Ursa, Chapter 1


Things changed for me just a few short months ago. It was after my husband had
left me for another woman, he had lost interest in me long before but I never
expected adultery. It had a big effect on me but it proved not to be a turning
point because, well I stopped eating for one thing, I lost a lot of weight, had
stopped bothering about the way I looked and started drinking and almost lost my
job. It's a good thing that didn't happen as it has turned out to be an
excellent cover for me.

You see I'm a reporter/writer for a city newspaper, not the best or most
recognised but I earn a good living and the job gets me away from people paying
too much attention to me. What did happen to me that turned my life around? Well
it was a combination of work, me feeling sorry for myself and just plain
stupidity I suppose. I was doing some research for an article I was writing
about a scientist I had interviewed  a few weeks earlier. Unfortunately  I'd had
more than a few drinks that day and I was feeling the worse for it.Added to that
I had not eaten again all day, so I really should not of been working. But it
was something this Dr Hammond had said during the interview.
You see he talked a lot about cryogenics and DNA manipulation, a lot of
technical guff I knew our readers would not understand, but he liked to talk and
I could tell he hadn't had many female listeners. So he probably said more than
he should have, which you might think is boring but actually most of the
technical stuff went straight over my head. What I listen for though is the
change of mind about how much information the talker is giving, or if there's a
change in the way it being presented, this is the bit that's important. Its not
that I knew what he was talking about but that he had secrets to hide and this
guy had far to many of them which warranted further investigation.

So I followed him a for nearly a week and was so sure he had nothing to hide
working for the government as he claimed. Just as I had decided to give up
following him he walked into a night club. Nothing unusual there you might say.
And i would agree, if the club in question had not been Ritizy notorious for sex
and gambling. Luckily being a woman I had little trouble getting in, but was
only just in time to see him disappear behind a curtain which surprise surprise
hid a door. I kept walking trying not to make it obvious that I was look around
to see If the door was being watched. I was sure it was so I diverted to the bar
and ordered a drink. I was a bit nervous that I might be recognised by some one
so as soon I had my drink I headed to a dark corner where I could watch the door
and any one watching it. Before I could get my drink to my lips though I had to
dash for the door because its watcher was distracted by some one talking to him.
i really had to hold myself back as breaking into a run would certainly have got
me unwanted attention.

Tucking myself behind the curtain i was relieved to find the door unlocked,
turning the handle I opened the door and I slipped inside. I found myself in a
bear corridor which ran to my left and round a corner. Just around the corner
was a stone stair case which went down or the corridor went past and rounded
another corner. A little red placard announced "NO ADMITTANCE" so that was
decided, a no admittance   sign was as a red rag is to a bull for a reporter. So
down I went and through a door which I thought should really have been locked if
they didn't want any one being nosey. I must have rounded three corners when it
occurred to me that looking into a few of the rooms I've passed might be a good
idea.

Then I hear sounds ahead of me so I try the nearest door thankfully it opens and
I slip inside. The room I find myself in is pitch black so I'm unsure of whats
in the room but I listen at the door and wait for who ever it is to pass. Its
amazing how much your head clears in these sorts of situations and I start to
wish I had downed that drink in the club.  Opening the door a crack I spy out
into an empty corridor, a sign on the door catches my eye, an unmistakable
radiation sign. Shit I think and my mind races to think what could be in this
pitch black room I look harder but there is little enough light from the
corridor to make anything in the room visible. Fumbling about on the wall I try
to find a light switch but I'm groping about in near pitch black. remembering my
mobile I retrieved it from my bag and unlocked the key pad. Although the room
didn't light up the glow from my mobile was sufficient to make me feel a little
more comfortable than the pitch black.

