SpiralledEye
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Little Grey Transformations [Roswell Grey TF Story]
🕑 Added 2025-01-31 20:00:04 +0000 UTCCommissioned Anonymously
After watching a mysterious broadcast, Paul and his wife Jade become grey-skinned aliens with genius-level intellects. Now possessing mental abilities far beyond any human, they decide to put them to the test and build a spaceship to go in search of their own kind. Of course, that is easier said than done.
~
Paul watched the TV screen with disinterest as Jade flicked through the channels. There was nothing on: a game show, a cooking contest, or re-runs of some soap opera the world stopped caring about decades ago.
“This wouldn’t be a problem if you’d let me sign up for streaming.” He sighed. “Then we’d have plenty of choices for things to watch.”
“We can’t justify the cost, not when dozens of channels are already at our fingertips for free.”
Paul sighed. She was right; money had been tight for months ever since they both had their hours reduced. Between them, they barely had one full-time wage, and it wasn’t a high one either. It was the twenty-first century, and men weren’t supposed to be providers any more, but Paul couldn’t shake the shame of it. Jade was an amazing woman, and when they got married, he promised her the best life he could give her. Right now, that meant a crappy apartment, the same simple meals every week and their date nights being nothing more than watching whatever was on TV together. Hardly the romantic dinner or spur-of-the-moment trips she deserved. Jade loved travelling, yet her passport sat unused in their dresser, unused, for so long.
“I heard once that if you move the aerial into just the right position, you can pick up somebody else's cable,” Jade said. After a moment, Paul shrugged.
“Why not?”
He got to his feet and started fiddling with the TV antenna, watching the screen fill with static and lines each time he pulled it in a new direction. He was about to give up when the screen began to clear, and the image of a spaceship appeared on the screen.
“Change Channel? I have never even heard of this before.” She said, “Looks like some sort of sci-fi movie is on, though, that could be fun.”
The screen was filled with grey-skinned aliens with large heads and black, glassy eyes—the stereotypical little grey men from fan culture. They even had a flying saucer.
“This looks cheesy,” Paul grinned. “I’m down.”
He opened his arms, and Jade snuggled into them. Her curly brown hair tickled his nose, and he held her close.
“One day soon, I’m going to find a way for us to have a proper date; I’ll take you on a real adventure again.”
“See, we won't need extra money to have fun.” Jade grinned, nuzzling her head under his chin. “We have each other, that’s enough.”
“Each other and cheesy movies.”
“Exactly.”
They settled in and snickered at the strange plot. The whole movie was in some foreign language neither of them could decipher, and the channel hadn't thought to provide subtitles. In a way, that made things all the more entertaining as they tried to guess what was going on.
“Do you think those two are in love?” Jade snickered.
“Are they even the same pair from the previous scene? They all look the same!”
“No, that one’s eyes are four millimetres higher than the guy from the other scene.”
Paul scoffed, then realised Jade was serious.
“What are you talking about? That measurement is so tiny, you can’t tell!”
“I don’t know…I just can.”
Paul peered at the screen. Now that she mentioned it, if he focused, he could see it, too. Tiny details seemed so much clearer, and estimating the measurements was almost second nature. He tried to open his mouth to say something but found his jaw locked in place, not by his own body but by Jade’s. Her skull was pressing up against his chin so hard that it locked his jaw in place. He turned his head to the side to try and readjust and almost immediately lost his balance.
“Hey, what the hell?!”
His head felt heavy and wrong as if it were too big for his frame.
“Are you alright? Jade asked, turning and then immediately freezing in place. “P-Paul? What's wrong with your eyes!”
“What do you mean?” He lifted a hand to his face, feeling around the edges of his eyes and finding they seemed far too big.
“They’re huge, so is your head and…and your eyes are all black!”
Even as she said it, Paul watched in shock as Jade’s eyes seemed to transform. They grew large, the pupils dilating so large that they covered the entire iris, then the whites until there was nothing but shiny black in their place. It wasn't just her eyes that were changing either; her hair was disappearing and receding back into her skull until there was nothing but a shiny bald head left. Paul raised a hand to his skull and felt nothing but smooth skin. He’d been so focused on Jade changing he hadn’t noticed his own hair disappearing.
“What is happening?” Jade cried. “We look like…those aliens from the movie!”
It was true! While their heads were growing, their bodies seemed to be shrinking. Paul watched as his arms grew longer and thin, with spindly fingers twice their usual length. His legs thinned as well, and his feet along with them; most concerning of all, though, was what was happening between his legs. He could feel his manhood disappearing, and for a moment, he felt scared he would grow a vagina in its place. Instead, there was nothing; the skin there stayed smooth like a child’s doll, totally featureless.
His clothing hung off his tiny, frail frame, and Jade looked just the same. If anything she looked even stranger with an obviously empty bra hanging off her chest against her oversized shirt. Both of them now had smooth, grey skin, were totally bald with long arms and big heads. Just like the aliens from the film. Paul blinked his huge eyes in disbelief, returning to the screen only to find it full of static.
“Oh no, you don’t!”
His voice now had a warble to it that made him sound almost artificial, but he ignored that for now. Instead, he focused on trying to adjust the antenna to recapture the signal.
“What are you doing?” Asked Jade.
“Trying to adjust this, that strange broadcast had to be the source of this change. Perhaps if I can find it again, we can change ourselves back.”
“You sound…oddly formal at this moment.”
“So do you.”
They both froze, and Jade swallowed nervously.
“Here, I will assist you.”
Their long, dexterous fingers made making minute changes to the aerials' position easy, and Paul felt like his brain was running a mile a minute. He could think faster than he could speak, and with Jade’s help, they were soon picking up signals from all sorts of cable channels—but not the one that had transformed them.
“There is only one conclusion to draw,” Jade said. “That signal must have been created to change us or whoever viewed it. Once its job was done, it was shut off by whoever turned it on in the first place.”
