First Sync
Kai had felt the pulse before he understood it.
It started as a faint vibration behind his eyes, like the echo of a distant heartbeat. At first, he thought it was just exhaustion. The city had been relentless that day—sirens, shouting, the constant hum of drones patrolling overhead. Even the air felt tense, charged with something unseen.
But this… this was different.
He staggered slightly as he walked down the narrow alley, one hand brushing against the cold metal wall to steady himself. The pulse came again, stronger this time. Not painful—just insistent. Like something calling to him.
"Not now," Kai muttered under his breath. "I just need to get home."
The alley stretched ahead, dimly lit by flickering neon signs overhead. Shadows clung to the corners, thick and unmoving. Too quiet.
That was his second mistake—ignoring the silence.
The first was not turning back.
A sharp clang echoed behind him.
Kai spun around, heart jumping into his throat. Three figures stepped out from the darkness at the alley's entrance. Their silhouettes were bulky, augmented—shoulders too broad, limbs too precise. Enforcers. Or worse—freelance hunters.
"Wrong place," one of them said, voice distorted through a mask. "Wrong time."
Kai's pulse quickened. He glanced left, then right. No exits. No help.
"Look, I don't have anything worth—"
"Not your credits," another interrupted, stepping forward. "You."
That word landed heavier than any threat.
Kai took a step back. "You've got the wrong guy."
"Do we?"
The third figure moved faster than the others—too fast. Before Kai could react, a hand shot out and grabbed his collar, slamming him against the wall. The impact knocked the breath out of him.
Pain flared.
And then—
The pulse exploded.
It surged through his skull, down his spine, into every nerve. The world froze—not visually, but internally, like time had thickened around him.
A voice.
Not heard. Felt.
Connection detected.
Kai's eyes widened. "What—?"
Initiating sync.
A flood hit him.
Not memories. Not exactly.
Instincts.
His body jerked as something foreign settled into him—like a second set of reflexes weaving into his own. His fingers twitched, adjusting unconsciously. His stance shifted, weight redistributing without thought.
The hand gripping his collar tightened.
"Pathetic," the masked man said, raising his other arm. A blade slid out from his wrist with a mechanical hiss.
Kai should have panicked.
Instead, something inside him went still.
Cold.
Calculating.
The blade came down.
Kai moved.
Not away—through.
His body twisted sharply to the side, slipping out of the grip with a motion so precise it felt rehearsed. His hand snapped up, catching the attacker's wrist mid-strike. He didn't think. He didn't plan.
He just knew.
Pressure point. Rotation. Break.
A sickening crack echoed through the alley.
The attacker screamed.
Kai released him, stumbling back in shock. "I—I didn't—"
The other two surged forward.
No time.
The pulse surged again, stronger now, syncing deeper. Kai's vision sharpened. The world slowed—not literally, but in the way his mind processed it. Every movement of his opponents became predictable. Telegraphs. Patterns.
The first attacker swung a heavy punch.
Kai ducked, pivoted, and drove his elbow into the man's ribs with brutal efficiency. He felt the impact reverberate up his arm. The man grunted, staggered.
The second came from behind.
Kai didn't turn.
He dropped low, sweeping his leg backward. It connected with the attacker's ankle, knocking him off balance. As the man fell, Kai twisted, grabbing his arm and using the momentum to flip him onto the ground.
The movements flowed.
Seamless.
Terrifying.
This wasn't him.
It couldn't be.
The first attacker recovered, charging with a roar. Kai stepped forward instead of back, closing the distance. His hand struck the man's throat—precise, controlled. Not lethal, but enough.
The man collapsed, gasping.
Silence fell.
Kai stood there, chest heaving, staring at his hands.
"What… was that?"
The pulse dimmed, but didn't disappear. It lingered now, like a quiet presence in the back of his mind.
And then—
Sync stabilized.
Kai flinched. "Who's there?"
No answer.
But he wasn't alone.
He could feel it.
Not a voice. Not a person. More like… an imprint. A shadow of someone else's skillset, embedded within him. Combat training far beyond anything he'd ever learned. Techniques his body now recognized as familiar.
His gaze shifted to the attackers.
They weren't getting up.
Panic finally caught up with him.
"I need to go," he whispered.
He turned and ran.
Out of the alley. Past the neon lights. Into the crowded streets where no one looked twice at a shaken boy weaving through the masses.
But he couldn't outrun the feeling.
The sync.
It pulsed again, softer this time. Almost… reassuring.
Kai slowed, gripping his head. "Stop," he muttered. "Just—stop."
Instead, something surfaced.
A fragment.
A memory that wasn't his.
Steel floors. Bright white lights. The echo of boots in a corridor. A voice—calm, commanding.
Again.
Kai gasped, stumbling to a halt. The vision vanished as quickly as it came, leaving him disoriented.
"That's not mine," he said, breath unsteady.
But it was in him now.
Whoever it belonged to—whoever he had synced with—they were still there in some way.
Not conscious.
But present.
Kai looked down at his hands again. They didn't look different. Still shaking. Still his.
But they didn't feel the same.
He clenched them slowly.
"I did that," he whispered.
And yet… he hadn't.
Not alone.
A chill ran down his spine—not from fear of the attackers, but from something far more unsettling.
If he could gain skills like that from a random sync…
What else could he gain?
And what might he lose?
The city lights flickered overhead, casting shifting shadows across his face.
For the first time since the pulse began, Kai didn't just feel afraid.
He felt dangerous.