{"sf1_id":110798,"sf2_id":null,"title":"No Chance, Ch 3","author":"comidacomida","words":2452,"posted_at":"2009-12-04T06:43:00.000Z","tags":["Character Development","Dog","Ferret","Human","Modern","Plot Development","Sci-Fi","Story Progression","Transformation"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/110798-no-chance-ch-3","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/110798","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=110798\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"No Chance  \nChapter 3  \ncopyright 2009 comidacomida  \n  \nCourtney never considered herself a naturally curious person, and she  \nhad little interest in exploring the cold, impersonal, official-looking  \nhallways of the research site. She wasn't officially \"confined\" to her  \nroom, but there seemed to be little reason to be out in everyone's way.  \n  \nAnother day passed before Courtney saw anyone other than Rex, and that  \nwas never for more than a short minute. When someone did come in to  \nspeak with her, it was the ferret Daryl had called David.  \n  \n\"Good morning.\" David offered, a smile visible on his muzzle that  \nseemed more out of politeness rather than genuine emotion. He held in  \nhis paws a metal plate which was normally brought to her by Rex.  \n  \nCourtney realized that she had become used to seeing the dog each  \nmorning with her breakfast and was surprised to feel a sense of loss  \nfor not seeing him, even if it was for just a few moments-- she found  \nRex's upbeat nature and kind spirit to be warming.  \n  \n\"Hi.\" Courtney responded after what she realized was a long pause on  \nher part. She observed the humanoid ferret as he made his way into her  \nroom. His dark-brown 'mask' was a deeper shade of brown than the  \ntannish-gray that covered the rest of his face except for under his  \nchin and down his neck, which was more of a light creamy mocha.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"We haven't officially met.\" the ferret spoke, setting the plate down  \non the small medicine table next to her cot. \"My name is David  \nGraham.\" He offered her a paw, \"I work with Daryl.\"  \n  \nCourtney looked at the furry appendage for a moment. It was small by  \nhuman standards, but, then again, so was the ferret. He stood only  \njust five feet tall. The paw was petite, but looked as dexterous as a  \nhuman's. The claws on it were small but looked sharp, and Courtney  \ncould see smooth pink pads on its palm.  \n  \nDavid pulled his paw back, and Courtney felt herself flush with  \nembarrassment as it suddenly came to her attention that she was staring  \nat the paw rather than shaking it, \"Oh... I...\" she stuttered, \"I'm  \nsorry.\"  \n  \nThe ferret shrugged off the response, \"It's alright, Ms. Porter, it  \ntook US numerous days to get used to these changes. No one could  \nexpect you to come to grips with our condition in half a week.\"  \n  \nSomething about the way David said 'Ms. Porter' made her think back to  \nthe man-- or was it men?-- that had tried to kidnap her. Thomas Grant,  \nif that was his/their real name. Daryl had said something about him  \nbeing a clone, which seemed hard for her to accept, but less  \nfar-fetched than humanoid animals, or her fiance turning into one.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Either way, the 'Ms. Porter' struck an uncomfortable pang within  \nCourtney, and she tried to dismiss the feeling of not liking the  \nferret. \"Just call me Courtney, Mr. Graham... it's easier.\"  \n  \n\"It does save a syllable.\" the ferret acknowledged with a half-nod,  \n\"And you can call me David for the same reason.\" he offered her a more  \ngenuine smile.  \n  \n\"You said 'condition',\" Courtney spoke up, latching onto his earlier  \ncomment, \"That makes it sound like some kind of disease or medical  \nissue... is that what's going on?\"  \n  \n\"It's hard to say,\" David answered, picking up the bucket from the  \ncorner of the room. He set it upside down in front of her and sat down  \non it as if it were a stool, \"While there are plenty of research notes  \nthat document what Division Six was trying to do, there's no real  \nrecord of what happened when things went wrong.\" He curled his large,  \nfluffy tail around his side, resting it across his bare feet.  \n  \n\"What IS Division Six?\" she inquired, \"And how come I've never heard of  \nthem?\"  \n  \n\"There are some things you are probably better off knowing, and the way  \nyou know that you're better off not knowing is BECAUSE you've never  \nheard of them.\" the ferret answered cryptically.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Still sitting on the bed, Courtney glanced for a moment to the plate on  \nthe medicine table then back to David. She wasn't as hungry as she was  \nstarved for information. While she had no interest in exploring the  \nsite where she had spent the last few days, she did want to know more  \nabout what was going on. Courtney focused her attention on the ferret,  \n\"What do you know that you are willing to talk about? What do you know  \nabout your 'condition'?\"  \n  \n\"Not as much as we would like, I'm afraid.\" the ferret noted, \"And what  \nwe do know is probably best left for us alone-- there's no need to  \ninvolve you more in this than you already are.\"  \n  \n\"More than I already am? I'm not sure how that'd even be possible  \nseeing as I'm sitting in the middle of some secret research facility.\"  \nCourtney responded, \"Maybe if I knew more I could help.\"  \n  \n\"Help with what?\" David inquired of her.  \n  \nShe didn't respond to the comment at first, thinking the answer should  \nhave been obvious. She observed the fur-masked face and the astute  \neyes gazing at her. She blinked first, \"Finding a cure... I guess.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Neither confirming nor denying her assessment, David stood, \"I'm glad  \nyou are so eager to be of help, Courtney, but at the moment, I think  \nyou'll do the most good simply getting better. Daryl has been  \npreoccupied with your health, and--\"  \n  \n\"I'm more worried about his.\" Courtney interrupted, standing, \"Is he  \nalright?\"  \n  \n\"He is perfectly healthy.\" David answered, eyes and ears focused on  \nher, as if searching for some hidden cue or looking to affirm a thought  \nrolling around in his head.  \n  \nThe woman paused, meeting the ferret's gaze for only a moment before  \nlooking away. Something about his gaze unsettled her... as if he were  \nseeking an answer to a question without bothering to ask it. She  \nslowly sat back down, \"Good.\" she offered in what she hoped came out in  \na dismissing manner. She offered a shrug to accentuate it, but winced  \nat the sensitive twinge in her shoulder.  \n  \n\"The taser wound is still bothering you, isn't it?\" David inquired,  \ntaking a step closer to her. Courtney's first inclination was to back  \naway from the creature, and she winced inwardly at her consideration of  \nthe man. ~He is a man,~ she reassured herself, ~not some monster.~  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Well... yea... I've never been tased before.\" she acknowledged at  \nlength.  \n  \n\"May I?\" David inquired, motioning to her shoulder. After a few  \nmoments of apprehension, Courtney nodded, and unbuttoned her sweater.  \nShe lowered the heavier cloth of the outer garment down her arm and  \npulled up the light fabric of her blouse so the angry redness of her  \nskin was visible.  \n  \nShe watched the ferret as he reached into a pouch hanging from his  \nshoulder and drew out a pair of glasses. She tried not to laugh as he  \ngot the clip-on nose to work on his muzzle. Attempting to be an  \nobedient patient, she was forced to look away to keep from giggling,  \nbut held her breath as he gingerly poked and prodded at the flesh  \naround the wound.  \n  \n\"It should have healed better than that by now... it might be  \ninfected.\" David noted.  \n  \n\"So...\" Courtney continued attempting conversation as the ferret  \ninspected the wound, \"If you're not ruling out disease, are you sure  \nit's smart for you to be touching me? I mean... what if I catch it?\"  \n  \n\"It's more likely a mutation than a disease, Courtney.\" he offered,  \nreaching to his pouch to extract a small tube of some kind of gel,  \n\"Even if it were possible to spread the specific strain of mutagen,  \ncasual contact wouldn't be a likely way to do it... I doubt that a  \nsneeze or even a bite would suffice. Blood into an open wound,  \nperhaps, but I'm not bleeding, and that's what the antiseptic is for in  \nany case.\" the ferret squeezed a small amount onto a cotton swab and  \ngingerly applied it to the wound. Courtney had to admit that David was  \nvery good with first aid, taking great care to complete the job without  \ncausing her pain.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Thank you.\" she offered as he put the cotton swab away and pulled out  \na large, self-adhesive bandage. The ferret just nodded in response,  \nand quickly affixed the bandage. She stretched her shoulder, rolling  \nit gently to test the bandage; it held in each direction she could move  \nher arm without it hurting, \"You know your stuff.\" she offered,  \ncommenting on the information he provided her as well as his medical  \nskill.  \n  \nDavid did not miss the double meaning. \"You learn a lot of things  \nworking for the CDC.\"  \n  \nCourtney was caught off guard by the admission. \"The Corporation of  \nDisease Control? I thought you work for the FDA.\"  \n  \n\"A man might live many lives in one.\" the ferret quoted  \nphilosophically, \"I worked for the CDC for a number of years before  \ncoming to work for the Federal Drug Administration. The FDA found my  \nknowledge and understanding to be incredibly useful for some of the  \nmore 'gray area' projects.\"  \n  \n\"Like the one that was happening here.\" Courtney ventured.  \n  \n\"Like the one that was happening here.\" David acknowledged, taking the  \nglasses off of the bridge of his muzzle and putting them away in his  \nshoulder pouch.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Numerous questions swam around in her head, but she could tell enough  \nfrom her discussion with the ferret that he would be hesitant to talk  \nabout what she really wanted to know, so she kept it simple, \"How many  \npeople were in the building when things... went wrong?\" Courtney asked,  \npausing for a moment to find the right way to phrase her question.  \n  \n\"Numerous technicians, interns, and scientists. As far as survivors,  \nour best guess put the number at around two dozen.\" David answered,  \nseating himself back on the upturned pail as he addressed her, \"The  \nmain failure occurred in one of the labs downstairs. A tube  \ntransferring several combined gasses ruptured over a vat of several  \nchemical compounds. They reacted and created a small explosion. There  \nwasn't much force to it, but it was more than enough to propel the  \nmixture out into the hallway. That section of the base has been closed  \noff, but I would assume that the compound has gone inert by now.\"  \n  \n\"Inert? You mean it won't do anything anymore?\" Courtney questioned.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Most likely... but it wouldn't be worth the risk to open up the lower  \nbase. The more anyone was exposed to it, the more extreme the change.\"  \nthe ferret responded, his whiskers twitching, as if to punctuate the  \ncomment.  \n  \n\"You mean... the more animal-like they became?\" she asked.  \n  \n\"Or more human-like, in the case of Rex. There were several other  \nanimals downstairs and some were closer to the malfunction than  \nothers.\"  \n  \n\"Oh... Rex... right... then...\" she paused, considering her question,  \n\"if about two dozen people survived in the compound, how many anima--\"  \nshe didn't get to finish her question.  \n  \n\"'About two dozen' is the estimate I gave you for survivors-- all  \ninclusive.\" David quickly interrupted. \"Those of us who were  \noriginally human and those of us who were originally animal. After the  \n'event' the only real difference is the percentage of human-to-animal  \nand animal-to-human.\"  \n  \n\"But, the animals that are human-like now aren't the same as the humans  \nwho are animal-like.\" Courtney offered, \"I mean, you, or David, or the  \nother agent on your team...\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Fred.\" David offered.  \n  \n\"Right... Fred. The three of you were humans to begin with, so that  \nisn't exactly like what happened with Rex.\"  \n  \n\"Why would you say that?\" the ferret inquired, ears focused on her,  \nsomething resembling a bemused smirk on his muzzle. To Courtney, it  \nlooked almost condescending.  \n  \n\"Well.. because you had lives before this happened to you... and you  \nwere human... and...\"  \n  \n\"And the animals had lives before this happened to them. Whatever we  \nwere before is not what we are now.\" David explained.  \n  \n\"You don't get what I'm trying to say.\" Courtney offered in  \nfrustration, \"It's like you're trying to make this harder to explain  \nthan it is.\"  \n  \n\"Perhaps because you are looking at the situation with a different set  \nof morals.\" David offered in a completely calm, frustratingly patient  \ntone, \"Regardless of our original forms, these are our forms now.  \nDespite the fact that Rex may have been 'just a dog', he is now an  \nadvanced-reasoning, emotionally-mature being with as much complexity as  \nyou or I.\" David offered her a critical look, \"Assuming I am as much a  \nperson as you are in your mind.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Of course you are!\" Courtney insisted, feeling put on the defensive by  \nthe ferret, who was entirely too liberal in his assumptions of her view  \nof the situation.  \n  \n\"Where would you create a division between what he is and what David or  \nI or even Fred are?\" David asked.  \n  \n\"You were all human once... so when you change back you'll be human...  \nand when he changes back, he'll be a dog.\" the woman insisted.  \n  \nDavid let out a breath, slowly getting to his feet, \"My dear... you  \nassume that we will be able to change back.\"  \n  \nThe comment made Courtney freeze on the spot. They would be able to  \nchange back... wouldn't they? Any thoughts she had been forming in her  \nhead fell into the eternal blackness of a stunned mind, \"But...\" she  \nmanaged to form.  \n  \n\"I am not saying it is impossible, but we have a lot to look into  \nbefore we can even attempt a reversal of the procedure.\" the ferret  \nadded quickly, setting the pail right-side-up next to the wall, \"But  \none thing I know for certain: I consider lobotomies amoral.\"  \n  \n\"What does that have to do with--\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"If Rex wants to remain like he is, I am not going to force him into  \nhis previous form.\" David clarified, \"He has a choice... and as long as  \nhe has that choice, I am content to consider him human, or close enough  \nto it that when we talk about survivors, I intend to include him. For  \nnow at least, I consider him just as human as I.\"  \n  \nThe ferret walked out of the room, leaving Courtney confused at the  \nfinal exchange of comments; David's tail was slightly more fluffed up  \nthan it had been when he entered. She realized, after a moment, that  \nshe must have offended him. She slowly rebuttoned her sweater,  \nwondering after the strange mindset David had. ~There's a big  \ndifference between the humans and animals that had been affected by the  \naccident. There had to be.~  \n  \n\"Isn't there?\" she asked herself quietly.  \n  \n\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/110563-no-chance-ch-2.json"}