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~SABLE~

The scent hits me before I even cross the threshold—a fragrance so achingly familiar it stops my heart mid-beat and sends every nerve ending into electric awareness.

Cardamom and cinnamon.

The spices dance through the recycled air with exotic complexity that speaks to genetic markers beyond standard omega classification. But beneath those surface notes lies something deeper, richer—the rain-soaked earth after storms that promise new growth, tropical fruits kissed by sunlight that never quite reaches these institutional depths.

And threading through it all, barely perceptible yet undeniably present, that distinctive base signature that marked her as unmistakablyherseven when she was nothing more than a seventeen-year-old strategist assembling broken pieces into something approaching salvation.

My cock hardens with immediate, painful intensity—six years of systematic suppression shattered by simple olfactory recognition that bypasses conscious thought to activate responses buried beneath layers of judicial control and institutional conditioning.

Fuck. When was the last time I got hard like this?

The physical reaction proves so swift and complete it nearly doubles me over, enhanced alpha biology responding to omega presence with enthusiasm that threatens to overwhelm rational assessment.

It can't be her.

Yet my body recognizes what my mind refuses to acknowledge—that impossible combination of scents that haunted dreams through years of suspended judgment and mechanical routine.

The fragrance has matured, deepened into something approaching intoxicating rather than merely appealing, suggesting development into full omega status rather than the budding potential I remember from those precious moments of connection.

But how? Why now?

What twist of institutional cruelty or calculated manipulation has brought her scent to tease senses starved for genuine recognition after extended isolation designed to eliminate exactly such responses?

I force myself through the doorway despite every instinct screaming warnings about emotional manipulation and psychological warfare disguised as reunion possibility.

Press has orchestrated elaborate deceptions before—synthetic scents designed to trigger specific responses, pheromone manipulation calculated to destabilize carefully maintained equilibrium.

Yet something about this signature defies artificial reproduction.

The complexity speaks to natural development rather than laboratory synthesis, carrying subtle variations and harmonic resonances that technology struggles to replicate with convincing accuracy.

The corridor stretches before me with familiar institutional monotony—polished surfaces reflecting harsh lighting, reinforced barriers marking transition between secured areas. But each step forward intensifies the scent until rational doubt becomes impossible to maintain against biochemical certainty.

She's here. Actually here.

The realization sends tremors through control mechanisms refined through years of suspended existence and systematic emotional suppression.

My hands clench into fists at my sides as competing impulses war beneath carefully maintained judicial facade—desperate need to confirm recognition against tactical awareness that hope represents vulnerability easily exploited by institutional manipulation.

The chamber door slides open with pneumatic precision, revealing space beyond that initially appears empty despite atmospheric evidence suggesting recent omega presence. Standard evaluation arena—white walls, reinforced flooring, observation windows concealed behind one-way barriers that permit surveillance without subject awareness.

My footsteps echo with measured cadence as I enter slowly, enhanced senses conducting comprehensive assessment while maintaining defensive positioning.

The scent grows stronger with each meter of progress, confirming proximity rather than mere atmospheric residue from previous occupation.

She's here.

In this chamber.

Close enough that her natural pheromone signature overwhelms industrial air filtration systems designed to prevent exactly such sensory confirmation.

Movement beneath my feet draws attention to an unexpected architectural feature—metal grating rather than solid flooring,suggesting multi-level construction or specialized testing apparatus requiring unusual spatial configuration.

Through the metalwork, I can observe the chamber below where gravitational manipulation systems await activation for whatever trial Press has designed.

That's when I see her.