only a small whistling noise escaped his throat.  Trisha leaned in and he felt her cold nose against his jawbone as she sniffed at him.  From where she held him he could see her naked, sweating back.  Her ass spread larger and muscles pulled at her spine as they made room for her new form.  The bones of her spine flared out in a wave and then bulged at a point just above her sweat-soaked ass.  The cells in her coccyx divided at an incredible rate in an effort to fix what they saw as a mistake:  We are no tail-less monkey.  We are a wolf.  Trisha sighed and moaned as skin slid against skin, moments before red fur sprouted from her thighs and ass.

When she first picked him up, Dr. Campbell’s toes touched the ground; now they hung completely off of the floor.  Little fireworks exploded in his field of vision.  Ever rational, Dr. Campbell found himself contemplating his end.  There are many, many worse ways to go than to suffocate, he thought.  He wanted to struggle but his body didn’t want to move any more.  Blackness appeared at the edge of his vision and Dr. Campbell estimated thirty seconds before he lost consciousness.  But then, miraculously, Trisha dropped him.

The old man fell on his ass, gasping for air.  His mind raced as he held his hands to his aching throat.  If he could talk, he could get Allie to-  The doctor felt pain in his throat.  Why am I looking at the ceiling? He wondered.  Why does my hand and throat hurt like-  The old man gagged when he saw the ruin of his left hand.  Half of the hand was missing and he could feel blood gushing out of his throat.  Trisha stood above him and her beautiful white furry stomach was tinged with dark red.  Her long tongue worked around her thick black lips as she cleaned blood from her muzzle.  He hadn’t seen her move.

Pain came to the doctor.  Real, physical pain and he tried to scream.  Bubbles formed in the large hole where his throat used to be.  Trisha looked down at the doctor and then turned.  Dr. Campbell turned to look at her, lips moving as he tried to plead with her.  To make it stop.  Trisha’s proud tail lay quietly against her ass and she walked out of the doctor’s eyesight, towards her corner.  Dr. Campbell wanted to turn to follow her but his body wasn’t working.  He stared, screaming in his head as his life ran out of him.  The last thing he saw was Trisha barreling through the open door, running on all fours with her tail streaming behind her.  Her sleek muscles rippled in concert and then, he saw no more.

—–

Trisha stood in her corner.  Home, she thought with a smile.  The door at the other end of the room was open but the outer door was closed.  She dropped to her hands, feeling all eight of her breasts sway beneath her.  Crouching slightly, she dug her claws deep into the ground.  And then, she pushed and she was away.  Trisha tucked her head slightly before she hit the outer door and it shattered on impact.  She rolled and came up in a wary crouch.  The control room was empty and quiet but her ears twitched as she listened.  Silence welcomed her.

Slowly, the young woman padded out of the room and up the small stairs.  Once in the kitchen, she paused again.  Now what? She asked herself.  Ah.  Here.  Trisha closed the door leading downstairs and it sealed itself, lines vanishing into a smooth, featureless surface.  Scents flooded her and she drooled at the smell of real meat.  The doctor fed his wolves well and Trisha was no different; she left the kitchen feeling better than she had since she’d arrived.

Trisha made her way through the large house carefully.  She knew they would look for the doctor when he didn’t show up for work and the less she left behind, the better.  With luck, they’d never find the door to the basement.

When she reached the living room, she smiled.  Rex was waiting for her outside.

She could smell the male wolf’s scent and it excited her.  She’d actually worried a little that she’d killed him when they forced her to change after they fucked.  It took three tries for her to work the doorknob properly but she finally did and then made her way outside.  Rex sat at the end of the driveway, watching her.  Trisha felt her nipples ache at the sight of him.  The young woman sniffed the air cautiously.  Nobody was nearby so she stepped out.  Nobody except Rex and- the young woman turned to the left and her golden eyes caught the deep black of Umbra’s coat.

Trisha walked to Rex and Umbra came from the shadows to stand beside his brother.  She stood, facing the pair of them.  Finally, Rex came to her.  The large male butted his head against her leg and then walked around her to sit where he’d started.  Umbra stood and followed the same ritual.  He was smaller than Rex but more sleek and younger.  Trisha went to her hands and knees before the two male wolves.  She walked to them on all fours and they all rubbed furry cheeks in greeting, chuffing as they said hello.

Standing, the young woman looked to the distance and her gold eyes spotted the towering skyscrapers of the city.  Do I go back?  I’ll need to change if I do.  Can I fit in anymore?  She looked down.  Rex and Umbra sat at either side of her.  Waiting.  Trisha turned the possibilities over in her mind until, finally, a decision was made.

—–

Inside the house, Allie answered an incoming voice-only call.  “Good afternoon.  This is Dr. Campbell’s artificial intelligence, Allie.  I am in offline mode and, thus, my capabilities are limited at the moment.”

“Hello,” the caller said.  “Is Dr. Campbell there?”

“In offline mode, I have no access to my sensors or other resources.  However, if I have answered the call then it leads me to believe that Dr. Campbell is unavailable.  Shall I take a message for him?”

The caller paused.  Finally, “Yes.  This is Dr. Martinez at Madigan, returning his call.  I’ve been in touch with Dr. Campbell about his project.  He’s promised me an in-person demonstration and I will definitely be there on Friday per his invitation.”

“Yes, Dr. Martinez.  I will notify Dr. Campbell as soon as he checks in.  Have a pleasant day, sir.”

The call disconnected and Allie slept.  And, so, when the small bio-electric tags within Rex and Umbra passed the boundary of the property, nobody was watching.

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