Max hadn't been a park ranger for that long, around six months. Previously, she was a cop, and kind of still worked for the C.S.A. It was complicated. She kept quiet about her past, and working as a Ranger allowed her to escape.Max loved the outdoors, and the job fitted around her training which she had got back into. Years ago, Max had was a rising star in fitness and bodybuilding with a bright future ahead of her, but fate changed things as it does for everyone. She loved most things; if it involved iron and lifting, she was interested in it. Max had an impressive physique; everyone could see her muscles as her shirt was tight around her arms, even though it was a Means XL. Max enjoyed her job and was already building up quite a bit of knowledge about the surrounding area, the habitat, and the wildlife. The area where Max patrolled used to be called Sasquatch Forest, but it was renamed after many hoax sightings and media attention back in the 1970s. She much preferred its more recent name, "Bluebell Forest."

It would be another day, a mixture of hiking the trails, guiding people and talking to tourists, patrolling on her electric motorcycle, and taking in all that natural beauty. The first call of her shift was to a family broken down on Route Seventy, which ran through Bluebell Forest, near a fire route O.P. Max was the nearest ranger, so she was dispatched. She had no mechanical knowledge whatsoever., but it was what she liked. It was almost being a cop but without the shit. She unplugged the charging plug and pressed the button on her electric motorcycle. She likened her electric bike to a horse and quietly rode off to see if she could help.

It was a 20-minute ride to the location; she took the old track, which had been disused for years, but it effectively avoided the tourists. It wasn't long before Max spotted a car with its hazard indicators on.

"Hi, what seems to be the problem?" asked Max as she dismounted her electrical steed, removing her gloves and helmet.

"Oh, hi.  "Erm, yep, I've got a flat," said the tourist.

"Okay, you must put out your warning triangle and get your jack. I've got some glow sticks I can put down so you can change your wheel safely," advised Max.

"Erm, miss, I've never changed a wheel before."

Max swore under her breath.

Max looked at him. He looked like a typical unprepared tourist. There was a young girl and a young boy in the rear of the car. Max smiled, family. Seeing the kids made Max a little softer.

"Just the three of you?" enquired Max

"Erm, yes, this is our first trip away." explained the tourist.

Without prompt, he added- "My wife left me,"

"Okay, I'm sorry to hear that, but it's no excuse not to be prepared. I'll help," Max said, quickly changing the subject before she got too much of a sad story.

"Let's unload some of that luggage and get the spare, Jack, and tyre iron. I'll have you on the move in no time!" Max was reassuring to the family. Max laid out a few glow sticks to make it safer; the traffic sometimes comes up on you too fast and in a train-like formation, holiday-makers desperate for their vacation.

Max spoke to the girl, who was 12, and the boy, 14, while the dad started to dig towards the spare wheel.

Xxcxxx

The young girl kept looking at Max's biceps.

"You have some big muscles," she said.

"Yes, I do. Is that okay?" asked Max.

"Are you a superhero?" Max smiled.

She went closer to the girl's ear and whispered, "Yes, I am, but so are you." Max loved planting seeds of wisdom in young minds.

The 14-year-old boy also noticed and came closer.

"I don't think girls should have muscles."

"Why's that?" asked Max, mindful that the young boy probably needed education.

"Because the mena are stronger!"

"Young man, women are strong as well." If you go through history, men and women fought together, and women have always been strong. We all have muscles. Just because I'm stronger than a lot of men doesn't make me less of a woman," explained Max.

"And you are beautiful," interrupted the girl.

"Yeah, well, men are tougher," was all the boy could offer, and he walked back to his father.

Kelly and the 12-year-old girl both looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in perfect timing.

The young girl beckoned Max down so she could whisper into Max's ear.

"He's a douchebag." Max laughed.

The father walked over. "I've found the spare and the tyre iron."

"Great, I'll show you what to do next," said Max. Even though she had limited knowledge about cars, Max at least knew all of the basics and, by the looks of it, could do a lot more than he could.

"Ok, put the tyre iron in the nuts, and then turn anti-clockwise to undo them," explained Max.

The guy was friendly and pleasant, if lacking a bit in the assertive department. A bit wishy-washy. There was a sound of groaning—a lot of groaning—but no nuts were turning.

"Wow, how do you get these nuts off? They must be stuck," said the man.

Max's inner voice was doing overtime.

Max walked over, trying not to get annoyed with his uselessness. It was more anger. If he was venturing on road trips, he should know to do basic maintenance checks. People are too lazy nowadays.

"You could try using your leg if it's stronger and the nuts are too tight; push down." "Your leg will be stronger than your arm," said Max.

He still couldn't budge the nuts. What a sight seeing this guy in shorts with tiny pale stick legs. Max looked at her bicep and flexed, and it was bigger than his thigh muscle!

