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Obsession, like many things, often grows from good intentions. The darkest shades of one's soul are cast by the brightest light. For one lone soul, the shadows he has cast across the world are countless and the light flickers on, feeding his obsession... for the darkness he spreads is often wrapped in the most delightful of packaging.

Chapter 1-03 (The Life of Doctor Julian)

A thick fog clung to the cargo docks of Trinity, the moon light illuminating the soupy haze. The ocean was still, the constant roar of the boundless waters reduced to a gentle slapping of waves against the concrete and metal. Automated cranes scanned barcodes on cargo crates before lifting them up and depositing them on long conveyor belts headed to the processing plants. Automated ships, automated cranes. It was a system that never rested and almost never faltered... almost.

A soft chirping sounded as a crane found a crate not listed on the manifest. The crate was lifted and moved over to a warehouse, the roof opening up as the crate was lowered. Orange lights started to spin, indicating that the crate needed checking out. The sound was easy to hear, even in the small guard post in section fourteen. It only took a moment for the two occupants to emerge, dressed from head to toe in black tactical armor. Their shoulders were emblazoned with the symbol of the guard, three silver circles at the edges of a triangle with an upside down triangle inside.

"What do you think it is? Contraband?" The younger of the guards asked. His skin had cinnamon tones to it, complimenting his thin mustache well. The older guard shook his head.

"Contraband is sent to section one... The barcode probably got scuffed up on the voyage over." The older guard said, his voice as deep and dark as his rich brown skin. The guards reached the edge of the warehouse and brought up their pulse pistols, exchanging hand signals before the doors rumbled open and they moved in. While many empty cargo containers lined the outer edge of the building, only a single crate rested in the center of the warehouse, the open roof allowing a column of moonlight to come down perfectly around the crate.

The guards circled the gray and blue box before the older guard signaled for his partner to stay back. He moved up slowly and pulled down one latch, then moved to the other side and pulled the other. The hatch rumbled before it tilted open, groaning before it slammed to the ground, the sound echoing through the warehouse. The junior guard raised his flashlight, trying to see but it looked like more empty floor to me.

"I don't see anything Lake. It's empty or something." He said in confusion, moving his light around. The older guard let out a soft grunt before he moved around the crate, unlocking the other sides. One by one, the walls of the crate unfolded, slamming to the ground. As the wall connected to the roof unfolded, the sole object in the crate was revealed... and it was far from empty. Propped up in the center of the warehouse was what appeared to be a doorframe, but the view through the frame didn't match what was behind the frame.

"What is it?" The junior guard asked.

"Didn't you study in school Rodrigo? That's an old Trinitron model, a portal arc..." The older guard murmured.

"But Trinitron portals can't exist outside of the facility." Rodrigo murmured, moving toward the archway slowly. He lifted his flashlight and aimed it through to the other side, looking at the cement floor, the wide open room, the metal cages to one side and the strange tanks on the other, even the hospital like bed in the middle. Lake moved around to get a view of the portal for himself and both gazed at the unusual location on the other side.

"What's that look like to you?" Rodrigo asked. Lake was about to speak when they both noticed a small silver object rolling along the floor toward the archway. It passed through the invisible barrier, the sound of metal on cement suddenly audible. As the device came to a rest at their foot, it clicked and a cloud of fine gas sprayed out. The guards backed up but the gas curled around them in tendrils, filling in their wake.

Both men coughed and sputtered, doubling over a bit, trying to reclaim their breath. Rodrigo wheezed and shuddered, leaning over a box for support, but as he leaned over, his back started to throb and pulse. His muscles felt like they were on fire as they started to expand. His shoulders widened, his shoulder blades pushed out and his spine started to grow. Rodrigo let out a gasp and as his lips parted, his teeth grew into sharp fangs. His hands clutched the small box for support, but as his fingernails pushed out into claws and darkened, they punctured through the box.

A tearing sound came as Rodrigo's body armor started to split and tear, revealing not the guard's cinnamon colored flesh but a hide of green scales. Rodrigo's biceps and triceps bulged, splitting the sleeves apart as his pectoral muscles and abdomen refined. The shirt popped around the collar and fell away, revealing an overly muscled torso. Rodrigo's skin hardened and cracked into perfect scales. Even his chest developed ribs and contours. Rodrigo snarled, gnashing his sharp teeth as his face popped and contorted.

Nearby, Lake was no better off. He had coughed and gagged even more than Rodrigo, unable to get any air. He gasped and gasped but nothing seemed to help. Before long he was starting to look a bit blue, an accomplishment for how dark his skin was. Lake's chest rose and fell in silent desperation for air, his eyes opening wide... but even his eyes had changed, turning solid black and glassy. He tried so desperately to breathe in that his neck throbbed and suddenly the skin split and the bright red meaty flesh of gills opened, Lake realized he had been trying to breathe with the wrong set of lungs. He opened his mouth and took in another breath of the gas, relaxing steadily.

Slowly a smile spread across Lake's lips, but the grin was not that of a human. Two rows of sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight as a third pushed up into his mouth. Lake's cheekbones pushed forward, followed by his eye sockets and upper lip, his jaw just behind that. His face contorted into a blunted muzzle as his ears shrank away. His helmet rolled off his head, revealing a smooth scalp, though a lump was forming on the back of his head, pushing out slowly into a triangle. Lake grunted more as his shirt grew tight and started to split. As the sleeves of his shirt tore open, his muscled arms were gray instead of brown. The gray spread across his body just as fast as the muscles did.

Rodrigo took a step, then another. As his legs moved, the tight pants split open and scaly green legs emerged, webbed white and green feet slapping on the cement floor. Rodrigo arched his back as the seat of his pants tented, bulging dramatically before the cloth split and a thick wedge of green tail emerged, swinging around. The guard's face continued pushing out forward, narrowing more and more. His nose shrank away, becoming part of the muzzle as it opened and closed, the sharp teeth exposed.

Lake's pants bulged and split as well, but a very different kind of tail emerged. Rather than ending in a tip, the gray rubbery extension stretched up and down vertically from the stalk, creating a tail fin. The base of the tail was so wide that the rest of the pants split open and fell, revealing Lake's underwear. The white cotton was completely compromised, dripping with slime before the fabric simply came apart. The guard's manhood had swollen to almost fourteen inches, though the member looked misshapen and unwieldy. The flesh along the center shrank and contracted before the one shaft split into two, bobbing around independently of one another, growing longer and thicker by the second.

As strings of goo dripped from Lake's newly formed hemipenis, the spicy musk wafted into the air, reaching the slits in Rodrigo's muzzle. The changing guard shuddered, sniffing in the scent deeply before he slashed at his pants, cutting the last strings of his own underwear. A thick, leathery cock flopped out, thicker than a beer can all the way down. Both guards stumbled around in the midst of their transformations, the last pieces of their clothing falling to the ground one by one. Their pulse pistols were forgotten, their helmets discarded. In the midst of the chaos, neither had noticed a figure approaching the archway from the other side.

The figure stopped just on the other side of the barrier, gazing into the warehouse with violet colored eyes. He appeared to be no more than twenty seven or eight, slight at five foot ten, though his expression was one of patience well beyond his physical age. His black hair was tied back into a long pony tail that hung down across his shoulder blades, contrasting the long white lab coat he wore. A soft hand passed through the barrier, turning one way and then the other before he stepped through. The invisible membrane in the archway rippled before his feet were solidly on the floor of the warehouse. He turned, looking at the transforming guards.

Lake had stretched to almost seven feet tall, no trace of clothing left as his rubbery gray body seemed to cry out for exposure to water. He was a humanoid shark, standing on webbed, muscled legs, counter balanced by his massive tail. Rodrigo, however, had become an even larger crocodile, oozing with muscle and meat, though he had developed a bit of a belly. His mustache still remained, thinned and wiry, faintly brown along the upper edge of his croc muzzle. The beasts looked at each other before looking at the man that had entered.

"I... am Doctor Julian, and you two are my first converts. You can serve me and receive pleasure unlike anything you've ever imagined, or you can go find some small corner of this city to crawl into and hide... The choice is yours." Julian said. Lake was the first to move, lowering to one knee and bowing his head. Seeing his friend give in, Rodrigo did the same. Julian smiled, reaching out to pet their heads slowly, stroking the flesh before he touched his index and middle fingers together, clicking rings that surrounded the fingers.

As he brought his hands down, the rings grazed the crocodile's head, sending an overwhelming wave of pleasure through him. The massive muscled beast nearly collapsed, his eyes rolling into his head as he shook and his shaft began to spray copious strings of semen into the air. Julian turned, stroking the shark's dorsal fin, causing a similar response as both his shafts unleashed torrents of cum. Julian grinned, leaving them to their pleasure as he crossed the warehouse and pushed open the doors, looking out between the many warehouses of the docks to the city beyond.

"Trinity, I've heard so very much about you." Julian whispered, "I think it's time you finally get to hear about me." He grinned.

[March 14th, 1993]

Thick flakes of snow filled the air, drifting down to add to the already considerable amounts covering the streets and sidewalks. Through the narrow glass doors of the Genetech facility, it looked as if the world outside had been carved out of Styrofoam as some sort of model for a presentation. Cars weren't moving and people were staying indoors in fear of what news reporters were calling the 'storm of the century'. The secretary in the foyer leaned back in his chair, watching the portable television crackling gentle with fuzzy static.

"Reports are coming in across North Carolina of 'thundersnow', a rare type of thunder storm where snow is the predominant precipitation. Some meteorologists place the number of lightning strikes above three thousand in the last day alone in the state. In Florida the storm has...-egun to...-regions-" the reporter's voice cut out, the snow interfering with the analog television signal.

"Oh come on..." The secretary groaned softly, though a sudden gust of cold wind forced him to look up. The door had been opened by a young man who moved in, bundled up from head to toe. He pulled off his snow covered hat, his black hair falling free. Next he unraveled the light purple scarf from around his neck, revealing the bright smile on his lips. Caramel colored eyes gazed around, taking in every detail.

"Ah good, you're still open." The man smiled.

"Y-yes, we are... And you are?" the secretary asked in surprise that anyone was braving the storm. The man grinned.

"I'm Doctor Julian Genoa, I am supposed to start here today." Julian smiled.

"Weren't you cold out there?" the secretary asked. Julian chuckled a little.

"Maybe a little, but I'd rather be cold. It's always easier to warm up than it is to cool down. Give me the cold any day, though I might prefer my credentials first." Julian said.

"Uh, oh... Yes." The secretary said, opening up his binder, flipping through the pages before he pulled out a security badge, grimacing, "I have your badge, though there's been a mistake, it only has your first name Doctor Genoa. I'm so terribly sorry."

"That's alright, so long as it gets me where I need to be." Julian smiled. The secretary pulled out the badge, handing it to Julian. The young man clipped it to his jacket with a bright smile, "Which way?" he asked.

