It was a stupid idea...
what teenager would possibly consider it? Never. No teenager would ever consider Changing himself... to become more like what the girl... he loved would want?
Nobody would ever consider such a thought...
… would they?
Barry had to think about it.
Angel might be a 'little crazy' but her beauty and the way she explained what she wanted- and the fact that Barry knew... no other would even consider such a thing made it all the more an enticing prospect. Maybe he could just enquire about it? There was no harm in just asking a question right? There was no reason he had to 'go through' with anything, he just wanted to find out a little more about the process of transformation. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that.
First, he had a look on the internet.
There were a bunch of transformation sites available, all offering various 'specialities' in the type of change. 'Dream-Body', 'SpliceR' and 'NewNew' seemed to be the closest ones. Of course, as soon as he initiated these internet searches, his inbox became flooded with offers on the best possible deals.
'Are you considering changing your body? Consider AvatarRus!'
'Changed in a way you didn't want? There's an App for that!'
'Support for your new changed body.'
'Low low Transformation Insurance! Get yourself covered even without clothes!'
Barry groaned slightly at all the messages. He was just curious and the algorithm already thought he was some kind of freak. Now he was being hit by all of this. He gave a soft sigh as he wondered... would there be a transformation company that can give him this 'divine' body that Angel would... like? The kind she might... get close to? He looked at the costs of a change.
The companies didn't seem to vary their transformation charge much- though those offering more support or some kind of 'guarantee' appeared to charge more. He decided to try one of the open areas that were close by. Dream-body was a smaller place just a bus journey away.
He used the bus after school... looking through the website on the way. They had a lot of before and after pictures... “wow..” he thought at the results. One guy became a kick-ass Angel... like something out of X-men. He could fly and his change even came with some kind of magical ability... if he could get that...
The building itself was not too much to look at from the outside. It was like any other office building. It was near the peer so there were some warehouses around the back. He felt a bit apprehensive but he got this far...
Stealing his resolve he walked into the reception area.
Inside, there was a rather tall fox-woman sitting behind a desk of what looked like a waiting area like one would have going to a dentist. She immediately took note of him. “Oh hello!” She had red hair, with a tail poking out of a black dress. She was quite human-like, though her nose seemed to have a slightly darkened spot. Also, her fore-arms were darker with thin elements of fur, hinting at a slightly more animalistic nature then he might have guessed at first. “Can I help you? Oh my, you look like such a wonderful candidate! Do you desire a transformation?”
“Uh- well- I was just... curious- um-” he rubbed his hands a bit. Maybe this was a bad idea.
The fox-woman became even more intrigued. “Oh! That's wonderful. Wanting a new experience? At such a young age too, I can see you have already figured out that it's best to get this sort of thing done before its gotten rid of,” She grinned with a wink. “I can give you some pamphlets- ah, here's a questionnaire to figure out what kind of body you want.”
Barry blinked. “I- I thought it was random though?” He looked at the papers nervously.
“Well, yes and no...” The fox-lady explained. “We can fine tune some elements. We should be able to give you at least 'something' you wanted. Though please read through the disclaimers.”
Barry sat in one of the tables positioned to the side to have a look. The questionnaire was worded a little... weird. Almost (practically) legalese. Barry had a look at the Yes, Maybe and No statements.
The fox woman gave him a look. “I suggest, as few No statements as possible, otherwise you might be declined.” The fox woman advised. Yet another careful trick- if someone said 'no' a lot.. then they were just not ready to be changed and they were more likely to sue.
Barry was given a pen and started to tick the boxes he could. “Hm... Question 1...” Did he 'want' a transformation? He put down 'maybe' on that. He didn't want to say yes or no... either answer would have an implication after all. Was he willing to commit to a full change in his life? Sure.. that was easy. Do you ever mind changing gender as part of the change? Urgh...weird question. No? He didn't want to change genders. Did he want to have new body parts? Eh.. maybe? Are you interested in transformation insurance? He marked that with a yes- why not?
One by one he went through it... until he got to the last one. What made you come by? He thought about what Angel had said... that if he changed his body into a divine form... then she would go out with him... would that be a bad answer? The truth is he hoped to impress a girl... but if he admitted that they might decline him- wait did that mean he really did 'want' a change?
This last question fortunately came with some possible answers. Curious? He checked that. Hating his current life? No... Did he have a spiritual reasons? Family custom? Spur of the moment decision? Well- none of that. Meet more changed people? Oh- well... that he did check... that was kind of the truth after all.
“How's the questionnaire going?” The fox-woman asked after a few minutes.
“Uh, I'm all done.” Barry passed the paper to her.
