"Can you speak?" Vell asked, still supporting the figure who was now sitting up against one of the lab's metal walls.
The person – Vell could now see it was a young woman – opened and closed her mouth a few times before managing a raspy "Yes."
"Well, that's a start," Yenna said, keeping her distance but watching curiously. "Got a name?"
The woman's black eyes seemed unfocused as she thought about it. "I... Subject 23? No, that's not... I had another name. Before."
"Before they put you in that tank?" He asked gently.
She nodded slowly. "They said... said I was special. That my body could handle pure corruption better than the others." A shudder ran through her. "There were so many others..."
[Scanning subject's neural patterns]
[Memory fragmentation detected]
[Warning: Emotional instability likely]
"Take it easy," he said, noticing how the corruption under her skin pulsed faster with her distress. "You're safe now."
