Strain-X

[LOD]

Here's chapter one of a new story I've been wroking on during other projects. Please tell me what you think






"I've done it!!! I finally found the missing pieces of genetic code, and you wouldn't believe where I found them!! Call me back Markus as soon as you get this message."

Howard had been completely obsessed with this virus ever since that day Markus walked into his office carrying that damned yellow rock. But what was he supposed to do, just tell the head of the Science Department no when he offered him an opportunity to take part in the greatest historical discovery his university ever made? And what did he have to show for all this hard work? Well nothing yet except a wicked case of insomnia, a never-ending stack of papers that were well overdue being graded, and one extremely pissed off wife at home. But all of that was about to change, he just knew it! How could it not? He had just completely revitalized a viral infection that had been extinct since the late Cretaceous period! He could just hear the words now:



'And the Nobel Prize goes to.... Howard Grimes!!


To think that all of this could come out of a six day archeology field trip to Montana. Dr. Rex Menard and his students returned from 'The Big Sky Country' with a treasure trove of bone fragments and of course the prize specimen, a solid amber orb with the perfectly preserved body of an ancient blood-sucking insect.

Howard remembers it like it was yesterday. He was in his office....


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Six Months Ago




The shadow of a man materializes on the window of Howard's office door, but he pays no attention being lost in a sea of midterms. He hears a slight tap on the door , and looks up to see Markus Billingsley enter quietly.

"Well, Mr. Billingsley. What brings you all the way down here to my end of campus?" Says Howard going right back to work.

"Just thought that I'd drop in on Biology Monthly's top Geneticist of 2014.

Ever since Congress lifted the ban on stem cell research there has been significant advances in the worlds of Science and medicine. These advances brought forth a new found respect for scientists like Howard who were watching their carriers soar to the heavens. It even reached the point where the President signed off on allowing 'Genetic Manipulation Licences' for a select few of these researchers, giving them the rights to do whatever is necessary to ensure the United States stayed at the foreground in these new fields. Howard was one of the first men in the country to receive this honor turning him from a mid-level biology professor into the highest paid man at the university.

Now Howard knew something was up by the way Markus was carrying himself. He had a tell-all smirk that showed up every time something big was about to happen.

"What's really going on Markus?"

"Well as you know Dr. Menard has just returned from his dig in Montana."

"What did Doctor-Saurus Rex finally find that skull to go along with the rest of his Tyrannosaurus skeleton?"

"No, actually he found something even more important. Something that concerns you!"

This peaked Howard's interest immediately. What on Earth could Menard have found out there? Markus pulls a specimen jar out of his pocket and hands it to Howard who starts to study it intensely.

"It's an extinct insect from the Genes Anopheles trapped in amber Professor Grimes. And by the looks of him he just finished eating a meal when the event occurred."

This creature looked quite bloated indeed. What on Earth had it been gorging on right before it died?

"Markus, this is interesting and all, but I don't see what this has to do with me."

"Dr. Menard was hoping that you would be willing to extract this creature's last meal and...."

"And what? I seriously think that you and Menard watch too many old movies. Even if I was able to extract any DNA from the 65 million year old blood there's no way that I'd ever consider cloning a dinosaur Marcus. There's a reason why the 'Terrible Lizards' went extinct, and I don't feel like finding that out first hand."

"No, you've got us all wrong Howard. We were just hoping that you could be the first man to completely map the genetic code of a creature from the Mesozoic Era. Think about what that would mean Howard! Federal grants, students pounding down the door at the admissions office, and a place for you in the history books. That's not mentioning what it would do for the world of science! Just think about what we could learn about the evolution of birds!!"

"Markus I've never heard you so excited in all my years working with you. If this means so much to you, then fine. Consider it done."

"Thank you Howard! Thank you so much!! This is going to be a 'game changer' for this university!"

"The way that you make it sound it's going to be a 'game changer' for all of mankind."

"It might just be Howard." Markus leaves the professor to continue his work.

Howard studies the creature frozen in the petrified sap. It's wings are spread out as if it was captured in mid-flight.

