Chapter 19: Threads of Control
Author:MrLostLetter
The air inside the Core was thick with tension, but it wasn't just the distant hum of the servers or the echo of plasma fire that made Ethan's pulse quicken. It was the Codex.
It was stronger now.
Stronger than before.
Each beat pulsed through his veins like a drum, syncing with his heart, guiding his movements, and sharpening his instincts. But beneath that precision... something was shifting.
"Ethan," Lena's voice was urgent, pulling him back to reality.
He blinked, realizing his pulse blade was still raised, its faint glow reflecting off the cold metal of the chamber. Nemesis lay motionless on the ground, sparks flickering from its damaged core. But Ethan's grip was tight, his body still wired, as if...
As if he wasn't ready to stop.
"Ethan."
Lena was standing a few feet away, her pulse pistol still drawn but lowered. Her green eyes were locked on him, her expression a mix of concern and... something else.
Fear.
Ethan forced himself to breathe, the pounding in his ears gradually fading.
"I'm fine," he murmured, retracting the pulse blade with a low hiss.
But he wasn't fine.
And Lena knew it.
Dorian stood near the terminal, his cybernetic implants dimming as he disconnected from the security grid. His expression was unreadable, but his posture was rigid, tense.
"We need to move," Dorian said, his voice quieter than usual. "That blast triggered a perimeter breach. We've got maybe two minutes before backup arrives."
"Then let's go," Ethan said, his voice steadier than he felt.
Lena's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she nodded, but the doubt in her eyes didn't disappear.
They moved quickly, their footsteps echoing softly against the cold floor as they navigated through the Core's labyrinth of data servers and terminals. But with each step, Ethan felt it...
The Codex wasn't fading.
It was settling.
Sinking deeper into his mind, his body.
And Crowe's voice...
It was quieter now.
But it wasn't gone.
"Left," Dorian murmured, breaking the silence as they approached a junction.
Ethan's instincts flared before Dorian spoke, his body already shifting to the left, his movements precise and fluid.
Too precise.
Lena noticed.
"Ethan..."
Her voice was softer now, barely above a whisper, but the concern was louder than any alarm.
Ethan didn't respond. He couldn't.
Because for a moment... he wasn't sure if he was the one making the decisions.
Or if it was the Codex.
They moved through the corridor, their pace quickening as the distant echo of security protocols activating filled the space. But even as they moved, Ethan's mind was somewhere else.
Crowe's voice was gone.
But his presence lingered.
It was like... an echo.
A shadow just beneath the surface, waiting.
"Ethan."
Lena's voice pulled him back again.
"Are you with us?"
Ethan blinked, his gaze snapping to hers. Her eyes searched his, looking for something.
"I'm fine," he said again, but the words felt hollow.
Lena didn't look convinced.
"Door's ahead," Dorian murmured, his focus on the holo-interface as they approached the exit.
Ethan's pulse quickened.
They were almost out.
But the Codex...
It wasn't letting go.
"Ethan," Crowe's voice echoed softly in his mind, barely a whisper.
"Not now," Ethan murmured under his breath, barely audible.
"Ethan?" Lena's voice sharpened, but before Ethan could answer—
The world shifted.
A sudden pulse echoed through the chamber, vibrating through Ethan's bones. His vision blurred for half a second, and in that moment...
He wasn't in the Core.
He was somewhere else.
Cold metal. Flickering lights. Rows of genetic data scrolling faster than his mind could process.
And at the center...
Crowe.
Standing before a console, his hands moving with practiced ease, his face partially obscured by the visor reflecting data.
But Ethan could feel it.
The same pulse.
The same... control.
"Ethan!"
Lena's voice was distant now, barely cutting through the fog in his mind.
"Focus," Crowe's voice was softer, but it resonated deeper. "You're not ready yet."
Ethan blinked again, and the vision was gone.
"Ethan!"
Lena's hand was on his arm, shaking him gently.
"Yeah," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "I'm... I'm here."
Lena didn't let go immediately. Her eyes narrowed, scanning his face.
"What the hell was that?"
"Just... a glitch," Ethan lied, pulling away.
Lena didn't believe him.
Dorian was already at the door, his implants synchronizing with the security grid to bypass the final lock.
"We're clear," Dorian murmured, but there was a tightness in his voice.
"Move," Ethan said softly, his jaw tight.
They stepped through the exit, emerging into the dimly lit corridor that led to the surface. But the weight in Ethan's chest didn't lift.
If anything...
It grew heavier.
Because whatever had happened in the Core...
It wasn't over.
Not even close.
Lena's footsteps slowed beside him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Ethan... what's happening to you?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer.
Because deep down...
He didn't know anymore.
They moved in silence, but Ethan's thoughts were anything but quiet.
The Codex wasn't just guiding him.
It was changing him.
And the more he tried to fight it...
The more he realized he was losing.
But the worst part...
Was that a part of him didn't want to stop it.
And Crowe's voice...
Wasn't gone.
It was waiting.
Patient.
Watching.
"Soon," Crowe's voice echoed faintly, a whisper at the edge of Ethan's consciousness.
"Soon, Ethan."
Ethan didn't respond.
Because some part of him...
Was starting to listen.