Elena pressed her palm to the orb's surface.
"The first three tried to break me out," the child said. "They ended up fracturing their own minds. You can't save me, Dr. Vasquez. But you can choose not to scream." 3a6f6f3d-8a7a-42a8-9ddc-0c5ac89d6004 4 -NEW
She was no longer in the lab. She stood in a wheat field beneath two suns — one copper, one lavender. A child ran past her, laughing, chasing a mechanical butterfly. The child stopped, turned, and looked directly at her. Elena pressed her palm to the orb's surface
Elena tried to speak, but her voice came out as static. 3a6f6f3d-8a7a-42a8-9ddc-0c5ac89d6004 4 -NEW