#1st STORY: [blackadder74] Third World

[blackadder74]

I was trying to envision a world that had more than one intelligent species.  I realized Earth had that.

Author note: This is my first attempt at fiction.  Be gentle, but I do want criticism.

Third World
by blackadder74

Chapter 1: Seduction

Oh God, she thought.  At least this will be fun.

“Ungh,” she moaned, as he pressed his fist-sized cockhead into her pussy.  She felt him slow down.  Frustratingly slow.  If she was going to have to do this, she might as well enjoy it.

   She decided a breathy whisper in his ear would do the trick.  “Don’t hold back.  You know I can take it.”

   Wordlessly, suddenly, he pushed himself inside.  All 10 inches.  That snake, as big as her forearm.  She grabbed his muscular ass, one hand firmly grabbing the striated muscle of his buttcheak, holding him there as her snatch absorbed the formidable dick; her nipples, realizing what she had done, snap to attention on her D-cup breasts.

   See, that was the thing with those half-breeds.  They had enough brains to live with the humans, and the bodies to live with the Tals.  Great bodies.  Especially this one.  Lars was a bodybuilder.  Six feet tall, some 250 pounds.  29 inch arms.  Cobblestone abs and obliques that press against her taut stomach.  The possibilities for him, physically, were almost limitless.  And she knew she could match it.

   “You human women,” he said in his low bedroom tone.  “Most of you can’t take me.  Most of you are much…”

   “Yes?”

   “Softer.”

   “Yes,” she whispered, feeling his cockhead swell, pushing a little farther in.

   He grabbed her wrists, forcing her hands above her head, pressing them into the pillow.  She wondered if she should show him a little bit now.  She worked out quite a bit, even though she didn’t need to.  It might scare him off.  It might turn him on.   

   She flexed her arms… just a little.

   “Ooo, baby,” he said, arching his back so he could take the whole sight in.  “You have GREAT arms.”

   He pressed a little harder.  So did she.  But not enough to move him.  Not quite yet.

   “Mmmm… 14 inches… or so… ummm,” and not an ounce of fat.  But she didn’t need to say that because of her obviously thin skin.  His rhythm, now picking up.  That long cock meant nice long strokes.  Hot strokes.  He’s going exactly where she wants him.

   She tightens her midsection, straight as a board.  This should really bring him home.

“Oh… oh my,” he moans.  He would normally be able to bend a human woman, no matter how hard she tried to resist.  But he now feels her abs working against his.  They feel ripped.  A board-like wall of muscle.  She won’t move.  This is so enticing.

“Working out really does amazing things for you,” he says.

“You don’t know the half of it,” she seductively replies.

   “I’d love to find out.”

   With that, Lars tries to push her limits.  He pins her hands with one of his, slides his other hand down her strong yet silky smooth back, and grabs her butt.  Oh, her tight butt.  His fingers barely make a dent against her glutes. 

“Do it, Lars.  Fuck me.”

His thrusting turns into pistoning.  His whole shaft, in and out of her perfect vagina.  Her divinely formed body, rigid against his power.  Outlines of muscles, framing tits that are bouncing up and down in unison with his might, nearly hitting her in her face given her 5’ 6” frame.

“You.  Are.  Amazing,” as sweat rolls down his forehead and drips onto her body from his ripped pecs.  His pace quickens, more than she ever thought possible.  More than human.  He must be about to explode.

So she does.

It was a move gymnasts could not even pull off.  Her body, enhanced to its limits, turns the tables.  His cock still pounding her pussy, her abs light up, nearly rivaling his.  Hands still pinned, she grips his waist with her legs.  Finely defined quads turn hard, nearly freezing him in place.  The twist puts him on his back, her on top, all in one move.  She flips her hands, her delts and triceps popping out, now holding his hands in place.

She’s on top.  He’s still mindlessly pounding.  She squeezes her legs one more time, and clamps his cock with her pussy.  His eyes begin to open.

“Stop.”

