"We'll soon find out," Margaret replied, leading him into the garage. "You certainly look taller, and broader, than the last time I saw you. Just step on the scale, and we will find out how much you weigh."

Andrew had to duck his head to get into the garage, even after Margaret had rolled the doors all the way up on their tracks. He stepped onto the industrial strength scale, looked down at the number, and then looked up again in shock.

"It says 360 pounds," he said. "But I weighed 350 pounds just a few weeks ago!"

"Good for you Andrew," Margaret said proudly. "Now, come over here; I have the wall chart ready to measure your height."

"I hope it's high enouhg," Andrew said, walking over to Margaret.

"It goes up to 7 feet, so it should be," Margaret assured him. "Let's find out."

Andrew stepped up to the wall, and turned so his back was to the chart.

"So how tall am I?" he asked Margaret.

"I have to step back to tell, " replied Margaret, stepping back a few feet until she could see over his head. "Tee chart says you are 6 foot 8 now."

"Good; I've grown an inch," Andrew said. "That's great."

"Yes it is," agreed Margaret, heading over to the workbench. "Now, come over here; I have something for you." She picked up a few tiny capsules and handed them to Andrew. "These are for you."

"What are these?" Andrew asked, looking at them doubtfully. "Adrenaline pills?"

"N, those are your new weights," Margaret replied. "I finally finished them."

"THESE?" sneered Andrew. "How are these tiny capsules supposed to test these muscles?" He flexed his biceps and grinned.

"Open the capsules and find out," Margaret suggested, awed by the size of his huge bulging biceps.

Andrew opened one of the capsules and took out what looked like a fingernail-sized barbell.

"Is that what I think it is?" Andrew asked. "Is this suppsoed to be one of my new weights? How is it supposed to work, being so small?"

"Put it on the floor, and then squeeze it on both ends," Margaret replied. "Then we will see which weight it is."

Andrew set the tiny capsule carefully on the floor, pressed both ends, and then stepped back carefully. The tiny weight suddenly expanded into a regular sized barbell, but the plates were 3 times as thick as those on normal weights. Andrew bent down to read the number on the side of the barbell.

"You expect me to lift 1000 pounds with one hand?" he asked Margaret in shock.

"What's the matter?" Margaret asked him. "You did it the night before we defeated Alexander."

"That was when my adrenaline levels were higher," Andrew reminded her. "I was looking forward to poundind Alexander to pulp, so the boulders felt lighter then."

"If it's too heavy, we can find a lighter one," Margaret suggested, hoping her reverse psychology would goad Andrew into lifting the 1000 pound barbell.

Her ploy worked, as Andrew said, "No,no, this is fine. I wanted you to give me a challenge, and you have. This weight should work for me."

He bent down slwoly, taking in a deep breath as he did so. Then he exhaled slowly, bringing the weight up with his right arm. His right bicep bulged hugely, and Margaret was sure she could hear the seams of his skintight t-shirt ripping.

Sure enough, when Andrew lowered his arm again, the right sleeve of his t-shirt had ripped completely.

"Man, what a pump!" Andrew shouted, grinning. "Now for the left arm!"

He lifted the 1000 pound barbell with the left arm, just as slowly, and that sleeve of his t-shirt ripped as well. Andrew grinned and lowered the weight again.

"Do you mind?" he asked Margaret, preparing to rip off his t-shirt.

"If you think you can stand the cold," Margaret replied, nodding to the open garage door. "After all, it IS December."

Andrew just sneered, flexed his pecs, and the t-shirt ripped all along his chest. Andrew spread out his lats, making the shirt rip along his shoulders and back too. Then he just tore the rags off, exposing his huge muscular upper body.

"I won't feel the cold anyway," he bragged, stretching his hugely muscled frame. "What do you think?"

"Very impressive," Margaret replied, walking around him. "You must be very dedi-cated to your weight-training to get a physique like that. Let's measure your body fat before we go back outside."

She went to the workbench, and so she did not notice Andrew heading outsdie. When Margaret turned back around, with the body fat measuring device in hand, she noticed Andrew standing outside the garage.

"Andrew, come back in before you freeze to death!" Margaret shouted. "I said that we would measure your body fat BEFORE we went back inside! Weren't you listening to me when I said that?"

"I forgot," Andrew said, rather unconvincingly. "Sorry about that."

"Yeah right," grinned Margaret. "You just wanted to show off; making sure I don't forget how tough you are."

