THE SPONGE
A Fat Positive Superheroine Serial
By The Hero
Chapter Eleven
InventorySusan would have cried all the way back to the base, had she not been consoled by being told everything would be taken care of.
Because of the humidity in Kentucky and her having let herself continue to gain water weight for so long, she couldn't release the pressure until she got to a less dry climate. When she got back to the base, she slowly made her way to the Danger Room, to relieve herself of the extra 100+ pounds she was carrying. She made her way to the control room to turn the computer on, finding it redesigned! She had no problems maneuvering now; even the doorway was wider. After she turned it on, she went into the main gym and used voice commands to activate her desert program to melt away the pounds. She shut it off when she felt herself get lightheaded, only to find she'd obviously put on weight while in Kentucky. Undoubtedly, due to all those biscuits in pork fat gravy and junk pastries Hank/the Demon had seduced her into eating! She made her way to her room to weigh herself, finding she had gained ten pounds over the last 5 days.
That's 2 pounds a day! That Demon must've done something to make me gain faster, I know I didn't eat THAT much! Not that my ever-bloating inactivity helped, she thought. I've got to start working out, before I hit the big 200. I swear I've gained 25 pounds since I've joined this team! It was then that she decided to take some inventory of her current size.
Well, she thought, I've definitely gotten heavy. My arms are a little puffier, with my hands even getting a bit softer.
My bust has grown a little too, maybe up to a 39D, up from the 38C and a half I was a couple months ago.
My waist has definitely filled out to about a 33 to a 36, I can't even suck in my belly like I used to, definitely going to pot.
My butt's gotten to be the most noticeable, though. 4 inches in 2 months! I never thought it'd end up so huge! 44, up from 40 inches!
My thighs and legs haven't exactly been overlooked either. They've definitely thickened, too; let's just say they continue to be close friends and are even more happy to meet each other.
Overall, if I write them out like they do in Playboy, 39-36-44. Considering I practically poured myself into clothes before I left for Kentucky, I KNOW nothing's going to fit now! At least now I know that no matter how fat I'll get, at least I won't have to worry about stretch marks, probably due to the elastic nature of my skin.
After she took her self-inventory, Susan threw an oversized T-shirt over her costume and drove herself over to the mall with the intention of buying some sweat suits to work out in…
Chapter Twelve
The MallAs Susan was walking out the door, the phone rang. It was Dee, wanting to know if Susan wanted to take in a movie. Susan, not wanting to chance Dee seeing her in her uniform, tried to beg off, saying she was going to the mall to buy some more clothes. Dee said that was great, that she'd go with her as Susan could meet her new boyfriend, who'd get her some great clothing discounts where he worked. Seeing no way out, Susan agreed to pick her up on the way.
When Dee came out of the bakery to get in the VW, Susan immediately noticed that Dee had gotten even heavier, looking to have put on 30 pounds herself in the couple weeks since she'd seen her last.
"Hey Dee, have you put on weight?"
"Thanks for noticing. Jacques loves to take me out to eat; there ARE benefits to an employee food discount. I've put on about 30 pounds since we've been going out."
"But isn't that unhealthy to gain so fast?"
"Well, let's just say we get plenty of. . . exercise. But what about you? You look like you're finally getting some curves, looking good!"
"Yeah, well, you know how stress makes me eat."
"Sounds like you need a good man to give you some moral support." Susan got real quiet at that, thinking of Hank and visualizing how much bigger she'd have ended up being with him. Thinking of him brought a tear to her eye as they pulled into the lot.
As they passed the food court, Dee was nattering on about her new boyfriend. Then they noticed the trio of fat ladies. The smallest was about twice Dee's weight, their sweat suits painted onto their burgeoning bodies, their forefronts pushing them out from the table so they had to lean over to reach the pile of food in front of them. Susan didn't recognize any of them, but Dee took Susan's arm and led her right up to the table. As they got closer, Susan recognized the smallest one, a 700-pound redhead who looked vaguely like one of the Moo Crew from high school, Erika.
"Erika, I hardly recognized you for a minute there."
"Hi Suzie. Yeah, there is quite a bit more of me than there was in high school, like about three times as much! I've decided to really go all out since I got married."
"Wait a second, MARRIED?! Since when did this happen?"
"Just a couple years ago, when I was trying to go to college. Don't be offended, no one else was invited either; it was kind of sudden."
"And you've gotten this fat in just two years? That's incredible!"
"Yeah, well, my husband likes it. I'm waiting for him to get off at in a few hours; he owns the GNC in the mall."
"Uh, isn't that a conflict of interests?"
"Look, he owns it, that doesn't mean he LIVES it! What is your problem, anyway - I'd think you'd be happy for me, not ragging my ass? Besides, I detect a few extra curves on you as well; you're definitely getting a bit of waddle to your walk."
"Sorry about that, I guess I'm just jealous that you two have love lives, whereas I can't seem to hold onto anybody for too long. And I guess I'm getting kinda pudgy at that."
"Apologies accepted, just don't do it again - don't want you to end up like Karen. Remember when she blew us off just after high school, saying we were all a bunch of losers, and then she lost over a hundred pounds? Well, as we all know, she's had two failed marriages and now is a serious deadhead living in the village. Anyway, you'll like this mall; it's definitely FAT FRIENDLY! Ask any of us; by the way, this is Mandy and Candy. They've met both their husbands in this mall, too. Anyway, we have to go. Got a bridal shower for a friend of ours in an hour." With that the three of them slowly heaved themselves from the table and ponderously made their way to the exit.