He hesitates, but keeps pushing.  Alright, she thinks.  Maybe a little.  She loosens the grip of her legs.  She can feel him moving back and forth.  His eyes open slightly more, coming out of his sexual trance.  She needs him a little farther involved so she loosens her vaginal muscles.
   
His eyes snap completely open.  Lars, thinking he has a way out, struggles mightily against her vice.  This produces the effect she wanted.  In reality, his huge muscles only enable him to barely move, but it wiggles his dick inside her.  It’s hitting all the right spots now.  “Oooohh.  Oh My…” she mutters.  Hair and breasts now vibrating irregularly with his minute twisting and turning.  The tiny movements she is allowing then hit her… right… there…

“ugh… oooo… you… are… impressive…” she breathes as the walls of her vagina flutter.  She bends over slightly more, her long, dark brown hair now brushing his body, her breasts now  feeling the heat of his metabolism, tantalizingly close.

Lars senses a moment of weakness.  He doubles-down on his fight.  He can barely move his bulging, ripped thighs, but if he can just get an extra inch, maybe he can get free.  Who knows what she wants.  Who knows how strong she is.

“I said STOP!” she barks, snapping out of her orgasm.  Her feminine legs burst into a muscular trap.  Mighty lines the length of her legs flash into existence.  Cords of smooth yet marble-hard muscle lock him down.  She feels his reaction inside her - a sudden surge.  She can’t have that yet.  She freezes his cock inside her love-tunnel, blurring the line between pleasure and pain.

Lars, still tense, calms down enough to speak.  “What do you want?”

“Information.”

He squints.  “I will never tell you anything.”

She bends down, mashing her ample breasts against the chest of this Adonis.  Twisting her head, she puts her lips millimeters from his ear.

“By the time I’m done with you,” she slowly licks the rim of his ear, “you will tell me EVERYTHING.”

[Jeremy Lightning]

Really impressive writing for a first attempt at fiction. I really like how you made him so muscular but by no means did you make him stronger, though I guess it depends on the difference between the species. But the visual, in itself, a hugely muscular man being overpowered by a much smaller woman, dominating him, despite their size difference is one of my favorite fetishes in stories. So you got my attention, and definitely deserve a k+!

[sgaww]

Great start! Nice twist. Keep it coming.  She sounds like a full on supergirl! 

[solitariodude]

Great start, and as you filled in with some background, I'll take it that you'll continue? K and thanks for that!

[hatour]

Great start! 

[blackadder74]

Well, thanks everyone.  I have about 1 more chapter in my head, kind of describing the world... after that, I may need suggestions.

[El_Roy_1999]

Please go on, it is quite enjoyable. Learning more about the background might be interesting as well.
Suggestions are always available!

[mermoz]

Oppressive start, can wait to see the development! Thank you

[mermoz]

Well it´s impressive and not oppressive....sorry

[blackadder74]

Sorry.  This one is more than twice as long.

-------------------

Chapter 2: Information

Lars senses this may be his last attempt to escape.  In a freakish show of might, he suddenly tries to thrust his arms up, away from the bed.  His lats flare, a little more than the width of the bed, veins beginning to come alive as fibrous pecs bounce to life.  His locked fists slowly move from their pinned position.

She lets out a squeal of surprise as she springs back into the upright position.  Without thinking, she matches his attempt to overpower her.  A feminine grunt precedes her Herculean return.  Wings of muscle never before seen on a woman push out from her back as she presses his hands back down into the bed.  With her feet still hooked around the mattress, smooth bowling-balls of gluts and chords of hamstrings increase her leverage.  Bricks of abs, framed by fingers of other muscles coat her mid-section and finish the job.  In a hurried move, she grabs the handcuffs from under the mattress, locking his hands to the thick metal frame.

She sits upright, his cock still deep inside her.  Lars continues to struggle.  She is enjoying this, but it’s time to get down to business.  She knows half-breeds can take a lot of pain, but there are some things no man will mess with.

A worried look washes over his face as he feels a knife-like circular pressure around the base of his stiff penis.

“Please… don’t.  Could you actually…”

“I’ve never tried,” she interrupts, “but let’s not find out.”

He sighs in agreement.

