Chapter 132

  The medbay’s automated systems moved with precision.

  Mechanical arms extended from ceiling mounts, each one tipped with specialized tools. Diagnostic scanners projected overlays across Alexander’s shoulder, mapping tissue depth and bone structure.

  He lay strapped to the surgical table, watching the process through monitors positioned within his field of view. His powers extended outward, sensing every movement, every adjustment.

  Talia stood at the main console, her attention split between multiple displays. “Beginning stump removal. We need to remove the healed tissue and create a proper interface surface.”

  One of the surgical arms descended. Alexander felt an odd pressure, but no pain. The nerve blocks had eliminated all sensation in the surgical area.

  His powers tracked the automated scalpel’s movements. The system worked with inhuman steadiness, following the cutting pattern Talia had programmed. The cuts were clean, the medbay’s systems managing most of the hemorrhage control automatically.

  “Felix, there,” Talia said, highlighting a point on the display she’d positioned for him.

  Warmth spread through Alexander’s shoulder as Felix’s healing addressed the targeted area. The bleeding stopped.

  The process continued methodically. Cutting followed by hemorrhage control and the occasional healing when Talia identified specific points that needed attention. The whole procedure took fifteen minutes.

  “Stump removal is complete,” Talia said. “Beginning bone preparation for anchor points.”

  Another set of arms moved into position. These carried drilling tools, scaled for medical applications. Alexander watched them map his scapula and clavicle, identifying the exact locations where the cybernetic would attach.

  The drilling sensation vibrated through his shoulder despite the nerve blocks. Felix’s healing addressed the surrounding tissue trauma, preventing inflammation as the anchor points were prepared.

  Twenty minutes into the procedure, the anchor points were ready.

  Talia guided the arm into position. “This is the easy part,” she said, giving him a smile. “Bone anchoring is straightforward compared to what comes next.”

  The cybernetic settled against his shoulder. Mechanical fasteners extended from the arm’s housing, finding the prepared anchor points. They drove home with careful force, creating a rigid connection between metal and bone.

  Alexander’s Metallokinesis felt the integration clearly. The titanium cage Talia had installed now surrounded his remaining bone structure, distributing the arm’s weight across multiple attachment points. Stable and secure.

  “Bone anchoring is complete,” Talia said. “Beginning neural mapping.”

  This would be the difficult part.

  The medbay’s systems projected a three-dimensional map of his brachial plexus into the air above the console. Major nerve pathways branched through the display, color-coded by their various functions. Motor control, sensory feedback, proprioception, temperature sensitivity, and more.

  Talia’s fingers moved across her controls, explaining as she worked. “The system will map each nerve bundle to a corresponding receptor cluster in your cybernetic’s interface matrix. This takes time. The mapping has to be exact or you’ll lose function.”

  Surgical arms descended with tools so fine Alexander couldn’t see them. Metallokinesis tracked their movements as they worked at the microscopic level. Each nerve bundle needed careful guidance toward its designated receptor cluster.

  Minutes into the neural mapping, Alexander sensed the first connection complete.

  Awareness flooded into what had been empty space. His brain suddenly registered the cybernetic index finger as part of his body, a strange sensation of something that was simultaneously foreign and familiar. Alexander focused on the digit, trying to flex it. The finger twitched in response, the actuator obeying the neural signal.

  “Good response,” Talia said. “Continuing mapping.”

  Each bundle required the same careful attention. The surgical systems worked without fatigue, maintaining perfect steadiness throughout. Alexander’s awareness of the cybernetic hand expanded gradually, sensation building as more connections formed. What had been a dead weight attached to his shoulder was slowly becoming part of him.

  Forty-five minutes after beginning the neural mapping, Talia moved to the next phase.

  “Beginning vascular integration,” she announced. “Creating artificial capillary connections.”

  Alexander’s senses tracked as the medbay introduced artificial blood vessels at the interface point. They branched from his existing circulatory system, extending into the cybernetic’s housing where they connected to the synthetic tissue layer.

  Where tissue and blood vessels had been healed previously, they were reopened to properly mimic flow rather than leaving an abrupt stop.

  Felix’s healing accelerated the process considerably. The organic tissue accepted the artificial vessels more readily with his power encouraging rapid healing.

  The surgical systems began building the final integration layer. Biocompatible material that bridged the gap between flesh and metal.

  Felix’s healing worked in concert with the synthetic tissue, accelerating what would normally take days of natural growth into minutes. Alexander’s organic tissue grew into the layer immediately, creating permanent bonds that went beyond mechanical attachment.

  An hour and forty minutes into the procedure, Talia straightened from her console. “Initial integration complete. Beginning calibration tests.”

  The medbay triggered movements in the arm’s fingers. Small motions at first, testing individual joints. Alexander focused on the sensations as the systems sent signals through the neural pathways. The connections carried information in both directions, motor commands flowing out while sensory feedback returned.

  He felt the fingers close into a fist.

