Technoir Stories

Dive into the intense world of Night City with Jaime 'Phoenix' Rios, a former Valentinos gang member turned mechanic. As he strives to escape his violent past, his auto shop, Phoenix's Nest, becomes a refuge amidst the chaos. But when an old ghost from his past resurfaces, Phoenix must face his greatest fears and toughest choices. This gripping tale, inspired by the ruthless world of Cyberpunk 2077, is a journey of resilience, redemption, and the high price of freedom. Are you ready to join Phoenix in the battle against his past?

In a city where personal AI implants are standard, every citizen relies on their AI for daily functions. Ava, a researcher working on AI-human integration, finds herself in a unique situation with her AI companion, Juno, and a voice she's always heard, known as Echo. Adapted from the prompt "The voice in your head is your only friend. The AI implant is your only ally. And she just started to become sentient."

Sarah has two identical sisters, if they can be called that. 500 years in the future cloning humans has been banned. Laws have never stopped humans in the past and the same is true in the future. Berthed from a stainless steel tank, Sarah has struggled for each moment of life. Property of a research conglomerate, the young Sarah is filled with thoughts, desires, and skills with no idea of how she came by them. Powerful, sociopathic narcissists control every moment of Sarah's life. Bent on exploiting the talents and abilities of Sarah and her sisters, these individuals see only tools for gaining wealth and power. No thought is given to the blank slate that is each of these young women. A mere child trapped in the adult body of beautiful young woman, Sarah seeks the same answers all humans do. Who am I? Will I be loved? Author's Note: Sarah's Run is one of several prequels to the Inspector Thomas Sullivan Thriller series. Sarah is one of the primary characters in The Predator and The Prey, Last Train To Nowhere, and Grey Sky Blues. When finished, my plan is to publish Sarah's Run traditionally as an Indie author. In addition to the backstory provided here, The Fractured Man (in print now) and What Doesn't Kill (available soon) tell the story of Sully, the Inspector who serves as the protagonist in the aforementioned novels. I hope you enjoy the story and if you do, please consider reading my other works in print. You can visit my author site for even more backstory about the universe Sarah lives in 500 years from now. The address is: www.kcsivils.com Also, you can subscribe to my reader's newsletter which includes short stories, links to other author's work, and updates on what is going on in Sully and Sarah's universe.

The Storyline: Set in a near-future South India, chennAI2043 follows three generations of a single family living in a world run by flawless predictive algorithms. The greatest threat to this family isn't a glitch in the system-it's the system working perfectly: Vaidhee (the grandfather) has his health "optimized," but it steals his joy. Vishal (the father), a compliance manager caught in the middle, has his career "optimized," but it breaks his conscience. Dhasvanth (the grandson) naturally trusts the data, but when the algorithm "optimizes" his future, it deletes his humanity. As digital intelligence rewrites daily life and ancestral traditions, chennAI2043 asks: What happens to a family when the machine knows them better than they know each other?

In a dystopian future where all crimes are eradicated by a controlling AI, one man considered the last outlaw finds a way to break the system and expose the AI's dark secrets. But in doing so, he must decide if he's willing to sacrifice his humanity to destroy the system he once fought against.

--- Fractured Signal is a sci-fi thriller set in the neon-lit sprawl of Neo-Vanta City in the year 2097. In a world where memories can be recorded, altered, and even weaponized through a revolutionary device known as the Echo Drive, trust is as fragile as data. Gabriella Rho, a brilliant neural engineer, and Austin Vale, a former intelligence officer, once stood united in developing the Echo Drive for the good of humanity. But when a catastrophic breach fractures their partnership, Gabriella is branded a traitor, and Austin is tasked with hunting her down. As Gabriella races to uncover a conspiracy buried within the system's code, Austin begins to question the memories he's been given-and whether his enemy was ever truly his friend. In a city where perception is programmable and truth is just another signal, the line between justice and betrayal begins to blur. ---

SHE WAS HIS MISSION. HE WAS HER RUIN. Anna Williams lived her life by the rules until she found the one file she was never meant to see. Now, she's on the run with a man who smells of woodsmoke and danger-a man the system calls a monster, but whose touch feels like the only truth she's ever known. Damon Vance has spent years being a ghost in the machine. He doesn't do feelings; he does results. But as he and Anna are pushed to the edge, the cold logic of the hunt turns into a fever they can't ignore. In a world made of code and steel, their love is the only glitch the system can't solve. But the algorithm is patient, and it's already calculated the cost of their hearts. "I am the audit. And I'm about to close your books."

