(Author's note: The dialogues in telepathy are italicized.)

  "What do you mean, Crystal?" James asks, bewildered as he looks at the screen. "Something wrong with this record?"

  "Yes. As you know, this is the last memory of Ms. Zoe Wilson, the only victim who was an Evo user. Before her death, she was attacked and murdered by the..."

  "The Black Hooded," Kyle interjects.

  "Right, the Black Hooded," Crystal nods. "I conducted a quick scan of her data and found some abnormalities that I thought I should report to you."

  "Sure. Please continue," James encourages her.

  "Evo users can log in and out of the telepathic social network whenever they want," Crystal explains. "But their minds remain synced with the system as long as their accounts are opened. In other words, if a user doesn't request us to stop saving her memories to Evo, her memories will be recorded until she dies or her brain ceases to function."

  "Yes, we understand," James replies, nodding. "Evo states that clearly in the Privacy Policy."

  "In Ms. Wilson's case, she didn't request to close her account," Crystal continues. "The account closure process is quite complicated, requiring the user's real-time presence, so perhaps the culprit couldn't force her to do it. Anyway, Ms. Wilson's last record was supposed to fully capture her final moments."

  "But here's the point," Crystal says, pointing to the near-end part of the record on the screen. "This isn't widely known yet, but all memory records of deceased users in Evo's database have a brief moment right before disconnection—a flashback. We believe this may be the most significant memory in their lives, what came to their minds at the last moment."

  The room falls silent for a short while.

  "R... really?" Kyle asks, intrigued.

  "It was just a theory before," James admits, surprised. "This phenomenon couldn't be proven."

  "Well, it has been now," Crystal confirms. "We discovered this fact just recently, as access to deceased users' private data is strictly limited. However, the problem is Ms. Wilson's record lacks her last flashback!"

  "What? Does that mean she didn't experience it?" James wonders.

  "Maybe people who die suddenly don't have one?" Kyle suggests.

  "Perhaps," Crystal replies. "There could be exceptions, but based on our research, everyone has their own last moment—whether it's long or short, sad or fun."

  "Yeah... And according to the forensic team's report, Ms. Wilson resisted until she was killed; her death wasn't sudden," James reflects.

  "Then how could her memory record be different?" Kyle questions.

  "This is just my personal opinion," Crystal says cautiously. "I think the culprit may have done something to her memory and erased that part without knowing... like editing it."

  "Impossible!" Kyle quickly dismisses. "The culprit is obviously a recessive; he killed people multiple times!"

  "Wait, he could have an accomplice who is a dominant," James interjects sharply. "Crystal, can memory records be affected by special abilities?"

  "Actually, yes," Crystal sighs. "False memories can overwrite the original ones. This is a bug we haven't been able to fix. Affected users often don't realize it and can't report it in the first place. Our data team only discovered it by checking for memory inconsistencies, like in this case."

  "This... this is completely new to us," Kyle says, shocked. "We were so eager for this evidence, but now you're telling us it might be fake?"

  "My apologies," Crystal says, lowering her head sadly. "I prioritized informing you about this matter. It's severe for us as well."

  Kyle pulls at his hair in frustration, while James remains composed. After a moment of silence, the experienced detective team leader speaks in their minds.

  "You mentioned that false memories have inconsistencies, right, Crystal?"

  His telepathic words make Kyle sit up and pay attention.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Yes, since they are essentially lies," Crystal affirms. "They inevitably conflict with reality at certain points."

  "You don't mean... we should check the entire database for those?" Kyle looks at James in disbelief.

  "The investigation has been stalled anyway," James replies, rubbing his forehead. "I think we need to explore this direction. We have to."

  "If you decide to pursue it, Evo's analysis team will assist as much as we can," Crystal declares, determination clear in her firm brown eyes. "We need to check our system anyway."

  "Very well," James says, standing and extending his hand to the young woman. "Your help is greatly appreciated!"

  ___

  Anna is deep in despair, but not entirely because of the disturbing fan letter from some stalker, possibly the Black Hood himself. Sitting in the back seat of her agency's van on the way home, she lets out a long sigh of frustration and disappointment.

  "I told them what happened, and they sent me... this?"

  She glances at Gabriel, who is sitting in the front seat next to Rachel, who is driving. To ease the tension, Rachel laughs awkwardly.

  "Don't be like that, An. Your brother came all the way here to escort you home. Right, Gab?"

  "What? 'Gab'?" Anna exclaims, stunned. "Since when have you two gotten so close?"

  "Well, he passed by my place the other day looking for you," Rachel giggles. "I didn't believe he was your brother at first, so I called May to check, and we had a little chat."

  "You shouldn't befriend others so easily, sis," Anna says pointedly to Gabriel. "Some people aren't what they seem."

  "Huh? What do you mean?" Rachel asks, confused.

