CHAPTER TEN : CONFUSION

  David looked up as the yellow lights of the collision alarm began to flash. He was about to tap into the security grid to discover the problem when the oncoming missile struck the outer doors to the Shuttle Bay.

  The room rocked onto it's side as the entire wall erupted in a storm of brilliant flame, a fireball that ballooned into the hold, engulfing crates of cargo and incinerating barrels of supplies. The thundering shockwave slammed into the safety glass of the control room, forcing ripples through the solid surface before tearing it apart in a shower of razor shards.

  David felt himself scream, watching the glittering fragments spiral towards him as he tried to shield his face with his hands in a frenzy of slow motion. Sharp pain lanced through his head and neck as his vision was clouded in a haze of bright red. He felt his arms go limp as the nerves were severed, dropping to his sides, and he stared blankly forward.

  The raging fire quickly wisped into nothingness, snuffed out by the blast of air that rushed into the vacuum of space. The debris that littered the Shuttle Bay floor began to scrape along the ground, grating like fingernails across a blackboard, metallic bits hovering inches above it as they drifted towards the gaping wound in the ship's wall. The glass that littered the control room around him drifted into the air, stinging his legs and dancing over his back as it was sucked back through the window.

  David's bloody face quickly chilled in the rapidly freezing room, his cheeks tinging a greenish blue. His lungs were burning, fighting to take in their next breath. He watched his arms rise forward, his weight shifting, and his feet left the ground. His boots peeled away with an icy crackling and he flew forward through the shattered window, his body spinning through the air and the world twirling around him in maddening speed.

  There was a sudden flash and David fell to the ground. The rushing wind grew still as his battered body collided against the metal floor with a dull bang. He fought to turn himself over, his arms useless and his face a twisted mask of frozen scars and embedded glass. The ear with his golden ring was gone, sheared off and sucked out of the Shuttle Bay before the emergency energy screens had been able to form.

  David gave up trying to move, surrendering to the throbbing pain and his broken form. A tear fell from his eye as a cough brought blood frothing to his mouth, another dribbling trail was leaking from a laceration at the base of his throat.

  A plaque set into the side wall began to glow, Alexander's curious visage forming out of the electronic fog. He looked down at David and nodded as he smacked his artificial lips.

  "Well, looks like those fields got up just in time."

  David tried to look up, everything around him was a blur; but his one functioning ear heard the familiar voice and he struggled to concentrate on it. He fought to swallow a shallow breath and coughed again.

  "He... help ... me Alexan...der."

  "Are you okay David? Would you like me to get you medical attention?"

  "Pl... please, help ... me." David's vision was beginning to darken, the pain in his temples sharpening as another convulsion shook his battered body.

  "All right David, let me just ... OOPS!"

  A horn blared and the emergency fields cut out in a lightless flash. The explosive decompression rumbled the entire Shuttle Bay and sucked David's body into space, tearing him into pieces and shooting them off into the frozen darkness.

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  "Heather!"

  The lights of the Medical Bay were dim. The warm stench of nutriment gels filled the air and Vanessa knew that one of the incubators had broken open, spilling bacteria cultures across the floor of the lab. One of the overhead lights flashed, bursting apart and scattering powdery glass over the ground. There was a sudden scream and Vanessa turned her head towards the cry.

  "Heather? Are you okay?"

  "I ... I think so. What the hell happened?"

  "I'm not sure. I think we were struck by something. Can you stand up?"

  "Yeah," she sniffed through the blackness, "it's so dark in here."

  Vanessa moved to a flickering computer terminal, her boots crunching over the debris littering the floor. A moment later the emergency lights kicked in and a blue glow filled the room. Heather was still on the ground, her nude body filling the corner she was huddled in.

  "Are you hurt? Heather, what's wrong?"

  "I ... I'm scared."

  Vanessa sighed warmly and knelt down, softly petting Heather's broad shoulder in hopes of calming her. She looked up, the light freckles on her cheeks glistening with her tears.

  "I know you are sweetie. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

  Heather wrapped her long arms around Vanessa's neck, squeezing her tight to her billowy chest. Vanessa closed her eyes and just breathed in her pale beauty, her incredible size.

  "Thank you."

  "It's okay love. C'mon, we've got to find out what's going on. Communications seem to be down and there's something wrong with the computers. You have to get up."