Looking round I spotted a door with one of those big red domed lights above. On
the door it stated "do not open if red light is on." I wondered what secret the
door hid so I tried the handle and to my great surprise it opened. I was also
surprised by the weight and thickness of the door, which I could just make out
by the glow of my mobile. Again it was pitch black, so I took a few tentative
steps then noticed a dark outline over to my left. i had to take a closer look
and when i stood over whatever it was I could just make out round waist high
barrels. They wasn't sealed properly either because i could see when I put my
face close to the edge that something was leaking out of one of the barrels at
least. In the middle of the barrel I was trying to examine was a label so I held
my mobile up close to it and could just make out a......radiation symbol.
"Shit," I exclaimed. "Shit," I heard myself say again as I turned tail and ran
from the room closing the door behind me. I opened the door that lead into the
corridor but forgot about being cautious. As I left I looked back into the room 
and spotted on one wall a protective suit complete with a domed helmet, which
confirmed my worst fears. I shut the door behind me and stepped straight into
the path of Dr Hammond, whom I could have sworn was waiting for me.

"There you are Mrs Harcourt," he said, in his I'm vastly superior to you tone of
voice which I learned to hate the very first time I heard it. "What were you up
to in there?"
I tried in vain to push past him.
"Ho no you don't," he said grabbing my wrist and dragging me the opposite way to
which I wanted to go. I dug my heel in however and yanked him back but his slap
across my face stopped any further resistance on my part. After all I reasoned
he was probably going to get me thrown out by security. Throwing open a door he
marched me into what I though was a doctors examination room but was more likely
a lab of some kind. He launched me into the room, but I managed to halt after
three or four steps. Behind me I heard the door slam and the click of a door
being locked.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
He picked up a white jacket and put it on before answering.
"Get undressed Mrs Harcourt," he said matter of factly, and just for a moment I
thought he wanted to give me an examination. "Hurry Mrs Harcourt, You haven't
long before your flesh becomes too effected by the overdose of radiation you've
just received."
"What?" I reeled at his words. And got another slap across my face and my jacket
was ripped off my back and my shoes and trousers were off before i knew what he
was doing. I tried to resist his hands but lost my underclothes and crouched
naked my arms wrapped around me protectively. Thinking he was going to rape me,
I started to panic, desperately wanting to get away from him. He picked me up
and dumped me on a metal table the cold of it shocked my body, made me shiver.
Forcing my shoulders down he pulled a large strap across the top of my chest and
I started to cry as straps were applied to my wrists and ankles.
"Please I sobbed."
"Your going to die Mrs Harcourt," he said without feeling. "If the radiation
doesn't kill you then what I'm going to do to you most definitely will"
I didn't know what to say, I was going to die strapped to a table and the
murderous bastard was going to rape me or worse. A Pathetic "please," was all I
could manage.
"Your a fool woman," he said cruelly, "A dam fool woman. No one knows your here
because we had you followed. You  came in here with out a second thought for
your safety. You didn't know what you were letting yourself in for at that
interview, The information I gave you and the way in which it was given was
meant to draw you in, make you curious, but the radiation room was unfortunate.
Whoever left the door unlocked will be dealt with."
This information shocked me enough to stop my crying. he was right I'd been a
fool and now I was going to die. I believed it, maybe it was the effect of the
drink but I accepted that I was going to die and could do nothing about it. My
erect nipple brought me back to my captor, who had my nipple between his finger
and thumb.
"I think I would have enjoyed you," He said coldly, "But you won't have that
pleasure."

For the first time in my entire life I was filled with absolute hate and
loathing but before i could manage to vent it at him he released my nipple and
stuck a needle in my arm. i stared at him in alarm.
He laughed, "Better get used to it sweety, I have so many injections to give you
and so little time to give them.  I could only snarl at him and he burst out
laughing.

I am unable to give much of an account of what followed, only that there was
more injections, pain, unbearable pain, tears, and torment.

