It wasn't until tomorrow on Saturday that Justin returned to the military base. He drove with his mom once more, passing through the front gate and visiting the main building. They didn't go to the lab, though. Margaret took him through another hallway that apparently led to a gym facility.
"We have a separate gym for testing purposes. It gives us privacy, and is more convenient if we want to evaluate our test subjects." She explained to him.
"And we'll be testing Nikki's strength, right?"
His mom nodded. "That's the plan. Abrams kept an eye on her throughout the night. No side-effects or harmful symptoms manifested themselves, which means your serum is safe. Of course, we'll keep Nikki under surveillance regardless."
They came across two army soldiers on their way toward the gym. Both just so happened to be women. Come to think of it, he had yet to see any men working on the soldier enhancement program. Not even a male janitor.
Justin dismissed the notion as pure coincidence. He hadn't been here for a long time anyway.
Margaret stopped in front of a door, turning to her son. "You can go on in already, dear. I'll be taking care of some minor administrative work. Shouldn't take too long."
"Oh, okay. See you soon, mom."
He waved her goodbye before entering the gym. Justin hadn't seen many in his life. The reason why he was considered to be a nerd and thin had to do with that. Gyms were simply something he'd never taken an interest in before, and thus he'd never visited one out of his own volition.
The facility's gym was definitely better than his school's. For starters, there was more equipment, which looked to be in better shape, and there was a large variety of machines and weights. Justin felt amazed by how much gear he saw.
"Justin! Glad you could make it." Greeted a voice to the left.
He turned around, facing Nikki who was already there. "Hey, Nikki. Good to see you. Are you feeling alright? No bad side-effects from the serum, apparently?"
"Not at all. Your serum has been quite the thrill, actually. Haven't felt this pumped before!"
The redhead flexed her arm, showing off the prominent bicep that popped up at her command. It looked as big and firm as it did yesterday. Justin was impressed by the detailed definition of the muscle. Then again, every muscle of hers was amazing. Nikki truly resembled a female bodybuilder the way her tall frame simply bulged with taut sinew.
Justin whistled, impressed. "Whoa... I didn't expect it to work that well, if I'm being honest."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Nikki grinned. She dropped the flex, and gestured for him to follow. Her fatigues from yesterday had been swapped for tight workout shorts and a sports bra. Both were tight around her muscular physique. "Come along. I've been itching to get my workout started."
"So why haven't you?"
She shrugged her wide shoulders. "Doctor's orders as usual. She wanted to wait until she was ready to measure my new strength."
Speaking of which, doctor Abrams was waiting for them up ahead. The scientist wore her labcoat again, and had a clipboard in her hands, on which she was writing something. She looked up as they approached.
"Finally. About time you showed up, private." Said Abrams. "Hello, Justin. Here for today's demonstration?"
"Yes. My mom had to take care of some paperwork first, so she should be here in a while."
"No problem. We'll get started in the meantime. Private? Please start off with these dumbbells."
"Roger that!" Answered Nikki.
Her red ponytail swayed as she made her way towards the weights. Nikki started off by grabbing a pair of forty-pounders. The dumbbells certainly looked heavy, and Justin wasn't foolish enough to claim that he could lift those.
Nikki began curling them shortly after. The female soldier was completely focused on the exercise, more serious than her earlier attitude. She pumped her arms with each rep, doing so at a steady pace, all the while he and Abrams stood on the sidelines and took notes.
After a few more repetitions, however, Nikki put the weights back. "No use. These have become way lighter than before. I'm going to try heavier, if that's alright with you, doc."
"Of course. Feel free to challenge yourself."
The army girl exchanged her previous dumbbells for ones that weighed 60 pounds each. Nikki resumed the exercise, curling her new toys. She breathed in deeply as blood rushed toward her arms. The veins covering her shoulders, biceps and forearms were more prominent now. Her biceps in particular bulged with every rep.
Nikki did a whole set before doing hammer curls. Once again her defined biceps flexed, the striations becoming more distinct the more she worked out. Justin was amazed by how dedicated she was. Nikki looked as if she was in a world of her own, tuning out any distraction.
Doctor Abrams hummed. "Curious. It seems that she's no longer struggling with 60 pounds. That used to be her limit, and would tire her out after ten reps. But now she's using those weights as the new standard for her workouts."
"So, aside from the growth, her strength has increased accordingly." He said.
"Indeed. I suppose it's not a life-changing transformation, but the formula nevertheless broke previous barriers in muscle growth supplements. Private Waters grew instantaneously and had her natural strength increased, without the need for exercise." Explained the brunette as she jotted down a few notes. "And this is the effect of the blue serum, mind you. Who knows what the yellow and red serums can do?"
While they were talking, Nikki had worked up a sweat. Her skin glistened in the gym's artificial light. Her muscles, swollen and pumped by the workout, tensed as she put the dumbbells away.
From there on out they performed several other tests. Nikki used several machines, such as the benchpress table, to evaluate her new strength. It became abundantly clear that the crimson-haired soldier was no longer challenged by her previous records. In fact, Nikki pointed out that aside from feeling stronger, she wasn't getting tired as quickly anymore.
They tested this by having her use the treadmill. Nikki began with a light jog, but then doctor Abrams increased the speed. She managed to keep up, though. Her muscular legs flexed as she sprinted. Justin watched her quads ripple, striations shifting constantly. And of course, her sculpted calves were like hard rocks.
Justin found himself cheering her on, complimenting Nikki on her performance. The army soldier thanked him with a laugh and wink.
"Alright, so," Abrams spoke up once the tests were completed, "The serum has definitely made you stronger. And with this data, I have gained a better understanding of the benefits that the blue serum provides. This will be helpful in the future."
"Can I get a copy of the results? I'd like to go over them, too." Asked Justin.
"I don't see why not. It's only fair, seeing as you invented the growth formula."
"Ha! We've got ourselves a little genius!" Nikki suddenly appeared at his side, and wrapped her muscular arm around his shoulder. Justin's face felt hot as he was pulled against her hard, warm body. "They should have brought you sooner. Then I would have gained these awesome muscles sooner!"
He struggled to answer her, too embarrassed by how close she was. Justin wasn't used to so much attention from the opposite sex. Much less from an older, muscular woman like Nikki.
"Please do not tease my son, private."
Nikki yelped and released him quickly, standing at attention. His mom soon stepped into view, and she was not impressed. Uh-oh.
"Sorry, major. Won't happen again." Nikki responded, her broad chest rising and falling as she steadied her breathing.
"I hope so." Said Margaret. She dropped the issue, though. "How did it go, doctor? Everything turning out as we hoped it to be?"
Abrams smirked, amused by the situation. "All thanks to Justin, yes. Private Waters is displaying a significant increase in physical power, as well as stamina and durability. My calculations are a bit premature, but I believe that the blue serum could turn an average girl into an amateur bodybuilder. In Waters' case, she's now a full-fledged bodybuilder."
"Then we can move on to the yellow serum?"
Doctor Abrams hesitated. She gave Margaret's question some thought, but ultimately found no problem with it.
"That's certainly feasible. Who do you propose we test it on?" She asked.
Nikki grinned, crossing her bulging arms. "I wouldn't mind giving it a try."
Honestly, Justin didn't mind either, considering how good she looked with those muscles. The decision was ultimately his mom's, though. The army major didn't need long to pick a suitable test subject.