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MJ's jaw was clenched with effort as she forced one final rep out of her exhausted arms. Pressing up against the load bearing down on her, MJ let out a grunt as she managed to extend her arms and re-racked the reinforced steel bar with a loud bang.
Sitting up, MJ couldn't suppress the massive grin on her face even as beads of sweat rolled down her face and stung at her eyes, "I c-cant believe...I just did that!"
"Fifteen repetitions of bench press with the equivalent downward force of ten thousand pounds," Harry specified as he stepped out from behind the control panel with an equally massive grin on his face, "And from what your biometrics show, your muscular density is still growing by 2.5% on a daily average. Meaning you're going to get a lot stronger before you finally reach your full potential."
Standing up from the padded bench, MJ stared at the massive hydraulic presses, each the size of an oil tankard, attached to the reinforced barbell. It was the only way to reliably and safely generate the enormous amounts of resistance MJ needed to work up a sweat. And the bench press wasn't the only piece of specialized equipment Harry had made. The room they stood in couldn't even be called a gym anymore; The floors and walls were made out of shock-absorbent concrete configured in interlocking pillars of concrete, each embedded ten feet into the ground to bear not only the heavy machinery but the heroes that used them. It gave the training facilities a very militaristic look, which fit the name Harry had assigned to the room, calling it the Crucible.
"Do you think I'll be strong enough to max out every machine in here?" MJ asked as she grabbed a towel and a water bottle from a nearby rack, wiping off her sweat and quickly draining the hydrating fluid.
"Seeing as the seismic deadlift has a maximum load of several thousand tons, I'd say no, but that's only with your current level of enhancements," Harry answered as he looked over something on his electronic pad, "You're a first iteration with many improvements to be made later down the line. There will probably be a point in the future where you won't even need to use your body to lift things."
MJ's brow furrowed, "Won't use my body? You're not talking about mind control or some kind of magical powers, are you?"
Harry grinned, "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, only time will tell. Now you said you had something you wanted to talk about?"
"Um, yeah, I was just wondering..." MJ stammered as she glanced away nervously and scratched the back of her head, "If there was any possibility of me going out this month and you know, actually doing some superhero stuff?"
MJ's voice was barely above a whisper as she finished her question, but Harry still heard every word and smiled, "Oh, MJ...absolutely not."
"Ugh, why not?!" MJ protested, following as Harry turned around and started walking out of the Crudible, "I've been training really hard, and what was the point of making me into a superhero if I don't save people?"
"First of all, I one hundred percent agree with your statement about dedicating yourself to your training," Harry replied honestly, "But you've been training for less than a month, and that training has been limited solely to getting you adjusted to your new strength and body."
Reaching the door, Harry opened the massive one-ton slabs of steel after scanning his palm against the biometric lock, "The whole premise of Ascend was that we would produce not the strongest heroes, but the most disciplined. Training people who could follow a chain of command when everything is going as planned, while also knowing what to do when shit inevitably hits the fan. And even disregarding that aspect, you're not invincible, MJ; there are still things that can very much hurt and/or kill you."
MJ wanted to protest, but Harry's points were too solid to debate through, so she ended up letting out a long sigh, "As always, you're right. I just feel so stuck. This life-changing thing just happened to me, but everything still feels so...normal."
"I would suggest that you go see the therapist included in your insurance plan, but that would be me trying to fix and solve all your problems, when you just need to process them at emotionally healthy pace," Harry replied as he slowed down letting MJ catch up and walk with him in tandem, "Also I'm not always right, I'm just as fallible as everybody else."
MJ scoffed, "Yeah, right, because every eighteen-year-old finds a way to make regular people into superhumans and creates a multi-billion-dollar company, while also being hyper aware of mental fallacies and their own shortcomings."
"Well, when you phrase it like that, I guess I am pretty awesome," Harry replied with a cocky grin which MJ responded to with a gentle nudge, "Careful now, I don't wanna end up a buried a foot into the concrete."
"Oh come on, ever since that egg training, I've learned to control my strength," MJ protested with a roll of her eyes, "Though it is pretty annoying having to treat everything like it's made out of glass."
"Well, hopefully some of the stress will be taken away, we've finally finished the last of the clinical tests for the next round of augments. The next six will focus on improving your mental processes and nervous systems," Harry informed, making MJ perk right back up. "When can I get them?"
"If everything goes as planned, this weekend I just need to program the procedures into the Cradle AI and you'll be as right as rain," Harry answered before he came to a stop as they arrived in front of MJ's dorm, "So just make sure you rest up plenty over the next few days to prepare for the surgery. This next round is going to be far more intense and only one step below open brain surgery."
"You won't be actually cutting off my skull and poking around though, right?" MJ asked as she scanned her palm against the hexagonal door.
"Nothing of the sort," Harry assured her, and MJ sent him one last smile and a goodbye before retreating into her room to rest up.
The moment the doors closed behind MJ, Harry's phone started to ring, and without even looking, he knew who was calling him, "I just wrapped up with MJ and I'm on my way to the garage as we speak."
"Good, I've already had the entire complex swept and secured, so we should be ready to join the security procession in ten minutes." Madison replied, her voice as serious as always.
"You're really taking this security detail seriously," Harry muttered as he stepped into an elevator. "Just because the crime statistic moves up a percentage point doesn't mean someone is going to put a car bomb under the hood."
Madison let out a tired sigh, "Harry, there was a gang shooting right down the street a month ago, and it's been more than just a percentage point. You said it yourself, the City is becoming increasingly unstable. I'm almost at the point where I'm almost tempted to order you a twenty-four-hour security team."
"Yeah, but the whole young approachable tech genius persona I got going doesn't really work out when I have the men in black pat everyone down who tries to shake my hand or looks at me for a bit too long." Harry countered as he leaned against he elevator wall, knowing there was no way Madison would budge on her stance, 'Can't really blame her though, apparently they've stopped at least three assassination attempts, though they did miss the first time my food was poisoned...someone really wants me dead...I should probably figure out who's responsible soon before they start to take drastic measures.'
The elevator beeped, and Harry stepped out into the garage as the doors slid open, and he was immediately surrounded by a security detail as Madison moved in to hug his side, "Thank you for not fighting me on this, I know it's an adjustment, but I assure you soon enough you won't even notice it."
"If I ever get used to having security around me, life isn't worth living at that point," Harry muttered under his breath as they made their way to a black SUV with heavily tinted windows and climbed inside, "Hopefully once my father become mayor we'll be able to make this city a safer place."
"Well, if it's any consolation after today's event, you'll definitely be making a difference," Madison replied before she leaned forward and tapped on the window partition separating her passengers from the riders, "We're all good, set the route for Mercy Hospital."