Alara sat in Claire's office. She looked at Claire and let out a breath. She looked thoughtful now.

In walked Gordon's body to the main medical bay with a security guard and Captain Mercer. Claire walked out, followed by Alara, who simply looked at the man and asked, "Isaac?"

"That is correct, Al... Lieutenant Kitan," He looked tense and nervous. Still not used to emotions, Alara conjectured. She now believes it is actually Isaac, basically an infant or toddler emotionally, probably. Well, considering where he's now housed, it makes sense, she snorted.

She asked him as calmly as she could, "why did you tell Gordon about us?"

"I did not disclose our assignations," Isaac replied, although he accidently did now to anyone within earshot. "He inadvertently read my memory core. I have since given him a procedure to avoid doing so and he has promised he would exercise it. Obviously, the damage is done."

"Oh," Alara sighed. "Well, I guess I can't..."

"How you feel is up to you. I was caught up in the humor and so was Lieut... Gordon, with no thought as to how it would affect you. I acknowledge it and am ashamed of it. Gordon told me he is as well. It seems I acquired emotions as a result of being in this body, but Gordon has still retained his, even being in my body. We are both influenced by them." Isaac explained. Alara was taken aback at Isaac's use of Gordon's first name.

"I forgive you, both of you, damnit!" Alara emphasized, tears in her eyes.

Ed said to Claire, "I'm having the engineering team assess Gordon. Dr. Finn, examine Isaac here and if he's okay, I'll need him on the bridge."

"I have to eliminate my waste." Isaac announced. For a second everyone was stumped, then when he pointed to his bowels, they understood.

"Do you know how?" Alara asked.

"Gordon explained it to me. His explanation triggered a memory of him doing it. Yes, I know how."

"You'll have to be watched," Ed said to Isaac.

"Understood." He apologized to the security officer but the man just shrugged.

They entered a door off to the side.

Ed was dumbstruck when the two entered his office and told him they had switched consciousnesses, for a second thinking it was some weird joke. But he was convinced in short order and then could only marvel at how both managed to adapt to their situation without going completely bonkers!

"How can your thought processes even exist in each other's 'brains'?" Ed asked, finger quoting the word "brains".

"I cannot explain it, Captain," Gordon's mouth uttered, which was still a little weird to Ed. "Unfortunately, the device was destroyed before we could attempt to switch back. The researchers have taken the documentation and some of the remaining physical technology with them, and have pledged to constructing a device to return us to our own bodies."

"Well, all I can do now is confirm that your physical bodies are what they're supposed to be, if so, I'll just have you report to your assignments. May not be the most rigorous security procedure, but since I don't know what else to do other than put you both in the brig, which seems pointless, it'll have to do!" Ed lectured to the two of them, then shook his head in bemusement.

Dr. Finn declared Isaac "fit as a fiddle" and the engineering team detected no anomalies with Gordon's construct. They both sat silently at their stations on the bridge. For the first time in anyone's memory, it was as quiet as a tomb. Even John was quiet.

However, their skills were still second to none. Gordon was able to successfully dodge an attack by a Krill armada, and Isaac guided them to a nearby nebula which scrambled sensor readings, enabling them to hide until help arrived.

Isaac expressed relief that his human brain was not as much of a hindrance in processing data as he had feared. "It is still slow, comparatively speaking, but workable."

"Thank God my fingers respond the same way," was the one exuberant remark Gordon made all day.

Hearing that remark expressed in an enthusiastic Isaac voice made Alara tingle, well, where she usually would when Isaac used to drop by. Oh, brother.

At end of shift Alara found the two of them sitting together and walked over and overheard Gordon in Isaac's body (Silver Gordon) groan, "oh brother, if we ever switch back, I can't imagine how much damage to my digestive system you're doing!"

Isaac in Gordon's body (whom she dubbed Isaac the Red), in front of whom were rather exotic dishes from various cultures in the galaxy, countered, "these are all perfectly digestible by humans. I wish to take this opportunity to experience the full range of human senses."

"Like what?" Alara asked as she sat next to Silver Gordon, looking at Isaac the Red. She was amused to see him blush. He felt his face and looked puzzled, asking "why is my face warm all of a sudden?"

Gordon, who guessed what Isaac was thinking, responded, a bit frantically, "it's your body's way of telling you not to say out loud whatever you're thinking!"

"I understand, Gordon," Isaac replied, looking at Alara. He now realized there were emotional complications involved, something he is still grappling with.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure it's very interesting," Alara cajoled. Alara had an idea of what it was, and assumed Silver Gordon did too, thus his imploring to Isaac the Red to keep it to himself.

In response to Gordon surreptitiously pointing to Alara, Isaac replied, "correct," confirming Gordon's suspicion, although it seemed like a response to Alara's statement. Oh boy, what a can of worms that would open!

Thinking she saw something, Alara quickly turned her head to look in Silver Gordon's direction and saw him fluttering his fingers.

She turned back to look at Isaac the Red. "So, tell us," she prodded him mischievously. Isaac was starting to feel uncomfortable, a new sensation for him.

"Um," Isaac's voice, meaning Siver Gordon, next to her, queried, "what would you guess it is?"

Before Alara had a chance to guess, John Lamarr sat next to Isaac the Red and asked, "what's up?"

"Have those scientists figured out anything about what made us this way?" Gordon asked while pointing alternately to him and Isaac.

"I just know what the captain told us. All they're saying is that progress is slow."

"Shit!"

"Sorry."