
Rhoodie Writes
Author
Novels by Rhoodie Writes

Blackout Protocol
One hour vanished from Detective Marcus Kane's life. He remembers kicking down the warehouse door, then nothing but blood on his knuckles and a corpse at his feet. No witnesses. No weapon. No memory.
Now he's the department's most wanted, hunted by the brothers in blue who once had his back and tormented by jagged fragments of that stolen hour; fragments showing hands that move like his but aren't under his control.
Then the second body drops. Same execution. Exactly one hour after the first.
Marcus isn't just a suspect. He's a loaded gun in someone else's hand, and they're pulling the trigger on a schedule. Each victim ties back to a military black site that promised to erase his war trauma, not weaponize him into something unrecognizable. They didn't just take his memories, they programmed a killer into the void.
His ex-partner Sarah believes him. Barely. She's risking everything to keep him one step ahead of the manhunt, but her faith cracks with every crime scene photo proving Marcus was there. And the killer inside him is waking up more with each passing hour.
The facility's files are sealed. The doctors are dead. And Marcus has seventy-three minutes until the programming kicks in again.
To stop the murders, he'll have to willingly step into the blackout and hope he comes back with answers instead of more blood. But his handler isn't some faceless bureaucrat, they're someone who knows exactly how to break him, because they built him.
Marcus Kane has one hour to catch a killer. The killer is him. And the puppet master has been watching from inside his own department all along.
*****
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Chapter: Chapter Seventy-Four
The storage unit was exactly what Park had described.Climate controlled. Ten by fifteen feet. Metal door. Concrete floor. A single overhead light that flickered when Sarah turned it on.But it was private. It was secure. It was somewhere they could work without interruption.Park unlocked the door with a key she'd been carrying. Inside was sparse. A few cardboard boxes. A folding table. Two camping chairs. A sleeping bag rolled in the corner."I've been staying here sometimes," Park explained. "When I couldn't risk a motel. When I needed somewhere the programming couldn't find me." She gestured around. "It's not much. But it's off grid. Cash rental. Fake name. Safe as anywhere can be right now."Sarah nodded. Set down her pack. Marcus came in behind her carrying the duffel with the equipment. He set it on the folding table. Unzipped it completely.Inside was exactly what Davis had promised. Military grade signal jammer. Broadband receiver. Cables. Power supply. Manual. Everything the
Last Updated: 2026-02-06
Chapter: Chapter Seventy-Three
The south dock was empty.Marcus walked slowly. Eyes scanning everything. The boats. The water. The buildings on either side. Looking for movement. For shapes. For anything that suggested he wasn't alone.Nothing. Just the sound of water lapping against hulls. Seagulls calling overhead. The distant noise of the city behind him.Too quiet. Too empty. Every instinct was screaming danger. Screaming trap. Screaming turn around and leave.But Marcus kept walking. Kept moving forward. Because the alternative was giving up. Was losing their only chance at the equipment. Was accepting failure.Unacceptable.He checked his watch. 12:16 PM. One minute past the deadline. If Davis was here, he should be visible. Should be waiting. Should be making contact.Nothing. No one.Marcus stopped. Middle of the dock. Exposed. Vulnerable. If this was an ambush, now was the moment. Now was when they'd move. When they'd surround him. When they'd take him.He waited. Five seconds. Ten. Twenty.Still nothing.
Last Updated: 2026-01-29
Chapter: Chapter Seventy-Two
11:47 AM.Thirteen minutes until noon. Thirteen minutes until the meeting.Marcus stood near a hot dog vendor. Pretending to read his phone. But his eyes were constantly moving. Scanning the crowd. Looking for Davis. Looking for Park. Looking for threats.The park was getting busier. Lunch hour approaching. Office workers on break. More tourists. More noise. More chaos.Good and bad. Good for cover. Bad for spotting specific individuals. Bad for maintaining control.Marcus's hand stayed close to his weapon. Under his jacket. Ready. Just in case.Across the plaza, Sarah was positioned near a bench. Also scanning. Also waiting. They'd catch each other's eyes every minute or so. Silent communication. Confirming they were both still there. Still alert. Still ready.11:51 AM.Nine minutes.Marcus saw her first. Park. Walking from the north entrance. Alone. Wearing jeans and a dark jacket. Hair pulled back. Sunglasses hiding her eyes.She moved carefully. Deliberately. Looking around consta
Last Updated: 2026-01-26
Chapter: Chapter Seventy-One
They spent the night in the stolen sedan.Sarah hadn't wanted to risk another motel. Too much exposure. Too many cameras. Too many ways to get caught.So they'd found a residential street. Quiet. Tree-lined. The kind of neighborhood where a parked car wouldn't draw attention. Where people minded their own business.Marcus had parked under a large oak. Away from streetlights. In shadows. Hidden but not obviously hiding.Then they'd waited. Taken turns sleeping. Two-hour shifts. One person awake while the other rested. Standard protocol.Sarah's shift was 4 AM to 6 AM.She sat in the driver's seat. Window cracked slightly. Cool October air drifting in. Keeping her alert. Keeping her awake.The neighborhood was silent. Just the occasional car passing. A dog barking somewhere. Normal suburban night sounds.Sarah checked her phone. Still powered off. She'd turn it on at eight. Send the meeting location to Park. Coordinate the rendezvous with Davis. But not yet. Not until necessary.Every m
Last Updated: 2026-01-24
Chapter: Chapter Seventy
Marcus drove exactly at the speed limit.Every instinct screamed to go faster. To race through red lights. To get Torres to the hospital as quickly as possible.But speed drew attention. Drew police. Drew complications they couldn't afford.So he drove normally. Steadily. Like just another vehicle on Chicago streets at midnight. Nothing to see.In the back seat, Sarah was monitoring Torres. Checking his pulse. His breathing. His temperature. Doing everything she could with what she had.Which wasn't much. Wasn't nearly enough."How is he?" Marcus asked. Eyes on the road but attention split."Bad. Getting worse. Pulse is one-forty. Breathing is labored. Temperature feels like it's still climbing." Sarah's voice was controlled. Professional. But Marcus heard the strain underneath. "We're running out of time."Marcus pressed slightly harder on the accelerator. Not much. Just enough to shave a minute off the drive. Just enough to matter.The hospital appeared ahead. Northwestern Memorial.
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
Chapter: Chapter Sixty-Nine
Sarah's phone buzzed at 9:23 PM.She grabbed it immediately. Screen lit up with a new message. From the unknown number.'Can't call. Not safe. Where are you? - P'Sarah's fingers moved across the keyboard. Fast. Urgent.'Need your help. Have intel on Project BLACKOUT. 43 targets. 61 hours until activation. Do you know anything about the signal? The trigger mechanism?'She hit send. Waited. Staring at the screen. Willing a response to come quickly.Thirty seconds. A minute.The phone buzzed again.'I know some. Programming includes receiver protocols. Specific frequencies. Can feel it sometimes. Like static in my head. Waiting.'Sarah's pulse quickened. This was it. This was the connection they needed.'Can you block it? Interfere with it? Prevent activation?'Another wait. Longer this time. Two minutes. Three.Sarah started to worry. Had Park's phone died? Had she been interrupted? Had something happened?Finally the phone buzzed.'Maybe. Would need to know exact frequency. Exact timi
Last Updated: 2026-01-22
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