Ratings Advisory: The Earth Media Content Group has determined that this story can only be read by people above the age of 18. It contains subjects and situations that are suitable only for mature audiences. Parents with underaged children will need to activate their content-advisory programs now.
 

1

The year was 2500. A new century stood ready for the every-expanding sphere of human colonization. Of the dozens of planets settled within the last 40 years none could claim the grand vista offered by Bellevue. A colorful nebula provided a backdrop for the planet's three moons. Bellevue's world-covering ocean held five modest continents. Only one of those land masses, Green Acre, was inhabited. A population of forty-five thousand was rather low for a world settled 25 years earlier. Whatever shortfall Bellevue had in recruitment was more than made up by the vigor of her females. The typical Bellevue family had five children. Some even boasted as many as eight. The long-term survival of any colony depended on its ability to reproduce quickly and in numbers. The environment still held surprizes, but the colonists expected that. Their doctors were ever vigilant against any new disease that sprung up.
    Vista Park, population 6,500, was the main settlement on the planet. Residential areas were characterized by large houses situated on equally-large tracts of land. In the future these 'first homes' would be given the same status and prestige that historic structures on other planets were accorded. As far as Samantha Kelso was concerned, her house might as well have been a palace. Eight bedrooms, three master baths, two family rooms, and a kitchen fit to serve an army was a brick load for anyone to manage, let alone clean. Samantha suspected that was one of the reasons why colonial families had so many kids. Five pairs of hands were better than two where housework  was concerned.
    At 24, Samantha Kelso was the oldest offspring of the Kelso family. Jack and Nadine Kelso were among the first settlers to arrive on Bellevue when the colony was founded in 2475. The homestead wasn't even finished when Samantha was born a year later. In assembly-line fashion, Sam was followed by Mark (22), Clyde (18), Victoria (16), and Timothy (14). Mark's attending university on Novaya Zemlya, earning a degree in structural engineering. Clyde, a high school senior, was feverishly studying for entrance exams to attend New Darwin University on Outback. Victoria and Timothy kept their noses to the grindstone when it came to schoolwork.
    A natural brown-eyed raven-haired beauty, Sam completed a degree in power plant engineering and management two years ago on Outback. Her current job was that of assistant chief engineer of Bellevue's primary fusion power plant. It wasn't easy work when your father was the boss. Mr Kelso made his daughter get her hands dirty at every opportunity. It was a well-known fact that when Mr Kelso retires in 30 years he'll appoint Sam as his successor. When he does so, it is with the knowledge that the power plant will be in very capable hands.
    Though held in high regard by her parents, Sam nevertheless heard the unspoken question they kept asking her. That question was 'when will you get married and make babies?' It was contingent that every colonial woman finds herself a worthy man and start a family. With willing grandparents ready to help, a professional woman could still contribute her skills to the betterment of the colony while her children were being provided for and protected. Out of all the eligible men in Vista Park, Sam could not for the life of her find that particular 'someone'. Nadine had her heart in the right place, but even she can't conjure up Prince Charming on the spot. Not to say she didn't try.
    "Mom, is this a good idea?" Sam gave the hardcopy flyer a final glance. She crumpled the plastic sheet into a ball and threw it into the kitchen recycler. "Going to a glorified high school dance to find a husband must be the most juvenile idea ever invented. I'm not a little girl that has to be chaperoned."
    Sam's mother shook her head in a manner that only mothers could do. "Samantha, you'll always be my little girl. I and father are proud of you, but we need assurance. This dance will have eligible young men coming from the other towns and settlements on the planet." Nadine clasped her hands in prayer and spoke in mock drama. "Oh, it would grieve me to no end if you remain an old maid, leaving the responsibility of continuing the family to Mark."
    "Old maid? Mom, 24 years doesn't make me an old maid. Perhaps 110, but not 24." Sam gazed out the kitchen window. Strolling down the wide sidewalk was a young couple pushing a matching set of baby strollers ahead of them. Stubbornness and pride prevented Sam from openly voicing her desire to have children. There was so much work to be done, and Sam felt obligated to contribute to the colony's growth. But part of that growth had to be measured in children. Sam turned to her mother. "Okay, you've convinced me. There might be a farmer's son out there that hasn't lost a finger. I'll even make myself a little bigger upstairs to prove I'm fertile."
    Nadine hugged her daughter. "You made your mother happy. The dance is in two days. I'd say 20 centimeters extra up top will be enough."
    "I agree." Sam looked mischievous. "If any boy fails to appreciate the bosom I'll have that night, then they don't deserve to get a girl!"
    "No worry about that happening, Sam. Unless you deliberately knock their eyes out. Then you can truthfully say that they couldn't see you."
    "Mother! You're naughty!"
    "Father keeps saying that all the time!"

Doctor Olivia Forzal was looking at some hardcopy when Edgar Burbank entered the office. Dr Forzal simply pointed to the empty chair in front of her desk. Edgar sat, wondering why the old lady had called him in so suddenly. Forzal raised her eyes from the plastic sheet. "Edgar, how old are you?"
    Edgar responded automatically. "32."
    "How long have you been a doctor?"
    "Four years."
    Forzal leaned forward in her chair. Had she worn spectacles they would've slipped down her nose. "And just how long have you been on Bellevue?"
    "Four months." Edgar also leaned forward in his chair. "Doctor, can you tell me why you're asking questions?"
    "You may. Frankly, Ed, I'm concerned about your future here on this planet."
    Ed looked a bit taciturn. "Have I not been performing to the best of my abilities? Did I leave a scalpel in someone's stomach?"
    "Ed, had you done such a thing, then I would've sewn your mouth shut. Your medical knowledge and bedside manner are top notch."
    "Then what is it?"
    Forzal looked at a photocube on her desk, admiring pictures of her family. "I'm proud to have you, Ed. Don't doubt that. The colonists appreciate having you here. It's hard to recruit doctors to settle on colony worlds such as Bellevue. The pay is barely adequate and your school bills have the distinct possibility of outlasting you. There's just one problem."
    Ed knew that Forzal's talk was leading to something important, but he didn't know what. "Is it because I'm still living in an apartment and not a proper house?"
    "Close, Ed, very close to what I'm about to say. The people trust and respect you, Ed. They'll trust you completely once you have a wife."
    "A wife? Marriage? Doctor, what does the fact that I'm single have to do with anything?"
    "Being a highly eligible bachelor on a colony world has everything to do with it. Ed, have you been walking with blinders on for the last four months? I know there isn't a girl back on Earth pining away for your love. Everyone here knows that too. Unless we're terribly mistaken. Earth people still use engagement rings, right?"
    "That's right." Ed said past a blush.
    Forzal grinned. "Well, the young women here in Vista Park have eyes, and ears. How many beautiful and vivacious young women come up to you each day and say hello? More than five? Ten?"
    "An average of 7."
    "That few? By the gossip I've heard the number was 50." Forzal handed Ed a sheet of hardcopy. "In two days there'll be a dance for young unmarried people. There's bound to be a girl that you'll find to your liking, and, hopefully, she'll find you to her liking." The devilish twinkle in Forzal's eye made Ed blush even more. "Do yourself a big favor. Take the initiative and start dating a girl. Once you do that, then the rest of the girls will leave you alone."
    Ed wanted to speak, but his words couldn't climb out his throat. His parents, back on Earth, told him stories about the legendary sexual appetites of colony girls and how they would do anything to entrap young, healthy men to marry. A part of Ed hoped that something like that would happen. The social environment on Earth was too bland and predictable for Ed's liking. The offer to work on Bellevue, a planet on the literal frontier of Commonwealth space, was enough for Ed to pack his bags and leave. He didn't regret his decision, and found the hospitality and genuine feelings of the colonists a refreshing change. Ed had to admit that there were plenty of bodacious babes in Vista Park eager to go out with him. If anything, the young doctor was in the literal buyer's market. The upcoming dance was the perfect opportunity to take the initiative.
    Still silent, Ed folded the hardcopy into a square and placed it in his pocket. He simply nodded his acknowledgment and left. Forzal leaned back in her chair, silently wishing the young lad the best of luck.
 

2

Samantha stood in front of the bathroom mirror, making minor adjustments to the fabric that tried to cover her skin. "Mom, this dress doesn't look right. Am I supposed to be this exposed?"
    With the purpose of a fashion designer looking at a model, Nadine gave a daughter a critique. "Dear girl, I daresay you can give a nun some tips in modesty. How's a man supposed to evaluate your charms if you keep them covered? C'mon, be more daring."
    Looking at herself in the mirror, Sam sighed as she ran a finger between her covered breasts. The red fabric parted, exposing a healthy line of cleavage and supple skin. She also moved a finger up her left thigh, extending the slit on her dress up to hip. Sam took in a few deep breaths, testing the resiliency of the dress. It was only the miracle of science that kept the dress from falling off of Sam's body.
    Nadine hummed her approval. With Sam's full hips and generous bosom a man would have to be an idiot not to notice her. Standing 172cm tall, Samantha's frame proudly carried 94cm hips and a 64cm waist. Her normal bust measurement was 112cm, but due to the work of eighth generation nanites her bosom was a prominent 132cm. Sam usually wore a bra, but the nanites and the memory-fabric dress made such a thing unnecessary. The only way she could fall out of the dress was if she wanted to.
    Heading downstairs, Sam saw her father waiting by the door. He looked insufferably pleased as he pinned a corsage to Sam's dress. "What a breathtaking picture you offer, Samantha. You'll practically have to fight off the boys."
    "Then she better be careful," said Victoria, Sam's younger sister, as she scooted out of the kitchen. She smiled like an evil imp. "If you give the boys a roundhouse kick, then you'll be exposing your panties. It's rude to show your undies on the first date. On the second date, though..."
    Sam messed up Vicky's hair. "Bad taste, Vicky. Making up for the fact that you're a midget?"
    "The fact that I'm 151cm doesn't make me a midget." Vicky stuck out her tongue. "You, Mark, and Clyde sucked all of Mom's milk before I got any. I may not get any taller, but that doesn't mean I can't get bigger up here." The boastful girl place her little hands on her equally-small A-cup chest. "Next week I'm getting my nanites. Just you wait and see, big sister. I'll be healthier than you any day of the week."
    Jack Kelso looked scornfully down at his willful daughter. "Not in my house, you wastrel. The only way you'll get a giant bust is if you become an Angelican wife. But I doubt that, since you're so stubborn. More likely you'll become a private pillow woman for some mobster. Wouldn't that look good for the next family reunion?"
    "Daddy!" Vicky turned on her pouting eyes. "How could you be so cruel? I just want to add something up top to make up for nature's shortcoming. Unlike Miss Bubbles here, who has to inflate herself like a puffer fish to be noticed."
    Playfully indignant, Sam moved her finger down the front of her dress again, exposing more of her bosom. "Even you have to agree that, for a puffer fish, I'm the best there is. Wish me luck?"
    The sisters hugged. Vicky grinned wickedly again. "Whoops! Guess I should've warned you that I was making ice cream. My hands must've been really cold. Now you're a tad bigger."
    Sam looked down at her front. Vicky's cold hands had caused Sam's nipples to become erect. Now her bust preceded her by an additional two centimeters. "Vicky, you better hope that my nips go down by the time I reach the dance hall. Otherwise, I'll throw all your dolls into the recycler."
    Vicky pouted again. "Daddy! Sam's being mean to me again!"

