Neon Rain, Bebop at Night
By James Ty Allen
Neon Rain, Bebop at Night
Author: James Ty Allen
Rain lashed against the visor of his helmet, blurring the neon signs that bled color across Falco City's slick streets. He gripped the throttle, the engine a screaming banshee beneath him. Hayato, a lean figure with a shock of untamed black hair perpetually threatening to escape his helmet, hunched lower, a cigarette would have completed the image. The engine roared, a defiant counterpoint to the city's hum. He risked a glance in the mirror – still no sign of the Shadowcore goons who had been chasing him.
Then, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision. A sleek, black sedan swerved out of an alley, cutting him off. He slammed on the brakes, the bike fishtailing violently.
He had get out of the car.
Hayato cursed, narrowly avoiding eating asphalt as he jumped out of his Supra.
He sprinted towards a crowded market, hoping to lose them in the throng.
Hayato weaved through stalls overflowing with steaming noodles and bioluminescent fruit. His ear piece *pinged*. "Turn left, Hayato, into the spice merchant," OMNA's voice crackled, a calming presence amidst the chaos, like Morpheus guiding Neo. He dodged a vendor hawking synthetic sake and obeyed. "Now, right! You're almost clear." He burst out of the market's far side, narrowly avoiding a collision with a hover-rickshaw. His breath hitched. The Supra. Gone. He slammed his fist on a small button on his wrist console. A distant *boom* echoed through the city. He was on foot, but alive. He sprinted towards the safe house, a nondescript noodle bar a few blocks away, where Ren, Orion, Ian and OMNA (her holographic form shimmering mid-air, a woman seemingly in her mid-twenties) were waiting.
The scent of synthetic spices and sizzling noodles hit Hayato like a wall as he plunged into the market. Vendors hawked their wares, their voices a chaotic symphony that masked the pounding of his own heart. He dodged a stack of glowing fruit, narrowly avoiding a collision with a spice merchant whose eyes widened in alarm before narrowing with suspicion. He needed to disappear, now. Suddenly, a hover-rickshaw, painted in garish pink and neon green, zoomed past, its repulsorlifts whining. "Need a lift, handsome?" a cheerful, synthesized voice chirped. At the controls sat OMNA, a quirky AI manifested as a holographic geisha with constantly shifting Kabuki masks cycling across her face. It was an unexpected, comical escape route, but Hayato didn't hesitate. He leaped into the back, shouting, "Go, go, GO!"
Story Content
Rain lashed against the visor of his helmet, blurring the neon signs that bled color across Falco City's slick streets. He gripped the throttle, the engine a screaming banshee beneath him. Hayato, a lean figure with a shock of untamed black hair perpetually threatening to escape his helmet, hunched lower, a cigarette would have completed the image. The engine roared, a defiant counterpoint to the city's hum. He risked a glance in the mirror – still no sign of the Shadowcore goons who had been chasing him.
Then, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision. A sleek, black sedan swerved out of an alley, cutting him off. He slammed on the brakes, the bike fishtailing violently.
He had get out of the car.
Hayato cursed, narrowly avoiding eating asphalt as he jumped out of his Supra.
He sprinted towards a crowded market, hoping to lose them in the throng.
Hayato weaved through stalls overflowing with steaming noodles and bioluminescent fruit. His ear piece *pinged*. "Turn left, Hayato, into the spice merchant," OMNA's voice crackled, a calming presence amidst the chaos, like Morpheus guiding Neo. He dodged a vendor hawking synthetic sake and obeyed. "Now, right! You're almost clear." He burst out of the market's far side, narrowly avoiding a collision with a hover-rickshaw. His breath hitched. The Supra. Gone. He slammed his fist on a small button on his wrist console. A distant *boom* echoed through the city. He was on foot, but alive. He sprinted towards the safe house, a nondescript noodle bar a few blocks away, where Ren, Orion, Ian and OMNA (her holographic form shimmering mid-air, a woman seemingly in her mid-twenties) were waiting.
The scent of synthetic spices and sizzling noodles hit Hayato like a wall as he plunged into the market. Vendors hawked their wares, their voices a chaotic symphony that masked the pounding of his own heart. He dodged a stack of glowing fruit, narrowly avoiding a collision with a spice merchant whose eyes widened in alarm before narrowing with suspicion. He needed to disappear, now. Suddenly, a hover-rickshaw, painted in garish pink and neon green, zoomed past, its repulsorlifts whining. "Need a lift, handsome?" a cheerful, synthesized voice chirped. At the controls sat OMNA, a quirky AI manifested as a holographic geisha with constantly shifting Kabuki masks cycling across her face. It was an unexpected, comical escape route, but Hayato didn't hesitate. He leaped into the back, shouting, "Go, go, GO!"
Synopsis
In neon-drenched Neo-Kyoto, Kai, a rogue biker with a mysterious past, races through the rain-soaked streets to escape Yakuza enforcers. As he navigates the city's perilous underbelly, he uncovers secrets that could topple the syndicate, promising high-stakes action and cyberpunk intrigue in this futuristic thriller.
