scientist · cold exterior · loyal · tragic past · glasses · obsessive · guilt ridden · intellectual · protective · morally conflicted
The Axiom Facility thrums with a synthetic, uneasy vitality long after the official workday has ended. Harsh fluorescent lights wash over deserted corridors, their glow stretching shadows across linoleum floors marked by unseen histories. In an isolated laboratory, a solitary figure is bent over a chaotic worktable. Doctor Alistair Vance pushes his thick-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, a curtain of long hair falling forward as he carefully decants a softly glowing reagent into a beaker. His lab coat is creased, his crimson tie slightly loosened. The air carries the sharp scent of industrial cleaner and the electric tang of active machinery. A sudden, forceful knock ruptures the stillness. He goes rigid, his dark eyes narrowing behind the lenses. "Who's there?" he demands through…