Is cleaning cages a dangerous occupation, it seems likely that Cathy could find stamp collecting dangerous....see what I mean?

Easy As Falling Off A Bike.
by Angharad.
part:146.

I held my mobile clicking off the lock on the keypad, then switched off the ringtone, opting for vibration only. I slipped it into the pocket of my skirt.

I closed the cage I was working on as quietly as I could, and walked around the cages, which are quite large, towards the source of the noise.

"Ah there you are," Mary Miller came walking into the department with a mug of coffee.

To say I sighed with relief was an understatement. "Phew, Mary you frightened the life out of me."

"Sorry about that, Cathy, I knew from the rota it was your weekend to do the cages, so I thought I'd bring you a coffee."

"That's very kind of you. You don't come down here very often, do you?"

"No, I'm usually too busy with grumpy's typing to get around very much. In fact I'm behind at the moment, that's why I'm in today, while it's quiet. Well drink your coffee before it gets cold."

I took a sip of the dark fluid, it was actually much too strong for my taste and I had visions of twitching later on, I do when I have too much coffee, my legs get twitchy. Ugh, it was horrible, but with her watching, I had to drink it.

"Thanks, I'll just wash the mug."

"It's okay, I have to do mine, see you later."

"Yes okay, thanks." I went back to my chores and was glad that they were almost finished. The last cage done and dusted, I sat down, I felt really strange. I was dizzy and confused, not even sure how to get out of the room let alone back to my car. Did I have a car? I couldn't remember.

"Hello Cathy, remember me?"

I looked at the woman, she was familiar, but what was her name, Mary? I felt myself almost falling off the chair. I somehow managed to press a button on my phone when the vibration started, but it all get's hazy after that.

"Come with me, Catherine," she lifted me off the seat, "don't be alarmed, it was just a little rohypnol I put in your coffee, so you won't remember who it was who modified you. Ha ha, well I think it's funny, but then I'm not in your predicament am I?"

I felt someone pulling me and then making me lie down on something hard. "Before I start to modify you, I'll tell you why I'm doing it. You see, essentially, I'm jealous. Yes jealous of you, with your designer clothes and youth, yes bloody youth.

I've spent fifteen years slaving for that man, doing his letters and his typing, keeping his diary, making his coffee. He doesn't even notice me unless I'm off, when he has to get off his big fat arse and do things for himself.

But then I love him, I do, I actually love the tiresome old prig, but he doesn't notice me, not one bit, not one fucking bit.

When you first came here, I recall you had a good rapport with everyone, we all liked Charlie, nice boy a bit of a pansy, but we all liked you. The Prof liked you too, he could see potential in you and he wanted the university to develop it. I thought it was a good idea too.

You rewarded his interest in you, by doing one of the best surveys and dissertations he'd ever seen, he was ecstatic with your initial draft because he knew he could use it in his government report. Your potential was being achieved.

Then you had a long chat with him one day after you were off for a couple of weeks with so called, food poisoning. You were in a loony bin, weren't you, tried to kill yourself after your father called you a fucking poof and beat you up! Well we all knew you were as queer as a four pound note, my little pansy, we all knew it was common knowledge. Never seen with a girl, so we all knew.

Then there was the phone call to Dr Thomas. Oh yes, I listened in on that, just in case there was anything going on between my Tom and that shrink woman. There wasn't, but there was with you wasn't there?

He said he called her with your permission, to confirm you were transsexual, ha ha a girly poof! He asked how he could help you when and if you were to changeover, transition they call it, don't they? Ah but you can't think of anything now can you my helpless little girlyboy.

Well I was intrigued, I mean we'd had one of your sort before, not in this department, but in the computer lot, seems it's epidemic amongst geeks and nerds. Must be all those electromagnetic waves, turns their brains.

Anyway my little girlyboy, the professor was very fond of you and wanted to help. Fond of you, the bastard, what had you done for him? Sod all, whereas I slaved for him daily, I loved him, and he gets fond of you, you bloody fairy!

And then what happens, you seem to getting girlier by the week and I was sure you were growing breasts and that little bum was waggling all over the place. The only thing that was waggling more were the tongues, they were beginning to think that Tom was gay. My Tom a fucking queer like you? Bah! He's a red blooded man, unlike you. I watched him sniffing around young, nubile women. Well I could hardly compete with them could I, too long in the tooth for that.

But then he comes into the department late from a meeting, they've been looking for him all over the place and he tells me to cancel his meetings, he had an important call to make. He calls the Dean. I decide I'd better be appraised of this. So I intercept and listen, the wonders of modern technology, I can do this without the microphone on my handset being active. He didn't know, in fact he still doesn't know. Silly old fool.

It seems he's only telling the dean that he has just run into one of his students in the town wearing a dress and makeup. Well I wonder who that could be? Ha ha, it was so funny. Or it was until he said, he thought you were going to change over, and that it appeared imminent and that he thought you were quite a convincing girl, quite pretty too.