“But for what purpose?”
“I cannot be sure, unless you have a hypothesis.”
“I do not.”
“Unfortunate.”
There was silence for a moment before Jade started to get undressed.
“What are you doing?”
“Aren’t you curious?”
Paul couldn’t argue with that. He kicked off his pants and underwear but immediately realised he had a problem with his shirt. Unlike Jade who was wearing a blouse that could be unbuttoned, he was in a shirt. A shirt that was now too small to fit over his huge head.
“You’re going to have to cut it,” Jade said with a sigh.
“But it was my favourite.”
“It’s not like you can fit in it anymore.”
“You’re talking like we’ll never change back; this only just occurred.”
“Yes, but given the fact that we have no idea how it happened, why or how to start looking for a cure, I would say it’s only natural to assume we will be like this for a while.”
“...That’s a lot of fancy words to say, ‘don’t be a baby and cut your shirt off’.”
Jade smirked and crossed her long arms.
“I can say that too, if you like.”
Paul chuckled; despite all the extra thoughts rattling away in his brain and both of their odd new academic styles of speaking, it was good to see that they were still themselves, deep down, even if only a little. Jade picked up the kitchen scissors, and a few snips later, what remained of his shirt was fluttering to the ground, and they were both naked.
However, Paul didn't feel exposed; judging by how Jade examined herself, she didn't either. And why should they? Their bodies were featureless, smooth grey skin all over, with no genitals or breasts of any kind. In fact, next to one another, they seemed almost identical.
“What are we going to do?” Jade asked, her voice trembling. “We can't go out like this. We’ll be shipped off to some government facility and experimented on, or worse, dissected.”
“That’s if they even believe we’re humans at all, which I doubt.” Paul bit his lip. “No, we need to figure out some way to hide ourselves.”
Jade ran her long-fingered hands over their huge skulls with fascination.
“Is your mind running faster?”
“Yes. It’s actually starting to give me a headache. Or maybe that’s because my skull just grew three sizes.”
Jade giggled. The sound was odd, like a mixture of regular laughter and a tinkling bell. It was stupid, but Paul started laughing as well. Once they started, neither could stop. Nervous energy exploded out of them in fits of laughter until they finally managed to get themselves under control.
“T-this is ridiculous,” Paul said finally. “I’d assume we were dreaming, but the presence of such physical sensations and linear narrative make it obvious this is really happening.”
“Linear narrative?”
“It means things are happening in the correct order.”
“Yes, I know, but how do you know what? Actually, how do I know that?”
They both tilted their heads to the side quizzically.
“It seems like these changes have been more than physical.”
“A reasonable conclusion.”
Jade woke fast, faster than she ever had. There was no slow rise to consciousness; simple black, dreamless sleep followed by her eyes snapping open and her mind fully alert. For a moment she stayed still, waiting for whatever woke her to become obvious but there was nothing. Paul’s side of the bed was empty and the sheets cold, he’d been up for a while.
“I guess fast wake-ups are another thing I must get used to.”
She swung her legs over the bed and sat up, regarding the room around her. Getting dressed seemed like a waste of time; even if she had something that fit, she didn;t feel naked, not in the traditional sense. Her body was naturally stiff now and moved almost robotically; her long arms hung rigidly at her side without the natural sway that came when humans walked. It didn't feel wrong, but it didn't feel right either.
“Paul, where are you?”
“In the living room.”
Jade stepped out into the living room and felt something crunch under her foot. It was paper. Half the room was coated in paper, and Paul sat in the middle of it all, scribbling away.
“What are you doing?”
“Planning,” Paul said simply. “I think I have figured out what’s going on.”
He looked up at her with his large black orbs. Despite the lack of pupils, they were oddly expressive, and Jade could see they were filled with hope.
“That broadcast is what transformed us, so it stands to reason the aliens in it were real, just like we are.”
“And you want to try and find them,” Jade concluded. “That would make sense; they must be the ones who sent the broadcast to do this for whatever reason.”
“Which means we need a ship.”
If somebody had told Jade that her husband would seriously suggest building a spaceship a few days ago, she’d have laughed in their face. Now, though, with her new mind and their situation, it seemed like the most logical thing in the world. She picked up a few of the pages from the floor; they were covered in calculations that should have made her head spin: combustion and thrust calculations, air resistance for take-off and other such things. She nodded approvingly.
“You forgot to carry-”
“The three, I know. I compensated for redid that page over here.”
Paul pointed to another pile of notes, which Jade picked up and checked over. Her heart began to beat inside her tiny grey chest. This was happening, they were going to build a spaceship! Her fingers trembled in excitement, and Paul looked up with concern.
“It’s alright, love. We’ll figure this out and get our old bodies back. I promise.”
“No, it’s not that. Space…I have been wanting to travel for so long, but never in a thousand years did I think I would go into space.”
“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself. We still need to figure out if we can even make a ship or power it.”
“I know, I just…this is so exciting!”
She sat beside Paul and grabbed a pencil, ready to help. Designing a spaceship would have been a fool's dream just twenty-four hours ago, but now it was within her grasp. All the maths she’d forgotten since college came flooding back, and a quick search on the internet was all she needed to pick up any gaps. It wasn't like their brains had been given new information, it was more like their processing power had tripled. Jade could remember almost anything if she thought long enough, even the most tiny details of her life. So, looking up advanced thermodynamics and mathematics online was a cinch. She read through three dissertations on the subject of space flight in a matter of minutes, and Paul wasn’t far behind.
“This is incredible. I don't think I could bear to go back to my old brain after this.” She said after a few hours. “It would be like trying to think through molasses.”
“It seems the neurons in our brains are now firing at approximately three times the normal human level. A human brain simply could not take that sort of strain without debilitating neurological side effects.”
