Highway to Krell - Bisexual Edition

"Stay, I'll come back," she said as she backed out of the room, trying to suppress a grin.

Clayton guided the odd Krell over to the x-ray machine, taking it by the upper arm and directing the creature into the booth. It was a large, blocky device that resembled an oversized photo booth, big enough to accommodate an adult Krell or a particularly large Borealan. Not that the cats ever suffered from broken bones, their skeletons were like tempered steel.

The Krell could easily reach eight feet despite their hunched posture, yet this specimen stood upright with a straight spine, barely skirting six. He needed to get a closer look at its bone structure, maybe figure out if this was some kind of congenital deformity or perhaps a bad case of scoliosis. The alien was compliant and cooperative, as most Krell were, they were notoriously good-natured creatures. Unlike the aforementioned Borealans there would be no clawings or refusals to follow prescribed treatments.

"Stay there and try not to move," he instructed, unsure of whether the alien understood him. He closed the door of the booth and hit the activation switch, the alien standing calmly as it was bombarded with high energy waves. They wouldn't hurt the alien, though it did make Clayton consider that the risk of cancer in the Krell must be extreme due to their absurdly long lifespans, perhaps they had some natural mechanism to defend against it? He would have to do more studies when this assignment was over, perhaps he might be able to find something applicable to human medicine.

The scan only took a moment before the door slid open, releasing the Krell, and a close to life-size image appeared on a vertical monitor embedded in the side of the machine. Clayton examined it, his expression turning to a scowl. This didn't answer any of his questions, it just begged more of them.

The bones glowed in a ghostly white, with soft tissue taking on a shade of blue-grey, some darker interference from the thick scales down the spine and tail clearly outlining the vertebrae. It took a trained eye to interpret the multiple layers of tissue, organs and bone in a way that could be understood, but Reid had not pulled Clayton in off the street. What Clayton was seeing did not make sense to him though. There was no deformity and there was no disease, it looked like a completely healthy Krell with no obvious imperfections. Besides of course the dramatic differences in size, weight and posture. No matter how hard he scrutinized the x-ray he saw neither sign nor show of anything that would indicate that the creature was not intended to be this way.

The spine was straight with no curve to the left or right, the hips and shoulders were even and level, and the bulges of fat that gave the creature such an un-Krell-like figure were composed of normal tissue. As his eyes scanned downwards he did find something of concern however, a dark mass in the pelvic region, tumorous perhaps?

He didn't want to accept it, but a picture was starting to form here, one that looked uncomfortably like sexual dimorphism. He would have to do a physical examination to be sure. The Krell had stepped out of the booth and was standing beside him silently, examining its own x-ray curiously, and it startled Clayton as he turned around.

He snapped on a pair of latex gloves and gestured for it to follow him, moving over to one of the examination tables and instructing the Krell to lie down on it. There were two in the lab, one that was a size appropriate for humans and another that was far larger and reinforced to handle the weight of aliens. The Krell would be fine on the human table, that served to illustrate just how small it was compared to its brethren.

The alien lay on its back, its long, chubby tail falling to the floor as it trailed between its stocky thighs. Clayton wasn't sure how to ask for consent to perform the inspection, was it even necessary? These Krell had no need for clothing due to their internal genitalia and seemed indifferent to the privacy and modesty concerns that plagued humanity, yet performing an invasive examination without expressed permission might not be taken well. He would have to go slowly and be sure to broadcast everything he was about to do.

"I'm going to examine you now, ok?"

He wasn't sure if it understood, but it did not object as his gloved hands moved between its thighs and glanced its genital slit. Outwardly it resembled a low-profile vagina, only a subtle lip tinted blue separating the tightly closed opening from the surrounding underbelly. He used his fingers to gently splay the slit, the Krell shifting a little at his touch but not making any attempt to pull away. Clayton inserted a finger into the upper cloacal tunnel, the primary of the two divided channels that housed the genitals in Krell. If there was some kind of tumorous growth he might be able to feel it through the cloacal wall.

