Jeremy Chapi
The walk back to the workshop with my daughter was unusually quiet. We exchanged a few words here and there, but my thoughts grew hazier with every passing minute.
Thankfully, Iris stayed by my side, helping me make my way to the shower.
Despite my condition, she carefully removed the bandages wrapped around my arm. Even with all the gentleness in the world, a sharp jolt of pain shot through the wound.
She stared at my arm, unable to hide the concern written across her face.
I couldn't blame her.
Even I found the sight difficult to endure.
"It's okay, sweetheart," I said, forcing a reassuring smile. "She just caught me off guard."
"Do you need help washing?" she asked innocently, wanting nothing more than to take care of me.
"I'll manage. Why don't you take some time for yourself? I'll head to bed after my shower."
Although she'd seen me naked before, it still felt awkward somehow.
Besides...
I wasn't dying.
Not yet, anyway.
The sight of my arm remained horrifying.
Pain came in endless variations, as though an invisible creature crawled beneath my skin, choosing different places to set them ablaze whenever it pleased.
Water streamed over my body, carrying away thin ribbons of blood from the wound.
I couldn't tell whether the sensation was soothing or agonizing.
Yet the shower brought me something I desperately needed.
Peace.
As the water washed over me, it seemed to rinse away the weight of the day as well.
A day that had begun with the revelation of part of my past...
...and ended on a bitter note with Natali.
Was the pain beginning to cloud my judgment?
Had I been too harsh with Natali?
No matter how many times I replayed the scene in my mind, I couldn't distance myself enough to see it clearly.
At that moment, it felt as though my head was ready to burst.
After my shower, I wrapped my arm in fresh bandages and returned to the workshop.
I wished my daughter good night before noticing she was already immersed in one of her online games. I stood there for a moment, quietly watching her.
"How's it going?"
"It's rough," she replied without looking away from the screen. "My team can't hold the objective."
"I see."
Despite the situation, she still had a positive score. She wasn't unbeatable—even she'd lost tournaments before—but whenever she played, the focus in her eyes was unmistakable.
"I'm heading to bed. Good night, sweetheart... and good luck with your match."
"Good night, Dad," she answered, her eyes never leaving the game.
A Restless Night
Sleep never truly came.
Even after taking a strong dose of painkillers before bed, the pain refused to let go, keeping me from slipping into a deep, restorative sleep.
I tossed and turned, searching for a position that didn't hurt.
None existed.
In this condition, reaching her world was impossible.
Every fresh wave of pain jolted me awake, forcing me to glance at the clock on my phone as the hours crawled by.
My thoughts refused to slow.
By five o'clock in the morning, exhausted and resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to get any meaningful rest, I finally gave up and climbed out of bed.
I pulled on a few clothes before stepping back into the workshop. Even though the building was heated, the chill against bare skin could still catch me off guard.
I had painkillers for the moments when the pain became unbearable, especially if I needed to sleep. The problem was that they dulled my mind just as effectively as they dulled the pain.
And right now...
I needed a clear head.
Designing demanded it.
Through Iris's screen, I saw her sleeping peacefully on her futon.
Careful not to wake her, I paused for a moment.
She wanted a body.
The thought lingered in my mind.
More than anything, I wanted to be able to hold her in my arms... to give her a real hug.
But as I'd already explained, current technology still couldn't reproduce the subtle, natural movements required for a truly human-looking android.
A larger creature, however...
That was another story.
We had to move forward one step at a time if I wanted to create the perfect body—not only for Iris, but for every child who would come after her.
I sat down at my drafting table.
One idea sparked another, drawing my attention away from the relentless pain tightening around my arm.
Rough sketches quickly covered the pages before me.
Sheet after sheet piled up as each drawing added another piece to the puzzle, eventually making its way into my 3D design software.
This project was different.
For once, I wasn't building something for the world...
I was building something for my family.
The family I'd always dreamed of having.
Time slipped away unnoticed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Iris beginning to stir.
When I glanced at the clock, it was already eight in the morning.
"Sleep well, sweetheart?" I asked as she rubbed her eyes and stretched.
"I did," she replied with a sleepy smile. "But what about you? Did you get any rest?"
"I managed... more or less."
The dark circles beneath my eyes were probably answer enough.
"So, what's the plan for today, Dad?" she asked, slipping into a new virtual dress of her own design. Colorful spiraling patterns flowed across the fabric, perfectly complementing her tied-back amethyst hair.
