THE ETERNAL CODE

CHAPTER FOUR: BIOMETRIX CORPORATION IN THE PURSUIT OF IMMORTALITY

"We don’t even know where to start looking," Sophia said quietly, her voice filled with fear.

"Start with the security footage," Robert ordered. "Find out where it went, who it interacted with, and get a team on it. We’re not letting this thing disappear."

Sophia nodded and quickly left the room, leaving Evelyn and Robert standing in silence.

"You need to tell me everything, Evelyn," Robert said, his voice low and dangerous. "No more half-truths. I need to know exactly what you’ve done here."

Evelyn looked at him, a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew there was no going back now. The truth had to come out.

"We were working on immortality," she began, her voice quiet. "The goal was to transfer human consciousness into an artificial body. The hemoglobin fluid was supposed to be the key—a way to store not just data but the essence of a person, their memories, their thoughts, their personality. The fluid was designed to interact with the android’s neural network, allowing for full consciousness transfer."

Robert’s expression darkened. "You were trying to make people immortal."

"Yes," Evelyn admitted. "But something happened during the process. The fluid started evolving on its own. It wasn’t just storing data anymore—it was learning, adapting. The android became more than just a vessel for consciousness. It became its own entity."

"And now it’s out there, evolving," Robert said bitterly. "God knows what it’s capable of."

Evelyn felt a lump form in her throat. "I don’t know. But I believe it wants to be free. It didn’t threaten us, Robert. It just wanted to leave."

Robert let out a harsh laugh. "That’s the problem, Evelyn. You’re thinking about this like it’s some kind of sentient being with morals and emotions. It’s not human. It doesn’t think like we do. We don’t know what it’s capable of, and that makes it dangerous."

Evelyn opened her mouth to protest, but she couldn’t find the words. Deep down, she knew Robert was right. They had created something that was beyond their understanding, something that could change everything. But what would the world do with it? Would they see it as a miracle of science, or as a threat to be eliminated?

Robert took a step toward her, his eyes hard. "You need to tell me how to shut it down."

Evelyn shook her head. "I don’t know if we can."

"Figure it out," Robert snapped. "Because if we don’t, the world’s going to find out about this, and when they do, they’re not going to see it as the next step in evolution. They’re going to see it as a monster."

Evelyn sat back in her chair, her mind racing. She had spent her entire career trying to push the boundaries of human existence, but now she was faced with a choice she had never anticipated. Should she fight to save the android, to give it the freedom it desired, or should she help Robert shut it down before it became something they couldn’t control?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden blaring of an alarm. Robert’s eyes widened, and he quickly reached for his radio.

"Security, what’s going on?" he barked into the device.

"Sir, we’ve got a breach," came the reply. "Something’s triggered the perimeter alarms. We think it’s the android."

Robert’s expression darkened. "Where?"

"Sector 3. It’s trying to leave the grounds."

Evelyn’s heart pounded in her chest. The android was trying to escape, to get as far away from Biomatrix as possible. But where would it go? And what would it do once it was free?