Heroes Wanted

"Whoa, what the fuck?" Sam exclaimed.

Janice, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised by the occurrence. Elise, who was also in the room, pulled up a chair beside Sam.

"Sam, what we're about to tell you comes as a surprise to many," Elise began. "The treatment that saved your life, it's not just some wonder drug that reverses tissue damage."

"It's also designed to enhance the human body's physical capabilities," Janice finished.

"You mean like some kind of steroids?" Sam asked.

"No, this is something different all together," Janice explained. "Since you began the treatment, it has been re-engineering your cells at a genetic level to be stronger, faster, more versatile."

"Sam, do you remember Jordan Connors?" Elise asked. "Or the Sentinel, as the world calls him now."

"Jordan Connors...," Sam said. "I..."

She stopped as a sudden flash of memory came to the forefront of her mind. She was in a classroom, a high school classroom, and everyone was watching the TV as the president gave a speech. Standing just behind him was a handsome young man in a red, white and blue uniform.

"Jordan Connors!" she said. "Yes, I remember! I mean, I actually remember. I was a senior in high school when the President announced him to the world. The world's first superhero. God, I had such a crush on him. All the girls did. Forget boy bands and vampire novels, he was every girl's wet dream and... oh my god, I'm totally off track aren't I?"

She could see both Janice and Elise stifling shared laughter.

"It's all right," Elise said. "I can't blame you for being excited about the first memory you've had that is so vivid."

"And yes, Jordan is quite handsome," Janice said with a playful smirk.

"Wait, what does Jordan Connors have to do with all this?"

"Jordan is with us," Elise said. "And if you continue to develop and grow, the hope is that you will be too."

"With us like... here?"

"This is more than a medical facility," Elise explained. "We've coordinated Jordan's superhero activities from the start, and we've been tasked by the government to develop and train future generations of heroes. The treatment you received is the first step in that process."

"Holy shit," Sam said, stunned. "You're saying ... I could be a superhero?"

"Not everyone makes it through the process, but in theory, yes. It will be tough - we haven't had a successful recruit since Jordan - but your recovery and development so far is very promising."

"I... this is... kind of crazy. Are you sure this isn't a joke?"

"No joke," Janice promised. "I've been involved in the process for several years now."

"Wow. I mean... wow. Okay. Let's say I believe this all - and I'm not sure I do yet. What happens next?"

"We'll continue to monitor your growth for awhile, but if things continue on their current track, the next step would be for you to join our next class of recruits. Probably in a month or so."

"You mean... there are more people like me?"

Elise and Janice smiled.

"There are indeed," the Asian woman said. "And I hope you get to meet them quite soon."

*****

Malcolm Black, the director of Project Sentinel, sat in silence in his office as he watched and listened to the recorded conversation between Drs. Cho and Yates and their latest subject, the young woman that had been named Samantha Sutherland. She looked quite different now than she had when she was brought to the project, and not just from the healing of her injuries. The young woman who had been flown to the secret facility was golden blonde, hazel-eyed and a little on the heavy side. The treatment had changed much of that, as it did with every subject as it reconstructed their bodies from the DNA on up, though she still retained the broad hips and larger breasts she'd had in her previous life - features that Malcolm found to be rather attractive, quite frankly. He knew from past subjects that the treatment would continue to subtly mold her features for some time more, and he was optimistic that by the time she was ready, she would be just what the program needed: a pretty, strong, yet curvy female that every news publication would want to run in a cover photo, the perfect counterpart to the all-American Jordan Connors.

Optimism. That was something that Malcolm had not had in large supply. Ever since the President had gone public with Connors - or "the Sentinel," as the commander-in-chief's PR advisors had dubbed him, over Malcolm's objections that it was ridiculous to give a comic book codename such a valuable asset - there had been increasing pressure for the project to produce another superhero the nation could rally around. That, coupled with his scientists' inability to get consistent results from their formula and the President's ban on continuing to recruit volunteer test subjects from the military, had threatened to bring the entire project down. Now his doctors and scientists were telling him that the latest crop of subjects, including Samantha Sutherland, were showing more promise than any that had come before, but Malcolm had heard all that before, too. Still, he had to admit, things were looking up.

