“Got something,” Aric muttered, more to himself than to Laura. He glanced up from the corpse at his feet, his gaze locking with Detective Laura Kane’s steady eyes. Her arms were crossed, her brows knitted together in a way that said she wasn’t buying whatever the world was trying to sell today.

​

She didn’t miss a beat. “Implant?”

​

Aric straightened, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the screen of his scanner. “Yeah... but this one’s illegal. No identifiers. No manufacturer. Nothing.”

​

Laura’s gaze drifted back to the body, her voice tightening with concern. “Any idea what it’s for?”

​

Aric didn’t answer immediately. His thoughts churned like dark waters. “No. Not yet.”

​

Laura scanned their decaying surroundings, her frown deepening as her eyes traced the cracked pavement and rusted machinery. This corner of the outer district, the Wastelands, was a graveyard of forgotten dreams—every rusted surface and crumbling wall bore the scars of neglect. “Doesn’t matter how long it’s been... still feels the same.”

​

Aric nodded, frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior. “Yeah, but this tech? It’s Inner district stuff. Someone’s smuggling it out here.”

​

Laura’s gaze lingered on the dead girl. “And they’re dumping it where no one will notice. They probably think it’ll blend in with the rest of the junk.”

​

Aric’s thoughts wandered to the sharp divide between the inner and outer districts. “It’s like another world the closer you get to the center,” he said, his voice tinged with something more than bitterness—maybe a touch of weariness. “They have no idea what it’s really like out here.”

​

Laura’s expression softened, a rare moment of shared understanding passing between them. “Same old rot, just with fancier paint.”

“Exactly,” Aric replied, his resolve hardening like a blade being tempered. “And we’re the ones with the shovel.”

​

Laura’s eyes caught on something strange, almost circuit-like markings etched into the rusted machinery. “Whatever we find, we do it by the book,” she said firmly, though a shadow of doubt crossed her face. She caught Aric’s questioning look and added, “I’ve seen what happens when instincts take over. We need to be careful.”

​

Aric paused, the memory of Paris Gardens clawing at him from the past. He nodded, slowly, deliberately. “You don’t have to remind me.”

​

“Good,” Laura said, her tone softening just a touch. “We can’t afford another catastrophe.”

​

The mention of Paris Gardens hit him like a punch to the gut, but Aric swallowed it down, locking it away. “I won’t let that happen again.”

​

Laura studied him for a heartbeat longer, then nodded. “Let’s move. This place gives me the creeps.”

​

They left the crime scene behind, the far edges of the outer district stretching out around them like a wasteland of broken dreams—crumbling buildings, rusting hulks of machinery, shadows that seemed to watch their every move. Aric’s senses were on high alert, the feeling of being watched creeping over him like a shroud.

​

As they left, Laura halted, pointing to a piece of rubble. “Aric, look at this.”

​

Carved into the stone was an eye, stylized and intricate, its gaze fixed on them with an eerie, unsettling intensity. A chill ran down Aric’s spine. “I don’t know what it means, but it’s not something I’ve seen before. We need to find out who’s behind this.”

​

Laura’s expression tightened, her eyes flicking between him and the symbol. “You know,” she began, her voice low, “I didn’t always question everything like this.”

​

Aric glanced at her, sensing a depth to her words that she wasn’t ready to share. “What changed?”

​

“A few years back,” Laura said, her voice steady but clipped, “I worked a case. Strange events, supernatural claims. I believed it all. Turned out it was a setup, a distraction from the real crime. Innocent people died because I didn’t dig deep enough.”

​

Aric nodded, the weight of her words settling heavily between them like a cloud of smoke. “We’ll find the truth, Laura.”

​

She offered a tight smile, then turned away. “Just don’t expect me to take anything at face value.”

​

They parted ways, each heading deeper into the city’s labyrinth. Aric moved with purpose, but his thoughts churned. Laura’s words echoed in his mind as he turned down a familiar alley between towering corporate buildings.

​

The alley swallowed him in shadow, its walls high and narrow, blocking out the neon lights from above. The corporate district loomed around him, its polished facade a stark contrast to the grime he had just left. Aric hadn’t walked these streets in years, not since he left the force, but the memories clung to him like a cold, damp fog as he reached the end of the alley.

​

“Nice to see you haven’t lost your touch, Voss,” a voice cut through the gloom, sharp and familiar.

​

Aric spun, his hand instinctively moving to his sidearm. Standing at the alley’s mouth was Lira, an enigmatic hacker with a reputation that preceded her. Her sharp features were framed by short jet-black hair, her blue eyes piercing and unyielding.

​

“Lira,” Aric acknowledged, his voice steady but guarded. “What are you doing here?”

​

She stepped closer, her movements fluid, almost too smooth, like a shadow slipping through the cracks. “Who do you think left you that tip? As soon as I saw the description in the police file, I had to see for myself. Let’s just say I have a vested interest in that piece of tech.”

​

“All right, Lira. What do you know?”

​

“Enough to know it’s not just junk,” she replied, her tone unflinching. “That implant has AI components, but there’s more—something dangerous.”

​

Aric studied her, searching for any sign of deception, but Lira was a closed book, her face betraying nothing. “And how do you know that?”

