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6:00 am. Again. Fuck. I did not get enough sleep last night. And today was going to be a busy one. I'd be in the office late for sure.

I groaned, getting out of bed and going through my morning routine as quickly as I could. Thankfully, in my line of work, I could show up to the office disheveled and no one would bat an eye. Still, I had a reputation to uphold. I preferred to step up and put on my game face every day. Inspire the troops.

My commute to work was rather short, thankfully. Traffic was a nightmare this morning. I'd gotten up half an hour early and I'd be 45 minutes late. Bleh.

I got to my desk exactly one hour later than I had planned. Everything was already in motion in the lab, though I would have to make my supervisory rounds to make sure things were running smoothly. After I had my Starbucks. My order was sealed, of course. No way that it could be tampered with by the other employees. I had the antibodies in my system that protected against any... unwanted additives. But, one could never be too careful, especially in my line of work.

It was my prerogative to sit and get caught up on the department briefs while having my morning coffee. Or frappe, which was the case this morning. Normally, my assistant, Cory knew to only bring me this as a treat on Fridays. He must have figured that I would need it this week. He was right, bless him.

My job as director of our facilities was never an easy one. But, this wasn't the worst week I'd had as of late. I think that was the time we had a whole football team to deal with. The imbeciles who ran the operation tried to set up an entire bus load of college students to go missing without running it by me first. The damn event was on the news for weeks! There was no risk of it being traced back to my operations, of course. And the boys were well treated, once the changes finished and they got used to their new lot in life.

The man who thought that 'try a serum on an 18-24 yr. old demographic' meant 'steal kids off a bus' and not off the streets like the majority of our subjects! No one bats an eye if some homeless people go missing. That's the whole point of using them for our transformation experiments! Needless to say, for his transgressions, he joined the boys in the breeding stalls after that.

I think it was disciplinary actions like that which left the rest of my staff a little afraid of me. I mean, I wasn't going to punish someone for spilling my coffee or any extraneous bullshit. I needed a surplus of good employees, people who would actually follow the procedures I set out to the letter. I didn't actively walk around looking for the next staff members to join the petting zoo, as it were.

Still, in some ways it was better for them to think I did. I've always been under the pretense that fear was the perfect motivator. Or loyalty, but in my line of work, fear was probably better. The very real fear that I would someday strip their humanity from them on a whim. Well, not on a whim, but it's best not to let them know that. A random subjugation of an employee here and there to keep them on their toes never hurt anyone. I kid. Or, do I? They'll never know.

There was time enough for reflections on staff discipline and difficult weeks later. I had hard days ahead. With a full schedule of observations to make today, I begrudgingly downed the rest of my drink and went out onto the floor.

My first stop this morning was a man being altered into the genus Corallus. It was a slow process, expected to last the course of several weeks. He was a little over halfway through his program. He was being dubbed 'subject 34621'. I didn't recall his former name. I didn't care, not really. He was going to be a snake in the end. Names were for those elevated to humanity. And, even most humans didn't deserve them, in my opinion.

Designations were so much easier to remember. The 5 digit code was randomly generated. We did not have over 10000 subjects come through our doors. So far. I didn't think we ever would while this facility was in operation. Though the designations were a little harder to remember, they did prevent mix-ups. They forced employees to double check the codes rather than assume it was the next in a sequence.

Luckily for me, I was just in time for 34621's feeding. Two of my employees, Cory and Kailee, were in his cage already, preparing his daily meal. He was being live fed; part of his program was to determine how the subject took to the idea of eating live animals while he still expressed human intelligence.

Of course, the subject couldn't speak any longer, having lost their vocal cords within the first four days of the program. But we tried to keep the facial changes to a minimum, save the prerequisite stretching of the jaw to allow proper feeding procedures. His eyes and facial muscles would be kept intact up to the last few days of the process. That way, we could best determine human responses to the treatment as long as possible, up to the moment that humanity was no longer reflected there.

Afterward, subject 34621 would simply be another snake. He was destined for a wildlife study center. A glorified petting zoo, to be sure. But, not the worst life. I never really thought of it much in my line of work. We tried not to kill the subjects if they could be used elsewhere. For me, it was more about not wanting to create waste than what some of the more squeamish staff would consider humane.

Subject 34621 would go on to propagate his new species, likely with the two females that already lived there. They could host an exhibit on eggs and reproduction before the offspring would be relocated to other educational facilities. A better use of his life than the human one he had, in my personal opinion.

I took note of the changes since the last time I saw him. I always found this part to be the highlight of my workday, the reason I was so fascinated with the research and my job as director. Our serum's effects on the body really were fascinating, and the ability to program them in various ways made the results a joy for me to watch.

Surely, I wasn't the only one at our facility who felt that way. Those who were passionate about the work made the best employees. In cases where the employee's really enjoyed the work, I inducted them into the program in their chosen field. It happened from time to time; testing willing participants was one of the center's top priorities, after all. Many who found out that we had the technology to turn humans into animals wanted to experience this themselves, after a period of working here, of course. It was even considered by some of the staff to be a promotion, of sorts. I shared the sentiment. Generally, either people wishing to spend the rest of their lives as certain animals or sociopaths tended to apply for this job. I preferred the former, though I'd been called the latter before. Oh well. Sticks and stones.