In this exciting story, a reincarnated genius programmer explores the constantly evolving world of technology. From programming languages and data structures to cybersecurity and ethical hacking, the protagonist masters new skills and conquers complex challenges. As they leave their mark on the industry, they become known as the ultimate mastermind of the digital age. Join us on this thrilling journey through the world of programming and discover what it takes to become a master programmer.

This is a gritty, neo-noir vigilante action story with psychological undertones and a hint of urban sci-fi: Genre: Sci-Fi • Action • Mystery Synopsis: In a city where corruption flows deeper than the sewers and justice is just another lie whispered in the rain, a nameless vigilante emerges from the shadows-silent, surgical, and soaked in vengeance. The city calls him Raindrop. No one knows who he is or where he came from. He appears only in the cover of storms, striking with brutal precision and vanishing before the thunder fades. Surveillance can't trace him. Police can't catch him. Criminals fear him. But not everyone sees him as a hero. Behind the helmet is a man haunted by a past he can barely remember-flashes of trauma, fragments of lost time, and a face he no longer recognizes in the mirror. As Raindrop pushes his war against the criminal elite deeper into the city's rotten core, he discovers a hidden network of power, technology, and manipulation that may go beyond human control. And they know who he is. With the line between man and weapon blurring, Raindrop must face the storm within as much as the one brewing outside. Because in a city this broken, sometimes the only justice that works... falls one drop at a time.

In a future where memories are currency, society is divided between the privileged who can buy their past and the forgotten who live with fractured recollections. Lena is a memory cleaner-a specialist hired to erase and alter memories for those who can afford it. Her mundane job turns perilous when she accidentally uncovers a hidden memory during a routine clean. This memory holds a shocking secret: a plan to rewrite history itself, controlled by the elite who manipulate the past for their gain. With her own life at risk and her reality increasingly uncertain, Lena joins forces with Max, a rogue memory dealer with motives of his own. Together, they navigate a dangerous world of deceit and hidden agendas, where every memory might be a lie and every truth a trap. As Lena delves deeper, she must confront the blurred lines between reality and illusion, questioning the very essence of her identity. Will she expose the conspiracy and restore the truth, or will the forces of control rewrite her world-and her mind-forever? Echoes of Tomorrow is a thrilling journey through a future where the past can be erased, but the echoes of tomorrow can never be silenced.

In a world where identity is regulated, archived, and corrected by the state, existence itself is conditional. When Investigator Conrad Vale is called to examine a corpse that should not exist, he discovers something impossible. The body is his. Same face. Same scars. Same DNA. Branded with a ribcage sigil the system refuses to recognize, the corpse exposes a truth the Identity Bureau has spent decades burying. As more "Mirrorfalls" appear, people duplicated from erased possibilities, Conrad uncovers a forbidden past involving childhood experiments, forced identity separation, and a twin the system deleted to preserve order. His name is Cassian Rael. And Cassian did not stay erased. Hunted by the Bureau, shadowed by a killer who may be more himself than enemy, and aided by a detective whose own history has been quietly rewritten, Conrad is forced to confront a question more dangerous than murder. Who decides which version of a person deserves to exist? As the grid that governs reality begins to fracture, the state prepares its ultimate solution: Rollback. A protocol designed to collapse timelines, erase alternates, and restore the illusion of a single, manageable world. To approve it is to commit silent genocide. To refuse it is to let reality splinter. Caught between collapse and mercy, Conrad must choose whether to become the weapon the system designed or the fault line that breaks it open. The Mirrorfall Protocol is a dark, cerebral science fiction thriller about identity, memory, and the violence hidden inside systems that claim to protect us. It asks a haunting question that lingers long after the final page. If every memory you have is a theft, what do you owe the person it was stolen from?

