Mrs. Chandler POV

Dr. Frank moved around the lab with practiced precision, his eyes darting between the monitors and the equipment surrounding Sia. The clone lay on the table, her chest rising and falling with mechanical rhythm, the only indication that life—however artificial—had been restored within her. His team of resident doctors worked silently around him, their faces taut with the anticipation of what was to come.

“Sara,” Dr. Frank called out, his voice tense, “check her neural responses again.”

Sara, always efficient, stepped forward and placed a set of electrodes on Sia’s forehead, her fingers moving deftly over the control panel. A series of beeps followed, and the monitor...