Polly Mer-Man

by Prudence Walker

CHAPTER 01

 

"WARNING! SITUATION CRITICAL, EVACUATION CODE ALPHA ALL PERSONEL TO ABANDON SUB LEVELS 1 TO 3!"

"Oh crap," was the first thing to come out of Colin's mouth, as he heard the loud public address systems distorted warning. In fact, sitting on the toilet, he was doing exactly that, while relaxing with the mind expanding effects of a newly acquired reefer of Mexican gold, Colin didn't find the situation at all funny. Being right in the middle of a crap sitting with his pants down around his ankles, amidst a severe emergency evacuation, was the last thing he'd expected in the late Friday afternoon at the polymer research facility. He heard the janitor knock his bucket over in his haste, sending soapy water spilling over the freshly mopped floor, as the man raced out towards the elevators.

Colin had to wait as he frantically voided that, which wouldn't be denied release. Fumbling, he tried pulling his pants up not waiting to wipe or even fastening his trousers as he jerked open the cubicles door, in his frantic dash to safety. Unfortunately, he encountered the wet floor and slipped. In releasing his pants in an effort to maintain balance, by wind milling his arms, he made things worse, and fell headlong into the toilet wall, stunning himself. It must have been several minutes, before the dazed Colin could gather his wits together and struggle to get up. Even seeing blood oozing from his temple in the mirror, Colin dismissed it as nothing, as the public address system continued to blare out its recorded warning.

He managed to get as far as his laboratory door, where he worked on special organic polymers, before he heard a rumble and some crashing-exploding sounds. He looked up to see the wall of liquid ripping down the walls as it escaped its pressurized vats from deeper in the lab. The wave of mingled polymers from several different vats, along with timber and wall partition pieces knocked him into the far wall with an impact that made him black out.

Unknown to Colin, most of the blast that had brought down the walls and ceiling of the underground level two, did very little damage to him. He was partially protected by the viscous liquid as the various experimental polymers covered him completely.

NASA was pouring money into the research for new polymers that could be used in space. Some of the work at the research facility was really new and headed into unknown territory as the scientists tried new radical ideas. Now one of those very unstable processes had resulted in an explosion that had destroyed most of level two and had then combined several different polymers from vats caught in the explosion. The warmish liquid roiled and spurted as it mixed and released gases before flowing over Colin's body, lying partially supported on some debris on the floor of the remains of the lab.

Underneath Colin was a grating, which covered a cable duct leading to the next level down. As the liquid slowly flowed away down, exposing his head and allowed oxygen to once again to enter his weakly struggling lungs, it also revealed the debris that had pinned his arm against the grate. He looked like some weird mannequin, covered head to toe in glistening plastic polymer. His clothes had dissolved leaving details of his naked body softly blurred.

Colin's first awareness, as he struggled to consciousness was of heat and weight. The covering over his body insulated his normal heat loss and he felt overly warm. He saw he was covered in thick gooey liquid in the dim light coming from the few remaining emergency lighting units, which were still hanging among what remained of the partially collapsed ceiling. The weight was from ceiling tiles and bits of broken wall partitions. He could only move his body, inch by inch. He coughed, trying to rid himself of the polymer that had got into his lungs and mouth. He was worried the polymer might be a type that set hard when exposed to the air and might leave him trapped in a cocoon that would stop him moving. Managing to slowly lever one arm free from the metal grill it had been laying pinned on; he was shocked at what he saw. The underside of his hand and arm had deep grooves that went as far in as the bone. He realized it was the same pattern as the grill, and looked as if his arm had melted into the mesh, forming the grooves.

He felt no pain at all and saw no blood as he stared at the arm in fright. He moved, trying to get up, noticing he was unclothed. His body looked strange, as it too, had taken on the texture from the objects he had been lying on. Fighting his way clear of the clinging goo and debris, he made his way slowly to the elevators, hoping to get help. Colin struggled to find his way in the near dark conditions, as the fallen structure made everything seem unrecognisable. He stopped in a pool of light cast by the emergency light and checked his hand and arm again. He pressed at the flesh on the sides of the grooving, noting that the flesh seemed to flow and start to fill in again. Relieved, he massaged the skin until it started to look normal again.

Finding the elevator blocked by debris, Colin looked for a way around to the only stairway. Some of the polymer that was drying on his body was starting to itch and he starting pulling it off his skin in huge sheets. His skin felt much better with the stuff off and he'd peeled most of it off his face and was trying to get it off his eyes and hair, when he suddenly froze. The moustache he had grown painstakingly over the years was gone; it had been pulled painlessly out when he had removed the polymer coating. Colin stumbled over to a dangling emergency light that he could reach and shone it down over his body.

"Argh! Shit?" he moaned as he saw that not one hair remained on his body below his eyes. Even his face felt stubble free as if he had never had hair there. Not wanting to become bald, he left the stuff on his matted head, thinking there must be a better way to remove it without losing his head of hair too.

A high-pitched mewling distracted his thoughts; it was coming from a pile in the corner. Colin pulled some boxes free from where the sound was coming from, to find the labs mascot, a kitten called Maggie. She was bedraggled, but okay and although she had obviously been covered in the goo as well, she was relatively clean and still had all her fur.

"Now how come you managed to get clean and still keep your fur Maggie?" He asked the now purring ball of cuteness.

