The night air was freezing, but Anton didn't feel it.He was sitting on the edge of the curb behind the hospital, his back resting against the concrete wall. In his hands, he held an old photographic camera—a heavy model that looked ridiculous in the age of holographic inmos.
A deep voice broke the silence.
—This is where I usually smoke.
Anton looked up. Jacob Hunt was approaching, his white coat wrinkled, his face marked by the exhaustion of an endless shift.
—And are you going to smoke today? —Anton asked.
Jacob let his shoulders drop.
—Today, thankfully, I don't need to —he replied. He stopped and leaned against the concrete wall beside Anton, looking up at the dark sky—. The sky is beautiful. You can barely see any stars, but even with the clouds… it still looks good.
Anton nodded, returning his attention to the camera. His long, pale fingers traced the scratched metal body.
—Despite its size, I still use it —Anton said, almost to himself—. I like that it's old and worn. It's an… imperfect object. The photos it takes aren't high quality, but I still don't want to let it go. I love it. I like keeping everything through it.
—I know. You've always told me that —Hunt replied with a tired smile.
—And I tell Joseph too —Anton added, his voice barely audible.
Jacob sighed, and the mood turned serious again.
—Speaking of Joseph… Look, I know I don't have a say in the decision you have to make, but I can give you my professional opinion.
Anton nodded absentmindedly, staying silent.
—What are you going to do about Joseph? I would recommend—
—Joseph was always a fool —Anton interrupted, his voice trembling with anger and pain at once—. He never had a peaceful childhood. Always from hospital to hospital, from one clinic to another because of his condition. My parents wouldn't let him do the things a normal kid would do. He didn't have a normal childhood. We always had to watch over him. The one who understood him the most was my mother—always attentive. She always left him in my care. I was the oldest. The responsible one. The one who had to protect him… but he was always the bravest, the most impulsive. He wanted to protect me too.
Anton raised the camera and focused on a point in the sky: a distant star between the clouds, barely flickering, disappearing as the clouds passed. The cold hospital light illuminated the tears now shining in his eyes.
—Once, when we already knew about his condition, we were playing in a park. I was thirteen, he was eight. We were building sandcastles—I was really good at it. Joseph would get upset because I always finished first and asked me for help; he wasn't very skilled… Then, suddenly, a very large dog ran toward us, fast. I—like an idiot—froze. I couldn't move. Fear took over me. I couldn't even scream. But he, being the younger one, jumped in front of me and held out his little arm toward the dog. It bit him, and so much blood came out. I could only watch from behind.
Anton broke down crying, his shoulders shaking slowly. Jacob placed a hand on his head, waiting for him to calm down.
Anton took a deep breath and continued:
—The only thing he said —Anton said, his voice breaking— was: "It's okay, brother. It doesn't hurt. Are you okay?" And he smiled.
Anton wiped his tears with the back of his hand.
—Why did Joseph do that? —Hunt asked softly, thoughtfully.
—I don't know. I guess he thought that, because of his condition, he was immortal or something. I don't know… it was really stupid —Anton replied bitterly—. He risked himself for me. Honestly, I never understood it. I never asked him about it; I was ashamed… and afraid he'd remember how cowardly I was that day.
Anton tightened his grip on the camera.
—He was always that brave. That's why he could climb those cliffs and do incredible things that would terrify me. He is… incredible.
—He is —Hunt replied gently.
—I don't want to see my brother built out of metal, Jacob. And I know he'd hate me if I chose that.
—Then what are you going to do? Let him never walk, never move? There's no other way —Hunt said, lowering his head as he clenched his knuckles.
Anton turned toward him, his eyes locked onto Jacob's, desperation giving way to cold determination.
—Do you know why I became a bioengineer? —he asked.
—No —Hunt replied, holding his gaze.
—When I was a kid, after seeing that dog almost tear my brother's arm apart, I swore I would cure him of that disease. So he'd never have to risk himself for me—or for anyone—and he'd be safe —Anton said, clenching his fists, his voice rising slightly—. I swore that he and my mother would live a normal life.
—And are you achieving that? —Hunt asked.
—I will. I'll make him feel again and be a normal person. So, Jacob, I can't lock my brother in a metal cage where he won't even be able to see himself as human. I'll do everything I can to make this different. And my mother would have loved to see Jos living a normal life too.
—Yeah? —Hunt replied sadly, watching Anton closely.
At that moment, Anton's inmo vibrated discreetly at his temple. Only he could see the notification floating briefly in the air:
"Meeting with Agent 1 scheduled for tomorrow at 11:00 a.m."
Anton nodded, his gaze fixed on the dark sky.
—Yes… the sky is beautiful.
That night, the silence weighed heavier than the cold.But dawn would bring something worse: answers.