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Paper Back:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/moon-cursed/17975948

E-Book:

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/moon-cursed/17975932

The aquatic park was one of the largest in the country. It boasted nearly a hundred acres that sprawled out beside the sea shore where the ocean lapped lightly against the sand. Socost Aquatic Park was also home to a large research lab, rescue operation and preservation program. It was mostly boasted about in various magazines as being the first that would show up on the scene of an oil spill or any beaching. Most people felt the place was starting to falter under the crowds of people that came to be entertained making the areas for actual research and rehabbing smaller and smaller. Even the employees had begun to feel the cramping pressure that was put on them from the higher ups to make money rather than simple spend it.

One July evening things had reached a head when they had attempted to shut down one of the main sections of the lab to making a petting pool for the dolphins. It was only then that the various interns and marine biologists tried to make a stand against them. They wouldn't have made even that much of a dent if a grant hadn't come through from the McNickle Institute offering to upkeep the lab and even build new space where needed. It was like a gift from no where for the struggling biologists. Over the past decade Dr. Ann McNickle had become the forefront of genetic engineering and various campaigns to preserve many species in the wild. Some had bad things to say about her, but the majority found her decisive and a pioneer in her field.

It was this that had led her to visit the aquatic park one early August day with her guide being one of the biologists that had been the first to send her a letter requesting aid. The last few years had started to add just a touch of grey to the doctor's hair, but she didn't make an attempt to hide it. It was one of the things that she valued as a marker of her age and experience both. She walked as easily as she had when she was younger as they passed by some of the larger tanks holding several small pilot whales and on the other side dolphins. She listened with one ear the litany of needs of the operation as well as the woe and troubles that they had been having with the management in the past years. It was a story that she had heard all too often in the last few years.

"It's not that it was terribly bad a few years ago, then we still had some trouble, but we were still able to make ends meet with our various patrons and fund raisers." Lilly gave her head a shake back and forth sadly.

"Did something change? Surely your patrons would have increased with as much media attention as you've managed to garner." Ann paused to lean over the tank and watched the rise and fall of the whale's backs.

"A lot of things have changed." The biologist leaned back against the tanks wall and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "There's more people that know the problems that we're trying to fight and they support it, but there are even more people that want to come and see the pretty animals."

"I saw that coming in." Ann winced a little bit as she remembered the gaudy decorations and stylized dolphins with grinning faces.

"The more people come, the more they want to bring more in and more back. They started with little things we couldn't really object too. Some of them were even good, but this new dolphin pool" The woman drew her brows together in a deeper frown. "I don't want it here. They're going to let people pay to feed them!"

"Haven't they bothered reading the research that's come out lately?" Ann raised her brows.

"We told them! We told them those pools were unhealthy to the animals in them and sometimes could be dangerous. We brought out all the research we could find, but Mr. Barnes wasn't having any of it." Her voice took on a deeper tone. "'The children will love it! We'll make enough money to cover your little research, Lilly, don't you worry' Those were his exact words. Never mind that research is the entire reason we're here!"

"Well, I'm more then happy to help keep you guys afloat. I would have years ago, but I wasn't to the point that I am today." She watched as one of the walls rose up higher before dropping down with a light splash of water to arrow towards the bottom. "Mr. Barnes is that weasely man I met earlier? "

"That would be him." Lilly pushed away from the wall before gesturing towards her to continue on with the tour. "He's been in charge for five years now and keeps his sights set firmly on what will make him as much money as possible with as little time."

"I can see where that would be troublesome. He didn't strike me as terribly suave with people though."

Ann didn't even want to think about her brief meeting with the man. He had been wearing a suit that probably cost more than her car and a smile that seemed to span his entire face. He was too nice, too complimentary. He acted like a weasel, no not a weasel, like a shark. He behaved as if the entire world were his and he could ring out every penny from it if only he were allowed the time. She had disliked him immediately, in fact she'd gone so far as extracting herself in a none to polite way the moment he had started making suave comments to her. Did he truly think he was a lady's man? Or was it simply his money that allowed him to believe that he was able to freely make his attempts with every woman that came his way.

He had obviously believed she was less then intelligent. The way he talked hinted that he was only doing this for the concern of the animals and nothing else. The load of bull that he fed her was almost too much to swallow. He had talked with her in small words and had the audacity to press her to use her funds for a better purpose. A better purpose. He had spoke broadly of educating the people that came here, but from what she saw there was little education and a lot of amusement. She hadn't missed the fact that they were building a roller coaster and a large water slide towards the back of the park. How long until the animals started to give shoved out while the rides pushed in? She wasn't going to allow that to happen. This was the only place on the east coast that specialized in the rehab these people did.

"Oh he's suave enough alright." Lilly's laugh was harsh. "He's been trying to get in most of my staff's pants for years. He's even succeeded. I think it gives him a sense of power over the girls here. Once he's slept with them he can use that as a threat if they speak their mind too freely."

"Even you?" Dr. McNickle asked the words shrewdly as she tilted her head to one side.

