Catwoman: At Large in Arkham City FULL STORY (Patreon)

In a prepping chamber, several men were being transferred, handcuffed to each other, and were on their way to be changed into more suitable wardrobes for their new environment. Dirty streets, overflowing buildings, there was only one place in Gotham now for the scum that would torment them.

Arkham City.

Separated from the group, a lonely woman was seated in a chair, unconscious until a guard brought up a stun stick for a rude awakening.

She screamed as the shock sent ripples down her body. And many ripples it sent, for this was one of the fattest and most notorious criminals in Gotham.

Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman. Sitting pretty at 460 pounds on average, the burglar was caught assembling a crew for a break-in. Assuming her growing figure was a cause for a need for a crew in the first place, she was transferred to Arkham City as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate her.

And of course, because this was the first time Catwoman was caught. So the city didn’t want her to escape right away.

Selina had no cowl on at the moment, only her Catsuit remained, a simple black bodysuit that hugged the curves of her pear-shaped figure. She looked up to see the infamous Warden of this prison city, Hugo Strange.

The former psychologist leaned in close, observing the sweat on her face and noting her lack of intimidation in expression, but everything else about her body screamed uncomfortably and fearfully. Strange smiled, mocking his newest inmate: “A Pleasure, Ms. Kyle. I would be honored to be your first and only warden. You may be used to the riches found in Gotham, but here in Arkham, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything in your fancy.”

Another guard took Selina’s wrist and heaved her up from the seat, although it did take some effort considering her girth, Strange continued as she was led out of the room, “But I hope you will find a way to make yourself comfortable! And I would hope you were not too attached to your men. Anything can happen inside these walls, after all.”

Selina waddled out the door to see her men in a block, lined up by the security, but one crewmate decided to fight back and make a run for it. He barely made an inch before receiving a knee to the stomach, he wanted to go further before Selina shouted, “Enough! Come on Matches, it's no use. We’re trapped here. So make the best of it.”

As the doors opened to the city, Strange watched as he took the elevator to the top of his tower, it was improbable that Catwoman would break this early, perhaps she had a softer heart than her files would suggest. Or perhaps there was something up her sleeve. Strange figured he would need to keep an eye on her as well as continue his own operations.

~

Selina walked with her crew into the city, clearly, none of their fellow inmates cared for her alter ego, bellowing cries of curses hurled towards her for whatever she did to rip them off at some point. She had to hold back from laughing about whatever Catwoman could have done to any of them. Some prisoners jumped the fence, trying to split the gang up. Selina may have been handcuffed, one of the heaviest women in Gotham City, and frankly quite tired of men who hadn’t seen a woman in months’ attitude. She hit an attacker after Matches in the head, sending him into the fence, and then Selina followed up with a stomp to the head. She fended off a few more guys, but the thief failed to notice someone sneaking up on her, aiming for the biggest target on her…

Selina took Matches’s arm over her shoulder, helping him walk when a voice boomed through the crowd and she was treated to the oldest trick in the book, a swift kick to the bum that sent her down to her knees! As she tried to recoverSelina looked up to see the “face” of one of her and the Bat’s common enemies… Roman Sionis, also known as Black Mask.

“Ah, Ms. Kyle! Welcome to Hell!” He simply greeted her with a boot to the face.

Sometime later, Selina had woken up, she and a few of her crew had been moved to an alley somewhere seemingly in Park Row. Some of Black Mask’s men were exhausted, clearly indicating they had the honor of having to carry all of Selina’s great weight. There Black Mask kneeled towards one of the men Catwoman hired, judging from the drop and the clear missing teeth when his face turned toward her, Selina was very glad she was unconscious just then…

Sionis noticed the heavyset woman was awake now, he let go of his old target, dropping whatever remnants he pried from the body, both to do the job and for Sionis’ amusement, to focus on one of his favorite people to torture. He taunted, “Well, Ms. Kyle, figured a fat cat like you would need help eventually,” his skull mask that was burned onto his face was now mere inches away from Selina’s round brown cheeks glaring at him, “Couldn’t have been that long since you got yourself stuck in a window eh”?

To his back, Mask snapped a finger, and the rest of his henchmen laughed on command, Selina didn’t want to entertain Sionis, so she just smirked, “Well for such a fat cat, it’s a wonder you were put in here before I was!”

Black Mask grimaced, “That’s just cuz the Bat fancies ya, but he’s not here to save your sorry fat butt, is he?”

Selina smirked.

Sionis scoffed, “Well since you're so confident now, I’ll let you ride that high until I’m done with yer crew here.”

He took a cigar one of his cronies was lighting and approached Matches, Mask removed his dark shades to see the fear in his eyes. And to make an easier target.

Black Mask made his greeting, “What’s yer name, son?”

“Matches…Matches Malone…” he replied.

“Heh, well, Malone I hope you regret all your life choices by now…Who knows, you could work wonders on my crew…”

“I doubt it,” Matches snapped back dryly, then headbutted the infamous crime boss!

The mask may have numbed some pain but in the end, it was another object colliding with the real skull of Roman Sionis, he cried out in agony and went to stab Matches in the eye with the cigar.

Which elicited Malone to grab Sionis’ hand and twist.

“ARGHHH-men! G-get him! I think he broke my hand!”

While Malone fended for himself, shockingly well for a handcuffed man, Roman tried running until he received a quick kick to the stomach from Selina! Black Mask fell to the ground, and the last thing he heard was Selina bragging about something like reaping what he sowed…

`

Matches and Selina were now alone in the alley corner. Each nodded at the other. Malone tapped a suit button, and talked into it, “Penny-1, do you have my location?”

“Only just sir, there’s more interference than usual.”

“Boot up our server power, and send a suit capsule to the roof of the ACE Chemicals building.”

“Right away sir.”

By then, he and Selina were scaling the building to get to the roof, and “Matches” removed his mustache, wiped away the makeup, and threw away the wig. If only the residents of Arkham City knew that Bruce Wayne was now among them.

Selina got to the top first, extending a hand forward. Bruce took her hand, as she asked when his suit would arrive.

A slight jet noise could be heard from above and a large metal capsule dropped from the sky. Bruce grinned, “Just about this second, now if you could excuse me, Selina.”

Ms. Kyle rolled her eyes, “Excuse yourself, tall, dark, and handsome.”

The belt. The whip. The cape. The cowl. The Batman and Catwoman had now infiltrated Arkham City.

They stood at the rooftops, ready to prowl their prey. Catwoman just put her goggles on as the Caped Crusader was pulling some parts from his belt. Selina inquired, “What’s the play now Detective?”

Batman pulled some papers from another pocket in his belt, containing some information, but he explained out loud anyway, “Some drugs have been surfacing in Gotham somehow, no trace in the rest of the city until it led us here.”

Selina folded the paper to see a picture of Harley Quinn, someone she didn’t hold too many high feelings for, and Bruce continued, “Harley’s gang outside the walls have been the ones showing it off most, so you’re going to have to get information from her.”

The cat burglar made a face, “Not to sound like a whiner but why me, Bat?”

Batman had finished constructing his device, some sort of geiger-counter tracker then addressed his partner, “You can move around the prison freely as an inmate, if Harley spots you it won’t be news to Strange. If I get spotted, this mission will become much more difficult.”

Catwoman couldn’t argue with that logic, “So what are you going to do then?”

Batman smirked, “Stay out of sight and try to find the source.”

Catwoman stood up, her body wobbling against the wind, “You don’t think Harley’s the supplier?”

“No, she might push it, but I don’t believe she’s capable of making this sort of drug.”