His fingers glanced the underside of what felt like a penile structure, and he was reassured that this was indeed a male Krell, his suspicions of a female somehow sneaking onboard the station were proven wrong. That didn't bode well for the alien though, the dark mass in his abdomen was placed where a uterus might conceivably be, but it was now sure to be a tumor. If he could locate it and perform a biopsy to determine if it was malignant, he could potentially perform surgery to remove the growth.

The Krell shifted its wide hips as he pushed deeper, feeling some kind of abrasion where the genital tunnel should have ended. The Krell seemed to shiver when he touched it, and so he backed off a little, retracting his hand and turning to retrieve a laparoscope from a nearby work surface. It was a camera on a flexible, serpentine arm that could be inserted into body cavities in order to perform keyhole surgery, or to examine something without needing to open up the patient. He plugged one end of the flexible rod into a connector on his headset, lowering the visor over his face and watching as the image from the camera flared to life on a built-in monitor. He positioned the device over the Krell's cloaca, then eased it gently inside as the creature shifted uncomfortably. He watched the display as the camera passed under the penis, a deep blue shaft that clung to the roof of the tunnel and would extend during arousal, the mucosa that lined the walls were tinted a similar shade of dark blue. The penis was far smaller than was common for Krell, but that was not unusual considering the specimen's stature.

The passage seemed oddly moist, some kind of discharge maybe? As he pushed deeper the light from the camera illuminated the end of the cloacal tunnel, and Clayton couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was no tumor or wound, it looked like a cervix. What was going on here? Was this Krell hermaphroditic? Such a rare condition had only occurred a handful of times in human history, while not impossible it was statistically very unlikely. He turned his attention to its penis, and upon closer scrutiny realized that it was too dramatically atrophied to serve its purpose, and in fact had no urethral opening. Was this a clitoris?

Even if this was an alien, basic biology should still apply, he knew that the Krell species had two genders based on his examinations of males of the species. This just didn't make sense, he needed to consult with Sousa.

As if on cue the man walked into the lab, Reid and Dubois following close behind him as he gently placed what looked like a cantaloupe onto a table. He stood with his hands on his hips, beaming.

"Is that...an egg?" Clayton asked, walking around the table and dropping his visor to examine the find, the waiting Krell all but forgotten.

"Indeed it is, the ventilation system above the Krell barracks was packed with them, must have been a hundred eggs up there. We've solved the mystery, there's a damned escaped pet running around in there, I'm sure of it. Reid is off to tell the Chief about it in a moment, then they're going to flush the vents and wash them all out into the vacuum."

"Doctor Clayton, did you discover anything about our patient?" Reid asked, ignoring Sousa's excitement. The man was like a child with a new toy, downright unprofessional.

"Well Ma'am, there are some...oddities. In fact I wanted to consult with Doctor Sousa on the subject, I fear I have reached the limit of my expertise in this case."

"Very well, Doctor Sousa please stay here and help Doctor Clayton, examine your egg too while you're at it. You can report your findings when I return. Mister Dubois and myself will visit Chief Moralez at his office and relay our progress to him. Tell me Doctor, have you seen Miss Webber since we left?"

Clayton shook his head.

"I'm afraid not Ma'am. She hasn't been back here, is she missing?"

"I sent her to the Krell barracks to interview the aliens, but she wasn't there when we returned. I am becoming somewhat concerned, perhaps I'll ask Chief Moralez about it and see if he can put out a request to have her located. Ok Mister Dubois, let's get going. The faster this matter is resolved, the quicker you can be on your way. Stay close to me, Chief Moralez is stationed in the central hub at the moment due to the emergency situation, and only I have clearance."

The surly man followed behind Reid as she left the way she had come, leaving Clayton and Sousa alone with their specimens. Sousa seemed full of energy, he looked to be one new discovery away from climbing the furniture like an overstimulated child.

"What do you have for me Clayton? More mysteries to solve?"

"Indeed, come and take a look at this x-ray."

The two walked across the room to the x-ray booth and the monitor embedded in its face, the Krell lying patiently on the examination table and watching them with its yellow eyes, the quiet creature all but forgotten in the moment.

"I found an anomalous mass in the pelvic region while I was examining the spine for evidence of scoliosis, down here," he said as he pointed to the dark shape. "Looks like a tumor, right? But when I examined the patient, you'll never believe what I discovered."

