Mutationem

by Phoenix Jericho

  The quiet disappeared as the colony’s siren sounded. It was an alert. Grabbing the baby, Libby leapt up, ripping her breast out of Hope’s mouth, and ran towards the entrance to Med Bay.

  The view that greeted her was one she would never forget. Her Mimi was on the floor. She had fallen out of the hover chair, her eyes open and unblinking.

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Sophi picked up the telecom helmet and pulled it down over her head. Snapping the chin strap into place, she activated the launch sequence. All systems were responding normally, so she throttled up the drone. Its silent rotors whined to life, and the drone hovered, but only briefly, and then settled back down in the clearing.

  “It’s heavy,” said Sophi.

  “Give it more power. It can handle the load,” said Merc.

  As Sophi increased the throttle to max thrust, the drone shuddered, then lifted off the ground gracefully. Merc, aided by Sophi and her crew in Engineering, had worked around the clock for the last four days retrofitting the drone. They had added another two rotors, beefed up its exoskeleton, and reprogrammed its computer to compensate for the changed aerodynamic shape of the drone and its piggybacked cargo.

  Suspended beneath the drone was a polished aluminum case that had been cleverly molded by Engineering. It was perfectly smooth—there wasn’t a single sharp line evident, and no locking or opening mechanism could be seen protruding. Its polished outline reflected the suns’ rays and acted like a mirror hanging beneath the black shape of the drone, like a bird carrying a gleaming fish in its talons.

  The crew was standing outside in the clearing, their faces tilted towards the sky. They watched as the drone rose high and disappeared. It was gone to all eyes except Sophi’s; she still had it in sight in the telecom helmet.

  “Initiating separation in five, four, three, two, one.”

  A pencil-thin bright light appeared in the sky, leaving behind it a white billowing vapor trail. It was moving rapidly and quickly disappeared.

  “If we did the calculations right, it should be leaving the planet’s atmosphere in about ten more minutes,” stated Merc.

  A black speck in the sky got larger—the returning drone. Within several minutes it had landed in the clearing at its initial starting point. Its polished aluminum cargo had been jettisoned at approximately forty thousand feet, and a modified pararescue-pack rocket engine mounted in the aluminum case had ignited. This was what had become visible as it burned, leaving the vapor trail behind in its wake. The rocket engine had just enough thrust and burn to get the aluminum case in a low orbit around Alpha-64.

  Clearing her throat, Captain Kriss said, “Four days ago we lost another crewmate. She was the most intelligent human being I have ever known. Her inventions and insight truly influenced many scientific circles on Earth. We would never have made it here without Connie. Our chief science officer can never be replaced, and I only hope that Libby and Pickle can carry on her legacy. It is fitting that she be remembered in a dramatic way, as Connie was anything but ordinary.”

  Looking at her watch, Kriss said, “It is almost time. Please repeat after me. ‘Dust to dust or so they say, it makes no sense, it’s just the way . . .’”

  The crew completed the verse and was halfway through repeating it when a bright light went streaking across the sky. It made a perfect illuminated arc, burning out before it disappeared from the curvature of the planet. The aluminum coffin holding Connie incinerated, her atomized body now a part of the planet’s atmosphere.

  “I may be the head of the colony, but Connie was the lifeblood. She was the heart,” Kriss said reverently. “Let’s take in a deep breath. As we breathe in, we are inhaling Connie. May she always be in us.”

  Taking in a deep breath, Kriss touched her heart with her hand, kissed it, then raised it skyward to where the meteor had just been.

  “We have just witnessed Connie’s life. She was a burning star,” Kriss said softly.

  Libby was sitting on the ground, sadness etched in every line of her face. The death of her mother and now Mimi were almost all she could bear. On the inside she was empty and felt helpless, but on the outside she tried to be brave. She had her arm around Hope’s waist and cradled her protectively.

  “Mommy, will I ever see Nana again?” asked Hope.

  “No, baby, she’s gone.”

  “Will you burn up like that in the sky?”