“Wait, what kind of drug exactly?”

Batman looked at Selina with concern, “We don’t know the exact properties yet but it has…It has traces of Venom.”

Now Selina understood the gravity of the situation, Venom has the chemical that gave the villain Bane his incredible strength, enough to break Bruce’s back years back. Anything made of that chemical was certainly worth breaking into a prison city for. Now it was just a matter of finding them.

Selina got her whip out and prepared to swing away when Bruce put his hand on her wide shoulder, “Please just, stay safe.”

The two looked at each other with longing, at this point the hero and thief knew the feelings each harbored for the other, they weren’t idiots. But outside of play they never acted upon them before, too afraid of changing the status quo, because what could happen if everything changed?

So Selina just nodded, put her hand on her hero’s face, and wished him the same. Then let the momentum of her round body fling the burglar across the streets. While the Bat took to the shadows.

~~

Catwoman prowled the rooftops, trying to figure out where Harley could be hiding out. She kept a keen eye out for prisoners wearing her garb, like many other thugs making their alliances clear whether it was Penguin, Two-Face, Black Mask, or the Joker. One of the latter was causing a fight with a new prisoner. The feline fatale wondered if they might know something, Joker and Harley were nigh inseparable most times, so it wasn’t a huge stretch. Selina readied herself above the ruckus, then dropped down with a fat foot to the noggin!

The other prisoner ran away as Selina plopped all her heaviness down on the Joker thug, ensuring that he wouldn’t be going anywhere. He groaned as Selina started her own style of interrogation, “Hello there, I’m looking for a friend, name’s Harley Quinn, I presume you might know where she is?”

The squished criminal choked and then sputtered, “Go to Hell!”

The Cat then unsheathed the claws, “Ever hear about Carmine Falcone?”

“Uh-uh-uh, the old Steel Mill, Harley ran Joker out about a month ago! I swear!”

“Appreciated!” Selina thanked him with a knee to the face as she rose up. She leaned back letting her stomach expand just a bit with her exhale. All of this was quite the workout, especially with the cold. Hopefully, the Mill would provide some warmth before facing Harley.

~

Meanwhile, across the city, the old museum was having its own fair share of problems. Such as a Bat infestation.

Oswald Cobblepot stood ready with his trick umbrella, equipped with a small machine gun, as his doors were broken through when two of his men were thrown into it! And only a shadow followed them. The Penguin shot his gun off, only to hit nothing. The crime lord turned to find the tall figure of the Batman looming over him.

Oz raised his hands in surrender, “Now Batman, don’cha wanna resolve this peacefully? No need for violence-HAH!”, he yelled as he sprung a surprise attack with a foot knife! Batman caught the leg, then promptly struck the shorter man’s knee getting quite the squeal from the Penguin.

He strained, “Now what did you do that for?”

Batman glared, “You pointed a gun at me then tried stabbing me. Now. Tell me about the new Venom drugs.”

“W-what do ya think I have to do with that??”“I caught a supply planted outside your territory, so either you’re pushing it or you struck a deal.”

“Well lissen ‘ere I ain’t making this stuff I can tell you that for sure! I don’t know who’s making it but they gotta be one sick bas-”

Batman leaned in close, getting real close to Oz’s crooked hook nose, “You want to give me a name?”

Just then a shot was taken, outside the window behind the caped crusader! The bullet landed on the desk, whoever fired the gun missed on purpose, to get the detective’s attention.

At that point, Batman concluded that Cobblepot was a dead end. So he made his exit through the glass. Much to Penguin’s dismay, he prompted his men to board up the window, not wanting to be sitting ducks for another of his competitors.

Gliding and grappling up the building, the Batman found his target, a burly hooded hulk of a man, taller and wider than the hero, wrapped in a coat with fur at the top. The figure threw down his rifle to remove his hood to reveal a stylized luchador mask. Batman glared at one of his few opponents to truly beat him, “Bane.”

Bane laughed, letting his Hispanic accent shine through, “I see you got my message, Dark Knight. I wish you no harm. I just heard you were looking into this new Venom drug.”

“You have anything to do with it, then?”

Bane waved his finger, like a teacher would to a child, “You are smarter than that, if you suspected me in this game I would have been the first one you investigated. But yes, I do have a part in this, just not one you expect.”

He went on to explain that he had been hiding out in Krank Co. until several men invaded the place. Even with all of his strength, Bane couldn’t stop them all from stealing several canisters of Venom he managed to smuggle in.

Bane opened his coat, revealing a belt with emptied-out canisters, except for one vial no longer than a finger, “This is what little remains. Enough for one go then no more. These men dishonored me, so I seek your aid to stop them.”

Batman considered his story, it was possible that Bane’s own Venom addiction could push him into an alliance with his most hated foe, but it could be an easy ploy to secure more Venom again. Which only spelled trouble for the Bat. Just one long game of chicken.

Batman reached his hand out, “All right, the deal is we find the supplier and destroy their drug. No way around it.”

Bane thought for a moment, then shook the hand extended to him, “By now all my Venom must be gone, turned into the Bulk it is now.”

“This Bulk, what does it do exactly?”

Bane snickered, “That’s the funny thing, Batman. It is quite similar, with one significant detail added………One your lady friend may find amusing.”

Batman was curious what he meant, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know exactly…

~

Back with Selina, she had just crossed the bridge to the Industrial District, and the Steel Mill was not too far away from this point. Catwoman leaped from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding Harley’s men as best she could. As her body wobbled thecat burglar kept a keen focus, using her goggles to find routes that kept her and all her heft out of sight. By the time she reached the Mill, Selina was sweating, which was not good in the cold. Nevertheless, she whipped a point up high and began to scale the building, taking her time until finding a loose window. Catwoman took her elbow to break the glass, then used a claw to open the window to get in.

Well, almost in, Selina’s monstrous hips were determined to stay out in the cold where it was nice and breezy. Catwoman pushed and pushed, until she brought her whip back up and tied it to a nearby gate, and pulled! This finally gave her the leverage to heave herself through. But the noise her stomach made when it collided with the ground was enough to attract unwanted attention.

Multiple men burst through the door, wearing checkered red and black uniforms. This was the place. Selina readied herself as they charged toward her, she kicked her leg up with the heel of her boot bashing the stomach of the closest enemy. Then Catwoman unleashed the whip tied around her waist (so needless to say, it was a very long whip) to keep a fair amount of distance between her and the thugs.

“Hello, I would like to speak to your boss, Harley Quinn, please.” Selina joked. What followed was a flurry of whips, kicks, and punches from all sides. But in the end, Catwoman was the victor. She removed her goggles to let her chunky and sweaty face out in the air. I’m going to need quite a lot of warm meals from the Bat after all this, Selina thought to herself.

Catwoman continued trudging through the Steel Mill, taking every henchman she met out one by one. It was going so well until Selina smelled something good setting her senses up in flames, she spotted a plate of fish. Far too well cooked to be something caught off the coast by the prisoners, it was imported into the prison.

Whatever the case, Selina knew she shouldn’t partake, she was on a mission after all. But that smell, it was so good…

Catwoman shuffled towards the table, taking the plate off and below, she took a bite, then another, it was going to be a long night. Big ol’ Selina needed energy, she told herself. By the time she licked the plate clean, Selina prepared to lift herself up, by all accounts she wasn’t too stuffed. It probably only added half a pound to her current four-hundred sixty.By the time she got up, the fat cat burglar was breathing heavily.

