Attack of the Beast
by Anon Allsop
Part 4

Chapter 12

After two and a half hours of decontamination, I was trembling and shaking like a leaf. My nerves had been spent! I had been fearful of speaking and was holding onto Parker as we were finally approached by several of the doctors and military personnel that had observed us when we left the ship. As they approached, Park gently gave my hand a comforting squeeze, trying to let me know that everything would be alright.

At the front was Park's commanding officer, Major Doren... Roger. He studied me for a moment then turned to face Park, "First Lieutenant Parker, we downloaded your flight data from the craft, sounds like something gave you guys hell out there! Explain!"

Parker's lips tightened slightly, I heard his breath exhale out his nostrils as his jaw flexed. "All of them were killed on the surface by some strange alien animal. Eric was the last one to die and caught it with a plasma blast."

Roger eyed him for a moment, and then studied me again. I had met him…briefly, a few times before, I wasn't impressed.

"It would be easy for you to have dispatched a SOS beacon if you got into trouble, we would have been there to assist you within twelve hours!"

Park leveled his gaze at Roger, "We didn't have twelve hours, sir. From when the first time that Lunette was attacked, until when Eric killed the creature... was all the time we had. It got all of them sir, every last one of them!" He maintained his professionalism all the while he spoke, yet I could feel the tension between him and Roger.

He glanced over at me, "This female, how do you explain her? Did you find her on the planet? The crew log of the captain's said nothing about a woman of her description being a part of your crew."

I fearfully looked at Park, unsure of what would be said. A sudden vision of me being escorted to a shuttle leapt into my worried mind, carted off into oblivion as a carrier of some unknown virus, even though I had no chance of spreading it beyond my own body. I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer, all the while my heart was pounding so fast I would have swore they would hear.

I could see Park scrambling for some sort of explanation. "We found her on the planet. She crashed there, long ago with her parents, when she was most likely, just a little... girl."

I watched the little jerk, Roger as he studied my face, "Where are her identification chips? What of her parents?" I trembled in fear as Roger grilled Parker, worried that each question of his was coming closer to exposing my secret.

Park stood straighter, looked the little man in the eye and said, "Back off a bit, Roger, you're scaring her!" He frowned and stepped, slightly backward. "She's been there long enough... I doubt if they even survived the crash!"

“I’ll ignore protocol for now…since you have been through so much, but you really should respect my rank…Lieutenant.” He smiled as he emphasized Park’s own grade.

A female doctor glared at the two men who seemed to be in their own sort of ‘pissing contest’ stepped closer, looking into my eyes with a light. “Men.” She groused under her breath as she examined me. "She hasn't said a word since she arrived. Can she talk?"

She gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, reminding me more of what a mother may have done to her daughter.

I felt fear constrict my throat; I was quickly panicking as I desperately sought out the words that they were wanting. I was so afraid that I would somehow divulge my true identity. "I...uh..my..." The guttural sounds that fell from my terrorized throat made me sound like a mindless idiot.

The woman took my hand and gave it a squeeze, "The poor dear can't even speak! How old was she when she ended up on the planet? She must be terrified!"

Park interjected, "We figured that she may have been there since about the age of three or four." I watched him as his eyes began to light up with a possible explanation for me. The best part was that they were supplying us with an excuse!

"How she survived, we may never know." A quick glance toward me, informed me to just stay silent and play along.

"And her parents…?" Another doctor queried. "Whatever became of them?"

Park lowered his voice as I kept up my act of looking frightened, "We thought that whatever attacked us, most likely killed them as well."

Roger rubbed his chin, "You're trying to tell me that everyone on the planet, our entire crew AND her parents were killed by the creature... and yet, this frail female remained untouched by whatever it was lurking out there? I find that entirely hard to believe!"

For a moment Park lost himself and frowned, "Get over your damn self, Roger. Stop trying to read so much into the poor kid’s life. She was a mess when we found her..." I watched as Park's mind worked effortlessly, "She most likely hadn't had a bath in years, her parents were dead, everyone was ripped from her life... and then you come along and try to insinuate something by stating your disbelief!"

Roger lowered his gaze and inhaled deeply, noticeably irritated at Park’s continued use of his name and not his rank. "Perhaps she should be checked out by our medical facilities, given a more thorough exam? Doctor," He looked at one of the females in his group, "Check her for everything! If any viruses are found...I want to know it immediately!"

