“There is a power frequency fluctuation—cut the power feed before it trips the generators!” the scientist on the laboratory floor said in alarm. “There appears to be a short in the ENSI interface! We’re going to lose it!”

“Power feed controls unresponsive!” the observer’s voice replied to the men in the chamber, intermittently being cut out mid-sentence. “The surge is coming from inside the chamber!”

“Control! You’re breaking up!” the lab technician yelled, his voice dripping with apprehension. “Control!”

Powerless to do anything, the lab technicians watched as intense sparks jolted and crackled about the immense computational control unit up above. A coolant pipe burst, spewing a rapidly evaporating cryogenic fluid into the air. The lights in the chamber then went out, leaving only daylight from windows high up in the tower to filter down through the cryogenic mist sinking into the darkness beneath. The creature had stopped convulsing.

Its eyes opened; a deep, eerie red glow reflected from the back of its retinas onto the men watching from below.

The above is an excerpt from [This].

The base illustration was initially done in Clip Studio Paint. This latest modification was done with Paint[dot]Net, which is better for finishing and effects.

NO AI tools were used at all in this (not even asset generation).