The Eleusian Effect

September 9, 2169, 0214 Hours

The bodies had finally arrived and I got to work. Wilson and I started together, doing the first body. Once we finished, she started her part of the investigation. I spent four hours on autopsies and finished the basic scans. I decided to nap for an hour and check in with Wilson after. She hadn’t taken a break since we started. I supposed I could have kept going but I wanted fresh eyes when I saw Wilson’s findings. When I saw her data, I was glad I took the nap. I met her in the Genetics lab. “What’s you find?” Wilson was offset. “You aren’t going to believe this.”

“Try me.”

“Well I was able to isolate the anomaly and compared it to several patterns. Genetic, cellular, binary, hell I even tried music.” “So what happened?”

“It changed.”

“Changed? How?”

“The message was different. Every time I tried to isolate the pattern, the pattern changed, almost like it was trying to communicate.” “So the data stream was sentient?”

“Not quite. There were repeating patterns in the anomaly.”

“But you said that you ran several patterns against it? How do you know?”

“Well, being an enhanced female has more benefits than we discovered.”

“You mean you could just read it.”

“Yes.”

“We have to find a non-enhanced way of publishing this data. Do you think you can find some kind of filter that allows normal people to process this information?” “I honestly don’t know.”

“I have an idea. The Eleusians were able to use genetics to code technical data. I think the answer may be genetic.” “But like I said I ran….” Wilson stopped in mid-sentence. “How stupid of me! I was running normal, unchanged DNA against the anomaly! I need to use the DNA of an enhanced person! The easiest way is a blood sample.” “I was thinking the same thing. Let’s check the DNA records of 10 enhanced and 1 non-enhanced as a control. Randomize them.” “I will get right on it.”

“I will contact the Captain and update her. I will check back in a couple of hours.”

“Roger that, Doc.”

I went to the com and called Tanner. She was sleeping but expected regular updates. She took a moment and answered. “Captain, I have an update.” “Sure, go ahead.”

“The anomaly pattern changes. It says other things when we apply energy. It’s not sentient but it’s trying to tell us something.” “What else is it saying?”

“Wilson says it’s like it trying to contact someone. Or something?”

“Like a distress call?”

“Possibly. We’re not sure yet. We figured that the pattern didn’t follow any known combinations. We’ve theorized that the pattern was genetic, but not a normal DNA sequence.” “What do you mean?”

“Wilson tried a normal human genome pattern and was unsuccessful so we are trying one from an enhanced human.” “One like us?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent work, Doctor. Please tell Wilson the same.”

“Will do.”

“Tanner out.”

I went back to the morgue to finish the autopsies. There was a message for me on the com. It was from Barton. He was conscious and wanted to speak with me. I returned the message and I would shuttle down tomorrow to see him. As I was curious as to what he had to say I turned my focus back to the autopsies. With Wilson working on the anomaly pattern, I made swift work of the exams. All 4 persons were men and died of trauma caused by extreme decompression and exposure to the Martian atmosphere. In other words, once they were blown out of the station, the absence of pressure and breathable air ripped their lungs apart. The natural atmosphere of Mars was acrid and toxic. Fortunately, any suffering by these men in death was quick. I took special care to craft the exam reports, along with official death certificates. I also made funeral arrangements to take place on the Kennedy and briefed the Captain. I thought that it was important to get some background information on them so I decided that when I saw Barton, I would gather some personal information on the deceased.

September 10, 2169 0730 Hours

I decided to get a full night’s sleep so, I woke up refreshed. I scheduled a shuttle trip to Mars Station and asked Wilson to come with me. We landed just after 0830 and met with Commander Richards. He was cordial and easy going.

“Mr. Barton is anxious to see you.”

“I can imagine. How is he?”

“Recovering well enough.”

“Well enough?”

“Well there has been significant changes in his DNA structure. The changes are actually healing him, making him healthier at a rapid rate.” “That’s interesting. Good I guess.”