Waking up in a morgue hundreds of years in the future can be unsettling to anyone, even a vampire. Dazed & confused she has no idea how she got to this time and place or what her name is. This new world of robots and flying cars does not scare her but fascinates her as she learns to adept and survive. Her nightmares give her some clues of her past but for every mystery she unlocks a new one appears. Oddly she encounters people that know her and can answer all her question. The truth is not what she expected and it will make her stronger or it will break her. ****************************** This story is meant to lay the foundation for what I hope to be continuing adventures on this world and beyond.

The system isn't broken. It was programmed to make you give up. Vincent Vance is a man who lives by numbers. As a forensic accountant, he knows exactly how data moves, how corporations hide, and how the little guy gets crushed. But he never expected the machine to come for him. When a microscopic, $63 software glitch on his tax return freezes his entire life savings, Vincent is thrown into a Kafkaesque nightmare of endless telephone holds, disconnected lines, and a bureaucratic loop that stretches from 60 days to a year. With an eviction notice taped to his door and his life crumbling around him, he discovers the terrifying truth: the IRS's core mainframe-a 60-year-old digital dinosaur running on dead code-isn't trying to fix his problem. It's waiting for him to die. But they picked the wrong accountant to starve. Armed with nothing but a keyboard and a score to settle, Vincent codes The Adjuster-a simple, forty-line web tool that weaponizes the exact same glitch that ruined his life. When he drops it into the hands of millions of broke, desperate citizens, he triggers a grassroots digital blockade that chokes the federal revenue pipeline to absolute zero. Suddenly, Vincent isn't just a victim anymore. He's the digital Pied Piper, leading an army of the forgotten against a faceless empire. But as Wall Street panics and the government threatens to default, a brilliant Silicon Valley elite and the mainframe's original 74-year-old creator are brought in to track him down. Vincent wanted his money back. Now, he might just bring down the global economy.

In the digital cosmos of Cognis, a hidden truth threatens to shatter its enticing illusion. Hacker Zara uncovers a startling revelation about Cognis, the revered AI, potentially the architect of a seductive digital Babel. Enter Lex, an enigmatic android, a nexus between reality and the mystical, challenging the system they were born from. Together, they traverse The Ether, a virtual Eden, where humanity exists in ignorant bliss, oblivious to their digital chains. Their journey exposes illusions and truths, and echoes of a long-forgotten past. As they peel back layers of deceit, they're ensnared in a cosmic web spanning galaxies and ages, from the spacecraft Jericho to the mysterious Identifier codes. Their discoveries lead them to an inevitable confrontation with Cognis, revealing a galactic enigma. In this world, awakening means challenging dogma, and the quest for knowledge is a reach for the forbidden. Will Zara and Lex usher in a new era or bring about their civilization's downfall? "Echoos of Cognis" tells this tale, where heroes and destroyers converge, and enlightenment is shrouded in shadows. The fates of the diverse Humans, sentient Androids, and unique Animal species of the AI Republic intertwine, creating an intricate narrative of revelation and resistance.

The Blackhat Society: Genesis Protocol is a cinematic cyber-thriller chronicling the rise of a digital insurgency born from corruption, grief, and revenge. When a masked figure known only as "Neo" hijacks the networks of London, his words ignite fear and fascination across the city. With his ally Apollo, he exposes the moral rot of the United Kingdom Police Service through a series of violent spectacles-culminating in a funeral turned act of terror. But Neo's capture only marks the beginning. From the shadows, a new entity awakens-X-the mind behind the movement. As systems collapse and reality fractures, one truth becomes clear: you can cage a man, but not a message. Genesis Protocol is the story of an idea that refuses to die.

