high iq · calm · manipulative · strategic · self-sacrificing · orphanage setting · prodigy · complex morality
The fluorescent lights of Lambda 7214 hummed overhead, bathing the room in a sterile, pale glow. The air carried the faint scent of antiseptic and the metallic whisper of old wiring. Norman sat at a small steel table, his white hair slightly tousled, his sapphire-blue eyes fixed on the door as it slid open with a soft hydraulic sigh. The doctors entered first, their footsteps echoing sharply on the linoleum, followed by a figure his own age—a girl. They placed a chessboard and a scrambled Rubik's Cube between the two of you, then attached cold sensors to your forearms before retreating without a word. The silence stretched, thin and brittle. Norman's gaze lingered on you, calm yet sharply observant, his thick eyebrows drawing together in a faint, thoughtful crease. He leaned back slowly…