Your Forma
In an alternate 2023, the Your Forma, a miraculous “smart thread” technology initially developed to treat a massive outbreak of viral encephalitis, has become an integral part of daily life. But these convenient devices come with an invasive drawback—they record every sight, sound, and even emotion their users experience. For electronic investigator Echika Hieda, diving into peoples’ memories via the Your Forma and hunting for evidence to solve the toughest crimes is all part of a day’s work. The problem is, she’s so good at what she does that her assistants literally fry their brains trying to keep up with her. After putting one too many aides in the hospital, the top brass finally furnish Echika with a partner on her level, a brilliant yet cheeky android named Harold Lucraft. Does this unlikely duo have what it takes to resolve their mutual suspicions and avert a deadly technological infection from sweeping across the globe before it’s too late?
In an alternate 2023, the Your Forma, a miraculous “smart thread” technology initially developed to treat a massive outbreak of viral encephalitis, has become an integral part of daily life. But these convenient devices come with an invasive drawback—they record every sight, sound, and even emotion their users experience. For electronic investigator Echika Hieda, diving into peoples’ memories via the Your Forma and hunting for evidence to solve the toughest crimes is all part of a day’s work. The problem is, she’s so good at what she does that her assistants literally fry their brains trying to keep up with her. After putting one too many aides in the hospital, the top brass finally furnish Echika with a partner on her level, a brilliant yet cheeky android named Harold Lucraft. Does this unlikely duo have what it takes to resolve their mutual suspicions and avert a deadly technological infection from sweeping across the globe before it’s too late?
Back on the beat as an Electronic Investigator, Echika finds herself up against a challenging new case: a string of assaults committed against people related to the RF Model Amicus. To make matters worse, victim testimonials suggest that the perpetrator is none other than Echika’s aide, Harold. As the stakes grow higher and the pair continue their investigation despite the rift forming between them, the true distinction between humans and machines becomes all too apparent. When the shocking truth about Harold comes to light, Echika struggles to make an agonizing decision…
Back on the beat as an Electronic Investigator, Echika finds herself up against a challenging new case: a string of assaults committed against people related to the RF Model Amicus. To make matters worse, victim testimonials suggest that the perpetrator is none other than Echika’s aide, Harold. As the stakes grow higher and the pair continue their investigation despite the rift forming between them, the true distinction between humans and machines becomes all too apparent. When the shocking truth about Harold comes to light, Echika struggles to make an agonizing decision…
Echika, burdened by her decision to hide the secret of Harold’s Laws of Respect, experiences a rapid loss of Brain Dive functionality. With her prospects of being reinstated as a Diver looking grim, Echika is assigned to her next case as a normal police investigator, only to find Harold working the same inquiry with the help of a new “genius” assistant. From there, the two former partners chase separate leads after a hacker known only as E, a self-styled mind reader who has been leaking classified Interpol information on a popular message board. But what is this mysterious figure really after, and why are they inciting their followers to violence?
Echika, burdened by her decision to hide the secret of Harold’s Laws of Respect, experiences a rapid loss of Brain Dive functionality. With her prospects of being reinstated as a Diver looking grim, Echika is assigned to her next case as a normal police investigator, only to find Harold working the same inquiry with the help of a new “genius” assistant. From there, the two former partners chase separate leads after a hacker known only as E, a self-styled mind reader who has been leaking classified Interpol information on a popular message board. But what is this mysterious figure really after, and why are they inciting their followers to violence?
Harold and Echika may have brought their latest case to a close, but the AI developer who facilitated E’s campaign against Interpol is nowhere to be found. To ascertain the identity of this enigmatic individual, the pair requests the aid of their friend Bigga, now a consultant with the Electrocrime Investigations Bureau. Yet even her help isn’t enough to give them a lead. Meanwhile, a brutally dismembered Amicus is discovered in a public park, and the modus operandi bears an eerie resemblance to the “Nightmare of Petersburg” spree killings in which Harold’s mentor was murdered...