"I'm not supposed to, due to policy. But move over, and I'll see what I can do," offered Max.

"If my dad can't do it, you won't be able to," the 14-year-old boy protested.

Max looked at the 12-year-old girl and winked. Max grabbed the tyre iron and put it on the first nut. Her bicep flexed and tensed, along with her forearm, easily pushing the tyre iron around and undoing the nut. Max made it look like it was undone to Max; she effortlessly loosened it.

The little girl cheered, "Go, Max, go, Max." She had read the name badge.

Max didn't want to embarrass the Father. She kept quiet and continued to loosen the nuts.

"Okay, so you leave the nuts loose and then jack up the car," said Max.

"Erm, okay, what button is that?" asked the Man, looking in the car.

"Button??  You use the jack to lift the car." Max was further dismayed by his lack of knowledge and the reliance on buttons and gadgets.

"So, the jack is in the back with the spare... with the tyre iron!" Max kept trying to smile.

"That's it, there was nothing else in the car." said the man.

Max got on her radio and spoke to Ranger Control. The nearest Ranger support SUV was over 40 miles away, and with it being busy, it couldn't be diverted for this. Her inner voice kicked in; she wasn't getting more annoyed. Who took their family on a trip and didn't do basic vehicle checks? She went over to the guy and briefed him. She tried to be pleasant and polite, but the ex-cop emerged from deep inside her. People need to be Instructed from time to time, and you can't always be nice when doing it. Max walked over to the rear of the car. She was removing her utility belt. She took off her white shirt; she knew from previous experience that it wouldn't survive the next movement without getting grease or dirt on it somehow. Max had a white vest top underneath. As she removed her shirt, carefully putting it on the handlebars of her electric bike, her impressive physique could be seen a lot more clearly. The little girl was watching Max take off her shirt. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at Max's physique. Even the 14-year-old boy looked. He had the grossed-out look on his face earlier, but even he was amazed by her powerful physique. It was the first time they had seen a female bodybuilder. Max walked around the car and then went up to the rear of the vehicle near the puncture, her back to the car. She took a little while adjusting her position, shuffling her feet, and then grabbed the wheel arch, bent her knees and squatted down.

"On three," she yelled.

"On three? What do you mean?" The Father was a little late to the party.

"Dad, Max is going to lift the car" The little girl had figured it out quicker than her Father.

"But how..." he was still arriving at the party!

"On three," repeated Max.

One-Two....Three

The back side of the car rose, lifting the wheel off the ground. It was lighter than Max thought, and she held it up easily. The car creaked as the suspension lowered, as it didn't have much weight to support. Max shouted instructions to the Father, who rushed over and took the rest of the nuts off. Thanks to Max briefing him, he now knew what he had to do: take off the old wheel, grab the new one, put it on, and finger-tighten the nuts.

Max kind of went into a daydream. She hadn't had any contact with Langer since she found out about the kill switch. She needed time to think, and being in this beautiful, vast forest allowed her to come to terms with things. How could she be so naive to trust them? But then, wrestling with her conscience, she started to see some stuff from Langer's point of view. In effect, Max was/could be a powerful weapon, and if Professor Woods's research could make her bulletproof or some clothing could, then she could understand the threat she posed. She could be extremely hard to stop. Still, Max was hurt. She was a good guy. She had strong morals. Somewhere, buried among her stuff, she had the C.S.A. Smartphone. Maybe it's time she should charge it up.

"Okay, miss," said the guy, interrupting Max's daydream.

Max made eye contact with the girl. She couldn't resist. She was strong before nanotechnology, but why not have some fun and hopefully inspire the next generation, as well as try to change the young man's thinking? Max let go with one hand and flexed her bicep while holding the car up with the other arm. The 14-year-old saw this as well; his mouth dropped. What was just as impressive is that Max slowly lowered the vehicle and then lifted it...again. Max continued to do a few reps with the car and then stopped showing off.

"I got a bit carried away there, in the zone! There you go, all sorted," said Max as she put her shirt back on.

"Your biceps are bigger than my dad's," said the young girl.

True, they were. But Max didn't know what to say, so she smiled and winked at the young girl. The boy walked over slowly towards Max.

"That was the goat," and held out his fist.

"Goat?" Max had no idea what he was talking about as she slowly raised her fist to meet his fist bump.

"Greatest of all time," said explained the girl.

It seemed that Max had changed the perspective and opinion of the young man. He started coming around, and his view of strong women, well, it was a start!

"Thank you, Miss; you sure are strong. How can I repay you?" getting his wallet out.

"You're welcome. By not telling anyone, and by getting yourself a jack and learning how to do basic safety checks on your vehicle will be enough repayment." Replied Max.

The Father and the boy started to load the car back up. The little girl walked over to Max and beckoned Max down to her level.

"I knew you were a superhero." She whispered in Max's ear.