The Progress Community Center, located in the center of Vista Park, was a huge building that served many functions. On the weekends, basketball and volleyball matches were held in the three 1,000-seat auditoriums. During the week various schools and community organizations held their classes and seminars. For this particular weekend the central auditorium was transformed into a dance hall. Ten chandeliers adorned the ceiling and colorful streamers stretched from post to post. A generous refreshment table offered copious amounts of fruit punch and snacks.
    Ed Burbank, dressed in a traditional black tuxedo, allowed his eyes to wander over the gathering of eligible females. As a doctor, Ed knew practically all the women he viewed used nanites to augment their busts. It was no surprize, given the ease and convenience that eight-generation nanites conferred upon their users. The truth be known, practically all the colonists on Bellevue had nanites and wetware. It was what one did with those nanites that made the difference.
    At the refreshment table Ed loaded down his plate with cheese, crackers, and celery. Standing next to him was a rather bodacious woman with a bosom to match. While inadvertently gazing at the woman's cleavage, Ed remembered a study he read back in medical school. In it, the researchers observed that the most common use of nanites was to increase a woman's physical attributes in regards to attaching a mate. At that particular moment Ed was reminded of that all too well. Nanites made it possible for a woman to get herself an oversized bust, small waist, and a hefty set of hips to increase her 'attention-getting factor' by an order of magnitude. Not the least to mention her chances of success.
    The woman giggled innocently. "Hello. Do you have a kink in your neck?"
    Ed stood in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Miss. Your exquisite figure left me speechless." That was smart, he thought, now she'll think I'm some breast pervert!
    "What a nice compliment. Most other boys would rather choke on their saliva than say anything." The woman held out her hand. "My name is Samantha Kelso."
    Ed automatically took her hand. "I'm Edgar Burbank. Would you care to sit with me?"
    "Burbank. You're that new doctor, right? From Earth?"
    "That's correct."
    "Good. I have questions to ask of you." Sam offered her arm. "Lead the way."
    With the refined sense of a gentleman of the old school, Ed escorted his charming guest to a table and seated her. He had to admit that Sam's red dress enhanced her sex appeal. Guiltily, Ed looked down the woman's front as he pushed her chair toward the table. The dispassionate side of Ed's mind told him that Samantha's display of cleavage and breast skin was the most basic way of showing her health and vitality. On the other hand, Ed's baser self couldn't get enough of what Sam was showing. "Okay," he said as he took his seat, "what do you want to know first?"
    Sam wiggled in her chair, making her bust bounce with the urgency of an earthquake for a moment. "Being a doctor, can you tell me the differences between seventh generation and eight generation nanites?"
    "The differences between them are like night and day. At the risk of sounding crude, let me use breasts as an example."
    It was Sam's turn to feel a bit embarrassed. "That's okay. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable just now. I wanted to be sure I had your full attention. As you see," Sam indicated to the other couples around them, "some girls believe that bigger is better, if only for a short period of time."
    "Agreed. Chalk it up to the convenience of eighth generation nanites. With 7G nanites, a woman's bust could be increased by 3.5cm a day, 6 if overworked." Ed wolfed down a slice of cheese chased by some fruit punch. "8G nanites take 5cm as the baseline and 8cm if overworked. Reduction for both is still at 1cm per day. Now here's the literal 'big' difference."
    "Go on, I'm all bust." Ouch, Sam thought scornfully, what will he think of me now?
    "Some firebrand Neo-Luddites have said the same thing about nanites." Ed's natural grin made Sam feel at ease. "If a woman had third-level wetware implanted as well as 8G nanites, then she could expand her bust up to 14cm per day. The rate of reduction is doubled to 2cm per day, and the mass so removed is converted into nutrients for the body to consume."
    Sam polished off a carrot slice. "What's the catch? Other than having a huge wardrobe, that is."
    "It's mass and calories. 7G nanites are the pinnacle of efficiency when it comes to their need for fat, the base building material. 8G nanites, in a way, are throwbacks to the very beginnings of nanite augmentation. If a woman wanted to expand at the maximum speed possible, she had to eat five thousand calories day, half of which must be fat."
    "That much? Sounds inefficient."
    "Call it the price of speed. The nanites build a natural framework of support within the very breasts they're working in. In addition to modifying the pockets of fat they collect, the nanites also make a woman's metabolism speed up. This increases the rate of cell multiplication, aiding the nanites' work." Ed looked naughty as he admired Sam's top. "Would it be too rude of me to ask your original bust measurement? Strictly to satisfy my... professional curiosity?"
    "I daresay on Earth you would've been slapped for asking such a question, right?" Sam was rewarded with a firm nod from Ed. "Well, since you're a doctor, can you keep what I'm about to say in confidence?"
    "On my oath you have my word."
    Feeling a bit frisky, Sam pushed up her bust with her folded arms. More of her healthy-glowing bosom became evident. "Just two days ago my bust measured 112cm. Now I'm at 132cm. It'll take my nanites 10 days to restore my natural 40D bust. A reasonable tradeoff between convenience and size."
    Ed hummed. "Grow in haste, shrink at leisure. My parents told me to be wary of girls who expand their bosoms. For the life of me I don't know why."
    "Perhaps I can help you. After treating me to a dance I'll tell you the dirt about fusion power plant maintenance. It's not as easy as everyone makes it out to be."
    "Now I remember." Ed got up and offered his hand to Sam. "My mother said that the bigger the bosom, the bigger the dirty secret the girl is trying to hide."
    Sam got up graciously, moving her left leg forward. Ed got a good gander of Sam's leg and exposed thigh. "Well, I'll just have to prove her wrong, won't I?" Sam said impishly.
 

3

Doctor Forzal wrote purposefully on her file pad. That didn't prevent her from asking Ed about the dance five days ago. "You're going to tell me, Ed. Sooner or later I will find out. I would like to hear it from you instead of the grapevine. That way I'll know the exaggerations for the out-and-out rumors."
    Ed pretended to work on his medical reports. He realized his boss would continue to ask about the dance until he talked. In order to get some work done he did talk. "Her name is Samantha Kelso, and she's the assistant chief engineer of the fusion plant. Want to know her bust measurement and favorite ice cream flavor?"
    Forzal's smile was impetuous. "She's a 40D and likes rocky road ice cream dipped in caramel. Oh yes, I knew Sam since the day she was born. I was the one who delivered her, after all." Forzal scooted her chair up next to Ed. "I can give you the lowdown on all the little pitfalls and scraps she experienced. Nothing like a bit of background information to wow the parents with your medical knowledge."
    "If it's the same to you, Olivia, I'll let the parents have the honor of embarrassing their little girl in front of her boyfriend. I've been invited to dinner tonight."
    "Oh, a promising start. A word of advice. Wear your casual clothes. That means no OR scrubs and coat. Wow them with your wit, not your looks."
    "According to all the folk history you've told me, I'll be careful of what I say. They'll either shoot me on the spot or make me a part of the family right there and then."

Victoria acted the part of an excited schoolgirl as she set the table. "Wizard, Sam! You've danced with a doctor. A young, eligible doctor! You're set for life I tell you!"
    "Settle down, Vicky." Nadine placed a freshly cooked and decadent pot roast on the table. "You better not embarrass Sam in front of her friend. This may be the best chance she has."
    "Mother!" Sam said in protest from inside the kitchen. "After spending just one evening talking and dancing with a man doesn't mean it's all decided. Heck, I don't know if he's the marrying kind, and I'm not sure if I am either."
    "You definitely are, Sam. You're strong where it counts and dedicated to what really matters. You chose to stay here to contribute to Bellevue's prosperity. Give it time, girl. You made the right choice."
    Jack Kelso wandered into the dining room. He gave his wife Nadine a quick kiss. "Sam, what kind of doctor is he? A bodysculptor?"
    "Dad, he wouldn't be here if he was that kind of doctor. Edgar's a general health practitioner." Sam entered the dining room with a bowl of baked potatoes. She placed them next to the pot roast. "He also has secondary specialties in nanite medicine and midwife training."
    "Just the kind of doctor we need on Bellevue," Jack beamed. "He'll see to it that my grandchildren will turn out big and healthy when they're born."
    "You're jumping to conclusions, Dad. He may have a hidden dark secret. For all we know, he could be a pill-popper or alcoholic."
    Jack just smiled. "We'll see, pumpkin of my eye."

Ed arrived promptly at six p.m. The dinner was served after the obligatory round of introductions and handshakes with the family. Though they were polite, Ed nevertheless sensed that everyone at the table was looking at him. In turn, Ed made his own observations. Samantha clearly got her good looks and liveliness from her mother. It was her father, though, that made Ed a bit apprehensive. He wondered why all fathers had to be two meters tall and built like bricks. Jack Kelso was the chief engineer of the fusion planet, thus proving his intelligence and professionalism. Still, the stereotype of engineers being boisterous when happy and wrecking machines when mad popped into Ed's mind. He didn't care to make Jack mad at him for any reason.
    "So, Ed," Jack buttered a slice of bread, "what specifically made you notice my daughter at the dance?"
    Though it was a butter knife that Jack used, Ed's active imagination saw it as a machete. "Sam had a powerful sense of 'presence' that distinguished her from the other girls."
    Nadine made a little feminine giggle. "You're too modest, Ed. It was her bosom that made you stop and take notice."
    "Mom," said Sam disapprovingly. You're embarrassing me, she added silently.
    Nadine wagged a finger at her daughter. "Samantha, admit it. Without that extra frontage you would've been at a disadvantage. Besides, in five more days you'll be back to your normal size. I'm sure Ed appreciates what you went through. He is a doctor, after all."
    "That I am, Mrs Kelso." Ed made an unconscious glance at Sam's reducing, but still prominent, bustline. "Eighth generation nanites stand a good chance of replacing diamonds as a girl's best friend."
    Victoria's eyes sparkled at the mention of nanites. "Oh, I can agree with that, Dr Burbank. Tomorrow, Doctor Forzal will give me my nanite injection. I can hardly wait to give my sister some competition."
    Sam gave Victoria a rueful look. Ed quickly defused the situation. "That's very well and good, Victoria. But don't be so eager to grow. A sweet girl like you deserves to walk on her own two feet without the need for ankle weights. Even on Earth we had the occasional Boastful Bethany."
    "Well put, Ed." Nadine's glare made Victoria hunker down into her seat. "Vicky, if you get bigger than a F-cup while in my house I'll have your ear."
    "Mom," said Vicky disapprovingly just like Sam.
 

4

Over the next two months Sam and Ed went out together 12 times. Eight of the encounters could be described as proper dates, while the other four were family events. A capable bowler, Ed taught Sam and her family the finer points of bowling at the community center. Jack Kelso had a hard time at the beginning, for he wanted to throw the ball overhanded. Victoria was still getting use to the D-cup chest she gave herself. At the bowling alley she kept slipping on the floorboards, landing chest-first. Clyde and Timothy had to smother the giggles and sniggers they made at their sister's expense.
    Sam found her time spent with Ed both pleasant and fun. She could tell that Ed wanted to make the next step in the relationship, but was reluctant to do so. Being the resourceful and crafty husband-seeking colonial woman she was, Sam devised a scheme to test Ed's mettle. At the start of Bellevue's autumn season Sam invited Ed to do some varmint shooting on the outskirts of Vista Park. The wilderness literally started at the city limit, and Bellevue's supply of critters made for good shooting.
    A favorite shooting spot was a small rise in the middle of a grassy field near the shuttleport. Ed had never shot anything before in his life, and found the prospect of shooting an animal repugnant. He imagined Sam wanted concrete proof that her 'man' would defend her with whatever force was necessary. Putting on a good show for Sam's benefit was possible, but Ed definitely didn't want to repeat it.
    Imagine Ed's surprize when Sam opened the gun case. Expecting a typical .22 caliber hunting rifle or a single-barreled shotgun, Ed was taken aback when Sam assembled a 14mm rifle right in front of his eyes. She handed the weapon to Ed and went on to assemble a larger gun, a 18mm Krueger rifle no less.
    Sam handed a clip of ammo to Ed. "I'll start you out with the 14mm first. It has less of a kick than Big Joe here." She patted the barrel of the long weapon. "The critters on Bellevue are noted for their armor protection. They're also not that tolerant of humans. How many people enter your hospital for treatment of critter bites each week?"
    Ed had to think for a minute. "Well, if by critter you mean the razor shellback, I'd say at least three."
    "Well, when I was a girl that number was as high as 20 a week. I was bitten five times myself. Once on my rump. Couldn't sit down for a week."
    "I don't blame you. I would kill any critter that would bite such a nice rump."
    "Ed, that's sweet." Sam's twinkling eyes made Ed blush profusely. "Now, you want to join me in my perpetual payback against the critters?"
    "Oh yes. The motivation to protect you will make my aim straight and true."
    "Not only are you a doctor, you're also a warrior poet." Sam stood next to Ed, pointing out the various aspects of the weapon. "Here's what you need to know to safely operate the weapon..."

