The mephit experiment

Day 1

So what happened wasn't a dream. Last night I heard what sounded like someone downstairs. The alarm didn't go off, when I went downstairs to check, there was no sign of forced entry. That ripple! I thought it was moving, but thought I was crazy. It was like something out of a movie, I could feel it moving towards me, it was translucent. At first I thought something was wrong with my eyes, until I felt the prick, followed by the serum flowing into the body. Everything went fuzzy after that.

I've woken up in a room, but I don't know where I am. The room is brightly lit, it had a bed with all white sheets in the middle, no windows and a small bathroom. The walls are all white and are barren. The room is so quiet, the only sound is my own breathing. There is a door in the corner, but it has no handle. The room doesn't smell like anything except for a hint of disinfectant. The room is spotless, there isn't even the smallest flake of dust anywhere. Where am I, where is this place? Why have I been brought here?

2 hours later

The door is opening, there are 2 men standing there. I asked them who they are and what they want with me, but they won't respond. They entered the room and came towards me. I tried to resist, but they just told me that it was wasted energy and that there was nothing I could do. As they led me out of the room, I thought of running, but there were several guards holding rifles unlike any rifle I have ever seen before. I wouldn't have lasted a second. Outside the room is a hallway, the walls are white and it's long and quiet. There are other doors to what must be other rooms, but I can't tell if anyone is in any of them. I asked the men where they are leading me, but they don't respond. They led me to the end of a hallway, and through two pairs of doors into a dark room with what looks like a medical table under a bright light. I tried to resist them when they told me to get on it, but two of their guards pointed their rifle at me saying they would kill me if I didn't. I shouldn’t have listened to them, I should have grabbed one of their guns, taken a hostage, something! Maybe I could have saved myself.

The table wasn't cold, but warm which surprised me. They tied me down. I heard them turn on equipment. They attached something to my face and chest, I heard they mention brainwaves and my heart rate. It seemed logical that the devices were measuring my vitals. Of the of men told the other to get the serum. When he gave it to him, the man produced a hypospray and injected me with it. I asked them what they were injecting me with, but they didn't answer. Everything seemed to get fuzzy at that point and I lost consciousness.

Day 2

I awoke this morning in the room again. Something is wrong with my body. What looks like fur is growing all over me. If I looked really close I can see it growing. It's white on my chest, arms and feet and is black everywhere else that I can see it. I can feel it on my face. Without a mirror it's hard to tell what my face looks like. I feel itchy all over, and my muscles ache. What did they inject me with, why am I growing fur?

I'm hungry and thirsty, they didn't give me anything to drink or eat yesterday. The door to the room is opening. It's one of the men, flanked by two guards. He's holding a tray of food with a cup of water. He put it down on a table that one of the guards brought. Without saying anything, he walked out. I walked over to the table and examined the food. It didn't look very appetizing, but I was hungry and was ready to eat almost anything. I quickly ate it and drank the water. I was surprised, the food didn't taste all that bad, and the water was refreshing.

What left like an hour after I had finished, the men came back. Again they had the guards with them. I asked them about the fur, they didn't respond. The took me to the room again. I could hear them talking about me. One of them said that my fur density was progressing rapidly, and would be complete within 12 hours. They whispered something else, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. One of them again asked the other two bring him the serum, this time asking for 'stage two'. This time there were two injections. I lost consciousness almost immediately.

Day 3

It's even worse today. The fur is now a pelt, it's warm and I'm sweating. The room smells different somehow, it's weird, and I can smell the food from yesterday. Whatever is going on must be making my sense of smell stronger. My hands! What have they done to my hands! I only have 3 fingers on each hand and a thumb. Each finger has a small claw on the end of it. I have a slight headache. My face! What's happening to my face! When I reached up to touch my face, it felt different. My mouth, my nose, they don't feel human. I have a muzzle, and my nose feels small and cold. It's like an animals nose. My ears still feel human, but furry. My human hair is falling out and the rest of my face feels furry. My feet have changed, I only have 3 toes now. Each toe has a small claw on it. I can feel pad's on the bottom of my feet. How far is this going to go? Why are they doing this to me?

They brought me some more food. It was strange, it was the same food as yesterday, but it tastes much stronger. My sense of taste must have been enhanced along with my sense of smell. I have to escape from here somehow, I can't just stay here and allow myself to become an animal. The world has to know what's going on here.

The men are here, this time one of them said how pleased he was at my progress. I was very angry with him, I wanted to try to escape, make them pay for doing this to me. The guards could tell, I don't know how but they could tell. They told me that I'd better not try anything. Again, I'm being led down the hall. This time I see another person who is also being changed as I am. Her features look different then mine. She has fur like I do, but it's gray everywhere but around her eyes, where it's black. She has a tail, it's long and has rings on it. She looks almost like a raccoon. She looked at me, I could see the look in her eyes, she wants to escape, but feels trapped. The men tell me to mind my own business as they see me looked at her. This must be stopped.