  The sensation was complete. Pressure sensors in the fingertips registered contact, proprioceptive feedback tracked joint positions, temperature gradients mapped across the palm, and tactile resolution allowed him to feel surface textures. All of it fed through the neural interface, translated into signals his brain could interpret.

  “Try moving it yourself now,” Talia said.

  Alexander focused. The fingers opened, responding to his intention as smoothly as his organic hand. It felt natural. Everything had been connected properly.

  His senses picked up something strange.

  Where the titanium vascular tubing looped through the cybernetic’s housing, carrying blood between his organic and synthetic systems, individual nanites were separating from the metal structure. Drifting into the flowing blood.

  He could suddenly perceive them with perfect clarity. Hundreds of microscopic machines were entering his bloodstream.

  In seconds, hundreds became thousands. Thousands became tens of thousands. The nanomachines spread throughout his body, riding his blood to every extremity. They passed through his heart, distributed through arterial branches, moved into capillary beds throughout his tissues.

  A warning chime sounded from Talia’s console. Her fingers moved across the displays, pulling up new data.

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  “Alex...” Her voice carried concern. “The medbay’s detecting anomalous particulates in your bloodstream. Metallic signatures.”

  “I know. Nanites are separating from the arm structure through the vascular tubing.” Alexander’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t expect this. Assumed they were designed for mechanical repair only.”

  Talia’s head snapped toward him, alarm clear on her face. “What? Since when do you have nanites?”

  “The alien cube,” Alexander said, his attention split between her and the spreading count in his bloodstream. “It turned out to be a densely packed block of nanomachines. I integrated the cube into the arm intentionally, trying to replicate how it repaired Droney. It worked better than I expected.”

  The count continued climbing. Tens of thousands became hundreds of thousands. His Metallokinesis detected a subtle shift in the arm’s structure as nanites redistributed through the frame, rebalancing to replace those separating into his circulatory system.

  Alexander pressed down with Technopathy, trying to control them. It had never worked when they were part of the whole, part of the cube, but now that they were separate, his power was identifying them as machines.

  Nothing. They didn’t respond to his Will. It was like they were too simple, or simply incapable of taking input. As if they had fixed functions that couldn’t change, though how that allowed them to perform complex repair tasks was beyond his understanding.

  Either way, they were insensitive to his power.

  And yet he could sense a subtle desire to help from the whole. They recognized him in the same way other machines did.

  Not that it changed how he felt about the situation. The lack of control bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

  Realization cut through the budding nervousness. He could sense them inside his body, which meant he could target and manipulate them with Metallokinesis. Crush them perhaps. Pull them from his body.

  Alexander looked at Talia. “What would happen if I used Metallokinesis to rip them out of my body?”

  “How many are we talking about?”

  “Hundreds of thousands already. Millions soon.” Alexander sighed. “They’re not responding to Technopathy, which means I can’t control them. I don’t like it.”

  She thought for a moment, her mind clearly working through the medical implications. “You’d go into hypovolemic shock within seconds from the internal hemorrhaging. Each nanomachine would puncture surrounding tissue as you pulled it out. Even one would cause micro-trauma. Millions of them would shred your circulatory system from the inside. It would be catastrophic.”

  “With Felix healing me?”

  Talia glanced at the cat, who had gone very still. “I don’t know. You’d be racing against internal bleeding. The pain would be...” She paused. “I don’t have words for how much that would hurt.”

  Alexander nodded slowly.

  “We could filter your blood if there’s no immediate threat,” she added. “It’s a much slower process, but if they’re not actively harming you…”

  “I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t even know if they know what they’re doing.”

  Talia thought for a moment. “From a professional perspective, I should recommend that we immediately flush them from your system, then remove the arm and ensure this doesn’t happen again before reattaching it…”

  “But?”

  “But… from a superhuman perspective, I’m inclined to believe this shouldn’t present a threat to you.” Talia started pacing the room. “There is ample evidence that superpowers inherently provide protection against what they do. You are highly resistant to harm caused by electricity and lightning, for example. Unless these machines were intentionally designed to do harm, and given that you can sense them with your power, they should be benign.”

  Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting I just leave them? Ignore millions of machines spreading through my body?”

  Talia stopped pacing and turned to face him. Her expression carried a rare edge of annoyance. “I would suggest, Alexander Rooke, that you inform your surgeon beforehand when you’re installing cybernetics with strange alien nanites integrated into them. But seeing as we’ve sailed past that point...” She gestured sharply at the medbay displays. “Yes. I really can’t imagine them being a threat. To you in particular.”

  Alexander studied her for a moment. The edge in her voice. The sharp gesture. She wasn’t just annoyed about being kept in the dark.

  She was worried.

  “You’re right,” he said quietly. “I should have told you. I was so focused on getting the arm attached that I...” He paused, searching for the right words. “It genuinely didn’t occur to me that the nanites might intentionally spread to my body. I expected some accidental contamination, but I should have thought it through more carefully. I’m sorry.”

  Talia’s expression softened slightly. “Apology accepted.”