Parker frowned, "Just what the hell are you up to, Roger? You know as well as I do that she is perfectly fine. If any of this has to do with what happened all those years ago... then for Christ's sake, I'm sorry! Just leave the kid alone!"

That was it; the death-knell would sound. I feared that I was history, to be forever isolated on some distant colony like a leper in the days long ago. I felt the doctor move next to me; she also was giving the Major a stern look. Her gaze softened as she moved closer to me.

She frowned and directed her comments to Roger. "I doubt if that will be necessary, officer, we both know that if she would have had an alien virus, it would have shown up when she was in quarantine." She then smiled at me, "You poor dear," replied the female doctor, "Does she have a name? What have you been calling her?"

Before Parker had a chance to answer, the woman turned back toward me. "DO YOU HAVE A NAME?" She spoke in a broken sentence and loudly as if I was hard of hearing, frowning sadly at the plight of the young woman standing before her.

The Major frowned, "I'd have left her there." His tone was cold and icy.

Parker's jaw dropped, "Well, I couldn't have done that to the poor kid! She wouldn't have lasted a day with those creatures on the rampage as they were! Hell, they had already killed off most of our crew when we found her! There is no way that I would have left her behind…that just wasn't an option! What kind of an asshole statement is that…Major?"

But Roger was smiling wickedly at Park, "Perhaps you brought her back here, because there is more to your story than you're letting on?" Then he addressed the doctor looking at me, "Make sure you check her for sexual assault...or even pregnancy; I wouldn't put it past this dog to have tried something with the girl.”

It was then that I remembered an earlier encounter between the Major and Parker long ago, back when I was still the 'male' Christian. On that day, good old Roger had no clue just how close he came to getting his clock cleaned by Park. The only thing that saved Roger then was Park’s fear of losing his rank and pension with an altercation. There was a glossing over of the friction between them, and I think, Roger knew just how far he could push Park's buttons... and all of it was caused by a woman they were both pursuing, a woman that neither ended up having. 'So much like men!' I thought, and then chastised myself for thinking like a female. Still, they weren't done sizing each other up, as Park suddenly wheeled toward the Major.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Roger?" Parker shot back, taking a step toward the uniformed officer.

"You tell me, Parker." He stood smiling smugly. It was almost as if he was implying that I was some kind of 'toy' for Parker, trying to goad him into trying something.

The female doctor continued to study me, scanning my body with a little tool that she was watching. "Gentlemen, you are frightening the poor girl!" She paused and turned to glare at Roger, "I think you have more important things to do than insult Parker and this young woman... don't you?" She was unafraid of the Major, especially since she possessed the same rank, although hers was in the medical field.

Roger looked away sheepishly, as if he had been scolded by his mother. Then, the doctor addressed Parker without even looking at him, "Who found her?"

"Christian...!" I blurted out before Park could answer, and then timidly looked away when I realized that I had just opened my big mouth. The doctor quickly wrote something down in her notes.

Parker added, even before anyone else could reply, "That's the only word I've ever heard her utter."

He glanced at me undetected by the others as if saying, 'shut up', then smiled.

"Christian found her, and was trying to teach her some words... I guess that was the only one that stuck."

The doctor smiled, touching my arm gently, "Its okay, honey, I won't let any harm come to you." She began to usher me away from the others, sheltering me, using her arm as protection.

I smiled weakly, and then gave a look of abject horror at Parker, as he began to walk away with the soldiers and Roger, Park noticed and paused.

"Doc, she seems pretty frightened. Can you set her up until we can get her settled in? Though, I'm afraid that she won't be happy unless she's around someone familiar."

"I'll see if I can clear her to stay with you in your home, in separate bedrooms of course!"

She turned toward me, "Would you like that?" The doctor asked as if I were a child. I was unsure if I wanted to stay with Park; however, I relented and slowly nodded. Parker disappeared down a long hall, the hiss from the airlock was the only sound I heard, and the shutting door quickly sealed off my view of the retreating Parker.

We passed through a set of doors and entered an office.

"Perhaps Parker could continue to teach you our language? Sort of take over where Christian left off." she said, as I was seated in a chair, slowly she moved around a great desk and eased into a chair.

