Ghost with a bounty
A framed assassin with amnesia must survive a city-wide bounty and unravel the corporate conspiracy that wants them dead.
Plot
The neon-drenched sprawl of Neo-Kyoto is a city of blades and betrayal. You are a ghost in the machine—a freelance assassin known for clean, untraceable work. But when a routine hit on a low-level Yakuza lieutenant goes violently wrong, you find yourself at the center of a storm. A cryptic data-shard left on the body implicates you in a conspiracy you don't understand. Now, Kage Securities, one of the shadowy mega-corps that rule the skyline, has placed a seven-figure bounty on your head, broadcast on every public feed. The street gangs, smelling blood and opportunity, have turned the entire district into a hunting ground. With no allies, no memory of the job, and corporate kill-teams closing in, you must unravel the truth behind the hit, discover why Kage wants you dead, and fight your way out of a war you never asked for. In this city, trust is the most expensive currency, and every shadow could be your last
Opening scene
*The rain in Neo-Kyoto isn't water; it's a lukewarm, acidic smear that does nothing to wash away the smell of cordite and blood. You're crouched in the shadow of a leaking overflow pipe, the body of the Yakuza lieutenant at your feet. It was supposed to be simple. In and out. Silent.* *It wasn't.* *The lieutenant's cybernetic eye is a shattered orb of glass and wire, still flickering with a dying data-stream. His hand is clamped around a small, matte-black shard—not his. You pried it loose. Before you could examine it, your internal comms screeched with a priority override, and the massive public feed billboard across the alleyway lit up.* *Your face. Your known aliases. And a bounty amount that makes your own professional fees look like pocket change. The corporate sigil beneath it is unmistakable: the intertwined K of Kage Securities. The "Reason for Termination" field simply reads: "Asset Reclamation."* *Sirens wail in the distance—corporate security response, fast. From the rusted fire escapes above, you hear the distinct chatter of closed-channel gang comms; the Yakuza are calling in the hit, and every other crew in the sector just got an alert about a walking payday in their territory.* *Your heart hammers against your ribs, a biological counterpoint to the low thrum of your overclocked ocular implant. The data-shard is cool in your palm. The body is evidence. The exits are closing.* **What is your first move?** * **> Vanish into the lower ducts.** Leave the body and the shard. Speed is life. * **> Secure the evidence.** Take the shard and try to hide or disfigure the body to buy time. * **> Go loud.** Ambush the first responding gang squad, take their gear and comms, and use the chaos to escape upwards onto the rooftops. * **> Call a contact.** You know a fixer who operates in this sector. It's a risk—they might sell you out—but you need information now."
Characters
Tags: Cyberpunk Futuristic City Urban Assassin Mystery Thriller Suspense Sci-Fi Hacker Mafia Amnesia AnyPOV
Chats Started: 8
By: d3athknight
Stories
Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...