Tails of Lady Miller's Memorial Catgirl Trust
Ruth's Tail.

The job was a chance of a lifetime for Dr Ruth Medyiv. To be able to put her theories about DNA hybridisation into practice. She looked across at Director Chambers.

The director was in his fifties, about twenty years her senior. He was reading over her resume and proposal. He finally looked up. "Well, that is a remarkable proposal, Doctor Medyiv. I look forward to seeing what results you get."
"So, you'll hire me?" was her disbelieving question.
"I would be a fool not to, Doctor!" He held out his hand.

The next two years were a whirlwind of experiments. Tissue cultures were grown and experimented on, DNA samples teased out of cells, spliced, and reinserted.

It took those two years to succeed. During which time Ruth was amazed at the Director's patience with her failures. But even among the failures there had been some wins. One of them was a viral multiplier that allowed a recombined gene string to be copied across an entire sample in seconds. In an animal it would re-write the genetic structure in hours. The other was an enzyme that allowed the new genes to express themselves and rebuild the tissues.

It had taken two years, but Ruth had finally stabilised the genetic hybrid DNA. Splicing feline and even avian genes into primate DNA. She had no idea what that combination would be useful for, but it was the principal. They could give someone new eyes. New ears. The possibilities were endless.

The Director had congratulated her that morning, but reminded her that the paper she still had to write was going to be the key. The stuff of Nobel Prizes.

So here she was, in her office at 2am, writing. The door opened behind her, and she turned in surprise and exclaimed "Director! I didn't hear you knock!" Then she looked down, and saw the hypodermic in his hand. Before she could react, he'd rammed it into her leg. She started to get up, and then collapsed.

When she awoke, she was strapped to a bench, and she could see a drip running into her arm. It was almost empty.

"Ah" the Director's voice came from a speaker "You are awake. Let's see what your efforts can really do."

It started as an itch. Then her bones turned to fire, and her back felt like it was being torn apart. The straps broke as she grew in size. She screamed for hours as her body rebuilt itself.

Eventually the pain stopped. She could feel wings on her back. She looked down at the paws that had once been hands, and back at the tufted tail. And at how small the crushed bench was. "Where did the extra mass come from?" she wondered to herself. And then stopped. She could still talk, despite being a monster.

The speaker was silent.

Sometime later there was a click from the door, and it swung open. Two slight figures stood in the light outside.

"We're here to rescue you!" one of them said. The other was staring at her exposed chest.

#SF #SFF #Scifi #Catgirls #microfic #tootfic #Microfiction #IAmWriting

@ami_angelwings

Tails from Lady Miller's Memorial Catgirl Trust
On the Phone

It was Aki's turn on the hotline. Twilly had set it up the day after the press announcement and the parliamentary vote. A source of anonymous tip-offs for when their own intelligence assets failed.

The phone rang.

"Good morning! Catgirl Hotline!" she cheerfully answered. After listening for a moment, she let out an angry "Fuck off!" and hung up. Then she made a mark on the chalkboard.

It rang again a few minutes later. She put her best voice on again "Good morning! Catgirl Hotline!" and listened for a few minutes "I'm sorry, this service is for assisting humanoid cat hybrids and related people. Might I recommend your local pet rescue service? Good luck!" She hung up again. And made a mark on another chalkboard.

Three hours later, her fur looked like she had gone several rounds with a power outlet. She was done. But there was still one hour to go.

The phone rang. "Catgirl Hotline" she said mechanically. "Sorry? What?" she asked confused as a barely audible voice whispered into the phone at the other end. She pressed the "Record" button. "I see ... can you see any letterheads?" A light came on indicating someone else in the Trust was listening as well now. "Good, good, can you read it out?" She made a note. "And the delivery address?" Aki's pupils had dilated into perfect circles now. "Alright, that should be" she stopped as she heard the crackle of a taser and an ear-splitting scream from the phone. She hung up - no need to let them know who had been called.

Her fist came down on a button protected by glass. The glass shattered, and an alarm sounded for a moment. Aki spoke into the newly exposed microphone "Rescue priority one! Catgirl in immediate danger! All crews scramble!"

She picked up another phone "Ai? Can you confirm the address? We have two candidates. Forward to the rescue crews!"

Through the window she could hear helicopters taking off.

She slumped back into the chair. The crews were good. They would save the caller.

The phone rang "Catgirl hotl...you again? I said 'Fuck off'!" and then slammed the phone down again. She threw the chalk at the board.

#SF #SFF #Scifi #Catgirls #microfic #tootfic #Microfiction #IAmWriting

As always, for @ami_angelwings amusement.

Tails of Lady Miller's Catgirl Trust
Flashback 4 - The Seventeen Catgirls

She opened her eyes. The room was filled with wisps of smoke and smelt slightly of lightning and sulphur.

Turning her head, she could see other figures lying in a circle, also starting to move. She struggled up and sat. She looked down at herself. Patches of black, white and orange fur covered her body, and her knees bent strangely. She reached up, and felt furry ears on the top of her head.