A moment passes as their eyes lock.

“How are they doing it?” she asks.

Hollow words follow.  “Doing what?”
“Ouch… hey”

   She lays down the rules.  “Look, lie to me and this will be bad for both of us,” she says as he squirms, feeling the circular scissors close around his manhood again.  “But tell me the truth, and it could be mutually beneficial,” she says as she exhales, her eyes fluttering to the ceiling.  Lars then feels a sensation on the head of his penis he never thought possible.  She applied waves of pressure just to the top half of the head of his dick.  Excruciating pleasure, locking out all other thoughts.  His cloudy imagination tries to predict the things she could to to his entire 10 inch shaft, but he is seconds away from a paralysing orgasm.

   His breathing quickens. 

She stops.

   After Lars regains his composure, he wonders if she will entertain a counterproposal.

“I need some information, too.”

“Alright, I guess.  Although, you know you’re not really in a position to ask for anything.”

Lars reasons, “You know I travel in both worlds.  I could continue to help you.”

His cock strains even more as she applies a bouncing pressure to the entire head of his penis.  She clearly likes this idea.

 “What’s your name.”

“You can call me Alex.”

“Is that your real name?”

She tilts her head, her wavy, chest length dark brown hair, uneven for just a moment.  “Does that matter?”   

   He sighs again.

   Lars jabs her with a question, ”how are you doing it?”

   “Where are they?” she slaps back.

   Another moment passes.  Silence sparking a small ember of trust.

   She offers the first nugget.  “They’re artificial.”

   “What?  How.  I thought that was made-up.  Stories they told.  But, you’re muscles are,” he pauses as he looks for the word that won’t insult her.  “...unusual.  No veins.  No muscle fibers.  But you are so strong.  Your people made them?”

   “Yes, actually.  The surgery was pretty rough, but I like the results,” as she raises her arms, striking a double-biceps pose.  Balls of muscle grow from her arms, seemingly bigger than before, approaching 16 inches now.  She feels his penis reach farther inside her vagina.  “From what I can tell, you like the results too,” she says as twisting stripes of pleasure wrap themselves from the base of his cock up to the rim of his cockhead.  Mouth wide open, Lars freezes as his body stiffens, shredded mounds muscle inflating beneath her an instant before release.

   Her pussy suddenly lets go.  Lars takes much more time to deflate.

   “They added a few things I didn’t expect.  Now, tell me, where are they?”

   He knows this is the beginning of betrayal

   “You are a little short for a human woman.”

   “It helps me blend in in their world.  You’re a little big for a brute.”

   “Hey,” he reacts to the slur.  “My father was human, my mom was Neandertal.  Don’t insult my mom.”

   She meant it, but in deference to the womanly connection females of all breeds share, she replies, “sorry.  How are you so strong?  Tals are stronger than us, but you are incredible.”

   “My mother was… part of the breeding program,” Lars drifts into a mumble as he finishes the sentence.

   Startled, she blurts, “breeding program?”  The punctuation wakes Lars up a little.  Alex tries again.  Practice taught her that pain would get her nowhere at this point.  Pleasure just might.

   Vaginal walls caress his penis from base to tip, pausing for just a second at the top before starting again.  She watches him slip back into his sexual hypnosis.  “Breeding program?  We thought they stole some technology.  Kidnapped a scientist, perhaps.”
   
   A grunt of pleasure precedes Lars’ words.  “No.  They’ve been working on it for decades.  They would search for just the right people - the best of the best - isolate them, and let them reproduce.  Children that weren’t making the cut were…”

   “...killed?”

   “NO.  They may be forced to live in the areas you won’t, but they are not animals.  They would be separated from their families, but given new lives.  They are fine.  They know nothing different.  ...and to not call them scientists,” protests Lars.

   Alex realizes he might be right.  He appears to be describing a science less sterile, but incredibly patient.  Apparently, it’s just as effective.

   She has to try to get the information now.  “So, where is the breeding program?”

