“You… you know?” Dan stammered. I grabbed his wrist & led him at a brisk pace into a hall which I hoped led to my friend’s shop.
”’Course I know. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be in tune with my own family.” He cocked his head in confusion. “A while back, before Institution, my dad also worked for the government in robotics, lots of small stuff. But his love was anatomy, read Gray’s cover to cover. Someone by the name of O’Neily came to my dad for urgent advice. His son had been in a terrible accident, all they could save were his vitals. So my dad, aided by his quirky assistant Max, rebuilt this kid from scratch. The structure & technology could streach, grow, process & function like anyone else’s body. O’Neily was forever grateful. But at Institution, the boy was roped into the government, & all government recruits are microchipped to locate them at any point.”
Dan’s eyes were wide with disbelief. I took him by the shoulders. “So yes, I know all that. I also know that you, Daniel O’Neily, are cybernetic.”