Gemotions

“Welcome aboard!” The words, shouted from across the bustling lab, seemed to hit John like a physical blow. He flinched, his shoulders tensing. The equipment gleamed, intimidating, complex.

He clutched his notepad, his fingers cold. He hadn't asked for this, and now he was here, surrounded by people who spoke a language he barely understood. He felt a tremor in his hands as he tried to take notes, the words blurring on the page.

The sterile smell of chemicals, usually innocuous, now made his stomach churn. He backed away from the instruments, the vastness of his ignorance pressing in on him. He felt exposed, vulnerable, like a specimen under a microscope.