“Yes but it is also raising the level of estrogen in his system. It’s like he contracted a virus and it’s turning him female.” “That’s incredible!” I couldn’t let on that I knew why this was happening to poor Barton. The good thing is that we developed the cure. I had to figure out a way to get it to him before we left orbit. “May I see him? He asked to see me.” “Certainly. This way.”

We walked to the infirmary and past the damaged area. I walked to a curtained area and behind it was Barton. He looked much better than the last time I saw him. His hair was significantly longer, and his features were softer. He had lost that hatchet demeanor and seemed shorter though it was hard to determine with him lying in bed. Standing next to him was a large man, crew cut and in uniform. I figured this was his partner. He was holding hands with Barton.

“How are you, Mr. Barton?” I made sure to use my most professional bedside manner. It was my fault Barton was in this mess. “I am on the mend, Doctor. As matter of fact I feel great. They said I healed faster than anyone on record.” “That’s excellent. I guess there’s little work for me here. What did you want to see me about?”

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“Reacting the way I did before the accident. When we were doing the data sync.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m afraid I made you think I was interested in you. I should have done that.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t think that at all.” I felt like crap.

“The other reason I wanted to talk to you is that before you came down, we received a signal. A most unusual signal.” “Why tell me? I can have Lieutenant Wilson look into that.”

“Yes you should but it was most unusual. You see we sensed it.”

This sounded familiar. “Sensed it?”

“Yes. It was like our minds were the receivers. Like comms.”

“Okay I will look into that. You said, ‘we’?”

“Everyone on the station, almost everyone.”

“Who didn’t?”

“The women.”

“Hmm,” I was trying extremely hard not to let on that I knew much more about this situation. “I will see what I can find out.” “Oh, I am sorry. I didn’t introduce my partner. Doctor, this is Chief Petty Officer Sean Parker, my domestic partner.” We shook hands. “Mr. Parker. Did you receive the message too?”

“Yes, but mine was somewhat muddled.”

“How so?”

“I heard something but, I couldn’t understand it. Not like Philip could.”

“Interesting. I will look into it.”

“Thank you doctor.” Barton’s demeanor was significantly softer.

“I’ll check back on you before I leave.”

Barton nodded and I shook Parker’s hand left the infirmary. A backup data core was set up and most of the archives had been restored. I decided that another update of Eleusian data was a bad idea so I restored the data lost (downloaded from the Kennedy) and started to research the dead crew members.

Ensign Richard Dellworth. Satellite Research Manager

Originally from Washington, D.C, comes from a well-to-do family that is politically connected. Father-Walter Dellworth, Cabinet staffer, mid-level. Mother, Madison Collston, socialite, family socially connected in New York, with business connection abroad. Born second child out of four, has two brothers and a sister. Decided to enter GASA to bolster future political aspirations. Has bachelor’s in Computer Science with concentration in space communications Ensign James Stophler, JR. Logistics Manager

Originally from Detroit, Michigan. Family is middle class. Father, James Stophler, SR., a Master Aircraft Technician for Galactic Air. Mother, Linda Redmond, nurse at Detroit Memorial Hospital. Born youngest of three, has two older sisters. Excelled at math and science in school, has bachelor’s in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

Chief Petty Officer First Class Devan Franklin, Tactical Programming Specialist

Originally from Dorchester, Mass. Upper middle class family, socially prominent parents. Father, Donald, is a minister, large church at the Tremont Temple in Boston. Mother, Beatrice, is the church business manager. Born third of six children, he has two brothers and three sisters. Father is local alderman with political aspirations to state legislature.

Crewman Louis Frenchette, Base Facilities Specialist

Originally from Montreal, Canada, joined GASA after a horrible car accident which claimed the lives of his entire family. Father, Jacques Frenchette, deceased, doctor of internal medicine, Mother, Annette Williams, deceased, biologist, geneticist. One brother, Jacques, Jr., deceased, college student. Details are few on the fatal vehicle accident that claimed the lives of his family. Louis was spared only because he was too sick to go to the holiday party held by Annette’s company, Randor Biotech . In a strange turn of events, two months after the tragic event, the company closed permanently, and all of its assets, proprietary data and money disappeared. There was no investigation into the company and the investigation of the accident was wrapped up quickly and quietly. Louis has no next of kin on record.