Jade looked at him with surprise, and Paul shrugged.
“I have been reading medical journals between doing calculations, just for fun.”
“I bet you never thought you would do that.”
“Educate myself for fun? No, a shame, really, think of all I could have learned if I’d adopted this mindset sooner!”
The two of them giggled, only to be interrupted by the harsh ringing of Jade’s phone. She picked it up and froze at the caller ID.
“Oh shit. It’s work.”
“Oh fuck, I totally forgot you were on today.”
“Thirty minutes ago, to be precise.”
Jade bit her lip as the ringing stopped. Her boss would be trying again any second now, what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t exactly go in looking like this! But they couldn't afford for one of them to get fired right now, either. A second later, the screen lit up again, and her boss’ ID flashed on the screen.
“You have to answer.”
“I know! I know! Um, alright, here goes nothing.” Jade cleared her throat and answered. “Hello?”
“Jade! Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be stacking shelves half an hour ago!”
“S-sorry sir, I…caught a cold and overslept.”
“Caught a cold. Really?” He didn't sound convinced at all. “If you’re going to fake sick, at least have the decency to call in before your shift! And get a voice modulator that actually sounds like a sick person, not a synth.”
“I’m not using-”
“I don’t want your excuses; either get here or don’t show up tomorrow!”
Click.
All of a sudden, the wonder of going to space was gone, replaced with cold dread. Their adventure would never happen if she lost her job! Not to mention Paul would be in the same situation tomorrow! They only had enough money in their savings for a few months of rent tops.
“Don't worry, we will figure something out.” Paul soothed, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. “The money will last us a little longer than that.”
“I know but-wait, how did you know I was thinking about the rent?”
“Thinking? You said it out loud.”
“...No, I didn’t.”
Their brows knitted together in confusion, and Paul cocked his head to the side. His eyes narrowed, and a moment later, his voice echoed in Jade’s mind.
“Can you hear this?”
Jade felt her jaw drop; his mouth hadn't moved at all!
“Yes! How did you do that?”
“The same way you did, I expect. It seems these big heads are for more than just thinking fast.”
Stress temporarily forgotten, Jade clapped her hands in excitement and focused.
“This is amazing!” She thought Paul grinned right back at her.
“Doesn't solve our current predicament, though.”
Jade pouted; why’d he have to spoil her good mood like that? She began to pace, her now genius-level intellect coming up dry. She was a simple shelf stacker at a supermarket; there was no way for her to “sneakily” do her job or act remotely. She had to show up physically and do it. For all the extra grey matter she now had, it didn’t help her here.
“If we are telepathic, do you think we have any other special abilities?” She asked after a few minutes. “Maybe something I could use to trick my boss into thinking I’ve gone to work.”
“Jedi mind tricks?” Paul chuckled before putting on an ominous voice. “This is not the shelf stacker you are looking for?”
“You make it sound impossible! But we just spoke to each other in our minds! Yesterday, we were humans! Is Jedi mind tricks really so out of the question?”
“Point taken.”
Jade resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him and instead focused on trying to fix the problem. After a moment, she snapped her long fingers and smiled.
“What if I can convince him I look normal? Him and everybody else? Like…they all see a regular human instead of me?”
“Worth a shot, try it out on me.”
Jade focused, picturing her old self in full work uniform in her mind's eye.
“Anything?”
Paul shook his head, then suddenly jumped.
“Wait, it’s working!”
Jade felt her body stretching, growing back to its original size once more, and she groaned. She could feel her skull shrinking, a very disturbing feeling! As was growing tits again. Luckily, she hadn't been focusing on making a naked body, so she didn't regrow her pussy or nipples. Just thinking about it made her shudder.
“Is that an illusion?” Paul said in wonder, poking at her side and finding it quite solid.
“I think it’s real, but my head is already starting to throb. I don’t know how long I will be able to maintain it.
“You’ll just have to keep it up long enough to get to work, do your shift and get home.”
“Easier said than done…this feels weird.”
“It doesn't feel nice to be back in a human body?”
“Not…really.”
That hung in the air for a while, the whole reason they wanted to build a spaceship and find the other aliens was so they could change back but if it already felt weird being in a human body, how would they feel about it in a week? Jade could sense Paul’s own sense of conflict; their telepathy helped to share his concerns without words. He gave her a wave, which Jade sadly returned as she headed out the door and looked forlornly at the pages of calculations. She would much rather be home doing math than stacking shelves. The thought made her laugh bitterly to herself.
“If only I’d felt that way in high school, maybe I wouldn't be stuck in this job.”
~
Paul looked up as the door opened and watched his wife enter. He had been so caught up in his work today that the time had flown by, but judging by the exhausted look in Jade’s eyes, it hadn't been that way for her. She sighed out of pure relief and flopped to the floor. Her body transformed back into its new grey-skinned, large head form.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
“Fine, just…so tired. That illusion takes so much mental energy…I don’t know if I can do it for a full day again.”
She lay on the floor, her whole body throbbing with tiredness. This form wasn't built for manual labour; it was for pursuits of the mind. After that exhausting day, it looked like she didn't have a single brain cell left for her pursuits.
“It’s alright, I think I have a solution.”
“Oh?”
Paul spun around his computer to show her the emails he’d been sending back and forth.
“College essays. People cheat all the time, apparently, and all I need to do is read a few textbooks, and I can easily write a college-level report. They pay good money for them, too.”
Jade gaped at him.
“You’re helping people cheat? For money?”
“They are the ones cheating themselves out of a learning opportunity. We can both do it and earn more in an hour than we did in a whole shift before. I already quit my job.”
Jade’s mouth opened and closed thoughtfully, and Paul smiled.
“Yes, I thought it through; the risk factor is well within suitable parameters. This is the best solution to all our problems. Besides, we can stay in and keep working on our blueprints this way.”