"No, not me. He informed me one Christmas party that a frigid bitch like me probably was happier getting cuddly with the fish then a real human." The girl couldn't hide the hurt in her tone and Ann moved up to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, he just doesn't get our field. We have to be tough to survive. That doesn't mean that we're any less human or female. Besides, look at where it's coming from! That same source would probably happily do it with a fish if it wiggled enough." She forced out a laugh and was relieved when the other girl joined in, albeit the tone sounded a little choked.

They continued on past where most of the sea mammals were kept in silence. Ann couldn't help but enjoy the sight of the seals as they played and slipped in and out of the water. There was something about them that were always so playful and eager to enjoy each other's company. They came last of all to the elephant seal exhibit and the biologist leaned right over the edge to see both compounds. Both of them held male mature elephant seals that were lying out lazily under the sun. Occasionally one would flip a bit of sand against his back before going back to his relaxed ways. The doctor smiled as she saw their infamous large noses.

"This one is Charlie and that one is Lou, they're our current problem." Lilly rested her hands so that her chin could press over top of them.

"Problem? They seem healthy enough and the compound large enough." Ann looked again at the lazy creatures.

"The problem is breeding them in captivity. Do you know much about them?"

"Not really, I know them in general, but my experience with marine life has been a bit limited up until the last few years." She admitted easily enough. She had been thinking more and more lately of tackling some of the larger creatures for over a year until she had heard of the peril this place found itself in. What she had lacked in her institute was the space that this place had.

"Elephant seals breed easily in the wild, but they're not that gentle. At the best of times the female is just trapped and bred, but often they're injured or even outright killed under the larger weight. A female is a third his size and if she puts up a struggle he won't hesitate on forcing himself on her." Lilly gave her head a shake, "We want and need to know more about their reproductive habits in a contained situation, but at the moment we're left with the bare bones of knowledge we can gather from watching in the wild."

"That violent? Surely if you just had a receptive female in the compound-" Ann started to venture and looked at the great lazy beast with new eyes.

"They are, trust me. We tried two years ago and we barely got the female out alive. At this point I'm starting to wonder if we're fighting a losing battle trying to keep this program going. It should be one that we consider dropping to save funds." A tinge of regret lingered in the biologists words.

"I wouldn't abandon it. I did put in the money not just to help you, but to also make sure that you were able to continue your research and I could work with mine. I've been developing several different injections that have been used with success in altering captured animals behavioral problems. I'll admit most of them have been a lack of desire rather then too much, but if I were allowed to use a portion of your lab as my own for a while I could see a way around this." Ann gave a comforting smile.

"Really? I've heard some of what you've done, but I don't want any harm coming to these guys. They aren't lab animals." The voice was hesitant as Lilly dropped her eyes a little, "No offense, but I don't want them experimented on."

"Lilly, I'm not going to hurt them. These drugs will go through multiple trials and have already gone through them before I introduce them to the boys here. If it makes you feel better the day we attempt it I can arrange you and your interns to watch. It may be better if I develop a female that is hardier and able to take more punishment then calming the males down. Some of that aggression is bound to be due to pent up stress from being unable to get near the females they want to be near." The doctor let out a soft laugh to herself.

"Ahh I didn't mean to say you'd hurt them, I just am attached is all. They're such wonderful guys and sweet with us, I don't want them to be hurt or scared." Lilly's smile turned lopsided, "Funny me saying that about an animal as large as them!"

"Well they won't be, let's go see the lab building and I'll see about claiming a portion of it as my own temporarily. How about that part Mr. Barnes wanted to tear down? He wouldn't dare hint to try it again with me in residence!" She gave a slow smile and moved away from the pens. "The best part about having the money, Lilly, is that you can be a pest where others fail." The sound of the biologists laughter followed them as they walked away.

++++

Ann almost wished she had her old lab back to herself. She had started to spend the bulk of her time here at the aquatic park and found the conditions primitive at best. Despite how she felt about it though, she knew that she was being given an unparalleled experience. Not only did she have the run of most of the lab, she was able to slowly bring them back up to date with equipment and many other things. It started as small replacements that were hardly noticed. New doors installed, the quarantine cages were given thicker walls and extended out, lockers were placed in the employee area. She never made mention of the changes or told them it was her. She knew they realized it was, but she didn't want them to fuss over her.

The first week had been the most awkward. The biologists and interns that worked here mostly had acted odd and edgy when she was around. They struggled not to make mistakes or act as anything but professional. Ann slowly whittled that away with light hearted jokes and observations. It wasn't long before she was accepted for her odd comings and goings with little more then smiles and called greetings when she came into the room. That was how she preferred it. Yesterday she had had her lab deliver some of her personal equipment into the lab she considered her own now. It wasn't large, but it held a large cage with a pool that extended out into the yard. The rest of the space was cramped with her computers, notes and lab equipment.

She hadn't been surprised when Mr. Barnes had walked in to see her lab and make complaints over the clutter before smoothly offering her some better accommodations while she worked here. The sly almost oily nature of the man grated on her each time he stopped by with another suggestion on how she could better spend her money. He acted as if she had no idea how to handle her own finances and should have been fawning over his every word and suggestion! Not even the dimmest of her own employees and peers would have made that mistake. She had carefully gathered enough money over the years that it was obvious she knew what she was doing. Yet he still came once every week or so with more suggestions and hints of private discussions.

