Red Kryptonite (#25)

It was a red mineral, vaguely metallic in texture. The light around it took on a crimson haze, as it reflected and scattered the rays of the sun lamps. Lois felt a tingle sweep through her entire body—a pins-and-needles sensation that didn't seem to focus on anywhere in particular.

Lois' heart sank as she realized what she was staring at, what it must be...and a horrible anticipation came over her as to what might be about to happen. The reporter thought back to all the times Superman had been exposed to the radioactive mineral, the strange transformations he had gone through...monstrous transformations into dragons and two-headed freaks... the mere thought was giving her goosebumps.

Or was it just goosebumps? The naked reporter thought to herself, as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Her heart was beating faster, and a dreadful excitement was building as she bathed under those crimson rays, not knowing what was in store for her. She could feel the fight/flight response and looked around the room, straining for anywhere to run...but there was nowhere. Only the sun lamps, the screen, the locked door, and the kryptonite up above, like an angry red eye.

The adrenaline surge seemed to sharpen her senses. Lois paced, full of nervous energy, her eyes wide and drinking in every detail, ears pricked to the slight hum of the electronics, her nose and mouth full of smells. She sniffed the air in a decidedly unladylike manner, and caught scents she had missed before. Intrigued, she crouched down onto all fours, breathing in deeply. Yes...she could smell them. Almost taste them. Lois had trouble putting the sensations into words, but the smells were conveying so much more information to her.

There were cleaning smells, antiseptic chemicals, and ozone from the sunlamps, the stale reek of plastics from the electronics, but beneath all that were human smells—female smells. Echoes of anger, fear, and stress bubbled up in Lois' brain as she quickly sorted and categorized the different smells, following a hidden trail along thin seams in the floor. Sexual excitement was one of the prevailing odors, the musky scent of bodily fluids, impossibly richer and more distinct than Lois had ever noticed before, and it was all she could do to keep from sticking out her tongue and licking the floor, to try and taste them...

Yet even as the new sensations flooded her brain, Lois remained rational. There was a pattern here. All of the scents were grouped, overlaying, but distinct.

Four women had been in this room before her.

A deep growl came to Lois' ears, and with a bit of surprise she noticed it came from her own throat. She stopped and raised a hand...and felt soft fur beneath her fingertips, and the slight prick of claws against her skin.

Lois stood up and looked at herself—her nude form covered in a coat of black fur. She looked back up at the screen, and saw herself reflected there, courtesy of the room's hidden cameras.

The outline of her form was still basically human, although at some point Lois had begun walking on her toes without noticing it, the nails overgrown into claws that clicked against the floor, and now her legs rested in a characteristically animal-like posture. Her ears were now longer, pointed toward the tips, and covered with black fur. The face was not much different, but Lois' mouth felt odd...she ran her sensitive tongue over her teeth, which felt larger and sharper than before.

The biggest surprise was when she turned to get a look at her back...and saw the stub of a small, fluffy black tail jutting out over her buttocks.

"I think that's enough," Mercy said, as the red kryptonite withdrew back into the ceiling. "Shall we continue with the testing? Or would you like to experience another penalty?"