She stumbled outside. The city was a cacophony of souls. A businessman’s lust, a child’s fear of the dark, a dog’s pure, unthinking joy—it all slammed into her like waves against a crumbling pier. She saw a woman laughing with friends and felt the woman’s secret, crushing grief hidden beneath the smile. The leak was total.
Desperate, she ripped the silver disc from behind her ear. The feed didn’t stop. The implant was just a receiver. The signal was already written into her neural pathways. Leakimedia had overwritten her. Ava Mind Leakimedia
She took a shaky breath, stood up, and walked toward the man. For the first time, she didn't have to think of an opening line. She just opened her mind and let the leak flow both ways. She stumbled outside