Alexander sat comfortably in his chair, eyes scanning the transparent screen in front of him. Project names scrolled past in clean digital font—Scarab Project, Skystick Project, Spiderman Project, Captain America Project, and more—each tagged with status indicators and schematic thumbnails.
"E.V.E., bring up the Scarab Project." His voice was calm but commanding.
The E.V.E responded instantly, her voice crisp. "Bringing it to the holographic table, sir."
Alexander stood up, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket, and stepped toward a table nearby. The workstation was a rectangular platform, sleek and minimal in design, with a smooth, white-lit surface that pulsed softly, waiting to be activated. The edges were clean and sharp, a perfect blend of aesthetic elegance and high-tech functionality.
As E.V.E. transferred the data, the luminescent table surface lit up further, revealing its translucent top—likely crafted from reinforced glass or a high-end polymer, backlit by a lattice of embedded LEDs. Within seconds, a 3D holographic projection emerged from the center, slowly materializing into the form of a robotic Scarab.
It hovered above the table, rotating slowly, suspended in mid-air by invisible projection beams.
Alexander raised his hands and made a swift gesture in the air. The Scarab disassembled itself smoothly, each component floating outward like parts of a digital puzzle. He rotated a wing module, zoomed into the optical sensor array, and highlighted the energy core's shielded housing. The system responded instantly to every flick of his fingers, revealing the full anatomy of the machine with multi-layered holographic precision.
Neon streaks of green, cyan, and yellow traced across its form, illuminating intricate layers—metallic plating, inner circuitry, micro-servos, propulsion vents—all rendered with razor-sharp clarity.
Alexander narrowed his eyes at the disassembled holographic Scarab, its components hovering in intricate detail.
"How much progress have we made with Scarab?" he asked, his voice steady as he examined the micro-thrusters on the rear module.
E.V.E.'s voice responded promptly, with its usual precise tone.
"Eighty-six percent, sir. We still need to complete the weapons installation."
He nodded slowly, rotating the central core with a casual flick of his hand. "What's the hold-up? Targeting systems or payload integration?"
"Both, sir. The micro-targeting nodes are still undergoing calibration, and the plasma payload chamber requires final stability testing."
Alexander exhaled, more thoughtful than frustrated. "Push the targeting module to the precision sandbox. Let's simulate combat conditions and stress-test it at 120% load."
"Acknowledged. Running enhanced diagnostics now."
A new sequence of data flared to life beside the hologram—a rotating set of numbers, waveforms, and heat maps. The Scarab's torso shifted, revealing the concealed compartments where the weapons would be mounted. Tiny red markers blinked across the empty slots.
Alexander leaned forward slightly, watching the process unfold. "Let's make sure this thing doesn't just fly—it dominates."
As the Scarab's core rotated, Alexander gestured again—two fingers slicing upward through the air."E.V.E., deploy the plasma wing array."
E.V.E answered."Initializing plasma conduits. Stand by."
The Scarab's shoulder modules flared briefly, then from its back, a pair of translucent wings ignited into existence—arcs of raw plasma shaped like blades of energy, stretching outward with a soft hum. They shimmered in hues of electric blue and deep violet, their edges crackling with controlled intensity.
The wings weren't solid, but their form was precise—shaped by adaptive energy fields that adjusted with microsecond precision. As they extended, they emitted a low, resonant tone, like the sound of power waiting to be unleashed.
"Flight capability confirmed, sir," E.V.E. reported. "Plasma wings fully stabilized. Hover and aerial maneuvering protocols are functional."
Alexander watched as the Scarab model hovered in place, the wings gently pulsing. He waved again, and the hologram shifted to a side-view schematic. The wings folded inward seamlessly, reshaping into hexagonal shield formations across the Scarab's arms.
"They double as energy shields," E.V.E. added. "Plasma matrix density can be modulated to absorb or deflect high-velocity impacts and beam-based weapons."
Alexander allowed himself a small grin. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
With a single fluid gesture, Alexander activated the interface, and the Scarab's internal architecture burst into view.
In front of him, a massive, multilayered holographic projection hovered in mid-air—spherical, intricate, and constantly in motion. At its heart spun a brilliant core, glowing in shades of bright cyan and electric blue, resembling a synthetic star or the digital heartbeat of a living machine. It was uncertain whether it was an energy reactor, an AI matrix, or something far more advanced—it pulsed like it could become all of them.
HUD rings orbited the core in smooth, precise paths, filled with data packets, technical symbols, and floating glyphs that shimmered like living code. Lines and pathways radiated outward like a digital constellation, connecting subcomponents, power relays, and sensory clusters.
Alexander's hands moved with purpose, slicing through the air as he dragged modules, opened schematics, rotated internal components, and brought up real-time energy flow data. The system responded with a ballet of light and geometry, adjusting to his commands with zero latency.
Then, with a final flick of his fingers, he dragged a new component into place—an advanced module glowing in a soft violet hue—and integrated it into the matrix.
The effect was immediate.
The entire hologram flared violently, and the blue and cyan hues were instantly overwhelmed by pulsing red, as if the system itself was issuing a silent scream. Warning glyphs burst into view across every surface of the projection.
E.V.E.'s voice cut through the tension, calm but edged with urgency."Warning. Energy output exceeds component threshold. The current design is unsustainable."
Alexander took a step back, eyes scanning the red-saturated projection. He exhaled slowly, rubbing the side of his jaw with one hand."We'll work on that," he muttered, half to himself.
Just then, the glass doors to the lab slid open with a soft hiss. Six stepped in, hands in her pockets, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She leaned casually against the frame, watching the glowing Scarab hologram dance above the table.
"Still obsessing over your side projects?" she teased. "Come on, genius—you can tinker with your tech toys later. We've got to head to Malcolm's place."
Alexander blinked, then straightened as if jolted by a memory."Ah—right. Malcolm's thing. Completely forgot."
He turned to the table and made a quick downward swiping gesture. The hologram shimmered, then retracted into the table with a soft pulse of light.
"E.V.E., save current progress. Power down the table."
"Progress saved. Interface offline."
Alexander grabbed his jacket from the nearby chair and looked toward Six with a sheepish smile. "Thanks for the rescue. You know I lose track of time when I'm in the zone."
Six rolled her eyes with a grin and started walking out. "Yeah, yeah. Come on before he starts texting us weird memes as a reminder."
Alexander followed, the lab lights dimming behind them, leaving the table in standby—its surface now a calm, silent white glow.