Novels by Alexandria

"We are finally here," the figure whispered.Baran did not answer. He slammed his shoulder against the crumpled door of the SUV. The metal groaned but refused to budge. The figure outside leaned closer, the face partially obscured by the high collar of the coat and the flickering orange glow of the burning forest. The rain hit the glass with a sound like gravel being thrown against a windowpane. Every drop of the dark liquid hissed as it landed, eating through the outer layer of the car paint.Baran reached for his tactical bag, which had tumbled to the floorboard. His fingers brushed against the cold steel of a heavy-duty pry bar. He gripped it, his knuckles white, and wedged the tip into the door frame. With a grunt of exertion, he leaned his entire weight against the lever. The hinge shrieked, the metal tearing away from the chassis with a violent snap.The door swung open, and the suffocating scent of ozone and burning plastic flooded the cabin. Baran tumbled out onto the wet eart

"You are not the only one who remembered," the other Baran said. His voice was identical to Baran’s own, carrying the same raspy texture of a man who had spent too many nights breathing in the metallic dust of a dead world.Baran didn't move. Every muscle in his body coiled, ready to spring into motion. He scanned the room for a weapon. His holster was empty, but his eyes landed on a heavy steel pipe lying near the filtration unit."How?" Baran asked. His heart slammed against his ribs. He felt the cold air of the bunker settling into his skin, a stark contrast to the burning rage building in his chest.The double chuckled. He walked forward, his footsteps silent on the concrete floor. He wore a set of tactical gear that mirrored Baran’s exactly, right down to the frayed stitching on the left shoulder patch. "Do not act surprised. You thought you were the only one who died in the rain? You thought you were the only one who crawled back to this date? This world is a loop, Baran. A brok

"Come on," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the bar.Suddenly, the entire building shook. A deep, low-frequency hum vibrated through the structure. It wasn't an earthquake. It was the sound of the atmosphere being shredded by the initial wave of the QX-7.Baran looked out the concrete aperture of the garage. The sky was turning a sickly shade of violet.His phone began to ring. It wasn't the distorted voice. It was Selin.He stared at the screen. She was screaming in the background, her voice drowned out by the sound of sirens and breaking glass. He didn't answer. He let it ring, watching the final transfer indicator tick toward one hundred percent.The screen blinked. Assets Secured.He sat back, exhausted. He had the gold, he had the winning numbers, and he had the knowledge. But as he looked back down at the city, he saw the first drops of black, viscous rain hitting the windshield of a car three stories down.The car began to hiss and smoke. The metal started to dissolve.Baran loo

"I am listening," Baran replied, his voice devoid of tremor. He kept his gaze locked on the door where the knocking had turned into rhythmic, heavy thuds against the wood."The atmospheric integrity isn't failing by accident," the distorted voice on the other end continued. "The QX-7 event is a controlled decompression. You are looking at the wrong map, Demirci. Check the seismic data for the Aegean fault line. The bunker you are building at Zeytinli? It is directly above the initial fracture point."Baran felt a cold sweat break across his forehead, but his hands remained steady on the laptop keyboard. He had spent hours calculating the reinforcement of the Zeytinli walls, assuming the collapse would be purely atmospheric. He hadn't accounted for a tectonic component. "Why tell me this now?" he asked."Because you are the only one who knows the layout of that complex," the voice answered. "If you want to survive the first ten minutes, you need to relocate your filtration intake to th

Baran did not break his stride. He stepped into the cool, climate controlled air of the kitchen, his boots clicking sharply against the marble floor. Behind him, Selin followed like a shadow with serrated edges, her breathing ragged with indignation."I am talking to you, Baran!" she screamed, her voice cracking against the vaulted ceiling. "Tell me why you took him to that clinic!"Baran reached the kitchen island and pulled out a high backed chair. He sat down, deliberately calm, and opened his laptop. The screen glowed, illuminating his tired features. He ignored her entirely, his fingers flying across the trackpad."Stop that!" Selin reached for the laptop, but Baran blocked her hand with a sudden, violent shove of his shoulder.He looked at her then, his eyes cold enough to freeze the heat in the room. "The clinic was for a routine checkup, Selin. If you have an issue with the quality of care Kaan receives, take it up with the pediatrician. Now, leave the room. I have accounting

The real war was only just beginning. Baran moved away from the door and crossed the room to his closet. He pulled on a tactical windbreaker over his shirt, his movements calculated and precise. He grabbed a small, nondescript bag and tossed it onto the bed.Outside the bedroom, the muffled thumping against the door grew louder. Murat Yildirim was shouting something about legal repercussions and the insolence of a son-in-law. Baran ignored the noise. He walked to the walk-in closet, pushed aside a sliding panel, and pulled out a hidden floor safe. He punched in the code, grabbed a stack of untraceable cash, and stepped back.He didn't need the Yildirims to know his next move.Baran walked back to the bedroom door and unlocked it. He swung the door open. Murat stood there, his face a mottled shade of purple. Behind him, Selin looked frantic, her phone pressed to her ear."You think you can just lock yourself in here and ignore us?" Murat barked, his finger jabbing toward Baran’s chest.