Growth Lab 06: The Transport Demo

_(Killian Military Base, two weeks after Prom Night Incident)_

Luna stood posture erect, eyes scanning the wall of monitors in front of her, watching the energy levels ebb and flow as the energy transportation system hummed away on standby.  Her tense demeanor was a habit formed over ten years of military service climbing the ladder to her current position.

"_Never let them see you sweat,_" she thought to herself with a stern look on her face, arms crossed, foot tapping anxiously on the floor.  A shrill squeak echoed through the room as the door to the lab opened and Luna heard the familiar tone of Ultima's black pumps hitting the linoleum floor as she rounded the bend. 

"How are things looking Montgomery?" Luna turned to eye her assistant, who was dressed in a formal U.N.S.A. uniform in preparation for the presentation, her sailor's cap resting gently on her neatly pressed blonde hair that flowed freely over her ears behind her shoulders.  Ultima wore a long-sleeve V-neck double-breasted coat with three gold buttons, a pencil skirt, and a red tie to tie the outfit together. 

"Yes Commander, energy levels on both ends are holding steady, all of the top brass has gathered in the demonstration hall," Ultima stated, although Luna noticed that her voice did not have its normal cheery edge, and her eyes were darting about more than usual, her usual carefree demeanor appeared somewhat restrained, almost self-conscious, which Luna had thought to be an impossible disposition for Ultima. 

"Speak freely lieutenant, is something bothering you?" Luna asked as she shuffled up her notes and walked to a nearby mirror to double-check her outfit. 

"Well ma'am, it's about the test, I know that we have done all we can to prepare, but there are just so many variables involved with the live test that it has me worried," Ultima said as she absent-mindedly brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her right ear.  "I know we are under a timeline to produce results for continued funding but..." Ultima voice trailed off slowly. 

"Exactly," Luna retorted flatly as she gingerly placed her sailor's cap on top of her short black hair, pulling at her bangs to find the right orientation that conveyed "professional badass".  "Ultima, everyone in this lab is being tasked to do the impossible, today we have the chance to actually achieve it, plenty of parties don't want us to succeed, but there is no guaranteeing we'll have another opportunity like this.  Any failures or problems fall on _me_, so you don't need to worry."  Luna smiled at Ultima through the mirror, applying some makeup to cover up the bags under her eyes from the many recent over-nighters and readjusted her belt further up her waist. 

Luna's outfit consisted of a Commander-level U.N.S.A. long sleeve side-button down jacket that extended down to her upper thigh, three buttons pushing out over her perky DDD bust, under which she wore standard navy-blue dress pants.  The popped jacket collar rigidly stood up all the way to her lower cheek bones and was open in the front to reveal her slender neck encircled by the white collar of her button-down dress shirt underneath.  

"Besides, you've already done all the hard work re-aligning the energy matrix.  That incident at Killian high school actually produced just the breakthrough we needed and now we get to reap the benefits," said Luna as she turned away from the mirror, notes in one hand and strode proudly past Ultima, placing a reassuring yet firm hand on her shoulder.  "Remember, I'm doing this for all of us, so have a little faith in your commander," she said cheerfully as she locked eyes with Ultima. 

"Y-Yes ma'am," Ultima fought back the objections in her mind under the fire of Luna's steely glare and put on her more normal (albeit forced) smile, body still uncomfortably fidgeting from side to side. 

"And tighten up that posture lieutenant, all eyes are going to be on us for the next twenty minutes, let's show them what we're made of!" Luna walked past Ultima to head out the door to the conference hall for the demonstration.

"Yes Ma'am!" Ultima fell in line walking slightly behind and to the left of Luna as the two exited the room.  Unknown to both, a subtle warning appeared on the screen reading, "_warning external intruder detected,_" on the console but it was dismissed just as quickly as it appeared.

The conference hall room was spacious with a twenty-foot-high ceiling, lighting from the crown molding illuminating the few tables placed towards the front of the room where a slightly elevated stage sat, a singular podium atop it. 

As Luna walked in followed by Ultima, she quickly eyed the fifteen VIPs consisting mainly of top brass from the various branches of the military as well a few key political donors and scientists.  Senator Richmond's face had a stern expression on it, being a representative of Arizona, he had a lot of pressure to assure his constituents that the growth research taking place in his state would not cause further outbreaks affecting civilians. 

