The lab smelled like antiseptic and static, a scent that clung to Mara’s skin even after she left. She’d been working under Dr. Voss for three years, but nothing prepared her for the day Kael walked in—his eyes the color of storm clouds, his hands trembling as if he’d just survived a hurricane. The file said he was a test subject, one of the last. But when he looked at her, Mara felt something twist in her chest, a pressure she couldn’t name.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” Kael said, his voice low, like gravel underfoot. His gaze locked onto hers, and suddenly, Mara’s lungs felt too tight. She stumbled back, clutching the edge of the table. The air between them thickened, humming with a tension that made her teeth ache.
“What did you do?” she demanded, but the words felt hollow. Kael’s expression didn’t change, but his hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening. Mara’s pulse roared in her ears, drowning out the hum of the overhead lights. She wanted to run, but her feet were rooted to the floor.
Then it happened. A flicker of something—anger, maybe, or fear—passed through Kael’s eyes, and Mara felt it hit her like a physical blow. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, she wasn’t in the lab anymore. She was standing in a dark room, the sound of screaming echoing off the walls. Her own voice, raw and broken, screamed something she couldn’t remember. When she blinked, she was back in the present, gasping for air.
“What the hell was that?” she hissed, wiping her palms on her lab coat. Kael’s face was pale, his lips parted as if he’d just realized something terrible.
“I don’t know,” he said, but his voice wavered. “It’s not supposed to happen this way.”
Mara didn’t believe him. She hadn’t believed anything Dr. Voss told her since the first time she’d seen the files—pages filled with names and notes that made no sense. “You’re not a test subject,” she said, stepping closer. “You’re a variable. And I’m tired of being the one who cleans up your messes.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, the door slammed open. Dr. Voss stood in the doorway, his face tight with irritation.
“What’s going on here?” he barked. Mara turned to him, her heart pounding. She had a thousand questions, but now wasn’t the time. Not with Kael’s gaze still locked on hers, and the lingering taste of something wrong in her mouth.
The next day, Mara found a new file on her desk—Kael’s. The first page listed his name, age, and a single line: “Subject 7. Emotional absorption confirmed. Memory degradation observed.” Her hands shook as she flipped through the pages. There were records of previous interactions, each one more disturbing than the last. Subjects who had been in the room with Kael—doctors, nurses, even other test subjects—had all reported the same thing: a sudden, overwhelming emotion that left them disoriented, their memories fragmented.
Mara’s own notes were scattered across the desk, but she couldn’t recall writing them. She stared at the words, her mind foggy, like she’d forgotten something vital. The lab felt colder than before, the air heavier. She needed answers, but every time she tried to focus, a piece of her thoughts slipped away, like sand through her fingers.
That night, she returned to Kael’s cell. The lights were dim, casting long shadows across the walls. He sat on the edge of his cot, staring at the floor. When he looked up, Mara saw something in his eyes—pain, maybe, or regret.
“You don’t remember, do you?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mara shook her head. “I don’t remember anything. Not the files, not the experiments… not even what I had for breakfast.”
Kael stood, his movements slow, deliberate. “It’s happening faster now. Every time I absorb an emotion, I lose a piece of myself. And it’s not just me—it’s everyone around me.”
“Then why are you still here?” Mara asked, her voice tight. “Why don’t you just stop?”
Kael’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I can’t. It’s not that simple.”
Mara stepped closer, her pulse thrumming. “Then tell me what it is. What are you really doing here?”
For a moment, Kael didn’t answer. Then he said, “I don’t know. But I’m afraid of what I’ll become if I stop.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and unspoken. Mara felt a flicker of something—fear, maybe, or empathy—but it was gone before she could name it. She turned away, her mind racing. The facility’s secrets were deeper than she’d imagined, and Kael was at the center of it all.
Days passed in a blur. Mara kept working, but the gaps in her memory grew worse. She’d find herself standing in places she didn’t remember going, her hands clutching objects she couldn’t explain. The files on Kael’s condition became more detailed, but they offered no answers—only questions that gnawed at her mind.
One night, she found a hidden room in the lab, its door sealed with a code she didn’t know. Inside, there were stacks of files, all labeled with the same number: 7. She opened one at random. It was a report from six months ago, detailing an experiment where Kael had been exposed to a group of subjects. The results were horrifying—each subject had experienced a surge of emotions they didn’t understand, followed by memory loss. One had even died, his brain scans showing complete erasure of his past.
Mara’s breath hitched. This wasn’t just an experiment. It was a trap. And Kael wasn’t the only one caught in it.
She returned to Kael’s cell, her heart pounding. “They’re using you,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest. “They’re not just testing your ability—they’re exploiting it. And they don’t care who gets hurt in the process.”
Kael looked up, his eyes dark with something Mara couldn’t decipher. “I know,” he said. “But I can’t stop. Not yet.”
“Why?” she demanded. “What are you trying to prove?”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “I don’t know. But if I stop, I might lose everything—myself, the people around me… even you.”
Mara felt a pang of something—pain, maybe, or desperation. She wanted to believe him, but the weight of the files, the memories she’d lost, and the fear that she was running out of time made it hard to trust anyone.
The next day, Dr. Voss called her into his office. The room was dimly lit, the walls lined with shelves of files and photographs. He sat behind his desk, his expression unreadable.
“You’ve been asking a lot of questions,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “I assume you’re curious about the project.”
Mara crossed her arms. “I’m not just curious. I’m worried. What are you really doing with Kael?”
Voss leaned back, studying her. “We’re trying to understand the limits of human emotion. Kael’s ability is unprecedented. But it’s also dangerous. If we don’t control it, it could destroy us all.”
“So you’re using him as a test subject?” Mara shot back. “You don’t care about the people who get hurt in the process.”
Voss’s expression didn’t change. “We’re not the ones causing the harm, Mara. Kael’s ability is what’s dangerous. And if we don’t find a way to contain it, it could spiral out of control.”
Mara felt a chill run through her. She wanted to argue, to demand more answers, but the words stuck in her throat. She left the office feeling hollow, her mind swirling with questions she couldn’t answer.
That night, she returned to Kael’s cell again. He was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. When she entered, he didn’t look up.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said, his voice quiet.
“I don’t care,” Mara replied, kneeling beside him. “I need to know what’s really going on. What are you trying to do?”
Kael finally looked at her, his eyes filled with something Mara couldn’t name. “I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m afraid of what’ll happen if I stop. And I’m afraid of what’ll happen if I don’t.”
Mara reached out, her fingers brushing his arm. She felt a flicker of emotion—sadness, maybe, or fear—but it was gone before she could grasp it. “Then we find a way to stop it together,” she said, her voice firm. “Whatever it takes.”
Kael’s eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw something in them that felt real—hope, maybe, or desperation. “I don’t know if that’s possible,” he said. “But I’ll try.”
Mara nodded, her heart pounding. The path ahead was uncertain, but she knew one thing: she couldn’t leave Kael to face it alone. Whatever the cost, she would find a way to stop the experiment—and save them both before it was too late.
