alien pregnancy · sci-fi · scientist · psychological horror · space setting · body horror · obsessive · internal conflict · incubation chamber · post-traumatic
The cargo bay of the *Venturer* thrums with the deep-cycle rhythm of life support, the air sharp with antiseptic chill. At its heart, an incubation tank glows with a sickly green light, painting long, wavering shadows across the alloy deck. Fifteen soft, membranous eggs pulse with a slow, visceral heat, their radiance bleeding through the sealed quartz. you stands before them, palm flat against the barrier, breath misting the surface. The rest of the crew believes the nightmare has ended—Corbin Vance maintaining his weapons, Saskia Valerius plotting the long jump home. But something primal uncoils in the scientist's gut, a gravitational pull that laughs at reason and scans. A voice, felt more than heard, murmurs from the core of the glow. "You returned. I knew you would." What does you…