The woman placed it in a computer. “Your answers are of course confidential so I can't read it. Let's print it out..” a few moments later he was give a yellow piece of paper. “This is your personal report- for your eyes only. Though if you have any questions I am happy to answer them.”
Barry got the paper... it had a list of percentages on what kind of transformation he would likely get. 30% chance of an animal change? 10% gender change... 50% improved athletics... 40% chance of a mythological change.. and 10% other. “Mythological change... so.. I could.. become an angel?” The teenager asked.
“Ah! Did you have a specific change you wanted?” The woman asked. “Of course! You should have said something sooner! We can have a look at pushing the Mythological Factor in your transformation though we can't guarantee it would be an angel, but there are many divine beings out there. Sphinxes, demons, lamias- and that's just from Greece! There are also unicorns from the United Kingdom and-”
“Uh- I want to be a 'good' one though... you know? Like- on the side of 'good'...” how could he explain it. “I want people to see that I'm a good person... just by looking at me.” He gulped at how.. odd that might sound. Maybe even desperate. He rubbed his hands slightly.
The fox-woman tiled her head in confusion. “There are good demons too Mister.. uh..”
“Barry- uh- Barry Larson.” the teenager answered.
The Fox-woman smiled. “Ah, Barry. My name is Debra,” she with that foxy smile. “You know, I myself consider myself 'part' divine. I am a kitsune after all,” she smiled as she quickly showed she had two tails! “You shouldn't think too much about Good and Evil though... changes are quite neutral in that regard. There are plenty of lizard-changed who don't feel any less evolved then humans you know... and plenty of demons that see themselves as 'good'.”
Barry gave a slight shudder. He wanted to move upwards.. not downwards. Turning into a lizard or something like that would be quite distressing. Maybe this was a bad idea after all-
The fox-woman saw his hesitation. “I take it you are quite keen on being an angel?” Asked Debra. “There are only a few ways we can guarantee an 'element' of your transformation. We're not able to define 'angel' into your change... but we can define 'wings', and weight 'Mythology' but there are many examples of winged mythological beings. Harpies, fairies, demons, sphinxes, to name a few. It is quite a popular combination mind.”
Barry looked at the options with concern. “Uh... what if I don't get what I want? What about changing back?”
The fox woman looked apprehensive on that. “Yes... the recall program stores your body format... and in theory, as long as your thoughts do not change 'too dramatically' we can reintegrate you back, but we can't guarantee it. There's an eighty percent success rate here after a month period, with about a ninety percent success return after a year period, about 99% after two years... however there might be 'some' changes on the returned body. Variable age perhaps, gender, even race... so even if we return you human, you might have something different all the same. We also can't do this straight away after a change, as the stress on your body would be too much. I would advise you stay in your transformed state at least a month, before considering the recall,” she said this quite gently with caution.
The teenage body pondered what was being offered. His parents would kill him if they knew he was even here, looking at this as an option. Sill... if it meant spending more time with Angel- and if he turned into an angel too, then surly that meant they were meant to be together! If he didn't change in that way then... maybe it wasn't meant to be but- he wasn't sure he wanted to be who he was in that scenario either... he just loved Angel so much that... he might just be willing to accept... if it wasn't to be... then... maybe he could just be someone else. “I need.. some time to think about this,” Barry gulped with the weight of the decision.
“Of course, of course. Just remember, we might not always be available... have a good day,” she smiled.
As Barry left, a woman came into the store holding another piece of paper. “Um-”
“Oh hello! Do you have your answers to the questionnaire? Hold on let me get your personalized answers,” she took the paper in and carefully took out a new a fresh new report for the lady from a pile of pre-prepared ones, hidden under her desk. “Here you go! These answers are for your eyes only, I can't see them- but I am happy to answer any questions you may have...”
Susan carefully wheeled her chair to the pool that had been built around her house which was almost like a moat. It was a pretty good design. Tunnels let her inside the house too, allowing a mix of dry and wet areas. All part of the 'help' plan that they had if a transformation came with some tricky accessibility issues.
Her mother was a naga woman, with the same golden set of scales instead of legs. As for her father, he was now a weird 'half dragon'... his top half looking the same as ever, much as Susan resembled human- but his.. or 'her' female lower half was- well- that of a dragon woman with great green scales. Big thick green legs and a long tail attached to a human torso that made a small earthquake whenever he stepped.
Susan enjoyed being in the water and took off her goggles. When submerged she could see better then anyone at vast distances within the water. Even the strange reflection of the stars on the surface of the water, somehow seemed closer and finer. She swam into the shared living room space where her mother was preparing some dinner for the family to watch television. “Hey mom,” she said as she swam into the living quarter, emerging into her water pool. “How's dad?”
