The New Drug Part 1

(this is a prequel to The Intern's Orientation, A weekend Retreat, and Contamination) all can be found on my DA page)

“Good morning, Phoenix Enterprises, how may I direct your call? I’m sorry, she isn’t available right now. May I take your name and the best number to reach you at?”

Shania politely took the client’s information down as the cool air from her desk fan blew against her face. It wasn’t abnormally hot inside the office, but the extra breeze felt nice against her body. It had taken some getting used to, having her southern drawl swapped out while working at this job but she didn’t mind as she knew once done here, the drawl would return. Hanging up the phone, she stood up, pulling her blouse down which never seemed to want to stay put, and walked slowly to the back office. The near four hundred-pound Shania knocked on the door, waiting for an answer before opening it and squeezing her wide, ample hips through. “Miss? You have a message from a medical center. The gentleman I spoke with runs the company and has heard of your varying talents.”

Standing up, the near eight-foot woman smiled, taking the message from Shania. “Thank you, Shania, I’ll give him a call back right now. Also, you are doing a fabulous job with the front desk. Virceena is thrilled she can now work in the medical area of our clinic since you freed her up by taking the job.”

Beaming brightly, Shania’s tail swished back and forth happily as she thanked Phoenix and went back to her desk while Phoenix picked up the phone, calling the man back. The conversation took over an hour as Phoenix diligently wrote down all the particulars the man was requesting. Near the end of the call, Phoenix agreed to take on the project, but told him she would need a minimum of three weeks to create, and test the formula, making sure it does exactly what the man desired it to. Thanking him, Phoenix set the phone down and hit the intercom, calling everyone to her office. Within a minute, Virceena, Vagabond, and Shania walked through the door. “My darlings, we have a new client who is looking for a very specific kind of potion. It’s one I’ve never personally made before. We are going to need testers for it.”

Virceena scoffed, a slight snarl on her face. “Let me guess Miss, you want us to be the testers?”

Phoenix narrowed her eyes at Virceena. “First off, none of you would be able to test, as each of you are already altered in some way, shape or form. Second, and most important, I understand your attitude, but that doesn’t mean I appreciate it. Remember, your human form is a luxury, not a right. I gave it to you, and I can just as easily…”

Groaning, Virceena dropped to the ground, fur sprouting out of her at a rapid pace. She didn’t have time to speak before her face pushed out into a muzzle, her hands and feet becoming paws. A long, bushy tail extended out of her spine and just like that, Doctor Virceena was gone, replaced with a simple-minded puppy dog. Her eyes became blank, before her pupils grew, signaling her human mind being pushed to the wayside, and her canine mind racing to the forefront. “Now that puppy is taken care of, let’s get a few test subjects in. I think eight will suffice.”

Vagabond worked with Shania and by the end of the day, an advertisement was posted. Before the clinic closed, Shania had already taken the names down for eight participants who would be ready to go in three days’ time. When she told Phoenix, she nodded and got straight to work developing the potion.

Three days, and a steady flow of caffeine later, the potion was ready to be tested. In the reception area, seven of the eight testers sat, excited and nervous about what was going to happen. The eighth had a family emergency and wasn’t able to come, though she assured Shania that she would be there in two days. All the women knew was they were going to be testing a revolutionary drug and would be highly compensated for it. The five-thousand-dollar payment would be deposited into their respective bank accounts at the end of day. In the back, Phoenix and Vagabond were labeling the eight potions W2K9-01 through W2K9-08. The group was told they would have to remain in the clinic for a period of seven days, in order to collect information, though the stay may be shorter depending on the outcome. Shania stood up and cleared her throat. “Emily? Please come forward. They are ready for you.”

A timid-looking twenty-two-year-old with brown hair stood up, straightening her sweater. By all accounts, Emily was the runt of the group, standing five feet one inch and a meager ninety pounds. When she walked into the testing room, Emily’s eyes widened. Never in her life had she seen a woman as tall, strong, and curvy as the red-haired, violet-eyed specimen in front of her. “Good morning Emily, my name is Phoenix. This is my assistant Vagabond. Congratulations on your decision to come here! This is a very exciting opportunity! Are you ready?”

