He heard Jasper’s jeep from a distance. His car was one of those you just recognized by the sound. It hadn’t been more than two hours since their conversation. He’d just taken a hot shower and stretched out. He didn’t want to turn on the TV. He just wanted to sit and stare. His brain needed a break.


    Jasper slammed his car door hard. That was the signal for Daniel to get up and greet him. He stepped out onto the balcony, which doubled as a sort of outdoor corridor. Standing there in his robe, he waited for Jasper to spot him.


    “Couldn’t find a shittier hole, huh?” his friend yelled from below.


    “There was one, but I picked this one.”


    “Your taste in hotels is the same as your taste in women.”


    Jasper figured out how to climb the stairs and started making his way up. His weight pressed down on the iron steps, each one creaking and bouncing as he lifted his foot off it.


    “Your room’s decent at least. How much did you pay for this place?”


    “Not much, but if you think we’re sharing a bed, you’re out of luck.”


    “Bro, sit down, I’ve got stuff to tell you. I’m not sleeping here for anything in the world.”


    “What’s so important you had to come in person?”


    “You’ve hidden yourself well. I thought you were near the city, but I drove for at least an hour, maybe more. What are you doing here? Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t care.”


    Daniel sat on his bed and leaned against the wall. Jasper took the armchair between the bed and the grimy window.


    “Listen, bro,” Jasper said, breathless, firing words like bullets. “You know how I told you about the new properties? The big buildings up for sale.”


    “Yeah, you said you’ve already got a lot of work and weren’t gonna chase commissions. Something like that.”


    “Right. And today was my first day meeting clients. I went to check out the apartments first, describe them, you know, the usual stuff I have to deal with. And on the very first day, I get calls from clients.”


    “Which is probably normal?”


    “Not quite. Sometimes it happens, but not with this kind of interest. Usually, they just call to ask about the price, the location, that sort of thing. These people wanted to view the places right away. And if it was just one apartment, fine, but for the whole first building? That’s too much.”


    “And you drove all the way here because of that?”


    “No, bro, stop interrupting me,” Jasper shouted. Daniel was sure they could hear him three rooms over. “So, I’ve got three properties to sell—by ‘property,’ I mean whole buildings.”


    Daniel nodded.


    “And they started calling me within hours. Literal hours. Different phones. Like I’m not selling apartments but giving them away for free.”


    “And?”


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    “Well, I set up meetings with most of them. All of them, actually. Even took some together because I wouldn’t have enough time otherwise. Most of the apartments are the same anyway. Not much different to say to each one. Got any water?”


    Daniel handed him his bottle, and Jasper took a sip.


    “I’m starting to worry about you, Jas,” Daniel said. “You’re sweating and talking all jittery. I don’t want to have to call an ambulance.”


    “Relax, I’m fine. It’s just when I think back to it now, the horror I went through…”


    “You went through horror?”


    “Yeah. The first clients showed up in the morning. One was a couple—two guys. Look, I don’t get the gay stuff, I just accept it. With them was another family for a different apartment—the typical kind, two kids, mom, and dad. Nothing weird so far. I met them out front, all neat and tidy. They’d dressed up nice too. The two guys even smelled good.”


    “They didn’t make you do anything with them, did they?”


    “No, bro, I’m not in the mood for jokes. Listen,” Jasper took another sip. “I’ve got this habit from the park of checking everyone’s hands. You know, who’s got gloves, who doesn’t, that kind of thing.”


    “Yeah, I’ve got it too,” Daniel said, not lying. “The other day at the store, I was watching the cashiers, thinking how easily they could be replaced by robots.”


    “Exactly. You see where I’m going.”


    “Actually, no.”


    “Well, these people didn’t have gloves.”


    “So?”


    “So we shook hands. Like people do when they meet for the first time. And their hands were ice-cold. Ice-cold!”


    “You’re imagining things, Jas. Something’s stuck with you from the park. Maybe it was a mistake we went there.”


    “Fine, maybe I’m imagining it. Or maybe their hands really were like that. Some people have cold extremities.”


    “Absolutely. And even if someone’s pranking you by sending robots, don’t you think they’d put gloves on them?”


    “With gloves, it’d be even more obvious. I think they were hoping we wouldn’t shake hands.”


    “Okay, let’s say you imagined it. Was there anything weird while you were showing them around?”


    “No. They acted totally normal. Though I don’t know how sharp I was. I kept thinking about it the whole time.”


    “Did they ask you questions? The usual ones—square footage, price, that stuff?”


    “Yeah, everything was normal, bro. Even the kids were running around while the adults asked questions. Like usual.”


    “Then what are you worried about?”


    “I’m not done yet, hold on. I told you I had viewings all day. Guess how the next ones showed up?”


    “With gloves?”


    “You got it. But they took them off before we shook hands.”


    “Well, your theory’s getting a bit shaky here. Robots don’t know what gloves are. We figured that out ourselves.”


    “Robots are just puppets with consciousness coded by humans. You’re the tech guy. That kind of code could probably be written in minutes.”


    He was right about that. Daniel wanted to believe him but couldn’t take it seriously. So he decided to let him finish his story.


    “Their hands were cold too. Like gripping metal, bro. That cold.”


    “What if yours were just really warm?”


    “I thought that too, but there shouldn’t be that big a difference.”


    “Okay, I don’t think you’re crazy, but I think you’re exaggerating a little.”


    “I’ve been thinking about it all day, bro. And finally, I told myself I’d call you. I had to tell someone.”


    “You said you know the builder, right? Is he at least human?”


    Jasper’s eyes widened. He’d been staring off somewhere while sipping water, but now he turned back to Daniel.


    “Good thing you reminded me. Yeah, I know the builder. But this property changed ownership after it was built. Some company bought the whole thing from him and had him assign me to sell the apartments.”


    “Jas, now you’re giving me the creeps too. Are they gonna buy the apartments?”


    “They showed interest. No one buys right away. Usually, they say they’ll think about it. These did too.” Jasper glanced at the bed. “Bro, looks like you’ll have to make some room for me to crash. I don’t feel like driving back.”