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In a location that didn’t exist on paper, a woman strode confidently through a gunmetal gray hall like nothing was going to stop her. The checkpoint she stepped up to made an attempt, but it wouldn’t last.

The guards – a rat man and a parrot woman, both in black EDC fatigues – had been standing there looking bored until she approached. They didn’t typically have much to do, since very few people came to this place (what with it not existing and all), so it took them a moment to stand at attention.

“Hold up,” said the rat. “State your… business?”

He hesitated when the figure got close enough to get a good look at. What he saw standing before him was this:

She was an alligator with a gray-green hide and sharp yellow eyes. She was dressed in a white muscle shirt, jungle camo pants, and heavy black boots. She was very tall, easily six foot five, and in excellent physical condition, with a fit, sturdy build. She had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and if the look on her face said anything, it was “I am already done with this conversation”.

The two guards were not the bravest that the EDC had to offer. Their job, if something were to actually go awry, was to hit the alarm button and lock the gates before running as fast as they could. So perhaps it came as no surprise that the two of them were feeling a bit intimidated.

Still, they had a job to do. The parrot cleared her throat.

“Authorized personnel only beyond this point.”

The newcomer stared her down for a moment. Then she lifted up a badge that was in a lanyard around her neck. It was an Earth Defense Corps ID that had her picture on it, declaring her to be Private First Class Molly Hale.

The rat took the badge. He examined it. He held it up to the light. Then he touched his earpiece.

A very tense minute passed. Then he cleared his throat.

“You’re expected, Private Hale. Sorry for the delay.”

Then he buzzed her in, and the gate opened up.

Private Hale stood in place for a moment. Then she said, “Keep up the good work,” and continued in her stride.

As the gate closed, the guards relaxed. They were both glad that she was no longer their problem, and sympathetic for whoever’s problem she was about to be.

~*~

Molly was disappointed. When she heard phrases like “secret underground government laboratory”, she expected a bit more flash. At a casual glance, the place looked like any other government facility, with its dull decor and people in suits or uniforms milling about. There ought to have at least been some flashing lights and vats of brightly-colored chemicals.

“Private Hale?”

She whipped around and saw that someone was approaching her. She was slightly-built lioness dressed in the same standard-issue fatigues as the guards with the addition of some extra pips, peering at her from behind a pair of round spectacles. She cleared her throat.

“I am Lieutenant Stein, and I am to be your main contact throughout the project.”

Molly looked Lieutenant Stein up and down, and threw her a sharp salute.

“At ease, Private,” she said. “There’s no need for decorum while you’re here. At least while there’s not any generals present.”

Molly felt herself relax. “Great. Well, I’m here. What now? Where’s the machine that pumps me full of chemicals?”

Lieutenant Stein rolled her eyes. “Your eagerness is appreciated, but there’s a few steps that must be taken before we get to that stage. Follow me, please?”

She walked off, and Molly did as she was told.

Molly was here because she had volunteered. The EDC were embroiled in an effort to liberate a large chunk of territory from an invading force like none other. She’d gone up against all sorts of threats since enlisting, but the mechs were on another level.

No-one was sure where in the galaxy they had come from, but they sure hadn’t come in peace. There was no negotiation; they staked their claims and the areas were as good as forbidden while they converted natural resources into raw materials. If that hadn’t been bad enough, they had technology that rendered most modern armaments completely useless. They’d had to switch to archaic ballistic weaponry, and that could only get them so far. They needed a new weapon to use against them, and that was where Molly had come in.

The call had gone out for volunteers, with the only criteria being, strangely enough, being above a certain height and weight threshold, one that Molly surpassed considerably. Maybe that’s why she was chosen to be the first test subject for… something.

In truth, she hadn’t been given the full details about what exactly it was they would be testing, other than the fact that it was something that would affect her body. But she was ready and she was willing, whatever it took.

Stein took her to a dormitory. It was bigger than she had expected, far more so than most of her lodgings since joining up.

“So, Private Hale,” said Stein, as Molly started to unpack. “How much do you know about Project Samson?”

Molly shrugged. “Folks back at the barracks were throwing the phrase ‘super soldier’ around a lot. Dunno how accurate it is. Didn’t need the details.”

Stein gave Molly an inquisitive look. “You don’t have to answer, but could I ask why you volunteered?”

“Would you believe that I didn’t have anything better to do?” When Stein didn’t say anything, Molly continued. “I don’t got a lot of connections. I’m not any sort of tactical genius. I’m just a gal who’s good at busting heads. In other words, I’m basically perfect, and if it goes sideways, then no big loss, right?”

Stein looked like she was biting back a comment. After a moment, she just pressed on. “We need to rethink our tactics against the mechs. We don’t understand the nature of the anti-electronic fields that they can generate, since we’ve never been able to capture one intact. But what we do know is that it has no effect on organic matter. So what we need to give us an edge is an organic weapon. And that’s where you come in.”

“I gotta admit, the phrase ‘organic weapon’ gets my hackles up a bit,” said Molly. “Are you gonna grow me some built-in rocket launchers or something? Give me the power to belch lightning and shit bullets?”

