I'm not as fit as I might be, but I wasn't in too bad a condition, so winding my way between traffic and pedestrians shouldn't prove too challenging. I hadn't counted on a pedestrian with a brain smaller than an amoeba's testicle.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad.
part 177.

I wheeled my bike to the rear entrance and clipped into the pedals. If I was followed, I would head for traffic, the more the congestion the better.

I was still wrapped up against the cold, so I wasn't sure if I was recognised or not. Part of me wanted to see my opponents, it would make them more physical and thus more beatable, not some nebulous, nasty voice on a phone.

I wondered how they had found me, but that was fairly obvious - I had hardly kept a low profile. If I hadn't got involved with Simon, I'd probably have been allowed to remain in relative obscurity except in maybe professional circles.

Well no good crying over spilt milk, even if Simon and I finished tomorrow, the press would still find me interesting as Dormouse Girl, or the Thief Catcher, or Child Rescuer. I should have stuck to something like stamp collecting. That made me laugh, stick to stamps.

I zipped past the front of the university and was spotted, how do I know someone dashed to a car. That suggested an inside source. The car he got into was a Chelsea tractor, good, they were going to enjoy this not.

I trundled on watching them faffing about in the traffic, these were probably different creeps to the ones I upset in Bristol. I had a thought. If I went to Bristol, then I'd have to avoid Dad's house like the plague, they know about that, so I either stay in a hotel or drive up.

The 4x4 had got a little closer, the darkened windows meant I couldn't see who was in it. Bugger, oh well, so long suckers.

I had about a mile of flat, busy road to negotiate. I was actually heading away from Tom's but I was giving them a wild-dormouse chase. I made sure they could see me, then I waved to them and stepped on it.

I'm not as fit as I might be, but I wasn't in too bad a condition, so winding my way between traffic and pedestrians shouldn't prove too challenging. I hadn't counted on a pedestrian with a brain smaller than an amoeba's testicle.

The aformentioned road hazard was in the form of an old lady who was threading her way through the cars as they were moving. In America she'd have been guilty of jaywalking, over here, just using up the patience of her guardian angel and some of my nine lives.

She was busy, head down darting, perhaps an exaggeration, but moving purposefully if erratically between cars and buses. I was sprinting down the middle of the road at nigh on thirty miles an hour - it was flat.

We met about ten yards from a crossing, hence my questioning her nervous system. We didn't actually collide, thank God, but it was enough to make me swerve and end up sitting on top of the bonnet of a car. I also called her a few names. She dithered some more and wound in between some more cars.

The sooner she was locked up or run over the better for other road users. I was so angry and shaking, the man on whose bonnet I rested my bum, wasn't too pleased either.

"You were going too fast," he grumbled.

"I have two assassins chasing me, and why was that stupid cow walking in the road, there's a crossing down there?"

"You have a vivid imagination young woman. Assassins, very funny."

I shook my head, there was no damage and at least with him stopping, the traffic flow did the same, until I spotted the four wheel drive coming down the middle of the road.

Oh shit! I jumped back on the bike and rode back up the pavement against the traffic. Not something I would ever condone, but I was in a hurry.

Of course they spotted me and turned round, tyres screaming and set off in pursuit.

"Maybe she was telling the truth?" said the strange little man whose bonnet had been blessed with my bum, noticing the antics of the large Toyota Land Cruiser.

I knew that one of the roads to my left, I was now cycling on the road again, was a cul de sac with a footpath at the end. I'll lead them up there, I thought to myself.

I did just that, and they saw me go down the footpath flanked by two fences of larchlap boarding. I was just at the far end when I saw the car come crashing through it. Shit, these guys don't take no for an answer. To start with there could have been pedestrians the other side of the fence or kids playing. They were nuts, they had to be.

I was now getting quite hot and feeling the pace more than a little, and I had a hill to climb yet. I had thought of going around and approaching Tom's house from the fields at the back, what stopped me were two things, they could follow me and my wheels would be unsuitable for real off-roading being race type tyres.

I twisted and turned in the side streets with the big car following, bullying and intimidating other road users, until he met one of cyclists traditional enemies, white van man.