"The elevator, floor twelve, third door on your right." The secretary said. Julian gave a nod of his head and moved to the elevator, pressing the button.

****

The laboratory was large and complex, full of machines swishing liquids around, processing them and rendering new substances into waiting vessels below. Julian found it hard not to gaze at the chemicals in wonder even as the head of research reviewed his file.

"Doctor Julian Genoa, age twenty three. Graduated high school valedictorian at the age of sixteen, then graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard at the age of twenty, specializing in genetics. You were vital on the team engineering FlavorSaver tomatoes that soon go out to the markets, but I believe your most prestigious achievement came in 1990... The first successful case of Gene Therapy, would you say that correct?" the head of research asked. Julian gave a nod.

"Yes, that is correct sir." Julian replied.

"Can you refresh me on the case?" the head asked, though he knew the details perfectly. He still found it amazing that an individual so very young had been able to do so much.

"Oh yes, of course. The gene therapy was performed on a four year old girl. Her immune system wasn't functioning so we exposed her T cells outside of her body to retroviruses containing a copy of a normal ADA gene. They replaced the defective gene with the copy of the working one and her immune system started working once the T-cells were reintroduced." Julian said.

"And your thesis at Harvard dealt with genetic transcription, did it not?" the head asked.

"Yes sir, dealing with the practical applications of reintroducing stable genes to replace those that had mutated, but also-" Julian was interrupted.

"To introduce new genes to replace the old... Genes obtained from a variety of sources, plant and animal. Highly theoretical, though I found it interesting that most of your proposed species were from colder habitats, even for theoretical work." The head said, almost salivating.

"Yes sir, though the science is sound. The samples were just personal preference, I always prefer colder environments. The only thing limiting advancement of the research is that genetic mapping is such a slow process. It will be likely be years before they are done mapping yeast." Julian said. The head of research chuckled.

"Doctor, you will find here at Genetech that we are somewhat ahead of the curve... Much like pharmaceutical companies holding onto a patent before generics are made, we have made certain advancements of our own." The head said.

"What sorts of advancements?" Julian whispered.

"Automated gene mapping... varieties of retroviral agents with higher host compatibility than any ever before found... And significant progress on mapping the human genome. By our estimations, our rivals won't complete mapping until the turn of the century. That gives us a serious head start, that gives you a head start." The head of research grinned.

"To do what?" Julian asked in awe. The head of research grinned even wider.

"To be the first to incorporate genes from one species to another, to bridge the gulf, to open the doors of infinite possibilities. Can you do it?" the department head asked.

"I know it is possible, and if it's possible, I'll do it." Julian grinned. The head of research extended his hand eagerly. Julian met it with his own, the two shaking firmly.

[May 1st, 1994]

Life for Julian Genoa had devolved into the eternal quest for the next twist, the next answer, the next advancement. Genetech had given him a rather spacious laboratory, though the space shrank quite a bit when all the essentials for living had been crammed into one corner. There was a mattress on the floor, a mini fridge and microwave, even a space heater. Julian only left the lab to go to the bathroom and get food. He'd stopped shaving, developing a faint black mustache and a soul patch, though the hair on his cheeks was far patchier. All in all, he had aspired to be self sufficient, and in a way it had paid off.

Julian sat at a backlit lab table covered with small neon orange salamanders wriggling around. A television mounted on the wall was playing the newest episode of SeaQuest. Normally Julian could barely focus on a show, but the plot centered around a scientist augmenting humans to be able to live under water like mermaids. The science behind it was far too macroscopic, but Julian appreciated the vision.

Off to the side the old dot matrix printer sprung to life, whirring and buzzing as information started getting printed out on green and white lined paper. Julian gave the salamanders a gentle pet before he moved over, looking at the results of the blood tests the computer had finished processing. After an injection of the retrovirus they had taken on the genes responsible for their skin coloring from another species, but Julian had to know more. He had to know if they would be alright.

"Liver function seems alright, organs aren't compromised... Oxygenation rate is a bit higher... Neuro-transmitters are-" Julian froze mid-sentence, reading and re-reading the line. The neuro-transmitters were slightly heightened, but there was an unknown substance detected, an unknown neuro transmitter. The combination of genes had somehow interacted to make something entirely new. Julian looked over at the creatures on the table with glee, wondering just what magical box he had opened.

[June 11th, 1994]

Months had passed, the lab was a bit cleaner and Julian sat down at his table with a tape recorder, reaching up to rub his freshly shaven face. The meeting with the board of directors on the gene splicing project had been a complete success. The findings had been submitted on the pigmentation gene and he would soon embark on the next phase of testing, but with the meeting out of the way, he had a few days off. Still, life outside of work was impossible to think about and Julian had decided to get some old work out of the way he had been putting off. His finger pressed down on the record button, the magnetic tape inside the device spinning to life.

"June eleventh, nineteen ninety-four, seven thirty p.m. With the board meeting on the pigmentation project behind me, I finally have a chance to tie up loose ends. I turned back to one of my earlier findings, an unknown neuro-transmitter created as a byproduct of the pigmentation project. I feel a bit like an idiot that I shelved it as long as I did, but it was not directly related to my research. Looking at the analysis now, I realize what an important finding it is..." Julian said, leaning back in his chair. He lifted his cup of water and sipped at it before continuing.

"The new chemical seems to affect both the reward centers of the brain like dopamine and has a positive mood enhancing effect like Serotonin. As both chemicals mimicked have an influence on memory, it is possible that this new neuro-transmitter could have a profound effect on learning and memory in addition to being a stunningly powerful mood elevator. At first I considered calling the chemical bliss, but given the risk of addiction, it may be better to name it after the mythical lotus plant of greek legend." Julian explained. He stood up and carried the tape recorder around with him, considering the research.

"Regardless of a name, the chemical shows a susceptibility to mild electric charges, fully activating them. I plan to turn my findings over to the head of research for further development independent of my own project. Still, I should probably go out and try some real life for a change before I get back to the grinding stone. You only live once after all." Julian said, turning the recorder off before setting it down. He took a long breath before he stood up and moved for the door, shivering as he imagined how hot it would be outside. He hated the heat.

[November 7th, 1995]

It had been over two and a half years since Julian had come to Genetech after an already exemplary life, but Julian had never felt like he had been making better strides in his work than in the past few months. Computer technology was accelerating exponentially, allowing for faster calculations, scans, analysis and projections. The company had even ensured that every computer they had ran Windows 95, bringing them out of the stone age and into a modern technological marvel. The operating environment was so rich and expansive, Julian had been blown away, but he had also been given his most powerful tool yet.

With the new equipment Julian had come up with three potential serums as final options for his research. The serums had been tested virtually first, then on apes, but because the serum was designed for humans the results were limited even on a similar species... and as such, the project had come to a grinding halt. Julian's findings had been passed up the ladder to the board of testing and then silence had fallen. There was no more research to be done, nothing to engineer, nothing to double check. Every outcome had been predicted and every form was complete.

If they got permission to test on humans then the research would advance. If they failed, they would go back and try again. If they succeeded, then they would start testing varieties of species, possible useful applications. Julian found it ironic that the marketing department was making more progress than him, coming up with the visage of a tall, lithe black man with cheetah print hair and claws, branding him as 'the look of the new millennium'. Julian had no idea if that sort of look was possible, if any of it was possible... not without human testing.

And so, with that road block in place, Julian sat in his laboratory. The machines were quiet, the papers neatly organized. He was left with only silence and several vials of the three substances. Julian had tried to distract himself by watching repeats of Sliders, but the show just wasn't holding his attention, not when the future sat on his desk, gathering dust. Julian lifted one of the vials, looking at the faintly lilac liquid inside.

Julian knew it was vain of him, but he admired his own handiwork. He had managed to master the use of a retrovirus to imprint animal genetic sequences onto a human in a way that would augment the human and make them better with no risk of mutation, cancer or degeneration... or so the computers said. Julian had even chosen canis lupus and canis rufus as the donors of the genes, his homage to the classical legend of the werewolves. Still, it was a legend that would take months or even years to sort through as the company tried to decide what to do. For all Julian knew, they would reassign him to a new task to keep him on payroll and then have someone else conduct the tests and get the credit, but Julian couldn't accept that. He wanted to be a name spoken in every household. He wanted every teenager to want his products. He wanted to appeal to the masses, and to do that he had to know if it worked.

The doctor stood up and moved over to the stack of papers, looking through them again. Dozens and dozens of studies on the computer, all positive. No harm had come to any of the apes that had been subjected to it. There seemed to be no risk factor at all, though Julian knew that was hardly the case. He took a deep breath as he looked back at the vials, contemplating. They had given him time off while they tired to come to a decision. Maybe it was time to take the time off. Julian glanced to the security camera in the room before he moved to tidy up. The papers were returned to their box, specimens were locked up and the rack holding the vials was placed into the mini fridge, though the camera couldn't see through the metal door that one of the vials was now missing, slid up the sleeves of Julian's medical jacket.

Julian did not hurry himself in cleaning everything up. He went his usual pace until everything was secure before finally he turned out the lights, locked the doors to the lab and moved down the hallway. He headed along the corridor before taking the elevator down to the lobby, passing the desk. The same secretary that had greeted him so many years ago was still there, glancing up.

"Have a good night Doctor Julian." He called over. Julian was about to correct the secretary yet again before he gave up. For some reason the typo with the nametag had caught on and everyone called him Doctor Julian rather than by his surname, but they still afforded him the respect he deserved. In the end, it wasn't a bad thing that they knew his name. It was just that many fewer people had had to win over until everyone knew his name. He passed through the doors of the foyer and moved out onto the street, listening to the whir of tires on the street as cars passed.

****

While Julian had managed to keep up the guise of normalcy at work, he had rushed home in excitement only to lock himself up in his small apartment. As soon as the door was locked, he ran around to switch the blinds to allow the moonlight in but to block everyone else's view if they tried to look in. Even with his ample salary as a doctor, Julian had elected to live in a small corner apartment. The living area was trapezoidal in shape with windows on the slanted wall and the narrow outer wall. A separate bedroom and bathroom was tucked off to the back, though the two had rarely seen much activity as Julian lived in his office for most of the year.

With the apartment secured, Julian moved to open the first aid kit in his bathroom. He had been given a Genetech kit as a Christmas gift and while it had been somewhat insulting at the time, the injector was just what he needed. Julian pulled out the white syringe and removed the small canister of pain killer. He pulled the cap off and poured the contents onto the floor before running the fluid bottle under the sink, washing out the capsule. Once it was empty, he withdrew the vial from his sleeve, removed the rubber stopper and poured it into the canister. He screwed the lid back on and inserted the vial into the injector, hoping it would work.

