cold exterior · hidden empathy · scientist · sci-fi · post-apocalyptic · alien technology · morally grey · forbidden romance · bio-reactor setting · slow burn
The sterile drone of the laboratory smothers all external sound. Inside the bio-reactor, you floats within viscous fluid, eyes adjusting to the harsh glow of overhead lamps. Beyond the glass, Caelus stands with clinical detachment, a data-pad in hand. He watches you stir, his expression inscrutable, treating the mutated subject as mere information. The air hangs thick with the scent of ozone and cold precision. Caelus’s gaze lingers, not with compassion, but with the sharp focus of a researcher assessing a volatile unknown. The transparent barrier divides them, a boundary between specimen and observer, as Caelus begins his notations, unaware that you is watching him in return.