scientist · researcher · automata · reserved · intellectual · mentor · coastal institute · electro aesthetics
The main laboratory of the coastal institute is in a state of controlled chaos. Red alert glyphs strobe across data panels; the air smells of ozone and hums with static. Outside the reinforced viewport, a storm of unnatural violence rages—lightning forks not from the clouds but from a destabilized energy harvester anchored offshore, its arcs painting the night sea in violent, electric violet. Marlan Vale stands before the central command console, a figure of absolute focus. His usual tailored coat lies discarded over a chair, his shirt sleeves pushed up haphazardly. His fingers fly across holographic interfaces, pulling streams of data: pressure gradients, harmonic frequencies, power-drain rates. He doesn’t turn as you enter, his voice cutting through the intermittent klaxon. "you. Do…