It was then and there the knockout gas came out of the vents. Catwoman tried to get out of the room as fast as she could, but it only made it worse. Soon she succumbed to the gas and went right to sleep…

~

“An’ people say I’m the stupid one!” a voice said, one with a distinctive Brooklyn accent and a voice just high-pitched enough to ruin any good joke.

Catwoman woke up to find herself hanging upside down, facing her target, Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn.

Harley wasn’t dressed in her traditional jester outfit, it must have still been confiscated, but rather a large insulated jumpsuit and jacket with a fur trim. It overall complimented her figure which was more apple-shaped than Selina’s, sitting at 405 pounds. Harley leaned on her comically large mallet, meeting face-to-face with Selina, “Word is yer lookin’ for me? Well, jokes on you cuz I found you first!”

Selina wasn’t amused, the trapped cat stopped struggling to escape once she spotted several armed men behind Harley. Left with no choice, she could indulge the crime jester in conversation, “Listen, Harley, I got caught in a jam and was caught.”

“Well, that doesn’t happen very often!”

“Believe me, no one’s more disappointed in me losing my streak than I am. I lost my crew to Black Mask, so I have no one. Usually, I would do just fine with that, but Arkham City is new territory for this lady. So I was hoping for a joint venture?” Selina said, mixing some truths in with the lies.

Harleen pondered on her words, then waddled over to a crate, pulling out a couple of vials of purple serum, “Ya heard of Bulk, Cat?” she said as the jester made her way back to the trapped burglar, “It’s kinda like Bane’s juice that makes him super strong, but adding extra protection. Extra cushion if you will. Mistah J is full of tricks, ya can’t ever have too much protection around him.”

Harley rolled up a sleeve, then flaunted one vial in front of Selina, “It’ll make you stronger, bigger, and probably a lot flabbier. I dunno if it’s temporary or permanent, at this point I couldn’t stand to care. If you want to prove you're loyal to me, take it. Just don’t drink it, that instruction was highlighted,”

Selina choked, she wanted to stop Harley but didn’t want to take the drug she was supposed to destroy in the first place to do it!

Harley rolled her eyes, then tucked the vial in Catwoman’s belt, “Well if you change your mind! I’m sure if you took it you could break out of those chains easy-peasy! Here, lemme see if I can convince you!” she said as the other vial was injected into her arm by one of her henchmen.

What happened next was nearly unbelievable.

Harley started growing, a foot or two upwards much like Bane would have, but unlike the brute, she also expanded outward. Her belly spilled over itself as it extended out several feet! Harley’s thighs and hips got more roly-poly as they consumed what was left of the woman’s waistline, her arms grew more fluffy in seconds, followed by her chest becoming the size of pillows. Within seconds, Harley Quinn had over doubled her weight, of course, Selina had no way of knowing for sure that the jester now weighed over eight hundred and fifty pounds.

Harley leaned back as she sighed, “Ahh, it's funny I don’t actually feel all that heavy, in fact, I think ah feel a lil’ lighter! Don’t let your eyes deceive you though! So, wanna try?”

Selina was too stunned to talk back, only faintly muttering, “So…big…”.

Harley shook her head, turning around giving the anti-heroine a view of her newly expanded bottom, its sway almost hypnotic as Harley addressed her small army, “Awright men, tonight’s the night!”

Her personal crowd cheered, and Harley continued, “We got the strength, we got the numbers, and we have a near half-ton princess of crime ready ta smash it all in a certain clown’s ugly face!!”

Harley looked over her wide shoulder to look at the guards holding Selina, “Make sure Fat Cat doesn’t leave. She wants to come, she’s gonna hafta get as big as me to join the posse. And if the Bat comes to save her, just wipe her.”

Selina shouted to her captor, “Wait, I told you I got here on my own, I have no one! No one but you Harley!”

Harley made a fake sad face, “Aww I’m touched, but if you thought I was gonna believe ya, then yer the stupid one not me!”

The gates to the steel mill opened, and Harley’s army started marching out with any sort of weapons they could find, followed by Harley towering over them like their own tank. They left Selina alone with two guns to her face, and one surefire way to escape, one that could change her life and figure forever…

Catwoman was going to have to pull some nasty tricks to get out of this one…

END OF ACT ONE

Over the noise of the mobs of prisoners wandering the streets, the Caped Crusader followed the several routes the Bulk serum residue left behind. It wasn’t quite a stench, not to the normal human senses anyway, so Batman had to depend on his self-made spectroscopy, revealing a number of trails. In front of him was his reluctant ally, Bane.

The large looming figure walked and hopped ahead of Batman since the dark knight didn’t trust Bane as far as he could throw him. So Batman would have to have his back for the time being. Once Bane was out of earshot, Batman reached up to his cowl, hoping to communicate with someone more dependable.

“O, do you read me? The signal isn’t blocked, is it?” he asked.

Outside Arkham City, up high in a clock tower, Barbara Gordon wheeled over to a computer, donut in one hand and quick typing in the other.

“Loud and clear B-1, satellites are managing to get just clear enough coverage from your position,” Oracle replied. Before taking another bite of her donut. The info jack was ready for a whole night with a box resting on her thighs, which were thankfully wide enough to not cause any balance issues for the treats.

Batman continued, “I’m sending you my findings on the modified venom. I haven’t been able to get a clean sample yet so tracking will still be tricky. I’m hoping with your view you could narrow down our search.”

Oracle cracked her chubby knuckles after she finished her donut, “No problem. Let’s see, most traces around the prison are low, only two spots that I can see a higher percentage of for sure. Harley’s Steel Mill-”

“Catwoman has that covered.”

“All right, and a building in Amusement Mile. Can’t tell where exactly but it's at the edge of the island.”

Batman nodded, “Makes sense, most of the area was condemned after No Man’s Land, that place is full of hiding spots. Thanks, O, I’ll check it out.”

Oracle nodded on her side of the screen, “Call me if you need anything B-1!” As she closed the connection Barbara looked at the donuts on her lap, took them up, and rested them on her belly, “It’s just you and me now…Until someone else calls me of course.”

Barbara was going to be sure to enjoy her free time as much as she could.

As the unlikely duo trekked out further along the coastline, they found a building with vines growing at the bottom. Suspiciously, said the building was guarded by multiple armed thugs wearing black masks.

Batman took out a pair of binoculars from his belt, setting them to infrared, even more, heat signatures lay in the base, and at the bottom there was a big mass of one. It didn’t look like a person, more so one surrounded by toxic chemicals.

The Caped Crusader signaled to Bane to stay put, the Bat would go in for a closer look as he glided in close to a boarded window.

Taking a listening device, Batman tuned in to a conversation in the room-

“I finished another batch, that’s five today, Sionis.” a familiar feminine voice said, “That should be enough for another half-hour of sunlight.”

Another voice responded, “Hah, Pamela I’m not in the best position right now, a very angry woman who hates me very much is loose in the city so I’m gonna need all the collateral I can get with you in my hooks, understand? So you ain’t gettin' more than a minute of light as long as I have a say, ya hear me?”

Batman pieced together what was happening, Poison Ivy was being forced to create this bulk for Black Mask. He needed to get Ivy out of there but if Roman was being spread thin, it would be best to cut off his backup supplies first. Which meant Harley’s stash. Which meant reconvening with Selina.

~

Catwoman wasn’t unused to unhappy circumstances, her whole life story proved that. But hanging upside down chained up while being five hundred pounds wasn’t going to be on the top of her favorite moments in any war. The guns didn’t help.

“Gotta love the job right?” One thug asked another.