"MEOROWWW," Maggie replied disdainfully, as she licked at a stray bit of goo on her paw.

"Hmmm," Colin muttered disgustedly. "Trust a cat to know how to get clean."

Colin found a broken water pipe that was gushing from what used to be the coffee station. Letting the stream of water wash over his head, he saw the goo start to wash off in a muddy looking cascade. Feeling better now he was relatively clean, Colin started to look for something to wear, as the water was pretty cold and the air-conditioning units were not functional.

The only thing he could find was a change of clothing for one of the lab technicians. It was Beth's street clothes she used when she went to and from work. Feeling especially vulnerable moving around the wrecked floor naked, Colin decided that ridiculous or not, he would put on whatever fit. Feeling somewhat voyeuristic, he fumbled through the smashed locker, finding a pretty yellow dress that had a zipper that opened from the hips to somewhere in the middle of the back. He knew he'd not fit it well, being too big in the waist for one, but he might be able to struggle into it leaving it open at the back. There were pantyhose and shoes there, which were far too small to fit.

Putting Maggie down at his feet, he took the dress and unzipped it before pulling it over his head. It was a struggle, but it slowly went on, much to Colin's amazement. He tugged at the hem, trying to get it to cover more of him. He attempted to close the zip as he felt like he was hanging out back there. The zip went up two inches before the material pulled too tight. He left it there; letting it self-lock, as the tag lay flat.

As he bent to pick up Maggie again, he felt the dress pulling hard on his waist, and he wondered if it would split under the pressure. Oddly, the pressure seemed to ease and he was able to pick up Maggie. After straightening up the dress felt loose, so he reached behind to pull up the zip again, thinking it had slipped down. To his surprise the zip went further up, again tightening the dress fabric to bursting point. Thinking it was the dress stretching, Colin continued to contort his body, bending and stretching. The zip continued to close ever so slowly, until it reached the top and Colin never realized that in the dim light, that his figure had taken on a most unmasculine look as the excess flesh of his waist had squeezed in and moved to fill out his hips and chest area, which due to the bodice, had a bit of room to spare.

Colin was somewhat more pleased that the dress he was wearing, now felt a bit more comfortable. His chest seemed a little more prominent than usual, but he guessed it was the dress making it look like he was filling it out. He looked at the shoes and sighed. Walking barefoot in the rubble was just asking for trouble, he picked up the low-heeled court shoe, wishing it were a bit bigger, at least it would have provided him some protection despite the ridiculous appearance of him wearing ladies footwear. His only other experience in wearing female clothes was at a Halloween party, several years ago, before he grew his moustache. He'd had fun then, and knew the basics of getting into female clothing.

Maggie suddenly twisted out of his grip, dropping to the floor with that typical four-footed way peculiar to the feline race. She mewed as she scented something to eat nearby and scampered off into the gloom. Colin called to her, fearing for her safety and feeling sad at being abandoned. Following, still holding the shoes, Colin saw something unbelievable as he caught up to the kitten.

Maggie had found what she had scented, but it was on the other side of a door that was jammed shut by fallen trusses. Maggie was pushing at the small gap below the door. She had both paws under it, and was forcing her way under the door. Colin realized that there was no way she could pass underneath it, with the gap being about an inch high. Maggie wanted through as she kept pushing, first her nose then her head was slowly gaining access. Colin gasped, as the kitten seemed to flatten and ooze under the door. In moments Maggie was gone, only her mewling telling him she was still okay.

Reason told him, no cat could do that, so it had to be the result of the explosion and the resultant goo that had covered the both of them. Remembering the way his own flesh had "melted," Colin knew something was very weird here. Experimenting a little, he tried reaching under the door. As the pressure of his knuckles came against the door, he could see some flattening and as he kept the pressure on, he found his arm moving under the door. It was a weird sensation, unlike anything he had felt before, almost as if his bones had jellified.

Getting an idea, he looked at the shoes speculatively thinking about seeing if could mould his foot into it. Before trying to squeeze his foot into it, he went and retrieved the pantyhose, thinking that the slippery fabric would help his foot slide into the shoe. He pulled the pantyhose over each foot leaving the rest of it around his ankles, before trying to pull on the shoes. As the pressure from the tight fit built up, he saw it was working. The foot seemed to flow and slide into the shoe, with the excess flesh bulging slightly above the shoes opening.

Colin stood uncertainly trying to wriggle his toes. The fit seemed okay, and after a few seconds, the tightness eased and they felt comfortable. He almost fell as he tried a step, having forgotten the pantyhose acting like a hobble between his feet. Colin tried to break the panty hose in half but it was far too strong for that, sighing again, Colin reluctantly pulled the pantyhose up his legs, marvelling in the sensuous feel of the fine knit against his recently denuded legs. The tension against his skin gave him an embarrassing erection as he pulled it snug about his waist.

Remembering about Maggie, he carefully walked back to the door she had disappeared behind, the low one-inch heels not bothering him at all. He didn't notice as the gentle, but inexorable pressure from the pantyhose started to mould his legs and making the fleshy bulge at his ankles disappear. Nor was he actively aware of the changes to his genitalia as the pressure from the hose started to compress them.