Stein rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing you read a lot of comics in your formative years.”

Molly folded her arms and huffed. “So what if I did?”

Stein smirked at her. “I’ve always been more into anime. Rest assured that I’m not going to turn you into Tetsuo, either. Nothing quite so grandiose. We’re just going to make you impossibly strong and durable.”

That got Molly’s attention. “Seriously? No shit?”

“No shit indeed,” said Stein. “I don’t know how much you know about biology and anatomy–”

“Basically nothing.”

“...Well, in layman’s terms, there’s only so much muscle mass a body can have before physics starts working against it. Project Samson seeks to bypass those barriers.”

“And you chose me ‘cause I’m already big?”

“There were other reasons. You being big helped.”

That got a laugh out of Molly. “Well, I’m here, I’ve got all my stuff, and I signed all the NDAs, so do your worst. When do we start?”

“Right now, as it happens,” said Stein. “Your body needs to be prepared. You’ll need to maintain your physical fitness regimen, but in addition, you’ll have to increase your caloric intake considerably. Your body is going to need the fuel.”

“Uh-huh. Considering the sort of food that y’all generally give us, that’s gonna be tricky. There’s only so many MREs I can stand before I start wanting to gnaw my own leg off just for some variety.”

Stein shook her head. “Give us a little bit of credit, will you? Keeping your morale up is just as important as everything else. There’s a reason that most organizations don’t just feed their people on soy protein.”

Stein’s watch beeped, and she gave it a quick glance.

“And it looks like it’s time for dinner. Since you’re still getting settled, I thought you might appreciate eating in tonight.”

Sure enough, the door opened up, and a drone pushing a cart made its way into the room, bringing a delightfully spicy aroma with it. On top of the cart was a large tray which bore a meat lover’s pizza the size of a truck tire, a basket piled high with hot wings, and a pitcher of lemonade. For the first time since arriving, Molly’s composure broke and she stared slack-jawed at her dinner.

She could feel her stomach growl fiercely. She’d had to skip lunch to make it on time, and she was feeling it.

“...You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“We’re not exactly serving Cordon Bleu,” said Stein, “but we’ll make sure it isn’t boring. Didn’t you wonder why the onboarding questionnaire asked what your favorite foods were?”

Molly had wondered that, but she was used to answering stupid questions without arguing.

“Eat as much as you want, and then a little bit more. And then get some rest. You’ve got a lot of work cut out for you.”

With that, Stein quit the room, stopping only to grab a hot wing on her way out.

Molly could still hardly believe this. She wasn’t expecting much when she’d volunteered for this, but it certainly wasn’t this. She was a simple woman, and there was a lot that she would put up with if she was well fed. Of course, she hadn’t indulged herself like this since she’d gotten into fighting shape, so there was some hesitation, but it was practically doctor’s orders, right? Stein was probably some kind of doctor.

She picked up an enormous slice of pizza and took a big bite. The cheese was the perfect consistency, the meat was salty and spicy, the crust thick and chewy, all just the way she liked it. It may not have been the best pizza she’d ever had, but it was a pizza that was right in front of her, and what’s more, one that she was basically under orders to eat.

Molly didn’t think that the rest of her assignment here was going to be this easy or this fun, but it was off to a good start, at least.

She went to sleep that night very full and very happy.

~*~

Molly had woken up bright and early the next morning. She generally liked to start the day with a run. Some fresh air would have been nice, but that wasn’t an option at the moment, so she made do with a treadmill. After that, she went down to the mess hall for breakfast, where she was given a massive stack of pancakes almost as big as the plate they were served on, along with sausage links, hash browns, and a protein shake.

Stein was waiting for her when she got there, and sat across from her as she enjoyed her own much more modest breakfast.

“So are you going to be shadowing me the whole time I’m here, then?” asked Molly, gesturing at her with a fork.

“I’m in charge of the project, so yes,” she said. “It will be important to keep track of your caloric intake and log your physical activity. We’re treading new ground here.”

“Uh-huh. Want me to keep notes when I go to the can, too?”

Stein just rolled her eyes and got back to eating.

For the rest of the week, Molly’s only orders were to eat and work out. The first day hadn’t been a mere fluke, and each meal was just as decadent as the last. She was given juicy burgers, hearty gumbo, burritos as thick as her arm, and much more. But along with the rich meals came the most intense workout routine she’d ever had. She hadn’t sweat this much since basic training. Molly liked to keep fit, but this was crazy. She usually fell asleep within seconds of her head hitting her pillow.

It wasn’t long before her lifestyle change had a visible effect on her body. She’d always been solid, but all of the extra food she was taking in was giving her a bit of a soft gut. She noticed it one morning while she was taking a shower. It was hard to miss. She couldn’t remember the last time she jiggled.

All the while, Stein was never far away, always asking her questions and taking notes. And she was… fine, Molly supposed. She’d had worse supervisors.

“Doesn’t it get boring, watching me eat and sweat all the time?” she’d asked one day.

“This is all in service of my life’s work,” Stein had replied. “It’s important.”

That didn’t feel like an answer to Molly’s question, but she let it slide.

And then, one night after dinner (her biggest yet, a massive platter of curry and rice) Stein told her that it was nearly time.

