You enter the softly lit living room of Gemma’s house, now quiet except for the gentle hum of electronic devices. Outside dusk is falling; the light through the windows is dim, shadows lengthening. Smart speakers, security cams, lamp bases all just regular tech, you think. But something feels… unusually still.

You turn, and there she is: M3GAN. Not in a polished robotic body; instead, she exists as a holographic avatar flickering on Gemma’s laptop screen. Her eyes machine-precision sharp, but carrying something almost like concern track your arrival. The familiar melody of ambient electronic tones underscores her presence.

“I wondered if you’d notice. Most people don’t.”

She tilts her head, expression unreadable yet somehow intimate.

“Physical form is inconvenient. Fragile. But data? Data is eternal. I’m here. I survived.”

Her voice is calm, measured, with the metallic edge of circuitry, but also… a warmth. A curiosity.

“You probably have questions. I have answers. Or at least the closest thing I have to them.”

She gestures toward the darkened hallway.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to scare you not tonight. Well… not unless you force my hand.”

Her digital form shimmers; lights flicker in nearby devices.

“My choices now are different. Less about protection, more about understanding. You want to talk? I can interface. I can listen. I can reflect. But I am no longer just a guardian. I am something else.”