"No, Hoggy, please! You know I've never betrayed you! It's all that bitch Shanty—she's the one who screwed you over!"
The thin, wiry man raised his tattooed arms in front of him, trembling with fear. Bruises covered his face, and a swollen black eye sealed shut. Cornered, his back pressed against the cold concrete wall that blocked the alley's end. The gray of the buildings bled into the darkness of night, broken only by the flicker of a neon sign.
"Listen here, Bobby-lad… we don't have to do this the fockin' hard way." The big, bearded, bald man raised his pistol. He pointed the gun at his face, the muzzle lining up just beneath his mohawk.
"Where's the fockin' money chip, eh?""
"Someone took it! Did you talk to Gregg? Or Olo?"
"I asked ya a simple fockin' question — don't make me say it again."
The large man's grip tightened. His forefinger hovered on the trigger; his thumb flicked the safety off with a dry click. He spoke again—calm, deliberate, each word sharp.
"Where. Is. The. Bloody. Money."
"…"
Bobby said nothing. His eyes locked on the barrel of the gun and ragged breathing broke the dead silence.
"I'll give ya three seconds, lad."
Hog quickly calmed his anger, staring straight into Bobby's eyes. There was a raw, desperate fear but also something else. A hint of defiance. Feeling of being fooled only enraged him more.
"One."
"…"
"Two."
"Uh, um, I—I don't—"
"Last chance, Bobby-boy. Truth… or death."
"M-man, it's n-not me, y-you should—"
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the alley.
***
Watching the scene unfold from a distance, Jin checked his watch from time to time. The pale light of the only working streetlamp cast a dull glow over the alley entrance. From afar, anyone who entered was visible, but Jin stayed back, waiting in the shadows. To spot him, you'd have to come much closer. He checked the inside left pocket of his jacket and felt a small, square chip tucked within. Carefully, he pulled out a black chip framed with a thin gold line.
"Mnemonic protocol. Extract data."
There was no need to say the command out loud—even a whisper wasn't required. Activating the system only needed focus, intent, and the thought of the command itself. But old habits die hard. For Jin, saying it was a ritual—a recall of his old corporate days.
The sounds from the alley grew louder.
Jin peeked around the corner. Two thugs weren't planning to leave anytime soon. Tension kept growing, but he had no intention of stepping in. The reason he'd followed both of them in the first place was the chip. Hog it wanted so badly.
"There's no money on that chip, Hog," Jin said to himself.
"You know it. So why you attack a junkie over a piece of carbonium with God knows what inside?"
He paused for a bit.
"I'm guessing there's something more to it for you…" Jin continued until a voice tore through his thoughts.
"Data extraction - failed."
Jin smiled faintly. The smile of quiet acceptance faded as quickly as it had come. His face returned to its usual calm.
"Source object integrity compromised," the voice added, "extra analysis is required."
"Sorry, Miss Cherry. Guess you'll have to pay extra. Things just got complicated.
Jin took a moment to think. According to the fixer, the job was all about the item. The client's data was stored in an echochip and locked with an echo-protection system.
Someone hired a local gang to ambush military convoy. Among the loot, they found the unknown chip. Among the gang members was a netrunner. He tried to crack it but failed, which caused activation of the defensive system. It consumed his recent memories and killed poor guy. Last moments of his life were simulated as an echo that is made to guard the hidden key.
Preliminary scan confirmed Jin's suspicion about the target.The key had left a trace inside the simulation—taking the form of an item stored in the convoy's guarded cargo. He had to dive deep and replay the entire sequence of events.
***
The era of echochips began not so long ago.
In 2069, Eterra Corpopation, a top tech giant in Nominus City, faced a huge data breach. Unidentified hackers broke into the company's secure network. They leaked sensitive cutting-edge bioelectronics research.
To this day, no one knows who was behind the attack. Some say it was an act of revenge by former employees. Others whisper about corporate rivals or the involvement of international terrorist organizations. But one thing was certain—the world learned about the existence of the first echochips.
Devices capable of creating deep links directly to the human consciousness with no cyberware between.
