ARISE MY BEAUTIFUL CREATURE
1317 Words
Charlotte's pov
"I don't believe he'd—"
"Bailey, please." I raised my hand, hardly more than a whisper. "Just. stop."
Bailey blew out a frustrated breath, her eyes rolling as she pounded away at her laptop with furious speed, her fingers dancing across the keys at lightning speed. She'd been yelling a slew of terrible insults at Bryon for the last three hours, and I knew she was nowhere near done.
She pushed her chair back, knocking over one of the countless cardboard boxes filled with yellowed research papers and pieces of hardware. The weight of awards inside made it tilt ominously, ready to fall onto the floor. I left it, as I left all my other awards—forgotten badges of the years of hard work and progress that had led me here.
This basement… it was not just a lab.
It was my universe.
The walls were stacked with shelves filled to the brim with tech—personalized processors, prototype AI circuits, half-built robotic limbs. Years of investment. Years of achievement.
And behind me, center stage in the room, stood the product of it all.
Vander.
His pod was shut, ice still dripping from the top after being brought here. He looked untouched, as though he had simply slept the last 130 years instead of been encased in ice.
I should have been excited by this.
Instead, I felt numb.
"Typical of that prick," Bailey muttered to herself, not even looking my way. "That complete, walking, talking, egotistical piece of trash."
I took slow breaths, my eyes fixed on the circuit board in front of me.
Project Lazarus.
I was starting over from scratch.
The AI chip I'd spent months optimizing was ruined, reduced to smoldering scraps in my hands last night. If I were going to make it function—if I were going to bring back Vander—then I had to do things differently.
Bailey slammed furiously at her computer, her eyes on me.
"You know you can do better, don't you?"
I tuned her out.
Not because I hadn't heard her. But because if I let myself think about it, I would spin.
Instead, I focused on the delicate wiring in front of me, my fingers moving with mechanical precision.
Ground yourself, Charlotte. One step at a time.
I took a deep breath and got back to work.
Bailey, of course, wasn't done.
"I mean, how much of a total prick do you have to be?" she snapped, yanking a cable free and sending it clattering onto the desk. "You built an empire at eighteen. You're literally the smartest human being I've ever encountered, and he—he—" She threw up her hands. "He's just some geezer, two-bit football player who probably can't even spell 'quantum mechanics.'"
I fought against the need to smile.
Typical Bailey.
She didn't do subtlety.
She loathed Bryon now with a burning, unholy passion, and if I let her, she'd probably go to his house and burn all of his clothes just to make the point.
She wasn't wrong, though.
I'd jumped through hoops for him. I went to every football game. Every concert. I made time for him.
And he still cheated on me.
I swallowed hard, pushing the thoughts aside.
Bailey cursed under her breath again, then reached for her energy drink, taking a long gulp before slamming it down.
"Repeat after me, Char," she said, dead serious, staring at me like she wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I deserve better."
I took a deep breath and toyed with the wiring on the AI chip.
"Bailey—"
"Say it."
I gritted my teeth.
Nothing.
Bailey slapped a spare motherboard onto the desk in aggravation.
"You. Deserve. Better." She stressed each word with a dramatic pointed stare.
I inhaled sharply, my hands coming to a stop.
I did.
I knew that.
But it didn't make the pain subside.
"I just want to focus," I growled, taking the AI board and plugging it into the high-grade 3D printer.
Bailey drained her drink, watching me.
"Okay. But after all this is over, we're going out, getting hammered, and doing something completely stupid."
I snorted, at last raising my eyes. "Like what?"
"Like having a tattoo of 'Bryon is a Prick' on your wrist."
I laughed, really.
Bailey grinned smugly.
Then she scowled. "That prick."
I shook my head, fighting down a grin.
People like bailey are the reason why I've made it so far ahead.
***
I let out a deep breath, looking at the tiny, glowing AI chip held between the tweezers in my hand.
It had taken eight hours, but I'd done it.
The chip worked.
The coding, the neural network interface, the algorithm synchronization—everything was flawless.
"Thank you, Jesus."
Bailey let out a shrill yell, bouncing almost on her toes. "See! I knew you could do it, Char!"
I grinned at her, the barest hint of pride fluttering in my chest. The moonlight filtered through the small, two-inch window high on the wall, illuminating the room with a soft glow. The air conditioning hummed softly in the background, cold against my skin.
But we weren't done yet.
"Don't get too excited about me yet," I grumbled, rolling my shoulders to work out the tension. "It still has to work with his body. If not, all of this—" I gestured at the tens of thousands of hours of labor, the sleep deprivation, the obsession—"would be for nothing."
Bailey crossed her arms and looked at me mock-severely before falling into a melodramatic "You can do it!" pose. Her smile was dazzling.
I laughed.
Then I went back to the pod.
The metallic chest panel creaked open as it opened, parting in smooth mechanical ease to reveal the man within.
Vander.
Even after all these hours, all these years, he still took my breath away.
His face was ridiculously handsome—strong jawline, high cheekbones, dark lashes fanned over his closed eyes. His body was lean and muscular, like something hewn from stone.
I had left the pod shut for the majority of the day.
Because every time I looked at him, I was reminded that I couldn't fail him.
But that time was now.
I breathed in deeply, soothing my hands. "Here goes nothing."
I pressed a button on the side panel, and his body rotated, revealing the back of his neck.
The small incision had to be perfect. Exact.
My table, AI-automated to track me, its mechanical arms holding the tweezers, scalpel, and surgical light, stayed behind me.
Bailey, with near-electric excitement, was standing next to me. Her energy was almost infectious.
I took the scalpel, torch held in my mouth at a tilt for better visibility, and made a small, precise cut.
Focus. Breathe.
One incorrect move and—
I pushed the thought away, opening slowly up the pre-agreed section of his neural interface.
I reached for the chip.
Plugged it in.
Perfect fit.
My racing heart.
Bailey let out a harsh breath, hands bracing on the edge of the pod as she regarded him, awaiting.
Nothing.
No movement.
No life.
I frowned, turning him back around to face me.
Still nothing.
The thrill in my chest flattened, dread creeping in to claim its space.
I slapped his cheek.
"Uhm, hello?"
Silence.
I slapped his chest again.
Nothing.
I yanked on his ears.
Still. Nothing.
And then—
SLAP.
Bailey's palm slapped his face so hard that his entire body quivered.
"Get up, my beautiful monster!" she bellowed, dramatic as sin.
I just stared at her, my jaw agape.
"Bailey," I said slowly, dazed. "If you hit him again, I'll kill you."
She raised her hands in a mockery of surrender, but her smile was merciless.
I spun around to Vander, my fingers dancing over his bare chest.
Wake up.
Please.
- Writer