I tried harder to resist them putting me on the table this time. But they still have the guns, they threatened me. I wanted to attack them, to make them pay for this. They forced me to lay down on the table. I can hear them talking about how wonderful my progress is. I heard one of the men ask for the final phase of the serum. I was tied down, I couldn't stop him from injecting it into me. The room is getting fuzzy, I try to resist passing out, but it seems like the harder I resist the faster the rooms spins. I pass out before I can do anything.

Day 4

I awake in the room again. It feels even hotter then before. I can hear the people outside of the room. My hearing seems much better. I reached up to feel my face, it didn't feel human at all. My ears are at the top of my head, and they're furry and rounded. Something is brushing against my leg, something warm and furry. I stand up to see what it is. I have a tail! This is unbelievable. It's long and furry, and very soft and warm. It has two stripes down it, and it's black elsewhere. It looks like a skunk tail. I'm turning into a skunk? This is insane. Why are they turning me into a skunk?

They brought in more food, it looks different this time, and like the kind of food you'd give to an animal. I must be developing instincts, as it actually looks appetizing. I couldn't help myself, I gobbled it down, and it tasted great.

They men are here again. They tell me that I'm finished changing. I asked them why they haven't let me go yet. Their only answer has "in time, in time". I had a feeling of what that meant, it was a non answer. I doubt they have any intention of letting me go, they probably plan on dissecting me or using me to commit crimes for them or some other terrible thing. This cant be allowed. They made me come with them again. I saw the woman again, like me, she looks like a humanoid animal, but she's definitely a raccoon. I have to admit, she looks really good. She looks scared. I want to help her, to escape with her. If there only weren't so many guards or if I could get a weapon I could save us.

The room was different this time, much more equipment. No injections this time. But they did take blood and fur samples. I asked them what they planned on doing with me, but they didn't answer. I asked them why they choose me to do this to but they didn't answer. They started to lead me back to my room. I hear a screaming, I can smell someone coming. Whoa, now that certainly different, knowing someone by their scent. Something is wrong! She's hurt! What have these sons of bitches done to her? The guards are telling me that it's not my concern. This time they've gone too far. There are only two of them and they're behind me. You never stand behind a pissed off skunk! I don't know how I did it, but I managed to raise my rail and spray the basterds. They both screamed in pain and dropped their guns. One of the scientists went for a gun. I don’t think so, you're not getting away with this any longer. As hard as I could, I punched him in the face. He didn't even have a chance to yell before passing out. The other one is reaching for the second gun. He's left me no choice, reacting on instinct alone, I picked up the first rifle and fired it at him. There wasn't much blood, I was surprised. I walked over to him, checking for a pulse. There was none, he was dead. A tear rolled down my cheek as I realized the magnitude of what I had done, I had taken a life.

The raccoon is coming towards me, and I can hear two people in quick pursuit of her, she rounds the corner. Her leg is bleeding. She's been shot! Those son's of bitches shot her! I ask her how bad it is, she says the bullet went right through, but missed the bone, she can still walk. I ask her is there are any others here, she says yes. It's time to put an end to this. I hand her the other rifle. She tells me that she heard the guards talking, there is a release for all of the prisoners not far, there are a total of 56 people, all being changed into different species. The guards that were chasing her are getting closer. I can feel my heart rate accelerating, clutching the rifle, I ready it to fire, while she does the same with the second rifle. The guards are seconds away. As they round the corner, we open fire. Both guards fall to the ground lifeless. We walk over to their bodies, taking their weapons and whatever ammunition we can manage. We have to find a way to get out of here without a lot of bloodshed, assuming that's possible anymore. The raccoon shows me the way to the control room, fortunately there were no guards there. The controls are simple enough, all of the captives being held are on this floor in this general area. Not a very intelligent plan, thankful for us. Accessing security cameras and readout's I can see that there are over 50 guards left about this floor, only 3 remain on this floor. This is not going to be easy. Even if we gave the 2 extra rifles we had to 2 more people, that would mean only 4 out of 56 would be armed, 4 armed people vs. more then 50 is not odds I want to go against.

I located the button to open all of the cells, according to the read out, doing so would set off an alarm. The last thing we needed was 50 guards storming this area. I looked on the map of the floor and found something promising, ventilation shafts, just big enough for us to get into. If we can get everyone into them, we'll have a chance. The raccoon, who told me her name was Tasha, had managed to stop the bleeding on her leg, using pieces of one of the guards clothes as a bandage. I told her how I had found a possible way out, but we were very likely going to have to kill a lot more people, unless we could find another way. She understood, responding that what these people had done was to declare war on us, and this was a fight for survival but we should try to avoid more bloodshed. She told me that she had a way to prevent the alarm from going off, but that the 3 guards on this floor would still need taking care of. Reloading our rifles, I told her I was ready. Pressing the appropriate command's, she prepared to release the other captives, first telling me where the other guards were located. I brought a communication device with me, so I could inform her when I was ready.

I lucked out this time, the remaining 3 guards were all grouped together, awaiting what I'm sure they felt was a massive attack. On the bodies of one of the other guards I had been fortunate enough to find a stun grenade. I had to be quiet, so they wouldn't hear me and split up. Once I was close enough to their location. I threw the grenade towards their position, knocking them all out cold. Taking their rifles, I told Tasha that the guards had been dealt with and that she could release the prisoners.

