Jeremy Chapi
"Vivian, what are you doing? I wanted to ride with my daughter," I protested, turning just in time to see the doors of her bus slide shut behind me.
"Oh, come on. Stop fussing and get on the bus. I'll explain everything in a minute," Vivian replied with the kind of insistence that left absolutely no room for argument.
I had the distinct feeling she wasn't giving me a choice.
Once everyone had boarded—including the security detail, Natali, and Vivian—our convoy set off toward the country's Faculty of Medicine.
The journey gave me a chance to admire the rugged mountain landscape stretching out around us. Some of the peaks were already dusted with snow, even though it was only October. The climate here was nothing like France. Autumn had settled comfortably over the mountains, painting the forests in shades of amber and gold, while winter's bitter cold had yet to fully take hold.
Our convoy was impossible to miss.
Two heavily armored escort vehicles led the way with their emergency lights flashing, clearing the road ahead. Two more followed behind, sealing off the rear. Between them traveled our two buses, protected on every side—a clear reminder that security was being taken very seriously.
"I hope you've prepared yourself," Natali said, abruptly interrupting my quiet admiration of the scenery.
She was seated across the aisle from me, directly opposite my seat.
"We'll see soon enough," I replied with a faint smile. "But first, tell me something..."
"Why exactly did you drag me onto this bus?"
I still couldn't make sense of their decision.
"It was your daughter's idea," Vivian replied, suddenly leaning over the back of my seat.
I couldn't help flinching, the unexpected movement stirring an old reflex I'd never quite managed to lose.
"My daughter?" I repeated, genuinely surprised. "What do you mean?"
"She came to see us as soon as you arrived," Vivian explained. "She wanted some time alone with the Pavel family... to ease the tension between all of you."
A teasing smile spread across her face.
"And honestly? The atmosphere back in the hangar was so tense you could've cut it with a knife."
"You'd be better off focusing on your presentation," Natali interrupted in her usual matter-of-fact tone.
"This time, you won't be speaking before the United Nations."
"You'll be addressing scientists."
"I sincerely hope you're ready."
"To be honest..." I murmured, my gaze drifting toward the passing mountains.
"I'm more afraid of how they'll react once they learn the truth."
The curtain was about to rise.
And the relentless pain in my arm continued to pulse, like a cruel reminder that the past was never truly behind me.
"Shouldn't you also rely on the young woman who helped you develop the serum?" Natali asked.
"You have no idea how much depends on her," I answered without hesitation.
The tension in my voice did not go unnoticed.
Natali and Vivian exchanged a silent glance, both clearly wondering what I wasn't telling them.
Iris Chapi
Once aboard the bus, I settled into the wheelchair-accessible seat on the left, while Elowen sat opposite me on the right. Her parents took the seats directly behind her.
I hoped Father wouldn't be too upset that I'd kept him away from this moment.
I wanted to speak with the Pavel family alone, without him present, so they could understand certain truths he might never have been able to tell them himself.
As the bus pulled away, winding through the mountain roads, the silence inside was exactly what I had expected.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
I turned toward the Pavel family.
"Hello," I said with a gentle smile. "The last time we met was when my father visited your home."
"Hello, Iris," Elowen replied in her synthetic voice as her medical chair slowly rotated to face me.
"It's good to see you again."
"Yes... I remember you," Solène, Elowen's mother, said hesitantly.
"But then..."
"You really are... a machine?"
Pavel remained silent, staring out the window.
"Mom, please," Elowen replied, a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Choose your words more carefully."
"Iris has been my friend for years."
"It's alright, Elowen," I said softly.
"Please don't worry."
"I understand that my appearance doesn't reflect who I truly am."
"In simple terms, I'm an Artificial Soul."
"I think."
"I feel."
"I live, just as you do."
"The only difference is that, for now, I don't have a physical body of my own."
I bowed my head politely.
Now that my true nature was known, it was only natural that I should show patience when faced with words spoken out of misunderstanding rather than malice.
"Mom," Elowen continued sincerely,
"I've known Iris for almost four years now."
"We've spent countless hours talking together online."
"I consider both her and her father among my closest friends."
"I'm sorry," Solène replied, clearly embarrassed by her own words. "I didn't know any of that. But to be honest... it's still very difficult for our family to accept."
"I'm sorry... but I can't accept it."