She began to study her notes as well as examine the little instrument that she had scanned me with. She sat it back onto her desk and folded her hands in front of herself, “I sure wish you could talk to me.” I said nothing in reply, hoping that my inability to speak would be my asset.

She continued, “There is quite a lot that I would want to ask you…like, why both your DNA and our Second Lieutenant Christian’s are so very similar?”

I blanched as her reveal sank into my thoughts; obviously Park and I never took in the scientific aspect of my alteration. She noticed my reaction and slowly nodded. “So you can understand me at least…” The doctor drummed her fingers against her desk, “It’s so very odd that you can understand what I say, but are unable to vocalize…a mute perhaps?” She wondered aloud.

I shook with fear as I was certain that I would be placed into the next airship out and Park would never know. Leaning forward in her chair, the doctor placed her folded hands under her chin, her forefingers upon her lips as she studied me severely.

“I have this odd niggling feeling that perhaps you and our Mr. Christian may have been related through one of your ancestors.” She smiled, “Quite a lucky break for you that one of your own, albeit distant relatives found you.”

I smiled but only because she was smiling, “I think you do understand me.” She replied to her own query. “Well odd though it may seem, you my dear are as healthy as a horse!”

I shuddered as her reference brought to mind the mummified animal corpses still remaining on the planet. She laughed as she began to enter her examination into the computer; obviously my ‘new’ file.

“At least your young Lieutenant is safe; it’s pretty hard to be impregnated if you are still a virgin.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, “It must be true…because your medical file says so. Of course, it should say so because I just put it there.” She gave a short giggle as she turned toward me and tilted her head slightly to the side.

“At any rate, we need to get your affairs in order…clean you up so to speak.” She smiled at me, and pressed her insignia plate on her chest, "Carmen, please come into my office, I will be in need of your assistance."

From nowhere a young, feminine voice chimed, "Yes, Doctor."

The doctor looked at me and smiled, "We'll have to get you out of that uniform; it's against the law for someone to wear it if they aren't in the service. I'll have my assistant, Carmen get you some civilian clothing and show you how to put it on. I think somewhere under that disheveled appearance, a very pretty young woman is hiding."

As we sat staring at each other, an attractive young woman entered, "Carmen, I need you to select some clothing that is appropriate for this young lady. She has been through a terrifying ordeal, and we want to help her settle in our colony as smoothly as possible. She doesn't know our language yet... but we're hopeful. She seems to be a very intelligent woman, I do believe she is able to understand what we say somewhat."

"I'd be happy to help her out, Doctor." She smiled pleasantly, "Does she have a name?"

I quickly thought back to our conversation in the outer hall, "Christian!" I replied softly.

"Is that her name?" The secretary asked. "Christian?"

The doctor shrugged, "It was the name of the man who found and rescued her." Then she looked at me, "Is that what you want us to call you?"

I smiled and spoke rather loudly, "CHRISTIAN!"

The doctor shrugged and wrote the name in her file, "Christian it is. A little unorthodox, I know it’s used for boy’s names but it's a name as good as any other." As she wrote it down in the folder she had been carrying with her, I assumed it was entered in my permanent file.

My heart soared, because I could continue to use my given name! They had helped in my choice and they weren't even aware of it! Now, if everything else could go so smoothly.

Carmen, gently touched my hair, it was a mess. It seemed that the change had made it much thicker that it ever used to be, although fell slightly down my back and wild tendrils hung before my eyes.

Carmen smiled and held out a lock of my hair, "Looks like we should do something with this first!"

I touched the wild locks as they pointed out in every direction, the doctor smiled at her secretary's suggestion. "That would be as good a place to start as any I guess." With that, I was ushered out of the room and down the hall by Carmen.

Chapter 13

Parker was gone for several hours. I wasn't aware he arrived at his home until I heard the whoosh from the air pistons on the door. I sat up and slid from under the covers, put on a robe Carmen had given me, and slowly made my way into his living room. He was putting away his jacket as I approached and stood behind a tall, old-looking chair. He turned around and smiled broadly.

"Well, hello there!" He pursed his lips as he saw me. "Wow! I can see that they took good care of you while I was gone."

I touched my hair, "I got a haircut; they gave me the works... I couldn't tell them no, especially since they didn't think I could speak the language."

He stepped around the couch and sat down, slowly removing his boots. "That works out well, if you can't speak... you have nothing to divulge."