He responded with a heavy sigh, “Standing around waiting for a fat cat to move so I can hold a trigger for three seconds then go back to doing nothing? Yeah, riveting.”

“Man, I don’t wanna go to the stinking sewer to fight the old boss! I’ll take an easy job like this over that any day!”

The other thug whacked his partner on the head, “You numbskull, maybe Harley left ya behind because you were too lazy to do anything else!”

“Awright, then what does that say about you then.”

“Shut up.”

Selina rolled her eyes, she hoped they wouldn’t shoot her at the first sight of movement, since at her size she swayed back and forth. If these were ropes, the cat burglar might have been able to cut her way out with her claws. As of now, she had only a few weapons, one of which was her charms.

The Cat laughed, attracting the attention of the thugs, they pointed their guns at her demanding an explanation, “I’m sorry,” she continued with a giggle, “You all are just too entertaining. But really, laziness is no excuse, I certainly didn’t excel in my career by sitting on my giant tush!”

The thugs groaned, “Had to be to get said giant tush, though right?”

Selina let out a pout with her face, “Aww, like your head honcho, doesn’t have a get-fat-quick scheme for you all.”

One thug shrugged, “To be honest, Harley takes it all for herself. After testing it on a few of us, she pushed them off deck to sink. Since then she’s been addicted to the stuff. I’m shocked she offered any to you.”

Selina purred, “No thanks, I think I’m big enough as it is.”

One clown pushed Selina by her protruding stomach with his gun, “Yeah you are, now stop yapping.”

Catwoman nodded in response, hoping it would get some momentum. As her captors turned their backs, she swung little by little, creating a pendulum effect that grew larger and larger with each rocking of her body.

One of the thugs asked their partner, “Ya hear something?” Before they were smacked down the stairs by the wobbling but firm belly! He landed on the ground, knocked unconscious on impact.

The other clown turned and narrowly missed his shot, as Catwoman was further back than expected. That would change as she swung back in an instant lending him a similar fate! With another swing, Selina’s weight found a weak link in the chain, causing it to snap! Unlike the thugs holding her, Catwoman had a lot more natural cushion to protect herself when colliding with the ground.

Selina needed to hurry, an entrance to the sewers could be too far. But first, she needed to dispose of these serums, so she opened the crate to find... it was completely empty. Harley must have taken the rest... Catwoman rested her hands on her waist, feeling the extra dose the jester had given her earlier. She debated smashing it, it was part of her job here after all. But against her better judgment, the burglar put it back in her belt. The night was full of surprises so far, so maybe an ace in the hole would be useful later. 

Catwoman ran out the door, hoping to stop this madness the best she could.

The Territories of Arkham City were claimed by the most powerful criminals in the city. Penguin had taken the Bowery, home to his famous base of operations, the Iceberg Lounge. Two-Face had been fighting off Black Mask from taking over Park Row for a month now. Harley of course had the industrial district in an iron fist. Everyone else fell somewhere in between, except for the Joker.

The sewers may have been the least desirable part of your list of places to visit anywhere, but when you needed someone popped off or a quick way to smuggle supplies, holding the entire underground tunnels was a surefire way to keep control. Every assault crew Penguin or Two-Face would send downstairs would be outnumbered and outgunned quickly, their bodies left for the fishes, not to mention the occasional Croc swimming by.

However, having an eight-hundred-pound Harley Quinn with enhanced strength and durability to boot leading the charge made such an effort much easier.

Joker’s men had barricaded themselves behind a steel train door, with a lack of explosives on their side there was only one option.

Harley waddled over, gripping her reinforced hammer. Once her gargantuan body was stable, she swung at the barrier between her and revenge. It didn’t break, but it did dent. So Quinn continued smashing her way through. Her army watched in awe as their leader broke down the door.

They also watched in awe as one of Joker’s guys fired an RPG immediately as Harley was in sight, miraculously only knocking her back rather than blowing her up.

While most of the two gangs of henchmen went to war, a good chunk of them stayed behind to help Harley up. Her strength helped a lot with her mobility but having so much excess fat made it hard to maneuver.

Harley coughed, “Thanks boys, now kill anyone you don’t like over there, ‘cept Joker. He’s mine.”

The jiggly jester continued plowing her way through the crowd of henchmen, high off tanking a small missile Harley felt unstoppable. All until she spotted her intended target. The man who made her feel special only to demean her at every opportunity. Teaching her to laugh away the pain he gave her. Let’s see how the Joker laughs off a hammer to the face again and again, Harley thought to herself.

The pale man grinned his yellowed teeth wider than anyone else, “Harls! I must say, you’ve really let yourself go after the breakup!”

Harley responded by picking up one of Joker’s goons and hurling him toward the clown, to which he merely shot the living projectile dead in the air. Joker hopped down while tapping his feet.

“What? You gotta admit you walked right into that one! Of course, I use the term walk rather loosely,” the villain laughed as he cut a nearby Harley Henchmen who tried to grab him.

The former partners faced each other, Harley looming over Joker, he never liked her overcomplicated schemes so hopefully he’d like a very simple solution. Maybe then he’ll find her funny in his last moments.

Harley charged at the clown who dived and slid underneath her girth, leaving a little treat for the hefty woman, as a confetti grenade exploded underneath her. 

Quinn flinched at the noise, swinging her hammer behind her on instinct, managing to slam Joker over! As he was seeingstars, she waddled over to him, raising her hammer ready to slam down. The warring henchmen stopped to watch what could have been a historical moment.

Until a rope whipped down, catching the hammer while it was raised. Everyone looked up to see the rope perched up to a gargoyle up top on the station lights. Along with a black figure with protruding ears.

It would have scared them out of their minds if the said figure wasn’t very fat, heaving as she rested on the stone figure barely holding her weight.

Catwoman pulled the hammer away from Harley, leaving it to dangle under the gargoyle while she leaped down.

Catwoman approached the larger woman slowly, “Harleen, I need you to listen-“

Harley shouted, “Don’t talk to me like I’m dumb or something! I know exactly what I’m doing!”

“Harleen, you’re not well, whatever that serum is doing to you, it's got you addicted. We need to fix you-“

Quinn started clutching her softened stomach, turning to face Selina, “I don’t care, Cat! After this, it's smooth sailing for me! After I finally take this garbage out from under my foot!”

Joker raised his head from behind cover, “I resent that!”

Selina snarled, “You don’t think I know he deserves it? For what he did to you alone is enough, I understand why you need to do this. But today is not that day.”

Harley was about to retort back when she fell to her knees, she was getting smaller. She spotted another dose of Bulk in Selina’s belt, she pleaded, “Please, I need it…”

Selina gripped the serum, “I’m sorry but this is for your own good.”

In time Harley had shrunk back down to her normal 405-pound self, but her clothes hadn’t shrunk down with her evidenced by one of her henchmen carrying a sack of extra clothes.

Selina snorted, “That cannot be convenient”.

Harley coughed then laughed, “Yeah I’m starting to see what you mean by needing to kick this…”

“Oh I agree, just maybe start with the bucket first,” Joker said as he cocked his gun behind Harley.

Catwoman took a fighting stance, Joker pointed the gun down at Harley’s head, “Ah ah ah, one more move and my bitter ex dies! I mean I was planning to do it eventually but-“

Just then a shadowy figure dropped down, grabbed the clown prince, and retreated up.

Only a moment later Joker returned to the ground, hard, face first. Batman glided down.

Most of the thugs ran, some readied their guns and other weapons.

Then Bane walked out of the shadows.

