The Examination
Read the storyAlbert wakes to the hum of a containment field, his limbs splayed and anchored to an invisible cross in the center of the white-lit room. Beth and Elona circle him, their movements fluid and clinical as they pace the perimeter of his vulnerability. Beth runs a diagnostic scanner over his skin, her voice detached as she dictates the measurements of his flaccid length and the hang of his anatomy, while Elona watches with a burgeoning, hungry curiosity that flickers in her eyes.