A/N: Woo-hoo! I'm on a roll! Now the curse has picked up momentum, and there is much more misfortune for the two captains to endure. Anyway, on with the show!
The next morning, Ten Cents woke up to the sound of Sunshine calling his name. He yawned like a cat, and then grimaced as his head was pounding.
"Oi, what happened?" Ten Cents groaned, and rubbed his forehead with his anchor like claws.
"Ten Cents... are you okay? You look kind of... different." Sunshine slipped closer to the larger switcher. Ten Cents looked down at him.
"What do you mean I look different?" Ten Cents lowered his claws, and froze. He lifted them into view, and examined them. That was new.
"Huh, that's strange." Ten Cents looked behind him to see his tow line resting on the dock next to him, where the crates would be placed and stored. Curious, he tried to make his tow line move. He jumped a little as he managed to make it twitch like a cat's tail. He looked back at Sunshine, who appeared completely normal compared to him. This just wasn't adding up. Why would he transform, and not anyone else?
"Do you think the lady in black had something to do with this?" Sunshine looked up at Ten Cents. Ten Cents could see the worry in his eyes. Sunshine did have a plausible theory. This hadn't happened until the woman stormed out of Captain Star's office the day before. Perhaps she caused his transformation.
"Maybe, but I'm not going out looking like this! Everyone would see me as a freak!" Ten Cents protested. Sunshine frowned.
"You should know me by now, Ten Cents! You're still my friend, no matter how strange you may look. The same goes for everyone else in the Star Fleet too. You're still a member of our family." Sunshine had a point. He and his fleet mates were going to stick with him no matter what. Ten Cents relaxed a little.
"You know what, Sunshine? You're right." Ten Cents smiled weakly, giving Sunshine a glimpse of his fangs.
"C'mon, Ten Cents. Let's go home. Captain Star's been worried about you." Sunshine reversed out of the warehouse, and headed for the Star Dock, with Ten Cents trailing behind him.
Captain Star sighed in relief when he saw his two switchers return, but his breath caught when he saw Ten Cents's altered appearance. Could the curse be real? No. Curses were nothing more than a superstition, a figment of the imagination. However, Boomer's jinx proved him otherwise. A jinx was like a curse, but a curse sticks to the land, objects, or people they are it had been cast upon. He would have to keep a close eye on his tugs. Who knows what this curse was capable of. He swallowed nervously, and turned on his megaphone. His tugs fell silent. That's one thing that hasn't changed. Thank Neptune.
"Good morning Star Fleet! Ten Cents, where have you been? We were worried about you." Captain Star silently prayed the curse hadn't caused Ten Cents to maim, or kill anyone. A lawsuit was the last thing he needed at the moment.
Ten Cents couldn't remember exactly what happened the night before, at least what happened after his transformation. He looked down at his anchor like claws. One of the new features the transformation had given him.
"I was headed back here last night when..." Ten Cents trailed off. He wasn't sure if his captain would believe him or not.
"When what? What did you do?" Captain Star felt a knot in his stomach, fearing the worst. Something was wrong. Ten Cents didn't answer him right away. That wasn't a good sign.
"You see sir, I... turned into this." Ten Cents gestured to himself.
"Do you remember anything after that?" Captain Star hoped the curse hadn't forced him to do harm to anyone. Ten Cents shook his head.
"No, sir." Ten Cents replied. The look in his eyes told him he was telling the truth.
"I see. Well, can you work like that?" Captain Star decided to change the subject. Ten Cents was upset enough already. He didn't want to make him feel any worse.
"I don't know, Captain Star, but I can try." Ten Cents smiled weakly, and Captain Star shuddered. The switcher had grown fangs that were wickedly sharp. That told him exactly what the purpose was for this curse, and literally put the whole city in danger. He had to keep this curse under control, but how could he keep a spell contained? Hopefully, he could come up with a solution, but until then, he had to monitor his tugs very closely. He couldn't let this curse destroy the city.