​

Lira’s smile faded, replaced by a seriousness that made Aric pause. “No, Aric. I didn’t just stumble upon it. I’ve been looking for this. Ever since my sister disappeared.”

​

“Your sister?” Aric’s eyes narrowed, his suspicion deepening.

​

Lira nodded, her gaze distant, as if she were staring through time. “Jenna. She’s a tech prodigy, even more gifted than I am. She worked for one of the top firms in Elysium. About a year ago, she vanished. The last thing she was working on was tied to advanced AI and neural interfaces—something that could change everything.”

​

He remembered the lifeless eyes of the young woman they’d found. Laura’s words from earlier replayed in his mind, but he pushed them aside. “And you think this implant is connected?”

​

“I don’t think, Aric. I know. I hacked into her company’s systems, pulled everything I could find. It’s like she was erased. But I found traces—enough to lead me to this.”

​

She handed him a sleek datapad, her fingers trembling ever so slightly. “Here, take a look.”

​

Aric hesitated before taking the pad. As he scanned the files, memories of his past encounters with Lira surfaced. She had been a thorn in his side years ago—a hacker who always stayed two steps ahead. But they’d eventually struck a truce, their goals aligning more often than not. He still didn’t fully trust her—Lira always had her own agenda—but she wasn’t his enemy.

​

The files revealed images, audio clips, and a video of Jenna arguing with a shadowy figure. “Why didn’t you go to the police?” Aric asked, his voice low and sharp.

​

Lira laughed, bitterness coloring her tone. “The police? They’re either clueless or complicit. No, this is something I have to handle myself. With your help, we might have a chance.”

​

Aric’s suspicion flared. “So you’ve been sitting on this, risking lives because you didn’t trust the police? That’s convenient.”

Lira’s expression darkened, her jaw tightening. “You think I wanted this? My sister vanished, and all I’ve got are dead ends. Every time I think I’m getting somewhere... it’s like someone pulls the plug.”

​

Aric stepped closer, his voice low and edged with steel. “And why should I believe you?”

​

Lira’s hands balled into fists at her sides. “You don’t have to trust me. But I need your help. Look at the evidence.”

​

He studied her for a long moment, the tension between them thick as smoke in the night air. Finally, he nodded slowly. “All right. But know this—I’m watching you.”

​

Lira’s smile returned, a shadow of its former self. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

​

They moved through the narrow streets, their footsteps echoing off the towering buildings. Soon, they reached a dimly lit café tucked beneath layers of corporate glitz. The smell of coffee mingled with the low murmur of conversation, grounding them in the present.

​

Lira’s fingers deftly placed a tiny projector on the table between them, her eyes narrowing in concentration. With a subtle click, a holographic image flickered to life, hovering in the air. It was the implant—the one discovered in the woman’s neck—rotating slowly before them, every detail laid bare.

​

“This tech…” Lira began, her voice edged with intrigue as she studied the projection. “It’s more advanced than anything I’ve seen. Whoever made this had access to top-tier resources.”

​

Aric leaned closer, examining the hologram. The implant was even more intricate than he had realized. “You got this from the police file?” he asked, his tone more impressed than surprised.

​

Lira nodded, her gaze never leaving the rotating image. “As soon as I saw the description, I knew I had to dig deeper. This isn’t just some off-the-shelf tech, Aric. It’s designed for something much more... specific.”

​

“A girl was killed,” Aric said, his voice tightening.

​

Lira’s expression darkened. “This tech...it’s lethal. Look at these circuits—bio-integrated, capable of interfacing directly with the nervous system. It’s likely designed to manipulate, control, even kill.”

​

A sudden wave of dizziness hit Aric, his vision blurring at the edges. He gripped the table, steadying himself until the feeling passed.

​

Lira hesitated, then spoke, her voice softer. “There’s something you should know. I’ve seen things, Aric. Things I can’t explain.”

​

“Go on,” Aric urged, his voice calmer now.

​

Lira hesitated, her usual confidence wavering as she spoke, her voice quieter now. “... things that don’t add up. Unmarked files that rewrite themselves, data that disappears the moment you try to trace it. And then there’s the code—lines of it, embedded deep, that don’t make sense. It’s like it’s alive, adapting, hiding from me. I’ve hacked into some of the most secure systems in Elysium, but this… this is different. It’s as if someone is watching me, countering every move I make.”

​

Aric studied her, the familiar isolation closing in around him like a vice. “We need to stop whoever’s behind this. Whatever this implant is, it’s connected to something larger.”

​

Lira nodded, her expression resolute. “We’ll figure it out together. But we need to be careful. There are eyes everywhere.”

​

As they left the café, the neon-lit streets stretched before them, a labyrinth of shadow and light. Aric couldn’t shake the sense of being watched, the sensation crawling over his skin like a cold breath. The city was alive with whispers—whispers he intended to silence. He glanced back at Lira, her figure a dark silhouette against the glow of the city, and felt the unease coil tighter in his chest.

​

He wouldn’t stop until he unearthed the truth, no matter what it cost him.

​

Ahead, a flicker of movement caught his eye—just a trick of the light, or perhaps something more. Aric’s hand instinctively hovered near his sidearm, his senses sharp. This was Elysium, after all, a city where the shadows were never empty.

​

The echoes of Elysium would not be silenced, and neither would he.