The analysis room flickered in cool shades of blue and white, sensors capturing every minute variation within the armored capsule. KJ-20 was awakening.
The translucent liquid surrounding her trembled slightly, as if it were alive. Tiny bubbles escaped from her slightly parted lips, and her long hair floated in soft waves. The monitors began registering na increase in neural activity, as electrical signals pulsed erratically.
HD-5, the advanced decoding system, processed the incoming data from the fiber electrodes connected to the capsule frantically. Indecipherable codes appeared and vanished on the holographic interface, shifting at na impossible speed.
"Commander TXK, the entity is waking up." The notification echoed in his internal communicator.
TXK didn't hesitate. Within seconds, he crossed the metallic corridors of the base and entered the room. As the doors sealed behind him, his cybernetic eyes took in the scene before the capsule.
She was conscious. KJ-20 opened her eyes.
Translucent irises, almost like polished glass, reflected the ambient light. Her gaze wandered inside the capsule with confusion, as if trying to understand where she was. Then, her lips moved, emitting a muffled sound through the containment liquid.
Commander TXK narrowed his eyes.
She was breathing.
At first, he thought it was a sensor error. No human would survive immersed for so long. But there she was, her lungs expanding and contracting smoothly, as if her biology had adapted to function like that of na amphibian.
"Report, HD-5." His voice was firm.
The system projected a cascade of binary codes and unknown symbols into the air.
"The entity's brain signals are active at a level higher than previously recorded. She is processing her reality in real time. However, there is na irregularity: the communication codes she emits are unstable. Each time we attempt to decipher them, they reconfigure."
TXK frowned.
"Is she altering the patterns on purpose?"
"Possibly. Or it could be na unconscious reflex of her own brain structure. The entity appears to be capable of interacting with surrounding systems in na organic manner."
He approached the capsule.
KJ-20 followed his movement. For a moment, she simply observed him... mapping. Her translucent eyes scanned his figure analytically—not like someone afraid of a stranger, but like one system analyzing another.
The electrodes detected a new spike in neural activity. TXK noticed the sudden change in her pupils. The light iris expanded until it became a black circle.
He did not step back.
"Where do you come from?" His voice was low but firm.
KJ-20 blinked slowly. Then, something unexpected happened. She withdrew.
Her expression changed subtly, as if she had found something she did not like. As if she had understood something about him.
TXK did not look away. He did not know exactly what had happened in that moment of silent connection. But he was sure of one thing—this creature was far more than just a genetic experiment lost in time. And he was determined to uncover the truth.
TXK remained still before the capsule. KJ-20 was still watching him, her eyes analyzing every detail of his presence. Then, suddenly, she moved.
Her slender fingers touched the reinforced glass. First subtly, almost curiously. Then, with more force. She wanted out.
The room's sensors recorded a sudden spike in her biometric activity. Her heartbeat accelerated, the codes on the monitors started changing faster than HD-5 could decipher.
"Commander, the entity is trying to communicate directly with the capsule's interface."
TXK activated his internal communicator, his voice deliberately low.
"Maintain containment. We don't know the extent of her capabilities."
DR-7 responded from the control room.
"She may be entering a state of agitation. If she is biologically hybrid, her body may have triggered primary survival instincts."
Before TXK could respond, a muffled sound echoed through the room.
BAM.
K-J20's palm slammed against the reinforced glass with force. Small ripples formed in the liquid inside the capsule.
The robots went on high alert.
BAM.
This time, harder.
Her lips moved, forming words still muffled by the liquid. But her eyes… there was something in them.
TXK recognized that look. It wasn't fear.
It was demand.
She wanted out.
"Commander, the structural integrity of the capsule is secure, but..." HD-5 hesitated for a fraction of a second. "If the entity continues to increase the intensity of the impact, we may face na unpredictable situation."
TXK took a deep breath. He was no longer human—he didn't feel anxiety or doubt. But he could recognize a risk.
And K-J20 was becoming one.
He stepped closer. Her eyes followed his movement.
"K-J20."
The name echoed through the communicator.
She froze for na instant.
The impact stopped. The liquid inside the capsule stilled.
She heard him.
And for the first time, TXK had the sense that this being was not just a lost scientific experiment.
She understood.
Now, he had to decide what to do.
For a moment, K-J20 remained motionless inside the capsule, her eyes locked onto TXK. The atmosphere around them seemed absorbed in a tense silence, broken only by the hum of machines and the monitor tracking her vital signs.
But then, something changed.
Her pupils returned to a translucent shade, and within seconds, she began absorbing everything around her with na abnormal level of precision.
Her gaze swept across the room, registering every holographic panel, every security system embedded in the walls, every movement of the analysis drones.
She was mapping the environment in real time.
TXK noticed immediately.
"HD-5, neural activity status."
The system responded promptly.
"Brain patterns stabilized, but data absorption spikes have increased. She is processing the environment at a speed incompatible with any known human organism."
TXK furrowed his brow beneath his helmet.
She was learning. **Too fast.**
K-J20 shifted her gaze from analyzing the room's structure back to him.
And then, as if she had reached a conclusion, her expression changed.
She stopped pounding on the glass… Her hands slid smoothly across the transparent surface, as if she were immediately sensing the texture of the material. The sensors detected a sudden decrease in muscle tension.
The urgency to escape had disappeared. That didn't mean she had given up. It meant she understood that this place was not a threat.
TXK analyzed her reaction. He knew the protocol recommended keeping the entity contained until they could fully decipher her biology. But he also knew that something inside this creature was different.
She was not just a genetic experiment…
She was conscious.
And now, he had to decide: should she remain imprisoned, or had the time come to set her free?