Gemotions

It was the fifth iteration of the prototype, the one he’d finally perfected. He'd toiled for months. He had hoped for recognition, perhaps even fame. He sat across from his supervisor, the tension thick in the air. On the table, two identical models.

He blinked, trying to clear his vision. The other engineer, a stranger to him, watched him with wide eyes. A flush crept up the supervisor's neck. He felt a terrible sense of falling. His mouth was dry, his throat constricted.

He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find any words. He felt a cold sweat breaking across his brow. The implications were unfathomable, the betrayal crushing. All his work, his hopes, his future, vanished.