Colin could hear Maggie trying to get back from under the door, and as he watched, he saw first the front paws reaching through, before a weirdly flattened nose and head squeezed through the tiny gap. Soon, Maggie had squeezed herself all the way back, and looked extremely pleased with herself as she sat and licked her fur contentedly. Colin picked her up and checked her over to see if she was okay. Apologizing for what he was about to do, Colin gently squeezed the kittens back legs, watching them begin to get thinner. Colin then tried pushing them back into her body, until they all but disappeared. Maggie didn't seem concerned with his manipulation and obviously never felt any discomfort. Colin roughly checked the time it took for the legs to return to normal, after he released the pressure. The legs took about a minute to fully return to normal, which gave Colin something to think about regarding his own body's possible reaction to the chemical cocktail.

Colin started thinking about his own survival, being trapped two levels down with no obvious way out, having already checked the impassable stairway, meant finding some food and water to survive. Water wasn't a problem but the food would be, as normally no food was allowed down in these levels bar coffee and cold drinks. The nearest food was in the cafeteria, two levels up. Colin looked fruitlessly for a functional phone so that he could notify the police that he was trapped, but alive. All the lines were down as the explosion had severed all communication links out. Colin found some cushions from the seats that used to be in the lab and made a rough bed from them. He knew sleeping would conserve energy, until his rescue was achieved. Cuddling the kitten on his chest, Colin tried to rest and keep from worrying about what the future consequences of the polymer contamination would hold.

An hour had passed since the explosion, and things were confused at the surface, as a roll call of the workers and scientists was conducted. It was finally resolved that there were two people missing, one was Colin Stockman and the other being Beth Winslow. The management called in the police rescue squad, and operations were started to gain access back to the lower levels before night fell.

A noise and a shuddering vibration brought Colin back from an uneasy slumber. All was dark, as the emergency lights had run their batteries below operational levels. Maggie was missing, so Colin stumbled in the darkness, calling for her return. Another crack and Colin made out the faint sound of jackhammers from the floor above, as the rescuers forced their way down searching for survivors.

Colin made his way to where the noise was loudest by feel only, not a wise thing in retrospect, as part of the ceiling started to fall and struck Colin on the head knocking him to the ground. Colin felt the impact then as the weight of the concrete block started to crush his skull, things went fuzzy, then black as his head started to flatten under the pressure.

One of the volunteers from the lab, that was assisting the police in the rescue effort, was one of Colin's co-workers. Ted Barrett knew the both the people missing and was Colin's best friend. Ted spotted what looked like Beth's body under a fallen slab of concrete. He recognized her dress and shoes and was sickened as he realized the block had crushed her head almost flat, her features were hard to make out in the scant light from the torches and obscured by her long dark hair covering her face. Once her body was freed, Ted covered her with a blanket to cover the horror of the flattened and unrecognisable face; Ted elected to help carry her body on the stretcher to an awaiting ambulance, leaving most of the rescuers to search further.

The normal check for signs of life had been waived, due to the extent of the head trauma. One of the rescuer's gave the death verdict and a brief description, but didn't bother to uncover the body to confirm it. Ted was left with the body in the back of the ambulance. Shaken after describing the scene of her death, and needing a stiff belt of something alcoholic, Ted asked for and was given a small flask of rum. The ambulance men walked in the darkness of the evening back to the flood lit opening to await the rescuer's next find.

Ted was wondering about the fate of his friend Colin, and whether he would see him alive again, when the covered body of Beth moved. Startled out of his wits, Ted wondered if he had imagined the slight movement, until it happened again. This time, the body started to sit up. Ted was too terrified to make a sound as the blanket slid down from the head, revealing… Colin?

"Hey dude? What the hell?" stuttered a shocked Ted.

"Whaaa happened? Where am I?" Colin moaned, as he held his head in his hands.

"Shit man, I don't believe this," Ted cried out. "How come I saw Beth's body with her head crushed and now you show up in her place…wearing her clothes?" He added, as Colin pulled the blanket off revealing his feminine apparel.

"Well that's a long story, but I don't want to discuss it here, can we leave please, preferably without any more attention?" Colin asked pleadingly.

"Umm okay, but you owe me one, pal." Ted grumbled. "Lay back down and don't move an inch, till I get back," Ted said, as he pulled the blanket up over Colin's head again.

"Okay," was the muffled reply.

Ted went out and brought his car nearer to the ambulance, so Colin could transfer quickly without being noticed under the cover of darkness. Just as Ted was about to shut the door on the blanket-covered passenger, a grey streak flashed along the ground and leapt into the car. Maggie had found her way out of the underground prison on her own and had decided to stay with her newfound friend.

"What the…?" Ted uttered in surprise, as Maggie sat on the blanket and started purring.

"It's just a kitty Ted we were together under there, please let her come, she is unique." Colin pleaded, peeking from under the blanket.

"She'd better be house trained, I don't want no cat shit in my car," grumbled Ted.

Maggie looked disdainfully at Ted for a moment, as if saying, "Who me?"

Ted snorted and got into the drivers seat and slowly started to drive away. After a few minutes, when they had cleared the property and were on the open road, Colin sat up and looked around. Ted looked in the rear view mirror and shook his head at the incongruous sight of his best friend in woman's clothes. He wondered at how he had achieved to look so feminine, as his shape was nothing like what he was used to seeing.

"Where are we going? You know we should tell the company that you're alive," Ted questioned.