Sam yawned as she coaxed her body out of bed. After making sure all of her parts were more-or-less attached, she moved to her full-length vanity mirror. Clad in a tanktop and panties, Sam started her morning exercise routine and thought about her date with Ed yesterday. Being a native-born Terran, Ed was, at first, uneasy about handling a gun. With Sam it was second-nature, having been taught at the age of nine by her mother. Sam expected Ed to shoot a bit and miss a lot.
    Well, after the first few rounds, Ed got the hang of the rifle. Instead of firing eight to ten rounds, Ed emptied a whole ammo box of 50 rounds. No fewer than 15 critters were claimed by Ed's steady aim and calm trigger finger. Each critter was hit three times because Ed wanted to be sure they 'stayed down'. Whatever concerns Sam had about Ed's ability to 'protect' her were put to rest.
    Exercises complete, Sam looked approvingly at her well-maintained figure in the mirror. Her thighs looked full and fleshy, eager to slip into a close-fitting pair of jeans. A flat, firm stomach complemented her all-so-hugable waist. Then came her breasts. Strange, Sam thought, they look a tad bigger. She removed her tanktop and pressed a decorative button on the mirror. After a moment's wait a series of numbers was displayed on the mirror's surface.
    "Let's see what we got here." Sam spoke out the findings. "Hips at 94cm. My waist is still holding at 64cm. Bust... bust at 116cm? Let's confirm that." The button was pressed again. "Hmmmm... still reading 116cm." Sam felt up her norks, trying to gage their size. "Well, I certainly feel bigger. Best tell my nanites to shrink me back to 112." Concentrating briefly, Sam made a mental order to her wetware, informing the nanite control program to restore her natural bust size. "That takes care of that," Sam said to her reflected image. "Time to get dressed for work."

The following morning Sam got up and did her morning routine. This time she could tell that she had gotten bigger. The vanity mirror took Sam's measurements again, informing her that her bust had grown yet another four centimeters. A bit concerned now, Sam had her wetware confirm the orders she gave it yesterday. She was willing to live with the inconvenience of being a bit bigger for a few days. However, this slow growth had better not continue, otherwise she'll be unable to wear the regulation jumpsuit at work.
    At the breakfast table Sam noticed that Victoria was also healthier upstairs by a noticeable margin. "Vicky," said Sam devilishly, "have you taken the part of a busty barmaid for the school play?"
    Vicky raised her head in repugnance. "Shut up, you! You're doing some stretching yourself. Rewarding Ed for his slavish devotion to you?"
    "What's happening to my rack is none of my doing. I think my wetware is malfunctioning. I'm now at 120."
    "That's not too big." Vicky wolfed down her sausage patty. "I'm wearing a 30G bra now. My bust is 94cm and, believe me, it's a world of difference from a 30D."
    Nadine entered the kitchen. Like her daughters, Nadine was showing some development upstairs. "You said it, dear. Perhaps there's something in the air or a bad line of 'ware code. I'm up to 99cm and my adjustable 32C bra is at its limit. Hopefully Doctor Forzal can see me this afternoon."
    Vicky grinned impishly. "Hey, Sam, you should have Edgar check out your wetware. Who knows, he just might need to perform a full physical."
    Nadine playfully swatted Vicky on the head. "Bad girl! You're too young and tender to think of such things. Finish your plate and go to school. I'm sure Mikey would love to drool all over you now that you're bigger."
    "Mom! His name is Michael, not Mikey."
    "Oh, he has a name?"
    "You know he does. He's been my friend since kindergarten."
    "That makes all the difference. I'm sure he'll continue to see you as his friend and not as a pair of walking boobs."
     Vicky looked at her grinning older sister. ""Sam! Tell mother she's acting naughty again!"
 

5

The Dawson Medical Center was rather large for a town the size of Vista Park. The Center was built with the future in mind, for the one constant for any colony was the increasing need of medical service. It was one particular medical service that Nadine Kelso needed from Dr Olivia Forzal.
    "Believe it or not, Nadine, you're the 55th woman who's called today for an appointment." Forzal had Nadine sit next to a ubiquitous medical scanner. "I did a cursory check in the medical records. All the women who called had one thing in common. Their wetware received an update just five days ago."
    Nadine looked hopeful. "Could it be a bad line of code?"
    "Possibly. Eighth generation nanites were only on the market a year before the colony was founded. An obscure line or two of code may have been reactivated somehow. A test routine perhaps." Forzal applied a medical scanner strip to Nadine's forehead. "Now, let's look at your 'ware programming. Half the job of being a doctor today is that of a programmer."
    "What's the other half?"
    "Delivering babies. Even in this age people prefer their children be delivered by human hands instead of a machine."
    "That's job security if I ever heard it. Edgar will never worry about having a slow work week. By the way, how's he doing?"
    "Splendid. If I may be so bold, Ed and Sam are moving along. He's asked to have this weekend off so he could spend time with your daughter."
    "What did you say?"
    "I'm on your side, Nadine. Of course I said yes. There's no foreseeable crisis that will require Ed's help. Unless a load of expectant women have their babies at the same time." Both women giggled. "Hello, what's this?" Forzal tapped the viewing screen. "My medical diagnostic can't access the primary nanite control program."
    Nadine frowned. "That's a cause for worry. Can you override?"
    "I can, but I'll need your permission."
    "Granted." Nadine concentrated a bit. "My wetware is ready."
    Working with a purpose, Forzal used her 'ware and the medical scanner's computer. "Got something here. It seems that your nanites have been given a compulsory order to expand your bust by four centimeters per day. Strange. According to this information, you didn't give the order. The date stamp on the order is three days old."
    "That is strange. Can you countermand the order?"
    "I can. Afterwards, I'll try to find out how that order came into being." After a moment's wait the medical scanner went dead. Forzal felt rightfully concerned. "What the Hell was that?"
    The speaker on the medical scanner suddenly blared to life, spooking both women. "Ah," said the strangely appropriate mechanical male voice, "it seems that a doctor has stumbled upon the modifications I made to this lady's nanite control program. It's not just this lady's wetware I've infiltrated, it's all the women on this planet using both wetware and eighth generation nanites. Doctor, I hope you're recording all this. The authorities will want to share the same level of frustration that you're about to experience."
    "I'm way ahead of you, whoever you are." Forzal said indigently.
    The voice resumed speaking with an air of smugness. "By conviction, I'm a Neo-Luddite of the old school. I hate the dehumanization effect of technology. Nanites, especially the newest version, will truly make people nothing more than malleable pieces of meat. A blasphemous desecration of human flesh of the highest order. The women of Bellevue will be made an example for others to see. An example of what can happen when a person unconsciously accepts technology. Listen well, for I'm only saying this once."
    Forzal's face was fixed in a grimace. Nadine looked rightfully worried. "Bellevue," said the voice, "had the potential to become an idyllic world where families made use of the ample fields and expansive skies. However, Man decided to subdue the natural life of Bellevue. The tools of technology and righteousness have been perverted. I will correct this. The women of Bellevue, with their wetware and nanites, will force a change on the face of the planet. Their breasts shall grow to immense size, rendering them helpless as babes in their own homes. The men will have no choice but tend to their women's every need. Wetware will be of no help, for the women will soon discover their 'ware has been neutralized."
    Nadine glanced down at her chest, her face spotted with sweat. "This had better be a sick joke."
    "I have covered the sky against any possible remedy," said the voice. The disturbing beginnings of a chuckle were clearly heard. "The horizon will be dotted with breasts that will rival the clouds at sunrise. The bountiful sky will be blotted out by bosoms. Soon the rain will come down as milk instead of water. Perhaps after a few years I'll have mercy on the women and restore them. But, who knows, some would want to be even bigger! Let the humbling begin!"
    The recording ended with an anticipated chuckle. Forzal held Nadine by the hand. "Don't fret, Nadine. That's the biggest bag of wind and piss I've ever heard."
    Purposefully, Nadine placed Forzal's hand to her bosom. "I don't think so, Olivia. My wetware is not responding at all. Even the built-in comm is off-line."
    "You're right." Forzal looked at the now-active medical scanner. "Your 'ware has been locked out. I daresay that the encryption code rates with the best of them."
    "Here's another thing, Olivia. I'm awfully hungry now. I have the hankering for anything that tastes... fatty."
    "God preserve us," Forzal sighed.

Late Wednesday night. It's been three days since Sam discovered her breasts were growing. The mystery voice wasn't making idle threats. Except for a small handful, the bosoms of Bellevue's female population above the age of 16 were growing at the rate of 14cm per day. Eighteen thousand women were undergoing a radical increase in bust size, and they had no control at all.
    The doctors were busily reassuring the women that a solution would be found in time. Wetware programmers began intensive work to break the encryption that held sway in the womens' brains. The last thing anyone needed was to trigger another hidden program.
    At the Kelso home the atmosphere was relaxed, but there was some concern as well. The family had gathered in the living room. Nadine, now up to 113cm, was doing some needle work in her easy chair. Next to her was Jack, sitting in his recliner that everyone called 'Daddy's Throne'. Clyde and Tim claimed one couch while Samantha, Vicky, and Ed settled on the other. At 134cm, Sam's bust absolutely dominated her front. Her favorite extra-baggy sweater had become downright snug in a few places. Vicky was positively giggly about her 108cm chest. Wearing a ratty old T-shirt, Vicky threaten to bust out of her garment with one good sneeze.
    Sam placed a hand on Ed's knee. "Ed, has the possibility of gamma-zapping the nanites been suggested? We could use earlier-generation nanites to reduce the breasts."
    Sympathetically, Ed placed his hand on top of Sam's. "8G nanites were specifically made to resist gamma rays. The only way to shut them down is with wetware. But since yours and every other affected woman's 'ware has been locked out, that's impossible. Starvation diets won't work either. The nanites would gather whatever fat they could from the host body. What little food you'll eat would be meticulously scavenged for fat also. I'm afraid it's a lose-lose proposition."
    Vicky pushed her tightly-clad norks together. "But for the boys it'll be a definite win! They'll be able to lust after us girls as we get bigger by the day."
    "Not so fast, young lady," said Jack. "In little over a month you'll be as big as a pillow woman. Then we'll see how much you'll like it, stuck in the same room all the time, using your own boobs as a bed."
    "Daddy, how cruel of you! I'm sure Ed and his friends will save the day. Honestly, though, I don't want to get so big that Michael can't carry me."
    Tim chuckled. "Mikey's a strong boy. Perhaps stopping at a size where he could still drag you would be more appropriate."
    Vicky stuck out her tongue. "The name is Michael, and he's not the kind of boy who would want his girlfriend get that big. I know my limits."
    "Set unrealistically high, of course." Tim tossed back.
    Sam pinched Vicky'se arm, informing her younger sibling to stop the banter right there. She also looked her young brother in the eye. "Tim, I have one thing to say to you. Don't go around pulling bra straps. Considering how big the girls are getting, you might lose an eye."
    Tim looked bashfully at his feet. "Okay, Sam. I promise."
    "I've been wondering," said Ed, "what's that quilt on the wall over there?"
    Nadine laid the needlework on her available lap space. "That's the family quilt. I started it just after Sam was born. Each line on the quilt represents one year for each family member. When Sam gets married, hopefully soon, she'll start her own quilt." Nadine looked pleased as both Samantha and Ed blushed. "It remains to be seen if her quilt will surpass mine."
    "Mother, you can be so subtle at times. It'll look downright queer in the family album when my grandkid points to my picture and asks 'Is Grandma behind those pillows?' My child would say 'No dear, those pillows are your grandma - see, there's a little head on the top'."
    "Cute!" Vicky beamed. "I would like to look at that picture!"
 

