The Gift – Part 1

Chapter 1

Sarah was in the swing of things. The night was young and so was she! All she needed was an energy boost! She wasn’t normally turned by such things as illegal substances, but had of late found everything hard going. Work, been as single mum, turning 30 and weekend partying had begun to take its toll. Throw in the healthy eating and the gym, this equalled a recipe for severer tiredness.

She was permanently tired; keeping up with her hectic life had become hard work. Just the other day she had fallen asleep at her desk. She was woken up by a colleague, who, as you would expect, made a big deal out of the whole thing. This didn’t please Sarah one bit.

Sarah was a head strong woman who didn’t like anyone getting one over her. When her colleague embarrassed her it was the final straw. Sarah knew the local drug takers through her old job. She knew that at this time of night they wouldn’t remember a thing the next day. This made it the perfect time to quiz them about whom to acquire the substances from.

She had changed her hairstyle since she left the job where she would quite often see these people, this coupled with her been dressed differently to how they use to see her. Would, she hoped, help in making her less recognisable. With the time of night and her appearance change, she felt confident that they wouldn’t recognise her in the future.

She approached the group slowly, making sure to not to be seen or noticed. Taking a seat at a table far enough away so that it didn’t look like she was watching them but still close enough to observe them, she waited. She sat there for a while taking time to assess the situation. Even with all the things she had stacked in her favour she still didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Sarah may well be strong for a girl her size, she was still petite and as for fighting, she was average at best there, So there was very little chance of her holding her own against this group, there was only one, maybe two out of the full group that she felt, if needed, she may just have a chance against.

She sat and watched them like a stalker. She decided to wait for one of the smallest in the group to go to the bar or the toilet. That would be her best opportunity. That would allow her to confront him whilst he was on his own. She had to be nice. Been sharp or abrupt would put them on edge which wasn’t what she wanted.

It seemed like a life time before finally, one two she had chosen split from the group. This was her opportunity. Sarah grabbed her drink off the table and began followed him but from a far. She didn’t want to startle him or make his friends think he was been followed. At first it looked like he was just going for a walk round. He passed two toilets, three bars and the exit. Sarah was wondering what she should do. She knew this one quite well. His name was Mick. He was small, argumentative and had no time for women. This made him quite hard work.

Mick continued to walk around. Sarah continued to follow. She could see the group were watching him from afar so it was imperative that she kept well back.

It was ten minutes before Mick stopped; He waited until he had gotten the attention of a small group in the quiet corner of the club. Once waved over he walking casually across.

The man he began talking to was one of the biggest guy’s you’ve ever seen. Sarah placed her drink on an adjacent table where she could see what was going on but was hidden from the still on looking group.

Sarah watched the pair and smiled. She had struck gold! Sarah was quite adapting at reading lips. A trick she had learnt at work. It made her job easier and also filled the quiet times as she could see what people were talking about.

Sarah could see both Mick and his mysterious friend’s lips, reading what they were talking about she soon ascertained that mystery man was in fact a drug dealer. This made life so much easier as it removed the need to confront Mick.

The transaction didn’t take too long and Mick was soon on his way back to his friends. This was Sarah’s chance. It was now or never. But as she stood up and before she even had time to think of a plan the guy that Mick had just finished his dealing with beckons her across.

Sarah points to herself in shock as if to say “Me?”

The man nodded, slowly but with a smile.

Sarah approaches, sheepishly

“Names Wilson!” he says as he thrusts his hand towards hers.

“Sarah.” She replied as she takes his hand expecting him to shake it.

Wilson grips her hand and starts walking. “Let’s go for a walk. I don’t like to stick around for too long!” he says as he starts walking, and dragging Sarah with him.

Sarah follows, be it reluctantly.

They head towards the exit, once outside, there’s a limo parked, engine running, waiting. He opens the door looks at Sarah and says “Please!” whilst pointing at the seats inside.

