Kade moved through the underpass like a ghost, Marei Vexin limp in his arms, her weight awkward but manageable. His steps were silent. Trained. Predatory. Years of black-ops muscle memory kicked in like instinct.
His system pulsed at the edge of his vision, warning him again.
Unknown temporal activity detected nearby.
Cloaking recommended.
He ignored it. He was too exposed already. All he could do now was keep moving.
Outside, the Rynhaven skyline crackled with broken neon. The industrial sector had always been gritty, but now it felt abandoned—like even the shadows had decided to flee.
Vexin stirred slightly, murmuring under her breath. Kade slowed his pace, shielding her with his body as they entered a hidden alley tucked behind a forgotten security post.
He reached a locked cargo lift.
"System, override."
Unauthorized access detected. Emergency lift activation in progress… 5 seconds.
He braced her against the wall as the old steel doors groaned open. The lift smelled like dust, blood, and burnt oil. He stepped inside, pressed the rooftop level, and waited in tense silence.
The doors shut.
They ascended.
Only then did she finally open her eyes.
At first, they were hazy—confused, slow to adjust. Then sharp. Cold. Alert.
She sat up fast, disoriented.
"Where am I?" Her voice was hoarse. "What happened—?"
"Easy," Kade said, raising a hand. "You're safe. For now."
She looked around. "Rynhaven…?"
"You've been in stasis."
"No. No, that's not possible. I was just—" She blinked hard. "I was in the lab. The upload wasn't complete yet. I didn't—"
Kade watched her. Her panic wasn't feigned. She hadn't expected to wake up here.
"The world moved on," he said quietly. "Without you. Seven years."
She stared at him, shocked. "That's not possible."
"I wish it weren't."
The lift halted with a jolt. The doors opened to the empty rooftop of a ten-story building, exposed to open air. Distant thunder rolled across the city's edge. A storm was coming.
Kade led her toward a vented utility shed. Inside was a stash he'd prepared earlier—water, rations, a medical kit, and a burner tablet.
"How do you know me?" she asked as she sipped from the canteen.
Kade didn't answer immediately.
"Because you died," he said. "And I watched your name get buried."
Vexin's grip on the canteen tightened.
"You were working on something," he continued. "Project Catalyst. But it wasn't what they told the world it was, was it?"
She hesitated.
"No," she said finally. "It was never about defense. Catalyst was… a filter. A program designed to detect anomalies in timeline structure. People. Events. Even thoughts that didn't belong."
"A thought-policing system," Kade muttered.
"Worse. It didn't just detect anomalies—it erased them."
That landed hard.
"You mean—?"
"They could delete you. Not kill. Delete. Like you never existed. No body. No record. Nothing."
Kade swallowed. "They tried it on me."
She looked at him, eyes widening.
"You're not supposed to be alive," she whispered. "You're one of the ones it tagged."
"I was." He tapped his temple. "But something brought me back. A system. One that remembers everything."
Vexin sat very still.
"That shouldn't be possible," she said. "Catalyst didn't leave any… residue."
"Well," Kade said, "someone underestimated how much I wanted to survive."
Thunder boomed again. Wind swept across the rooftop.
"We have to destroy it," she said suddenly.
Kade turned to her. "Destroy Catalyst?"
"Yes. Before it resets again. Before it rewrites another reality."
"You know how?"
She nodded slowly. "Not everything. But I remember enough. The system had a backdoor. One only accessible through the central command node—located in the Capitol Complex."
"Let me guess," Kade said. "Heavily guarded. Walled off. Locked behind biometric firewalls?"
Her look said it all.
Kade ran a hand through his hair. "Of course."
"But it's the only way," she said. "If we don't shut it down, they'll wipe anyone who resists the narrative."
He paced.
The Capitol.
That was weeks ahead. Layers of obstacles, enemies, and politics in the way. But now he had Vexin. And he had his system. That was more than he had last time.
Suddenly, the air shimmered.
Kade's system lit up.
Hostile anomaly detected. Warning: Time Rift signature forming nearby.
"What is that?" Vexin asked, already on her feet.
Kade drew his weapon. The space near the rooftop edge crackled, warping like heat mirage.
"Something that followed me," he said.
A shape began to emerge from the ripple—tall, armored in black, its face a blur of shifting light.
Kade raised his pistol
The figure spoke without moving.
"You weren't supposed to return."
"You're late," Kade replied.
"I am the Echo."
"I'm the one with the gun."
The Echo moved, too fast to see. Kade fired once—then the system kicked in.
Combat Mode: Phantom Pulse engaged.
He dodged right, barely escaping a spear of light that tore through the floor. Concrete exploded. Vexin dove for cover.
Kade spun, hit the Echo in the side with a pulse round. It staggered. Flickered.
But didn't fall.
Hostile re-stabilizing. Threat Level: Tier 2.
Kade cursed under his breath.
"System," he said, "give me something I can use."
Unlocking Adaptive Reflexes. Energy drain: 14%.
Time slowed.
Kade moved again, ducking beneath a swing, sliding across the rooftop and pulling a sparking wire from the vent box.
He wrapped it around his fist, surged forward, and slammed the charge into the Echo's core.
A blinding burst of light.
The Echo screamed. Then vanished—collapsing into fragmented static.
Silence.
Smoke.
Breathing hard, Kade stumbled back.
Vexin emerged, eyes wide.
"What the hell was that?"
"The first of many," Kade said. "And it won't be the last."
He turned toward the city.
"I've reset the board. Now I need to learn how to win."