The screaming stopped the moment Bianca entered the room.
Not because things improved.
Because everyone noticed someone new had arrived.
Dozens of children stood inside the massive underground training chamber beneath harsh white lights.
Some looked exhausted.
Some injured.
Some looked completely empty.
Bianca felt sick.
The guards shoved her forward into the center of the room before stepping away.
Nobody spoke.
The children watched her carefully instead.
Measuring.
Judging.
A few looked curious.
Most looked afraid for her.
That feeling settled heavily in Bianca’s stomach.
The red-haired woman walked toward the center of the chamber with calm measured steps.
The room straightened instantly.
Every child stood taller.
Silent.
Obedient.
Fear did that to people.
“Today,” the woman announced coldly, “we begin integration assessment.”
Her sharp gaze landed directly on Bianca.
“New subjects will learn quickly.”
Bianca crossed her arms instinctively despite her shaking legs.
“Or what?”
Wrong answer.
The woman moved faster than Bianca could process.
One second she stood several feet away.
The next— pain exploded across Bianca’s face.
Bianca crashed sideways onto the floor hard enough to see stars.
The entire room remained silent.
No one reacted.
That scared Bianca more than getting hit by this woman.
Her cheek burned violently as blood filled her mouth.
The woman crouched beside her calmly.
“Lesson one.” Her voice remained soft.
“Never mistake survival for safety.”
Bianca glared up at her through watering eyes.
Every instinct screamed to fight back.
But another instinct— a smarter instinct— saw the armed guards.
Saw the terrified children.
Saw the people who had clearly survived this place far longer than her.
And realized: she would lose.
Badly.
The woman stood again.
“Get up.”
Bianca slowly pushed herself upright.
Humiliation burned hotter than the pain.
The children kept watching silently.
One boy near the wall looked away first.
Like he pitied her.
Bianca hated that even more.
The woman resumed speaking.
“My name is Director Volkov.” pause.
“You exist because this facility allows it.” pause.
“Remember that.”
The room answered immediately.
“Yes, Director.”
Every child spoke in unison.
Bianca stayed silent.
Volkov’s eyes slid toward her again.
A warning.
Bianca clenched her jaw.
“…yes, Director.”
Good enough apparently.
Volkov gestured toward the training floor.
“Pairs.”
The room moved instantly.
Children separated quickly into combat positions like practiced machines.
Bianca stood frozen for half a second before a smaller girl approached her cautiously.
Dark hair.
Thin frame.
Bruises along both wrists.
Probably thirteen years old.
“You should raise your guard,” the girl whispered quietly.
Bianca blinked.
“…what?”
The girl suddenly punched her in the stomach.
Hard.
Bianca folded instantly with a strangled gasp.
Pain shot through her ribs.
The girl looked horrified immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
Then she attacked again.
Bianca barely blocked the second strike on instinct.
“What the hell?!”
“You have to fight me,” the girl whispered desperately while throwing another punch.
“If you don’t, they punish us both.”
Bianca stumbled backward avoiding another hit barely.
Around them, the entire room had erupted into violent sparring matches.
Children beating children.
Some skilled.
Some terrified.
All exhausted.
The guards watched everything from elevated platforms above.
Waiting for mistakes.
Bianca blocked another punch awkwardly.
She wasn’t a fighter.
She’d never needed to be.
The girl attacking her clearly knew techniques.
Controlled breathing.
Precise movements.
Training.
Bianca meanwhile fought like an angry raccoon.
The girl swept Bianca’s legs.
Bianca crashed onto the mat again.
Pain exploded through her bruised body.
“Get up,” one of the guards barked instantly.
The girl looked panicked.
“Please,” she whispered quickly.
“They’ll hurt us.”
Bianca forced herself upright again breathing hard.
The entire situation felt unreal.
Like a nightmare refusing to end.
The system flickered suddenly.
> Combat Adaptation Initiated.
A strange cold sensation spread through Bianca’s mind.
The next attack came— and suddenly she saw it.
Not literally.
But her body reacted faster somehow.
Bianca sidestepped instinctively.
The girl’s punch missed.
Both of them froze slightly.
Bianca blinked.
“…okay that was freaking weird.”
The girl attacked again.
This time Bianca blocked successfully.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
The system flickered softly.
> Minor Adaptation Progress: 1%
Interesting.
Terrifying.
But interesting.
The fight continued awkwardly for several more minutes before a loud alarm echoed through the chamber.
Everyone froze instantly.
Volkov walked calmly across the floor while reviewing something on a tablet.
Her expression darkened slightly.
“Medical sector breach.”
The room became even quieter somehow.
One of the guards frowned.
“Escape attempt?”
Volkov nodded once.
“Subject Twelve.”
Several children nearby visibly paled.
Bianca noticed immediately.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the normal survival fear filling this place.
Something worse.
Volkov sighed softly.
“Bring him back.”
The guards moved instantly toward the exit.
Then screaming echoed through the facility again.
Not child screaming.
Adult screaming.
Followed by gunfire.
Everyone in the chamber stiffened.
Bianca’s pulse spiked instantly.
The system flickered violently across her vision.
> Danger Detected.
> Immediate Survival Probability Dropping.
The lights overhead suddenly died.
Darkness swallowed the chamber instantly.
Children gasped quietly around her.
Then emergency red lights activated.
And something hit the reinforced steel doors outside.
Hard enough to dent them inward.
The entire room froze.
Another impact came.
Louder this time.
The metal doors bent violently.
One of the guards raised his weapon immediately.
“What the hell is that?”
Nobody answered.
Then a distorted voice echoed faintly through the hallway beyond.
Laughing.
Not normal laughter.
Broken laughter of what seemed like a devil’s cry.
Bianca felt cold spread through her chest instantly.
The system flashed red warnings across her vision.
> Threat Level Rising.
> Experimental Subject Detected.
> Recommendation: RUN.