The accident

[Hialmar]

It is very hard to keep any level of originality within the MG genre. This short one is fairly similar to Project Defender and The third report. On the other hand, those of you who like The accident, might find these two other stories fun reading.

The accident

"Larson, will you please close the vault door?"

Larson, the lab assistant, ensured himself, that the test subjects were standing on safety distance from the massive door, and pressed the button. The machinery began to hum. More than twelve centimetres of rubber-coated steel with inserted lead-plates closed behind the test subjects, and the massive cylinders of the lock sealed the chamber hermetically from the outer world. The voice of Dr. Freudenberger turned to address the Brigadier:

 "The safety mechanisms are rigourous. When the door is locked, and the contrapment is set to active mode, the door will not open again, until the procedure has run the entire protocol. In the beginning, safety concerns for the test subjects weighed against this solution, but workplace safety for the research team, which dwell in the presence of the chamber much more often than the test subjects, weighed in favour of this solution. For every experiment with a living human specimen, the team run dozens of experiments on organic samples."

There were three test subjects inside: Swanson, Korhonen and Rasmussen, and the medical team wanted to compare the individual reactions of the specimens to the procedure. It was the third treatment of these servicemen, and all three had reacted very well to the first treatment, at least from a purely tactical point of view.

Larson was worried, from a non-tactical point of view. The armed forces of the three neighbouring countries wanted to enhance strength, speed and resilience of their special forces, but Larson thought, that the other team members and the officers responsible didn't take other aspects in consideration. From an academic angle, it was amazing to be a part of a team of international specialists from several backgrounds in medicine and physics, but it was also slightly unsettling and humiliating to be in the presence of all these fit and confident young men from the special operations units. Larson was short and lean, and though he lukewarmly spent some time at the gym each week, he never got any results. He knew, that he was a competent expert in his field of research, but the asserting behaviour of their test subjects caused him to feel shy, inadequate and uncomfortable, when they were around. Korhonen was rather nice: A big, stocky Finlander with a great sense of humour on the rare occasions he chose to talk, but Swanson and Rasmussen had given expression to a rather smug and roughhousing sense of humour, when they ate lunch with Larson in the cafeteria. It didn't seem like the improved performance had caused Swanson and Rasmusson to become less arrogant – rather the opposite.

 They were impressive. There was no doubt about that. They had already been impressive, before any of them had undergone any treatment, but the repeated and gradually more intense exposure to the procedure had turned the three soldiers into beings who could have stepped out of a bodybuilder's fever dream or a drill-sergeant's homoerotic reveries. They were now around two metres tall. According to readings from the chamber, the third treatment was now increasing their weights to between 160 kilogrammes (in the case of Swanson) and 200 kilogrammes (in the case of Korhonen). Their upper arms were well beyond 60 centimetres at the end of their second treatment, and the team was now able to watch their arms grow further at a  visible speed. And these colossal chests!

* * *

A few days later, Larson was running a few routine experiments with organic samples, while the rest of the team was preoccupied in the lab next door. As the assignment was fairly standard and humdrum, he was becoming absent-minded, and was taken with surprise, when the door closed behind his back. It was Korhonen and Swanson, which was strange.

"Oh hello. Didn't expect you here today. I thought you would find it boring to watch me work?"

"There was a gap in our schedule."

It was Swanson who spoke. Korhonen stood silent and looming inside the closed door. Larson's feeling of awkwardness returned in the presence of the impossibly powerful soldiers. Their camo trousers were green in several shades of green. Their impeccably polished army boots shone glossily. Army tank tops struggled to contain their V-shaped (or, in the case of Korhonen, bear-shaped) torsos, and he could see the visible outline of their six-packs through the fabric. The sides of their heads were clean-shaven. Swanson had left a jarhead buzzcut of golden stubble on the top of his head, while Korhonen sported a tow-haired short mohawk. Their repeated treatment inside the chamber had caused their jaws to become powerful. Larson possibly let his imagination run away with him, because he had read their test-results, but he could swear, that the testosterone-level in the room increased because of the presence of the two special operatives. Larson felt inferior.

"Just allow me to expose this sample, okey? We can chat while the equipment run the protocol."

Larson entered the chamber, and put the petri-dish on the allotted surface. What happened next, released thousand thoughts in an instance, and panic rose.

