Our shuttle remained far behind, locked in stationary orbit, while the most profitable heist in history awaited us just thirty minutes away. Sooner or later, the stolen relic would undoubtedly find its way to the mansion of some private collector on a secluded island lost in the Cyconian super-ocean. But that was no longer my concern. The three of us were about to receive an obscene amount of money - enough to buy half the world. At least, that's how I envisioned it when I agreed to our client's proposal. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Beyond the glider's nose, the turquoise atmosphere of the green giant loomed closer. The year was 2144. We were almost there...
Table of Contents
Part I. Chapter I. «Book of Fate»
Fate.
Doom.
Destiny.
What role do these concepts play in a world that is a constant interplay of multi-layered phenomena, all... Read Chapter
Chapter II. Exodus
… The small planet Kengeno in the Luman-11 system bore a striking resemblance to Earth. Its atmospheric composition was similarly domin... Read Chapter
Chapter III. Green sea
… Memories surged, pulling Rupert’s freckled face from the depths of my mind — the kind-hearted friend who never got to take his tr... Read Chapter
Chapter IV. Promise
… Like all the orphanages on Captaine-4, the institution which by a bitter irony of fate was named after Ivan Kanidi — a schoolteache... Read Chapter
Chapter V. Shady enterprise
… I was sinking into a blanket made of fiberglass, falling deeper and deeper as it clung to my skin with billions of tiny hooks. A voic... Read Chapter
Chapter VI. Candle
… My roommates turned out to be my age. Though we didn’t become close friends, we got along well. Vera, quick-witted and sarcastic, a... Read Chapter
Chapter VII. Gate
… Up ahead, the silvery hull of the *Viator* came into view. Its silhouette resembled a bee, legs tucked underneath. Two bulging ‘eye... Read Chapter
Chapter VIII. Change of weather
… After dinner, evening quietly settled over the boarding school. I stayed in the room, reading *The Prince and the Pauper*, carefully ... Read Chapter
Chapter IX. Retrospective
“… Do you really believe I had a choice, professor?” I asked quietly, my voice heavy with the weight of recent events.
In the d... Read Chapter
Chapter X. Corridor
… Pressed against the rough bark of a tree, frozen like a frightened animal, I stood knee-deep in the cool, murky swamp water. I strain... Read Chapter
Chapter XI. Institute
… The snow swirled in spirals, forming an intricate white dance. Large flakes gathered in flurries, blinding and disorienting, hypnotiz... Read Chapter
Chapter XII. Pyros
… Barefoot, I stood on the damp, tiled floor. The cold, stale air chilled me to the bone — I was wearing nothing but a silk nightgown... Read Chapter
Chapter XIII. Snow
… “Uncle Vanya, come in…”
We had just passed a wide dam lined with massive bridge cranes. Our glider shot forward, skimming a... Read Chapter
Chapter XIV. Contract
… I sat in a black leather chair in the middle of a spacious living room on the ninth floor of the only nine-story building in Olinala,... Read Chapter
Chapter XV. Contact
… I couldn’t sleep. To pass the time and distract myself, I went through another round of combat simulations, then wandered out into ... Read Chapter
Chapter XVI. Smell of money
“… Too slow! Again!”
Ramon stood in a fighting stance across from me, ready to block my strike. He was holding back, like a coi... Read Chapter
Chapter XVII. Snow fight
… The silver rays of the afternoon sun glistened on the snow-capped mountain peaks. The light morning clouds had dissolved completely, ... Read Chapter
Chapter XVIII. Brother
… The desolate, abandoned construction site had long since been forsaken. In one corner, concrete blocks lay haphazardly piled in a mas... Read Chapter
Chapter XIX. Train
… The machine worked steadily, dipping and swaying through air pockets as I nervously glanced at the battery indicator every few second... Read Chapter
Part II. Chapter I. Exit
… The door lock clicked behind me, and a thin child’s voice cried out in fear:
“Please, don’t!”
The mechanical finger t... Read Chapter
Chapter II. Captaine
… In the small but cozy cabin of the *Viator*, a soft twilight reigned. The steady hum of the engine had become a soothing background s... Read Chapter
Chapter III. Awakening
… A sensation stirred within me. The machine of my mind, burdened by the body it inhabited, sputtered and coughed into life, neural cha... Read Chapter
Chapter IV. New life
When Fyodor went to bed, I settled on the couch and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the dead of night. Time dragged by slowly, like th... Read Chapter
Chapter V. Border
… New Rotterdam loomed over the dense forests below, perched on a narrow plateau like a hedgehog bristling with spotlights and automate... Read Chapter
Chapter VI. Travelling merchants
… It was a seven-hour flight to Moscow, a straight shot of about fifteen hundred kilometers.