I was saddened when I read about Louis. It would be difficult to make arrangements with no next of kin. I would solve that problem last. My somber task was interrupted by a crewman who attending Mr. Barton. “Doctor! Come quick, it’s Barton!” “What’s happened?” My sadness turned to dread as I ran to the infirmary. What have I done to poor Barton? I came in and he was writhing in pain. I recognized the changes and forgot that I was supposed to keep my knowledge of this situation classified and quiet. “Quickly, roll him over and level the bed!” I commanded. I found a muscle relaxant to ease Barton’s pain as he makes his final gender change. “This should ease the pain.” Parker was there and worried. “Is he going to be all right?”

“I’m doing my best. He seems to be coming out of it.” Barton’s pain subsided and he calmed down. I knew I had to get him the antidote before too long, but the question remains: What caused Barton to change gender? We knew what changed us but this was a new development. Would our antidote work? Was I somehow to blame for Barton’s affliction? More questions related to the Eleusian Effect. I hope we can fix this before it gets worse.

Barton was resting comfortably. I asked Parker what happened. “We were talking and he was feeling pretty good, and then he got really hot.” “Hot? Like a fever?”

“Yeah, I guess. I could feel the heat from him and then he was in a lot of pain.”

“Does he have a current medi-scan? I’ll need to check it.”

“Yes we just had our 6 month scan.”

“Okay, stay with him.”

“There’s something else.”

“What?”

“He’s changed.

“How?” I already knew.

“He’s not fully male anymore.”

I had to make it sound convincing. “I’m sorry?”

“He’s turning female.”

I tried to look incredulous. “How do you know?”

“He had me feel his body. He seemed confused but not in distress. He is growing breasts and his hips are widening, like a woman.” “That’s not, possible.” It was hard to keep up the act.

“Well, his genitals are not the same. He asked me to feel them and I said he should have the doctor or a nurse do that but he was scared. He didn’t know what to do. So I looked and he barely has anything there.” “Okay, let me look at his scan and figure out what’s going on.” I knew I had to report this to Tanner right away. I knew the station monitored all comms so I needed either a secure channel or see her in person. I decided that I would try a secure line. Tanner appeared on the com screen. “We have a situation.” I tried to be as succinct as possible.

“What happened?”

“It’s Barton. He’s changing.” Fortunately, Tanner also understood the need for discretion, even on a secure line. “How?” “Seems like he is developing female characteristics. We don’t have all the data yet.”

“Keep me posted. Tanner out.”

She knew that we would continue this conversation later. Right now I went back to the infirmary and Barton was still transitioning. I wasn’t as alarmed as the others. I passed it off as an inherent medical instinct but I knew what we were dealing with and I was confident that we could cure him. Right now, I needed to assist Barton through his changes. After a few minutes and several cc’s of sedative we got him calmed down. I figured I would shortcut this whole thing and call it an alien genetic infection. I went back to the Kennedy and retrieved the antidote we developed. It was untested since no one since the Venus Mission had been exposed to the Eleusian virus like we were. I got Tanner’s support to test it on Barton. We altered the data as it was reported to Mars Command and prepared to administer it. I was gone a full 24 hours from the Mars station when I got a personal call from CPO Parker. “Doctor, can we meet before the procedure? I need to talk to you-it’s urgent.” “Certainly, Mr. Parker. I will meet you in the control room conference area at 0800 hours.”

“Thank you. Parker out.”

I was curious and concerned about what Parker needed to discuss. Still, I went ahead with all the preparations for Barton’s treatment.