Nodding timidly, Emily sat down, accepting the vial labeled W2K9-01. Drinking it down in one gulp, Emily gagged and coughed for several seconds. “It tastes horrible! So, now what do I do?”

Waiting for a few seconds, Phoenix smiled and sat down to be closer to eye level. “Now I’m going to ask you to walk down the hallway with my assistant. She will show you to your living quarters. There are cameras everywhere to document what happens to you. Don’t fret through, there are no men employed here so there’s no need to be modest or bashful.”

She did as she was told and was brought to the end of the hall. When Vagabond opened the door, Emily couldn’t believe what she saw. It was like she’d walked into another building! The room was incredibly large, with a communal area in the middle. Several little rugs laid in front of four three-seat sofas. Around the perimeter, there were eight rooms, all separate from each other. Inspecting a room, it was furnished like a five-star hotel would be. Just like in the living area, the room had a three foot by three foot area rug next to the bed. It looked odd, seeing it placed against the wall and not in the center of the room, but oh well, she wasn’t going to critique something as small as that! Sitting on the bed, Emily wiggled her toes inside her shoes. It was like there was an itch or something that wouldn’t go away. Shrugging, she kicked her shoes off, then pulled off her socks as well. On the back of the door was a pair of medical scrubs and an identification tag attached to, of all things, a collar. Dangling from the collar was a silver tag. “W2K9-001- Emily. Weird choice of tagging, but for five grand, I’m not going to whine!”

Emily quickly changed into the scrubs, opting to forego the slippers and socks and clipped the collar onto herself. Then she laid down on her bed, waiting for the next woman to come in. It was only a matter of minutes before another girl walked in, rubbing her temples. “Hey! How are you feeling? My name’s Emily!”

The woman pressed her fingers harder against her chocolate skin, massaging counter-clockwise. “Hey. My name is Connie but could you keep it down? Right after I drank the thing, my head started pounding. I’m just going to go lay down.”

Connie found her bedroom, slipping off her clothing and changing into scrubs, also opting to not cover her feet. Clipping the collar with her name and the label W2K9-02, she laid down. One by one, the five remaining women walked in. First was Maise, a short southern woman. Next was Amber, a tall blonde. Jean arrived third, itching her neck as she walked. The final two women were Lori, a successful attorney who said she was doing this to show her daughter that you have to earn money, and Bonnie, a college student who needed the money to pay for her final quarter of tuition. As each woman came in, they found their respective room and all changed. Not a single woman elected to put socks or shoes on. A voice came over the intercom asking everyone to come to the communal area so all seven women walked out, mildly enjoying feeling the soles of their feet against the carpeted floor.

The women chatted amongst themselves for a few minutes, waiting for whatever was about to happen. The door opened, making the women turn to see. Every one of them collectively gasped. Standing in the doorway were Phoenix, Vagabond, and Shania though they were all altered in some way. Shania smiled and waved, as her hooves clopped against the ground. None of the testers said anything about Shania’s weight out of respect, but it made a whole lot more sense now. She was undoubtedly a hybrid between a human and a cow! Next to her was Phoenix, still remarkably tall and stunning. Finding her changes required the women to look to the ground first. Rather than large, size twenty-two feet, Phoenix now possessed large, powerful dog paws. A quick flash of something caught Bonnie’s eye and she poked the arm of Maise. Behind Phoenix swayed a long red and black canine tail! When the group looked at Vagabond, all seven women felt a tension rising inside their bodies though they couldn’t understand why. The white-haired Vagabond stood on a pair of feline paws as two pointed ears twitched atop her head and a soft, fluffy, white tail sway back and forth. Phoenix stepped forward, opening her mouth and revealing two very pronounced canine teeth. “I understand that the purpose of test has been a bit secretive but I want to assure you that no matter what happens to you, it can be reversed… eventually.”

The group whispered among them, now a bit afraid of what that meant. It was Amber who finally stood up, facing the eight-foot, red-haired Phoenix. “What do you mean eventually? What exactly did you do to us?”

