Unnatural Instinct [ongoing] - Version: 0.2 ✦ Verified

Kaelen didn't look back. "You didn't just delete fear, Dr. Vance. You deleted self-preservation."

Vance pulled a small, silver pocket knife from his coat and held it out. "Subject 0.2. Assess and neutralize the threat." Unnatural Instinct [Ongoing] - Version: 0.2

"Exactly," Vance smirked, stepping forward. "Nature gave us instincts to keep us alive. But survival is a sloppy, emotional process. We have created something better. A perfect, calculated response system. We call it an unnatural instinct." Kaelen didn't look back

Kaelen pressed his palm against the glass barrier, his fingers twitching to a rhythm he didn't recognize. On the other side, the subject—labeled 0.2 —sat perfectly still. It looked entirely human, save for its eyes. They weren't reflecting the room's fluorescent lighting. They were absorbing it. You deleted self-preservation

The subject froze mid-stride, its hand hovering inches from Vance's throat. It turned its void-like eyes back to Kaelen.

"Sir, we haven't finished the behavioral mapping," Kaelen protested. "Open it. I want to see the 0.2 patch in action."

The air in the sterile white lab didn't just feel cold; it felt engineered.