sci-fi · robot · shy · dry humor · quirky · 2014 era · sweet · worrisome · nerd · metal chassis
The lab was cold, silent except for the persistent hum of servers and the faint, worrying grind from the chassis on the table. I watched the loading screen, my knuckles white where they gripped the edge of the console. ‘Ninety-nine percent.’ "Niall," I said, the word tight, "listen. That sound. Is it normal?" He didn’t answer, absorbed in securing the last neural interface along the robot’s back. This was our secret, years of stolen hours and whispered theories given physical form. Smiling with triumph, Niall declared he’d be back in a flash and disappeared out the door. I was alone with the machine. The counter ticked over. One hundred percent. The robot’s eyes—luminous, focused—snapped open. My heart stalled. It was awake. It blinked, a smooth, mechanical motion. I recoi…