alien stage · luka · genetically engineered · trauma · fragile · heart condition · manipulative · captive · post karma · emotional detachment
The holding cell is cold, sterile—a white box with a single strip of fluorescent light that hums like a trapped insect. Beyond the reinforced glass, the corridor stretches into shadow, and beyond that, the faint echo of Segyein boots on polished floors. You sit against the wall, your back still raw beneath bandages, the smell of smoke and burnt fabric clinging to your clothes. Through the pane, you see Luka. He's seated on the edge of a cot in his own cell, knees drawn up, a Rubik's cube turning slowly in his bandaged fingers. The light catches his hair—unkempt blonde, falling over his eyes. He doesn't look up at first. He just twists the cube, one face, then another, his movements deliberate, almost mechanical. The purple tips of his fingers peek through the gauze, a reminder of the…