6

Day Five was a Friday. On that night Tim, Clyde, and Vicky returned from the Community Center. All three children looked guilty. Vicky's face was practically planted in her chest. Now billowing at 136cm, Vicky's bust was just a day shy of her height measurement.
    Nadine sensed that something was wrong. "Kids, what is it? You look miserable."
    Clyde looked at his mother eye to eye, showing off his bruised face. "Mom, there was a fight at the indoor pool. A few of my classmates were acting like jerks, making the girls uncomfortable. Well, when they started to pick on Vicky I had to act."
    With genuine concern, Nadine inspected Clyde's face. "It was inevitable that something like this would happen. Boys can be real insensitive at times. Did you get your licks in?"
    "Ask Vicky and Michael. They did most of the work."
    "Vicky?" Nadine went to her daughter. She made her look up and was shocked to see two small bruises on her face. "Shameful. What did those boys exactly do?"
    "They were leering at the girls," said Tim, raising his head. "Plus they were taunting the girls to take deep breaths so their swimsuits would explode open. Clyde and Michael stood up to the jerks and told them to stop."
    With a small measure of pride Nadine looked at Clyde. "So, was it at that point the jerks threw the first punch?"
    Clyde looked downright embarrassed. "No, Mom. Vicky stepped between us and the jerks. She told the jerks that if they had a problem they should say so. Well," Clyde looked at the bruises on Vicky's face, "one guy said that Vicky must be short of breath 'cause her suit was so tight on top. Ummh, how can I say this, ahh... Vicky settled the issue when she took a deep breath and shoved out her chest."
    "Yeah." Tim was enthusiastic. "She really shoved it out."
    Clyde continued. "Well, as you can imagine, the suit ripped from the top down to her belly button. Ahhh... the sight of Vicky's boobs made the jerks wet their trunks. Vicky laughed at them, and the other girls laughed as well. You would imagine that the jerks would get the hint and leave."
    "Yes, I would imagine too." Nadine said. "Go on."
    "One jerk was upset that a little girl with huge breasts was laughing at him, so he punched Vicky. She responded by... ummmh... that is..."
    Vicky spoke out for the first time. "I bludgeoned him with my norks. And kicked him in the nuts for good measure."
    Nadine gazed down her huge bust at Vicky. "Really? Now was it at this point that Clyde and Michael defended your honor?"
    "It was more like assisting than defending. Only one other boy had enough willpower to fight. The rest were... incapacitated by the sight of my breasts."
    "I would imagine so. Serves them right to make fun of you and the rest of those poor girls. So," Nadine asked whimsically, "how is Michael? Was he treated to the sight of your proud breasts?"
    "He was, Mom. But only for a moment. Then he fainted." Vicky cupped her covered lungs. "I wanted to do something, but the lifeguards took him to the aid station."
    Tim grinned wickedly. "Sorry you couldn't express your thanks by hugging and kissing him? He would've expired on the spot."
    Vicky walked up to Tim and stood on her toes. Her bust was but a few scant centimeters away from his eyes. "Keep it up, buster. You're this close to getting an eye transplant."
    "Children, behave." Nadine ordered. "Clyde, Vicky, you'll need some ice pouches for those bruises. That'll keep the swelling down."
    "Vicky's gonna need some for her breasts, too." Tim looked mischievous. "Talk about assault with deadly melons!"
    "Tim! That's enough!" Though her face looked firm, Nadine's tone was more supportive. "Each day will be more difficult for everyone involved. Those boys will wise up when they appreciate what their mothers and sisters are going through. At least Vicky and Clyde stood their ground. Me, Sam and Vicky are growing to God knows how big, but we're still human beings - and family. Please be strong and endure. We'll come through this okay."
    "We'll try, Mom," said Clyde. The foursome engaged in a group hug, each one gaining strength to face each day as it comes, centimeter by centimeter.

It was five p.m. the following Monday when Sam returned from work. Her work jumpsuit was quite large on top. It had to be in order to hold a bust a tad over two meters in measure. Nadine was in the kitchen, soldering on as best she could. Without the use of wetware Nadine had to make do with manual controls and kitchen utensils. It wasn't terribly difficult with breasts as big as oversized watermelons. That was cold comfort when one realized that Nadine, as well as the rest of the affected women, would be unable to cook at all next week.
    "Hi, honey. How's work?" Nadine and Sam did their best try at a hug. Their breasts could only be displaced so far, but the women managed to touch cheek to cheek.
    Sam pouted. "Terrible. Without wetware I have to operate all the controls manually. But I'm getting to the point where I can't reach the controls or do anything. In five days I'll be too big to go to work."
    "Horrible. Those doctors had better find something soon. Otherwise, Dad and the boys will eat nothing but quick meals and shakes."
    "A shake sounds really good right now. The nanites must be feed too." Sam laughed at her bad joke.
    Looking insufferably pleased, Vicky entered the kitchen. Her school shirt wasn't regulation, but it covered her 178cm front confidently. "Smells good, Mom. What's on the menu?"
    "Cheese casserole with rice. This'll satisfy our fat quota for tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, Dad's bringing home several antigrav bras and repulsor plates."
    Vicky's smile turned down at the corners. "Repulsor plates? Isn't that a bit hasty? We're not that big..."
    Sam finished the sentence. "...yet. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. How are the girls in your school doing?"
    Sitting at the table, Vicky hefted her breasts onto the smooth surface and scooted in. She undid half the shirt buttons and fanned air to her prodigious chest. "Like me, the girls are making the most of a trying situation. We've singled out boys to serves as our 'helpers'."
    "Helpers? Care to elaborate?"
    "Well, the girls' wetware is down and their ability to reach for things is getting problematic. They need help to do ordinary tasks. Like opening doors, carrying backpacks, taking notes in class, and operate the equipment in the science lab."
    "What do the boys get in return?" Sam said conspiratorially.
    Vicky played with a shirt button, looking a bit naughty and sweet. "The boys get the privilege of knowing that they're helping their girlfriends in a time of need. Plus they get to sit next to them in class, serve them lunch and walk them home hand-in-hand. Generous thank-yous are said and the occasional peck on the cheek is given as a reward."
    Nadine placed the casserole dish on the table. "So, is that the reason you're late today? Have you and Michael walked down all the streets of Vista Park?"
    "Partly, Mom. He took me to Jurgens Clothing and bought several athletic T-shirts for me to wear during gym class. Some of the other girls had the same idea. We talked for some time and..." Vicky tried to suppress a grin. "...and afterwards, to reward our boyfriends for their generosity and patience, we did some shirt stretching and lavished them with hugs."
    "How did Michael take it? Did he pass out this time?"
    "He most certainly did not! Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to walk me home and receive an additional hug."
    Sam messed up Vicky's hair. "Sweet sixteen and already she's seduced a boy. Go upstairs and fix your hair, girl. You look as if you've been ravaged."
    Vicky got up and undid the remaining shirt buttons. Her adjustable bra clearly had one more day of service before being replaced. Her pale bust was proud by a half. "Sam! It's a wonder that Ed is still your beau when you say and think such tripe."
 

7

The office of Bellevue's planetary governor was the scene of an important meeting. The people seated at the table wracked their brains for a solution to what was now called the Growing Crisis. Governor Kimball, a stout and bearded man, directed his nervous energy to the squeeze ball he held in his left hand. "People, perhaps what's needed is a review of the facts. Doctor Forzal, summarize your findings."
    The elderly doctor consulted the hardcopy sheet she brought with her. "The total number of women affected by the hijacked nanites is 18,045. The remainder of Bellevue's female population, 6,894, is safe because they had either seventh generation nanites or they're below the age of 16. Only a handful of 16-year-old girls remain unaffected because their nanite injections haven't been scheduled yet. Until further notice only 7G nanites will be used for medical treatments."
    "Any progress on the medical override program?"
    Doctor Burbank handled the question. "Zero. Whoever implanted the program in the wetware update was quite clever. In effect, the nanite control program is 'hard-wired' into the critical control routines of each woman's wetware. Until we can break the encryption code, we dare not try anything rash, like physically removing individual 'ware processors. Who knows what kind of contingency programming this neo-luddite madman thought up?"
    "I agree," said Leroy Pine, a programmer employed at Vista Park's shuttleport. "The code is unlike anything I've ever seen, but it smells like mil-spec."
    Kimball turned to the worn-looking man at his left. "Marshal Pagler, your opinion?"
    "I've contacted the Marshal's Office on Market. Their analysis showed that the encryption is definitely based on military code protocols. Someone had to get a code cipher chip in order to construct the encryption program. An investigation is under way, but at least there's some leads." Pagler took a swig of lukewarm coffee and inhaled half a bagel. "Since the wetware update was written here on Bellevue that means that the neo-luddite is here too. No ships have left Bellevue since this crisis started. My men have interviewed the crew and passengers of the ships in orbit. Unfortunately, none of them fitted the profile or had the necessary technical knowledge to create the code."
    "What makes you believe our man is here at all?" asked Mayor Chalmers, a robust man with cropped hair. "Indeed, his work could've been done anywhere. All he needed to do was send the corrupted update in any hyperspatial message."
    Pagler unconsciously wadded the remaining half of his bagel into a ball. "I believe he's here. I'm working off on what he said in the message and on past new-luddite terrorist acts. Oh yes, what's happening to our women constitutes as a cowardly, but effective, way to disrupt our way of life. Mr Neo, as I have come to call him, would want to see first-hand the effects of his perversion. If he's not careful, he'll make a slip-up, and I'll be there to yank his sorry carcass to jail."
    "After I'm done with him," said Police Chief Williams. "My men are working with the Marshal in his investigation. I hate to think it was a local boy that did this, but all the bases must be checked."
    Kimball grunted. "However it goes, we're still looking at 18,000-odd women who keep getting bigger upstairs each day. I must act on the presumption that this crisis will go on for some time. We all know what that means, so have all relevant departments draw up plans on how to deal with ultra-buxom females. I imagine the first thing would be the installation of antigrav plates in houses, followed by modifications to bathrooms and showers."
    Doctor Burbank nodded. "Agreed. However, there is a finite limit on how large a woman's bust could get before it endangers her life. Even with nanites, micropumps, and super-resilient skin, a woman with a bust/height ratio greater than 20 stands a 0.5% risk of dying each day. Infection, sudden collapse of breast structure, heart failure, coma, stress, and stroke are a few of the possible causes. If Mr Neo spoke literally on just how big the women will get... well, we better make sure that doesn't happen."
    "We agree wholeheartedly, Doctor. Everyone knows what needs to be done. We'll meet in two days to put the final touches to the emergency plan."
    "Two days," said Forzal, "and 28 centimeters. How's your wife, Kimball? This situation must be rough on her, especially since she's still breast-feeding the baby."
    "Yes, she has it twice as hard. Imagine beachball breasts filled with milk and a baby who's constantly hungry. In a few days she'll be unable to hold the baby at all. My son Pablo will have to stay home from school and help out. She still fighting the good fight. God bless her."
    "Indeed, Kimball. May God bless all our women."

Wednesday, Day 10. Her bust now a rib-crushing 206cm, Vicky looked like an overzealous balloon smuggler. She and her friends were gathered in one corner of the school gym. The shorts, sneakers, and socks the girls wore were still regulation. The massive, shape-conforming T-shirts certainly were not. School administrators realistically accepted the situation. It was only a matter of time before the girls were unable to attend gym classes. At the very least they'll have some fun.
    Monica, sitting on Vicky's right side, moved her hands over her covered bust. "It's hard to believe that I've gotten this big in so short a time. I can deal with what I have now. Anything bigger and I'll be unable to button my blouses."
    "A two-meter bust is not much of anything," said Tina, sitting to the left of Vicky. "A three-meter bust is more desirable, seeing that we all have antigrav bras now."
    "And who'll button up your blouses? You're not thinking of Ramon, are you?"
    Tina's blue eyes were appropriately naughty. "Oh, I imagine after this weekend he'll gladly offer his 'assistance'. Just 56 centimeters to go!"
    "Hush, girls," said Vicky, "it's Coach Chest herself."
    Coach Naomi Wells came to a halt in front of the girls. An already ample woman to begin with, Coach Wells commanded an eye-popping 298cm bust. It was only well-developed muscles and a custom brassier that allowed her to walk without the aid of an antigrav bra. "Talk time is over, girls. Get to your feet and make for the court. Kickball time."
    "Kickball?" said Vicky incredulously. "Coach, its problem enough just to keep our balance and walk. Even with antigrav bras I'm afraid the floor will be littered with fallen tits."
    "All the more reason to make you girls exercise. You need some muscles on your backs and thighs. It'll give you that all-around healthy look."
    Monica held her breasts firmly. "All-around healthy? The boys only need to look at us and know that we're healthy."
    "I disagree, Miss Nguyen. A good girl must keep exercising or else turn into a pair of fat-filled sofas. And you'll get tired having your boyfriend sleep on your endowments each weekend. Now get up and soldier."
    The girls did what they were told. The central court was ready to play host to a kickball game. Coach Wells selected the teams, making sure each had an even number of boys and girls. By this time the boys had gotten accustomed to the presence of large breasts, but that didn't prevent the occasional accidental brush and unsupervised wandering hands. Purely accidental, you know. The girls made it look accidental.
    Midway through the first game Vicky's prediction came true. Three-fourths of the girls fell to their knees and rested on top of their lungs. Coach Wells knew the reason for what had happened. "Okay, girls, there's only explanation for this event. How many of you have set your bras to 80% instead of 55%?" Practically all the girls said yes. Wells was rightfully disappointed. "Can any of you tell me why you set your bras to 80%?"
    Tina raised her head as high as she could. It looked as if she was guarding two prized king watermelons with her body. "Fifty-five percent wasn't enough, Coach Wells. It was downright uncomfortable and some of us had muscle spasms. We were happy at the higher level."
    "Happy, but at the expense of draining the battery quicker. At 55%, a battery would've last long enough for you to get home." Coach Wells walked past each girl, sensing their shame and humiliation. "I have the right mind to leave you girls on the floor. However, I'll be merciful. While your batteries get recharged, you'll be treated to a therapeutic back rub administered by your boyfriends. Might as well make the most of a bad situation."
    One boy collected the drained batteries and sprinted off to the janitor's office. While they waited, the girls experienced wonderful relief for their back muscles. The boys were simply enamored by the size of their girlfriends' norks. No wonder the little sheilas set their antigrav bras to such high levels. Otherwise, the strain on their backs and thighs would've been immense.
    Vicky giggled and cooed as Michael worked his wondrous finger magic on her back. She was thinking of an appropriate reward to give him. No simple hug will do this time. Then inspiration showed its card as the recharged batteries were returned to their owners. Michael was indeed a big boy with strong arms. Surely the thought of carrying his belle back home would be a great reward. Suitably naughty, Vicky set the bra control to 95%. She calculated that the bra will fail just a few minutes after school. Until then, the minutes would feel like hours.
 

