Mars Discovery

              I dreamed I was on Mars. Terra-forming was in progress, and I was outside to check on some of the water flow issues that had been identified. In other words, I was wearing an oxygen mask and carrying a shovel. In my dream memory it was only a few weeks since the last several large cometary bodies had spiraled into the planet. We'd only been back in the habitat for a couple of days when some leaks were discovered in our exterior waterways. I trudged out to the hillside to repair the troughs that carried the water from the top of the hillside down across our little test garden and finally into the algea ponds that were busy converting carbon dioxide into carbon and oxygen.
              As I pushed the low viscosity soil around with the shovel I unearthed (un-marsed?) a small group of what I thought were figurines, until one of them opened its eyes. I called back to the habitat and excitedly showed the critters on my cellphone camera. No one believed they were really alive so everyone voted to bring them into the habitat.
              After they were brought in, everyone blamed me for violating the quarantine rules. They were cute little round faced critters, mossy green in color with little black eyes and tiny peg-like gray teeth. While they didn't seem particularly dangerous, I had thought that we should have used more caution. I mean, discovering multicellular life on Mars was a pretty big deal and all.
              For some reason, one of my least favorite mission specialists, a nurse who was forever using his position as an essential healthcare provider to get out of hard work, was decidedly jealous. He'd talked his way out of toting a shovel outside and out of being the discoverer of these little guys. He threatened to pick one up and eat it because “They look like little marshmallow men.” I tried to protect them, but he managed to get one of them from me.
              As soon as his mouth opened the little guy he was holding screamed and struggled to get away. At the last second, the creature changed into a miniature copy of the nurse, clothing and all, and the nurse collapsed. The creature ducked away under the tables in the examination room. Which was sealed shut with me and the other two critters who someone outside of the room was now calling “Eatems” as a joke. The two with me morphed into little copies of myself, whereupon I began to feel faint myself.
              They assured me that I was in no danger, but made it clear that wasn't true of my colleague. Nor theirs. The mimicry they engaged in was instinctual, as most creatures won't attack things that look like themselves. They asked to be put down to try to round up their companion, as they were worried that he might cause harm in his current state. Apparently they were also slightly psychic mimics, as well and the nurses jealousy and rage could be a harmful combination. Everyone outside the room had their personal recorders running as the search for the miniature nurse continued.
              One of the little me critters squealed as the nurse critter jumped out and bit it. The victim transformed immediately back into the green puffy form, and I slid under the table to grab the small nurse. I had put my gloves back on and though it was trying to bite me, it didn't get through the thick material. I brought it close to observe it, and noticed that it was a lot like an action figure, the clothing was really just a visual presentation, and was part of the actual creature.
              I stood up and brought it close to the video camera, telling the outside operators to turn it to macro mode as I brought the nurse shaped Eatem close. While he was trying to get away at first, eventually he calmed down and shifted forms, into another mini me instead of the green form. He stayed that way for a while, actually turning all around to show himself to the camera. After a short bit he transformed again back into the form in which I had found him. I felt a tug at my cuffs and looked down to see the other two critters. I re-united the three of them and they all three curled up in my hands, looking up at me expectantly. That was when I began to wonder exactly what it was they could possibly eat, and whether we would have anything even remotely digestible for them. They all curled tightly together and went still.
              I was frightened that they had died in all of the excitement, but one of them opened his eyes and I was reassured. After the commotion died down, everyone wanted to go outside and see if they could find more of them. The habitat commander pointed to the still unconscious nurse and forbid anyone from traveling outside until we knew more about what we were dealing with.
              I put the three little guys into a tray with a recent soil sample. I then stepped over to the nurse and after a bit of wresting with him, got him upright and awake. He started to rave about bringing dangerous lifeforms into the habitat, so I called him a moron, and told him he was the only one who exhibited hostile behavior. While not strictly true, it did shut him up.