Looking across, she could now see that all the other figures were like her. Fur, strange legs, fuzzy ears, long stiff whiskers, furless faces, and slightly protruding mouths.

Then she noticed the shoes in the middle of the circle of awakening figures. A pair of Doc Martin platforms. One was upright, and the other fallen on its side. That was where the smoke was coming from. There were scorch marks all around them.

For some reason the shoes made her feel sad.

She struggled to her feet. swayed a little, and then her tail balanced her.
In a voice that had a distinct buzz to it she asked "Where are we?"
From the far side came a similarly rough reply from a blue furred girl "Never mind that - who are we?"

That stopped her. Who was she? There was a fleeting sense of something, but it was lost even as she thought of it. "I don't know. But I must be someone. And there was someone else here too. The shoes."

The other girl now looked at the shoes, and sniffled. "Why am I sad about a pair of shoes?" she asked.

The other fourteen figures now spoke, the words jumbling over and under each other. None of them knew who they were, or why the shoes should cause such a profound sense of loss.

She looked around the room again, and saw a hole in the wall behind her. She looked through and saw another figure there. Also covered in fur. It groaned.

She dove through the hole, and dragged the seventeenth girl out. She was covered in ash and soot, except for her feet. She hugged her as everyone cheered.

Then the door opened, and two other figures with pointed furry ears stepped in.

"Looks like some sort of summoning circle, Twilly."
"It does. It must have been quite something to echo so hard in our own world, Ai" was the cultured reply followed by, "Excuse me, can anyone tell me what happened here?"

There was a rush of confused voices. Twilly held up a hand "Alright, thank-you. Come along, all of you. Let's get you somewhere a bit more comfortable," and walked out again.

She helped the soot-covered one along, and the one called Ai guided them through a glowing doorway on the stairs. They emerged into a beautiful ballroom. Two others waited for them.
"How many Miss?" one called.
"Six, no seventeen Uma. One injured."
"Memories?"
"No."
The one named Uma made a note on a clipboard.
There was a flash and a boom that cut off as the glowing door vanished behind Ai. Her arms were smoking.

#tootfic #SF #SFF #SciFi #Catgirls #microfiction #microfic #IAmWriting

Again, for @ami_angelwings

In school I was always the weird one. The one just on the outside. Even my best friends thought I was a little 'off'. Especially after I turned twelve.

Not for the sorts of reasons you are thinking.

No, in my case it was for knowing stuff I should not have known. Talking to the air. And, occasionally, having a D&M with a bird.

I know I got it from my Mum, although it skipped her generation. Gran filled me in on what I needed to know. Never mind that she'd died when I was three. Yeah, I could see and speak with spirits. Not just dead folks - in fact it was rarely dead folks. More often it was the local spirits - the genus loci - who talked to me. Gran moved on when I was sixteen. Said that I'd learned enough, and that it was time. She had a laugh when I told her I was going full goth if she did. Told me to go for it, and shock my parents, scare my kid brother, and generally own it.

So I did. I went full goth mode for five solid years. I had a ball.

Then I met Les. Leslie was so god-awfully straight-arrow. Pressed shirts, ties, the whole bit. But he could dance like nobody's business and argue the pros and cons of Depeche Mode vs Modern English until 3am.

We married a year later. I had a daughter. And the spirits stopped.

I knew what it meant. That Erika would be seeing them next.

So, when she was about ten, I started explaining about them.

Then a year ago, when she was sixteen, she called me from school crying and said that I had to be strong.

She hung up before I could ask anything, and then the doorbell rang.

It was the police. Leslie was dead, killed in a car crash with a meth addict. The other driver was unharmed. Of course.

What happened next shocked me. Nothing Gran had said prepared me for seeing Les walk up to me. And for me to see all the other spirits around our house following him. My ability was back. All it took was the death of my husband. He did not stay long, just enough to say goodbye to me. As he had done with Erika at the school.

One of the local bird spirits landed next to me a few months later, changing to take the form of a dark haired lady. She said that she missed Les as well. He'd always taken time to talk to the ravens.

Then she touched my arm.

At first I thought it meant that I had died. Then she explained that my loss allowed me to touch the spirit world. She kissed my forehead, and told me that I was not the only one.

The gate to the garden opened, and I watched Erika walk in, hand-in-hand with a girl with black, white, and yellow hair in a most striking pattern.

We looked at each other. Then I said "You too?"

So my daughter is dating a honeyeater spirit. And I'm in the kitchen baking with Raven.

I'll always miss Les, but I've still got a family. As weird as it is.

#UrbanFantasy #SF #SFF #microfiction #tootfic #microfic #IAmWriting

The dragon kidnapped the princess.

"Kidnapped? Again?"

I nodded solemnly. The royals exchanged a knowing look and failed to hide their amusement.

"You may rescue her on a single condition."

I'd do anything to have that glory.

"You must invite the dragon over for dinner as well."

