Expanse Ch 1 Piece 2

This is a pretty rough WIP. Expanse is a special series to me, so I'm treating it like a serious project. Basically, as patrons, you get early access as I work on it. I plan to go back and tweak Ch 0 as well. For now, here's your sneak peak.

I think I'll add an interlude to this as the next piece, and it might continue into a further part. We'll see.

Series: Expanse (Original Series)

Characters: Carmine, Madeline

Contains: Barely mobile, VERY light health mentions

——

Carmine felt herself gradually awaken. She struggled to peel her eyes open and gasped for breath. It felt like a leaden weight had strapped to her chest. Inhaling was so arduous that she had to devote all her strength to the task. The labored wheeze of her breath rang in her ears as her eyes finally peeled open. Fluorescent light stung her eyes like a desert sun. She wanted to raise a hand to block the source, but her arms refused to move.

Carmine’s eyes gradually adjusted to the light. The blur of visual stimulus stabilized, and she discovered her view was incredibly limited. Her eyes sluggishly dragged up. She spotted red, her hair. Just below that was the ceiling and the damn light that shone down on her. That was all she could clearly identify. To the left and right was something round and flesh colored, and in front of her were two lumps in an off-teal color. She focused and noticed…a seam. The lumps were covered in a teal hospital gown. Carmine’s brain was still frazzled, but she tried to think about why a hospital gown would be laid over two curving lumps larger than yoga balls.

Now the memories came back to Carmine. They crept in like the breeze through a rickety door. Slow, whistling until a harsh gust knocked the door wide open. Carmine’s breathing became faster but no less labored. She tried to grab anything to steady herself. She struggled to so much as bend her fingers, but they only squished against something soft.

To make matters worse, Carmine felt where her fingers touched, but the sensation couldn’t be true. The stimulus felt so far from her. Her side shouldn’t be near whatever space her hands were in. The flesh colored lumps to her left and right…those couldn’t be her cheeks, and those giant lumps in front of her couldn’t possibly be her chest. Yet Carmine noticed how those mounds rose and fell with her increasingly anxious breath. She tried to move her body, any part would do, but nothing obeyed. It was as if she were buried under marshmallows that weighed as much as a wet sand bags!

Carmine felt like her body was a prison. It was because of that drug, Expanse! Big Madame had forced her to take Expanse and then placed her in front of a mountain of pink food. The thought of all the sugar cloyed at the back of her throat, and she opened her mouth, but hardly any sound came out. She had no idea when she had last spoken, or maybe her neck was too thick to let any sound out.

More visions of food, the returning sensation of how her body filled out rapidly with fat, the unseen hands that touched her and stuffed her. She couldn’t tell when her hands stopped, but there were undoubtedly more shadowy hands that did this to her. Carmine tried to wriggle with every bit of strength she had. Somewhere, deep, deep muscles burned with overwork. She could feel herself jiggle, but then she couldn’t stop. Her body rolled like a toiling sea. Something pushed her chest up, which then squished her extra chins, and that pushed her mouth shut. Now she could only breathe haggardly through her nose. Carmine felt her body break out in a frantic sweat, and she huffed faster and faster and then…

Relaxation. It was quick and involuntary, but Carmine felt a sense of relaxation. Her eyes became half-lidded but didn’t close. Her vision lazily drifted to the left, where she saw just the top of a head of black hair. Slightly to left, a needle retracted from her IV bag.

“Settle down, won’t you? I've already put in too much effort on you. I don’t want your heart stopping the second you wake up.” A dull, unenthused voice droned.

There was the sudden sound of mechanical whirring. It built into a shrill scree as Carmine noticed her field of vision change. It felt like her body was dragged downward, but in reality her back was being propped up. She was still overcome in the sudden haze, but she felt her heart try to hasten as she saw beyond the curve of her chest. There was another massive lump, partially covered in her hospital gown. This had to be her belly. Then, lumps at her sides must have been her upper arms. It was no wonder she couldn’t move them…

The whirring stopped as Carmine’s hospital bed could lift her no further. She wasn’t seated fully upright, but she felt some relief. Now her massive chest lurched forward and didn’t rest solely on her. It made it easier to draw in air. Not easy, but easier.

