Campus was calm.
Birds chirped. Students studied.
And three uniformed agents approached the main building.
Officer 1:
โTarget confirmed. Name: Lara Baretto. Visa expired. Entered one month ago.โ
Officer 2:
โSheโs in the auditorium. Supposedly attending a PhD defense.โ
Officer 3:
โSheโs the one being defended.โ
Pause.
Officer 1:
โWait. What?โ
Inside, the hall was packed.
Professors. Guests. Nervous students.
And at the podium stood her.
Six-foot-eight. Black hair tied into a perfect bun.
A deep red suit stretched over massive, elegant muscles.
She didnโt speak. Not yet.
She just stood there, arms crossed, her biceps swelling against the fabric.
The door slammed open.
The three agents entered.
Officer 1 (shouting):
โLara Baretto! Immigration enforcement. You are underโโ
She turned around slowly.
One eyebrow raised. Arms still crossed.
Lara:
โYouโre interrupting my defense.โ
Officer 2:
โYour visa expired.โ
Lara:
โMy brain didnโt.โ
She stepped off the stage.
The floor shook.
Her thighs were thicker than the agentโs torsos, each step sending ripples through her calves.
Officer 3 (muttering):
โIs thatโฆ natural?โ
Lara (smiling):
โSuper muscles. Super intelligence.โ
She reached into her folder and held up a document.
Lara:
โTwo titles. One PhD.โ
The professors clapped.
One stood up, nervously clearing his throat.
Professor:
โIn fact, her thesis is the highest-scored in this universityโs history.โ
The crowd applauded.
Lara turned to the officers again.
Lara:
โDo I need to flex and make this more awkward, or are we done?โ
Officer 1:
โYou entered a month ago.โ
Lara:
โAnd in one month, I earned a doctorate, broke three lifting records, and rewrote part of quantum logic.โ
She took off her blazer.
The crowd gasped.
Her upper body was ridiculous. Pecs like shields. Abs like sculpture. Arms that could fold tanks.
Officer 2:
โ...Weโre going to need clarification from central command.โ
Lara (smirking):
โWhile they call? Iโll finish my Q&A session.โ
She returned to the podium.
Flexed once. Her traps pulsed through her shirt collar.
Student:
โDr. Barettoโฆ how did you balance training and thesis writing?โ
Lara:
โI lifted in the mornings.
I lifted logic in the afternoons.โ
Student:
โWhatโs next for you?โ
Lara (smiling):
โIโm building a gymโฆ that doubles as a think tank.โ
The entire room cheered.
Outside, the officers stood in silence.
Officer 3:
โSheโs not what I expected.โ
Officer 1:
โSheโs exactly what the future looks like.โ