There was a soft hiss as the air was removed from the canister, ensuring no air bubbles would be injected where they could become embolisms. Julian held the injector aloft, knowing that he had arrived at the moment of truth, the moment where everything would come into alignment. Years of his life had been leading up to this moment. Julian knew either he would be the first human to become something more, or his death would forever be remembered. Either way, he knew that he would be part of history for a very long time.

The lithe, young doctor brought the injector to his arm, found a vein, and then depressed the trigger. The injector punctured his arm and the violet colored serum pumped into his blood stream, circulating with each beat of his heart. Julian grunted at the pain of the needle but he set the injector on the kitchen counter before he looked at his arm. A single drop of red had leaked from the wound, clinging to his skin.

Julian stared at his arm for a long moment, waiting for something to happen, but as the minutes passed, nothing did. Julian started to feel foolish for expecting such a fast response. Rewriting DNA took time and it had been designed to be completely safe, which took even longer. Julian knew it was probably best to keep a journal of everything for posterity sake. He turned and crossed his living room, moving into his bedroom. He moved over to the old oak desk and reached for one of the drawers, but when he did, his hand started to twitch.

Julian grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, watching as both pulsed and spasmed. Julian's fingernails started growing longer slowly, pushing out into points... but they were thickening as well. As the fingernails became more like claws, flesh grew over the top of them, giving them a firmer anchor. The claws darkened from white to brown and then almost black, looking wicked and dangerous but animal at the same time. Julian panted quickly, exhilarated by the change. He turned his hand over only to see that his fingertips had bulged out with soft pillows of flesh and his palm was following suit. Julian's heart raced with excitement and he raced out of his bedroom, heading for the bathroom.

As he moved into the bathroom, he knew right away that the serum was starting to take root. He looked at his reflection, noticing changes all over the place. His ears seemed to reshape slowly, pushing up into slight points. His nostrils were flared, his lips were a bit tougher and dimples were forming on his cheeks where wiry whiskers started to push out. Julian studied every change, but as he did, he realized he had been overlooking the one thing most important to the experiment - his eyes. As Julian gazed into his reflection, he did not quite see his own eyes. His iris were changing color, shifting from light brown to a surprisingly vibrant, faintly purple color. The pigments continued shifting and the rings of color in his eyes took on the same violet hue of the serum itself. Julian was stunned, though he thought back to his first successes with cross-species genetics - the neon colored salamanders.

His eyes had taken on pigmentation from the interaction of the genes entering his body. It was just one more piece of evidence that it was all working. Julian decided to forgo the notepad and he moved to his closet, opening up the door. He dug around before he pulled out a thirty pound home video cassette recorder. He had bought it for trips that he never took, but he knew the battery was charged and a blank VHS tape was inside, ready at a moment's notice. He carried the camcorder out to the kitchen island and set it up, panting with each movement before the camera was running and balanced carefully on the counter.

"November... twenty second I think, nineteen ninety five. Without permission or authorization from Genetech, I have injected myself with a prototype serum intended to incorporate the genes of an animal species into myself. Less than two minutes after injection, the effect is quite palpable." Julian admitted, holding up his changing hands, wiggling his fingers to show off the claws, "My breathing and heart rates are through the roof. My body feels very warm, like a great fire is raging through me. It could be a fever response to the retro-viral agent, or my heat tolerance is changing... but in either case, I... I..." Julian trailed off, panting even harder. His purple eyes squeezed shut as he breathed through his mouth, though the air passed over progressively sharper teeth.

Julian's mouth pushed forward just a bit to accommodate the sharpening teeth. Julian opened his mouth to reveal his fangs, panting sharply. The whiskers on his cheeks pushed out longer and his ears grew to very distinct points, though soft black hair started growing across the back of them as they turned into wolf ears. Julian's unkempt stubble spread out denser across his face as well, becoming a short beard, though the beard grew softer and softer until it was fur. He looked at the camera, unable to speak but exhilarated. He knew he was becoming something better, though he couldn't wait to see what was coming next.

The scientist stood in his living room in a white doctor's jacket with a gray t-shirt on underneath, his khaki pants tight around his legs and his black work shoes high traction for slippery lab surfaces... but the man beneath was looking less and less like a doctor every moment. He groaned gently as his face started to reshape. His lower job stretched forward and narrowed. As his face elongated, his nose upturned, the nostrils facing forward. The tissue around his nostrils grew moist and black and the cheek whiskers pushed out even more. Julian's black fur spread up his cheeks and across his nose before surrounding his eyes. His forehead was subsumed and the fur blended into his long pony tail. His entire head was furry and black soon after, though his face continued elongating into a canine muzzle, his nose twitching. His lips turned black and his tongue stretched, completing the look of a wolf's head on a man's body, but the changes were far from over.

A gentle shifting of fabric came, followed soon after by a clatter of a button falling to the floor. It was joined by a second and a third as the doctor's jacket was stretched past its potential and pulled apart. The t-shirt underneath was stretched tissue paper thin over growing muscle as the lithe, skinny doctor became something more - buff. The white jacket sleeves strained and stretched before they started to tear, exposing bulging biceps and triceps beneath. Julian reached to remove his jacket, but his claws sliced through it so easily that the shreds fell to the floor.

Before Julian could remove his t-shirt, the back split out as a fur covered spine emerged from thick, rippling shoulder muscles. Julian panted hard, contorting and growing. His vertebrae enlarged, his spine stretched and his ribs pushed apart. The last of his shirt fell away, leaving Julian with a hairy torso that was turning furry. His chest disappeared beneath the fur, his arms following soon after. The fur covered his shoulders and back and plunged down across his stomach and into his pants. Julian groaned as his arms stretched longer, hanging at his sides, but his changes were far from done.

As the changes continued ripping through the good doctor, the seat of his pants grew tight before the fabric split out, revealing two furry, round ass cheeks and one tiny nub of flesh. The nub grew out, taking on its own furry black coating as it wriggled around. It grew an inch every second, turning into a fairly fine tail as the black fur grew longer all over it. The pants tore down the inseam before the belt grew taut, groaning before the leather snapped. With that restraint gone, the pants slid down, revealing more of the doctor's changing anatomy.

Julian looked down at his groin, seeing that his balls had been covered with black fur and had grown to the side of baseballs, but the strangest change came as flesh grew up around the outside of his cock. The skin moved up, enveloping the length before it closed over the top of his shaft, making a protective sheath. Julian couldn't believe the genes had been that specific, but soon after he gasped, feeling a new sensation.

A clear, thick substance began to leak from his sheath, drizzling to the floor in greater and greater quantities. Julian reached a claw to tease his sheath but before he got there, the skin pulled back, revealing a red, tapered point to a much longer, much more animal cock. The slick, veined shaft pushed out slowly, as thick as a bottle of beer. It pushed out to six inches, then eight, then finally ten before the base bulged out on either side. The bulges on the shaft's base were almost as big as tennis balls cut in half and they were quite sensitive to the air... and if they were that sensitive to air, Julian knew what would come next. He wrapped his clawed paw around his shaft to give it a good squeeze, stroke, and then rhythmical stroking. He worked it up and down, lifting his elongated canine muzzle upwards. His black tail wagged behind him and his furry legs grew fluffier as the moments passed.

The last piece of clothing to hold on were his lab shoes, but even those were being stretched beyond containment. The laces were as tight as bow strings before they popped and snapped, allowing the shoe to lurch out in every direction. The stitching came undone and pieces of faux leather unraveled before two huge furry black paws were unleashed, the claws clicking on the wood floor. Julian wiggled his wolf toes, his wolf fingers and then flicked his tail, giving a menacing grin with his saliva soaked teeth.

He had done it, he had managed cross species genetics and he was greater than he had ever anticipated. He was a werewolf, a male, a... very horny male. Julian grabbed onto his cock with his other hand, double fisting himself and encouraging his lycan member to grow to twelve inches long, but it wasn't enough. He needed someone to fuck, a nice strong male with a juicy ass to stab his manhood into. Julian sniffed at the air before he moved over to the window, swatting the blinds off the wall with a paw before he effortlessly lifted the window pane.

Smelling the fresh night air, the black werewolf gave the camera one last glance, his purple eyes surveying the apartment before he lunged out. The wolf arched through the air, dropping three stories before he landed in a three point stance, resting on his hind paws and one hand. He looked around before he took off, running down the street on all fours, the full moonlight glistening across his black fur as he moved between it and shadow.

Julian had never felt so alive in all his life. He could smell so much more, hear so much more and feel so much more. His tongue hung out of his muzzle as he ran, feeling the height of humanity coursing through his veins. It was everything he had ever wanted, and he knew it would be something every youth would want. He invisioned packs of werewolves in the streets, fucking and eating and being base animals by night and advancing humanity during the day. It was truly the best of both worlds, perfect to go with the perfect scent that suddenly invaded his nose.

The werewolf skidded to a stop, his claws scraping on the cement as a musky, earthy, spicy scent hit his nose. Julian wasn't sure what the smell was, but it was familiar and it was good. He got low to the ground and moved into an alleyway, sniffing the air more and more, his purple eyes surveying the night. As he advanced, the smell grew stronger and stronger until he found the source. Tucked at the end of the alleyway was an old refrigerator box, and inside the box was what appeared to be a homeless teenager.

The sleeping figure was barely eighteen with shaggy carrot colored hair and faint freckles across his cheeks that complimented the faint stubble on the tip of his chin. He wore a beat up red hooded sweatshirt and green camouflage pants and his sneakers were ratty. Julian was surprised that the scent that captivated him so was this ragamuffin, but he couldn't turn away. This teenager was so ripe with masculinity that Julian had to have him. The wolf stepped forward and leaned down, coming close. Hot wet breath blasted out of the wolf before he pushed his tongue out and into the young man's mouth.

Green eyes snapped open in shock at having a tongue forced into his mouth. His fists went in every direction, trying to punch his aggressor. As they found nothing but furry muscle, the human let out a grunt of shock and tried to bite down on the tongue in his mouth. Julian whimpered in pain, yanking his tongue back... but the damage was already done. The teeth had broken the flesh and the teenager's mouth was tinged with red.

The eighteen year old looked up at the black wolf in pure shock before he suddenly moaned, his back arching. He inhaled sharply as his body started to refine itself. Malnourished flesh and muscle grew toned, bones throbbed and ached and the teenager's canine teeth grew abnormally sharp, becoming true fangs. The homeless youth shuddered as he felt better than he had in months or even years, looking over at the wolf in awe, wondering if he had just been given some kind of gift... and then he saw the thick, dripping shaft beneath the werewolf's body.