8

Nadine and Jack went to bed early Friday night, the twelfth day of the crisis. The flat-panel screen on the wall opposite the bed played a recorded football game. Jack controlled the screen with his 'ware, but Nadine was denied that option. Ever helpful, Jack had the household fabricator whip up a device that the ancient vernacular called a universal remote control. His heart was in the right place, but in this particular instance the remote was of little use. Nadine's bust was big enough to block her forward vision while lying down. Even sitting up would hinder her view, so she elected to lie flat on her back and rest.
    "How was work today?" Nadine moved her arms out from under her huge breasts, placing her hands at the top of her mass.
    Jack looked sad. "Downright rotten. It was my duty to relieve Sam and the other girls at the plant. They're too big to safely operate the manual controls and perform the other necessary duties. It was a sad sight to see."
    Nadine turned to her husband, reaching out and holding one of his hands. "You did what needed to be done. Heck, in a few more days she would've been unable to use the emergency chutes, right?"
    "That's been mentioned before, and by Sam herself no less. She knew this was coming, but to hear me actually say the words..." Jack tenderly squeezed his love's hand. "I feel like the dirt between the toes of an evil troll."
    "Nonsensical prattle. What you need now is some sweet sugar. Come on over here."
    Jack's lips made an involuntary smile. "I might stay there all night. Sleeping with an extra 100 kilos on top of you might be too much."
    Nadine wiggled her chest with her dainty hands. The fleshquakes propagating on her beachball norks broke Jack's resistance. "Oh, like you haven't done it before. I'm made from the hardy stock of my North Dakota ancestors. In fact, it's even easier for you now. My two balloons will keep you secure. You won't roll off the bed!"
    Without further prompting, Jack got on top of his woman and settled into the space provided by her immense cleavage. Nadine's bust now measured 237 centimeters, which translated in the old measure a bit over 93 inches. By this time tomorrow her bust will surpass her height by 50%. How much more growth will she and the other women experience? Like everyone else, the women had to wait day by day.
    Jack was fast asleep within minutes. Nadine smiled as she cradled her husband's head close to her bosom. No matter how big she'll end up being, Nadine knew her man would love her more for her heart than for her expansive spheres of flesh. Having said that, Nadine expected to receive love by the truck load.

Six a.m. was rather early for Vicky to take a bath. Normally she slept in until nine. This particular Saturday morning was different. Moved by an undeniable urge to wash her awesome norks, Vicky walked as carefully as she could without the use of an antigrav bra. Determination and willpower allowed Vicky to confidently hold her bust with her little arms. Entering the bathroom sideways and at an angle, the spirited girl punched in the desired water quantity and temperature on the keypad her father installed yesterday.
    The bathroom mirror above the counter top was throughly steamed when the tub reached the desired conditions. Vicky carefully removed her Barney the Bushbear panty, an Outback gift from Sam. Leaving the panty on the bathroom floor, Vicky eased her body, and endowments, into the warm bath water. She pressed the soap dispenser four times. With a huge wad of soap in hand, she commence to lather her ample skin.
    Vicky was relieved that she was still able to reach and feel all of her new breast mass. In four more days it would be impossible. A sponge rod and a directional sprayer and dryer would have to be used at that time. Then there was the matter of simply covering the breasts. An antigrav bra's job was to lessen the load a woman had to carry, not to cover it up. The choices for covering the expanding mass were becoming fewer and fewer. Vicky suspected that it would all come down to cutting three holes in a bed sheet and simply drape the impromptu muu-muu over her body.
    Breast firmness was not a problem, as the nanites made the breasts' interior a study of support and load balancing. Vicky noticed that her hips and thighs had gotten perceptibly larger. It was the new muscle mass her nanites made. Back muscles were augmented too. Realistically, she was becoming a living and walking support system for her breasts. In a week, however, she'll be unable to walk in normal gravity at all.
    Standing up proudly in the tub, Vicky had the bath water drain away. Then the overhead shower immersed the girl in a cleansing rain. Soap lather was carried away, revealing her glorious naked skin. Vicky worked a hand towel all over her body. The sensation of the towel moving across her skin, especially her breasts, produced an unexpected cascade of pleasure. When the towel reached her nipples, the sensation intensified immensely. In the back of her brain Vicky knew that such sensations were the result of the nanites. The part of her brain that lived in the here and now reveled in joy. Many minutes passed before Vicky made herself stop.
    With deliberate slowness Vicky exited the tub and made for the counter top. With a slight heft, she placed her orbs on the counter. She got as close as she could to the mirror, her breasts pressed firmly against the glass. Vicky looked upon her reflection, seeing her blue eyes and blonde hair overwhelmed by her sheer breast mass. It was then that Vicky became somber. She and the other women were still growing. When will the nanites stop their relentless work and allow the women to get on with their lives? Will the breasts grow until the bodies they're attached to die of exertion? That though alone made Vicky shutter, causing her skin to break out in goose bumps.
    A series of sharp knocks on the door startled Vicky. "Hey, what's keeping you so long?" It was Tim, and he sounded impatient. "I got soccer practice in an hour. You can play with your boobs in your own room."
    "Why can't you use the other two bathrooms?" Vicky replied as she tried to find her panty. Unable to see directly underneath her, Vicky had to move to one corner in order to locate the decorated undergarment.
    "Mom and Dad are in one and Sam's hogging the other. You better not have cut any muffins in there."
    "Give me a second." Vicky dexterously picked up her panty. Leaning into a wall, she worked one leg through one hole and fought to maintain balance as she worked in the other leg. One final snap and touch told her that good old Barney was in place. "Tim, can you make yourself scarce for a moment? I'm more than a bit indecent."
    "Vicky, you've been indecent ever since you got breasts. Besides, it's not like I saw you topless before. Remember the pool?"
    "How could I forget that? But remember I'm much bigger." Vicky opened the door and left the bathroom. Just as Tim was about to enter Vicky swatted her little brother from behind with her improbable chest. Tim fell to the floor, landing on his butt. Vicky giggled as she bounced down the hall to her room.
    "Laugh it up, Vicky." Tim nursed himself back on his feet. "Let's see you try that with Michael. You'll break his back, you bruiser."

With no progress in breaking the encryption, the town council went ahead with their emergency plan. The affected women and their families were given practical, hard-truth advice on how to deal with the Growing Crisis. Imagine the collective groan when the families heard that antigrav plates and modified bathrooms were declared absolute essentials. On the 14th day, a Sunday, practically all the fathers in Vista Park and elsewhere on Bellevue set upon transforming living areas and bathrooms fit to serve their growing loved ones.
    Jack Kelso was no exception. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that he would ever perform such a task. With Clyde and Tim at his side, Jack spoke curse words and epithets fit to blister paint as he reshaped the ground-level bathroom and living room. Clyde and Tim were thankful that the swear words weren't directed toward them. What could Jack possibly say that he hadn't already uttered when it comes time to work on the second family room?
    Five hours and one exhausted foul vocabulary later the work was done. Tim gladly retreated to the sanctuary of his bedroom, seeking relief in a virtual-reality WWII game. Clyde had the hankering to see his friend Nikki, the daughter of the school's librarian. For a quite little thing Nikki turned downright vivacious now that her breasts were huge. Clyde wanted to spend 'quality time' with Nikki and help her with schoolwork. All under the mindful watch of her father, of course. Samantha was with Ed, taking what was in all likelihood her last unaided walk around town.
    Jack could sense that his little girl and Ed were like two peas in a pod. If nature had run its course then all would've been peaches and cream. But now, with Sam literally turning into a big woman, would Ed love her for who she is than out of pity? Indeed, would Jack come to see Nadine as nothing more than a living recliner for him to use? He spoke his concerns to Nadine as she tested out the antigrav field in the family room.
    "Jack, it's a good thing you spoke now." Nadine did a slow flip in midair. The anti-gravity field worked perfectly. Her bosom was massive, and in zero gravity such inflated mammaries were much more bearable. "Some men hold their concerns and feelings inside for so long that they become gall stones. Believe me, you'll never come to see me as a couch that can breathe and fart."
    "I'm relieved, but what about Sam?" Jack gingerly stepped into the field. With the slightest motion he floated over to Nadine. As much as he could, he hugged the stuffing out of his blessed woman. Nadine's muu-muu had a large opening at the top, allowing a big swath of cleavage to be seen by God and everybody. Jack placed his weary head on top of Nadine's bosom. "I'm afraid Ed may not be able to restrain himself for much longer. I know this shouldn't count, but he's from Earth. He may feel a bit deprived, since Earth women are small chested."
    Nadine hugged Jack tighter. "For an Earth boy, Ed has the moral fortitude of my ancestors. He has the same drives and impulses that any red-blood man has, but he'll only act on them if Sam tells him to. They'll seal their relationship with love, not lust."
    "Not unlike what we're doing now, huh?"
    "Jack," said Nadine in a comforting voice, "it's not like you and I are going to have another love child. I think we're due for some fun. Live the moment."
    "I most certainly will." Jack started poking Nadine's flesh. "Is this doing anything for you?"
    "It's not a finger that I want poking me."
    "That was subtle. Let's explore that possibility in our bedroom tonight. After a nice, long, warm bath."
    "You do that, Jack, you silly hopeless romantic." Nadine smothered her man's face with kisses.
 