Struggling with one hand, I pulled my ... Read Chapter
Chapter VII. «Jolly Cymek»
The holiday season was approaching, and Moscow’s streets bustled with people. It seemed at first as if everyone was watching me, but th... Read Chapter
Chapter VIII. False call
… I woke suddenly, trying to figure out where I was. The sound of rain pattering on the leaky roof of the abandoned house told me I was... Read Chapter
Chapter IX. Duel
… It was a bright, sunny day outside, and the sky sparkled a vibrant blue, crisscrossed by endless streams of gliders darting back and ... Read Chapter
Chapter X. Second coming
I knocked loudly on the metal of the front door. A small slit opened, and a pair of suspicious eyes quickly scanned me before carefully c... Read Chapter
Chapter XI. Addictions
… The mechanism wasn’t damaged, but the shoulder armor now sported a dent — Still had hit the bullseye, dead center. A few centimet... Read Chapter
Chapter XII. Decision and consequences
“… This won’t go unpunished, Vyacheslav,” rasped Rasmus Tamberg, trying to maintain his composure.
Sedoy shoved him into his ... Read Chapter
Chapter XIII. Civilization type zero
Every action becomes part of a chain, every event a step in a sequence. Take one step, and the next inevitably follows, though it might n... Read Chapter
Chapter XIV. Circles on the water
… White sheets draped along the walls, shrouding the darkness, the decay, the void, glowed faintly in the pitch-black surroundings. The... Read Chapter
Chapter XV. Playing in the open
… A frail, elderly voice murmured right beside my ear:
“Catching up on sleep during lectures, I see? Where’d you manage to roll... Read Chapter
Part III. Chapter I. Old friend
The shining colossus of the hyperspace Gates receded behind us. Just over half a day ago, two ships had separated from the launch pads so... Read Chapter
Chapter II. Striking the balance
… The trading dock of New Venice was much larger than the small boat dock through which I had entered this floating city. A rectangular... Read Chapter
Chapter III. Convoy
The wheeled all-terrain vehicle swayed on its springs, rolling over yet another dune of the Northern Desert Belt of Pyros. Off to the sid... Read Chapter
Chapter IV. Heat
Step by step, we pushed toward our goal. Behind us, the steady hum of the rovers’ engines filled the heavy air, but soon the scouts ahe... Read Chapter
Chapter V. Spiders
… The crosswinds mercilessly whipped at my face and shoulders. My clothes had long since turned into a sticky, wet mess, and I clung to... Read Chapter
Chapter VI. Flower
… Outside, the myrmitheres pounded furiously against the steel plating of the shut airtight door. A dark shadow loomed over me, and I l... Read Chapter
Chapter VII. John
In the enclosed spaces of the residential sector, it was easy to lose track of time, but the laboratory’s automated systems turned on t... Read Chapter
Chapter VIII. Born to kill
… Days blended into an amorphous swirl of colors, dissolving in the whirlpool of time, sweeping me further and further along. A constan... Read Chapter
Chapter IX. Cat-and-mouse
… “Please, don’t!”
The voice — my voice — trembled. Small and frightened, I stood clutching the door handle, looking up a... Read Chapter
Chapter X. Radiogram
Red lamps cast a pale, ominous light across the walls. Lying on my sheet, I had been trying to sleep for over an hour, but a foul smell l... Read Chapter
Chapter XI. Evidence base
“… To the horses!” Elizabeth Still exclaimed, fully dressed and ready for action. Sweater, bomber jacket with a fur collar, blue je... Read Chapter
Chapter XII. Storm
… Awakening in a crumpled, sweaty bed from a restless sleep haunted by ghosts of the past, I quickly dressed and dashed into the hallwa... Read Chapter
Chapter XIII. Mercy
“Volkova, wake up, it’s time!” Someone shook my shoulder insistently. “Can you hear me? Get up!”