September 13, 2169 0745 Hours

I shuttled to the Mars Station and headed towards the conference room to meet with CPO Parker. My curiosity was peaked and I was anxious to hear what he had to say. I dropped off the treatment apparatus for Barton and had the med-techs set things up. I went to the conference room and sat down. My wait was brief as Parker walked in almost immediately. He closed the door and we sat at the enormous table.

“Good morning, Doctor.”

“Good morning, Parker. What’s this all about?”

“I’ll get right to the point. We do not want the procedure.”

“’We’? You mean you and Barton?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Let me show you.” Parker activated his wrist com. “Come in.”

The doors slid open and a gorgeous, vaguely familiar female walked in. “Hello Doctor. How are you?”

“I’m fine. Have we met?” I said that with a rock in the pit of my stomach.

“It’s me, Barton.”

I had to look surprised. Barton was stunning with just a hint of the man I had met a few days ago. “How are you feeling?” “Good. Great, actually. Except, now I am now a woman.”

Parker spoke up. “This is why I wanted to talk to you. I, we, wanted to know if this is permanent if left untreated.” “Well this is uncharted territory. We will need to run tests.” I already knew the answer to that question.

“I understand. This is very ironic. You see Philip was looking to transition to female in a few months.”

“I see.”

“He had started hormone therapy last week. We were expecting to spend a year working on his transition and then have the final surgery.” “So he was planning to become female anyway?”

“Yes. So this has been an unexpected blessing.”

“Let me guess. You want to stay female, so you are refusing the treatment?”

“We would like to take advantage of this, ‘event’, but we need some questions answered first.”

“I think I can help. Fire away.”

The couple looked at each other somewhat puzzled, but continued. Philip spoke first. “Is it permanent?”

“Well I can only tell you what we’ve discovered so far-also it is classified. You are not to discuss it with anyone other than me.” “Understood.” Barton took over the questioning. I continued

“If left untreated for 30 days, then it is permanent.”

“Why 30 days?”

“After that your genetic structure is locked. The DNA become unchangeable.”

“ Is there a risk of staying this way?”

“No. Your body will actually be stronger, your mental acuity is magnified and your sex drive is tripled.”

“Wow!” Parker was understandably impressed.

“You are basically an enhanced human. Even your reproductive organs are completely altered. You’ll be able to have children.” “That’s incredible! There’s no downside!”

“Well actually, your pheromone production is 9.2 percent stronger than any normal female. You will have to be careful who you interact with. Most men, with prolonged contact with you will have issues and eventually become mad with passion.” “There aren’t too many people up here. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“Nevertheless, you must use the pheromone blocker that I have included in the treatment protocol. It will have to be modified for individual use. Not that you need to use a lot of it in your quarters, but you may want to have some handy if you want to get anything done.” “We can have our own children?”

“Yes, but wait for a while until your body and mind adjust to each other. Your mind will change; you will look at things differently. You will become totally female in mind, body and spirit. After the 30 days there is no going back. Consider this carefully.” “Doctor,” Barton was almost in tears, “I have wanted this my whole life. I don’t think I would change my mind in 30 days.” “I understand, but you should know all of your options. I am going to set up the treatment so you can self-administer, if necessary. Have the med-techs handy just in case. Also, if you have family, you should contact them immediately and tell them what’s happened. In your case it should not be difficult, since you were going to transition anyway.” “We will. Thank you, Doctor.”

“Mr., excuse me, Ms. Barton, have you chosen a name yet?”

“Yes, Sheila, after my grandmother.”

“Excellent. I will include this in my report. Make sure you file the proper security forms with GASA. I need you to remember one more thing. We don’t know why this happened or how; myself or someone else from GASA may need to study you and your condition. Be careful. I would keep this under wraps for now. Do not draw too much attention to yourselves.” “Count on it, Doctor. We are grateful.”

I spent two hours reconfiguring the treatment protocols but it was just an obligatory task. I didn’t think Barton would change her mind and in a way I was glad, mostly because it salved my conscience. Plus, I hope they will be happy.

