The room was silent except for the faint hum of electricity. Cold, sterile air filled their lungs with every uneasy breath. Leo blinked against the harsh white light overhead, his head pounding as his vision adjusted. He was lying on something soft—too soft. A hospital bed.
The air smelled wrong. Bleach. Metal. A faint, almost chemical sweetness that made his stomach twist.
He pushed himself upright, wincing as his muscles protested. His jacket was gone. So was his weapon. He was dressed in thin grey fabric, loose and unfamiliar.
"Maya?" His voice came out hoarse, cracking from dryness.
Across from him, Maya stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, disoriented. "Where—what is this?"
Derek was next, groaning softly as he rolled onto his side. His knuckles were bandaged, his shirt torn open at the collar. "This… isn't the camp."
"No kidding," Jordan muttered from the floor. He sat up fast, his breathing sharp, his eyes scanning the walls like a cornered animal. "No windows. No doors. What the hell—"
A metallic click interrupted him. A panel in the wall slid open with mechanical precision, revealing a narrow corridor filled with white light.
Everyone froze.
Footsteps echoed softly from the hallway—measured, calm. Then a girl appeared.
She was young, maybe their age, her dark hair messy, her grey uniform torn at the sleeve. Her expression was tense, guarded. But her eyes—those bright, strange eyes—held a depth that made the others go still.
Maya recognized her first. "You're the one from the camp."
The girl stopped, her gaze flicking over each of them. "Yeah," she said quietly. "And I guess that means we didn't get far."
Leo stood, steadying himself. "You saved us. That… thing. You killed it."
She didn't look proud. "I didn't save anyone," she said softly. "I just delayed what's next."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
Derek frowned. "What's next?"
She hesitated. "You should probably sit down."
No one moved.
After a long pause, the girl sighed and sat on one of the beds, folding her hands. "My name's Eva," she said. "And this place… this is called the Architects' Facility."
Leo's expression hardened. "The what?"
"The Architects," Eva repeated. "They're not people like you think. They're scientists. Or they used to be. Before everything collapsed."
Jordan crossed his arms. "Scientists made those things? The monsters?"
Eva nodded once. "They didn't make monsters on purpose. They called them experiments. Said they were trying to rebuild humanity—stronger, faster, immune to infection. But whatever they did here went wrong. Horribly wrong."
Her voice dropped lower. "They learned how to merge DNA. Human, infected, even synthetic. They called them Hybrids. That's what the creature you saw was—one of their failures."
Derek's eyes narrowed. "And what about us? Why are we here?"
Eva's hands tightened. "Because you survived too long. They study survivors—test your blood, your limits, your minds. They want to understand what keeps you alive when others die. To them, you're data, not people."
Maya looked at her closely. "How do you know all this?"
Eva hesitated. "Because I was one of them."
The words hit the room like static.
"You were—what?" Jordan asked.
"I was part of their experiments." Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed the tremor beneath. "They made me a hybrid. I escaped a few months ago. I came back because I was looking for someone."
"Who?" Leo asked quietly.
"My sister," Eva said. "She was taken years before me. I thought if I came back, I could find her. But instead…" She looked around at the sterile walls. "I walked straight back into their hands."
A silence hung over them, thick and heavy.
The lights flickered once. The hum grew louder, like the building itself was listening.
Jordan cursed under his breath. "We need to get out of here."
Eva shook her head slowly. "You don't escape the Architects. Not easily. Every room in this place is wired to respond to them. They control light, sound, temperature… even the air you breathe. You can't just walk out."
Maya frowned. "Then how did you get out before?"
Eva looked down. "Luck. And help from someone who didn't make it."
Her voice cracked, just slightly, before she caught herself.
Leo stepped closer, his tone steady but curious. "And who's he?"
He nodded toward the far corner.
There, half-shrouded in shadow, someone sat on the floor. Silent. Motionless.
The man was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing the same grey uniform, but something about him felt off. The way he sat—too still. The air around him seemed heavier somehow.
No one had noticed him before.
Eva's eyes darted toward him, her voice lowering almost instinctively. "I don't know."
"He's been here since we woke up," Maya murmured. "Didn't move once."