A deep female voice was pu... Read Chapter
Chapter XIV. Expiration date
… I straddled the *Husqvarna* and performed a final check on my gear. Every clasp was securely fastened, and the bulletproof vest press... Read Chapter
Chapter XV. Fences
… A fresh mound of orange earth rose among the withered grass, and nearby, leaning on his shovel, Vasiliy smoked a cigarette. When he s... Read Chapter
Part IV. Chapter I. Numbers
The whimsical tales of Greek mythology foretold a grim fate for the children of the primordial gods — Uranus, the Sky, and Gaia, the Ea... Read Chapter
Chapter II. The gift
… The heat from the hot stones seeped through my veins and arteries, electric currents traced down my spine, and the skilled hands of t... Read Chapter
Chapter III. Little Prince
Beyond the airlock, we were met with utter darkness. Our flashlights carved out patches of light, revealing scattered metallic debris on ... Read Chapter
Chapter IV. The dawn
The *Fides*, under its cloaking field, moved away from the asteroid. Diana had decided not to investigate Ida to avoid further risk — s... Read Chapter
Chapter V. Human’s friend
Weakness washed over my tired body and mind in waves, yet I felt an irresistible pull toward the stranger. Upon reaching the infirmary, I... Read Chapter
Chapter VI. Reunion
… Across the vast stretch of the asteroid belt, the *Viator* sailed toward Ceres, the smallest of the dwarf planets in the Solar System... Read Chapter
Chapter VII. Heading home
… The horizon gradually straightened out, revealing a smooth white layer of distant cloud cover below. We were about to land on the sam... Read Chapter
Chapter VIII. Resistance
We had covered almost half of the three and a half thousand kilometers on high-speed airways, shifting significantly southward. At an ave... Read Chapter
Chapter IX. There and back
Through a hazy white mist, the mountains emerged — low ridges framing truly enormous, translucent peaks half-submerged in milky fog. Th... Read Chapter
Chapter X. Ice
… Before the nose cone of *Viator*, a snowy, bluish sphere steadily grew larger. The frozen planet loomed ahead, its milky, rugged mass... Read Chapter
Chapter XI. Wind dampens waves
… Pulling me from the depths of memories, a whole procession rushed past beneath the balcony, the sound of lawnmowers crackling. A half... Read Chapter
Chapter XII. Sharing warmth
Thunderous rolls exploded and raced over the water, knocking on every door and peering under every stone. Outside, crystalline waves cras... Read Chapter
Chapter XIII. Eyes
“… Hello, little one? Can you come pick us up?” Sophie’s voice pulled me from the depths of black oblivion. “We’re at the sub... Read Chapter
Chapter XIV. A needle in a haystack
“… Liza, can you hear me?” Uncle Vanya’s voice grated through the air, distant and muffled, like a sound echoing from a concrete ... Read Chapter
Chapter XV. Zeus
“… Mark is gone,” I said quietly. “Uncle Vanya has disappeared. Matlock died covering our retreat… It feels like an eternity ha... Read Chapter
Chapter XVI. Wisdom and Faith
A thunderous echo rolled through the hangar as the gates slowly creaked toward each other. The massive bulkheads shifted, each meter dark... Read Chapter
Part V. Chapter I. Crossroads
Silence has always existed and always will. It reigned before the beginning of time, long before cosmological singularities burst across ... Read Chapter
Chapter II. Purple skies
With a raspy, strained breath, consciousness returned to my leaden body. A blinding light struck my eyes, and the world around me continu... Read Chapter
Chapter III. A man and a rock
The star Ross-154 — a red dwarf named after its discoverer, Frank Elmore Ross — had been a promising target since the early days of s... Read Chapter
Chapter IV. Secrets of others
March 9, 2145. My first day back at work after rehab…
A metal sphere about thirty centimeters in diameter, carelessly painted with ... Read Chapter
Chapter V. Coming back from stars
A vast military spaceport lay several hundred kilometers north of a small town with the fitting name of *Severny* (*Northern*). There was... Read Chapter
Chapter VI. Council
The interrogation room was gray, cramped, with a low ceiling and a mirrored wall spanning its width. All the rooms for questions to be as... Read Chapter
Chapter VII. The feeling of flight
Waves of time pulled me once more toward the shore I had left behind. Majestic and silent, the *Arcuda* effortlessly performed a hyperspa... Read Chapter
Chapter VIII. Hospitality
Through the blurred haze of a half-formed dream, Lightning’s voice, barely concealing her unease, pushed its way into my consciousness:... Read Chapter
Chapter IX. Career growth
“Onyx, I saw people!” I exclaimed, pressing close to the embrasure. The creeping drowsiness induced by the monotonous landscape insta... Read Chapter
Chapter X. Caught between three fires
…Silence. A silence so unsettling, squeezing my heart into a tight, terrified knot, that it forced my eyes open. The dark storage room ... Read Chapter
Chapter XI. New old world
People roamed in search of salvation, wandering across lands that were swiftly dying. A human silhouette in the distance increasingly mea... Read Chapter
Chapter XII. Main rules
“…We need water, aunt Liza,” a child’s voice murmured right next to my ear, startling me awake. I sat up in bed abruptly.