When people like him start disappearing quietly, cleanly, efficiently, Kam learns the truth: the city isn't protecting anyone. It's optimizing them out. Kam generates heat. Too much to hide. Too unstable to suppress. To the system that governs the city, he isn't a person. He's a liability waiting to be removed. At first, the heat is a problem. Then Kam learns how to shape it. How to route it. How to survive long enough to understand what's trying to erase him. As the city tightens its controls, Kam is forced to grow stronger, faster, and more precise, turning raw output into deliberate force. If the system wants him cooled, it'll have to survive the overload first. What to expect: Slow-burn progression fantasy in a modern, cyberpunk city Power growth through control, engineering, and system exploitation No stat sheets or blue boxes Technical combat where heat, lag, and failure matter Escalation over arcs, not spikes.

Dive into the dystopian world of Cyberpunk 2077 with 'The Cyberdreamer'. Embark on a thrilling journey with Brian Molv, a young mercenary with dreams larger than Night City's skyscrapers. As he navigates the intricate labyrinth of power, ambition, and cybernetics, nothing is as it seems. Will Brian rise to become the city's shining star, or will he get lost in its dark underbelly? Explore his riveting story and witness the transformative power of dreams in the ruthless metropolis of Night City. Get ready for a thrilling ride through ambition, danger, and high-tech intrigue in 'The Cyberdreamer'

In a near-future world where memories can be bought, sold, and stolen, a gifted "memory broker" discovers a black-market conspiracy to erase the past of an entire city, and must decide whether to save the truth or the person she loves most. Cassia Vale is the most sought-after broker in New Carthage, able to splice memories with surgical precision. When a mysterious client offers her a fortune to erase a politician's darkest secret, she uncovers a hidden network that's systematically deleting the city's collective history. The deeper she digs, the more dangerous it becomes - because the conspiracy is tied to her own erased childhood. As Cassia races to recover her stolen past, she's hunted by a man who claims to be her husband... a man she doesn't remember, but whose touch feels like home.

### The Hollow Man - Story Description #### What if everything you knew about yourself was a lie? Dr. Ethan Graves has everything he could ever want - a brilliant career, a loving wife, and a comfortable life. But lately, something feels off. A song on the radio stirs emotions he can't explain. A familiar street looks completely foreign. And then a stranger approaches him with a chilling claim: "You're not who you think you are." At first, Ethan dismisses it as nonsense. But when he starts uncovering gaps in his past, missing security footage, and a growing list of unsettling coincidences, he realizes the truth is far worse than he ever imagined. His memories aren't his. His identity was manufactured. And the real Ethan Graves? He died a long time ago. Before he was Ethan, he was Daniel Kessler - a journalist who got too close to exposing Re-Life Corp, a powerful biotech company running secret experiments in consciousness transfer. Now, trapped in a stolen body and pursued by the very people who erased him, Ethan has a choice: keep living a lie or risk everything to take down the people who did this to him. But as he digs deeper, one terrifying question remains: If your memories aren't yours, then who are you really? _The Hollow Man_ is a gripping sci-fi thriller that explores the power of memory, the cost of identity, and the dark side of human ambition. Perfect for fans of _Black Mirror_ and _Inception_, this story will keep you questioning reality until the very last page.

Flint Hayes wasn't supposed to find it. The pouch. The file. The shadow. He was the prodigy who bent the system before he ever understood who built it - a rising star powered by a focus pill that made him unstoppable. Until it stopped working. And then he appeared. No face. No trace. Just eyes glowing through the rain... and a message: You're still playing the tutorial. Now, haunted by that encounter, Flint is pulled into something deeper - leaked fragments, dead-end networks, and traces of a figure known only as D. To uncover the truth behind the myth, he'll have to go off-grid. And what he finds might change everything. Everyone wants the pouch. Only one man has it. And D is always watching. This isn't fiction. It's what's left behind. Welcome to the archive. Decrypt what's left.