John winced as he heard the heavy weights clang behind him.
Does she have to do that in here? he thought for the thousandth time.
It was a rhetorical question and he already knew the answer. Of course she did. It was the only way his parents would allow John to set up his personal lab in the basement. Their house was small so he had to share the space with his sister, and she had turned her side of the room into her own personal gym.
The heavy weights clanged again, once again disrupting his concentration.
Well, does she have to do it right now? he thought angrily, and turned to glare at his younger sister.
Beth just looked back at him and smiled, then began another rep.
Of course she did. Beth was much more athletically gifted than him, and she loved to rub it in his face. Their father was an accomplished athlete, known in the world of competitive weightlifting. At an early age Beth demonstrated a similar aptitude for athletics. She loved and excelled at every sport - basketball, track, field hockey, softball - and her body loved her back for it. She had developed the tight toned physique of a fitness instructor. But - much to his father's disappointment - John had had inherited none of his athletic prowess. No, that had all gone to Beth, and she loved to lord it over him. So she teased him by working out in front of him at every opportunity.
But that was part of the reason John was in the basement himself. For while he didn't seem to have inherited any of his father's muscle, he had inherited his mother's brains. Their mother was a brilliant biochemist, known for her work with the development of new human hormone therapies. At an early age John seemed to have a knack for science and chemistry. His mother encouraged his hobby, acting as his mentor and giving him personal instructions on the finer details of human biochemistry. His current project - a secret from all his family - was of particular interest. He was developing a new compound - a compound that would finally allow him to get the upper hand on his sister.
The weights clanged again, and he cast a sideways glance at his sister, Beth. At seventeen, she was just a year younger than him. But it was hard to tell that just by looking at her. She was just so much bigger than him. She wasn't some kind of Amazon bodybuilder, but she was much bigger than most of the girls in her class. And stronger than her rail-thin brother. But at least he was still taller than her. She seemed to have reached her peak at around 5'7" while he stood a proud 6'. Well, as proud as someone who resembled a scarecrow could, he supposed.
But that would soon change. His formula would unlock the potential locked away in his genes. It would activate his dormant muscle cells and send them into overdrive, causing them to grow and multiple rapidly. In no time at all he would be the muscular Adonis he was supposed to be.
At least, in theory. He still had yet to try the thing. The compound was designed to interact specifically with his genes, so he wasn't sure if it would be effective on lab animals. But he was still tempted to try. He cast a sideways glance towards his sister's pet bearded lizard, Pongo. What could it hurt? If it failed, she would just be out one lizard.
John shook his head. No, he wasn't that cruel. He may have been jealous of his sister and resented her a little. But deep down he still loved her and losing that pet would break her heart. But then again, he was sure that he had gotten it right. His work was impeccable and all the simulations seemed right. It had to work, it just had to.
He looked at beaker, completing the distillation of his final product. Soon, it would be ready to test ....
The heavy weights clanged down behind him again, causing him to jump.
But this time he didn't turn around. He just smiled. In just a few minutes he would show Beth what true power was, and how to lift some real weight.