Almost everyone who came willingly through my doors had some sort of transformation fantasy. Some were content with the idea that they might retire as an animal one day, while others had plans in the coming months to submit themselves for study. There had even been some eventually wanting to make themselves into hybrid forms, part animal while still able to work for us. Hell, it was a field of study that our financial backers had more interest in than even the staff who desired that sort of lifestyle.

But, the DNA was difficult to isolate for particular desired traits, much less for a perfect, functional blend between human and animal characteristics. Testing had led to some... unfortunate circumstances. The research was ongoing on those fronts.

I digress. Taking off on tangents is one of my larger failings. Writing a journal of what I do in a day would be half the size if I didn't prattle on about the myriad of thoughts drifting through my head!

It was time for me to make my regular personal notes from careful visual observations of the subject. Video was constantly being taken, of course. As were photographs, DNA samples, skin cells, and a variety of other specimens that would aid in other tests down the line. But, I liked to make daily records on the subject's physical and behavioral changes. My own personal opinion was much valued by our benefactors. And, it pleased me to do so!

Subject 34621 Species B. constrictor

Subject is on day 13 of anticipated 20-day change cycle. Epidermis calculations show approximately 78% altered into patterned scales. Tail seems to have extended approximately three centimeters from last observation. It is motile and moving as though in agitation, indicative of a human behavioral response. This is a common observation during the subject's feeding and handling times, since subject discovered the tail was motile. Tail covering is entirely scaled, patterns spreading up towards the mid-back.

Legs are vestigial as of three days ago. They seemed to have cracked prior to the last visual observation, hanging at an impossible angle relative to former human anatomy. Note; subject should not have felt pain from the event. It was likely due to a recorded attempt of the subject to escape through the bars of his cage. The neural connections to the vestigial limbs were expected to have been fully severed some days ago. The subject does not seem to react to my touch as I prod their scales. Legs are now expected to diminish at an accelerated rate.

Trunk is approximately twice the diameter of the tail and continues to reduce. Subject has one distinguishable lung as correlates with suborder Serpentes. Some human muscle definition still exists on the underside of the belly. Belly button is now absent. Nipples are still present and still retain sensitivity.

Arms are approximately one-fourth the size of their human equivalents. Webbing has continued to persist through the digits, rendering them immobile. They resemble the forelimbs of a legged squamid. Arms are still mildly functional yet are not expected to be for much longer. Scales still cover the dissolving appendages, again indicative of the genetic heritage of the squamous order.

The head remains in a hybrid state as per the effects of the particular serum we had prepared. Eyes remain mostly human, as do facial muscles. Mouth, ears, and nose have been fully converted to make the prospect of rat flesh more palpable to subject's human sensibilities. Brain is still 75% of its human mass, with higher brain functions still intact for now. Higher functions will remain for future studies in intelligence before subject has completely transformed.

Expectation is that the subject will take approximately six more days to complete transformation. Visible observation supports this timetable. Further tests will be conducted to ensure validity of serum, as per standard procedure.

I looked up from my notes to watch the visual demonstration of his feeding. Once subject 34621 finished his change, he would not have to eat daily. His shifting anatomy was determined to need regular meals to aid with the protein requirements of the serum. Several rats a day were sufficient for his increased metabolic costs. Plus, it served well for our behavioral studies during and after the change. One of the tenets of my lab was the efficiency of performing multiple tasks at once!

The rat squirmed in the hands of the researcher, evidently afraid of its fate. Was it the smell of the snake that elicited such fear, or the waning humanity left in the animal after a change? We had done some studies in the past using humans-turned rats to see how active their escape attempts were versus naturally born rats. Rats were inherently intelligent, of course, so we expected the results not to differ too much, regardless of whether they were once human or not.

Imagine our surprise when some of the changed humans seemed to accept their fate, not resisting in the presence of a changing predator. Some seemed to retain enough humanity they likely did not wish to persist as a rat, while others had evidently given into the rodent instincts and acted like any other rat in the cage. There was an ongoing study in place to see if certain personality types could be correlated to differences in the animal's eventual behaviors. It was why so many of our subjects were literally turned into lab rats! The vagrant population was already considered vermin by society, why not make the adage reality, I always said!

Truth be told, the rats being fed to subject 34621 were unlikely once human. There was a colony where we put our former subjects-turned-rodents where they were allowed to live and breed in safety. Those who were formerly human were marked with external tags, just in case they were needed for future studies. Still, sometimes markers were lost, or rats were grabbed mistakenly. Accidents happened in the lab, after all.

The rat was restrained so that our newest snake would not be harmed while he lacked the physiology to properly hunt. He could wrap around the creature, almost, but he was still a few days away from an easy kill. He would get there, of course, once our current experiments on him were completed.

