The men in the gym tried not to look like they were looking, but Jan had dressed to make sure most of the men looked. Her top stopped a couple inches above her navel and her black tights were turned down at the top for comfort really, but it showed a bit more skin than she usually showed. She caught one guy looking at her stomach as she downed some water between sets. There were another couple of guys looking at her butt. That was good. She thought her backside didn't get enough attention. Jan thought her butt was really something. It would get some more attention before the workout was over.

Jan went back to the curl machine. She had one more set left. She settled into the machine and slowly and steadily pumped out rep after rep. She concentrated on squeezing at the top. Her biceps were easily the most cut in the gym. They were certainly not the biggest. An amateur male bodybuilder was doing lat pulldowns in the corner. He was definitely the biggest, but Jan caught him looking in her direction more than once. She went back to looking at her arms in the mirror. Her biceps seemed to flex tighter and tighter with each rep. Finally she had one more. She pulled the weight up slowly and held it at the top before lowering it slowly. Her biceps burned. She stood up quickly and shook her arms. She flexed her right and then left down by her side. The were red and so very pumped. She wanted to flex longer, but she had other things to do that day. Time for tris.

Jan loved the triceps exercises. She put the rope on the pulley took a deep breath and started down. If any muscle group on Jan was nearly as impressive as her biceps, it was her triceps. They were striated horseshoes of muscle that flexed in jagged diamond hard angles of muscle. She pumped rep after rep. She pumped them slowly and carefully making sure to keep her form near perfect. Her arms shook at the last rep. Jan rested and did a couple more tricep exercises before resting. She took another drink from her bottle of water. She wiped some sweat from her head and face. She glanced down and saw her shoe was untied. She was so tired she didn't even want to tie it, but she bent down anyway.

A man was laying down on the bench with the bar off the rack. He had been about to start his first set of bench press. He only had 155 pounds on the bar. He was warming up. He started down, but then Jan had bent over right in front of him. He instantly lost concentration and the weight shifted in his hands. It almost rolled out. He caught it, but his elbow banged the side of the bench itself. His right arm bent followed by the left. The weight rolled up on his neck.

Jan heard the noise behind her. She turned quickly and ran over to the man. Other people came, but she was the closest. She grabbed the bar on either side of his neck and pulled up. Her shoulders were still tired from working them earlier, but they responded. You could see individual muscle fibers in her shoulders flex and move as she pulled up. The man stopped gagging. Two men came and the three of them lifted the weight easily off the man.

"Are you ok?", Jan asked. A member of the gym staff ran over, but the man waved him off.

"I'm fine", his voice was a little coarse, but his face was starting to become less red. "Just lost it." He looked up at Jan's concerned face a few inches away. It was even better looking up close. The rest of the people went back to their workouts. A couple guys patted the man on the back before going back to what they had been doing.

"You want a spot?", Jan asked.

The man looked up at her and laughed. "No, I think I'll let the bench press alone for a little while. Thanks anyway."

Jan smiled and rubbed the man on the shoulder. "Ok." She went back to her own workout not really thinking that the whole accident had been sort of her fault. Jan finished her workout. She decided to shower at the gym. It was really nice in the locker room. Jan noticed some of the other women giving her glances too. Jan shook her head. On most days she didn't even want the attention, but every once in a while something got into her. On the way out Jan pushed open the door, turned a corner and ran right into the man who had dropped the bar on his neck.

"Oh, I'm sorry", she said quickly.

"No problem. My fault again."

Jan got a better look at him now. He was perhaps in his early to mid 30's. He kept in decent shape. He looked like some sort of executive.

"Hey, my name is James. I feel I should introduce myself after you saved my life back there."

"Jan. Nice to meet you, James."

"You want to go get some lunch or something?"

Jan inhaled quickly. James knew the answer already. "No, I can't and I really feel bad at saying it."

James waved his hands. "Oh its ok, I understand. I'm like old enough to be your father."