Jade’s eyes lit up.
“Sounds perfect.”
She snuggled into Paul’s side, their large heads resting against one another. Paul put down his notes and wrapped his long arms around his wife. Their bodies were so similar now, it was odd. Normally, when one of them had a hard day at work they would sit like this, cuddling until one of them made a move and things took a spicier turn but now…was that even possible?
He slipped a hand across her chest, then down between her legs. Driven more by scientific curiosity than desire. He pressed a hand to the smooth skin between her legs, and Jade shifted slightly.
“Does that feel nice?” he asked.
“A little bit…there isn’t much there.”
“Maybe we can change that.”
Paul focused for a moment, willing his cock back into existence. Having that solid weight between his legs felt…wrong in this body, but he continued. Jade understood immediately, and a second later, wet folds appeared between her own legs. Gently, they positioned themselves on the couch. Their movements were robotic, more akin to scientists than two people in the throes of passion.
Paul slipped himself inside, as he had done a thousand times before. It felt nice, but that was it. Judging by the look of curiosity on Jade’s face, she felt much the same way. Paul leaned close, pressing their foreheads together as he thrust, trying to find that passion his human body had so easily.
His mind wouldn't quiet; his thoughts raced, taking in the physical sensations but also continuing the calculations he’d been working on, and brainstorming the next essay he’d been paid to write. He couldn’t be sure if it was because this body clearly wasn't built for sex, or the fact that his mind was simply too occupied, but this felt like a waste of time. A presence pushed at the edge of his mind; Jade. He could sense her thoughts, and she felt the same way. He rested his mind up against hers, then let her in. Their thoughts intermingled and both of them gasped; the sensation of sharing one’s mind with another was…indescribable. Pleasurable, to be sure, but not in the sexual way they were used to; somehow, this felt far more intimate.
There was a thrum of pleasure that ran through his body. He could feel Jade cumming as well, but it was more in response to their mind sharing than the physical act of sex.
At some point, their bodies merged back to normal but the pleasure continued as they explored one another’s thoughts intimately. Eventually, they sat together in silence, sharing their minds and thoughts as they enjoyed the afterglow. Time seemed to fly, and the moon was high in the sky by the time they broke apart.
“That was…oddly romantic,” Jade said. “If only I wasn't so exhausted, we could do it more.”
“Lasts longer than sex, too.” Paul joked, and Jade giggled, pressing her forehead to his for a moment before disappearing to bed.
Paul was tired, too; sharing his mind had taken a lot out of him, but he wanted to keep working. His mind was still alive and invigorated with new ideas from Jade’s subconscious, and he wanted to get them on paper. He gathered his notes and a loose slip of paper fluttered to the floor; it was the very first list he’d written this morning when he started, a checklist of goals to complete. The first one, highlighted neon pink, was ‘Find a way to change back’. He looked at those words with a little confliction now; it had only been a day, but after experiencing what this new body and mind could do, he wasn't sure that was his top priority anymore. Or if it was even on the list.
~
Jade and Paul found themselves falling into a new routine: quick bouts of sleep followed by planning, essay writing and intimate mind-sharing. Paul hadn’t seen Jade so invigorated in years; there was a spark of passion in her eyes and a skip in her step. Ironically, despite their lack of traditional lovemaking, he’d never felt more in love with her. They had always been a close couple, but now, they were working together like a well-oiled machine with this common goal. Thanks to the telepathy, they barely even needed to speak anymore. A simple thought allowed him to know when Jade wanted a coffee or if she was struggling with a calculation and vice versa.
“I think we’ve got it.” Jade breathed in awe a few weeks later.
They were both looking over their latest blueprint, a traditional flying saucer design with a clear glass dome roof to allow for 360-degree views at all times. It was small but comfortable enough for two and would allow for plenty of storage. They had been troubleshooting it for days, like they did with every design. The first three had revealed fatal flaws once they started running scenarios, but this one…this one seemed like the one.
“All the risk factors are within acceptable parameters.” Paul nodded.
“And the fuel source should be simple enough to replace; finding a way to create combustion with lactose was inspired, Paul.”
“Too bad we can't share the formula; it would revolutionise transport on Earth.”
“Earth isn’t going to be our home for much longer.”
It should have been a melancholy statement, but Jade couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. Even Paul was starting to feel a sort of child-like glee at the prospect of going to space.
“Now we just have to build it.” She said thoughtfully. “We’re going to need a lot of materials.”
“Luckily, our little essay writing business has paid off. Cost shouldn't be a problem.”
“We just have to get everything and find a place to build it.”
They stared at one another seriously.
“There is no other option.”
“Yes, I concur.”
“We have to go to Home Depot.”
~
Paul had spent his entire life in a male, human body, and yet now, walking around in that form felt so wrong. He couldn't believe Jade worked an entire shift like this; she hadn;t been joking when she said it felt wrong. His arms felt too short and thick. His head felt too light and his vision was so limited! Thank goodness he still had his newly advanced intellect, or they would have no chance of picking up the items they needed.
Jade walked beside him as they approached the hardware store. Her arms waved unnaturally out of sync with her walk cycle as she tried to appear natural, and she gave him a nervous smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
“Let’s just get in and get out.” She sighed. “This feels awful.”
Neither of them had been particularly handy before now, so walking into the huge building with its towering aisles that seemed to go on forever felt overwhelming. This place had everything from support beams for house building to hammers and nails. Paul checked through his mental list, he had no idea where to begin.
“Hi, welcome to Home Depot!” Greeted the man at the door. “Can I help you find anything today?”
Without thinking, they both cocked their heads to the side, and Paul watched as the man’s smile became just a little more forced.
“We require building materials, including aluminium and titanium alloy sheet metal and appropriate tools for combining them,” Paul said.
