"No, no, no!" Dr. Álvaro Tapia exclaimed as soon as he finished speaking, waving his hands excitedly.
"It's not that it's powerful, Mr. Mendoza... it's that it's miraculous. This defies everything we know. It's like transforming dust into flesh, as if death were transformed into life."
"We are witnessing a medical phenomenon equivalent to Shennong's work in testing hundreds of herbs, or to Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Febrile Diseases."
"This technology will not only change the world of prosthetics... it will change the lives of millions."
"Mr. Mendoza, you have just made history."
Tapia's words were exaggerated, no doubt. But Elías finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
They had succeeded.
For the first twenty minutes of the procedure, he thought something had gone wrong. The delay brought him to the brink of an anxiety attack. The fear that the prosthetic arm would have serious side effects was suffocating him.
Inwardly, he was convinced that if something went wrong, the entire project would collapse.
But now, with the positive result, he smiled and said:
"I'm glad everything went well. But enough with the speeches... let's go see Néstor."
Tapia frowned slightly, dissatisfied with the young businessman's pragmatic tone.
"Mr. Mendoza... you don't fully understand what this means."
However, Elías was the boss. And the provider of the technology. Tapia had no moral authority to reproach him for anything. So he simply guided him toward the recovery room.
They waited a few more minutes to give Néstor Galván time to adjust to the new arm.
And then, finally, the door opened.
When Elías saw Néstor, his eyes shone.
The difference was abysmal.
An hour earlier, Nestor had walked with his back hunched, his gaze hollow, and a cheap mechanical arm dangling like a useless ornament. He looked like a man defeated by life.
But now… he stood upright. His eyes shone with a new light. His face had color, and his expression, hope.
And if you didn't look closely at his right arm, you'd never guess it was a robotic prosthesis.
There was the first visible marvel of the technology developed by Elías Mendoza: the bionic skin covering, so realistic that at first glance it was indistinguishable from a natural limb.
Even someone with both arms healthy wouldn't notice that this arm was an artificial creation.
Nestor saw it… and knelt before him.
"Mr. Mendoza… thank you!" he said between sobs. "You gave me back my life."
"Look at my hands! I have hands again! I've never… never felt so happy."
—Thank you… thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Tears streamed freely down his face as he extended his right hand. He moved his index finger naturally, feeling every stimulus, every vibration.
It wasn't just mobility. It was real sensation.
He had spent ten years without that essential part of himself. Ten years eating with one hand, struggling with routine, feeling inferior, invisible to the rest of the world.
And suddenly… it was back.
He was no longer disabled. He was a whole man again.
What's more, the skin on his arm was so lifelike that no one would know he had ever lost a limb.
For Nestor, Elias Mendoza wasn't a boss.
He was a savior.
When his emotions calmed, Elías asked seriously:
"Are you feeling any discomfort? Anything strange since you installed it?"
Néstor gently moved his arm and responded gratefully:
"I don't feel anything out of place. It's as if it's always been there. I feel no discomfort, no weight, no stiffness. It moves like my original arm."
Elías asked him to do some precision exercises: threading a needle, using chopsticks, tying a knot in a rope.
Néstor performed each task fluidly, as if he had never lost that skill.
Watching him, Elías reflected.
The technology was exceeding his expectations. It was not only functional, but transformative. The potential of human mechanization was more real than he imagined.
And this was just the beginning.
Beside him, Tapia could contain himself no longer:
"I told you so, Mr. Mendoza!" This isn't just any technology... it's a milestone in global medicine!
—This could win a Nobel Prize.
—Just look!
Tapia pointed at Nestor's arm.
—This synthetic skin is so lifelike that no one can tell the difference. The integration is perfect.
—And that's not all. We did a quick check: there's no allergic reaction, no phantom pain, and more importantly... the patient has shown improvement in his emotional state!
—Even his depression has begun to disappear.
—This robotic arm is controlled with neural impulses, directly from the brain. There are no delays, no external calibration. It's like implanting a natural arm.
—This technology can restore a normal life to any person with a disability.
—It should be implemented worldwide.
—And on behalf of all the people who have lost a part of themselves... thank you, Mr. Mendoza. You are the savior of millions.
—I want to thank you too, Mr. Mendoza! "Néstor intervened, recovered. "This arm is now part of me. I can do everything I did before... and more."
"I'm not disabled. I'm... me again."
Néstor lowered his gaze, moved.
"I was thinking about all those people who, like me, have lost something. People who live in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity."
"This technology should reach them. All of them. So they can live again."
"I beg you... share it. The world needs it."
Elías smiled as he listened to both of them.
"Don't worry. This technology will be accessible. I'm committed to the physical and mental health of those who have been forgotten by the system."
"And at the same time!" he added with a half-smile, "I'm also very interested in knowing how much money can be made with this."
"Tell me... how much do you think we can bill?"