Chapter One: The Home Run That Hadn't Happened

As he stood, another voice entered his ear. It was neither Mandarin nor Japanese. Low, flat, and distant, it sounded as though it had crossed an underground server room. “Sample response. Coordinates confirmed.” Cheng spun around. There were only cheering spectators. In the commentary booth, both announcers had their mouths open, yet neither had said those words. His headset went silent. His phone vibrated. The staffing company had terminated him for abandoning his post and interfering with spectators. Final pay would be withheld pending review. An hour earlier, the message would have cornered him. Now he looked at the glowing 5–4 scoreboard and felt as though the world had been struck open like a door.