“Along with insulation, wiring with plastic insulation to protect it from extreme heat and cold, as well as glass. Thick panes of glass which can withstand high pressures.” Jade added.
The greeter's smile faded entirely, replaced with a look of utter bewilderment.
“Please,” Paul added at the last second.
“Um, are you doing a big reno project? You probably want the back aisles, " the greeter suggested, and they nodded and replied in sync.
“Thank you.”
Paul could feel the greeter's eyes on them as they walked in perfect unison toward the aisles he suggested.
“We should alternate our steps.”
“I’m trying; it’s just difficult not to fall in line with you.”
The aisles were huge here, and people pushed huge long carts to pile building supplies on. Paul could feel the excitement coming off Jade in waves; it was one thing to design their ship, it was another to build it. Quickly, they began to gather the materials, struggling under the weight as they piled piece after piece onto the cart.
“We’re going to need more carts,” Jade said. “I’ll go get another.”
“We can hardly push this one, though. It’ll take us all day at this rate…”
He reached for another sheet of heavy metal plating. It was going to be the ship's outer hull, and it needed to be strong enough to resist the turbulence of breaking Earth’s atmosphere. It was hard enough getting off the shelf, but by the time he had the right amount of the cart, it wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he pushed. It would have been hard to move even before his change; now, with his diminished strength, it was impossible. Paul started to blush as other men walked by and chuckled to themselves, watching him struggle. He glared at the wheels on the cart, trying to will them to move out of sheer frustration. Then, to his utter shock, they did.
Paul’s breath caught in his throat; if they were telepathic now, telekinesis might not be a long bow to draw. He focused again, picturing the wheels turning in his mind and grinning when they did. He put his hands on the cart and walked, barely applying any pressure while he psychically guided the cart through the store towards the front. When he reached the large item checkout, he rang the metal sheets up and informed them that he was going back for more.
As he returned for the second time, sweat began to bead on his temples. Even though he wasn't physically exerting himself, he felt exhausted and then, to his horror, he watched as one of his hands briefly turned grey. His illusion was fading!
“Too much mental energy expended. Shit, I should have thought of that!” He hissed to himself, looking around in a panic.
Jade still wasn't back, and he could feel his human disguise starting to warp. His pallor turned greyish, and he could feel his hairline receding. Any second now, he would snap back into true form, and there was no way he could do that unnoticed! Lacking any better ideas, he ran for the bathrooms. If he could just get to one of the stalls, he would be safe. There was no time, though. With each step he took, he felt himself shrinking; he wasn't going to make it. He rushed into an empty aisle and, in one last ditch effort to hide, dove behind a pile of lumber just as his illusion faded.
“Jade?!” He called mentally. “I have a problem!”
“Where are you?”
“Hiding, my illusion failed, and now I am stuck behind some wood in aisle fifty-three.”
“Can you get back to the car?”
Paul's heart raced. He could feel the hum of the store’s fluorescent lights buzzing overhead and footsteps passing him by. If anybody wanted a piece of this lumber, he was screwed. He shifted slightly, peeking over the edge of the stack. His large black eyes darted nervously to the end of the aisle. A handyman and a family of four were strolling the aisle, and a clerk was restacking shelves just a few feet away.
"I can’t. It’s too risky. I’ll be spotted for sure."
Jade’s voice was calm.
"You’ll make it. Just trust me. I’ll create a diversion."
Paul swallowed hard, knowing that he had no choice. He waited in place until a few moments later, when there was an almighty crash from halfway across the store, followed by several raised voices. The people in Paul’s aisle all turned and headed toward the noise—now or never.
Paul darted from his hiding place, running for the back exit. His small and wiry body slipped through the aisles unnoticed as chaos erupted around him. He reached the door, throwing it open and stepping out into the cool air of the parking lot. The bushes near the edge of the lot were the perfect hiding spot. He ducked into them, crouching low, his skin blending with the shadows, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I made it; what did you do?”
“I discovered another ability! I Telekinetically pushed a crate from the very top of the shelves.”
“Man, I only used it to push a cart.”
Jade might have replied, but Paul didn't hear her; another, audible voice took his attention.
“I saw it! I saw it! An alien! There’s an alien in there! It was one of them Rosewell little grey men!!"
Paul froze, his pulse quickening. He peeked through the leaves and saw a dishevelled man in the parking lot, eyes wide with frantic excitement. His clothes were unkempt, and his hair was wild as he pointed toward the store's entrance.
“Big head, black eyes, grey skin—right there in the hardware store! They’re everywhere, don’t you see? They’re watching us!" He raved, and Paul felt himself start to calm. Thank God for conspiracy nuts.
The man continued ranting and raving until one of the store clerks came out and threatened to call the police. Paul couldn't help but chuckle a little, watching Jade stroll past without drawing a glance. He waited until security finally pushed the man away, made a mad dash to the car where she was waiting, and curled himself in the foot space of the passenger seat.
“That was close,” Jade said telepathically.
“A little too close. Did you get everything we need?”
“Yes, and it will all be delivered to the farmhouse tomorrow.”
They had figured out quickly that they couldn’t build a spaceship in their tiny apartment. But a little internet sleuthing had located them the perfect place: an abandoned dairy farm just outside the city. It had been on the market for years and was in such a state of disrepair it likely wouldn't be having viewings any time soon. Most importantly, it had an old barn they could use as a makeshift warehouse without being disturbed, even if the agent did come to check the property.
“At least once we move out there we won’t have to worry about being seen without our disguises.”
“Still, it might pay to be careful.” Paul wondered. Ideas began to turn in his mind, and he smiled, remembering all those movies of aliens using ray guns. Maybe there was time for another little side project.
~
“I’d forgotten how nice fresh air is.” Jade giggled, holding out her long, thin arms and facing the sky. “Being cooped up in that apartment was starting to do a number on me, and I didn't even realise it.”
