A Wish the Heart Makes : Fornever in Blue Genes

by: Tigger

 

Chapter 13: A Woman’s Nature

"Damn you, Robert! When I can get out of this bed without the world spinning and my guts threatening to turn inside out on the rug, I am going to KILL you!" Mandy half moaned, half growled.

"Come on, Matthew," Robert retorted. "You knew this was going to happen and you know it is not fatal. Hell, if you’d just quit complaining long enough to take a quick mental inventory, I’d bet that the medication I just administered has already taken effect. Now, quit your bitching. You’re upsetting Cat, and the way she is looking at me is making me very uneasy."

"You should be," the chief of security snarled. "She’s ill and you’re showing all the bedside manner of doornail. Maybe I should help you join her in her misery," she said, making a move toward the quickly retreating doctor.

"Cat, stop," Mandy ordered and then sighed. "He’s right. He told me to expect this and the stuff he gave me has taken the edge off the worst of it."

"Told you to expect it?!?" Cat roared, turning on Mandy. "Told you to expect what?"

"Menses," Mandy said in a barely audible voice.

Brought up short, Cat’s mouth hung momentarily open as she stared at her charge. "What . . . did you say?" she asked, her throat already starting to constrict.

"You heard me well enough," Mandy fumed before yelling out, "Menses, dammit! My period. On the rag! Is *that* plain enough for you, Donovan?!?!"

Turning and trying to hold in the laughter, Cat first nodded. "I see. Well, -kaff kaff- that would be. . ahem . . . just a little bit . . . well . . . "

"Do you want to die quickly now or really slow later, Donovan?" Mandy asked trying to sound severe, although Robert could see that the combination of the medication and Matthew’s sense of humor were making that difficult.

Cat lost it. In moments, she was on the bed beside Mandy, howling with laughter. Her infectious guffaws, soon had Robert joining in. They only managed to calm down when McPherson came running into the room, to see what was the matter.

"Don’t worry, Morrie," Mandy said with as dignified a look as she could manage under the circumstances. "You had to be here to understand." She’d almost told Morag the whole truth, but only at the last minute had recalled that the girl was not yet cleared for the whole truth.

With an uncertain glance around the room, McPherson nodded and went back to her station.

"Well, if you two are through having a giggle-fest at my expense, I am now hungry. Anything I should avoid eating that might react badly with whatever you just shot me up with, Bob?"

"Nothing you aren’t already not imbibing, Matthew," Robert said, still grinning at her as he collected his instruments. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to the lab. Some of our earliest culture tests are close to making the critical transition."

"The ‘change me back to me’ experiments, Bob?" Mandy asked. At his nod, she continued, "Just a couple of things first, Bob?"

"Okay, Matt, shoot."

"That’s the first one. As long as I am stuck like this, you should get used to calling me Mandy. Morag isn’t yet cleared for what has happened to me, and calling me Matt is bad for security."

Robert looked at Cat who nodded her agreement with that. Robert returned that before answering, "Good point, Mat . . . I mean, Mandy. And the other thing?"

"Just as soon as you have this transition thing licked, watch your ass, friend. You and Adam may find yourselves on the rag sooner than you might think, my friend." At Robert’s stunned look, Mandy howled. "Don’t you think Bobbi would be really cute as a pixie blond with a button nose, a tiny voice and big boobs, Cat? And wouldn’t Adam make a great Eve?"

"Matthew . . . I mean Mandy . . . I don’t think . . . that is, I mean, well . . . " Robert coughed and pressed on. "I don’t think the process will ever be *that* safe that we can just play with it. At least, not in our lifetime. The transition puts a helluva strain on the transformee at the cellular level, even if we can otherwise do it safely from the genetic level."

Mandy smiled mischievously. "Just teasing, old friend. Although, I would like to see you rejuvenated and young again. If that means making you a girl so that I can have you around for another fifty or sixty years, then that seems to be a small price from my side of this friendship."

The warmth in that last statement touched Robert, and he felt a liquid heat prickle at his eyelids. "I have to go . . . I *really* have to go. I’ll see you both later." He then all but ran from the room.

Cat and Mandy sat on the bed for a long while after that, each of them surreptitiously enjoying the close contact with the other’s body. Mandy finally sighed and stretched. "I *am* hungry."

"Okay. Feel up to working out first?" Cat asked. "MacPherson will be disappointed if she misses out on a chance to get her hands on you again."

"Fine. A little tightness still in my lower guts and a feeling of something strange going on down there, but the cramps and the nausea are gone," Mandy replied before becoming very quiet. "Cat? I think we need to bring Morag in on the full story. She very nearly stumbled onto it just now, thanks to Bob calling me by my old name. Besides, I think it would be better all around if she was fully briefed on what was really going on in this asylum and not speculating. Can you trust her?"

