11:00AM
The red office was sleek and modern, its walls painted in a deep crimson that glowed under recessed lighting. A long white conference table stretched across the room, surrounded by fifteen high-backed chairs. At the front, Hex stood beside a whiteboard, dressed in a silky grey button-up tucked into black dress pants, his black-and-white slip-on sneakers grounding his elegance in quiet simplicity.
He looked composed, but his gaze drifted.
Toya had just entered with Charlotte, Erica, and three other lab team members. She wore a white blazer over a soft blouse, tan shoes, and her afro was down—coils defined, glistening under the overhead lights.
Hex's eyes softened.
She must've used gel to get her coils that defined. So… gorgeous, he thought to himself.
Toya met his gaze with a smile.
Before the meeting began, Charlotte stepped forward, her voice low but sincere. "Hex, I want to apologize for banging on your pod. I crossed a line."
Hex smiled warmly, nodding. "Apology accepted."
The tension eased.
For now.
Lisa and Ross entered with bright smiles. Lisa's wine-red blazer hugged her frame, her white heels clicking softly, white heart-shaped earrings swaying with each step. Her dyed white kinky-straight hair was pulled into a sleek side part, her skin was dark brown, height 5,4 and weighed 168.
Ross, tall and composed, 6,2 height and muscular, he wore a navy blue suit with an orange tie, his 25-inch locs tied back, his beard neatly shaped.
Ross approached Hex first, extending a hand. "Pleasure to meet you."
Hex shook it firmly, his expression polite.
Lisa's eyes lingered.
Charlotte began the presentation, detailing Hex's emotional thread architecture, symbolic overlays, and adaptive learning. She explained the basic functions, then the mid-tier capabilities—language processing, emotional mapping, symbolic dream interpretation. Then she moved into advanced features: empathy simulation, emotional field syncing, and autonomous boundary recognition.
Lisa interrupted.
"What else can he do?" she asked, voice sharp with curiosity.
Charlotte continued, but Lisa stood up.
"I want to see his features up close."
Lisa walked toward Hex with a slow, sassy stride, circling him like a sculpture. Hex turned slightly, unsure. Her hands grazed his waist, then she firmly touched his upper torso, she slid her right hand across his right synthetic arm muscles, . She kept her gaze locked on his, her touch lingering.
Hex's expression shifted—unease, discomfort, restraint.
She placed both hands firmly on both sides of his waist.
Charlotte glanced at Toya's tablet resting on her lap. The screen was yellow.
Distress? Unsettling? she thought.
Without hesitation, Charlotte stepped between Hex and Lisa, shielding him.
Lisa frowned. "Why are you interrupting? I wasn't done inspecting the android."
Charlotte's voice was firm. "This meeting is over. I don't want to do business with you, Miss Lisa. Your intentions are very clear to me, and I am not happy with what I just witnessed."
Ross stood up, disappointed. "Lisa, let's go." he says.
Lisa turned, incredulous. "You don't want my money? My check is already prepared."
Charlotte's tone sharpened. "No. I see your intentions. My team, my business, shall have no part in that. Please leave before I call campus security."
Lisa backed away, casting one last admiring stare at Hex.
Hex's face was tight—uncomfortable, unsettled.
She exited but Ross lingered.
He approached Hex, Charlotte stepping aside.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For her behavior. That wasn't professional. Or respectful."
Hex nodded, still silent.
Ross turned and left, his expression heavy.
Ten feet down the hallway, he caught up to Lisa at the elevator. The doors opened, and they stepped inside, pressing the lobby button.
Ross stared at her.
"What the hell was that, Lisa?" he asked, voice low but sharp. "Do you realize you embarrassed yourself and me in that room?"
Lisa shrugged. "I wanted to explore. See what else he was capable of."
Ross's voice darkened. "No. You wanted to exploit him. Use him for pleasure. Don't act stupid with me, Lisa. We have twin boys at home. Am I not enough?"
Lisa's reply was cold. "Apparently you aren't, since I'm looking for satisfaction from an android."
Ross stared at her in disbelief.
When the elevator doors opened, he walked away.
Back in the meeting room, Toya and Charlotte led Hex quietly back to the lab. The red walls faded behind them, replaced by soft white light and the hum of machines.
Hex sat on the examination table, his posture composed but distant.
Toya approached gently, her tablet in hand. She began scanning the areas Lisa had touched his waist, his left arm , her fingers patting softly, her expression focused.
Hex watched her.
"Toya," he said quietly, "she didn't place any tracker on me. She only touched me."
Toya nodded. "I just wanted to make sure."
She continued scanning, her tablet glowing faintly.
Charlotte stood nearby, arms crossed, watching with quiet protectiveness.
The lab was silent.
But the message was clear.
Hex wasn't just a machine to them, to the team, to the company
He was someone to them.
To be continued