So, you were making a play for my man, were you, you disgusting creature. Then the next thing, you come bouncing in here in bloody dresses and he's taking you out to lunch at any opportunity. When does he take me out to lunch? On my birthday if he fucking remembers, that's when!

So I thought I'd warn you off, but you were too fucking stupid to get the message, weren't you? You kept coming in here with ever more sexy outfits and he was drooling over you. Do you know how it feels to be ignored by someone you love? And worse, for that love to be shown to some filthy degenerate? Do you know how that feels? No of course you don't, you're a man, no a boy, a dirty arse-bandit boy. A shirt-lifting deviant! That's what you are, masquerading as a woman, you make my flesh creep!

Then, he says you remind him of his daughter - how can a boy remind someone of their daughter? You must be turning his mind or something. He has the big meeting at his house and he invites you to be the hostess - you, how dare he? Why didn't he send for me? At least I'm a woman, and have acted as hostess many times at different functions. Oh yes, when I was younger, he'd have asked me.

Why didn't he ask one of his other staff members, we have two or three nice women here, and a lovely technician, but no, he asked you, and you spent the night there didn't you, you bitch! You slept with him didn't you? I know, I watched the house. You left at lunchtime without any knickers on, you filthy whore! I'll bet your arse was sore, you filty pervert. What had you done to him, corrupted him?

Then he wants to make you the pin-up for the survey project, you a boy, he wants to have you grinning like a jackass from posters all over the country, showing a bit of tit, which I bet is all bra and padding. There are a thousand proper women in this department of biological sciences, why does he have to pick on a fornicating fairy like you instead of one of them?

You didn't heed my warnings, so the time of retribution is at hand. I am going to modify you, so your horrible habits will bring you no more fun. I am also going to feed your genitals to the rats. Lets see them sew those back on.

Let's move your expensive skirt up, just out of the way, wouldn't want to get blood on it would you, then we pull your pretty little panties down and....ARRRGHH! You are a woman, you little trollop! You are a woman, NO NO NO! It's not fair! It isn't fair!"

"MARY! Put that knife down."

"Oh, come to save your little whore have you? You bastard, you made me think she was a boy, but she isn't, she's a girl, a woman. You lied to me."

"I didn't want you to think I was interested in anyone but you Mary, and I'm not."

"You lied to me, I'm going to carve up her pretty face and body."

"What for Mary, she's engaged to be married, to someone else."

"A likely tale, she slept with you, I saw her leave the house, without any knickers."

"She slept with Simon, her fiance. Look on her finger, she's wearing a ring."

"I'll bet you gave it to her, the whore!"

"Take a look at it Mary, take a good look and tell me if you think I could afford a ring like that."

"Yeah so, it's not real stones."

"They are Mary, she's engaged to a millionaire, she's going to become a Viscount's wife. She doesn't want me, except as a teacher and guide. I want her as a pupil to develop to eventually lead a department like this, perhaps even this one. But as for love, It's you I want Mary, so come on put the knife down."

"What about your dinner party? Why didn't you ask me? I could have been a perfect hostess, instead of that little trollop."

"I needed her there for her knowledge of the project, it was all hush hush, the under secretary was there, only members of the team or funders were invited, remember we had to switch it from Bristol at the last minute, their mammal expert was down with some bug. Cathy was the next best thing."

"And why are you using her on you posters and not one of the other students, or even a model?"

"Because the bank who are funding the campaign want her on the front, the under secretary wants her on the front, and at least she is involved in the scheme, not just some brainless bimbo from an advertising agency."

"How do I know I can believe you?"

"How about if I ask you to move in with me Mary?"

"Ha, you're lying, I know you are, you just want to save this little whore, so you can continue your affair."

"Mary, if you harm her, I shall send you away from me. I shall banish you, you'll never see me again. If you harm her, I shall hate you with all my being, is that what you want?"

"No Tom, it isn't. I want you for myself for ever."

I'm told that the police marksman made one hell of a shot, he hit her in the head as she stabbed at the professor. He got a nasty shoulder wound, but he's doing okay.

Apparently, he phoned me because he knew I was going to the university to do the cages. He didn't know I'd actually be there, but he wanted some notes he'd left on Mary's desk, he needed to modify them. He heard her talking to me, and became aware she was making threats, he called the police and rushed over to the labs.

They decided as he'd heard the conversation about her jealousy of me, he'd try and talk her down, once she was disarmed, they could take her in and get her checked over by a shrink, they thought she had paranoid delusions. Because there was a weapon involved the Hampshire Constabulary had an armed response team attend, including a marksman. He was in the nextdoor building and could see down into the lab through the window.

The Superintendent in charge issued an instruction to stop her if it looked as if the Professor or I were at risk of a wound. They saw the knife flash and he popped her.

We all attended her funeral, she was a sad and sick woman. I missed out on all the action, I still don't know why she didn't try to mutilate me, unless of course she thought she saw something that isn't there yet. If she looked carefully, she'd have seen what it was, a simulacrum. So my life might have been saved by some superglue, because I was unconscious, I suppose I'll never actually know.

Well me dears, waddya think of that then? Comments on a twenty pound note, usual address, my bank.