The Eleusian Effect

JUNE 30, 2169 0615 Hours

I woke up a little early. It was my parents’ 65th wedding anniversary and I wanted to wish them a happy one. Dad loves to travel so I prepaid for a weekend getaway in Hawaii. They love to go there and reminisce about their honeymoon. I have a married younger brother who is an actor. He was the creative one while I was more practical, the logical one. I knew I wanted to be a doctor when I patched him up when he fell off a roof. He was playing Romeo and Juliet. He thought it humorous and true to Shakespeare for him to play Juliet. His holographic generator-his Romeo, malfunctioned mid scene and when he went down to fix it, he slipped and fell, breaking his leg. I set it after studying anatomy and first aid in middle school. After a stern lecture from my father at the hospital, the attending physician pulled me aside and said it was a textbook set. He said that if he didn’t know better, he would have thought a doctor had set it. I was on cloud nine for weeks.

After I sent the message, I was feeling a little queasy. I looked in the mirror and notice my face looked thinner. I also felt a tightness in my chest. My hair felt thicker and slightly longer. I sense that whatever Troy had now I had it too. I heard some groaning outside my cabin door. I look around and everyone seemed to suffering the same symptoms. I ran to sick bay to see Troy. In the bed where I left him the night before was a woman, bearing a strong resemblance to Troy. She was awake and gestured toward me. “Doc, what happened to me?” she said with some difficulty.

“Troy?” I said.

She nodded. “I feel weird. Better but weird.” Troy was still pretty weak.

“I don’t know. You were the first with these symptoms but now it seems everyone has them. Including me.”

“Yeah. Your hair.” It seemed to be growing. It was even longer than it was when I got up. “Do you remember anything?” “I remember last night coming in, chest hurt, talking to you and then- I think I passed out.”

“That’s it. Do you remember what happened before you came to see me? Anything unusual?

“We were downloading the data from the pod. It was going okay. Then-”, his voice trailed off as he was passing out again.

“Then what? Burst of light, plasma. Filled the room but no one was hurt. At least I don’t think so.”

“Okay-rest now. Once you’re strong enough we’ll do another medi-scan.”

Troy nodded and fell back to sleep. I had a bona fide, medical mystery on my hands and if I don’t figure out what’s going on the entire crew will be in jeopardy. I had to see the Captain.

I ran to the lift and used the executive express command. It took me straight to the bridge, non-stop. I burst onto the bridge screaming for the Captain. The bridge crew had been afflicted too, but for some reason about half were totaling changed to women and the Captain was barely recognizable. He appeared to be 75% converted to female. “Captain! Are you okay?” “No, cannot stay awake, you must initiate the Sentry Protocol!” The Captain repeated ’Sentry” as he lost consciousness. My blood was burning but I still seemed to be able to function. I suspected that I, too would pass out at some point but my “conversion” seemed to be a slower rate. I sat in the command chair and pulled out my pad. I tapped in my security code and inserted the pad into the command slot, located on the chair’s console. The computer asked for my retinal scan and then the lancet for the blood confirmation came out. I swiped my finger across the lancet and the computer paused. It never pauses with retinal and blood confirmation. “Computer, why is there a delay?” “DNA scan is incomplete.”

“Why?”

“DNA is corrupted. Closest match is Dr. Darius Obama. Chief Medical Officer”

“Override! I am Obama.”

“Voice print corrupted. Closest match is-”

“DEPLOY THE SENTRY! NOW!”

“DNA, retinal scan sufficient to engage Sentry. Deploying Sentry on your command.”

“Deploy Sentry now!”

Activating the Sentry Protocol was more draining than I expected. I tapped the ship-wide com and made the announcement. “This is Chief Medical Officer Obama. By now many of you are aware that an unknown illness has infected many of the Kennedy crewmembers. I am also affected but not completely debilitated by the sickness. I have activated the Sentry Protocol which sets the ship back on an automatic, emergency course back to Earth. We will enter the highest orbit around Earth and remain quarantined until a treatment or cure can be found. Until then, I call for anyone unaffected by this unknown illness to report to the bridge immediately. That is all.” The announcement also drained me. I felt weak but had to save enough energy to get to sickbay to try and figure out what is going on with us. I wanted an unaffected crew member on the bridge to monitor our trip home. They would not have control unless the Sentry is released and any of the bridge crew can do that as long as I add my authorization. The lift came back and three crewmembers stepped off. All women.