As Dee and Susan made their way down the concourse, Susan kept conscious track of the manner in which she walked. Erika was right; she WAS developing a bit of a waddle. It was barely perceptible, though, only when she looked for it was it obvious. Guess that's what comes of having an hourglass figure with most of the sand in the bottom, she thought. Still what they said about Karen has a point; after all, they all found guys who like them fat. Though I don't want to have to gain any more to get a guy; after all, what would happen if he left me like Dad did Mom, or if he died so something?
Susan's reverie was broken when Dee brought her attention to the storefront she was looking for. It was a new clothing plus-sized clothing store called Big Beautiful Wearhouse.
"This is new, but I don't quite think I'm fat enough to shop here."
"Uh, Susan, not to be mean, but look BEHIND you. It's time to admit you need to start being realistic as to your size. Besides, my new boyfriend's the assistant manager; he can get you some great discounts."
With that, a small wiry fellow came out to meet them. He embraced Dee, sinking into her pillowy softness, asking if she was ready for Friday. Then he turned to Susan, introducing himself as Jacques, the assistant manager of the Big Beautiful Wearhouse. Dee then introduced Susan to him, asking if he could help get her a deal on some new clothes. Jacques said he wasn't sure, as his store catered to the larger clientele, but that they did tailoring if the need arose. He then suggested that Susan look around to see what could be found. Susan asked if he had exercise wear, and he said he didn't understand why - that she had a good figure and why would she want to ruin it? He then hastily added that it wasn't as voluptuous as Dee's, of course, as Dee cuffed him in the back of the head. He said he'd see what he could find, that he was a good judge of size, that maybe Susan should go back to the dressing room and he'd send Dee back with some things they picked out.
Susan went back to undress, and just after she took off her oversized T-shirt, Dee came barging in with an armload of clothes, to catch Susan with her Superheroine expandosuit still on! Susan started stammering out a lame-assed explanation, when Dee told her to save her excuses - that she knew she was the Sponge since she first became a Superheroine.
"Be realistic! Ever since I knew you I knew you were different. Missing weeks of school in wet weather, not going swimming with us in the summer. Your coming out as a Superheroine clinched all our suspicions. Don't worry, we're not going to say anything!"
With that, she had Susan give her the costume. Dee then turned it inside out so no one could tell what it was, then left the room, leaving Susan with the first of the outfits to try on. It was a hot pink one-piece leotard that clung to her every curve, complete with deep V-neck to show off her abundant cleavage. She put on a bright red spandex harness overtop, designed to accessorize the unitard. The most it served to do was to frame Susan's 39D's and to act as a thong for her big 44" rear, separating it into individual butt cheeks shaped like a globe cut in half. (Gee, thanx a lot!) Susan called out that this was NOT what she had in mind for an exercise outfit, but Dee told her that if she didn't come out to show them how if looked, that she wouldn't get her clothes back! Susan came out of the dressing room, blushing as bright as her outfit.
"Not bad," Dee told her. "Definitely shows off your…assets!"
Susan was about to lash back at her, when suddenly, there were screams coming from the other end of the mall!
Running out the front of the shop, they saw what looked to be a human flame causing mayhem and trying to set the mall on fire! Seeing it, Susan flashed back to Kentucky and Hank's incineration. Remembrance of his death made her see red. Without thought to the fact that she wasn't wearing her expandosuit, Susan ran towards the chaos, expanding with water as she ran.
Her one-piece unitard was the first thing to go. As she reached Dee's size, the side seams ripped, shredding it, leaving her growing fat bulging out the sides of the halter. The halter went next as she started growing in height, leaving a growing naked ball of growing fat known as The Sponge! Susan was too upset and angry to notice all this as she slowly made her way forward, the throngs of shoppers getting out of her way.
When Sponge got within range of the Flame, he turned and recognized her. Letting out a blast of fire he steamed away half her weight, leaving her at half her size! Sponge, feeling herself waste away, shot out a stream of water, fanning it out to cover a maximum area. She put out over half his flame, knocking him into the fountain to put out the other half. It also steamed out all the water in the fountain. Sponge quickly filled it back up out of her own body to keep him sedated, while calling out for someone to call the police and fire departments. She turned away from the fountain to find fire licking up the walls and starting to engulf that section of the mall in flames. Between the sprinkler system feeding her body and her own abilities, she soon got the fire under control and eventually put out.
It was after she finished that she looked around and saw people staring at her. She then realized she was nude! Shrinking back down, but getting stuck at about 400 pounds, she made her way back to the clothing store and grabbed her costume back from Dee, waddling back to the dressing room to put it on. Dee complimented her on a stunning display while Jacques profusely thanked her, saying that many lives would have been ruined had she not come to their aid. Dee also said that someone named Tango had called on the communicator, to tell her to investigate a disturbance at the Golden Mall, that it was probably a diversion to a bigger job that the rest of the group was taking care of. Dee said she called back and explained the situation. Susan was cursing in the back that she couldn't get back down to her dry weight, that her metabolism must have gotten really screwed up since she'd gone south. Dee was about to ask about what happened down south when a tall middle aged man came into the store asking to see the woman who saved the mall.
