Sadie gets caught in the lab!

Sadie took the selfie in front of the mirror, angling slightly to catch the full contour of her transformation. Her head tilted just enough to let the caramel streaks in her hair gleam under the overhead fluorescents, and her chest - prominent, proud - cast a soft shadow on her bare midriff.

Post? Maybe. Later.

She tucked the phone into the back pocket of her shorts - though it barely fit - and turned back toward the RAC, its interface idling, waiting. Still humming. Still warm. She considered initiating a full environmental lockout - just in case - but shrugged.

What was the point of power if you didn’t invite a little risk?

Sadie wandered the perimeter of the lab, heels of her flats clicking softly against the tile. She trailed a fingertip along the edge of the stainless-steel benches, letting herself get used to how her body moved now. The sway of her hips. The gentle bounce and pull of her breasts with every step. How the air felt cooler across her bare back. She laughed quietly - high, breathy, satisfied.

She was so not Bella anymore.

Then, a noise.

A soft clunk, metal against metal, echoing faintly up the stairwell. Sadie froze.

Her head snapped toward the basement entrance, heart ticking faster, not fear exactly, but thrill. She padded quickly across the lab and pulled up the security overlay on the RAC’s console. The exterior feed blinked into view.

Top right: the back door, usually locked tight after 10 p.m.

But now…ajar. Someone was in the building.

Her mind, still fused with Jon’s meticulous caution and Bella’s studied grace, did a lightning-fast inventory. She felt heightened with the cascade of now 3 layers of personality working to find the source. An interesting side effect, Sadie thought.

The footsteps on the metal stairwell grew louder. Slower now, maybe cautious. Deliberate.

Sadie killed the console display and ducked behind one of the equipment towers, her bust pressing against the cold chassis as she crouched. It actually felt quite nice, but she wrested that feeling aside for now.

The door opened with a hiss of hydraulics, and a beam of flashlight cut across the room.

“Dr. Kekyll?”

A man’s voice. Late twenties, maybe early thirties. Sadie narrowed her eyes, heart pounding with something like giddy anticipation.

“Security does patrol checks randomly now, you know. Someone left the sub-basement entry unlocked.”

He stepped fully into the lab.

Sadie recognized him immediately. This guy.

Dr. Alan Rhett. TA-turned-research-assistant. Over-credentialed. Under-respected… for good reason. Just enough access to be dangerous in this situation. Thick glasses, beige windbreaker, probably thought every woman who looked like Sadie was an airhead.

He was so not ready for her.

Sadie waited until he passed the server racks, flashlight tilted toward the RAC.

Then, she stood.

“Hi,” she said, her voice soft, playful, with a singsong edge. “Are you looking for someone?”

Alan spun around so fast he nearly dropped the flashlight. It bobbled in his hand, strobing across her thighs, her torso, her—

“Oh—! Uh—who—? I—Are you supposed to be down here?”

Sadie tilted her head, letting her crop top do most of the answering.

“I’m a student,” she said. “Experimental Physics, technically. But you can call me Sadie.”

Alan blinked, fumbled with the flashlight again. “This lab isn’t authorized for undergrad access after hours - wait, Sadie? That… doesn’t sound familiar.”

“New transfer,” she said smoothly, brushing imaginary dust off her hip. “I had a few things to finalize with the RAC system. You know how it is. Deadlines don’t care about bedtime.”

His eyes darted toward the machine. Then back to her.

“You have biometric clearance?”

Sadie smiled slowly. “Want me to prove it?”

Alan hesitated, visibly conflicted. He wasn’t entirely buying it. But he also couldn’t stop looking at her. The posture, the presence, the absolute ownership she exuded; it was hardwired into Sadie’s profile. She didn’t look like someone caught in the wrong place. She looked like the one who owned the room. A cat toying with a mouse.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” she said, stepping a little closer. Her chest shifted under the crop top with every movement - gravity, sway, softness - all orchestrated for maximum effect. “I was just leaving anyway.”

Alan blinked again. “I… yeah. Okay. Just…maybe next time, lock the door?”

She smiled. “Sure thing, Alan.”

He flinched. “How do you-?”

But Sadie was already breezing past him, the scent of something warm like vanilla trailing behind her.