The latest attempt had left her furious and she'd ended the conversation by simply leaving. He had come into the lab and started asking her about her plans for the weekend, where she was going, what she was doing. She'd dodged the hints that she shouldn't be spending her weekend alone with her own suggestions that she wanted to be alone. She had more work to do as it was without him nearly making her stumble over her own feet. He had finally come up behind her while she tried to arrange one of her monitors perfectly and slipped his hands along either side of her hips. The grip was firm as he tried to give her a light tug back and his voice had laughed as he told her he could help her with the heavy lifting.

She'd refrained from smacking him, but only barely. The very nerve that he had tried to touch her stung more than just her pride it had aroused fury in her. Did he treat all of the females in his staff this way? The man was slender and attractive enough in his own way. He had a pair of startling grey-green eyes that would have been lovely in any man, but the personality that leeched through made them repulsive. She had only gotten rid of him by the interruption of one of the younger members of the research team who wanted to ask her a question on one of her latest vitamin compounds they had been using for the orcas. Ever since then her thoughts had more than darkened towards him. Only his money and high status kept her from doing more.

++++

Jim Barnes was a man who saw the world with dollar signs attached. He had done so ever since he had been a youngster and had ventured out into the world of employment. His first job had been working in a small fast food shop in his home town and it was there he realized that others didn't see the way he did. The entire place had been run in a slip shod manner that had left him infuriated each time they had made an order incorrectly or he'd been forced to pick up the slack as other teenagers had taken breaks or spent time on the phone or simply just not shown up for work. The owner of the shop was rarely around and when she was she only gave a cursory sort of look and barked out her complaints before leaving.

How that woman had failed to realize she could run the place better had been a source of bafflement for him. It was less than a year before he had managed to make an assistant managers position and then he started to make the changes slowly. The owner never seemed to care as long as they were making profit, but he wanted to exceed that. He started by firing most of the younger workers and replacing them with immigrants who could be paid less and worked far harder. In a few months the place had turned completely around until it was bringing in more customers than they could handle. That had started him onto the slow climb to gaining his wealth and in some parts his disdain of women.

No matter where he went he found women continuously failed to meet his high standards. Most of them seemed concerned more with insubstantial things and at the best they refused to higher lower paid workers because they felt they should support their local community. No wonder most of them failed where he succeeded. He suspected that women in general were of the sort that thought with their emotions rather than with their heads. He'd risen quickly through various franchises and investments until he'd taken his first steps into the entertainment industry when he bought out the local aquatic park. He'd been appalled by how it was run from the first day.

Most of their money had been spent on rescues and research with very little left over for attracting customers. They'd had one dolphin and whale show and the rest were simply pens they could look at animals in. It was a glorified zoo! If the public wanted to see a zoo they could go to one with a larger array of animals. The numbers that visited were comparable to a small road side petting zoo when what he wanted were crowds lined up to get a chance to visit the park. His first change had been in a merchandising campaign and building tourist shops in different areas. His next had been to include more and more shows. That hadn't been hard in the least bit. There were plenty of people who wanted a chance to train animals and he hired the youngest and cheapest first.

The reputation of Socost Aquatic Park had helped him there. Everyone just graduating wanted a chance to work under such a prestigious name and he'd been sure to make them sign contracts rather than hire them outright. After the shows had begun to include the seals, birds and even penguins he started to throw in his support to building rides. What was a park without rides after all? In three years this place was now bringing so much money that he was more than repaid for his initial investment. The only thing that halted his success was one woman and the money she'd granted the park. Correction, she didn't grant to the park, she'd granted it to the research and rehab clinic. He couldn't touch that money and he'd tried to find ways around it.

Dr. Ann McNickle practically owned the one area of the park that was a money dump. He'd been just about to knock down part of it to put in a petting pool when it had happened too. Now that project was at a standstill and she was gleefully encouraging his staff to spend his hard earned money on projects that baffled him. So a few seagulls were covered in oil? Who cared, there were hundreds of thousands of the pests in the parking lot alone! He'd tried to get her to see reason, but she refused so vehemently that he'd been ready to throttle her. The last attempt he'd made in seducing her had failed so completely that he still raged against it. The woman had no money sense like every other female he had met. Her bleeding heart would bleed him dry.

That was one of the many reasons he'd decided to make the trek to the research facility so early in the morning. Well one of the reasons. The other reason was a biologist he'd been enjoying a fling with should be there alone since it was her day to do the morning feeding and check ins. If it was one thing he knew, it was how to make females keep under his heel. This one in particular was valuable to him since she was more intimately involved in the workings of the research center and he'd be able to have some control there as long as he could play his cards right. If nothing else, he could subtly sabotage the entire project, but that could lead to messy accusations and law suits later that he wasn't prepared to deal with.

