Read the note on the table first

You cross to the table, your new body moving with fluid grace that still feels foreign. The note is written on Helix BioSolutions letterhead in Aliya's precise handwriting.

Jordan and Morgan,

Regeneration complete. Both transformations successful with zero complications. All specifications implemented as designed.

Emergency medical contact: 415-555-0847

Post-regeneration counseling available (optional): 415-555-0932

Some practical matters you should be aware of:

Morgan's metabolic requirements mean she cannot consume normal food. Attempting to do so will cause severe nausea. Her nutritional needs must be met through the designed pathway.

Your modifications are visually obvious. This will affect employment, housing, and social interactions. Modified individuals face both advantages and discrimination depending on context.

I've included basic supplies in the package. Your next rent payment is due in six weeks.

Professional advice: Consider your financial situation carefully. Modified bodies don't change economic reality.

• Aliya Okonkwo, Helix BioSolutions

You set the note down and open the package. Inside are five pairs of high heels in various styles - platform pumps, stilettos, strappy sandals - all sized for Morgan's new feet. There's also a bottle of specialized lubricant, some basic makeup, and a small card with information about modified-friendly establishments in the city.

"Did she leave shoes?" Morgan asks from behind you, her voice breathy with need. "I really can't walk like this. It hurts."

You turn to look at her. She's leaning against the empty regeneration pod, shifted onto the balls of her feet, breasts heaving slightly with each breath. The morning sunlight catches the glitter in her skin, making her shimmer. Her pink eyes are wide and slightly confused, tracking you with obvious desire.

"She did." You pick up a pair of simple black platform heels and walk over to her.

"Thank you," she breathes, reaching for them. Her fingers fumble slightly as she tries to figure out how to put them on while standing. "This is... everything feels so weird. I can't think straight. And you smell really good. Like, really really good."

Your pheromones are already affecting her, mixing with her own enhanced state. She finally manages to slip one heel on, then the other, and suddenly she can stand properly. The platforms add another five inches to her height, putting her at nearly six-foot-three. She takes a tentative step, then another, her hips swaying with an exaggerated motion that the shortened tendons enforce.

"Oh, that's better," she says, relief obvious in her tone. She looks down at herself, at her enormous breasts, her glittering skin, then back at you. "Jordan, I feel really strange. Like I need something but I don't know what. And I keep forgetting what I was going to say. Did something go wrong?"