"I didn't feel cold at all," Andrew bragged. "So I AM really tough."

"Maybe you have enough body fat to keep you warm," Margaret guessed. "Let's find out right now."

She told Andrew to grip the handles of the device, and got out her pad to write down the reading.

"I read 4.5 %," said Andrew. "Is that good?"

"It certainly is," agreed Margaet., looking at the body fat chart. "Maybe below the ideal 12-15 percent a male should have, but that is why your muscles are so well defined. You don't have much body fat to hide them."

"I son't have a shirt to hide them either," Andrew bragged. "That flimsy shirt couldn't resist the muscles of The Tank!"

Margaret hauled out a mirror from behind the workbench and said, "let's find out just how much muscle that shirt covered up, shall we?"

Andrew looked in the mirror and grinned as he saw his reflection, that of an insanely huge muscular jock.

"I look like a Greek God!" he gloated. "Yeah! Nw that's tee body I've worked for all these years!" He began flexing each of his muscles one at a time, amazing himself with their definition.

"Let's test the resistance of your muscles," suggested Margaret, holding up one hand. "Get ready."

"For what?" Andrew asked. "What are you-"

He didn't get out the last few words, as Margaret launchee her fire bolts at him.

Without thinking, Andrew held up his left arm to block them. He grinned as he felt nothing but a slight tingle along his forearm.

"Do that again, " he ordered Margaret heading towards her. "Knock me down."

"Are yoe sure?" asked Margaret, as she began backing away.

"Do it now!" Andrew shouted. "Befoee you back up against the wall!"

Margaret launched her bolts again and again, but Andree just blocked them with ease, showing no pain. Then he dicied to drop his arms, to see if his torso and chest could take the firebolts too. He flinched slightly as Margaret's bolts boucned off his skin, small balck burns behind. Then he grinned as he realized that the bolts had just bounced off him, without knocking him back even one step.

Margaret felt teh wall at her back adn realized that she ahd backed up as far as she could. She was amazed that Andrew had not even staggered back one step from her attack, even though she had used her full strength during her attack. Andrew stopped jsut a few inches from Margaret, forcing her to stare up almost a foot to see his face.

"I guess you'll have to try something else if you want to knock me out," he suggeted. " Those puny firebolts won't do it. Got any more bright ideas?"

He grinned at his pun, hoping Margaret got the joke.

"I have a few ideas," Margaret replied, heading back to her workbench. She turned around with a gun in her hands. "Let's try this."

"Bullets don't hurt me much, " Andrew reminded her, even if they do penetrate my muscles."

"This gun does not fire bullets," Margaret said, pulling the trigger.

Andrew flinched as the gun fired, and then looked doen to see a small dart stick-ing out of his arm.

"You think a little tranquilizer dart is going to knock out The Tank?" he sneered in dsibelief. "I don't think so. You'd better trya gain, while you still can!"

Margaret ducked out from under his arm as he tried to grab the gun, and ran across the room. Then she fired all the darts she had in the gun, one by one. Andrew still came forward, even with one dart in each pec, each arm, and both sides of his neck. Margaret went to reload the dart gun, then realized that she had left the extra darts on the workbench behind Andrew.

"Oh no!" she screamed in fake panic, "I left the darts over there!"

Andrew looked in the direction she pointed. Margaret launched more fire bolts at him while he was distracted, making the darts fly into her hands from across the room.

Andrew realized he had been tricked and whipped his head around to look at Margaret, just in time to catch more darts in his abs and legs. He looked down, grinned when he was still feeling no effects, and looked up again with a scowl on his face.

"Are you finished?" he asked, winking to let Mrgaret know he was just kidding.

"It think so," she replied, holding up the empty dart holder. "I'm all out."

"I geuss we know how much effect tranquilizers have on me," Andrew grinned.

"Even 10 of them couldn't knock me out."

"Don't you feel even slightly sleepy?" Margaret asked, backing up as Andrew came forward again. She stopped as she felt her back against the wall, and waited for Andrew to stop coming towards her. Andrew stopped a few feet away, and Margaret was relieved that he still had respect for her feelings.

"I feel a littel tired now," Andrew repleid. "But if I bench 40 times what the normal man would, you'd need 30 more darts to stop me." He looked down at the dart sticking out of his veins and began effortlessly ripping them out, one by one.

Margaret was amazed that he didn't even flinch this time.