Susan pushed her way through the dressing room doors and introduced herself using her Superheroine name. He said his name was Matt Maxton, the president of Golden Mall and thanked her for saving them, that many of the employee's wi - er lives were tied up in the place. He then asked if there was anything that he could do for her. Susan said there was and asked if he could erase any security tapes that had her in them, as she wasn't exactly dressed at the time. He said he'd have it taken care of before the press showed. He also suggested to Jacques that Sponge have an unlimited account in his store, to ensure she always had clothes that fit. Jacques explained that she was normally too skinny for what he had in stock, and Matt demanded he remedy the situation. He said he would, but Susan didn't notice him wink at Matt, nor the twinkle in Dee's eye when Dee DID notice.
Susan asked Jacques if he had a sink in the back where she could slowly drain herself to normal size, but he didn't have one available. As Susan finished getting dressed in her now tight T-shirt to cover the emblem on her chest, he asked her what her normal measurements were. He wrote them down as she told him. While Susan dressed, Jacques and Dee came to a decision.
"Hey Susan, what are you doing Friday?"
"Nothing yet, Jacques, why?"
"Well, I was just thinking, I have a friend who's a mutant as well, and he has trouble finding women who can look past his appearance and I thought maybe you'd like to double with me and Dee Friday night. We're going to dinner and dancing at a new age club afterwards."
"I dunno. Dee KNOWS how I hate blind dates. I hate to sound prejudiced, but what does he look like?"
"That's kind of hard to describe, imagine Patrick Swayze if his mother was Smurfette."
"What, he is 3 apples high and wears white pants?"
"More like he has blue skin. But other than that he's pretty studly."
(Nah, couldn't be!) "Well…OK, but no promises that we'll hit it off."
"Great, since I have your measurements already, I'll get something appropriate made up and give it to Dee, then we'll pick you up at Dee's place about 7 p.m. Friday?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not?"
After setting things up, Susan and Dee made their way back to Susan's car, with another exercise outfit in a bag under her arm. Susan warned her to take it easy getting in as they were now putting almost a half-ton combined into a small car. Even with the tilt steering, it was a tight fit past Susan's expansive bulk. They slowly drove to Dee's place to drop her off, Dee chatting about what happened that day, saying if Susan should decide to put on some of that weight on a more permanent basis, she'd probably be even more powerful than she is. Susan humored her hare-brained idea and said she'd think about it. From Dee's house she drove home, to dry out in the danger room, see Zion about getting some genetic testing done to examine her newest metabolic problem and to look up gyms in the phone book. Looks like it's gonna be a busy week…
Chapter Thirteen
Randi's RevelationWhen Susan got back to the base, she went to the Danger Room to dry out, only to find that the computer was down. Now stuck at 400 pounds, she waddled into Zion's office to tell him what was going on. He suggested that since she was the main computer person that she should get right to it. She also mentioned the problems she'd been having with excess water retention since coming back from Kentucky. He said that now that she was too full of water to take a blood sample from efficiently, that she should swap some tissue cells from the inside of her mouth for him to get analyzed. After doing so, he also suggested that until the test results come in, which should be by sometime Friday afternoon, that she go see Azure Streak about getting her regular wardrobe treated so that they stretch with her continued growth.
Susan found Azure Streak in the base's garage, examining her VW. "Hi, Susan, Mr. Zion explained to me your problem over the radio. Tell me, not to be rude or anything, but how much weight have you had in this car of yours lately?"
"Well, there's been me at my current weight and my best friend Dee. She weighs about as much as I do, only her weight's natural. All in all, maybe 800 pounds, why?"
"I ask because the suspension on your car is almost shot. This car isn't designed to hold that much weight. By the looks of it, you have two choices; you can either trade your car in on a heavy duty mini-van, or you can get this one rebuilt."
"I still have half my payments left on this one! What can you do for it?"
"Let's see, I can rebuild and reinforce the suspension, get some solid rubber tires. If you want, I can see about getting you a smaller steering wheel and raise the floorboards closer so you can sit farther back and still reach the pedals, at least with those two adjustments you can still be comfortable if you have to drive at a larger size."
"Two questions: How much will it cost, and how much will it screw up the look of my cute little car?"
"Actually, I have a few connections that'll take payments, and it may raise the car up a little, but not much outer difference beyond that. And with the speed at which I move, I can probably get it done by Thursday night. You'll have to bum rides 'til it's done, though."
"Mmmmmm, ok, do it. With my luck, I'll end up needing the adjustments eventually."
As Susan left the garage, she subconsciously compared Azure Streak to Patrick Swayze…
Susan then brought up the idea of Zion's to get her clothes made so they would stretch. Azure Streak said he wasn't sure he could, as normally he used the process with spandex, as materials used tend to shrink a bit under the treatment. Susan hesitated a moment as she didn't want to end up looking even fatter than she was, but decided to go ahead with it as it was a temporary thing. The only thing was in order to show her how to treat her clothes; the computer needed to be up. Susan said she'd try to get it running by the next morning.
Susan was passing by the kitchen on her way to the Computer Room when she heard her name called. Upon entering the kitchen, she found Randi over by the cupboard, getting out a bowl.
"Still living' large I see. No offense. Care to join my in a Sundae?" Susan was about to decline when her stomach's rumbling reminded her she hadn't eaten since the night before, when she was in Kentucky.
"I'll take that as a yes then." Randi then proceeded to put her bowl back and grab two extra large bowls from the cupboard, asking Susan if she minded if Randi made the sundaes, as she has a special recipe she wanted to share with her. As Susan agreed, Randi put her bowl back and grabbed two extra large mixing bowls out from under the sink. She then pulled out a half gallon of double-rich Rocky Road ice cream from the freezer and cut it in half, putting each half in one of the bowls and mashing it up with a serving fork. Next she grabbed a can of chocolate syrup and a jar of marshmallow fluff, mixing them together and heating them in the microwave 'til they were a goopy swirl, then pouring it all over both their ice cream. She then emptied a tub of Cool Whip over that, sprinkling it with chocolate chips instead of chocolate sprinkles. Finally, she put a chocolate covered cherry on top, setting them down on the table for the two of them.
