It took a while for the crew to really take things in. The minds of both Schultz and Rogers had been somehow merged together in the younger body of O'Neil. It wasn't a matter of them taking turns, in the saddle either. It was like talking to a single individual, with doubled up memories. She, or he, or they could recall every detail of Schultz' time in medical school, as well as Rogers' training, or any major event from either man's childhood. And of course further complicating matters was the fact that much like Carson had been experiencing, there was a fair bit of O'Neil in the mix as well. More obviously so than with anyone else actually. Carson figured it must have something to do with a confused sense of self-awareness. He'd poured this bourbon, and not really thought anything of it until he reflected back on his usual tastes. With two minds merged like that, everything would have to contradict a bit so... path of least resistance?
"OK, I wasn't really on board with the name thing before, but it would just get way too confusing not to call you O'Neil."
The increasing strangeness of the situation had Carson more than ready to get back to sleep as soon as possible, but they were now a pod short. Fortunately, they were close enough to home that they could handle a set of shifts sitting things out. Two days each would do it. Carson definitely did not want to go first.
Not that it mattered much in the end. After what still only felt like a brief nap, Rogers, or "Rogers" anyway was helping him out of the pod, and taking his place. "Before you ask, I don't know, and he doesn't either... or she, whatever."
"Doesn't know what?" asked Carson, before following "Rogers'" glance to a pod containing a youthful Captain Davis. "Ah."
"Rogers" activated the pod Carson had just stepped out of, cutting the conversation a bit short, which was fine by Carson. A one on one conversation between a nude man and woman without anyone else around was awkward enough under any conditions, and much more so with Carson as the woman in the body of the man and... she shook her head, still not wanting to face the stranger aspects of the whole thing.
Having nothing better to do, she went over to the pod "Davis" was sleeping in, presumably that was the real O'Neil after yet another mishap. Carson was a bit shocked just how cute he looked without that salt and pepper beard, and let his mind wander in that direction until the unfamiliar dampness between his legs snapped him out of it. One cold shower later, Carson was looking for anything that could keep his mind occupied. The puddle was looking more like a pole today, stretched thing, from floor to ceiling and held rigidly in place. He took a stock of the rest of the store room, sent a few supplemental messages back to earth, and passed most of the day reading old manuals.
The following day, there wasn't much left to read, so he tried a few exercises, even attempted to climb the strange pole that presumably held the captain's mind within. Eventually, the boredom lead him to finishing off the bourbon, and the buzz from the bourbon lead to finishing off the previous day's fantasizing. Carson quite enjoyed his first orgasm in a woman's body, but shame set in immediately, both at the impropriety of doing that with someone else's body, and the fact that he was quite clearly imagining another man being involved. After another shower, he woke "Schultz" for the next shift, glad that he never had any dreams in the pods.
The next time Carson woke up, he wasn't in the ship, but rather in what was clearly a quarantined lab, facing a thorough battery of medical examination.