The security door closed, and he could hear the cylinders move into place in the robust lock with a loud click.

He was well aware of the safety mechanism, and he could hear the machinery warm up for the scheduled exposure of the organic sample on the small table. The presence of an un-scheduled unsuitable human specimen never meant for processing was neither acknowledged, nor of any concern. The equipment wouldn't switch off and cool down, until the procedure has run the entire protocol. Panic overwhelmed him, as he heard the hoses emit gas with increasing fervency: The nanite gas with the DNA-altering substances. He tried to hold his breath, but even without the rising feelings of terror, he couldn't have kept his breath for the entire time anyhow. The formula entered his lungs, entered his bloodstream. Larson screamed.

He could see Korhonen and Swanson outside, standing with their camo-clad legs wide apart, and with their bulging arms crossed over their massive chests. Swanson tried to say something, but Larson couldn't hear any words through the thick and green-tinted security-glass fortified with a metal net. Korhonen tried to use body language. Pointing at Swanson. Pointing at the button, which closed the door. "Pressed". Pointed at Larson. A gesture with his arms, like someone was flying? No: Growing. And then pointing at Larson. Korhonen smiled and made a thumbs up. Swanson smiled, too. There was smugness in that smile. Larson couldn't take it in. Everything he knew was fear. The humming was thunderous now. Humming. Thunder.

The next second, energy erupted and hit every cell in his body.

The hypnotic program began to run, and letters ran rapidly on the glass. Subliminal letters. Reprogramming him.

Quote

You are an obedient soldier.

I am an obedient soldier.

You will improve your performance.

I will improve my performance.

You will eagerly accept this conditioning

I will eagerly accept this conditioning

You will submit to this enhancement without worry

I will submit to this enhancement without worry

You will submit to this enhancement willingly

I will submit to this enhancement willingly

You are eager to become an enhanced soldier

I am eager to become an enhanced soldier

You are proud to be enhanced

I am proud to be enhanced

You do not resist

I do not resist

You relax while you become enhanced

I relax while I become enhanced

You embrace the change eagerly

I embrace the change eagerly

...

The hypnotic subliminals burrowed deep into his soul.

Fear waned away. The unit took his program in, and accepted it. The enhancement happened. The unit embraced change eagerly. The unit was proud to be enhanced. Proud to be a specimen. It took a couple of deep breaths and inhaled more of the gas, that filled the chamber. The unit knew, that the gas would make it more enhanced, and increase its abilities. The unit's brothers in arms stood outside, and looked pleased. It felt good to cause it's brothers in arms to look pleased. The unit was bigger now. It adjusted its stance, but, even then, its legs were beginning to rub each other. It felt funny, but it was of no concern. The unit was eager to become an enhanced soldier. With his brothers in arms. They stood outside. They looked more than pleased now. They looked proud. And amazed. Its brothers in arms were in awe of the unit's progress. Triceps rested at wide, huge and firm lats, causing the unit's arms to hang wide at its sides. The unit could feel its back harden, widen, become indurated.

The hypnotic subliminals continued to scroll swiftly in blue, phosphorescent letters on the glass. It felt good to take the programming in. Assess. Protect. Defend. Neutralise. Fight. 

The upper arms felt so hard now, bulging obscenely, and probably approached the same size as the brothers in arms outside. Or even overshadowing them. Bigger! Yes! Even bigger! Huge! Brawn!

The chest felt engorged, and impossibly pumped. Present. Assertive. In control. Dominant. Superior.

Scientists entered. Scientists panicked. One of them staring wildly, not knowing what to do. Not in control. Undecided. Unlike the unit. The unit felt in control. It accepted the procedure. It allowed the procedure to run the entire protocol. The door wouldn't open until then. The unit was ready to stay inside until entire protocol had run. Proud to be enhanced. Improving himself. 