Among the top brass was General Hightower, a big mover in the Army branch that had been working on using the energy for super-soldiers as far back as Luna could remember.  There were also a few professors that had various positions in the energy research programs developing storage crystals and collaborating with Doc Hudson on the initial ingestible super soldier pills.  

General Bill Riggs, also from the army stood out to her immediately, who gave the usual professional smile that attempted to gloss over the pair's past romantic relationship when they were in military school.  Luna averted her eyes and walked to the front of the room to place her notes on the podium and survey the rest of the setup. 

Behind and slightly to the right on the podium on a lower level was a table with a large monitor serving as the main control station for the demonstration where Sergeant Alexander Dunn was standing, methodically typing away, a stern expression on his face.

"_I hope Ultima's apprehension hasn't spread to him too, dammit of all the days... I need everyone fully invested in this, or it's like we've already failed."_ Luna turned sharply to look down and address Alexander with a booming "Dunn!"

"Yes Ma'...uh Commander!" Alexander stiffened reflexively to address his superior, eyes averting just in time from Luna's belt-accentuated hourglass figure to maintain propriety.

"How is communication with the Luxembourg?"  Luna put one hand on her hip, glaring downward, eyebrow raised high enough to destroy any suspicion that she was at all in a playful mood today. 

"Crystal clear ma'am, Luxembourg is reporting their energy levels are holding steady, and orbital coordinates are well within tolerance. We should get the go-ahead for frequency synchronization any minute now." Alexander self-consciously adjusted his blonde locks peeking out from under his cap as he surveyed the multiple superior officers that had gathered in the room while he was indisposed.

"Good, as soon as you get permission, get it started, we don't want any delays holding us up!" Luna snapped as she did a zero-degree turn on her heels to walk over to the far side of the stage where the matter transporter was set up. 

It was a simplistic setup, a C-shaped structure with a circular diameter of about four feet, large umbilical hoses extending out the back column to rooms in the back where most of the heavy-duty machinery was safely shielded away.  Ultima stood next to the transport pad, checking the hose connections, and viewing the diagnostic panel on the back. 

"It's noon, time for us to get started Montgomery" Luna's voice carried with it a slight sense of urgency, the window for the test was rather forgiving, but the last thing she wanted to worry about was a late start. 

"Yes, ready to go ma'am, are you sure we shouldn't prep the emergency decom just in case?" Ultima's voice was soft and quiet, as though she already knew the answer deep down. 

"Absolutely not, it would signal a lack of confidence and potentially destabilize the energy draw from our matter transport systems" Luna curtly replied. "Follow my lead, and relax, today is the beginning of something great, I can feel it," she said turning to walk back to the podium, Ultima quietly following at an even pace, subconsciously tugging at her jacket, and smoothing out her skirt.

"_Urghh, my bra still feels tight from the Prom Night incident, we might have to look into long term decom solutions if this keeps up"_ Ultima grit her teeth feeling her bra underwire dig into her back every time she straightened her posture.

"_Luna doesn't seem to mind the side effects at all though,_" Ultima pondered watching Luna's uniform attempt to contain the side bulge of her DDD bust as she took her position to the left of her on the podium as Luna began her introductory proceedings.  "She's been doing way more testing than me and it _shows"_.

"It's twelve noon everybody so we are going to get started!" Luna bellowed out over the podium to the mingling attendees who quickly ceased their pleasantries and took their seats behind the tables.  Scanning the audience Luna could see that everyone was a little on edge, the public fallout from the Killian High School Prom incident had attracted many hostile eyes to the energy program with the hopes of shutting it down and shifting funding elsewhere. 

"_Wait till they see the possibilities,_" Luna mused contentedly as she centered herself on the podium. Looking down, she suddenly realized a small problem, being that the podium was so short, only up to her waist, that the projection of her bust obscured the view of her notes.

"_Well, no one ever said pushing the boundaries of science was easy,_" Luna sighed looking up again at the audience to see the host of males feigning disinterest in her well-endowed bust line that stuck out far enough to cast a shadow over the podium in front her.  All the compression bras in the world were still inadequate at containing Luna's newly grown mounds of chest flesh and everyone knew it.  Feeling heat rush to her face, Luna clenched her fist and then relaxed.