From there the room was empty aside from Batman, Bane, Catwoman, Harley, and an unconscious Joker, currently being patted down and tied up.

Harley was getting dressed in her replacement clothes while looking towards her newfound company “So, what wuz sooo important you had to stop me from offin’ Mr. J?”

Batman lurked forward, still covered in his cape, “The Bulk, who supplied it to you?”

Harley rolled her eyes, “That Strange fella lent me it, claimed I needed a push for my brand of unrest. Can't say he wasn't wrong.”

The caped crusader pulled his binoculars out, setting them to show pictures he had taken earlier on his takeout, “Strange may have been the middleman, but Roman Sionis was the one who made the drug. And he had some help.”

Harley was given the binoculars to see for herself, she slid from photo to photo, shrugging, “Ah well, a broken clock is right once a day. Still, preferable to most of Maskie’s other tact-” she went on until she found what Batman really wanted to show her.

Ivy being drained and forced to make gallons of this serum. She looked sick like she hadn't seen sunlight in weeks. Pamela’s usual green-pigmented skin was now a ghostly pale, her leafy dress reflecting the season as they were orange. Even further, Ivy had also lost a significant amount of weight since Harley last saw her. Poison Ivy was previously a bombshell six-hundred-pound hourglass who reigned terror over the city.

Now she looked barely half that.

Harley was stunned, she handed the binoculars back to Batman, who handed them to Selina to catch her up as well.

Batman kneeled down, “I'm sorry Harleen, is there any more of the Bulk we should know about?”

Selina gripped her spare vial, hiding it from her partner, even if she didn't want to use it. But the night was crazy enough as it was. Like Harley said earlier that night, there wasn't a thing as too much protection.

Harley answered, “Nah, used it all up marking my territory. And just having fun in this dump of a prison.”

Batman put his face in his palm, “I’d rather you not elaborate on that,” he looked back to the jester’s round face, “Would you be willing to testify against Strange when this is over? We may be able to get you and Ivy a reduced sentence.”

Harley beamed up, “You’ll let us free if we help ya?!”

“You'll get a reduced sentence.”

“So I sit in a court chair and say Strange gave me drugs and weapons and you let me go free?!”

“Harleen it's just a reduced-never mind.”

Bane spoke up, “So we free the plant woman, then we take the fight to Strange, very well.”

Batman stood back up, “I have a plan, we split up again. I'm guessing Harley will want to free Ivy, so I’ll accompany her. While you and Catwoman infiltrate Wonder Tower and secure Strange.”

Bane humphed, Harley grabbed her hammer, spinning around babbling about her incoming freedom and teaming up with the Bat.

Meanwhile, Catwoman took Batman aside for a private conversation, “We just got back together and you want to split up again? And me working with Bane sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

Bruce responded, “I don't trust Bane near a Venom as far as I can throw him, and I figured I could keep Harley in check around Sionis. And I trust that you can find your way to Strange and keep Bane in line.”

Catwoman nodded. She had to trust Batman for now. If all else failed, then she would have to run back to her own instincts.

But as Catwoman waddled out further into the sewers with Bane, she looked back to see Bruce looking back as he was leaving with Harley. Turning back, Selina gripped the vial of Bulk. The night was only going to get longer from here.

END OF ACT TWO

Near the edge of the city, two hulking figures crept along the rooftops, despite their similarities in weight, their much different builds led to a significant mismatch of pacing. Where Bane seemed to have an endless supply of stamina even without his enhancements, his temporary partner Catwoman had her limits. The burglar’s bulging bottom bounced up and down as they followed TYGER patrols looking for an opening.

Bane sneered at his plump partner, “You are confident the Bat trusts you to be sneaky?”

Catwoman chuckled, “I’ve been the city’s top burglar for years, never let a few pounds stop me, this is my first time in an actual prison believe it or not, and it was done completely on purpose.”

Bane would have retorted if guards weren’t currently driving past a corner into a vault. Once pointed out, Selina surveyed the area, spotting a sewer grate. That way would undoubtedly be blocked, but with someone like the venom-powered luchador by her side, she wondered…

Once the coast was clear the pair made their way to their opening, Bane slipped in first, it was a bit of a tight fit with his build but he managed. Selina however was struggling a bit more. Her self-proclaimed widest hips in Gotham had turned against her once again, needing Bane to squeeze her down with a pull. As uncomfortable as it was, neither made any comments about the situation, only moving forward into the sewers.

They continued until the pair found a closed-off wall of solid steel.

Bane crossed his arms addressing Catwoman, “Well master thief, what do you make of this then?”

Catwoman tapped her goggles to get a better view, “Well I can see some circuits, likely leading to a silent alarm in case of emergency, if you would be so kind as to give me a boost?” she clapped her hands in a chop-chop motion to drive in the point.

Bane grumbled and hoisted the fat woman up on his shoulders to let her claws work their magic…

~~

On the other side of Arkham City, Batman was backtracking to Black Mask’s lair where Ivy was held captive, and forced to create the new Bulk serum. This time he had a new friend to accompany him, their presence somehow even more unpleasant.

“Aw siree Bats, I cannot thank ya enough, when Ives and I get outta here, we promise we’ll leave you for at least a couple 'a weeks! Maybe even a month!”

Batman at this point got tired of informing Harley her testimony would only get her a reduced sentence, at this point he was half-convinced it was her new favorite way of messing with him. Harley wasn’t THAT dumb, the detective had to remember.

As they reached the building, only a small and half-broken bridge allowing access to it, Batman shot a zipline for him and the jester to use. The caped crusader kicked down a gunman guarding the top, while Harley lep at another, using her body to topple him over, then finish them off with a hammer to the face!

As they moved into the tower, Batman tried to be as stealthy as possible, taking henchmen down as silent as the night, with various gadgets at his aid to make everything easier.

Which made Harley steamrolling halfway through quite inconvenient. But Bruce played it smart, letting Quinn take all the attention she craved while the shadows picked off anyone not in their path.

The unlikely duo were still several stories away from the basement, Batman had to be quick, and Selina and Bane had a short timetable, so anything to lend them a hand as soon as possible would be ideal.

~~

Back in the sewers Selina finally cut the silent alarm. Which let Bane know to let her back down.

After a few huffs and puffs, the man asked what was next.

Selina shrugged, “Well I hoped you would just kinda-” she made a few boxing moves to demonstrate, “punch it down?” she finished.

Bane clearly rolled his eyes under the mask before making a fist, “And here I thought you were one to stick to the subtle approach.”

Catwoman giggled, “Well gotta pick your battles, only so far I can be subtle with all this junk in the trunk.”

Bane grumbled again as he started punching down the wall, clearly annoyed by the display of fatness, that only served to remind him of the perversion made of his source of power. And for Selina, for all her taunts she still was wondering why she held onto this Bulk serum, hoping the night went smoothly enough for it to not be necessary.

By the time Bane knocked a good enough hole in the wall, the two snuck in and found a group of guards. The two nodded at each other, Selina reaching for some caltrops in her belt and then throwing it across the room to knock down a few opponents before the two charged for a quick battle. All their weapons were no match for both of Arkham’s highest-profile inmates. After the short tussle was over Selina swiped a key card to gain some limited access to the inner workings of the facility. Getting into an elevator, the times for tight squeezes weren’t over yet.

As they rode up, more armed guards were waiting for them. Before they could shoot, however, Selina whipped the face of one to throw off his aim while Bane played bowling with his own charging body. Little by little the two made it up the main elevator towards Wonder Tower. Thankfully, its circular nature made for an easier fit for the two. The anticipation was almost too much…

~~

Black Mask was shouting orders to his men, “Hide the goods! Come on they’re just a bunch a’ barrels it can’t be that hard!”