Shania could feel the tension in the room and took a step back, bumping her enormous backside against the wall while Phoenix took another, confident step forward. “This serum is experimental. As such, you’ve each been given a slightly altered strain of the formula. That way, we can see what works and what doesn’t. Making an antidote will come, once your changes are complete. We will gather data about your strain and procure an antidote from that data.  If we are correct, you should all begin your transformations within the next few hours. I cannot tell you how quickly the changes will happen, nor do I know what changes you will inherit. You signed up for this, knowing that you could be here as long as a week. While you are here, we will ensure you are well taken care of. Meals, drinks, and shelter are all included, regardless of how much you eat. We will also make ourselves available for one on one time with each of you, to give more personalized attention. Of course, I strongly urge you to make friends with the others in the trial. In essence, they are your roommates for the duration of this test. Any other questions?”

Maise raised her hand. “I thought there was eight positions. I only see seven of us. Where’s the eighth person?”

“Very astute of you! The eighth participant had a family emergency and could not make it today. However, she has committed that she will get here in two days. In all honesty, it works out slightly better this way. By the time she gets here, we should have ample time to study what’s happened to you and possibly tweak the eighth formula. Now, I will leave you be. If there is an emergency, each of your rooms has a big red button on the wall. Just press it and someone will come. Oh, one last thing. In the next room over you’ll find an entertainment center. There’s a large pool, as well as exercise equipment and an additional lounge area.”

With that, Phoenix, Vagabond and Shania walked out of the room, locking the door behind them. Shania went back to her post with Virceena barking loudly, running beside her. “Miss? What do you think is going to happen now?”

Smiling softly, Phoenix shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but if all goes well, we should get the data needed for the main project and might just find a few fun potions to add to the shop as well!”

“Hey Amber? Are you okay?”

Maise shifted her feet, cooing softly as they slid across the carpet while looking at Amber, who seemed to be in a daze, her eyes seemingly focused on Maise’s feet. “Mmhmm, I’m fine, but there’s something about your feet that’s weirding me out. I swear they’ve grown wider and longer since we were called together.”

Maise tilted her head, bringing her foot up to eye level and wiggling her toes. Now that it was brought to her attention, they did look a bit swollen. Not only that, but her toenails had gotten thicker. “Huh… maybe it’s a side effect of the formula they gave me? They do look bigger though.”

Walking to her room quickly, she picked up the shoes she was wearing this morning and, although it felt wrong, attempted to slip it on. Sure enough, her toes hit the end well before they should have. She nervously giggled, as the size five shoes weren’t just too small, but not nearly wide enough. Forcing her foot in made the shoes stretch sideways, nearing tearing them at the seams. Having messed with the shoe long enough, Maise reached out to pick it up and stopped. The odd growth wasn’t just in her feet. Her hands also looked swollen. Each finger was thicker and, if Maise’s mind wasn’t playing tricks on her, shorter. At the end of each finger was a long, thick fingernail much like her toenails.

While Amber waited patiently for Maise to come back out, she looked around. Connie, still suffering a headache, had gone to her room to rest. Bonnie and Jean were just out of earshot, talking while Emily and Lori had left to check out the entertainment center. Sitting on the couch, Amber absently scratched an itch on her nose when she started hearing voices, though no one was around her. Curling her feet up on the couch and rubbing them, the voice started to become louder, thoroughly confusing her. Settling her eyes on Bonnie and Jean, her eyes watched their mouths move and realized that she could now hear them, even though she couldn’t a few minutes ago. It didn’t seem like they were yelling or anything. Did her hearing just improve? The conversation they were having was interesting though, so she turned her head toward them, perking her ears up, even though human ears didn’t have that ability.

It seemed that both Bonnie and Jean were suffering from the same foot issue and were massaging each other’s feet as they talked. Staring at them, Amber’s vision intensified, and could see that Jean’s feet were like Maise’s, except neither woman had picked up on it. It wasn’t until both woman began sprouting fur that they stopped momentarily. “Hey Bonnie? I think something’s happening to you! You have fur coming in and I think you’re shrinking!”