"Head to my place first, there's something I need to tell you and demonstrate before anyone else finds out." Colin answered.

"Like you're on hormones and want to wear woman's clothes?" Ted joked.

"Oh…this? Well funny you should ask that, but the answers weirder than that," Colin grimaced, as he plucked distractedly at the bodice of the dress.

Bursting with curiosity, Ted withheld the many questions he wanted to ask Colin until they arrived at his house. After remembering that he hadn't got the key, Colin walked around the side to where an emergency key was hidden. Gaining entry, Colin went straight to the bathroom to get a shower and some fresh clothes. Maggie ran around happily exploring this new home with the interesting smells. Ted sat in the lounge, waiting impatiently, until a loud scream brought him rushing to the bathroom.

"What's up?" Ted inquired feeling worried, as he opened the door cautiously.

"Look at me," screamed Colin, as he turned his naked body and faced Ted. "I'm all misshapen," he exclaimed.

Ted saw that Colin's body had really changed, not only did he have the body curves of a woman, his penis, and scrotum had disappeared. His chest too, looked odd, instead of two breasts as he had part expected, Colin now had a shelf of flesh sticking out across his chest. The flesh had completely filled all the available space in the bodice, which had given him the look of having a bosom. Ted gasped, and then looked down at his crotch again. There was something odd showing there, so he knelt and peered closer. He saw what remained of Colin's sex organs had been pressed right into his body and level with the rest of the skin. He could see the outline out the penis, but was afraid to go further and actually touch it.

"You need to tell me everything that happened to you, while you were trapped under there," Ted demanded.

Colin agreed, and then wrapped a robe over his distorted body, before walking into the lounge and getting himself a stiff drink. Ted refused an offer of another; he wanted to be as clearheaded as possible. Maggie came and sat on Colin's lap purring quietly as he slowly told his tale. Unbelieving, Ted was given a quick demonstration, as Colin took the kitten and slowly compressed its rear legs and tail into its body, while the kitten remained contentedly oblivious to its new shape.

To say that Ted was amazed was an understatement. He watched, open-mouthed as the kitten returned to normal without any obvious ill effects.

"According to the time it's taken for the kitten to return to normal and figuring the extra mass of the human body into consideration, you should have returned to your normal shape…." Ted paused, working it out in his head, "about five minutes ago."

"Argh," was Colin's only comment.

"Colin, was there anything different about what happened to you and what happened to the kitten? Anything at all?"

"I don't know really, it was pretty much confusing time from the explosion to the time when I woke up," Colin answered.

"Hmm, whereabouts were you in relation to where you found Maggie then?" Ted asked, clutching at straws.

"Well I was over the air vent in the cable duct and Maggie was over by the kitchenette."

Ted got out some paper and did a rough layout of the lab and marked in the two positions of Colin and Maggie in relationship with the three vats.

"That's it!" exclaimed Ted. "Maggie was nearer the number three vat and couldn't have been touched by the solution of number one vat. I would say, seeing the way all three drained around your position, that she was only in contact with two solutions, not three like you."

"So my body's reaction is different to hers?" Colin asked.

"Open your robe a moment, I want to test something," Ted said.

Colin did so somewhat reluctantly, ashamed to show the odd slab of flesh running across his chest. Ted gently touched it in the centre as if trying to mould it into two breasts. Colin started to object, not wanting to look any more feminine than he was. Ted explained that he only wanted to see what could be achieved before any hard decisions were made. Under Ted's hands breasts formed as he kneaded them into shape, using just gentle, but constant pressure. By the time Ted had finished, Colin had fairly large sized breasts. To Colin's disgust, Ted made a comment, that all he needed was some facial alterations to complete the look, to appear female.

Colin was about to squash the breasts back into his chest, when Ted stopped him.

"Colin, wait, you have all of the appearances of a female body. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

Colin was about to retort, when Ted's cell phone chimed, forestalling further conversation.

Ted answered the phone. "Hello, Ted here…yes? I'm at home…. Oh no, you're sure it's him? I see…hmm…now wait a minute, that's just supposition…oh!… she is?…no…I left soon after and didn't see anything…okay, I'll come in and make a statement…bye." Ted then put down the phone and looked at Colin with concern.

"What's up Ted?" Colin asked warily.

"Well my friend, they found parts of a body near the explosion site. They say it is your body there, as they recovered what they assumed was Beth's body earlier. According to them, you are dead, and they are blaming you for the cause of the explosion, and for the death of Beth, whose body as of ten minutes ago has disappeared. The police want to ask me some questions, as I was the last to be seen with her body."

"Oh shit," I was in the damned toilet; Beth must have been fiddling with the reaction in the vat. Couldn't they tell it wasn't a male body they found?"

"Well there was only a few charred pieces of flesh and a few bone fragments, according to the police, hardly enough for any positive ID. They assumed that because they pulled your body out and it looked like Beth's, what they found was your own."

"Well, let's get on the phone and set them right." Colin argued.

"Wait, Colin. Think about that for a moment, if you turn up alive now looking as you do, not only will you be in serious shit, but also you may be held responsible for the death of Beth. I mean here you are in her clothes, being mistaken for her, that's not good. I think you would end up being charged with manslaughter, at least."

"But if I explain that I was on the toilet, and had nothing to do with it, surely that would be enough,' argued Colin.

"Was there any person that may have seen you in there that could back you up?" Ted countered.