Maybe the crime lord wouldn’t have been so judgemental if he was moving off the bulk himself. Alas, all of his men were scrambling to get their latest money-making scheme out of the base. As well as Poison Ivy who was being moved to her old mobile cell by another henchmen. The botanist hoped to see the sun again somehow in the transfer. However vain that hope might have been.

But with all of these elements in one place, well they were primed and ready for the big boom coming their way, as Batman triggered his explosives on the floor above to break through with Harley Quinn beside him.

“It’s over Sionis,” Batman snarled.

“Ivy! Oh my goodness, don’t worry, Bats is gonna let out of prison! He promised!” Harley shouted, leading to Batman sighing once again.

Coughing as he rose, Black Mask yelled to his remaining men to kill the Bat and the Jester once and for all!

As a flurry of fists ran towards the pair, Batman dove to counter-strike, systematically taking down each opponent as fast as he could. Where Harley went for the blunt approach, her heft providing plenty of cushion to numb the pain. When Batman looked back towards Ivy, he saw Black Mask had made a run for it.

As the last henchman made his last stand charging at Batman, the caped crusader raised his own fist to greet his face.

Harley waddled over to Poison Ivy, “Aww gosh, Pam you need a couple of cheeseburgers at this rate, you've been holed up here too long!”

Ivy coughed, “Need…sunlight…please…first?”

Batman helped her up while explaining to Ivy, “She’s been derived from the outside world for too long even for someone who isn’t partially plant, it may be winter out there, but at least fresh air will help her.”

Harley nodded, “Seriously Bats, thank ya for looking out fer us. Now if I could just go back and see if Mister J. is still sound asleep…”

She was cut off by the sound of a cocked gun, Black Mask was waiting for the three armed and ready.

The despicable crime boss snarled, “Now don’t…move…a muscle! If you value yer life!”

With Batman and the sirens dead to rights it wasn’t looking good…But they were more confused by the bright lights protruding through the boarded windows…

~~

Some time earlier

Near the top of Wonder Tower, TYGER waited behind the elevator doors, locked and loaded and armed to the teeth, nothing was going to go over their heads. Or so they thought.

Shooting a storm of bullets as the doors opened, they barely took time to notice that none of their targets were inside. One officer went into the elevator and looked up to see the service hatch torn open and…extended?

Out of sight, Catwoman was sweating bullets of her own as she and Bane were scaling the shaft using her whip. Better than having to fight off wave after wave of TYGER forces she supposed. But it was still so hard! Normally Bane would have remained in front of her, but not only did her bountiful back view block his sight anyway, he was her only hope of catching her should the Cat fall. She didn’t want to test the “always land on their feet” mantra this many stories up.

As they finally reached the top, Bane cracked his back while Selina tumbled to the floor laying on her back, pushing her belly up to rise and fall with her breath. Bane just groaned for the umpteenth time during the duration of their team-up.

“Are you ready to storm the castle, or do you need a snack first Kitty cat?” he remarked, to which Catwoman replied with a stuck-out tongue.

Heaving herself up, the Cat Burglar shuffled over to the control room, where Warden Strange watched over the city. Extending a claw in her glove, the tubby thief picked the lock. This was the final round. After this, it may be over.

Bane led the charge, tossing his coat as bullet cover while he leaped to higher ground. And he came crashing back down on the guards watching in horror. Slamming his fists against the ground, the luchador knocked back his prey. All the whileCatwoman slipped by, kicking a leftover officer in the stomach and then holding him up with a foot to the neck. (A position as hard for Selina to pull off as it felt for the opposing end) With that much convincing he gave up the key card for Hugo’s office. With that, Selina thanked the guard as she kicked him in the face. Then taking a short breath again.

With a swipe of a card, Catwoman and Bane infiltrated the Warden’s office, Hugo Strange sat with his fingers to his lips, sweating despite his calm demeanor.

“I don’t suppose you’ve come to surrender, if you wanted to file a complaint about your prison conditions on your first night I’m afraid we don’t take unsolicited feedback from prisoners,” Strange said with a grin.

Selina let out a puff, “We’re here to bring you down, you were played, and we found evidence of you conspiring with the prisoners in a drug trade. Might not shut down the prison complex but it may boot you out of that chair.”

Hugo merely laughed, “Oh that,” he nodded  towards Bane, “I suppose you would take issue with that, but I have been trying to stomp this problem out from the inside, working smarter, not harder and all.”

Selina crawled onto his desk, her whole body compressed like a ball drooping off both front end sides, “The Bat isn’t here,Strange, and I’ve got ways to make you talk that he wouldn’t approve of I’m begging to try out.”

Strange merely leaned in forward to meet face-to-face with the thief, “As much fun as it would it be to see you try to shock me, I’m afraid that would make me very bad at my job-” he was saying before Bane grabbed his head and slammed him against a window!

“Hardcore but ok,” Catwoman said under her breath.

Bane asked with a growl, “You control the prison from here?” Strange doing his best to nod, “Then that is enough for me.”

Bane threw Strange against the ground, knocking him out quickly. Selina hopped off the desk confused as her partner was storming to the PA system.

Bane pressed a few buttons then held the PA button, “Hello residents of Arkham City. For months you were the prisoners of one Hugo Strange and his TYGERs, tonight that has changed.”

“Bane, what are you doing?” Catwoman asked worryingly, unsure if her words were even registering to him.

“Tonight, you are free. The armory is open, what little guards are left standing in my wake will mean nothing to your numbers. Take the guns, the APVs, the helicopters. Take! It! ALL!”

Down below, the word of Bane was spreading faster than wildfire, with the vaults lifted, it was open season on all weapons. A few even managed to nab a few helicopters having experience flying their bosses out of trouble. All they wanted to do was make a quick escape until Bane made one last announcement.

“Oh, and if you want…The Batman is in Roman Sionis’s building in Amusement Mile. Do with this what you will,” he finished.

Catwoman watched in horror, she figured Bane would turn against her, but she expected it to be a more personal betrayal, an attempt to break the Cat while her back was turned. Not start a whole riot in her wake!

Catwoman tried to strike her former partner in crime only for Bane to turn and grab her wrist followed by twisting her arm, just enough to not break yet but enough to hurt, and throwing her across the room to the other end of the wall.

Selina coughed before trying to stand up, just then chest met boot when Bane walked over, “I was born in the Pena Duro Prison, Cat, I’m more at home here than anywhere else in Gotham. Some of these rabid animals will escape and that will be tomorrow’s problem,” the luchador pressed harder on her chest underneath his foot, “Some will stay, they worked too hard to earn back their keep here to give it up and start anew. No no no, this prison will be our housing ground, once we get rid of the Bat infestation.”

Selina was starting to pass out as Bane let off her. She watched as helicopters flew not out of the prison but further in. Heading towards Amusement Mile. This couldn’t happen. There were too many prisoners with too much firepower. Batman couldn’t fight them all. He was going to… He had trusted Selina…

Selina looked at the Bulk vial in her belt.

And she grabbed it out.

And took the cap off.

And prayed she was making the right choice.

~~

Black Mask hardly had any time to process the missile strike. As his body flew across the room alongside the wall, Batman, Harley, and Ivy ducked, all surprised to see more than one helicopter outside.

And only slightly more shocked when they started firing more bullets inside.