The woman with black hair cleared her throat. “I’m Dr. Madeline Hawthorne, and you are lucky to be…well, conscious and alive.” She placed her hands on her hips and looked over Carmine with a bored expression.

Carmine looked at Madeline, taking in her details. Long black hair in a ponytail, grey eyes with bags under them. ‘Dr, hair out of the way, makes sense. Those bags, this woman hasn’t slept in days. Maybe a few winks at her desk, but she’s going purely on caffeine and…nicotine.’ Carmine observed as she looked at the cigarette that hung from the corner of the doctor’s mouth. Even in her twilight state, Carmine made note of various minute details. She was a detective at heart, after all.

Carmine opened her mouth to speak, but she hardly had the breath. She wheezed like a worn-down squeaky toy. Madeline seemed to understand what Carmine wanted to say.

Madeline walked toward the window. This put her back in Carmine's sight and unintentionally revealed her figure. A long, white lab coat hugged her silhouette, but it didn’t hide the fact that this doctor was curvaceous. Carmine might have been massively obese, but Madeline was naturally curvy. Even “thin,” Madeline’s hips flared out exaggeratedly, and her butt was clearly padded with ludicrously thick cheeks. Carmine’s eyes widened as she stared. She barely managed to yank her gaze up as Madeline turned.

The doctor sat sidesaddle on the windowsill, barely able to balance one cheek. She opened the window and cigarette smoke outside. It hardly mattered as a gust of chilly wind carried it back inside. “We found you in a back alley a few blocks away. You were practically stuffed between the buildings, wedged in tighter than an elephant in a circus cage.” Madeline glanced at Carmine, who felt the metaphor was a little too literal.

Carmine instinctively tried to move. She didn’t manage anything significant, but she felt her fat press and roll over the bars on the side of her hospital bed.

Madeline waited for the furniture to stop squeaking before she continued. “Anyways, you were delirious and naked. If not for all that fat insulating you, you probably would have frozen to death. Though a little frostbite hardly compares to the rest of your condition.” Madeline didn’t need a clipboard. She proceeded to recite the obvious. “So fat you could hardly breathe, all of your muscles are so overwhelmed that you can barely move, and don’t get me started on your heart.”

Over time, Carmine managed to steady her breathing. It was hardly easier, but it was a steady rhythm. The lack of wheezing allowed her to hear the erratic beep of a heart monitor. Suffice to say, she was well aware of how bleak her current state was.

“It was obvious that you were under the influence of Expanse.” Madeline ashed her cigarette and stood up. She approached Carmine and stuck to the side so she could be seen. “The sclera of your eyes was bright pink, and your stomach wouldn’t stop rumbling. That’s how you were found by the way.” She muttered the last part and reached out to pat Carmine’s belly. The fat easily morphed around her hand, and Carmine felt the jiggles spread throughout her. “Normally, Expanse junkies are moved to a separate facility to hopefully come to, but you’re one of the fattest we’ve seen at our hospital. So, you ended up stuck under my care. You were in a delirious state for about…three months.” She took another drag of her cigarette.

“Should…” Carmine wheezed. “You…huff…be smoking…wheeze inside?” She slowly managed to ask. The effort left her breathless for nearly half a minute.

Madeline chuckled, a soft flutter of a sound. “You should worry about your health before mine.” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone. She opened the camera app and held it over Carmine’s face.

Carmine immediately scowled at the state of her face. Just one cheek was so engorged and swollen with fat that it could have completely smothered her previous visage. The two cheeks combined with a thick extra chin and a roll of neck fat. Overall, the size of her face had nearly tripled since she last gazed into a mirror.

Something else Carmine noticed was that her eyes were still pink. It wasn’t the vibrant pink someone had when exposed to Expanse. Instead, it was dull like a winter rose. Then, just above her left eye, a lock of hair was now white. The bundle of strands stood in great contrast to the natural, intense red of her hair.

Carmine tried to reach for the phone, hoping to angle it and get a better look at the rest of her. Her arm refused to budge. She tried to look to the right, but her cheek fat obscured practically all of her view. She just saw a sliver. It wasn’t enough, dammit!