  “Not for a long time, sweetheart. I promise.”

  *

  The next day was a somber one. Kriss hadn’t seen Smitty all morning and was concerned by her absence, so she went looking for her. Kriss was keenly aware that Smitty was suffering with a great depression. Kriss considered Smitty an equal even though she outranked her, and because of this bond, Kriss knew something was wrong.

  On an observation veranda off of Command, Kriss finally found the first mate. Walking in softly, Kriss cleared her throat. “Didn’t see you at breakfast this morning.”

  Without waiting for a response, Kriss went on. “I know I shouldn’t admit it, but I’m scared to death that our colony is doomed. I haven’t dreamt about my husband in weeks, and that makes me feel guilty. I think a little piece of me dies each day that I’m alive on this planet. I’m losing hope, and I have no more answers or solutions.”

  Kriss’s voice wavered. Smitty turned to look at Kriss, and as the captain continued to talk, she lowered the bolt gun that had been placed under her chin.

  Seeing this peripheral movement, Kriss turned and looked Smitty in the eyes. “Wait here a moment. I’ll be right back.”

  Minutes later, Kriss returned with a wooden box and two glasses. With curiosity, Smitty watched Kriss open the box and slide out a bottle filled with a dark liquid.

  “What is it, sir?”

  Without answering, Kriss pulled the cork out with her teeth and handed the glasses to Smitty. She poured a splash into each glass and swallowed hers in one large swig. Without hesitation, Smitty did the same. She let out a little gasp.

  “I’ve never drank alcohol before,” said Smitty. “How did you get it, sir?”

  “A case of it has been passed down from one generation to another in my family,” replied Kriss. “I figured we could use a shot or two right now.”

  Pouring another round, Kriss let out a low, satisfied moan. “Five centuries old, and it still has a powerful kick.”

  Smitty coughed after swallowing her second round. Laughing, Kriss put her arm around Smitty’s shoulder.

  “I just want you to know how important you are to me,” said Kriss. “I know I don’t say kind words often, but just because I don’t say them doesn’t mean I don’t feel them. You are my right arm, and without you I would be lost. I’m always here for you if you need me.”

  “Thank you, sir. I feel the same way,” said Smitty.

  “Don’t call me sir, dammit. When we drink together, we are equals,” said the captain.

  “Yes, sir. I mean, yes, Kriss,” replied Smitty.

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  The double-bitted axe made a loud splitting noise as it cleanly separated an eighteen-inch pine log. Picking up one of the halves and placing it on the chopping block, the man swung the axe again and cut this piece right down the middle as well.

  The man wasn’t aware that he was being watched. Smitty never got tired of watching his body while it worked. Rocky was her high school sweetheart; once they had become an item, she had never dated anyone else. After high school graduation, she had followed him to the Olympics, where he had out-wrestled the Russian-Chinese Alliance’s best athlete to win the gold medal.

  The Rock, as she called him, was her rock in life. He was someone she could always rely on, and he had never let her down. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. As he swung the axe, his muscles rippled down his arms and across his back, the sweat beading on his skin in the hot
sunlight.

  Rocky wasn’t wearing a shirt; he had on a pair of faded jeans that were tucked into laced-up, brown work boots. He loved wearing heavy, red socks, and insisted on rolling them up over the tops of the boots. They added style, he told Smitty. She thought it looked silly, but some things a woman can’t change in a man, and his socks were one of them.

  The farm was beautiful. It was a multigenerational property, and when Rock Senior passed, it would be her man’s. He’d had the opportunity to go to college and do more with his life; Yale University had offered him a free ride if he would wrestle for them. But, her Rock had turned them down, and that was something else she couldn’t change about him: his love for this farm.

  It was four sections of land and had just the right ratio of timber, meadows, hay fields, and water to run five hundred head of momma cows and their calves. It was a 2,500-acre paradise, and was worth a small fortune as the largest privately owned land in the Grand Tetons. All the cattle were registered Angus. Every generation before ran the same breed. As a little boy, Rocky, riding in front of his grandfather on a saddled horse, was taught the history of the ranch, and even though he fell asleep on many of those rides, his subconscious still heard his grandfather’s voice.

