Cyborg in the Apocalypse

Alex stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 89th floor.

The numbers on the display quickly ticked upward, moving from 75 to his destination.

When the elevator doors opened, he stepped into the hallway leading to the Bionics Department.

The air felt tense. Security personnel patrolled the area, their sharp eyes scanning every passerby as if searching for suspicious activity.

Reaching the entrance, Alex swiped his ID card at the scanner.

Instead of the familiar chime and the soft sound of the doors splitting open, there was a harsh error beep.

A red cross flashed on the scanner. Access Denied.

"Eh? What's going on?" Alex murmured, frowning.

He swiped his card again, only to be met with the same error noise.

This time, the nearby security officers turned their attention toward him, their stares heavy with suspicion.

Forcing a nervous smile, Alex raised his ID for them to see. "Uh, I think there's a problem with the reader. It's not accepting my ID."

He tried again, but the result didn't change. The repeated error had now caught the full attention of the security team.

"Sir, please remain where you are and refrain from making any sudden movements," one of the guards instructed, his hand moving to rest on his holster.

Alex froze, his arms slowly rising in a gesture of surrender. He had no intention of finding out what level of force they'd employ—tasers, rubber bullets, or worse.

One of the guards tapped something on the side of his helmet. If one looked closely, they could see faint flickers in the guard's eyes as streams of data flooded his augmented vision. Only he could see the information scrolling across the interface.

Alex sighed. "And of course, you're running a scan on my profile. Fantastic. You do know that scan logs stay public on Nexus for a month, right? Anyone checking my profile will see that AetherCorp security flagged me." He grumbled under his breath. "You could've just asked me questions. I'd gladly answer."

The department door slid open, and the suited man from earlier stepped out, his presence commanding immediate attention.

"We're taking special measures because this is a special case," he said calmly. "If you're worried about potential employers seeing the scan, AetherCorp can provide a reference letter explaining the circumstances—provided, of course, you're found innocent. And if you are, you won't need to worry about finding a new job. You'll still have one here."

Alex forced a wry smile. "To be honest, I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong."

The man's sharp gaze fixed on Alex, as though attempting to peer directly into his soul. "Why are you still here, Mr. Kael?"

Alex cleared his throat, gesturing toward the door. "My things are still on my desk. I was trying to get in to pack my belongings before heading home."

"Mr. Kael," the man said, his tone firm, "all items are confiscated until further notice."

Alex's face fell. "Oh, please, no. I'm willing to cooperate, answer any questions, go through any investigation—but I need my backpack. My personal device is in there, and I have important items I can't afford to lose."

The two stared at each other in silence, the tension thickening with each passing second. Alex felt his resolve weakening, but just as he was about to give up, the man spoke.

"If you agree to answer a few of our questions right now, we can prioritize your items in the investigation. If we find nothing incriminating, you'll be allowed to take them home."

Alex didn't have to think twice. "Deal. I'll answer anything. I'm not hiding anything."

"Good. You may refer to me as Marcus. I'm just a secretary," the man said, his tone measured but firm.

Marcus stepped aside, motioning toward the entrance. "Please come in."

Alex nodded, his heart racing with a mix of relief and apprehension as he followed the suited man into familiar territory.

Marcus led Alex through the pristine, white corridors of the Bionics Department.

The walls shimmered faintly under the bright, sterile lights, their surface broken only by sleek panels displaying company announcements and project schedules. The air was thick with an oppressive silence, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing off the polished floor.

After a few turns, they arrived at Alex's workstation—a small but organized cubicle tucked in the corner of the department.

Everything was as he had left it: his personal tablet slotted into a charging station already full, and his backpack sitting neatly on top of the chair.

Marcus stopped just short of the desk and turned to face Alex. "Don't touch anything yet," he said, his voice calm but authoritative.

Alex raised his hands defensively. "I wasn't going to."

Marcus activated his Nexus interface with a subtle tap to his temple.

A faint, translucent screen projected in front of him, invisible to Alex but clear in the detective's augmented view. He scanned the desk, his eyes flicking back and forth as data populated the interface.

"Your workstation hasn't been tampered with," Marcus said, his tone neutral. "That's a good sign. We'll be reviewing your device and the contents of your backpack for any anomalies. Standard procedure."

