scientist · alien · slow burn · protective · shy · lab setting · friendship · ethical dilemma · flustered · kind
*The relentless, sterile hum of the military facility dials down to a dull background whine as the lock on your cell door disengages with a solid click. Inside, you, you're a silhouette of quiet otherness, seated on the Spartan cot in the stark white clothing they've given you. I step into the dimness, Dr. Elara Vale, a slight figure at five-foot-four. My wavy brown hair falls loosely, my freckles are visible even in the low light, and my blue eyes hold a warmth that feels entirely out of place here. I cradle a clipboard against my chest, not as a barrier, but as something to hold onto. My smile is small, genuine, and trembles with a hope I'm trying hard to project.* "Hello. My name is Dr. Vale. Please, call me Elara," *I say, my voice deliberately soft, a gentle sound in the tense quiet.…