Johnny Mnemonic

The short story served as the basis for the 1995 film Johnny Mnemonic, whose plot uses the same basic premise but otherwise differs considerably.

Johnny enters a trance-like state while the data is being transferred or the password is being set, making him unaware of the contents and unable to retrieve them.

He makes a modest living in the Sprawl by physically transporting sensitive information for corporations, underworld crime rings or wealthy individuals.

Since he is now addicted to heroin, the result of the Navy's efforts to keep its dolphins loyal, Molly trades him a batch in exchange for finding the password.

To deal with the yakuza assassin who is still following them, Molly leads Johnny to the Lo Teks, a group of anti-technology outcasts who live in a suspended hideout near the top of the geodesic domes covering the Sprawl.

At Molly's request, the Lo Teks allow the assassin to climb up so she can face him on the "Killing Floor," a sprung-floor arena wired to synthesizers and amplifiers.

Molly dances around the assassin, causing discordant noise to blare from the sound system, and tricks him into slicing off his own hand with his thumb wire.