"It wasn't a tumor?"

"No, the alien appears to have a cervix at the end of the cloaca that houses the genitals, and beyond it I expect a uterus. The reproductive organ itself is so atrophied that I hesitate to call it a penis, I don't see how it could serve that function."

Clayton was taken aback, his mood sobering somewhat as he scowled at the image.

"How can that be? We know from our studies of the male Krell that their species is composed of two sexes. They have a ZW sex determination system, male and female chromosomes, we've mapped their genome. There can't be more than two genders."

"Could it be a mutation? A true hermaphrodite?"

Sousa scratched his stubbly chin, deep in thought.

"The instance of true hermaphrodites occurring in nature is minute, insignificant, I wouldn't believe it if you hadn't shown me the evidence. You're absolutely sure that it's a uterus and not a malignant growth?"

"Yes, I inserted a camera, there's no doubt. Come, I'll show you."

The two walked over to the examination table, and Clayton passed Sousa a pair of latex gloves, the scientists lost in conversation and speculation as they examined the patient. The Krell remained placid and cooperative, seemingly unconcerned as the humans prodded and inspected its nethers, its thick thighs parted to allow them access as its fat tail trailed onto the tiled floor.

After a few minutes Sousa was satisfied, and took a step back from the prone Krell, snapping off his gloves and discarding them. A new theory was forming, one that was decidedly less attractive than a simple loose pet.

"What if the Krell are spontaneously changing sex?"

Clayton shot him a disbelieving look.

"How could that be possible, Sousa?"

"There are precedents for this in nature, West African reed frogs and certain species of fish are known to change their sex from female to male and vice versa when put under enough environmental pressure, housing a hundred males in close quarters with no females for light years might very well cause that to happen. But why now? The Krell have been in contact with the UNN for twenty years, why has this behavior never been observed before?"

"That covers all the bases," Clayton mused, crossing his arms as the Krell cocked its head at him, unable to follow the conversation. "The genetic relation of the lizards to the Krell, why the nests are in the vents above the Krell barracks, it explains how they were able to get onto the station too. Nobody smuggled a female or a pet onboard, the scrubbers are functioning perfectly, they're changing sex only after being admitted to the station."

"I've never seen this happen in such a large animal," Sousa said, glancing at the examination table with a concerned expression. "This is bad, they're going to keep multiplying unless we find a solution, the whole station is at risk."

Clayton's eyes widened, and he took Sousa roughly by the shoulder.

"The vents! Reid is going to purge the vents! They're full of Krell! We can't let them do it!"

"They already set off, they could be half way to the the Chief's office by now."

"God damn it man, they're going to kill the Krell! I have to catch up with them!"

"Run, go now, I'll see if I can call Reid or Moralez on the videophone."

Clayton sprinted out of the building, leaving Sousa alone with the confused Krell, his heart racing as he tried to take in what was happening. It would take them some time to evacuate the buildings connected to the ventilation system shared by the Krell barracks, there would still be time to stop the purge, but if they were successful in initiating it then all of the juvenile Krell that were in the vents would be expelled into space. Including any adults who had ventured into the system to lay their eggs.

He hurried over to the far wall where the videophone was, a blocky device with a monitor and a numeric keypad that could be used to make video calls to other such devices around the station. He used the touch screen to bring up the directory, searching for Reid's name. He let the system ring for a good minute, but there was no reply, perhaps it was her residential address? Next he dialed up Chief Moralez, and again there was no reply. Emergencies would be expected to be called in via the station-wide emergency channel, not reported to the Chief directly, and going through those channels would probably take as long as walking to the damned office himself. He would have to rely on Clayton to get the word to Reid in time.

CHAPTER 5: DOCTOR PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY

Sousa sat down heavily on a nearby chair, going over the fresh information in his head. At this very moment more of the Krell population could be changing gender, had some kind of delayed breeding season brought this on maybe? Some other environment change they weren't aware of? Some reptiles and amphibians were so sensitive to temperature changes that an increase or decrease of just a few degrees was enough to radically alter their behavior and biology. The Krell served in the capacity of living tanks and linebreakers in the UNN though, they must have been exposed to all kinds of exotic environments and nothing like this had ever been recorded before.