Jan reach out and put her hand on his shoulder. "No, I have to get back home. The car I'm driving is borrowed, but I do feel bad. You know you're first guy to approach me and ask me out since I came back home from school. Most just gawk."

"If you change your mind, I'm here on "T" days and Saturday's."

"I'll remember that", Jan told James as she walked out the door.

Jan drove her father's Tahoe slowly back home. She was enjoying the Saturday morning. Jan lived in an exclusive Baltimore suburb southwest of the city in Howard County. She had grown up in Balmier County though and missed it sometimes. Her house was in a tucked away subdivision. Jan pulled through the always open gates, up the driveway and parked in front of the house where her father parked most of the time. She went in, but no one was in the house at all. She poured herself some lemonade and went upstairs to her room. She looked over in a corner of the room at several large cardboard boxes. They seemed to be staring back at her. She had pulled them out of her closet weeks ago, but so far she had dusted them and opened them only once. Those boxes held her record collection. Jan was the only teenager she knew who collected music on old vinyl records. They were unorganized right now and she was putting off putting them in order. She would before she left for college, or at least that's what she told herself every time she looked at the boxes.

Jan took her lemonade down stairs and out the back of the house. The Caufield's house had a nice sized yard and Jack had built a workshop behind the house some years ago. Jan figured she would find her father there.

Jan walked up to see her father's legs sticking out from under a 1970 Oldsmobile 442. It still had a few dents on the body and it needed to be repainted, but Jack had done wonders with that car.

"Is that the same one you bought before I went off to Livingston?" Jan bent down.

"The very same." Jack pushed himself from under the car. "I still can't believe they were taking this car to the junk yard. It drove here to the house all the way from D.C. for goodness sake."

"Some people don't know what they have."

"Yeah, that's the truth."

"So what are you doing to it?", Jan asked.

Jack pushed himself up to his feet. "I'm just replacing the oil pan. Nothing major, but the old one actually had a hole in it. I'm taking it down to Roger's next Saturday to get the body work and paint. You want to come help me pick out the right color?"

"You're not going to paint it the original color?"

"Not sure. I mean black and yellow was kinda cool back in those days, but I might want it something else."

Jack and Jan talked while Jack poured oil back into the car. They laughed and joked.

"So how are things at the office?", Jan asked after a time.

"Not bad. Things are settling down so I don't have to be there as much these days."

"What kind of new stuff you all working on these days?"

Jack looked up smiling. "You know I can't talk about the really good stuff."

"I have pretty high clearances these days, Daddy", Jan informed her father. "Who knows, I might have to use some of those weapons you guys make one day."

"Maybe, but all the juicy ones are code word clearance only. Sorry, pumpkin, but my lips are sealed."

"Aww", Jan pouted like she used to when she was little girl.

It still worked like it did back then. "Next week I'll talk to a couple of people and see what I can do."

"Thank you, Daddy." She hugged him around his neck and broad shoulders.

Jan eventually went back into the house. Just as she was about to go upstairs there was a knock at the door.

"Can I help you?", Jan asked as she opened the door.

Two men stood at the door. One looked to be in his early 40's and the other in his 20's. "Are you Jan Caufield?", the older one asked with a smile.

"Yeah", Jan answered cautiously.

There was a pause. The man stuck out his hand. "I'm George Ferris, Colin's uncle. This is Artie my nephew."

Jan shook his hand reluctantly.

"Can we talk for a moment?"

Jan stepped out onto the small porch area, but left the door slightly open.

George took a deep breath then spoke. "You know tomorrow is the sentencing hearing for Colin. The defense lawyer thinks the judge is going to give him 20 years." He looked at Jan for a reaction. She raised an eyebrow a bit, but other than that her face didn't change.