And that should have been the end of me. but some how it wasn't, some how, some
miracle.
My eyes snapped open, that's the only way to describe it there was no
sleepiness, no coming round, no hangover or grogginess. Just instantly awake and
alert. I was still strapped down but I must have been moved because I was on a
nice comfortable bed not a cold hard table. There was no pain, no discomfort
nothing really, I actually felt good. I hadn't had this feeling in a long time
but I felt glad to be alive, a tad unusual for someone who was told she was
going to die I suppose. Dr Hammond came into view, saw me awake and dropped
whatever it was he was carrying and looked at me open mouthed.
"Y..your alive? but you died! and have been dead over two hours." All the
coldness had gone from his voice. "Was it the radiation?" he asked no one in
particular. "Or the alcohol?"
He recovered a little and reached for a syringe. "You need sedating," he said
absently.

I needed no such thing, I was a sea of calm which was unusual for me. Some how I
couldn't quite work out how or why I seemed to be aware of every thing in the
room how each thing was placed in relation to everything else. i was positive
that if I walked out and the Dr moved something when i came back I would be able
to tell you what item had been move and exactly where it was before. But that
was ridiculous. Wasn't it?

Just then the Dr turned, he had a hypodermic in his hand and he was at my arm in
a second, Placing the needle against my skin he nicked it into my arm and pushed
down with his thumb to empty its contents into my arm. Only for some reason the
needle did not pierce my skin and a small amount of liquid ran over my arm. Dr
Hammond cursed and tried to push the needle into my arm again. But again he was
unsuccessful. I seems funny now that I didn't try to resist I was still a sea or
calm.
"Can't pierce the skin I over heard him say to himself. why would that be?
Chloroform? yes that will do then start the tests."
Hearing the word chloroform triggered a response from me and I sat up.
Hearing me sit up Dr Hammond turned and stared at me a second time. It was then
I noticed that he had a noticeable bulge between his legs. I don't usually have
that effect on men so I looked down at my body to see what had amazed him so.
Then It was my turn to stare in amazement. I could see a body that definitely
wasn't mine, or wasn't mine before I got here. My first thought was a brain
transplant. I had bulging muscles all over me biceps, quads, abs. The body I was
looking at was amazing and my breasts were fabulous, if indeed they were mine.
"W...what have you done to me?" I asked in total disbelief. It was then I
noticed the straps that should have prevented me from sitting. The buckles were
bent and the leather torn. But I hadn't felt any resistance I told myself.

Dr Hammond had recovered his composure, came too me and placed a hand on both of
my shoulders and push me back down onto the bed. Well at least he tried too, but
for some reason he couldn't. It was like watching a performance by Marcel
Marceau he was pushing with all his might now but I hadn't budged even a
millimeter. Then something clicked in my mind, All this muscle on my body did it
really make me that much stronger? So much so that a grown man cannot push me
down on a bed. I looked behind me and noticed that it was not a bed but a metal
table, I hadn't been moved at all. My mind reeled again thousands of
possibilities raced through my brain but nothing made sense at all. I wondered
how strong I was, certainly stronger than this specimen of a man still pushing
futilely against my shoulders. I remembered how easily he over powered me
earlier but it didn't look like he had much chance now.

He seemed to be pushing against me with all his might but all I could feel was
his hands on my shoulders. I put my hands around his wrists and pulled his hands
off my shoulders. I heard a cracking sound like wood snapping, It wasn't wood
however his scream in my ear told me different. some how I had broken both his
wrists.

Dr Hammond looked at me in horror. I gave him my best smile. "Tell me doctor
what did you do to me?" I asked not really expecting a answer. He looked at me
then at his wrists. I genetically altered your DNA removing all weaknesses and
repairing damaged or missing DNA. Your muscle tissue has been intensified
reduced and intensified again. each of your muscles has increased in mass by ten
to the power of one hundred. I quickly did the calculation but set my face to
prevent my jaw dropping. He continued, Your bone structure has been altered to
cope and is at least ten times stronger still than your muscles, and all you
internal organs have been enhanced to the same level.

He stopped talking well aware of his situation. he knew I could crush him
without even trying to put any effort in. I figured that he was telling me all
this to get me on his side so i reserved judgement on what he had just said.
"Why did you not realise you would be unable to stick a hypodermic in my arm?"
He looked at me and licked his lips and decided on truth.

