Chapter 20: The Tipping Point
Author:MrLostLetter
The night air outside the Core was cold, but it did nothing to cool the heat pulsing through Ethan's veins. The Codex was quieter now, but its presence lingered just beneath the surface, waiting. Every step he took felt too measured, too precise, as if his body was still adjusting to the influx of instincts that weren't entirely his own.
Lena walked beside him, her silence heavier than the tension in the air. Dorian was a few paces ahead, his cybernetic implants scanning for any signs of pursuit, but the farther they moved from the Core, the quieter it became.
Too quiet.
Ethan's eyes flicked to the shadows stretching across the alleyways of Nexara's industrial sector. The city's neon glow painted the wet pavement in shades of blue and purple, reflecting distorted patterns that danced at his feet. But his senses were sharp, heightened beyond anything he had ever experienced.
"Ethan."
Lena's voice was soft, but her tone carried weight. She hadn't spoken much since they left the Core, and Ethan had been waiting for this moment.
"We need to talk."
Ethan's jaw tightened, but he kept walking.
"Not now," he murmured, his voice low.
"Then when?"
Lena stopped, her hand lightly touching his arm, forcing him to face her. Her green eyes searched his, filled with questions that he didn't have answers for.
"After what happened back there..." She trailed off, but her expression said everything.
"Lena, I'm fine."
"Are you?"
Her gaze didn't waver.
"Because that didn't look like you in there, Ethan."
Ethan exhaled slowly, trying to find the words.
"It was... instinct."
Lena's brow furrowed, her jaw tightening.
"No. It was more than that. You weren't just reacting—you were... predicting."
Ethan looked away, his eyes drifting to the flickering lights reflecting on the pavement.
"I had to," he murmured. "Nemesis was adapting too fast. I didn't have a choice."
Lena's voice was quieter now, but the concern hadn't faded.
"That's not what I'm worried about."
Ethan's eyes snapped back to hers.
"Then what?"
Lena's hesitation spoke louder than words.
"I've seen you fight, Ethan. I've watched you take down drones, crack security protocols, outmaneuver guards... but that?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper now.
"That was something else."
Ethan's pulse quickened.
"What are you saying?"
Lena's gaze hardened, her expression a mix of worry and fear.
"I'm saying... that wasn't you."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and unrelenting.
"Lena..."
"I know what I saw, Ethan." Her voice was firm, but her eyes betrayed the doubt she was trying to hide.
"Your movements... your precision... it wasn't just instinct." She took a step closer, her voice dropping lower.
"It was... calculated. Too calculated."
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"I was in control."
"Were you?"
Lena's words hit harder than any blow.
Ethan looked away again, but the truth was gnawing at the edges of his mind.
He hadn't been in control.
Not entirely.
The Codex had guided him. Merged with him.
And Crowe's influence had been...
Louder.
Lena stepped back, her voice softer now.
"I'm not saying you meant for it to happen. But... something is changing, Ethan."
Ethan's throat tightened, but before he could respond, Dorian's voice cut through the tension.
"Perimeter's clear," Dorian murmured, his cybernetic eyes glowing faintly as he scanned the area.
"But we need to move. We're not safe out here."
Ethan was grateful for the distraction.
"Let's go."
He moved forward, but Lena's words lingered in his mind.
Something was changing.
And he could feel it.
They moved through the alleyways in silence, each step carrying them farther from the Core and deeper into Nexara's shadowed outskirts. But the weight pressing down on Ethan's chest wasn't fading.
If anything...
It was growing heavier.
"We're close," Dorian said quietly, his eyes fixed on the dim glow of the safehouse just ahead.
The building was nondescript, blending seamlessly with the surrounding structures. It was one of Lena's fallback locations—off the grid, untraceable.
They reached the entrance, and Dorian's implants synchronized with the security lock. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and they stepped inside.
The room was dimly lit, the glow from the holo-displays casting faint shadows across the worn metal walls. Dorian moved toward the control console, initiating the perimeter defenses while Lena secured the entrance.
Ethan stayed near the door, his mind still racing.
Lena didn't speak, but Ethan could feel her eyes on him.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Ethan."
Dorian's voice was quiet, but there was a gravity to it.
"We need to talk about what happened back there."
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"Not you too."
Dorian's expression was unreadable, but his tone was calm.
"Lena's right. Something's different."
Ethan's pulse quickened, but he kept his voice steady.
"I handled it."
"Did you?"
Dorian's cybernetic eyes locked onto Ethan's, scanning him like a system searching for anomalies.
"Because from where I was standing... it didn't look like you were the one making the calls."
Ethan's stomach tightened.
"You're imagining things."
Dorian didn't blink.
"Am I?"
Silence filled the room.
Ethan felt the weight of their gazes, but it was the echo of Crowe's voice in his mind that made his blood run cold.
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was softer now, but the concern was still there.
"We're not accusing you of anything. But we need to know..."
Her voice trailed off, and for a moment, the room was deathly quiet.
"Are you still in control?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, but his throat was dry.
"Yes," he said softly.
But even as he spoke the words...
He wasn't sure if he believed them.
"Good," Dorian murmured, but his eyes didn't leave Ethan's.
"Because if you're not..."
His voice was quieter now.
"We need to know before it's too late."
Ethan's pulse pounded louder in his ears, but he forced himself to nod.
"I'm fine."
Lena and Dorian exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.
Ethan turned away, his eyes fixed on the dim glow of the holo-display.
But the truth was...
He wasn't fine.
The Codex wasn't fading.
And Crowe...
He was still there.
Waiting.
Whispers echoed at the edge of Ethan's mind, barely audible but impossible to ignore.
"Soon, Ethan."
Ethan's fingers curled into fists at his sides.
He wasn't going to let it happen.
He wouldn't lose himself.
But deep down...
He wasn't sure if he had a choice.
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