“How are you three feeling?”

The first crew member spoke up. “We’re all fine sir. As a matter of fact none of the female crew were affected, at least not yet.” “What your name?”

“Ensign Morrison, Sir. Quantum Physics department.” She was tall and well built. She looked like command material.” “Chief Petty Officer Williams. Engineering.”

“And you?”

“Ensign Lattimore.” Physics Lab”

“Okay, until further notice Ensign Morrison is in command. Williams, you are chief engineer and Lattimore you are science officer and first mate. Are there anymore unaffected that you know of?” Morrison spoke up. “Sir, we’ve noticed that none of the other female crew are affected.”

“How many?”

“In total, about seven. The rest should be here shortly.”

“All right, Commander, when they get here, assign them as appropriately as you can. I am returning to sickbay to see if I can figure this thing out.” “Yes sir!”

I staggered to the lift and headed to sickbay. By the time I got there, all the beds were taken so I thought I would rest for a short time before trying to work. I got to my quarters and passed out onto the bed. It was noontime.

July 1, 2169, 1505 Two Hours Before Entering Earth Orbit.

I rolled over, half asleep and saw a blurry figure standing next to my bed. The figure was tall and dark haired. It was Ensign Morrison and she was checking on me. “Sir! Sir! You’ve been asleep for over 24 hours. Are you okay?” I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I had an abundance of hair that fell down onto my shoulders. I stood up and immediately sat back down. I felt better but very different. I felt smaller and misshapen. My hips were much wider and my genitals were not right. My feet were half the size they were before. I was a female and I have no idea how it happened. Morrison helped me stand. “You recognized me. I must look completely different.” “Actually sir, we’ve been monitoring the executive staff and bridge crew. Both with DNA scanning and visual recording to document the changes. You look more like a female member of your family. You have regenerated nine-tenths of your tissue so you should feel younger than you did before.” “Amazing. Let me see a mirror.”

Morrison held a mirror up to me and I took it. “I look like my mother at about 25 years old.”

“How old are you actually, sir?”

“I’m 37. And call me doctor. ‘Sir’ isn’t going to work for a while, at least until I reverse this.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“How is everyone else?”

“Well, so far, the majority of the male crew has changed gender. None of us are qualified to give a full medical examination so we came to you first.” “Smart. Okay let me walk around a bit. This body is balanced differently.”

Morrison offered some unusual advice. “Try walking on the balls of your feet at first. That should help regain your natural balance. We can fabricate new shoes for you when you want.” “Thanks. Let me check Troy. He was almost changed before I went up to the bridge yesterday.” The trio went to sick bay and saw him/her. “Troy?” “So to speak. Not much of the man I was left.” He was right. Laying on the bed was a stunningly beautiful woman, with a slight resemblance to the First Mate. “I felt fine yesterday, though I was puzzled and scared because I was no longer a man. I figured I’d better stay put until I heard from you. Then I heard the announcement you made and didn’t know what to do.” “It’s unprecedented to say the least.” I was still getting used to my higher voice. I heard my mom when I spoke. “I’ll need some of the females, natural ones, to do some tests. If we can identify some anomalies we may find an answer.” Morrison you will continue to command.” “Ah, Doctor? We have a slight problem.”

“What is it?”

“Commander Tanner wants to resume command. He, well she, insists.”

“Where is he, sorry-she now?”

“On the bridge. She’s waiting for me to transfer command back and shut down the Sentry.”