"What am I getting myself into?"


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Howard hangs up the phone after leaving Markus a voicemail. He has a feeling that by morning Markus would be pounding his door trying to see Strain-X under the microscope. Holding the petrie dish up to the lights of his lab Howard smiles knowing his months of work were not in vain.

"Are you coming to bed tonight or what?!?!"

"In all his excitement Howard never heard his wife Rebbecca walking down the stairs to his basement lab. The sound of her angry words is surprising enough to cause him to toss the petrie dish into the air. It shatters on the lab's ceiling sending a shower of glass fragments onto his wife's head. He nervously looks over at her and notices that she is furious. Rebbecca is shaking in anger, balling her fists up hard enough to leave imprints from her beautifully manicured nails on the palm of her hands. Peering into her eyes feels like being stabbed by two sharp hazel daggers.

"Sorry honey, you just scared the crap out of me!" Embarrassment is evident on his face. He starts to pick the visible shards of glass out of her long auburn hair. This is an easy task because Rebbecca stands only 5' tall, over a foot shorter than her husband. He also notices a few in the folds of her loose fitting night gown and grabs them up too. She's wearing her nightgown? What time is it anyways?

"Are you okay Becky? The glass didn't cut you did it?"

"No, I think I'm okay." His concern for her safety eases her anger slightly.

"Sorry, I lost track of time again didn't I?"

"It's 2:00 AM Howard."

"Sorry, I don't know how I can just forget about something like sleeping. I..... " He yawns loudly. "I feel like I'm about to pass out right here in the lab."

He sets the shards of glass down on his notes and starts following Rebbecca toward their bedroom. Howard crawls into bed alongside of her, being shut out of a good night's kiss. The mighty grasp of sleep takes him as soon as he lays his head on the pillow.


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Crawling out of the shadow of a dream, Howard awakens to a bright light peeking through the windows. He shoots up out of bed excitedly and runs down stair to his lab. His cellphone is just where he left it, and there's one voicemail message waiting him.

"Good to hear that Howard. Call me back as soon as you get this message and we'll discuss the specifics of what you found." Howard does as she is told, calling Markus immediately.

It seems like the phone doesn't have a chance to ring before Markus answers. "Hello Howard, so tell me all of the details."

"Well you see i searched through all of the known exotic strains and found no real correlation, but I happened to take the chance and test quite a few of our more common infections and came out with one that shares 98.99% of the same chromosomes with Strain-X."

"And? What is it?! The anticipation is killing me Howard!"

"Influenza! Menard found the earliest known ancestor to the flu!"

"You're kidding me?! This has to be the most amazing discovery made in this century!"

"Yes and after we start laboratory tests then.... " Howard looks down at his notes and notices the shattered petrie dish. All of the events of last night come flooding back to him in that brief moment.

"Then what Howard? Howard? Are you still there?"

"Can I call you back Markus?" His voice sounds calm, but right now Howard's mind is racing. He hangs up without waiting for an answer and slowly creeps back up the stairs. When He opens his bedroom door his wife isn't in bed, but he can hear her moving around in the bathroom. His fears subside a bit till he hears her have a coughing fit.

"Becky? Honey, are you okay?" He approaches the bathroom door.

"I think I'm coming down with something." Her voice sounds a bit nasal like she has a sinus infection.

He waits patiently for the door to open, and when it finally does she slowly walks out. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy, but that's not Howard's biggest concern. Normally he would have to crane his neck down to look into her eyes, but they were now level with his. He looks down at their feet and notices the while he has on slippers, she is completely barefoot!

[qzar9999]

Dun-dun-DUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!



...sorry, I felt that called for a dramatic chord...

[Logan73]

Yay! Always a pleasure to see new work from you,sir.

[BlazingBarrager]

Heh heh, this should be interesting.

[LOD]

Thanks everybody I'm glad that you like it!

I started writing this awhile ago, but just recently pulled the story back out to finish it. I'm caught up in other projects and have a lot on my plate so I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out.

But I am finishing up other things that I've been neglecting too.