A g... Read Chapter
Chapter XIII. Wasteland
After some time, once Spinetta was behind us, Alice withdrew into herself again. She remained mostly silent throughout the journey, clutc... Read Chapter
Chapter XIV. For whom the bell tolls
They sang. Together with Alice, the stranger belted out every other song playing from the stereo of the *Rhino*, his voice a melodic bari... Read Chapter
Chapter XV. Imaginary friend
Noon blanketed the scorched steppe in a white haze. Only a few kilometers remained to the farm where Alice’s grandfather lived. I slowl... Read Chapter
Chapter XVI. Hide and Seek
Feeling it was time to spare the suspension, I finally decided to steer onto the highway we’d been paralleling for hours. After coverin... Read Chapter
Chapter XVII. The guiding star
I was sinking into something soft, like clay, and through the cottony numbness and the ringing in my ears, I felt hands shaking and patti... Read Chapter
Chapter XVIII. Human and Inhuman
Out of nowhere, a surge of strength pushed me onward. Through the night and across empty fields, we headed south, leaving roads, rain-soa... Read Chapter
Chapter XIX. Family
The soft, velvety carpet of lush green grass caressed my body. The sensation was overwhelming, and I kept trying to immerse myself in it,... Read Chapter
Part VI. Chapter I. Total oblivion
I am my memories — a complex structure of images, echoes, and shadows of the past. Billions of synaptic connections, year after year, s... Read Chapter
Chapter II. The Final Argument
My legs carried me forward on their own, along a winding, rail-lined walkway toward a massive observation window. The window separated th... Read Chapter
Chapter III. Locked, dark room
She never asked, only spoke — immersed in her stories each time with total abandon. The girl with chestnut hair streaked with a vibrant... Read Chapter
Chapter IV. Ultraviolet
The dream stretched endlessly, flowing seamlessly from one vision to the next. Places, faces, and situations shifted, lips moved, but the... Read Chapter
Chapter V. An open circle
Nerve impulses sparked across synapses, sequentially activating the senses. The vestibular system awoke first, tilting the world in a dis... Read Chapter
Chapter VI. Free fall
The twisted door burst apart like a soap bubble, obliterating my makeshift barricade of capsules and hurling me backward in the blast wav... Read Chapter
Chapter VII. Electricity
In the distance, the roar of water thundered as it crashed down onto the hard rocks below. The water splashed rhythmically beside me, tri... Read Chapter
Chapter VIII. Stencil
The man, slightly taller than me, wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stared at me intently.
An elderly man creaked as he leaned ... Read Chapter
Chapter IX. Movement towards
Despite my expectations, it wasn’t painful, but when it comes to unpredictable shifts in space, everything loses its coherence. It felt... Read Chapter
Chapter X. Test of beliefs
Silhouettes of machines loomed here and there. Abandoned construction equipment — or rather, fragments of it — crowded the dark corne... Read Chapter
Chapter XI. Plunge
A wave of weakness receded, the exit from the dark tunnel drew closer, and the space filled with a uniform white glow. I was still here. ... Read Chapter
Chapter XII. Kaleidoscope
… In the store, a second checkout lane had opened, and the once-long line split into two, moving things along faster. Two pastries, my ... Read Chapter
Chapter XIII. The walk
Above, through the thickening misty haze, a dense greenish sky loomed, sluggish lumps of mirrored clouds drifting across it. Higher still... Read Chapter
Chapter XIV. A gift to the ancestors
… Before delving into the mechanics of time, one question loomed, threatening to unravel any conviction: **why?** Why not simply accept... Read Chapter
Chapter XV. Shore
… My hand had gone numb, and the reddened skin stung as if pierced by thousands of invisible needles from the caustic ammonia. Realizin... Read Chapter
Chapter XVI
… The timeworn two-seater aerocar gently descended through the stratosphere of Jangala on autopilot. Somewhere far above, our transport... Read Chapter
Facebook Comments
More Thrillers Books
Book /
Thrillers
Book /
Thrillers
Book /
Thrillers
Book /
Thrillers
Discover New Books
Boosted Content from Other Authors
Book / Romance
Short Story / Other
Short Story / Other
Poem / Poetry
Boosted Content from Premium Members
Short Story / Romance
Short Story / Literary Fiction
Poem / Romance
Other Content by Dee Wild
Book / Thrillers
