Year 0 of the New Era

"We did it!" exclaimed Carl Glass, an older gentleman wearing a funny-looking helmet, as he hugged his female co-lead researcher, Barbara Woodall, with tears in his eyes. They, standing on the shoulders of thousands of scientific giants, had just turned iron into gold.

It took over three times as much iron, a tremendous amount of energy powered by a fusion reactor, and a profoundly capable AI powered by quantum computing - guided by his intense concentration on the intent and process - to nudge the unravelling and reravelling of subatomic particles through their primary, secondary, and tertiary permutations from iron to their final stable form... but it worked.

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Decades of research, trillions of dollars, and profound advancements in computing, energy, and physics had finally made it possible.

"All hail Prometheus!"

The current machine that made this possible was massive. A whole city was formed just to pursue its development. But Carl Glass new that, over time, especially now that matter could be manipulated at the subatomic level, the technology would be refined and compacted to ridiculously tiny dimensions.

The potential was as limitless, beautiful, dangerous, and compelling as fire. Prometheus may be a machine, and not a God, but being able to manipulate matter like this was a gift that was not of this world.

Prometheus indeed.