   “I don’t know,” he replies, filled with more honesty than the first time, but Alex tries harder.  She begins moving her hips back and forth.  Muscles at the top of her legs and the bottom of her back flex into existence.  A slow, sensual pushing develops, spreading to her upper body, breasts beginning to sway with the movement as she remains planted on his midsection.  The movement allows his cock to slightly move against her insides.

   “C’mon.  We were doing so good,” she pauses, but keeps moving.  “Where?”

   “You know I can out laaa…” stopping mid-word, as she start bouncing on his rigid cock.  Only about an inch or so.  Just enough to remind him who’s in charge.

   “Are you sure… you can’t tell me… anything?”

   “I don’t really know anything,” he pants, finally getting used to the new sensations.  The vision may be harder to resist.  A heavy-breasted woman, riding his pole.  Muscles flexing in unison, barely jiggling as she adds force to her small thrusts.  “The best I can offer is a clue.”

   It’s not what Alex wants, but she’ll take it.  She’s enjoying this as well, perhaps more than she should, and that’s becoming a problem.  Lars’ hands chained to the bed above his head force his big, veiny biceps frame his head, arm muscles curving down to the top of his lats, framing mountainous pecs, atop a ridge line of abs.  More veins sprouting forth the lower she looks.  And that cock...

   Alex adds another inch to her bouncing.  “Oh… what clue?”

   Recomposing himself, Lars exhales.  “It’s the tattoo.  I don’t even know what it means.”

   A little professionalism sneaks through her sensual performance.  Alex looks at his body even more closely.  Fibers of muscle, twitching everywhere, reveal nothing.  “Where is it?” she says, now thrusting him 4 inches in and out of her pussy.  She still has some convincing to do.

   “It’s on me,” he grunts, just enough to be heard above the audible slapping of muscle-flesh.  Her legs, bowing from the immense strength they contain, are doing most of the work.  The v-shaped sides of her quads are becoming clear clear now.  The curve of her silky smooth butt, now visible each time she reaches the top, before slamming those muscle orbs against the top of his thighs.

   Alex thinks harder.  She saw his manly back, with muscles seemingly on top of muscles, somehow stretched between his shoulders, but she doesn’t remember a tattoo.  The logs of legs she now rides - clean in her mind.  His iron ass, perhaps?  She only grabbed it.

   “Where,” she moans, nearly reaching the same state Lars is in.  To make sure he’s deeper, Alex thrusts more, now allowing 6 inches of cock out of her vagina before forcing it back in.

   Words squeeze out between forceful pounds. “You’ll see it… when you’re done.”

   Alex sighs, half out of frustration, half willing to take him up on the offer.  She’s going to do this and she’s going to enjoy it.

   Silently, she concedes, but she is determined to run the show.  She now pulls up 8 full inches on his dick.  An amount so incredible, most men would fall out of her.  But not Lars.  He has 2 more inches of man left on him.  Alex then gives him a sensation he’s never felt before.  She slowly bends backward while maintaining her incredible pounding.  Her womanly face appearing to set behind her breasts.  Lars eyes follow the long and deep vertical lines of her abs to the bottom of her rib cage.  Her big breasts now bounce back and forth along her chest as she completes her backbend. 

Alex places her hands on his legs, on top of the end of his quads.  The warm, round, knitted steel flexing in time with her thrusts.  Alex’s muscled body adding a slight curve to his iron pole as draws it in and out of her.  His penis appears to push out her abs each time she reaches bottom.  The tip of his cock now regularly strikes her pleasure point.  She won’t last long now.

“Unnnngh,” Alex screams as she impales herself on 9 inches of pole.  She stops at the bottom, her orgasm taking over.  Every muscle covering her body flexes, growing in size just slightly.  Vibrations fan out from her crotch, spreading down her powerful, feminine legs, up her stomach, across her chest now topped with diamond-hard nipples, down her physique-sized arms, and up her neck, into her face.  Her mouth, agape.  Her face shakes with pleasure.  Goosebumps on the back of her neck keep it straight.