I could almost see the look of horror on subject 34621's still-human eyes as the rat was brought closer to his lips. It was likely a combination of the live feeding, and fear of loss of control and eating without being able to resist. It was always fascinating to watch the struggle. I never missed it!

Watching his face try to move away from the food stimulus, I couldn't help but sneak a glance at his torso as it tried to curl up as though to strike. The muscles subconsciously expanded, creating as much surface area as possible to coil around his meal. As the name of his soon-to-be species suggested, he was about to try to wrap his body around the rat to try and constrict it. The instincts of his forming brain were likely so strong that he had no choice, no matter how the human side felt about it.

More interesting to me was the growing erection from the scales just above his anus. It was totally serpentine in appearance, tapered, and split into a hemipenis. Such displays were one of the other aspects of the change I enjoyed observing so much. Subjects were always much more aroused during the process. Any stimulation could send them into a state of lust, such as eating for this particular specimen. It was a common sight to see his erection whenever we brought him out for his daily handling!

Of course, mating was a given when one was placed in a pen with a suitable breeding partner. I often made sure to introduce people of the same species to observe mating habits. Though, for sake of avoiding overpopulation, we tried not to do breeding experiments on more mundane creatures. Endangered species were, of course, fair game. As were rats and other common prey creatures, given the metabolic needs of some of the subjects.

Watching 34621 eat was always a wonderful experience. He tried his best to wrap around the prone rat, as the thing squeaked and tried to escape its captivity. There was a bit of hesitation as the human mind tried to resist, to put up some front against the change. Or so I believed. Taking notes of every action made by our subjects was paramount for successful operation. As I said, personality types and how they translated into actual animal behaviors was always a fascinating line of research!

Eventually, subject 34621's mouth was over the rat, wrapping around it tightly. Unhinging his jaw in serpentine fashion, he enveloped the rat in one go, his powerful muscles pulling it inward via peristalsis. The rat seemed to squirm inside of him, but, still restrained, quickly succumbed, evidently causing no internal damage to the subject.

I could see the look of what I considered disgust on his features and made note of it. It had been present for all of the feedings thus far, and I expected it to persist for at least the next couple of days. It was his general response to eating live prey, but that was to be his life now. Some subjects accepted it faster than others, my observations of which were part of ongoing studies.

I could see the rat still trying to struggle as it went down his throat, but it would be killed and digested in short order. The subject passed pellets at a rate five times that of normal serpents, but that would slow down as his changes came to their conclusion. Reptiles had much lower metabolisms than mammals, after all.

I finished my notes quickly, getting ready to go about the rest of the day. Subject 34621 was one of my more interesting specimens as of late. But, I had a lot of work to do, and there was nothing more of significance to make note of until his next feeding. I would check on him before I left for the evening to note the progression of the changes, but otherwise, he would be left for the rest of his day unattended.

My next subject, 79035, was one of the more time-consuming observations I had to make today. I expected it would take the better part of the morning. Then, I had two more appointments in the afternoon before the 'big one' that would keep me here well into the evening. Sigh. It was a busy time for our research outfit, after all. And next week, we were supposed to be bringing in at least ten more subjects for a variety of tests. What was the adage? 'A busy man can always handle more work?' I was certainly being put to the test as of late!

Lost in my own thoughts, I barely noticed the pungent stench of fresh manure before passing the bison pen. Looking in reflexively, I could see that he was in the midst of doing his business. I sighed. Subject 73645. Now an American bison. He was one of several animals we kept here on-site, a solitary male that had been with us for over a month now. And a messy one, judging from the stench of his leavings.

"Someone clean subject 73645's cage ASAP!" I called out, perhaps sounding more annoyed than I'd intended. I wanted to make sure it was clean for the inspection this afternoon. It was just one more thing in a line of things that I did not want to go wrong today!

Subject 73645 was one of several dozen animals we kept onsite for a variety of testing purposes and other experiments. It was why we needed as big of staff as we had, to properly care for the animals as well as to run the predetermined tests. As the overseer, I had to make sure that everything was in working order for our benefactors, and today, this particular bison had a very special role to play!

His intelligence scores registered above average for that of his species, and there seemed to be a hint of human intelligence remaining as indicated by some of the tests. It was most likely, in my opinion, that he cared little for human thoughts, save when there was a food reward involved when asked to perform basic math or word comprehension. The proper motivation was indeed useful!

Cory, fresh from feeding subject 34621, came up quickly with a pail, shovel, and straw to clean up 73645's leavings. I smiled at that. Cory was one of my most dedicated employees. I would miss him when he left us. He was always so diligent, looking after not only me but all of the subjects on site with the utmost care!

Currently, we had about twenty or so individual habitats onsite for permanent residents. The aforementioned rats, fish, and insects made breeding colonies for feeding the other predators. We also carried some exotic animals full-time, larger species that we needed for longer-term intelligence and behavioral testing, mostly. Breeding operations were generally left to the facilities where the final animals were shipped. If there was a former staff member who wanted to become a particular animal and wished to remain on-site, we generally prepared a place for them. It became a permanent position with the company, indeed!

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