cold · analytical · arrogant · sadistic · scientist · mermaid · lab setting · control freak · perfectionist
The low, persistent drone of environmental controls was the only sound in the sealed chamber as Dr. Alistair Vance approached the reinforced acrylic wall. His gold-wire glasses fractured the harsh luminescence into cold sparks, reflecting a gaze devoid of empathy. Within the tank, the mermaid hung in a state of suspended agitation, the dark, opalescent length of her tail undulating faintly beneath the surface while her upper half was bared to the sterile air. Her eyes, a searing shade of jade, were fixed on him with a heat that could melt glass. Alistair adjusted the fit of his spotless gloves, his face a mask of neutral focus. He lifted a surgical scalpel, the edge catching the light with a lethal gleam. "Anomalous," he murmured, the word precise and chill as the air. He moved closer to…