You twist the dial on your mnemo-scanner, feeling the resistance as it pushes past the surface memory layer. The alleyway sharpens around you, the raindrops freezing mid-air like shattered glass as the machine stabilizes the memory sequence. The younger Tanaka's laughter echoes strangely, warped by temporal distortion. His companion's blurred face pulses like a malfunctioning hologram, but her hands are crisp and clear - manicured nails gripping the black case with surprising strength.

A screech of tires pierces the memory as headlights flood the alley's mouth. Two silhouettes emerge from a sleek black sedan, their features obscured by the rain and the memory's degradation. One moves with predatory grace, the other clutches something metallic at their side. The woman shoves Tanaka backward, her voice suddenly clear as she hisses 'Run!' before the memory fractures into jagged fragments.

Your real-world hands tremble slightly as you guide the scanner through the broken memory shards. Brief flashes assault you - a gunshot echoing off wet concrete, the black case tumbling through the air, Tanaka screaming as he's dragged into the sedan. Then suddenly, an impossibly clear image: the corporate logo on the sedan's door, identical to Tanaka's sleeve insignia but with one chilling addition - a small red hourglass beneath it.