New Woman Classic
by Marknew742@aol.com
The original version, written in 1994. 
Unfinished, but lots of good scenes and completely different 
from New Woman 2.

     I rode my bicycle over to Laura's house at top speed,
getting in some training, pumping hard going up the hill on
Yosemite Street and skidding to a stop in the driveway.  

     The clanking of the weights rang out from the basement.

     Inside, I poured a beer and called, "Almost done? Colin and
Caroline will be meeting us in an hour."

     "Plenty of time. Come watch me!," came the reply.  Then, a
loud grunt.

     The air was cool downstairs, and had the usual, mixed aroma
of perfume, sweat and oil.  Yesterday's half-eaten pizza, cheese
hardened, lay in its box on the ping pong table and several
empties were on the floor.  Laura grinned, flexed her biceps at
me impishly, and pulled the bar up six more times.

     "You try!", she teased.

     I walked up, gripped the bar and lifted it about two inches. 
Laura laughed, and with one arm, completed the lift for me.

     She said, seriously, "You're falling behind.  Remember?  We
were going to do this together."

     "I don't know how you've gotten so strong.  I work out too,
but I'm not making as much progress."

     "You're a good runner, much faster than I am," she said to
reassure me.

     It was true, I could outrun her in speed and distance.

     "But you can't run away from me here!," she teased, and
locked her arms around my waist.

     "C'mon, let me go. We have to get going."

     "O.K., for now.  But I'm going to get you later."

     She showered and dressed while I read the paper.  I couldn't
believe how much stronger she was than I.  It showed too.  I'm
about five-ten to her five-eight, but she probably weighed about
fifteen pounds more than me now, all of it muscle. Her legs were
thick and her shoulders had broadened.  But it was her arms that
were the most amazing.  Her forearms looked like Jose Canseco's,
and when she bent her arm, her biceps rose like there was an
animal inside struggling to get out.  She was proud of it too,
and was determined to get even stronger, just to see how far she
could go.

     We drove to the trail in Laura's car.  Colin and Caroline
were good friends of mine.  I knew them in college, and had dated
Caroline for awhile.  Things didn't work out - Caroline was
almost too nice for me - but we stayed friends, especially when I
introduced her to Colin.  Now that I was with Laura, we made a
good foursome. 

     They were already there, ready for the hike.  I gave
Caroline a hug and shook Bob's hand.  He went over to Laura.

     "How's my little friend?," he asked.

     "Oh, just fine," Laura smiled, and picked him up in the air. 

     "Hey!  Let me down!"  Bob shouted. "What do you think you're
doing?"  Caroline flashed Laura a curious look.

     Colin and I walked ahead together. "What's going on with
Laura?  All of a sudden, she looks like a freak."

     "That's a little strong, don't you think?  She likes to work
out, that's all."  I paused a moment. "It does feel a bit funny
though.  I like girls with athletic builds, and Laura always had
a great body.  But she's really changed in the past few months,
since she came back from a week at that fitness camp.  We're both
working out, but I can't seem to keep up with her."

     "Well, you can't spend all day at it.  You have to work, and
she's between semesters at school.  It would be different if she
had a job."

     I said I agreed, but I wasn't sure.  Anyway, it didn't
matter.

     We turned around.  Laura and Caroline started late, so we
hung around and hid in the bushes until they caught up.  We heard
them talking intently, and when we jumped out, Caroline looked
startled and turned red.  She looked carefully at Colin and me.

     Laura smiled.  "Let's get up to the clearing before it gets
hot.  I've got a great lunch packed."

     This was the steep part of the trail, and we worked our way
up in silence, except for a few grunts and snapped twigs.

     We made it by noon, and spread out our sandwiches.

     "That's enough for ten people!," Colin said. "Why'd you
bring so much."

     "Hey, I'm in training. I have to keep up my strength," Laura
said.  She took out her vitamin pills and gulped them down with
her beer.  Then she passed a few over to Caroline, who looked
quickly at Colin and then swallowed them.

       "What's in those?  You better not be giving my wife
steroids, Laura."  Colin laughed, but he wasn't joking.

     "Don't worry.  I'm not into drugs.  These are just some
natural minerals they gave me at the fitness camp.  They're made
specially for women."

     "Oh?  What would happen if I took them?"

     "I don't know, Colin.  Want to try?"  Laura had her
challenging look on.

     "That's O.K.  I don't need that stuff.  But I like my wife
the way she looks now."

     "Colin!  You know I told you I want to lose some weight.
Laura's going to show me some exercises, just to firm me up."

     "I don't care.  Look, Bob has his own tastes, and I have
mine.  I like women who look like women."

     Laura's face tensed, but she didn't say anything.  "Leave
Laura out of this Colin," I said.

     "Sorry Bob, Laura.  I didn't mean it that way.  This is
between me and Caroline."

     Laura and I didn't say anything.  Colin and Caroline had
these kinds of spats all the time, but it still made me
uncomfortable.  Caroline stood up, crying, and Laura jumped up to
walk with her in the woods.  Bob and I looked at each other.

     "Damn.  I guess I ruined our day out."

     "Really, Colin.  It's just a hobby for Laura.  I think it's
kind of unusual too, but Laura's a great girl.  So is Caroline."

     "I'm just not a liberal like you, Bob. I like American cars,
football, and girls who stay home, take care of the kids and do
what I say."

     "Well, you can hardly call Caroline submissive."

     "I'm working on it. I have lot to do since you spoiled her."

     "C'mon.  That was a long time ago."

     "Only kidding."

     Laura and Caroline came back, cheerful and chatty.  On the
way back, Caroline kept talking about getting into shape and
Colin cracked obnoxious jokes about women jocks and lesbians. 
Laura and I didn't say much.     

2

     Since law school, most of friends have been lawyers, I
stopped keeping up with many of my college friends, but my
closest friend since the first week of college has been Chuck
Krensky.  Chuck studied philosophy in college and unlike everyone
else I knew, he refused to be discouraged by the small number of
jobs that were expected to be open for liberal arts professors. 
He went on to get his doctorate in traditional philosophy and
became quite sought after by schools that lacked someone to teach
Plato and Aristotle while all the other professors pursued all of
the modern trends.  Now, fifteen years later, Chuck was a tenured
professor at Boulder, no more than an hour from where I lived.

     The rest of Chuck's life was not as smooth.  He married a
college girlfriend who majored in Women's Studies, the radical
kind.  They had four children in four years, while Chuck was
still in college and then when they were living off his
fellowship money, but Connie and Chuck quickly grew apart and
divorced bitterly nine years ago.  I helped Chuck to fight off
Connie's constant battles for increased child support, and these
fights, which gave me court practice as well as a more human
sideline to my patent law practice, provided us with steady
reasons to talk over the phone or get together.  

     Chuck got on well with his son, but his three daughters were
another story.  The girls had the natural reaction to their
parents' ideas, meaning that they ridiculed Connie's stream of
ideology to her face, and to Chuck, but had naturally absorbed
much of it in ways they did not even realize.  Chuck tried
religiously to maintain a relationship with them, and except
during periods of court warfare, saw them like clockwork on
Saturdays and individually during the week as they schedules
allowed.  Now, at the ages of fourteen, thirteen and eleven, they
would have been hard for any two people, working together, to
handle.  For Chuck, they were like heat-seeking missiles Connie
could launch at will.

     The Tuesday after the hike, I met Chuck for dinner in
Boulder, an hour before Carrie, the oldest, would be dropping by
for some school help.  When I walked in to the restaurant, Chuck
was deeply absorbed in a book by a colleague at Boulder.  "It's a
pretty trendy idea," Chuck said, looking up.  "The theory is that
metaphysics is a simple abstraction from the male cultural
experience.  Ethics, Epistemology, etc., all are derived from the
authority structure of man over woman, man over child, man over
man, etc.  My colleague thinks she can develop an entirely new
version of metaphysics based on a female-centered world view,
both under our current oppressive culture, and based on an
idealized matriarchal society.  She even writes about how a
woman's adolescent experience creates a lifelong metaphor for
creativity on a non-linear, non-scientific basis."

     "Actually, that's why I picked up the book.  I thought it
might be another way to figure out the latest mysteries from my
older daughters.  Carrie and Elizabeth have been especially
belligerent lately, and I was looking for a way to understand how
it might be related to their maturation."

     "Sounds pretty normal to me, Chuck.  I remember from high
school that the girls seemed to live to torture boys, and each
other.  I can only imagine what they did to their parents, but I
don't really know.  I only had brothers."

     "Well, something unusual is happening with them, something
that isn't in the usual books.  That's why I was reading this
one.  Like most philosophical texts, even the trashy ones, it
approaches issues from a more abstract perspective.  Maybe I can
generalize.  I hope you stick around for awhile.  You haven't
seen them for nine, ten months, since the last hearing."

     "Chuck.  They don't like me.  They always blame me for your
fights with Connie."

     "I know.  They think if I didn't have a lawyer I wouldn't
fight back and they'd end up with more money.  Maybe they're
right about that.  But they do respect you.  Anyway, I hope you
do at least say hello."

     The hour passed quickly and we walked to Chuck's house to
meet his girls.  When we arrived, we saw the light in the
kitchen.

     Carrie rang out as soon as we opened the door.  "You're late
again and we were famished!  Hope you don't mind.  We're
finishing off your Hagen Dazs."

     "I had three pints in there!  That's not a proper dinner."

     "Oh father, leave her alone.  It's just dessert.  We ate
before."  Elizabeth always defended her sisters and mother with
gravity.

     "Bob is here.  He and I had dinner in town.  Why don't you
come into the living room and join us?"

     I heard them whisper heatedly in the kitchen, and then
giggle.  "We're not dressed for court."

     "Oh come on girls!  This is silly."  He went inside, and
after more whispering playful scuffling, they all entered the
living room.

     I couldn't see any reason why Carrie and Elizabeth were shy
about my seeing them.  The last time I saw them, they were both
overweight, like Connie, but they had now slimmed considerably. 
"It's good to see you girls.  You look great.  What have you been
doing?"

     Carrie looked up at the ceiling while Elizabeth spoke for
both of them.  "Mom got us involved in a weight program.  It's
pretty good.  We go a lot.  How about you, Bob?  Any new
girlfriends?"  Carrie shot a look at Elizabeth and covered a
smirk with her hand. 

     "As a matter of fact, yes.  I've been seeing a student at
Boulder for a few months.  Her name's Laura."

     "Oh.  That's nice."  Elizabeth settled into the couch, while
Carrie sat on the floor.  Both of them tuned me out.

     "Dad, how come you never have anything to eat?  Can we send
out for a pizza?," asked Carrie.

     "I thought you are before you came.  You want to keep your
new figure, don't you?"

     "Oh Dad, I'm not worried about that.  I'm just hungry." 
Carrie stretched and yawned.  I noticed her arm still looked
thick, in light of the weight she'd lost.  Chuck signaled at me.

     "Okay, it's up to you."

     "Great!"  Both girls jumped up and ran back to the kitchen.

     "So how did Connie get them to go to a health club?  They
never did anything athletic before?"

     "I have no idea.  I'd love to get them to tell you about
their involvement in school sports.  Suddenly, Elizabeth is one
of the school's top javelin throwers, and Carrie's leading the
league in goals for the girl's soccer team.  Meanwhile, Electra
hasn't gotten into this at all.  In fact, she's even more
overweight than before, maybe because of all the eating Carrie
and Elizabeth do around her."

     "I think they look great, but if you want to see a real
athlete, you should meet Laura.  We're both getting into
bodybuilding, but, can you believe it, she's way ahead of me. 
But, I have to go.  Early meeting tomorrow.  Say goodbye for me,
okay?"

     "I would like to meet Laura.  Thanks for stopping by Bob. 
There's more to this I want to talk to you about some other
time."

     "What?  Another legal problem?"

     "I doubt it, but then, you've taught me that there isn't
very much that you can't make a legal problem.  See you."
                                 
3


     After that day, things got really busy at work.  I went to
Seattle on a project to patent a new composite used in airplane
construction, and I was out of town for a couple of months. 
Laura looked after my apartment, and we talked once a week.  She
decided to take some time off from school and got a job with the
Forest Service. It kept her out of doors a lot, and she liked the
solitude. She warned me I was falling further behind.  I told her
I was keeping up with my running and did 10 miles in 70 minutes
last week.  She chuckled.

     When I finally got back, there was a message on my machine
from Colin.  He wanted to see me right away, so I called him at
work and we went over to a bar he knew for a drink.

     "That damn Laura!  This is her fault."

     "Glad to see you too Colin."

     "She's done it to Caroline too."

     "You mean the weight-training?"
      
     "Yeah, the weight-training."  Bob mimicked my voice.

     "Look. Slow down.  I've been traveling all day."  I took a
long drink.  "Tell me what happened."

     Bob took a breath.  He tried to calm down and tell me the
story.

     "After you left, Caroline started spending a lot of time
over at Laura's, working out, hanging around, etc.  I was working
late a lot, so I didn't really mind, and she really did start
looking good.  She lost some fat, and I tell you, the sex got
really hot."  Bob smiled, then looked angry again.

     "So far, so good."  I said.

     "Yeah.  Well, as I was saying, I was spending most of my
time at work, and for a couple of weeks, while the Garden Acres
proposal was going in, I was hardly home at all, except to sleep. 
When the project was approved though, I was ready to celebrate,
so I took Caroline out dancing.  This is going to sound really
silly - maybe not to you - but her body felt totally different
when we danced.  She's usually great to lead, knows just how to
follow me.  Well, I just couldn't steer her the same way, or she
didn't respond to me.  She knew it too, and didn't seem a bit
embarrassed, or sorry, even though we looked like amateurs out
there.
     
     "I'm not much of a dancer...."

     "Let me finish.  I got kind of mad, and asked her what she
was up to.  She just kind of grinned, and made like she was
flexing a muscle.  I wanted to have it out with her right there,
but, hey, we were in public, so I grabbed her wrist and took her
out to the parking lot.  I started yelling about her exercising
and said it ruined her dancing.  She yelled back, something about
us dancing a little differently now.  So I pushed her down and
was going to hit her, when somebody grabbed me and told me to
calm down.  By the time I looked around, she left.  Took the car
too.  By the time I got home, she was asleep, with the bedroom
door locked, and I slept on the couch.

     "God, Colin.  You hit her?"

     "Wait until you hear the rest."  Colin ordered another
drink.  "You know, I wouldn't be able to talk about this stuff to
anyone else.  By the way, have you seen Laura yet?"

     "No, I called you as soon as I got home.  I haven't even
unpacked yet."

     "Oh really?  Good.  Anyway, the next morning, she was still
mad and told me never to do that to her again.  I knew I went a
little too far, I mean, I had never pushed her so hard before,
but I was really pissed off, and I told her I didn't want her
hanging around with your girlfriend anymore, if she know what was
good for our marriage.  She told me she knew exactly what was
good for our marriage, and it wasn't me bossing her around.  We
would gotten into another fight, but I had to go to the office to
start working on the building plans, so I cut it short and left."

     "Naturally I got right into things at work and forgot all
about our fight.  When I got home, after dinner, Caroline wasn't
home, but I was tired and went right to bed.  We kind of settled
into a truce, but not much talking, and no more sex.  I worked
all day, came home and watched TV.  Caroline was usually out when
I got home, although she would have something for me to eat in
the fridge.  She was civil, but really kept to herself. And she
was being real modest too.  Always got undressed in the dark,
wore her nightgown, you know. A few weeks went by like that."

     "Finally, I was ready to make up and suggested we have a
good dinner and see a movie.  Pretty harmless date, right?  I
said she could pick the restaurant and figured I had it made when
she suggested the Beef Joint, my favorite place.  I had figured
she'd pick some fancy place or one of those salad bars.  Believe
it or not, this was the first meal except breakfast we'd had
together since our fight, other than breakfast, and I couldn't
believe what she ordered.  The 32 oz prime rib! I made a joke
about her waistline, but she laughed it off, saying this was a
special occasion and all that.  So, just for a joke, I ordered
the same thing and challenged her to see who finished first. 
Well, she matched me bite for bite, and I started feeling sick,
with the beers and onion rings and stuff.  But she just kept on
eating.  She finished the damn thing and then, to rub it in, she
ordered a cheeseburger, fries and shake for dessert."

     "Now I knew something was really weird, and I was just about
to ask her what was going on, when she saw Laura and a bunch of
her friends over by the bar.  So, she got up, excused herself for
a minute and went over to talk to them.  I tell you Colin, I have
never seen a stranger bunch of women in my life.  They were all
pretty good looking, and the restaurant was kind of dark, but
when they were all standing together, I could see that they all
were pretty big.  Caroline looked more normal than the rest of
them, but it was a weird group."

     "I waited around for a couple of minutes, then I started
getting impatient.  I mean, I looked ridiculous sitting at the
table alone, while Caroline was yakking with a bunch of women, so
I got up to get her to come back to the table.  I asked her when
she was going to finish her dessert, and made a crack to Laura
about what she ordered.  Laura just smiled, but Caroline told me
- told me - to wait for her at the table until she was finished
talking.  I got real pissed again and was going to say something,
when I saw some of my buddies from work and just turned around
and went over to them.  By the time I finished with them, I
noticed Caroline was back at our table, with her plate empty,
drumming her fingers on her glass.  She gave me a sweet smile,
and I noticed Laura and her friends were watching us.  I glared
at them, nodded at Caroline and got the check."

