CHAPTER 3: NEON OMENS
Rainwater dripped from Finn's nose as he shoved the chattering noodle-bot away. The smell of miso broth clung to his threadbare shirt, mixing with the ever-present ozone stench of Neo-Tokyo 2.0. "Vroomba! We've got a drone sweep in thirty minutes - why the hell did you let Juno's malfunctioning trashbot near me?"
The motorcycle's engine growled, the sound vibrating through the cramped capsule hotel. "First, you were drooling on my handlebars. Second," - his headlight flickered down to Finn's hair - "you're glowing radioactive lime green. Kael's definitely streaming this to the god-realms right now."
The Chase Through Neon Streets
The rain fell in silver sheets as they burst onto the arterial road. The city pulsed around them - holographic advertisements for cybernetic upgrades and synthetic noodle shops flickered through the downpour, their light refracting in the oil-slick puddles.
"Stay under the awnings," Vroomba hissed, his tires kicking up spray that soaked Finn's already ruined sneakers. "Your hair's basically a homing beacon right now."
Finn reached up to touch his glowing locks. "When I get my hands on Kael, I'm going to-"
A searchlight speared the alley behind them, illuminating the rain in a harsh white beam.
"LEFT NOW!"
Finn dove behind a stall selling counterfeit neural interfaces, knocking over a display of chrome-plated ocular implants. The vendor shouted in protest as the implants scattered across the wet pavement.
Then it happened.
That telltale tickle in his nose.
Sneeze.
"EeEeEEk!"
The vendor dropped his entire tray. "What in the silicon hells was that?!"
Vroomba revved impatiently. "Move it, dolphin boy!"
The Rusty Microchip
The bar's flickering sign cast sickly green light across the rain-slick pavement. Chuckles, the bouncer, loomed in the doorway - a mountain of scarred metal and hydraulic muscle. His buzzsaw hand whirred to life with a threatening growl.
"ID."
Finn's wrist-com projected:
**> FINN CARTER
STATUS: DECEASED (REANIMATION PENDING REVIEW)**
Chuckles' optic sensors flared crimson. "Corpses pay double cover."
Vroomba rolled forward, his polished black frame gleaming under the neon. "Tell Mira her favorite sentient vehicle brought takeout."
A tense pause. The buzzsaw retracted with a hydraulic hiss. "...Try not to die inside. Bad for business."
The interior hit Finn like a wall of synth-smoke and stale alcohol. The air hummed with the low-frequency vibration of overclocked neural implants. In the corner booth, partially obscured by the haze, sat Mira Sato.
Mira's Warning
Mira's plasma-cannon arm whirred softly as she disassembled a pistol with terrifying precision. The blue glow from her cybernetic eye intensified as she looked Finn up and down.
"Zara's stray." Her lips curled as she took in Finn's polka-dotted hair. "Adorable."
She slapped a data chip on the table. A hologram of Skyforge Tower erupted between them - an obsidian monstrosity that clawed at the smog-choked sky. Security drones swarmed its surface like angry wasps.
"Quantum Cartel's moving the Omni-Core at 0500." Mira's remaining organic eye narrowed. "Your alley ghost, Lysander? He's running point."
Finn's throat tightened. "The silver-haired guy from... from when I died?"
Mira's smile didn't reach her eyes. "He carves omega symbols into his victims' skulls while they're still breathing." She took a sip of her violently blue cocktail. "Bring earplugs. The screaming gives me migraines."
The Dream
Sleep came like falling through a trapdoor.
Static filled Finn's mind, resolving into Zara's face. Her usual smirk was gone, replaced by something raw and urgent. Her neon-blue hair flickered at the edges like a corrupted video file.
"Listen. Kael's pranks aren't just jokes." Her voice crackled with interference. "They're tags. Lysander hunts them."
The static tore open like a wound, revealing a corpse in Quantum Cartel leathers. The omega symbol smoldered on its forehead, the flesh still bubbling at the edges.
"He serves what made that mark. That's why I can't-"
CRASH!
A noodle-bot exploded through the dream-wall, its single red eye flashing.
"UNAUTHORIZED COGNITIVE INTRUSION! PURGING USER DREAMS!"
Finn woke with a gasp, phantom ramen lodged in his sinuses.
Author Thoughts: i'm trying a different style of writing, if so, each type of book a different style let me know which one you like. don't forget to leave a comment.
CHAPTER 4 TEASER: SKYFORGE GAMBIT
0500 hours. The tower looms.
Vroomba's voice crackles through Finn's earpiece: "Remember - no sudden movements, no loud noises, and for god's sake, try not to sneeze."
Finn grips the laser-grid climbing gear. "You're really leaning into this dolphin thing, aren't you?"