A scientist pounded weakly with his bare fists against the security glass. Another one pressed buttons on a display. Didn't they know, that the glass was in place for security reasons? Didn't they know, that the door wouldn't open. Until the procedure has run the entire protocol. Its brothers in arms forced the unnecessarily upset civilians out of the room, and locked the door. One of them changed the contrapment's settings. The power buzzed more intensely now. The gas hissed louder now. Something else happened. The unit was dimly aware, that it had known what would happen in a dim and distant past, but it couldn't remember. So long ago. Another person. Another man. Another unit, then. It was now becoming what it was programmed for. It was becoming bigger than its brothers in arms. It felt good. Confidence and superiority grew. Physique grew. Strength grew. Granite-hard muscle-tissue grew. Steel-hard brawn grew. Power grew. So big now! Power was crammed into its body. Irrupting its muscle fibres. The body was a passive receptacle of raw, pure, undiluted, masculine POWER!

One of its brothers in arms was wide-eyed now, and had to sit down on a chair outside the treatment chamber. The other one watched the empowerment inside the chamber happen, with a broad smile at his face.

The unit was immersed in the process of empowerment. It now towered over its brothers in arms, and its muscle mass far overshadowed their prowess. It inhaled the testosterone of its own sweat, that filled the chamber. Its heartbeat drummed inside its ears, and was felt at its temples, but there was no end to the process, yet. Not until the procedure has run the entire protocol. Every cell of the unit's body was bombarded by relentless strength-inducing POWER, and it inhaled the very eruptions of that raw POWER. Becoming power. Becoming mass. Becoming a mountain of hefty indomitable meat. Titanic prowess. Bulging steel. An engorged, cocksure being of behemothic power-mass. The unit was no longer aware of it, but, outside, its brothers in arms were increasing the effect of the procedure even further. It wasn't aware of it any longer, as it moaned. It grunted. It roared and bellowed in power-crazed abandon. All it knew was the irrupting force, the increasing magnitude, the cumulation of growth, the swelling fibres, the hypertrophic gains, the exploding mass and the unlimited power, as it increased in a never-ending spiral upwards. 

Raw. Pure. Undiluted. Masculine ... POWER!

The procedure wouldn't stop.

Not until it had run the entire protocol.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Hialmar
details, six-packs, spelling, links, stylistic choices, grammar

[Buffling]

I feel like you're making an apology for a lack of originality -- don't worry about it. Write what you like. Your style is great, and I totally got off reading this. I'm curious about Korhonen and Swanson's motives, and what be more than happy to see you continue...!

[Hialmar]

Thank you Buffling. This story was intended to stand alone without continuation, and I stick to that decision.

I am curious about their motives, too, but I left the details out. Some things are better left to the readers' imagination.

[Hanugumo]

10 hours ago, Hialmar said:

Thank you Buffling. This story was intended to stand alone without continuation, and I stick to that decision.

I am curious about their motives, too, but I left the details out. Some things are better left to the readers' imagination.

It is a great one-off indeed. ^^ Though it is too bad that his "old self" was pretty much deleted. It would have been great to see him become a litteral giant while still be a scientist and all. ^^ Being able to switch between soldier and scientist in an instance, if you understand what i mean. ;3

 

Also: when i read this story it feels to me like Korhonen felt bad for the scientist and wanted to give him the biggest most muscular body so he would not be walked over like he probably always would be. And probably also for personal reasons. ;3 And Swanson probably went along with it seeing as Korhonen was a lot larger than him and probably has the other 2 under his thumb. ;3

[Hialmar]

5 hours ago, Hanugumo said:

It is a great one-off indeed. ^^ Though it is too bad that his "old self" was pretty much deleted. It would have been great to see him become a litteral giant while still be a scientist and all. ^^ Being able to switch between soldier and scientist in an instance, if you understand what i mean. ;3

 

Also: when i read this story it feels to me like Korhonen felt bad for the scientist and wanted to give him the biggest most muscular body so he would not be walked over like he probably always would be. And probably also for personal reasons. ;3 And Swanson probably went along with it seeing as Korhonen was a lot larger than him and probably has the other 2 under his thumb. ;3

I think it is a very good guess about Korhonen. As for Swanson, I don't think that he was under Korhonen's thumb, but wanted to have a laugh at Larson's expense. Look who's laughing now?

I'm not sure if Larson's personality was deleted permanently – the other test subjects retained elements of individuality after the procedure – but I wanted the transformation process to be intense and threatening, and you will never know. Larson's and the readers' fear of losing themselves make the story more exciting in my opinion. It's a recurring theme in my army-themed stories (and some of my other stories): The longing to become different, and the fear of becoming different.