Madeline noticed and angled the phone slightly. This gave Carmine the view she desired. Though…it hardly comforted her. Carmine’s arm was such a bloated affair that she hardly considered it a limb any longer. It was a feeble appendage overburdened by fat. The connection from her shoulder to upper arm was seamless and formed a globular lump larger than the pillow under her head (although she only assumed she had a pillow beneath her head). The only thing that interrupted the bulging curve of her upper arm was the band of a blood pressure monitor. It squeezed the fat, causing it to bulge around both ends of the strap. Carmine only guessed, but it looked like the entire strap could have been large enough to act as her belt in the past. She cursed under her breath and looked further. Her forearm barely emerged from her upper arm. It was stuffed and bound in a cone-shaped lump of fat that ended at feebly puffy wrists. Carmine grimaced at the state of her hand. It, too, was dreadfully swollen. It looked like a glove had been inflated with air. She managed to curl a fat finger, but it failed to touch her padded palm. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to do so much as sign her damn name anymore. Let alone use a gun… What sort of PI couldn’t jot down notes or quick draw on a perp?

“I understand this isn’t a comforting view, but I assure you it's less surprising than the rest of your makeover,” Madeline said bluntly as she tucked her phone back in her coat pocket.

Carmine leaned her head back and sighed. “What…comes next?”

The tiniest sliver of a smile crossed Madeline’s face. “Not asking how much time you have left? Color me impressed, but your reputation precedes you.” She met Carmine’s gaze. “Yes, yes, I know who you are. Private Detective, one who’s made a career out of dealing with Expanse. It’s obvious you weren’t a junkie who got a little too high. The Expanse levels in your system were off the charts. Your exposure was an acute event of a formula more intense than anything we’ve ever seen. Frankly, I’m shocked you’re able to understand anything I’ve said.”

“Answer…question.” Carmine cut in, using as few words as necessary.

“Right, it involves an experimental drug.” Madeline lifted a small vial. “This has no government approval and hasn’t gone through a single trial. Yet, the person who whipped it up is a friend of mine, so I trust…” The woman clicked her tongue and furrowed her brow. It was clear she was thinking deeply. “A not-zero chance of success. Basically, it’s a strength booster. This is the only way you’re going to be able to move at your weight. Your best chance is to use it, exercise like a greek god, and we’ll wean you off gradually.”

Carmine looked at the vial. It didn’t have any sort of label. Just a blank, brown glass bottle. She felt herself break out into a nervous sweat, coating her in an additional layer of moisture. The idea of taking an unknown substance agitated the fresh wound of her Expanse exposure. “What about…physical augmentation? I have…a couple.”

It wasn’t uncommon for people to have body modifications. This city wasn’t as rife with them as some of the others, but there were much more hidden augments as opposed to surface-level flashy ones. Practically all police had the official enhancements to boost speed, endurance, and reaction time. Carmine had gotten them in the past and slightly upgraded them once she became a private detective. If the law had them, then so did criminals.

Madeline shook her head. “Your enhanced muscle fibers are completely smothered. In the simplest terms, you have a muscle-to-fat ratio of one to fifty. There’s not even a way to get past all of this to modify those, let alone add new ones.” Again, Madeline touched Carmine, pinching a handful of fat.

Carmine stared in awe at how small the woman’s hand seemed compared to the limited curve she saw of her stomach. She was not simply fat. Even morbidly obese, paled in describing her. Carmine was immense, titanic, gargantuan. “Give me the drug.” Carmine eventually murmured. She was so certain in her decision that she managed to speak all in one breath.

With a nod, Madeline produced a syringe from her pocket and added the experimental drug into Carmine’s IV.

——

—ABOVE EDITED AND PROOFREAD—

Standing, so often people take it for granted. It’s something that a vast majority do every day. Carmine certainly pictured it that way. That was no longer the case. Even with the help of Madeline’s drug, it had taken over an hour for Carmine to rise to her feet.

Carmine felt sweat pour over her frame, helping her burn in the new placement of new curves. She wanted to wipe the droplets from her brow, but her arms couldn’t bend anymore. To bend her elbow would likely be the same as a bicep curl. That wasn’t mentioning having to swing the limb inward. Carmine’s arms jutted out to her sides when she stood. She only learned this once she got up, and she had no clue how to shift their position.

