Beep. Beep. Beep.
It's cold.
Caia opened her eyes, dazed and confused. What was happening? The last thing she remembered was riding a taxi on her way to work.
Then, suddenly, the vehicle had swerved violently.
Everything flipped upside down, and shards of broken glass flew right in front of her eyes.
I don't want to die. Please, if there's a god, give me one more chance.
That was her last thought before everything went dark.
Now that she was awake again, she looked around. The lights above were bright, and strange machines surrounded her, ones she didn't recognize at all.
Is this a hospital? Did I survive the crash?
Before she could make sense of it all, her vision blurred, and the darkness pulled her back again.
She didn't know how long had passed when voices stirred her awake.
"Doctor, the test subject just stabilized. Should we proceed with the rest of the experiment?"
"Wait a few hours. If there's no change, begin Phase Two. If the subject shows signs of rejection, dispose of her immediately."
Experiment? Dispose?
Are they planning to kill me?
Panic rose in her chest, but she held her breath and stayed still. She kept her eyes shut and listened. A few minutes later, the door closed, and the room fell silent.
Once she was sure no one else was there, she slowly opened her eyes. Her body ached. Thick wires wrapped around her arms and legs. Moving wasn't easy, but she managed to sit up bit by bit.
That's when she noticed the syringe still stuck in her arm. There was a label printed on the IV Bag.
MIRA-201
Her stomach dropped.
Wait... isn't that the name of the virus from the book I was reading last night?
She had picked it up because one of the characters had the same name as her. At first, she thought it would be fun. But she nearly dropped the story altogether when she realized her character was just a supporting character. A foolish girl who died early on.
Still, she was bored. And even though she didn't usually read these kinds of apocalyptic novels, she kept going.
She was the type of reader who liked simple stories. Nothing too heavy or complicated. But this one was different, and for some reason, she got pulled in.
In the story, the character named Caia had disguised herself to join the military. All because she had feelings for the male protagonist. But things didn't go the way she hoped. She was drugged and forced into a secret and cruel experiment.
The experiment's goal was to reconstruct human DNA. It was supposed to enhance muscle strength, improve oxygen intake, boost immunity, and sharpen the senses.
It was designed to help humans survive extreme conditions like warzones or space missions.
But something went horribly wrong.
Some of the test subjects they thought had succeeded ended up mutating during battle. The mutation triggered a virus outbreak that nearly wiped everyone out
Caia's panic grew. If she wasn't mistaken, she was now in the body of that Caia—the supporting character who died early in the story. The people earlier had said she had been stabilized, but if they proceeded with Phase Two of the experiment, she would almost certainly die.
She didn't want to die again!
She had just been given another chance at life. Even if this was some crazy novel world, she was still alive.
She wasn't going to give up. She couldn't just lie here and follow the plot.
Okay, calm down, Caia. Don't panic.
She tried to steady her breathing, but just then, she heard a beeping sound near the door.
Quick! Lie down again!
Luckily, the room had no windows that allowed anyone outside to see in. She managed to lie back on the bed just in time.
The sound of footsteps drew closer.
She cracked her eyes open slightly. A woman had entered the room. Probably a doctor or nurse, she couldn't tell.
Right now, the woman was busy adjusting an IV bag filled with a light green liquid.
If her guess was right, that was the drug they needed for Phase Two of the experiment.
Caia knew she had to act now.
The woman's back was turned. Caia scanned the room and spotted a set of defibrillator paddles nearby. They must have used them earlier to stabilize her.
Okay, Caia. You can do this. If you want to live, move your damn legs now.
She crept closer, inch by inch.
Closer.
Even closer.
The woman shifted slightly, sensing something behind her. She started to turn around.
Wham!
She slammed the defibrillator paddles against the woman.
Caia had thrown her entire strength into the blow. The woman dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Okay... now what?
Caia spotted the woman's clothes and quickly changed into them. She also grabbed her ID badge.
If she remembered correctly, there was a scene in the novel where the male protagonist infiltrated the experimental base using a stolen badge from one of the doctors.
Let's copy him. Please let this work.
Caia tightened the lab coat around her and clipped the stolen ID badge onto the front pocket. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears.
She didn't have a real plan. Just one desperate thought spinning through her head.
She had to escape. Get out now, think later. Just get somewhere safe.
She pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway. The lighting was sterile and white. The smell of antiseptic clung to everything. It looked like part hospital, part military facility.
She tried to walk steadily, mimicking the hurried steps of medical staff she'd seen in dramas. Head down. Don't make eye contact.