I squeezed past his Transit van in the narrow street, made worse by cars parked on either side. The big Toyota honked and beeped at him, and I laughed at a meeting of my 'enemies' until I saw the man dragged from his van and the van being reversed. Bloody hell, they are ruthless.

I came to a crossroads and turned back towards the university. Ten minutes later I was back there. In tears.

"I'm going to call the police, this is ridiculous," Pippa raged.

"No, I'd love for them to arrested but I'm not sure that would happen. I called Stella.

On the third attempt her mobile was answered, she obviously excused herself from a patient and and tore into me.

"I'm with a patient, what is so bloody important it couldn't wait?"

"There are two guys who have just chased me all over Portsmouth in a big Toyota, including driving through someone's fence and dragging a van driver out of his van and moving the van themselves. I am shit scared."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know, I've come off my bike once already."

"You're on a bike, you silly girl."

"Well in traffic they'd have caught me already in a car."

"Call Daddy, he'll do something."

"What if he's in a meeting or something?"

"Erm, I'll call him and get him to call you. Where are you?"

"Back at the university."

My mobile began to ring, "Hello?" I said praying it was my future father in law.

"Hello Cathy, I hear you're in a spot of bother?"

"Yes a little local difficulty," I joked back. Then I explained what had happened. I described the car, and sent Pippa out to see if it was nearby. She couldn't see it.

I went to the back entrance and there it was, down the road. Too far away to see the number.

"Okay, this what you're going to do...." He described a very basic plan.

I was to ride in my skins, Team GB, so very noticeable red, white and blue and to go towards Cosham. He would arrange an interception they couldn't ignore.

I was to leave in ten minutes, I could hear someone talking in the back ground.

"Whatever you do Cathy, do not look back or stop, keep going in case we can't stop them for long."

That didn't give me much confidence. But I didn't have any better ideas. I waited then took to the road again.

Sure enough Big Brother was watching and set off after me. Once again I made the most of the congestion, hoping the light would last. Ten or so minutes later I was on the Cosham road, and so were my shadows, they were gaining on me at a rate of knotts, even though I was giving all I had.

Suddenly a police car came screaming out of a lay-by, lights and sirens flashing, another was hammering up from Portsmouth, and a third was blocking the road up ahead. He waved me through but stopped everything else. I carried on for another half a mile and turned back towards Portsmouth and the back road to Tom's house. I was exhausted and very tearful.

I got home in the dark some half an hour later, Tom was there already and standing by with a large brandy. I didn't argue, I took a good slug of it and started coughing.

I finished the brandy and waved Tom away, I needed a shower and to relax for five minutes before I spoke to anyone. I drank a large glass of water and went to shower.

Half an hour later, I came back down and Tom seated at the kitchen table, was preparing to pour another shot of brandy. I told him no, I needed a cuppa.

I told him the story as I knew it. He shook his head. "I could understand it if you were really important, like Princess Di, but you're not."

"Which means, there is something going on we don't know about. This wasn't just paparazzo, these guys were like the secret service in spy films." I was very tearful.

I called Stella to ask her to thank her father. "What is going on?"

"I'm not telling you this, alright, but there is a hostile takeover attempt on the bank, Daddy reckons they are trying to link it wth you to create maximum bad publicity, to weaken his hand."

"I thought he owned the major share of the bank."

"He owns forty nine per cent."

"Well that is pretty well fireproof isn't it."

"Normally yes, but the hostiles already have thirty percent and are buying shares like no ones' business."

"I thought that once someone did something like that the shares were frozen."

"So did I. Anyway, that's what some of this is about."

"What do I do?"

"Daddy said to publish and be damned. He believes that you should go back to the BBC and charm everyone like you did before."

"But isn't that giving the bad guys what they want?"

"No, because you have some control over what is said, try and do it live, it's risky, but then you have most control you are going to get."

"I don't know if they'd wear that."

"For an exclusive to talk to you, they'd sell their grannies."

"But I am not important, I'm a biologist trying to do my job and get on with my life." I began to cry, "It just doesn't make sense to me."

"You are important Cathy, now talk to Des, he knows what's going on, Simon has briefed him. He's ready to set the terms of the interview to suit you. Oh and if you go, Simon is on his way to take you, oh, and wear the dormouse suit."