Madeline stood nearby and marked on a digital pad. “We administered the drug roughly three hours ago, you started efforts to stand nearly an hour and a half ago, and you’re almost there.”

“Almost?” Carmine wheezed. She couldn’t stop her expression from becoming more dour. She was certain she WAS standing. Both feet were on the ground, her back was…as straight as it could be with mounds of back flab.

“Your butt is still on the bed.” Madeline’s eyes glanced away and back to Carmine’s. “Based on how much the frame is bending, you’re putting a lot of weight on it. You’ll be charged if you break it by the way.”

There was no way for Carmine to see it, but she was now aware of the sensation. The soft cotton sheets and pancake-thin mattress was beneath her. Not being able to know the shape of her body threatened to drive her insane. She couldn’t turn to look at her butt, she couldn’t reach behind her to touch it, and there wasn’t a mirror to angle.

Despite that, she closed her eyes and tried to form a mental image. ‘Well, it’s big. I can tell that,’ She mused in her head. “I think my back ends at a roll level with my love handles…no, my butt is pushing it up. So, I think it’s about…’ Carmine groaned. If the image she formed was anything close to accurate, each of her butt cheeks was two and a half feet tall. This would be from the lowest curve, currently flat on the mattress, to the uppermost curve. They’d sag whenever she truly stood, but that was just too much girth for her liking.

Girth…Carmine didn’t account for the true breadth of her hips. She just thought about how tall each cheek was.

‘I can’t feel the bars on the other side of the bed. So, each cheek protrudes less than…’ Carmine pursed her lips and thought harder. ‘This is a modified bed, roughly king-sized. There’s no way I’d fit on a twin bed. So, let’s be generous and say two feet. That can get packed in if I ever manage to squeeze into pants again.’

Carmine eventually opened her eyes to find Madeline still waiting. She had gotten too into the moment, but it felt nice to flex her detective skills.

“Watching your process is certainly something. Like a female Sherlock Holmes.” Madeline dragged and exhaled from her cigarette. “Except much fatter.”

“I was…thinking about…” Carmine started before being cut off.

“How fat the parts of you out of sight are, I get it. I have other work, though.” Madeline walked over to Carmine. She stood so close that she nearly squished against the detective’s belly. “This is the easiest task you’ll have in the foreseeable future. Standing is the bare minimum.” Her tone became colder, and the ash on her cigarette became long enough to droop. “If you want to take down Big Madame, then you have to get into something resembling shape. Though, I suppose you could lay back down. Get cozy, content yourself with being a fat pig for the rest of your life.”

Carmine clenched her jaw, nearly snarling. Rage boiled inside of her. It was such a hot, intense burn that she almost saw red. She hadn’t been this angry since her early days as a beat cop. The days she was first exposed to the true criminal underbelly.

Muscles screamed as new strains was put on them. Carmine didn’t lift her feet, but she managed to slide them across the floor. It was only possible due to the tiny hospital socks slipped over her bulbous feet. That didn’t concern her. She hardly realized she willed her legs to move.

Carmine couldn’t reach out to grab Madeline by her shirt collar. So, she used her body like a battering ram and bumped her. The slender woman sank into her belly before her chin was buffeted by Carmine’s massive breasts. Madeline groaned and stumbled back a step, but Carmine managed to close the distance. She was about to continue until she could press the cocky doctor against the wall…but then she saw Madeline’s grin. A smug, satisfied grim with that damn cigarette in the corner of her mouth.

“You…bitch.” Carmine murmured and slid her feet under her. It was slow, but she turned. The hospital bed was a few feet away. She could see the indent from where her weight had rested on it gradually fill in. This was no tremendous distance, but it was more than someone her weight should be capable of.

“Awfully rude way to say thank you. My methods are unorthodox, but I got your fat ass up.” Madeline lit another cigarette and walked to something covered by a sheet. “Speaking of, let’s remove all doubt before we proceed.” 

Fwoosh

Madeline pulled the sheet and revealed a large mirror. It was wide enough to reflect Carmine’s entire front. The detective could now see what her body blocked, and it was staggering. 

