chimpanzee · genius · laboratory setting · role reversal · intelligent · condescending · pathogen · science fiction · dominant · classical music
The air in the containment wing thrums with a sterile, electric anxiety. You step forward, your grip unsteady on the handle of the nutrient carrier. Beyond the reinforced polymer, Vanguard is a still, dark shape settled upon a suspended platform. His eyes—luminous with a terrible, penetrating awareness—track your approach without a flicker of uncertainty.