Sarah worryingly enters the car and takes a seat. Wilson follows her in and sits down.

As the car moves away Wilson looks at Sarah and smiles

“Drink?” he seemingly asks as he begins pouring.

“O … Ok.” Sarah replied worryingly.

Wilson hands her a glass. “Vodka, coke and ice just like you were drinking in the club.”

Sarah takes it and smells it.

“Rest assured, Sarah, have no intention of drugging you. If I had wanted to do that I would have done it earlier!” he says with a smile.

Sarah smiles and takes a drink.

“Ok now you’ve relaxed a little you can tell me, what makes a girl like you seek out someone of my character?” Wilson says with a smile

Sarah looked at him with a smiled. He wasn’t beating around the bush. He was going straight to the point. The least she could do was return the favour.

“I work, I’m on a diet, I go to the gym, I’m single, I have children and I like to enjoy myself. I want to be stronger, fitter and have more energy. There are not enough hours in the day for sleep at the moment.” Sarah says before finishing her drink.

“I have just the thing for you Sarah, It’s new and it’s exactly what you require!” Wilson says as he produces a small bottle the fridge.

“Take this and in a week you’ll be fine, it will do everything you require. There will be no need to come back to me ever again!” Wilson says as he hands Sarah the bottle.

“How much are you asking for this?” Sarah asks.

“Nothing it’s a gift” he says as the car comes to a halt.

“You’ll like it Sarah. Trust me!” Wilson says as the car door opens.

As the limo speeds off down the street, Sarah finds herself stood outside her own house holding a bottle of strange liquid given to her by an even stranger man. She sits down the doorstep of her house, the one Wilson had just dropped her outside of without ever been told. She sat there for a while contemplating what had just happened and what she should do. Should she drink the liquid inside and believe Wilson. She reason that if he wanted to kill her he would have. He could have killed her in the club, in the back of limo or even her own home as apparently he knew where she lived. He could have spiked her drink, stabbed her, broke her neck or even shot her. He wouldn’t do it with a bottle of liquid and if he did she was sure he’d have watched.

Sarah unscrewed the top and raised the bottle to her nose, it smelt of nothing, it didn’t even have a chemical smell. She then pressed the open end to her mouth. As she licked her lips could taste contents, the fluid inside. It had a taste of medicine, almost like the medicine she had when she was a child. She smiled, I always liked that taste!” she said loudly before flicking her head back and allowing the contents flow down her throat.

Sarah looks at the empty bottle for a few seconds before dropping it in the bin. What’s done is done just got to wait and see what happens in a week now!

Chapter 2

Sarah pulled her favourite clubbing top on. Last week it was a little baggy rounds her chest and the sleeves this week though, was different. It was now a little tight round her chest and the sleeves but it was in no way uncomfortable. Last week she had space to move, the top only hung where it touched, it was a top she had hoped to fill out more as her training took hold. This week as she bent her arm she could hear the fabric beginning give, as for the bra … What bra! She liked the top as it showed her flat stomach off, now she loved it as it showed her abs, abs that a gymnast would be proud of.

She never had any real muscle tone in her arms, they never really grew much when she flexed. Now her little arms had gone and muscle had appeared in its place. But her arms weren’t the only place to change, everything had! In just a week she had gotten fitter slimmer and more toned. But it wasn’t just in the shape. She was stronger too and not just a little.

She wasn’t weak to begin with. She could almost bench press her own body weight of 105lbs but now she was doing double that … with one hand and that’s high reps and correct form too! She couldn’t pack the bar enough to find her one rep max.

Sarah finished getting ready then looked in the mirror. In this get up she almost looked the same old Sarah she did last week. Apart from the new hair style and slightly more toned nobody knew of her amazing change and that was how she wanted it, for now!

She drank the last drops out of her can, then with just a flick of her petite wrist, disposed of the can in to the bin as she walked towards the door. She watched with a smile as it it fly high and majestically across the room and drop into the bin some 20 feet away. It was just one of a few new tricks she had learnt since her change.