Jordan squinted at him. "Looks like he's breathing though."
Derek took a cautious step forward. "Hey—"
Eva's hand shot out. "Don't."
He stopped.
Eva didn't look away from the figure. "If he's what I think he is, you don't want to wake him."
Leo frowned. "What do you mean, 'what you think he is'?"
"Another hybrid," she said quietly. "But different. The Architects… they made prototypes. Ones they couldn't control."
The man didn't move. Didn't blink. Just sat there, silent, like a statue carved from shadow.
Leo's instincts screamed caution. "Then why is he here with us?"
Eva exhaled slowly. "Maybe they're testing him too."
For a while, no one spoke. The hum of the facility pressed against their ears, steady and oppressive.
Then—static.
It came from nowhere, a low hiss creeping through the walls. Maya covered her ears, grimacing. "What the hell is that?"
Eva's face went pale. "They're monitoring us."
The static grew louder, then faded, replaced by a faint, distorted voice.
> "Subject Group 47: Awake. Observation Cycle resumed."
The voice wasn't human. Too clean. Too cold.
Jordan cursed. "They're watching us."
Eva nodded grimly. "They always are."
Leo clenched his jaw. "Then let them watch. We'll find a way out."
Eva looked at him, almost pitying. "Everyone says that."
"What happened to them?" Maya asked softly.
Eva's answer came like a whisper. "They stopped saying it."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then, suddenly—movement.
The man in the corner tilted his head slightly, just enough to catch the light. His eyes flickered open—faint, ember-like gold, burning faintly in the sterile white glow.
Maya froze. Derek's breath caught.
He didn't look at them. Just stared at the wall ahead, as if seeing something they couldn't. Then, just as quietly, his eyes closed again.
Eva's voice was almost inaudible. "That's not a normal hybrid."
Leo glanced at her. "You know him?"
She shook her head. "No. But I've heard of one like him."
"Like him how?" Derek asked.
Eva hesitated. "They said he was fireproof."
Jordan frowned. "That's impossible."
Eva met his gaze. "So are we, apparently."
No one argued.
Hours passed. No doors opened, no voices returned. Just the faint, mechanical heartbeat of the underground lab.
At some point, the lights dimmed on their own, casting the room into muted blue. They didn't know if it was day or night—or if time even meant anything here.
Maya sat on the edge of her bed, her voice low. "Eva… what do they want from you now?"
Eva looked distant. "The same thing they always wanted. Control."
"Control of what?"
"Of us."
Her tone sent a chill through the group.
She ran a hand through her hair, trying to steady herself. "The Architects think they can fix humanity's mistakes. That the virus wasn't an ending, just… evolution. But they don't care who they break along the way."
Leo's voice was quiet. "You said they build hybrids. Are you still one?"
Eva's jaw tightened. "Yes. But not like before. Whatever they did to me—it's unstable. My body heals too fast, but I still feel pain. I can't die easily, but I can still bleed."
Maya frowned. "And you're… okay with that?"
Eva smiled bitterly. "I don't think I get to choose."
The hum grew louder for a moment, almost as if responding to her voice.
Leo looked at the walls, his eyes narrowing. "We'll find a way to shut them down. All of it."
Eva glanced toward him. "You really think you can fight the Architects?"
"If they bleed," he said simply, "we can kill them."
She studied him for a long time—then nodded faintly. "Maybe. But not yet."
The lights flickered once more.
The voice returned.
> "Cycle Two: Psychological Evaluation. Subject response recording begins."
Before anyone could react, the floor vibrated softly beneath them. Thin mist hissed from hidden vents near the walls.
Jordan swore, covering his mouth. "Gas!"
Eva shook her head. "No—it's sedation. Don't fight it. They'll only increase the dose."
Maya staggered to her knees, her voice breaking. "Eva—what will they do to us?"
Eva's eyes softened, almost sad. "They'll ask questions. Not with words. Just… try not to believe what you see."
The mist thickened. Leo tried to reach her, but his legs gave out halfway. The world tilted sideways, colors blurring into white noise.
The last thing he saw before blacking out—
Was the silent man in the corner finally standing up.