"Well, no, I did hear the janitor in there, but he didn't see me,"

"So, knowing you on a Friday afternoon, I suppose you were smoking pot?" Ted asked. At Colin's nod, Ted continued. "Then if questioned, he could say that there was a person there that was smoking pot?" Ted left the implications unsaid.

"Oh! I see what you're getting at; I'd still be responsible for Beth's death, because while she was working on the experiment, I was getting high on a joint in the toilets." Colin scowled.

"Yeah you could say that joint could send you to the joint and looking like you are now, you could be either locked away in a funny farm or worse."

"Worse? What could be worse than that?" Colin demanded.

"Think about it... a man suddenly shows up with the body of a woman after a near fatal explosion, a body that can be moulded like plasticine? What do you think would happen if that information got out?"

"Damn, your right, I'd be locked away while they threw all the tests in the book at me, I'd be lucky to survive let alone be a free agent anymore." Colin said morosely. "Okay, what can I do? I can't show my face anywhere now."

Ted looked at his friend seriously for a moment, before making his next suggestion.

"Stay at my place for now, until we figure things out. One thing for sure, we need to do some tests...hey, don't look like that at me, you know we need to do it, if only to see what your body is capable of and what it's limits are." Ted replied, cutting off the objection, Colin was about to utter.

"What should I wear? I might have something of mine that would fit me," Colin asked.

"No, we need to disguise the fact that you are some sort of weird looking half female oddity. I have a nosey neighbour remember, she might if questions say something about seeing you, if the police start nosing around looking for Beth's body. Look you still have your long hippy styled hair, why not continue wearing Beth's old clothes, at least they fit, and we may be able to brush your hair in a temporary feminine style for the moment. She will probably think your just a girl friend and not take too much notice."

"Like that's such a great idea," Colin snorted in disgust.

"Look Colin, I don't have to help you, I could just say fuck it and leave it to you to sort out," Ted snapped back.

"Sorry Ted, I shouldn't have jumped down your throat, it's just pretty hard to go from being a normal thirty year old guy to looking like somebody's girlfriend, all in one day," Colin said, sadly.

"Me too, I wouldn't really have left you to sort it out alone. We have been best friends for a long time now, and that's not going to stop because you have a few little problems."

"HA HA! I wouldn't say this is a little problem," looking down at his new chest. "I don't have a thing to wear now," Colin laughed sarcastically. "Plus, I don't have a valid identity. Just what the hell am I going to do now?"

"I have an idea, but first get dressed again in those clothes of Beth's and we'll see how feminine we can get you to look," Ted suggested.

Half an hour later, a couple walked outside Colin's place to get into Ted's car. The slightly shorter of the two was wearing a yellow dress and hose and walked unsteadily in her low-heeled shoes. She had a nice figure, but was walking rather woodenly as if unsure of her attractiveness. Her dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with bangs at the front. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of masculine looking sunglasses and her lips were slightly tinged with pink. Nobody would have thought her out of place with her arm in arm with the tall dark haired man beside her. People would have been shocked, had they heard the conversation that went on in the car as it drove off.

"I don't believe I let you manipulate my face like this," a high sexy woman's voice came out of Colin's pink high gloss covered lips.

"Well your Adams apple was rather prominent. All I did was push it upwards, tightening the cords and giving you a voice that suits the overall look. Remember those first years at premed I did before turning to research, it finally came in useful. Pushing it back into your throat so it wouldn't be seen was the next logical step," replied Ted defending himself.

"And the cheek bones?" Colin asked.

"Look great," answered Ted quickly. "At least you look and sound female now, and not some half man/woman creature that would stick out like a sore thumb." Came Ted's consolidating argument. Soon they arrived at Ted's place and Ted escorted Colin arm in arm into his home without drawing any suspicious looks from his neighbour, so far, so good. Ted asked Colin to make himself at home, while he went and picked up a few things they would need and to give the police a statement. Colin was happy to stay out of sight, looking as he did.

The drive over had made him feel like he was on display, like some prize ready to be won and unwrapped. The fact that he had got away with looking like a normal woman, with only a few casual glances from other drivers, didn't make him feel particularly proud, just more depressed that his once masculine body, now made it so easy to pass as a woman. He walked around Ted's place, checking out his friend's sculptures. Colin knew that Tel's passion was moulding busts and other Full body sculptures in his spare time. Peeking into Ted's bedroom, he was amazed at what looked like a full scale cast of his now ex-co-worker Beth. Checking it out closely Colin could see it was made from some sort of body cast because the details were that accurate. Colin knew Ted used to date Beth a while ago, and must had it done then. The model was nude and even the crotch was clearly detailed. Every feature of the original had been faithfully reproduced, even down to the fingerprints. Colin was curious as to how it was made and resolved to ask Ted once he was back.

Ted went back to the facility to see the police and to see what he could find out whether there had been any new developments. He was able to pass the police cordon around the entry, due to him being a key witness to Beth's death. An inspector took another statement from him concerning her disappearance. A germ of an idea festering in the back of Ted's mind made him ask the inspector if Beth hadn't just got up and walked off.

"Huh? What are you trying to pull here Mr. Jenkins's, I don't consider that in very good taste considering that the woman died today," the inspector demanded angrily.