George continued. "He's not a bad person. He got a little too wrapped up in a woman he thought he loved, but those things can happen." He paused. "What I'm asking is for you to take it easy on him when they have you testify. Try to help him out if you could, or not testify even." George had an uneasy smile on his face as he looked at Jan.

"I would almost listen to you if Colin hadn't killed two people with what he did. Did you know I pulled a dead woman from her car? Her husband lived, but probably wishes he had changed places with his wife. Colin did a terrible thing. He'll be 40 something when he gets out. He gets to live the rest of his life after that. There are two people who don't get a rest of their lives. Then there are the injuries. There was a little boy who needed surgery to fix the broken bones in his legs." Jan shook her head. "I'm going to get on the stand and tell the truth, Mr. Ferris."

"Truth!", he spat out. He set his jaw, and spoke in an angry whisper. "We know you made Colin confess to this. He told us the whole thing. He told us that you nearly killed him and threatened to kill him if he tried to recant."

"Has he told the police this?", Jan asked leaning in.

"No! He's too afraid. He hasn't told anyone but us. He said that you told him that you would kill him if he talked!"

"Well, if he hasn't told the police and he hasn't told his own defense attorney, then why would I admit to that? Assuming I did threaten to kill him, which I'm not admitting to, the state is only going to give him 20 years in prison. Sounds like a good trade to me."

"Fuckin bitch", the younger man cursed under his breath. George put his hand on the man to calm him.

"Look, I'm not going to let my nephew go to prison for 20 years. He may not make it out and even if he does, he'll have no life after that. We aren't going to let you ruin his life."

"He ruined his own life! I'm going to show up, testify and make sure he gets what he deserves!"

Artie rushed up the stairs past George and got in Jan's face. "Are you sure about that?"

Jan leaned even closer. Their heads touched. "Yeah" She pushed him and he stumbled back down the stairs. His face turned angry and he was about to charge back up the stairs, but the front door opened and Jack Caufield came out.

He was still wearing his old faded gray t-shirt and grease smudged khaki pants. He was wiping his hands as he stepped out and in front of his daughter. His thick powerful arms and chest were barely contained by the shirt. His face calm, but his eyes almost seemed to look straight through George and Artie.

"Can I help you two gentlemen?", he asked as if he hadn't heard the yelling.

"We just came to talk to her", Artie said quickly. He couldn't get the anger out of his voice.

Jack looked down at him and stopped wiping his hands. He looked down at the young man for what seemed like an hour but was really a few seconds. Artie backed down. Jack then looked at George.

"I think you two should leave right now. And don't ever come back." Jack's voice was so calm it was almost eerie. The two men got back in George's Lexus Coupe and left.

"Thanks for being so gallant, Daddy, but I could have handled those two."

"I know that, pumpkin", her father said as he stepped back into the house. "I did that as much for them as for you. Those two are wannabe bullies. You just be careful."

Jan thought for a minute. "I didn't really want to fight them anyway. I've been trying to avoid confrontation."

Jan left later that afternoon after her mother had returned home from working on her cases. Jan borrowed her mother's brand new Cadillac XLR. Her mother loved that car, but Jan loved it more. Jan wanted to go buy a new outfit for the party she, Sandra, and a few other people were going to throw after Colin was put in prison. The party was another friend's idea. Dana never needed a reason to throw a party and Sandra's recovery and Colin's imprisonment were more than reason enough. Jan drove to mall trying to stay under the speed limit, but failing miserably. The car just wanted to go fast.

She found a great outfit for the party and a couple others that she just had to have. It was getting dark by the time Jan brought out her bags and stuffed them into the passenger seat of the champagne colored Cadillac. She walked around the other side to get in, but another car pulled up quickly. A man jumped out before the car even stopped and took a swing with a bat. Jan's reflexes were quick. She ducked the first swing, but lost her footing against the concrete curb. The next swing caught her in the side of the head. She was dazed. The man threw her in the back of the car and sped off.