Bonnie looked over herself, gasping loudly. “What the heck? I had literally just waxed yesterday! I’m not the only one with fur though Jean. Have you looked at yourself lately? There’s more than fur happening! Your face, it’s changing right in front of me!”

“Huh? What do… you…”

She was having trouble speaking as her face continued to push out into a muzzle, while her tongue grew longer, dropping out of her mouth. Jean stared at her hand, as her fingers shrunk down and paw pads developed on her palms. Bonnie watched in amazement, having to crane her neck up a bit more to see Bonnie’s face. Fur grew faster over Bonnie’s body while she continued shrinking, now a full foot shorter than she was. The perspective change was a shock, being as she’d always been on the taller side. “Jean? Maybe we should go hit that emergency button Phoenix mentioned. This can’t be normal! Jean? Jean!”

Bonnie shrieked as Jean dropped to all fours, her legs becoming a bit shorter while her arms lengthened, evening them out. Jean’s modest breasts, hidden under a layer of thick fur, deflated, leaving only nipples, which really could not be seen. Breathing heavily, Jean looked at Bonnie, her face now completely canine. “What’s...ha...ha.. BARK! BARK BARK!”

Bonnie’s eyes widened, as she dropped in height to a mere three feet tall. She couldn’t understand Jean at all! Hopping off the couch, Bonnie ran for her room, shrinking more and more with each passing second. Jean panted and watched, thinking it was a game an bounded toward Bonnie, easily catching her. Stopping in front of the now two-foot-tall Bonnie, Jean lowered herself to the ground, her butt in the air, tail wagging, waiting for Bonnie to make a move. “Jean! Why are you blocking me! Move so I can get help!”

Barking loudly, Jean did not move at all. Instead, she continued wagging her tail, inching forward slowly. For a moment, Bonnie felt afraid that Jean may try to pick her up with her teeth. Instead, she felt a big, wet puppy tongue lick her starting at the chest, straight up to her face. “Ewwwww! All I smell is dog slobber!”

In the entertain room, Emily and Lori were relaxing on the couch, drinking a glass of water and rubbing their own feet. Eyeing the pool, Emily spoke up. “Want to go for a swim? It might help with our feet a bit and would feel really good I bet.”

Shrugging, Lori took a long drink from the water glass, finishing it and setting in on the table. “Are you kidding me? God only knows what contaminants are in that pool. I litigated a case a year ago involving a public pool. If I told you what all was found in it, you’d probably never swim again.”

Frowning slightly, Emily just nodded, returning her focus to her feet. It was slightly disconcerting to her how her feet felt. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but something just seemed… off. They looked the same as always, yet underneath, it felt like sensors were going off. Standing up, Emily sighed, not really appreciating the company she was in and opened the refrigerator, looking for something to snack on. “Hey Emily, since you’re up, be a sweetheart and refill my water? I’m absolutely parched!”

Gripping the fridge door a bit tighter, Emily murmured quietly, “geez, could you be any more obnoxious?” Still, she responded, her head in the fridge. “Yeah, sure. I’m guessing you would prefer bottled water? Perhaps from the coldest spring on the highest mountain?”

Emily chuckled, but there was no response from Lori. No laugh, no chuckle, not even an admonishment. Closing the door, a bottle of water in hand, Emily sat down, holding the water out to Lori. “Here you go. Sorry about the joke. I was only trying to be funny.”

Lori sat perfectly still, her eyes glossed over, as though she were in some kind of trance. Motionless for more than a minute, Emily tried clapping her hands, shouting, even giving Lori a light tap on her face. Nothing worked. “Okay Lori I don’t know if you’re just playing a game with me or what, but I’m going to go hit the emergency button. Just stay… put.”

Smacking herself in the forehead for making such a stupid remark, Emily walked toward the door when she heard something behind her. “Food. Food? Water and food?”