“Under no circumstances are you to relinquish command until I say so. We have no idea what’s happening or how it will continue to affect us. We can’t even leave the ship when we get back to Earth.” “Yes Sir.” Morrison turned sharply and marched back towards the lift. I was surprised at Tanner that he would be that stubborn. We have a ship full of men who have inexplicably turned into women. He should have stayed in his quarters. I released Troy as long as he, (nuts!), she felt up to duty. I felt surprisingly good too. I suspect that once the change has completed there were positive side effects. Tanner is probably feeling that way too. I stepped on the bridge. “Captain Tanner,” I said in an increasingly husky and appealing voice, “What the hell are you doing?” “I beg your pardon, Doctor?” A stunning, statuesque blond with hair down to the center of her back turned around. I almost didn’t recognize him/her. “You are not ready to command, yet.” “I feel fine, Darius. Even better than I did as a man. I feel 10 years younger.”

“I know. So do I but we have to make sure there is no apparent threat.”

“I don’t see any threat, Doctor. Yes-it is a very weird situation but no one has died, right?”

“So far. I’m actually not sure. I need to examine over 200 people. Including you.”

“Alright Doctor, alright. Ensign, you have the conn.”

“Aye, Sir, sorry, Ma’am.”

“Pronoun trouble,” I said. ”We’ll work it out.”

Tanner and I walked to the lift and went to sickbay. I performed a full medi-scan on him/her and analyzed the results. “What’s the result, Doc?” “Well, according to all the tests I’ve performed, you are a perfectly healthy, 30 year old woman.”

“I’m not sure that’s what I wanted to hear.”

“Well the scans on myself and Troy say the same. The question is how did we switch gender and why?”

“We’ll be in space dock in about an hour.”

“I don’t think I have the answer by then. The female crew members were not affected. So that’s a start.”

“A start? How do you mean?”

“Whatever changed us only affected the males. So something about our male anatomy must have triggered the process.”

“It has to be connected to the Venus pod and that data.”

“Agreed. I will talk to Troy and see what he, she has come up with. For now, we’ll have to leave the command of the ship in Morrison’s hands.” “How is she doing?”

“She is capable and I think she is doing fine. She’ll command her own ship sooner than later.”

“I agree.” Tanner stopped to ponder her next sentence. “I just hope I can get it back.”

At that point I wasn’t sure if Tanner was making a joke or if she was actually concerned. I think I may have seen a tear in her eye. I decided to ignore my thought and get the research underway.

The first concern was the crew and their welfare. I went to the science lab to meet up with Troy. She had recovered fully except for the gender change and was working to analyze the Eleusian data and the alien pod. She was slightly shorter than before-medium build, attractive figure, and shoulder length honey brown hair.

“Troy! How are you feeling?”

“Fantastic. Once I woke up yesterday I felt great. How are you?”

“Still getting used to my new anatomy. Any progress on the data?” I was hoping for some good news.

“Well we just finished the download. It’s fascinating-we aren’t even a tenth of the way through the data and there is technology we haven’t even dreamed of. The thing is it’s written in Latin. That’s actually good because it’s easily translated.” “Can you filter it for medical and biological information? We need to figure out what happen to us.” I was hopeful that the cause of this epidemic may also hold the cure.

“Yeah I think we can pull that out. Give me about an hour.”

“We’ll be in Earth orbit by then.”

“Okay.”

I went back to sick bay and monitored the medi-scans of the crew. It would take another day or two complete them and analyze the new information. I had 3 stations going at once and the orderlies, who were the first ones scanned, continued to work.

As I looked at the monitor, the genetic information from the scans were collating. It would take another couple of hours to have enough data to analyze. “This is frustrating.” Jakob, my senior med-tech, said, exasperated. “All this hair keeps getting in my way.” “Tie it up.”

“Everyone’s doing that. I can’t find any bands.”

“I have a couple.””

“Thanks.”

“No problem. How are you feeling, Jake?”

“Other than being female, I feel fine. Great even. But I feel something else. It’s mild but noticeable.”

“What is it?”

“I have-urges.

“What kind of urges?”

“Sexual. I want a man.”

“Is this normal?”

“You mean was I a gay man before? No. I’m straight. I was even seeing somebody casually on earth.”

“Do we have any gay crew members? I mean they’re not required to disclose it if they are.”

“I’m sure we do but I don’t know who they are.”

“Okay. Quietly find out. Also find anyone who’s transgender too. They might need special medical attention.”