     "The movie was really dumb, and I wasn't feeling so hot from
the dinner, so we left in the middle and decided to get some
fresh air.  We walked around the river front and saw a lot of
people we knew, but we didn't say much to each other.  Finally, I
figured I would just get it off my chest, and I told her I
couldn't believe she would make this bodybuilding thing more
important than us.  She said that her hobbies were her own
business, and asked why I had to make such a big deal about it. 
I told her I wasn't like you, Colin, at least not like your thing
with Laura, and I thought she wanted a normal marriage.  Well, it
got louder and louder, and pretty soon we had made our way right
back near our car, next to the Beef Joint, and were yelling at
each other, pretty bad.  I noticed Laura and her group coming out
of the restaurant, but I was so mad, I didn't care who saw us."

     "At this point, I was feeling pretty lousy, and I just
wanted to go home.  But she didn't want to go, so I pushed her
toward the car.  She didn't fall down, just staggered a bit and
glared at me.  I got even crazier, and I grabbed her.  She
wouldn't budge and I pulled and ended up ripping her blouse right
off her."

     "This is the unbelievable part.  You have to realize, that
this was the first time I'd seen her body in almost a month, and
I couldn't believe what I saw.  Her shoulders were like a
football player's; her stomach was flat as could be, even after
that huge dinner.  And her arms were just like Laura's. She knew
I was staring at her and looked like she was enjoying it.  One of
the girls who was with Laura tossed Caroline a t-shirt out of a
gym bag, and Caroline quickly put it on.  Then she looked at me
and said something like, 'So this is what you think a normal
marriage is?  Well, I've got something to show you.'  She walked
up to me and grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, like I
was a ten year old girl, and pushed me on the ground. I jumped up
and ran at her, ready to slug her, but she just caught my arms
and then lifted me right off the ground, holding me in the air. 
The whole crowd, including my buddies from work, just laughed. 
Then she pushed me onto the ground and held me there, with one
arm, while I struggled and kicked.  I tell you, I couldn't do
anything to her.  She was just too strong.  Finally, she got up,
sauntered over to the car, and said, 'This has been fun.  Now
drive me home and let's do some more, in private.'  The whole
crowd whooped and cheered, except for Laura and her friends, who
were pretty quiet."

     Colin just sat there.  So did I.  "What happened then?  Did
you go home?"

     "I didn't know what to do.  I think I just walked away from
the restaurant and the crowd and wandered around for a few hours. 
I ended up home, slept on the couch again, and then, before she
got up, I called in sick and went away to the mountains for a few
days.  I haven't been home since; I've been sleeping at a motel."

     I didn't say much.  Colin could be a jerk, but this was a
pretty wild story.

     "I'm glad you're finally back Bob.  Can I stay over at your
place for awhile, until I figure out what to do?"

     "Yeah. Sure.  I'll probably head over to Laura's, see what
is going on."

     "I don't believe it!  After what they did to me?"

     "It must be my liberal nature.  I want to talk to her. 
Maybe I can help you."

     "I don't want anything to do with Caroline, Laura or any of
them."

     "Suit yourself.  You're welcome to stay for awhile.  I'm
 going to call her."              

4

     As luck would have it, Laura was at my place when Colin and
I got there.  He took one look at her and left, saying he'd be
back later. Laura didn't say anything until he left, then sighed,
walked over to me and gave me a wonderful, welcoming kiss.  I
took a step back and looked her over.

     "He probably told you about his fight with Caroline."
      
     "Something about it.  Why don't you tell me?

     "I have a lot to tell you.  First, tell me how I look."

     "You're one of a kind."

     "Actually, I'm not.  But let's go to my place.  We can work
out, have dinner, talk, fool around ...."

     I was really glad to see her, but I wanted to pack a few
things so I could leave Colin alone in my place for awhile.  On
the way over, we talked about my trip, and I told her I didn't
expect to travel again for at least a few months.  The next
project would probably be in town.  We were glad to see each
other.
     
     We went down to her basement, and she changed into her gym
suit.  She was even bigger than when I had left, and winked at me
while I stared.

     "How about some arm-wrestling?"

     "Sure."  I had kept up my workouts, to surprise her, but as
I looked at her arms, I wasn't sure who would be surprised.

     We sat down at the table and started.  I pushed as hard as I
could.  Her arm was steady as a rock.

      Try two against one."

     "What do you mean?"

     "Both your arms against one of mine."

     It was awkward, but soon I got the leverage. Still, I could
do nothing to move her arm."

     "O.K. Now try it this way."  We moved the table toward the
universal gym, so that I could brace my feet against the inclined
situp pad.  "Get comfortable, and use all your leverage," she
suggested.  "Use those running legs!"  I set myself up and
pushed.  This time, I could see her struggling.  Her biceps
tensed and grew.  They were larger than any I'd seen, even on a
man.  Then, she pushed me, and the gym, a few feet, and I jumped
off.

     "Wow! What's happened to you?  How do you do that?"

     "I'll explain later.  Let me work out first."  She set up
her first exercise and I sat at another station, moving the keys
to my usual setting.

     "Uh, I should warn you, you won't be able to do that much
weight.

     "What do you mean?  I've kept working.  I can do 50 pounds."

     "I've changed all the weights.  That's set for 300 pounds."

     I looked, and noticed that the weights were a new color. She
was doing 600 pound single arm curls.  I shook my head and sat
down and watched Laura.

     After we finished, we ordered some pizza and sat on the
couch.  I asked her again what was happening to her, and
Caroline.

     "You probably guessed that this was no ordinary fitness
camp.  I didn't know it when I went there, but they were doing
research on muscle growth, how testosterone works, etc.  They
found something very new about women's hormones.  Not that I
understand it or anything, but certain types of natural compounds
interact with estrogen to produce a muscle growth stimulant many
times more powerful than testosterone.  That's why I've been
getting so much stronger than you, with about the same exercise."

     "Is this some kind of rare, wonder drug?" 

     "No, that's the neat thing.  It's not a drug.  It's
completely natural, and the body uses it like a kind of vitamin. 
The only two effects they've found are muscle growth, and a huge
appetite, which you've also probably noticed.  See, no hair
growth, no deep voice, no acne."

     I didn't have to look at her closely to see she was right.

     "The other thing about it is it's not rare, or expensive. 
Other than the fact that it takes some science to figure out the
right combination, it costs almost nothing.  'Power on pennies a
day.'"

     "So, what would happen if I took it?"

     "Not much.  Men have some estrogen, but it gets used up for
other things before it would work with the drug.  You'd have to
take enough supplemental estrogen to grow breasts, raise your
voice and lose your sex drive before it made a difference.   I
hope you wouldn't do that."

     "Naah. I have my priorities."

     "I figured.  That's why I like you."

     "How did you get involved in this?

     "Well, I was sort of a guinea pig for awhile.  They figured
that because I'm between semesters, I could go on the pills for a
few months or so without a lot of people noticing and asking
questions.  Then, after it was working so well, they offered to
keep me on it longer if I could find a job away from people. 
That's why I've been working out in the woods, by myself."

     "Why did you give it to Caroline?  Did you get in trouble?"

     "Not really.  By then, they knew it worked and they were
happy to try it out on some different body types.  I've always
been athletic, but Caroline was sort of a weakling.  They wanted
to see if it worked as well on her."

     "Sounds like it did.  Also sounds like you busted up a
marriage."

     "I feel terrible about that.  On the other hand, he
shouldn't have pushed her around.  Now he can't do that."

     Laura had a point.  Turnabout is fair play, and all that.

     "They've tried it out on all sorts of women.  It worked
great on fat women; they burned up all their extra weight early
on.  The ones with fast metabolisms have trouble eating enough. 
They're always hungry.  That happened to Caroline too.  The main
limitations are that it doesn't work before puberty or after
menopause, for obvious reasons."

     "It's not a cure-all for everything.  As you can see, you
can still outrun me.  And it doesn't change the rest of the way
my body works."

     "Let's not underestimate the changes, Laura."

     "I'm not trying to.  Actually, this pill will change the
world."

     "What do you mean?"

     "Once they perfect the manufacturing process and the dosage
recommendations, this will be available to every woman.  How many
people do you know who won't spend fifty cents a day for a pill
that will make them strong?"

     "They'll never let it get out that cheap.  Don't they have a
patent?  Won't they sell it for all they can?

     "Oh no!  Not this group.  They'll patent it, but the women
who developed it are doing it for personal reasons, not financial
ones."

     "What about drug approvals?"

     "I told you.  It's not a drug.  There's nothing in it that
isn't in broccoli or pizza or cheeseburgers or regular foods."

     "Just think about it.  All these theorists, psychologists,
biologists, anthropologists, philosophers, have worked for years
trying to explain why men are dominant and women submissive. 
Hormones, aggression, culture, different kinds of brains, God's
will.  All of these rationalizations, when it was obvious that at
base, it was just the fear of being beaten up.  I can't wait to
see what happens, how quickly those theories disappear!"

     "Sounds like you share their agenda.  You're not really
looking forward to beating up men, like Caroline did?  Are you?"

     "Oh honey, no!  No more than you would ever do that to me!"

     Laura snuggled closer to me. "Look," she said in a soft
voice, "won't it be interesting to see what happens?  Maybe women
are different from men, and things will be entirely different,
not just a reversal.  But even if not, I don't think there is
anything wrong in making women stronger, do you."

     I thought for awhile. "Other than personally being on the
losing team, I guess not, if you look at it impartially.  I don't
exactly believe in a natural order of things."

     "Enough talk," Laura said in my ear.  "Let's make love and
get to know each other again."

     I stayed on top.  I didn't want to get crushed.

*5*



     After all the work I did in Seattle, I had some vacation
coming, so I decided to take off for a few days.  The first thing
I wanted to do was have a long talk with Chuck.  I thought he
might have some interesting things to say about what Laura told
me.

     His morning classes didn't start until 10:30, so I met him
for breakfast.  He listened closely to my stories about Colin and
Laura, nodding, shaking his head, but without interrupting me
once.  When I finished, he let a long sigh, poured himself more
coffee and smiled.

     "This is just about the craziest idea I've ever heard Bob,
and if not for two things, I would laugh out loud and ask you for
some of what you've been smoking.  But the fact is that I know
you're serious.  And the second thing is, Carrie and Elizabeth
must be on the stuff too."

     "You're kidding."

     "I've been trying to figure this out for weeks, while you've
been amusing yourself in Seattle making planes that are lighter
than air.  Not being a materialist, I of course assumed that they
had acquired some kind of discipline from Connie, a pretty
effective one too.  The fact that they're on drugs makes it much
simpler and much less interesting than any of my theories."

     "I can't imagine your girls looking like Laura."

     "Try to imagine being a father whose little girl takes him
over her knee for a spanking."

     "I don't believe it!"

     "She didn't hit me hard.  You know how careful Elizabeth is.
She just thought it would be fun to put me in my place.  But you
should have heard her spouting off ideas about how weak men were
emotionally and socially, how she and Carrie had a secret they
couldn't tell me, but I would find out soon enough.  I got mad
about their 'secrets,' which is what led to my spanking.

     "My guess is Connie knows someone who is part of this
program.  It all seems to fit together.  From what you say,
Electra is too young to use this thing, although that won't last
long.  And I'm sure she won't stand for being the 'weak sister.' 
She's the most aggressive of the group."

     "I'm sorry Chuck.  I didn't think of the personal
consequences for you."

     "Yes, while you've been playing around with Laura's muscles,
my girls have been enjoying their own kinds of games.  A friend
of mine at the University of Denver saw Carrie one evening
dressed very provocatively in a low cut tube top and cutoffs,
hanging around one of the fraternity houses and flirting with
someone at the window.  Pretty quickly, a tall, gangly student
emerged and followed Carrie to a deserted grassy area between two
of the classroom buildings, where they disappeared from my view. 
My friend quickly followed them, but when he got there, he saw
Elizabeth twisting this guy's arm around his back while Carrie
was yelling at him.  Once they saw me, Carrie yelled at Elizabeth
to run, and they pushed the student to the ground and ran the
other way.  My friend, who's in his fifties and not at all in
good shape, didn't even try to chase them, but he threatened the
student with expulsion for molesting a minor.  The guy looked at
my friend with amazement, and asked him if he saw what happened,
but when he heard how old Carrie and Elizabeth were, he just
shook his head and walked away, rubbing his arm."

     "What did your friend think?"

     "Oh, he just assumed they had taken a self-defense course. 
He never imagined that they set a trap for some unlucky student.
I didn't figure it out until later, after some other odd events,
but by then the student had already been placed on probation and
ended up leaving the college."

     I was about to ask him what else had happened when the front
door opened.  It was Ken, Chuck's son.

     "Hi Dad.  Oh, hi Bob.  I just got back yesterday, and I came
as soon as I could.  What the heck is going on with Carrie and
Lizzie?"

     Chuck looked at me.  "Bob probably can tell you more than I
can, but I want to hear your impressions first.  What is
happening over at your mother's house these days?"

     "I hardly saw Mom.  She came in late.  But my sisters act
like they're on some kind of drugs.  I get home and see Electra
in the kitchen.  She jumps up, yells out hi Ken or something, and
gives me a hug.  I sit around and talk to her for a couple of
minutes, then I go up to my room to dump my stuff there and
relax.  No sooner do I walk into my room, but Carrie jumps on me
from behind.  I spin her around, playing as usual, but, you know,
she feels kind of different.  Then I try to shake her off onto
the bed, but she grips tighter so I can't get her off.  So I lean
back on the bed on top of her, figuring she'll just let go and
scream I'm crushing her or something, but she doesn't, she just
laughs, wraps her arms around my chest and hangs on tighter.  Now
I'm getting kind of tired of this, so I grab her wrists to pull
her off, but I can't.  This is really strange, I think, I'm in
the best shape of my life after living in the wild for two months
and I can't get my kid sister off my back?  So I give her an
elbow in the ribs and she lets go, but before I can get up, she
pulls me down, puts her knees on my chest and her hands on my
wrists and sits on top of me.  She's always been kind of heavy,
so I what I usually do is reach up to her shoulders and pull her
so she'll fall and I can roll over on top of her, but again, this
time it doesn't work.  I'm pulling and pulling, but her arms
don't buckle.  This is really weird, I think."

     "The next thing I know, I hear Electra and Lizzie are
standing at my bedroom door, cheering for Carrie.  After winking
at me, she climbs down and I start to get up, when Electra elbows
Lizzie and says, 'Can you do it too?  I want to see.'  So she
walks in slowly, arms out, and I jump off the bed and say
something like, 'Knock it off, Lizzie, I don't want to hurt you,
but you're not going to get me off balance like Carrie.'  She
just looks more determined, so I grab her by the shoulders and
try to pull her onto the floor, only I can't.  Instead, she puts
on her all-business face, lifts up her arms and knocks my hands
off her, then puts her hands under my shoulders and throws me
back onto the bed.  The next thing I know, she grabs my hand and
starts pulling it behind my back, so I try to twist away, but she
just grips it tighter until it really hurts and forces me down
until I say I give up. Electra starts cheering again and says,
'What's wrong with you Ken?  Were they feeding you something
funny up there?  Where are your muscles?'  So, like an idiot, I
flex my biceps, which I was pretty proud of after all the
physical work I did.  Then, like they'd set up the whole thing,
Carrie and Lizzie peel off their sweaters.  Carrie says, 'That's
real nice Ken. What do you think of these?'  I couldn't believe
it.  No wonder they beat me.  They had muscles twice the size of
mine.  Electra says, 'What's the matter Ken?  Ashamed of your
puny boy muscles?  You're always showing off how strong you are,
pushing us around, holding us down and stuff.'  I start to run at
her, like I always do, but Lizzie reaches out and grabs me by the
waist and pulls me back.  While Lizzie is holding on to me,
Electra walks up and sticks her tongue out.  'Just wait til I get
bigger too, big brother.  I'll get you back then.'  Then Carrie
tells Electra to skat and Lizzie to let me go, which she does,
and then follows Electra out."

     "I asked Carrie how she and Lizzie got so strong in two
months, but she wouldn't tell me.  She just said she and Lizzie
weren't finished yet, and I better watch my step.  I hoped you
would be able to tell me what's going on."

     Chuck looked at me, and I cleared my throat.  "Uh, Ken,
Carrie and Lizzie aren't the only ones.  There's a whole group of
girls and women who are taking a pill experimentally.  It only
works on females, and only at certain times of their lives.  But
it looks like it works, and my guess is it's going to spread
pretty quickly once they finalize the tests."

     "You mean all girls are going to be like Carrie and Lizzie?"

     I sighed.  "Probably stronger.  I don't know how far they
can go with it, but my girlfriend has been on it for months and
she just keeps getting bigger.  It's up to them."

     "Man!  I don't believe it!  Bob, do you really like the way
your girlfriend looks?"

     "I have to admit I probably wouldn't ask her out now if I
just met her, but at this point we have a good thing going, and I
wouldn't break up with her because she's on this thing."

     "But how do you feel about being the weaker one?  I couldn't
take it."

