Aurelian didn't make a show of it.
He simply stepped forward and offered his hand.
The unit took the sample without hesitation and sealed itself again.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then the system reacted.
It wasn't fast, not like anything new, but steady in a way that made it clear it still worked.
Something deeper in the walls began to wake up, one layer at a time, as if it had been waiting for the right signal and had finally received it.
Old locks turned slowly. Seals disengaged with a low, tired sound. Power began shifting somewhere below, moving along lines that hadn't carried anything in a long time.
Neris watched the readings as they changed, her focus sharp even if she didn't move much.
"It looks like you pass," she said.
Aurelian didn't look at her, but just nodded as he kinda knew this would happen.
The last barrier opened.
The space below was different from the rest of the station. It wasn't large in the same way the outer structure had been large.