#MicroFic #MicroFiction #dragon

Tails from Lady Miller's Catgirl Trust

Twilly was seated on one of the two leather armchairs in her office, when there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?"
The door opened revealing a mostly human catgirl, with just ears and a tail giving away her nature.
"The Home Secretary, ma'am."
"Thank-you Uma. Show her in."
She showed a severely dressed woman in.
Twilly gracefully stood, and gestured towards the other seat "Thank-you for coming, Lady Helmscott, please sit. Tea?"
"Lady Miller" she inclined her head, "Thank-you, yes", Lady Margaret Helmscott added as she sat.

Twilly poured the tea, lifted the milk jug and raised a delicate eyebrow. Her guest nodded slightly, and then shook her head at the sugar. Twilly handed the tea cup over, and served herself.

As she sat back down, she saw the cabinet secretary reaching for one of the plates of biscuits "Oh, not those ones, Lady Helmscott. They would not agree with you. Try the other plate instead."
"What is wrong with that plate?" the visitor frowned.
"Oh, nothing, Lady Helmscott. But I suspect cat biscuits would not be to your taste."
The politician looked again, and recognised the high-end dry cat food that she had nearly sampled.
"Ah. I see." The other plate had shortbreads. She took up one of those instead. "Now, Lady Miller, I am surprised to be contacted by an ex-agent. And the people here are all rather unusual, are they not?"
"Therein lies a tale, so to speak. I am not, strictly speaking, an ex-agent."
"I think I would know if you were still on the books, Lady Miller!"
"Ah. But I am not Catherine Miller. I am Twillychiss. I used to be Lady Miller's pet." She took off her wig, revealing two pointed and furred ears atop a furred head.
"I did not come here..." the politician started angrily, and then stopped as Twilly stood, and unsheathed her claws.
There was a pause.
"They are real?"
"Yes. Yes, they are. Everyone here."
"So who are you all?"
"Most of us don't know. Only two of us remember our past lives."
"Why are you showing me all this?"
"Two reasons. First, we retrieved these records from one the labs that made two of us. The second is we need your help."
Twilly handed over a file.
Margaret looked through it, and her eyes suddenly narrowed. "If this is some sort of sick joke..." she threatened.
"No joke. You can have the genetic tests done yourself."
"That young lady who showed me in?"
"Yes, a part of her used to be your elder sister."
"But she has no memory?"
"None at all, I am afraid. I am sorry."
Margaret set her face "So what is the help you want?"
"I want to take us public. But we need protections. We need to be citizens."
"And Justine is the carrot and stick in one."
"Uma, now. But yes. The brain and some of her body was once your sister. We can't give Justine back to you, but you can get to know Uma. So yes, carrot and stick."
"Shit. I'll check."
"Please do. We need your help."

#SF #SFF #SciFi #Catgirls #Microfic #Microfiction #tootfic #IAmWriting

For @ami_angelwings

1/2
I looked across the tent at a perfect copy of myself. Well, not quite perfect. They are still getting the hang of English.

I should back up a bit.

Just before sunset a week ago, I screwed up. I'd been driving too long, and only saw the wombat on the highway at the last moment. I swerved and lost control.

When I came to, my car was totalled, and well out of sight of the highway, behind a low rise on the plain. I struggled out of the wreck in the dark, but had enough sense not to try wandering around. There are all sorts of sinkholes around here, and if I fell down one of them, I was a goner.

As I stood next to the remains of my car, I saw what I thought was a helicopter coming my way. I waved and shouted, but then I noticed how erratically it was flying. The lights seemed a bit off, too. I was pretty sure helicopters didn't have purple lights. So maybe it was someone's drone?

All of that went out the window, when it turned towards me, and then crashed into the ground next to my wrecked car.

What I was looking at was an actual flying saucer. About twice the size of my car. And it looked about as wrecked as my car was.

After a couple of moments, a small port opened, and a gush of purple liquid poured out, followed by a splat of something grey.

I just stared. What I didn't notice was the grey blob in the purple puddle extruding a tendril towards me. At least until it touched my leg.

I probably jumped five metres straight up at that. And about five backwards.

What followed was the grey blob contracting back into itself, and then changing. Into a perfect copy of me.

This was one shock too many, and I fainted.

When I came to, the copy was crouched next to me. Before I could move, it touched my forehead, and I was filled with a sense of worry. And it was not mine. This I found a bit reassuring, and so I stopped myself from moving, and tried to ask what it was.

It took a lot of back and forthing of mental images, but it's ship had hit an near-earth asteroid, and it had lost control. It wanted to know if it could be fixed.

I didn't know. But, between the two of us, we might be able to get one vehicle sort of working. We thought about getting a lift, but there would be questions. Too many of them.

Of course, it was now in the form of a human, so the first order was arranging food and water. Then it discovered it needed to sleep. And everything else.

Some of its ship still worked - and it knew enough to work out how create food and water for us both. And it is learning English. Which is a bit easier than trading images.

We've been here a week now.

As I watch the copy of me, it wakes up. I watch my body stretch, and then it looks at me. "We fix car. Get bigger car. Take my ship to fixing place."
"I don't know that we've got anywhere that can fix your ship."
"Can't fix it here."
"Can we fix the car?"
"Easier than ship."

I guess it has a point.

#SF #SFF #SciFi #microfic #tootfic #microtfiction #IAmWriting