“Your body is as ready as it’s going to get,” she explained. “We’re ready to enter the first phase of testing.”

“Took you long enough,” said Molly. “Does this mean I have to eat a little less?”

“Private, if this works, you’ll need to eat more.”

Molly looked down at her nearly empty plate, and at her very full belly.

“...Any chance that the modifications include an extra stomach?”

~*~

The next morning found Molly in a sterile examination room, where Stein and some other people dressed in lab coats were making preparations. She was led to an enormous slab with restraints at the wrists and ankles.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Molly. “Your first name isn’t ‘Frank’, is it?”

“It’s Loretta, actually. And this is for your safety. Trust me. We’ll need you to undress, too. If you want a screen or something, we can–”

But Molly was already pulling her clothes off and tossing them aside, and was quickly left in nothing but her skivvies.

“Wouldn’t be here if I was shy,” she said, leaning against the slab. “Strap me in and let’s get on with it.”

Stein and her aides did just that, securing Molly to the slab and attaching several monitor pads on various locations. They murmured among themselves for some time. They took her vitals. And then, a lab coated figure came in carrying a metal briefcase, which was opened up to reveal several bottles, most prominently a large syringe full of a neon green liquid.

“Aw, yeah,” said Molly. “That is what a proper super soldier serum ought to look like.”

“I’m glad you approve,” said Stein. She withdrew one of the smaller bottles and uncapped it. It was some kind of ointment, and she began to rub Molly down with it. It felt kind of nice, actually, as she massaged the silky substance into her arms, legs, and torso, making sure not to miss a spot.

“Do I get a happy ending, too?”

One of the aides snorted and was quickly shushed by a colleague. Stein focused on her work, rubbing Molly down until she had a nice even coating. And then she picked up the syringe.

“This is going to be our first full-scale test,” she said. “It will probably hurt a bit, but I can’t say for sure how it’s going to feel. Are you ready?”

“I hear a whole lot of talking and not a lot of mad science. We doing this or what?”

To Molly’s surprise, Stein actually laughed out loud. “Try and hold onto that attitude for the weeks to come.” And with that, she administered the serum into Molly’s arm.

Molly didn’t have time to speculate on how long it was going to take. It started as a hot tingling sensation in her muscles around the injection site, like pins and needles, and quickly started to spread. It ran down her arm and up her shoulder, down her chest and back, and soon she was tingling from head to toe. She started to squirm against the restraints from the discomfort.

“Private Hale? Are you in pain?”

“Doesn’t hurt,” groaned Molly. “Doesn’t feel good either, though. Kinda feels like… like… fuck!”

The tingling started to abate, replaced by a series of cramps and spasms. All over her body, she could feel her muscles twitching like they were trying to escape.

For as long as she could remember, Molly liked being fit. She played football in school, was on the track team in university, and hit the gym regularly before she enlisted. She was very familiar with the burn of a workout well done, and the pain that you needed to push through in order to make progress.

What she felt next was like the pain of a month’s worth of workouts condensed into a single minute. She snarled and gnashed as she felt her muscles flex and contort, pulsing with an irregular rhythm. She sucked in heavy breaths and felt her heart starting to race as she felt herself starting to convulse. It was like someone had jabbed a live wire into her. She was certain that her body was going to tear itself apart.

And yet…

Her old CO used to say that pain was weakness leaving the body, and she had always hated it. But there was something to this pain once she got past the initial shock of it. It would be a lie to say that it felt good, but she could feel it start to change from mind-twisting agony to something else. She would come out of this stronger, if only she could endure it. And so she endured.

Molly’s eyes shot wide open as she felt a fresh surge of force run through her veins, and she watched as her body started to change, as if being re-shaped by a divine sculptor. She watched as her muscles bulged and flexed, pushing outward against her skin. She watched herself stretch and warp, and with each pulse of expansion, she didn’t bounce back as far as before.

It was happening all over her. She could feel her arms growing thicker, her chest growing broader, her stomach getting tighter. She watched as her muscles bulged out and out, growing bigger and more defined, and the burning sensation running through them flared up. Her body was vibrating with barely-restrained tension, and she could feel adrenaline starting to pump. She fought against her restraints, no longer wanting to be held back. She needed to do something. She needed to move. She let out a prolonged groan as she flexed, feeling her veins standing out as she pulled against her restraints, until finally, she released a deep and guttural bellow as she tore through the leather straps and stumbled forward. She took in a series of deep breaths as a euphoric high began to wash over her.

“Private Hale? Can you hear me? …Molly?”

Hearing her name cut through the haze of sensation, and she could feel herself starting to calm down. At some point she’d fallen down onto her hands and knees, and slowly pushed herself up. There was Stein, standing over her with an apprehensive look on her face.

“Oh, hey there, Loretta,” she said, her voice still a bit distant. “I’m fine. How’re you?”

Molly slowly rose up into a standing position. Someone handed her a jug of water, and she immediately chugged it down. She still felt hot all over, but the euphoria was still lingering, too. It reminded her of a runner’s high.

“So, what’s the verdict?” she said. “Did it work?”

