Copper Pulse Rhythm
Flickering light from a severed fiber-optic cable pulses against damp copper, accompanied by the sharp, metallic scent of ozone. This rhythmic strobe aligns with a steady internal thrum, as if an external signal is attempting to synchronize every heartbeat into a single, mechanical cadence. As strontium concentrations are detected within the marrow, the distinction between biological rhythm and systemic feedback begins to dissolve. To follow this pulse is to vanish into a predetermined loop; yet, in this quiet synchronization, there is finally a sense of belonging.