"I guess we are done here," Margaret said, when she finally got over her shock at Andrew's power. "There are no more strength tests I can think of today. "

"Okay," agreed Andrew. "Thanks for the weights," he added, sticking the case of capsules into his pocket. "I don't suppose you have an extra shirt I could wear? I guess my muscles were too mcuh for the old one." He flexed his pecs casually, and said, "I'm size 3 XL now."

"I don't have any that size," Margaret replied. "But when you say 3 XL, was the t-shirt you were wearing that size?"

"I guess it was," Andrew replied. "Oops."

"Right oops," Margaret grinned , as she saw him smiling . "You ripped that t-shirt apart on purpose, didn't you?"

"Actually I FLEXED it apart, but you're right," Andrew agreed. "I have been waiting for a while to flex out of one of my shirts, and I finally found weights that would pump me up enough to do that. Thanks a lot; now I have nothing to wear home!" He grinned to let Margaret know that he wasn't mad at all.

"Why don't you test yur resistance to the cold by running home?" suggested Margaret. "The speed of running should make your heart beat faster, increasing your blood flow, raising you body temperature, and therefore warming you up."

"Thank you, I was paying attention in Gym Class," Andrew reminded her. "I think I know a thing or tow about Fitness."

"Of couse," agreed Maragret. "I forgot; you're a Brainy Jock, aren't you?" She realized she probably shouldn't have used the word Jock, and said, "Sorry."

"That's okay," Andrew assured her. "So, when are you coming to my hockey games? I have another one on Wednesday night."

"I hadn't thought about that," Margaret said. Andrew narrowed his eyes at her and then grinned again. "But now that you mention it, I'd be glad to," she decided hastily. Then she grinned back at him to let him know that she knew he was just kidding around.

"Good," agreed Andrew, relieved that she knew he wasn't mad. "Well I guess I'll run home now."

"Good idea," agreed Margaret. "Why are you holding out you arms?"

"You always used to give me a goodbye hug," Andrew reminded her. "After all, you are like an Aunt to me. I just want to thank you for all your help."

"I appreciate that," said Margaret, holding out her hand. "But I wouldn't be able to get my arms around you if I tried. Besides, you're all hot and sweaty."

"Of course I'm hot; I'm a huge muscle god!" Andrew roared. "I'm built like a statue, and about as tough as one too!"

"Very funny!" Margaret laughed. "But I still think a handshake will do this time."

"Okay," agreed Andrew, softly shaking her hand.

"It's great you know how to control you strength," Margaret reminded him, leading him outside. "That way you won't show off by trying to crush other peo-ple's hands," she added, as she reached up for the garage door cord. "Uh, could you lend me a hand here please?" she asked Andrew, as she tried to jump to get the door down.

"I'd be glad to help." Andrew agreed, lifting her up with both hands so she could pull the door down. Margaret was too shocked to do anything but grab the door so Andrew just set her down again, pulling the door down in the process. "There you go, Margaret. Was that enough of a hand for you?"

"That- that was not the kind of help I was looking for," Margeret stammered in shock, amazed that Andrew woul so casually use his strength on another person like that. "I just wanted you to pull the door down; not lift me up to reach it. But thank you anyway. You were a great help. And really gentle too, especially since your hands almost covered my whole waist! If you wanted to, you could rip peo-ple in half with that kind of strength!"

"Don't even joke about that please," Andree pleaded. "I've seen too many foot-ball players leave the feild on stretchers in prior seasons, because I couldn't control my own strength. It took a while for me to learn to pull them along with me when I scored touchdowns, instead of knocking them out."

"I meant no offense," Margaret assuree him as they walked over to the driveway.

"I know, " sighed Andrew. "It's just hard to have people I've known all my life be in awe of me now. I find it hard not to show off, but I feel uncomfortable when I do. I'm not sure how to act; like a Jock, or like Andrew the Person."

"Maybe a bit of both," Margaret suggested. "Realize that you have a great gift, and use it to help others. Then you can be Andrew the Person, using the strength of Andrew the Jock to do good deeds."

"Good idea," agreed Andrew, shaking her hand again. "Well, see you later."

"Goodbye Andrew," Margaret said, as he started jogging down the driveway.

"See you on Wednesday at your hockey game!"

Andrew waved, and jogged down the driveway until he was out of sight.

"Well, he said the cold weather wouldn't affect him" Margaret said to herself. "I hope he's right. " She turned around and headed bakc into her house for supper. •