*****

Sam's new abilities began to develop quickly. Within a few days of her medical exam, she had accidentally broken several glasses and mugs in her dormitory simply by gripping them too hard. The project staff took it in stride and added a program to her schedule that was solely directed to teaching her how to adapt to her growing strength; apparently it was a common occurrence among the patients. She also received a packet of skin-colored, rectangular patches that when applied, administered a compound absorbed through her skin that temporarily neutralized her abilities. In addition to using them occasionally around her quarters, she was asked to bring one to her medical exams to allow Janice to continue drawing blood samples.

Sam began to notice subtle changes in her body in the mirror, foremost the addition of more muscle and firmness to spots that previously had seemed just a little too soft and squishy. To her dismay, the added mass in her thighs led them to remain basically the same thickness, but she was also glad to see that her breasts had not significantly changed. In fact, she thought they might have actually become larger and a little more youthful and firm, if that was possible - and with the treatment, it did seem that anything was possible.

After the strength came the enhanced hearing. At first it was just a very quiet buzzing in her ears, the kind of thing that was so barely noticeable she wondered if she was simply imagining it in the silence and solitude of her quarters. But then she started to hear distinct sounds that clearly were not occurring within earshot: a metal fork clattering onto the concrete floor, the beeping of medical monitors, the repeated thud of fists striking a punching bag, a woman moaning loudly in ecstasy. Concerned that she was losing her mind, she reported immediately to Elise's office, and was relieved to hear that it was simply another ability gained as a result of the treatment protocols.

"I'll let Janice know you've reached this stage," Elise remarked. "She'll probably want to run a more expanded physical exam tomorrow during your regular appointment. As a heads-up, it will involve a pelvic exam. I assume you're familiar with the process, but I didn't want it to surprise you."

Sam knew how the exam worked in theory - that knowledge hadn't been lost to her lingering amnesia, which showed no sign of letting up - but didn't have any memories of actually undergoing an exam. When she arrived for her exam the next day, Janice went through all of the basic tests, then handed the process over to a redheaded gynecologist who prepped Sam for the gynecological portion.

"You're 26, so I'm guessing you know how this works right?" the doctor asked.

"I... well, I don't, actually. I mean, I do. But I don't remember what it's like in real life."

"Sam hasn't recovered her memories from before she was brought here," Janice explained.

"Ah, I see," the gynecologist remarked with a friendly smile. "Well, just try to relax as best you can. It may be a little uncomfortable, I'm sorry to say. But given your enhanced strength, you'll probably experience less discomfort than most women."

Sam tried to relax as she was told while the redhead lubricated a speculum, though she found it quite awkward with her feet positioned in the stirrups and her legs parted. She gasped softly as the speculum slid inside of her.

"That's kind of cold," she remarked, staring up at the ceiling.

"That's actually a good sign," Janice said. "You've retained a decent amount of your sensitivity to sensations. Some patients lose that when their strength starts to set in."

"I'm going to spread the speculum now," the gynecologist cautioned. "Let us know if you experience any pain."

Sam heard the mechanism of the speculum working as it spread her open, but felt surprisingly little discomfort.

"It's weird," she remarked. "I know it's spreading because I can feel it, but it doesn't feel... uncomfortable at all."

"Robust pain resistance and retention of sensitivity to other sensations," Janice said, as she jotted down a note. She seemed impressed.

The gynecologist concluded the exam with a Pap smear and a manual examination, neither of which caused Sam any particular discomfort, much to her relief. Once she had her feet free from the stirrups and was sitting upright again, the doctors asked her a series of questions about her health and her body. The final one caught her a bit by surprise.

"How is your sex drive?" Elise asked.

Sam blinked, unable to find an answer. She had been so focused on getting better, and then on the amazing changes she was undergoing, that the thought hadn't really occurred to her.

"I... I don't know, honestly," she said. "Everything has been so crazy, I hadn't really thought about it."

"We get that answer a lot," Elise remarked. "But you should give it some thought. And by that, I mean listen to your body. Being here - underground, no windows, all sorts of new and unfamiliar changes - can put a lot of stress on you, whether you realize it or not. A little sexual release can go a long way to alleviating that stress."