The voice was Lori’s, though it sounded a bit short. In her brief time with the attorney, she certainly wasn’t the kind of woman that gave one-word answers too often. Maybe this was her trying to be funny back. Walking to the couch again Emily’s eyebrow raised. Lori was sitting on the floor, her knees and hands on the floor while looking up at Emily. As she approached, Lori’s backside shook from side to side and her mouth opened. “Lori? Are you panting right now? I had the water bottle and tried to give it to you, but you wouldn’t take it. Here.”

Once again, she offered the bottle. Lori tilted her head and made an audible whine. “Bowl? Bowl!”

Exasperated, Emily stomped to where the refrigerator was, looking in the cabinets. There were no normal bowls, however she did find several dog bowls stacked up. Shrugging, she opened the water and poured it into the bowl. Turning, Lori was a few feet away from her, looking up and still panting. “I don’t know what you’re doing Lori, but here you go.”

She set the water bowl on the ground, expecting Lori to laugh at any moment. Instead, Lori bend her arms down, lapping water from the bowl. Emily could only stare in silence, watching this ace attorney act like a real dog. Satisfied, Lori popped her head back up and stared at Emily. “Pets? Pet pet pet pet pet pet!!!”

Lori inched closer to Emily, her butt still moving back and forth as though wagging a nonexistent tail. Tentatively, Emily lowered her hand to Lori’s head. “Yes! Pet pet pet! Gonna get pets!”

This can’t be seriously happening… yet here Emily was, about to pet a grown woman’s head. Scratching her scalp softly, Emily began petting Lori, doing her best not to break up laughing hearing Lori’s response to the petting. “So good! Mmmmm! Pets good! Lori love pets! Pet more! More more more more more! Don’t stop! Yesssssss….”

Emily didn’t know whether to think this was adorable, or paralyzingly scary. Still, she continued petting for another minute. When she stopped, Lori rolled onto her back, exposing her belly. “Rub rub rub pleeeeease rub rub!”

Not able to take it any longer, Emily screamed out in panic, the fear of what happened taking over. Jean and Bonnie heard it, and Bonnie grabbed Jean’s fur as she bounded toward the entertainment room.

Maise couldn’t believe it. In fact, she was holed up in her room because of it. Having been the shortest of the entire group, she was used to having everything on the smaller side. Small meals, small clothes, small just about everything. Staring at her hands and feet though, small was not a word anyone would use. While her fingers and toes had gotten stubbier, her palms and soles had gotten wider and longer. Instantly, she was reminded of some kind of cosplay event. Both her hands and feet were extremely furry, and easily three times their normal size making them look unbelievable on her tiny body. It wasn’t only the paws either. Just above the pants of her scrubs was a long wagging tail. Like the paws, it too was disproportionate to the rest of her, likely twice as long as the longest canine tail she’d ever seen. Sighing, she stood up, wobbling on her huge foot paws and pushed open the door to her room. The only person in the communal space was Amber, who was sitting on the couch, her back to Maise. After a few steps, Maise got the hand of walking, though she had to legitimately think about raising her paw up high enough so as not to trip on them. “Amber, you’re not going to believe what’s happened to me. Remember how you said my feet were bigger? Look at them now!”

Amber huffed, her shoulders rising up then falling, but did not turn around. “Amber? You okay?”

Maise slowly walked around to see but Amber turned, burying her face in the sofa. “Come on Amber! It can’t be as bad as what’s happened to me! I’m sure you’re going to laugh and laugh and… oh my god.”

Amber turned, facing Maise, tears in her eyes. Atop her head were two long dog ears, similar to a Corgi. Maise tried her best not to show any kind of negative reaction as she looked into Amber’s eyes. The woman’s face, still hairless, was that of a dog in every way. Long canines, muzzle, the whole nine yards. Leaning forward, Amber picked up a pen and wrote a note. Maise, unable to pick it up due to her hand paws, bent down to read it. ‘I can’t speak any longer. All I do is bark and make other dog sounds. I’m sorry about your hands and feet, but at least you look really cute. I look like an absolute freak! :(‘

Maise sat down next to Amber. “You do not. I like you look really cute too! How about we rub each other’s feet and feel sorry for ourselves for a little bit. Then we can move on and try to make the best out of the situation. How does that sound?”