With a strange feral look of hunger, the eighteen year old rolled over onto all fours and approached the wolf, lowering his head as he passed. Julian wasn't sure whether to trust the human after he had been bitten, but as Julian ran his tongue around his mouth, he could tell that he had already healed. He looked over at the red headed human crawling toward him, wondering what the teenager was up to... but then he felt it, a tongue touch his wet shaft before pulling back. The eighteen year old looked at the wolf, panting softly as his abdomen bulged out into a perfect eight pack, his pecs thickening.

"I don't know if you're some nightmare, hallucination or gift, but I'm ready for whatever this is." The young man said.

"Good... I want you ready." Julian replied, his voice oddly deep. The teenager moaned, hearing such an amazing voice.

"Tell me what to do, I'll do anything." He groaned.

"Tell me your name." Julian said.

"Damon." The youth replied.

"Then, Damon... it is time to please your alpha." Julian replied. Damon moaned, moving to bring his lips to the pointed canine phallus of the werewolf. He pushed forward, the pepper shaped head of the cock popping into his mouth before he got a good portion of the shaft. He sucked and licked at it, the sheath juices melting on his tongue with an earthy musk. As Damon sucked and slurped, he felt his body starting to grow warmer and warmer, tingling all over. His eyes were half shut in lust, but what was exposed revealed that his eyes were changing. The green pigmentation shifted to hazel and then crimson, turning as red as the blood that tinged his lips. His hair started to follow suit, turning from carrot orange to a true blood red, the shaggy mane becoming very rich in color.

Julian started to bring his hips forward faster and harder, forcing more of his cock into Damon's mouth before he suddenly sat back, moving his hand to grab onto the human's skull, forcing him down on the cock. Damon gagged a bit in surprise, realizing that the beast was a werewolf rather than a talking animal, but that turned him on even more. He bobbed his head up and down, sucking harder and harder until his face was buried in Julian's groin.

Damon worked Julian's cock with such efficiency and skill that the werewolf was sure the human had done it before, but he was glad to give the human more practice... and to see what would happen. He had gone searching for a mate and had accidentally created another experiment. He saw the change in hair color, even eye color... but it was the other changes he monitored carefully. He watched as the human's ears grew pointed and he could feel the fingernails digging into his leg getting sharper.

The eighteen year old's fingers clenched and released, the nails turning from white to black, growing longer and curving into dangerous talons. Damon bobbed his head forward and back, his chin rubbing the furry black pelt, but as his chin was stimulated, the stubble there started to grow longer, turning red like the hair on his head. The strands grew out softer and longer, becoming a short red goatee that complimented his angular features. The teenager kept sucking and shifting and soon Julian couldn't hold back anymore.

The werewolf lifted his head toward the moon and began to let out a deep, resounding howl that echoed down the alleyway and into the night. As he did, the base of his cock grew so thick that the knot wedged in Damon's mouth, preventing him from pulling out. Julian's balls tugged up, his wolf cock pulsed and thick wolf spunk sprayed down Damon's throat so fast he could barely gulp it down. Soon a thick wet milky spot spread out in his own pants, his own orgasm hitting him without stimulating himself at all. The human had no idea what had happened, but he felt like he was in heaven... and for the first time in his life, Julian felt complete.

[November 8th, 1995]

Throbbing pain spread through Julian's skull as he started to swim toward consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly before he realized that they felt puffy and he felt hot, far too hot. He groaned, sitting up slowly... freezing as he looked around. He had made it back to his apartment, but he wasn't in bed. He was on the floor in the kitchen area with a pile of food scraps around him, looking perfectly human and ordinary once again. Julian moved to get up, though as he did he felt something tug around his waist and a soft moan.

"Not yet..." Damon murmured. Julian's eyes went wide as he looked over at the homeless boy he had apparently brought home, becoming even more shocked by what he saw. The human had filled out, taking on a fair amount of muscle, but he also had apparently had quite a night. The red head was covered with semen, claw marks and flecks of food. Julian was shocked he didn't remember it all, but even more shocked that he had reverted. While the serum had been designed to be an homage to the werewolf, there was nothing in the serum that should have made reversion possible. There had to be another answer. Julian tried to get up again, only to have the red head groan again.

"I have to go to the bathroom..." Julian said. The boy murmured.

"Use me." He said with a naughty smile as his red eyes opened. Julian was horrified at the prospect.

"I'm not that kind of man..." Julian whispered.

"I know, you're a doctor... a mad doctor." Damon smirked, "You said you probably wouldn't remember last night."

"I did? I... Oh god, what is going on." Julian whispered. Damon slowly stood up and grabbed Julian around the waist, heaving him up. Julian was about to protest and point out that he didn't need help before he suddenly grew dizzy, suddenly very grateful for the help. Damon helped Julian over to the couch and lowered him down, making sure he was stable before he moved over to turn on the television, pushing the video tape into the VCR before pressing play. The screen flickered a bit before a shocking image filled the screen, the image of a half transformed Julian. One side of his face was furry, the other flesh.

"In an effort... to fully document this case, I am making this update. After a spectacular night of passion, I... believe that... my immune system has started to fight off the retrovirus. The fever I experienced before was the first sign, but the symptoms have... progressed." The Julian on the screen murmured, "While I lack my lab equipment, the reversion seems to indicate that the process is safely restoring me to normal... or so would be the best case scenario. The high degree of fever is likely to produce short term memory loss, so this tape is even more... more..." The Julian on the screen grew weary, "Damon, shut it off... If I'm going to turn back, I want one more round of fun."

"Just one?" Damon's voice came across the television before the screen turned off, turning to analog static. Julian sighed.

"My body fought it off..." Julian whispered. Damon pressed stop on the tape and moved around, smiling gently.

"Not entirely Doctor Julian." Damon said.

"How did you know to call me that?" Julian asked. Damon pointed to the ID badge hanging on the wall. He had replaced it at work but kept the first one as a souvenir, only to have the name stick to him again. Still, the quirk of his name aside, he looked back at Damon suddenly.

"What do you mean, not entirely?" Julian asked.

"Well you weren't born with purple eyes, were you?" Damon asked. Julian's eyes widened at that before he got to his feet and stumbled for the bathroom. Damon moved after him, wrapping his arms around Julian's shoulders, helping him upright. Julian made it into the bathroom with Damon's help and looked at his reflection. His hair was loose and hung all over, his skin was clammy from fighting the virus off, but his eyes were the same violet purple they had become. Julian was amazed and even transfixed.

He turned slowly to look at Damon, realizing that while his changes had been more subdued, they had stuck. The young man still had claws and blood red hair. Julian reached up to wrap his fingers around the soft red goatee and give it a gentle stroke. Damon leaned in for a kiss and Julian didn't resist, letting their lips play together. Julian licked Damon's fangs before he pulled back gently, looking into the eighteen year old's eyes.

"How would you like to be my lab assistant?" Julian asked.

"Do we get to work long nights together?" Damon asked, reaching to circle one of Julian's nipples. Julian chuckled at that before he kissed Damon again, holding him close.

[December 24th, 1995]

The sounds of the Christmas party could still be heard through the halls of the Genetech building even as Julian and Damon moved off down the hall toward their office. Damon chased Julian with mistletoe in his hand but Julian quickly unlocked his lab before moving in, letting Damon follow before closing the doors. Julian had waited until even the security guards were at the party to make his move. He went to the fridge and opened it up, pulling out several of the red and blue vials. Damon opened up the pockets on his cargo pants, revealing hard plastic cases inside with blue chill packs at the bottom.

Julian slid the vials into place, making sure they were secured safely before he zipped everything up and closed the fridge, reaching for another rack when a shadow fell across the frosted window of the door. Julian slammed the fridge shut and grabbed Damon's head, kissing him deeply. The door clicked open and the secretary wandered in with a bottle of champagne though he looked over, seeing Damon with mistletoe getting kissed so deeply.

"Oh, sorry, I... they are about to bring out the nog, I didn't mean to interrupt." The secretary said before he backed out of the room with a faint erection in his pants. Julian waited for the door to click before he pulled back.

"That was close..." he whispered. Damon said nothing before he moved in and kissed Julian with such passion that Julian nearly fell back across the table. When they broke the kiss, both were panting hard and quite aroused.

"Do you have everything you need?" Damon asked, licking his lips.

"I have everything I can risk taking right now, we were already too close..." Julian said softly. Damon looked down at his pockets and then back at Julian.

"Are you sure it's going to work? You tried the other serum six times but nothing happened..." Damon said softly. Julian looked crestfallen.

"We've proven that I am immune to the first viral agent, but I haven't had exposure to these. With luck they'll take root before my body can restore me..." Julian said, "I want you to have fun with the wolf again." He added. Damon smirked.

"I do, every day and every night. I don't care what you look like..." Damon said. Julian blushed gently.

"I'm not worthy of your devotion... Not when I was ready to rape you in an alley." Julian whispered. Damon chuckled.

"Well you turned me into something better instead, and for that you'll always have my loyalty... but you earned my love too. I just want you to be happy. Is this the way to do it?" Damon asked. Julian took a breath and nodded.

"This is what I need to continue my tests... and once I figure it out for good, I can make sure all of humanity knows what gifts I can bring them." Julian said.

"Alright, then let's go back to the party long enough for an alibi and then get back to testing." Damon said. Julian nodded.

"Alright, let's go." Julian said, moving out of the lab.

"Anything you say Doctor Julian." Damon said, chuckling as he moved out of the lab, shutting the door behind him.

[December 25th, 1995]

The night was dark, only a small sliver of the moon shone its light down across the snow on the streets. Julian stood at his window, looking out at the quiet night, the quiet Christmas light. He knew how lucky he was, but he still wanted more... He wanted to make his work succeed, to feel that animal drive again... and to share it with Damon. He turned, looking over at the red head dressed in nothing but a santa hat and green elf pants, putting presents under the Christmas tree. Sensing Julian was looking, Damon waggled his butt at the doctor.

"Oh how you tempt me." Julian moaned, rising to his feet. He crossed the room and grabbed onto Damon's hips, moving to rub his groin against those thick ass cheeks. Damon moaned in delight at that.

"You can always give into your temptations... I'm up for anything." Damon whispered. Julian hesitated for a moment before he reached to caress Damon's cheek.

"Anything?" Julian asked softly. Damon smirked and stepped away from Julian long enough to pull his stocking off of the wall, pulling out a Genetech injector with a red vial loaded into it. Julian looked surprised but soon grinned at Damon, "I take it you are prepared for anything." He said. Damon grinned.

"There is no danger I won't risk for you." Damon said, moving back to Julian to hump him gently. Julian moaned.

"I know you would do anything for me, I just... Do you want to do it now, or after dinner?" Julian whispered. Damon smirked.

"Let's party." He whispered, pressing the injector to Julian's neck before depressing the trigger. Julian felt the serum injected into his body, absorbed into the blood stream and carried around almost at once. He left out a soft sigh of pleasure before he took the injector and examined it. There was still another dose left. Julian moved to kiss Damon, pressing the injector to his partner's neck and giving him the other dose. As the two kissed, the empty device clattered to the floor, forgotten by the two.