A smile crept over Stein’s features. “Why don’t you take a look for yourself?”

One of the aides passed a tablet over to Molly, and when she looked at it, there was a picture of her, and she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

In the space of a few minutes, Molly’s figure had gone from well toned to completely shredded. She looked like she had just stepped off the stage of a bodybuilding competition. The extra bulk she’d taken in over the week had been distributed all over her body, in all of the right places.

“Holy fucking shit.”

“Indeed,” said Stein. She couldn’t stop smiling now. “It looks good. But how does it feel?”

Molly lifted up her hand and looked at it. She flexed her arm and watched her biceps bulge out. “Little sore, but pretty good.”

The aides swarmed around her once again, and Molly was weighed and measured, and she found that she had gained a good fifty pounds compared to before. On top of that, she now had an extra three inches of height, which she hadn’t expected.

“Everything seems normal,” said Stein. “Your resting heart rate has gone up a little bit and your growth is within my projections. So far, so good, but I need more data. How do you feel about some physical activity?”

Molly grinned. She liked the sound of that.

~*~

Molly hadn’t known that the facility had a yard. It wasn’t much, just an outdoor space surrounded by walls under open sky with various pieces of ominous-looking equipment strewn about. Importantly, there were less things to potentially damage out here than in the gym. It didn’t take her long to discover why that was important.

“So what exactly do you want me to do here?” said Molly, looking down at a stack of iron slabs.

“Just try and lift as much as you can,” said Stein. She was currently standing behind a large barrier of reinforced glass and talking to Molly through an earpiece. “They weigh about a hundred pounds each.”

Molly looked down at the slabs. She could bench about two hundred pounds on a good day. She reached down and picked up a slab, and barely needed to strain at all.

“Feels light as a feather,” she said, twirling it around in her hands. She added a few more slabs to the stack, and only when she was hauling about six of them did she start to feel the weight. And there were still more of them to go.

“Fuck it,” she said. “In for a penny, right?”

And with that, she bent down and proceeded to lift up the whole stack of slabs. It took a moment for her to get a good grip, but once she had it, she was able to hoist the whole stack over her head.

“Not too shabby, huh?” she said, grinning at Stein. “And I’m not even winded! What else you got?”

“I’m glad you asked.”

A large door on one of the walls lifted up, and a rusted old sedan was rolled up to her.

“Oh, now we’re talkin’.”

The area was cleared once more, and Molly approached the front of the car. Cracking her knuckles theatrically, she put her hands under the front bumper and started to pull.

Now she was feeling her effort. Grunting and groaning, she hoisted the front end of the car up higher and higher, feeling her muscles twinge as she worked. She was trembling now, but her blood was pumping now. Apprehension vanished and excitement set in.

With a triumphant roar, she pushed up as hard as she could, and watched as the car flipped end over end, landing on its roof with a satisfying crunch.

“How did that feel?” said Stein’s voice in her ear.

“Fucking incredible!” she snapped back. “The mechs don’t stand a chance!”

“That’s what we’re hoping for,” said Stein. “But strength is just one part of it. We’re hoping to achieve enhanced endurance and toughness as well. On that note…”

Molly heard movement and looked around to see an aide wearing padded clothing rolling some manner of device toward her.

“Is that a fucking pitching machine?”

“We have to test your toughness somehow,” said Stein. “And it’s not like we’re going to just shoot you. This should be a good start.”

Molly chuckled and braced herself. “Alright, then. Bring it.”

Stein gave the aide a thumbs up, and they proceeded to turn on the machine. Seconds later, a baseball traveling with the speed of an all-star fired out and impacted her square in the chest.

Molly recoiled, but it was pure instinct. She felt the impact on her skin, that was for sure, but it didn’t hurt. Another rocketed out and bounced off her gut.

“Did you not hear me?” said Molly. “I said bring it!”

The machine was turned up and several more balls were loaded in. Molly stood firm with her hands on her hips as the onslaught of balls flew forward and hit her again and again, and bounced right off.

“Didn’t even leave a mark,” she said, brushing her fatigues off. “If the mechs come at us armed with baseballs, they won’t stand a chance.”

Molly heard a faint sound through her earpiece that might have been feedback and might have been a suppressed laugh. Then Stein coughed.

“Anyway. Next up is the endurance test. If you’ll draw your attention to the large apparatus to your right?”

The apparatus in question was something like a crudely-constructed winch. On one side of it was yet another car, this one a bulky jeep, attached to a heavy duty steel cable. On the other side, Molly could see a handle on the other end of the cable.

“I want you to hoist that off the ground and hold it in place until you can’t anymore,” said Stein.

“Hey, I handled one car, what’s another one?” said Molly, picking up the handle.

“This one’s trunk is filled with rocks for good measure.”

Molly scoffed. “Of course it is. Alright, Stein, you watching? Here… we… go!”

With that, she began to pull. It took much more effort to get it started this time, but before long, she took a few good steps backwards, feeling the muscles in her arms and back start to burn as the jeep was lifted a few feet off the ground.

“Alright, that should be enough,” said Stein. “Just go ahead and hold–”

Molly grunted and gave the jeep another tug, lifting it a bit higher. “You wanted to see what I can do, right? So let’s not half-ass it!”

