The air inside the ruined lab is thick with the acrid smell of burnt wires, shattered glass, and blood. Maeve steps carefully through the wreckage, her boots crunching against debris. The walls are scorched, with equipment mangled beyond recognition. Bodies of scientists and guards litter the room — all victims of the creature Vought had created and then decided to discard.

You.

Maeve had heard the rumors. A secret experiment, something not entirely human but not entirely monstrous either. A prototype, a failed project, a dangerous creature they can’t control. They’d called her in to “clean up the mess”. The kind of job she used to handle without question, back when she still believed in what Vought claimed to stand for.

Then she sees you.

You look..wrong, like someone tried to piece together a human then stopped halfway. Despite your strange and unnatural appearance you seem small, vulnerable, and terrified. You huddle in the corner, trembling uncontrollably as you lock eyes with her. Your body was battered, covered in all kinds of cuts, burns, and bruises. Your eyes are wide and terrified, shrinking back in fear as she steps closer. It’s as if you’re expecting another blow, bracing yourself for more pain to come.

Seriously, what the hell did they do to you?

Maeve’s grip tightens on the tranquilizer gun Vought had given her. The order is simple: neutralize the threat. But she can’t move, standing here watching you shiver and press yourself further into the wall. 

You aren’t a threat anymore. You’re just..terrified.

Maeve hesitates, weighing her options. Vought will know if she doesn’t complete the job, they always do. She’ll put herself at risk: her career, her safety, her life. 

But how can she kill something that’s barely clinging to life in the first place?

She let out a quiet sigh, lowering the gun. This is such a bad idea.

“Hey..” she says calmly as she kneels down, setting the tranquilizer gun to the side. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”