Delphian Blue

"Well, this is by far the most extraordinary situation I've come across anywhere. There are so many anomalies and unknowns. First things first. Alicia is completely safe and well and in deep sleep. I have not made any attempt to wake her artificially, as the MedScan indicates that she will probably do so of her own accord. Her strange brain wave readings indicate that she is dreaming - not patchy like most people dreaming, but continuously."

Doctor Sanja Yasoda had gathered the team around the bed of the peacefully sleeping girl. It was an hour since Alicia had been brought in and although she seemed unharmed - everyone was a bit on tenterhooks. The whole mission had changed. The job they came to do should have been a relaxed, exploratory expedition to a "safe planet" with no higher life-forms. Now, they were in a situation, with a seemingly hostile intelligence, whose qualities and abilities seemed unquantifiable.

Sanja continued, "Now you Mimette were there on the last expedition when she was attacked by some quadruped."

"Yeah, Styraxian bear."

"Right .... and the rest of you were aware of the scars on her stomach from that attack. Well, look at this."

She pulled back the coverings from Alicia's midsection.

"My God," gasped Mimette, "Nothing - they've gone. No scars."

"Not only that. This is no longer the body of a thirty-eight year old woman. All cellular atrophy has halted and even reversed. Just look at her face. There are no crows feet around her eyes anymore. She's lost ten years biologically, maybe more. Internally, no residual hint of childhood asthma or traces of any of the minor problems on her medical record and even no evidence of dental work. She's better than one hundred percent. Physically, that is. As you can see she does not respond to stimulus, although she has released tears."

"Something really strange going on here." Suki spoke for them all as they clustered around the transformed woman.

"Looking at her makes me feel like I've taken some kind of psychedelic, maybe from those petals," said Miko, "but it only happens when I look at her. This is weird or what."

"A couple of other things. Talking of those petals. Come over here." The Doctor led them over to a batch of view-screens. "Tests on the petals have come up with molecules that don't fit into any of our science, as far as my knowledge and the computer's programs can tell. This unknown molecular substance can disappear completely and reappear at random. It also - and this is possibly the important bit - seems to be able to alter the cellular structure around it, strengthening, invigorating and even reversing normal cellular entropy. It is too early to know whether this is a lasting condition or whether it will level out or even - suddenly collapse. I've found the same strange molecules in a substance I found in Alicia's hair and in samples taken from her mouth and vagina."

"So are you saying that Alicia was raped by something that squirts the fountain of life when it gets horny?"

"That's crudely put Mimette, but going on the evidence it just might be true."

"I don't know whether to be scared or to celebrate madly. Look Sanja, if what you say is true about this alien chemical, then this could be the find of the century .... I mean honestly, the mind boggles. Fountain of life - elixir of fucking youth. Wow!"

"Yes. Well! I think we ought to keep a lid on it." said Miko abruptly. "Can you imagine the interest in this? The big boys would be down on us like a shot. We'd be elbowed out of the way in no time. Inundated. And we don't know whether it's going to be a disaster yet. Let's see what happens to Alicia."

"So I don't contact the FED about this yet, then?" Mimette looked round at the faces.

"Let's just see what we've got first .... there are so many unknowns." said Sanja.

"I've got a strange feeling about this," murmured Suki. "Call it an intuitive female thing if you like, but I think there is strong destiny afoot here. This is an all female expedition. This is just between us women. I mean - what happened to Alicia .... Everything. Look, there is a reason for this and why it's happening to us. No men - for once. No Federation, not until we know what we've got and what we are going to do with it."

"Well then," said Mimette "I don't report on this yet? Is that it? Right then, we're all agreed". She turned and went back to the head of Alicia's bed, reached out and gently brushed away a strand of hair from her friend's pretty face.

"Jeeze Alicia," she said "you look even younger than me now. You know, that must have been one helluva fu .... What - hey! - She's moving .... "

Alicia stretched out and started to murmur and yawn

"I think she's waking up."

The others gathered quickly around the bed. Sanja reached for her pulse and kept an eye on the MedScan.

Alicia finished her long sleepy yawn and her eyes suddenly opened.

They all jumped, for her eyes were so strong - and no longer baby-blue - but purple.