As she turns the corner towards the club she walks into Dennis, literally. Dennis was the head doorman. At 6, 8 and over 400lbs he was a big guy. This wasn’t a new experience for Sarah though.

Dennis took great pleasure in knocking people over when they weren’t looking and Sarah had, on more than one occasion been the unlucky recipient of Dennis’s shenanigans. Only this time the outcome couldn’t have any more surprising. As there body’s collided Sarah was the one who continued. Dennis was stopped dead in his tracks before been quickly reversing direction by the still moving Sarah. Sarah stopped and watched as Dennis fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud. It all happened so quickly that Sarah couldn’t stop it happening.

Dennis just lay there on the floor in shock for about 10 seconds. Sarah just looked down at him mouth open. The initial reaction of shock was soon replaced with a giggle. Dennis didn’t like this one bit and sprung to his feet and puffed his chest out.

Sarah couldn’t believe Dennis was ready to stand off against her.

“Chill, Dennis! It’s not as if I planned to knock you over. I must have just caught you off balance!” Sarah said with a laugh.

This only managed to annoy Dennis even more. He growled at Sarah before beginning to raise his hands, then grinned at Sarah and slapped massive shovel hands into the middle of her shoulders expecting her to stumble forward with some velocity. But again the outcome was a little unexpected. Sarah again didn’t move. But as Dennis’s hand made contact you could see his face change to a grimace the quickly followed by a yelp of pain.

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at this. She knew she was stronger than before but not this much stronger. Dennis, who was a full 12 inches taller and over 400lbs had just tried, and failed to knocker her over again and What’s more interesting was that he hurt his hand in the process of slapping her whilst she felt nothing more than a light slap on the back.

Sarah knew that quite a crowd had gathered now to watch the events unfold. She could hear the conversations. Her secret was out now so there was no need to try and pass it off as luck anymore.

Dennis was livid now. But this didn’t faze her, Sarah new she could put him in his place and what’s more she was going to do it too. Sarah walked slowly towards Dennis, smiling at him as she did.

“Sorry Dennis!” She said as she stopped in front of him “I guess I caught you off balance again!”

Dennis just growled at her and started to clench his fists.

Sarah looked down at his hands, then back up to his face then smiled as she slammed her right hand into his crotch and began to squeeze.

Dennis’s face changed instantly from anger to pain

“You weren’t thinking of doing anything silly were you Dennis!” Sarah said as she squeezed a little more

Sarah just looked at Dennis blankly as she slowly and effortlessly lifts her arm. She was only intending to cause more pain in the crotch area but the actual outcome shocked even her although she didn’t show it. Because as Sarah slowly lifted her arm, Dennis began to rise up. Firstly onto his tiptoes as he franticly tried and failed to brake Sarah’s vice like grip. But he didn’t stop there as next the seemed impossibly happened. The 400lbs brute left the ground, his full weight been supported only by Sarah’s slender hand. Before she knew it Dennis was some 12 inches off the ground and everyone was watching in shock. As she lifted more she could feel her bicep bulging. She looked at her arm to see massive bicep sitting on her slender arm.

Her tight top was struggling to contain it as it made a bid for freedom. All around her she could here whispering “she’s got to beholding 400lbs with 1 hand there!”

Sarah smiled. She couldn’t believe how strong she was. Then, smiling, she extended her arm and flicked her wrist like she enjoyed doing so much with the can and watched as Dennis sailing across the pavement landing on the bench opposite.

As she relaxed her arm the bulging bicep retreated back in her arm leaving them again looking toned and slender.

She decides it was probably best to make a quick exit at this point. Not through fear but because she didn’t want to answer millions of questions.

Once in the club she could relax. There may be lots of conversations going on about what had happened but nobody knew who it was. Chinese whispers had quickly changed her from a petite blonde in to some tall hulk like Amazon. May she could keep her new strength a secret after all.