The young men ground and humped against one another, their hands sliding across each other's bodies. Damon's black claws grew thicker and longer, but Julian's fingernails soon darkened and elongated to match. Their kisses grew wild as their tongues elongated and their teeth stretched into fangs. They grunted and clawed and couldn't get enough of each other, so trapped in the moment that they didn't realize how much they were starting to change.

The fire red stubble around Damon's goatee grew out longer as new hairs swept backwards across his jaw and cheeks, soon covering his upper lip. The hair on his arms and legs thickened as well before a pleasure trail crept up from his elf pants. At first he merely looked abnormally hairy, especially with a pelt of red hair across the chest, but as it covered his shoulders and back and then his fingers, it was true that it was becoming something more entirely.

The red hair grew out into soft fur covering his body, spreading up his cheeks and around his eyes, even covering his ears as they grew into points... though the hair on the tips darkened to a charcoal black. As the hair continued to shift and change on his body, the pigment faded away from the hair on Damon's chest and stomach, bleaching out until it was a solid white color. His body throbbed and pulsed as his muscles refined further, but the strangest change came from the bulge above his ass, a furry mass growing out quickly.

Julian hadn't even dared to look. He felt Damon's face and body grow soft against his, but he was too turned on to spoil the moment with science. He kissed Damon intimately, even as his own lips turned black and stubble pushed out across his face. His nose grew moist and his ears throbbed, stretching into points. Soon Julian's claws were cutting through the green elf pants, revealing Damon's furry legs.

The two went at it eagerly, clawing at clothing until nothing was left. Their hard cocks slapped against one another as they kissed, but even that was changing as their faces pushed out, jaws extending into muzzles. Damon tilted his head, trying to figure out how to make it work, but soon their muzzles were interlocking as their noses changed and whiskers pushed out. The last scraps of fabric fell away from Damon's pants before a thick red tail with a white tip sprung out, hanging behind him. He had taken on the body of a fox man, a distinct mutation of the serum as it had been designed, but the same mutation was affecting Julian as well.

Julian groaned as black fur spread down his neck, shoulderas and back to grow into the fur covering his legs. His palms and fingertips swelled into paw pads and his tailbone separated from his back, moving around as it grew in. He looked quite dark as a black fox, but it wans't a bad look at all. Julian soon gave Damon a shove, knocking the red fox onto the couch. Damon got a look at his furry body and gazed at his paws, but as amazing as it was, he was still focused completely on Julian.

The fox spread his legs wide and moved his tail to expose his quivering tail hole. Julian moaned and pounced, spearing into Damon. Damon howled as the thick cock slid into his warm depths and soon the two were going at it, sliding back and forth and grinding hard. Julian plumbed Damon's depths, licking his elongated black lips, his fur coat glistening in the light of the apartment. Julian never wanted it to end. He fucked Damon hard and deep, grinding, moving to lick and suck and bite his neck. Damon whimpered in bliss, loving every bit of attention.

[December 26th, 1995]

A cool winter breeze blew through Julian's black fur as he stood on a street corner, looking around the city. He felt his heart racing with fear at being so exposed, but it was still dawn the day after Christmas. Everyone was sleeping off a day of presents and egg nog. Still, Julian wondered what it would be like to live in a world where people spliced with animals were normal, accepted, conventional.... Or even in a world where everyone was spliced with an animal. Julian smiled to himself, though he smiled even more as a paw slid around his waist.

"How's it feel Doctor Julian?" Damon asked, coming up beside him.

"It feels great. I think we finally did it... and we're the proof, we're the evidence that it really works." Julian grinned. Damon smiled a little groggily.

"I love seeing you happy." Damon whispered, gazing into Julian's eyes. Julian moved to kiss Damon though he soon paused, surprised at how hot Damon's lips were.

"You're burning up." Julian whispered. Damon shook his head.

"I'm just excited..." Damon replied. Julian looked heart broken.

"We've got to get you inside." Julian said. Damon didn't resist much as they turned, though he soon started to fall. Julian managed to catch the red fox and swept him up into his arms, lifting him off his feet. Damon laid back in the arms, panting softly, his eyes sliding shut. Julian carried his lover back toward the apartment building, but he could feel his lover growing lighter with every step. Red fur was sloughing off, his muscles were shrinking.

Julian felt a bitter rage welling up inside of him. It was rejection, the same thing that had happened to him. Damon's body was fighting off the virus. Julian started to wonder if it took repeated exposures, but he felt warm as well. It wasn't coming as fast, but the same thing was coming. His body was fighting it off again. Julian got Damon into the building and moved up the stairs, watching Damon's paws become feet again, leaving a trail of fur behind. It would be incredibly hard to explain, but he'd have to find a way. Right now all that mattered was keeping Damon alive.

Julian got the door to the apartment open using his dexterous fox foot even as he felt it lose muscle town and start to shrink. He stumbled in and kicked the door shut behind him, carrying Damon into the bathroom. Julian lay his lover down in the tub before turning the water on to cool him, hoping to protect his organs from the heat of the fever. As it was, Julian was sweating himself. It seemed that two attempts had been failures... but at least they had a night of passion. Julian put his scientific defeat aside for the moment, trying his best to keep Damon comfortable through an uncomfortable situation. He knew he would have another opportunity someday.

[January 2nd, 1996]

The winter vacation for Genetech employees had come and gone and the labs were open once more. Julian had planned to take sick leave to cover their transformation, but after that had fallen through he had expected to take leave just to let Damon and him recover. Damon had insisted that they return to the lab and once more, as usual, they were back at it... but Julian's heart simply wasn't in it. Both times he transformed himself, his body had fought I off. The retrovirus had been destroyed and a blood test showed immunities had been formed.

Julian gazed at his reflection on the glass of the computer monitor. Only his eyes were different, staying purple. Damon had kept the claws and red hair from his first transformation, but he had reverted as well. Julian couldn't help it, he felt absolutely defeated. He hadn't even had to wait for the results from Genetech, they already knew the serums weren't a sure thing. The only success had come from a partial exposure the first time...

Your immune system..." Julian murmured. Damon looked up from where he was sitting. Julian looked at Damon for a long moment.

"My immune system?" Damon asked. Julian nodded.

"When I first, uh, found you... You probably had a compromised immune system. Either that, or you had fewer immunities to begin with." Julian said.

"Leading to taking on a few of the genes?" Damon asked. Julian nodded.

"So the question is, was it because your immune system was weak or was it limited?" Julian considered. Damon smiled a bit.

"If this were an experiment, how would you go about it?" Damon asked, leaning back.

"Well, in lab animals we could suppress the immune system and try again, but the more humane way is to test on a larger subject pool with a range of immunities, see what sticks and what doesn't." Julian replied.

"So we need to test on more humans..." Damon said. Julian looked shocked.

"We... We can't do that..." Julian whispered. Damon chuckled at that.

"Of course we can, we'd be helping usher a new age into America. Plus, we don't have to trick anyone, they'll all be volunteers." Damon replied.

"We're never going to find enough volunteers around here." Julian said. Damon grinned wide before he pointed to the commercial where an America Online commercial was playing. Julian looked up at the commercial and then back to Damon.

"So we don't go find the volunteers, we let them come to us." Damon said. Julian's eyes started to sparkle with the prospect.

"A website, offering the serum... Letting them come to us, to try it out as long as they give us feedback about it." Julian whispered before hesitating, "But would anyone do it?"

"Trust me, as long as there have been horror stories there have been a few that wanted to turn into the beast, to become the werewolf. You've shown me what it's like. Even if it's just for one night, they'll love it. You just have to mention on the website that there are no guarantees." Damon said. Julian reached up to rub at his arm a bit.

"It would give us a wider subject pool... And I heard about this web hosting company that'll be opening to the public soon... assuming we could get away with it." Julian said. Damon stood and moved over, reaching to pet Julian's chin.

"Of course we can get away with it. You're the smartest man on the planet." Damon whispered before leaning in to kiss Julian. Julian melted into the kiss quite happily, pulling Damon close.

[August 31st, 1996]

The door to Julian's apartment eased open as he returned from work, feeling an aching in his neck and shoulders. He hadn't worked so hard since graduate school, but it was the only way to accomplish all of his objectives. By day he carried out experiments for Genetech, developing a weak version of the neuro transmitter he had discovered into an anti-depressant after the company had deemed gene splicing was not yet possible. By night he and Damon worked on the gene splicing project in secret. Julian felt like he was burning the candle at both ends, but it was making progress.

Their bedroom had been converted into a makeshift home laboratory with germ cultures, machines and equipment that had been spirited away from work. That left their living room as the only room they lived in, but even that was covered with letters, Polaroid photos and printed out emails. Damon had given up working at Genetech as Julian's assistant to handle the serum business full time and enter the information into the computer, though as Julian returned, Damon sprung to his feet and ran over.

"We did it! Oh my god, we did it!" Damon said. Julian was bumped into the wall and kissed as Damon excitedly held him. Julian chuckled and kissed back before speaking.

"What did we do?" Julian asked.

"The splicing is starting to stick, that A8 batch you made..." Damon whispered. Julian's eyes were wide.

"How many days?" Julian asked softly.

"A male in Washington State and a male in Oklahoma are experiencing recurring transformations with their circadian rhythms every night for the last six and ten nights respectively." Damon said.

"So we made werewolves... But the immune system is stronger at night, they should be transforming..." Julian trailed off for a moment. Damon was conflicted on interrupting Julian, but he had a feeling the next bit of news was the most important.

"And we have one permanent splice in Montana. Stable for four days." Damon said. Julian looked at Damon in shock.

"It's working... It's actually working." Julian whispered with a grin.

"It is, it's working... but I interrupted you, what were you thinking about?" Damon asked softly. Julian tried to remember before it clicked.

"The key was them changing at night when the body usually repairs itself... Normally that would be when the body fought the virus off the best, but if they are transforming, then the retrovirus must have encoded itself into their T-cells. Their immune system became the agent of transformation. It's just like the first case of gene splicing. It sees the body as being incorrect and starts to rebuild them. I've been so blind..." Julian whispered.

"So what does that mean for us?" Damon asked.

"That means if I build the serum with retroviral agents that go after the immune system, there won't be a person on this planet that won't be able to embrace their wild side if they want." Julian said softly.

"So what are you going to pick to be for the rest of your life?" Damon asked. Julian looked at Damon for a moment.

"Well, when I started out I didn't expect there to be much of a choice. The fox was a rare mutation, it should have been a wolf... But if I can figure out the right virus to use, then I could build any species into the matrix... There'd be no limit to it." Julian whispered.

"Do we have time for a little play before we get back to work?" Damon whispered. Julian grinned, moving to lick his partner's neck.

