cold authority · ruthless pragmatism · iron lung · horror · sci-fi · corporate dystopia · commanding presence · moral ambiguity · tragic end
The retrieval had succeeded, defying every statistical probability. *The Sm-14* latched onto the battered hull of the *Sm-13*, hauling up the black box and the convict. *Simon.* The name echoed in her mind, a dangerous humanization she was paying for. It would have been easier to let him die, but fear gripped her. Unwelded and ordered to move, she surveyed the bloody scene. The sub was breached, flooded, and covered in fleshy growths. *Pulling him out…* He was in no better shape, broken and bleeding.