greyy2

I read your medical record all those years ago. 0.3u/L. That means your condition will deteriorate the moment you stop paying close attention to your health. We don't have the clearance to get your new records these days. What's your density at now?

You're writing code, making equipment, training in metalwork. I can believe that HQ is committed to its goals, but I'm worried that you might not know what you should really be doing.

Fernando!

He's all grown up now. That's uncalled for!

Besides, it doesn't matter how worried we are. You can't just force your wishes on him—

*Cough*—Let's eat first. Eat up!

Try the soup before it gets cold. Here, give it a taste.

Thanks, uncle Pedro.

Let me do the dishes later.

No!

You're not doing anything! Leave them there, I'll do the dishes!

Okay...

Greyy wipes a drop of sweat from his nose and inputs the updated data into his terminal.

The light emitted by the electrical device fluctuates unsteadily before slowly stabilizing.

The rooms in the office fall into a brief darkness before lighting up even brighter than before, thanks to the new system.

Greyy runs some tests on his terminal. Even his breath is slowing down.

Greyy, are you that short on time? Here, let me help you. Anything you need me to do?

Yeah, it's a huge upgrade, so there's quite a lot to handle, but I can deal with it myself.

Back when I was your age, my parents never let me touch nothing whenever I got sick. They'd just lock me inside the house, hoping I'd get better sooner.

Back then, I didn't get it. I thought they were limiting my freedom. When my friends got sick, they still got to head out with their parents for work, but I had to stay home alone.

Now, well over a decade later, I finally understand how they felt. My family's not poor. They had the means to let me rest up, instead of having to work through my illness.

If you, a patient, have to come all the way out here just to change our goddamn light bulbs, I seriously doubt that staying on the landship will really help you figure out what you want to do.

You're too inflexible, Fernando.

Why don't you take a few days off and try to remember why you joined Rhodes Island in the first place? Because it sounds like you've forgotten.

Not only did you insult Greyy, you insulted HQ itself.

Are you angry?

Me too.

I'm angry that I'm so powerless. I'm acting like a rude, unreasonable parent because there's nothing I could do to give you a better future.

This is Greyy's decision, Fernando. HQ is just respecting his decision and providing him with more opportunities.

We can't live his life for him. The landship's a bigger platform.

What he's doing is choosing to die! Out of all my friends from back then, I'm the only one who's an operator here and still healthy. Everyone else is working at factories in god-knows-where, catching Oripathy and dying before they know it.

Do you know how it felt watching their ashes scattered from the nomadic cities?

And him! He should've had more choices available to him!

Even though he's Infected, he could've chosen another path, and lived out his life healthy and safe!

I'm not Infected, and neither are you or Rita. As long as a war doesn't break out, we can look forward to a long life. I don't want to watch him die before me, just like all my old friends!

I'm prepared, but I'm not *that* prepared. I'm just a normal guy who was born and raised in Bolívar, and I'm only working here to try to save a couple more Infected for the sake of those friends of mine.

I'm not rescuing people just to watch them work themselves to death!

Fernando!

We both knew about his past, but he's always so easily offended. We could've just talked it out, but he just had to pick a fight...

Hm... Last time, you and I had a row with him for over two hours, but I still saw you two go fincatching that weekend.

It's not the same.

This is about Greyy and our ideals. It's no small quarrel—

What just happened?

Greyy?

*Sniffles*...

....*Sobs*...

Greyy? Are you crying?

Don't be sad. We aren't fighting. We're just...

Greyy, are you still up there on the ladder? Come back down!

(Blows nose)...

Fernando? That was you? Where's Greyy?

I'm here, Rita! There were some problems with the power supply system. It's okay, I can fix it no problem.

Fernando...

*Sobs*... If I'd known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have told you that you helped us, and that we'd wait for you to come back to help us again...

Look at those clothes... It must've been exhausting to travel all this way from the landship, but you didn't even mention it... How could you be like this?

I spend every day thinking that it's all because I went along with them, and told you we needed you to light up the place. That I made you choose to walk such a difficult path...

It's my fault. It's all my fault! You're in such a hurry to get working... You aren't going to leave right away too, are you?

When's the next time we'll see you? In another few years?

Fernando, that's not it...

Really, this isn't that onerous. The reason I'm not complaining isn't because I'm trying to hide anything from you, it's because it's really not difficult.

Please don't cry. Here, one sec.

Take a look. This is the emergency power system I developed with the other operators at the Engineering Department.

I can make the lights here stabler and brighter than before. There won't be a moment of darkness here, even if it's pouring outside.

Before, you needed a generator just to barely light up a single tent in the mountains, but soon I'll be able to illuminate every home here, even the entire mountain, forever.

This is my technology, and it's what I'm working on now.

You're right. It might be taxing on my body and my health, and I may not have that much time left.

But please also try to see what I'm getting out of it.

It's not just a couple lanterns in the slums, or a few houses. I have the ability to bring light to even more places. What I'm doing now will pay off over the next dozen years, perhaps even decades to come.

And if I can do this much, why not do even more?

If, back then... my house had been this bright, I wouldn't have turned out like this.

And since I can do this now, I hope to keep anyone who finds themselves where I was from retracing the path that I took.

So no one will follow the path your friends took, either.

(So they still ended up fighting...)

(Trying to stop them isn't going to help. Fernando isn't going to change his mind, either.)

(I need to prove myself and tell him that I'll be fine. That's the only way to stop them.)

(This code... Sorry, I'll fix this for you later. Let me put a wrong value here first...)

Greyy, I know what you're saying, and I'm not as hotheaded as Fernando.

But as a doctor, and the person who lied to you and made you think you helped us all those years ago, I have to ask you this question.

I'm sure you realized long ago that that was a lie, and I'm not going to try to sugarcoat it as some kind of white lie.

That was something I, as an adult, blurted out without thinking it through. I even dragged them into my lie, and this definitely influenced your decision in some capacity.

What I want to ask you now is, let's say we could do this all over. Except this time, you'd know that we were lying. Would you still be using your Originium Arts to bring us a light that it turns out we never actually needed?

I would.

Even if you'd have no idea whether it would be of any use to us?

I would, and I'll keep doing it going forward. I hate the darkness, and I don't want it to be a source of fear for anyone else.

It doesn't matter whether I'm sure that it will actually be useful.

*Sigh*...

Greyy, these are your own ideals and your own life. Of course we'll support you.

<i>......</i>

<i>I still have doubts about a few things.</i>

<i>Why did Rita ask me that question in the end? Aside from repaying favors, all my actions have been shaped by my mother, and I always do what she would do. I extend a helping hand to others, and strive to bring light to even more people, yet I never think about myself. I have very little time because of my Oripathy, but I have also seen and experienced a great many things. I will not stop in my tracks.</i>

<i>And I will persevere even while uncertain how useful that will actually be.</i>

<i>My goal for the future will always be to shine light on even more people. I will cast this light from my hands and illuminate even vaster swaths of land.</i>

Good morning, Doctor.

Morning.

My thesis and equipment are ready.

I am ready for my defense.