Base Camp, Antioch
"Morning, Astroneer," the doctor said, sighing as she let her air mask hang from her neck as she sat down, datapad in hand. "Now, you said that you've been experiencing some strange symptoms after we went through the node from Outremer?"
"Morning Doc." Vinsue said. "Yea, I can't smell anything, My throat is burning, and I can't keep food down." She thought of how to say the realy strange stuff without sounding like someone on drugs. Her hand went to her mouth to cover a small cough with the sound came a puff of smoke. "And that happens. And I swear I don't smoke."
"Huh," the doctor said, taking a note on her pad. "Any mental or psychosomatic symptoms to go along with them? We've been getting reports of some 'trip-like' experiences when we went through the node. I have the Lt. Colonel's promise that the worst thing that will happen to your career is you get interviewed by a bunch of scientists when we get back to Outremer."
"No, nothing mentally wrong. I mean I have this same dream were I'm being eaten by a snake like creature. But I doubt dreams have any meaning. I was mostly just dizzy when we went through the node." Vinsue rubbed her eyes. The pupil turned Dimond shaped for a split second. She rubbed her eyes again and they went back to normal. "Not a big fan of interviews. But at least it's not a termination of employment."
The doctor blinked a few times before shaking her head. "Yeah, sleep problems are a constant struggle," she said, rubbing her own eyes. "Honestly, all I have to give you is some ibprofen, antacids, or enough morphine to keep you high as a kite until the next shuttle goes back up to the Walpole. So, your call. You feeling any migranes, stomach cramps, or other kind of pain? If so, I can help. If not, we can get you back to the ship with a call. Again, no harm no foul, we really don't want to lose anyone while we're this far from civilization."
Vinsue closed her eyes and did a mental check. No migraines. Stupid pains were simply do to hunger from the inability to eat. Suddenly everything felt fuzzy. Her skin changed to a fresh blood shade of red. She started breathing hard. It lasted only seconds before she was physically normal again. But her labored breathing lasted a bit longer. "Whut the he'll is wrong with me doc." She gasped. "I don't think you have the meds for this."
"Uh, shit," the doctor said, grasping for her airmask with one hand and her radio with the other. "Alert, alert, alert, this is Doctor Miyashita, I have a patient with an anomalous condition in Med Tent 3. Quarantine the area at once. Astroneer Smith," she continued, voice muffled by the air mask. "Sorry, but I'm not sure what's going on. Whatever's going on, remain calm. The quarantine alert will get the attention of people who have a better chance of sorting this out. Can you please describe how you're feeling when your skin changed color just now? Or a little bit ago when your eye shifted?"
That's not good. Remain calm she reminded herself. With the alert remaining calm was not easy. "Numb. I feel numb. Still fill numb. Kinda fuzzy." She went into a coughing fit. Smoke coming in puffs. She had to remind herself to stay calm that this was normal. She focused on breathing to help calm down.
"Uh huh," the doctor replied, looking at her datapad for a moment, sighing, and started rapidly typing. "Smoke breath is back. Look up for a second...yep, different eye shape. Ah, here," she added, grabbing a bottle of water and putting it into the soldier's hands. "Try to take some fluids, see if you can keep it down."
Vinsue took the water and put it to her lips to drink. The second it reached her throat she downed the bottle. She soon went into shivers cold. Mist came out with her breathing replacing the smoke.
"And now I wish I had more water," Miyashita said, picking up a laser thermometer and pointing it at the other woman. "110 degrees? Fuck. Uh...that water help at all?"
110, damn she should be dead. Brain damage happens at 103, well usually happens at 103. "No," she said. Her body going numb again as it fights the mist to relight the flame in her throat. "It's worse." She began to panic and breathing wasn't helping. Her skin became scaly like a snakes as wings and a tail began to grow. She looked up to see the quarantine staff in there protective suits opening the tent's airlock. This was bad she knew it was bad. She fell catching herself with clawed hands. "No, no, no, this can't be happening." Parts of her now ripped uniform hung from Vinsue. She sat up to look at herself.
"Dr. Miyashita, Captain Dawson," the newcomer said with a nod, before looking at Vinsue. "What's the situation?"
"Captain," Miyahita said as she handed her datapad over. "Astroneer Smith came in with a number of symptoms of physical discomfort, lack of smell, nausea, coughing while smoke comes out despite not smoking, eyes dilating, and 110 degree fever. While she was here, her skin started changing and new...appendages are showing up now."
"Which is when you called the alert," the Captain replied, looking at the notes before handing it back. "You're probably getting tired of being asked this, Astroneer, but how are you feeling?"
Vinsue, now a full dragon, stood up to her full four foot, turned around and got back on the bed before laying down on her belly like a lion. "Hungry mostly. Numb but it's going away." Her voice was beeper than before. She closed her eyes and focused on how she felt. She opened her eyes and turned to see her tail. "I have a tail?" She moved it to see if she could. She looked back at the doctors and captain. "I feel fine just hungry."