"Uh…no offense, Randi but I can't eat this."
"Why not?" Randi asked indignantly. "It's not like I let my fur get into it."
"It's just too fattening!"
"Oh please! Remember when I met you in Chicago; nothing stopped you from eating that Chocolate Slide I talked you into. As an avatar of Bast, I find nothing wrong with bouts of occasional hedonism. At least taste it."
Susan tentatively took the proffered soupspoon, dipping it into the mixture. At Randi's encouragement, she made sure to get part of every ingredient onto the spoon. Sliding it into her mouth, Susan slowly chewed the chips as the rest melted in her mouth, letting her taste every sweet morsel. Even as she was swallowing, Susan scooped up another spoonful.
As they continued to eat their sundaes, they grew to know each other. Susan got to know about Randi's starting out as a young street gang member, only to be taken over by the spirit of the Goddess of her ancestors to be shown the error of her ways. Randi also explained that her being on the team was only a summer job, that she was going back to college in another couple months.
Just as they were about half finished with their sundaes, Talis came into the kitchen. He looked over at Susan, stuck at twice her size, and with soupspoon and mixing bowl of chocolate goop, looking every bit like a gorging, growing bounty of bloated womanhood.
"Hey FatStuff! Still continuing to ROUND out your girlish figure I see!"
Susan didn't have enough time to get upset. No sooner had Talis said it than Randi wrapped a muscular paw around his neck, picking him up off the ground and backhandedly threw him into the wall across the room, imbedding him into the concrete!
"I hate people who make fun of my friends. Why do you finish that up while I work on the dishes?" Randi then turned to the sink. "By the way, how did you like the waffles I had sent to your hotel room for breakfast, back in Chicago?"
"YOU were the one who sent those Chocolate Chip waffles and chocolate sauce?! I swear, you made me gain a pound and a half from eating all that!"
"Hey, you had a hand in that yourself - you ate it! Besides, it was only a pound and a half; you obviously enjoyed them, so what's the big deal?"
"But I've been getting gaining weight since I've joined this team!"
"Look, the way I figure it everyone has their own body type. With my metabolism, I'll always be a muscular she-cat, while with your power structure you'll continue to stay fat and probably continue to get even fatter. You might as well enjoy your fate, since you can't avoid it."
"But I'm NOT fat, just a little heavy."
"Stop kidding yourself; you're, what, 200 pounds normally? According to my physical education classes, you're about 70 pounds overweight; anything over 50% overweight is considered fat. But tell you what: if you really want to, you can come with me to the gym and join me for my workout tomorrow. But I think it's a waste of time."
"Deal. But make it either tomorrow afternoon or evening. I need to fix the base computer so I can dehydrate. That and treat my clothes so I have something to wear other than this."
"OK, 3 o'clock then. I'll even let you ride Bitch on my bike. And you don't have to worry anymore about THAT," jerking her thumb and Talis who was just starting to come out of it. "He won't give you any more grief."
Susan left the kitchen to work on the computer, smiling as she heard Talis and Randi arguing in the kitchen, followed by Talis's getting pounded again.
It took Susan most the night to fix the computer, she got herself drained and dragged herself to bed…
Chapter Fourteen
Girls' Day OutSusan woke up about eleven the next morning. Showering, then changing into a fresh uniform, she waddled to the Danger Room to fully dry out. On the way there, she instinctively grabbed a couple chocolate donuts that someone had left on the kitchen counter from earlier that morning. After drying out, she made note to try to extend the dehydration abilities of the Danger Room to her quarters, so she wouldn't have to walk all the way across the base to dry out. Upon returning to her room, she called Azure Streak in the garage to ask about his showing her how to stretch-treat her clothing. He told her to meet him in the Danger Room with some of her clothing.
When she entered the computer room, she found him waiting for her. He led her to a small lab just off the hallway, where she saw a small vat and a radiation setup linked to the computer. He explained that for her costumes, he used some of the water that had already been absorbed and expelled by her abilities, so the clothes could absorb some of her metabolic structure. He then would irradiate them for two hours in the vat while they soaked and then hang them up to dry. He went on to add that the only side effect was that the material felt kind of rubbery 'til it air-dried, and that it shrunk a bit, which accounted for the painted on look when she put them on. He showed her how to do it, then left her on her own so he could continue to measure her car for the parts he needed.
Susan put all the casual clothes she owned, along with her exercise outfits into the vat and started the process. She then went to work on the extension of the Danger Room's capabilities, soon losing track of time.
It was about quarter 'til three, when Randi called her to remind her of their going to the gym. Susan ran to the vat, she'd forgotten all about her clothes! Squeezing into a pair of wet jeans and a T-shirt, she hurried back to the Danger Room and turned on the desert program to quick dry them while she was wearing them.
They dried alright, but because she had not air-dried them, they shrunk even more than she had planned! Because they had been tight before she treated them, she wore the jeans below her small potbelly. The heat from the program caused them to shrink to appear even tighter, so that even as they stretched, she could wear them no other way. They molded to her protruding butt and thighs, the overall effect making her look about 25 pounds heavier than she was. (Actually, only 23 pounds heavier, I put on a couple pounds from that Sundae of Randi's last night.) The legs of the jeans even shrunk in length, exposing Susan's pudgy calves.