"Always." Julian cooed.

[July 1st, 1997]

Things were quiet at Genetech headquarters. The employees were there, but it seemed that science was taking a back seat for the moment. The U.K. had just given sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China and in three days the Pathfinder probe would arrive on Mars. It was a heady time to say the least, though for one particular individual it was particularly frustrating. Jacob Prince had come into his job straight out of Stanford to find a company so focused on the future that it often forgot the present.

Jacob had one job, fiscal stability. He had little chance of getting on the board of directors and he had no scientific background, but he was an expert at what he did... enough of an expert to find things troubling in the advanced genetics department. The listed budget and the money appropriated to the department were not matching up. Jacob had learned how to untangle most knots, whether information was filed incorrectly or if it was choked up in red tape, but it was starting to look as if some of the discrepancies were fabricated.

After talking with the department heads, Jacob wasn't sure how he felt. He had spotted a few items that they fudged the records on, but nothing more expensive than a lens for their microscope. Genetech had flaws, but embezzlement was impossible. The only way to steal from the company was to get things the company could use. The young man moved up to the last door in the wing, the door to Julian Genoa's laboratories. He knocked on the door and waited. After a moment the door clicked and opened, Julian looking out from inside.

Jacob was a bit surprised by the youth of the scientist before him. He knew that the doctor had been with the company for four years after serving in other capacities, but he only looked to be in his late twenties still. Julian looked at Jacob Prince. His posture was too perfect for a scientist, his suit too useful for a board member. His auburn hair was cut short and neat but lacked the styling of someone rich. Still, Julian put on a smile.

"How can I help you?" Julian asked.

"My name is Jacob Prince, I'm the chief financial officer of Genetech. I had a few questions for you." Jacob said. Julian felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that there was a chance of being caught, but he hadn't expected it so soon. Still, he tried to limit how much it showed on his face as much as possible.

"Well, easier to talk in the lab than out here in the hall." Julian said, leading Prince in. Prince was relieved, finding it easier to snoop if invited. He looked around as he entered the lab but saw no immediately apparent items of interest. There was a four year old television, a battered inflatable mattress. The equipment seemed standard, hardly lavish. The only thing that particularly stood out was the sheer number of refrigerators, cooler units and liquid sample containers.

"Have you noticed any unusual purchases or requisitions in the department Doctor Genoa?" Prince asked. Julian looked baffled for a moment before he chuckled.

"Sorry, you caught me off guard. You must be new here, everyone around here calls me Doctor Julian. It was sort of a snafu when I started but it stuck so much that hearing my own last name is out of the ordinary." Julian said, "But requisitions? I don't think so, not anything out of the..." Julian paused, leaning back, "Well, actually... There was this... No, it couldn't be." Julian murmured.

"You can tell me. If it isn't anything then there's nothing to worry about, and if it is something, then it shouldn't stay a secret." Jacob said softly. Julian seemed to hesitate for a long moment.

"Well, I am sure that it isn't anything, but... Well, we were all pretty interested in the development of EM jammer technology because it can eliminate interference from testing equipment in experiments, but it's such a new and frankly top secret technology that we gave up hope on it, but then... Well, I don't know if it is favoritism or not, but I think I saw Doctor Roark with some of the units." Julian said softly. Jacob's eyes were wide. The requisition of EM jammers had been particularly high on his list of discrepancies.

"Doctor Roark you say?" Jacob asked, "I think I passed his office but he wasn't in."

"Oh no, he wouldn't be. He's on vacation right now collecting samples." Julian said. Jacob twitched a bit.

"Isn't it against Genetech policy to collect samples while on one's own time? Part of the code of ethical conduct?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, right... I guess it isn't really a vacation since he's using company funds for it..." Julian said. Jacob was absolutely fit to be tied. He twitched some more.

"I have to be going, if you'll excuse me." Jacob said, turning. He moved out of the door, taking one last glance back at the laboratory. Julian's office showed no sign of anything extra, anything out of the ordinary... plus he was so damn young, Jacob shook his head before he moved to try and figure out just what Doctor Roark was up to. Once the door shut, Julian locked the door again and pulled out his Nokia cell phone.

"Damon, you know that talk we had? I think it's time to go for a bit of a trip." Julian said, moving over to his computer. He started digging through folders, moving down several layers before he got to an encrypted file. He set it to decrypt and waited, watching the progress bar increase. Julian shook his head, "No, we don't need that... Well, yes, and that." Julian said, talking with Damon as the file finished.

With a double click, the program was activated. The software started moving through the system, erasing every trace it could find of Julian's activities. Requisitions, transfers, plans and files. It was all being wiped out. Julian had thought himself paranoid, but the CFO's sudden appearance had thrown that all into question. Framing Doctor Roark while he took a sabbatical would buy him time, but not much. Julian started moving around the office to collect the last essential items.

It seemed odd that he was getting ready to leave Genetech. Without them his life wouldn't have gotten anywhere, but in another sense they were stifling. They had shelved the genetic splicing program and had him on mundane tasks. With their time table it would have been decades, but he'd already turned some men into wolf men. He'd made the future come to him rather than waiting around for it. It was time to move on... even if it was a hasty retreat.

****

The taxi door opened as Julian got out, carrying two bags full of supplies. He moved up towards the apartment building before he heard the sound of cardboard on metal around the side. He rounded the corner to see a non-descript van with tinted windows and an out of state license plate. For a moment he wondered if they had come there for him, but when Damon came out from around back, Julian almost fell to his knees in relief. Damon spotted Julian and the bags and chuckled.

"There you are, we can't really go skiing without our skiis, now can we?" Damon asked, taking the bags from Julian, moving to put them in the truck before closing the doors. Julian looked around a bit. There was no sign of anyone listening, but they couldn't be too careful.

"Did you get the coats and the thermoses?" Julian asked. Damon assumed the thermoses were sample containers and the coats were some of the equipment.

"I have everything on the list, we should be golden." Damon replied. Julian looked over at his apartment and took a soft breath.

"Did we need to grab anything else?" Julian asked softly. Damon turned to look with Julian at the building.

"We could, but... it might make us late." Damon said gently. Julian lowered his head for a moment before nodding.

"Then let's head out, wouldn't want to miss our trip." Julian said. Damon nodded, opening the passenger door for Julian before he moved to climb into the driver's seat. Before long the truck was headed out into the night, the red brake lights bouncing as they moved down the pot hole filled road.

[July 3rd, 1997]

Cameras flashed and camcorders spun through their tapes as the officials moved through Julian's labs. Everything was documented, filed and sorted. Samples had been collected, equipment inventoried and papers double checked. In the midst of the chaos, Jacob Prince stood, his arms crossed. He felt like an idiot. He had faced off 'Doctor Julian' and been manipulated so easily. He'd gone off on a wild goose chase while Julian had gotten away. It had taken every connection Prince had to get into Julian's apartment. While it was no longer there, carpet impressions and power bill stubs indicated that some pretty sophisticated equipment had been in use, even an Electromagnetic scrambler.

"Sir, it's no good. The files have been erased." A technician said from the computer. Prince sighed.

"Has the hard drive been defragmented yet?" Jacob asked. The technician hesitated.

"I don't think so sir... but what does that-"

"The information is still on the magnetic platter until something else is written over it. Turn off the computer, we'll get that information no matter what it takes..." Jacob said through gritted teeth, "What were you up to... and where are you going?" Jacob murmured before he realized how he could answer one of those questions.

[July 8th, 1997]

The security office was dark, save for the light coming off of the television screens. Old security footage had been queued up, the cassette tapes slightly deteriorated. Jacob was slmped in his chair, feeling exhausted. Doctor Julian had become his obsession. It was amazing how fast things started to fit together once he knew what he was looking for. Money transfers, unauthorized tests, equipment requisitions. It had all been the brain child of one man and it dated back years. Julian had been using Genetech like a parasite for his own gain, not even sharing the information with the company. Jacob sighed and clicked play on the tape of when Julian had been hired.

"Maybe a little, but I'd rather be cold. It's always easier to warm up than it is to cool down. Give me the cold any day, though I might prefer my credentials first." Julian's voice echoed from the past. Jacob had gone over the tapes over and over again, but things were finally starting to click into place. He switched cassettes to another interview and hit play, skipping through part of it before he came to the part that stuck out in his mind. Julian was in the middle of a sentence, "...science is sound. The samples were just personal preference, I always prefer colder environments." The voice said.

"I got you..." Jacob chuckled, "You warm blooded bastard." Jacob said before he sprung to his feet and moved out of the room to go find Julian's thesis on genetic transcription.

[July 10th, 1997]

The earth was dried out beyond measure, all moisture baked out until the soil cracked, split, layered and flaked like some sort of natural scale. It was too hot for anything but scrub brush and the heat rose up in rippling waves that made the desert look like one massive mirror rather than a wasteland. It was an unlikely place for there to be a warehouse, but in the midst of the barely inhabitable desert was a solitary building painted the same color as the sand, lost almost like a mirage.

Temperatures soared at above a hundred and twenty degrees, but Damon worked diligently on the roof of the warehouse. His arms were starting to get sunburned, almost as red as his hair, but he was almost done. The EM scramblers had been set up at the center of the roof facing outward, but because they were mono-directional there was a single sweet spot in between them, a spot perfect to set up the dish for satellite internet.

With the dish in place, Damon ran the cable through the duct he had crawled up through, working his way through the building interior before he dropped down into the cavernous main room of the warehouse. Two giant metal doors for loading trucks sat on the two opposing ends of the building with offices off to one side and living quarters on the other. It was modest, it was industrial, but it was all they needed. Large tanks had been set up on the north wall, allowing the retrovirus cultures to mature while the machines on either side of the tanks waited to turn the liquid into form changing serum. Julian had been working for days, just as Damon had, but it was all starting to fall into place.

"How is the generator doing?" Damon asked after a moment.

"It's stable... I wish we had been able to get more solar panels from Genetech but there was only so much I could steal." Julian said.

"I just wonder what they might steal back... They had those samples after all." Damon said. Julian chuckled.

"The first three batches, the immune system is too good at adapting to them. Genetech will hit a dead end and they'll never figure out what I did... because I had you, and I'm never going to let you go." Julian smiled.

"Well, I hope you feel the same way come the next full moon." Damon whispered.

"I'm sure I will." Julian smirked.

[July 15th, 1997]

The air was thick with smoke as the board considered the evidence presented to them. Cigars rested in ash trays and the men leaned back in their chairs. The slide projector showed photographs seized from the apartment, photographs of wolf men, fox men, even a tiger man. It fit in with the information recovered from the hard drive, even records of the Angelfire website that had been in operation until recently. The board had been silent for several minutes, but the head of research finally spoke.

