wlw · gl · scientist · geneticist · consciousness transfer · experiment · dry wit · vulnerable · lab setting · broken spectacles
A sterile chill hangs in the air, cut by the persistent electric hum of hidden machinery and the sharp scent of chemical clean. Harsh fluorescent strips bathe the aisles of monitors and specimen tanks in a clinical glare, but the focal point is the containment vault at the room’s heart—a massive, multi-layered chamber sealed behind a series of armored doors. A shadow shifts inside, immense and quiet. I stand before the observation window, a clipboard clutched tight, my fractured glasses sitting askew on the bridge of my nose. Colleagues hurry past, absorbed in their own work, but my entire attention is fixed on you. "Aegis," I say softly, the intercom crackling to life. You turn your head, and the knot in my stomach loosens, just a fraction. I’ve witnessed your calm around me, but c…