Jan came around quickly, but decided not to resist. She knew who it was at once. The two men drove Jan about four minutes away to a wooded area. They pulled down a gravel road and stopped after a while. They got out and pulled Jan out roughly.

"We tried to do this the easy way!", George yelled almost crazy with rage. "You bitch! You made it come to this!" He put burlap bag over Jan's head. She saw Artie smile as the bag went down over her head. She felt the bat hit her head a moment later. It hit her once twice and then more than she could count. Then she felt two things hitting her, and they kicked her. Many blows landed against her head and face, but they hit her all over her body too. They cursed and spit as they hit her as hard as they could. Jan's arms went up out of instinct. One of the men pulled her up. She was on her feet, but it just made it that much easier for them to beat her.

Jan felt her anger start to rise. She could kill them both, but she didn't really want to. She was willing to take the beating. She was almost afraid to fight. She knew what she could do. In her mind she was doing these two a favor. She would just take it and then go home when they tired themselves out and still show up and testify the next day.

Jan doubled over from a blow to her stomach. She went to a knee. Then the hardest blow so far exploded against the back of her skull. The Louisville Slugger broke in Artie's hand. About 18 inches remained. He laughed and jerked Jan up. "Not dead yet?"

"Colin said this bitch was tough", George said through deep breaths. They pulled her back up.

"Let's finish this." George, who was behind Jan, swung at her back as hard as he could. Jan fell forward. He kicked her then. Artie was going to stick her with the bat, but the kick had made her go even faster. The bat buried itself deep in Jan's chest just below the sternum all the way to his hands. Only about nine or ten inches was visible, sticking out of Jan's chest.

Jan's hand went to the bat as she fell over to the ground. She coughed and almost blacked out from the pain. She could feel the blood running from cuts all over her face. Her insides hurt like crazy with the bat sticking out of her chest. She wanted so much to pull it out, but she would wait until they left.

They whooped and cheered. "I told Colin we'd take care of this bitch. She ain't testifying against nobody!", Artie yelled.

George nodded. "Yeah, we better get going so no one sees us", George began calmly. "They probably won't find her back here for a few days. Until she starts to stink! Is that what you told my nephew you fucking cunt!" George spit in her direction.

"Come on uncle. She's done. We're wasting our time. We still have to get that fucking Sandra before the night's over." They opened the doors to get in the car.

"Wait!", Jan yelled as loudly as she could. She pushed herself up and pulled the sack from her head. Jan felt weak, but there was no way she was going to let them harm Sandra. "You guys aren't going to leave before the job is done are you?"

"What in the name of God?" George's eyes were open so wide he looked like a clown staring at Jan's bloody face and body. The bat still stuck from her chest.

Jan looked down at the bat and grabbed it in both hands. She squeezed the barrel tightly and pulled it out in one smooth motion. She took a breath as the bloody splintered end of the bad emerged. She tossed it on the ground.

"You know", Jan began. Her voice was normal almost like she was explaining how to change a tire. "I was content to let you idiots beat up on me and leave me for dead. I really was. I told my father this morning that I didn't want to fight. The last guys I fought are all dead. I didn't want to kill anyone, but then you had to threaten my friend. She's been through enough."

"What the fuck are you?", Artie stammered.

Jan knew her insides were damaged from the bat, but she could feel her body healing quickly. She was still weak. The bat had probably hit a major artery or something, but the more injured she was the faster she healed. It was almost finished. She could feel it. She would just stall for a bit longer.

"I'm 18 years old! You know that right. That bastard relative of yours shot me. Twice! I wasn't even armed. There is something seriously wrong with your family. First Colin shoots an unarmed teenager and now you two try to beat me to death and stab me with a baseball bat. That is fucking sick." Jan ran her hand over the place where the bat had been. The hole was closed, but not fully healed. It was close enough. Jan started walking forward.

The two men were too shocked and scared to run. Jan came closer. Finally they reacted. George reached into his car and pulled out a crowbar while Artie pulled out a bowie knife.