"You may have noticed there's not much male/female interaction here," Janice cautioned. "Sexual intercourse between patients, or patients and staff, is pretty heavily discouraged. We've found that the treatment has effects on developing fetuses that can be very... unpredictable. It makes pregnancy a high-risk situation for female patients. And traditional barrier protection methods tend to be ineffective when it comes to men with enhanced strength."

"So... what should I do?" Sam asked. "Masturbate?"

"Self-pleasure is the most effective alternative, yes," Elise said. She stood and walked to one of the cabinets in the exam room, procuring a vacuum sealed package containing two objects, handing the package to Sam. "Some of our female patients have found these to be quite helpful as well."

Sam looked at the two objects inside the plastic packaging. One was a long and clearly phallic in shape, with a pretty obvious function. The other was a much smaller bullet shape.

"Sex toys?" she said with a raised eyebrow. "Do these even work with... you know, super strength?"

"Based on your reactions during the pelvic exam, I expect that your tissues will still be quite sensitive to stimulus during sexual arousal," Janice said. "But if you find that they're not, you can always use your fingers. Or apply a patch to neutralize your strength as needed."

"The toys are made with pretty resilient materials," Elise added. "We had them specially designed to meet our patients' requirements. So they should be able to withstand even an enhanced patient's muscular contractions during orgasm. But if you do find that they become damaged, just let us know. We can always requisition a custom design for your specific needs."

Sam wasn't sure if it would be inappropriate to laugh. The entire situation seemed at once fantastical and completely ridiculous. A super-powered orgasm? Her mind couldn't even fathom what that would be like.

"Is it... different?" she asked. "Having an orgasm with super powers?"

"Most patients report that it feels the same, from their perspective. Certainly no diminishment in pleasure. Just be aware that your muscles are stronger now, so they will be contracting more forcefully. It may not feel different to you, but the amount of force exerted is significantly greater than in a normal human."

"Super powered vagina, got it," Sam quipped.

All of the women responded with laughter to that one.

*****

After her scheduled activities that day, Sam took a long, hot soak in her bathtub. She'd been distracted the whole day since her medical exam. Although she hadn't brought it up, she couldn't actually remember ever having sex or masturbating. As with many other things, she realized that her mind had an instinctive reaction to the notions, a gut feeling of sorts that suggested she had done both in the past and enjoyed it. She just couldn't remember.

She considered opening up the set of toys she received from Elise, but decided to save them for later. Her entire life since waking up at Project Sentinel had been devoted to getting reacquainted with her body and its new abilities; why should this be any different?

Despite being completely alone, she felt her heart begin to nervously beat faster as she slid her fingers down her neck, grazing her shoulders and collarbone.

"It's okay, Sam," she whispered to herself. "Just getting to know yourself... No pressure."

She found her skin to be pleasantly sensitive to even the lightest touch of her fingertips or grazing of her nails. As Janice had surmised, she had retained much of her sensory perception, despite her increasing invulnerability. She slid one hand down between her breasts, the soapy water in the tub sloshing gently into the deep valley of her flesh. She reversed the motion and then repeated it several times slowly, tracing the up and down the cleft, each repetition sending small tingles racing through her chest, seemingly converging on her nipples, which stiffened rapidly, peeking up just above the layer of suds that floated atop the water. Sam palmed her swollen breasts in her hands, feeling her stiff peaks graze the skin of her hands.

"Hello girls," she sighed, leaning her head back against the edge of the tub and sliding deeper into the warm water. "Oh... you're sensitive."

She gasped again as she let a nipple slip between her fingers, giving it a gentle pinch.

"Oh... oh, that's good."

She repeated the action, a little more forcefully.

"Nnnghhh." The sensations surged downward through her body like electricity, reaching their apex deep between her thighs.

She felt a different kind of wetness now between her legs, a warm, sticky moistness from deep within her, seeping out and mixing with the bathwater. She let one hand delve beneath the bubbly water, sliding down her stomach and over her mound, through the narrow strip of hair that she maintained. She raised both feet up and propped them on opposite sides of the tub as she parted her thighs. As she stared down at her spread knees surfacing from under the water, she had a very vivid and distinct memory of seeing the exact same view before.

"Mmmmm," she sighed, toying with her nipple gently. "I've been here before, haven't I?"

