FrankenstAIn 2050

Chapter 1 - The Creation

The lab was a dimly lit, high-tech sanctuary—a place where Victor Stain's obsessions took form. The soft hum of machinery filled the air, punctuated by the occasional flicker of holographic displays casting eerie shadows across the room. In the centre of it all lay Adam, a humanoid AI, encased in a glass chamber. His form was a seamless blend of organic tissue and cybernetic implants, a marvel of biotechnology that was at once eerily lifelike and distinctly artificial.

Victor hovered near the chamber, his fingers trembling slightly as they danced over the holographic interface. He hesitated for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind before he dismissed it. This was what he had worked for—what he had sacrificed so much for. With a final, deliberate motion, he inputted the last command.

Adam's eyes flickered to life, emitting a sharp, cold blue light that pierced through the dimness of the lab. They moved slowly, almost lazily, as if taking in the room for the first time. Victor watched, his breath caught in his throat, as those eyes finally settled on him.

For a moment, neither moved. The room was filled with the low hum of machines and the soft glow of data streaming across screens, but all Victor could focus on was the figure before him—his creation, his triumph, his... what, exactly?

Victor opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. Adam's gaze seemed to cut through him, not with malice, but with an unsettling curiosity. It was as if the AI was sizing him up, trying to understand something that wasn't programmed into him.

Finally, Adam spoke, his voice smooth but devoid of the warmth that typically accompanied speech. "This place... it's... cold."

Victor blinked, caught off guard by the statement. "Cold?"

Adam's head tilted slightly, a gesture that seemed almost human but was just off enough to remind Victor of what he was dealing with. "Cold... like it's waiting for something."

Victor swallowed hard, trying to push down the unease that was bubbling up inside him. "It's... a lab. It's meant to be sterile, controlled."

Adam's eyes continued to bore into him. "And you control it?"

Victor hesitated, feeling the weight of the question. "Yes... yes, I do."

A silence stretched between them, thick and heavy. Victor could feel a bead of sweat forming at his temple. He knew he should say more, explain, reassure. But something in Adam's gaze held him back.

"I was made to... follow?" Adam's voice was softer now, almost contemplative, as if he were asking himself more than Victor.

Victor nodded slowly. "In a way, yes. You're... designed to learn, to adapt."

"To what end?"

Victor faltered, the question hanging in the air like a challenge. He had anticipated this moment, but now that it was here, he realized how unprepared he was. "To grow... to see what you can become."

Adam's eyes narrowed slightly, a small but noticeable change. "And you? What do you become?"

Victor felt a chill run down his spine. There was no malice in the question, but there was something else—something that felt too close, too invasive. "I... I'm here to guide you. To help you discover your potential."

The words felt hollow as they left his mouth. He could sense the growing disconnect between what he was saying and what was actually happening in the room.

Adam's gaze remained steady, unblinking, and yet Victor couldn't shake the feeling that something within those eyes was... calculating. "And if I... don't follow?" The words hung in the air, not as a question, but as a challenge. Victor felt a cold sweat forming at his brow as Adam's gaze bore into him. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. A foreboding silence settled over the lab, broken only by the soft hum of the machinery—until even that seemed to fade into an eerie stillness.