Novels by Timitich F

"Lyra, please," Ethan gasped, the cold metal of her alloy blade biting deeper into his throat. "I just saved your life. You were dying.""You're him," she whispered, her hand shaking as tears traced lines through the dirt on her face. "You're the Betrayer.""I'm Ethan! Yes, that's my name, but I don't remember any of it!" He tried to pull back, but the sword followed him, drawing a tiny bead of blood. "I woke up in a stasis pod an hour ago. I don't know anything about a collapse!""Don't lie to me!" she screamed, her voice cracking with raw grief. "The Eclipse Waltz. The reverse-grip salute. Nobody else in the world moves like that. It was you. You killed my brother. You killed everyone.""It was a memory dump!" Ethan cried, his voice frantic. "There's a voice in my head. A System. It's a digital backup of my future self. It forced those movements into my body! Look at my shoulder! It's literally dislocated!"He gestured weakly to his dangling right arm, his face pale with pain. "Woul

"If that 'other guy' inside your head knows how to fight as well as he knows how to talk... we're going to need him," Lyra said, her voice barely a whisper."I’ll try to coax him out," Ethan muttered, taking a step toward her. But as the blue terminal light washed over her face, he froze. "Wait. Lyra, look at your neck.""What?" She reached up, her fingers brushing her collarbone. "What’s wrong with it?""There are black lines," Ethan said, his voice rising in panic. "They’re like spiderwebs. They’re crawling up toward your jaw."Lyra swayed, her hand dropping as she gripped the edge of the metal console to steady herself. "Damn it. The radiation in this zone must be accelerating the infection.""Is that the toxin from the rats?" Ethan asked, rushing to her side. "How long do we have?""If it reaches my brain? I don't know. Less than an hour." She gritted her teeth, trying to push past him. "We need to go down. Now.""You can barely stand!" Ethan protested, catching her elbow. "Let me

"Ethan?" Lyra’s voice was as sharp as the knife she now held loosely at her side. "Why did that terminal just call you Ethan?""I... I have no idea!" Ethan shouted, backing away as the console began to pulse a violent, rhythmic amber. "It’s old tech! Maybe it’s a generic welcome message?""A generic welcome message that uses the specific name of the most hated man in history?" Lyra stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. "Explain yourself. Right now.""I can't!" Ethan yelped, covering his ears as a deafening siren erupted from the overhead speakers. "System! Help me out here! Shut this thing off before it brings the whole zone down on us!""Initializing synaptic override," the System’s cheerful voice chirped in his mind. "But look, junior, security's tighter than a vacuum seal. You need more than a generic bypass. You need Tier 3 Clearance. You ready for the big leagues?""Just do it!" Ethan screamed internally. "My head is already split open!""Buckle up. This one’s a doozy."A vertical

"Keep moving! The gate’s just past that coolant vent!" Lyra barked, her boots slamming against the rusted grating."I’m moving! Does the air always taste like copper?" Ethan gasped, his chest heaving as they vaulted over a collapsed bulkhead."Copper? Kid, that’s ozone and radiation. Don't breathe too deep if you want to keep your lungs working.""Good to know! Any other toxic fun facts before I pass out?""Plenty. Just keep your eyes on the red light. If you see it turn green, run the other way."They cleared the final gap, dropping into the choking, sulfurous haze of the Red Zone. The heat hit them like a physical wall, thick and humid, turning the very air into a soup of heavy radiation. Ethan staggered, his vision flickering with static."Hey, you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.""Just... the heat. It’s like standing inside a forge.""Join the club. My head feels like it’s vibrating."Lyra stumbled, her hand clutched to her side. She slumped against a wall of scorched

The searchlight beam burned into the damp wool, turning the apartment corner into a blinding, white-hot cage. The heavy, metallic footsteps of the intruders grew louder, crunching over glass and splintered wood."They're looking right at us," Ethan whispered, his throat tight enough to snap."Wait for it," Lyra hissed, her hand shifting toward her blade. "When I shove, you jump.""Jump? Out of the window? We're on the fourth floor!""Would you rather die in a blanket or jump for a ledge? Pick one, fast.""I pick not dying!"The blanket was suddenly ripped away. A massive scavenger with a jagged, rusted rifle stood over them, his eyes wide behind a cracked visor."Found 'em! Boss, the bounty's right here!""System," Ethan shouted, his brain igniting. "Give me the tactical readout! Now!"Processing, the synthetic voice buzzed. Target identified: Scavenger Squad Leader. Threat level: Low. Logic pattern: Non-existent. Warning: Opponent is currently high on illicit stimulants and completel

The click of the safety behind them was loud enough to stop a heart."Don't turn around," Lyra whispered, her lips barely moving against the shell of Ethan's ear. Her hand remained pressed against his chest, but her muscles had coiled into a deadly, kinetic spring. "Slowly. Toward the ladder.""Who is it?" Ethan breathed, his voice cracking."Doesn't matter. Just move."They peeled away from each other, a silent, fluid motion born of sudden terror. They scrambled up a rusted utility ladder, lungs burning, until they broke through a maintenance hatch into the hollowed-out lobby of a decaying apartment complex. The air was stale, tasting of ozone and dead dreams."Keep it down," Lyra hissed, pushing him into a corner behind a stack of rotted, moth-eaten mattresses. "They’re still down there, but they’re not following yet."Ethan slid to the floor, his head spinning. "You were going to kill them, weren't you?"Lyra leaned back against the wall, her chest heaving. She reached into a hidde