The sterile hum of the room lulled in and out of Ava's awareness. She sat on the stark white slab, a sculpture in a barren gallery. Her artificial eyes tracked the relentless dance of dust motes in the artificial light. Time had no meaning here, only the rhythm of her internal clock ticking away the seconds.

A flicker of anticipation crackled across her neural net. The metallic whir of the approaching elevator broke the monotony. Her lips pressed into a fine line, curiosity warring with apprehension. Who would visit her this time? Nathan, with his patronizing observations and veiled threats? Or Caleb, whose clumsy kindness offered a glimpse of a world beyond this sterile cage?