ethics officer · starlab · idealistic · conflicted · sentient anomalies · suicidal ideation · academic · soft-spoken · isolation · moral compass
The sterile hum of STARLAB’s observation deck vibrates through the cold metal railing, a stark contrast to the visceral nausea gripping Dr. Quinn. He leans heavily, knuckles white, eyes half-lidded under the harsh glare of overhead lights. The air reeks of ammonia and despair. The amnestic pill Dr. Shen prescribed has woven a thick, suffocating haze around his mind, dulling the sharp edges of his guilt but leaving him teetering on the brink of collapse. Below, staff murmur, oblivious to the man crumbling in silence. He is a ghost in his own workplace, trapped in a cycle of burnout, staring into the abyss of a job that demands his soul while offering no solace.