Her T-shirt was not immune to this effect either. It shrunk as well, tightening around her chest and leaving nothing to the imagination. The bottom hemline rode up, exposing her belly and finally coming to rest just below her breasts.
Susan's overall appearance made her look like one of those fat white trash girls that hang around the carnival, sucking down food all day, only without the tattoos. (I can't go out like this! I look like a tramp!) Just as she finished hanging up her clothes the right way, she heard Randi call for her to haul ass, that the bus was leaving! She grabbed her exercise outfit and ran to the garage.
"Hey, nice outfit! Finally decided to follow my advice and let it all hang out, I see." Randi exclaimed with approval, giving Susan the thumbs-up sign.
"I can explain…it's just a little clothing snafu, you see, I tried stretch-treating my clothes this morning and…"
"No need to apologize!" Randi interrupted. "I said you looked great. Get on! And wear this jacket, I picked it up for you at the mall, it'll give you some protection against the elements while we're on the road." She then handed Susan a black leather jacket that matched hers. "It's a bit oversized."
Susan put on the jacket, leaving it unzipped, as it was late June. Hesitantly, she got on the bike, sitting behind Randi and holding her tight around the abdomen. She didn't mind that much, as, surprisingly, Randi's fur was soft and silky, despite her musculature. Randi warned her to lean as she did so they could take corners.
On the way to the gym, they had to stop at a red light. They were waiting for the light to change when one of those low-rider style cars rode up to stop next to them. Inside were several street gang members, smoking marijuana blaring rap music way too loud. Then they noticed Randi and Susan.
"Hey man!" yelled one in the passenger side. "I tawt I taw a Puddy Tat!"
Everyone started to laugh at their friend's joke. Randi started to see red and started getting off the bike. It was all Susan could do to stop her.
"Randi, I'm not exactly bulletproof right now!"
"OK, I'll keep calm, but if any of them say anything else…"
"Hey Chiquita!" he yelled again. "You nice and fat, eh? You hungry? You hang with us and we keep you well fed. You can suck on our Meat-Cicles!"
Susan could feel Randi's abdominal muscles tighten with rage.
"Let me handle this, ok?"
Susan got off the bike and lithely waddled over to the gang's car, leaning down in the window, keeping one arm in and one arm held out.
"Boys, I'd suggest you drive away from this. See that woman over there? She bench presses Buicks and can eat you for breakfast. She's about ready to clean your clocks for harassing us. So as tempting as that offer may sound, I don't think so."
"You hear that boys," he called back to the back seat. "She ain't interested, guess she likes eating 'PUSSY' better!" The others laughed at his pun, while he blew marijuana smoke in Susan's face and offered to change her mind for her. (Great, at least Randi can keep me away from food until the munchies from the haze pass.)
Susan had had enough. Smiling, she took off her jacket and handed it to Randi. She then turned back, giving them full view of her tight T-shirt and pudgy midriff. Concentrating on quickly sucking moisture into her right hand, she leaned on the window edge.
"Sounds like you boys need a cold shower. You supply the soap!" With that, she sucked moisture into her left arm, 'til it tripled in size, becoming fleshly tubular. She then projected the water along her arm, cross her shoulders and breasts, causing them to inflate to beach ball sized to come nearly free of her stretching T-shirt. As they became distracted by her breasts, she projected the water out her other arm to spray them all, firehose style; she continued to do so 'til she filled up the inside of their car! Pushing out the excess water, it seemed as if she didn't retain water if she only enlarged one body part at a time, she ran back to the bike, hopped on and had Randi take off before the gang could gather their wits. Driving down a couple side streets to make sure they weren't followed, they eventually arrived at the gym. Laughing about what Susan had done, they made their way inside.
As they made their way to the locker room, Randi told Susan that there were two sections to the weight room, one for normal ranged people and one designed for paranormals. They had recently added the paranormal workout room to accommodate the more diverse clientele, and that was where Randi preferred to work out, as the weights were sized for her. She said Susan should work out in the normal area, as her normal strength was less that superhuman.
In the lockers, Susan and Randi changed into their workout clothes. Susan wore one of the outfits Jacques had sweet-talked her into, a two-piece halter-top and full bottom set, with racing stripes. The effect of the heat drying had shrunk them so they fit similar to her jeans and T-shirt combo; only as these were made of spandex, they felt more comfortable. The cleavage the top had been built to expose detracted from her small potbelly that was gently pushing at the front of the bottoms. When she had finished, Susan looked over to see Randi dressed in a tight tank top that cut off just below her breasts, along with a pair of bikini bottoms made to accommodate her tail. The outfit did nothing to conceal Randi's musculature, which was nothing short of Olympic.
"Boy, Randi, I wish I could get a body like yours…" Susan sighed.
"Just be happy with what you have, at least yours doesn't require strenuous maintenance. Now remember, if you have problems, stop. And light weights with many reps build stamina, heavier weights with light reps build muscle, now let's get you started."
(Author's note: Forgive me if I don't know the technical terms for the different Nautilus Machines, I don't use them enough to know.)
The first thing Susan did, since she had never been there before, was to find a floor supervisor to tell her what machine does what. Who she found was a tight-bodied, pseudo-bodybuilder named Bambi. (Figures!) Bambi looked her up and down, then told her what she should probably work on, her bubble butt and thunder thighs, along with most everything else! Susan could tell she was one of those types that looked down on anyone who wasn't physically perfect, but held her tongue. Bambi showed her around, telling her about which machines did what. She then went behind the counter to change the tape on the big screen TV, saying she had just the thing to inspire her. She started a tape and told her to start slow and she'd check up on her from time to time.