"No disrespect meant, just that maybe she wasn't dead after all, I mean did anyone check her vitals? I know that when I saw the concrete resting on her head, it seemed impossible for her to have survived. I had placed the blanket over her head as soon as the rescue guys lifted the block clear of her. I don't recall seeing any blood or brain tissue. Was any found on the floor later? I know the light was bad down there, maybe we were all mistaken, and she could be wandering around somewhere hurt and confused." Ted was pushing at clouding the issue on whether Beth was indeed dead or alive.

Ted waited while the inspector took on board this fresh viewpoint. He called to one of the rescuers that was still onsite and asked a few questions. At first the man emphatically stated the woman had died of massive head injuries, but under closer questioning, having brought up the points Ted had made, and the fact that no body was forthcoming. The rescuer admitted that those points were valid. Having sown the seeds of doubt, Ted asked if any personal belongings had been retrieved from below. The inspector pointed to a room, where anything of a personal nature had been stored. Ted thanked him, and walked casually away to look. Entering the room alone, Ted quickly sorted through the damaged belongings that remained. A purse caught his eye and upon opening it, found it belonged to Beth. This cheered Ted up, and made his wacky idea more attainable. Now, all he had to do was convince Colin to go along with it.

Driving away, Ted made a quick detour, before finally going home. An enticing smell invaded his nostrils as he opened the front door. Calling out for Colin, he found the sight of the feminised man cooking rather humorous.

"What's for dinner honey?" He called out with a grin.

"Goulash, and that's Mr. Honey to you, bozo," came Colin's quick rejoinder, as he turned, to smile at Ted.

"Wow! Somebody got into their role quickly, what happened to that miserable sod I left not long ago? You seem awfully comfortable acting out the girlfriend bit. I may have to keep you on." Ted laughed, continuing the light banter with his friend.

"Harrumph! I cook all day and I don't even rate a kiss." Colin pouted, petulantly, pouring it on thick.

"Well I might consider that later, once you change into what I got for you," Ted said softly, all the while, looking at Colin thoughtfully.

"You got something for me? What is it, a quick change back into male kitset?" Colin asked, getting serious for the moment.

"Nooo, I stopped off at Beth's place, to pick up some clothes for you.

"Clothes? Oh crap, your serious about me being your girlfriend, aren't you," Colin complained as he turned back to stir the goulash. "You got into Beth's place? How did you pull that off?"

"Look, we need to do some tests, some of which will require you to go out to the right people. That means looking normal, now if normal means looking like a woman temporarily, then that's what we have to go with. I have an idea that will give you a valid identity. The police now have serious doubts about whether Beth is dead or not, due to a little help from me. I then retrieved her purse and used her own keys too get in her place." Ted painstakingly, explained

"How is the fact that Beth may be alive going to help us, huh?" Colin demanded angrily putting his hands on his widened hips.

"This idea I had… well it means Beth will return to the living, you will become her exact duplicate, I still have her complete body cast I made when we were going together. With that, we can mould you into her, right down to her fingerprints. You see she didn't wear anything over her body but a coating of oil when I made it. So every dimple, every feature was exactly duplicated, you will be her exact double, my friend." Ted said triumphantly.

Colin was silent, as he digested Ted's proposition, as much as he wanted to rage against becoming any more female looking, having a valid identity would help, while carrying out whatever tests were needed to find out if this situation could be reversed. At least he now knew how the sculpture had been created. He felt things were rushing up on him faster than he could handle, but then time was of the essence if he wanted to pull off this temporary (at least he hoped it was temporary) deception.

Colin turned to Ted and shrugged his acceptance, before telling him to stir the pot while he got changed. Ted suddenly felt guilty, knowing he had put Colin on the spot, having set up his brainwave of an idea without discussing it with him. His fear that the plan would be dismissed out of hand by Colin if he'd known about it beforehand had prompted him to basically set him up so he couldn't refuse. Even though Ted honestly thought it was the best and only option, he regretted the small deceit to get Colin to agree to it.

Some time later, while Ted was still deep in thought, thinking about Colin and the remarkable changes he had recently undergone, Colin was almost ready. Colin had stripped off and stood naked, while he opened the suitcase full of Beth's clothes that Ted had selected. He was curious to see what he'd look like in some of the clothes Ted had selected. It wasn't something he would have considered in his male shape, although if he was honest with himself, he had occasionally wondered what it felt like for women when they wore those sexy tight dresses. He'd had a small taste of it one Halloween, where he'd gone to a party as a female witch in a black dress and a fake hooked nose. But he hadn't gone all the way, preferring to wear his usual male underwear, a stuffed bra being his only concession to the overall look. This was a totally different matter, he was about to experience something every woman did, everyday. Colin shivered in anticipation, as he lifted the fragile fabrics out of the case.

Deciding to go all out in an attempt to shock, Colin pulled on the satin panties with hardly a qualm. A bra in the same shade of purple was put on, not without a little fumbling and some contortions. Colin was surprised how nice it felt to have his "Ted" made breasts held that way.

A silky slip followed, along with a fresh pair of pantyhose. The feeling of the slip brushing against his nylon encased legs was an experience in itself. Colin realized that he had at last; got that opportunity to understand first hand just what women felt wearing clothes that wasn't plain boring cotton, or wool. Colin found a nice dress in a shimmery material that altered colour as he moved it in the light becoming first blue then purplish depending on the angle. He slipped it over his head, thankful that it was stretchy enough to go down over his boobs. Shoes with a two-inch heel were next, before he spotted the makeup in a small clear lidded case. Colin wasn't anywhere ready for all that yet. He did open the case and checked some of the powders and creams with his finger to see what they felt like on his skin and if they had any particular smell.