     "It doesn't really bother me.  Actually there are some   "

     Chuck interrupted.  "Bob's probably going to start talking
about his sex life, which I know you would find interesting Ken,
but I don't want to hear about it now.  The real question is,
assuming this pill does go into general circulation, how all this
is going to affect our lives?  I mean, men have always been
stronger than women, although some would argue that this hasn't
prevented women from dominating us anyway.  But what we're
talking about here seems much more extreme, I mean, this pill is
making women much more stronger than men than man have been
stronger than women.  And it is something they can change almost
at will.  Bob's girlfriend Laura started exercising when she
started taking it, but my guess is that was just a cover and
probably hasn't made any difference.  I know my daughters aren't
spending hours in the gym."

     "I never thought about that, but I'm sure you're right.  I
can't believe Laura would deceive me like that."

     "Bob, she was taking those pills for months before she told
you.  What was I saying?  Oh yes.  Even with all the political
uproar about feminism the last thirty years or so, I don't really
know whether women feel oppressed by men, feel annoyed by us, or
are pretty happy about the way things are.  Now, they know the
czar will be overthrown.  We'll find out what they really want. 
I don't think they'll kill us, like the Bolsheviks did to the
Romanovs, but some of them probably feel they have scores to
settle.  And even the happy homemakers will probably look at
things differently."

     "As for my daughters, well.  I told Bob a story about what
they did to a student at the University of Denver whom they lured
into a back alley.  I tried to give them a lecture on it, but as
you would imagine they ignored me.  They're famous in their
school now for playing tricks on the football team, and they were
kicked out of their gym class after they told the other girls
they don't have to exercise because in a few months they'll all
be as strong as they are.  It was obvious to me that something
was artificially making them stronger, and Bob has now confirmed
it.  But if I'm right, it's just a matter of time before they are
back in the mainstream and everything else changes around them."


*6*

     The next morning Laura took me over to meet the scientists
she worked with.  The camp was run by two women with biochemistry
degrees.  Both of them had developed strong ideas about changing
the role of women, but they had different ideas.  Ellen Bradford,
the older of the two, had a bad marriage, and carried a lot of
scars with her.  She had a single idea she had worked on for
years:  how to make sure no women ever suffered what she did
again.  She didn't hate men, she just wanted to make sure they
were harmless.

     The other was Beth Glauberg.  After first meeting her, you
would never guess she was involved in this type of project.  She
was young, about 35, happily married with three kids, and
friendly as could be.  It took me awhile to realize that she was
a scientist who loved speculation and play more than test tubes. 
What she wanted most of all was to change the world.  It wasn't
power she wanted, or to accomplish a political or social agenda. 
She just wanted to play, and this discovery gave her a chance to
put something in motion and watch what would happen.  

     They were almost ready to go public with their discovery,
but first they wanted to complete the legal work, and they needed
someone with my training to advise them on their patent
application.  They wanted to make sure they could control the
manufacture until the pills became so rooted in society, and
women had enough power, to ensure they would always be available. 
They also wanted to ensure it would be cheap. They even had a
name for it:  New Woman.  I thought it was a pretty good
description.

     As I looked over their work, I was convinced that everything
Laura said was right.  It was just a matter of time.

     I dropped Laura off at work and then called Colin to see how
he was doing.  He was busy at work, but he agreed to meet me for
lunch.

     "So, did Laura beat you up?"

     "What are you talking about Colin?  We had a great night."

     "You're pretty sick, Bob, if you could make love to that
thing."

     I got up to leave, but Colin stopped me.  "Look, I'm sorry. 
I'm still in shock, I guess, and I don't understand why this
doesn't bother you the way it bothers me."

     I shrugged.  I wasn't going to tell him what I knew, but I
wanted to talk about it, so I asked about what happened at the
office after his fight with Caroline.

     "I thought you would ask. Some of them thought it was a real
turn on and asked me how it went when I got home.  They thought
she looked kind of sexy.  One guy made some cracks and I busted
his nose - almost got fired for that.  I'd like to see him try to
fight her."

     "Have you thought about seeing her?" I asked.

     "And get humiliated again?  Not on your life."

     Speaking carefully, I said, "I don't think you'd have
anything to worry about, if you'd just hold your temper."

     Colin didn't say anything.  "Look.  If you want, I'll go
talk to her, see how she feels.  Maybe you can get back together. 
Maybe you can't.  But you can't avoid her forever."

     "Do what you want.  I have to go back to work.  Maybe I'll
see you later, if you're not getting pounded by Laura."

     We finished lunch, and I walked over to Caroline's office to
catch up with her.

*6*

     I'd known Caroline since college.  Caroline had that pale,
delicate look that poets and philosophers find exciting, and the
years hadn't changed that much, except for a little more weight
here and there, contact lenses instead of glasses, and a
fashionable short haircut in place of her long straight light
brown hair.  I could never quite imagine how someone so gentle
could work with broken families, drug addicts, abandoned kids,
violent gangs and cope with the general lack of progress she saw
every day, but she had been there for five years and kept being
promoted.  Now she was head of her division.

     I called her from the lobby of her building.  She wasn't
surprised to hear from me.  Laura had told her I was back, and
that Colin was staying at my place.  She'd already eaten, but was
ready for an afternoon snack.

     Even though I knew what to expect, it took me awhile to stop
staring. Her suit jacket hid some of her new bulk, but I could
see from her shoulders and her legs what New Woman had done to
her.  She gave me a kiss and we walked toward the diner.

     I didn't know how to begin and felt awkward about the way I
was looking at her, but she smiled and said, "Bob, it's still me
under here."  She took off her jacket and sat down.  I was still
staring at her arms, which would have had no problem keeping
quarterbacks safe from a pass rush.  "Laura tells me you know
everything, and that you might even do the legal work on the
patent.  Probably a good client for you."

     "Sure, if the rest of the men in the world don't kill me."

     She laughed, then ordered a full meal, while I drank coffee.

     "I'll make it easy for you.  Colin doesn't have to be afraid
of me. I just wanted to scare him, once, so he'd stop ordering me
around.  You know men have been telling me what to do my whole
life.  It felt so good to be able to tell him what I thought,
without wondering if he would make me pay for it."

     "I didn't realize he hit you."

     "Not a lot, but the threat was always there.  You have no
idea what it's like having to wonder how a man is going to react
when you don't want to go along with what he wants.  I was always
scared.  Now I'm not.  As far as I'm concerned, he can come back
any time."

     "He feels humiliated."

     "Really?  I'm sorry, but I'm also not.  He was unlucky to be
the first, but he'll have a lot of company when New Woman comes
out.  You can see how much I've changed in a few months, but you
have no idea how amazing this thing is.  One of the groups I work
with is battered women, and we've always had a self-defense group
to teach basic martial arts skills.  It was a terrible idea. 
Every now and then, one of the women would get pretty good at it
and be able to help herself, but for most of them the difference
in strength was too much, and even if they could get away once or
twice, the men would get them in the end.  Well, I got one of the
women I like a lot into the New Woman experimental program. 
After just a week, it gave her enough confidence to move out into
our shelter.  He found out where she was two weeks later, and
came after her.  Well, she's not violent, not like I would have
been.  She just grabbed his hand as he tried to slap her, and
held it, tighter and tighter, little by little.  After he
screamed, she let go and just stared him down.  He hasn't been
back."

     "I have a feeling I'm going to hear a lot of these stories."

     "Sure.  It takes a while to turn things around.  But then
you guys will adapt."

     "But where's the improvement?  It just sounds like the same
things men have done to women. Intimidation, fear, pain."

     Caroline shook her head.  "You'll see.  It will be
different.  We don't have the same need to dominate men have. 
We'd rather have love than war.  You and Laura don't have any
problem, right?"

     I admitted that was true, but I was not convinced.  "So what
are you going to do with Colin?  Keep getting revenge?  Train him
to be a "new man?"

     "Hey.  I like that idea."  She thought a minute. 
"Seriously, the truth is I miss him and I want him to come back."

     "I'll tell him that, but I don't know what he'll do.  Maybe
the four of us can have dinner."

     "Thanks Bob. But I think I want to see him alone first. 
He's got to get used to me again.  Laura and me together might be
too much.  Then again, maybe you should be around, just to
reassure him that I won't beat him up again."

     I agreed to see what I could set up, and, to my surprise,
Colin told he would meet Caroline at their place for dinner
tomorrow and asked me to come too, at least until things "settled
down."                           

*7*
     
     I should have guessed what Colin had in mind, but we don't
think alike.  I arrived first, while Caroline was still getting
ready for dinner, although I could tell she had just finished
eating something else, to tide her over.

     She had taken advantage of Colin's absence to rearrange a
few things.  Colin's 51" television and entertainment system were
now out of the living room and in the den, crowded next to his
drawing table.  The house had been thoroughly cleaned and seemed
brighter, with new curtains and decorations all around. I could
smell lasagna and garlic bread cooking, and a large salad was
already set on the table.  I knew there would be an argument
about the television, but otherwise it looked like a good start.

     Colin arrived with a bottle of wine and flowers.  I could
tell he noticed the television was gone, but he seemed determined
to be cheerful, and we all sat down in front of a bowl of chips
and beer and waited for the rest to be ready.

     "The place looks good, a lot nicer than Bob's," Colin
observed.

     "I'm glad you like it.  Your television is just over in the
den.  If you -"

     "Don't worry about it.  I'm sure I can get used to watching
in there.  So long as I can have a couch and fit all the guys in
to watch football."

     Colin got up and looked out the back window.  "Let's go out
into the yard for a few minutes. I want to see how you've done
with the lawn while I've been gone."

     We all got up and went out through the side door.  The lawn
looked fine, recently mowed, and I could see the vegetables in
the garden were just about ready to be picked.  Caroline was
standing with Colin near the roses in the corner of the yard,
when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, four men enter the yard. 
I called out to Colin and Caroline and got a sick feeling when I
saw Colin smile and run up to them.

     "Colin, who are these guys?  You didn't tell me we were
having company!"

     Colin was talking to the men and pointing at Caroline and
me.  "These are some friends of mine from the gym.  I thought
since you had Bob here to help, I would invite a few more to make
it a party."

     Colin's gym friends were looking at Caroline closely, taking
note of her build.  They were all bodybuilders, and had the kind
of size it would take me years of work to achieve, if I wanted to
spend my time that way.  The biggest one called out to Caroline,
"Hey babe.  How much do you lift?"  The rest of them laughed.

     Caroline ignored them.  "Colin. I don't like this.  I
thought we were going to spend time together this evening, work
things out."

     "Sure honey, we're going to work things out.  And they're
going to help."  The group started moving toward Caroline.  So
did I.

     "You think I was going to let you have the last shot, huh? 
I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you think you
can push me around, and expect me to like it, you got another one
coming.  Let's see you try to pick on someone your own size."

     One of the men walked up to Caroline.  I shouted, "Colin,
don't do this.  It isn't going to solve anything."  Then I was
blindsided by one of the others, who pushed me away and then
pinned me.  It was obvious it wouldn't do me much good to
struggle.

     "We'll have to see, won't we," Colin replied.

     Caroline was backing away, but soon had nowhere to go.  "So,
what are you gonna do now, sister?," he said.  Caroline
swallowed, then turned and gave him a swift karate kick to the
chest, which staggered him back a few feet.  "Nice move," he
said.  He ran at her, but Caroline ducked and slipped by him. 
"You're a slippery one.  But you'll have to take your medicine. 
Come on, guys.  Don't let her get away."  The other two cut off
her route to the front.

     "Colin, stop this.  Someone is going to get hurt."

     "Now Caroline, that didn't seem to bother you a few weeks
ago, when it was me getting hurt.  Why don't you just take it -
like a man!"

     Colin's friends laughed, and moved closer.

     Caroline bit her lip.  She planted herself, then kicked
again, more sharply this time and to the leg.  We all heard a
crack, and her assailant was lying on the ground, groaning.

     "She broke my leg.  She broke my leg."

     I guessed Caroline had taken a few of those martial arts
classes her department gave.

     "Watch it!  She knows karate.  We'll have to grab her," said
one of the others.

     The two of them approached her warily, from opposite sides. 
Caroline kicked again, but she fell short, and while she was off
balance, one moved in quickly and grabbed her from behind.

     "O.K., she's yours now.  Give it to her."

     Caroline struggled.  She threw out kicks at the second
attacker, who kept his distance.  Then, she reached down at the
leg of the man holding her, pulled hard and toppled him over. 
Now they were both on the ground, rolling around.  He had a
weight advantage, but was having trouble keeping her down.

     "What's the matter with you guys?  Can't you take her?"
Colin yelled.  This wasn't going the way he expected.

     Suddenly, Caroline emerged on top and had him in a wrestling
hold.  "Tom, give me a hand, willya?" the one on the ground said. 
Tom moved closer, but Caroline shifted positions and tightened
her hold.

     "Back off, and let Bob go, or else I'll break his leg too,"
she ordered.  Then she pulled some more.

     The man on the ground grimaced and said, "O.K., O.K., you
win.  Let the guy go.  Let's get out of here."

     They collected their injured friend and left. I got up,
massaging my neck, while Caroline, without looking at Colin,
walked to the house, pausing only to give me a wan smile.

     Colin looked crushed.  I walked over to him.

     "What a man.  Hiring goons to beat up your wife.  I have
nothing more to say to you.  Get your stuff out of my place."

     Colin didn't say anything.  But he looked up quickly to see
his television fly out of his house, crashing onto the patio.  So
much for the football parties.

*8*


     The fight at Colin's helped me decide to represent Bradford
and Glauberg for their patent work.  Not that it was a terribly
hard decision.  I've rarely turned down paying clients, except
for military work, and it's always more fun to combine work with
the rest of my life.  But the most important factor was that if
New Woman was going to change the world, I wanted to be in on it
from the inside.  It was a unique opportunity.

     I made a special arrangement with my firm for complete
secrecy, except for the usual conflicts check.  They were
surprised, and very curious, but when I revealed the projected
size of the business they were more than willing to agree to any
terms I wanted.  Now I was ready to start.

     The background data was in good shape.  I wasn't concerned
about proving the novelty of the compound.  What would be harder
to show was how it worked, so that the application wasn't
dismissed as another perpetual motion machine.  I had first-hand
experience, so I personally had no doubts, but I had to immerse
myself in the technical data to make sure the claims in the
patent application would be accepted, and would hold up to any
legal challenge later on.  The other task was to make sure the
claims didn't make assertions that would led to regulation by the
FDA.  Between that bureaucracy and the special interests that
dominated it, it would take years to get New Woman on the market,
if ever.  

     For two months, I spent my days at the camp with my new
clients.  I was still seeing a lot of Laura, although we were
starting to have the kinds of fights that had always preceded a
breakup for me in the past.  One new area of discontent for me
was Laura's increasingly voracious sexual appetite.  Almost every
night after dinner, even before we'd clean up, I could see Laura
eyeing me hungrily, like I was the next course.  Usually I was
only too happy to oblige.  Sex with Laura was always great, and
with her strength she could do things no one had ever done to me
before.  But when I wasn't interested, we had problems.  At
first, she would try to seduce me into bed.  This usually worked,
but with her new build, the slinky cat-like poses no longer were
as much of a turn on during the rare times I wasn't in the mood. 
Then she got more physical.  

     One night, I was lying in bed after a long day of paperwork
at the camp.  Despite my repeated complaints that I only wanted
to go to sleep, she burrowed under the covers and, with her mouth
and tongue, quickly got me aroused.  "See, I knew I could get you
interested," she teased.  Not liking to be pushed, I turned away
from her, but she pulled me back.  "Bob, I really need you
tonight.  Please!"  

     How could I say no, I thought.  But it started happening
more often, whether because of an increasing lack of interest on
my part, or more on hers, I didn't know.  A week later, after she
again succeeded in arousing me in spite of my protestations, I
tried to put my foot down.  Laura just shook her head, muttered
an apology, and climbed on top of me, easily pinning my arms and
legs.  After struggling futilely for a few minutes, I realized
there was nothing I could do, so I just lay back until she had
satisfied herself.  When she finished, I rolled out of bed and
slept by myself in the living room and pretended not to hear her
crying.

     The next week was even worse.  Laura apologized again and
again and asked why I was withdrawing.  I didn't know what to
answer, but I promised to give her another chance and went back
to our bed, but I did not take any initiative sexually.  The last
straw came at the end of the week.  I came home late, without
calling, to find that Laura had cooked a special dinner for us, a
small part of which was now sitting cold and dry on the table. 
She greeted me with a glare and said, "You don't even care enough
anymore to tell me whether or not you're coming home," and turned
away.

     "I'm really sorry.  I didn't know you were going to all this
trouble for tonight.  It's just that I have a lot of work at the
camp."  I walked over and put my arm around her neck.  She didn't
respond, so I massaged her back and shoulder muscles, marveling
to myself at their thickness.  She seemed to relax, but then
suddenly turned around to face me.

     "I can't have you do that if you're not going to be my lover
anymore."

     "What do you mean?  I'm not going anywhere.  I'm here for
you."

     "No you haven't been, not for weeks.  Are you seeing someone
else?"

     "No, of course not.  Why are you saying that?"

     "You don't understand what I need.  I need you but you're
not here.  You're never here."

