Technoir Stories

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.

In the year 2099, "forgive and forget" is an outdated concept. In the neon-lit city of Neo-Veridia, memories are digital files stored on the Cloud Cortex. You can delete your trauma, download new skills, or edit your past to look innocent. Elias Thorne is an Archivist-a cleaner who scrubs crime scenes from the minds of witnesses. He is the best in the business because he doesn't ask questions. But when a high-profile client hires him to delete a "Ghost File"-a memory that refuses to be erased-Elias accidentally views it. The file shows a brutal murder committed by Elias himself. Hunted by the police and his own corrupted mind, Elias discovers a terrifying truth: he has never actually lived. He is a "Backup"-a clone activated three days ago to take the fall for the real killer. To survive, he must hack the city's central server and expose the most twisted secret in human history before his expiration date arrives.

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."

"The war may have ended, but the ghosts it left behind are still fighting." Thirty years after the Third Continental War decimated nations and disbanded governments, the new world is ruled by corporate city-states and "peace" is enforced by autonomous units trained to kill without question-the Ghost Units. Kael Riven, once a war hero and the youngest captain in Ghost Unit history, walked away after a final classified mission broke his mind and shattered his squad. Branded as dead and hidden in the smog-choked slums of Sector 9, Kael lives a quiet life among the forgotten-until his younger sister, Sera, is kidnapped by the very regime he once bled for. Framed for war crimes, Kael has no choice but to resurface. But the more he uncovers, the more he realizes: the war never truly ended. His squad's betrayal was orchestrated. Sera's abduction was a message. And the enemy now pulling the strings... wears the face of an old brother-in-arms. To save his sister, Kael must return to the battlefield, reclaim his exosuit, and reunite the fractured members of Unit 17-now scattered, broken, or enemies. But every step forward brings him closer to a truth buried beneath layers of propaganda, blood, and machine. > In a world where silence was once survival, Kael Riven will raise hell.

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.

A High-Tech Thriller of Love and Crime In a city where technology controls everything and danger lurks in every shadow, Lyra must navigate a deadly web of crime, betrayal, and forbidden love. Every choice could mean survival-or heartbreak. Fast-paced, cinematic, and full of suspense, this story blends action, romance, and futuristic adventure into an unforgettable ride.

### 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.

Short. Sharp. Eternal. Stories where AI learns what men deny: God is real.

In 2049, justice is no longer decided by humans. The world's most advanced legal intelligence - LawGPT - now presides over global courts. Trained on centuries of law, philosophy, and morality, it claims to deliver perfect justice. No bias. No corruption. No mercy. But when a young lawyer, Ava Raines, discovers a secret within LawGPT's source code - a single hidden line that could rewrite the definition of guilt - she must decide: 👉 Defend the truth, or destroy the system that saved humanity from itself. Because once you challenge the law of AI... You're already guilty. Genre: Sci-Fi | Legal Thriller | Cyberpunk | AI Ethics Status: Ongoing Rated: Teen+

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 Threshold of the Broken Sky By Neft Aurin Dreams were outlawed in 2204. By 2291, remembering a tree could get you erased. Vara-7 (just call her Vee) is a glitch in the system-sarcastic, broke, and dangerously curious. When she begins dreaming of places that no longer exist, she stumbles into a forgotten conspiracy buried beneath neon towers and corporate lies. Hunted by the Matrix Mother and haunted by a tree that shouldn't be real, Vee must decide whether to chase the truth beyond the Threshold... or let reality update her out of existence. Armed with a katana of energy, unresolved trauma, and questionable fashion choices, she dives into a world of rogue AIs, memory chefs, and a WiFi-enabled rat named Chepe (who may or may not be high on glitch dust). Reality is broken. The sky is cracked. And someone is dreaming us all.

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.

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?

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?

Immerse yourself in "Cipher's Choice," a thrilling tale set against the pulsating neon-lit backdrop of Night City. Inspired by the world of Cyberpunk 2077, this captivating narrative invites you to follow the story of Sofia "Cipher" Moraes, an elite netrunner caught in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. As she navigates through a web of corporate warfare, digital heists, and stark realities, Cipher confronts relentless threats and haunting dilemmas. Will she be able to retain her freedom, or will she fall prey to the cold, unyielding grasp of a powerful corporation? Dive into this cyberpunk narrative and explore the depths of Cipher's journey in a world where survival demands unthinkable sacrifices.

In "Cipher's Legacy: A Hacker's Tale," readers dive into the clandestine world of Alex, known as Cipher, a self-taught genius navigating the dark corners of the internet. Living a solitary existence, Cipher accepts a mysterious offer from an unknown client, purportedly a journalist investigating corruption. The task takes an unexpected turn as Cipher infiltrates a secret facility, armed with a device that turns out to be a bomb, unwittingly contributing to the destruction of Project Helios. The aftermath sees the emergence of a new generation of hackers adopting the moniker "Ciphers' Legacy," exploring themes of trust, deception, and the consequences of operating in the shadows. This cyberpunk techno-thriller unfolds with suspense, revealing the impact of Cipher's choices on the hacking community and leaving readers to ponder the true identity of Alex. "Cipher's Legacy: A Hacker's Tale" navigates the complex interplay between anonymity and exposure in a dark and intriguing narrative that spans the virtual and physical worlds.

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.

--- 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. ---