Jim passed through the doors of the lab with a slight bounce to his step. The scent of the place made his nose wrinkle slightly. There were downsides to being forced to run a place like that and one of those was the smell. The raw fish scent stung his nostrils as he passed into the brightly lit interior and looked around avidly for the person he'd come to see. On the walk here he'd entertained the idea of giving her a good run in the break room, but not with the scent of fish on the air. That was beyond a mood killer for him. He spotted her with a tray in the kitchen area in the process of sorting out fish for the animals. A quick flicker of his eyes around to make sure he was alone he advanced on his prey. Now was the time to explain to her just how things would be done around here.

++++

Ann woke up with a start and a moment of pure confusion as to where she was and what exactly she was doing. Her head had been pillowed on her arms, but her arm was actually smashing down her keyboard from where she had fallen asleep while at work. She blinked her eyes a few times at the room trying to sort herself out. She remembered that she'd been isolating certain genes and DNA strands just before she'd fallen asleep, she had been putting them on her computer. She glanced up at the screen and sighed as a series of numbers and letters had been worked into a repeating sequence down the page. Obviously the data she had been putting in was somewhere at the top while her arm had done the rest. Well that was a wonderful start to the day.

She pushed her chair back and stretched until her back arched and her hands reached for the ceiling. She strained against herself until she felt her vertebrae crack and a rush of relief from tension ran through her. That was much better. She eyed the tubes and racks on the counter with a bit of disappointment. It hadn't been refrigerated last night so it would all have to be pitched. Thankfully it was just a larger batch of what she had now so it wouldn't exactly be that huge of a loss. She was suddenly very happy she'd taken to keeping a set of clothes in the employee break room. There she could shower and change before doing a bit more work. She'd been working in labs long enough to know that all nighters did happen from time to time. The thought of a shower cheered her up immediately and she stood up to start towards the door.

"How could you!?" The female voice was part plea and part grief as it reached the doctor's ears. Ann stopped just short of opening the door and hesitated. She knew the other people here had their own little dramas and so far she'd kept out of them entirely.

"Look at it from a business perspective. You got exactly what you wanted out of our deal and now you're going to repay me by being of service." The voice was cold, oily and calm. The tone was immediately recognizable as that of Barnes.

"Like a whore you mean?" The female, possibly Ella by the sound of it, snapped back. Her outrage overrode her sadness.

"I wouldn't quite call it that, but if that's how you feel about it you can. It's quite simple. We had an enjoyable time, I treated you to a number of meals and nights at my house and now I'm just asking a simple favor in return." The voice never hinted at emotion, it was as bland as if discussing what he wished to order for lunch.

"And what's that?" Ella's voice hardened as her anger grew and Ann silently cheered for her.

"I want you to access Dr. McNickle's notes as well as Lilly's and bring them to my house tomorrow evening. Everything you can find."

"Why? What do you want with them? You wouldn't even understand them!" Ella almost spat the words back and Ann slowly edged the door open a little wider to see them standing in the kitchen area.

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is your career here." Jim's voice turned sly. "You know as well as I do that if you were to leave here with a poor recommendation or worse were fired for inappropriate behavior that your degree would be little more than a picture to hang on the wall and look at."

"I....What?! You can't do that! I'll tell them you seduced me!" Her voice rose up until it nearly cracked.

"Then I'll sue you for false statements against my character. I have enough money that by the end of it every little dark secret you have would be drug out. I know what I pay you, you could barely afford an attorney to serve the papers." The man's voice went back to boredom.

"Why would you do this to me?" The question was less angry and Ann thought she could see tears on the girls face. Another time, another place and another memory started to tickle her mind. Her boyfriend so easily blackmailing her and demanding that she behave for him.

"It's business. Nothing more, nothing less. You were a good mount, now you'll be a good girl and do exactly what I tell you." The words were delivered with a coldly calculating blow that shattered the girl.

Ella didn't reply to what he had said. She didn't give affirmation she would do what was asked of her, but neither did she deny it. Instead she turned and bolted for the door with a chocked sob coming from her chest. The girl was young enough that the threat really could ruin her chances at advancement in the future. Ann balled her fist against the door trying to subdue her anger at the man. She might have been able to if he hadn't of turned slightly and allowed her to see the satisfied smile on her face. He looked like the cat that had gotten into the cream. His demeanor showed he had relished the reactions he had received from the girl. That was definitely the last straw. He couldn't treat people like this!

++++

"Mr. Barnes. How unexpected to see you here." A voice came from to one side of him and Jim almost lost his composure by jumping or making a short scream. He wouldn't embarrass himself like that.

He turned around to find Dr. McNickle with the door held open and her face a careful mask that gave away nothing. He narrowed his eyes a little before his smile returned to his lips. Of course she was here. She had probably spent all night holding the hand of a hurt flounder or something. The woman ruled her entire world by her heart, it was so utterly predictable. He slid his hands into his pants pockets and rocked back lightly on his heels as he gave her a disarming smile. He wouldn't assume she had heard the conversation, perhaps she had only heard the girl yelling. He could dismiss that easily as an overly sensitive employee being given grave news. Of course that would mean firing her, but it was all for a good cause.