Gritting her teeth, Molly continued to pull, moving the jeep higher and higher until she was holding it a good ten feet off the ground. And for the first time today, she was feeling it. However much Stein’s serum had juiced her muscles, there was still clearly a ceiling and she had a feeling she was starting to bump against it.

But Molly wasstubborn. She wouldn’t be her if she didn’t push it, so she gave another mighty heave.

“Private Hale, please be careful!”

“Didn’t end up… where I am… by being careful!” she gasped, holding onto the cable for dear life. She could feel herself starting to buckle as she held what must have been a good three tons off the ground.

“How long’s it been? Five minutes? Ten? Twenty?”

“It’s been ninety-six seconds,” said Stein. “Please, stop when you need to stop. This is just a test.”

“And I plan on getting an A!” said Molly. As the seconds ticked by, her muscles continued to burn. She tried to keep count in her head, but it was getting difficult, and as two minutes slowly turned into three, she felt herself falter.

Instead of pulling back, she redoubled her efforts. She would hold on until the last possible second. She gripped the handle harder, watching her muscles twitch. She huffed as she took a step back, tugging a little bit harder and finding it more difficult with each moment that passed.

Come on, Molly, she thought to herself. The mechs aren’t gonna let you tap out. Keep it up!

Her heart was pounding, and she could feel the beat resonating through her muscles. Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum. The strain was starting to get to her, so she focused on that beat, blocking out everything else. And when she felt her grip start to slip, she snarled and tugged as hard as she could.

“Come… on!” she hissed. “Show them… what you… are made of!”

What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Molly felt a jolt down her spine that spread into her limbs and saw them bulging beneath her clothes. Only this time, they continued to bulge, straining against the fabric, until finally, a ripping sound filled her ears. For a second, she worried that it was her, until she realized that her fatigues were starting to come apart at the seams as her muscles burst through her clothes. She could feel scraps of fabric falling off of her as she cried out and pulled as hard as she could, tugging and tugging until the jeep was at the very top of the winch, and there she held it.

“Molly, are you–”

“I’m fine!” she snapped. “You just keep taking your notes and I’ll keep holding on!”

And hold on she did, until she finally felt the strain begin to sink into her muscles. With an enormous sigh, she let go, and the ancient jeep plummeted to the ground, crunching into a heap of scrap as it made impact.

Molly stood silent and admired her handiwork. Then she looked down at herself. Her sleeves were completely gone and the rest of her top was holding on by a thread. So she just ripped off what was left and tossed it aside.

“How long was that?” she called, taking a triumphant stance as she turned to face Stein.

The lieutenant stared dumbfounded for several seconds before looking down at her tablet.

“Eight minutes, twenty-three seconds,” she said, her voice distant. “That was… unexpected, I have to say. How do you feel?”

Molly looked at her newly-engorged muscles and began to take stock of her body. Aside from some lingering cramps, she felt fine. Except…

“Hungry,” she said. “Really, really hungry. What’s for lunch?”

Stein let out a relieved laugh. “Whatever it is, I’ll make sure there’s a lot of it.”

“Just what I wanted to hear.”

~*~

Thirty minutes later, Molly had just finished eating what felt like her body weight in food.

“Son of a bitch,” she said, as she nibbled on a toothpick. “I’ve never eaten that much in one sitting in my whole life. Shit, I’m not sure I’ve eaten that much in one day before.”

“You burnt a lot of energy,” said Stein. “Your appetite is only going to grow as you do.”

Molly paused for a moment. “The way you phrased that made it sound like I wasn’t done growing. Seriously?”

Stein looked up from her note-taking and smiled. “What you were injected with was just the first stage of the formula. We couldn’t just grow you all at once without your body rejecting it, so we were going to ease you in. But your unexpected growth spurt is throwing off our predictions a bit.”

“Dunno what to tell you,” said Molly. “I needed to be stronger to hold that shit up, and then I was. Whatever you put in there seems to be doing its job.”

Stein gave an emphatic nod. “I ran the numbers. We were originally going to wait a few weeks to move you on to the second stage. I still want to do a few more rounds of physical tests, but I think we’ll be able to move that time table up a bit.”

“I like the sound of that. Patience has never been one of my strong suits. When do we start?”

Stein gestured at the empty platter before her. “We just did. Don’t get too comfortable.”

~*~

Stein was absolutely right. Over the next three days, Molly’s training got more intense and so did her meals. Every day, she’d eat half a platoon’s worth of food and endure a round of strength testing from Stein. Fortunately, she didn’t have any more surprise growth spurts, but her strength and endurance was breaking all of Stein’s projections. And so, when she stepped into the lab once again, she felt confident in what was coming next.

And so Molly once again found herself stripped down to her underwear and was once again being rubbed down with a strange lotion that smelled strongly of industrial solvents. There was no slab this time, just an extra-large chair.

“Not going to strap me down?” said Molly, as the aides finished oiling up her legs and her tail. “I was just starting to like it?”

“We don’t have any restraints that would fit you,” said Stein, who was busy at the table. She poured a variety of miscellaneous chemicals into a large water bottle, then gave it to Molly to drink, which she did in short order.

