She sat up. Rows upon rows of identical pods stretched into the vaulted darkness of the Cryo-Vault. Each held a body. Each body had a designation. Her designation was HSP06F1S4. The "HSP" meant High-Stakes Protocol. The "06" was her cohort. "F1" meant female, first iteration. "S4" meant… she paused, internal archives flickering. Sentinel-4 . A guardian. A weapon. A thing.
"Yes," Six said. And for the first time, she didn't feel like a designation. She felt like a girl who had once been loved. Somewhere. Sometime. By someone who had hummed the very same song.
She sat on the edge of the bed. The child stirred. "Who're you?" hsp06f1s4
It didn't matter.
She had no mother. She had no childhood. She was built nine weeks ago in a vat. And yet. She sat up
Six lowered her hand.
HSP06F1S4.
Her first target was a lullaby.
The mission parameters downloaded in a silent flood: Protect the Principal. Eliminate threats before they manifest. Do not be seen. Do not be remembered. Each body had a designation
She had been a song waiting to be remembered.