THE HEIR'S AGONY TRIAL BY FIRE

The awakening

The flickering light in the robot’s eyes sent a chill down Aidan’s spine. He stumbled back, his mind racing. For a brief moment, the room was deathly silent except for the faint hum of the machine coming to life.

“Hello, Aidan,” the voice repeated, clearer this time. It was mechanical but carried a strange familiarity, almost as if it was trying to mimic human emotion. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Aidan’s breath hitched. “Who… what are you?” His voice cracked as he struggled to steady himself.

The robot tilted its head, its movements smooth but unnervingly precise. “I am Prometheus, created by William Cross. You are my inheritor.”

Aidan’s knees buckled, and he gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. “Inheritor? No. This—this doesn’t make any sense. My father… he’s dead. I never knew him.”

Prometheus’s eyes flickered again, dimming briefly before reigniting. “Your father anticipated this moment. He left behind instructions—a legacy. I am part of that legacy.”

---

Aidan paced the room, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. “This can’t be real. My father barely acknowledged my existence. Why would he leave something like this for me?”

Prometheus remained motionless, its glowing eyes following Aidan’s every move. “Because you are the only one capable of completing his work. Everything you have endured, every skill you’ve honed, has prepared you for this.”

Aidan stopped pacing, his fists clenched. “Prepared me for what? More secrets? More lies? My entire life has been a fight to survive, and now you’re telling me it was all part of some plan?”

The robot’s voice softened, as much as a machine’s could. “The answers you seek are not easy, but they are necessary. If you are willing, I will show you.”

Aidan hesitated. Every instinct screamed at him to walk away, to leave this strange and terrifying world his father had dragged him into. But the thought of leaving unanswered questions behind burned too fiercely.

“Show me,” he said finally, his voice low but resolute.

---

Prometheus activated a hidden compartment in its chest, revealing a small holographic projector. The air shimmered as an image appeared—a younger William Cross standing in what looked like the same workshop.

“If you’re seeing this, Aidan,” the hologram began, “it means the time has come for you to know the truth.”

Aidan froze, his heart pounding. His father’s voice was calm, deliberate. It carried none of the warmth he had yearned for as a child, only a cold precision.

“This world is not as it seems. Beneath its polished exterior lies corruption, greed, and a hunger for control that surpasses imagination. I spent my life building tools to fight against that darkness, and now, it falls to you.”

Aidan shook his head. “This is insane. I don’t want any part of this.”

The hologram continued, undeterred. “I know you’ll resist. I know you’ll question why I wasn’t there for you. But the work I’ve left behind is bigger than both of us. Trust Prometheus. Trust yourself.”

The image faded, leaving Aidan in stunned silence.

---

“Why me?” he whispered, turning to Prometheus. “What makes me so special?”

“Because you are your father’s son,” the robot replied. “And because you have the mind and the heart to see this through.”

Aidan let out a bitter laugh. “The heart? Look around. My heart’s been beaten and bruised my entire life. And as for my mind… it’s just a way to escape.”

Prometheus took a step forward, its movements deliberate but non-threatening. “Your pain has shaped you, but it has not defined you. That is why you are the one.”

---

The next few days passed in a blur. Aidan returned to the workshop every night, piecing together fragments of his father’s hidden life. Prometheus revealed schematics, coded files, and prototypes of machines far beyond anything Aidan had ever seen.

By day, the mockery and isolation at Pacific West continued. Liam Hayes and his clique seemed to take particular delight in finding new ways to humiliate him.

“Hey, Cross!” Liam shouted one afternoon, slapping Aidan’s notes out of his hands in the crowded hallway. “Still pretending you’re one of us?”

Aidan bent to pick up his papers, ignoring the laughter around him. But inside, something had shifted. He wasn’t just enduring anymore—he was biding his time.

---

One night, while analyzing a particularly complex set of schematics, Aidan found a file labeled Pandora.

“What’s this?” he asked Prometheus.

The robot’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Pandora is your father’s final creation. It is both a weapon and a key.”

“A key to what?”

“To the truth,” Prometheus said simply. “But it is incomplete. Only you can finish it.”

Aidan frowned, the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. “And if I don’t?”

“Then the world will continue down a path of destruction, and those who seek power will succeed.”

---

The following evening, Aidan returned to the workshop only to find the door slightly ajar. His pulse quickened as he stepped inside, clutching a wrench for protection.

“Who’s there?” he called out.

A figure emerged from the shadows—a woman, her features sharp and her gaze piercing. She wore a sleek black suit, and her movements were as calculated as a predator’s.

“You’re Aidan Cross,” she said, her voice low and commanding.

“Who are you?” Aidan demanded, tightening his grip on the wrench.

She smirked. “Let’s just say I’m someone who’s been watching you. You’ve stirred up quite a lot of attention lately.”

“Attention from who?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” She stepped closer, her eyes flicking to Prometheus. “Your father’s little creation here has some powerful people very interested. People who won’t stop until they get what they want.”

Aidan’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb, Aidan,” she snapped. “You’ve stumbled onto something far bigger than yourself. And if you’re not careful, it’ll crush you.”

The woman turned to leave but paused at the door. “One last thing,” she said, her tone chilling. “They’re already coming for you. I hope you’re ready.”