The Past, Rewired

[thisDerius]

Derius kept his pace steady as he stepped into the scanning zone, watching the security monitors flicker with diagnostic readouts. The soft hum of electromagnetic waves pulsed through the chamber, and within moments, a series of warning indicators flashed red across the display.

BIOLOGICAL ANOMALY DETECTED.
CYBERNETIC INTEGRATION: 40%
HIGH-GRADE AUGMENTATIONS DETECTED.
ADDITIONAL SCANNING REQUIRED.

Derius exhaled sharply through his nose, already expecting the inconvenience.

"You know that I am..." he began, but the warnings flickered again, reinforcing the obvious. "...forty percent augmented?" His voice carried a mix of resignation and mild irritation, as if he'd been through this process far too many times before.

The station's security personnel eyed him warily, their expressions shifting from professional disinterest to quiet caution. Some of them had likely encountered cybernetically enhanced individuals before, but not all augmentations were created equal. In some parts of Sirius, extensive cybernetics could be a sign of a mercenary, a war criminal, or worse.

Derius sighed and stood in place for a moment, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He knew protocol dictated that a more thorough scan would usually follow, but with Donagan present, it shouldn’t escalate beyond standard procedure. He glanced sideways, subtly searching for any hint of concern or resistance from the guards.

"I bring no danger to the station," he assured them, his tone calm but firm. "Have no worries." He didn't bother raising his hands or making any exaggerated gestures to appear non-threatening—those who truly meant no harm never needed to.

A tense moment passed before the lead officer gave a brief nod, signaling the others to stand down.

Derius took that as his cue to move forward. He adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, concealing the subtle lines of reinforced plating beneath his skin. The weight of his cybernetic limbs felt natural to him, but it was moments like these that reminded him how much of his body was no longer his.

Still, it was a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. With an easy stride, he turned toward Donagan.

"Shall we?" he asked, his voice lighter now, as if shaking off the brief hassle.

The tension in the air began to ease, and the moment passed. The station had seen countless travelers come and go, each with their own stories, their own pasts etched into flesh and metal alike. And for now, Derius was just another face in the crowd—if only for a while.