"Your the first person to come through the process alive." There should have
been some sort of emotion in that statement regret maybe but he just continued
giving me cold hard facts. "The process of change took so long at first that I
was unable to keep them alive for more than a week. so I accelerated the process
but the more I accelerated the process the greater the enhancement became. As i
said you are the first person to survive.

He was doing very well considering the amount of pain he must have been in. But
I knew he was holding back on me. "Don't fuck with me Hammond, You know that my
thought process has been accelerated as well. I know your holding back on me,
You still should have had a body to experiment on so you should have known"

"OK," he said nervously, "The accelerate process is or rather was too much for
the human body to cope with and it would literally just jellify on the table." I
looked down at the table I was sitting on, and he went on quickly. "I'm not sure
what happened to you though because the only thing I did differently was to
start the process off at a slower pace."

I wondered if the alcohol in my bloodstream had save me or the high dose of
toxic radiation I'd suffered had effected the process in some way. But there was
more surprises to come. "You actually died about 2 hours ago," he said that so
matter of factly that he could have been talking about what he'd had for lunch.
"I was so shocked to find you alive, maybe you were in a coma or you body was in
shock. We'll know more once I've run some tests."

"Tests?" I say looking at him. And i can almost see the cogs spinning... "Yes
just a few tests to see how your holding up and then when we sell this to the
government we'll both be rich."
"Will we?" I ask "How rich?"
"Multi millionaires," He blurts out in his enthusiasm. "And you'll be famous the
world over."
"I will?"
"Ho yes with your power you'll be able to rule the world if you wanted."
"Really?"
"And what about you?"
"Me?"
"yes you'll need to be able to repeat the process before the scientific world
will accept what you've done as real."
He seemed surprised but replied, "true, I need to find out what was different
about you that helped you survive."
"Have you forgotten about the radiation overdose?"
Despite his pain I could see the realisation in his face that I had hit on an
explanation he had not yet had enough time to fully consider. He looked at my
hands wrapped around his wrists. "P... please let me go," he said almost
pleading.

"How many times has this process of yours failed?" I asked simply. he looked at
me and back to his wrists considering but I think the pain won him over. "A
couple of hundred perhaps." There was no trace of guilt at what he had done, no
regret. he saw my look and added, "they were all prostitutes or drug users." he
said as if that justified killing all those women.
"and they were all women so you could rape them?"
 Once again he checked the grip I had on his arms, I didn't feel in the least
bit stressed holding him there, the metal table gave no discomfort to me at all.
In fact I felt just as good now as I did when I woke up, there was only one
thing bothering me but i didn't want to ask this pathetic excuse for a doctor
anything. I wanted him to pay for raping those women, for killing them, for
killing me. But I knew he wasn't working alone to have this lab under a
nightclub.
The strain showed on his face as he tried to think of a way of framing his
answer so that it stopped me from breaking his wrists again. But I stalled him
by asking, "who do you work for?"
Judging by the way he pulled his eye brows down I guessed he was searching for a
believable lie. So I helped him along, "Government?, CIA?.....
"Government he interjected"
"And you get approval for what you are doing?"
"Yes but...." he hesitated, "go on," I urged. I'm restricted to experiments on
lab rats." "But its all top secret no one would believe you if you said
anything." He said as though that was all the explanation that was required. he
was really arrogant and didn't realise it.
There was a lot of other questions I wanted answers to but I didn't particularly
like his attitude nor his answers.  Something needed to be done about this guy
and it looked like I had to be the one to do it. I let go of his arms and he
winced and tried to hug his broken arms to his body.
I knew what I had to do and my foot shot up into his groin and he flew back
against the wall and judging by the sound of breaking bones, every one of his
must have broken as his body smashed into the wall.
Being judge, jury and executioner didn't really effect me emotionally as I
thought it would. Killing him was the right thing to do and I did it. simple as
that really.  I'm sure i would not have thought like that a few days ago, but
now.. it just seemed natural. I looked at his motionless body on the floor and
confirmed to myself he was dead. Then I took another look at my own body, it's
superbly defined muscle, the huge and tone of the skin of my skin. hard to
believe it was me. looking over my shoulder at the table behind me I lay down,
it really did feel comfortable, not cold, not hard, just comfortable.