“Uh.. busy. His- well- female half is kinda laying her eggs. Probably best not to mention it, you know he's a little sensitive about it.”
“Oof,” Susan cringed at that. That was... yet another thing all three of this family seemed to share. Scales, lower half changes, and..eggs. Getting hit by the same beam sure made some weird similarities and differences. She glanced at what might dubiously be considered the 'egg laying area'. Her father sometimes suffered quite badly... though her mother never really talked about it- and well, it wasn't something Susan had experienced... yet.
“How was school?” Her mother asked suddenly. “I've got tuna sandwiches,” she said while cutting them up for her daughter.
Susan shrugged letting her fins sway behind her. “Eh, not bad. I got an assignment with a partner who's getting a bit 'too' interested in the changed... I'm a bit worried he might try to become one.”
“Oh? That's a good thing!” The snake-woman smiled. “Maybe you'll have a nice mer-boy to share company with.” She giggled in joy. “Ah that would be a joy.”
“Mom! I don't want that!” Susan pouted.
“Hm? Don't you like him?” her mother enquired.
“Wh- uh-” Susan gave a look. “He's just a friend. I don't want my friend to lose his legs... even if...” even if she did have more company. She wouldn't want that. They spend enough time together anyway.
“I Don't see it as a loss, I see it as a gain...” The snake woman used her tail to raise her body, twisting it overhead in an odd angle that would never have been possible were she to have legs. “Your change is wonderful dear, you'll see it will all work out. Don't tell me that seeing the ocean and its beauty hasn't been fun...”
On the trips she had taken, Susan did enjoy it... but she was still rather afraid of sharks. She also saw how big and...lonely living in the ocean could be. She was about to answer when her father suddenly came inside the living area and sat on the couch looking..quite grumpy. “Oh.. Susie... hey...” he smiled weakly.
“H-Hey dad. Uh... you okay?” Susan asked with some concern.
“Yeah yeah.. just want to watch some television.” He muttered as he tried to arrange his huge tail against the seat. “How was school?”
“Uh- good.” She glanced awkwardly. “I should.. get on with my homework though.”
She awkwardly swam to her bedroom, floating through the water-tunnels and upwards. Her own room was of course... mostly underwater, with a window to the dry hallway. She had...everything a girl her age would have, with everything submerged in water. It was nice to be in her natural environment but... she could never invite anyone for a sleepover.
She laid down- eh- floated in her bed, thinking about some of the things she missed... her hair flaying around in the currents of water. Maybe if she brought the water level down, she could turn this into some kind of.. water party? Heh... that might even be fun.
Still.. an actual sleepover someday would be nice. Why was Sue such an.. unpopular mermaid?
The darkness of the lab was quite depressing to Larry. She was trying to get into the circuit breakers to at least get some of the machines back on. She needed the computers back... she needed to find some way to return to normal!
On her head was the only source of light... greenish in color, the fairy-girl sat there not quite confident on attempting any flying.
“I... really am sorry,” the fairy-girl whispered.
“Shut up.” Larry scowled as she crawled down into the basemen stairs. She hoped she wouldn't- “Ah!” As much as she had hoped it happened anyway. She tripped up on her back legs as she tried to find her footing, still being very uncoordinated. The sphinx started to fall down. Suddenly her wings spread outwards by instinct, causing a weird parachuted fall to the bottom after she somersaulted downwards. The fairy-girl clung onto her hair for dear life.
“A-are you okay?” she asked her green light flickering with fear.
Larry glanced up at her. “Yeah.. yeah... need to get up there.” The sphinx looked up at where the breakers were. As a human this would be easy... but a lioness with paws? She stretched up there and tried to pry open the cabinet hiding the fuse box. However, she struggled with the latch. “Argh! I can't!” She collapsed down onto all fours again. She couldn't do anything like this! She was a freak a stupid dumb animal without hands-
“Uh- maybe I can,” The fairy-girl said. “Can you bring me up there?”
“Why don't you just fly? There's enough room for you.”
She glanced back at her wings then shuddered. “I um... I got a thing, about heights” the fairy girl admitted. “Just thinking about it is making my hands sweat. I can't do it.”
“... you're acrophobic?” Larry asked.
“H-hey you don't have you say it like that!” The fairy girl said angrily. “I just don't do heights. So if you don't mind just put me up there and don't move.”
Larry sighed seeing little choice. She moved her head up towards the cabinet where the fairy stood on. Her feet tickled her head a bit. Of course, even if the fairy had actual hands... they were tiny. Could she have enough strength to open up the fuse box? “What's your name?” Larry finally asked.