  Heather started to climb to her feet, the muscles of her legs tensing with the light exertion. Her toes dug into the floor, splaying as her weight stood over them. Vanessa took a step back, her eyes fixated on her trim stomach and bare hips. Her red hair was draped across her long back and she kept rising and rising. Her breasts were full and firm, blooming outward and slightly up with each deep breath she took. Heather glanced around, the top of her head less than a foot away from the nine foot tall ceiling.

  "I think you've grown another inch or so in the last hour."

  Heather started to cry again, her body shaking.

  "God, am I ever going to stop? What am I going to do?"

  "It'll be all right Heather. I'll find out how to stop it."

  "But I'm a freak!"

  Vanessa smiled, taking Heather's long and soft fingers in her hand, rubbing them with loving care.

  "No you're not. You're very beautiful."

  Heather looked down at Vanessa, her lips trembling. She wiped an arm across her face and tried to speak. Vanessa put up a silencing finger as she shook her head.

  "I have to go and make sure everyone on the ship is all right. If you want to, you can stay here."

  "No, I ... I want to come with you. I don't want to be alone."

  "Then go make yourself some clothes while I grab a medkit. I don't think you want to be wandering the halls like that."

  Heather nodded and Vanessa watched her move towards one of the storage shelves. She sighed at the way her bare posterior shifted with each step, the toned skin dimpling slightly as the muscle tensed.

  The cabinets were in disarray, packages had torn open and broken vials were leaking their contents together. Hazardous chemicals were stored separately and were undamaged. Vanessa salvaged what she could and draped the kit over her shoulder, waiting for Heather by the doors to the Medical Bay. She noted that AI panel next to it was cracked, the screen dark and unresponsive.

  "I'm ready."

  Vanessa looked up. She was stunned to find Heather wearing a few of the blankets from the bio-bed as a makeshift bikini. The tightly wrapped cloth pushed up her breasts with unneeded support, puckering the deep valley of cleavage that smiled seductively at Vanessa's eye level. Her stomach was flat and soft, a thin veil of light fur surrounding her navel and traveling downward into the tight fabric around her wide hips. Her barefeet were clean and, in Vanessa's opinion, very cute. She frowned, reaching into her bag.

  "Heather, give me your arm."

  Heather did as she was told, holding out the strong limb for inspection. She realized that Vanessa was very attractive, her caramel skin was smooth and her head was topped beautifully with wavy, brown hair. Her thin body was graceful and full of life. Her touch was warm and soothing, calming the fear that was growing with every beat of her heart. Her breasts were small, but round. She was gorgeous and Heather reached out with a free hand, desperately wanting to caress the soft skin.

  She suddenly stopped herself as she realized her body was responding to her arousal. Heather bit down on her lip, hoping that her stiffening nipples didn't show through the thin cloth of her top. She closed her eyes, concentrating on soothing the familiar heat that was beginning to build in her hips.

  "Tell me when this starts to hurt." Vanessa popped the top off of a sterile syringe and began to gently press the needle into the soft flesh above Heather's wrist. The smooth skin pressed inward, refusing to yield despite the growing force attempting to pierce it. Vanessa looked far up into Heather's face, who just shrugged as Vanessa took the needle away.

  "Why did you do that?"

  "Because you just walked barefoot across a floor covered in shards of glass. As far as I can tell, your feet are still ... well, perfect. You didn't feel that?"

  "I felt it, it just didn't hurt. Kind of like a little tickle."

  Vanessa ran her fingers up and down the length of Heather's smooth skin. Her arm was soft and warm, firm and well-shaped when she tensed the muscle.

  "It doesn't feel any different but your skin has greatly increased in density. I'd probably have to stab you with this just to get the needle in."

  Heather took a step back, startled. Vanessa smiled.

  "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything like that. Even if I did, I don't think it would be very painful to you." She threw away the used needle and closed her bag. "C'mon, we're going."

  The doors to Medical slid open, stalling for a moment as they had trouble pushing across their tracts. Vanessa took one step out and her face lit up with shock. She ran out into the corridor and Heather quickly stooped through the doorway to follow.

  Lying against the wall, with a large and bleeding gash in her forehead, was Krista. A bulkhead had collapsed nearby, scattering chunks of metal across the hallway. Sparks were still sputtering from a blown panel, filling the air with a stale smoke.

  "Krista! Damn it! Krista, can you hear me?" Vanessa ran her fingers over the high cheek bones of her Commander's face, checking her neck for it's strong pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened her bag just as the yellow flash of the collision alarm began to signal again. "Oh God, not again."

  Heather braced her hands against the high ceiling above her, tensing her legs for the coming jolt. Vanessa covered Krista's unconscious body with her own.

  "Hang on!"

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