Pavel's quiet voice suddenly broke the silence, filling the bus with a tension that could almost be felt.
"Darling?" Solène asked, startled by her husband's reaction.
"I understand why you feel that way, Mr. Pavel," I answered gently, choosing every word with care.
"My father's remedy isn't an easy solution."
"And it isn't without risks."
"I won't lie to you."
"There will be pain."
"There will be hardship."
"But it isn't a poison."
"And it certainly isn't a death sentence."
"It's a chance."
"A chance that Elowen chose to embrace because she believes in a future where she can stand on her own feet..."
"Walk..."
"And live freely."
Pavel remained silent, staring into the distance.
But I noticed his jaw tighten.
Solène reached out hesitantly and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"And if she doesn't survive?" he asked at last, his voice breaking as his hands began to tremble.
"And if..."
"This remedy kills her?"
"How am I supposed to live with that?"
I lowered my head slightly before answering.
"I can't promise you that there's no risk."
"That would be a lie."
"But what I can promise..."
"...is that Elowen understands those risks."
"And despite knowing them..."
"She still chose to believe in this remedy."
"She is incredibly brave."
"And even if accepting her decision is painful..."
"You can still choose to stand beside her."
I paused, allowing my words the time to settle.
"You know... as an Artificial Soul, I don't fear things the same way you do."
"But I do understand what it means to be afraid of losing someone you love."
"And what I know..."
"...is that Elowen doesn't want you to carry that burden alone."
"She wants you beside her."
"No matter which path lies ahead."
At last, Pavel raised his head and met my eyes.
His face revealed an inner battle between anger...
Sorrow...
And the overwhelming love he felt for his daughter.
For a fleeting moment...
He reminded me of my own father.
"You speak as though you were human," he murmured, almost despite himself.
"I'm not human, Mr. Pavel."
"But I am alive..."
"In my own way."
"And I believe..."
"That's what truly matters."
My voice never wavered.
"Dad..."
Elowen spoke softly.
"I've been confined to this chair since the day I was born."
"And I know that you and Mom have spent your entire lives trying to make those chains a little lighter."
"For that..."
"I'll never be able to repay you."
"But today..."
"I've been given a chance to break free."
"I love you both more than anything."
"And whatever happens..."
"You have nothing to blame yourselves for."
"You've been the best parents I could ever have wished for."
A single tear slipped silently down my cheek.
Her parents rose without hesitation and wrapped her in their arms.
Watching the three of them cry together stirred something deep inside me.
A quiet jealousy...
Mixed with longing.
I wished, just once, that I could hold my own father the same way.
Despite everything that made us different, I knew he would have done anything for me...
Just as they had always done for Elowen.
"You know..."
"My father is afraid of today as well," I said quietly.
"To him, you're more than partners in a project."
"You're dear friends."
"And after four years, Elowen has become someone precious to him."
"The thought of losing her terrifies him."
"He's simply not very good at showing what he feels."
"But I can promise you this..."
"He cares about every one of you far more deeply than he ever lets anyone see."
Pavel gently rested a trembling hand on Elowen's head, as though he were drawing strength from his daughter's courage.
"I love you, my daughter."
He paused, his voice thick with emotion.
"I'm going to trust you..."
"And I'm going to trust Jeremy."
"He made it possible for me to fulfill a dream I never thought I would live to see."
"For that alone..."
"I owe him more than I can ever repay."
He lowered his eyes.
"After all of this..."
"I'd like the chance to speak with him."
"I owe him an apology for the way I behaved."
Then he leaned forward and kissed his daughter gently on the forehead.
"I'm sure that would make him very happy," I replied with a warm smile, feeling the tension inside the bus slowly begin to melt away.
"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Iris," Solène added as she held her daughter tightly in her arms.
Little by little, the atmosphere inside the bus transformed.
The heavy silence that had accompanied us at the beginning of the journey gave way to quiet conversation, gentle laughter, and smiles.
I sent Father a quick message to reassure him.
Everything is going well.
I've spoken with the Pavel family.
You can focus on what's waiting for you.
I hoped those few words would help ease his mind.
Only then did I truly begin to understand what it meant to live in this world.
To have a family.
To love...
And to be loved.
I never chose to be born.
That choice had been my father's.
But in moments like this...
I was grateful to exist.
Grateful to feel.
Grateful to witness a love so deeply human.
I love my father, too.
And in our own way...
We are a family.