     She was getting all worked up again, so I put my arms around
her and kissed her.  After a moment's hesitation, she kissed me
back greedily, and before I knew what was happening, she had
picked me up and was carrying me into the bedroom.  "No, no.  Not
yet.  I just came home.  I'm hungry."  I tried to push against
her to get away, but she just shook her head sullenly and held
on.

     "You can't have it both ways Bob.  You started this and you
can't stop now."  She dropped me onto the bed and, gripping my
jeans at the hips, split them in two and pulled off my shorts. 
She quickly stepped out of her dress, and stood over me, deciding
what to do next.  I looked at Laura and then around the room for
some escape and then back at her again, suddenly realizing how
long it had been since I had looked at her closely, how much
bigger she had become and yet how beautiful she still was.  In
spite of my anger, I could feel myself stiffening.

     "I see you still have some feelings for me, Bob.  It sure
makes it easier for me."  She lay down on top of me and I
groaned.

     "What's happening to you Laura?  You've really changed."

     She maneuvered me inside and then relaxed a bit.  "You mean
my weight?  Yeah, I am getting pretty big.  They've been giving
me bigger doses, to experiment.  I get a little edgy, but I'm
fine now."  She started moving on top of me, but I groaned each
time she shifted position, so she rolled us around.  Once on top
I tried to get up, but she twisted one ankle around my legs and
held me there.  "You're just going to have to finish me, then you
can go," she grunted.  I submitted and soon afterwards felt her
come violently.  I tried to withdraw, but she held me in place.

     "Tell me what's wrong Bob?  Too much muscle for you?"

     "I don't like being pushed around.  It was different before,
when we were playing.  Now I feel I'm being used and you're just
taking advantage of me."

     Laura sighed.  "I'm really sorry about that Bob.  These
urges just come over me, and I can't help it.  I don't know what
to say.  Before, I could almost always get you to do what I
wanted, I mean sexually.  Now I don't know if I want it more, or
you less, but you never want it when I do.  I guess I have a lot
to learn about seduction."

     "You can't just take something because you want it."

     "I never could before, when I was the weaker one.  Now I
can.  And it's hard not to.  Damn it's hard.  When I started this
I never thought I'd get this strong.  Look at this."  She flexed
her right arm.  "My bicep is almost 25 inches, bigger than my
waist, and it's still growing. You know what I can do?  I can
lift a car over my head.  I can throw a football a quarter-mile. 
I can jump over a 15 foot fence.  And I'm nothing special.  I'm
just popping a few pills each day."

     "I know I'm doing the wrong thing when I force myself on
you.  I've probably blown our relationship doing it.  But I have
to admit, it gives me a thrill.  I mean, guys have done it to me,
and I've had to go along.  When you try to stop me, I sort of
laugh inside, because it's so useless for you.  I mean, look at
us.  You're three or so inches taller than I, but I probably
weigh over 100 pounds more, all muscle.  My heart's stronger.  It
beats 120 times a minute resting, over 300 when I exert myself,
and it's all normal and healthy.  And I can keep getting
stronger, as much as I want.  I suppose there's some limit to how
big I would want to get, cause of my bone structure, but all of
my other organs have benefitted from this pill.  And probably
someday they'll figure out how to make my bones grow along with
me."

     "Poor Bob.  I'm really upsetting you with all this talk, but
I figure it's my last chance.  I know you'll leave now.  Just
tell me why you lost interest in me.  Why don't you love me
anymore?  Have I gotten ugly, too big?"

     I shrugged.  "You're still beautiful to me.  That's not it. 
I really don't know.  Maybe we just need some time apart."  I
moved to get up, but Laura put her arm around me.

     "Just one more hug now, Bob, then I'll leave you alone, I
promise.  She held me close.  I put my arms around her waist -
her shoulders were too wide - and squeezed.  There was no
softness left.

9

     After I stopped seeing Laura, other things about New Woman
started to bother me.  One was seeing the teenage girls on the
compound.  Of course they all had their parents' consent, usually
their mothers, who all seemed to be divorced friends of Ellen's,
but I thought about Ken and wondered what other trouble these
girls would cause.  Ellen gave them a reduced dosage, but
something about their adolescent hormones made it especially
effective.  I spied on one of them at one of the local malls. 
She and her friends were giving a store clerk trouble about not
having anything in her size.  Then, they wandered over to the
food court, flirting with some boys there.  Whenever one of the
boys got too familiar, she would prance over, pick him up by his
shirt or belt and challenge him to do something about it while
the other girls laughed. It happened at least four times. She
must have outweighed all the boys by twenty pounds or so, and
none of them would stand up to her.  But they were all fascinated
by the excitement, and by her body, and wouldn't leave.  Later,
one of the security guards broke it up, but not before she had a
little fun with him too.  He told the girls to clean up their
tables before they left, and she sauntered over, picked up one of
the metal tables with one arm and flipped it over, dumping all
the trash at his feet.  Then she slowly put it back, and the
whole group danced away, giggling hysterically.

     I talked to Ellen about this, and about Carrie and
Elizabeth, and I could see she didn't care for my opinion at all. 
"Have you ever thought why teenage girls have such a hard time?"
she snapped.  "All of a sudden, they attract all that attention
from boys, who just want to treat them like their toys.  They
hear talk all day long about their breasts and asses, like they
were some kind of merchandise in a showroom, but still, they're
supposed to be sweet and understanding and not make a fuss unless
the boy gets too far out of line.  And how are they supposed to
know when that is?  And whose fault is it when the boy gets out
of line anyway?"

     "Of course sometimes the girls will get out of control. 
I've heard the same thing happens to boys, or am I wrong?  The
fundamental thing, is that when these girls get into trouble,
they can take care of themselves.  They can set the limits when
they want to, rather than have to think in advance about
everything they say to avoid being labeled an easy lay or a
cocktease.  I guarantee you, no one will manipulate Darla, your
shopping center girl, into feeling guilty.  She'll take what she
wants and say no when she wants.  And I see nothing wrong with
that at all."

     There was no principled way to resolve the argument.  It all
depended on whose team you were on.  I knew what Colin would say,
but I didn't buy his argument either, so I just nodded and went
back to work.
     
     I didn't see much of Colin or Caroline.  Caroline came down
to the camp a couple to times to meet with Ellen.  She did not
press charges against Colin and his friends, but she did move all
of his things out of the house.  As far as I knew, Colin was
living on his own.  I saw him once, with a cute blond who
couldn't have been more than nineteen, but he didn't acknowledge
me.

*10*

     After the incident with his sisters on his first night home
and a few more like it, Ken decided to move in with his father. 
The three of us went out to a movie and then for pizza.  I was
telling them how things ended with Laura.  Ken enjoyed being part
of the discussion.

     "I am very surprised Bob that you seemed totally unaware of
the problems in your relationship.  Laura was a nice young woman,
but she's obviously not as bright as you.  Whatever did you talk
about?"

     "Dad, you're such an egghead.  Bob said the sex was great,
at least until the end.  What more would he want?  It's not like
they're married or something."

     "Actually Ken, there was more that I wanted, but I don't
know what it was.  There are some people who have a hard time
finding one person to settle down with.  I think that's what I
want, but I have never been able to do it."

     "Tell us Ken, how are you doing with your girlfriend, what
is her name, Madeline?  She is a charming girl and very smart."

     "Maybe not so good.  Things were great when I first got
back, she was so glad to see me.  I guess she was lonely or
something.  But after I moved out, I caught her over at Mom's
house a few times, and she wouldn't tell me what she was doing
there, just that she was doing homework with Carrie.  She's in a
few of Carrie's classes."

     "I don't know, but I think Carrie is giving her some of
those pills.  Madeline seemed to know a lot about why I moved
out, even though I didn't tell her the story, and when I, you
know, feel her up and stuff, I think I feel more muscle, but I'm
not real sure."

     "Has she been eating a lot when you out?"  I ask.

     "Oh yeah.  You're not kidding.  Suddenly she eats more than
I do, and she used to really watch that stuff.  Does that mean --

     "It probably does Ken.  That's the most obvious thing."

     "Damn Carrie!"  Ken bolted out of the restaurant.  I stood
up to follow, but Chuck stayed where he was.  "Let him go Bob. 
This is his life.  He must work these problems out himself.  If
these pills will be as cheap as you say, Ken will have to get
used to it.  It's just as well he learns now."

     "Now, I have some questions for you about Laura.  Did you
notice any change in her personality at the end of your
relationship with her?"

     "No, not really.  Maybe a little more confidence, but
nothing significant."

     "No more aggressiveness, other than in bed of course?"

     "No, not at all.  She's a pretty laid back person."

     "How about her health?"

     "She was fine, never sick.  She said the pill made her heart
and her other organs stronger, but I don't know.  I can tell you
her skin and hair got a little darker, but I don't know what that
means."

     "How about socially?  What changed in that respect?"

     "Nothing.  I mean, we didn't do a lot of things as a couple
anyway with other people, except Caroline and Colin at first, but
I told you what happened with that.  I never saw much of her
friends.  She kept all that limited to the daytime, when I was at
work.  Obviously she kept a few things from me.  So I don't know
what changed.  But her personality was great, all along.  I don't
really know what went wrong.  It was probably my fault."

     "Come Bob.  You're a great lawyer and a great friend, but
you have no more understanding of yourself than my teenage son. 
You have no idea why you are attracted to a woman or why you lose
interest, but one thing is clear to me.  And that is that Laura
engineered this whole affair.  She started seeing you very soon
after she started on her pill.  Like you always do, you responded
to a pretty girl and took up with her, and like you always do,
you lost interest once it became a regular part of your life. 
You greatly prefer the world of work and problem solving to love
life.  That's why you never spend enough mental energy to figure
out what you need.  If you're not going to be passionate about
your love life, at least look at it logically, the way you do
your work, and find someone who will fit in with the rest of your
life, instead of this pleasant, laid back young woman who
obviously bored you, when you weren't intrigued by New Woman and
its effects on you, her and the rest of the world."

     "Since when have you become a psychologist Chuck?"

     "Since I started trying to figure out my daughters and this
pill you're about to unleash on the world.  The study of people
is almost as interesting as metaphysics.  There is so much
nonsense the real psychologists put out that it is hard to find
any real insight.  Looking at myself, I can see now how
ridiculous I made myself marrying Connie and siring four
children, three of whom seem to take no greater pleasure than to
hold me up as an example of male oppression because I want to
hold on to some of my money.  And I have allowed all this to
happen, because I have been spending my time paying attention
only to ideas."

     "So what are you going to do differently?"

     "Well for one, I am going to let my daughters get to know
who their father really is, instead of letting Connie or Ward
Cleaver define me.  They can meet the Philosopher Dad.  Ken has,
and it's been the best month of our life together."

     "But will they have any interest in that?  They're not
exactly scholars."

     "They will have to, if they want a father.  And my guess is
they will want one soon."

     We talked some more and then went back to Chuck's house,
where I planned to stay that night.  Around midnight, as we were
ready to turn in, Ken returned.  We both got up.

     "Ken, so what happened?" I said.

     "This thing is really out of hand, Bob.  You have to stop
it.  Dad, Mom's on it too.  She's really enormous.  I just saw
her, but I wouldn't talk to her.  I just wanted to find Carrie. 
Mom left for some meeting and after awhile Carrie came home.  So
I asked her, point blank, had she been giving anything to
Madeline?  She laughed and said, 'You may as well know, it won't
be a secret much longer.  Yes.  I have.  After you came home I
decided I didn't want you pushing any other girls around either,
so I told Madeline about it, I told her you would really like it,
just to get her started.'"

     "'You told her what?'"

     "'She was real reluctant about how she would look, but I
said it was your secret fantasy, that you'd told me it was after
Lizzie and I beat you up.  She was fascinated.'"

     "'Well I'll just tell her it's not true.'"

     "'Too late bro'.  She's really into it now.  Anyway, I
already told her I'd lied.  She was mad, but she was glad anyway. 
She really likes getting strong.'"

     "Like a jerk, I stood up to clobber her, but she put her
hand on my chest and pushed me back on the chair.  'Temper
brother,' she said.  'I'm stronger now than the last time, and I
gave you a licking then.  Watch this.'  She jumped over the lazy
boy, where I was sitting, and in a flash she'd flipped it over,
with me caught underneath.  'Come on Ken, you'll have to get out
if you want to fight me.'  I struggled out by pushing up one side
and got up, only to see her casually flip it back upright and
kick it out of the way.  Then she pushed me down again on the
floor and held me there with one hand while she tickled me with
the other.  'If you have a problem with what I did Ken, then talk
to Madeline and get her to stop, but as far as I'm concerned, I
did the right thing.  I want you to learn to live with strong
women.  I'm helping you get used to things, you know.'"

     "I figured the only thing to do was to see Madeline, so I
ran over to her house.  She was waiting for me when I got there. 
Carrie had already called her and told her why I was coming.  She
was already mad at me.  'What gives you the right to interfere
with what I'm doing?  You're not my father, you're just my
boyfriend.'

     I asked if she'd just let me explain, but I really didn't
know what to say, so I blurted out that I liked her the way she
was and didn't really want her to change.  She kind of liked
that, but then she said, 'But I have changed some already, is
that bad?  Do you still think I'm cute?'  I said sure I do. 
'Then there's no problem, cause I've been taking it for awhile. 
See, you'll get used to it, and I'll be happy too.'  I shook my
head.  'No, no.  That's not what I want,' I said.  'Well what do
you want, just to be the stronger one?  Why do you have to be
stronger?'

     "I thought hard.  The argument wasn't going my way.  All I
could think of saying was that what I wanted was the natural
thing, and that what she was doing wasn't natural.  So she
thought awhile too and said, 'I really don't want to have a fight
about this Ken.  But what makes your muscle, which you get from
working out and your hormones and stuff more fair to have than
mine.  I mean, without this stuff I can't get muscles like you,
but it's not they make me grow a mustache or anything, like I'm
taking male hormones.  I'm still very feminine, don't you think? 
Look at my hair, my breasts, my skinny little waist, my hips.'  I
looked her over and had to agree.  'Now, just because of this one
little muscle, does that change so much?'  She raised her fist
and flexed her bicep, and my eyes must have popped, because she
quickly dropped her arm.  I mean, it just burst out of her arm,
Dad.  She got flustered.  'Come on Ken, it's not that big.  I'm
sure it's not as big as yours.   You're just imagining it.  Let's
see.'  She almost had me convinced, so we compared.  Sure enough,
I was still bigger, but not by much.  And hers looked a lot
larger on her smaller arm."

     "'You see what I mean, Madeline.  If you keep this up, it's
just a matter of time before you pass me.'

     "'Ken, I'm sorry.  I really like what I'm doing.  It makes
me feel good, makes me feel safe.  You have to get used to it.  I
know Carrie's been horrible to you, but I would never use my
strength against you.  You know that, don't you?  Don't you?' 
She cuddled up next to me and kissed me, and I had to admit her
body felt good.  So we made up, for now at least.  But I still
don't like it."

     "Madeline's a fine girl son.  I don't know that you'll find
someone better, and pretty soon, my guess is just about every
girl will be like her.  I'd hang on to her, at least for now, if
I were you."
     
11


     By August we were nearly ready to file the patent
application, start the publicity and get the product out, but
first there was a long debate between Ellen and Beth about the
tone of the campaign.  Ellen wanted to manage the distribution of
New Woman quietly, through women's groups, shelters and
foundations, keeping it out of commercial channels until it had a
foothold.  Beth argued that the best way to ensure its ultimate
broad use was to make it available everywhere, at drug stores,
health food stores, and supermarkets, accompanied by commercials,
talk show interviews and a documentary about the camp.  No one
asked my opinion - I was just their lawyer - but I did advise
them how to steer clear of drug regulation and protect their
rights while the patent application was outstanding.  I also set
up a corporation to own the rights, with the stock held equally
by Ellen and Beth.

     Finally, they agreed on an approach that satisfied both of
them.  Most of the distribution would be limited to our part of
the state, the Front Range of the Rockies.  The publicity would
be managed chiefly through local women's groups, but the compound
would be available for sale wherever they could get it in the
stores, and Beth would arrange for a few, selected subjects to be
interviewed in the press or on television.

     I filed the patent application on the Friday before Labor
Day, and all day, and the Denver Women's Collective visited all
the major newspapers and television stations to announce the
discovery of New Woman, a natural compound for women who wanted
stronger bodies.  No one carried the story, except for a brief
mention on Channel 4 at the end of the news show that the Women's
Collective, which was previously known for its counter-
demonstrations to protect abortion clinic, was now selling "power
pills."  But because of some connections Beth had with a local
organic food chain, the compound appeared on the shelves of
scattered stores throughout the area, and the Women's Collective
and some affiliates at the local colleges began distributing it
to their members and to other students who heard about it.

     Two weeks went by without any publicity.  Then a few things
happened that heightened interest.  First, Westword, a weekly,
published a long article about the camp, focusing especially on
Kim Barnett's tennis championship and some impressive before and
after pictures.  The article prompted a lawsuit by the second
finisher, claiming that Kim illegally took steroids, but blood
tests soon disproved it, and the matter was dropped.  Then, a
local business journal wrote about a new moving company operated
entirely by women who had been some of Ellen's original subjects
at the camp.  The concept was new enough that one of the local
television news magazines did a story vividly showing the size
and strength of the movers, who gave full credit to Ellen and New
Woman.  Sales of the compound started picking up, and soon, most
of Denver's supermarkets, drug stores and health food stores were
asking to carry it.  By November, we guessed that as many as
10,000 women and girls were taking the compound and requests from
individuals in other cities started coming in by mail.  But it
was football, Laura, and tragedy, that finally put New Woman on
the national map.