"Yes, well. I had some rough news for poor Ella. I prefer to give things like that personally then trust it to an underling." He gave his hand a slight flick towards the open door. "She was a bit overcome."

"I see that." The voice was sharp and to the point, perhaps she had seen more. "I think it'd be for the best, Mr. Barnes, if you stopped making it a habit of coming down here."

"I own this park, Miss McNickle." He dropped the doctor from her title easily enough as an insult. "In case you've forgotten you're only here because I accepted your grant money on behalf of our research team. "

"Indeed, and I have a right to oversee how my money is spent." She smiled at him, but it was more a showing of her teeth then a real smile. "I don't think it's your concern what goes on here."

"It is my concern. Perhaps I only come here to see you." He let his voice drift to something deeper on the last phrase.

"That's what I'd feared. I suggest you go back to your office where it's comfortable. " The doctor turned and walked sharply towards the hall that lead to the break room.

How dare she dismiss him?! Other women would have given anything to be offered the chance he was giving her, but she seemed to delight in turning him away. He narrowed his eyes and straightened himself up. He wasn't going to be sent away like an errant school boy, not by a woman who had no right to be in his park! He strode after her with his eyes narrowed, his longer legs making his pace fast enough to keep up with her as she walked along the hall. He waited until he was within arm's reach before he reached out and caught ahold of her elbow and gave it a pull back. Maybe she just wanted to play rough. He'd had women like that, who needed someone to take charge. Mostly they were women who pretended to be in charge themselves.

"Let go of me." Each word came out slowly as Ann froze in his grasp. He answered by pulling on the arm and stepping forward to force her smaller body against his.

"Frigid little wench aren't you?" He breathed into her ear.

He wasn't expecting the response he got. Jim had expected either angry denial or for her to melt against him as if this was what she was waiting for. He truthfully expected the latter to happen, but instead she twisted her upper body and grabbed his arm with her hand. The sudden pressure distracted him when he felt something sharp sink into the muscle of his upper thigh. He let out a cry and staggered back to see a syringe sticking out from his pants leg and flesh. He had the presence of mind to grab it and yank it away before glaring up at her. She'd attacked him! She'd actually attacked him! Victory as well as outrage came. He could finally be rid of her, this alone would get her up on charges. The stupid woman had done it to herself.

"I warned you, Jim. Money won't protect you from everything." The doctor's words seemed to come from a long distance as too late he realized that his vision was blurring and seemed to form a tunnel. He stumbled slightly backwards as his legs felt as if they were weighed down by led.

"What?" He tried to get the sentence out as the darkness started to swallow him up. What had she injected him with?

"Sweet dreams, I'll see you when you wake up."

++++

Ann's breathing was too fast. She had done this before, but never with someone as highly placed as this man. It wouldn't be like her ex who had been easily explained as having run off, or her intern who she could claim had left with his last paycheck after she had confronted him about the dogs. Even Yuung had been explained as having run to Mexico. She didn't know what she was going to do to hide this, but what she did know was that she would not spend her days here with this man terrorizing the women around him. He had to be stopped and she was just the person to make sure he was. She caught him as he fell down and lost consciousness before looking around the room.

It would be hours until anyone came in to work. She had that much time to figure out just what to do with the unconscious man so that she wouldn't raise suspicions. She moved her hands under his arms and drug him slowly backwards towards her lab. He was heavier then he looked and briefly she hoped that she had gotten the dose right. The moment that he had watched the intern leave she had gone to the section of her lab that housed various drugs and picked out the ketamine. She had a feeling he was going to try something and she wasn't going to stand for it. Her idea was only half formed, but they were chased by the knowledge if she kept allowing him to walk all over her he would push her finally over the edge. Or he would hurt someone more than just emotionally.

She managed to get him into her lab and pushed him into the unoccupied cage with little fuss. She hesitated before she left and looked down at his unconscious form. He probably had a cell phone or something along those lines with which he could call for help if he woke up before she returned. It was best to make sure that didn't happen. She crouched down and unbuttoned his shirt before peeling it off. She let out a snort of disgust at his dark tanned skin. Clearly he spent more than enough time primping and pampering himself when it came to that area. She shook her head in disgust before she managed to get his pants open and slid them slowly down his hips. If nothing else the humiliation when he woke up would prove her point.

By the time she had him settled she was able to carefully pull the partition down over the cage to make sure no one could see into it. Her mind was already spinning with ideas on what she was going to do. She could simply let him wake up and let the embarrassment be the lesson he was given, but somehow she knew he'd simply go back to his old ways, but perhaps a little quieter. He was not only a danger to himself, but to so many other people working on this project. If he weren't so wealthy she'd perhaps risk doing more to him, but how could she hide his disappearance? She threw his belongings in a bag to store in her locked desk drawer just as she heard people arriving for the day. She would have to worry about it later.

"Ann! Ann!" Her name being called made her hurry to the door before the person could barge in. She ended up face to face with Lilly. "He's at it again!"

"Who?" Somehow she found the ability to feign shock.

"Barnes. He's threatening Ella, the bastard." The woman almost growled out his name.