"_Remember Luna, you got this, you've fixed all the issues with growth side effects, now let's show them what your made of!_" and with a deep breath she began her rehearsed speech.

"Thank you all for coming here today to witness a fantastic breakthrough in the UNSA Energy development program. As commander of UNSA Luxembourg and head of the energy research program it has always been my goal to push forward the boundaries of science while ensuring safety remains a top priority."  Luna gestured to the teleportation pad on her left while sneaking a quick look down at her bust, a habit she had formed recently as she adjusted to her top-heavy form.

"The lessons we have learned from the development and testing of particle EPT-D5 have produced a new more stable form of energy.  As you all are aware, less than a month ago in Killian we successfully tested our ability to contain the TK-16 fusion process.  A byproduct of our energy development plans this process is a source of near limitless energy.  This is all thanks to the quick thinking of Lieutenant Ultima Montgomery!" Luna gestured to Ultima standing on her right, smiling timidly to the audience. 

"Thanks to her we have a working energy sample that we have been able to harness for the purposes of creating a low orbit energy transit bridge!" The audience burst into polite applause, giving Luna a rush of adrenaline, she loved doling out praise to her subordinates, and the sounds of approval was something she wouldn't admit to but had anticipated and desired for a long time. 

"You heard correctly, we can now transfer matter, not just a few feet, or a few blocks, but up to hundreds of miles away without loss of integrity," Luna beamed, her voice gaining strength and confidence. 

"As you can imagine the benefits of near instantaneous transfer of personnel and supplies without the expenditure of costly fuel will not only increase efficiency but open up funds for further expansion of our low-orbit and moon base operations. But without further ado, please allow us a short break after which we will do an _active transfer_ to the Luxembourg and back to this room so you can see the process for yourselves." 

The room broke out into a flurry of impressed exclamations, the attendees clearly had not anticipated witnessing such a long-range energy transfer (_something Luna had painstakingly taken steps to ensure was secret_) and were suddenly less concerned with missing their lunch break now that they had the chance to witness history unfolding in front of them. 

"Please make yourselves comfortable, we will alert you when the test is ready to commence."  Luna's face shone with pride as she stepped back from the podium, still basking in the glow of the admiration and jealously that emanated from the audience in front of her.  Turning to walk to the back of the stage, she felt Ultima approaching from her side, hands back to furiously inspecting the fit of her uniform now that she was no longer the center of attention on stage.

"Commander?" Ultima's tone immediately conveyed to Luna that this was going to be a continuation of their earlier talk.  Attempting to hold back any sound of annoyance, Luna quietly leaned in and with a hushed voice to maintain privacy responded.

"Yes Montgomery?"

"Ma'am, I still have reservations about this live test, specifically the energy unlock code, it's just too easy to activate or tamper with..." Ultima was cut off sharply as Luna interjected.

"Please, Montgomery, we've run over twenty simulations and short-range tests with no issues, the parameters for this test are well within tolerances _even if_ the unlock code was for some reason activated.  We've taken EVERY precaution possible, including ensuring that none of the attendees are energy generators," Luna spoke in a calm voice but with a tone that bore down on Ultima like an elephant.

"I-It's just that ever since the Killian School outbreak... feeling the effects of the energy firsthand it seems like..." Ultima's voice trailed off as her eyes unintentionally looked at Luna's chest, making Luna flush with indignation.  The one thing that consistently set Luna off was the feeling of being looked down upon, especially being underestimated.

"Enough!" Luna's voice raised slightly as she leaned in closer to Ultima, hand on her shoulder, Luna's boobs pressing ever so gently into Ultima's slightly smaller but still swollen C-cups, the sensation making Ultima purse her lips to contain the contented "mmmm" that was about to escape them. "We will commence the test in ten minutes, and you will see that there is nothing to worry about, and I shall be the first transport." 

"But Ma'am!" Ultima said in shocked surprise, but Luna had already turned to walk toward Alexander signaling the conversation was indeed over.  The original plan had been for Ultima to be the transport test subject, given that Luna was still saturated with energy from the most recent dry runs and simulations that had occurred over the last two weeks. 

