Changes

Alicia stared out the window at the gathering darkness and ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. Her husband had come home around three o'clock as usual. Once more he looked exhausted. At one time, he would have come into the house and let her massage the strains of the day away. But now, as it had been for the past three years since he'd bought this damned hobby farm, he'd jumped on his dirt bike and headed for the hills.

About eight o'clock, as she looked yet again at the darkness to the east, she caught sight of his light as he and his bike approached the house.

"Better get dinner started," she sighed.

Dr. James Green arrived about twenty minutes later and barged in through the garage door. He was, as usual, filthy. He stomped upstairs to the shower of the master bedroom leaving a trail of debris. This angered Alicia because there was a shower just off the garage entrance. Why couldn't he show a little consideration?

Showered and looking civilised, he came down the stairs from the bedroom. He stood at the entrance to the kitchen/eating nook and sternly viewed the scene.

"Why can't you, just once, have dinner on the table?"

Why can't you, just once, come home at a consistent hour so that I can plan dinner?"

"Dinner isn't that hard, you know."

"It takes time. Even the fastest recipes take three quarters of an hour. Unless you want macaroni."

"A famous neurosurgeon does not eat macaroni," he stated coldly.

"Then the famous neurosurgeon will have to wait for his fancy dinner to cook."

"You'd think a simple thing like keeping house would be within your abilities."

"Now what?"

"There was no towel by the shower."

"And you don't know where the linen cupboard is?"

"That's not the point. Why should I have to hunt for a towel? All you have to do all day is a little light housekeeping. You'd think you could at least make sure there was a towel in the shower."

"The crap you carted up the stairs to the shower is going to take me an hour or more to get out. Unless you want to replace the rugs every month."

"Me?! Listen, I don't have to put up with this. I paid for this place."

"And installed me here to get bored. There's no neighbours around for miles and I've no car to get to them."

"What do you need a car for? Take the bike."

"I won't ride that thing. It's filthy. I want a car."

"Forget it. It's the bike or nothing."

"Sometimes, I think you love that damned bike better than you love me."

"Sometimes, I think I do. Now where's supper."

Alicia tossed trivets onto the table and placed the pots from the stove onto them.

"There's your damned dinner. I hope you choke on it."

He glared at her back as she ran up the stairs, into the bedroom and slammed the door. He made a point of eating the meal without haste before following her upstairs. An hour passed before he had finished his meal and followed her upstairs. He found himself outside a locked bedroom door.

"You open this door!" he bellowed.

"Open it yourself!" she replied coldly.

Both knew that the doors were custom jobs to provide security. They could only be opened from within.

"Dammit! You open this door now or you'll regret it!"

"I already do regret it"

"Then open the damned door!"

"Open it yourself, oh brilliant neurosurgeon!"

He shook his head angrily and then made his way to the guest room. He hoped her meagre housekeeping had at least put linens on the bed. The next morning, he awoke early and got dressed. He made himself a fried egg and toast. Pointedly, he left the mess on the table and the frying pan on the stove. He got into the car and left the garage in a spray of gravel. He had a busy day ahead. Usually he only did two or three procedures in a day due to their complex nature. Today, over his objections, he had been forced to accept four. By four o'clock, he was burned out. He slowly made his way home despite the glares and horns of other motorists. 'Let the damned fools kill themselves,' he thought. 'I want to get home.'

When he reached the garage, he walked over to the bike and was about to go for a ride. He realised he was just too tired so he put the helmet back on its peg and entered the house. Alicia met him by the door.

"What's wrong?" she demanded. "You usually go for a ride."

"Too tired. Long day." She looked at him with concern and then worry.

"Why don't you go sit down on the couch in the family room. I'll get the massage oil and try to rub some of those kinks out."

"Okay," was all he could say.

An hour later she'd massaged his aches and pains out. He really appreciated her massage and told her so. She replied she'd get dinner started. As he relaxed and pondered, he remembered why he'd married her. A while later, she came in to escort him to their dinner. The dinner was splendid and he enjoyed it. They both went to bed early and cuddled as they fell asleep.

Dr. Green awoke with a start. It was dark yet. He looked at the clock glowing redly in the corner. 'Three o'clock?' he puzzled. 'Why would I awaken at three o'clock?' Then he remembered. They'd gone to bed together, without a fight, around eight. He carefully got out of bed so as not to awaken Alicia. He looked at her for a long time. I still love her,' he said to himself. Too bad she's not as exciting as the bike.'

Alicia awoke three hours later and stretched. Or at least, she tried to stretch. She found herself in some kind of frame with her head bent back, her arms stretched backwards like the wings of jet and her body curved as if she were doing some kind of fancy dive. And discovered she couldn't move at all.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"Calm down," James said soothingly. "Everything will be just fine. Believe me."

"Why believe you? And what are you doing?"

"Just making a few changes is all."

"Changes? What do you mean 'changes'?" she became worried.

"Nothing major. Just changes."

"You get me out of this frame! Now!"

"In due time, my dear. In due time."

Alicia heard a hissing sound and lost consciousness. When she awakened again, she caught sight of a clock. Twelve thirty! 'Probably around noon.' Her arms felt normal instead of stretched. He must have released her from the frame. When she twisted her head she discovered she has still in the same strange position. She saw him preparing something off to her left.