Her pussy releases a torrent of feeling on his cock.  A million points of pleasure now envelope his dick, flicking it randomly.  Alex’s body is out of her control, but certainly not under his.  Lars is about to join her.  He holds himself through the first wave a shaking, but then a second arrives, and a third.  The white noise of her vaginal walls wash over him, seemingly touching parts he never knew he had.

“Aaaaaaarrrrrrnnnnnnnngh,” he bellows.  The chains holding his hands to the bedframe creek, then snap.  His massive dick now spurts cum like a fountain inside her.  The pulsing hose lasts nearly a minute before it calms down.  His brain is still cloudy from the power-sex.  His body can’t help right now, either.

Alex recovers just enough to get back to work.  There’s only a few places the tattoo could be.  She dismounts Lars by turning her back bend into a kickover.  One leg reaches for the ceiling before the other one pushes her over.  Lars’ cock forcefully slaps his abs as it slips out of her before returning to its vertical position.  Alex lands the kickover flat on her stomach.  There it is.  On the bottom side of the iron rod is the tattoo.  It’s a snake, using the veins of his cock like branches to reach the tip.  There’s enough detail to tell that it may be a specific kind of snake, but she can’t identify it.  Alex grabs her phone and snaps a picture.

   The haze finally clears for Lars.  He slowly pulls his head up and looks past his now flaccid penis.  He watches Alex from behind as she finishes the final few wiggles of getting into her tight black dress.  Its plunging open back, ending right before the top of her butt.  Its length, about mid-leg, hugging her like a second skin, as if to just barely hide her athletic form… or show it off.  He can’t decide.

   Lars gets up after noticing he’s not secured to the bed anymore.  He feels like he gave away a little too much, but no one yet has been able to decipher his tattoo.  He approaches her slowly, gently asking, “where do they do your research?”

   “In space,” Alex flippantly replies.  He won’t believe it.

   “Really?  No, seriously.”

   “Seriously.  You think all those flights were just to launch telescopes or something?  The best research is up there.  You shouldn’t believe everything you read.  We, too, are sometimes clumsy,” Alex admits, almost too easily.

   A sense of worry grows inside Lars.  Alex turns around, facing him, the stark contrast of their bodies now clear.  He is half a foot taller, almost twice as wide as she is.  A casual observer would think he could crush her, but he knows better.

   After a brief pause, Lars asks, “why are you telling me all of this now?”

   “Because,” she says, raising an eyebrow with the last few words as she gets half a step closer, “I have to go now.”

   He places his hands on her shoulders, the smooth, rock hard deltoid muscles nearly hot to the touch.

   Her sudden jab to his stomach doubles him over.

The punch that lays him out, knocks him out.

   She places the chrome-colored device, about the shape of a finger, across his forehead.  A blue glow emits from its length.  She looks at the control pad for a moment.  30 minutes ought to do it.  He won’t remember a thing - except for the sex.  He has to remember the sex.  That memory could be very helpful.

   The door clicks shut as she briskly leaves the room.  The device disappears in a white hot flash of light and smoke.  The only evidence of its existence is a small burn mark on Lars’ forehead.

[solitariodude]

Awesome continuation! Really like the idea of her using sexual pleasure to get info from him instead of beating him half to death... K on that and looking forward to more

[Jeremy Lightning]

Agreed, I really enjoyed this sequel, you did a great job of making her seem both very strong, and very sexual, a woman who knows how to use her unique gifts to get what she wants, and also gives pleasure as a reward, that's definitely my kind of woman! k+!

[El_Roy_1999]

The story progresses nicely. Please go on. I like the way how you casually create an universe.

[blackadder74]

I was writing for a while, but then I found a break point.  This one is, shall we say, more G-rated. Needed to set some stuff up.

-------------------------

Chapter 3 - Home

   Alex was almost done with her workout.  She was so pumped.  It’s rare she got a full-body, muscle building workout, especially in this environment.  She stared at her knees, barely visible past the end of her engorged quads.  These should be the final reps.

   “Go… NOW!” she heard behind her

   “Ung… 18,” she gasped, her toes visible for just a moment before she eased them back down after the leg extension.  Even in the relaxed position, her thighs had a noticeable bow, cuts separating each muscle in her curved legs.