  Smitty snuck up behind Rocky and, without warning, threw a pail of ice-cold spring water across his back. Over her shoulder as she ran away, she yelled, “Catch me if you can!”

  Even though he was hot and sweaty, the shock of the cold water felt like a million splinters of ice stabbing into his back all at once. Wheeling around, he dropped the axe and sprinted after Smitty. The chase was on.

  Smitty was smaller and more agile, so she darted from side to side. The Rock was much bigger and faster and tried to cut her serpentine run into straight-line tangents. Sometimes he guessed right and gained on her, and other times she lengthened the lead.

  Running down a cow trail under a big Douglas fir, Smitty climbed onto a flat outcropping of limestone and began to take her clothes off. All she had on was a T-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts, and before the Rock could catch her, she was naked. Jumping up and down to tease him with the movement of her breasts, she yelled, “Hurry up, slowpoke!”

  With one final lunge, he reached for Smitty, only to have his fingers close on empty air. She leaped backwards and, arching her back, slid her naked body into the water. Rocky jumped in after her into the exact same spot. You would have thought he was going to crush her, but Smitty was wise to his ways.

  Kicking up, she rose to the pond’s surface, popping up about ten feet away from the struggling form of Rocky. His work boots and jeans were still on, and they weighed him down in the water.

  “What’s wrong, baby? If you weren’t wearing those red socks, you might be able to catch me.”

  “Ambushing a guy with freezing water is a cowardly way to win a race,” Rocky said.

  Turning towards the shore, he struggled to the pond’s edge, and as he did, Smitty glided up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling herself to him, she pressed her breasts against his back. The water was cold and her nipples were hard.

  Breathing heavily into his ear, she said, “I have lunch ready for you.”

  Despite being outrun, his face lit up with pleasure. “Don’t think I’m not going to punish you when I get you to shore, you little rat.”

  “I’d be extremely disappointed if you didn’t,” Smitty whispered. Playfully she bit down on his ear and pushed off from him just in time to escape his hands. Beating him to shore, she reached out to help him get out. As soon as she reached for him, he grabbed her, lifting her high and throwing her over his head back into the water.

  Not to be outdone, she kicked off from his shoulders and made a perfect backwards arc. Despite himself, Rocky had to smile.

  “When did you get home, baby?” he asked when she resurfaced.

  “I just flew in and came straight here because I’ve missed you.”

  Swimming up to the edge of the pond, Rocky pulled Smitty out of the water and kissed her passionately. “I’m glad you’re home. I’ve missed my friends,” he said as he put his hands on her breasts and squeezed.

  Leaning down, he wrapped his lips around her left nipple and gently sucked on it, his mouth warm.

  “We’ll have dessert in a minute, but I have lunch laid out for us already,” she cooed.

  Rocky growled like a crazy animal and forced his face against her right breast, biting down on her nipple.

  “Stop it! You’re hurting me!” Smitty said playfully.

  Releasing her nipple, he looked into her eyes. “If I only kissed one, the other would have gotten jealous. I’m not kissing them because I want to. I’m just doing it to keep them happy.”

  “Yeah right, I’ll believe that when cows learn to fly.”

  “I’m starved. Where is our lunch?” asked Rocky.

  “Follow me, silly.” Smitty held his hand and led him towards a thick, red blanket spread out in the sun away from the giant fir’s shade. Smitty had a picnic hamper full of sandwiches and fresh fruit and a chilled bottle of wine. The bright summer sunlight felt good on their naked skin and warmed them both.

  Rocky struggled to get his wet jeans off and finally managed it with Smitty pulling one pant leg off at a time. Seeing him on the blanket completely naked made Smitty realize how hungry she really was, and it wasn’t for food.