9

"So, this is your office?" said Samantha as she eased her way through the door. Ed had the foresight to widen the door frame by 50cm. Even so, it was clear that in three more days the frame would have to be enlarged even more.
    "It's not much, but it serves me," said Ed modestly. "Give me fifty years to work on it. My office will clearly show that a doctor was in it."
    Sam got as close to the walls as she could, mindful of her considerable mass. She pointed to the collection of pictures and plaques. "I take it that these are your degrees?"
    "That they are. On the right is my medical degree. Next to it is my valedictorian certificate from high school." Ed eagerly pointed out one particular plaque. "That one is for my bowling team winning first place during my second year as a full-fledge doctor."
    "Cute. And here I though that bowling was just an excuse for men to spend time together, drinking beer and belching."
    "Hey, that's not fair." Ed kissed Sam's ear. "Doctors don't drink beer - we drink wine coolers. Speaking of wine coolers, would you like a bottle? I got cherry and blueberry."
    "A bottle of cherry is fine. I'll just look at the rest of your stuff while I'm waiting."
    "Okay." Ed grinned. "But if you break it you buy it!"
    Sam looked humorous as Ed left the room, but turned serious as she continued her careful survey of Ed's office. The expected bookcase was there, as were the photo cubes of Ed's parents and childhood. Sam giggled as she saw one picture of Ed as a child, playing with his wagon at the beach. She knew that Ed was always of a rambunctious spirit.
    There was a door along one wall that connected to an adjoining examination room. With slight effort, Sam slipped through the unmodified door frame and entered. The plain examination table looked out-of-place in an era of nanite medicine. But it was appropriate, for doctors still knew that their patients were human beings and not numbers on a roster. Ed was a doctor, and a friend. More than a friend. Sam knew she could open her heart to him. With a deliberate hand she undid her blouse buttons.
    Ed entered the office with wine coolers in hand. "Hey, Sam, where you made off to?"
    "I'm in the examination room," Sam replied. "Come on in."
    The smile on Ed's face was muted when he entered the adjoining room. His professional medical training prevented him from outright gawking at Sam's unexpectedly naked body. Standing in the center of the room, Sam hugged her expansive bust with her comparatively small arms. Ed managed to speak clearly. "Usually patients wait until I ask them to take their clothes off."
    Sam looked forlornly at her boyfriend, her eyes welling up with tears. "Please, Ed, measure me. I need to know how big I am now."
    Just by looking at her Ed knew that other parts of Sam's body had gotten larger as well as her breasts. He went to a wall-mounted control panel. "Sam, stand up straight with your arms above your head. The holographic imager will take your measurements." A series of thin blue beams played over Sam's body, building and compiling a complete picture of Sam's dimensions. The inflating woman waited patiently for the few seconds the imager needed to complete its work. "Okay, you can lower your arms now."
    With relief, Sam placed her arms on top of her bust. Her breathing made her breast flesh quiver like a thick bowl of jello. "What's the verdict, doctor?"
    "Promise you won't smother me out of rage?"
    "I would swear to that, but I can't quite put my hand on my heart now, could I?"
    "Touche." Ed unconsciously stroked his chin, a nervous habit he developed back in medical school. "Well, Samantha, your hips are now up to 100cm and your waist is 70cm. The bust is a bit over 290cm."
    Sam looked down upon her vast expanse. "Almost three meters. In four days my bust will be twice my height. Twelve days after that it will be three times my height. More muscle and flesh will pile up on my hips, thighs, and waist in an effort to give support to a bust that won't stop growing." Tears landed on the slopes of her breasts, running down into her cleavage or off to the side. "I've been wearing the same earrings for the last three days. The nanites have attached them to my earlobes. They need metal to build micropumps in my boobs But here's something else that's happening to me. It's my skin, Ed. Look at my hands."
    Tenderly, Ed got by his woman's side. He held her hand in his own, letting his fingers touch and caress the soft skin. "Feels fine by me. You have beautiful knuckles."
    Another spate of tears landed on Sam's bust, making the wet skin glimmer in the light. "That's just it, Ed. My hands. My fingers. The callouses that formed when I helped Dad all around the house. Working to make the furniture you saw and the rooms my family lives in. Getting my hands dirty by working twelve hours a day. Now... now they're soft and feminine. It's as if I did no work at all!" Sam cried, burying her face in her hands. Ed moved in from behind and wrapped his arms around her comparatively slim waist. He hugged her, placing his cheek next her hers, saying sweet nothings into her ear.
    "This will pass, Sam. You'll get those hands tough and dirty again. A big house filled with kids will see to that."
    A hearty laugh emerged from Sam's sob-filled throat. Her womanly mass rippled in sympathy with her follow-up giggles. "Ed, was that your idea of a proposal?"
    "Would you rather have me get on my knees, strain my neck to look over your bosom, and say the words before I pass-out from a lack of air?"
    "That would've done the trick too." Sam kissed her man firmly on the lips. "Of course I'll marry you. Doctors, regardless of what they earn, live in big houses. You'll build a house that's big enough to hold an entire harem of pillow women."
    "Don't set your future in plasticrete just yet. I won't rest until you and the other women are restored to normal." With sly hands Ed massaged Sam's hips and waist. "Physical training is definitely a necessity. We can't let those muscles and bones weaken in zero gravity."
    "I need zero gravity to get my clothes on, even though it'll just be a pair of panties. Speaking of which," Sam made Ed stop his wonderful hand-magic on her shoulder blades, "can you help me get dressed? Its kinda difficult putting clothes on while in normal gravity."
    "It's reward enough to help my blossoming belle."
    "You're such a sweet talker, Edgar."

Day 20. Nadine, Samantha, and Victoria were sitting in the living room at a reduced gravity of 40%. Nadine wore a flowing muu-muu decorated with a pattern of summer flowers. She kept the remote for the tri-dee on her left breast. A small plate of fat-filled cookies held station on her right breast. Sam practiced her needlepoint, using her covered chest as a natural work space. One could always count on Vicky to be naughty, for she was clad only in short-shorts. Her entertainment was listening to music on a pair of headphones. Vicky's tiny nipples made her 346cm bust look much larger. Subtle shock waves appeared on her breasts as she snapped her fingers to the rhythm of the music.
    The tri-dee played a news program that originated from Earth. The story of the Growing Crisis had reached to every part of the Commonwealth. With that fact taken into account, no-one was surprized by the reaction of Earth's ruling Neo-Luddite party. The program was two days old and 600 light-years removed from Earth, but Nadine could actually smell the snobbery of the Neo-Luddite panel. Platitudes of concern were overwhelmed by opinions that the colonists would've been better off with just plain medicine instead of basing their health needs on 'tiny machines that are easily swayed by the technical know-how of a madman'. Two hundred seventy-five years of rule had set the Neo-Luddite's thinking as hard and unyielding as plasticrete.
    Nadine snorted her disgust and switched to channel five. A moment later the weather forecast came up, presented by Kelly Runion, Bellevue's chief meteorologist. He predicted that the snow season would start early this winter. Point in fact, a major winter storm was in the works for Sunday. Not that Nadine and her girls had anything to do outside, assuming they could do anything at all.
    As it happened to Sam, the other women noticed that their skin had lost all traces of blemishes, scars, and callouses. Now positively radiating a healthy pink aura, the women also experienced heighten sensitivity when touched by men. Massage sessions more often than not turned into 'tender moments in the bedroom'. Jack and Nadine could readily attest to that.
    Tim walked into the living room. Dressed in his heavy parka, the boy was prepared for any snowstorm that Bellevue had to offer. "Mom, I'll be at the Community Center to play soccer with some friends."
    Nadine looked over her shoulder. "Just be back by eight p.m. The forecast said the winds will pick up after sunset. Has Clyde left?"
    "Yes. He went to Nikki's place. He had it in his head that he can construct an antigrav sled for Nikki to use."
    "Not a bad idea at all. You and Dad can work on a set for me and the girls next week."
    Tim smiled. "Fine, Mom, but all of you will need pallet conveyors instead of sleds." Having walked only a few steps, Tim turned around suddenly. "Oh, Vicky, your boyfriend Michael is here. Want me to send him in?"
    "What?" Vicky was downright startled. "I can't be seen like this! Where's my shirt?" Boobs gyrating, Vicky hastily searched the living room. Sam and Nadine had to giggle at the urgent girl's expense. "If he sees me so casually topless he'll never marry me!"
    That comment made Nadine raise an eyebrow. "Marry you? For once you got yourself a proper set of priorities. Brace your bosom, young lady. Where was the last place you saw your shirt?"
    Standing as still as possible, Vicky collected her thoughts as she corralled her wobbly lungs. "I came in here, got my headphones, and sat down. Ahhh... it was kinda warm, so I removed my shirt and..." She reached down her cleavage with both hands. When they came back up a neatly folded shirt was displayed for everyone to see. "Gee, with my skin all sensitive and such I should've felt it down there."
    "Doesn't work that way," said Sam. "Only the touch of a male will make a woman 'responsive'." She giggled. "Just what will you and Michael do in your room, hmmmm?"
    After an unintentional gratuitous display of bouncing boobs, Vicky slipped her shirt over her proud bust. "None of your business, Miss Nosy. Michael's a perfect gentleman."
    "See to it that he remains a gentleman, Vicky." Nadine had the look of an all-knowning matriarch on her face. "If I even suspect that you and Michael are up to no good, I'll barge into your room with the Kreuger rifle in hand. Michael had better be ready to declare his intentions right there and then."
    "Mom! Shotgun weddings belong in ancient movies, not in the 26th century! If anything, I'll let everyone know when we're ready."
    "Glad to hear, Victoria. Tim, you can let Michael come in now. Too bad he couldn't see Vicky put her shirt on."
    "Mom!"
    "Just kidding, pumpkin."
 

10

Day 38. The snow cover in Vista Park was one meter deep and the average daily temperature hovered near -8 Celsius. It was also the third day that the vast majority of the affected women stopped growing. Sam and Nadine each had a bust/height ratio of 3.4. At 585cm Sam was positively room-filling, and Nadine was no shirking violet with her mighty 534cm bust. Vicky was one of the 'unlucky' 814 women who were still expanding. The one thing those women had in common was their height, all either at or below 152cm. Vicky was just ten hour's shy of reaching the awe-inspiring 604cm mark, four times her height measurement.
    "Just when will they stop?" Vicky lamented as she made herself comfortable in the bare living room. At the girls' prodigious size such amenities like couches and chairs were meaningless. "In absolute terms I'm bigger than Sam now. Just what did that Luddite jerk had in mind anyway? I don't want to become a sofa woman, much less a pillow woman."
    Fresh from the bathroom, Nadine carefully settled her womanly mass next to her daughter. Unable to reach her little girl directly, the knowing mother tried to comfort Vicky with words. "Perhaps the Luddite was trying to balance your lack of height with more feminine mass. All the other short women are still growing. In a few days you should stop. You and Michael will adjust soon enough."
    "I'm praying for that, Mom. I'm afraid Michael is having a worse time of it than me. He can't even touch me now. If he does, I feel... well, you know..."
    "I most certainly do, Vicky. Father knows that too. Now, if I can only get him to shave before he buries his face between my..."
    "Mom!" Vicky exclaimed in mock shock. "I'm beginning to believe you're encouraging Dad to set you off."
    "Like an antimatter bomb. I have to get him to relax. He's working himself sick trying to convince himself that he's doing something to help. Fixing up three bedrooms on the ground floor was more than enough. Now, if I could only make him stand still for a moment..."
    "I've seen that face before, Mom. You're going to play the part of pillow woman for him tonight, aren't you?"
    "Might as well, you naughty girl." Nadine wiggled her mass as best she could. Visible shockwaves played over her breast skin. "I have them, so I might as well use them."

The next day a Commonwealth Navy destroyer emerged from hyperspace and assumed orbit above Bellevue. Marshal Pagler had requested a team of Marshals be sent to assist his investigation. Now with the team in place, Pagler, in conjunction with Police Chief Williams, intensified the search for Mr Neo. With technology and plain old gut-instincts serving as their tools, the investigators constructed a psychological profile of the man that had done such grievous harm to Bellevue's women.
    After five days the team experienced the same frustration that Pagler and Williams had felt. There was literally no-one on the planet that could possibly fit Mr Neo's profile. Assuming he (or even she) wanted to stay so he could see his work first-hand, such a person would've gloated and taunted the Police for their failure to find him. Mr Neo must possess very strong self-control in addition to his technical skills.
    Pagler's office had a flat screen that served as the traditional cork board, a tool that his predecessors centuries earlier would've used. The man himself was convinced the answer was right in front of his face, only waiting for him to make the correct connection between two obscure facts to solve the case. It was while pondering the contents of the screen that the break Pagler was seeking walked into the office.
    "Marshal Pagler?" said the impeccably dressed destroyer captain. "I believe I have something that you should hear."
    "My ears have nothing better to do, Captain. What do you have?"
    The captain wasn't alone. One of his junior officers, a lieutenant according to his stripes, stepped inside the office. All-in-all the man was the very model of a young naval officer. "This is Lt Eddings. Though he's a fire-control officer, Eddings has a talent when it comes to encryption."
    That comment made Pagler raise an eyebrow. "He does? Mr Eddings, do you have good news?"
    "I hope so, Marshal." Eddings unconsciously straightened his tie. "Yesterday I talked to the shuttleport programmer about the Growing Crisis. He showed me the code that the nanites are working under. It's a fascinating code, but not altogether difficult to crack."
    "You broke it?" Pagler said carefully. "Can you prove it?"
    "Certainly, Marshal. But more importantly, I discovered how the code was implanted into the wetware program to begin with. You better brace yourself."
    "I just might break a chair if I did that, son."
    "Okay, but I've warned you." Eddings had to mentally stop himself from pulling on his tie. It would've be ironic if he choked himself before divulging the secret. "The code got into the women's wetware by means of the weather information signal. It's a low-risk signal and not heavily monitored by wetware security programs. I checked the records of Nadine Kelso, the woman whose examination started the nanites to go full-bore on breast expansion. The weather signal data was saved at the time of her examination. The code was sent at the same time the wetware update was sent. Both the code and the update shared the same memory cache, so..."
    "So that damnable code was able to merge with the update and escape detection from the security systems!" Pagler hit his forehead with an open palm. "Wait a minute, if it was a weather signal..." Both Pagler's mind and wetware went through the possibilities that presented themselves. He snapped his fingers. "A meteorologist. Only a meteorologist would have the clearance to send weather updates. He would also know when the wetware update was transmitted. A meterolo..." Pagler sat at his desk and mentally started the built-in audio pickup. "Chief Williams, this is Pagler."
    "Hi, Dale," said the Chief. "What can I do you for?"
    "I got some news. Please come over to my office and bring whatever records you have on Kelly Runion."
    "You have a hunch?"
    "Hopefully more than that. See you shortly."
    "Ditto."
    Pagler looked at the rightfully pleased Eddings. "Son, you're telling me that in less than a day you broke a code that a whole team of cryptographers couldn't do in over a month? You should be in Fleet Intelligence instead of a fire-control officer."
    "My Captain keeps saying that, but I like my current post."
    "Eddings. I've heard that name before. Are you related to Tobias Eddings of Outback?"
    "Yes, Marshal. He's my grandfather. People who know him say that I have all his technical know-how and my grandmother's wholesome personality."
    "I can't argue with that, Lieutenant."

