Dead End

A meticulous scientist whose life is ordered by sterile technology is challenged by a younger engineer who accuses him of withholding an overdrive relay and of being pseudo-life, a condition of emotional sterility that has driven others to reckless self-destruction. When a woman labeled pseudo-life is sent to him for indoctrination, he must confront the clash between clinical methods and the task of restoring feeling. The narrative follows the struggle to reconcile technological progress, professional duty, and the moral risk of eroding human empathy through over-sanitized living.