Ghosts in the Circuit

Bishop leaned against the damp wall, his breath steadying. The flickering light overhead cast jagged shadows across the narrow corridor. Rust-streaked pipes ran along the ceiling, hissing faintly with escaping steam. A deep, industrial hum pulsed through the walls—he was somewhere underground.

**"Alright,"** he muttered. **"Talk."**

Argus responded almost instantly. **"Talk about what? The fact that you just pulled off a stunt that should've killed you? Or the fact that you still don't know why someone wants you dead?"**

Bishop exhaled. **"Start with the second one."**

A pause. Then, **"I don't know."**

Bishop frowned. **"What?"**

**"I mean exactly that. I don't know who you are, who's after you, or why they care. I woke up the same moment you did."**

Bishop clenched his jaw. **"You expect me to believe that?"**

**"Believe what you want. My systems were offline before today. I don't have access to any memory files—no logs, no past directives. Just… static."**

Bishop rubbed his temples. **"So you're telling me we're both running blind?"**

**"More or less."**

The irony wasn't lost on him. The AI inside his head was just as lost as he was.

He pushed off the wall, eyes scanning the corridor. The air smelled of damp concrete and burnt wiring. **"Where the hell am I?"**

**"Maintenance tunnels. Old infrastructure buried beneath the city. Looks like a power substation nearby."**

Bishop started walking. The corridor stretched ahead, twisting through the underbelly of the city. The deeper he went, the more the noise of the world above faded into an eerie silence.

Then he heard voices.

Low, murmuring, just around the corner.

Bishop pressed his back to the wall, inching closer. He peeked around the bend.

Two figures. One human, one machine.

The human was a wiry man with cybernetic arms, hunched over a crate of old tech. His fingers moved with mechanical precision, dismantling components. The other figure was a bipedal drone, humanoid in shape but eerily skeletal, its glowing blue optics scanning the parts.

**"Scavengers,"** Argus murmured. **"Black market tech dealers. Be careful."**

Bishop's stomach tightened. He needed information. And right now, they were the only people around.

Taking a breath, he stepped forward. **"Hey."**

The reaction was instant. The scavenger spun, drawing a sleek pistol from his jacket. The drone shifted, its optics flaring red.

**"Easy,"** Bishop said, hands raised. **"I just need some help."**

The scavenger narrowed his eyes. **"You lost, choom?"** His voice had the sharpness of someone used to back-alley deals and knife-edge survival.

Bishop took a slow step forward. **"Maybe. I just woke up in a clinic with no memories. Some corpo goon tried to kill me five minutes later. Ring any bells?"**

The scavenger's gaze flicked over him, taking in the hospital clothes, the fresh cuts from his escape. **"Huh. You look like hell."**

**"Feels like it."**

The scavenger hesitated, then lowered the gun slightly. **"No memory, huh? That's rough. What's your name?"**

Bishop paused. **"…Bishop."**

The man smirked. **"Sounds fake."**

**"It's all I've got."**

The scavenger shrugged. **"Well, Bishop, you're in luck. I'm Coil. This is my buddy, Zero."** He gestured to the drone, which let out a soft electronic chime.

**"You know anything about Helios Medical?"** Bishop asked.

Coil's expression darkened. **"Yeah. I know they don't let people just walk out of their facilities. You must be worth a lot if they're already hunting you."**

Bishop's stomach twisted. **"Any idea why?"**

Coil studied him for a long moment. Then he glanced at Zero. **"Run a scan."**

The drone whirred softly, its optics sweeping over Bishop. A faint *ping* echoed through the corridor. Zero turned to Coil, emitting a burst of binary chatter.

Coil's smirk disappeared. **"Shit."**

Bishop tensed. **"What?"**

Coil stepped back. **"You've got a blackout signature."**

**"Meaning?"**

**"Meaning someone wiped you clean. Not just your memory—your entire digital footprint. No citizen ID, no financial records, no public surveillance logs. You don't exist."**

Bishop's blood ran cold.

**"Who the hell am I?"**

Coil shook his head. **"That's the million-cred question, choom. And if Helios is after you, they already know the answer."**

Bishop clenched his fists.

He needed to find out the truth.

And fast.

---

**End of Chapter 3.**