Lazarus

By 2052 the painkiller Hapna has ended pain worldwide. Its creator, Dr. Skinner, reappears to announce that everyone who took it will die in three years. A covert team called Lazarus is formed with 30 days to locate him and extract a countermeasure. Axel, a habitual escape artist, is recruited to lead field ops. Hacker Eleina follows trails through server farms, a financier’s club, and a commune tied to Skinner’s past; Leland uses private-clinic access; Chris’s prior service to Russia complicates an arctic rig rescue; Doug handles cover; Hersch is targeted after a Pentagon inquiry into the team. