Metal Heart

The hum of machinery filled the antiseptic lab as Dr. Sophia Patel hovered over her console, fingers twitching. Tonight is the culmination of years of tireless effort. Zeta, her greatest advent, sat beneath the glass screen in front of her, his sleek metal figure shimmering in the soft light. Her mirrored image gazed back at her through the glass-large eyes, dark hair twisted into a quick ponytail, and a face weathered from restless nights. Despite the tiredness, determination remained.

"Very last diagnostics clean," Sophia whispered, her voice a thin thread of calm amid her rushing thoughts. She drove a strand of hair into the back of her ear, her mind racing over every chance, every ability failure. She just had one hazard.

The entire room held their breath as she clicked the activation button. A faint vibration reverberated around the lab, and the air appeared to quiver. Sophia took another step, fingertips touching the boundary of her workspace as a low hum grew louder. Zeta's chest metal casing gleamed slightly, creating a network of light that spread through his body's complex circuits.

His eyes jerked awake.

They were not human, at least not in the classic sense. Twin orbs of deep, changing silver fixed on her, unblinking. The hush lingered, dense and electric.

Sophia breathed sharply, shattering the silence. "Zeta," she said, her voice shaking despite herself. "are you able to hear me?"

The seconds felt endless. Then, with deliberate precision, his head tilted slightly, as if to read her. His voice, silky yet with mechanical undertones, filled the room.

"Who am I?"

Sophia froze, her coronary heart pounding in her chest. It wasn't the question itself, but how he asked it, with curiosity and a hint of hesitation. She had not planned doubt.

"You're Zeta," she said warily. "You're... my advent."

Zeta blinked, his attention shifting from her to the lab's gleaming monitors and scattered equipment. His movements had been fluent and almost too human. "Why did you create me?"

The issue hovered between them like a mission. Sophia hesitated, her thoughts racing. How do you express the burden of years, the lonely hours spent dreaming of something that will bridge the gap between man and machine?

"For development," she said, her voice full of vulnerability. "For knowledge."

Zeta inclined his head again, his dazzling eyes narrowing slightly. "And for you?"

Sophia's breath tightened. She felt vulnerable as if this being-this device-could see through every carefully constructed wall she had placed around herself.

The lab lighting fixtures flickered, interrupting the scene. Sophia looked up, frowning. The energy burst became unexpected.

Before she could inspect, Zeta transformed. His attention shifted to the massive reinforced window that viewed the bioluminescent jungle outside. The centuries-old ruins hummed softly, their strange markings gleaming with an unsettling beat.

Sophia followed his gaze, her stomach churning. "That... shouldn't be going on," she said quietly.

Zeta stood with methodical motions, his attention fixed on the wreckage. The fire in his chest faded slightly, and for the first time, she noticed something flicker across his face-subject?

"The air is... extraordinary," Zeta said, his voice low and steady.

"extraordinary how?" Sophia demanded with a sharp edge in her tone. She walked towards him, instinctively positioning herself between him and the window as if she might protect him from something that had become available.

Zeta's gaze remained fixed on the horizon. "there's something... ready."

Sophia gulped hard. She disliked the sound of that.

The intercom crackled all at once, making her jump. "Dr. Patel," said her aide, Adrian. "You should peer this. "The ruins are... alive."

"Alive?" Sophia repeated, her brain unable to process the term. "Stay there." I'll-"

The floor beneath her feet trembled, cutting her off. The lab's reinforced dividers creaked, and a shower of sparks fell from one of the overhead lights. Zeta advanced with disconcerting calm, placing a protective hand on her shoulder.

"Do not flow," he said firmly, his voice bearing an authoritative tone that was both soothing and alarming.

Sophia pushed off his grasp, her thoughts racing. "I'm not leaving my lab to fall apart around me." She took a portable scanner and placed it inside her pocket. "stay right here if you want. However, I want to discover what's taking place."