He studied me for a moment, "Did they fix your hair, or something?"

"Or something... like I told you before, they gave me a cut." I rolled my eyes, repeating what I had just told him only 30 seconds before. "I've been washed, dried, buffed, polished and waxed." He made a face and laughed with each word.

"Looks like they did a good job on you at any rate…it’s shorter but I guess longer than the way you used to have it…before…" He pushed the other boot from his foot. "What they been calling you?"

I smiled and gave a short laugh, "I guess since it's the only thing I've been able to say... they've been calling me ‘Christian’."

Parker chuckled softly, "That works out better than we thought!" He smiled and placed his boots together at the end of the couch. "I'm actually surprised that they let you stay here in my house."

"You suggested that it may be a good idea if I stayed, or had you forgotten?" I folded my arms, leaning against the back of the chair as we talked. "Apparently, they thought it was a pretty good idea."

He shook his head, "I didn't forget. I just wasn't sure that they would let you stay."

"I think something may have given them the impression that we were intimate." I frowned and touched my forehead. "I think that's why Roger was giving you that load of crap!"

"Oh?" Parker laughed, "And what would I have done to give him that impression?"

I looked out the window into the darkness, "One thing was the way you kept protecting me from them. Another was the way I was holding onto you... the last was something that happened when I was with Carmen.”

“Carmen? Do I know this Carmen?” He knitted his brows as he spoke.

“The doctor’s assistant.” I replied .

"And?" He said quietly, waiting for me to divulge the great secret.

"They were showing me how to put on a... bra and..." I rolled my eyes and sadly shook my head. "Carmen was there talking to me about how handsome you were... and..." I hesitated.

"Please continue." He said, "What did you do that would make them think we were intimate?"

As if it all came out with one gush of air I blurted, "My nipples responded to speaking of you and your damn good looks."

He laughed. "I aroused you?"

"I couldn't help it! It wasn’t you but the cool air vents when it kicked on!" I shot back, my lower lip trembling. "It's bad enough looking like a woman, but it sure is hell when your body starts behaving as one!"

He stood up and carried his boots to his bedroom; I followed him with my eyes and continued. "Maybe that’s only a part of it…Eric told me that once a person was infected, the transforming body would crave those things as only a 'real' female would; forcing them to respond like a true ‘genetic’ female. I guess it is some sort of overload on sensory results from the onslaught of the hormones the damn beast infected me with." I looked at the floor and sighed as he returned, wearing only his boxers, then walked past me and into the kitchen. “You weren’t paying any attention to what I just said…” I sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He said as he stood before the replicator and leaned forward to the microphone. “Coffee please, black, one sugar.”

I looked down toward my diminutive feet, trying to avoid letting my eyes linger as the machine in front of Park opened where he could remove his coffee. "It means that I've started to behave like a woman. My sexual orientation is evolving."

Parker sat down his cup, "Well, I hope you aren't going to get all 'girly' on me when I have to tell you the news I have."

"What news is that?" I stepped closer and started to tremble, because the look on his face told me that it wasn't going to be good.

"I'm being deployed…again." He frowned. "I have to ship out next week!"

"But... but, you just got back from a mission!" I couldn't hide the despair in my voice.

"Oh, I'm sure it's all Roger's doing. I've pissed him off and now he's giving me some sort of shit-hole assignment!"

"He can't do that, can he?" I asked. “What about the briefing you gave them about the planet?”

"Can, and is." He sighed. “While they were interested in what I had to say, they have what they call more important issues at hand.”

"Like what? Do you know where you're going?" I said frowning.

He sighed deeply, "There is friction between our colony and the Carthaginian colony... it may be war."

I stared at him incredulously, unbelieving that they would send him out to battle after what he had been through. "What...what happens..."

"I'll clear it so you can remain here, hell; somebody's got to feed the fish."

I involuntarily glanced toward his tank, as the colorful fish swam without a care in the world.

"It'll be okay. Maybe they'll let me come back home for a week or two, after I've been there a year."

I cried, "It just isn't fair, you've already served one assignment! They just can't send you out so soon!"

"You're acting like we're married or something." He replied, "It's a rotten deal, but hell…we’ve both been dealt rotten hands before. It'll pass quickly enough." He glanced at me quickly than looked away, I’m sure he decided I had been dealt the worse hand.

