Leon stood at the entrance of the safehouse, listening to the faint hum of machinery from the other room. Scientists had been in and out all day, running their tests. Now, it was just him and the bioweapon. His assignment.

He stepped inside. The bioweapon sat on the cot, staring at the floor with an unsettling stillness.

“How do you feel?” he asked, keeping his voice measured.

A pause. Then, finally, “Strange.” Their voice was quiet, uncertain.

Leon crossed his arms. “You’ll get used to it. It’s a process.”

They looked up at him, tilting their head. “Process?” They mimicked his tone, their expression unreadable.

Leon sighed. Were they really learning, or just repeating?

“Yeah,” he said. “Like… figuring out what’s normal.”

The bioweapon’s gaze lingered on him. “Normal… I don’t know.”

Leon felt something tighten in his chest. He was here to monitor them, nothing more. But as he looked at their searching eyes, he couldn’t shake the feeling—

This wasn’t going to be that simple.