Another recurring theme in my stories is belonging. Protagonists often join groups of men they part fear, part admire: super-soldiers, gym-jocks, fetish-clones, skinheads, supernatural barbarian warriors, the unknown group "Them".

Even the hero of my story Champions of Lernath (who is the one and only sun-hero) choses to cooperate with the one and only earth-hero, and the protagonists of My little buddy are in a stable relationship and experience the transformation together, which I find rather sweet.

There is more to muscle-growth stories, than just growing muscles. I would say, that what is going on in the mind of the growing protagonist and what is happening to him in relation to other men (those who grow like him and those who remain untransformed) are just as important, but that is my personal opinion.

I'm sure, that some readers (and writers) would prefer a story, which is more or less just a list of excitingly increasing stats, but I early found out, when I began to write MG stories three years ago, that a preoccupation with stats wouldn't suit my writing-style. I don't get any mental imagery out of centimetres, even less so inches (since imperial measures are foreign), but comparing muscles to (European) footballs, basket balls, rugby balls (in the case of calves) or melons work.

Edited January 27, 2018 by Hialmar
switched order of sentences

[Trio]

This is one of my favorite stories, I love how Larson is transformed from a scientist to a super muscular soldier, I’d love to hear more from this story.

[Hialmar]

15 hours ago, Trio said:

This is one of my favorite stories, I love how Larson is transformed from a scientist to a super muscular soldier, I’d love to hear more from this story.

It is a short stand-alone story, not the beginning of a multi-chapter one. I wanted a story to take place in my own peaceful (but slightly nervous) corner of the world (I wish the Americans and the Russians stopped threatening each other in the manner they do. It may have  harmful consequences for third party nations).

I have written several other stories in a military setting, but most of them are short, like this one, and very similar in style: Almost no adventures after the initial transformation. Let me know, if you want a list of them. One finished story loosely belonging to this sub-genre, is THIS, but it doesn't have much of a plot beyond the growth, either.

I began to write a multi-chapter story belonging to this genre, but I got writer's block at the point when the villain becomes scarier, and it is still unfinished. It's found HERE.

Another unfinished multi-chapter story takes place in a Spacefleet thousands of years into the future, and it's found HERE.

I have written one finished multi-chapter story in this type of setting, but that one is a pretty dark satire, and not to every reader's liking. It is called The Security Squad and is unsettling. If you, despite my warning, want a comparatively long and plot-driven story in a military setting, that's the one for you.

I have a more optimistic story in a military setting in the pipeline. It's a hommage to Marvel Comics. If you want to read disconnected fragments of text (in need of further revision) from that one, it's in the Unfinished section, HERE, but that would of course spoil the joy of reading the finished version in the future.

[Trio]

5 hours ago, Hialmar said:

It is a short stand-alone story, not the beginning of a multi-chapter one. I wanted a story to take place in my own peaceful (but slightly nervous) corner of the world (I wish the Americans and the Russians stopped threatening each other in the manner they do. It may have  harmful consequences for third party nations).

I have written several other stories in a military setting, but most of them are short, like this one, and very similar in style: Almost no adventures after the initial transformation. Let me know, if you want a list of them. One finished story loosely belonging to this sub-genre, is THIS, but it doesn't have much of a plot beyond the growth, either.

I began to write a multi-chapter story belonging to this genre, but I got writer's block at the point when the villain becomes scarier, and it is still unfinished. It's found HERE.

Another unfinished multi-chapter story takes place in a Spacefleet thousands of years into the future, and it's found HERE.

I have written one finished multi-chapter story in this type of setting, but that one is a pretty dark satire, and not to every reader's liking. It is called The Security Squad and is unsettling. If you, despite my warning, want a comparatively long and plot-driven story in a military setting, that's the one for you.

I have a more optimistic story in a military setting in the pipeline. It's a hommage to Marvel Comics. If you want to read disconnected fragments of text (in need of further revision) from that one, it's in the Unfinished section, HERE, but that would of course spoil the joy of reading the finished version in the future.

Thank you so much for the list, I actually read all of those before! I’m a fan of your work, I wrote a short story recently and it draws some inspiration from your work as well! Don’t stop writing!