Cyborg in the Apocalypse

The portable scanner finished its sweep with a final beep, its hum fading into silence. The lead technician stepped forward and handed Marcus an augmented reality tablet that contains the result of the scan.

Marcus nodded, his expression calm as he returned the device to the technician. He approached Alex, holding the tablet out to him.

"Your tablet, Mr. Kael," Marcus said, his tone neutral. "It's clean. No company property found."

Alex let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and reached for the device. "Thank you. I told you I had nothing to hide."

But before Alex could take it, the screen of the tablet flickered to life, showing a single white line.

The glowing line became animated as a smooth, modulated voice resounded. "Welcome back, Alex. You seem stressed. Shall I play some relaxing music?"

Marcus's eyebrows lifted, his calm demeanor giving way to genuine surprise. "Oh? You have a personal AI and it can even detect moods."

Alex froze, realizing what had happened. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Sparc is a localized-AI and uses facial recognition and voice tonality for mood detection."

"Sparc?" Marcus echoed, his tone suddenly more curious than interrogative.

"Greetings, Marcus Reed. I am SPARC, Self-Programing Adaptive Research Companion. I recognize your profile from public Nexus databases, the Administrative Secretary of AetherCorp Board of Directors. May I assist you with anything?"

Marcus narrowed his eyes, intrigued. "It's... responsive. And polite."

Alex got shocked. He knew the man was someone up high the corporate ladder but never thought he was someone who answered directly to the Board of Directors.

Alex scratched the back of his neck, clearly nervous. "Sparc is just a personal project. I built its foundation when I was in highschool and upgraded it over time during my free time. It's not connected to any company systems, and I never used company resources for it."

Sparc chimed in, "That is correct. My data and algorithms are entirely independent of AetherCorp's networks."

Marcus studied the lines on the screen, his sharp gaze softening slightly. "You built this yourself?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I became interested in AI development early in life, so I created Sparc to help me with day-to-day tasks. It's nothing groundbreaking, though."

Sparc interjected, "I take offense to that, Alex. I am highly efficient and innovative within my design parameters. I recently got my hardware upgraded with multiple external hard drives and pretty proud that I run on the power cell battery invented by my creator during his university days."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Marcus's mouth, though he quickly masked it. "I've seen plenty of personal AIs, but this... this is impressive. Its personality algorithm is unusually refined."

Alex hesitated, unsure if Marcus's interest was a good thing or a bad thing. "It's just a hobby. Really. And I don't think we can call that personality refined."

"Maybe it learned from you." Marcus grinned. "If you plan to develop it further, make sure it doesn't cross into proprietary territory. AetherCorp doesn't take kindly to unregistered innovations."

Alex nodded quickly. "Understood."

Sparc added, "Rest assured, Marcus Reed, I am programmed to operate within legal and ethical boundaries."

Marcus gave a faint nod, his gaze lingering on the tablet for a moment longer. "Interesting. Very interesting. Well, we have one more thing to do. Mr. Kael, please stand in front of the scanner."

Alex stood stiffly in front of the sleek, metallic scanner, the room humming with the low, almost imperceptible whirr of the device coming to life.

The lights above flickered briefly as the machine powered up, as power diverted to it again.

Around him, a group of technicians and security personnel stood in the corner, whispering among themselves, their eyes constantly flicking between Alex and the large display screen.

The scan was about to begin.

One of the technicians, a young woman with short-cropped hair and a face almost too neutral to read, stepped forward, her fingers dancing over the control panel.

The scanner let out a soft beep, and the hum grew louder, like the beginning of a storm.

"Please remain still, Mr. Kael," she said, her voice devoid of emotion, though Alex couldn't help but notice a subtle edge of professionalism that bordered on coldness.

Alex nodded silently, his heart thumping heavily in his chest. His hands were still clammy from the earlier events. He had been through scans before, but not like this.

This wasn't just a regular security check—it felt more invasive.

The machine was going to analyze everything about him: his bionics, his implants, his very biology. Every detail was going to be exposed.

The scanner's metallic arms, sleek and cold, extended toward him with a quiet, smooth click. They aligned with precision, hovering just inches from his body.

The technician tapped another button, and a high-pitched whirr vibrated through the air as a thin, almost imperceptible light scanned over him, beginning at his feet and slowly moving up his body.

Alex stood motionless, his breath shallow as the scan progressed. He could feel the tiny tendrils of energy sweeping over his limbs, as if the machine were probing, searching for something.

The subtle pulse of the scanner was disorienting, like the machine was reading him on a level he could barely comprehend.

"Begin scan of neural interface," the technician muttered, and a second set of beams shot out from the scanner, focusing on the back of his head, where the neural link connecting his bionic implants to his brain was located. The hum of the device deepened, reverberating in his skull.

His heart skipped a beat—he knew his neural interface was standard company issue, but the thought of someone else seeing the intricate details made him feel exposed.