"What are you doing to me?" she demanded.

"As I said before, just a few minor changes. If you really want to see, I could set something up"

"Yes, dammit. What are you doing?"

"Just a minute," he beamed and got a camera and monitor.

He set up the camera so that it pointed at her side and placed the monitor at a comfortable viewing distance ahead of her.

"No!" she screamed. What she saw made her blood run cold. Instead of forearms she now had metallic tubes. Her beautiful hands had been replaced by the controls of the bike. "You can't do this to me!"

"I am doing this. You have no choice."

He ignored her protests and, after fifteen minutes or so, she heard a hiss and felt the anaesthetic return. She awoke again two hours later expecting the worst and finding it. Her body, to her waist, was covered in the shiny red aluminium of the bike and she had headlights instead of breasts. She became angry and clenched nonexistent fists. Her breasts came on and she screamed.

"Very good," he said. "The neural connection is complete. Only one more procedure tonight and we're finished for the day."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing that requires surgery, my dear."

He busied himself in the garage next door and returned with the complete front wheel assembly of the bike. He attached it to some metal stubs below her breasts.

"Okay now twist your left wrist please."

"I have no wrists you Frankenstein."

"Humour me or I'll have to test the linkage some other way."

She humoured him and discovered that her wrist controlled the wheel.

"Excellent, my dear. If all goes well, we wrap up tomorrow. See you bright and early."

He turned off the light and walked upstairs. Alicia, alone with her thoughts, screamed at his retreating back. 'Why? Why was he doing this?'

The next morning, he arrived at seven o'clock. Alicia was still asleep. He quickly administered the anaesthetic and got to work. Using the biomorph tool he'd borrowed from the surgery an hour before, he began to reshape her legs into a support stand. Then, a thought struck him, and he moved his wife's vagina. He attached the lower body of the bike to her skeleton using the frame he'd created yesterday and began his surgery on Alicia's head.

She awoke at 2 o'clock. Because there were no windows, she couldn't tell whether it was 2 AM or 2 PM. The lights were on, though, and she looked at herself in the monitor. And screamed once more. Her body was completely encased in the bike. She was some kind of strange motorcycle! She couldn't move at all. Her body was gone! The she looked more closely at the seat. No! Her legs were some kind of support the motorcycle, her body had been stretched across the front of the bike and her vagina was on top. What had he done to her?

"Ah you're awake. Would you like to try your new attachments?"

"No! Never!"

"There are always other ways, you know. Just do what I want, okay?"

"Have I a choice?"

"No, not really."

"What do I have to do?" she asked in resignation.

"Tighten your right fist."

She did and she felt a warmth in her tummy as her motor started in her stomach.

"Excellent. Now twist your right wrist." As she did, the motor revved.

"Why Charles? Why?"

"Now unclench your fist."

The motor died.

"Your ankles control the gear shift. Left for clutch and right for gears. Try it now."

He watched as the gears shifted and nodded, smiling.

"Very good..."

"Get me out of this thing! I refuse to wear this costume any longer."

He sighed and walked over to a computer console.

"Alicia, dear, you were boring. All you did was argue. Changes were necessary."

"Changes? Get me out of this thing."

He began to adjust a slider on his console.

"Do you hear me? Charles? What's happening? Charles? What are you doing? Charles?"

"Just a few more changes, Alicia."

"Stop this immediately! I feel strange, Charles. Please, Charles. Stop."

"Keep talking, Alicia."

Alicia tried to stop but found she'd lost her volition.

"Charles? What. are you. doing. to. me? My. voice! I. am. talking. so. strangely. Like. some. kind. of. toy. robot. What. have. you. done. to. me?" He nodded and started to adjust a second slider. "Charles? Can. we. talk. about. this? Please. Why?" Alicia's voice faded out.

"Alicia are you ready to accept new programming?"

"I. am. ready. to. accept. programming," Alicia said flatly.

"Excellent! Your greatest pleasure is to roam the hills and valleys of this farm. You enjoy being dirty and muddy. You will only carry me."

"I. understand."

"What would you like to do now?"

"Can. we. go. for. a. ride?"

"Wait until I've changed."

He returned five minutes later in his dirt bike gear and was carrying a second helmet under his arm. He put this on Alicia's head and adjusted the strap.

"Can't have you getting hurt. Now can we?"

"No. Thank. you. Charles."

"Okay Alicia, let's go."

They headed for Dr. Green's favourite places on the farm. Several hours later, they drove back into the garage. Alicia's face and arms were caked with mud.

"I'll spray you off," he said.

"Oh. No. Please. I. like. the. mud."

"No," he insisted. "You'll rust."

He grabbed a hose and sprayed the mud from her body and off the vehicle.

"You did fine. Really fine."

"Thank. you. I. enjoyed. the. run. Can. we. do. it. again?"

"Not today. Tomorrow evening. Now shut down and go to sleep now."

Alicia was asleep within minutes. He entered the house and was going to trudge upstairs as was his usual pattern. He decided that, since he would be cleaning up from now on, he'd better take a little more care. He stripped off in the shower beside the garage. Alicia awoke the next day when Charles came out of the house.

"More. biking?" she asked hopefully.

"After work, dear. After work," he said as he got into the car and drove into town for another day adjusting minds at the Criminal Rehabilitation Research Institute.