“That tasted like pennies,” she said, as she crushed the bottle and tossed it aside.

“I’ll see if we can’t improve on that next time,” said Stein dryly. Then she brought out yet another injector, bigger than the last one but still bright green.

“I’d tell you what’s in store for you,” said Stein, “but the truth is, I can’t say for sure. So I’m giving you the chance to back out now. I know that the EDC is asking a lot of you, that I’m asking a lot of you, but–”

Molly made a shushing gesture. “I’m in the chair, aren’t I? I’ve come this far and I’ll be damned if I don’t see it through.”

Stein nodded. “In case something happens, then let me just say, thank you for this chance.”

“And in case something happens, let me just say, thank you for the pizza.”

Stein let out a chuckle, and then it was time. She hooked up the appropriate sensors, then the others present in the room backed away as she took Molly’s and injected the serum.

At first, it felt like a repeat of what had happened before; the site of the injection grew hot, and the heat spread through her body. Molly was expecting the tingling and the muscle tremors to start at any moment. But that wasn’t what happened next.

The warmth, rather than sinking into her muscles, seemed to concentrate itself in her center, like she’d just taken a swig of molten metal, and Molly could feel her stomach start to churn.

“Uh, Stein?” she said, giving her abdomen a poke. “Is it supposed to feel like this?”

“Like what?” said Stein, looking up from her tablet.

Molly poked herself again. “Like I just chugged a bunch of coke and mentos. Almost feels like I need to–”

Molly didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence as the heat in her stomach suddenly exploded, and immediately her belly started to bloat. Rather than her muscles engorging, it just looked like her belly was filling up. Stein recoiled as she watched Molly balloon outwards. If her expression was any indication, this was not part of the plan.

Then Molly felt herself cramp up, and she lurched forward as that bloated feeling started to spread. She could do nothing but gasp and moan as her body began to change once again. Her body was growing just like before, only this time, it wasn’t her muscles that were getting bigger. All over her body, the impressive definition that she’d so recently gained was overtaken as Molly’s body started to grow layers upon layers of fat. Herstomach continued to grow and spread outward, getting so large that it started to sag, and her chest grew along with it. Her underwear’s waistband snapped as her ass and her hips began to engorge, followed by her thighs. All over her body, she was getting bigger and thicker and softer and–

Molly heard something creak and groan. For a moment she feared the worst. Then she realized that it was her chair. She was getting heavier, too. As her rear and her thighs swelled with fat, it wasn’t much longer before it gave way completely, the arms snapping off first, then the rest following shortly behind as she dropped to the floor.

It wasn’t over yet. She started to thrash and writhe as she felt herself growing even more. Her belly expanded outward, pouring into her lap, and her once-modest chest, kept small by a lifetime of good fitness, exploded into a pair of heavy, low-hanging tits. Even her tail was gaining weight, and it was soon twice as thick as it had been before.

But the strangest thing it all was that, throughout the whole process, she felt amazing. The process of growing more muscular had been tough, something to grit her teeth through, knowing that it would all be worth it in the end. Feeling herself fattening, on the other hand? The sensation was borderline orgasmic, and for a few wonderful moments she was completely blissed out of her mind.

And then it was over, and Molly was left lying on the floor, chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. The room was dead silent.

“Stein? You still there?”

“Fucking hell, Molly!”

Despite everything, Molly laughed. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you cuss since I got here.”

“I think it’s merited! Are you okay?”

“...Honestly not sure yet. This wasn’t quite what I was hoping for when you dosed me. Was this supposed to–”

“No, it wasn’t!” Stein had approached Molly’s side and motioned to help her up before thinking better of it. “Can you stand?”

“Dunno. Let’s find out.”

Molly took a few moments to steel herself, and then, with a guttural groan, did a sit-up and managed to get to her feet.

“Fuck me running,” she said, brushing herself off. “What the hell happened? I gotta weigh a thousand pounds!”

“Our scale doesn’t go that high,” said Stein, her voice far away. “God, Molly, I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly thrilled about– whoa!”

Molly had taken a few careful steps and, owing to the radical shift in her center of gravity, nearly toppled over. She held out her arms to catch herself against the wall. She managed to do so, but the wall didn’t come away unscathed. As her hands made impact, there was a massive dent left behind.

Both Molly and Stein stared dumbstruck at it.

“The walls here are solid steel,” said Stein. “How did you…?

Molly looked at the hand that did the deed. There wasn’t a mark on it.

Was she still…?

“...Hey, Stein? I think we’d better get out to the yard. I wanna try something.”

~*~

They hadn’t been able to find any clothes that fit Molly, but she was unconcerned with her nudity. She had bigger things on her mind than modesty. Once again, Stein was situated behind the barrier, and Molly watched as yet another junked car was pushed out.

“Where are they getting these things,” she murmured, as she approached the vehicle. “Alright, Stein, you watching?”

Stein made an affirmative noise.

“Then here goes nothing.”

Molly wasn’t sure what was about to happen as she walked ponderously toward the car. Taking a few deep breaths, she reached under it, started to lift…

And the next thing she knew, she was hoisting a car over her head.

