The woman pressed another button on her desk and part of the floor slid open to reveal a wading pool. Having it installed secretly had been no easy undertaking, but times like this its value was immeasurable. She took a step toward the pool, but stumbled and fell. She tried to stand again, but couldn't. Her legs were changing color and could no longer support her weight. She crawled toward the cool, her legs starting to itch. By the time she was at the edge of the pool, her legs had merged into a single appendage and she dragged the worthless tail behind her. The last few feet were a struggle as she finally slid into the pool.
The water accelerated the changes, leaving her with a colorful scaled mermaid tail. She felt so much better now that she was in the water. She stretched out in the water, laying back against the side of the pool and relaxing. It was then she realized she was no longer alone: standing at the other end of the pool by the door to her office, keys in hand and with a shocked expression was...