The doctor glances at the limp body that lies so still in the room one last time, then turns away with a heavy sigh. His voice sounds thin with fatigue, but the burden of what he's saying is devastating.
"When you brought him in to me, his ribs were already broken beyond your means to repair. Several fractures, shards shredding his organs. His lungs—damaged. His heart—barely holding on. Bit by bit, his nervous system is shutting down. And worst of all..." The doctor gulps and continues, "30 percent of his brain is already not working. No matter what we do, even trying every miracle drug and all possible treatments, we can't save him. In short, he is beyond help."
The words pierced Ayush like a dagger, the same way an arrow pierces the heart of the prey. He staggers back, shaking his head in disbelief. His breath heaves with short panicked gasps. No… this can't be happening.
The doctor's eyes soften, but his voice is steady. "And even [if] somehow he survives, which is impossible, he will wish he were dead because his life will be worse than death. It will be hell every minute of the day. He will be stuck in his own body, paralyzed, powerless. He will exist in a state of intolerable suffering, loathing his very existence. Is that the life you want for him?"
Ayush's entire world shatters in an instant. His knees give way and he collapses to the floor, his hands gripping the doctor's coat in desperation. His whole body shudders violently as howls erupt from his chest. His voice is low, fragmented, raw.
"Doctor… please… there has to be some other way? Anything … please … I'll do anything … just save him … please …''
The doctor pauses, his expression warring. For a long moment, silence hangs between them, punctuated only by the sound of Ayush's ragged sobs. Then, finally, the doctor says something.
"There is… one way." His voice is almost hesitant, as if he himself is dreading the words he's about to say. "Metallic Mutation."
Ayush gasps. His eyes fill in tears as they widen in horror, still processing the impact of those two words.
"No… no, no, NO!" He recoils, the whole of his body trembling. "What are you saying?! Do you want me to send him to that hell? That nightmare, in which survival itself is a miracle? You want me to cast him into that abyss — the one that did this to us, made us less than human?"
His breath comes in gasps, his fists clenching. All the memories flood back — the excruciating pains, the sleepless nights filled with screams, the times he wished he would die just to be relieved of the agony. They had never been accepted by the world ever since the mutation. They weren't seen as heroes. They were not even regarded as human beings.
They were monsters.
And now… the doctor was telling him to condemn Rudra — his little brother — to that same fate?
"I WON'T DO IT!" he bellows, the crack in his voice betraying his grief. "I WILL NOT LET HIM SUFFER THE WAY THAT WE DID!"
Choking on emotions, Ayush turns around and storms off the room. His heart beats frantically, thoughts racing, tears blurring his vision.
But before he can move, a soft but firm grip catches his wrist.
"Ayush, please…"
Kim's voice is little more than a whisper, yet it brings him to a standstill. His shoulders harden, but he doesn't look back. He does not want to look into her eyes. He already knows what it will be.
"Just… think for a minute," she begs, her voice quavering. "The doctor isn't wrong…"
Her words strike a nerve. A flame erupts in Ayush's chest and he jerks his arm away and turns to her with blazing eyes.
"Wrong?! Are you out of your mind?! " his voice hoarse with rage. "Have you forgotten the horror we faced just to receive these pretentious 'powers'? You must have forgotten the way the world looks at every Metallic Mutant as a monster. As if we don't even deserve to be with them? Have you forgotten the pain? The torment? The loneliness?"
Kim winces, tears in her own eyes. But she doesn't back down.
"No, Ayush…" her voice falters, but it does not crack. "I haven't forgotten. Not for a single second. I remember every scream, every night without sleep, every moment when I thought maybe I could just, vanish. But tell me …" she steps close, her voice thick with feeling. "Is that how you really want your little brother to live? And imprisoned in a body that won't even let him breathe without pain? Do you want him to become just a limp body, suffering every moment he breathes?"
Ayush's breath hitches. So tightly that his nails burst into his palms, drawing blood. His entire body shakes with rage, grief, almighty helplessness.
He knows she's right.
But thinking about it, the idea of watching Rudra suffer like that — it is too much.
Minutes pass in silence.
Then, finally, Ayush shuts his eyes. He draws breath, a shaky, choppy gasp, as if he is fighting to keep the broken shards of a soul from falling apart before him.
"If there's the smallest chance, that Rudra can survive… Even if that's one percent… I will do it, let's do it."
Kim releases a soft, broken sob, covering her mouth with her hand as still more tears spill down her cheeks.
Ayush wipes his face crudely and outer a desire to gather himself. He walks back, slow but steady. His heart beats faster with each step, but also his will grows stronger.
He strides into the doctor's cabin, his voice steady and unyielding.
"Prepare the procedure." He gulps, and yet his eyes
doesn't waver. "Rudra is gonna undergo the Metallic Mutation."
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