Chapter 15 -- A Tear

 Chapter 15

A Tear

After leaving Adam’s office with heavy steps, John passed through the door as it closed silently behind him.

Inside, the room returned to its familiar stillness.

Adam picked up the transparent tablet resting on his desk.

A long list appeared on the screen: code names, version numbers, prototype identifiers…

Each one carried the digital identity of a different unit, a different existence.

He scrolled slowly.

Then he found the line he was looking for.

TSX – Nadia

His finger hovered lightly over the name.

He opened the related menu and activated several programming commands.

Data streams poured down the screen like rain; indicators showed network connections being reconfigured.

He watched the progress bars for a moment.

Finally, the notification “Completed” lit up on the display.

Adam set the tablet aside in silence.

He leaned back.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and looked toward the massive glass wall.

The island lights shimmered faintly in the darkness, distant waves rolled toward the shore…

Everything looked the same, yet the air inside the office felt heavier now.

Perhaps, somewhere deep within, Adam sensed the shadow of a small loss.

That even a being made of fractal code and quantum processors

could leave behind a trace—

a meaning—

a void.

For a brief moment, a vague thoughtfulness crossed his face.

Then his expression returned to what it had always been.

Meanwhile, as Salih and Nathan continued eating, the restaurant door opened.

Two people entered, dressed like emergency response personnel, carrying a stretcher.

In the crowded restaurant, they immediately drew attention.

As they moved forward, customers’ gazes slowly turned toward them.

They guided the stretcher toward the table where Nadia had been sitting.

Nadia was still there, in the same position.

The fixed smile on her face was gone; there was no expression, no movement.

She seemed completely offline.

Like a device whose power had been cut.

Silent. Unresponsive. Still.

The responders approached her with gentle yet mechanical motions.

As if they were handling a store mannequin rather than a real person…

They carefully lifted Nadia by her arms and brought her to her feet.

Her body swayed slightly back and forth;

there was weight, but no resistance.

Then, with the same delicacy, they placed her onto the stretcher.

They didn’t even bother securing her wrists—there was no need.

She was now a fully shut-down system.

As the stretcher began to move, a single drop of water fell to the floor and spread.

The ground darkened slightly.

No one noticed.

It was a tear—

a single tear that had fallen from Nadia’s unresponsive body.

The restaurant watched in silence.

Several tables seemed to be holding their breath.

Nathan and Salih, unwillingly, found themselves watching as well.

Salih leaned forward slightly, his eyes still fixed on the stretcher.

“So… what happens to her now?” he asked.

Nathan couldn’t take his eyes off it.

There was an indistinct sadness in his gaze.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly.

“Maybe her user didn’t want her anymore.”

He paused.

His breathing grew a little heavier.

“Maybe she’ll be sent for recycling…

or decommissioned.”

He shrugged faintly.

“Whatever decision was made about her… I have no idea.”

As the responders slowly wheeled the stretcher away, an eerie silence lingered in the restaurant.

One chair stood empty:

The chair where Nadia had been sitting just moments ago.

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