I was back on the Kennedy and called Tanner. We met at 1030 hours and I told her everything.

“Still though, how did it happen?”

“That may be my fault. I did an informal experiment on Barton.”

“What did you do?”

“I literally turned on my charm.”

“Say, what now?” Tanner put her coffee down.

“I theorized that I could control my level of pheromone output at will. I honestly didn’t think it would make any effect. I was wrong.” “What happened?”

“I flirted pretty hard with Barton. I knew he was gay so I figured I was safe. I suspect I turned it on so hard, I affected him with the Eleusian Effect via pheromones.” “Holy Crap, Danna! Can you imagine the damage you could unleash on an unsuspecting person?”

“Yes, Didi, I felt horrible about it after.”

“You cannot breathe a word of that to anyone! If it got out that we enhanced women could control people like that, I’m afraid the temptation for some may prove too strong.” “You and I are the only ones.”

“Okay, well this ends it.”

September 18, 2169 0800 Hours

A few days had passed and I had finished the eulogies for the victims of the explosion. I was going to meet with Captain Tanner so she could deliver it. Family members of three victims traveled to Mars and met on the Kennedy for a military funeral. All the families were given the option to have their deceased loved ones buried in space with full military honors. Only Louis Frechette had no family on record. Poor man. I felt bad and somewhat responsible for his death. He will be committed to the vast nothingness of space. I thought of Bill. I haven’t spoken with him for a while and now with the burial of the Mars victims, we would be cleared for deep space. I decided I would put in a subspace call before we left orbit.

I entered the assembly chamber. The service was brief but adequate. For the first time since we changed genders, Tanner looked uncomfortable. She tugged at her uniform when she and the families walked in. The executive staff were seated on the dais behind the podium. All the Mars station staff save two, were allowed to attend the service. Barton and Parker were the two to stay behind. For some reason I was not surprised at that. It was 0900 hours. Tanner took the stage.

“Call to Arms!” Tanner said with authority.

Everyone stood. The color guard responded by marching towards the podium. There were 4 people with guidons and two each turned in opposite directions, on either side of the podium. They stopped at the flag stands. Tanner called out the next command, “Present, Arms!” The color guard saluted the podium and then placed the guidons in the stands. They took a step back, turned on their heels and faced the audience with a salute. All the military personnel saluted and held it until Tanner gave the command, “Order, Arms!” Everyone put their arms down, but remained standing until the color guard marched off and recovered to the front alcove outside the assembly chamber. “Please be seated,” Tanner said in a more relaxed manner. “It is with great honor that I am here to salute the victims of this terrible tragedy.” She continued with much compassion and did a fine job. Everyone retired to the cantina for a reception. It was decided that only the families and minimal staff would be present for the burial. While I was chatting with my staff, I noticed a little old lady go up to Tanner and talk to her. Tanner’s expression was of great surprise and shock. She looked over to me and called me over. “Doctor, this is Madam Miranda De Courvier. She is Louis Frechette’s mother!” “Mother? How can that be?”

The elderly lady spoke clearly. “I believe I can explain. My dear Louis was born into a very poor home. We could not afford to send him to school so my mistress, my employer showed great kindness by legally adopting him. Unfortunately, she died in a horrible car crash and Louis was badly injured. He was in a coma for 2 years. We had given up hope and decided to end his life support service. By some miracle he survived but lost part of his memory. He never recovered all of it but some. He had entered GASA service and didn’t really know much about his own past.” “Madam, forgive me. If I had known-“

“It’s quite all right Doctor. I was able to establish a relationship with Louis years ago. I guess he just never got around to updating his records.” Tanner interjected. “There is still time to make arrangements for his remains. Madam, do you have a request?” “Louis, loved space and everything connected with it. He wanted to explore but he was a little older than his peers. It took a lot for GASA to accept him. I believe a burial in space would have been his choice.” “It would be our honor.”