     Because of her size, Laura attracted a lot of attention when
she returned to the University in September.  She didn't
encourage publicity, but she was willing to talk about New Woman
and the camp to people she knew, and soon she led a regular
discussion at one of the women's groups about the changes she had
experienced and that others were feeling too.  

     Laura had never been involved in organized sports, but now
all the women's teams were giving their members the compound,
with spectacular results.  After a slow start, the soccer,
lacrosse and hockey teams began dominating their opponents,
winning by lopsided scores.  Then, in the fall, the basketball
team won its first thirteen games, one by 65 points.  At first,
there were calls for drug testing and banning the players on New
Woman, but Beth quickly made sure the pills were available at all
the Big Ten schools.  Soon the competition evened out, and the
protests stopped.

     The men's teams weren't doing as well, however, and it
seemed likely that the Buffalos football team wouldn't get a bowl
invitation, for the first time in five years.  Their only hope
was a victory in their last game, against Iowa, on national
television, but after Alan Jarvice, their star running back,
pulled his groin muscle when he slipped during a food fight, that
didn't seem possible.

     The Monday before the game, Laura and I went to Beth's house
for dinner and she suggested that Laura be the new Buffalo
running back for Saturday's game.  We both laughed at the idea,
but Beth argued long and hard that there was no reason Laura
could not or should not at least try.  Despite Laura's
reluctance, she decided to try out.

     The football coach and most of the team opposed the idea,
but after the university's lawyer and I walked the coach through
Title IX of the Civil Rights Act he let Laura try out.  She was
one of the smaller players, but none of the others could tackle
her, and by Saturday she was listed as a starter under the name
"L. Kearns."

     Game day was bright and cool, and the stadium in Boulder was
packed with fans and TV crews.  At the last minute, the Hawkeyes'
coach learned that L. Kearns was Laura, and refused to let his
team take the field, but the Buffalos had previously cleared her
participation with the NCAA and showed the Iowa coach the ruling. 
Iowa's choice was to play or forfeit, so the game began.

     I watched the Buffalos receive the kickoff in the end zone
and work the ball out to the fifteen yard line.  Our quarterback
tried a few short pass plays and advanced to our forty-two yard
line after seven plays, without his giving Laura the ball. 
Finally, on a third down and three, he set Laura up for a
straight-ahead run to get the first down. She didn't have much
speed or agility, but the blockers opened up a small hole for her
and she went through, pushing the defenders off the line and then
breaking several tackles as she ran down the field.  Some of the
swifter Hawkeyes caught up to her but were unable to bring her
down.  Finally, with three opponents hanging on, she crossed the
goal line for a touchdown.  The crowd went wild, especially
Laura's special cheering section around me, while the Hawkeyes'
coach looked at her, open-mouthed.

     Iowa did little with the ball during its possession, and
after a short punt Colorado regained the ball on its forty-five
yard line.  This time, Laura got the ball right away and again
made the goal line, with five Hawkeyes holding on to her legs,
shoulders and back.  By the end of the first quarter, Laura had
gained over two hundred yards, and the Buffalos led thirty-two to
three.

     During the short break between quarters, Kathy Griswald, one
of the network announcers found Beth and me in the stands and did
a quick interview.  On national television, Beth made her plug
for New Woman.  "It's a new compound, available for fifty cents a
day, and after two months, will give any woman between the age of
twelve and forty-five the same strength the Buffalos' new running
back just demonstrated."  Griswald promised to be back later, and
we settled down to watch the rest of the half.

     The Buffalos' coach was so pleased with Laura's offense that
he tried her on the front line, with similar results.  On the
first two plays, Laura pushed aside two linebackers weighing
fifty pounds more than she and grabbed the quarterback for
losses.   She then broke through the line and stopped the
Hawkeye's fullback cold.  After another touchdown run, in which
she carried a two hundred fifteen pound safety on her back for
the last thirty yards into the end zone, she left the game for
the rest of the half.

     Beth and I were ecstatic and went down to the field to join
Laura and stood next to her while Griswald ran through the usual,
and some unusual questions.

     "Have you always wanted to play football?"

     "Not at all.  I'm just doing this for my school and for some
friends."

     "Well, was it exciting scoring all those touchdowns."

     "Sure.  I always like to do things well."

     "How do you think the other players feel about being beaten
by a girl, I mean, young woman?"

     Laura laughed.  "I guess they'll have to get used to it."

     "Why, because you intend to keep up this pace?"

     "Oh no.  This is my only game.  I just mean that men will
have to get used to being the 'weaker' sex now."

     Griswald was listening to a question being relayed to her
from the other announcers. "Oh.  My colleagues want to know
whether there are more women who will be joining the Buffalos?"

     Laura looked around.  "I don't really know that.  I do
wonder though how much longer the men will be able to play,
unless they make a special league for them.  I mean, none of them
could stop me at all.  How would they play against a team with
eleven women like me?"

     Griswald looked a bit flustered and then ended the interview
to go to a commercial.  But with the cameras off, she resumed the
discussion.

     "Were you really serious about that comment?"

     Beth stepped in.  "Laura's absolutely right.  Millions of
people saw and heard her today and soon the demand for New Woman
will skyrocket.  I expect that within six months time, ninety
percent of the women within the age group that can use the
compound will have taken it, with the same results as you've seen
with your own eyes."

     Griswald stepped away for a moment, then came back.

     "We've gotten a call from our science reporter at home, who
would like to interview you and Laura right now.  Can you speak
to him?"

     We could see the cameras focusing on the three of them
again.  Griswald said, "We're back with Laura Kearns and Beth
Glauberg, and we have Ron Wilson, our science reporter with us
from New York.  Ron wants to know how widespread the testing has
been." 

     Beth was about to answer, when I heard a commotion in the
stands.  Colin stood ten feet away, in the stands, aiming a gun
at Laura.

     "Look out!," I yelled, and jumped at Laura to push her away,
but I just bounced off.  The next moment I heard shots, and Laura
and Beth were hit, both in the chest.  I screamed for help. 
Blood poured out of Laura's wound, and a medic brought stretchers
over and put her and Beth in an ambulance.  Meanwhile, the
stadium security men disarmed Colin and held him while he shouted
about defending the rights of men.  Soon, the police took him
away.

     I left the stadium as quickly as I could and walked to the
university hospital.  As soon as I got there, I learned Laura had
died on the way to the hospital, and Beth was in critical
condition.  I saw Beth's husband there, but he was too much in
shock even to recognize me.  There was nothing for me to do.

     I walked slowly home through the dark streets.  I passed the
stadium, which had emptied early, and saw several groups of
people, talking and shaking their heads.  Someone pointed at me,
and I saw I was wearing a large brown stain of Laura's blood.  I
cut down a side street to be away from the crowds, but soon found
myself heading toward a group of four girls, blocking the
sidewalk.  In the middle of the group was Darla, the girl I had
watched at the shopping mall.  She was now even bigger than when
I had seen her two months ago, and two of her friends showed
distinct signs of being on the compound.

     "Hey.  Look what we have here!," I heard Darla say.  "One
guy, out all by himself.  Looks like he likes to fight."  She
grabbed my arm and pushed me against the wall.

     "What are you doing?"

     "What does it look like we're doing, can't a girl have a
little fun?"

     Darla grabbed my belt and picked me up off the ground, as
she had done to the guard at the mall.  "Here, Teri, he's looks
like your type, real intellectual with glasses."  The other girl
tried to grab me, but I broke away and she fell, cutting her arm. 
Two other girls blocked my way.  I tried to push though, but they
were stronger and stood their ground.  I felt a hand on my belt,
and then Darla hoisted me in the air.  "Come on, Teri.   Take a
shot at him."  Teri slapped me in the face, and the other girls
giggled.

     "You don't have much of a punch, Teri.  You need more time
to build up your strength," one of the other girls said.  "Let's
take him back, until Teri can take care of him," she added. 
"Cindy's parents are gone for three weeks.  That'll give us
time."

     The others nodded.  "That's kidnapping," I said.  "You'll
get yourselves in trouble."

     "You're the one who's in trouble," Darla said.  She twisted
my arm behind my back and led me two blocks down a dark street to
Cindy's house.  Once inside, she pushed me into a basement room
and locked the door.  I heard them upstairs, talking quietly at
first, then, growing more confident, laughing loudly.  Then I
heard doors slam and the house was quiet.  I turned on the light
and checked the doors and windows, but there was no way out, and
no phone.  I tried screaming, but my voice wouldn't carry far
enough.  Then the door opened and Cindy burst in, looking angry.

     "Stop yelling.  You'll just make it worse for yourself."

     I rushed at her, thinking I would have a better chance now
that she was alone.  We wrestled on the floor.  With my greater
weight I could keep her down, but she held me tightly and I
couldn't get away.  Then, using her legs, she flipped me over and
tried to pin me, but I rolled away and ran out the door. 
Unfortunately, I went the wrong way, and when I turned back
toward the stairs she was crouched in front, waiting for me.  I
feinted left and tried to pass her on the right.  I made it up
two steps, but she got her arm around my waist and hung on
tightly.  Then, with a jerk, she made me lose my balance and we
fell downstairs and onto the floor.  Before I could get up, she
dove across my stomach and knocked the wind out of me.  I tried
to pull her off, but succeeded only in ripping her blouse while
she pivoted and got me in a scissor-hold with her legs around my
stomach.  I managed to unclasp her arms around my chest, but her
legs were crushing my stomach.  Realizing I could really get
hurt, I pled for her to stop and held still.  She motioned with
her head toward my room and I nodded.  Still on my back with
Cindy's legs wrapped around me, we crept slowly along the floor. 
When we finally arrived she got up and walked toward the door,
breathing heavily.  Her hair was strewn about; her face was red
with exertion and shiny with perspiration.  I could see her small
left breast, half out of her bra, almost an afterthought to her
pectoral muscle.  The muscles in her arms didn't look impressive,
but she was sixteen year old girl who was no more than five feet
three inches tall and she had just wrestled me into submission.
Her legs were thick, and her jeans were tight around them.

     Breathing heavily, she smiled at me.  "That was actually
kind of fun.  Darla's been giving Melissa and me full doses of
New Woman for only three weeks now.  I'm pretty strong already,
aren't I?  Especially my legs." she said, patting them.  "It's a
lot more potent that way than the way they give it to the
teenagers at the camp.  She had a great idea too, keeping you her
so we can see how we get stronger and stronger, day by day, while
you stay the same."  And then she walked out the door and locked
it.

*12*

     The next morning, as I was getting up, Cindy threw some
Tasty Cakes and the day's Denver Post into the room.  The lead
story, of course, was the shooting at the football game.  Beth
was in a coma, near death, while Colin was in police custody.

     A few hours later the four girls came in, ready to play. 
They brought me into another basement room with floor mats and
some modest exercise equipment belonging to Cindy's father.

     "How long are you going to keep me here?"

     "We haven't decided yet, but at least until Teri can beat
you.  Right Teri?"

     Teri nodded, but looked a bit glum.

     "What about my job, fresh air, exercise?  And I can't live
on Tasty Cakes."

     "I guess you're a no-show at work for awhile.  No way you're
going outside, but maybe we can work something out on the
exercise."

     She led me over to the mat.  "Let's see you wrestle with
Teri."

     Teri walked up warily, looking at her cut elbow from
yesterday's fight, but I refused.  "I'm not going to amuse you
this way."

     "You'd better, if you want to eat some real food and sleep
in a bed, instead of the floor of Cindy's furnace."  Darla pushed
me over to a damp boiler room and tied me to the waste pipes. 
"Sit here and think about it for awhile.  We'll be back after we
have lunch."

     I lay stiffly in the dark, overpowered by the smell of
heating oil and mold, enduring a slow drip down my back from the
waste pipe.  The turn my life had taken in twenty-four hours was
too much to bear, and I sobbed loudly.  No one heard.  Out of
exhaustion and boredom, I fell asleep.

     The girls' return awakened me, and soon they were
downstairs, inspecting their prisoner.  Cindy fed me a jelly
doughnut and a diet coke, and they untied me to let me use the
bathroom.  Darla asked if I was ready for some exercise, and I
nodded.  The girls all smiled, except Teri.

     After giving me half an hour to recover my circulation, Teri
and I faced off against each other on the mat.  She was almost as
tall as I was, but more slender.  While her hips were slim, she
had full breasts and looked to be in the middle of that awkward
stage when her body didn't fit together yet. She was clearly
self-conscious about her height and breasts and stood slightly
stooped.  As Darla told us to begin, she looked at me
tentatively, and I immediately tripped her up, letting her fall
gently to the mat and pinning her, taking care not to do anything
that would be seen as offensive.  After ten seconds, Darla called
a halt and told us to get up.

     "That was pretty easy for you today, wasn't it?" Darla said. 
She walked over to Teri and patted her on the back.  "Don't
worry.  After a few more days of New Woman it'll be more fun. 
Just watch Melissa."  Darla led us over to table and told me to
arm wrestle Melissa.  We linked hands and started.  With great
effort, I beat her the first two times, but then I grew tired and
she won the next three.  Darla called a halt.  "He hasn't had
much to eat the last day.  Let's give him a real dinner and let
him rest.  I want to see what he can do tomorrow." 

     Cindy brought me a full dinner: salad, steak, potato and ice
cream.  I wolfed it down and went right to sleep in my room.

     They didn't bother me the next day.  In fact, the whole next
week was easy.  Cindy didn't give me any newspapers, but she fed
me what I wanted, and I assumed the girls were too busy with
school and other things to bother with me.  I was surprised they
were able to keep my presence here secret so long. One day,
without the other girls there, Cindy asked if I wanted to fool
around, but I shook my head.  She bit her lip and left.  I didn't
get breakfast the next day, but lunch and dinner came as usual,
and I started to relax.  I thought perhaps they were getting
bored with me and would let me go.

     Sunday night after dinner, Cindy came into my room, looking
restless.  She had just come home.  I was sitting in the dark,
feeling depressed.  I asked again about a newspaper or radio, but
she said no.  Then she added, "maybe if you'd cooperate more,
you'd get what you want."

     "Cooperate doing what?  You've just left me here with
nothing to do for days.  I have a law practice to maintain.  My
friends are probably frantic looking for me, not to mention the
police.  And what do you think will happen to you when you let me
go?  You can't just hold someone prisoner."

     "I don't know.  We're all minors, I guess.  We haven't
thought much about it.  Maybe I'll get Melissa to ask her Mom. 
She's a lawyer too, you know."  I heard her shift in the chair. 
"Do you think muscle on girls is ugly?"

     "No.  I mean it depends on the person.  Laura was bigger
than you are."

     "Oh, yeah.  Well, if you really liked her, like you say you
did, why don't you think I'm good-looking?"

     "Look Cindy, you're fine.  I'm just not interested in you.  
You're a little young for me, don't you think?"

     Cindy stayed a while longer, not saying anything, then left
the room.  I didn't hear the door lock.

     Thinking I had my chance, I waited a few hours, until she
would be asleep.  Then, I quietly opened the door and crept
upstairs.  The house was pitch black, but I found the way to the
front door.  Just as I passed the landing to the stairs, I felt a
hand on my shoulder.

     "I thought you might come up to visit," she teased.

     I couldn't see her, but with all my strength I gave her a
sharp jab where I thought her stomach was and tried to bolt for
the door, but I just banged against something hard and heard her
laugh.  

     "That wasn't very friendly of you."  Her hand ran down my
back to my ass and pinched it. "We all think you have really cute
buns.  Melissa's really jealous of me.  She thinks I get all the
fun.  If she only knew how boring it's really been."

     Her hand dropped off me, and I quietly backed away, then
dashed for the door.

     "Don't even bother.  It's locked and I have the key.  If you
can get it from me, you're free."

     I tried the door, but she wasn't trying to bluff me.  I
heard her walking toward me, down the hall.  I had to get that
key, so I ran as fast as I could, right at her, to knock her
down.  It felt like crashing into a wall, but she fell down while
I ended up sprawled on the floor a few feet past her.  I leapt on
top of her, trying both to pin her down and pat her down in
search for the key.  She lay there, passively.

     "At least you're showing a little interest in me.  Go ahead,
the key's in my pocket.  Just take it."

     I decided it was no time to be shy, so I reached in and took
it.  I couldn't understand why she was making it so easy for me. 
I stood up to go, but she held onto my ankle.  So again, being
rougher than I would have liked, I jumped down, aiming my knees
right at her stomach.

     "Ungh, I felt that." She coughed, but quickly put her arms
around my knees and I toppled over, back on top of her.  I
struggled to get free and stood up and hobbled toward the door,
dragging her along step by step.  "You're trying so hard.  You
don't really know what you're up against, do you?"

     "I'm not going to be kept here against my will, not if I can
help it."  With that, I strained my legs against her arms and
broke her hold.  I raced toward the door, key in hand, and heard
her a few steps behind.  I got to the door but couldn't find the
keyhole.

