Part 3: Cats don’t talk!?

Using the computer I attempted to find a floor map, but again I was denied access.
I thought about this a moment and then I had an idea. I knew that certain information would not be protected by pass codes and I searched for information about the ventilation system. As I suspected, it was not a classified subject.

I knew the only way I could move through the facility without being spotted was to use the ventilation shafts and I hoped that they could get me to the to floor I desired.
Fortunately I discovered that the primary airflow generator was on B-5, the very floor I was aiming to get too. So all I had to do now was get back to the air vent and follow the flow of air.

Just as I was about to leave, the computer I was using began to beep. I pirouetted on the spot to face the screen and a message appeared.

“Do not try to escape on your own. All Exits are under heavy guard and you will not be able to get past them… Find somewhere to hide for now… help is coming…” I tried typing in to reply but I got no response.

”Who sent that message?” I wondered.

I was feeling unsure about all of this. I didn’t know if I could trust the message or not, but at this point, I knew trying to escape would be ultimately futile. So I decided to follow my previous plan.
I left the data room and I managed to get back to the air vent without running into anyone. It would seem that whoever sent that message was telling the truth and all the guards must have been expecting me to make a break for the exit.

I climbed back into the vent and followed the airflow. I soon came to a vent way going straight down.
I looked down the shaft and I could see a large fan spinning rapidly almost three stories down at the bottom.

”This should get me down there, as long as I don’t get shredded at the bottom”, I lowered myself down into the shaft and pressing my back against the vent wall and pressing my feet against the adjacent wall I began to shimmy downward.

I passed a vent way leading to another floor and continued down but then… my feet slipped.
I fell down and frantically I dug my claws into the walls of the vent and with a loud screeching of tearing metal I came to a stop. I gasped as I looked down and just a metre below me was the metal fan.
I gulped nervously as I had nearly become mincemeat and I climbed back up and into the nearest vent way.

I assumed I was on the right floor now. I crawled through the vent but suddenly the vent began to creak and then the bottom of it gave way and fell through and landed on a concrete floor.
I wasn’t hurt and I quickly got to my feet. I had landed in a large room filled with animal cages and a single metal cupboard.
The cages were empty but I wondered what they needed them for.

“Hey kid!” said a male voice.

I jumped in surprise and looked around for the owner of the voice.

“Over here!” I then caught sight of something in a small cage behind some of the larger ones; I quickly moved them out of the way and found a black cat locked in a small cage.

“Oh thank goodness you found me” said the cat and I fell over backwards in surprise.

”You…you can talk!?” I said in disbelief.

“I certainly can” he replied “Look I’ll explain everything if you’ll please let me out!” he said desperately.

I felt unsure about this but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and yanked the cage door open, tearing the lock apart. The cat then scurried out and stretched all his limbs.

“Ooh that’s better” he sighed gladly.

The cat then darted over to the cupboard and pulled it open using both paws. He pulled out a bottle of water and unsuccessfully tried to open it.

“God damn stupid paws!” he cursed angrily as he tried to bite the cap off.

I intervened at this point and picked up the bottle.

”I’ll get it,” I said as I opened it up and handed it back to him.

He gulped the water down like a madman and under normal circumstances I would have found this strange, but I found a talking cat to be the primary focus of my attention.

“Ah thank you” he exclaimed as his thirst was quenched “a few more hours and I would have had it, I’ve been locked in that cage for two days without food or water” he thanked me and still I couldn’t help but stare at him, and he noticed.

“What are you staring at?” he said suddenly and I wasn’t quite sure what to ask.

”Umm… Who…What?” was all I could say. My currant situation was unbelievable enough already but this was starting to make me question if I was actually going insane.

“Oh right the cat thing” he replied looking as though he had forgotten that he was a feline. “Look kid, like you I used to be human; I was actually one of the scientists working here. But those maniacs used me as a Ginny pig for their splicing experiments” he said angrily.

”Splicing?” I replied, “Are you talking about combining DNA?”

“Very good” he said impressed that I knew what he was talking about “the ability to splice the DNA of another creature on to a humans DNA structure, this completely overwrites the human DNA and changes them into whatever creature has been chosen. But it’s not perfect, the human’s blood type is a big factor in the transformation”

”Wait a minute!” I said jumping in at this point “Are you telling me that they used Feline DNA to change you into a cat?” I asked.

“That’s right,” he said.

”But why?” I asked confused, it didn’t make sense to me why someone would want to turn a human into a cat.

“The scientists working in this facility have changed dozens of people in order to perfect the technique. Using animal DNA was the most efficient way to test the process. Unfortunately they disposed of all the people they experimented on once they were done, I was lucky because they hadn’t noticed my cage underneath the others” he said in relief.

“They just killed them!?” I said furiously.

“Yes, all so they could begin the D-series experiment”

“D-series?” I exclaimed, “You’re referring to me aren’t you?” I said remembering what I saw on the computer.

“Wait” I began before the Cat could say anything “if they used animals to change people, then what the hell did they use on me!?” I asked confused.

“Isn’t it obvious, a dragon, you’re turning into a dragon” as he said this I couldn’t believe it.

”A dragon, that’s ridiculous! Dragons don’t exist!” I said with scepticism.

“Oh but they do” he argued with a grin “We found a dead and well preserved body of one and that’s how we got the DNA”

I fell to my knees at this realisation. Could it be true? Is this what is happening to me.

Before I could ask more questions my face started to get warm and itchy. But then the scales covering my cheeks were spreading to cover the rest of my face.

”Not….again!” I grunted as my jaw felt heavy.

“Don’t fight it! Just let it happen,” said the cat as he backed away cautiously.

My human skin had now completely vanished and then my nose and my mouth began to change shape, pushing outwards.
It felt so strange, like a blocked nose only the feeling seemed to push through my nose and outward.
The blocked nose feeling soon disappeared and then I closed my eyes and cringed as it felt like a wanted to sneeze. I was growing a snout but I could also feel my teeth changing as well, growing sharper and even growing a few new ones.

On the top of my snout and on my cheeks I could fell something pushing on the underside of my scales until suddenly two spikes grew out of each cheek and two also on my new snout.

Once again the warm sensation vanished and the changes stopped. The sensation of wanting to sneeze had vanished and I slowly opened my eyes. My mouth felt weird and unfamiliar and as I crossed my eyes I could see the spikes on my nose.

“A mirror, I need a mirror!” I said frantically, the cat searched through the cupboard and brought out a handheld mirror, carrying it in his teeth.

I quickly snatched it from him and as I gazed into it, at first I was shocked at the blue dragon staring back at me but for some reason…I didn’t feel upset or worried.
It felt as if this was meant to be my face, but I didn’t know why.

To be continued