“Sarah, Vodka coke and ice just how you like it!” said the voice from behind her.

Sarah turned round slowly to see a familiar face.

“Wilson, what can I do for you?” Sarah enquires confidently.

“I was just in the area when I heard a girl had easily man handled one of my men so I came down to see if it was in fact true.”

“Well if one of your men was Dennis then it was!” Sarah says with a slight ring of cockiness in her voice.

“I do enjoy seeing and hearing of people utilizing the gifts I give them, your new ability, are they to your satisfaction?” Wilson says with a sinister smile before stretching out his hand and saying “shall we go for a walk you know how I hate to stand around.”

Chapter 3

Sarah follows Wilson to an office at the top of the club. “Please take a seat Sarah. “ Wilson requests without even looking.

She sits down and looks round the room whilst Wilson heads over to the bar. Leather chairs, expensive carpets a large wooden desk that looks to be a few hundred years old. Pictures by famous artists and some of the most expensive champagne and spirits she had ever seen. Wilson obviously has money as well as taste.

Wilson places a drink on the coaster in front of Sarah before heading to his chair. He sits there looking at her for a few seconds before taking a sip of his glass.

“1937 Glenfiddich whisky. A £15,000 a bottle vintage usually kept for collecting.” He says with a smile

He takes a drink and savours the taste for a second before continuing “I guess you’re wondering why I asked you here?”

“Well the thought did cross my mind” she replies before taking a drink from the extremely rare lead crystal glass her drink is in.

“Well you see Sarah I’m a collector of rare antiquities.” He says pausing to take another sip of whisky “like the glass you’re drinking from is made by John Calleija it has 1,700 diamonds on it both white and rare argyle pink. They were hand carved from a pair of 8kg blocks of quartz crystal. The glasses are nearly 6 inches tall, over half a pound apiece in weight and share between them 15 carats of diamonds. There’s only 2 of them in the world, they cost quarter of a million pounds each. I own them both. The vodka in your glass is Leon Verres, Billionaire Vodka it costs £3 million a bottle.”

“Ok so your rich I get it but what’s it got to do with me?” Sarah asks.

“Patients Sarah I’ll get to that bit all in due time!”

She’d only met Wilson twice and in total had spent about 30 minutes with him but every time he said her name now it made her cringe.

“Listen Wilson” over emphasizing the w to make it sound extra tiresome saying his name was. “If all you want to do is chat about you fetish’s for collecting rare and expensive crap I’m free most Wednesday afternoons. I can pop over say 3 and you can send me to sleep with all your sto …”

Sarah was interrupted by a now more annoyed Wilson.

“If this is how you want it well I shall get straight to the point. Or you can keep quiet and I can continue to explain what is and where I acquire the wonderful liquid that has in just a week changed your life so much. So what shall it be?”

“O-k. I’ll let you continue.”

“So Sarah, have you heard of Captain America?”

“Yes he’s the dude who wears the red white and blue spandex in the Avenger’s movies. Why are you asking that?”

“It makes it easier to explain if you have heard of him. You see not all comics are as fictional as they would have you believe. There are lots of so called mutants in the world. Mostly the bad ones are caught and kept hidden from us in area 51. The Americans think there doing us a favour. I feel they’re meddlers who want to keep anyone who they see as been harmful locked away. Well the story of Captain America also has an element of truth to it. You see back in 1941 after what happened at pearl harbour the Americans decided they to re-visit a shelved project called Ares. It was to create the ultimate soldier, a god of war. Hence the name they choose, Ares. They had a formula that had been tested on animals and had proven quite successful but the government were originally reluctant to test it on a human subject. Franklin D. Roosevelt on the other hand was a lot more open minded. So they found a willing subject willing to be part of the test. They injected him with a virus. The film and comics used fancy gadgets and plasma but that was just creative licence. In truth it was a needle. The change in high size and everything was also creative licence. The changes were much more subtle. Lower body fat ratio, 10% muscle size increase was all that was visible. The real changes were on the inside. 400% increase in strength, 50% faster sprint, but got to top speed quicker, in fact it was a sub 7 second 100 metres time, 400% increase in stamina, faster healing stronger bones. The results were marvellous. They were far higher than they could have hoped for. Unfortunately a week after the change he died, as did the second, the third and the fourth.”

