S-767 opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. The fact that there was a ceiling was strange, as the last thing she remembered was drifting in a river. She sat up and examined herself, she was wearing a gray shirt and gray shorts to match, and bandages decorated her wounds. Looking around the small room, she could see a small bookshelf next to a desk and a chair.

The door opened, and a blonde woman walked in carrying a tray of food holding oatmeal, an orange, and some scrambled eggs.

"You're awake," She said before placing the tray on the desk and looking at S-767. She then pulled the chair out and brought it to the edge of the bed.

"You got a name?" She smiled in a friendly manner.

"...No," S-767 answered honestly. S-767 wasn't her name but rather a classification of sorts.

"Well...We'll figure one out for you? In the meantime, you can call me Rachel. I'll start asking some questions and then you answer as best you can, ok?" S-767's monotone voice caught the woman off guard, but she continued speaking.

"Do you have any family?" She asked.

"No."

"I see...Then, where'd you come from?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get those injuries?"

"...A bear attacked me."

"A bear? Really? That's how you ended up in the river?" Rachel blinked in surprise. She doubted whether or not S-767 was telling the truth but the girl spoke with such a straight face it made it hard to think otherwise.

"Yes, I tried to get away and accidentally fell in."

"You drifted down the river and got pretty banged up. When I bandaged you up I noticed your tattoos...What do they mean exactly?"

"They describe what I am."

"And what's that?" Rachel asked out of pure bewilderment.

"...I don't know," S-767 replied.

Rachel's gaze turned serious as she went over S-767 a few times. She was under the assumption that S-767 was a victim of human trafficking but managed to escape, which was a slight truth. Minerva illegally took possession of S-767 while she was in her embryonic stage.

"Alright. How about we call you Vis?" Rachel said with a smile as she wiped her solemn expression. She decided not to cause the girl to have mental trauma by bringing up her past.

"Vis?" S-767 repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, like the tattoo under your collarbone," Rachel explained before continuing, " The V, the 1, and the S. It's not the most creative, but it's something, right?"

"Vis," S-767 repeated with a confused expression.

"If you don't like it–" Rachel started to speak until S-767 interrupted her.

"–No...It's fine." S-767, or rather Vis, said. It was hard for her to describe what it was like to have a name. For others, it was something common, but to her, it was much more than that. Rachel smiled and grabbed the tray, bringing it to the side of the bed.

"Eat as much as you like, I'll be back in a few." Rachel said before leaving the room.

Vis ate a spoonful of oatmeal and widened her eyes, it tasted far better than the raw meat of animals.

[Warning: Battery Low. Requesting user hear final analysis. Accept or Decline?] The robotic voice of the A.I intoned.

"Accept," Vis said as she continued to eat.

[User accepted. Lifeforms appear to be human. Basic scans of surroundings and Physiology seem to show modern advancements. Estimated probability of Minerva research material and or contaminants being leaked into the atmosphere: 92%. User advised to—] The watch went dead before the A.I could finish.

Vis was unsure of how to take the newly acquired information. The fact was she didn't know anything about Minerva or about the current world she was in.

She turned her head to the bookshelf on the other side of the room and then raised her arm. The books floated in the air and over to the bed. Vis looked over them, she lucked out by finding a few history books. Wasting no time, she opened them while she ate. She had to learn about her new world as quickly as possible.

..........

Far away, in a large damp cavern with Moss lined walls. A steady dripping sound helped to give sound to the calm atmosphere.

The scene was disrupted by a group of slow moving people, their movements cautious and alert.

6 people moved forward together. They each wore a set of night vision goggles, helmets, balaclavas, gas masks, black jumpsuits, tactical vest, and metallic protective plating covering their limbs and torsos. Various equipment hung on their belts and chest holsters, from knives to grenades and finally pistols. Four out of six of them held black assault rifles with suppressors. The remaining two carried a machine that resembled a portable cannon.

[Comms check.] The one who looked to be the leader spoke into a microphone.

[Check.]

[Check.]

[Check.]

[Check.]

[Check.]

The remaining five responded.

[Intel says this is a suspected spot for one of the Corrupted. Our aim is to capture it alive, keep your eyes peeled.] The leader spoke as they made their way deeper into the cavern.

[Captain, you think a corrupted would be by itself so close to human civilization.] Someone asked curiously.

[The wildlife is scarce around here, which is usually a sign of a Corrupted. They tend to stick closer to the nest where the queen is, but it's clear things have changed in the seven years.] The Captain spoke bitterly, recalling the event that took place seven years ago, an event which changed human life dramatically.

All of a sudden an object came into view.

[Safety's off. Get that Pulse Gun ready.] The captain ordered as they raised their weapons. Turning back, the Captain looked at the machine that needed two people to carry it.

Attached to the wall of the cavern was an extremely large and fleshy cocoon that pulsated with life.

[Give it a wake-up call.] The Captain said, taking a step back.

The "Pulse Gun" whirred with life and crackled, the long barrel began to glow and then—

A pulse of energy shot out of the gun faster than normal eyes could track and hit the cocoon, causing it to burst open.

"Aiegh!" The contents of the cocoon, mainly being a human-like creature, emerged with a scream before falling to the ground, seemingly paralyzed.

The exhaust ports on the Pulse Gun released steam accompanied by a loud hiss that echoed throughout the cavern, becoming the only sound in the tense atmosphere. The Captain pulled out a syringe and stepped forward. The creature showed no visible movements, but the Captain refused to relax, only after the syringe was injected did the Captain take a sigh of relief.

[Call for an extraction.] The Captain said to one of the men, before moving away from the creature. One of the subordinates nodded and ran back to the entrance of the cave.

And like that, a successful capture operation was completed. What was captured and for what purpose remained to be answered.