Carmine’s mouth felt dry as she took her enormity in. The view of her face, the sight of her arms, the limited view of her chest and stomach. None of the snapshots compared to the full picture. She felt weak, well weaker, and she worried she would collapse. 

Some hidden willpower prevented it, though. She shuffled forward, both feet on the floor. “Big Madame sure did a number on me.” She chuckled involuntarily. She felt sweat roll over her frame. Just standing was enough to soak her. It was easy to spot how her hospital gown stuck to her like a second skin. 

Carmine blocked the thought out as she returned to her analytical nature. She had to assess the damage down to the pound. 

Her belly dominated the front of her form. While standing, her stomach sagged down to her knees. It was obvious to tell that it stretched twice her armlength in front of her. The heaping mound of blubber was not entirely rounded. There was a spherical lump beneath her breasts, but her thighs and hips pushed against the sides and bottom of her gut. This caused a tuck and outward curve into this flabby lower belly. Carmine managed to reach down with great effort and touch the side of her belly. Fat fingers sank into a fatter roll. It could be called her love handle, but the curved roll stood a foot tall. It was seamlessly connected with the side and belly. 

Carmine could also see her legs now. It truly was a miracle that she could stand. The strength enhancing drug aside, Carmine’s legs were obscenely large. Just one thigh was too large to slip through a standard doorway. Her entire bulk was too big for a double door, but it felt insulting that once slender legs had been reduced to…this. Soft flesh stretched into a giant cylinder-like shape. She tried to rotate one leg but failed. The attempt made it jiggle, which did slightly define where Carmine’s knee was. 

“Here we go…” Carmine slowly rotated her body. Again, she kept both feet on the ground. She wasn’t confident she could raise either of them.

Madeline took a large step back. “We can get you a cane or walker. There’s also a wheelchair that should hold you.”

“No, I can do it.” Carmine huffed.

“Fine, but don’t fall on me.” Madeline murmured, but made ready to dodge or call for a team of nurses. 

Carmine turned her head as best she could while rotating. She needed to see the width of her thighs, where they met her hips, and confirm the curve of her butt. Unfortunately, it was just as fat as she predicted. 

“How much of this drug do you have?” Carmine asked. She was exhausted, but that drug had given her a good boost earlier. Now that Carmine thought about it, she could breathe easier now. Every muscle screamed in agony, but at least her lungs were full. 

Madeline pursed her lips. “Infinite essentially. I can get as much as you need, but the time it takes to deliver will vary.”

That was reassuring, but Carmine was aware this was just the start of a long pain in the ass. “We know the drug works, and I managed to stand…That’s a solid step one!” Carmine managed a real smile, wide and toothy. She had to stop as her cheeks made their weight known. “Step two, tell me.”

“Step two is basic stretches and physical therapy. You’ve been in a coma, remember?” Madeline gestured to Carmine’s hospital bed, which still boasted an indent shaped like her. “If that shows promise, then you can hear about your exercise plan.”

Carmine felt her chest heat up. “But I’m standing! Surely I can do more than that! Come on doc, tell me what step two is for real!” She shuffled toward Madeline whose glare had turned strikingly cold.

“Step two is get your ass back in that bed.” Madeline jabbed Carmine’s belly with her finger, and the digit dove in like a spoon through jello. “I might have been lax, but I am your doctor! I watched and cared for you when you were a drooling, moaning mess. I am not letting you screw up right out the starting gate. Now, get in bed!”

Carmine wanted to argue, but she felt a pain in her chest. She was suddenly short of breath and shuffled back. That shuffle quickly turned into a collapse. The room shook as Carmine landed on her ass. She jiggled but didn’t bounce. She was just too heavy. 

“I-” Carmine had no breath to speak. She wanted to clench her chest, but she couldn’t make her arms move. Her vision narrowed to a pinpoint, but that was enough to see Madeline lean over her. The doctor straddled her belly and stuffed two fingers in the detective’s mouth. She felt a pill fizzle on her tongue before relief hit her.

It was a relief, but it brought intense fatigue. Carmine continued to try and mouth words, but her eyes closed. She could tell she was falling asleep. Yet, before she sank past twilight, she heard Madeline speak.

“Great, now I need to call for the crane.”

Carmine fell asleep.