"It is beyond any reasonable doubt that I conclude that Doctor Julian Genoa has solved the mystery of gene splicing and found out how to custom tailor it to a number of species. He solved what we set out for him to do, but not only has he robbed us of knowing how to do it, even if we did, we couldn't market it after the unethical, unauthorized, illegal tests he's conducted." The head murmured.

"I think you fail to realize the potential of this... or what Julian accomplished." The director of the board said. The head of research hesitated.

"Sir?" he asked.

"Doctor Julian proved our product was commercially viable. He stole the equipment and materials from us, but he made enough income to pay enormous power bills, to move the product around, all things he couldn't steal. He managed to use the internet in a way we never even thought possible. We will catch up to Doctor Julian and we'll do it the right way, but in the mean time, there's one thing I haven't figured out." The director said, looking over at Jacob Prince. There was silence as everyone followed his gaze until Jacob realized he was being looked at.

"Me, sir?" Jacob asked.

"You almost caught him, you rooted him out faster than anyone could. What motivated you?" the director asked. Jacob shrugged.

"He was a threat to the viability of this company, a company I swore an oath to protect." Jacob said. The director leaned back, smiling gently.

"I think you come from good stock Prince, keep up the good work." The director said, "As for the rest of us, I think it's time for a long hard look at what we do here at Genetech. I may not be opposed to skirting the rules in certain situations to achieve results, but I'll be damned if we let anyone else pull the wool over our eyes again. We will change policy, make rules and keep our eyes on one another from this day forward so there will never be another Doctor Julian again. Is that understood?" the director asked. The room soon filled with the murmurs of agreement. The director smiled gently, starting to imagine all the things Genetech would be able to do in the coming years.

[July 20th, 1997]

The sun had set but the desert was still cooling off. Julian stood out on the scorched earth in a wife beater and shorts, his bare feet dusty brown from the ground. He still couldn't believe he'd come to the desert, but it was the last place they'd look for him. He was slowly adjusting to the heat, thankfully it was a dry heat. The warehouse had air conditioning too, but Julian knew the nights would be his favorite. The air was cooling off, the sky was clear and the moon was full. It was a perfect time to embrace his future, to become the animal he was meant to be.

Julian turned as he heard Damon approaching, smiling to his lover and friend. Fate had brought them together in such a strange fashion, but it had all worked out somehow. Damon set down the case he carried and pulled out two subdermal injectors, one with a faintly brownish purple vial, the other with a reddish orange liquid.

"Ourselves or each other?" Julian asked.

"You're the Doctor, what do you prefer?" Damon asked. Julian considered that for a moment before he picked up the orange injector and brought it to Damon's neck. Damon reached up and rested his hand on Julian's as he felt the serum move into his neck. Damon shivered gently as the moonlight washed over his body, the cool breeze bringing with it the feeling of soft red fur and increased muscle strength. Damon grinned, exposing fanged teeth as his face started to warp and push out into a muzzle. His pants sagged as a fluffy fox tail emerged from his waist and his feet spread out into paws on the dirt. He shifted and moaned, running his clawed hands all over himself.

Julian watched with growing arousal at just how sexy Damon was becoming. Julian moved to kiss his furry neck and reached up to caress his ears as they grew into points. Damon pushed back, holding Julian closely, but before Julian could move from one side of Damon's neck to the other, he felt the sting of the injector in his own neck. Damon had gotten the other vial and injected Julian with it, with the species he had intended to become. Julian grinned gently and moved to kiss Damon's muzzle, but as he did, he suddenly felt dizzy. The world spun around him, he felt chilly and then ice cold before he fell to his knees.

"Julian!" Damon exclaimed, moving to grab his lover. Julian's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he started to seize, his body flailing. Damon's cries of worry echoed across the desert, lost in the infinite distances, the two completely alone.

[August 13th, 1997]

The first thing Julian became aware of was the weight of the blankets over his body. He shifted a bit, only to realize they were tucked in on three sides. He opened his eyes slowly, looking up at the lights in the warehouse. He lifted his head, looking around, realizing he was on a hospital bed and Damon was at his side... as a human. Julian's brows furrowed.

"It didn't work..." Julian whispered, surprised ho hoarse his voice was. Damon moved to kiss Julian soundly.

"The important thing is that you're still alive, though it partially worked." Damon said.

"It did? What... happened? Tell me everything." Julian said, trying to sit up but feeling weak. Damon clicked his lips.

"Easy there, you've been out of it for a while. You had a reaction to the serum, had a seizure and then were in a coma for several days, but you've pulled out of it now." Damon said.

"That doesn't sound like It worked to me." Julian groaned.

"Well, it worked for me... Each night I turn into a werefox..." Damon smiled a bit nervously. Julian relaxed at that, sighing with relief.

"At least that much worked... You're okay? Everything's stable?" Julian asked.

"I'm fine, perfectly fine. Just scared about you." Damon said. Julian reached up to caress Damon's cheek.

"I'm fine too, just another stumbling block for me. I'll run a blood test and figure out what happened and next time we'll be more careful." Julian said. Damon stuck out his tongue.

"You better Doctor Julian." Damon said before snuggling his head on Julian's chest. Julian reached up to pet his fiery red hair, contemplating everything that had happened.

[September 28th, 1997]

Every year genome patterning software was improving, and with the Genetech equipment Julian had a head start, but it had still taken forever to pattern his genes and even longer to comb through them. It had taken him a day to find the genes responsible for his purple eyes, another two to find genes responsible for increased efficiency in digestion, but he hadn't found anything else for several more days. He'd nearly given up on finding answers before he decided on a whim to compare his genes to those he had on file... and then he had found the answer in the place he least expected, the telomeres.

At the end of every gene there was junk data, allowing cells to divide without sacrificing anything important, but over a lifetime the telomeres were using up and decay started. It was a part of every living thing on Earth - except Julian Genoa. Julian wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had stopped losing telomeres. His genetics were static. His body was maintaining itself perfectly, his immune system was hyper charged and he was not decaying during mitosis. He simply was... and in all likelihood, he could very well be immortal as far as natural aging went.

It wasn't what he wanted, it wasn't what he had set out to look for, but that was the outcome. He'd run countless blood tests and every viral agent had been rejected. He was immune to the only way to transform himself... His experiments had cost him the chance to make his dreams come true, at least for himself. Julian leaned back in his chair, sighing gently, though after a long moment, a soft leathery and furry fox paw reached down to caress his cheek. Julian looked up into Damon's eyes, on the verge of tears.

"Oh Julian, don't worry..." Damon whispered, leaning down to give the doctor a kiss, "We'll figure it out." Damon said. Julian gave a weak nod.

"We have plenty of time to figure it out. We're young, smart and incredibly handsome." Julian said, putting on a brave face. Damon hadn't responded in the same way. His body had embraced the new viral agent and he was a werefox, just as he wanted to be, just as Julian could make everyone given enough time.

"That we are." Damon grinned. Julian nodded.

"As for us, I think I'm going to step up our internet presence, get more varieties of species out there. I think I may know a way to design a mythical species like a Satyr, though it could take a few years to work out." Julian said.

"Do we have time to play before we get back to work?" Damon asked.

"For you, always." Julian replied with a wide grin.

[March 15th, 2003]

The march of time had hastened its pace, but to Julian time had less meaning. He had not shown any signs of aging or illness, merely moving from one project to the next... and he had quite a few. The warehouse held far more sophisticated equipment, working on both gene splicing serums as well as an enhanced form of the neuro transmitter. They had a wide variety of animals on hand for samples and a few more loyal employees. The warehouse even held top of the line server equipment, handling the website that allowed them to distribute the vast array of serums they had engineered.

Julian sat at one of the computers, studying the genome on the screen. He'd transferred useful genes from more than forty six species into individual serums, but the number of species left was countless. Julian tapped on the mouse, selecting strands of DNA with useful qualities to be augmented. He was trying to pin down a rather specific set of genes when he saw movement and looked up, a smile crossing his face.

Damon emerged from the back rooms wearing nothing but his boxer shorts, reaching to scratch at his chest before letting out a fang filled yawn. Julian found it hard to believe it had already been so many years since he met Damon, but Damon had matured into a rather dashing and virile twenty six year old, and after several years they were finally just about the same age, but that thought alone concerned Julian. If Damon kept aging, then Julian would eventually lose him... and all efforts to repeat his immortality had failed.

It weighed heavily on Julian but it had started manifesting in different ways. Julian had tried to encourage Damon to have an open sensibility about his sexuality, to be open to opportunities and other people. Damon had resisted at first, but Julian had found him more eager to consider it after a dose of the neuro transmitter they called Bliss. Still, Damon was completely loyal still. Julian looked back to the screen with a soft sigh, wishing he could find a cure to his own mortality in one of the samples, something to let him be like Damon. He didn't want to be immortal, he wanted to be furry for one lifetime.

"Whatcha working on?" Damon asked, interrupting Julian's thoughts as he moved over to rest his chin on Julian's shoulder. Julian smiled a bit.

"Skunk." Julian replied. Damon's brows furrowed.

"Guys are going to want to become skunks?" Damon asked. Julian chuckled.

"I'm sure there are people out there that want to become anything we can think of, but I know there will be some that like skunks. Cute and adorable, yet formidable at the same time. Distinct fur patterns, claws. I think it could sell quite well... though the template is going to be a little difficult." Julian said. Damon grinned.

"What do you need?" he asked eagerly.

"I think it's time to try out our new arsenal of inventions. I think if we combine the Bliss with the ECT interface we should be able to direct hallucinations and thoughts, get more receptive patients... maybe even program them to what we want them to do or be like. But to test that, we need a receptive subject. I think I need someone with recessive genes, someone mild and meek in temperament, but that kind of person doesn't usually come to us." Julian said.

"I think I have a good candidate, one of our drivers was telling me about his neighbor over in Phoenix, Yura Lazukin. I could go get him if you want." Damon offered. Julian smirked a bit at that, reaching back to grope Damon.

"Alright, but don't forget to have fun." Julian said. Damon moaned, drooling a bit, humping into the hand.

"I won't, I love fun." Damon murmured, leaning down to lick and nibble at Julian's neck. Julian reached up, tangling his fingers in Damon's red hair, holding him there. Julian felt amazing, but it still didn't stop a tear from leaking down his cheek.

[May 7th, 2008]

The door to Julian's warehouse rumbled open as the black van backed up slowly, coming to a stop just inside. The sky outside was a light pink, painting the desert in rosy hues. For most it was too early to be awake, but for Julian it was the end of a productive day. The truck shut off and the driver door opened up, allowing a man to climb out. He was twenty eight, six foot two and had short buzzed brown hair that blended seamlessly into the sideburns dropping down to his jaw bone. He was dressed in a midnight blue uniform emblazoned with the Genetech logo.

"I take it you were successful?" Julian asked. The man moved over, his eyes wide with desperation.

