Chapter 34: The Last Thread
Author: MrLostLetter
Ethan's pulse pounded like a war drum, the Codex's energy coursing through his veins, pushing him toward the brink. Every beat echoed louder, resonating with the Core, binding them together in ways he couldn't fully control. The line between who he was and what the Codex was making him... was almost gone.
"I'm still here," Ethan whispered, his jaw clenched, but the words felt hollow.
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was softer now, but her desperation was impossible to miss. She stood just a few steps away, her pulse pistol lowered but still ready. Her green eyes searched his, looking for any sign of the man she knew.
"Come back to me."
Ethan's breath caught, his pulse quickening as he felt the Codex's pull growing stronger. The energy wasn't just inside him anymore. It was becoming him.
"I'm trying," Ethan murmured, but even he wasn't sure how much of that was true.
---
Dorian's holo-pad beeped sharply, his cybernetic eye flickering as his implants processed the flood of data faster than any human mind could. His fingers moved with surgical precision, but the numbers scrolling across the interface told a story he didn't want to believe.
"The merge is accelerating," Dorian muttered, his voice tight.
Ethan's jaw clenched as his grip on the pulse blade tightened.
"How long?"
Dorian's expression was grim as his gaze met Ethan's.
"Seconds."
Lena's breath caught, her grip on her pulse pistol tightening again.
"Ethan..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper now, her fear bleeding through.
"You have to stop this."
---
The Core's systems pulsed louder, the resonance with the Codex growing stronger with every beat. Ethan could feel it, the connection deepening, binding itself to his neural pathways in ways that were becoming irreversible.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
Crowe's voice echoed softly in the back of his mind, quieter now, almost... satisfied.
"Power beyond anything HelixCorp could ever control."
Ethan's breath came faster, his pulse pounding harder.
"I never wanted this."
"Didn't you?"
The Codex pulsed again, stronger this time, sending a wave of energy through his system that made his vision blur.
"You could stop all of this, Ethan. You could end it... but at what cost?"
Ethan's jaw clenched as he fought to push the voice down, but it was getting harder.
"I won't let this happen."
---
Lena's hand brushed against his arm again, her touch grounding him for a fleeting moment.
"Ethan..."
Her voice was softer now, her eyes pleading with him.
"Don't let it take you."
Ethan's breathing slowed, but the Codex's pulse grew louder, stronger.
"I'm still in control," Ethan murmured, but even as he said the words, the line was disappearing.
---
Dorian's holo-pad beeped sharply again, the warnings flashing red as the system's protocols shifted faster.
"Ethan..."
Dorian's voice was quieter now, but the urgency was impossible to ignore.
"The Core's systems... they're binding themselves to the Codex."
Ethan's heart pounded louder, his pulse quickening.
"What does that mean?"
Dorian's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as he processed the data.
"It means..."
His voice trailed off, his expression grim.
"If we don't stop this now... the Codex will rewrite everything."
Lena's breath caught, her eyes locking onto Ethan's.
"Everything?"
Dorian's gaze met hers, his voice barely above a whisper now.
"Ethan included."
---
Ethan's grip on the pulse blade tightened, his jaw clenched as he fought to hold on to what was left of himself.
"There has to be another way."
Dorian's fingers moved across the holo-interface, but the system pushed back, adapting faster than he could override it.
"There isn't."
Ethan's pulse quickened, his vision blurring again as the Codex's pulse grew louder, drowning out everything else.
"I won't lose myself."
"But you're already losing, Ethan."
Crowe's voice was quieter now, but the weight of it was heavier than before.
"The merge is almost complete."
Ethan's jaw clenched harder, his breathing steady but strained.
"I can stop this."
"Then do it."
---
Lena's voice was barely above a whisper now, her hand brushing against his cheek, her touch softer... almost hesitant.
"Ethan..."
Ethan's eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, the noise in his mind quieted.
"Come back."
Her eyes searched his, looking for the man she knew—the man who was slipping further away.
"I'm still here."
But the Codex's pulse was louder now, the energy binding itself deeper, threading through his consciousness like vines wrapping around his mind.
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was barely audible now, her grip on him tightening as she whispered the words he wasn't sure he could promise.
"Don't leave me."
---
Ethan's pulse pounded harder as the Codex's influence grew, the line between himself and the system fracturing beyond repair. His breath came faster, his vision blurred as the pulse echoed louder.
"I won't," Ethan whispered, but his voice cracked.
"You're out of time."
Crowe's voice was softer now, almost... regretful.
"Let go, Ethan. Or lose everything."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his grip on the pulse blade tightening.
"I won't lose."
But even as he said the words...
The last thread holding him together was unraveling.
---
Dorian's holo-pad beeped one last time, the warning flashing brighter.
"Ethan!"
Dorian's voice was filled with urgency now, but Ethan barely heard him.
"The Core's about to—"
---
The Codex surged harder than ever before, and Ethan's world tilted.
The last thread between himself and the Codex snapped.
---
"Ethan!"
Lena's voice echoed through the chaos, but Ethan's mind was slipping deeper, the Codex's pulse consuming everything.
"I... I'm still..."
But the words never finished.
The last thing Ethan felt was Lena's hand gripping his arm, her voice calling him back.
But then—
Silence.
---
Next Chapter: Chapter 35: When the Thread Breaks