Novels by Koya

The maintenance tunnel ended abruptly, spilling them out into a vast, sprawling expanse of shifting, alkaline dunes. The air here was dry—so dry it felt like it was drinking the moisture right out of Carlos’s eyes."Is this it?" Carlos asked, shielding his face with his forearm. "Everything looks like it’s been bleached by a dying sun."Nikolai paused, tapping a rhythmic code onto his interface. "It’s the Rust Wastes. The most efficient route to the Upper Spires, provided you don't get shredded first.""Shredded?" Carlos let out a harsh laugh. "You have a real gift for making things sound inviting, you know that?""I’m not here to be your travel agent, Carlos. I’m here to make sure you reach the facility alive," Nikolai replied, his voice barely carrying over the sudden, low moan of the wind."Right. The facility. More 'adjustments,'" Carlos muttered, staring out at the horizon. "Tell me, Nikolai. When I’m done with all this—when I’m 'fully synchronized'—is there going to be anything

The alarm was a rhythmic, soul-crushing drone, vibrating through the soles of Carlos’s boots. He stood over the mercenary, his chest heaving, watching the man’s eyes dart between the lab’s shattered exit and the cold, unyielding face of Nikolai Petrov."Blank slate," Carlos whispered, the words tasting like copper in his mouth. "What did he mean by that? What am I?"Nikolai didn't look at him. He was busy sweeping the room with his pistol, his eyes tracking the corridors through the fractured doorway. "He’s a scavenger who got lucky with a paycheck, Carlos. Don't let a dying man's delirium mess with your head.""He knew my name, Nikolai," Carlos pressed, his voice rising, sharp and jagged. "He called me an 'anomaly' before you even dragged me in here. And he knew you were the one who 'built' me. This isn't just about some research project, is it?"Nikolai finally turned, his expression a mask of practiced indifference. "The Syndicate likes to mythologize their enemies to justify their

The reinforced steel door shrieked as it buckled, a jagged, molten hole blooming in the center of its frame. Sparks showered the laboratory floor, hissing as they touched the antiseptic-scented air."Stay behind the cover," Nikolai growled, his voice stripped of its usual clinical calm. He leveled the kinetic pistol at the center of the breach. "Don't let them flank you."Carlos huddled behind the heavy steel of the console, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "Who are these people? You said this place was secure!""Nothing is secure when you're dealing with the Syndicate," Nikolai snapped, his eyes fixed on the widening tear in the metal. "They’ve clearly tracked our energy signatures. Focus, Carlos. If you want to keep breathing, you need to use what you’ve learned.""I’m not a soldier, Nikolai!" Carlos hissed, his hands fumbling as the System flickered a frantic blue grid across his vision, highlighting the weaknesses in the room."You are a weapon that hasn't

The darkness wasn't absolute. It was a flickering, neon-edged void that pulsed in time with a rhythmic, mechanical hum. Carlos could feel his body, or at least the idea of it, suspended in a state of suspended animation. Then, the sensation hit him like a bucket of ice water.System Notification: Biological recovery at 88%. External stimulus detected.Carlos gasped, his eyes snapping open. The world was a blur of sterile white light and clinical grey walls. He wasn't in the mud anymore. He was on a medical slab in a room that smelled intensely of ozone and antiseptic."Don't fight the sedative," a voice said. "It's already leaving your bloodstream. If you thrash, you’ll tear the new tissue."Carlos squinted, his vision slowly focusing on Nikolai Petrov. The man looked exactly as he had in the alley, his trench coat pristine, his expression as unreadable as a slab of granite."Where... where am I?" Carlos croaked, his throat feeling like he’d swallowed a handful of sand."A secure faci

The creature didn't wait for Carlos to find his footing. It launched itself from the pile of scrap with a terrifying, jerky grace, its clawed limbs carving arcs into the humid, toxic air."Hey, watch it!" Carlos yelled, his voice cracking as he threw himself to the left.The beast’s talons shredded his hoodie, the metal-tipped fingers raking across his back. A wave of heat erupted between his shoulder blades. He hit the ground hard, rolling into a pile of jagged pipes, the breath forced out of his lungs in a sharp, guttural wheeze.System Notification: Blunt Force Trauma and Laceration detected. Durability threshold test initiated."Yeah, yeah, I get it," Carlos hissed, dragging himself up and clutching his side. "The test is on. Just don't let me die in the middle of it."The hybrid chattered, a sound like grinding gears, and tilted its massive head. It circled him, its milky eyes glowing with a cold, synthetic hunger. It was fast—faster than any human, and twice as erratic."You wan

The air in the toxic zone didn't just smell; it had a physical weight, a thick, oily sludge that coated the back of Carlos’s throat with every ragged inhale. He stumbled over a jagged piece of rusted rebar, his boots splashing into a puddle of iridescent, glowing muck."Easy, Carlos. Just… just keep moving," he wheezed, clutching his chest. His heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs, sounding like a drum in the silence of the waste dump.System Notification: Atmospheric toxicity levels exceeding critical limits. Pulmonary distress imminent."Yeah, I noticed that," Carlos gasped, his voice barely a whisper against the low, persistent hum of the wind whistling through the scrap metal. "Could you maybe... help me out here? I’m turning into a human sieve."System Notification: Navigational path updated. Secondary relay node located 200 meters north. Warning: Oxygen efficiency decreasing."Two hundred meters," Carlos muttered, wiping a streak of black sweat from his forehead