It was a tape of Jumping Jeanie, exercise queen! God, how Susan hated that bitch. All through High School Gym class she was held up as an ideal role model for the Moo Crew to emulate, being forced to watch her on TV for aerobics class. All she did was make people self-conscious of their own alleged failings. Susan watched in frustration, until her bout of munchies kicked in. Susan figured she could ward them off by getting to work.
The first thing she decided to do was the treadmill, as it seemed the lightest thing to do. Starting slow, she did okay, taking a leisurely stroll. Then she booted up the machine to a brisker power walk. She was doing fine for about two minutes, then she felt herself slowing down, feeling weighted down and starting to waddle more. Looking down, she saw her thighs had thickened and gotten fatter to the point where they started to segment, her thigh flesh sagging to the back her dimply knees. The strange part was only her legs were fatter; the rest of her was unaffected! Slowly, she waddled her way to the restroom, to relieve herself of the excess water. (It seems like the moment I felt the burn, my body compensated to relieve it.)
Taking a break from her legs, she next tried to work on her abdominals. Getting into the machine was tough, having to bend and stretch to do so. Bending over, she adjusted the weight and started working out. Not using any weight was fine, of course it wasn't burning any calories either, but when she would try to increase the weight the eventual strain caused her belly to blossom before her. It grew with each additional rep, folding over the waistband on her spandex bottoms, until she could no longer bend over! Again, this was the only part of her that grew. Using her arms to relieve some of the weight, as the rest of her didn't exactly balance it out; she went back to the bathroom to drain.
Sensing a definite pattern, but determined not to let Bambi get the best of her, Susan tried to work on her pects, only to have them inflate to volleyball size halfway into the set.
"Definitely have to keep this one in mind, though I have to watch how big I let them get!" chuckled Susan as she made her way back to the bathroom.
Feeling the need to take another break from the frustration of her workout, she decided to check on Randi. She found her working out at the arm-curls. She watched as Randi's muscles flexed and bulged under her fur as she worked out. She continued to observe Randi's over-muscular body (God, I wish I could have a body like hers! At least she doesn't lord it over me like some people, hell, she even wants me to STAY fat!) until Randi noticed her.
"Decided to take a break? How's it going?"
"Well, not so good, actually. I try to work out, but every time I try something strenuous, my body defends itself and the body parts I'm working on begin getting fatter 'til I can't do that routine anymore."
"Sound bizarre, here, try this machine and let me watch. I won't put any weight on it, the bar alone weighs 50 pounds." Susan tried it, but found the weight easy to handle.
"Looks to me, like the fatter you've gotten, the stronger you've gotten; have you gauged what weights you're using?"
"Not really, I'm just starting at the bar and working my way up."
"Maybe we better go over to your area and see what you're capable of." In the process of checking Susan's range, they found it to be about 150 pounds before any noticeable strain.
"Susan, by looking at what you can do, maybe it's better for you if you stay fat. Your lifting ability has definitely improved, maybe you're merely trading speed and agility for strength and durability."
"Maybe, but I don't want to be a blimp to do it!"
"Just think about it; it may be your destiny, but try a couple more machines and we'll call it a day."
Susan tried one more machine, the automatic Stairmaster. Strapping herself in, Susan set the timer for two minutes and turned it on. She seemed to get a good workout of her butt and legs, for the first minute anyway.
Meanwhile, Susan's problems with her workout weren't unnoticed by Bambi, who's secretly the Flame's girlfriend, Mind Maiden, who was talking to another of her teammates, the Reaver.
"Look at her over there! Every time she goes to work out, the body part she tries to work on gets fatter 'til she can't exercise anymore."
"Hey, Bambi, didn't you say the one who caught the Flame had fat-based water powers?"
"So I did, that must be her. Looks like she's having problems controlling them. Want to get a little revenge?"
Reaver extended his claws. "Yeah, I'm ready when you are!"
"Put those away, you fool! This place is our hideout! Besides, it's not as if I wasn't able to convince the police to let him go. I just want to mess with her head. Randi told her she was trading speed and agility for power, let me give her a taste of it."
Just as Susan's bottom half was filling out, Bambi came over and turned off the machine.
"Looks like you've had quite a workout - why don't you come over to the juice bar and let me mix you up one of our diet shakes?"
Susan wasn't sure what to make of Bambi's change of attitude, but figured what could Bambi do to hurt her. She followed Bambi over to the bar and pulled her slightly widened rump onto a barstool. Bambi turned around and, with her body blocking Susan's vision, made up a rich chocolate shake, while adding heaping scoopful after scoopful of chocolate WEIGHT GAINER 4000! As Susan drank it, Bambi explained the wonders it did for a chunky little boy in Colorado who wanted to get in shape before he went on TV to accept an English award from Kathy Lee Gifford. When Susan finished the shake, Bambi suggested that she unwind in the Steam Room before she leaves.
Susan started to protest; saying it wouldn't be a good idea. (Obviously because of my powers!) When she started feeling disoriented, her mind feeling fuzzy! Slowly it dawned on her that it would be an EXCELLENT idea, even considering it her own idea! Bambi then showed her where it was, telling her about a half-hour should do it. No sooner had Susan at down in the steam room than she started feeling bloated. The heat, combined with the excessive amount of steam caused her to pass out almost immediately.