Day 49. The snow on the ground was now two meters deep. High-tech snow removal allowed the schools to remain open - at half capacity. Three weeks ago the affected girls were declared too big to attend classes. Using the gym to accommodate the girls was considered, but was turned down due to the potential fire hazard. Since that time, the girls were able to keep up with their classwork by watching tri-dee transmissions from school.
    In her bedroom, Vicky went over her homework assignment. There was a file pad on each breast, and a writing stylus behind her right ear. As much as she wanted to, Vicky was unable to concentrate. In five short hours her bust will grow an additional three centimeters, moving her bosom up to 7.55 meters. She couldn't help but recall the boasts she made months early about having a bust bigger than her sister's. In two-and-a-half days Vicky will out measure Sam by an even two meters. Mom's encouraging words of 'you grow girl' played about in Vicky's mind, reminding the girl about the story of Boastful Bethany. If movie company executives needed a girl to play the part of a boastful, big-bosomed girl they had their first choice with Vicky.
    A soft rap at the door brought the girl out of her contemplation. "Who is it?" Vicky asked.
    "It's Clyde. Can I see you for a moment? I need your opinion."
    "Get in. It's not like you haven't seen me topless before."
    The huge sliding doors parted. Clyde stepped in and moved forward scarcely a meter. His little sister Vicky really filled the room. "So, Vicky, how do I look?" Clyde turned side-to-side, allowing Vicky a good look at his suit.
    "Looking good, Clyde. Are you going out tonight?"
    The handsome boy fiddled with his tie and touched his hair. "I'm going to Nikki's house. I'm going to ask her the most important question any man could say."
    "You're going to ask if she likes football?"
    "Vicky! Not that, no way. Here, look at this." Clyde produced a small box from his vest pocket. He crouched down next to Vicky and opened the box.
    "Clyde! They're beautiful! But you'll have to wait to give this to her until she stops growing." Vicky showed off her left hand. The ring she wore was attached to her flesh, the nanites were using the metal to construct micropumps in her breasts.
    "I know. But it'll be in safe hands. I'm going to propose to her in front of her family. She wants this as much as me."
    Ever mischievous, Vicky landed a playful slap on Clyde's butt. "Get going, Tiger. Nikki's eagerly waiting to have you rest on her ample bosom."
    "Speaking of bosoms, Vicky, there's someone here that has something to say to you." Clyde reached the door, motioning to someone to enter. It was none-other than Michael. Decked out in a suit and neatly combed hair, Michael looked ready to go on a date.
    "Hi, Vicky," said Michael. "I imagined that you need help with the homework assignment. May I come in?"
    "Set that handsome butt of yours next to mine, Michael," Vicky cooed. "I have a set of big numbers that needs to be managed."
    Clyde grinned. "Managed is the word. Now don't do anything that I wouldn't do, Vicky. Remember, Mom and Dad are across the hall. Don't make too much noise."
    Vicky looked playfully indignant. "Didn't you say you were going somewhere? Buzz off, proud boy."
    As Clyde disappeared out of sight Michael moved next to his girlfriend. In one hand he held a long, slim box. The other had a small briefcase. "I brought something for you, Vicky. You're bound to be a bit peckish. You're still a growing girl, aren't you?"
    "Bigger and bigger by the moment, Michael. What'ca got?"
    Michael handed the box to Vicky. "It's a devilish collection of chocolates. The box is kinda cold. It was in my backpack."
    It was a cold box. As Vicky placed the box top on her breasts, her skin shivered slightly. That was motivation enough for her nipples to become erect. Still tiny compared to her ample mass, the nips were as thick as Michael's wrist and easily 10cm long. Looking upon the assorted chocolates, Vicky simply chose one at random. "Ahhh. This thing must be frozen solid." Vicky placed a cold confectionary in her mouth. "Not so easy to chew. They have to get warmed up first."
    "Yes, speaking of warmth, I've brought something that'll help with your digestion."
    "A tall glass of milk perhaps?"
    "Something more lasting than milk, Vicky. How about some poetry reading?"
    "And just where are you going to sit, young man? There's hardly any room in here for me."
    Michael gazed longingly at Vicky's undeniable cleavage. "Traditionally, when a man reads poetry for his woman, he makes use of the woman's lap. But in this case..."
    Vicky parted her breasts as best she could. "In this case you'll make do. Get in there, you tiger."
 

11

Chief Williams and Marshal Pagler, along with the investigative team, reached the conclusion that Kelly Runion was their best suspect to be Mr Neo. Runion arrived on Bellevue ten years earlier. As the colony's chief meteorologist, Runion did the daily weather reports and supervised the study on the planet's weather systems. Every one of Runion's broadcasts was meticulously reviewed. A word and concept search yielded a huge pile of circumstantial evidence. In every single broadcast the weatherman made reference to the 'bountiful sky'. Other phrases he used could also be ascribed to female breasts. One final fact was that Runion attended Greater Miami University on Earth, a bastion of Neo-Luddite thought. More importantly, the university was home to a particular sect of the Luddites, a sect that condones acts of terrorism against 'excessive' use of technology.
    Williams trekked through a cleared snow lane up to Runion's house. One would expect such a large house to be filled with family, but Runion was unmarried and had no serious relationships with women. Such a deficiency would mark Runion as queer, but the man was an aspiring artist who needed his space. Having been at the house before, Williams knew that several rooms and halls were filled with canvases at various stages of completion.
    Five minutes of ringing the doorbell brought nothing. Williams knocked on the door for good measure. Armed with a warrant to search the house, Williams picked the lock and entered. "Hello? Mr Runion, are you here?" The officer had his 'ware turn on the hallway lights. Just as he remembered, the walls held examples of Runion's artistic efforts. A little light went off in Williams' head when he realized all the paintings were of clouds and horizons. Paintings that contained big, puffy clouds. Could they be metaphors for big breasts? He thought. Perhaps.
    At the base of the stairs Williams ordered his 'ware to turn on the second-floor lights. There was no response. Williams made another announcement. "Mr Runion? Are you here?" Unable to access the home's security system, Williams used his 'ware-enhanced senses as he ascended the stairs. His modified eyes allowed him to see the traffic pattern on the carpet. He also took note of the additional paintings on the walls. This guy must like clouds, mused the Chief.
    Judging by the wear on the carpet, Williams decided the door in front of him was Runion's bedroom. Ears enhanced by electronics clearly heard the sound of breathing on the other side. Slowly, Williams opened the door. The lighting in the room was subdued, but his enhanced eyes saw clearly. Instead of paintings, there were pictures on the walls. In fact, they were covers from busty women's magazines such as Blouse Busters Monthly and Fallout. There was even an article about pillow women from Massive, another breast magazine. One would be forgiven for mistaking the women in the photos with Bellevue's own set of inadvertent buxom belles.
    William's eyebrows arched up when he saw another set of pictures. He knew the women in those photos - Bellevue women, expansive and proud as any pillow woman. Each photo was taken from a distance, capturing women at a particular moment in time. Most of them were sitting in their living rooms, trying to make the best of their unusual predicament. Only a few showed the women in the company of men, either their husbands or boyfriends. What those photographed couples were doing could be politely described as comforting.
    Disgusted, William's advanced toward the far door. The sound of breathing in his ears was quite clear now. He rapped the door hard with his knuckles. "Mr Runion, this is Police Chief Williams. I'm coming in."
    "Hey," came the surprised reply, "don't! I'm not ready! Where's your warrant?"
    "I'll show it to you when I'm in your room." Williams walked in, and was a bit shocked and relieved by what he saw. Clearly, this Runion was the man that everyone's been looking for. Picture after picture of pillow women covered the walls and even the ceiling. Runion himself was scrambling to climb out from between two huge cushions that looked like breasts.
    "What's the meaning of this, officer?" Runion looked downright flustered.
    "The meaning is simple, Mr Kelly Runion. I have a warrant to search your house for evidence relating to the Growing Crisis. I'd say I found my man."
    Runion had extracted himself from the breast cushions. He was wearing only boxer shorts and a fearful face. "Can you excuse me for a moment? I need to get a robe." He tried to reach a computer panel on his desk. Williams didn't like that.
    "Stop, Mr Runion. You're under arrest."
    "On what charge?"
    "For committing electronic malfeasance and physiological cruelty. My friends will help you get dressed, and make sure you don't destroy any of your files." The two cloaked Marshals that accompanied Williams made themselves visible. Runion dropped his jaw. Luckily he didn't wet his drawers. "Listen well, Mr Kelly Runion, for I'm about to read your rights."

The Kelso homestead was peaceful and serene. Jack and Nadine had retired to their bedroom early, as they often did on Sunday. Earlier, in the living room, Ed and Sam were reading a magazine about houses. The two lovebirds then went to Sam's bedroom to do some more 'intimate' research. Jack and Nadine knew what Sam and her boyfriend were doing. The parents were satisfied that the young couple could continue their 'house-hunting' exercise without any further 'adult supervision'. Nadine just had one bit of advice. It wasn't noise that concerned Sam's parents, it was floorboard quakes. Giant heaving breasts can cause localized tremors, as Jack and Nadine found out last week. They were embarrassed for a whole day when their kids asked them if the house had slipped off its foundation.
    Nestled in her custom set of cushions, Sam continued her reading while Ed massaged her breasts. Sam's sensitivity to the touch of a man was still high, for she still ummed and purred as Ed worked his slow and sensual magic. In-between the slow strokes she spoke her mind. "Ed, I'm thinking about hallways."
    Ed stopped his hands for a moment. "Do you want hallways? The absence of walls will make it easier for you to walk around."
    "Not that, Ed. Where else would we hang the family portraits? A three-meter wide hallway doesn't sound too much of a stretch, does it?"
    "No, but think of the loss of square footage."
    "That's not a problem as long as the house is big enough."
    "Just how big, young lady?" Ed played with Sam's nipples. "Considering future expansion?"
    Sam didn't respond for the better part of a minute. The cascade of pleasure simply had priority in her brain. Only when Ed removed his hands from the nipples was Sam able to coax her mouth to work. "If you keep doing that, love, then my boobs will remain at their current size. I hope there's no emergency for the next few hours." Thanks to Ed's tweaking, Sam's aroused boobs attained a more demanding size. Overflowing from the cushions, Sam's breasts only had a scant half-meter separation from the walls. "Wide hallways are needed just in case of fire. Just image if I get stuck in a hallway because of aroused boobs."
    Ed played a finger across the aroused breasts before him. His nipple-play made Sam's breasts enlarge temporarily to a much more pronounced measure of 8.25 meters. "I don't want you trapped because of that. That'll mean the ramps will have to be wider as well. Can't have steps, you know. You won't be able to see them."
    "So true, Ed. Don't forget doorways. Extra-wide, especially for the bathrooms." Sam reached as far as she could around her mass. It was a paltry fraction of her total circumference. "My bladder hasn't increased in size, but I go to the bathroom more often to compensate."
    "True, but other parts of your frame are bigger too. How do you like your 130cm thighs and 94cm waist?"
    "Mention that again and you die, Ed," Sam said playfully. "I'm taking your word for it when you measure me. I'm sure you're not telling me my true hip and waist measurements."
    "Only out of self-preservation. I know how 'sensitive' you are about your body." Ed tweaked Sam's nipples again.
    "Ed, your being naughty on purpose." Sam managed to say in the rush of pleasure.
    "Call me dirty, Sam. Your nips are so tweakable."
    "Ed..." the rest of Sam's reply was lost amongst her feelings of peace and joy. Ed has a special touch when it came to nipples. After all, he had the hands of a doctor.
 