“Right.” Jake needed to focus on something else. He was with me at the base hospital so we’ve known each other a few years. I recommended him for this post and I have not regretted it. All of a sudden I felt flush. It was a strange sensation, unfamiliar and a little unsettling. I shook it off and went to Tanner’s quarters.

“How are you, Commander?”

“Adjusting. I’m glad these uniforms are programmable. I had to add support in the chest region.”

“Right I didn’t think of that. I could send out an upgrade to the suits.”

“Not yet. Let folks do it on their own. More comfortable.”

“Okay. Have you been feeling well otherwise?”

“Yes. Excellent in fact. Except every so often I get a mild headache. Not bad, just comes and goes.”

“Hmm. Maybe a delayed reaction to the change? I’ll send up a pain reliever.”

“Thanks.”

“Let me know if you experience anything else.”

“You bet. Now, about the quarantine. It seems we are stuck here until we can figure out what this thing is. Have you made any progress.” “Not much. Whatever it is, it only turns men into women.”

“We know that.”

“Right but, female crewmembers are still female and seem unaffected.”

“I understand. So the females need not be quarantined.”

“It seems like it but I am still running tests. We’re pulling the biological data from the alien pod. I’m hoping it will provide some answers.” “I hope so. I really want this over. Keep me posted.”

“Me too. I will check in later.”

I heard my own voice say I wanted this to end, but I wasn’t fully convinced. I felt better than I have in a long time. I’m only 37, but I feel like a teenager. I decided to do some personal tests on my new body. I changed into workout clothes and headed down to the fitness center. I was a fair runner, so I thought I would start there. I run a mile in about 8 minutes. I set the time and started on a moderate pace and I felt lighter and stronger than normal. I picked up the pace and soon I was running full speed. I ran for a full 10 minutes and checked the treadmill and saw that I did 4.5 miles! I couldn’t believe it. I decided to try weight lifting. I can lift about 200 pounds. Women typically have less muscle mass than men, even women in top physical condition. I decided to start light. First I set the machine for 80 pounds and did about 200 reps fast. Then I raised it to 100, then 150, then 200 then 250 and finally 300 pounds. I probably could have gone higher but I was just flabbergasted. I did 200 reps each time and ran more than double the distance I normally could! I had to report this to the captain. First I ran (because I still could) back to sickbay. I reconfigured the medi-scan to check adrenaline, muscle composition and dopamine levels. I had the entire crew’s initial medi-scans from when we were preparing for the mission. I pulled up my scan and stats and began a cellular comparison. Jake was back in the lab analyzing the first batch of scans. “Jake! See if you can do a cellular comparison. I think I’ve found something!” I was excited but neither winded not fatigued from my workout. I moved to the ship’s com and called Tanner. “Captain, please report to sick bay.” Tanner seemed to appear out of thin air. She was wearing a revealing outfit that was uncharacteristic for the situation. I ignored it due to the importance of my findings. “Look at this!” “What am I looking at, Doctor?”

“This is my medi-scan just before we left Earth. This second scan I just did half an hour ago. My new, female body is pumping out ten times the amount of adrenaline, insulin, dopamine and muscle strength that our male bodies did. The levels vary slightly with each person, depending on build, genetic history and body chemistry, but in all cases we are better physical specimens than we were as men.” “That’s incredible! No wonder I’ve been able to think faster and clearer. But one question? Why did it change our gender? Why did it only affect the men and not the women?” “We still don’t know, but maybe we can speculate as to why. It is possible that the Eleusians were experimenting with genetic manipulation. Change would happen faster in a female specimen since there are more biochemical operations in a female due to their ability to procreate. Much like a computer, it looked for an appropriate chemical combination and altered it.” “Is it reversible?”

“I still don’t know, but that bears another question.”

“What’s that?”

“Would we want to? It’s almost like we’ve found the fountain of youth with gender change the one major difference.” “You mean price. The giving up of our male gender in return to be superwomen.”

“I guess that’s a way of looking at it.”

“I’m not sure it’s a price I want to pay.”

“Let’s hope we have the option.”