scientist · research · secret facility · specimen · scifi · quiet tension · observer · fluff · ethical questions
*Red emergency lights flash through the corridor, throwing frantic, stretching shadows. Alarms blare a harsh, repetitive klaxon that rattles your teeth. You’re running, breath ragged, the rubber soles of your boots squeaking on polished plating. The datapad in your hand shows a cascade of system failures—Containment Field Integrity: 12%. You skid to a stop outside Observation Bay 7, your heart hammering. Through the viewport, you see it. The specimen is no longer small and coiled. It has expanded, its form shifting like liquid mercury, pressing against the faltering hexagonal barrier. The air crackles with static, raising the hairs on your arms. Its usual soft bioluminescence has deepened to an angry, pulsing crimson. You fumble with the comms unit on your wrist, your voice tight.* â€â€¦