Paul looked up from the bench where he was working, gazing at his wife through the large barn doors.
“Well, being in the ship will be a lot more cramped.”
“Yes, but we’ll be in space then.”
Paul was feeling the opposite to his wife; all this open space made him feel exposed. As a human, he’d loved nature, now he just wanted somewhere nice and sterile to work, and the barn was hardly ideal. But it was the best they could hope for. At least here, he didn’t need to worry about a disguise. Most of the materials had been delivered without a hint of suspicion either. The second the drivers saw the state of the farm, they instantly assumed their human forms were owners trying to do the place up.
“I just wish the metal would get here, we have everything else.” Jade pouted. “I want to get started.”
“Just do a few more essays to occupy your time.”
“We don't need any more money.”
“No harm in a little extra.”
“Why don't you do it then?”
“I have my own project to keep me occupied.” Paul grinned, holding up the blueprints.
Jade squinted, then scoffed.
“A raygun? Really?”
“You never know, we could use protection, what if somebody thinks this place would be an easy mark? Somebody could break in wanting to steal old farming equipment and find our ship!”
Paul cocked her head to the side.
“You are foolish; you should be focusing on the task at hand.”
“Once this is done, I will. Besides, we are still waiting on the metal.”
He turned back to his tinkering. With the electronics that had already been delivered, plus a few things he’d scavenged from their now abandoned apartment, he had all he needed. It was amazing what was hidden behind a few sheets of metal in microwaves and toasters. With his new intellect, putting a ray gun together seemed like child’s play. How had he and the rest of humanity not figured it out?
Within a few hours, he had a model ready for testing. He spun it around his longer finger with a smile, and Jade giggled.
“You look like a child with a toy.”
“It is a new toy, in a manner of speaking. Now, for the test.”
“You’re not shooting me with that thing.”
“That would be illogical. Relax, I shall find a cow. I only have it set to stun, I can practice on a large mammal and get some milk for our lactose engine in one go.”
“Economical.”
“Quite.”
He gave the raygun another dramatic spin.
“Want to come with me?”
Jade didn't get the chance to answer, the loud screech of truck tyres and old brakes made them freeze and instantly, her eyes lit up.
“The delivery!” She squealed, instantly transforming herself into her human disguise. “I must collect it right away! Once it’s unloaded, we can get to work!”
“That’ll be a no then,” Paul said, mostly to himself, that Jade was already rushing across the paddock that separated the barn from the main road, and he called after her. “I’ll be back after I test this!”
She just waved, and Paul snuck out of the back of the barn to avoid getting spotted by the driver. As excited as he was to get started on the ship, he had to admit he was glad to have a reason to slip away. If the first delivery had taught him anything, it was that unloading could take a while and he really didn’t want to be in his human form for that long. Not only was Jade better at maintaining the illusion, but she didn't seem to mind it as much as him.
He moved nervously through the grass. It was scary to admit, even to himself, that he didn't want to change back anymore. The whole point of making this ship and travelling into outer space was to find whoever did this and get them to reverse it, but…he liked his grey body. He loved his new intellect and mental powers. He didn't want to give them up. But he didn't want to lose Jade either. And they couldn't exactly stay together if he didn't change back with her. She’d go back to a normal human, unable to relate to him on an intellectual level; not to mention the fact that she’d have a physical sex drive that his grey body just didn’t.
The sound of braying shook him from his thoughts, and he realised he’d walked all the way to the edge of the property. The next field over belonged to a dairy farm, perfect for his needs. They could buy the milk they needed, of course, but with it being perishable, they had decided stealing a bit of milk from a few unsuspecting heifers would be the way to go until they were sure the lactose engine worked. One cow was munching on grass not far from him, and Paul planted his feet and took aim. Excitement thrummed in his veins as he pulled the trigger and to his delight, a thin beam of blue light shot forth along with a pleasant buzzing sound.
The cow made a startled sound before slumping to the ground. Its breathing was clear and relaxed, almost as if it were asleep. Paul ran over and quickly checked the creature over, glad to see his ray had left no discernable marks on it. He quickly set about milking the unconscious cow, something much easier said than done. There was a reason cows were milked standing up most of the time. Finally, once he had a few bottles, he stood up, ready to wait and see how long it took for the creature to regain consciousness. But then he heard a yell.
With a startled jump, he looked up, and his heart sank; there was the man from Home Depot! Dressed in a flannel shirt and a broad-brimmed hat. Of all the people to own this place, it had to be him! Luckily, his superior mind allowed Paul to get over the shock quickly and dive into the trees that lined the edge of the property, quickly ducking and weaving through them until he reached a cornfield. That ran adjacent to both.
“Get back ‘ere you little green-blooded freak!” The man yelled. “You ain't getting away from me this time! You ain’t probing me!”
Paul resisted the urge to turn around and ask why he was chasing him then, if he was so sure Paul was here to probe him. But he didn’t. Instead, he crouched low in the corn and waited until the man thundered past, still ranting and raving.
“I know yer watchin’ me! I won’t keep quiet! Ya hear!?”
Paul snickered under his breath.
“You wish you were important enough for that.”
Once he could hear the man yelling far enough away, Paul slipped back out and made his way back to the barn, milk bottles in hand. When he slipped back inside, Jade was already hard at work creating the basic frame for the ship. Once again, that tingle of excitement ran through him: they were going to space!
Paul laid back in the hay, still wondering how he was going to tell Jade the truth about wanting to stay this way. She laid next to him, scrolling on her phone; unable to work on the ship because of tiredness, yet too excited to sleep.
“What are you looking at?” he asked after a while.
“Aliens.” Jade replied. “I have been trying to find any stories people might have written about this happening to them.”
“Anything?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Hm.”
Paul pressed his lips together.
“You know, I have been thinking, perhaps that broadcast is how our species reproduces.”