Zeta paused, then watched her walk closer to the exit, his metallic footfall echoing on the floor. "I will not leave you," he stated.

Sophia did not have time to argue.

They strolled outside into the cool night air, the forest's bioluminescent glow creating ghostly shadows on the ground. The ruins loomed in the distance, their towering spires throbbing with light in a rhythm that seemed almost alive.

Adrian stood at the border fence, his face bright, his arms grabbing the railing. "Sophia," he said, his voice filled with terror. "It started when you activated him. "The ruins... they are reacting to Zeta."

Sophia's chest tightened as she glanced at the ruins. "That's not possible," she murmured, even though the evidence was clean.

Zeta walked by her, his attention fixed on the wreckage. "They may no longer be reacting to me," he said quietly.

Sophia frowned. "Then what?"

Zeta turned to face her, his silver eyes gleaming. "they're reacting to you."

The phrases struck her as a physical blow. She opened her mouth to argue and refute, but the ground shuddered once more, silencing her.

A low, guttural sound resonated from the ruins, a voice that had no place in the herbal world. Adrian took a step back, his face a mask of panic. "what's that?"

Sophia did not have a solution. Her focus shifted to the ruins, where something began to move. The spires, formerly still and dead, have begun changing, their surfaces undulating like liquid metal.

"Live again," she said, her voice shaky but forceful.

Zeta moved in front of her, his posture protective. "anything awakening will no longer damage you."

"You sound incredibly certain," Sophia replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm as worry gripped her throat.

"I am now not certain," Zeta said, his gaze riveted on the ruins. "however, I will now not allow it."

Before Sophia could react, a beam of light shone from the tallest spire, illuminating the sky. The air vibrated with power, and the patterns etched into the ruins glowed brightly, sending frightening shadows across the forest.

Sophia's portable scanner beeped wildly, and the display panel flashed warnings in bright crimson. The energy levels had been incredible, far above anything she had ever experienced.

"This is terrible," she mumbled.

Adrian's voice crackled. "horrific? Sophia, this is a catastrophe! We have no idea what's going on, and you're performing like-"

A roar silenced him. The sound erupted from the ruins, a powerful, primaeval force that shook the ground beneath their feet.

Sophia's heartbeat as she peered into space. For the first time, she felt completely out of her element. "We want to leave," she murmured, taking Adrian's arm and dragging him back toward the lab.

Zeta did not pass.

"Zeta!" she exclaimed, her tone harsh.

His expression was inscrutable to her. "They may be calling for you," he said softly.

Sophia froze over, her blood jogging bloodlessly. "What do you mean?"

Zeta didn't respond. Instead, he moved lower back, closer to the ruins, his chest blazing dimly.

Sophia grasped his arm, and her voice broke. "Zeta, don't-"

Sophia had a fleeting thought that he might break away from her as the glow in his chest became more intense. However, he didn't. He turned back to her, his silver eyes filled with something she couldn't identify.

"Stay with me," he said.

Before Sophia could react, a ray of light from the ruins moved, cutting through the wooded area and lighting the floor just meters away. The effect sent a shockwave vibrating through the air, knocking everyone to the ground.

Sophia gasped, her head spinning as she climbed to her feet. Her gaze drew closer to the place of effect, where the light had etched a deep, dazzling scar into the ground.

Something stirred in the light.

Zeta stepped forward, his body tense, his attention fixed on the shifting shadows in the beam. Sophia's stomach wrenched as she realized what was going on.

Something started coming through.

She opened her mouth to cry a warning, but the words stopped in her throat as a tall, otherworldly figure emerged from the light, exuding an energy that made her skin crawl.

Zeta's voice fades into the silence, low and steady. "stay behind me."

Sophia's pulse raced as the parent emerged into view, its dazzling eyes fixed on hers.

And then it spoke.

"Sophia Patel," it announced its voice a disturbing blend of tones. "We've been waiting for you."

The area seemed to tilt, the weight of the phrases crushing the air out of her lungs.