They quickly moved across the room, the Captain could still feel the heat from Heather's eyes on his back. He took hold of the curtain and pulled it open. The metal rings scraped across the bar smoothly and he looked down at his Computer Programmer.

  Gryphon was sitting in a pitching chair. His bare feet were flat on the ground as his knees were bent at an elevated angle in a large pair of flannel shorts. Though they were very baggy around his thighs, a considerable bulge was still evident around his crotch. The back of the chair barely rose halfway up his own back as he sat slouched over platefuls of half-eaten foods. He turned his head slightly and looked at the Captain for a brief moment before returning to the sandwich he had in his hands.

  On the other side of the table was Kim; she had had her hands folded in front of her while idly chatting with her patient. She stood up in slight embarrassment when she saw who had come calling.

  "Hello sir," she gave a weak salute; the small shirt she wore rose up slightly and Vanessa caught a glimpse of her belly ring. "I was just keeping Gryphon here company."

  "Kim could you run the last cell samples through the centrifuge?," Vanessa asked. "We need to spool a fresh sample of DNA and run a comparison against past samples."

  Kim nodded.

  "Yes sir, I'll get on it right away." She smiled one of characteristically cute smiles and skipped back to her duties. Gryphon watched her perky body bounce as she moved away.

  The Captain shook his head.

  "How are you feeling Gryphon?"

  Gryphon looked up at the Captain and slowly began to smile. It creeped across his face like a stalking lion and his lip curled in a mild sneer. He set down a tall glass that was engulfed in his right hand and pushed the chair out from underneath him as he began to stand. He kept his eyes locked with the Captain as his face climbed, and climbed, and climbed into the air. Vanessa stepped back a little in shock; the Captain stood his ground.

  Gryphon was over seven feet tall, a good two or three inches over it in fact. His smooth skin covered a lean and hard physique that would seem lanky on a shorter human being. Tendons visibly stretched alongside tight muscles over a thin frame. His sharp features seemed slightly menacing as he stared down on the two of them without bowing his head, a steel gaze that burned with a subliminal hatred.

  "Oh, I feel fine ... sir. Thank you for your show of concern."

  The Captain almost paled; he stood there speechless for a few moments as he blinked.

  Gryphon's smile grew a notch.

  "I'm sorry I'm out of uniform ... sir. As you can see, I would have trouble fitting into it."

  "That's quite all right Gryphon."

  Vanessa flipped through her clipboard and began to read off her findings.

  "Gryphon has shown a considerable increase in muscle density. He's become much stronger than his size would normally warrant without gaining the bulk necessary to sustain that level of power."

  The Captain looked at her through a light mental haze.

  "Ramirez has also shown the same alterations."

  "There's also been another, 'large' change doctor."

  Vanessa grimaced.

  "Stow it crewman."

  Gryphon just smirked.

  "While all three subjects are showing a variety of changes, there seems to be a few things that are universal."

  The Captain looked back up at Gryphon and then to Vanessa.

  "Such as?"

  "Gryphon, come join the rest of us in the main examination area."

  He picked up the last of his sandwich and shrugged as he followed. His imposing stature stood out darkly in the seemingly lowered ceiling of the Medical Bay. He sat down on one of the beds and Heather quickly shuffled next to him. Her enlarged breasts jiggled slightly with her every step; Gryphon took little notice. Vanessa continued.

  "All of them show an obvious increase in size, but they also seem to be exhibiting a few other modifications. None of them have grown any body hair since their growth began."

  Ramirez ran a hand down her leg to feel the smoothness of it. Gryphon felt the stubble on his chin that hadn't thickened for the past few days.

  "Why is that?"

  "I have a theory that I'll get to in a second; but first," she looked at one of her patients, "Gryphon, why don't you tell our good Captain what you told me last night."

  Gryphon fidgeted; obviously uncomfortable with the situation that the Chief Medical Officer purposely put him into.

  "Uh, I ... haven't ... had to go to the, uh ... bathroom for the past couple of days."

  The Captain stuck out his tongue in disgust.

  "Eww, I didn't have to know that."

  Vanessa padded him on the shoulder.

  "Ahh, but that adds further support to my theory."

  "If that adds support, I don't think I want to hear what your theory is."

  "Each of their metabolisms has geared toward the sole purpose of sustaining their new body sizes. All waste products in their bodies are being broken down and used as an alternate energy source to help fuel their growth."

  "Including the dead cells that would normally become hair and nails?"

  "Actually I don't think their bodies are losing any more cells. That's evident in their scar tissue."

  "Come again?"

  "Dead and damaged tissues are coming back to life and regenerating themselves. They no longer grow body hair because their cells are no longer dying," Vanessa stood beaming with pride at her diagnosis. "Something is 'supercharging' their cells and keeping them healthy; not only that, but the cells are reproducing at an incredible rate which is causing they're growth."

  "So what's doing this to them?"

  Vanessa's computer panel beeped and Alyssa's AI plaque began to brighten.

  "Analysis complete sir."

  Vanessa smiled and walked over to her console. She pressed a few buttons and a three-dimensional rendering of a large molecule appeared; it rotated slowly as it floated above a blackened landscape. She pointed at the screen.

  "That is what is causing all of this Captain."

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