The day had begun in Talion. Sunlight spilled over the steel towers, and people drifted into their routines — some hurrying off to work, others strolling with their pets tugging at the leash. To the two figures sitting quietly on a bench at the edge of the district, it all looked almost unreal: an entire world going about its business, blissfully unaware of everything that had shaped them. Thirty-Five stared blankly at the passersby, puzzled by the ordinary flow of it. After so many years locked away in the depths of the institute, the most everyday sights seemed foreign to him, almost staged. Youri sat beside him and watched the city wake.
They stayed there for hours, until a familiar shape came out of the crowd. Long dark hair shone in the morning light. Youri blinked twice, unable to believe it at first, but as she came closer and her smile grew wider, he knew her. It was Emma. She looked older now and more confident, but she was unmistakably the same girl he remembered.
"Youri?" she cried, almost breathless.
Youri jumped up and hugged her tightly. "Emma… it's been so long." His voice cracked, and a single tear slid down his cheek.
Emma stepped back, smiling as brightly as ever, and looked at the tall figure still sitting on the bench. "Is he your brother?" she asked, pointing at Thirty-Five.
Youri went stiff for half a second, then forced an awkward smile. "Yeah. We were out walking. Just taking a break."
Emma beamed at Thirty-Five. "It's nice to meet you." He only nodded, his face unreadable, and she turned back to Youri with curiosity in her eyes. "So how have you been? You finally got out too?"
Youri's smile dimmed a little. "Yeah. I did."
"Where do you live now?"
The question caught him off guard. He opened his mouth, stalled, and then made something up. "Ah… just around here."
Emma frowned. "Around here? This part of town gets dangerous at night. How long have you lived here?"
Youri swallowed. "Just a few months. Our father's a wanderer, and he decided to take us with him this time. He sold our house so we could get ready to move."
Emma brightened at once. "That's amazing, Youri! You always loved space. Now you'll actually get to travel. I'm so happy for you."
He smiled back at her. "Thanks. What about you? How's life been?"
Her whole face glowed. "Perfect. The couple who adopted me treat me like their real daughter, and they're doing really well. They buy me so many things that sometimes I think I'm going to wake up back at the orphanage with Liam banging on his bunk and you yelling at him to stop. I feel truly blessed."
"I'm really happy for you, Emma."
She nodded, and then her eyes lit up. "Oh! And I met Liam again!"
"Really?" Youri asked quickly.
"Yeah. He came to my father looking for work. Can you believe it? He only turned fourteen a few months ago."
Youri glanced over at Thirty-Five, then asked carefully, "Emma… my brother and I have been looking for work too. Do you think your father might take us on?"
Emma clapped her hands. "Leave it to me! I'll talk to my father. Just come by the warehouse to register."
"Thank you, Emma."
"Don't mention it," she said proudly. "Your little sister has influence now."
They both laughed quietly, and after a few more minutes Emma headed home, promising to speak to her father that evening.
When she had disappeared into the crowd, Youri turned to Thirty-Five. "I think we're going to be okay. If we can get work there and make some money, we might actually be able to live comfortably. What do you think?"
Thirty-Five gave a soft, single roar of agreement.
"By the way," Youri added, "we need a name for you. I can't call you Thirty-Five in public."
Thirty-Five roared once.
"Alright. How about Jack?"
He shook his head.
"Daniel?"
Another shake.
Youri sighed dramatically and looked away up the street, where a tram stop sign bore a huge painted number six. "What about… Six? Just Six."
This time Thirty-Five nodded eagerly, and he even gave a rare smile.
Youri grinned. "Then it's settled. From now on, you're Six."
The night that followed was a hard one. Youri and Six dug through trash cans and dumpsters hunting for something to eat. When the dawn came again they slipped back out into the busy streets and began searching for a map, or anything at all, that might lead them to Emma's father's warehouse. They wandered the city for hours before they came across a poster stapled to a crumbling wall:
LOOKING FOR WORKERS — WAREHOUSE JOB — LIFTING AND MOVING CARGO — EAST DISTRICT
Youri snatched it off the wall. "Six… I think this is it."
Six answered with a firm roar.
After weaving through the maze of streets in the eastern district, the two of them finally stood in front of a massive warehouse with a sign above its entrance that read Brandon's LLC, and they stepped inside.
The interior was enormous — echoing, dim, filled with towering stacks of wooden crates arranged like makeshift walls. Yellowed lights flickered now and then overhead and sent jittery shadows crawling across the concrete floor. The air was thick with dust and the smell of old wood, like a forgotten archive of shipments long passed. In the middle of that labyrinth of crates sat one strange sight: a single soft, faded armchair, placed as though somebody had dragged it in and then forgotten about it. A distant hum of machinery ran through the building, and that, and the crackle of the failing lights, was the only sound.
Far at the back stood a small door with a sign that read Brandon's LLC — CEO Casey Brandon. Youri and Six wove their way through the crates toward it, and Youri hesitated, then turned the knob. The office behind it was simple: dim light, a tall bookshelf, a wooden desk, and a single chair, empty.
A moment later, a shout echoed from the far end of the warehouse. "Hey! What are you doing in there!?"
Youri stepped back out, and his eyes went wide. The blond hair, the blue eyes — there was no mistaking them. Liam was standing frozen in the entrance. A small metal wrench slipped from his fingers and clattered on the floor.
For a long moment neither of them moved, and the air hung heavy with disbelief. Then Liam ran — straight across the warehouse at Youri, and threw his arms around him. Youri hugged him back with his eyes stinging. After everything, after all the endless cold, pain and fear, the two brothers were together again at last.