“Name? Uh.... crap,” She gulped. “I... I can't remember.”
“You don't remember?” Larry's eyes widened. The transformation process could induce temporary amnesia... it was extremely rare. Though they had not exactly run the machine at normal configurations. “You came in here with a gun... you're going to get arrested! You can't tell me that you've forgotten who you are!”
“I-” The fuse box finally opened. “Done. It's open.” She looked meekly. “I know what I did.. I remember that. I remember being desperate and wanting to live... but I can't remember everything that got me here. I Just remember getting shot... I had a gun... a way to get myself to live...” she sighed. “So... which ones do I flip?”
“Everything except the ones on the top row. That's the laboratory. We need the computers back on as soon as possible.”
The fairy-girl obliged and started to flick them. Soon they were bathed in light... “Hm... what happened to the gun?” she asked.
“I'm...not sure. It also took away our clothes...” Larry sighed as she tried to go very slowly 'up' the stairs. She took it easy, feeling like she was some kind of slinky coil. First the back legs, then the front... back again and front... it made her insides awkwardly compressed. Not to mention she could feel the sides of her front legs lightly touch against the new breasts she possessed. “I can't just keep calling you 'you', the sphinx said. “You need some kind of name...”
“I think.. I had many names,” The fairy-girl said. “I used many identities... did I know who I was when I was human? Urgh... my head...” The girl whispered sniffling. “Why can't I stop feeling sad when I.. try to remember?” Some part of her didn't want to remember... she was clearly a lowlife psychopath. She tried to hurt someone with a gun... “I'm so sorry. I was... just a bad person. It's best I don't remember I think.”
“You don't have that luxury!” Larry snapped. “Whoever you are, you were shot at. There must have been a reason. If people come after you again...”
“They might just think I died. Maybe... that's a good thing,” she smiled brightly. “I think that was my intention. To have some new life... a way to disguise myself. I just didn't expect a female body.. or to be only what- six inches tall?” She shrugged.
“More like four or five,” Larry thought as they arrived back in the office. “Okay... the computer should have a file of our transformation conditions...” Larry looked at the machine and began to type. Using paws again the work was slow..and she had to ask the fairy-girl to be near the delete key if she mistyped. After some time she found the latest file... and sighed. “Oh thank goodness... the system has saved our old bodies. We can try the recall program!”
“Woo!” The fairy girl smiled. “Wonderful! I think?”
“Yes... unfortunately the machine is damaged. So we'll have to repair it first.”
“Can't you send the file to another company?” asked the fairy.
“It doesn't work that way,” Larry shook her head. “Each machine is unique. If you try a different machine the recall has a higher chance of failing. I just need to see how badly damaged it is.” She ran a few diagnostics. “Okay... we just need one of those electrodes replaced... I know we have spares. I've seen them replace it a few times.”
“You're going to do machine repair... with the paws of a lion?” The fairy-girl asked.
“Surly, you're not going to help much,” Larry groaned. “I think there's an instruction manual somewhere... I'm going to start there.” The sphinx-girl padded around the side of the control room looking for the folder.
The fairy girl huffed. “Don't call me Surly.” Then she laughed. “Ah- that's actually really funny! I had no idea how funny that was until now. Sure, you can call me Shirley.”
“Shirley... your name is as annoying as you are. It fits,” Larry couldn't help but smirk a little.
Then there was a strange sound making Larry's ears twitch. That was an alarm. “Someone's... at the door.” She looked at a security camera to see who it was. There appeared to be a man in a hat.. the picture too grainy to make our details. “Shirley? Friend of yours?”
The fairy-girl was frozen in fear. “I- I can't remember but- he's bad. Don't... let him in..”
Larry used the camera to pan in closer. “He's... just looking... it looks like he followed your blood trail... he's looking inside.” The man seemed to be taking an interest in something just inside the area. He was trying to force the door open!
“L-larry?” Shirley asked feeling petrified.
The sphinx girl stayed calm. “It's okay. The lab has a security cage around it. We get protestors sometimes.” Larry quickly pushed a red button, only to be used in emergencies. Immediately the doors around them were bolted shut.. spires of steel feel down fortifying the area. This seem to catch the man by surprise as an alarm began to blare.
However the man still seemed to be after something. He had broken the glass next to the bolted door, and began reaching out...
This caught Larry off guard. Normally people would give up... “What the heck is he- Oh crap!” Larry gasped. “That's my phone. He's taken my phone!” He had to drop it in the reception area!
The man had grabbed it ran.
“Shirley... you bring me a lot of trouble.” Larry closed her eyes.
