This is something of a prelude to something more. A little "teaser", as it were. Though the Retriever Unit was a success, it produced a by-product that had yet to be understood. Due to an incident involving an experiment thats authorization is currently in question, the core capabilities of the white unit, now dubbed the "Shifter Unit", has been determined. The implications of this incident have yet to be seen, and further information regarding the capabilities of the unit are forthcoming. However, for the scientists and lab technicians, it was quite a sight, and is detailed below:


Bio-engineering Lab Incident Report

Project #669-JRS-W/ Code name: Shifter

Security Level: Omega

Filed by: Professor Vincent Yelawson


Forward: Though I suspect an inquiry will be in order, I must inform you that we recently discovered the capabilities of the white unit that was developed as a by product of creating the Retriever Unit. The “how” of the incident is what must be investigated, as it appears to be an unauthorized experiment conducted by one Professor Adrian Florentine. However, I must admit that we have collected much data that would have been otherwise left unknown because of his actions. Though disciplinary action is warranted, I recommend he be kept in the labs for research purposes for the time being.

Incident Report: Professor Florentine entered the lab at 4:27 AM today. Being the lead on the Retriever Unit, it was a surprise to see him in the white unit holding area. When asked of his arrival, he informed me and the staff that he had authorization to perform a test based on a hypothesis he reached during his work on the Retriever Unit. Though I had not received notification of such a test, I knew of the professor’s reputation of acting upon authorization before the paperwork was finished and the relevant parties properly informed. It was only after the incident that I questioned his statement, and as of this report no paperwork has been filed regarding any such test that I have been able to find.

Before any of us could ask as to the nature of the test, Professor Florentine opened the door to the containment room, deactivating the alarm as he did so. We are still unsure how he attained the lock codes, as those are only recorded within our isolated mainframe and entrusted to only myself and select staff. Someone must have given the codes to him, though who, at this time, remains unknown. Once inside, the professor proceeded to override and changing the codes of the locks, keeping the rescue team out. This confirmed my suspicions that he had outside help, and I feared the worst.

Much to our surprise as we watched through the glass, Professor Florentine proceeded to remove his clothing. This had all of us baffled, until one of the technicians noticed that the white unit was making its way toward the professor. For as much attention as he paid to our warnings over the intercom, it may as well have been broken. With the deep breath he took, I believe the professor was only mildly nervous, and that this apparently was his intention all along.

It was as the white unit was touching his bare feet that I had an inkling of what he was doing. As filed in my last progress report, testing on living subjects had not been givin the green light due to lack of knowledge as to the safety level of such tests. As the others around me watching in horror, fearing the worst, I realized that the professor knew exactly what he was doing, and I was beginning to understand. Being of similar mass to the professor, the white unit enveloped the professor’s legs almost up to his knees without changing shape. At that point, the unit began to make its way up the professor’s legs in a uniform manner, slowly but steadily enveloping him in what could be described as a second skin. It moved steadily, taking his tail and much of his torso within the first ten seconds. Still, the professor looked calm, if perhaps still just a little nervous.

The rest of his body went much the same, and in just over twenty seconds after it began the professor was utterly enveloped in a second skin on the white unit. Much of the detail of the professor’s body was lost with the volume of mass over it. All we could do was watch. To my worry, the professor’s body jerked a few times, and it seemed as though he was in discomfort. After about thirty seconds with the professor’s body unmoving except for minor twitching, I began to once again notice the detail in his form. The mass around his body was thinning, and the only explanation I can come up with is that the white unit was entering his body.

I lost track of time at that point, keeping my eyes on the scene and no longer caring about my watch. Eventually the white unit quite literally did look like a second skin, covering the individual lengths of fur and looking Almost as though the professor had been painted very carefully uniformly white with a slightly reflective paint. It looked far more like his color had changed than that there were something enveloping him. It was a rather unnerving sight to look at, especially since I could see the roundness of his eyeballs, simply covered over, and now I noticed his chest rising and falling steadily as well. Little did I know things were only going to get more bizarre.

The white began to fade into color, and in a matter of seconds was gone, and Professor Florentine stood there as though nothing had happened, the white unit having completely disappeared from view. Once again, the professor seemingly ignored all attempt at communication, except to smile towards the glass. I cannot say I’ve ever seen someone smile that widely, but joy, and perhaps a little relief, was certainly evident on his face.

Then the nearly unbelievable happened. In fact I would not believe it if I had not seen it myself. If you do not, I implore you to come down to the labs at your earliest possible convenience to see it for yourself. The professor’s body began to change. It was quite a bizarre sight as his form seemed to cease possessing solidity and flowed much like the Retriever unit being given a form. Mass shifted, seemed to grow, parts elongated. I will explain in more detail in a following report, as the end result is what you need to know now. His bipedal leopard body seamlessly transitioned into that of a classic eastern dragon, about 50% larger than the professor. While I believe that is from the union of both professor and the white unit, I as yet do not know how the mass is either distributed, stored, or how it exactly has altered the professor’s body.

Conclusion: A detailed report of our findings is forthcoming. Though the professor is claiming to have been given verbal permission by Professor Jackson Mevris, we have not heard back from Professor Mevris to confirm or deny this claim.

Further information of the observations of the Shifter Unit will be forthcoming in a future report, when proper research and experimentation can be conducted.