"We should have her talk to an attorney, I could foot the bill." She offered, but didn't have to feign the outrage in her voice. "I have enough money to face him down."

"Heh, sure. He's got his tracks covered already. I went to catch him in his office and five people said they watched him leave early this morning to go out boating. I can almost bet that if you go down to the dock they'll say he left before sun up. Nothing can pin him here." Lilly's words came out bitterly.

"The video cameras..." Ann started before Lilly flicked her fingers impatiently.

"He installed them, he knows how to avoid them. The bastard will make it seem as if he was never here and whatever Ella says is nothing more than a story to get money out of her." Lilly started to go off on a tangent, but Ann found herself slowly losing her concentration. Nothing could tie him here. Nothing could prove that he had ever been here.

+++++

Jim felt as if his head were going to explode if he moved another inch, but if he didn't he felt as if he were going to be sick. The entire ground was bucking beneath him as if he were on a boat. But he wasn't on a boat. He was laying on a hard damp concrete floor at an odd angle and completely naked. The only place warm was where his skin touched the floor, but that was little comfort considering the fact he was chilled to the bone. He started to shake and forced one of his eyes open before moved a hand up to try and push himself onto all fours. How long had he been out? He knew Ann had managed to stick something in him. What had she done? Taken photos of him unconscious and naked for blackmail? Just like a woman.

"You know, the problem with thinking you're smarter than everyone else is that you create an air tight alibi for other people as well." The voice screamed in his ears. No, it didn't scream, it just sounded as if someone was shouting in them. He tilted his head slowly to find Ann perched on the edge of her desk watching him.

"The hell are you talkin' about, give me back my clothes!" He found his tongue moving a bit easier as he struggled to sit up. "What sort of sick bitch are you?"

"The boating excuse. Everyone agrees you set sail this morning. I assume that you took your boat out and just found a nice deserted place to drop anchor before returning here." She tilted her head to one side. Why did she look so pleased? "It really was rather smart. Even if Ella said anything they'd ask for times and dates, but you'd appear to be out at sea."

"Tha' hell." He slurred out trying to puzzle out what she meant. Even his own words hurt his sensitive ears.

"I'm talking about the fact it's going to be very tragic that you're missing at sea. It's not even that uncommon for people to go missing at sea. You set sail alone, so who knows what happened to you. It could be suicide even!" She spoke so lightly, but he could feel a sense of dread uncoiling in his stomach.

"Give my clothes." He enunciated the words clearly as he could, trying to put as much authority as he knew how into them. The doctor shook her head back and forth.

"No, Mr. Barnes, I think you've dug your own grave as it were and I'm not going to fix the troubles you've caused." Her words were as pitiless as any he had ever heard. Did she actually mean to kill him?

++++

Ann had spent most of the day thinking and figuring out what she was going to do about the man. She could release him, but she knew that the moment she did there'd be trouble for everyone involved. There was no way he would simply take what had happened to him and keep his mouth shut, no matter what threats she started to give him. It was only after she'd considered how he'd left with his boat that she realized that she had a chance to actually get away with what she'd been thinking about. The longer the day went, the more she decided to make a chance of it. She had told the others that her lab was off limits since she'd brought in a new female elephant seal that she wanted to work with as a possible mate for one of the males.

The biologists had accepted the answer with excitement and eagerness both. They had been wanting to see something happen with the males and their program started since she had begun to work here. She hadn't made any real promises, but she had made offers and leaps and bounds had been accomplished so far. The one thing holding them back was the fact that none of them wanted to risk their own females. It was understandable given how attached they were emotionally, though Ann found the limitation frustrating at the best of times. Today though it seemed as if she had an answer to her own frustrations and the problems of the research department. She had it locked in a cage in her own area. She was exhausted by the time the people were ready to head out for the day and she gave a smile and waved off questions on if she were going home.

Only then did she go back to her lab. The entire place was utterly silent and peaceful. Even outside the research lab the crowds and vendors had left for the day. The only people that would be left would be the janitorial crew and security. She sat down and considered the nude man in the cell while her mind started to go faster and faster. His ship had been sailed out of the harbor, everyone knew he'd gone sailing, no one knew he had come back here to threaten Ella. He thought he was so smart about it, so smooth that no one would catch him in the act. She had though, and she wasn't going to let him get away with it so he could repeat his actions. How many other girls lives had he ruined with these sorts of stunts? Probably countless!

She made sure that he was sound asleep before she made a move to open up the door and crouched down next to him. His hip was curved towards her as she gave it a swabbing with a cold alcohol pad and started the first of a series of injections. The first was designed to start to make his body ready for the change. The second was the actual introduction of foreign DNA as well as a mild sedative to make sure that he would be drowsy. The third was meant to bring him out of his unconscious state. Only after the final drug had been injected did she move backwards and close the cage door again. She picked out a perfect seat and then settled down wait. It didn't take long for him to start to wake up and question her and by then her mind had been made up. She was going to make sure he was in a situation that he could be as helpless as the girls he had taken advantage of. She let him have his moment of questioning her.