Amber nodded, smiling a bit. As she did, her tongue lolled out of her mouth. When Maise first said Amber looked cute, she was just trying to make her feel better. With her tongue out like that though, Maise really did think she was! The two sat in silence with their feet in each other’s lap, smiling to each other as they rubbed.

The silence didn’t last long, as the entertainment room door opened. Emily walked through first, then Jean, with Bonnie clinging on, bounded through next. Lori was last, crawling on her hands and knees. The six gathered around the couch, with Amber, Maise and Bonnie sitting on it while Lori and Jean plopped down on the floor. They all stared at each other for a few minutes before everyone started talking and barking at once. Bonnie and Maise spoke in English, lamenting about what happened. Amber could understand them but was barking to Jean and Lori. Lori understood and was answering in short, broken English. Emily’s eyes crossed trying to keep track of what everyone was saying. None of them heard Connie’s door open, but they sure heard Connie yell. “Jesus you guys! I said I had a freaking headache! Can’t you keep it down?!”

The six women all stopped talking and barking, and all turned their heads. Connie walked out slowly, rubbing a paw on her head, messing up her hair even more than it already was. She wasn’t a dog but wasn’t human either. The anatomy was that of a dog, as was the fur, yet she walked on two legs, and spoke perfect English. She was naked, though all the fur covered everything. Honestly, with how thick her coat was, wearing any kind of clothing would probably be itchy and hot. Stopping a few feet from the couch, Connie laughed. “You guys are looking at me the same way I did when I saw myself in the mirror an hour ago. I thought it was a dream and went back to sleep. Looking at you guys, either this is a really messed up dream, or whatever that formula was has done its thing.”

Jean barked a few times and Connie nodded. “Yes I understand you. It’s strange you can understand me as well. Am I talking and barking at the same time?”

Emily shook her head. “Not to me. I hear normal English.”

Jean barked again. Connie put a paw to her own chin. “Very weird. Jean says she hears canine talk when I speak. So I’m somehow speaking both dialects at the same time? That’s kind of neat!”

Emily looked around the room, not knowing how to feel. She was the first one to take the formula, but, other than wanting to be barefoot, nothing had really happened to her. Part of her was thrilled, but another part was jealous. Connie looked amazing as an anthropomorphic dog, Maise was so cute with her big hand and foot paws, Amber’s muzzle made Emily just want to touch it, Jean and Lori both seem really happy, and Bonnie was flipping adorable! Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and Phoenix walked in. “My goodness! Isn’t this a happy looking bunch! I see that most of you have experienced some changes.”

Emily fumed again. “Phoenix? Why haven’t I had something happen to me?”

“Well darlin’, I can’t really answer that. This is a clinical trial after all. We can’t totally predict what all happens in the trials. I would like to meet with each of you separately in your rooms. Connie? From what I understand you seem to be able to speak canine and English. Would you kindly relay the message to those that cannot understand me?”

Nodding, Connie turned and repeated what Phoenix said. Lori and Jane both scurried to their rooms immediately. The others walked as well to their rooms, several leaving the door open as they laid down on their beds. Poor Bonnie couldn’t get up onto her bed, so she sat on the floor. Lori and Jean both laid on the rug that was put in each room. Shania came in and closed the door. “Miss? Vagabond doesn’t want to come in. She’s afraid that all the testers will chase after her.”

“It’s probably for the best. I thought about letting Virceena in here, but given her fiery attitude, I would imagine she’d cause stress to those that can understand her. We have to keep this as controlled as possible.”

Nodding, Shania held a pad of paper and a pen in her hand as they walked to each room. Phoenix would sit down and talk with those that could. With Amber, Phoenix would talk and Amber would write her responses. For Jane and Lori, Phoenix gave them pets and scratches while Shania furiously wrote down any observations Phoenix spoke out loud. Emily’s conference was the least pleasurable out of all of them, as she told Phoenix how disheartened she was about her situation. After speaking with Emily, Phoenix drew a sample of blood from each woman and headed back to the research area of the clinic. The women all stayed in their rooms, the day’s event wiping them out. One by one, each feel asleep.