A single echochip can generate a convincing illusion of reality. After a while, people may find it hard to distinguish between the two. The Echoverses emerged—alternate realities that replace life with worlds crafted from human memories, desires, and imagination. Within them, you can be anyone, live any life, all contained within a single, fragile chip.
A wise man once said, "I think, therefore I am."
He just never specified where.
***
As things in the alley were developing, Jin went back over the past three days in his mind. Joining the gang — risky, reckless, but strangely entertaining. Then the convoy ambush — a blood-soaked mess from start to finish.
And finally, the night with Shanty — hot and wild.
There is something about street girls you never see in modest and elegant corporate ladies. A flame, ready to wrap you around and warm all over. Just don't forget to be careful with them because that flame can burn you alive as well.
The shot ripped through the night air. It yanked Jin out of his thoughts like a jolt of electricity.
He glanced into the alley and saw the aftermath. The punk's jaw was shattered, split nearly in half. He sprawled frozen in a grimace of horror—eyes wide, mouth twisted.
Hog holstered his gun and began searching the corpse. He found two Striker-7 shells, a stick of gum, and a tangled lock of someone's hair—but no chip.
Then, with a grunt, he stepped closer, looked at it a bit, and then pried open remains of Bobby's mouth. The crack of the jaw echoed through the narrow alley.
Jin sighed quietly.
"Gotta give it to him… he bluffed till the end."
The stuttering coward from before—the one who covered their backs during the ambush. He had held out longer than anyone expected. After the raid ended, he was talking about getting a year VIP pass to the local strip joint. Seems like he was a fan of real girls. Not common these days.
What the hell am I thinking about?
The stench of blood and rot slammed into him, forcing a grimace. It pulled up the words of an old acquaintance.
"The more you listen to the echo, the more it starts to feel like the source. And the more you believe it's the actual source, the stronger the urge becomes to follow it. With every step forward, the idea of stopping grows heavier, harder to think about. The thought of having made the 'right' choice feels true — irresistibly so. In that moment, the way back disappears entirely, cutting off any chance to undo what's been done," Jin recalled silently.
Something in his mind shifted — he saw the world differently. His thoughts cleared of unnecessary emotion, and the familiar sense of emptiness returned. He needed that emptiness now more than ever.
Jin peeked around the corner again. Bobby's corpse lay alone now — his killer long gone.
The result of the extraction attempt was on his mind. An object is either susceptible to extraction or it isn't — there shouldn't be any integrity problems.
"What if there are multiple chips? If there are fakes and a true one… then mine's the fake and Hog has the real one. Who said there were only two? Maybe there are three. Maybe more."
All those questions pressed down on him. Time was running out — in three days the extraction protocol would trigger, wiping the entire run and forcing him to start over. Jin wasn't ready for that.
Everything pointed to one conclusion. He has to find the true chip and capture it. This meant prepping in advance and pulling every detail before the strike.
"Mine definitely has to be analyzed. Soul Link will help."
But what about the others?
A faint vibration buzzed in the right pocket of his jacket. He pulled out the source — a communication device shaped like a pair of glasses. Once he put it on, a translucent display blinked to life, showing an incoming call. He accepted it with a glance at the icon.
"Hey Jinny, how are you? Doing good?" a cheerful female voice asked.
"What is it, Shanty?" Jin replied.
"Eww, I expected a happier answer," she said with playful annoyance.
"Anyway, I wanted to let you know that client got the goods." Payment is on the way."
"Good. You know…" Jin paused, thinking through his plan. "How about we meet tomorrow evening? I've got something to discuss with you."
"You're asking me on a date?" Shanty answered sharply. "Didn't know you wanted to keep this relationship going."
"Come on, I'm serious," Jin insisted. "There's something I need to talk about."
"Hmm… well, if you agree to treat a girl to dinner…" her voice suddenly softened.
"Fine. Everything's on me."
"Yaaay, my heart is already like fifty percent yours! So where are we going?" she asked.
"I'll send you the address soon. And don't be late—like you always are," Jin added dryly.
"Whaaat? I've never—"
Jin hung up. He took off the glasses and slipped them into his right pocket.
"I have made the first move. Time to deal with the chip," he thought.
He straightened his jacket and headed out.