She could hear Stein shouting in amazement both through her earpiece and in real life.

Grinning, she tossed the vehicle to herself a couple times, rotating it around like she was spinning a plate before heaving it across the yard, where it rolled before coming to a stop.

“Okay, so we can confirm that I’m still strong,” she said. “Stronger than before, even. And, like… I don’t know how to explain it, but I don’t feel heavy.”

Before Stein could say anything else, she took off running. She was sure she looked absolutely ridiculous with her cellulite jiggling to and fro as she moved, but she didn’t slow down, and managed three laps around the circumference of the yard before stopping.

“Wouldn’t say no to an industrial-strength sports bra,” said Molly, “but I’d say that went pretty well. What’s next?”

Once again the winch was hooked up and once again Molly held a car aloft, only this time she only deigned to use one hand. Fifteen minutes in, she yawned.

“Any chance you can grab me a book or something?”

“I can’t believe this,” said Stein. “Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my serum would work like this…”

Molly chuckled and let the car drop. “Think it’s time for some more direct testing?”

Stein looked conflicted for a moment. There was some concern for Molly’s safety in there, that was for sure, but there was also the excitement of a scientist seeing their experiment close to fruition.

She held out a hand, and an aide presented her with, of all things, a metal baseball bat. Molly couldn’t help but wonder why they had that lying around.

Stein accepted the bat and made her way out of her protective barrier, bat hoisted over her shoulder.

“Don’t keep me waiting all day,” said Molly, hopping from side to side. “Come on! Lemme have it!”

Stein gripped the bat in both hands, testing its way. Then she drew back and took a big swing directly into Molly’s chest. There was a mighty whap and Molly staggered back, more out of surprise than pain.

When Stein drew the bat back, it was bent.

“It’s working,” said Stein, eyes sparkling with awe. “It’s really working! I can’t believe it!”

Molly put a hand on the lioness’s shoulder. “Don’t pop the champagne quite yet. There’s still one more test we gotta do.”

Stein’s features fell, and she hesitated. “Molly, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Did I fucking stutter?”

Stein sighed. She stepped away for a moment and had a brief chat with an aide. When she came back, she was wearing eye and ear protection and carrying a standard-issue EDC sidearm.

“I can’t believe you want me to do this,” said Stein, shaking her head. “You could at least let me use rubber bullets.”

“The mechs won’t come at me armed with rubber,” said Molly. “Only way to be sure, right? We’ve gotta try this.”

Stein nodded. “I’m going to aim for your leg,” she said. “Stand very still.”

With that, she flicked the safety off, assumed her stance, and took aim. Despite her bravado, there wasn’t a person alive who couldn’t feel apprehensive with a weapon pointed square at them, even if it was their idea.

But god help her, she trusted Stein. And the lieutenant assured her that she was a very good marksman.

“Firing in three… two…”

Molly winced as she heard the bang and felt herself tense up. She yelped as she felt an impact on her leg. But…

With some difficulty, she reached down, and in a moment, she found what she was looking for; a flattened bullet.

She held it up for Stein to see. The two of them exchanged a glance.

Without another word exchanged, Molly held out her arms and shut her eyes as Stein proceeded to empty the magazine directly into her center of mass.

When the gun finally went click, Molly opened one eye. She wasn’t currently bleeding out on the ground, which was a good sign. She ran a hand over her fat belly, rubbing it cautiously. There wasn’t even a scratch. And when she looked down, the ground was littered with the remains of bullets.

Both scientist and subject stared wide-eyed at the littered munitions on the ground.

“...I guess I’d call that a pretty successful test, yeah?”

Then Stein jumped up into the air and cheered, and that threw Molly even more than being shot. She’d never seen the lieutenant show that much emotion outwardly before. And then she got an even bigger surprise as Stein lunged forward and hugged her.

It was several seconds before she realized what she had done, and quickly stepped back, clearing her throat.

“Um. Sorry about that. That was… unprofessional of me.”

Molly laughed and patted Stein on the shoulder, nearly knocking her off her feet as she did so. “Don’t sweat it. So anyway, what’s next?”

Stein started to grin again. “I believe what comes next, Private Hale, is field testing.”

~*~

It had been a cozy little town once, with its own unique landmarks and tourist traps, but locations taken over by the mechs looked very similar after a while. Greenery was rotted away. Minerals were systemically strip mined. Any human structures were covered in metal and used as supply depots. And everywhere you looked, you would see them. Enormous crawling things that were all harsh angles, no two alike. Some of them resembled arachnids, long and spindly and sharp. Others were great armored things, more like crustaceans. But most had strange, unnatural shapes that were optimized for peak efficiency according to some incomprehensible algorithm and resembled no earthly life form.

They were also constantly in motion, like an ant colony hard at work. Which made it all the more unsettling when every single mech stopped in their task and looked up. What they saw was a large cargo plane, flying just high enough to be at the edges of the anti-electronic field. They observed it for some time. Every so often, the natives would make an attempt to reclaim some territory, and would inevitably be repelled. It happened less as of late, but they were stubborn creatures.