Every word out of his mouth just made her realize how bigoted and sexist he was. The disdain in his eyes was enough to prove to her how he felt. Even naked and locked in a cage he still believed he could get the upper hand. No wonder he had assumed that Ella would do what he asked unquestioningly. It was what he was used to. He probably surrounded himself with women that would fawn over him or at the very least make sure that he was able to advance his own cause. She fixed her lips in a slight smile and didn't answer any more of his demands for his clothing or to what she was going to do. She was able to see when the first shudder rocked through him as the change began to take hold. The sight of it made her lean back and relax. There was no chance she'd record this part, oh no, but later perhaps...

++++

Jim stared through the wire cage at the woman who responded to none of his demands. Instead she stared at him with a smile that made him flush hotly, the embarrassment quickly turned to anger that she could make him feel that way. The flush wouldn't go away after it appeared. The heat kept lingering over the edges of his cheeks and seemed to run throughout his body. He shifted so that his back was pushed up against the coolness of the wall and continued to glare out at Ann as she leaned forward slightly and a smile much like that of a cat appeared on her face. The very intensity of her gaze made him uncomfortable and then the first change ripped through him. It felt like he were flushing with a fever and he looked down to where the heat was the worst and let out a scream.

A rich brown-black color was blossoming over his legs and creeping its way upwards. It was as if he were watching water rolling over him. He let out another scream as his legs and bones started to shift and pull together. The skin loosened over his lower legs and his feet felt as if they were a pair of magnets when they pulled together. He looked up to see Ann's face smiling at him as the heat grew worse than a simple flush. It was as if pins and needles were being stabbed into the skin and he found himself writhing under the sensation. He twisted back and forth with a guttural cry exploding from his lips as the bones cracked and reshifted along his legs. It was worse than anything he had ever experienced.

He felt a sudden pop as his joints were cracked and shifted in a way that went against what a human body shoulder. The fire and pain flooded his upper body as he writhed against the cold stone floor in agony. The shape of his body was being twisted! His arms started to pull in against his body and his hands lengthened while skin spread over and between his fingers leaving webbing there. Another crack and the bones of his arms were soon entirely gone from his sight and he was left with a broad pair of hands sticking out at the shoulders. He was turning into a freak! She was turning him into a freak. Even as he twisted around he felt the bones that had disappeared starting to change into something new, something different. The weight started to grow on him as a layer of padding, he could watch the formation of his abs start to disappear under it.

The most shocking change was when he felt his jaw start to ache more and more. He tried to spread his lips, but the moment he did he felt them growing heavier. What was happening to him? He ended up falling onto his stomach with his strange flippers slapping against the floor as he could feel the weight being added to him. It was spreading along his rib cage which seemed to grow wider. He could barely move himself under the onslaught. He lifted his head up a little and tried to scream out, but instead a hoarse barking sound came from his throat. He barked out roughly while his nose and lips pushed outwards to make what looked like a muzzle on his face. A muzzle?! He had a muzzle?! The shock was only countered by the pressure and sudden growth of a set of whiskers that pushed free from either of his cheeks.

They were stiff and thick, and when he tried to twitch his lips he realized that they moved in time with his own lips rise and fall. The gentle tremor against the edge of them shivered as his head continued to change. He couldn't even move his hands up to feel how his hair was drawing back. The rush of thick seal skin was covering over it while his eyes bulged and grew. The whites disappeared to be replaced with dark orbs that gleamed in the light. He turned his head about a little bit trying to concentrate on something. His vision was blurry and strange while he rocked and heaved himself upwards a little. He knew something wasn't right the moment he tried to pull himself forward and a new pain struck him. He cried out and rocked himself to one side.

Horribly he could see a human cock laying flaccid against his stomach. It was flopped against the dark hide and a bright pink color that stood out starkly. The pain had been caused by dragging himself forward and his cock had been scraped against the ground. His balls were laying right against the textured hide and fur that he refused to even think of as his own! Even as he watched the last part of him that could even be called remotely human disappeared. It was pulling back into his body rapidly and shrank as it went. The heat of it made him curl his...his...he didn't even know what to call them! His feat had been turned into broad flippers that flopped about each time he moved the hind part of himself. He barked out louder in distress as it started to hurt worse when his cock pulled in. it was as if it was stuffing and forcing more flesh then he could handle inside of himself.

He was distracted enough he never saw her coming. He should have known she was nearby and watching, but he had other things on his mind at the time! The sudden touch of a hand against his hip made him startle and flail. The body was too new to try and fight against the touches that seemed insistent while they brushed against his hip. He shuddered away from it only to feel a gloved blue hand move down to touch where his glans was rapidly receding back into his body. He slapped his lower body up and the flippers hit against her, but not nearly as hard as he would have liked. He wanted to cause damage, not just make her pause. Instead the fingers moved right against his cock tip and gripped it between the thumb and forefinger before giving a slight pinch.

"You've spent so much time thinking with this, you've started to believe that you're actually entitled to everything in the world because you have one." Ann's voice was mild as she kept the pressure mild. "You think of women as stupid or weak. I think you need to find someone that has similar views as yourself, Jim."