   “AGAIN!” he screamed at her.

   “19…” fully flexed, her giant quads appeared to crest her abs, if only for a moment.

   “One more,” Stan urged from behind her seat.  That encouragement would be all she needed.  Alex slowly extended her feet for one last exhausting rep, muscles rippling as her legs finally reach the straightened position.

“unnnn… 20,” her mind willing a slow return to the starting position, knowing the negative resistance was just as important.  Sweat beaded and ran down her forehead into her eyes.  When she finished clearing them, she saw Stan in front of her.  Tall and mousey, he fit the bill for a scientist in almost every way, except the gravity changed him - in a good way, she thought.

She glanced at the stack of weights.  200 pounds.  “That’s 4 sets of 20, at 400 pounds.  Not bad,” she said glancing up at Stan.

“That’s cute,” he chuckled, breaking a small smile.

Alex shot Stan an annoyed look.  She looked at the weights again, making sure she was correct.  When she looked back up at Stan, he gestured over to the airlock door.  It was emblazoned with a giant blue number 3.

“You worked out so hard, you forgot what level you were on,” said Stan.

“So, that’s 4 sets of 20 at 600 pounds.  600 pounds!” she squealed, suddenly happy.

“Your body reacts really well to the increased gravity on the outer rings of the station.  Probably better than most,” noted Stan as he plugged information into his datapad.  Stan paused for a moment, giving Alex a glance from head to toe.  “We should probably take some measurements now.”

“Sure.”  She hopped off the seat.  “How much longer do you have here?”

“I’m up to a full day now,” he said, still furiously inputting data.  Stan pauses to look at his watch, then looks right at her.  “Which means I’ll have some time to show you around a bit.”

“I’d like that.”  Alex was comforted.  They had known each other for years, even before the experiments started.  Alex knew very well that Stan had saved her from something more than a horrible fate.  Many men would have taken advantage of that.  She owed him twice because he didn’t.

The respect was mutual, however.  Stan knew Alex worked as hard as she possibly could, whatever the motivation.  It lead to his own success.  It was time to see just how successful they were.

“OK.  Stand up.”  Alex hopped out of the reclined seat of the leg extension machine.  The black sports bra and boy shorts did little to cover her pumped-up physique.  “Right bicep, please.”  Alex raised her arm, concentrated, and flexed.  The lasers encircled her arm.  Stan stared at it in his uniquely studious way.  Stan stepped up, and looked closely.  He noted the clean lines separating her biceps and triceps underneath her lightly tanned, smooth skin.  No noticeable striations.  A sharp split at the top of her bicep.  Just as he thought Alex reached her maximum effort, he looked down.

“21.88  inches.  Very good.  Biggest I’ve seen.  But...”

 “But what,” Alex said, relaxing.

“We’re pretty sure all of your implant fibers are firing, so it’s OK,” Stan said, looking her over.

“But WHAT,” she urged.

“You couldn’t give me a nice round number?”

Stan held his stoic face for just a moment, then broke the ice with a grin.

Her eyes widened as she smirked at the challenge.  She didn’t know how much more she could give, but she was going to try.  She shook her arm a few times, raised it, and flexed again.  Alex clenched her teeth.  Her fist closed a little more slowly this time.  Her arm lit up as it turned into a steely angle.  But she didn’t shake.  It was a unique feature of the synthetic muscle. 

It felt as if the measuring lasers were working against her, but drawing the muscle out at the same time.  Alex finally approached her limits, nearly a full minute later.  Stan’s eyes darted between her arm and his pad.  Alex gasped as she finally ran out of energy.

“Well?”  She asked.

Stan flipped the screen so she could see it.  She let out a disappointed sigh, the big, red “21.98” flashing on the screen.

“Really, I didn’t expect you to get past 21.8.  Your initial measurement was still within the margin of error.  You pushed past that with your second flex.  There might be something going on that we don’t quite understand yet,” Stan explained, remaining just a little puzzled, but not disturbed.  “OK, legs.”