  She turned back to the console, her demeanor settling back into the calm competence he was used to. “That said, we still need to be cautious. You’re staying here while we monitor the spread and track their distribution. We’ll wait until things stabilize before I clear you to leave. In the meantime, test the arm and let me know if there are any issues.”

  The restraints released with a soft click. Alexander sat up and flexed the cybernetic fingers, watching them respond. He picked up a surgical tool from the nearby tray, rolled it between his fingertips. The tactile feedback was immediate and clear.

  He moved through progressively finer movements. Touching his thumb to each fingertip in sequence. Rotating the wrist through its full range. The neural interface translated every intention seamlessly.

  Strength came next. Alexander closed his hand into a fist and squeezed a stress ball Talia provided. The material compressed easily under the cybernetic grip. He increased pressure gradually until the ball split at the seams.

  He stood and pressed his palm against the examination table’s edge, applying measured force. The metal frame groaned under the pressure but held. Any more and he’d just be pushing himself away rather than testing the arm’s limits.

  “Everything feels good,” Alexander said. “But I’ll need to test the strength limits somewhere else.”

  Talia studied the readouts on her display for a long moment, her expression focused.

  “Neural response times are within normal parameters. Actually, they’re better than normal.” Talia glanced at him. “Could be because of your powers or our enhanced attributes. Want to test Electrokinesis now?”

  Alexander nodded.

  He raised his cybernetic hand. Electrokinesis flowed from his Core, through the organic-to-synthetic pathway, down the arm. He’d designed these channels specifically, optimized to carry his power without resistance.

  With a thought, control gates inside the arm opened. Electricity crackled across its entire length. Blue-white arcs jumped between plates, dancing along the surface. The visual effect was striking, but more importantly, he could feel the field extending outward from the arm in a short radius.

  Alexander kept the output minimal, very aware of Talia and Felix nearby, of the sensitive medical equipment surrounding them. He moved the arm slowly, watching the corona of electrical discharge follow the movement. Anyone within arm’s reach would be caught in the effect, while he was functionally immune.

  The gauntlets couldn’t do this. They could project lightning from the palm, channeling his power into long-range strikes. But this was area denial. Close-quarters control. It provided a way for him to discharge electricity around him without directing it into a bolt.

  With only the one gauntlet remaining, there would be a strange imbalance when using Electrokinesis.

  Something to consider later.

  He dismissed the effect with another thought. The electricity faded, leaving the arm’s surface unmarked.

  “It works,” Alexander said. “Better than the gauntlet ever did. Better than my arm did, even.”

  Talia’s attention had shifted back to her displays. She studied the readings for a long moment, her expression thoughtful.

  “The nanite migration from the arm has plateaued. The rate of separation is slowing significantly.” She glanced at him. “Are you noticing any ill effects? Pain, discomfort, anything unusual?”

  “No. Nothing.”

  She turned fully to face him. “What do you want to do? I can still filter them out of your blood if you want. It would take time, but it’s an option.”

  Alexander considered that for a moment. The nanites were already distributed throughout his body. He couldn’t determine what they were doing, or even if they were doing something, but the sense that they wanted to help remained.

  He took a breath and accepted it. He hadn’t expected nanites, but this was what he’d chosen when he designed the arm. When he decided to slot the cube into the housing. When he opted for a cybernetic instead of having his arm regrown.

  Ambition over caution. Transformation over limitation.

  “I’ll keep them,” Alexander said.

  Talia nodded. “Regular checkups to monitor for any changes. Weekly at first, then we can space them out if everything stays stable.”

  Alexander glanced between Talia and Felix. “Thank you. Both of you.” He looked at Talia. “Your skill made this possible. I know it wasn’t a standard procedure.”

  Talia’s cheeks colored slightly. She turned her attention back to the console, adjusting displays that probably didn’t need adjusting. “It’s what I do.”

  Alexander turned to Felix. “And I wouldn’t have made it through without your healing.”

  “I was happy to help.” Felix’s tail swished once. He jumped down and shifted forms, the black and white cat blurring into a golden retriever. “What now?”

  Alexander glanced down at himself. “I’m going to get changed first. Contact the others and tell them we’re assaulting the Beastworld gateway today. In a few hours.”

  Talia raised an eyebrow. “You want to go today? You just had major surgery.”

  He shrugged. “The arm is functional, and thanks to Felix, I feel fine. The gateway is an excellent opportunity to put it through its paces.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous, Alex?” Felix asked. “You lost the arm the same way.”

  Alexander chuckled. “I know, but we’re going with everyone this time. I don’t want to delay because there are reinforcements on the way, and they might decide to attack it before we do.”

  “If they even can without you and Max. Besides, there are almost certainly gates back on Earth now,” Talia said. “We could always get one of those.”

  “We will,” he replied. “Eventually we’ll want a gate to each of these worlds. But removing this one puts the Galactic Council in our debt.”

  She looked thoughtful at that. “Okay. I’ll let the others know.”

  Alexander headed for the door, slowly windmilling his arm. He was looking forward to seeing what his new arm was really capable of.

  And it was time to claim a gateway.

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