As I lay on my back looking up at the white washed ceiling, I wonder what I'm
doing, having just murdered, no not murdered but executed or killed someone: I
wonder why I'm not panicking or at least running for my life. Instead I'm calmly
laying here on my back thinking how comfortable this metal table feels. I wonder
how strong I really am, and in a flash I'm off the table and on the floor doing
push ups I get to 10 and realise I've already done more than I could have done
before: at twenty I can't believe I don't even feel slightly tired. At 50 I gave
up, got to my feet and wondered how long I could have kept that up? I feel fresh
as a daisy, looking around the lab trying to find some other means to test
myself. My quick darting eyes stop on and empty glass beaker. I pick it up, it
looks ordinary enough so I squeeze it gently in my fingers. Almost immediately
it shatters but i manage to catch the remains of the bottom of the beaker in my
other hand.

Stretching out my palm I tried to grind a point of the broken glass into my palm
but I couldn't even get it to make an indentation let alone a cut; I gave that
idea up when the point of the glass began to grind to dust in my hand. Picking
up a scalpel I ran its blade across my wrist gently at first then harder when no
cut appeared. Mmm nothing, I examined the blade and found it to be badly burred
and bent as if someone had hit it with an hammer. Threading its handle between
three of my fingers I tried to push back with my middle finger and was surprised
at how easily I bent it. The force I used was no different from the force
required when bending paper. when the ends of the scalpel touch I get the bend
between my fingers and squeeze as gently as I can and the metal slowly slides
together so that the scalpel is folded in two like paper. The I squeeze a little
harder and it squishes between my fingers molten metal spurts out across my
forefinger and thumb and I give a little giggle like nervous laughter, how
unbelievable is this?

Suddenly the realisation came on me that I needed to get out of here. I looked
around for my clothes and spot them screwed up under the table I'd been lying
on. I Tried putting them on but they just weren't my size, seemingly two sizes
too small. Had I really grown that much? Forgetting the blouse I pulled my
jacket on but could not button it over my large breasts. It would have to do
untill I could get home. Luckily my pants were loose fitting but I found myself
unable to fasten them over my bulky midriff, filled with so much muscle as it
was. I had no choice I had to leave them on undone and ridding over my ankles,
far too short now as well.

Standing at the door I spotted a lab coat and decided to try it on. A bit tight
around the shoulders but I wouldn't need it for long. I hesitated with my hand
over the door handle not wanting to break it trying to open the door. I made a
few quick calculations I didn't know I knew how and opened the door without
crushing it completely. Or would have done if it had been unlocked. Shit, I
thought really not wanting to search the dead doctors body for a key. I breathed
a sigh of relief because it was a mortise lock i offered my little finger up to
the key hole and pushed it into the lock, it slipped in like I was putting my
finger into a bowl of water. I crooked my finger and gently pulled. There was a
loud splintering sound of wood as I pulled the lock out of the door frame and
swung open the door.

Fortunately the corridor was empty and I started heading back in the direction
of the night club as i walked along I considered how likely it was that who ever
doctor Hammond's pay master was might want to come after me or even my family.
Forced to turn round I headed back to Hammond's lab. The door hung open and I
walked in closing the door behind me. I headed straight for his computer
figuring he would keep all his records there. Quickly ripping out all the wires
out the back I picked up his desk top pc and headed back out the door. Now I
couldn't afford to be spotted with a computer under my arm, but I didn't want to
draw attention to myself with the noise I would make destroying his hard drive.
Walking quickly I hopped I could exit the building without being spotted. I knew
I needed to go up so when I passed a fire escape stairway I decided that would
be the quickest way out. I remembered going down 2 lots of stairs so figured 2
floors should do it, however as I neared the stair exit door I happen to hear
footsteps approaching the door so I dash up the stairs quickly so as not to be
seen. Trouble is without realising it I went so so quickly I reached the roof
door in a matter of seconds, I tried to stop when I spotted the door but it was
too late for that. I crashed into, well when I say into I mean more like crashed
through the door smashing it off it hinges and I stumbled to the floor the
desktop clasped under my arm. I lay there for some moments waiting for the pain
to tell me where I had hurt myself but of course it did not come. So I got to my
feet, looked at my unscrased knees and heard the rumble of an alarm behind me.
Of course the door had been alarmed and here's me stuck on the roof; or was I?