     "It's one of those old ones.  The door lock is on the
bottom."  She stood right behind me, one hand lightly on my
shoulder, the other running down my chest to my groin.  She
started playing with me.

     "Cut that out!"

     "Try and make me.  So, are you going to bend over and put
the key in?  Leaves you kind of defenseless, doesn't it?  By the
way, you're getting kind of hard there.  Is it uncomfortable when
you're all dressed?"

     I turned around.  It was still too dark to see her clearly,
but I pushed hard at her to get her away.  She didn't budge.    I
felt her hand again at my groin, while the other circled to my
backside.  She moved closer.  

     "You feel all stiff down there.  I'm glad.  Are you sure you
don't want to feel more of my body?"   I put both my arms in
front of me and tried to push her away, but she just drew me
closer in, until we were locked in an embrace.  "I got stronger,
didn't I?  Last week it was my legs that saved me.  Now, well, go
on, push as hard as you can."  I strained with all my might
against her, but just felt the pressure of her hands against my
back.  "You've got the key, you know where the lock is and you're
standing right next to the door, but you can't do anything about
it now, can you?  Aren't you curious why?"

     Suddenly, she picked me up, flipped me up over her shoulder
and carried me over to the kitchen, into the light.  She pulled
up the sleeve of her dress with her teeth and flexed her arm,
which exploded in size before my eyes, like a soccer ball.  She
held her bicep under my face.  "Don't you wish you had one like
this?  I've gotten so big in the last week.  I was just dying to
show you, but I wanted it to be a surprise.  Now you're totally
helpless against me."   She let me slip down so that her bicep
rested against my lips.  "Oooh.  Let me feel your tongue on me. 
Don't you want me?  What soft lips you have, kind of like the
rest of your body.  Not like mine.  I could feel your knees in my
stomach, but go on, try to punch me there.  My muscles are like
steel.  I just love being so strong and totally in control."  She
balanced me on one hand while I stared at her enormous arms and
chest, her monstrous thighs.  "Can you believe this?  Tossing you
around makes me feel like I'm supergirl or something."  She
easily lifted me above her head, suspending me in the air,
helpless, put me down on top of the refrigerator and walked
around the kitchen, thinking about what to do next.  She
stretched her arms and puffed out her chest, then slowly expanded
her biceps.  "What do think of these arms?  I could squash you
like a bug, if I wanted to.  But why would I want to?  I'd rather
showoff and play!" 

     I could see I wasn't going to escape from her by force, so I
sat on the refrigerator and watched her take her dose of New
Woman - three pills - and empty about two pounds of hamburger
meat into a pan.  While she cooked the monstrous burger, she
drank half a gallon of milk and ate a head of lettuce.  Then she
reached into the kitchen drawer for a strip of tape and measured
her tensed bicep.  "Look what you're up against.  Four weeks ago,
it was seven inches.  Last week it was thirteen.  Now it's twenty
five inches.  I'm getting so strong so fast I can't even keep
track of what I can do."

     Meat done, she smothered it in ketchup and with just a brief
guilty look, ate the entire mound of beef.  Amazed, I looked at
her slim waist, which now showed a slight roundness.  She covered
it with her hand.  "Sorry, I forgot to offer you some, but you
already had your dinner, didn't you?  Let's talk for a few
minutes."

     "You must understand that your prisoner may not be enjoying
this the same way you are."

     "Anyone can see that at least part of you is interested, but
I don't want to talk about that, at least not yet.  Can you
imagine that last week we were almost equal?  That's why we left
you alone for awhile, so the full dose would have some time to
work on us.  Now I've gotten so much stronger than you.  Just try
to arm wrestle me now."

     "No thanks.  It's obvious what would happen."

     "Yes it is, isn't it?" she said brightly.  "I bet there
isn't a guy in the world who could beat me now."  Cindy thought a
minute, then went over to the fruit bowl and ate an apple, a
banana and a bunch of grapes.  "You sound like a decent guy.  Too
bad for you that you ended up with a bunch like us.  Hey!  It's
time!"  Cindy took out the tape and measured her bicep again. 
Unbelievably, since she had eaten it had grown another half-inch. 
"See how it works?  I could do that twice a day, but it makes me
really hungry.  It also does something else to me."

     Before I could ask what, she tilted the refrigerator so that
I slid off into her arms.  Then she carried me upstairs and into
her bedroom under her arm like she was carrying a doll.  I pushed
as hard as I could against her shoulder and waist, but she smiled
and merely tightened her hold a bit.  "That's really great,
feeling you try to resist and knowing you can't stop me from
doing whatever I want to you.  Come on, try to get away."  She
circled one arm around my waist while I pulled and tugged at it
to release her grip as I had done a week ago.  She didn't even
look like she was trying.  "See.  You're totally at my mercy." 
She stripped off her dress.  Her stomach was flat and hard again. 
"See how quickly I can turn food into muscle?  Now, are you going
to undress, or do I have to do it?"  I wrapped my arms around
myself.  "Oh, this is going to be fun."  She easily dislodged my
hands from my shirt, held both in one of her hands, and crushed
each button between her thumb and forefinger.  Then she undid my
jeans snap and zipper, lifted me in the air and pulled off my
shoes, pants and underpants.  Dropping me on her bed, she looked
at my erect penis with a satisfied grin and slipped off her
panties.  She left the room for a moment, then returned with a
condom and held me down while she rolled it down around me.

     "I can't believe you're going to force me to have sex with
you.  You're only sixteen years old!"

     "You know you want to.  Why don't you just do it?"

     "First, its rape.  Second, you're holding me prisoner. 
Third, you're underage...."

     "You're really weird.  A young girl whose body clearly turns
you on is ready to fuck you, and you're telling me why you would
rather go back to your cell!"

     She looked like she was going to hit me, then thought better
of it.  She held me down with one hand and started stroking me
with the other.  I lay passively and watched the muscles in her
arm, chest and stomach ripple with the motion of her body, and it
got harder and harder to stay uninvolved.  She crawled on top of
me and started rubbing against me, faster and faster.  I looked
down her powerful chest, her bulging arms on both sides of me,
her enormous legs tensed with anticipation.  I felt smothered and
surrounded, and finally I surrendered, putting my arms around her
back and slipping inside her.  She looked up, surprised, and
resumed her movements.  I couldn't move, but she did, and we both
came quickly.

     She smiled at me in triumph, but after a few minutes she
rolled off me and pushed me out of bed with her foot.  "Don't
think I'm in love with you or anything.  I just wanted to see how
it felt.  Pretty good, even though I did all the work."  I walked
over to where she had dropped my clothes.  "Yeah, go ahead and
get dressed.  Better get some rest; you have to wrestle with Teri
and Melissa tomorrow."  I put on my pants with my back turned to
her and left the room, walking down the stairs toward the front
door.  "I still have the key in my room, if you want to try to
get it from me."

     I tried the door, just to make sure, and went back down to
the basement.  In a couple of minutes she came down to lock my
door, and I heard her laugh heartily as she told her friends on
the phone about her score.

*13*


     The next morning after breakfast, all four girls came into
my room.

     "Move your cute ass out of there," Cindy said, and Darla and
Kim giggled.  Teri looked down at the ground.

     They pushed me back to the exercise room.  "O.K.  Let's do
the same thing we did last time.  Teri, show him your stuff!," 
Darla said, encouragingly.

     Teri was wearing a loose sweater, so I couldn't tell how
much she had changed since last week, but after the experience
with Cindy, I kept my distance.

     "Come on Teri, he's afraid of you.  Get on with it!"

     I decided it was best to get it over with, so I grabbed her
shoulders and threw her down, then knelt down and pinned her.

     The girls hooted at her.  "You're such a wimp, Teri.  I bet
you're not even taking your pills."

     Melissa stepped toward me.  She was wearing a Laura Ashley
style country dress, with puffed sleeves and a pleated skirt,
which made her blooming physique even more shocking where her
arms and legs emerged.  "We haven't had the pleasure yet, Mister. 
Shall we dance?"  The girls whooped, while Cindy put a Sinatra
disk on the CD player.  Taking the man's position, Melissa
fastened her arms around me and propelled me around the room, two
inches above the ground.  I let myself go limp in her arms,
having no desire to resist or play along.  This just made her
angry.

     Roughly putting me back on my feet, she said, "You screwed
Cindy, but you won't even dance with me!  I'll break you in two
pieces!"  She reached toward me and I jumped back, looking at the
others for help and at the same time for a way to defend myself. 
I spotted a loose pipe in the corner of the room and dashed over
to grab it.  Melissa grinned, and slowly walked over to me in a
slow, feminine manner suitable to her dress.  The others watched
excitedly.  It was clear they weren't going to help me.  As she
came within range I swung the pipe around at her arm, but it was
too heavy for me to swing fast.  She gracefully stepped out of
the way and grabbed the pipe with her other arm.  With a smart
tug, she pulled it out of my hands and held it over her head with
both arms, poised to throw it at me.  I stood still while she
bowed to the cheers of her friends.

     Just then the phone rang and Cindy climbed upstairs to
answer it.  Cindy looked worried when she came back.  "That was
my parents.  They're coming back early, later this afternoon. 
What are we going to do with him?"

     They all looked at Teri.  "You'll have to take him," Melissa
said.  "No one will mind at your place.  Besides, maybe soon
you'll be strong enough to handle him on your own, and I'm sure
your sister will help until then."

     Teri looked unsure, but the other girls gathered around her
and convinced her.

     "How are we going to move him?," Cindy asked.  "We have to
get him out right away."  They went upstairs, not feeling the
need to lock me in.

     A few minutes later they came down.  Cindy held out her hand
to me with four pills in it.  "They're sleeping pills.  Take
them."  I shook my head, but she held me while Darla forced my
mouth open, put the pills inside and then covered my nose and
mouth.  "You can take your next breath after you swallow."  So I
swallowed.  After a few minutes I started feeling drowsy and
nodded off.  I felt myself being carried into a car and then
slept a long time.

*14*

     I awoke the next day in an upstairs bedroom.  I felt stiff
and groggy, but forced myself out of bed to look around.  The
room was large and well-furnished, with its own bathroom.  I
looked out the window, glad to see the sun for the first time in
over a week, and saw a large expanse of ground with a pool and
tennis court, but no sign of other houses or roads.  Someone had
left me some bread and fruit and I ate greedily.

     Teri must have heard me moving around, because she came into
the room to check on me.  "Are you O.K.?  I thought you'd never
wake up."

     "Well, you drugged me.  I don't usually sleep late.  What
time is it?"

     "About four o'clock.  Do you want something to eat?"

     "What I really want is to go home."

     "Uh, I can't do that.  You have to stay here."

     "Teri, you seem more mature than the others.  You know it's
wrong to hold me prisoner.  Why don't you let me go, and I won't
press charges against you."

     She blushed but shook her head.  "It would be nice to let
you go, but I promised I wouldn't.  I'll bring you some dinner. 
We can eat together."  She left the room, but didn't lock the
door.  I thought about making a break for it, but decided not to. 
I didn't know the house's layout, or where I was.  Also, Teri
seemed different from the others and I thought I might be able to
talk her into releasing me, and, I knew that for the time being,
I could still overpower her.  I wanted to leave my options open.

     Just then the door opened again and my heart sank.  In
walked a woman I had met at the camp, Erica Bliss.  She was one
of Ellen's early subjects and had been on New Woman for almost a
year.

     "I'm Teri's sister.  It's good to have you visit, Bob."

     "Erica!  I can't believe you're involved in this too!  You
have to let me go."

     "No I don't.  You know too much about the project, and as
far as I'm concerned, you're going to be here for a long, long
time.  I didn't like you getting involved in the first place, and
now I have you where I can watch you carefully, until you can't
do anything to hurt us."

     "You can't just keep me here!"

     "Why not?  We're ten miles from the nearest paved road, and
no one comes out here.  Teri and I live alone.  I'm surprised
those girls didn't bring you here right away, but from what I
hear they managed pretty well.  You can be sure, though, that
I'll do it even better.  Oh, you're free to wander around the
house.  We don't even lock the doors.  But I don't think you'll
be leaving.  Enjoy your dinner with Teri.  She's been looking
forward to it."

     I knew I was in trouble now.  Erica was smart.  She had
studied engineering in school and had worked at a national
project management firm for a few years before the strain of
being one of its few female professionals, combined with her
growing feminist beliefs, led her to resign, sue for sex
discrimination and win a multi-million dollar judgment.  With
that money, she devoted herself full time to whatever interested
her.  She also must have used a good bit of it to build this
house.

     I began to despair of ever escaping.  Even though my
captivity had started with a chance street encounter, now that I
was in Erica's hands I was part of her agenda.  Whether it was
part of a scheme to discredit the male "power structure," take
over the New Woman program for her own purposes or otherwise, I
didn't know, but anything Erica did would be sophisticated,
thorough and probably successful.  Moreover, her physical
development made any kind of direct confrontation impossible. 
Long after the other subjects stopped their treatment, Erica kept
on, varying the doses and controlling her diet and exercise to
continually increase her strength without becoming muscle-bound. 
Back in August I watched her tear down an old shack on the camp
property with her bare hands.  After all this time, I shuddered
to think about what she was capable of, and I was her prisoner.

     I was so deep in thought I was startled when Teri put down a
dinner tray on a coffee table.  She had brought up flowers, fine
china, silverware and a serving tray with enough meat and
vegetables for a whole family.  "You went to a lot of trouble."

     "I like to cook, and Erica never has time to sit over
dinner.  She's always working on something or running off to
meetings."

     The meal tasted good and I ate a lot.  As I feared, Teri ate
enough for four.  I still couldn't gauge her development because
of her baggy clothes, but time was against me.  I heard the door
close and a car start.  Erica was leaving for awhile.  I waited a
few minutes, then suggested, "Erica said I was free to leave my
room.  Would you show me around the house?"

     "Sure.  It's really a special house.  Erica designed it a
few years ago, after she won her case, and I moved in when our
parents got divorced.  She made a few more changes recently, when
she found out about you.  She figured you would end up here." 
Teri looked down at the floor, embarrassed.  "Let's go down."

     We took the remains of the dinner downstairs.  It was a
marvelous house.  The ceilings were fifteen feet high and all the
rooms were large and were finished with luscious tropical wood.
On the east end of the house there were conference rooms with
tables for meetings and state of the art communications
equipment.  On the opposite end was an exercise complex, with
devices I had never seen in any health club, as well as a vaulted
area for gymnastics, volleyball or basketball.  Just outside were
the pool and tennis court.  Through a door on the south end was a
greenhouse, filled with steamy air and tropical plants, and in
the middle was an enormous kitchen.  The north side, with a view
of the mountains, was an entertainment wing, and had a projection
television, stereo and library.  Teri wouldn't show me the
basement.  Erica told her it was off limits to me.

     Instead, we sat around and watched a movie.  I let her
choose a romantic comedy, and we watched it, sitting close
together and giggling at the inane dialogue.

     "This is the nicest evening I've had in weeks.  I can almost
forget why I'm here."

     "Don't say that.  It makes me feel so guilty that I can't
let you go.  I'm really mad at my friends.  They were so mean to
you."

     "Why do you go with them?  You seem so different."

     "I don't really have any friends.  We live so far out of
town.  I got to know them because of Erica.  I spend most of my
time alone though."

     I put my arm around her.  "You're really very sweet."

     "Please don't.  You know what those pills do to a girl.  I
don't know if I can control myself."

     "That's OK with me.  It's not like you're Cindy."

     Just then, we heard Erica come in.  Teri jumped up and sat
in a chair across the room.

     "I see you're taking advantage of the facilities Bob.  Good. 
I have a large collection of movies for you two to watch
together.  Keep both of you out of trouble."

     She left.  I gave Teri a long look, but we watched the rest
of the movie sitting separately.

     The next couple of days Teri left early with Erica, leaving
me alone.  But the third day she stayed home.  We spent the
morning talking over a long breakfast, then I suggested a picnic
for lunch.  She looked reluctant.  I wasn't supposed to go
outside, but finally she relented and opened the door using a
combination.  It felt great to be outside, after all that time in
a basement.  I smelled the fresh air of the foothills and drank
in the view of the Rockies in the distance.  Teri stood next to
me with the food.  "You're not going to run off and get me in
trouble, are you?"

     "It's tempting.  What would you do?"

     She shrugged.  "I hope you don't try.  I like being with
you.  I'd like to forget about why you're here."

     I put my arms around her and kissed her and noticed her
growing muscles with alarm.  Was I already too late?  After a few
minutes, she was breathing heavily and broke off.

     "Let's sit down and have lunch, OK?"

     I agreed and ate a smoked turkey sandwich.  I watched
uneasily as Teri ate almost a pound of roast beef and a loaf of
bread.  She was embarrassed at her appetite.  "These pills are
making me so much more hungry than before.  Erica's making me
take them.  She was really mad at me before, for not taking what
she gave me, so now I have to make up for it.  I have to take
three with every meal."  Saying that reminded her, and she
emptied the last three out of a large pill box and downed them
with a pint of milk.  "Let's just lie down and look at the sky."