[Mr Wayne]

LiveorDie83,

This sounds like a promising beginning, just be sure to make it slow and in uncontrollable spurts if possible I'll keep my eye on this to see how it develops, best of luck.


Volfsbayne

[LOD]

Originally Posted by Volfsbayne

LiveorDie83,

This sounds like a promising beginning, just be sure to make it slow and in uncontrollable spurts if possible I'll keep my eye on this to see how it develops, best of luck.


Volfsbayne

Thank you

That's one of my favorite scenarios, so I'll try my best to keep the growth as surprising as possible.

[LOD]

A Womanly Figure

Howard's scientific mind races to the conclusion that his formerly petite wife now stands a quarter inch taller than him. Amazement surfaces quickly as he examines her womanly figure filling out her now skin tight nightgown. He thinks to himself that it's impossible for a human to grow like that overnight, but her sudden spurt took on a growth pattern he had never seen. Not only was she taller, but larger in every sense of the word. Her hair is longer, her eyes are deeper, her shoulders are wider: how can this be? The situation is scaring him, but deep down he almost feels excited by the way she is filling out her clothes. The way her cute D cup breasts use to get to him going is nothing compared to the way her expanded mammaries are turning him on. Now well over a handful each , they are jutting out proudly like the tail-feathers on a peacock. The sight of them use to excite him so much during college, but he could just imagine how much fun they would be to play with now. Looking down he could see the bend of her knees sticking out under her nightgown. At her old size it flowed down enough to cover most if not all of her beautifully toned calves, but now it showed off her lovely legs nicely. The step aerobics and workout tapes keep her body in shape, but after her growth spurt her slight muscle tone makes Rebbecca look almost formidable.

"What are you staring at?" Rebbecca pushes Howard out of the way and heads back toward their bed. He is surprised by the force of her shove and almost loses his balance as she walks past. Just how strong is she now?

He turns and watches her climb back into bed, noticing the sexy bulge of her perfect ass come into view as she leans in. It is definitely a good thing that she sleeps without panties because right now they would be either very uncomfortable or ruined. Howard thinks of what to say to her as he approaches his sniffling wife, but is completely speechless. He dreads the idea of telling her that she may have been infected with the virus she's grown to hate over the last few months. Finally he works up some nerve and starts to speak.

"Rebbecca did you notice anything different about yourself this morning?"

"Of course! I woke up with the nastiest cold I've had in years."

"Anything else honey? He tried to sound calm.

"No, what are you going on about Howard? You see that I'm sick, now let me get some rest."

"Never mind, I'll be downstairs in the lab if you need me."

She issues a quiet grunt letting him know that she understands and covers her head with their comforter in order to block out any extra light. She really must be feeling awful if she hasn't noticed her new height. Growing over a foot overnight, one would assume, is a fact that's hard to miss. Howard watches as the blanket covering Rebbecca rises and falls in rhythm with her breathing. Still astounded by the sheer size of the bulge his wife is making. Then Howard hears his phone ringing all the way down in the lab, and reluctantly leaves her side to answer it. He quietly closes the door and slips down the stairs going strait towards the phone when he enters the lab.

"Hello, Howard?! What was that all about?!?!?"

"Sorry about that Markus, but I had something important come up."

"More important than the find of the century?!!?"

"Definitely Markus, I had a little incident last night."

"How so?"

"Well after I got off the phone with your voicemail I had an accident with the virus Markus."

"That's okay, it was just a sample strain, you'll be able to synthesize another one in no time.

"I know that, but ........" He can't seem to find the words he's needing to explain this madness.

[BlazingBarrager]

lol His wife is pissed and it isn't about the changes.

[Mr Wayne]

LiveOrDie83,

Not bad for crumb #2, short, enticing, leaving the audience salivating for more:P. Here's a thought to consider down the road with this story. Since the main characters are husband and wife, what about introducing 1 or more daughters into the 'catchy' dilemma as long as they are over 18? That way, those daughter(s) could exponentially spread the strain to their female friends and so on. Either way, this story promises to develop well, I'll keep my eyes on it for sure.


Volfsbayne