Every song tells a story to me. Fascinating visuals broadcast through my mind like an IMAX presentation when I close my eyes and put my headphones on. I'd like to give you a glimpse into what I see, so feel free to hit play as I present the stories I've found while listening to some of my favorite tracks.

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Today's track: The Enigma TNG - The Machine In Me

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007 - The Concave

Flickering into focus, the world snapped sharply into view. Various displays sped across my vision as the head's-up display finished its boot cycle. I cycled through my various sensor arrays as I took in my surroundings. The population was sparse here, mostly empty factories and cracked asphalt. What lifesigns did ping on the display appeared to be mostly small animals, dogs, birds, rats. Seeing a couple of street lights ahead I was surprised to find that any power still came through the Anamashi district. I decoupled from the drop pod and stepped down on to the street.

All three stories of the building to my left detonated in response. I snatched the shredder rifle from the side of my pod as I jumped for cover behind a dumpster on the other side of the street. Didn't take long for them to react, they must have been monitoring my location as I dropped in. I was hoping a silent boot post-landing would help keep my cover and give me a chance to set up the hunt. No such luck.

Thermal sensors were no use as the inferno raged across the street. Visuals were obscured by the thick smoke and ash. Chunks of concrete and debris cracked and shattered as they impacted around me. I had to ID the target, and soon. Tracking the acolyte Tryss and his links to the resistance group known as the Concave had been an arduous process, one that would only get harder if I lost him now. Gripping the shredder rifle, I flicked the auxiliary switch and launched an extra eye into the air.

The sabot shell popped to release its tiny drone payload. Picking up the neural link, only more bad luck transmitted wirelessly in to my cortex as two hefty rocket streams tore through the smoke of the building. As my reactionary sense took hold, the auxiliary AI in the drone caused it to sweep left as the pulse jets in my calves launched me straight for the burning wreck ahead.

As the rockets exploded behind me, I caught the telltale electronic signature of a QUATROP, a Quadrupedal Urban Assault Tactical Response Operations Platform. Nasty bugger. Size of a small house and armed to the teeth. Not sure how the resistance got their hands on military tech like that, but those questions would have to be dealt with by high command. All I had to do was survive. The real question was if this was just another diversion or if Tryss was hiding inside.

I peeked back to see if my drop pod was still there, and found only the smoldering craters left by the recent barrage. Not that I brought any significant anti-tank weaponry with me anyway, this op wasn't supposed to include any robotic resistance and I'm not a front-line kind of cyborg. I'd call in an airstrike if I wasn't on radio silence. Long-range communications were off-limits until Tryss was captured, so we could figure out how the hell they broke through our Q-level encryption protocols.

50 caliber chaingun fire jogged me back into the moment. Concrete turned to dust around me, forcing me to boost again another block down the street. I brought the drone's vision back online, and scoped out the QUATROP three blocks down. Finally a bit of good news stuck. Looks like it was a stripped-down model, completely lacking any kind of anti-air equipment, and most of the reinforced plating was missing as well. The thing was almost completely gutted. There's no way Tryss would be hiding in that hunk of junk. Just behind it, the alleyway started to glow a faint blue.

I had to act fast. It had to be Tryss, but by the looks of it he was already working on his escape. Up and over was going to be the best route. Chucking a flash grenade down a side street to act as a diversion, the nano-fibres in my legs tensed, and I leapt over the two-story warehouse with ease. The flash of the grenade instantly prompted a hail of bullets from the QUATRO, which allowed me just enough time to boost past. I cleared two more buildings to get behind the mech, then darted off toward the alley before it could change directions and bring its hulking gun to bear on me.

The acolyte stood still as I approached, his arms frozen in fear as he gazed down the business end of my shredder. The wall next to him was glowing brightly with the freshly sprayed graffiti of his nanite canister, clever little technology that allowed the resistance to a one-way door home. I couldn't let him escape. Targeting both his kneecaps, I squeezed the trigger.

A bright blue flash and "ERROR" was all that came through my visuals before everything went black. When I regained consciousness my vision was a blur of static and multi-spectral interference. I was restrained, and all of my non-essential motor functions were unresponsive. Through the static a very clear voice channel opened.

"We know you wanted Tryss, but we wanted you more. We've been watching you for some time soldier, and think a proper dialogue is in order. Welcome to the Concave."