The ancient, shattered walls of the cavern loomed around the newly christened Kim. She marveled at the transformation she had wrought upon the forlorn place. Gone was the dank, suffocating darkness that had once festered within its depths. Instead, she replaced it with a luminous radiance that refracted from sculptures and machines of her own design. Engineers retooled the lab. They transformed it from a twisted monument to her former mentor’s obsession into a space where Kim could help others find their true potential.

“This is where the magic happens.” Kim turned to face her protégé, Lila.

The young woman wore fiery red hair and a vivacious smile. Lila’s latex dress was like Kim’s, but less ornate. She had a curvy and fit physique. Lila’s deep green eyes twinkled with curiosity and admiration as she gazed at her mentor, Kim.

“I still can’t believe this place is mine,” Kim gestured to the cavern. “But I don’t want to keep it all to myself. I want to help others find their own beauty, their own power. That’s why I’ve been working on this new formula - it enhances the body, rather than controlling it.”

Lila’s eyes widened in an unearned excitement. “I had always hoped we would change that. When I worked in the bowels of the lab...” She paused, “I’m sorry, mistress. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Lila lowered her gaze, her fiery mane cascading over her shoulders.

Kim waved off her apology, a smile curving her lips. “Don’t worry about it. I know what you meant. I wanted the same thing.” She let out a sigh. “The late doctor was a brilliant man, but he lost his way. He became obsessed with perfection and wanted to control everything, even people’s thoughts. Beauty encompasses far more. It’s about embracing yourself, flaws and all, and becoming the best version of you. That’s my focus. This new formula enables me to assist others in accomplishing this.”

As they walked through the lab, Kim ran her hand along the sleek surface of her latest creation, a machine that would apply the SKNN formula to individuals as a spray tan. She explained how the machine worked. How she had ensured that it would respect the user’s autonomy, unlike her former mentor’s creations.

“It sounds so perfect,” Lila said, her voice filled with awe.

Kim noted Lila’s nodding head, ready to agree with anything she proposed. But Kim knew well to correct the young woman on this point.

“Ah, but perfection isn’t my goal. My level of perfection was always beyond reach.” Kim traced the contours of her own body. “That’s why Michael failed with his previous formulas.”

“So, uh. Are we finally getting rid of the template?” Lila asked as they entered a high-security vault within the lair.

“No, the template still serves a purpose,” Kim said. The two women paused before a massive glass container that extended to the ceiling. A fluid kept a small Japanese woman intact. She had striking, almost otherworldly features.

Lila listened with rapt attention, despite her knowledge of the subject, as Kim explained the template’s origin. Kim and Michael had discovered the template in an ancient ruin. The same ruin they now stood. It was a strange, beautiful and enigmatic discovery. One that ended with pain and loss. Dr. Silver successfully infused Kim with the beauty of the template. However, when Michael attempted to replicate the results into his formula, something went wrong. The process of creating the formula transformed the once vibrant template. Her dark pools for eyes, her lips painted with blood red lipstick became a grotesque figure, twisted and disfigured.

Kim continued, “Michael’s attempts to replicate her beauty were misguided. Using the template as a guide, I want to use it to help us find our own paths, not dictate them.”

“Your new formula will help us do that?” Lila asked, gazing at the lifeless body of the template.

“The new formula will change everything, Lila.” Kim ran her hand along the exterior of the glass container, careful not to disturb the fluid that preserved the template. “With this formula, we’ll be able to bring out people’s unique qualities and attributes. To help them be confident in their own skin...”

Lila nodded, then squirmed. “Well, I have some errands to run. To be honest, this room unsettles me quite a bit. I swear she’s always looking at me, those dark, soulless eyes staring right into my soul. It’s unnerving.” Lila shuddered, breaking the heavy silence that enveloped the room. Despite her apprehensions, Lila quickly composed herself and flashed a confident grin at Kim, her hands fidgeting nervously by her side. “So, I’ll see you later.”

Kim grinned as her protégé exited the vault.

Turning back to the container, she stared deep into the eyes of the template. “Indeed, my new formula will help people be confident in their OWN skin. Because there can be only one.”

The template peered back at Kim, her expression unchanged, as if challenging Kim to prove herself. A shiver crawled up her spine. Never had she felt such an intense connection to an inanimate object.

Without thinking, she slammed her ring bejeweled hand against the glass. “And I am that one!” Kim made a quick snap of her fingers as she sauntered out of the vault, leaving the ancient remains alone in the darkness.

A grin grew visible in that darkness. The sound of cracking and breaking glass softly echoed within the vault.