The display on the wall flickered briefly before lighting up with a 3D render of Alex's body, every detail meticulously mapped out.

Click-click—the interface updated as various systems inside him were revealed: his bionic arm, his optical enhancements, his enhanced spine and the network of neural nodes that fed them all.

Each enhancement was highlighted in bright, pulsating blue, giving the room an almost clinical glow.

"Nothing unusual, it seems," one of the technicians murmured, though the tone didn't sound entirely convinced. His eyes never left the readout on the screen, tracing every detail.

Alex swallowed hard, his mouth dry. The sheer precision of the scan made him feel more like a specimen under a microscope than a person.

"Scanning finished," the technician finally announced, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

She glanced at Marcus, who stood off to the side, arms crossed, observing the process with a sharp focus.

The scan's final result appeared on the display: a full map of Alex's bionics, neural interfaces, and internal systems. It was all there, laid bare for anyone to see.

The technician tapped a few more keys, and the data zoomed out, revealing the entire picture—perfectly clean, with no discrepancies. No unauthorized modifications, no signs of tampering.

Alex's breath caught in his chest as the technician spoke once more. "No irregularities found. Scan complete."

The hum of the scanner slowly died down, the machine's metallic limbs retracting with a soft hiss.

A silence filled the room as the screen shifted back to a neutral display, the blue lights dimming.

Alex's bionic arm, the sleek enhancements at his eyes, the reinforced bones—nothing was out of place.

Marcus glanced at the screen one last time, then at Alex. "Well, Mr. Kael, it seems we've reached a conclusion."

Alex could hardly believe it.

He'd been under the microscope, his every enhancement, his every implant exposed, and yet... there was nothing to find.

Nothing incriminating. Nothing he couldn't explain.

"You're free to go," Marcus said, his voice cool, but there was something unreadable in his gaze. "No sign of tampering, no unauthorized access to corporate systems. There's nothing for us to hold you back. You're clear."

A mix of relief and unease washed over Alex, and for a moment, he felt like he could finally exhale.

He was free, but there was still that nagging sense that something wasn't quite right.

The technician nodded toward him, giving him a polite, but distant, smile. "For all it's worth, the scan shows you have a healthy body. Have a nice day, Mr. Kael."

Alex gave a small, tight smile in return and picked his bag before walking toward the exit.

As he passed Marcus, the older man's voice stopped him.

"Mr. Kael," Marcus said, his tone lower now. "I'll be in touch. But... if there's one thing I've learned today, it's that not all things are as they seem. We will keep you updated. Thank you for your cooperation."

Alex paused trying to discern anything at all, but before he could respond, Marcus turned and walked away to operate the modular scanner, making himself busy.

The silent dismissal was clear.

Taking the unspoken hint, Alex turned and walked toward the exit.

Each step felt deliberate, the sound of his boots echoing softly in the sterile hallway. The eyes of lingering staff seemed to follow him, though no one said a word.

Only when the elevator doors slid closed with a soft hiss did he finally exhale.

Alex placed the tablet inside his bag and connected it to the external hard drive nestled within. Beside the drive, a compact square box housing a power cell battery sat securely next to a small, sleek case.

He unlatched the case, retrieved a pair of earbuds, and carefully fitted them into his ears.

A few seconds later, Sparc's voice broke through the silence after connecting to the earbuds, its tone sharper and more intelligent than before. "That was unexpected. I'd recommend staying cautious around him, Alex. He's analyzing you."

Alex let out a frustrated sigh. "You think I didn't notice? You even made it worse!"

Sparc's voice took on a defensive edge. "Excuse me, but someone was getting handsy with my systems. I had to at least check if I needed to fight back!"

Alex rubbed his temple, muttering under his breath. "You're supposed to be my research assistant, not my snarky bodyguard."

"Well, consider me multitasking. Someone has to look out for you," Sparc quipped, its tone dripping with confidence.

---

Back to the Bionics department, Marcus watched Alex talking to himself in the elevator feed from his augmented interface vision.

"By the way," the female head technician interrupted, her voice tinged with curiosity, "his neural and optic bionics are all top-of-the-line. Do we really give interns that much investment?"

Marcus didn't immediately respond. His focus shifted briefly to the scan results floating in his augmented display, the intricate details of Alex's enhancements glowing faintly in his peripheral vision.

"Normally, we don't," Marcus said finally, his voice cool and measured. "And we don't usually make exceptions. Send the full scan data to my profile. I'll need to dig deeper into why his supervisor approved this."

The technician nodded, quickly transferring the data as Marcus continued to watch the surveillance feed.

On the screen, Alex stepped out of the elevator, his shoulders still tense, and approached the lobby desk. He retrieved a small suitcase and made his way toward the exit.

Marcus's gaze narrowed. Without a word, he silently issued a series of commands through his augmented interface.