Batman tossed smoke to cover their ground, making their way across as quickly as possible, Harley keeping up on pure adrenaline. Firing a rope to another building all the way in Park Row, the three zip-lined across, spotting cars full of prisoners armed with guns. And even more following on foot. 

This was madness.

One person spotted the escapees, and by the time the rest did their guns were off. Luckily Batman and the rest crashed into the building.

Ivy rested against a beam, “What…is happening?”

Harley exclaimed, “I dunno! I mean I knew we all hated each other and some people got smuggled guns but not this many!”

Batman ripped a part of his cape off and proceeded to wrap it around Ivy like a sling, “Pamela, I need an edge right now. It's looking real bad out there, so if you could muster any sort of plant to protect us, that would be appreciated.”

Ivy coughed, “Normally, I would strangle you for trying to order me around-” Suddenly they all heard an explosion up top, sending small chunks of rubble down from the roof, “But I see we have bigger problems.”

Ivy popped her shoes off and made her connection with the ground. It was tricky, but the plants sleeping during the winter were beginning to wake up.

Walls of weeds and vines grew to surround the building. It would only slow down the invaders for a short while, but that would have to be enough.

A small group of thugs shot open a door and walked in. Just as the last person closed the door, the Bat struck. Without so much as a scream, one man was taken into beyond the ceiling and no one was the wiser.

The group split up to cover the upstairs and downstairs. The upstairs group went back to back, three of them with enough firepower to leave anyone in their sights a puddle of blood and guts.

Of course, they would have to have someone in their sights first, so when a dart from above tranquilized one thug, his buddies turned and blasted in whichever direction. Just then one was grappled and tossed backward to collide with a gloved fist, followed by his partner receiving a kick to the back!

The downstairs crew found nothing and two ran up when they heard the gunfire. Reaching one of the higher stories, they found the rest of their men strung up. They were too terrified to notice someone sneak up behind them, then cover their mouths whispering all but a word.

One fired the rest of his bullets in terror before his head slammed into the other. That left one, who was still trying to find whoever was with the freakin Bat. And he kept searching until he found a batarang to the head. With that, Harley and Ivy’s escape was covered. They had to get somewhere safe, and Batman wouldn’t let them risk their lives.

But now something had to be done about some of those helicopters. First, Bruce needed info, praying his signal could still be reached, “Oracle, do you see what’s happening in Arkham City?”

Babs in her tower took up the comms, “Oh gosh, I was alarmed by a few TYGER helicopters in the airspace leaving the city, other than that I’m blank as to what’s happening inside.”

Batman explained, “Somehow, the prisoners took over the armory, I was out freeing Ivy when it happened. Whatever happened I suspect it had something to do with Strange. He would have the power to open it all up to them. But why now? There’s nothing to gain for him now…Oh no.”

“What?” Barbara asked.

“Catwoman. And Bane. They were supposed to bring in Strange. Something must have gone wrong, Selina could be hurt…” he realized, letting fear seep into his words.

Barbara composed herself, “Bruce, I’m sorry but we have to take care of the present situation, the Bat-family is too scattered right to come help. Get out of there and go stop Strange or Bane or whoever you need to. I’ll handle the runaway choppers.”

Batman hesitated, then gave his thanks, knowing Barabara would find a way to take care of it. As she pulled out a spare gaming controller, she pressed a few buttons to take the remote control of a spare Batwing from the cave.

Back in Arkham, Batman realized he was running out of smoke bombs, if that’s how it was, then it was time to make it worth it. He made it to the roof and then tossed the pellet towards the nearest chopper. Diving off the edge and grappling onto the railings of the helicopter, Batman made his way in to greet the pilot and gunner the only way he knew how. Witha few dashes to the nerve. Tossing them out onto a roof, Batman took the controls and aimed down.

The prisoners ran from the crashing copter all while a caped figure leapt out throwing a device into the crowd. And before he landed he pushed a button.

Dozens of thugs all aimed their guns at Batman, but he just grinned as their guns merely clicked, they were completely bricked!

“No guns. Let’s make it fair.” 

The crowd of prisoners swarmed at the dark knight. Batman put his fists up, hoping it would buy more time for Harley and Ivy. And hopefully Selina. 

“Bring it on, punks,” Batman said before springing into action.

~~

Catwoman may have seen it for herself earlier, but she couldn’t imagine how it FELT to bulk up so quickly, to see her belly pour out over itself, to rise up as her bottom and back rolls multiplied, and the craziest feeling?

She felt like she was getting lighter, even though she was merely becoming stronger. Selina had no way to really tell for sure but she had put on around 300 pounds of fat while every pound was filled with strength greater than most men. It just so happened to balance out having to carry her nearly half-ton weight.

Catwoman struggled to her feet, her form more of the issue than her weight, eyeing Bane just watching the chaos unfold. Selina looked around for Strange to no avail. Must have scampered off, she thought, time to take care of the present problem first.

Unused to this new body, Selina charged at Bane, slamming her huge double-rolled stomach against his body, cracking the window he was looking out of. He felt around for rims for support, pushing back the now fatter woman, “Ahh, I thought I smelled Venom…Just figured it was my own!”

Shoving Catwoman back, leaving her wobbling on her feet still in a fighting stance, she saw Bane lifting his mask and pulling a small vial of green liquid. Not Bulk, pure original Venom. And he put it on his wrist and cranked a dial-up on his glove.

Where Selina had grown fat, Bane grew muscle, he wasn’t a hulking brute but had still grown more than a few inches in the span of his transformation. He still looked smaller than Selina, but with his experience and her lack thereof, that might turn to his advantage.

Bane let out a roar then collected himself, “Now…let us see whether the original or the knockoff is stronger, shall we?”

Selina had to play smart, smarter than Bane at least. He leaped up for an attack, before Selina would have ducked, nowshe pounced back for a tackle! She lifted her meaty arm for a punch before the villain kneed her in the gut. With a headbutt Bane slipped out of her grasp, taunting the thief with a few hand motions.

Catwoman sneered, grabbing her whip (that somehow stayed on her waist, only riding upward) and aiming it at Bane to keep a distance between them. A few snaps kept him at bay before she tried going for his venom tubes, to no avail. He smacked it away before charging in. Catwoman dodged out of the way, making Bane land into some computers. He was shocked but only mildly. Selina went for a kick to the back to throw him off guard before leaping on his back, taking the Venom tube in her hands. Bane reached behind him to grab her and slam his opponent into the ground. She groaned, even letting go of his tube as Selina lay down on the floor.

Bane snarled, “No more, I don’t need Venom to give you a quick death…partner,” he said as he raised his boot to stomp Catwoman’s face in.

Just then she noticed the dripping from his head. Selina looked to her side, seeing a loose wire. Taking action she tapped in on the small puddles at his feet. He now felt every shock upwards his body, it was almost too much as Bane finally collapsed.

And for good measure, Selina smushed all eight hundred plus pounds on top of her and her tush. 

Until she was sure he wouldn’t get back up, the corpulent cat burglar waddled over to the controls and locked down the prison again. There was still the matter of the crooks who grabbed all those weapons earlier…

~~

Atop a pile of clocked-out bodies, Batman was resting after a hard victory, he had multiple cuts and bruises, a few shots in, and a torn-out eye-hole in his cowl. But he was alive. He looked up to see the Batwing flying while carrying multiple thugs in a net.

Good ol’ Oracle, he thought to himself.

Right on cue she opened his comms, informing him that the prison was shut down again. It was likely that some inmates escaped on foot but most of Arkham’s population was so focused on him they didn’t bother running away just yet.

Just one loose end now. Bane. And Selina.