Jade blinked in surprise, then tilted her head to the side in thought.
“It makes sense…these bodies do not have any reproductive organs, nor do they seem to have any hormonal sex drive. Every species has an instinctual drive to reproduce, but not us. Perhaps that is a side effect, though, and it is unintended.”
“I don't think so. I think perhaps that broadcast is sent to make more of…us.”
There was a pause for a moment before Jade asked.
“You consider yourself this, not human?”
“...I’m not sure. I definitely prefer being in this body to a human one, but I don’t feel like I’m not human. I’m somewhere in between.”
“Good.” Jade nodded. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“You feel the same way?” Paul sat up in the hay, feeling his heart lightened as she nodded.
“I want to meet our people and learn all that I can. I still have my humanity, but I am excited for our potential future! Once we have this ship, we can travel wherever we want! Including alien planets!”
Paul felt a weight slide off his shoulders and smiled to himself. He should never have worried; he and Jade were always on the same page, even in this form. Paul relaxed back into the hay, finally ready to rest when Jade stirred him again.
“Uh oh…”
“What is it?” he yawned, rubbing one of his large eyes sleepily.
Jade turned her phone around so Paul could see the screen, and his jaw dropped. On the screen was a blurry, out-of-focus shot from a CCTV camera in a familiar hardware store. There he was, half out of frame but undeniably there, along with the headline: Stalked By Grey Men From Outer Space! Paul snatched up the phone and scrolled down to see the words beneath the photo; he breathed a sigh of relief, realising it was a private blog, not a news site, but still.
“I am being stalked by aliens who are no doubt part of some great government conspiracy.” Paul read. “I have always believed, but I didn’t have proof until the other day when I spotted one outside the hardware shop. Of course, nobody believed me; they are all government drones, but when I saw one on my property later I knew I was the target of an attack.”
Jade threw back her head and laughed; Paul snickered as well and kept reading.
“I managed to get this footage before the CIA wiped it from the camera. This is proof that Roswell Grey’s exist and have probably been here since the 50s. My current theory is that they have been waiting for human technology to advance enough to repair the ship that crashed in Roswell. We must be close, which means we are all in danger.”
“He’s certainly got an active imagination.”
“And an inflated ego if he thinks aliens would want anything to do with his redneck ass.”
“...Hearing profanity from you in this form feels wrong.”
“I agree. But it feels right, the human in me, I suppose.” Paul shrugged. “Now, let’s both get some rest. We have a ship to build in the morning.”
~
The days were slow but satisfying as Paul and Jade slowly put together their ship. The fiddling wiring and heavy metal plates were simple to put together, thanks to their telepathy. However, with only two of them to work, they tired easily. Jade spent a lot of time sitting by the half-finished ship, her legs bouncing in frustration as she waited for her mental energy to return. Paul couldn't help but chuckle a little as he watched her. Jade had always been impatient, and the leg bouncing was an old human holdover. It was nice to know that they were still themselves deep down despite appearances.
They found ways to entertain themselves; Paul tinkered with his raygun, and Jade enjoyed reading conspiracy blogs and trying to figure out which ones were genuine alien encounters with others of their kind. Her personal favourite was their local crazy.
“He’s watching our barn,” Jade announced one evening, turning her phone to face Paul. “Live Streaming it.”
Paul snickered and took the phone, watching the shaky footage. It was their barn alright, tiny slivers of light escaped through the old wood and the man behind the camera was breathing heavily for all three stream viewers.
“I noticed the other night that lights are on in this abandoned place,” he whispered. I bet the aliens are inside, making some sort of brain scanner. I have been measuring the radio waves in the air lately, and they are high. I think they are trying to affect my thinking. Luckily, I had the foresight to wear my tinfoil hat.”
“This could prove entertaining.” Paul smiled, “I think we have earned some relaxation time, don’t you?”
“Oh yes.” Jade grinned, “And I have enough energy for a little joke.”
She transformed into a buxom young blonde in farming attire and moved to the edge of the barn while Paul stayed glued to the live stream.
“I wish I had some popcorn.”
He watched as the man gasped, the door to the barn opened and out strolled Jade, blonde curls bouncing and a friendly smile on her face.
“Well, howdy.” She said in a southern drawl. “Ain't often I get a fella out here this late at night, not ‘less I asked ‘e,m of course.”
Paul had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop laughing; she sounded ridiculous. There was something stilted about her voice, and he could practically feel her trying to look and act more relaxed and human.
“I, uh, I came out here to see what was going on. Nobody has been in this barn for years.”
“Oh, I brought it with my papa’s inheritance.” Jade lied smoothly. “Gonna make me a fortune once I finish fixing it up.”
“So all that banging I have been hearing…?”
“Just lil ol’ me!” She giggled. “Well, me and the fellas I bring inside. Did you wanna be one of them?”
She leaned in, and Paul watched as the camera tilted down to her chest momentarily before snapping back to her face. The stream was picking up more viewers now, Paul couldn’t imagine why, and the chat started activating.
‘No! It’s a trap, she’ll suck out your brain!’
‘Look at those glassy eyes; she’s a skinwalker for sure!’
‘Do it, man, she’s some sort of crazy but those girls are the best in bed.’
The camera was shaking now, and Paul genuinely couldn't tell if it was from fear or arousal; they were both equally funny. Jade cocked her head to one side stiffly, as was their nature and smiled just a little too widely.
“I…I ain’t falling for this!” The man yelled. “Yer gonna probe me!”
“Is that what you want?” Jade batted her eyelashes, and a second later, the footage turned blurry as he turned and ran, occasionally turning back to see if Jade was still there. She was, standing stock still, watching him go with that same smile on his face. A second later, the stream went dead and Jade walked back inside, laughing to herself.
“I don’t think he will be coming back here again.”
“What was your plan if he came inside?” Paul snorted. “We have half a spaceship in here!”