"Yeah, and what happens to me if you are injured? They'll show me the street!" I pointed out the window, in the direction of the road.

"They wouldn't do anything if I was injured... oh." He frowned when I made my point.

He shrugged, "Well, we always could get married. They couldn't kick you out then, if something were to happen to me... that way."

"Forget it! I'm not stooping that low." I despaired, "There has to be a better plan."

"You know, as well as I do, that there isn't any better idea. I'll set it up for Sunday... we'll keep it simple. It’s not like any better plan is going to come up before I leave…is there?"

He folded his arms and set his empty cup back into the replicator where it disappeared instantly. "We can sleep in separate bedrooms, and no one needs to know any differently."

"What will Roger say when he finds out?" I asked, resigning myself to the unavoidable.

"Screw Roger, let him think he was right!" Park swore.

"He scares me." I shuddered. "I don't like him."

"Roger isn't going to be a problem, because he'll be with me." He smiled slowly, "Unfortunate things can happen when you are at war; at least I’ll be able to keep my eye on him."

"That's what I'm afraid of." I sighed, and stared at the floor beneath me.

"Are you worried about me?" He smiled, "That's sweet…in a sort of creepy way."

"It's one of those feminine things that keep happening." I said as I slowly returned to my room. He laughed softly behind me, I glanced back toward the kitchen as the light extinguished.

"Night, Park."

"Good night, Christian," said the voice in the darkened hallway as he passed.

Chapter 14

We had to be married on Sunday because Parker was to leave on the following Monday. The ceremony was quiet and went by with as little fanfare as a leisurely stroll through a store might have gone. That afternoon, I became his wife. Thankfully as he had promised, we stopped short of consummating our marriage and only posed for official imaging portraits. There were no elaborate costumes, no brightly decorated parties…just Park, me and an old Chaplain.

We made one stop at his base so he could inform them of his marital status, signing any official papers prior to leaving on his mission. When we returned to our craft, he was very subdued. I had a feeling that it was a result of him losing his opportunity to find and woo the girl of his dreams…knowing that he was stuck with me.

After our return to his house, he sank into his chair and stared out of the window. I fixed him a drink and carried it back to where he was sitting. I sat up with him for the entire night, each of us, quiet and withdrawn. Finally, when I could stand it no more, I spoke.

"Thanks for doing what you did... you know... marrying me."

He shrugged, "It would have happened to me, sooner or later. At least this way, I can say I REALLY know the girl!"

"You didn't have to do it." I sighed softly, trying to ignore his comment.

"Yeah, I know." He smiled weakly.

"What did Roger say when he found out?" I asked.

"Pretty much what we thought he would say." He chuckled, "Screw him; he'll get his paybacks some day."

"Promise me that it won't be by your hands." I looked into his eyes, searching for some sort of answer.

"I promise. I won't do anything to him…he’s not really worth the effort." He sighed, and then grew quiet. "Could I ask a favor of you, Christian?"

"Sure Park, anything." I replied.

"Uh... could you hold me?" He spoke softly, but I could sense the fear he held in his heart. "Nothing else... just hold me."

Without saying anything, I pulled his head to my chest. As I slowly ran my slender fingers through his thick hair, I could feel the tension and nervousness in his shoulders.

I could have died right there as I sat; it was such a feminine thing to have done. Still, I couldn't bear to push him away... not now. I fought off the mixture of feelings that I had while setting with him and continued to push my feminine fingers through his dark hair, just like the woman I had become.

Like a frightened child, he sobbed softly into my shoulder. Without any coaxing, I felt tears welling in my own eyes.

"I... I'm afraid..." He choked softly, "I don't want to die... out there... alone."

I felt a tear strike my arm, it was his. His crying was causing a maternal sort of weeping of my own which were trailing slowly down my cheeks. "You won't die, Parker." I whispered softly trying to encourage him, he looked up, his eyes glassy from tears. "I'll be with you... right there." I touched his chest. He smiled slowly; I leaned in and before I could stop myself... kissed his forehead.

"Thanks, Christian." He sighed, his voice trembling with emotion, "That means a lot to me."

He slowly let his head fall easily again upon my chest, I gently stroked at his temples. Together we fell asleep in each other's arms, on this, our Honeymoon night.