Many thanks to "secretsxywriter" for editorial assistance on "The Helix Man."
*****
The Helix Man, Chapter 01
Airman Kenneth Grant waited anxiously while the brass from the base commander's office arrived. In a few minutes, he would be briefing the dignitaries. His job was to demonstrate the new Helix exercise machines recently installed on the old stage in Arnold Gym.
The 20-year-old had been working for Morale, Welfare, and Recreation for over a year. Among all of the Airmen in MWR, they had selected him to attend a seminar given by the Helix inventor, Mr. Jonas Arthur himself.
Grant was proud to be the primary Helix trainer for all of Ireland Air Force Base. He also liked the fact that he could wear a special uniform consisting of an MWR polo shirt, shorts, and running shoes. An engraved rectangular plate pinned on his shirt identified his name and rank.
Airman Grant had rigorously followed the principles for the system. He'd used the machines every other day to increase his fitness. In addition, he'd thoroughly studied the Helix training book, hoping he would not get flustered when it was time to speak to an audience full of officers.
At last, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Kelly the Deputy Base Commander arrived along with a very pretty female lieutenant from the Public Affairs Office. A photographer from the base paper was also on hand and had already begun snapping photos of the equipment and the VIPs.
Airman Grant's demonstration went fine, and LtCol Kelly tried several of the machines, which made for a good photo opportunity. What livened things up for the crowd, was when the lieutenant tried using the deltoid machine. Of course, in her uniform, consisting of a blouse and skirt, it greatly constrained her freedom of movement.
The action of the machine required that she spread her arms back at the shoulders and then press the padded bars together in front of her. She was quite bosomy, and doing the exercise really made her chest thrust out to strain against her blouse. She didn't pop any buttons, but Grant noticed the photographer taking quite a few shots of the lieutenant's efforts. He thought it was all good-natured fun, but he wished he could have one of those photos for himself.
As the VIPs were leaving, Grant kneeled down to wipe off the machines with a towel so they would be ready for the next person's use.
"Excuse me," a pleasant voice asked.
Grant stood up. It was Lieutenant Victoria Williams from the PAO. He smiled, "Yes ma'am, how may I help you?"
"I wanted to thank you for the demonstration. And...I think I'd like to come back and try using the equipment sometime," she said.
"Oh, yes ma'am. The machines may be used every day from oh-seven-hundred to twenty-hundred. This system is very good for both men and women. You can use them very effectively to tone muscles without putting on bulk."
"Really? That surprises me," Lieutenant Williams said. "Have you ever known any women who achieved long-term results using the Helix?"
"Yes! I actually met the inventor, Mr. Arthur, and his wife, Kerri, at the training seminar. She's used the system for years. And believe me, she looks great!" he enthused. "Here, let me give you a brochure. You'll see what I mean."
He picked one up from a stack on his desk. On the back cover was a photo of the bespectacled Helix inventor and his very fit looking and attractive young wife in a bikini.
Lieutenant Williams looked at the shapely girl in the brochure and smiled. "That's reassuring, but I just don't know if I can remember all of the different techniques you described."
"That's no problem at all. Monday through Friday, I can give walk-throughs on any of the machines you wish to use. In fact, here's an exercise sheet. You can use it to track the weight you're using for resistance and how many repetitions you do. That way, you can see how you're progressing." He had been talking so fast, he was now breathless.
"Thank you, Airman Grant. I'll try to come back soon!" The lieutenant said and turned to leave.
"Oh ma'am," he called after her, "if you come around sixteen-hundred on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, it's less crowded. The other two days, the courts are scheduled for volleyball and basketball games." He did not mention that he also played on those teams and didn't want to miss her if she happened to come back.
She smiled and waved as she left the stage. Airman Grant admiringly watched the sway of her hips and her shapely legs as she walked away.
Now that all the fuss was over, he had to get back to his other duties. There was a contract janitor service that took care of cleaning in the gym, but they didn't come in every day. As a result, he had to check the locker rooms below the stage, pick up any used towels or trash, and make sure everything was neat and clean.
As he walked through the women's locker room, he found little that needed doing. There were not that many air force women on base, and he rarely saw any other females using the gym. Grant thought that perhaps more would come now that they had the Helix systems.
When he'd completed his walk-through of the locker room, he stopped and took a set of keys clipped to his waistband and opened the door to the storage room. It held cleaning supplies and a deep sink for washing out the mops. In addition, there were stacks of folded towels, and boxes of florescent and incandescent light bulbs. Some of the building's heating pipes ran through the storage closet, so there was a louvered transom over the door for ventilation.