I was on my feet in a flash and looking over a low wall at the street below.
Another roof across the street caught my eye and before I knew it I was standing
on the wall gauging my jump across the street. If I'd have given myself time to
think about it I would have talked myself out of even attempting to jump quite
so far. But I wanted to jump before anyone reached the roof. It might help here
if I point out that since school the biggest thing I ever jumped over was a
puddle and then not always successfully. I didn't want to jump straight up into
the air I need to jump from a standing position across the street below. So I
thought up and forward, up and forward. You've probably guessed what happened
next But I distinctly remember counting 23 blocks before l started my descent.
One good thing I learnt was exactly how much effort to put into my jump if I
wanted to land on any of the buildings I was passing. I wondered if I would be
able to land on my feet as i descended but as I calculated where i was going to
land I realised this wasn't going to happen. I crashed into the side of a
building smashing my way through a solid brick wall. After that it was like
something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon as I crashed my way into a stair well
hit a rail flipped over said rail and plummeted my way down to the bottom
hitting my head and catching my feet on the edge of the stairs all the way down.
Landing in a heap, I lay motionless for a while waiting for injuries to come
through as pain but I neither sensed nor felt any hurt or pain. Slowly I sat up
and put my hand too my head where it had hit the stair but no blood, no hurt
just my hand on my head. This was going to take some getting used to.

How unbelievable was that? Through a brick wall down a stair well and not even a
scratch!!! What the fuck had he done to me? I pulled the computer from under my
arm, it was badly dented from the fall not to mention my arm. I wondered if his
research would be worth anything but remembered all the women who died for this
man, which made me angry and I slammed my fist down on the pc.
SHHHHHIT! the whole of the stair well around shook as I smash the pc into the
ground. I'd flattened it beneath my fist and made a pot hole in the concrete
floor. I looked in utter disbelief at the power I had put into that without even
trying or feeling any effect on my fist. Examining my hand showed me nothing. It
felt like a gentle tap, thinking about it so did coming through the wall and
hitting the floor.

3 more hits to the computer saw it completely flat so I put one hand on top and
easily folded it in half and then half again. Then squeezing it between my hands
watched as a small tendril of smoke rose from between my fingers then my hands
squished through molten metal. There I thought that takes care of the hard
drive.

Standing up I wondered where i was, My clothes were looking decidedly tattered
and I wanted to get home. I spotted the door that lead outside but walked up to
the wall opposite and stood with my breasts pressed against the wall. Then
pressing my body against the wall I wondered how much effort it would take to
push myself straight through the wall. The answer was not a lot I could feel the
bricks crumbling under my breasts then they broke through and my face then
pressed against brick and also my stomach and hips. It was a funny sensation
really because I was expecting the bricks to feel rough against my skin but it
felt rather much like the metal table did against my back.

As I pushed my mind was busy calculating how much pressure my body was applying
to the wall. I wasn't sure how I was doing it or why but I seemed to be able to
concentrate fully on how my face was displacing bricks in the wall, and at the
same time I was calculating the force required the next time I wanted to push my
body through a brick wall. Not that the need should arise very often. Suddenly a
brick became dislodged, falling to the floor. I could feel the cool night air on
my face, then the tiniest of pushes and the whole of the wall around me
collapsed. And I stepped out into a dark ally. I really wanted to test myself
and my new found strength. I couldn't believe how turned on pushing my body
through a brick wall made me. But considering I my situation I decided it was
time I made my way home.