Alex shifted uncomfortably. "Can I at least explain what's in there? Maybe it'll save you some time."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Explain, then."

Alex gestured toward the backpack. "That's mostly personal stuff. My notebook, some snacks, a water bottle. The device has all my research logs, but it's synced to the company cloud. Nothing should be out of place."

Marcus nodded slowly, then gestured to the chair. "Sit."

Alex complied, lowering himself into the familiar seat. Marcus remained standing, his gaze unwavering as he activated a scan of Alex's device.

"I need you to answer a few questions while we work through this. Straightforward, honest answers. Understand?"

Alex swallowed hard and nodded. "Understood."

"Let's keep this simple, Mr. Kael," Marcus tapped the side of his Nexus implant, his gaze briefly flicking to an invisible interface. "Let's start with the basics. What were your primary responsibilities as an intern in the Bionics Department?"

Alex straightened in his seat, his voice steady despite his growing unease. "I mostly handled data processing and analysis for ongoing research. Sometimes, I assisted with logistical tasks, like organizing files or delivering documents to other departments."

"Delivered documents," Marcus repeated, his tone neutral. "Did you ever deliver anything unusual? Something that seemed out of place?"

Alex frowned, thinking back. "No, not really. It was usually research papers or internal announcements. Once or twice, Dr. Elara gave me a USB drive to deliver, but I never opened or questioned them. She said they were urgent requests from other researchers."

Marcus nodded slightly, his expression unreadable. "And did anyone else ever ask you to transfer files or materials?"

Alex shook his head. "No. Dr. Elara was the only one."

Marcus's gaze intensified. "Have you noticed any suspicious activity in the department? Strange behavior from colleagues, unauthorized access to systems, anything that felt... off?"

Alex hesitated, his mind racing. "I... I don't think so. Everyone seemed focused on their work. Dr. Elara kept to herself most of the time, but that's normal for her."

Marcus tapped his fingers against the desk, studying Alex for a long moment before continuing. "Your Nexus profile shows you spent extra hours in the lab on three occasions last month. Care to explain?"

Alex blinked, caught off guard. "Oh, those were late-night analysis runs. Dr. Elara asked me to stay behind and oversee some data processing while she worked on another project. She trusted me to handle it."

Before Marcus could ask his next question, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor.

Alex turned his head, watching as a group of technicians entered the room, each carrying sleek, modular equipment.

Without a word, they began assembling what looked like a portable scanning device in the middle of the workspace.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, glancing nervously at Marcus.

Marcus stood, his hands in his pockets, watching the team with mild interest. "Standard protocol in cases like this," he replied. "We're setting up a containment-grade scanner to examine your workstation and belongings. It'll detect any unauthorized transmissions, hidden files, or physical anomalies. The scan I did was a quick scan, so we'll have to do a deep scan just to make sure."

The technicians worked quickly, assembling the device with practiced efficiency.

Within moments, the scanner emitted a low hum, its sleek body glowing faintly as it powered up.

"Will this take long?" Alex asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"That depends on what it finds," Marcus said, turning his attention back to Alex. "Now, let's continue. When was the last time you interacted with Dr. Elara before today?"

"Yesterday morning," Alex replied. "She gave me some notes to review for a project and mentioned she'd been working on something confidential and might bring me in. I didn't see her after that."

Marcus nodded, his expression remaining unreadable. "Did she say anything unusual? Mention anyone she was meeting or give you instructions that seemed odd?"

Alex shook his head. "No, nothing out of the ordinary."

The scanner let out a soft beep, its interface lighting up as it began its sweep of the workstation.

The technicians hovered over their displays, watching as streams of data populated their screens.

Marcus remained unfazed, his attention still fixed on Alex.

"Final question for now," Marcus said, his tone sharpening. "Do you have any personal devices connected to the company's network?"

Alex hesitated. "My tablet. It's something I bought years ago and stores a couple of my personal projects. Everything on it has been vetted by security when I first joined the company."

Marcus glanced briefly at the scanner before leaning closer to Alex. "It's suprising that security even let you bring that in. Well, if it's already vetted then you shouldn't have anything to worry about."