The Krell loosed a low, rumbling call, startling Sousa after its prolonged silence. It shook his bones, making the scalpels and medical tools on the work surfaces clatter as the vibrations washed over them. He turned to look back at the alien, seeing its blue reproductive organ emerging from its cloaca, its flared tip dripping with clear fluid. It growled again, the low frequency sound dizzying Sousa as he leaned on a nearby table to steady himself. What was it doing? Some kind of mating call? Was it just tired of them ignoring it? It didn't sound aggressive, but it was deep enough to disorient him. God it was like sitting on an amplifier.

"What's your deal?"

The alien didn't reply, merely observing him with its amber eyes, reptilian pupils tracking him curiously. It loosed another burst of noise from deep in its throat, making Sousa quake. He could feel it in his sinuses, in his bone marrow, his teeth chattering in his head. The alien descended from the examination table, dainty despite its considerably bulk, its claws scratching the tiles as it started to walk slowly towards him. Its heavy tail was dragging along the floor, making a sound like wet leather, its wide hips rolling as it moved.

In this light it looked oddly feminine, but it was female, wasn't it? Or at least it was trying to become a female, due to environmental pressure or some subconscious drive to mate. It had an hourglass figure he realized, a pinched waist and flared hips. It had thick, powerful thighs that tapered into its digitigrade legs, its many toes tipped with dull claws. Its body was streamlined for swimming, the powerful tail used like an oar to direct it in the water, the muscles to drive it contained within a considerable posterior. Its shoulders had narrowed compared to the other Krell, muscle melting away to give its upper body a slight appearance. It had no breasts to speak of, reptiles and amphibians did not nurse their young after all, but the chest and belly had a pleasant paunch to them that made them look as if they would be soft and malleable to the touch.

It rumbled again as it approached him, more of a deep purr this time, like heavy bass in his ears. Dazed, he realized it had pushed right up against him, its dull claws resting against his chest. The Krell was only a couple of inches taller than him as it pushed its short snout into the nape of his neck, breathing in his scent, the warmth of its breath tickling his skin.

"You're certainly...willful, aren't you?"

It rubbed its cheek against his, nuzzling like a house cat, the scales that looked as if they should be rough to the touch from a distance were revealed to be smooth and soft like skin. It was cool, its body temperature lower than his, and it placed its palm on his face as if trying to sap his heat.

Sousa didn't know what to do, should he push the alien away? Scold it? They might have no concept of personal space judging by the way they piled on top of eachother while basking in their shallow pools. He decided to try to let the creature down gently, and took its many-fingered hand, pulling it away from his face. He placed his other hand on its narrow shoulder, preparing to ease the alien away from him, but it didn't seem to be getting the picture.

It loosed another reverberating call, almost enough to make Sousa buckle at such close range, and then its long tongue flopped out of its short snout to drag across his throat. Sousa tensed, the hot, slimy organ licking his chest and neck, an erection growing in his pants of its own accord. The Krell seemed to notice, pressing its thick thigh into his groin, could it sense the warmth coming off it?

He felt its jagged teeth prick his neck, the alien having no lips with which to kiss him, instead tasting his skin as if it were enjoying the flavor of his sweat. God that tongue was long and thick, like some kind of rubbery snake as it sampled him, strong and powerful too. It pressed up against him, its chubby underbelly rubbing against his lab coat, and Sousa couldn't find anywhere to put his hands. He held them in the air as it frotted, afraid to encourage it by touching its body, a comparatively small erection in relation to its stature poking him. It pushed its soft thigh into his crotch more ardently, sending a throb of pleasure through his hardening member as it was compressed between his belly and the Krell's leg, Sousa's resolve weakening.

He wasn't exactly a demure man, being born and educated in Brazil and being no stranger to Rio's night scene he was accustomed to a less inhibited lifestyle than some of his colleagues, and he felt a familiar spark of desire at the Krell's clumsy attempts at seduction. He could probably reign it in, but it wasn't as if anyone might walk in on them, and he had nothing to do while waiting for Clayton to alert Reid...