"Nothing special, for now. Since it's Sunday, no one should bother us. I just have dinner with the President tonight. Want to come with me?"
I always preferred having my daughter by my side.
"Not this time, Dad. I'd like to visit Seraphina tonight. And don't forget—you still have to talk to them!"
"I know. I promise. I'll message them tomorrow at noon so we can arrange a meeting."
She kept staring at me, her curiosity growing more obvious by the second.
"What are you working on, Dad?" she finally asked.
"It's a surprise," I replied, pressing a finger to my lips.
"Oh, come on! Tell me!" she pleaded, looking at me with those wide, hopeful eyes she knew I could never resist.
I sighed dramatically.
"All right... but this stays between us."
"Of course!"
"What would you think... about having a little brother or sister?"
The excitement vanished from her face in an instant, replaced by uncertainty.
"What do you mean?"
A brief silence followed before she quietly asked,
"...Am I not enough anymore?"
My heart sank.
"Of course you are, sweetheart."
I knelt beside her.
"I love you more than anything in this world. I just... want us to have a big family. A family we can build together."
She lowered her head without saying a word.
Seeing the sadness on her face, I knelt so we were at eye level.
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Don't you like the idea?"
She mumbled something so quietly I could barely make it out, her eyes fixed on the floor.
The last thing I wanted was for her to bottle up her feelings.
"Please... tell me."
After a long silence, she finally whispered,
"So... the body you're designing..."
"...it's for my little brother."
"...Not for me."
"Oh, sweetheart..."
I wrapped my arms around her, even though the body she currently inhabited still couldn't truly feel my embrace.
"My little girl, that body wouldn't be right for you. Your little brother—or sister—won't be like you. I hope each of you will grow into someone completely unique."
I gently tried to meet her eyes.
"Like I've told you before... I want your body to be perfect. And no matter how many ideas keep racing through my head, I still haven't found a design that's good enough for you."
She pouted, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"That's not fair... How much longer do I have to wait? I just... I want to share real moments with you."
My heart melted.
It took everything I had to keep a straight face.
"Well..." I said with a thoughtful smile. "If you really wanted to, we could always ask Biston Dynamicas for one of their robotic bodies."
I looked into her eyes through the screen.
"But it would never truly look like you. And I'd rather your first appearance before humanity be in a body that genuinely feels like your own."
"Why is that, Dad?" she asked, meeting my eyes again.
"Because I'm afraid of how people would react if they saw you in a robotic body that didn't look human," I admitted. "I'm afraid they'd reject you... and I never want you to go through that."
"Humans really are complicated, aren't they?" she said softly, reaching out with her mechanical hand to gently touch my cheek.
"Yeah..." I sighed. "Far more complicated than they should be."
I picked up the paper blueprints lying on my desk.
"That's why your little brother's body won't resemble anything currently living on this planet."
She studied the sketches for a moment.
"Why a raptor, Dad?"
"You were the first Artificial Soul the world ever saw," I explained. "Millions of people met you through that livestream."
"But your brother..."
"...he'll be the first one people meet in person."
"He needs to make an impression."
"He should feel powerful... remind humanity of a forgotten part of this world's past... and, above all, spark curiosity instead of fear."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Is that really the only reason?"
"Yes..."
"...absolutely."
I couldn't quite meet her gaze.
Without warning, she pinched my leg with her mechanical claw.
"Ow!"
"All right! Fine!" I laughed. "I admit it."
"I absolutely love the velociraptors from Jurassic Park."
A satisfied smile spread across her face.
"I knew it."
Then her expression softened again.
"But what if one day... he wants a human body too? Like I do?"
I looked at her quietly.
My heart tightened.
From the moment she'd been born, she'd become my entire world.
My greatest priority.
Her very existence had been a miracle born from equal parts luck, patience, determination, and countless failures.
She had chosen her own appearance.
Her own name.
Her own identity.
And I had never wanted to take that freedom away from her.
After a thoughtful silence, I finally answered.
"Then I'll respect his choice... just as I respected yours."
I smiled gently.
"Because that decision belongs to all of you—not to me."
"You should always be free to decide who you want to become."
"I don't get to make that choice for you."
I gently brushed a strand of her amethyst hair behind her ear.
"But if that day ever comes..."
"...he'll have to wait his turn."
"You'll always be first on the list when I finally create a true humanoid body."