“So you’re telling me I’m going to die in a week?” Sarah shouted angrily.

“Please. Let me finish.” Wilson said abruptly before continuing. “So they tried it on a female subject. The results were the same but the outcome was rather different. The female survived. She also increased again after the second week. Her strength doubled in the second week as did her stamina and speed. You see, second increase that was what killed the men. Their bodies couldn’t handle it but a woman’s could. So the Americans shelved project Ares and focused on the Manhattan project. As for the woman, well let’s just say not all them prefabricated houses at the test site were empty.

“So they killed her?”

“Yes, back then they were under the opinion of what good is a super solider that’s a woman?”

“Sexist pigs.”

“Please. I haven’t finished. So anyway some years later I happened to come across this information and set about finding out who invented this serum. After years of endless searching I finally found an ageing man in a retirement home who answered to the name Doctor Abraham Erskine. I soon convinced him to give me the formula in return for spearing the lives of his children and their families. So now we fast forward 10 years. This is how long it took me to create the serum. I had a team of scientists working 24 hours a day for all that time. Working with, changing and trying to rectify the problem with the original. But it was no good. It really won’t even work on men. We did however manage to change it from an injection to a drink.”

“That was the drink that you gave me.” Sarah says. “So why go to all that trouble to give it to someone you don’t really know?”

“Well I only had enough of a certain ingredient to make one batch. So I needed someone who could get me more of this ingredient. You see, I know quite a bit about you. I have been watching you for quite some time. I know where your son goes to school, when he goes to visit his dad, where his dad lives, I know your meeting 5 friends in here tonight, I know where they live, I know where there family’s live, I know where your parents lives, I know everything about you and everyone you care about. I also know where you work. You’ve been there for 13 months and have access to the area that holds what I require. I gave you this gift as it not only gives you tremendous ability’s like strength stamina and speed it also makes you invulnerable to a certain kind of water they use to cool spent nuclear reactor rods.”

“So you’re telling me you want me to get you some water, radioactive water? Are you mad?”

“I can assure you Sarah I’ve never been more serious in all my life. I need 2 litres of it for what I require. If you get me this I will leave you alone. If you don’t I will start to kill people you care about until you do.”

“What if I lose my job?”

“Don’t worry along with this gift I have given you. I will also reward you handsomely in the way of a payment of £1,000,000 with this you won’t need to work.”

“Can I Have time to think it over first?”

“Fine you have until the end of your drink to decide. Also to help you make the right decision you may watch this screen”

Wilson presses a button on a remote control that sits his desk and a TV screen appears from behind a special panel in the wall. As the screen comes on there she sees her friends sat with a group of men chatting and giggling.

Wilson dials a number on his phone and one of the men in the group answers.

“Smile for the camera Lucas!” he says. At that point the man turns towards where the camera is and smiles.

“Your friends are been entertained by Lucas and his friends. If you say yes they’ll all get a call to go to work. If you don’t they’ll take your friends to the VIP area where I can assure you the will never return from.

“So Sarah do you have an answer for me?”

Sarah pauses for a minute, takes a sip of the very expensive vodka in the expensive glass.

“I guess I really don’t have any other option do I?” Sarah says as she throws the glass towards the TV screen.

Wilson throws his arm up catching the glass before it could do any damage, places it on the table then smiles.

“I knew I could count on you. You have till next Friday to retrieve what I require. After that I start to dispose of people you love and I’ll start with your friends.”