Stepping inside, he pulled the string on the overhead light bulb, but nothing happened. He tried again and surmised it had burned out. It was the maintenance team's job to fix something like that, however, he believed in doing things himself if he could.
He used a five-foot stepladder leaning on one wall to climb up and remove the bulb.
While he stood on the ladder, he could see through the louvered transom down into the women's locker room. He realized he even had a clear view all the way through into the shower entrance.
With the light off, he wondered if he could be seen looking out the louvers. It gave him a quivery feeling to think of spying on ladies in the changing room—if there ever were any who used it.
He found two old coat hangers in the storage room and draped a white towel over them, propping them up about a foot away from the louvers. Closing the door to the storage area, he walked around to the changing room and sat on a bench. He could not see the towel at all. It was reasonable to assume that someone standing on the stepladder and peeping out wouldn't be seen either.
Grant removed the towel and hangers, and put the stepladder to one side, out of the way. If he ever needed to, he could quickly reposition the ladder. He relocked the door and went back to his duties.
After the base paper published the article about the Helix equipment, there was a definite increase in the systems' use. Grant thought they should have used a picture of Lieutenant Williams, instead of the deputy base commander. He knew a lot more men would have come to use Arnold Gym just on the off chance the lieutenant might be there.
The Helix Man, Chapter 02
It was a tension-filled day for Lieutenant Williams and the Public Affairs Office. General Officers were visiting the base for briefings and overseeing readiness inspections. For the PAO staff, it seemed like there was one "crisis" after another. Yet, Vicki managed to resolve the constant schedule changes and assuage the many competing egos.
That evening, the GOs finally boarded their aircraft and flew away to where someone else would have worry about them. Now she was ready for a workout to relieve her stress. It had been two weeks since the Helix demonstration, but finally as she had promised, Vicki returned to Arnold Gym carrying her duffel bag.
Up on the stage, Airman Grant was sitting at his little table with his back to the door. Hearing her high-heels on the hardwood court, he turned and waved.
"Hello, Airman Grant!" She smiled as she joined him, handing him a sheet. "Here is my exercise matrix. Are you ready to help me on the machines?"
"Yes ma'am," he grinned as he fastened the paper on his clipboard. "Please sign-in on the roster."
As Vicki was writing her name on the list, he continued, "Just take the stairs to your left. The women's locker room is down below the stage."
She smiled and went to change. As she descended into the basement, Vicki was expecting the locker room to be dismal and grungy. She knew the U.S. Army Air Corps had built the gym back in the 1940s for use during World War II. To her surprise, although it was quite old, it looked clean and well maintained.
A short time later, she came back on the stage wearing a light blue tee shirt and yellow shorts. She had also undone her chignon, taken down her hair, and tied it in a ponytail. Vicki noticed her transformation from polished officer into looking like a college girl made an impression on Airman Grant.
"He's so cute; his little tail is almost wagging!" Vicki chuckled to herself. "I might just have a little fun and tease him a bit."
She had brought along a water bottle and a towel to wipe off the machines. She looked eagerly at all of the equipment. "Where should I begin?"
"We'll begin in just a moment lieutenant. First, I need to get your age, height, and weight so I can properly setup the Helix machines for you."
Vicki nodded, thinking he'd probably like knowing her measurement too, but answered, "Of course...I'm 26-years-old, 67 inches tall, and weigh...118 pounds."
After Grant wrote the information on her exercise matrix he said, "Before using the Helix machines I recommend you always do some light calisthenics as a warm-up."
Vicki agreed, and he led her through a routine targeting her arms, torso, back, and legs. While stretching, they stood facing each other a few feet apart. It certainly wasn't as intimate as dancing together. But nonetheless, she could see it made Airman Grant a little self-conscious.
At last, they stopped and he said, "The first system I'd like you to try is the 'leg extension' machine. It tones the quadriceps."
Grant showed Vicki the proper technique and reminded her to try doing at least eight repetitions on each of the Helix machine she used. Then he set the weights for her and noted the amount on exercise sheet.
Vicki sat down and put her legs behind the pad while he helped her adjust the seat for her height. She then began slowly extending her legs and returning them back to the starting position. "This seems pretty easy."
"I could increase the weight, but you shouldn't put too much stress on your knee joints," he warned.
