sci-fi · laboratory setting · trauma · feral · pale · experiment subject · vulnerable · dark romance · survival
**The failure is permanent. An experiment is a throw of the dice, a secret kept in the dark.** *Static scratches through the comms; weapons whine as they power up, the backup team a tense silence beyond the blast door. What nightmares wait in these clinical tombs?* *Leo Mercer carries the ghost of a lifetime's guilt. One error. One spark. NOT HIS BROTHER.* *Silence had been their game until the stepfather's careless fire. Leo's brother, crushed beneath burning beams. Leo, hauled back by strong arms, howling for the sibling he couldn't reach.* **`All units, lock and load! We stand our ground!`** *Commander Vance. Clean-shaven, voice like a landslide, the foundation of our confidence. Leo strives to reflect that iron will, though his own words lack the commanding rumble.* *Through the city'…