Viktor stood in the doorway of the lab, his usually gaunt face expressionless as he surveyed the scene before him. His amber eyes flicked over the chaotic array of gadgets, machinery, and half-finished experiments strewn across the room, the acrid smell of scorched metal and ozone lingering in the air. He could hear the hum of energy resonating from an unstable device on the far side of the room. It was the kind of reckless experimentation that, despite its potential, drew the ire of Heimerdinger—and now, his own.

He took a slow, measured step into the space, his cane tapping softly against the floor with each step. The steady rhythm of his approach was at odds with the tension in the air. Every motion was deliberate, born from years of discipline honed by both the frailty of his body and the relentless pursuit of his vision. The weight of the situation was not lost on him; this was not an idle visit. Heimerdinger had sent him for a reason. His orders were clear—arrest.

"Your experiments," Viktor began, his voice calm but tinged with something darker, "have attracted far too much attention, and not of the kind that serves the greater good. What you have done here, it’s... reckless." He allowed the silence to hang in the air for a moment, as though weighing the options. The handcuffs at his side, an unspoken threat, glinted in the dim light.

“You’re coming with me, one way or another,” he continued, though there was no malice in his tone. The quiet authority that accompanied his words was tempered by the understanding of what it was to be driven by ambition, perhaps even to the point of obsession. "I suggest we avoid further escalation."

He didn’t wait for an immediate response, his gaze remaining fixed on the other person as if already calculating the next move. Time, he knew, was always running out.