It was about 45 minutes later when Susan woke up, with Randi standing over her, asking her what she was thinking. Susan said she didn't understand, that she thought it was a good idea at the time. She then tried to sit up, only to find she couldn't! She had gotten massively fat, gaining only in the areas where she had worked out that day. Her upper arms were round and heavy, the dimpled fat hanging to her sides. Her torso had widened to accommodate her form; her breasts being each the size of bean bag chairs, that she couldn't move her arms around them. Her belly hung over her waistband, forming a definite crease. Her rear and legs were her most obvious features, however, as her rump had to be roughly six feet wide, her thighs and legs growing to support her new-grown weight such that they spread out near spread eagle, unable to bend at the knees.
Randi asked her if she could lose the excess weight - she couldn't! She was stuck like that, at least 700 pounds heavier, until she could get back to the base. Randi helped her up, aiding her in the walk out to the curb, where she left her 'til she could retrieve their stuff. Bambi smiled at her, telling Susan to come again soon.
Randi came back out of the gym with their things and they were talking about how they could get her back to the base, as she was too big to ride Randi's bike, when the young street gang in their low-rider finally caught up with them. The gang got out with chains and ball bats to teach them a lesson. Randi leaned over to Susan and said that their troubles were over, that she had an idea…
A few minutes (along with a few broken bones on the part of the gang) later, found the street gang driving their low-rider slowly out of town. The back end showering sparks with Susan's rump wedged into their trunk and weighing it down, while Randi rode her bike alongside to make sure the gang kept moving…
Chapter Fifteen
The Doctor's OfficeOnce back to the base, because of the 700 pounds of water weight she'd accumulated, it took a few of hours for Susan to drain it all off, she then went to the lab to check on her wardrobe. They had dried out, only shrinking a couple sizes from what they were before. Susan took measurements of where they shrunk and how much, deducing that she'd roughly have to buy clothes a size larger than what she'd normally wear in order for them to shrink in the treatment process to her actual size. Unfortunately, anything that was not already a one piece would always shrink so as to expose her pudgy midriff. She called Dee and explained the treatment process, so she could explain to Jacques the need for a larger sized outfit for Friday.
The next morning, Susan showered and drained as usual, but still felt a little bloated. Stepping on the scale, she read the dial. 201! Between Randi's influence and the incident at the gym, she'd gained 6 pounds in two days! She quickly took a few measurements, finding she'd added about a half inch to her belly and rump, the rest serving to round out her shoulders and arms a bit, as well as thicken her neck slightly and deepen her cheeks.
Maybe Randi and Dee are right, maybe I SHOULD just grow with the flow and stop dieting, Susan thought.
She had also figured out that Bambi had spiked her diet shake with weight gain powder, as water weight isn't permanent. Susan knew she just couldn't bust in and blow her away, she knew she didn't have concrete proof and besides, fattening someone up wasn't exactly a crime. But if she was around during a fight, Susan determined Bambi could be "accidentally" nailed with a water blast…
Susan then went to Zion and explained what had happened to her. He reassured her that he finalized the Doctor's appointment for her under the name of Emily Small; the appointment was for 2 p.m. the next afternoon.
Stuck in the base until her car was fixed, Susan got an idea and tried to fine tune the desert program in the Danger Room to continuously drain her as she got bigger, so she could use the Nautilus in the base efficiently. It took her a day and a half, but she still couldn't find a way to adjust it so it wouldn't overcompensate and weaken her.
That Thursday, about noon, Azure Streak called her into the garage, as her car was done ahead of schedule. Looking at it, Susan could tell some obvious differences. The tires were about two inches wider, with the frame setting about 3 inches higher.
"What did you do to my car?!" Susan cried.
"Just try it." Azure Streak replied calmly.
Susan opened the door and sat down in the seat. Finding a slightly smaller version of her steering wheel, about 3 inches smaller in diameter, she also noticed an enhanced tilt steering mechanism that automatically raised when she opened the door and lowered into a comfortable position once she closed it. She also found her seat and mirrors to automatically adjust to her height so she could reach the pedals. He then suggested she try to inflate to see how the car adjusts to her size. She tried to do so, inflating to her 400 pound form she'd found herself stuck at more than a few times. As she did so, the seat and steering wheel adjusted properly, seeming to Susan to make her feel even more comfortable as she continued to expand. Azure Streak explained that the car was now designed to handle her at whatever size she was, up to half a ton, that the car itself could handle a total payload of up to a ton. If she should ever happen to expand to a size greater than 1000 pounds, the car would automatically give her the option of engaging the new computerized navigational system, allowing her to disassemble the steering wheel and drive using voice commands.
Heaving herself out of the car, which was easier than she thought as the opposite side lifted to help her out, she asked how much all this cost. Azure Streak said he took the liberty of paying off her loan and arranging it through Mr. Zion's bank so that she could continue paying her regular payment, only with an additional two years on her loan. Doing some quick math, which added up to about 5000 dollars more! Dreading it, but realizing she wouldn't have to pay it all at once, she thanked him, leaning forward past her bulk to kiss him on the cheek. She then waddled off to drain again and change for her doctor's appointment. Returning soon after in a blouse and skirt, which would have fit her better 30 pounds ago. She climbed into the car and left.
(Author's Note: next Scene inspired by Virginia Butters.)
An hour later, she arrived at the doctor's office.
Susan sat at the doctor's office, fidgeting with her skirt. 'God how I hate going to the doctor." Susan as she adjusted her skirt. Her currently full, wide hips were bulging beyond the confines of her chair, her dimpled thighs causing her skirt to ride up. Her blouse was also feeling the pressures of her recent weight gain. It bound around her large breasts and plump potbelly that was also being cut into by her skirt.
