2 Aberrance

McReady's eyes bugged out and her cheeks were a little green.

"I…" Blair floundered for a second. To be completely honest, she had zoned out for a second and didn't really have a good answer. "...I was hungry?"

McReady's jaw dropped.

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel a lot better now."

"That does NOT make me feel better."

Blair chuckled nervously. She couldn't tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, she did actually feel better. Her gnawing hunger was gone instantly, and her head seemed to be getting clearer as well. On the other hand, not only was her body changed but so was her mind. She was physically a monster and now she had the instincts to match. At that point, the only thing keeping her from waltzing into the core of the Geothermal plant was the fact that she had not had that same violent reaction to McReady's presence. It was an oddity that needed study, but Blair couldn't bear to contemplate the subject of her biology for a second longer.

"Lieutenant?" She got McReady's attention and said, "I want the day off."

"You and me both, Doctor," McReady sighed and drew her hand down her face. "You and me both."

McReady pulled herself together and grabbed her helmet from where she left it by the airlock. Blair picked hers up from the counter opposite of the mess and inspected it. She wondered how it would work now, as she had the feeling that the suit she was wearing was more a part of her than a separate piece of clothing at that point. As she put it on, she could feel something inside her trying to absorb it, but she consciously put a stop to it. She would need to take off her helmet frequently when going inside airlocked buildings, and not having her helmet with her when she wasn't wearing it would draw too many questions.

As she exited the airlock, this led to another issue: oxygen. The atmosphere on Kypros had a much higher percentage of oxygen than Earth, enough to cause oxygen toxicity very quickly if a human were to go out on the surface without a regulated suit. The problem was, Blair's suit was now completely non-functional, and her helmet couldn't lock the airtight seal anymore. However, the problem solved itself. The oxygen-rich air that seeped into her helmet felt refreshing rather than stifling.

"Oh, wow."

McReady looked over her shoulder at the biologist. "Okay, what weird thing are you going to do this time?"

"It's not weird!" She said indignantly. "Okay, it is, but it's not as bad as… that." She gestured vaguely at her abdomen. "The air out here just feels nice. It smells good."

"Smells? You know what, nothing should surprise me anymore, enjoy your poisonous air, Blair."

Blair laughed, for real this time. As horrible as this situation was, part of her was grateful for how it brought her closer to someone. While she had survived with minimal small talk and professional relationships with the crew, somehow, laughing with someone made her feel more real.

"McReady?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it." McReady smiled, then paused. "Actually, do mention it. I just won a bet, and Barclay's gonna want some proof."

"Do I even want to know?" Barclay was notorious for being a clown whenever the captain wasn't around. He was the only exception to the last names rule, calling everyone who didn't threaten his life by their first names. Blair made a face, wondering what kind of bet McReady would've won but patting her back while she had an existential crisis.

"Don't look at me like that! He just bet that I couldn't get you to open up within the next month or so."

Blair didn't know what to say to that, so the rest of the walk was taken in silence. The lab where Blair worked was close to the southern edge of the compound, along with McReady's meteorology equipment and many other assorted crew members' work stations. Blair's favorite area was the Hydroponics room, a beautiful greenhouse filled with fruits and vegetables from all over Earth. There were even a few fruit-bearing trees that had survived the interstellar trip thanks to Clark's hard work. Unfortunately, nothing was suited for the copper-rich soil on Kypros, so the courtyard was only green by merit of the soil's color.

After a short walk north through the courtyard, the two entered the mess hall and took their helmets off. This time, Blair noticed how stale the air felt inside, but she figured she would just have to get used to it. McReady told her to sit down and relax for a bit while she got her something to drink. After a minute, Blair could hear some faint talking coming from the kitchen.

"Morning, Kinner."

"Morning, Lieutenant. What brings you here at this hour? I don't have anything ready yet."

"I know, just fixing up some tea for Blair. She's had a rough night." There was some clinking of mugs from the cupboard.

"Good to know you're looking out for her. Lord knows she was going to work herself into the ground any day now."

Blair flushed and tried to stop listening, but not before she heard some light chuckling. Sighing, Blair turned her focus inwards. Specifically, on her mouth and eyes. While there was no one here yet to question her appearance, she couldn't attend breakfast looking like she did. First, her eyes. Those were a lot more noticeable, but hopefully easier to fix. Considering how she changed her shape earlier, this shouldn't be impossible. Brown eyes had a lot of melanin. She focused on her skin, trying to get a feel for the melanin there and concentrate more of it into her eyes. After a few seconds, she felt a subtle shift in her eyes and called it done.

Next was the hard part, her teeth. She wasn't a dentist, but she could certainly feel that things were out of place. Interestingly enough, her teeth responded to her will just like her eyes had, so she poked and prodded at it until she felt somewhat normal. The whole process took long enough that by the time she was done, McReady was returning with two mugs and set the steaming mug of tea in front of her.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. How do I look?" Blair belatedly gave her a wide grin.

"Pretty normal. Your eyes are still navy blue, but it's not noticeable unless you're looking for it. Although…" McReady paused with a complicated look.

"What is it?"

"You probably shouldn't stick your tongue out at anyone, 'cause it's blue."

Of course it was. Few things on this miserable planet weren't. In lieu of an answer to that, Blair took a huge sip of her tea and proceeded to burn the offending appendage.