All of the prisoners I could see were humanoid animals like me and Tasha. The variety of species are amazing, I saw animals I recognized, a rat , a squirrel , a chipmunk, a ferret, a kangaroo, a cat, a wolf, even what looked like a type of lizard. I informed them of our situation and asked them who were the best versed in firearms. We had 5 spare rifles, and we were able to find 5 who knew how to use them. Their species were diverse, a prairie dog, a fox, a coyote, a lion and a seal. Taking up defensive positions around the control room we started to come up with a plan.

It had been nearly 2 hours . Tasha had found something interesting, she and 2 other people, a chinchilla and a mink had been able to pull up a floor plan of the building by using their computer skills, or more so computer hacking skills. The ventilation shafts extended for the entire building. We were 16 floors underground. The guards barracks was 2 floors above us, and from what we could tell they were planning an assault on this floor. We came up with a plan, those of us that were armed were take the lead and the rear, protecting those of us that were not armed. I as well as Tasha, Leon (the fox) and Simon (the lion) would use the ventilation shafts to get into the armory, where we would gain access to equipment to release knock out gas into most of the level's before everyone else made their way up. Tammy (the coyote), Malcolm (the seal) and Tony (the prairie dog) would evacuate the rest of the people once the upper levels were cleared. While we didn't like it, we decided that they would take several scientists hostage, to ensure their safe passage.

The ventilation shafts were a tight fit but me Tasha, Leon and Simon managed. We managed to get all the way up to the shaft above the armory. We ran into a snag. There were 4 guards in it. Plus two more outside of it. The knockout gas was in the armory, but to be able to release it into all but the 16th basement we've have to get to the ventilation control system and shut off the vents to the 16th basement. Leon and Simon came up with an ingenious idea. I don't know how they did it, but they worked their way to a communications terminal and set off alarms one floor below us, making it look like our entire team was down there. All of the guards on this floor left to go down there giving us our opportunity. Jumping into the armory, we collected every bottle of the gas we could find. Simon and Leon had used the opportunity to get to the ventilation control system, and had already shut of the 16th basement. It was fortunate that there were gas masks in the armory, or we all would have been knocked out. Me and Tasha carried the gas to the ventilation control system. It was fortunate that the masks fit us at all, our faces and heads were not exactly human shaped anymore, but we were lucky. As we started to release the gas, we could hear the guards coming back, realizing what we had done. At first we were afraid we were going to have to shoot them, but much to our relief, the gasses density increased to a high enough level in time and they all passed out. Leon and Simon monitored the dispersal of the gas, making sure it didn't get into the 16th basement.

Once we had assured that it had not, and that everyone else in the building had been knocked out we began the process of evacuation everyone. We had to wait until the gas had dissipated so we had to hurry, so the guards wouldn't all start waking up. We managed to get everyone to the surface and when we got outside, we got an interesting surprise. There was a small army waiting, at first we were afraid they were here to stop us. Those of us who were armed, stood at the front, just in case. We were very relived when the man that walked up to us, told us that Tammy had managed to get a distress signal out, and they were responding to it. It turns out that these people were known for doing this. They had abducted us with the full intention of testing out new technologies to transform people, and had no intention of releasing us. We told them how we managed to escape, which impressed them. They told us they were taking us to proper facilities to see if anything could be done to reverse this.

Day 14

After nearly a week and a half of testing, the doctors told us that our changes can be reversed if we want. Having spend most of the last week and a half with Tasha, I'm finding that being a humanoid skunk isn't so bad, the fur keeps me warm, and it hides any scars or wrinkles. And most people aren’t crazy enough to mess with a skunk, so people give me respect. Tasha looks very beautiful as a humanoid raccoon and she seems to adjusted to it, she says I look "cute" like this, so I have decided to remain half skunk, and she told me she wants to remain half raccoon. It may take time for society to get used to us like this, but were willing to wait for the adjustment time.

We were provided with a wardrobe of clothing that was fitting to our bodies. With all of our fur, we didn't need to dress warmly, so most of the clothing was pretty light. Because of what had happened to us, they told us that they would compensate us. Before we decided where to live, we had to tell our families of our decision first. It seems that we were lucky, most of us lived in the same area, it would seem that the people that abducted us took us all from the same area. As it turns out, Tasha's house is only a 20 minute drive from mine. We decided that we could visit each others families together to tell them the news of our decision.

Day 16

Well those were certainly interesting visits. My parents thought I was crazy by wanting to stay as skunk. But with some negotiation and explaining I was able to persuade them, of course the fact that my fur is soft and warm to the touch certainly helped. They wanted me to get decented, but I don't think so. Tasha's parents seemed to accept her as a raccoon almost immediately, her mother works for animal control and her fathers a vet for wild animals so they encounters raccoons on a regular basis. They seemed happy that I had decided to remain a skunk, they like skunks. When they scratched me between the ears it felt great, Tasha said that the sounds I was making were 'cute', so she joined in.

Later during the day we decided to move in together. Who knows what the future will hold for us but either way, it should be interesting, I guess you could it will be a very harry situation.