"Fair enough," Dawson replied, looking at the nine feet long soldier. "Energy's got to come from somewhere. What are you feeling? Stereotypical rare steak?"
"Sounds good to me. Actually any meat sounds good right now. Preferably fish?" She said. "I'm afraid to ask but any chance there's a mirror I can use." She felt her face and head with her front legs grimacing as she found the horns jolting out of her head. "How am I going to be a soldier like this? There is no chance I could hold a gun. Much less use one."
"We'll sort that out," the Captain replied, looking around the tent before shaking his head, turning on the selfie camera on his datapad and handing it to Vinsue. "I'll go get you some food while I update the Lt. Colonel on the situation. Just stay here until we sort this out, alright?" he asked, before heading out of the tent. In the moments before closing the tent, the women could see a line of soldiers standing at attention just outside.
She nodded understanding. She took the datapad and looked at her self. She looked like some kinda monster from New Texas. She smiled at the camera revealing raser sharp teeth. Than she noticed the wings. She handed the data pad back before looking at her wings. She spread them and closed them. This could be interesting if she could figure out how to use the wings. She crossed her front limbs and laid her head down. "By the reaction I take it I'm the only one with this problem."
"To this level of change, yes," Miyahita said, nodding as she tapped away on her datapad. "Think the most we had before was some eye colors change? Though, that's just based on our limited medical exams. Really need to get everyone back to civilization for a through checkout to be sure. Though I know a lot of people back home would love to be turned into a dragon, so there's that."
"Temporary, yea it would be cool. But honestly my uniform is ruined. I'm now faced with possibilities no one else ever has to worry about. Like I'm sure to be looked at as a threat anywhere I go. Like a bear. They hunt those were I'm from." She said. "Well at least since people aren't poking me with stuff to figure me out."
"I mean," the Doctor said, before sighing. "Now, we're probably in poking you to sort out how you work territory, to be honest. Like I was saying, we don't have the facilities here or really even Outremer to do that. Next step's probably to do a psych eval to make sure that you match up with previous ones. Then see if you're emitting anything biological that could be contagious, maybe take you outside to see if you can fly with those things, etc."
"Guess I get to look forward to being poked in two stops." She said. "I think that my psychy is good, than again you are seeing all this too rigt?" She looked at her wings as they were mentioned. "Now I will look forward to figuring those things out." She looked twords the door what is taking food so long? "Besides I want to know what these claws can do." Than looked back at doc and laid her head back down.
"Morning, Astroneer," the doctor said, sighing as she let her air mask hang from her neck as she sat down, datapad in hand. "Now, you said that you've been experiencing some strange symptoms after we went through the node from Outremer?"
"Morning Doc." Vinsue said. "Yea, I can't smell anything, My throat is burning, and I can't keep food down." She thought of how to say the realy strange stuff without sounding like someone on drugs. Her hand went to her mouth to cover a small cough with the sound came a puff of smoke. "And that happens. And I swear I don't smoke."
"Huh," the doctor said, taking a note on her pad. "Any mental or psychosomatic symptoms to go along with them? We've been getting reports of some 'trip-like' experiences when we went through the node. I have the Lt. Colonel's promise that the worst thing that will happen to your career is you get interviewed by a bunch of scientists when we get back to Outremer."
"No, nothing mentally wrong. I mean I have this same dream were I'm being eaten by a snake like creature. But I doubt dreams have any meaning. I was mostly just dizzy when we went through the node." Vinsue rubbed her eyes. The pupil turned Dimond shaped for a split second. She rubbed her eyes again and they went back to normal. "Not a big fan of interviews. But at least it's not a termination of employment."
The doctor blinked a few times before shaking her head. "Yeah, sleep problems are a constant struggle," she said, rubbing her own eyes. "Honestly, all I have to give you is some ibprofen, antacids, or enough morphine to keep you high as a kite until the next shuttle goes back up to the Walpole. So, your call. You feeling any migranes, stomach cramps, or other kind of pain? If so, I can help. If not, we can get you back to the ship with a call. Again, no harm no foul, we really don't want to lose anyone while we're this far from civilization."
Vinsue closed her eyes and did a mental check. No migraines. Stupid pains were simply do to hunger from the inability to eat. Suddenly everything felt fuzzy. Her skin changed to a fresh blood shade of red. She started breathing hard. It lasted only seconds before she was physically normal again. But her labored breathing lasted a bit longer. "Whut the he'll is wrong with me doc." She gasped. "I don't think you have the meds for this."
"Uh, shit," the doctor said, grasping for her airmask with one hand and her radio with the other. "Alert, alert, alert, this is Doctor Miyashita, I have a patient with an anomalous condition in Med Tent 3. Quarantine the area at once. Astroneer Smith," she continued, voice muffled by the air mask. "Sorry, but I'm not sure what's going on. Whatever's going on, remain calm. The quarantine alert will get the attention of people who have a better chance of sorting this out. Can you please describe how you're feeling when your skin changed color just now? Or a little bit ago when your eye shifted?"