Jade shrugged.
“Telekinetically take his camera and fling it, and knock him out? I don’t know. I didn't think he’d take me up on the offer. I struggle to act human at the best of times now, and I certainly wasn’t trying very hard.”
“I am looking forward to the blog post,” Paul said, handing her back the phone.
“I will be sure to let you know.”
~
It seemed her gambit paid off; the conspiracy nut next door didn't come knocking again. However, he did update his blog daily with the prevention techniques he was using to keep the ‘alien menace’ away and vent about how the local police refused to investigate the obvious threat to the planet’s security. Jade felt a little bad for the guy, but judging by how far back this blog went, he’d been alien crazy since long before they showed up.
The ship came along slowly but surely. It was in a saucer shape, with a large storage and engine room below the main dish, where they would sit and have 360-degree views of the stars once they were ready for lift-off. Each night, Jade spent her nights dreaming of what it would be like to hit that switch and feel herself float up into the sky. Most people hated flying, but she’d always loved it; the excitement of taxiing down the runway, knowing that in a few seconds she would be airborne and on her way to somewhere totally new; it was exhilarating.
As she did the final check on their console and realised that they were ready for the first test flight, Jade felt the excitement building inside her little grey body. It was time; they were done. They waited until nightfall, when the moon was out, sending silver light dancing across the ground and glinting off their saucers' edges as they telekinetically wheeled it out into the open. Paul popped open the hatch in the glass dome and jumped inside with her before sealing it closed with a satisfying hiss.
“Ready?”
“I was born ready.” Jade breathed.
Her fingers trembled; what if it didn't work? But Paul reached over and grasped her hand firmly, interlacing their fingers.
“Sorry,” She blushed. “I am acting very human right now.”
“No need to apologise, we are human deep down. Together?”
Jade nodded.
“Together.”
They pressed the start-up sequence, and the consoles flared to lift. Without needing to voice each step, they started running checks, telepathically communicating when ready, until finally, energy thrummed through the saucer. There was a quiet whistling sound, and then, slowly, it began to rise. Paul and Jade looked at one another in excitement as the ship hovered and then Paul nodded to her.
“Take the wheel. So to speak.”
Jade rested her fingers on the console and set off. The ship moved like a dream, better than any car or plane. It could turn at a moment's notice and sped through the air faster than she’d envisioned; and they hadn’t even engaged the hyperdrive yet! They flew across farmland and fields, doing a circuit around the forested area and back to the barn.
“This is incredible! I never want to land!” Jade cried.
As if taunting her, the warning light on their new dashboard blinked on and a soft alarm sounded. Their fuel was running low.
“Oh, I wish we’d gotten more. It seems such a shame to go back down to Earth just to buy milk.” Jade sighed sadly. “I want to get out there.”
Paul placed an arm on her shoulder and grinned.
“Don’t worry, I have that covered. Let's test out the tractor beam!"
Jade giggled, her long, delicate fingers tapping excitedly on the console as he steered them over the conspiracy nuts farm. The cows were sleeping peacefully, heads bowed low to the ground. Paul pressed a button and aimed the beam downward, laughing as the soft, green light emerged from the saucer's underside. It shot across the land, narrowing into a beam of light that easily engulfed a cow. Jade leaned forward, eyes widening in delight.
"You're really doing it!" she exclaimed, half in awe, half in amusement.
The cow flailed slightly as they pulled it into the sky before falling into a gentle slumber. Paul knew they would be using it to collect fuel and didn't want the animals to suffer.
"Perfect!" Jade said. "Now, let's get some milk before we return it."
Paul nodded. He activated a small hatch in the floor, which opened into a floating, transparent container. Jade reached over to a lever and pulled it, guiding the cow towards a special milking device neatly tucked away in the corner of the spacecraft. The device, a silver arm with suction cups, was designed for efficiency. Within moments, Paul was gently using the machine to extract a generous amount of milk from the dopey but unhurt cow.
"I hope this is enough," Paul muttered, a few more of these and we will be good to go.
Just as Paul sealed the milking device and prepared to return the cow to its pasture, he saw a figure running across the field. As he looked up the familiar man stopped in his tracks, staring up at the saucer with wide eyes. Paul froze, his fingers hovering over the controls.
"Uh-oh," he muttered, his eyes darting to the display. "I think we’ve been spotted. The guy will have a field day online with this. Active cloaking!"
Jade hit the switch and the ship shimmered for a moment, now invisible from the outside, save the beam which was gently lowering the cow to Earth. Nothing could be done to hide that. Paul and Jade watched as the man fumbled for his phone camera, desperate for proof but before he could Jade slammed down on the boosters. The saucer shot upward into the sky and they both laughed hysterically. Jade leaned back in her seat, wiping tears from her large black eyes.
"That was amazing! Did you see the look on his face? He had no idea what was happening!"
Paul chuckled.
“Come on, let’s find another farm to fuel up fully. I tire of waiting. I want to get to space.”
Jade hadn’t thought it possible, but she felt her love for him grow all the stronger as he said that. They zipped across the countryside, abducting cows until their lactose engine was filled to the brim before heading straight up into the stratosphere. The ship was working like a dream, and the pair held their breath as they finally escaped the planet's gravity well and began moving through open space. The moon grew larger in their vision and Jade felt so small as the sheer expanse of the universe stretched out before her. Far from being scary, though, she felt exhilarated; there was so much for her to explore.
“I don't think I expected to get this far,” Paul said after a moment. “We’re here…now what? How do we find our people?”
Just as he spoke, a light blinked on one of their screens, and data began to pour in.
“Are those…?”
“Coordinates…” Paul breathed. “I think our people found us.”
Jade grinned as she input the coordinates and hovered her finger over the hyperdrive button.
“Ready to meet them?”
Paul nodded.
“Engage.”