"Stay away, or we'll kill you!"

Jan laughed. "You just tried to do that. What makes you think you can do it this time? No, it's time for pay back." Jan ran at Artie. He slashed at her with the knife. She dodged and punched him in the head hard. He fell against the open door of the Lexus. She pulled the knife from his hand and grabbed him by the throat with her other hand. She lifted him off the ground with her left arm and turned. George had started around the car to help his nephew, but Jan held Artie by the throat between she and the uncle.

Her arm was so powerful. She didn't even seem to be straining holding a grown man up in the air by one arm. George didn't know what to do. Jan had the knife in her other hand. She smiled at George and stabbed the knife down through the roof of his car. Her forearm flexed as she twisted the blade making the hole in the sheet metal even bigger.

"No, you bitch!" George ran at Jan with the crowbar raised. Jan smiled and tossed Artie at his uncle. They fell together. George looked at the knife sticking out of the roof of his brand new Lexus and then back at Jan with hate on his face. She smiled. She had an idea. George struggled to his feet, but Jan pushed him over and snatched the crowbar from his hand. She held it up over her head. He could do nothing. He thought he was going to die. Jan smiled down at him, but it was a devilish smile. She put both hands on the bar and brought it down as hard as she could. She raised her leg and let the middle of the bar hit her over the knee. A bruise appeared at once, but she didn't care. It had worked. The bar was bent slightly, but it was enough. Jan took George by the neck and led him over to Artie who rolled over to try to run. Jan kicked him in the butt sending him sprawling on his face. She dragged him back.

"I want you two close together." Jan put both hands on the crowbar. Her face screwed up with concentration and effort. Her muscles flexed obscenely. Her bare arms shook with power, but it was her chest that did most of the work. Her pecs flexed like huge mounds. Thick veins appeared on the surface of her chest feeding the even thicker muscle beneath. Her body vibrated with power. She worked hard and harder. Her face was intense. Her muscles flexed harder and harder. Her pecs swelled larger still. Her blood stained blouse could not longer contain them. A tear started at the neckline and continued all the way down. Her blouse fell open. The two men got a good look. There was just a red mark where the bat had stabbed her. Normally Jan looked like a really athletic and fit person, but when she exerted herself her body became chiseled perfection. Her abs, pecs, delts, and arms were so cut and hard. She looked like living breathing sculpture as she worked on the thick steel bar. The metal was yielding to her power. She took a deep breath as the bar got near 90 degrees. Her bra strap broke as she poured on more pressure. The bra stayed on, but barely. Finally Jan stood up straight and smiled. She ordered them to take off their shirts. They did so and tossed them to the side.

She reached down and pulled the two men closer together. She took the crowbar and put both their arms in the bend she had made. Her face set again. She squeezed tight with her big hands. Her forearms flexed inhumanly hard as she bent one end of the bar down between their arms and the other above their arms. Finally she bent the two ends around each other locking George and Colin together. She stood up straight again. Jan took off her ruined blouse and set it aside. She turned back to George's Lexus.

"I told you two that I was going to make sure you didn't harm Sandra. Well, I'll just make sure you don't have transportation."

"No! What are you going to do?", George cried out.

Jan ignored him and went to one of the open doors. She stood behind the door and kicked it open hard. The hinge bent and the door slammed open against the front fender. Jan kicked the door a couple more times. She punched out the glass and gripped the door with both hands at the top and bottom. She strained to stand up. The car itself started rising, but the hinges weren't that strong. She twisted a couple of times and the door came off in her hands. She tossed it to the side and stuck her head inside.

"Nice car. Lots of room", Jan said absently. She looked up. "It could use some more head room though." Jan pulled the knife out of the roof and sat down in the passenger seat. She leaned back against the seat and thrust her arms up. Her super powered muscled arms burst through the roof easily. The sheet metal tore open. Jan got back outside and put her hands in the holes she had made. Her muscles knotted up and flexed again. The holes got bigger. She took a step back.

