Space Relations Pt. 27

They soon saw the camera image of the kitchen, and Mark cooking something or other on the stove.

"Mark, this is the bridge." Barbie spoke into her comm. "Are you noticing anything unusual taking place around you?"

The big man ambled over to the intercom. "No, nothing going in here. Hey, you guys want some omelets? I was craving one earlier."

"We'll get back to you on that. We just had an energy flux reported from the kitchen. Are you sure you didn't see or feel anything?"

On the screen, the big man shrugged his shoulders. "All I did was take some stuff out of the fridge and pour some water into a pot. Oh, and the electric burner is on now. I'm not running anything else."

"Maybe it was nothing." Barbie sighed. "I'm keeping you on the monitor just in case."

"All you're going to see is me scratching my ass, but okay."

"Mark, do not scratch your ass while you're cooking." Washington cut in. "And especially not while you're handling the eggs to my omelet."

"You weren't so worried about that when I was a girl." Mark retorted.

"Yes I was!" Washington huffed. "I always complained about finding your stray ass hairs in my soup!"

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't."

Before the captain could keep up his argument, Barbie interrupted him.

"Energy spike from the bunks! It's coming from Cruz and Mary's room!"

Washington jumped out of his chair, ready to bolt off the bridge if necessary. "Put their bunk onscreen, immediately!"

The view they got was of Mary sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk, nude and apparently dazed. Her head was bowed, but it was clear that she no longer had the same feminine form they were used to looking at.

"Mary, what just happened in there?" Washington demanded into his comm.

"You're still talking to me, Cappy." Mark answered.

"Oh, sorry." The captain said, as he switched the comm over to the correct place. He repeated his question.

Mary glanced up at the camera with a blank look on her face. She got up and walked over to answer the comm. "Captain..."

"What happened, Mary?"

"I'm not Mary anymore." The blonde answered. "I'm somebody else, maybe Mario or Mike or something. We got zapped just like Freya and Mark did. I feel really weird."

The person on the screen looked up at them, with a face only slightly different from the face they were accustomed to seeing. The flight crew was looking at a pretty man. Mary, or at least the Mary in male form, suddenly gave them a beaming smile.

"Mary, what just happened to you?" Washington persisted.

"Cruz and I were screwing around earlier and then we knocked out on his bunk." The strange person on the other end explained. "All of a sudden, we felt like we both got Tazed, just like the others said. That's the short and skinny of it, Captain."

"Where is Cruz?"

"Oh, once he realized he had tits, he ran into the lavatory to throw up. I'll go get him out before he goes into shellshock or something."

"I'm putting the lavatory onscreen." Barbie said.

They saw the person formerly known as Cruz, nude and staring anxiously at his reflection. Sure enough, he had tits now, and they weren't small either. Unlike with Mary, who still looked very much like Mary, Cruz's face had changed completely. His cheeks were rounder and his lips fuller. Most startling of all were the man's eyes, which were larger than before.

"Holy cow, Captain!" Freya said, just as stunned as the rest of them.

There was no comm in the lavatory, so all they could do was watch as the former Mary walked in and tried to console the former Cruz. After a couple of minutes, Mary slapped Cruz on the ass and started leading him, um, her out. That's when the crew got a good look at Cruz from the front. He now had juicy D-cup breasts and hips that would make a Brazilian showgirl jealous.

"Captain." Cammie spoke up. When Washington did not respond, she called out louder. "Captain!"

Afraid, very afraid, Washington looked in the older woman's direction.

"I don't think this planet has anything to do with the energy spike." Cammie said. "But I don't like being so close to it. The atmosphere isn't all that thick. If a volcano decides to blow its top any time soon, there is a good chance that its expulsion will break through the atmosphere and hit us."

"Right." Washington nodded back. "Move us further away from it. You know what? Let's get back on our original route to the G 667 system. There is not much to see out here anyway."

"I thought you wanted to map this planet, Captain." Freya mentioned.

"Not anymore." Washington shook his head. "I don't want to be anywhere near this place."

Barbie looked torn between staying at her post and going over to her husband's side. "What is it, honey?"

"Don't you see?" The captain replied, looking very worried. "Everybody that landed on planetoid Zeus has changed sex now, except for me. That means I'm next!"