Suddenly the fingers clamped down around his cock head and the pressure started to increase to the point of pain. He writhed back down against the ground and felt the newly padded flesh being drug against the ground. He was fat! That's what he was fat! He could look down his own body and it looked cigar shaped rather than human. The steady pressure of the finger against his cock tip grew and grew until he wanted to tear himself away from her. His breath came in pants before the hand started to force his cock inwards along the opening. She pushed it back until her hands felt along the rise of his balls and she cupped them in her hand in an almost gentle nature. The grip on his tip though was bruising his sensitive member! He barked out a hoarse plea. Why was she doing this to him.

"It's a shame that I've only found two other males like you in the world." She murmured to herself. What the hell was she talking about?

Jim shuddered as she fondled over his balls and started to push harder against his cock. His eyes started to water as he drew in a gasping breath and shuddered it back out again. All he knew was that the pressure was getting to the point that it was unbearable. The more he tried to deal with it, the greater it grew. It started to push harder and harder while his cock was forced into a slit that was forming around the base. He could feel the heat of his own body wrapping around it as it slipped inwards. He twisted and slapped his flippers up again trying to hit her, but his only reward was a harsh squeeze to his balls. Her fingers dug in against them so that his eyes bulged a little and he tried to yank his hips away from her attention.

She didn't let up! What the hell was she doing to him! He let out a muted groan as her fingers started to dig against his balls and force them against the slit that had spread open right at the underside of his belly. The forced stretching made him squirm and twist against the hardness of the floor as they were drawn into his body. They weren't just pushed, he could feel his own body swallowing around them and pulling them deeper upwards. His stomach roiled and part of him wondered if he was about to be sick as he experienced the tightening and clutching of his body while it tried to deal with being spread open for his testicles. Ann's fingers pushed upwards as if to make sure they weren't able to pop out.

Her hand was thicker then anything he could have imagined. The rise of the knuckles forced the outer lips open and they splayed wider and wider until they formed a tight seal around the back of her hand. The fingers dug inwards until he realized with a sudden jolt that his cock was gone. She had been changed into not just another species, but another sex entirely! She let out a sharp barking sound and jerked her lower body only to feel that bitch of a woman drive her hand in hard enough that her muscles clenched down in reaction. The horrifying sight of her with her hand driven so deeply inside of her passage made her want to darken with humiliation. The thick lipped slit was the same dark coloration as the rest of her hide.

"Mmm there now, isn't that better?" Ann's voice was soft as she let out a chuckle that was almost cruel. "You know what, Jim?" The hand drove deep causing her breath to let out in shock at the feeling before the arm slowly started to withdraw. "The only men like you are animals, and I think you'll get a feel for why you need to treat us with some respect when you meet them."

The former man winced at the lewd popping sound as the hand pulled back and she could feel the way the inner walls were stretched taut before it was freed. The gloved arm was wet with...with her arousal? No she wasn't aroused, it was just wet! She tried to roll herself over and finally managed to get on her stomach with a flailing of her flippers and her whiskers twitched on her face. She felt bloated and heavy bodied, yet instinct made it feel natural. Her folds still felt sensitive and slick from the earlier penetration of the hand and when she moved she felt them graze against the ground. She pushed herself upwards on her flippers to glare up at the woman accusingly. Her eyes blazed with rage as she tried to communicate with her eyes that the female had better be turning her back into a human!

The doctor moved up and snapped the glove off with a little smile on her face before she stepped back and slammed the metal cage door shut with a resounding thud. She lurched forward and had to hunch her tail up to propel her ungainly body towards the door as she let out a blasting series of barks and snarls. Not one sound managed to come out remotely human. Each one was garbled and mixed up with animalistic noises as the female walked away without even paying attention to her. What was her game? Did she hope by doing this to her that she'd let Ella go? That she'd let this stupid program continue? She'd see the woman fired and flung into the lowest form of homelessness before she was through with her!

+++++

Ann listened to enraged barks that continued long after she had left and shut the door of the lab behind her. They would likely continue for the rest of the night. If the man were wise he would just accept what his fate was and be done with it. Somehow though, she didn't think he would be wise, she believed he would be stupid and rage against what she had done. That wouldn't bode well for him tomorrow or even the next day. Perhaps after enough days he'd finally learn to be quiet and docile. It would only be fitting that he learn to behave himself in one way or another. Perhaps if he were treated like the women he used he would actually be one of the ones she could change back instead of leaving an animal. Somehow she doubted that very much.

She went into the breakroom that also served as the locker room with a little bit of a sigh. She'd practically spent two full days here, no wonder she was getting tired. She wanted to be home and in bed so she'd be well rested for tomorrow. She changed out of her old clothes that smelled distinctly of fish before she stopped at the message board that had been put up in the common area. With a smile she moved up to write out the time and date of tomorrow and beneath it the words: "Elephant Seal Mating Habits and Reproduction". She gave it several underlines before letting a smile curl the edges of her lips. Tomorrow would be a great day. She'd make sure the entire staff watched as well, especially the women Jim Barnes had hurt in the past.

---

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