Wild Weight- Aviva’s Hump

Chapter 1

Aviva paced around the Tortuga's main deck, her boots squeaking on the metal floor. She patted a newly modified creature disc into her hand, a triumphant grin on her face. "Okay, guys, the Bactrian Camelmatrix is officially compiled," she called out over her shoulder. "I'm testing the extreme nutrient-storageprotocols. If this works, the suits will be able to sustain your energy levels for weeks in the desert without needing a single snack."

Chris and Martin looked up from their respective creature pods, instantly intrigued.

"Awesome, Aviva!" Chris said, leaning forward. "Camels have some of the most incredible survival adaptations on the planet. They can go months without water, and when they do find it, they can drink thirty gallons in thirteen minutes!"

"Yeah, and everyone thinks they store water in their humps," Martin chimed in, gesturing to his own back, "but it's actually pure fat! It's a localized energy reserve. By keeping all their fat in one spot on top, it keeps the rest of their body insulated from the blazing desert heat, letting them stay cool while carrying around a massive emergency pantry."

"Exactly," Aviva explained, stepping into the center of the room. "And my new code mimics that exact biological efficiency. The suit's nanotech is programmed to safely concentrate lipid density right between the wearer's shoulder blades." She slotted the disc into her vest and pressed the activation button. "Activate Camel Power!"

The familiar flash of green energy enveloped her, and the sleek armor of the Creature Power Suit materialized. For a second, everything seemed completely normal. Then, a sharp ping echoed from the main console, followed by a low, rhythmic hum that began to vibrate through the deck plates.

"Uh, Aviva? The power levels are spiking," Koki said, her eyes widening as she stared at her monitors. "The energy-to-matter converter is overloading the storage module! The system is drawing from the ship's entire auxiliary biomass reserves!"

Suddenly, Aviva gasped. A strange, heavy warmth ignited at her core. Instead of moving upward toward her shoulders, the concentrated biomass and nutrient reserves began sinking rapidly, pulled by a severe calibration error in the suit's gravity sensors.

Whirrrrrrr!

The suit's midsection began to expand violently. With a soft, heavy oomph, Aviva watched in sheer horror as the armor plating over her midsection stretched outward, ballooning forward into a firm, round bump. The suit had entirely miscalculated the anatomy coordinates, placing the camel's "hump" right over her abdomen.

But it didn't stop there. The overflowing data matrix began seeking out any secondary storage zones it could find nearby. The front of her vest strained significantly as her bust line filled out and ballooned forward, adding to the sudden, forward-heavy mass settling into her frame. Her lower body shifted slightly too, her hips widening just a little bit to accommodate the sudden influx of weight.

"Whoa!" Chris yelled, jumping back as Aviva's center of gravity shifted drastically.

Aviva stumbled, her hands instinctively coming down to rest on a heavy, taut belly that now extended noticeably out in front of her. It felt completely packed tight with the dense, hyper-concentrated nutrient reserves meant to keep a camel alive.

"Koki! Deactivate! Deactivate!" Aviva gasped, her voice strained as the sudden weight pressed down on her lungs.

Koki slammed the override switch. The armor dissolved in a shower of digital sparks, leaving Aviva back in her regular blue jumpsuit. But to everyone's absolute shock, the growth didn't disappear.

The biological matter had integrated too deeply at a molecular level during the glitch. Aviva stood there, her jumpsuit stretched completely tightly. The zipper was pulled taut over a round, soft belly that sat heavily over her waistline. While her bust line filled out the top of her vest tightly and her hips were just a little wider than normal, her midsection was a distinct, soft, round sphere.

She poked the side of her newly acquired belly, watching it jiggle in a slow wave under her hand. It wasn't energy anymore-it was actual, physical, soft weight, adding about twenty-five pounds right to her midsection in an instant.

"Oh... oh no," Aviva whispered, her face turning pale. "My calibration coordinates were completely reversed! Look at me!" She patted her soft belly, which gave a deep, heavy bounce. "I'm a walking food reserve!"

"Well," Martin said, eyes wide as he looked at Aviva's new profile. "The good news is, you definitely won't starve if we get lost in the Sahara."