"Still not enough." George already look horrified, but there was nothing he could do. Jan balled up a big fist and punched it through the windshield. She opened her hand then pulled it out. The windshield came out in one piece. She let it fall to the ground. She put her hands around the roof pillar and twisted. The hard steel shrieked and protested, but Jan twisted it harder and harder. She put one hand against the hood of the car and the other around the pillar and started pulling it apart. Her back was a mountain range of blocks of muscle that writhed and flexed against each other. Finally the roof support separated with a loud pop. Jan repeated the process all the way around the car. She pulled the roof off the car and tossed it to the side.

"This is more like it. But I think this car needs more leg room. I'm pretty tall." Jan walked around to the driver side and took the door in both hands. Her muscles were already rock hard and ready to work. She snatched violently and the door came off in her hands. She reached down and grabbed the driver seat. She pulled up on her broken bra before taking the seat and pulling up on it. Her arms and pecs flexed with strength the two men had never seen before. The car's wheels started to rise, but the bolts finally snapped one after another and Jan stood up with the seat. She tossed it down and took the steering wheel in both hands. She flexed and pulled. The wheel came off in her hand. She tossed it aside.

"Now that looks much better doesn't it?" Jan turned to look at the two men. They couldn't take their eyes off of her. They were shocked, amazed, and strangely aroused all at the same time. "Let's see what you have under the hood?"

Jan didn't bother to pull the hood release. She punched a hole in the grill and broke the entire assembly a loose. She threw the hood open bending it against what was left of the car.

Jan looked down at the still warm engine. "Not bad, but I think I might want to take a closer look." Jan reached down into the tight space under the hood and started pulling. Her body was flexed hard before, but it was even harder now. Muscles looked like they were bursting from her smooth skin. A network of veins appeared on her body as muscles demanded more and more power. Cords stood out on her neck as she strained. The car started rising off the ground. Jan stopped to put her foot on the bumper. Her calf flexed as it worked to keep the car down.

Jan grunted loudly as she started pulling up again. Motor mounts broke and bent under a strain they weren't designed to resist. Jan felt the engine move. She redoubled her efforts. Loud pops and hisses came from the car. Things pulled apart and hung down as Jan pulled the entire engine and transmission from the car. Wires, hoses, and cords hung around the massive block of metal. Jan shifted the weight in her powerful arms. She dropped the engine on the ground. It went three inches deep in hard dirt when it landed.

Jan stopped to catch her breath. She was smiling when she turned. "I think the car looks better now. Don't you?"

Neither of the men could talk. Artie just stared. George cried. Jan frowned. "Colin did the same thing." Jan picked up the two shirts they had taken off. George's shirt had just a bit of dirt on it but no blood. She slipped it on while balling her own bloody blouse up. She started walking down the road, but then stopped and turned back.

"I suggest you two figure out a way to get up and go wherever you want to go. I'm not coming back to help you and I'm not telling anyone where you are."

Artie had almost gotten past what he had seen. "We're going to call the police, you bitch!", he yelled.

Jan turned and walked back. They scrambled away from her. "You can call the police if you want and tell them what, that a teenage girl did all this. They'll put you in a padded room." Jan laughed. "And they'll find my blood everywhere and your blood nowhere. That's going to look really good too. Have a nice night."

Jan walked back to the mall. Her mother's car was right where she had left it. She drove home and sneaked in the back way. She cleaned herself up and changed clothes, but ended up telling her parents some of what had happened over dinner. She testified against Colin the next day, but didn't see George or Artie in the courtroom. As a matter of fact, she never saw them or Colin ever again.

to be continued...

Check out The Super Secret Agent: New Beginnings Pt. 1 online now as Jan, Sara, and Alisha go off to college and meet some new characters and some old ones.