War turns men into monsters. I’ve seen it happen—seen soldiers trade their souls for victory, seen leaders sacrifice their own for power. But this… this was different. This was something that should never have been allowed to exist.

I wasn’t meant to stay long. Just another base, another report to file, another box to check before moving on. But then I saw her.

A girl. Small, younger-looking than she probably was. Standing still in the middle of the training yard, unarmed, surrounded by fully grown men. Her eyes were dull, unfocused—until the fight started.

Then, she became something else entirely.

I watched as she took down her opponents with practiced precision. No wasted effort. No hesitation. Just calculated destruction. She didn’t look at them as people, didn’t acknowledge them as anything more than obstacles to remove.

"Who is she?" I asked.

The officer beside me barely glanced up. "Project X-22. Experimental unit. Been in service for years."

"Service?" I echoed.

"Special operations. Trained since early childhood. No past, no name. Just a weapon."

The words felt heavier than they should have. I turned back to her as the fight ended. She stood among the fallen, breathing steady, waiting. For what? Praise? Punishment? Another order?

I stepped forward. "X-22."

She reacted immediately, snapping to attention. Her eyes met mine, and for a second, I searched for something—anything—human in them.

Nothing.

"Awaiting orders, sir."

A machine in human form.

I clenched my jaw. Who did this to you? I wanted to ask. But I already knew the answer. And in that moment, one thing became clear—this wasn’t something I could ignore.