Felix couldn't tell which was worse: the insane pounding in his head, or the fact that he was practically naked in a strange room.
A pained groan tumbled from his mouth as the young man sat up, his head spinning like his drunk aunt at a birthday party. The brilliant, white lights bore into his eyes, worsening his growing migraine. He couldn't remember anything from the operation. Only shifting blurs of muted tones, and the clinical stench of blood and antiseptic.
Soon, his surroundings began to clear. He was in a stark white room, void of any life but his. The lights bathed the area in a harsh, white light, and a smell not unlike a hospital's clogged his nose. Tiny details, from the tiny crack on the wall from across the room to the crumpled spider tucked in the crevice of a high up cobweb, seemed so clear to his eyes. Much clearer than before. Felix felt himself grinning despite the nausea. Looks like the experiment worked after all.
Felix moved to sat up, only for cool metal around his wrists and ankles to resist his movements. He hissed in annoyance. Of course they would tie him down. After a considerable amount of twisting, he managed to slip out and shakily stood on the cool floor. His movements were like a baby deer's, his steps slow and clumsy. The brightness of the lights, the sharpness of his ears, the chemical scent stabbing his nose--all of it battered against his newly enhanced senses. Everything seemed so different. So...new.
Felix tensed as something furry brushed against his arm. A flash of black twitched at the corner of his eye, darting in and out of his view. A creeping sense of unease crawled into the pits of his stomach as a striking suspicion crossed his mind. Ever so slowly, he turned around. As he did so, a shocking new sight caught his eye.
There, stuck to Felix's bottom, was a long, bristling, black tail.
"You've got to be kidding," he groaned, gingerly touching the new appendage. Another thought struck his mind, and he nervously reached for his ears. Or rather, where they once were. The area was uneasily smooth and unscarred, as if he'd never had any in the first place. His hand traveled up, raking through his dark hair until triangular forms twitched against his hand.
Cat ears and tail. Of all things, he had new ears and a tail. Felix grimaced as something sharp pierced his new ears and he quickly drew his hands away. In his panic, a new feature had made itself clear to him. Razor sharp nails--no, claws--stuck out from his fingers. With each flex, they sheathed and unsheathed with remarkable smoothness. Felix sheathed his claws, hands trembling with the new change. The experiment had worked, alright. A little
too well.
He took in a deep and closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm. Why was he so freaked out? This was what he wanted. Sort of. The animalistic features he definitely didn't take into account. But the abilities, the change.
That was what he was going for. He just needed to adapt. Even if it was going to take a lifetime to do so...
Straightening up, Felix began to walk-stumble towards the only door in the room. His next goals were clear: Get out. Get home. Get rest. After maneuvering through a maze of hallways, Felix soon found himself outside the facility. There, an odd gathering of people had formed. Ones, Felix noted as he saw their...unusual...appearances, that shared the same fate as him.
"They got you too, huh?" He laughed, though it sounded forced and half-hearted. "Talk about an interesting look."
Dae had learned long ago to never trust bright lights.
Camera flashes. Spot lights. The blaring, lifeless beam of a hospital bulb.
All spoke of ill tidings.
Dae sat huddled on the bed, a kindly looking doctor sitting right across from him. His eyes, once a startling green but now an inhuman violet, stared at the stark ground.
No reversal. Those were the words they had told him upon awakening. Those were the same words he was hearing again.
Permanent results.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Hesper." The doctor stared at Dae nervously. No...not at him. At his wings. At his antennae. At the dark scales creeping up the side of his face and chest. At those
abnormalties. He wanted to say that weren't his, that they were just another costume in the performance of life. But they weren't. They were real. As real and as painful as the reality of the situation before him.
The doctor's sympathize stare deepened. "We'll contact your parents and inform them that you--"
"No."
The word was soft, and the voice was quiet. Yet the command carried through the small room. "No," Dae said again, this time quieter. "I...I'd rather they not...that I'd tell them myself."
Please, he added silently.
The doctor slowly nodded. "I understand." He stood and offered Dae a hand. "I'll show you out then."
Dae accepted the help and shakily stood. He followed the doctor close behind, large wings tucked close to avoid the narrow walls of the hallway. It wasn't enough to hide from the curious stares of passing scientists. The doctor left as soon as they neared the door, leaving Dae to head towards the bright light at the end of the hall.
His breath caught in his throat as he exited. There before him was a group of people. Great. Just what he needed. An audience to stare at him. Except...
Dae's apprehension lessened ever so slightly as he caught sight of their animal features. They were subjects. They had to be, seeing as how most of them bore the similar side effects as he. He gave them a small smile and a nod in greeting.
"It seems that there were quite a few subjects," he remarked quietly.