Harold and Echika may have brought their latest case to a close, but the AI developer who facilitated E’s campaign against Interpol is nowhere to be found. To ascertain the identity of this enigmatic individual, the pair requests the aid of their friend Bigga, now a consultant with the Electrocrime Investigations Bureau. Yet even her help isn’t enough to give them a lead. Meanwhile, a brutally dismembered Amicus is discovered in a public park, and the modus operandi bears an eerie resemblance to the “Nightmare of Petersburg” spree killings in which Harold’s mentor was murdered...
Echika’s stubborn insistence on protecting the secret of the RF Models’ Laws of Respect has driven a wedge between her and Harold. As the two partners grow distant, it comes to light that TOSTI, the mysterious AI they’ve been investigating, may have been developed on Farasha Island, an artificial landmass constructed off the coast of Dubai where researchers pioneer new technologies. When Echika is ordered to travel there and investigate with a small team, she discovers that nearly everyone living on the island has been assigned an Amicus double in an experiment called Project EGO. But soon after Echika and the others’ search for answers gets underway, Bigga is rendered unconscious in a peculiar accident, and it becomes apparent that nothing on the island is as it seems…
Echika’s stubborn insistence on protecting the secret of the RF Models’ Laws of Respect has driven a wedge between her and Harold. As the two partners grow distant, it comes to light that TOSTI, the mysterious AI they’ve been investigating, may have been developed on Farasha Island, an artificial landmass constructed off the coast of Dubai where researchers pioneer new technologies. When Echika is ordered to travel there and investigate with a small team, she discovers that nearly everyone living on the island has been assigned an Amicus double in an experiment called Project EGO. But soon after Echika and the others’ search for answers gets underway, Bigga is rendered unconscious in a peculiar accident, and it becomes apparent that nothing on the island is as it seems…
In the aftermath of the Farasha Island incident, Echika receives a one-month suspension for Brain Diving into a suspect without a warrant. Meanwhile, Harold distances himself from her in an attempt to protect the secret of his neuromimetic system, faking a decline in his data-processing abilities to get reassigned as an investigator aide. When several investors with ties to the Alliance abruptly succumb to a man-made viral infection, however, Echika and Harold must team up once again to uncover the origins of the mysterious pathogen. As their investigation gets underway, the pair soon realize that they are being manipulated…and that the Alliance’s reach is far greater than they could have ever imagined.
In the aftermath of the Farasha Island incident, Echika receives a one-month suspension for Brain Diving into a suspect without a warrant. Meanwhile, Harold distances himself from her in an attempt to protect the secret of his neuromimetic system, faking a decline in his data-processing abilities to get reassigned as an investigator aide. When several investors with ties to the Alliance abruptly succumb to a man-made viral infection, however, Echika and Harold must team up once again to uncover the origins of the mysterious pathogen. As their investigation gets underway, the pair soon realize that they are being manipulated…and that the Alliance’s reach is far greater than they could have ever imagined.
After Professor Lexie leaks the RF Models’ system code to the world, Harold is captured and scheduled to be scrapped. To add insult to injury, the Electrocrime Investigations Bureau arrests Echika on false charges. Just as she is beginning to lose all hope of turning things around, however, Echika notices friction in the Alliance, including Director Schlosser’s attempt to cover up his previous failings. If Echika can exploit the fissures in the organization, she might have a shot at saving her and Harold’s skins. But can she survive the power struggle at the very heart of the Alliance?
After Professor Lexie leaks the RF Models’ system code to the world, Harold is captured and scheduled to be scrapped. To add insult to injury, the Electrocrime Investigations Bureau arrests Echika on false charges. Just as she is beginning to lose all hope of turning things around, however, Echika notices friction in the Alliance, including Director Schlosser’s attempt to cover up his previous failings. If Echika can exploit the fissures in the organization, she might have a shot at saving her and Harold’s skins. But can she survive the power struggle at the very heart of the Alliance?