He grows just a little bit taller

Then, silence. The only sound was the gentle hum of fluorescent bulbs and the slow, shallow rhythm of his breathing.

Jon opened one eye, then the other. He blinked. His fingers flexed cautiously, then patted himself down. Everything felt... the same. Disappointment crept in like a fog.

He groaned and reached for the RAC, wincing slightly. "Figures. Of course it doesn't..."

He stopped mid-sentence, squinting at the edge of the workbench.

It looked… lower than before.

He stood up. Or, rather, he tried to, but his knees straightened too early, throwing off his balance and making him stumble forward.

“What the hell?” he muttered.

Straightening again, more carefully this time, he turned to face the tall vertical mirror against the far wall. A familiar figure looked back only… elongated.

Jon stepped closer, heart thudding now in growing realization. The man in the mirror was leaner, yes, but unmistakably taller. His head nearly brushed the overhead ventilation grille that used to hang a good five inches above him.

He glanced down at his legs, definitely longer. His calves had stretched, thighs re-proportioned. His boxer briefs sat awkwardly higher on his hips, the elastic biting into new skin.

He laughed. A short, sharp bark of disbelief.

“It worked,” he whispered. “Holy hell, it actually worked.”

He crouched to pick up the RAC, fingers trembling slightly. The screen now glowed faintly, data cycling in neat little rows. Under the field log, a line scrolled:

[ SUBJECT: USER | PARAM: HGHT +7.6CM | STATUS: COMPLETE ]

“Seven-point-six,” Jon echoed, grinning now. “I just rewrote physics with a glorified garage clicker.”