Ten years ago
A young scientist published an article on specialized magazines stating that she had developed a way to create a virus that could revolutionize medicine. Using genetic engineering and nanotechnology, she proposed to change the flu virus so that it could insert new genetic information on its targets, aiming to rectify its host body. Accordingly to this article, for each person treated would be developed a specific virus, with the desired genetic changes embedded on them. As released, the body changes on the host would be accelerated as soon as the new information were written on his genes, by the use of a energy build up provided by the virus. It would increase the cell proliferation rate temporarily until the changes were completed.
Her research was severely attacked when announced, as it violated several international agreements about genetic researches, and the scientist saw her promising career ended that day. Several governments banished the results of her research while several other scientists laughed at her, saying that her research was something more like witchcraft than science.
She also tried to show details of her work, but everyone shut the doors of scientific community to her. Unemployed and without prestige, she vanished.
Five years ago
A new kind of flu plagues mankind. Fortunately, the death rate of the now known as "animal flu" were far lower than the initial forecast from scientists. In no time were initiated researches to find an effective vaccine, but the virus were much more resilient than the common flu virus, making the task impossible.
These researches also noted that when a person was infected, he developed the common flu symptoms and after seven days he was cured. Later researches indicated that the virus remained on its host body, but caused no other symptoms. In a year, all people from the planet had this virus on their bodies.
Three years ago
Rumors about mutations start to appear. Women from all around the globe began to change partially into animals. Scientists hurry to find an explanation to this phenomenon until they noticed a pattern. Only women were affected and the animal they turned into was random. The extent of their changes also oscillated from woman to woman. Some would only grow fur or feathers while others ended up with new limbs, like arms, legs and tails.
In common, all the transformed women kept their reproductive systems intact, bigger breasts, long hair and well defined body. Their sexual appetite also increased a lot.
Fearing the worst, the governments isolated every transformed woman. In several countries, women were discriminated in the slightest sign of mutation. After six months, scientists were able to track down the clues and discovered that the animal flu virus, that everyone thought were inactive inside everyone, were the responsible by that mutation outbreak.
In no time, the scientists related the virus effects to the research of that infamous scientist several years ago. The authorities, convinced of her involvement in this matter, invaded her last known address.
On that place, abandoned years before, they found evidences that she had planned everything. In several diaries they found out that the scientist got angry at press and everyone, the ones responsible by the end of her career. She was determined to prove everyone that she was capable to create a virus to eradicate all diseases and including the ability to repair lost members and tissues on the human body.
As the notes stated, she created a super virus, able to infect everyone. This virus would carry the genetic information that would replace the target's genetics. After accelerating the cellular grow on the host and end its programmed task, the virus would enter into hibernation mode, only activating again when the host was injured. This would allow the host to recover quickly from any injuries.
The notes also indicated that she did not want to cause mankind extinction, just show her point of view in this matter. They discovered that she had established a private laboratory to develop her research without external financing. She had several assistants under her supervision, but the names identified on the diaries were from several people that had disappeared some months ago.
The virus that plagued mankind had a peculiar way of attacking women. He had been programmed to keep the female reproductive system intact and to increase some feminine features, like breasts and body. There were around a hundred virus variations, each one with genetic information of one animal. The effects on each woman were different. When a woman was infected, she would be stable until one virus variant dominated the others inside her body. When that happened, this variant would eliminate the others from the host's body and would activate. Accordingly to studies, even if the woman was infected with equal quantities of each virus, the result would be always around 50% mammals, 30% birds, 10% reptiles, 5% arthropods and 5% insects. In reptiles, only 1% of the transformed woman had some kind of poison. This proportion was around 25% in arthropods and insects.
With the release of these discoveries, the world breathed relieved. After the governments freed all transformed women, it was not long until several of them had resumed their relationships and started to get pregnant. When they started to giving birth, their children were extensively examined and there were no apparent mutation or genetic changes on them. Detailed genetic analysis made some time later indicated that only a few genes on the infected woman were changed, while her eggs always carried the genes that were not affected.
Later discoveries indicated that the women only changed after puberty, although no one could predict when a woman would start to change. When a woman changed into an animal able to lay eggs, those eggs were always infertile.
Nowadays, Wednesday, 20h
Sandra and Marcus were a married couple of twenty something years old. They had married five years ago and owned a house in a good neighborhood. They lived on a mid size country city and were both employed. Marcus was a computer engineer and was not exactly athletic. On the other side, Sandra was a lawyer and always kept her body in shape. Besides the differences, they loved each other and did not care about the transformations if they could keep together.
They had caught the animal flu when it had spread around the world, but Sandra had not changed yet. They were expecting her to change at any moment now, but there was no way to tell when that would happen. They often talked about the animals that she could change into.
"Last night I saw a cat woman that was really stunning!" Sandra stated. "I think I would like to keep being a mammal."
"I don't know." Marcus said. "I heard about some women that went feral after changing into cats."
"I heard that too, but these cases were as low as 5% of the total. And this percentage is even higher on some other species."
"I heard about some pretty changes too, like the ones that got the lower body of a giant spider."
"Are you really into those? I think it would be horrible to change into a spider! Even more when I know that a good percentage of then result in venomous women!"
"But you know that we could sell your poison for a good price!"
"Well, I would not complain on having a personal business, but I would hate to have eight legs!"
The women often used to open businesses to sell the products they produced. There were a high demand for antivenin serums, because mainly by the cases of aggression and accidents. Sometimes the transformed women stung her partners accidentally. Other times, they stung her adversaries on fights. Some women sold their venom; other ones sold less aggressive products, like eggs, fur and feathers. All of them always made good money because the supply was restricted to them. It was estimated that around 10 to 20% of changed women had something useful to sell.
Sandra and Marcus talked until bed time, when they went to their room. Before going to bed, they went to shower together. Marcus took the opportunity to joke Sandra about her changes.
"Hey! Are those horns on your forehead?"
"Don't joke about that! You know that would be the worst thing that could happen to me!"
"I know you hate that one! That's where the fun is."
They ended the shower and while drying, Sandra noticed something.
"My skin is so dry today! I keep using my creams and it is still rough!"
"Have your changes started for real?"
"I hope not. I want to live as human for some more time."
"And if it has started, there were nothing we can do about that, just follow up the changes."
After that, they went to bed and slept hugging each other.
Thursday, 06h30
Marcus woke up and felt Sandra's skin dry and rough. He looked better at her and noticed that there her skin was something different.