  With a carnal hunger, she jumped onto his reclining body and straddled his legs. Reaching down, she placed her hands on his chest and traced its outline. Then she moved lower and stuck her fingertips into the grooves of his abs. First she played with the top set and then teasingly the next set until finally she was at the bottom of the six-pack. Her favorite muscles were his “v” muscles that pointed to his groin. She caressed these and made her way lower until she saw something begin to stir. “I think someone missed me,” she whispered in a low, husky voice.

  As he reached up to touch her, Smitty stopped him. “Not yet, honey. You just lie there.”

  She wrapped her hand around his cock and pulled it, allowing her hand to gently stretch it and then pass through her fingers. The penis became thickly filled with blood, and a large vein protruded down the length of the shaft. The warmth of her hand and the sunlight soon made Rocky very hard, and he softly moaned in pleasure.

  “I want to be in you,” he pleaded.

  “Soon, honey. Enjoy the tease. I will give you my pussy soon,” said Smitty.

  Forcing the rigid shaft down towards his thighs made it even harder, and instead of stroking it in an upright manner, she pulled it towards herself with an overhanded grip. This new position was all Rocky could stand. It was double the pleasure, and he started to moan loudly.

  Sliding her body farther up Rocky’s legs brought Smitty’s pussy closer to his stretched cock’s tip until finally its swollen head could touch her lips and clit. Using it like a human dildo, Smitty rubbed it on herself, first coating it with her wet precum from her vaginal folds, then sliding it up to her clit and moving it right and left. Each time it slid over her clit, the harder it became, until the dick’s head felt like a big, thick finger rubbing her outer G-spot.

  Smitty pushed the stretched penis down even farther between Rocky’s legs and slid her body closer until finally she was over his dick. It wasn’t inside her but under her, and both her lips encased the shaft. With delicate ease she began to slide her pussy up and down his shaft like a set of oral lips, never quite letting the tip find its way home. She could feel the vein in his cock, and its prominence excited her. Back and forth she rode it like a glider rocker until neither of them could take it anymore.

  Raising up slightly and moving her nipple closer so he could take it in his mouth, she sat back down hard and swallowed the entire length of the shaft in one motion, the tip penetrating her with its springlike stiffness. Letting out a loud moan, she rose and fell again and again
. Rocky began to rise and meet her thrusts in a vigorous rhythm, and soon a loud, wet, slapping noise began. The wetter the noise, the more it aroused them.

  “I’m going to cum!” Smitty said frantically. “I want you to cum with me!”

  Hearing this command from his lover brought Rocky immediately to climax, and as Smitty orgasmed, he filled her with his cum. His manhood contracted four strong times, and he felt the pleasure of release.

  “God, I missed you,” said Smitty.

  Still straddling him, she laid her head on his chest. Rocky ran his fingers through her hair and brushed the outline of her eyebrows with the tips of his fingers. Closing her eyes, Smitty soaked up her lover’s touch and tried not to think about what she had come to tell Rocky. She knew it would kill him.

  She had been chosen as a crew member aboard a new scientific research spaceship. He wouldn’t understand, but she had to do it. Instinctively she knew it was her calling. She would promise to marry him when she got back, but would that promise be enough to keep him? She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her rock, but space was calling and she couldn’t say no.

  *

  Kriss was in bed wearing a black nightie that her husband had bought her for their last anniversary. She had never worn it before tonight.

  “Honey, come kiss me good night. I’m going to sleep.”

  At first she heard nothing; then a telltale squeak from a loose board in a lower stair indicated he was coming. She saw the top of his head in the bottom of the mirror hung on the wall at the top of the stairs. Soon his torso appeared, and eventually his whole body was reflected in the mirror.

  Kip was tall and painfully thin. Even in his pjs and bathrobe he looked skinny. He had on small, round glasses and was holding a thick, hardbound book under one arm. As he reached the top of the stairs, he paused to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimly lit bedroom. At first, he could only see the flickering light of a tall, slender candle sitting on a nightstand beside the bed. But as his eyes adjusted to the darkened room, he could see a naked leg sticking out from under the covers. As his eyes traced its length from the foot up to her hip, he saw the black, lacy strap.