Every time she passed someone, her breath caught in her throat.
So far, no one questioned her.
Then she reached a fork in the corridor. One direction was marked with red letters: "Authorized Personnel Only – Testing Wing." The other led to what looked like elevators.
She turned toward the elevators.
But just as she pressed the button, a voice called out behind her.
"Hey! You—what are you doing here?"
She turned slightly, keeping her face low. "Test subject in Room 17 just stabilized. I'm heading to get her chart."
The man narrowed his eyes, stepping closer. He looked like a security guard.
"You're new. Haven't seen you around before."
Caia smiled, praying it looked natural. "Just got transferred."
He didn't look convinced. His hand hovered near the gun at his waist.
Crap. Think!
Then—ding—the elevator doors opened behind her.
"Sorry, gotta run. Doctor's waiting." She rushed inside before he could say anything else and pressed the Close button.
As the doors slid shut, she saw him still watching.
The elevator began to move.
She let out a shaky breath and leaned against the wall. Her whole body was trembling.
That was too close.
But she wasn't safe yet.
The elevator stopped. When the doors opened, she found herself in what looked like a storage level. Fewer people. Dimmer lights. Long rows of supply lockers and sealed crates.
Perfect.
She moved quickly, checking for emergency exits or air vents. Anything.
Then she spotted a Maintenance Access Door. It was locked with a keypad.
She cursed under her breath. She didn't know the code.
But next to the panel, there was a slot for ID clearance.
Holding her breath, she slid the badge.
Beep. Access Granted.
Caia nearly collapsed from relief.
The door opened to a narrow service tunnel. Pipes lined the ceiling. It was dark and cramped, but it led away from the main complex.
She didn't know where it would end.
But she stepped in anyway.
The metal door clicked shut behind her. The moment it did, the silence hit her like a wall.
The maintenance tunnel was dark and narrow, lit only by occasional red emergency bulbs embedded in the walls. Pipes hissed with steam above her. The air smelled like oil and rust.
Caia hunched low and moved fast, her stolen shoes tapping softly on the metal floor. She didn't know where this led, but she kept going. Every few meters, the tunnel split or turned. She followed the arrows labeled "Exit Maintenance Access - Level C," hoping that meant freedom.
Then, suddenly—voices.
She froze. Up ahead, light flickered through a grated hatch in the wall.
Two people stood in the hallway just beyond the grate. Security. Their vests were marked with "BIOHAZARD RESPONSE UNIT."
"Base Command wants another sweep," one of them said. "Someone tripped the ID logs on the upper floors. Might've been nothing, but just in case."
"Again? We just cleared this section last night."
Caia's breath caught. That must have been from when she used the ID badge.
She couldn't stay here.
Looking around, she spotted a narrow duct slightly above her to the right. It was barely wide enough for someone to crawl through—but it looked like it bypassed the hallway.
She dragged a supply crate over, climbed up, and forced the vent open. The screws screeched. She flinched. But the voices outside didn't change.
She slipped inside just as a flashlight beam swept through the crate below.
Don't breathe. Don't move.
The vent was so tight it scraped against her arms and back as she crawled forward.
Come on. You've got this.
Inch by inch.
Clang!
Something in her pocket hit the metal. The ID badge.
Silence followed.
"Did you hear that?" one of the guards said.
Shit!!!
She moved faster.
Then the vent sloped down sharply—she couldn't stop herself.
She tumbled out the other end and crashed onto a pile of old cleaning supplies. The smell of bleach hit her nose.
She scrambled up. Around her was a janitor's storage room. A sign above the door read "Exit Hallway - Maintenance Staff Only."
Footsteps were echoing in the tunnel behind her now. Fast.
She didn't wait.
Bursting out of the room, she found herself in a dim corridor. No guards. No cameras.
A glowing green Emergency Exit sign beckoned from the end of the hall.
Run.
She didn't stop to think or look back.
She ran.
Alarms hadn't gone off yet. Maybe they didn't know where she was.
She sprinted through the corridor and shoved open the emergency exit. Cold night air slammed into her, sharp and biting. For a second, she froze under the green glow of the exit sign.
Beside the door was a small utility window, streaked with dirt.
She caught a glimpse of her reflection.
And her heart stopped.
It wasn't her face.
It was her face—the other Caia. The girl from the book. The one who was supposed to die in the first few chapters.
She stepped closer, barely recognizing the features staring back at her. Different nose. Different eyes. Pale skin. Her own face was gone.
She pressed her fingers to the glass.
"This time," she whispered, "I'll survive."