Before Jon had given up the wishing stone to his future self, he had wished for Karyn's parents to win a vacation to Argentina, in order to buy time for Karyn to get control of her abilities.
"Karyn's parents are supposed to come home today. I think she's made up her mind to show them." Jon was nervous.
"I see. If that's the case I'll make out an invitation for them. The next few days are going to be tricky for all of us though. You're not the only one close to transforming. As it turns out, so am I. I'll be unavailable for a few days as I get a handle on my new state, and the staff will be busy enough with me that if we have to give a lab tour to Karyn's parents, I don't see how we can be attending to you as well," Chester warned, apologetically.
"What do you mean?"
"I simply mean, Jon, that it would be a great boon to all of us if you were willing to undergo the final transformation on your own. The risks are minimal. It's just that you would have to remain conscious through it all, an experience from which Karyn was mercifully spared. Lisa tells me it is quite terrifying. I can prescribe you some Valium but that is all."
"All right. What would you recommend I do once I get home, or to Karyn's?"
"For a start I suggest having Karyn available to help you. Once you get to her place, take care of any bodily needs you might have. Eat a light meal if necessary. Once that's done, run a warm bath of plain water and stay there until you are completely transformed. Once you are in the bath, take the first dose. At the first sign of nausea, take the second dose. With some luck you will be less than completely lucid when it happens. I think we're done today. I just need to get you your pills and that invitation."
"Thanks, Dr. Chester." Jon left the examination room only to be startled by a pair of Great Danes racing down the hallway. They seemed to notice Jon and turned around at the end of the corridor instead of taking the turn. The dogs stared expectantly. One was a dark brown, the other black.
"Come on, I know you're Karyn and Lisa. You expect me to think they let real dogs into the lab?" Jon accused. He had to admit though, they had gotten the appearance down very well.
One of the dogs let out a very convincing bark.
"I'm not buying it." Jon began approaching them.
Immediately, the dogs began charging toward Jon. The black one in particular seemed intent on tackling him. Jon braced himself for the impact. At the last moment, Jon caught the black dog and spun around so he would fall down on top of her. "Gotcha, Karyn."
The black dog seemed to relent, and began to change to a more human shape. Soon, Karyn's features emerged. "Wow, you're playing rough," Karyn giggled. All the fur was gone and her clothing had resolved as a luxurious red and black Chinese style silk dress.
"Is there a reason I shouldn't have used you as a cushion? It's not as though you actually have any bones or vital organs to get damaged. I'm not quite there yet, although Chester said it should happen to me tonight. Still, I don't relish the idea of starting it off with a bunch of broken bones. I'm sorry if you're upset. "
"Calm down, it's fine. After all, I am supposed to be immortal now." Karyn paused. "Ooh."
"What is that?" It seemed to Jon as though there was something buzzing inside Karyn's shoulder.
"My phone." Her shoulder seemed to melt as she plunged her hand inside it, pulling out her cell phone. "It's my dad." Karyn got up and proceeded to answer the call.
"Uh huh. Yeah, all right. Thanks. See you in half an hour." Karyn hung up. "Their plane landed. We need to get back."
On the way back, Jon explained the situation with him and Dr. Chester.
"Oh, great. I guess if I'm going to be explaining what happened to my parents, you might as well be sitting in their bathtub waiting to melt into a blob of goo. I just hope they take it well." Karyn was nervous and worried.
"Are you going to be changing that dress?" asked Jon.
"No. I think it might be a good way to start the conversation off."
Several minutes later, Karyn rolled into the driveway with Jon to find that her parents had just barely gotten there first. From the street Karyn could see the garage door still closing. They went inside, hoping for the best.
"Well hello, I was just starting to wonder where you were," Karyn's dad Bruce greeted. "Out on a date with, uh, Jon?"
"Not exactly, Dad," Karyn looked down. "I need to tell you something."
"Does it have anything to do with how you got that gorgeous dress you're wearing? Oh, God, I hope you didn't steal it!" moaned Carol, Karyn's mom. "Or have you been running up my credit cards while I was away?"
"Oh, for crying out loud, Mom. I did not steal this dress. As a matter of fact, I made it," Karyn announced.
"You're joking. You never got into sewing." Carol examined Karyn's garment. "I can't find any seams-- amazing."
"That's because I didn't sew it. Don't be alarmed." Suddenly, Karyn's silk dress twisted around her, clinging to her legs and darkening below while revealing a little more of her arms and turning blue on top. Soon she was wearing black jeans and a blue T-shirt.
"Wow," Bruce commented. "How are you doing that?"
"I haven't been going out to test a new energy drink. I've been a test subject for some experimental nanotechnology," Karyn explained.
Bruce was blank for what seemed like an eternity. "So, uh, can you make any outfit you can imagine? Does that mean we never have to pay for your clothes again?"
"You got that right. Actually, it's more than just clothes. The stuff has sort of spread to my whole body. I guess I qualify as a shapeshifter." Karyn's clothes and skin seemed to melt away until she was a girl sculpted purely from pale gray goo. "Please don't hate me. I'm still your daughter."
Carol was dumbfounded. "What's my favorite video game?" Carol asked.
"You don't play video games, except for Harvest Moon 64 and Tetris, and that's maybe twice a month," Karyn replied.
"In the summer of 1997 you underwent a drastic shift in your television habits. Why?"
"Because Nickelodeon wasn't making good shows anymore, and I started getting hooked on Star Trek." Karyn smiled. "I know why you're testing me."
"If there's anything I learned from Star Trek, it's to test anyone you think has been replaced by a shapeshifter," Carol laughed. "What about Jon here?"
"I'm still normal, but not for much longer. I hate to impose, but I need to spend the rest of the night in your bathtub," Jon requested.