  "Don't worry," Gabriel says softly. "I have a Protection Certificate, verified by the Department of Public Safety."

  "Oh my... I heard that the certificate requires extensive training. Your brothers are all so reliable, right, An?"

  Despite Rachel's cheerful comments, Anna replies bluntly, "That's because he's just good at fighting. Did you earn it in juvie? No... it must have taken longer, in prison, then?"

  Her cold words cut into Gabriel like a sharp blade. He turns away to avoid Rachel's startled gaze.

  But that's exactly what Anna wants, and she doesn't intend to stop.

  "And please, stop going around looking so much like the Black Hood already!" Anna demands irritably. "You give me the creeps!"

  Thus begins Gabriel's new role as Anna's bodyguard. After receiving a shady letter from someone suspected to be the serial murderer at large, the Lanes requested police protection for Anna. However, they couldn't find any proof linking it to the Black Hood, aside from a signature that could have been made by a wannabe from seeing the news. With the police short-staffed and focused on checking a large number of memory records of potential witnesses, Mr. Daniel Lanes, the mayor, and Mrs. Mary Lanes decided to seek another protection service. Since Gabriel happened to have a lot of free time these days, he didn't mind supporting his little sister in distress.

  Little did he know the job would be more challenging than he expected.

  ___

  "Hey! You look so much better! That outfit looks great on you!" Rachel beams with bright eyes as she sees Gabriel stepping out of the changing room, fidgeting awkwardly in a soft pastel cardigan draped over a crisp white shirt, paired with beige chinos. The simple yet elegant design highlights his tall, lean build, a stark contrast to his old, baggy dark clothes. The shop assistants gaze at him in awe, clearly impressed by his transformation.

  "Do I look... suitable to be near Anna now?" Gabriel asks hesitantly.

  "Of course you do!" Rachel squeals in excitement. "Now that you've changed your style, you could even pass for a model!"

  "Please don't tease me." Gabriel smiles in embarrassment. They are at an apparel store, waiting for Anna while she has her monthly check-in at a nearby mental health clinic. Since it would take a while, Rachel offered to be Gabriel's stylist.

  "Thanks for helping me, Rach," Gabriel says softly, juggling a handful of shopping bags as they walk out of the store together. "I wouldn't know how to escort Anna without you."

  "No need to thank me," Rachel replies brightly. "It's part of my job to look after our artists."

  Noticing Rachel's slight limp, Gabriel asks with concern, "Are you okay? Do your feet hurt?"

  "Oh, yes." Rachel glances down at her worn-out sneakers. "I've been standing and walking almost all day, every day. It might be nothing for other managers, but... being a recessive in this line of work is pretty tough."

  "It's hard to keep up with them sometimes, isn't it?" Gabriel kneels down, gently fixing Rachel's loose shoelaces. "Still, don't forget to take care of yourself."

  Caught off guard, Rachel freezes for a second before bursting into laughter. "Oh my, if I didn't have a boyfriend already, I'd completely fall for you!"

  At that moment, Rachel notices Gabriel's sneakers for the first time. Her gaze lingers on the old-fashioned yet sturdy lock laces, and she suddenly falls silent.

  "What's wrong?" Gabriel asks as he stands up before her.

  "Nothing." Rachel looks back at him, her usual smile returning. "Let's go pick up Anna!"

  ___

  Late in the evening, after a busy day, driving Gabriel and Anna home then returning to the agency to rearrange her work, Rachel arrives home utterly exhausted. She opens her apartment door, kicks off her sneakers, leaving them scattered at the doorstep. Her bag and jacket are tossed carelessly onto a chair.

  Weary, Rachel sinks into the sofa in her small but cozy living room, closing her droopy eyes. Her head leans gently against the shoulder of the man sitting next to her. With a contented smile on her tired face, she starts talking to her boyfriend.

  "I had another tough day today, you know."

  The man beside her remains silent. Rachel continues in a cold and gloomy tone, contrary to her warm expressions while she's at work. "Anna was still the brat she always was, ordering me around like her maid." She vents her frustration. "Babysitting her was stressful enough, and now I have to be the middleman between her and her emo brother! Damn those rich kids and their little dramas... But I managed to handle it. Did I do well?"

  Rachel hugs her boyfriend's arm tightly, her affection evident. Her eyes drift away as she adds, "I saw a pair of sneakers that look just like the ones in our house. You know, the plain ones with lock laces? I wore those once, but they were too big and hurt my feet," Rachel chuckles. "You scolded me for it, remember?"

  "The ones you wore that rainy night to the suburbs?" The young man turns to her, his handsome face illuminated by the soft neon light. "What about them?"

  "Well, I saw Anna's brother, Gabriel, wearing the same pair."

  Rachel's eyes sparkle with an unsettling brightness. "What a coincidence!"