"I already do, Mandy. She wouldn’t have been allowed to get anywhere near this close to you if I had the slightest doubt about her. I’ll brief her today."

"After our workout. I want to try and take her down today, and I don’t want her easing up on me because she is afraid of the boss."

Cat snorted. "Sure, whatever you say, Boss. Not that you are likely to throw MacPherson in this lifetime."

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure, pigeon. What’re your stakes?"

"Winner’s choice."

"Within reason." The professional security officer cautioned, "Nothing that endangers your safety, Mandy."

"Well, since you just told me I can’t possibly win, that won’t be a problem, will it? But okay, I will agree. Winner’s choice subject to your professional judgement on my personal safety and well being."

"I’m going to just *love* that foot massage and pedicure, sweetie," Cat purred. "And you are going to look just *so* cute sitting on the floor at my feet when you’re doing it."

"Sounds like fun," Mandy countered. "Maybe I will even do it *after* I win."

~--------------~

The drill and exercise session had gone well, Cat mused two hours later. The incredible, nearly-biologically perfect body that Mandy had been gifted with was already in excellent shape and still seemed only to be getting stronger with each passing day. Her coordination had improved immeasurably in the short weeks they’d been working out together.

"Okay, you two. Time to see just how far Miss Priss over there has come. MacPherson? No holding back on this little exercise. First person to throw the other wins."

"Eh . . . chief," Morag countered, "are ye sure ye want tae play that rough? Mandy’s improved daily, but she’s still naught but a wee beginner."

"Aw, c’mon, Morrie. Toss me on my butt and it’s all over. It is not like you’re going to try to punch my lights out or kick my teeth down my throat . . ."

"Now, Miss Mandy . . . "

Mandy gave the security officer a firm push. "I *told* you to call me Mandy, MacPherson," she said with another poke and a push for emphasis. A spark of Celtic-warrior anger sparked in her opponent’s eyes so Mandy did it yet again.

"Now, Mandy . . . " she warned, her brogue getting thicker only to be cut off by yet another push which this time she returned. "Awright, then. If that’s the way ye wanna play it, lassie," she growled and went into her attack stance.

Cat almost warned Morag to watch herself but a glance at Mandy stopped her. The look on her friend’s face was pure Matthew at his most controlled. *The devious old bastard has intentionally pissed MacPherson off. Well, she’s made her bed, now she’s going to get tossed onto it. The hard way. Just as well, I guess. She needs to learn she can’t do that and get away with crap like that anymore. Not like she did when she was Matthew.*

The battle actually lasted far longer than Cat or Morag had anticipated. Mandy’s strength and quickness surprised both professionals, and she seemed to sense MacPherson’s point of attack and was able to move just out of the way of each technique her opponent set up. Most of which, Cat was relieved to note, were fairly gentle ones that would, at worst, give Mandy a bruised bottom when she finally bounced off the mat.

Except *that* never happened.

Suddenly, Mandy moved with a speed that stunned MacPherson and amazed Cat. One instant MacPherson was reaching in for a throwing grip on Mandy’s sweatsuit, and then Mandy was beneath Morag, locking the extended arm and leg into a picture perfect fireman’s carry that took the Scotswoman straight onto her back.

"Two points - takedown!" Mandy crowed from atop the speechless Morag, before jumping to her feet and offering her hand. "I win!"

"That wasna a martial arts maneuver," Morag protested.

"No one said anything about martial arts. Cat just said the first throw wins, and I won!"

The scowl that went across Morag’s strong features was quickly replaced with a self deprecating and sheepish grin. "And so she did," she admitted before adding, "but dinna be thinkin’ ye’ll be gettin’ away with such tricks next time, lassie."

"Ah, Morrie, you’re wonderful, you know that?" Mandy gushed as she pulled the shocked woman into a hug. "I *really* like having you around. Now, I’m for a shower."

With a victorious smile, she turned towards the door where Cat stood, arms folded beneath her bosom, a speculative look on her face. "See you at lunch, Cat. You, too, Morag," Mandy said aloud before adding quietly as she passed her friend. "Foot massage and a pedicure, huh? See you after dinner, too, Big Cat."

To the utter amazement of MacPherson, Cat Donovan began to howl with laughter for the second time that day. She finally managed to control herself and saw the look her subordinate was giving her. Remembering her promise to Mandy, she beckoned Morag over to her side. "C’mon, MacPherson. You and I need to talk."

 

*********************************************
© 1996 by Tigger. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.