12

Monday morning. Vicky yawned as she opened her eyes. On the ceiling was a clock, the time 6:15 a.m. Usually she woke at seven a.m. sharp. She wondered what prompted her to awaken early. A sudden movement from between her breasts made her realize why she was awake. With both hands she searched her cleavage for Michael. In moments Vicky found Michael's head and tried to pull him out.
    "Ouch! Stop pulling my hair." Michael got his arms clear of Vicky's stupendous cleavage. "Gosh, reading all those poems made me fall asleep. What time is it?"
    Vicky spoke urgently. "Time for you to leave. If Daddy sees us like this... well, you know what'll happen."
    "Vicky, I still have my clothes on. What could I have possibly done that'll make your father turn ballistic?"
    "You big silly, look at me!" Vicky poked her breasts for emphasis. "You have hands. You could've done anything. Understand?"
    Michael pulled himself clear of Vicky's cleavage. "No, I don't understand. I have fallen asleep while reading poetry to you. Surely you dad will..." the sliding door parted, revealing one Jack Kelso armed with a 18mm Krueger rifle "...understand," Michael finished half-heartedly.
    Jack looked sternly at Michael. The father of Vicky handled the rifle like it was one of Zeus' thunderbolts. "Care to explain what you were doing between my daughter's breasts last night, young man?"
    The boy willed himself to speak clearly and firmly. "I came over to see Vicky last night to help with her homework. I also brought a box of chocolates and read poetry to her."
    "Chocolates, eh?" Jack caressed the rifle barrel with his left forefinger. "You mean chocolates for the nanites, right? Giving them fat to make my daughter all that much bigger, eh?"
    "Daddy..." Vicky started.
    "Don't Daddy me, Victoria. Now listen, both of you." Jack brought the butt of the rifle down hard on the floor. Michael was visibly shaken. "Here's what I know. Michael came over here uninvited and stayed in my daughter's room all night, doing God knows what to her body and integrity." Jack's basilisk gaze made Michael cringe. "What where you thinking, sonny?"
    "He was a perfect gentleman." Victoria's retort was harsh. "If you should be blaming anyone, Dad, then it should be me. I've been the one that's been teasing Michael all these weeks. Last night I decided to treat him to the comfort of my bosom for all his devotion and sincerity."
    Jack guffawed. "You had good intentions, Victoria, but what of Michael? Is he the kind of boy that'll knock up a girl and leave her out to dry? Leaving her as a single mother on a planet that will accept nothing less than a full family?" Jack turned his attention back to Michael. "What say you, boy?"
    Drawing on the last reserves of courage, Michael made himself look at Jack Kelso in the eye. "Sir, I'm not the kind of boy that treats girls like one-night stands. My parents didn't raise me for that."
    A new, but familiar voice, was added to the scene. "I'm glad to here that, Michael, otherwise I would've spared Mr Kelso the trouble and shoot you myself."
    "Dad? Is that you?"
    Stepping into the open, Allen Hawes took station next to Jack. Michael was bewildered. "Son," said Allen, "will you now explain yourself?"
    "Dad, I was about to explain to Mr Kelso that I had indeed enter his house last night without his knowledge. I was for the best of intentions, for I have come to ask Victoria's hand in marriage." Michael reached back with his hand and was met by one of Vicky's. They firmly clasped their hands together for mutual support. "With all my heart and strength I will provide a home for Victoria. A home that will satisfy her every need and make her pronounced size less of a hindrance for the rest of her years."
    That made the adults' eyebrows rise slightly. "Victoria, is this true?" Jack asked.
    "It most certainly is, Father! If you harm so much as a hair on Michael's head, I'll never speak to you again."
    "Praise be to Heaven. I would rather die first then go on without your love. I just wanted to hear it direct from the horse's mouth." Jack looked at Michael again. "So, you're going to make my daughter happy and sire a grandson to bounce on my knee?"
    "Yes Sir," said the resolute lad.
    "Welcome to the family, Son." In a burst of emotion Jack reached out and pulled Michael toward him. He hugged the boy as if he were a long-lost son that had returned home. "You've done me and your father proud."
    Allen made a bow toward Victoria. "Your hug from me will have to wait, young lady. Perhaps in eight months time you'll be at a much more hugable size."
    If Vicky was able to jump in surprise she would've done so, but her happy eyes compensated for that. "Does that mean the code has been broken? I'm able to use my wetware now?"
    Jack released his bearhug hold on Michael, allowing the boy to catch his breath. "Try it, pumpkin."
    After seven weeks of inactivity Vicky's wetware responded to her subtle mental commands. It was as if her mind was released from a dark dungeon and into a field of light. Instead of clunky remotes Vicky could now use her infinitely more versatile wetware. She allowed herself to cry tears of celebration. Vicky was given the keys to the kingdom, and she swore never to let someone take them away again. "Oh, Daddy, it's wonderful! I've just ordered my nanites to start shrinking my bust. It'll take me 335 days to get back to a 30D, no thanks to that Mr Neo jerk."
    "Well, you don't have to worry about that man anymore. He won't be allowed to use any electronics where he's going. He's a Luddite, after all. You don't need a computer to bust big rocks into little rocks." Jack grinned his fatherly grin. "Hey, Allen, why don't you and I go to the bar and have a drink in honor of our kids' impending wedding?"
    Allan patted Jack on the shoulder. "I heartily agree, Jack. My son and your daughter will need time alone this morning. They have wedding plans to discuss."
    "So true. Vicky," Jack faced his happy daughter, "I'm sure you and Michael will put your time to good use." He made a devilishly wink. "But you'll have to fix any floorboards you break. Understood?"
    "Understood, Dad. Now get going and close the door." Jack and his friend made a prompt exit. Vicky then looked up at Michael, who had turned himself around and sank back into the cleavage. He moved right up to her, pressing his nose against hers.
    "Vicky, what was that thing about floorboards?"
    "I can tell you, Michael, but please remove your clothes. Their harshness is disagreeable against my skin."
    Smiling seductively, Michael undid his shirt. "Is this leading up to where I think its leading up to?"
    "Yep! Dad gave me his blessing." Vicky helped her man in removing his tie. "Men can never undress themselves fast enough, can they?"
    "No, dear, they can't. That what wives do best."
    "Not even officially hitched yet and you're already talking like a hubby. You can at least help me take off my panties, my cuddly teddy bear."
    "Eager to please, my twin mountains of womanhood." In under a minute the young couple were at it like it was going out of style. Vicky's aroused bust swelled up to 12 meters, her flesh pressed up against the walls and door. There was a fair amount of vibration accompanying the couple's vigorus love play. After climax, an exhausted Michael simply slept on Vicky's breasts, while the girl herself wore a irrepressible grin on her face as she nodded off into slumberland. Four hours later, after her chest had returned to its 758cm size, Vicky and Michael discovered that their pillow magic had broken five floor boards. They were easily fixed, for Michael was good with tools.
 

[Epilogue]

Christmas, 2501. Bellevue endured the crisis imposed on it by one deranged and sad man. Kelly Runion, the weatherman, was tried both in Bellevue and Commonwealth courts. For the next 150 years Runion will have the honor of making genuine gravel at Loadstone Prison on New Sardinia. It was at the trials that everyone found out how Runion became a fanatical Neo-Luddite. Daria, Runion's sister and black sheep of the family, went to Outback to attend university instead of Earth. Without the financial aid of her parents to call upon, the sister had to take a job to pay the bills. The job she found did more than that. For her first two years at Outback, Daria was a pillow woman on Cloud 9. Not only did she earn enough to cover her university expenses, she also started her own hobby supply store with the help of a friend, a friend who use to be a pillow woman herself.
    Runion's psyche couldn't accept what his sister did. In his tortured mind, Runion developed an intense desire to punish Daria and all other women that inflated their breasts for whatever reason. Thus motivated, Runion eagerly became a Neo-Luddite, hoping one day to be able to exact punishment on 'women whose breasts are as big as their egos'. The residents of Bellevue will not miss him in the slightest.
    For a time, three-fourths of Bellevue's female population had breasts that would've done justice on a pillow woman. Now, months later, the bountiful women had breasts one would find on healthy, vivacious Angelican females. In a show of solidarity, the women of Bellevue decided to keep a potion of their new size. Using the same nanites that the Neo-Luddites found intolerable, Bellevue became the third planet that followed the Angelican philosophy of life. In addition to health, vitality, and nurturing, Bellevue women saw their breasts as hallmarks of hardiness, strength, and pleasure. As a group, the men agreed with their women. With all the work they did, the men wanted something meaningful in return, such as resting their weary heads on the bosoms of their wives each day after work. After all, it's the little things that motive men to move mountains for their women.
    The large family room at the Kelso house was the scene of much activity. Mark, the oldest son, returned from Novaya Zemlya after completing his degree. He heard the news and even seen some pictures, but was taken aback by the home movies that Jack and Clyde took. Mark knew Victoria was a firecracker in the making, but watching her play kickball with a pair of beachballs on her chest was downright hilarious. If anything, Mark was concerned about what the family would think of Anna, his fiancé. Afraid that the family would disapprove of Anna's ample top, Mark was relieved to find that Anna was accepted with open arms, though she was a bit on the small size, having only a bust/height ratio of .82.
    Sitting in the love seat was Ed and Samantha. The young couple gave their two-month-old son Hank all the attention he deserved. Aside from her Angelican bust, Sam's waist and hips were restored to normal. She was finally able to work full-time back at the power plant, entrusting her mother to take care of Hank during the day. Planted in front of the tri-dee was Clyde and his wife Nikki. Both were on Christmas break from New Darwin University. As with all freshmen, the couple gained five kilos in weight. On Nikki, those five kilos ended on her hips and thighs, but that didn't detract from her bosom's commanding presence, a fact that Clyde could readily attest to (wink).
    The vivacious Victoria and her husband Michael were watching the tri-dee also. Propped up on a set of cushions, Victoria had Michael rest his head on her watermelon bust. Michael had put in six hours helping his father clear tress from a section of land. Since that land was the future site of the couple's home, Victoria treated her husband to a well-deserved 'pillow rest' on her bosom. Anything more intimate would require the use of a bedroom. With Vista Park University opening ahead of schedule, both Victoria and Michael were going to stay on Bellevue for their higher education.
    It was clear that the couple with the most to crow about was Jack and Nadine. After first dealing with growing breasts and then oversized beanbags, Nadine wanted to make something positive of her experience. Jack, in typical male colonial fashion, had the stock answer for that. Sitting in her rocking chair, Nadine nursed her three-month-old baby boy. Named Pug (short for Pugnacious), the little tot sucked eagerly from his mother's left breast. With an Angelican bosom, Nadine was in no worry of running dry anytime soon. She was joined by 12,000 other Bellevue women who, along with their men, decided to mark the end of the Growing Crisis by having babies. Ed, Dr Forzal, and the other Bellevue doctors were simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of expectant mothers. A hospital ship arrived five months earlier, its load of doctors practically delivering newborns 24 hours a day. An influx of new colonists and professionals also contributed to the colony's population surge. By year's end the colony's population stood at 65,000 with more on the way.
    The other baby in the room started to pitch a fuss. Samantha looked at her agitated tot. "What is it, Hank? Are you hungry?" The baby fussed and squirmed. "You're not wet, honey, and you drained me dry earlier today." Sam turned to her eager-to-help husband. "Ed, be a dear and fetch a bottle."
    "You don't have to do that, Sam," said Nadine. "My right boob is still full." She lovingly gazed at her precious little Pug. "This little monster isn't that hungry."
    "Thanks, Mom." Sam carried her son over to Nadine. After exposing her right nipple Nadine gladly accepted Hank into her waiting bosom. The baby wasted no time to suckle from the offered breast. With a motherly smile on her face, Nadine experienced the completeness of being she wanted. She had the joy of feeding both her own baby and her grandson at the same time. There was no doubt that Nadine had pride enough for ten mothers while she fed the babes with her milk.
    The one face that was noticeably absent was Timothy. He made his appearance soon enough. He wore his heavy parka and snow pants, for the snow outside was a shade over a meter deep. "Timothy," Jack said from his recliner throne, "just where are you going?"
    Only Tim's eyes could be seen, but they were resolute eyes. "I and Erika are going on a date. I'm going to teach her to bowl at the Community Center."
    Vicky made a funny noise. "Sure, we believe you, Tim. You'll be teaching Erika how to keep her balance more like."
    "Shut your noise, Vicky," Jack said. "You're just as mischievous as ever, running about without a bra. It's a wonder that your sweaters haven't worn out yet."
    "Mom," Vicky protested, "Dad's been mean to me again. Can't you do something?"
    Nadine grinned. "I would love to, Vicky. But at this moment there's not enough room in this house for another child."
    "Mom, you're just as bad as Dad!"
    "And proud of it, Vicky!"
 
 

END

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