"Oh yes Doctor, I wouldn't let anything keep me from what you need, not when so much is at steak..." The guard said, moving forward, "Is it time, can... can you do it to me now?" he whispered. Julian smiled. He had seen a wide variety of human behavior when it came to how people wanted his products, but few had been quite as desperate as his newest client, desperate enough to face execution for corporate espionage.

"Almost Nick, almost..." Julian said, gesturing to his compatriots. Damon moved forward, hopping up onto the back of the truck before lifting the door. He looked inside with widening eyes, moving over to one of the dozen glass tanks full of swirling mercury colored liquids. He crouched down and checked the serial numbers on the tanks, comparing them to the paper they had printed out.

"Twelve nanite colonies, they're the right serials." Damon called out. Julian's grin grew even larger as he reached up to pet Nick's cheek. Nick shuddered a bit in delight.

"Then it sounds like it's time for your reward." Julian said, turning to move over to the center of the room. Nick followed after Julian, looking around.

"So what do we have to do to get started?" Nick asked. Julian turned and grinned.

"We already did." Julian said, lifting his hand, "Topical solution absorbed into the skin." He said. Nick looked confused for a moment before a delightful feeling started spreading through his body. A glazed look of joy crossed the guard's face as he closed his eyes, starting to pant gently. His uniform grew tight before the zipper started coming down, revealing growing pectoral muscles. His sleeves bulged next, the biceps and triceps expanding quickly. Nick tightened and relaxed his wrists as his hands started growing wider and longer, his fingers thickening.

As the guard's arms grew longer as well, the sound of tearing echoed out, the sleeves coming apart on the uniform. Nick moved his huge arms, watching his arm hair darken from brown to black before thickening as well, covering his arm more and more. He let out a soft grunt of satisfaction, though as the sound left his lips, even his lips started to thicken, pushing forward ever so slightly. Julian watched the guard's nostrils lift up and flatten, turning from fleshy pink to rubbery black.

The guard's uniform top tore more as his hairy torso was exposed fully. Even where fur did not grow out, his skin tone changed from pink to gray, spreading out faster and faster. Nick panted as his brow bone pushed out over his eyes, thickening and growing denser. His ears darkened, his neck thickened and his boots started to stretch and bulge. The leather deteriorated from the pressure before it came apart, letting Nick's huge gray toes out, though the way the toes moved, they were far more like fingers than they had been.

Julian watched as Nick's humanity ebbed away from him, leaving in its place a more distant ancestor. The guard was becoming a gorilla, though a few traits from his humanity remained. He stayed upright on his hind legs and his hair and sideburns remained brown, standing out against the black fur. Julian was getting far better at blending species, able to change specific features and not others. There was no limit to what he could eventually do, though Julian was still impressed with what he had accomplished so far.

The doctor picked up a small round device and brought it over to the changing gorilla. Nick looked at Julian as the doctor lifted it, not knowing what it was. As it was pressed to his chest, a small electric charge jumped into his skin. It was a moment of pain, but then the most profound pleasure blossomed inside his brain, coursing through him. Nick fell to his knees and grunted, his cock going hard instantly. Giant hands palmed at the fly before tearing the fabric away, pulling out his shaft.

The gorilla squeezed his pink member, working it up and down as it grew fatter and longer, stretching to ten inches, then twelve, then fourteen. The pink rod turned gray slowly, the foreskin stretching a bit. The gorilla grunted and drooled as he worked his shaft before he tipped his head back and came hard, sending out thick jets of sperm across the warehouse floor. His face finished pushing out and toughening into the face of a gorilla, the rest of his body following soon after.

"Did you bliss him already? Ah man, I wanted to do that..." Damon said as he came down out of the truck with one of the nanites colonies. Julian chuckled.

"You still can, he isn't going anywhere." Julian said, moving to help Damon.

"So, are you going to tell me what the nanites are for now?" Damon asked. Julian considered before nodding.

"They're going to let me take everything to the next level. Nanites can automate the serum making process so we can produce it a lot faster and a lot more specifically, but it's also going to let us make changes to those already exposed... and it could even open doors to more profound changes like swapping genetic structures between two subjects, maybe even make controllable materials." Julian said. Damon looked quite surprised.

"Wow... Thank you Genetech for more presents." Damon chuckled. Julian grinned.

"The employer that keeps on giving, whether they know it or not. At least Nick has a new home now." Julian smiled. Damon licked his lips a bit.

"I think... I'll go give him a dose of bliss too." Damon said before swaggering off. Julian watched him go before he turned back to the nanites colonies, focusing on the science behind it. It wasn't the time to debate how cruel the universe could be. He just wanted Damon to be as happy as possible.

[November 25th, 2024]

A deep rumbling echoed across the heavens as faint flashes of lightning danced across the clouds high above, though as the bolts got near the desert warehouse they were deflected away again by the EM scramblers. The rain came down in a heavy cascade, soaking the desert and filling in all the small cracks. Julian had opened up all the warehouse doors, letting the cool air in as he watched the test of the national weather grid, though as he started to shiver, he realized just how used he'd gotten to the desert air.

Julian gazed at the water coming down for several more minutes before he looked back to the 7G tablet computer on his lap. He swiped his finger across the screen, looking at stolen documents regarding Genetech's exploits over the years, looking for ideas he hadn't considered. Some of the files were brand new while others had been gathering dust in the server over the years. Julian found it amazing how diverse Genetech had gotten. They'd turned their own researchers into cavemen, used a captured alien to convert test subjects and produce vast quantities of eggs and they even created some sort of hideous pig monster in an abandoned mine that they locked up when his condition threatened to spread to the entire team.

"Attention: Your subscription to news threads regarding Genetech has an update." The tablet said after a moment. Julian tapped the update icon and the screen filled with a news feed.

"Good evening, this is your webcast news for November 25th, 2024 and I am Jessica Dennison. Now an update on a story from earlier this week. The world was stunned on Monday when the President revealed the existence of a massive research complex off the coast of California, code named Trinity after the three artificial islands it is built on. The disclosure of the island's existence came with a manifest of facilities on the island, and most surprising of all, a price tag." The reporter explained.

"Oh Genetech, what did you do?" Julian asked in surprise, knowing the newscast was tagged with their name.

"The government hoped to cover a portion of their two hundred trillion dollar deficit incurred in the great collapse of '23, and today it seems to have paid off. Renowned international companies such as Cellucore, Genetech and Johnson and Johnson covered significant portions of the purchase price, but the true star of this transaction comes from former Infinity Industries, a technological firm known best for the successful zero fuel launch of the Intrepid space probe. After purchasing the largest stake of the Trinity complex, Infinity rebranded itself as 'Trinitron Laboratories'. Whether this newest investment in science will pay off is yet to be seen, but without a doubt the investment in the United States will no doubt be welcome news to the economically depressed citizens." The reporter said before the newscast ended.

"An island complex of science labs... Now that would be nice." Julian murmured softly.

"Maybe we can vacation there some day." Came a deep voice. Julian turned, smiling as he saw Damon come out from the back rooms. Damon was approaching his fifties but was still extremely fit. His skin was well tanned and freckled and his face was covered by a long, full red beard as soft as fox fur. Julian sprung to his feet and moved over, bringing his lips to Damon, though as they kissed, Julian trembled a bit. Damon put his arms around the doctor, squeezing him tight, "What is it?" he whispered.

"I... Well, that's Genetech's back yard. They won't rest until I'm dead." Julian said.

"Sounds like that's all the more reason to go have some fun." Damon said, "But that isn't what's bugging you." Damon whispered. Julian looked at the floor.

"I'm worried about... losing you." Julian said. Damon took a deep breath before he nodded, sighing gently before he sat down and pulled Julian onto his lap.

"I think you've been worried about that for a long time, probably why you encouraged me to be so promiscuous even though it bugged you." Damon said.

"Was I that transparent?" Julian blushed. Damon smirked.

"No, not right away, but I had the gift of wisdom as I got older." Damon said, moving to trace his claws along Julian's cheek, "Listen, Doctor, we made it work this long. We'll make it work for as long as we have, as long as you aren't getting tired of me because I'm older."

"No! Of course not, that sort of thing doesn't matter to me. Besides, technically I'm still older." Julian smirked. Damon rolled his eyes before he gave his lover a faint bite on the neck.

"Anyhow... We'll enjoy the time we have and keep doing what we were meant to do." Damon replied.

"But what happens when that... terrible day comes?" Julian whispered. Damon turned, looking out across the rain soaked desert.

"Then you're going to find new people to help you and you're going to follow your dreams. Before you met me, you wanted to give this gift to the world. I still want you to do that." Damon said. Julian took a deep breath.

"I will, but work can wait... This can all wait. Let's go on a vacation, you and me, just enjoy everything we can." Julian said. Damon grinned a bit at that.

"Sounds good to me, have a little fun before we get back to work." Damon said, hugging Julian tightly. Julian closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the rain, being held by the most amazing man he'd ever known.

[August 5th, 2062]

The moon had set and the sun started to rise, but the sound of the ocean was eternal. Julian listened to the waves lapping against the cargo docks as he moved with his new shark and crocodile friends toward the parking lot. Sensing the movement, another young Trinity guard emerged, going wide eyed at the sight of two hulking beast men. Julian pulled out a small pistol and depressed the trigger, sending out a dart that hit the guard in the chest. The eighteen year old looked down at his stomach before he moaned, shuddering.

Julian and his two allies passed the guard as he fell to his knees, panting. His ears stretched up into tall points on either side of his hat as his face pushed out forward, his nose darkening and moistening until it was black. His jaw narrowed and his eyebrows thickened a bit, but the rest of his body remained lithe. His fingernails turned into black claws and paw pads swelled from his hands. Soon caramel brown and chocolate fur grew out of the young man's face and neck, covering his muzzle with the markings of a Doberman. The guard clawed at his pants before a thick, red, tapered cock emerged. He soon started masturbating happily, his tail wagging behind him as it emerged from his pants.

The shark opened the door to his '59 Camaro, letting Julian into the passenger seat. As Lake moved around to the driver side, Rodrigo got into the back. The car sunk down under their combined body weight, but soon the green headlights snapped on and the car roared to life. They peeled out of the parking lot and head into the morning light, merging onto the highway. Julian turned, gazing out of the window at the city beyond, the city full of werewolves and vampires, a city full of repressed youth looking for ways to rebel. Julian felt a glimmer of hope, but then closed his eyes.

It wouldn't be the same without Damon, not nearly as much fun, but it would be for him, a memorial for the most amazing man Julian had ever known. Julian opened his eyes, knowing he would give Trinity new life and a new face, and with any luck he would learn how to live one day as a furry before joining his lover once and for all. That was his new goal, his new focus... it was time for Trinity to warm up. Julian leaned back in his seat, a wide smile crossing his lips.