Days passed, and every night Youri made his way through the vents to Leonora's room. He kept his promise. Each visit, he taught her how to read and told her stories about the world outside—about skies without ceilings, streets full of people, and places untouched by white walls and blinking monitors. Leonora learned quickly. It didn't take long before she could read on her own, and once she did, Youri made it a tradition to bring her a new book every time he came. Night after night, month after month, the two shared those quiet moments together.
One night, as Youri crouch-walked through the vents toward her room, he heard voices below. Panic tightened his chest. He rushed to the vent opening and looked down.
Leonora lay motionless on her bed, her eyes closed. The monitors around her screamed with frantic beeping as two nurses scrambled, injecting her with needle after needle. Suddenly, Malden rushed into the room. He glanced at the monitors, stepped closer, and said, " she does not have much time, well have to do the trans fusion live, take her to the operating room, if she dies we are screwed," before turning and storming out.
Something twisted inside Youri. He pulled himself away from the vent and raced back through the narrow shafts, moving as fast as his body allowed. He reached his chamber and hurried into bed just as fate would have it—Malden entered moments later. The ceiling lights followed Malden as he walked toward Youri's chamber. He stopped beside the bed, pressed down on Youri's shoulder, and said, "wake up EH36, its time for your next phase,"
Youri stood, pretending to be disoriented. Malden placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "we will conduct a cell replacement, we will replace your body's cells with another body's cells, we have to save a little girls life, you should be proud of that,"
Youri knew immediately who he meant. A faint smile touched his face as he stood. Malden gestured for him to follow, leading him through the sterile corridors to the operating room.
The room was blindingly bright, surrounded by smooth white panels. Two operating tables stood at the center. Leonora lay on one, asleep and anesthetized. Malden guided Youri to the table beside her. Robotic arms hovered above both tables, and to the left, three monitors displayed live data streaming endlessly.
Youri was placed on the table. Malden leaned close and said, "You have to taught it out EH36, we don't have time to anesthetize you,"
Youri said nothing.
Malden activated the robotic arms, and the procedure began. One arm injected a needle into Youri while another extended a long tube. On Leonora's side, the same process unfolded. The tubes connected, and Youri's blood began flowing into her body as hers was drained away.
As he lay there, Youri turned his head and looked at her pale face. A faint smile formed as a memory surfaced—one of their last moments together.
A few nights earlier, Youri had slipped into her room through the vent. The metal squeaked softly as he dropped down. Leonora stirred and lifted her head.
"Thirty-six, you are back," she said, her face lighting up.
Youri stepped closer. "hey Leonora,"
His eye was swollen from one of the tests. She noticed immediately.
"what happened to your eye," she asked, gently touching it.
Forcing a smile, Youri replied, "oh, nothing I just tripped and fell,"
Leonora frowned. "You should be more careful,"
Quickly changing the subject, Youri pulled a book from behind his back. "look I brought a new book for you,"
Her eyes widened. "wow Caspia, its huge,"
Youri smiled. "there is a girl just like you in the story, I know you will like it,"
She looked at him, her eyes shining. "thank you thirty-six, thank you."
Back in the operating room, Youri stared at her fragile face. One thought echoed in his mind: thank you Leonora, thank you for making my life a little more pleasant.
For the first time, he felt free. There was no regret—only peace. The last thing he thought before losing consciousness was that he had given her one final gift. A life outside this hell.
The procedure took hours, but it was successful. Leonora stabilized. The dying cells were gone, destroyed by Youri's blood and unique genetic makeup, saving her life and her future.
Youri remained unconscious for days. Any normal human would have died midway through the procedure, but his body endured. A week later, he slowly opened his eyes to the sound of machines beeping around him. He was no longer in his chamber but in a medical room filled with white panels. His bed stood in the center, flanked by two tall monitors.
As he tried to sit up, the door hissed open. Malden entered, adjusting his glasses.
"so you did wake up!"
"how long was I asleep," Youri asked.
"its been a week," Malden replied. Noticing Youri staring at his hand, he added, "you still need some more rest your body has yet to recuperate the lost blood, we found out some thing truly unique about you blood EH36, and I think you will be a huge help for the future of medicine,"
Youri remained unfazed.
Malden continued, "we have a new kid coming, he suffers from the same disease as the girl to, so we will need more of that precious blood of yours, so rest up, as soon as you are ready we will begin the procedure once again,"
Years passed. Children came and went, all receiving the same treatment. Each time, Youri gave his blood to save a life—and each time, he lost something of himself. Memories faded. Faces blurred. Leonora lingered the longest, but even that became heavy, dragging him into a deep depression.
Five years after saving Leonora, Youri barely ate, slept, or spoke.
One day, Malden entered his chamber and said, "EH36, I may be able to help relive you of your pain,"
For the first time in years, Youri's eyes widened.
Malden stepped closer. "I can turn your brain in to a machine, those thoughts hunting you will no longer pelage you,"
Youri lunged forward, grabbing Malden by the collar. "do it, please do it,"
Malden shut off Youri's emotions, turning him into a vessel for science.
But fate was not finished with him.
One day, as Youri stood motionless by his bed, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor. Each step grew louder until a figure stopped before his chamber. A shadow fell over Youri's face.
He looked up.
Standing there was Barnaby.
With a smile, Barnaby said, "missed me."