Alex was determined to take only one measurement this time.  She shook her freshly exercised right thigh a few times, piles of muscle moving in one block, back and forth.  In an instant, it froze.  Quad-heads, creating cliff-like structures rising from her knee.  Smooth planes of muscle, arching toward the top of her leg, uniting at her hips.  Her eyes darted back and forth as her lips tensed.  For the next half-minute, she poured every ounce of will into forming the largest muscle she possibly could on that one leg.

The lasers blinked on.  The encircled her leg for a second, then disappeared.  Alex exhaled as she relaxed.

“Perfect,” noted Stan.  He showed her the number.  34.18 inches.  “Now, for the…”

“We can take a break now.”  Alex took a few tentative steps away from the platform.  “This place has gotten considerably bigger since I…”

“Alex, we’re almost done.  Can we just…”

“Stan, I don’t mind being your lab-rat.  But, remember, I’m your HUMAN lab-rat.”

Stan’s typing slowed.  He looked up at her as he stopped.  Not only had she just completed a mission, she just ran through a battery of tests like a champ.  She appeared fascinated by the charts on the wall.  All she wanted was to get reacquainted.

“Let me show you something,” Stan said as he walked over to the largest monitor in the room.  Alex joined him.  He changed the input.  The image of a young woman appeared.  It was clearly from level 1, considering the swarm of people around her.  She was running.  It was perfect form.  Smooth, fluid, and effortless.  It was a furious pace.  Glanced at the statistics on the side of the screen.

“280 miles?  How long has she been running?”

“Nearly 24 hours.  That’s about 5 minute miles.  Melissa has only asked for a few snacks, and the occasional bathroom break.”  Stan looked Alex in the eyes.  “We’re working on endurance.  She doesn’t have the strength you have.”  Stan tapped the screen.  “Melissa, how are you doing?”

She looked straight into the camera.  Melissa was barely breaking a sweat.  She didn’t look strained at all.  “I’m fine,” she said, not even breathing hard.  “But, could we get a few new movies in here?”

Stan smiled as he said, “Sure,” and tapped a few more buttons. 

“That’s… amazing,” Alex gasped.  She was envious, but she knew she had her own talents.

“Check this out.”  Stan tapped the screen again.  What appeared was a room full of gym equipment.  It also had about a dozen people all working out at a furious pace.  6 young men and 6 young women.  The women were about half the size she was; the men were maybe a little short of her bulk.  They were completing one exercise and moving on to the next.  It was mechanical to be sure, but none seemed to begrudge the task.  Bodies, ranging somewhere between fitness competitor and top-level bodybuilder, pushing and pulling at weights that were double what anyone on the planet could lift.  It was gritty, sweaty, and beautiful.

Stan looked at Alex again.  Her mouth was agape.  “That’s right.  We’re confident enough in our research that we’ve moved on to a slightly wider beta test.  Thanks to you.”

Alex took half a step closer.  “Look at them,” she said softly.  She turned to Stan.  “Were they all…”

“Yes.  In one way or another.  Some had diseases.  Some were left for dead.  All were orphaned.”

She waited for it.

“All volunteered.  No funny business.  That’s not how I work.”

Alex wrapped her arms around Stan, her huge muscles surrounding him in a warm embrace.  “Thank you.”

An emotionally pained look washed across Stan’s face.  “Don’t thank me just yet.  There is something I don’t control.”  Alex relaxed her embrace of Stan a little, just enough to look at him.  “They captured one.  A male.”

“What?  You have to let him go.  He is a person, too,” she protested.

“Alex, I never wanted this.  They forced it on me.”

“But… you could quit?  ...go private?  I could help you.”

“No one has the resources these governments do.  Look, I make sure he’s treated no different than the rest of us.  I only use him when I have to.  Hell, he’s always grateful to see me,” Stan said, hoping that would somehow justify the situation.

“Stan, let him go.  Have you ever seen how he’s being kept?”

“Well… no…”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Look out the porthole.”

Alex walked to the window.  There she saw it.  Nearly complete, the globe spinning behind the superstructure, was level 4 of the space station.

[solitariodude]

Thanks for the continuation and ongoing K!