Confirming the situation with Ivy and Harley, they sprung out from their hiding place (underneath the bridge water, using a mass of algae as a bubble) and climbed into the Batwing. Batman jumped into the vehicle and assumed command from Oracle. He flew up to Wonder Tower, set it to autopilot, and jumped out breaking through a large crack in a window.

Bruce found no sign of Strange but there was an unconscious Bane.

And a very big Selina. His eyes went wide at the sight of the woman, her pear-shaped features even more exaggerated as her bottom half exploded outwards. Her black bodysuit wasn’t doing her any favors as there were multiple tears that didn’t look like they were caused by battle damage.

Selina covered her mouth seeing Batman, more concerned for his state than her own massive weight gain in the span of a few minutes.

She actually ran over to him, at a speed that slightly shocked Batman, turning the gears in his mind.

“Batman! You…you look like hell, are you okay?” Selina asked.

“Fine. You took Bulk. I didn’t know you had some on you.”

Selina sighed while face-palming, “Blame Harley. Bane had me in a bad position and I didn’t know what else to do. I mean hey it should wear off soon right?”

Ivy piped in from her end in the Batwing, “Uh that depends actually.”

Batman relayed the skeptic, “Ivy thinks otherwise.”

Catwoman held her heart in relief, “Oh you found Ivy, thank-wait she says what?”

Batman helped Ivy out of the Batwing to check up on Selina.

The much smaller redheaded scientist poked the fat cat, “You still in your right mind?”

Selina shrugged, “I felt a bit of an adrenaline rush at first but now I’m just tired from the fight.”

Ivy felt her now-patient’s belly, “Okay this is very important, did you inject the serum into you? Or did you drink it?”

“...”

“Selina?”

“I drank it.”

Ivy put a finger to her lip, trying not to bite it. Finally, she spoke up, “I’m sorry Selina, there’s no easy way to say this but,without getting into the messy details…That Bulk is going to be permanent.”

Bruce and Selina were almost too stunned to speak.

Almost.

“What the $%?” Catwoman exclaimed.

~~

Outside of Arkham, in Gotham proper, Ivy was submitted to Gotham General to recover. Harley was in police custody for testimony against Strange. Even though he had finally shown his face, telling how he had stopped the breakout after working on a ploy to turn the prisoners against each other. But again, that would be tomorrow’s problem. Tonight there were some bigger issues.

Selina sat down on the edge of a rooftop, her wide body spread further. She was chomping down on a burrito, unsure if she even should be eating while like this but eventually, her new growling stomach demanded Selina give in to basic needs. She was swallowing her last bites when Batman glided in, alongside Robin. A pudgy blonde in a red and green tunic that didn’t hide her belly’s protruding shape, still only half of Selina’s size. Robin’s mouth went agape seeing Catwoman’s backside in person for the first time. Batman motioned to his partner to leave him for a private conversation.

Bruce would be lying to himself if he thought that Selina getting up with all her heft wasn’t a mesmerizing sight, while most women in Gotham were heavyset for some unexplainable reason, Catwoman was something else entirely. She waddled over to him with the grace of a lady a tenth of her size, the Bulk doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. It was entirely possible she moved a lot better than she ever did three hundred pounds ago.

“How does it feel?” he asked.

“Weird, I feel lighter yet heavier at the same time. I mean it's just more of myself, I was already fat anyway,” she answered.

“Still, do you think you may need a break? Just to settle into…this?”

Selina smirked, “Batman don’t you want to enjoy the benefits first? I mean, you heard Pam, this isn’t going away anytime soon.”

“I just mean…Find a new way to be Catwoman. At least fix up your costume. Figure out how much weight you have control over.”

Catwoman felt her own hips, poking a bit of skin sticking out a tear that wasn’t there before. Maybe Bats is right, she thought.

“Alright, a month's sabbatical. I’ll workshop something. And enjoy myself while I’m at it too.”

Batman chuckled, “Not too much I hope.”

Selina held her arms on his shoulders, “Well not without you of course.”

Batman tried not to blush, “I mean, no-” he was cut off by a kiss on the lips from Selina.

“Huh,” she muttered after breaking the kiss.

“What?” he asked.

“I think I got taller from the serum. Kissing you didn’t make me have to go on my tippy-toes, thank heavens. Still shorter than you. Guess it was all for nothing.” Selina joked.

Batman started walking away, “One month. Usual place?”

Catwoman nodded, “I’ll call you.”

Batman waded off his giggling partner while Catwoman leaped from rooftop to rooftop, her strength and agility moving her at a somehow impossible rate for someone her size. It felt extraordinary.

By the time she arrived at her apartment, Catwoman realized she wouldn’t want to lose the weight even if she could.

Which opened a whole new world of possibilities.

EPILOGUE:

Selina Kyle wandered through her apartment, fixing on a pair of boxing gloves. Usually, a woman like her at 827 pounds (she finally weighed herself that morning) in a home gym like this would be aiming to lose weight. But with her current predicament of being stuck fat but stronger than ever, this was a day to test her limits.

She started punching the bag in front of her repeatedly. With a flurry of strikes at such extraordinary speeds and power, the punching bag that had lasted her years of training gave in after a few minutes.  Next up was weight lifting, or it would be if Selina could find anything that tested her strength properly. That and it was impossible to get the bar further past her mammaries or stomach.

Exercise was routine but with the new appetite, Selina ate like a monster. Still civilized of course, but the quantity of meals she was consuming could have fed families and she was knocking them out in the span of a few days. That feeling of a full belly that reached her own knees was a sensation the fat cat didn’t think she would ever get tired of.

There was a manner of making a new costume that did stump Selina. Her old costumes had been retired due to growth but this large leap rendered all her spares obsolete. Selina kept searching through her old suits until finding an old gem. She had a purple bodysuit back in the day, but the colors had faded out by now. Still, it was quite stretchy. She tried it on, thinking she was golden until…RIP

All down her sides her rolls spilled out. Selina groaned, thinking she finally had it until looking at the tattered remains of her old leather costumes. She wondered…

Taking off her costume, the former thief got out a sewing machine, set down a few chairs to sit down on, and got to work. She stitched parts of her old uniforms together. With the purple spandex as the base, with leather scraps to fill in everywhere else.

It took a week and a half to fully test out, but Selina finally managed to make a new costume for herself! Possibly her best work yet if she thought so herself! 

She let her hair out of the cat cowl, as it had been growing out since her sabbatical. Her bare shoulders let some air in as Selina stretched hoping the costume would fit still. Luckily the costume stretched alongside her girth.

Holding herself to her word, Catwoman continued her workouts, training to new methods, sating her appetite, and loving this figure. Going to bed every day encompassing the mattress. It was a fun time. But the month passed, so the time for Selina to truly test herself came.

Along with the new suit, Selina took the liberty of weaving her whips together into the new and improved Cat O’ Nine Tails, hoping they would hold her weight. Lo and behold as she swung out into the concrete jungle, Catwoman swung with ease! Her mass carried tons of momentum sending her further and faster than before! Swinging through the city, Selina Kyle never felt more alive.

High up on a gargoyle, Batman looked out and waited, looking for Catwoman of course but anyone who may have needed help as well. He didn’t notice his target until a tap on the shoulder. He turned to see Selina in all her glory, only slightly smaller than before but rocking up in the new form-fitting suit made it clear, it was all her choice.

Catwoman spread her arms out letting her body look as wide as possible, “So Batman, not ready enough for you, or can this fat cat be set at large in Gotham City?”

THE END OF THE BEGINNING…