That's not good. Remain calm she reminded herself. With the alert remaining calm was not easy. "Numb. I feel numb. Still fill numb. Kinda fuzzy." She went into a coughing fit. Smoke coming in puffs. She had to remind herself to stay calm that this was normal. She focused on breathing to help calm down.
"Uh huh," the doctor replied, looking at her datapad for a moment, sighing, and started rapidly typing. "Smoke breath is back. Look up for a second...yep, different eye shape. Ah, here," she added, grabbing a bottle of water and putting it into the soldier's hands. "Try to take some fluids, see if you can keep it down."
Vinsue took the water and put it to her lips to drink. The second it reached her throat she downed the bottle. She soon went into shivers cold. Mist came out with her breathing replacing the smoke.
"And now I wish I had more water," Miyashita said, picking up a laser thermometer and pointing it at the other woman. "110 degrees? Fuck. Uh...that water help at all?"
110, damn she should be dead. Brain damage happens at 103, well usually happens at 103. "No," she said. Her body going numb again as it fights the mist to relight the flame in her throat. "It's worse." She began to panic and breathing wasn't helping. Her skin became scaly like a snakes as wings and a tail began to grow. She looked up to see the quarantine staff in there protective suits opening the tent's airlock. This was bad she knew it was bad. She fell catching herself with clawed hands. "No, no, no, this can't be happening." Parts of her now ripped uniform hung from Vinsue. She sat up to look at herself.
"Dr. Miyashita, Captain Dawson," the newcomer said with a nod, before looking at Vinsue. "What's the situation?"
"Captain," Miyahita said as she handed her datapad over. "Astroneer Smith came in with a number of symptoms of physical discomfort, lack of smell, nausea, coughing while smoke comes out despite not smoking, eyes dilating, and 110 degree fever. While she was here, her skin started changing and new...appendages are showing up now."
"Which is when you called the alert," the Captain replied, looking at the notes before handing it back. "You're probably getting tired of being asked this, Astroneer, but how are you feeling?"
Vinsue, now a full dragon, stood up to her full four foot, turned around and got back on the bed before laying down on her belly like a lion. "Hungry mostly. Numb but it's going away." Her voice was beeper than before. She closed her eyes and focused on how she felt. She opened her eyes and turned to see her tail. "I have a tail?" She moved it to see if she could. She looked back at the doctors and captain. "I feel fine just hungry."
"Fair enough," Dawson replied, looking at the nine feet long soldier. "Energy's got to come from somewhere. What are you feeling? Stereotypical rare steak?"
"Sounds good to me. Actually any meat sounds good right now. Preferably fish?" She said. "I'm afraid to ask but any chance there's a mirror I can use." She felt her face and head with her front legs grimacing as she found the horns jolting out of her head. "How am I going to be a soldier like this? There is no chance I could hold a gun. Much less use one."
"We'll sort that out," the Captain replied, looking around the tent before shaking his head, turning on the selfie camera on his datapad and handing it to Vinsue. "I'll go get you some food while I update the Lt. Colonel on the situation. Just stay here until we sort this out, alright?" he asked, before heading out of the tent. In the moments before closing the tent, the women could see a line of soldiers standing at attention just outside.
She nodded understanding. She took the datapad and looked at her self. She looked like some kinda monster from New Texas. She smiled at the camera revealing raser sharp teeth. Than she noticed the wings. She handed the data pad back before looking at her wings. She spread them and closed them. This could be interesting if she could figure out how to use the wings. She crossed her front limbs and laid her head down. "By the reaction I take it I'm the only one with this problem."
"To this level of change, yes," Miyahita said, nodding as she tapped away on her datapad. "Think the most we had before was some eye colors change? Though, that's just based on our limited medical exams. Really need to get everyone back to civilization for a through checkout to be sure. Though I know a lot of people back home would love to be turned into a dragon, so there's that."
"Temporary, yea it would be cool. But honestly my uniform is ruined. I'm now faced with possibilities no one else ever has to worry about. Like I'm sure to be looked at as a threat anywhere I go. Like a bear. They hunt those were I'm from." She said. "Well at least since people aren't poking me with stuff to figure me out."
"I mean," the Doctor said, before sighing. "Now, we're probably in poking you to sort out how you work territory, to be honest. Like I was saying, we don't have the facilities here or really even Outremer to do that. Next step's probably to do a psych eval to make sure that you match up with previous ones. Then see if you're emitting anything biological that could be contagious, maybe take you outside to see if you can fly with those things, etc."
"Guess I get to look forward to being poked in two stops." She said. "I think that my psychy is good, than again you are seeing all this too rigt?" She looked at her wings as they were mentioned. "Now I will look forward to figuring those things out." She looked twords the door what is taking food so long? "Besides I want to know what these claws can do." Than looked back at doc and laid her head back down.