Colin saw the lipstick tubes and started opening them and rotating the bases so that the gleaming waxy sticks rose from their mysterious concealment. The scents begged to be tasted and curious, he tried a few on his lips. The slick feeling was strange, but kind of exciting too. Rethinking his no makeup decision, Colin tried to see if he could do it without looking like a clown. After a few botched attempts, and many muttered swear words, he settled for a little mascara to lengthen his lashes and a touch of lipstick to make his lips stand out, before checking his look in the mirror. 'Not bad,' he thought, 'but a little jewellery wouldn't go astray.' Checking, he saw in a small velvet bag, that Ted had brought some of Beth's earrings and necklaces. The earrings were for pierced ears something Ted had overlooked. Colin was about to put them back, when he had a thought. Pushing the spike of the earring against his ear and keeping the pressure on, it started to enter, as the flesh seemed to flow around it, without pain. It didn't take long before it was completely through, and Colin repeated it on the other ear, he found putting the keepers on then was a fiddly job. One necklace later, and a dab of perfume courtesy of Ted's selection, and Colin was ready.

Ted was shocked when he turned at the distinctly feminine sound of clicking heels, as Colin sashayed in, trying to emulate the feminine wiggle all true women are naturally born with.

"Oh wow! You look fabulous," gushed an awed Ted.

Colin felt pleased that his effort to impress was fully appreciated, but oddly uncomfortable in the way Ted was looking at him. It wasn't the look he'd been used to getting from his old friend, but one he'd seen in Ted's eyes when they had spotted an attractive woman walking past. It made him feel like he was just the easy meat for the circling predator. Ted must have realized that his appreciative look at the new Colin was making him uncomfortable and not wanting to put his friend under any more stress, apologized.

"Look man, I'm sorry if my looking at you in my usual lecherous way is making you uneasy, it's just you look damned good as a woman. I'll try not to stare next time; I don't really know how you're staying sane with all this. I'd be a grovelling wreck by now, if it had happened to me, next time, just slap my face, okay?"

"I guess I need to get used to it, at least I know you'll not want to go any further than look," giggled Colin in his feminine voice.

"True, now lets eat dinner, I'm starving," replied a relieved Ted.

They sat down to dinner, although Ted couldn't resist seating Colin as he would any other woman. Colin accepted the courtesy, not wanting to make an issue of it. He remembered at the last minute to brush the skirt forward as he sat, having seen it countless times before. He was conscious of the differences in his attire and tried to act according to his new appearances, knowing that soon he would be interacting in public as a female. His countless hours of watching Beth strut sexily past his desk awhile he wondered idly what she was like in bed, were paying off. He even managed to flick at his hair in a manner Beth did unconsciously.

"Colin? We need to get you used to answering to Beth, if we are going to pull this deception off. In fact we need you to use the feminine pronoun, so we don't get caught out." Ted argued.

"We get caught out?" Colin/Beth asked curiously. Don't you mean me?"

"NO, as soon as I make you into Beth, we are both involved. If you slip up, then we are both screwed. I have just as much to lose as you, maybe more."

"Huh? More?" Colin asked.

"Yes, at least your just the victim here, and forced to play along with my idea. Whereas I've deliberately planned to pull a deception in the death of Beth and having you substitute for her," Ted answered honestly. "I have another question, before we do anything else," Ted continued. "When I found you, or rather what I thought was Beth, your head was crushed down to just two inches, and yet you recovered. What is different now that you can't go back to your original body shape?" Ted asked speculatively.

"I don't know," confessed the newly named Beth. "All I remember was the block hitting me and bouncing off my head before it started pressing it flat, I don't remember any pain, just I felt my face flattening, and then everything went dark. I woke up sometime later in the ambulance, with a blanket over my body." Beth/Colin answered.

"Wait, you said it bounced first before it started to flatten your head?" Ted asked excitedly.

"Yes it bounced, why? Is that important?" Beth/Colin queried.

Beth… do you trust me, because I want to do something that may seem vicious, but if my theory is correct, you will feel no pain, nor suffer any damage?" Ted implored getting enthusiastically.

"Trust you… of course I do," Beth/Colin insisted. "Go ahead then."

Ted went into the hallway and returned with his old baseball bat, and before Beth/Colin could open his mouth, Ted swung the bat against Beth/Colin's head with a solid thud. Beth/Colin's head bounced away from the impact, but no crushing injury resulted, nor did he cry out in pain. He looked at Ted accusingly, before the implications of results of the massive blow sank in.

"Amazingly! That didn't hurt Ted; I should be bleeding with a crushed skull and unconscious from that." He exclaimed, wonderingly.

"There's not even a mark," Ted added.

"So what are your conclusions," Beth/Colin asked, seeing from his demeanour, that Ted was about to reveal a theory.