     I agreed, and we lay on the grass with my left arm around
her shoulder.  Every now and then I would massage her stomach and
hips with my other hand.  I could feel her getting excited again,
and she turned to me suddenly and said, "I want you so much, is
it alright?"  I nodded and helped her pull off her sweater and
excitedly, but slowly, unbuttoned her shirt.  This was what I was
waiting for.  Would I have a chance against her.  If so, I would
make my break.  If not, at least I would know without making her
suspicious of me.  The buttons on her shirt were pulled tight,
but I thought her large bosom could be the reason.  

     I was fooling myself.  My heart fell as she rose to shake
off her shirt.  In just four days, the large doses of New Woman
had given her large round muscles that twinned her breasts.  They
weren't as large as Cindy's, but I guessed she was easily strong
enough to overpower me.

     My expression must have been obvious, because Teri looked up
with concern.  "You think it's disgusting don't you.  I thought
you would.  I knew this was a mistake."

     I shook my head.  "No.  No.  I'm uh just a bit surprised.  I
just didn't expect it, but it doesn't change anything for me,
really."  She lay passively while I buried myself in her breasts
and roused myself.  I enjoyed controlling the sex, a big change
from my last few encounters.  It didn't take long, however, for
her to join in the thrusting and pushing, and as I felt myself
lifted off the ground while she came, it brought home to me again
how she had passed me in strength in only a matter of days.

     "That was so great Bob.  You must really be a great lover. 
I feel wonderful!"  She held me tightly on top of her and kissed
me again and again. "I'm so happy you're here!  Maybe this won't
be so bad for you now."  I smiled, but inside, I was devastated.

     Each day was worse.  Teri was getting stronger at an amazing
pace and was quickly losing her reticence about her body.  Since
her clothes no longer fit her and she hadn't gone out to get new
ones, she went around the house naked most of the time.  Perhaps
this was also a reflection of her overpowering, and now
unleashed, sexual appetite.  She was in a daze, from love, from
desire and its satiation, from the release of her inhibitions, to
the limitless possibilities she now perceived for life with me. 
I wondered when the bubble would burst and was frankly amazed
that it hadn't burst already, for it took a tremendous effort
from me to be with her.  I managed to convince her that at my
"advanced age," I couldn't match her in sexual performance, but
that didn't prevent her from constantly touching and rubbing
against me, or even from masturbating herself against me.

     Many times during the next week I started to say something
to get her to pull back, even a little bit, but I didn't.  It
seemed that I had fallen into the same situation as with Laura,
but only worse.  I was her prisoner, after all, and the
continuing megadoses Erica gave her, which Teri now was
swallowing greedily, had bulked her up to the point that she now
weighed over two hundred pounds.  And she was a teenager,
unstable, awkward, alone and under the influence of her sister
and wild friends.  Her attachment to me was very strong, I was
afraid of what she would do when she found out how I really felt.

     That night, when I came to bed, Teri was waiting for me
sitting on the headboard, dressed in a sheer, black negligee she
must have ordered from a catalog.  I swallowed, and slowly
climbed into bed next to her.

     "Are you rested?  You told me I was going overboard on you,
so I stayed away from you all day."

     "You've been great Teri.  It's good to see you now."

     "This negligee doesn't really fit me.  Look how tight it is
across my chest."  She breathed deeply to show me how the
material stretched against her bosom and the muscles around it,
making it even more transparent.  "But it still makes me feel
very feminine to wear it.  I don't really know what is feminine
anymore, anyway.  Sometimes I just want to be small and weak
again, so that you could carry me into bed or hold me down.  But
it also feels so good to be strong.  It makes me so hot, I'm just
filled with desire for you.  Don't you want to touch me all
over?"

     She lifted her negligee off over her head and guided my hand
to her breasts, which were warm and heavy.  I buried my head in
them and played with her nipples with my mouth and tongue.  She
started to moan and lifted me like a baby, almost crushing me
against her chest.  I reached out and my hand bumped into her
arm, and I felt the pressure ease.

     "Oh.  You want to touch me there too.  Oh I'm so glad you
like them.  They're getting so big."  I ran my hand up her arm,
pausing over her bicep and noting how my whole hand couldn't even
cup it any longer.  "I'm not very sensitive there, but it makes
me feel so warm that you want to touch it and that it turns you
on.  Let me show you."  She sat up straighter, held out her right
arm and pumped hard, making an enormous muscle leap out of her
arm.  "Try to push it in, baby."  I put my fingers on it and
pressed down, to no avail.  "The last few days, they've all
gotten rock hard like that, not just big.  It's so exciting to
me.  I'm so glad you like it too, like you're not jealous or
anything.  I mean I wish you could get so strong too.  It would
be fun, but it's great to share this with you.  You know what I
mean?"

     I felt my frustration level rising, and suddenly heard
myself speaking honestly.  "No.  I don't like it.  I don't like
you getting so strong.  It's intimidating."

     Teri looked shocked, then crushed. I immediately regretted
saying anything, but it was too late to stop.  "Look, it may be
great for you, and for all women, for all I know, but think about
how it is from my point of view.  Two weeks ago I could have
picked you up and carried you across the room.  Today, I probably
couldn't even lift you off the floor, while I bet you hold me
over your head with one hand all day, without even getting tired. 
And how?  Not through exercise or effort.  I could work out every
day for years and never get the muscle you've gotten in two weeks
without any work at all.  How do you think I feel about it?"

     "But Bob, it's happening to me, not just some girl.  Doesn't
that make a difference?  Aren't you happy for me?"

     "Sure Teri.  But you're also the one keeping me here,
prisoner."

     That remark stunned her.  "Is that how you really see me?  I
can't believe it.  You probably never really cared about me.  i
don't know why you said all those things before, but it was
stupid of me to listen to you.  I can't believe I did.  What an
idiot I am!"  She threw the back of her hand at me and knocked me
across the room.  "Oh my God!  Bob, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  Are
you alright?"  She ran to me and stood over me as I got up
slowly, rubbing my hip with one hand while the other massaged my
the part of my chest she had hit.

     "I think I'm OK.  Nothing's broken I guess."

     With that, Teri collapsed to the floor, sobbing, while I
walked awkwardly over to the bed.  I had no idea what to do next,
but then Erica entered the room.

     "What's all this?  What have you done to my sister, Bob?"

     "This isn't any of your business Erica.  Why don't you leave
us alone."

     "But Bob, everything that goes on here is my business,
especially when it involves Teri.  What's the matter honey?  Did
Bob hurt you?"

     "No.  No.  It's all my fault.  I threw him against the wall. 
I could have killed him!"

     "But why would you do that, dear?  You're not a violent
person."

     "We just had a little fight Erica.  It's nothing, really."

     "Let me guess Teri.  You thought Bob really cared for you,
but you found out tonight that he didn't, that he was just using
you, right?  I bet you just learned that all the nice things he
was saying to you he didn't really feel, right?  Am I right?"

     "Yes, but that's not really it, is it Bob, I mean, you
really love me, don't you?  I know you do.  It's just that all
this change is hard for you, and you don't like being couped up
like this.  I understand that.  That's it, isn't it?"

     "Yes Bob.  Tell her that, if it's true.  Tell her you do
love her.  Why don't you do that?  Hmm?"

     Teri looked at me beseechingly.  I shook my head.  "I don't
love you Teri.  At least not yet."

     "What do you MEAN 'not yet'?  How can you say that after all
we've done this week.  After what you said!  Oh I can't believe
this.  This is like a nightmare."

     "I tried to tell you dear, but you wouldn't listen.  This is
what men are like.  They use us when they want to and try to fool
us and take advantage.  They always try to evade the truth that
all they care about is themselves.  Did he tell you about his
uncertainty, about his true feelings?  Not until it suited him,
of course.  Not until he felt a little crowded by your true,
sincere feelings for him.  Then he admitted his lies, when it
suited him.  Poor baby.  But you'll be alright, I promise."

     Teri glared at me.  "I'd watch my step if I were you, Bob. 
You . . . jerk!"  She stormed out.

     Erica looked at me smugly.  "Why are you men so predictable? 
This is exactly what I planned, only it happened a lot faster
than I expected.  You're extremely useful to me Bob.  I do hope
you'll stick around awhile, that is, if Teri's temper doesn't get
the best of you.  I'd put a lock on your door, if I were you,
only I don't think I have any locks that could keep her out
anymore, if you know what I mean."

*15*


     I wasn't surprised that for the next few days Teri left
immediately after breakfast.  While the house was empty, I tried
the phones, but as I had expected, Erica had arranged them so
they didn't work without a password.  I took the opportunity to
check the news on television.  I heard nothing about myself, but
it was interesting to see the contrast between the growing number
of local women who were on New Woman, and the women on national
networks, and especially the soap operas, who still looked like
traditional women.  One soap with an actress on the compound
actually worked a variant of the New Woman story into its plot,
portraying its strong woman as an alien posing as an earthling. 
All in all, though, it wasn't very enlightening or entertaining.

     One day, about a week later, I was interrupted by the door
opening.  It was Melissa.  She was wearing a red, sheer, lycra
top and a tight miniskirt, both of which showed each detail of
her every curve and bulge.  She dropped a large duffel bag on the
floor.

     "Look who's here.  Home alone?"  She asked in a sing song
voice.

     I nodded.

     "Good.  We were interrupted so early the other day.  I
really wanted to get to know you better.  Teri went downtown to
meet Cindy and Darla, so she won't be back until late.  That'll
give us lots of time."

     She pulled out an immense roast beef sandwich from her
duffel and started eating.  "One thing I know you'll find
interesting is I've just taken a small dose of a new compound
Ellen made - sort of a 'Newer Woman.'  I know you'll understand
that I'm a bit hungry, and that it will make it sort of hard for
me to keep my hands off you, but I promise to do my best."

     Finishing her sandwich, together with an apple, pear, and a
quart of milk, she sat down right next to me on the soft couch,
her weight tilting me over and into her.  "Oh you are familiar,
darling!  I had thought we would talk a bit first."  I tried to
move away, but she put one arm around my back and under my
shoulder and the other under my legs, lifted me up and lay me
across her lap.  She looked down at me and stroked my chest,
stomach and groin with her hand, lost in thought, as if she were
petting a dog. I tried to get up, but without any effort she held
me down with her hand on my chest.  Then, looking me directly in
the eye and pushing the side of her mouth with the tip of her
tongue, she ran one finger lightly around my face and neck and
inside my polo shirt, tracing small circles around my chest. 
Without warning, she crooked her finger and abruptly pulled it
all the way down my body, ripping all I was wearing into two
pieces. She pulled off the remnants of my clothes and bent down
over me, so that we were almost nose to nose.  "Listen, you're
alone here, with no one to help you.  I've been planning this for
days, and there's a lot I want to do.  Don't make me get too
rough, O.K?"

     What she wanted to do first was to demonstrate to me how
completely I was in her power.  Next to Melissa, my arms looked
like matchsticks.  Her chest had broadened and deepened, but
still tapered rapidly to her trim but muscular waist.  Holding me
under my arms, she stood up and pulled me close and let me feel
the power of her chest muscles push me away while she breathed. 
Letting go with one arm, she had me lock both my hands around her
free bicep and then broke my hold with a quick flex of her arm. 
Last, she balanced me on her hand and held out her arm at full
length, keeping me in place for a full minute.  With a flick of
her wrist, she tossed me up in the air and caught me, legs around
her shoulders.  "Let's go where there's more room.  You almost
hit your head on the ceiling that time.  Erica has a big room we
can use."

     She put me down and I reached for my underclothes, but she
snatched them from my hands and ripped them into shreds.  "Oh no
you don't!  I like watching your body react to me," she smiled,
touching my erection.  On a whim, she reached between my legs and
with her hand on my ass, lifted me around her shoulders again and
started licking my penis.  I shuddered.  Even her tongue was
strengthened by New Woman; it grasped and squeezed me and batted
me around.  Seeing I was about to come, she wrapped her tongue
around the base and squeezed, like a python, blocking any
ejaculation.  When she saw me relax, she let go with her tongue,
but, continuing her game, lowered me to the floor and challenged
me to use any two fingers to force her tongue back into her
mouth.  I couldn't do it until she let me use my whole hand.

     "You can tell I'm not a virgin, like Cindy.  I know how your
body works and I have a lot to show you about mine."  She took
out a two-pound roast and chewed on it, shouldered her bag with
the other arm and walked out toward Erica's gym.  I followed,
marveling from behind at the combination of her exaggerated
hourglass shape and the mass and variety of bulges that stretched
her top.

     "Come on, come at me."

     I ran at her full speed and leapt to crash into her feet
first.  She could have avoided me, but stood head on.  All I did
was move her back a couple of steps, and she never lost her
balance.  "That was a good try.  Hey, I'll give you three free
shots.  Hit me as hard as you can."  I landed blows to her
stomach, neck and her chest, but she didn't even flinch behind
her wall of muscle.  Then she extended her right arm, did a
classic bicep flex and invited me to push it down.  Fully flexed,
it must have measured over two feet around, and against my hand
it was as solid and heavy as granite.  "See if this helps."  She
lifted me up with her other arm and set me down on top of it.  It
was like sitting on someone's knee bone.  Alternately relaxing
and flexing her muscle, she bounced me up and down and then
licking her lips, put me back on her shoulders again, facing her,
and ran her tongue firmly up and down the insides of my thighs,
slowly working her way up.  She smiled at the immediate response
in my groin and lightly licked my scrotum. "I bet you think you
need some relief."

     Suddenly she stopped and started to shake a little.  She
slid me down her body and pulled me close.  "It's happening now. 
I can't wait anymore."  She started panting, told me to unzip her
skirt and then kicked off her panties.  Leaning back and
spreading her legs, she put her hands around my backside and drew
me inside her.  With her hands behind me and my feet off the
floor, I was totally immobilized.  Much as Cindy had, her muscles
inside squeezed and moved me, but Melissa's contractions were
much stronger and infinitely more precise and intense.  "Ellen
said the urges are unbearable just before the pill takes effect. 
It feels better with you inside."  She moaned loudly and the
pressure from her hands increased.  I thought I could feel her
massive arms and chest expand even more against me, crushing me,
and I shouted to her to let go.  She seemed to hear me from afar
and relaxed her grip a bit in back, but she still held me tightly
from inside.  Then she came back to herself, and pushing me
around her from outside, came again and again.  Meanwhile she was
squeezing me so that I couldn't join her in release.  She grunted
at me, "Good birth control, eh?," and expelled me with another
type of squeeze.  "Whhrr, brrrr, thank you sir," she wisecracked. 
"Why don't you go off to the bathroom and finish yourself off if
you have to.  I need a couple of minutes by myself."

     I excused myself and stayed away as long as I could without
making her come after me.  I put on new clothes, and about
twenty-five minutes later I walked back into the gym.  She was
lying on the floor, papers and scraps of food scattered around
her.  The duffel bag lay flat next to her, nearly empty.  Hearing
me come in, she stood up.  My mouth gaped open.  In a matter of
minutes she had grown over a foot in height.  "I'm not quite
ready for you yet," she said in a new, lower register.  "Why
don't you take another hour or so?  I should be feeling better by
then."  She sat down on the floor stiffly and slowly lowered
herself down.

     I couldn't go anywhere of course so I went back to the
library and read through the Women's Collective newsletters for
any mention of this new experimental compound.  There was
nothing.  Occasionally, I would hear heavy footsteps between the
gym and the kitchen.  I stayed away from that part of the house,
even though it meant skipping lunch.  I didn't want to do
anything to attract her attention.

     After two hours, she called again in a low singsong voice. 
"I feel much, much better.  I'm ready for you now."  I entered
and saw her old clothes in shreds in the corner of the room. 
Standing over them, she now wore a large sleeveless dress made of
some kind of expandable material, although its tight fit showed
she had considerably underestimated the effects of the new
compound.  Her dress stretched tightly around her chest and hips,
leaving most of her breasts and legs exposed.

     I walked toward her, and my heart beat more and more rapidly
as I saw the full effect of the new compound.  In less than three
hours, she had grown to over seven feet tall and had become
larger in every way.  Her shoulders were almost four feet across. 
Even relaxed, her upper arms were thicker than my waist. Her legs
were like tree trunks.  Yet her torso lost none of its feminine
shape.  Her waist was still sharply tapered between her chest and
hips.  In fact, the new compound had enlarged her breasts, which
emerged from her chest like a shelf a few inches above where my
head reached on her body.  Bending over me, she draped them on my
head, and I staggered from the weight.

     "I'll have to look around a bit for a 72DD, don't you think? 
Not that I really need one.  They're well supported." 
Straightening up, she reached down between my legs, put her hand
under my groin and up my backside and lifted me so that we looked
at each other face to face, also giving me a direct view of her
enormous cleavage.  Her enlarged hand now completely spanned my
ass, and she mischievously felt around with her thumb.  "Hmm.  I
don't know what Newer Woman did to me down there.  I wonder if my
mom ought to ask Ellen about a pill to make guys' dicks bigger so
we'll still feel you inside."  

     "You'll be amazed at all the things one little pill has done
to me.  Can you believe I already weigh over 400 pounds!  Lifting
you doesn't take any effort at all.  Look.  My arm is completely
relaxed!  But watch what happens when I flex it"   A mountain
erupted from her arm, completely blocking my view of her.  "I
haven't been able to test my strength yet, so I'm ready to play."
She put me down.  "Go on, take a run at me.  Try to knock me over
like before."