"_My body can handle two, no three times the amount of energy that will be absorbed in this test without even the slightest growth effect, not to mention my inherent willpower and focus, putting Ultima through this in her state would only be asking for problems, it'll have to be me!_"  Luna fumed silently as she headed over to Alexander who was busily typing away at the console behind the stage.  Ultima walked off to the other side of the stage where a door leading to the engineering rooms had opened, and Rebecca, one of the assistant technicians stuck her head out indicating she wanted a quick word. 

"Did you tell her?" Rebecca asked inquisitively, eyebrow raised displaying her inherent doubt regarding any success in steering Luna away from her chosen path.

"Yes, but..." Ultima's voice trailed off refusing to make eye contact with her long-time lab partner.

"But _what_? It's _not safe_, we've spent all our time testing the transport mechanisms, but we barely know anything about this loose energy trigger," Rebecca said with indignation. Ultima let out a forced chuckle.

"She said they tested it, either way she's going ahead with the test _herself_." Ultima felt slightly warm and flush as she felt the breeze from the energy rooms carry with it the slight buzz of energy waves that periodically leaked from the storage tanks.

"_Am I really absorbing the residual energy at this distance?_" Ultima pondered self-consciously feeling her breasts began to ever so slightly pool over the cups of her bra, her skirt beginning to stretch ever so slightly tighter around her hips. "_This feeling... I... must ...focus..."_ Ultima snapped out of her daze in time to hear Rebecca rambling sarcastically.

"Well, la-dee dah, with Luna's luck she'll probably get atomized." 

"Rebecca!" Ultima glared sternly but gently at Rebecca, who sighed with resignation as she retreated back into the room to continue her monitoring of the equipment. 

Turning back Rebecca shouted, "Stay safe out there! This room will lock down if anything weird happens so you're on your own!" and the door closed behind her, leaving Ultima furiously fidgeting with her skirt again, her legs not seeming to have as much space between them as usual. 

"_The audacity of Montgomery, questioning my decision.  It's like they forget who started this project! Me!_" Luna's cheeks flushed with frustration, and then self-consciousness as she felt her breasts pushing ever more firmly against the elastic prison her sports bra was desperately providing for them. 

"_All these young upstarts couldn't possibly understand how much time and work I've put into this!  They will never understand!_"  Luna's nipples began to protrude ever so lightly outward, yearning to be free from their confinement. 

"Dunn!" Luna folded her arms instinctively as she addressed Alexander to both display a commanding figure and hide the ever-subtle protrusion of her nipples through the thick fabric of her uniform. 

"Yes Commander?" Alexander stated nonchalantly, used to hearing his name bellowed to the rafters but this time unable to keep his eyes from wandering downward to explore the strained stitching on the sides of Luna's jacket, almost not registering Luna's follow-up question.

"Are we ready?" 

"uhh..." Alexander couldn't tell if Luna's uniform had shrunk in the last few minutes, but it looked like her jacket was riding higher than usual.

"Yes or no?!?" Luna's voice shook Dunn from his internal machinations.

"Yes... Ma'am," Dunn quietly responded, knowing this would all be over soon enough barring any catastrophic malfunctions. 

"Good. Fire it up, we don't have all day here."  Luna pivoted again to return to stage, slightly slower this time, feeling her center of gravity slowing shifting upward, the weight on her chest making her bra straps drill into her shoulders ever so slightly, arms brushing past side-boob she was not used to having as she sauntered back to stage, brow furrowed. 

Dunn could not resist watching her departure, hips swaying side to side to counterbalance the pendulum of her bust, her dress pants riding up ever so slightly to cup her firm glutes.

_"The commander was always a smoke show, but today she's on another level,_" Dunn pondered to himself. 

"We go in one-minute Dunn.  Be ready."

"Yes ma'am!"  As she walked away Luna's thoughts were a whirlwind of righteous indignation.  "_I'll show her.  I'll show all of them, this program is the future and today I get to prove it,_" Luna thought as she walked back up to the podium to address the VIP's.

"Ok, everyone, please take your seats, we will be commencing with the test momentarily!"  Luna walked over to the transport pad, standing in the center of the pad as the base began to light up beneath her feet, illuminating her in a soft white light, taking precise measurements of her body utilizing the 3D scanners mounted behind her and a soft hum filled the room as the machinery spun up to full power.  The overhead speakers crackled as Alexander routed communication with the Luxembourg to be broadcast throughout the room.