"Okay, but remember this isn't conclusive, it's just a theory. I think there are three things that can happen to you. One, sharp or sudden impacts or it maybe any impacts at all, do no damage to you. They don't distort or shift out of shape one little bit, hell you may even be bullet proof. That's why your head recovered its shape and those indentations in your arm from the grill. They where caused by debris falling on you. Two, pressure exerted on your body, can change your shape, as long as it's of sufficient duration. Just a gentle poke, won't put a dent in you, but hold that finger long enough and you will retain the finger dent. Three, pressure, or stress that exceeds the bodies normal tolerance before bones might break or crush, causes the body to turn into a state that allows gross distortion without damage or pain. Once that stress is removed, the body returns to normal. Whatever normal happens to look like, before that extreme stress was applied." Ted finished; satisfied he had it pretty much sussed out.

"That still leaves a lot that is unexplained, what about the internal organs in that extreme situation. My brain must have been squashed too, yet it suffered no damage, no damage, no damage," Beth/Colin repeated jokingly, twitching his head robotically, as he did so.

"I think there's a screw loose, let me get my tools," laughed Ted, feeling glad Beth/Colin was taking it so well.

"So what's next, when do I become Beth for real?" Asked Beth/Colin.

"Right now," Ted replied, answering the other's question.

After Ted had brought in the mould of Beth from the garage, he laid the top half on the floor and had Colin strip out of his clothing till he was nude, except for a bathing cap that confined his long hair. Ted told him that the original Beth had worn the same one when the mould was made. Flushed from embarrassment from standing naked, in front of Ted, while looking like a woman Beth/Colin was only too pleased to get into the mould. It felt uncomfortable, as his parts didn't match her bits. Ted had to push at his legs to get them to fit into the mould. Colin's nipples were lined up so they matched the ones in the mould, and his groin was placed so that the protruding negative of Beth's vaginal opening, lined up exactly with Colin's penis. Ted placed the bottom half of the mould on top of Colin, pressing it down onto his back, while making sure all the bit of Colin stayed within the mould edges. Once the lid was positioned correctly, Ted sat on the top of the mould while it slowly squeezed Colin into shape. Once the edges meet and Colin could not move and inch Ted fastened the mould together with clips he had made with the mould.

Colin was feeling put under pressure, literally, all movement was impossible and he could only breathe shallowly out the holes cut in the mouth and nose. He felt like he was sweating, but it wasn't hot in the mould, only uncomfortable as his body was compressed to fill the confines exactly. His groin felt odd too, as the mould pressed in at that point trying its best to recreate the look all females have. Somehow he knew that his body was lining everything up so his pushed in penis centred in the vaginal opening and his nipples would be perfectly lined up with the nipples impressions on the inside of the mould and not pushed to one side. He wondered if he would look like Beth and whether he could emulate her speech patterns and mannerisms to be able to fool every one.

Ted saw a clear fluid leaking from the join in the mould and hurriedly collected a sample, thinking it could be important to find out what it was. He thought it might be water coming from the excess of flesh that had initially been compressed into the body cavities like the lungs and stomach. He wondered if the body was resetting the default image caused by the limits of the mould and was ridding itself of the unwanted flesh in the form of water, from the body cavities, where it had been stored temporarily so that the body could function normally again. Waiting for about half an hour, Ted noticed that the liquid had stopped leaking out.

"'Looks like you're cooked and ready to be eaten," joked Ted to the silent mould encapsulated body.

"Ggnnnnn, grnnnnnf," was the strained grunt in reply.

"Okay, hold your horses, I'll let you out," Ted promised.

Releasing all the clips that held both parts of the mould together, Ted eased one half off the now freshly moulded Beth. So tightly was she pressed into the other half, she needed Ted's help to extract herself.

"Oh my god! You're beautiful," Ted exclaimed in wonder.

Beth looked herself over before heading into the bathroom for a better look, with Ted right behind her. She closed the door in his face, saying she wanted some privacy. Ted sighed, seeing Beth, or Colin as Beth, had rekindled the fire he'd had for the real Beth, some months before when they'd been dating. Recalling his memories and seeing her again in the flesh as it were, he suddenly realized that he had loved her. Then an awful thought came to him, making him pause. Was he really trying to help Colin get a real identity or was it just some wish fulfilment of his to get back with this duplicate of Beth. At the moment, with his rising libido at seeing Beth naked again, he couldn't honestly say his motives were pure. Feeling stricken, he went into his bedroom to sit in a funk of self-loathing. How was he to face Colin now, as Beth, he would be seeing his Beth, someone he loved, not his old friend. He wished that things hadn't gone the way they had; Beth hadn't wanted a serious relationship. So Ted had broken it off, before he put to much commitment into a relationship that was doomed to failure.

Colin was in awe of the image in the mirror. 'Her,' (there was no 'his' any longer) body was perfect. All that was needed to complete the look was to have her hair, cut and styled in a similar manner; fortunately, both Beth and Colin had the same dark hair. Looking like Beth in the mirror had started to turn herself on. 'Herself?' Colin thought in shock. 'When did I start thinking of myself in the feminine,' she wondered. Thinking about it, she realized that you look like a woman and sound like a woman, it plays a big part on how you perceive yourself, especially with the way Ted had been treating her. Trying to brush aside a niggling little voice telling her that she might end up liking this, if it was to go on for an extended period of time, Colin decided to try and get her head into a 'Beth's' mindset. That way, she figured, there was less possibility of being caught out and end up landing both Ted, and her, in deep doodoo.

  

  

  

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