     Reluctantly, I walked back and ran at her at top speed,
letting fly as before feet first.  With her added size, I hit her
with no effect at all, like hitting a wall.  She grabbed me by
the calf to keep me from falling and lifted me upside down.  With
her arm outstretched, I dangled with my head above her breasts
while she lowered me slowly onto her mighty chest.  Leaning back
slightly, she unzipped her dress from behind and rolled down the
front, freeing her breasts, which sprung out, even larger than I
had imagined.  She let me slip through them, down to my waist,
then, tightening her pectoral muscles, pinned me in between them
and laughed.  "Does this fulfill every fantasy you've ever had? 
I could crush you with these."  I felt her muscles tighten
further and squeeze the breath out of me, then she let go, and I
slipped slowly between them down to the floor, gasping for air.  

     She knelt down next to me and lay her pinky across my chest. 
"Try this one.  Let's see you get up."  Her finger dug into me,
but I slowly rose and bent it back.  I tried not to show it, but
I was pleased.  Noting my satisfaction, she pushed me back down
with her forefinger and index finger.  "I wouldn't get too cocky,
if I were you.  What do you think of the future?  As soon as New
Woman is entrenched and you all get used to being the weaker sex, 
Newer Woman will become available.  We'll be like gods to you."

     "More like gorillas, I think.  Strength isn't everything."

     "I guess we'll just wait and see then, won't we."

     Suddenly, she got a pained look.  "This isn't right.  I'm
famished again."  She ran over to her duffel bag, which was
empty, then to the kitchen.  "What's going on?  It's supposed to
be finished," she shouted to no one in particular.  I heard her
rooting around the kitchen, opening cabinet doors and the
refrigerator in search of more to eat.  I peered in and watched
her stuffing whole pieces of fruit into her enormous mouth,
opening packages of ground beef and eating them raw and emptying
gallons of milk.  "There's not enough, I need more!"  She turned
and looked at me with ravenous eyes, then opened the meat
freezer.  "It's frozen solid!  Help me defrost it!"  I loaded a
15 pound roast into the microwave and then slipped away to a
hiding place upstairs while she went through several loaves of
bread, waiting for the meat to thaw.

     From a spot under the stairs, I watched her grow larger
still.  As she passed eight feet in height, her dress split in
two.  She loaded one hunk of meat after another into the three
microwave ovens, eating them in turn as they thawed.  Soon the
sizable pantry was empty.  Melissa had walked back to the gym and
was sitting on the floor, slowly catching her breath.

     "Come on out, little one," she called.  "Let's see what we
look like together now."

     I waited until her back was turned and climbed down. 
Sitting on the floor, she was as tall as I was, but each of her
arms were as massive as my whole body, maybe even more.  Her
breasts covered her whole torso, down to her navel, and were the
size of beanbag chairs.  I stared at them in amazement.  "Go on,
try to lift one, little man."  With her long reach, she scooped
me in against her breast.  I could push it up, but the soft
tissue just flowed around my hand.  She sneered at my efforts,
lifted her chest with a deep breath and let the full weight of
her breasts rest on my back.  I stood for a few seconds, then
collapsed from the effort, pinned between her lap and her bosom.

     "This is so much fun, I could play for hours, but I better
do some housekeeping first, just in case this pill kicks in
again.  I think Erica has a food storeroom in the basement.  Why
don't you be a dear and check for me?"  She lifted her chest to
let me out and led me over to the basement stairs.  "Go on, I'm
too big to go down there right now, unless Erica reinforced
them."  

     I went down to look, but each of the rooms was locked. 
Melissa eased herself down the stairs slowly and picked one of
the rooms.  "This should be it."  She pushed the door in with a
toss of her hand, and looked greedily on the cases of supplies. 
"You'd better carry all these upstairs.  I don't know how much I
may need.

     I worked for over an hour, moving meat, bread, beans, fruit
juices and candies into the kitchen while Melissa watched me,
until she started eating furiously again.  "Don't stop," she
ordered.  "I don't know how much I'll need.  I'm really hungry
this time."  I kept working.  Soon she'd caught up to me and was
waiting at the top of the stairs for each box.  When she had
eaten everything but two cases of peanuts, I heard her walk to
the gym.

     "That's enough," she bellowed.  "This was the best yet.  All
that meat you brought me really worked well.  Come in!"

     I was hungry too, so I opened one of the peanut jars for
myself and carried it and a glass of water into the gym.  

     Her naked body was almost god-like.  Judging from the
basketball backboard, she stood over fifteen feet tall, but other
than the boulders of muscle all over her body and her unearthly
bosom, she was perfectly proportioned for her height.  Standing
next to her, I now barely reached the middle of her thigh.

     "In just five hours time, I've grown by almost ten feet and
quintupled my weight," she boomed.  "I want you to measure me
around."  She pointed to a decorator's measuring tape on the
floor and after I grabbed it, picked me up again, her left hand
now cupped around my ass.  The numbers were astounding.  Biceps,
ninety inches around.  Neck, fifty-five inches.  Shoulders, six
feet across.  Chest, one hundred fifty inches.  Waist, fifty. 
Thigh, one hundred and ten.

     Laughing, she tossed me into the air and caught my arm with
her thumb and forefinger.  "What do you weigh?  A hundred sixty
or so?  And I can toss you around with a couple of fingers.  The
pity is, there's nothing to test my strength against."  She
dropped me down to the floor and turned to the basketball
backboard.  With her palms along the edges, she compressed the
metal backboard and rim first into a flat sheet, pulled it off
the support, then crumpled it into a ball.

     "I'm getting bored.  It was nice playing with you Bob, but
I've got some other things to do now."

     She walked out of the gym, kicked the back door off its
hinges, pulled the fence apart like it was bakery string, and
left.

     Melissa's departure was so abrupt that for several minutes I
just stood in the open doorway.  I watched her try to get into
her car, leave it in frustration when she concluded she could no
longer fit inside and then lope down the road.  Not knowing where
we were, I decided to follow her until we reached a main highway.
She was clearly visible along the valley, but so was I, so I kept
a discrete distance and tried to stay out of sight.  After almost
an hour the sun started to set over the mountains, and in the
dusk I saw her slow down and bend over.  I realized she must be
getting hungry yet again.  I crept to within 500 yards and then
stopped to see what she would do.  Abruptly, she stood up and ran
off in a different direction, toward some faint lights.  I
followed quietly behind and saw that the lights came from a
filling station and grocery store.  Melissa could not get in
through the door, and instead ordered someone to bring out all of
his food.  The next thing I knew, a grizzled man was standing in
the door with a shotgun, ordering Melissa off his property.  Her
face seemed gaunt in the neon lights shining upward from the
station and she reached out to swat him out of her way, but he
fired first at her face, blinding her.  She began kicking wildly
and knocked down the front wall of the store, but the man
sidestepped the collapsing roof and fired at her again, this time
hitting her chest.  A torrent of blood burst out from her chest
and stomach and quickly Melissa fell to the ground, eyes closed
in pain.

     I decided it was safe to approach and I walked out of the
shadows toward the two of them.

     "Watch out, she's very dangerous!"  I called.

     "Not as much as she was before.  Hey, where did you come
from?  You with her?"  He pointed his gun at me.

     "No, thanks to you, but I would call the police right away. 
She and her friends kidnapped me weeks ago.  I've just escaped,
but there are more of them, and they may be driving by here any
minute.  If I were you, I'd want some backup."

     "Aw, I can take care of myself."  He hesitated.  "More like
her?  She must be twenty foot tall, at least.  She one of those
"New Woman" critters?"

     I nodded, and he shook his head.  "I wouldn't want to have
been in your shoes son.  Look at 'er!  It's like she's
disappearing or something."

     As we stood there, we watched Melissa's body consume
herself.  She lay unconscious from the loss of blood, but she was
still growing while getting thinner and thinner.  I guessed that
the pill was still working, and lacking real food, her digestive
system was eating her own muscle to make more, and to add to her
bones.  At this rate, she would soon be just a skeleton.  I
quickly called the police, identified myself, and had the clerk
give them directions to the station.  A tense half hour later,
they arrived.  Melissa was dead.  The blood was two inches thick
along the pavement on edge of the store.

     The police asked both of us questions for over an hour. It
seemed obvious to me that Melissa's death was self-defense, but
the police were determined to make the proper record of the
death.  They also weren't too excited about the prospect of
arresting Erica or the three girls, and by the time they had the
necessary support, none could be found.  That did not make me
feel very secure, but I was happy enough to be on my own again
and looked forward to going home.

*15*a

     The first thing I did was call Chuck.  He wasn't too
surprised to hear from me, and I soon figured out that Erica had
let it be known that I had disappeared voluntarily in fear of my
life from others like Colin.  I quickly disabused Chuck of that
idea, and we agreed that I probably would not be safe in my
house, at least until my kidnappers were apprehended.  We also
agreed that our phones were not secure, so we agreed to meet at a
place known to us without mentioning it on the phone.

     Chuck and Ken were waiting for me when I arrived, and I went
through with them the story of my month in captivity, cutting out
some of the details of my sexual encounters with the girls.  They
were amazed at the story of Melissa.  I, however, was eager to
know what had happened to them in the past month.  Ken was first
to talk.

     "I think the last time we got together I told you about
Madeline starting to take that pill.  Well, we're still together,
for now, but it hasn't been easy for me.  She and I agreed that
she wasn't going to take it so much that she would get stronger
than me, so we kept comparing ourselves, every day or so, which
was kind of fun for me because we would always end up making out
and stuff afterwards, you know, just feeling each other so much
was really great, and she was into it too.  Then Dad and I went
up to the mountains for a week, and Madeline and I ended up going
a while without seeing each other."

     "That Friday night, when we had gotten back, I was real
eager to see her, and she said her folks were gone for the
weekend and I should come over.  I get there,  and the house is
real dark.  She answers the door in her robe and I think this is
going to be the night we finally do it, but her mood is kind of
funny."

     "She says, 'Ken, you're going to be really mad at me, I know
it.'"

     "'Why, are you breaking up with me or something?'"

     "'No, but I did something you didn't want me to do.'"

     "She takes my hand and leads me up to her room.  The house
is totally dark.  We sit on her bed, and I'm wondering what bad
news she's going to tell me.  Instead, she turns on a night
light, and says to me, 'Now promise you won't just run out, OK?'"

     "I say, 'Sure.  I'm not going anywhere.  I thought I was
really glad to see you Madeline.  Are you going to tell me now
you're been dating someone else?'"

     "She shakes her head and starts crying, so I put my arms
around her and right away she feels different, bigger.  I wonder
what it is, and I suddenly think she's been taking those pills." 
'What have you been doing?' I say.
 
     'It's all Carrie's fault.  I really wasn't going to do it,
but she convinced me the only way I would get you to accept me
was to do it all at once, so she gave me a whole month's supply
to take this week while we wouldn't see each other and I did and
it worked and I feel so bad going back on what I said and now I
probably ruined everything.'

     She takes off her robe and turns on the light.  'I just want
you to see what I look like and you can decide what you want to
do, OK?'  I look at her and immediately look away.  She's like
Carrie and Lizzie.  Big thick arms with round muscles, even
though she's not trying to make them big.  Her chest sticks out;
there are layers of muscle around her waist and her legs are just
unbelievable.

     'You hate it, don't you?' she says, in tears.

     "'I can't believe this happened in one week.  One week while
I'm gone!'  How am I supposed to feel!  How can I trust you?"

     "'Of course you can trust me.  I just made a mistake, OK? 
I'm sorry, but it's still me!  Can't you see that?'"

     "'Yeah, sure it's you, but you're so different.  Can't you
see that?  How do you think it makes me feel?'"

     "'I have no idea how it makes you feel!  I don't know why it
has to bother you so much.  I mean, I agreed to do what you
wanted, but I don't really understand it.  Why should I end up
being the last girl in the world to have real muscles?  Why
should I be weaker than everyone else when I don't have to be?'"

     "'That's ridiculous.  You were already as strong as most
boys, and most girls haven't even heard of this thing yet.  I
just don't understand you.  What were you trying to prove?'"

     "'I don't know!  What were you trying to prove when you went
on that wilderness thing for two months?  Or when you went out
for football?  I never asked you to stop!'"

     "'That was different.  You know I love that stuff.  All guys
do!'"

     "'Well who says a girl can't want to push herself too. 
Maybe I'm just as competitive as you are.  Maybe I like the idea
of being able to do things you can't do and being bigger than
you.  I always have to let you help me with do this and that. 
Here Madeline, let me help you up that rock.  Let me carry that
for you.  I get so sick of that.'"

     "'I can't believe what I'm hearing.'"

     "'Yeah?  I'm not the only girl who feels that way.  I just
could never have done anything about it.  Never, understand? 
Well, not anymore!"

     "It's still not the same Madeline.  Think about all I had to
do to build myself up.  It took months of work to get strong
enough to play football.  All you did was take those pills.  It
didn't take any real effort from you."

     "'As if I could have ever been as strong as you before, no
matter how hard I might have worked out!  Your hormones are no
different from the pills I take.  It's just that my stuff works
better than yours.  Here, take a look at these!'"  This time, she
flexes her muscles.  I look at her arms in disbelief:  the size,
the sharp rise up her arm to her shoulder, the peaks of her
biceps.  "'What do you think?  Aren't they real enough?'"

     "I turn around but she spins me back, so I hit her as hard
as I can, in the stomach.  'Don't even try Ken, you'll just hurt
yourself and you can't hurt me,' she says quietly and holds my
arms so I can't move.  'Don't turn away from me.  I just want to
tell you.  You're the one who has to change.  I apologize for
doing it this way, I really do.  But you can't run away from
this.  Please give me a chance.  See if you can get used to me. 
I'll be really sorry if you don't.'"

     "Her eyes were as soft as her grip was tight.  I said OK. 
She smiled and let me go.

     "'You know, I'm not wearing a bra anymore.  Look how they
stay up.'  She takes her robe off again and I can see her firm
breasts sitting neatly on her large chest.  'Go on, touch them. 
They're still soft.'  So she lets me feel her up and everything,
and pretty soon she's touching me all over with her strong hands
and fingers and pulling my clothes off too.  She lies down on her
bed and lifts me on top of her, and I, like, can't believe it,
until she stops and asks, 'Did you, uh, bring some protection
with you?'  I shake my head and she scowls.  'How could you be so
unprepared?  I can't believe it.'"

     "'I'm sorry Madeline.  I mean, we never did it before.  But
are you sure we need it?  I mean, nothing will happen unless it's
exactly the right time, right?'"

     "'Well, I'm not taking any chances!  This is your fault.'

     I try to kiss her, but she just closes her mouth and pushes
me off her, really mad.  'Why are you angry with me?  I didn't
plan this evening this way.  I didn't know what was going to
happen.'"
 
     "'Just leave me alone.  Look, I'm really frustrated, OK? I
mean, it's not like there's that much for you to do.  Like you
could just carry them around.'  She looks me over, up and down. 
'You know, I didn't realize how small you are.  It's pretty
funny, you know.  Look at our legs, next to each other.  Look how
much wider my thighs are, and your muscles are softer too.  Maybe
you should be working out more."

     "They're not soft!  They're hard as they've ever been!"

     "Sorry Ken, I guess I just didn't notice before.  Mine are
just different I guess.  Hey, look how I can lift you up on just
one leg."  As she raised her left leg I slid down onto her chest.

     "Hope I didn't hurt you Madeline."

     "Hey, no problem.  I hardly felt it.  Gee, I'm going to have
to get used to this."  She sat up, rolling me off her and onto
the floor.  "Oops again.  I better be more careful.  Hey, just
because we can't do it doesn't mean we can't fool around or
something.  I'm sorry I got mad."

*17*

     After Ken's story, Chuck shook his head.  "He was doing so
well, considering he was growing up split between Connie and me,
and contending with his sisters.  I don't know how I would be
able to adjust to this too.  But should bring you up to date. 
You've missed a lot during the last month."

     "First of all, sales of your product have skyrocketed. I
read that something like 75% of the girls and women who can
benefit from it are taking it, and the percentage is getting
higher and higher each week.  It has spread to the rest of the
first world too, although it has caused some major social
problems in the third world, partly because of traditional
beliefs, partly because most of the world doesn't have enough
food to satisfy the increased appetites of the women on the pill. 
You can imagine how that will resolve itself in the most
primitive cultures:  the strongest get the food.  But killing
your family or your neighbor's family is still not acceptable in
most parts of the world, so the only ones who are taking it are
the outlaws and the very rich, hardly an attractive situation.

     "Legally, it looks like you've done your usual thorough job. 
The FDA is investigating, but between the familiarity of the
ingredients, the nature of the campaign and the undoubted
effectiveness of the product, there doesn't seem to be much
chance that anyone will stop it.  Besides, with half the voters
taking it, it's hardly feasible for any congressman to outlaw
it."

     "Wait until you walk around the streets.  Everywhere you
look there are women at all stages of development, but each week
they get bigger and there are more of them.  A few with slightly
rounded shoulders and arms, a few looking like linebackers with
their pads on, but not using any pads of course.  In part thanks
to you Bob, looks like we're the weaker sex from here on in."