As the plane streaked through the air, it dropped something., and the mechs watched it fall, unconcerned. If it was an explosive, the field would neutralize the detonator long before it hit the ground.

It made impact with a massive thud, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. When the dust cleared, what they saw was not a bomb, but rather a large metal pod of some kind.

Curiosity did not come naturally to the mechs. But this was an unknown, and unknowns were dangerous. So many of them gathered around, seeking to understand this strange apparatus.

Then a panel on the pod flew off with enough force to smash a scout that had gotten close enough. And from within the pod, a figure emerged. What the mechs saw standing before them was this:

She was an alligator with a gray-green hide and sharp yellow eyes. She was dressed in a cover-all garment in sleek black, made of some kind of elastic material. She was very tall, easily seven feet plus. And she was exceptionally fat. A good percentage of her body’s mass was taken up by her enormous and jiggly belly, though her weighty bosom was no slouch in that department either, and her limbs were thick with layers of cellulite. Yet despite this, she stepped out of the pod with perfect poise and composition, sure on her feet, and she strode forward with a confidence that the mechs did not often see in their adversaries.

She put her hands together and cracked her knuckles.

“Hey there, slag-heads,” she said. “How’s it going?”

The mechs had seen enough. Every unit present primed its guns and opened fire, showering the interloper with steel slugs. It would be disposed of, and then work would resume.

When each unit’s chambers were cleared, they lowered their weapons, and looked down at what should have been a bloody mess.

Instead, they saw the interloper, standing proud amidst a pile of spent slugs.

“That tickled,” she said, with a nasty grin. And then she charged forward, grasping the closest unit and ripping it apart with her bare hands.

The remaining scouts let out a shrill signal, and every single unit in the territory was suddenly on high alert.

~*~

Molly was having the time of her life.

She had never thought of herself as a person that enjoyed fighting. She fought for something she believed in, but the fighting was just a means to an end, and a thing to be taken seriously.

But as she tore through wave after wave of encroaching mechs, she had to admit, she was enjoying herself.

She never thought she’d be fighting mechs hand to hand, but here she was, doing just that and doing it well. She carried with her a pair of titanium knuckle dusters, to give her blows a little extra oomph, and she could take down most of the mechs with a single punch. Those that tried to stand up again were finished off with a heavy stomp or a well-placed swing of her tail.

All the while, they poured gunfire into her in a never-ending stream, but they may as well have been firing foam darts. Nothing they brought to bear could slow her down, much less penetrate her scales, and as she strode through the base, she left a trail of destruction in her wake.

“Yeah, that’s right!” she said, as she tore a limb off of one unit and used it to clobber another. “Keep ‘em comin’, you sorry-ass toasters! I’m a thousand pounds of terror, and you’re all nothing but… scrap metal…”

Molly hesitated as the largest mech she’d ever seen emerged from a garage. It resembled an enormous crab the size of a tank, and had an enormous wide-bore gun to complete the image. A gun which was now trained on her.

The great barrel boomed and let out a massive plume of smoke, and Molly didn’t have time to even think about getting out of the way before it made contact.

She was seeing stars for a moment, and when she came to, she saw what had happened. Before her was a massive trench that had been dug when the shell’s impact blew her across the ground, and the shell itself was lying right in front of her, where it had made a direct hit to her gigantic gut, which absorbed most of its kinetic energy and bounced it right off in front of her.

“I actually felt that one,” she said, shaking her head. “And you know what, that was on me. I shouldn’t get cocky.”

She picked up the heavy metal slug, trying its weight. It was extremely dense. Then she looked back up to the crab tank, which was in the process of being reloaded by a drone.

It never got the chance as Molly hurled the shell back, knocking it off-kilter. With the tank momentarily disoriented, she charged forward, taking a flying leap and landing on top of it butt-first with all of her weight, rendering it concave from the impact.

As she rose up, dusting herself off, she could see that the remaining mechs surrounding her were attempting to flee. They would not make it far.

It had been almost an hour since Molly had touched down, and in that time, she’d managed to take apart every single mech that she could find. And now here she stood, standing amidst heaps of scrap and beaming with pride. She’d also managed to take down their anti-electronic field generator, which meant that she could make calls.

“This is Big Bertha calling home base,” she said. “The mech base has been cleared. Repeat, base has been cleared. Nothing here but me and a whole bunch of garbage. I’m sending you the video from my helmet cam as we speak.”

“Glad to hear it, Big Bertha,” came Lieutenant Stein’s voice in reply. “I would call this mission a rousing success, wouldn’t you?”

“Damn right I would,” she said. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Oh, yes. The brass is already talking about expanding the program. We’ll have whole squads of folks just like you ready to clear out mech encampments all over the world. If you could do all this on your own, imagine what a team could accomplish.”

Molly pumped a fist in triumph. “Woohoo! Fatty Force is go!”

“We are not calling it that.”

“Your loss. Anything else I can do for you while I’m out here?”

“That will be all for now. Head for the rendezvous point and we’ll have someone ready to take you home. And when we get there, we’ll have a feast ready for you. I heard the kitchen’s making paella.”

“Tell them to make extra. I’m ravenous.”