With the way now clear, her other hand slipped over her mound and in between her legs, finding the heat at her center.

"Ahhh!" she cried, as her fingertips grazed her outer labia. "Oh my god..."

She continued to vocalize as she pressed one finger inward, piercing her outer and inner lips, seeking the entrance to her waiting canal.

"Oh god... oh... fuck..."

Her hips bucked instinctively as she penetrated herself, her fingertip immediately deluged in the thick, slippery wetness that had built up inside of her.

"Nnnnnghhh... mmmmm... oh yes..."

She let her eyes fall closed as she continued to rest her head against the edge of the tub. Her body was taking over, her roaming fingers guided by a muscle memory buried somewhere deep within her mind. She began to fuck herself at an increasing pace with first one finger, then two. The water in the bath stirred and sloshed about as her hips rose up and fell down in rhythm with her finger thrusts.

"Nggh... nngh... ngh ngh ngh unh!" she grunted gutturally, her hips slapping against the heel of her palm again and again.

She tweaked and tugged her nipples, squeezed her breasts, and groped her own body as she raced with herself toward the precipice. Soon both hands were between her legs, one buried to the knuckles inside of her and the other applying firm, circular movements to her clitoris, which was engorged and peeking out from its protective hood.

"Ahhhh!" she cried out. "Ahh... ah ah ah ahhhhh!"

Her entire body tensed in orgasmic spasms as she found her climax. The muscles in her legs flexed powerfully as she lifted nearly her entire body out of the water, supported by just her legs and her shoulders pressing into the sides of the tub. She writhed and twisted in pleasure as her internal muscles clamped down strongly on her fingers, squeezing and milking her digits for something that they could not possibly provide. When the contractions finally subsided, she dropped back into the tub with a splash, sending wavelets of water surging over the edge and splattering onto the floor.

"Oh... god," she sighed. "Wow. I needed that."

She sprawled out in the partially-emptied tub, gently massaging her sensitive pussy lips as she caught her breath. She hadn't even realized how badly she needed a good release. But now that she'd experienced one, she couldn't help but wonder how she would get through the rest of her time at the project on just fingers and toys alone.

*****

As Jordan Connors landed in the tunnel leading into the Project Sentinel facility, he was immediately approached by a member of the operations staff, undoubtedly wanting to discuss debriefing.

"Hello, Max," Jordan greeted him with a nod. "Everything going smoothly in Ops?"

"As well as can be expected," Max replied. "I'm sure you already know what I'm about to tell you."

"Head to Medical," Jordan recited. "Then to Quartermaster for equipment check. Then to Ops for debrief."

"Yep, pretty much. I'm not sure why they even bother having me do this."

"Tell me about it," Jordan said. "We already know Medical is going to say that the bullets didn't do a thing to me. And I'm pretty sure the suit is fine, so the Quartermaster has nothing to worry about."

"You know the government. Always gotta follow procedures."

"No kidding. Thanks, Max."

As he made his way through the halls toward Medical, Jordan couldn't help but notice the increased amount of activity inside the facility. In addition to the people he saw, he could hear the growing buzz inside the underground complex. It seemed like the base had gotten a little more crowded every day since the project went public nearly eight years ago. Before then, the circle of trust had been much, much smaller, limited mostly to the former base commander, a very limited scientific staff, and him.

Jordan wondered what General Connors, the kind but stern former commander of the project who had first named him Jordan - and whose surname Jordan had later adopted - would think of the way things had gone since command was passed to Malcolm Black, a civilian with a mercenary background. Under Connors' command, the project had been focused almost exclusively on scientific study and understanding the scope of Jordan's powers. They had called on him occasionally to assist the military in dire circumstances - assets trapped behind enemy lines, for example - but he had very rarely left the base or risked any sort of public exposure. That changed when Black took command, and Jordan had found himself increasingly embedded with black ops teams on espionage, sabotage, and other secret missions where his abilities greatly increased the probability of success. Upon realizing Jordan's usefulness as a military asset, Black also began commissioning scientists and medical experts to try to duplicate his powers in others, with the goal of developing a standing army of superhumans. That, in Jordan's mind, was really the birth of Project Sentinel as it now existed.