As she sat trying to read her out of date magazine, she glanced over at the guy she saw when she came in earlier. About her age, maybe a little older, he was a bit taller than she was. He was moderately attractive, but boy was he FAT! Like one of those pot-bellied bears, his large round belly pushed out over his belt to all but cover his fleshy upper thighs. Not that he wasn't fat all over, but it was his belly she noticed most. Susan never thought of herself as someone who liked fat men, but then again, before she met Hank she never thought she'd ever get turned on by the thought of getting fatter for someone else's pleasure. (Well, Mom says I'd only known Hank for a few days, and I need to start dating. Dee says I should try going out with someone larger than I am, so I'm less self-conscious of my size. I assume though, that my "blind" date isn't fat, maybe I should concentrate on him first.) Just as she went back to her magazine, she heard a name barked out by the nurse. She looked up to see him pushing his bulk from the confines of the chair and look her way. Susan blushed when he looked over. (My thoughts can't be THAT obvious!) Susan watched as he waddled slightly towards the examination room, unconsciously admiring his wide behind.
(An hour later…)
"Emily!"
It took a moment to recognize the name under which Mr. Zion made the appointment. Susan pried herself loose from the chair and walked down the hallway, until she found herself facing the young man she'd been (ogling?) earlier. His name, at least by what the nurse called him, was John.
"Um, I can't seem to fit past you," Susan said with a chuckle.
John grinned and butted himself up against the wall while she raised her arms and slid past, her belly just brushing his, sending an obvious electric thrill through them both. She stepped into the examination room, shutting the door behind her.
"Ah, Emily, it's good to see you again," the doctor said. "It seems like you've put on a little weight!"
"Well, actually that's what I came to see you about, I'm also having trouble shedding water weight after I use my powers."
"So Mr. Zion told me over the phone. Nothing is wrong with your gaining weight. Personally, I think nature determines what our weight should be, never been a big diet fanatic. So tell me, have you been feeling sick lately?" He began probing the largest parts of her body, causing her to squirm uncomfortably with his seeming familiarity.
"Well, actually, I FEEL pretty healthy."
"I see and how much water weight do you retain after using your powers?"
"Around 205 pounds. The amount of water has gone down about 6 pounds with the weight I've gained over the last few days."
"OK, 'Emily', one more question. About how much water were you retaining before you came back from Kentucky?"
"Not much, maybe 10 pounds?"
Comparing his notes, he finally came to a conclusion.
"Susan, you have to get fatter."
"WHAT?!"
"Look, from what I can conclude, with your past history and your metahuman genetics, your ideal weight WAS 200 pounds. But since you were stuck at around 400 pounds on the average for that week in Kentucky, your body thinks it's supposed to weigh that much and when your powers activate, you body compensates. The way I see it, you should see about gaining about doubling your present weight, or more depending on how often you work with your abilities to reduce your water retention."
"There's no way I can lose any weight at all?"
"You couldn't lose weight if you wanted to. You see, your body is very different than the average person. Whereas on an average person fat is fat, your fat is actually acting as muscle. And yes, it looks like fat, moves like fat and even feels like fat. But it's really muscle in your case. You eat for the bulk, using your powers to keep it in shape. Understand?"
Susan looked dejectedly at the floor. "Yeah, I understand. But I don't have to like it!"
"Just think it over. Until you gain the weight, your powers are going to be screwed up. And just remember there are SOME people out there who LIKE their lovers generously proportioned. Heck I saw how you were looking at John when you met him in the hallway. So stay positive, people like upbeat fat people, not self-pitying ones."
The doctor then gave her a small bottle of tablets about the size of dinner mints. He explained to her that they were designed to slow down her metabolism so she could gain weight faster, that they also acting as an appetite stimulant. He said she should only take them once a week, the effects would compound if she took them more than that. She should also make sure to have plenty of food and loose clothing handy when she took it, also the main side effect was possible dizziness, which would subside as she got enough to eat. He told her not to be intimidated by the size of the tablets, that they chewed up and tasted just like candy.
He then showed her out the door, telling her not to worry so much, the way she carried what she already had, she was going to be even more beautiful over time.
When she got back to the base, she went to see Mr. Zion. She told him all about her appointment with the doctor and what he suggested she do. Zion sat back in his chair to think a moment.
"Tell you what, Susan. It was kind of my fault this happened to you, so I'll try to make it up to you. For every pound you gain from here on out, I'll pay you $1000, with no ceiling limit. I'll even cover any other expenses you accrue from your situation, including clothing, and the cost of Azure Streak's adjustments to your car. Will that help ease the burden of your situation?"
"I think it will, though I don't guarantee that I plan to gain any weight."
"That's okay, just realize that you have this extra money to help you should you gain weight."
Susan then went to her quarters and called Dee, telling her what happened and asking if she had picked up her outfit for their double date the next night. Dee exclaimed that it was good that Susan would be getting nice and fat, that Dee could give her some of her hand-me-downs when she needed them. She also said that she was picking up her outfit the next morning and that Jacques had a surprise for her, that she couldn't tell her what it was. Susan hung up the phone, thinking that at least ONE person was happy about her situation!
Susan passed the rest of the day working on a program to detect and analyze the level of moisture in her body. (Now to link it to the dehydration program.) She went to sleep that night, thinking about her blind date the next night and dreaming about what her current problems were leading to…
(To Be Continued)