Alexander Grey
Glaztek timeline

Alexander Amadeus Grey is a cybernetically-augmented long-tongued fruit bat. Having found an interest in both cybernetics and gaining weight since a very young age, he has had most of his internal organs enhanced or replaced, in part to facilitate his ability to gain weight and maintain his independence.

As an adult, he received an education in robotics and taught himself biology, chemistry and wider engineering. He took up self-employment as a cybernetics engineer to provide services to fellow cyborgs following the collapse of the mainstream cybernetics industry, and to enable himself to work from home.

Having been a cyborg for nearly 16 years, and having grown to over 4,000 pounds in weight, he was personally recruited by Glaz to help him start Glaztek: a company that specialises in producing technologies to fatten up society, and to keep extremely obese citizens like Alex comfortable and (relatively) mobile.

Background

Alex was personally recruited by Glaz to work at Glaztek as the Head of Research and Development, based on Alex’s background in science and engineering and his personal desire to gain weight. Convinced by Glaz’s promises that it would make society more accommodating to immensely obese individuals like himself, Alex agreed to the role and moved into Glaztek’s executive employee accommodation soon after.

Glaztek purchased many of the patents Alex had developed during his self-employment. Most prominent of these was the cybernetic computer goggles, which were given redesigned hardware and new software and released as Glaztek’s first public product—the Glaztek Goggles. Alex subsequently changed from using his homemade orange computer goggles to Glaztek’s consumer version.

Creeping increasingly close to total immobility, Alex started working on a new invention. Codenamed the Size Obfuscation Device (or SOD), this device would use exotic matter to produce a negative mass bubble around the user, effectively negating their physical size and mass without ever having to lose weight. Development of the SOD was protracted and fraught with difficulties, taking over a year to develop the first working prototype. By this time, Alex had ballooned to 17,000 pounds, having made heavy use of Glaztek’s cafeteria, executive resorts, and his significant salary.

Despite the development of the SOD into a consumer-ready version, now branded the Glaztek Bracelet, the launch was strategically delayed. Alex instead developed the protein resequencing Glaztek Refrigerator, which could use waste material to replicate entire meals in seconds. Both Alex and Glaz appeared for the launch event, each one secretly utilising beta versions of the Bracelets to hide their immense sizes.

Having effectively found a means of solving world hunger, Glaztek’s profits and standing soared. The Refrigerator was adapted and relaunched in several variants, including vending machines and compact personal replicators. The Bracelets were eventually released a year after the Refrigerator.

Alex stayed in position as the Head of Research and Development for the next five years. During this time Glaztek began developing a range of products for the ballooning population, including personal mobility products, feeding devices and specially-designed clothes and furnishings.

He, along with Glaz, had become obscenely wealthy in the intervening years, with a body to match—now weighing in the high hundreds of thousands of tons.

Glaz eventually approached Alex with a new proposition: to use the Goggles nanite injectors (an until now unused feature leftover from when it was Alex’s personal work) to more directly manipulate users. Alex hesitated, but eventually capitulated on the basis that only “little nudges” would be used, rather than direct mind control.

Alex subsequently developed the system, using Glaztek’s own employees as test subjects. Noting its success, Glaz immediately seized on the system and used it to turn the company’s employees into unashamedly gluttonous hedonists.

Alex protested this turn of events but was quietened by Glaz’s comments about how much Alex’s life had improved in the years since Glaztek had started operations. Glaz subsequently enabled the system for the entire user base (Alex included), rapidly increasing their appetites and the pleasure they derived from eating.

Following the revelations about Glaztek’s true motives, Alex’s research and development role became diminished. Glaztek’s priorities shifted towards manufacturing existing products en masse, in quantities large enough to cover a planet’s worth of people.

Now largely self-sufficient, Alex committed himself to gluttony full-time. Another five years after Glaz had seized the minds of the population, Alex was practically immeasurably large, physically appearing to be the size of a mountain despite the use of hundreds of compression Bracelets.

Personality

Alex is a competent, if lazy, scientist, intellectual and cyborg.

Initially agreeing to join Glaztek on the basis that it would make society more equitable for extremely obese individuals like himself, Alex remained hesitant to Glaz’s ulterior motives throughout his employment at Glaztek.

Although ethically opposed to Glaz’s plans to directly manipulate Glaztek customers, Alex’s ethics were frequently compromised and overturned by Glaz’s convincing. Alex’s own hedonistic desire to keep growing also led him to follow in Glaz’s plot, despite not wanting to wield power himself.

Appearance

Alex is a long-tongued fruit bat (Macroglossus sobrinus) with a light grey-brown fur colouration and medium-length blue-black hair.

Although a cyborg, Alex opted that most of his components be non-visible. His most prominent cyborg accessory is a large pair of computer goggles which are (seemingly) permanently affixed to his head and serve as a means of visual feedback, corrective lenses, and for eye protection whilst working. Originally he used a homemade set of goggles that glowed orange-yellow, however these were replaced by the sleek blue Glaztek Goggles once they were released to consumers.

Already extremely overweight when he was hired by Glaztek, Alex rapidly gained incredible amounts of weight during his tenure there. He was completely immobile for an extended period and dependent entirely upon machinery (controlled via the Glaztek Goggles) to help him move and achieve tasks. He regained some independence following the release of the Glaztek Bracelets, eventually needing eight of them to remain just barely mobile.

During this period he tended to dress in clothing specially tailored to his incredible size. This consisted of black trousers, a light blue shirt, a Glaztek-branded green waistcoat, and a white lab coat.

Following the revelations of Glaztek’s true motives, Alex largely forewent clothing as he dedicated his time to gaining incredible amounts of weight.

Abilities

Alex’s cybernetic enhancements grant him physical abilities far in excess of non-cyborgs. These enhancements include:

• A stretchable undercoating bound under his skin, which protects his electronics against electrocution, magnetism, and EMPs. This also allows his skin to easily grow and shrink with his body.
• Wholly efficient, instantaneous digestion. Powered by nanites, Alex can consume almost any matter, which will immediately be converted into base nutrients and energy without any waste material.
• Superior skeletal and muscular strength, making him able to carry significant weight.
• A reduced need for oxygen.
• Programmable nanites. Blank slates which can be programmed on the fly to perform simple biological tasks (such as repairing an injury) and supplement biological functions. These are limited in both quantity and ability.

There are many non-physical benefits too, including:

• A direct connection to communications. Alex is able to browse the web, make and receive phone calls, intercept radio signals, and perform many computational tasks on his goggles.
• An expansive memory, able to retain and recall vast amounts of information.
• Accelerated processing power, allowing him to mentally perform complex calculations and play out multiple hypothetical scenarios.
• A mental connection to technology. Being able to control his own components and compatible external technology through thought alone.

His use of various Glaztek technologies provided him with further abilities:

• The ability to project holograms in front of his head using the Glaztek Goggles.
• The ability to manipulate his physical size and weight by changing the compression ratios of his several Glaztek Bracelets.

As Glaztek’s Head of Research and Development, Alex had access to a huge array of technical resources. Over time he also accumulated significant personal wealth, which he primarily used to feed his hedonistic desires.

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