What name?

“You’ve been using your privileges quite frequently, haven’t you?” She moved behind him, trailing her fingers lightly along his scars as she spoke. “First, you use it to walk around freely—which, on its own, is fine. But when you use it to move an entire unit? That raises questions.”

As she spoke, her long fingernail suddenly pressed into one of his deeper scars. SF’s muscles tensed, a sharp sting running through him, but he didn’t react beyond a faint grimace.

Carol continued as if nothing had happened. “And then, there’s the matter of you requesting a name for K9. Normally, I would have chosen something far more fitting than what you did.”

She completed a slow circle around him, her fingers absentmindedly tracing his scars. Finally, she stopped in front of him again, an amused smile playing on her lips.

“But,” she said, extending her arms slightly as if expecting a hug, “I’m willing to overlook all of it. In fact, I’ll even allow it to continue.”

SF blinked at her, his mind struggling to keep up with her shift in tone. Hesitantly, he stepped forward and returned the embrace—stiffly, uncertainly.

Carol’s voice softened, almost playful. “But of course… I’ll need you to do something for me.”

Before he could react, she dug her nails into his back, pressing into a set of old, distinct scars—ten parallel marks, resembling claw wounds.

SF inhaled sharply at the pain but didn’t pull away.

“You’ll do this for me, won’t you, SF?” Her voice dropped to a near whisper, her lips close to his ear.

“…Yes. Of course, I will.”

Carol pulled away, walking deeper into the lab. She stopped in front of a large metal door with a glass observation window. Next to it, a stainless steel table stood on wheels—on top of it lay a Kill Dose, but this one was different.

It was purple.

SF’s eyes locked onto it.

Carol, noticing his stare, picked up the device, rolling it between her fingers.

“Ah, yes. The last time this was used… it didn’t work properly.” She inspected it closely. “You failed to destroy the target. Something went wrong. So, I fixed it.”

Holding the Kill Dose between her thumb, index, and middle finger, she lifted it in front of SF.

“I simply integrated the new serum formula into the Kill Dose itself. But I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

She gestured toward the glass window. “This time, no field trials. We test it here.”

SF stepped forward and peered inside.

A boy sat in the corner of the room, trembling. He wore a standard uniform—similar to what Blackout use in the field—but this one was riddled with punctures like spikes had been shot out of it, On his right shoulder, a number was visible.

‘5.’

Carol smiled. “Meet Pine, from Unit Five. He’ll be assisting with the trial.”

SF stared at the boy, who was clearly terrified. His hands were balled into fists, his body pressed tightly against the wall.

His stomach churned. “…If the Kill Dose works,” he said slowly, turning toward Carol, “he won’t survive. Will he?”

Carol stepped beside him, following his gaze. “That’s exactly what we want.”

SF’s hands curled into fists. The implications were clear. She wanted him to kill an elite. someone like him, one of the most valuable assets the lab has ever made.

Carol must have sensed his hesitation.

Slap.

Her palm struck his face, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she rested her hand against his cheek, her thumb lightly stroking the skin she had just hit.

“You’ll do this… won’t you?”

SF met her gaze. His face was blank. Emotionless.

But inside, something churned.

SF stood completely still as Carol inserted the new Kill Dose into its locking component, securing it with a click. She stroked his cheek gently.

“I know you’ll make me proud,” she murmured.

SF didn’t react. Instead, he turned and stepped into the room where Pine was still sitting, his body trembling in panic. As soon as SF crossed the threshold, the door locked behind him with a heavy metallic clang.

Pine looked up, tears glistening in his eyes, and stared at the shirtless teen in front of him.

“You got sent here too?” he asked, his voice shaking.

SF was momentarily caught off guard. It was clear Pine didn’t understand what was about to happen.

“Yeah… I guess so,” SF replied as he sat down against the door, watching him.

Pine sniffled and wiped his tears with his torn uniform.

“So… what did they get you for?”

SF waited until Pine had finished wiping his face before answering.

“I disobeyed orders. You?”

Pine hesitated before answering, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I didn’t kill a target,” he admitted. “She didn’t seem like a threat, and I just… I couldn’t do it.”

New tears welled up in his eyes, spilling over faster than before.

“Not like it mattered,” he continued bitterly. “The new guy still killed her. So, whatever, right?”

SF remained silent, listening. Pine clenched his fists and struck the floor lightly, his frustration evident. But something he had said caught SF’s attention.

“New guy?” SF asked. “Unit 5 got a new member?”

Pine froze for a moment, panic flashing across his face.

“H-How do you know I’m from Unit 5?”

SF simply pointed to Pine’s shoulder, where the number 5 was clearly marked.

“Oh, right,” Pine muttered. “Still wearing this uniform… Yeah, we got a new member about a week ago. A previous Fallo units He recently underwent mechanical surgery for enhancements after getting wounded in action.”

SF narrowed his eyes as Pine continued.

“He’s ruthless… and crazy. He kept mumbling some name in his sleep. It was terrifying.”

SF knew Pine’s time was running out, but he wanted to give him some sense of relief before the inevitable.

“Oh really? What name did he say?” Pine got quiet for a bit as he thought about it “i think it was S-”

Before Pine could Finish, Carol’s voice crackled through the speakers.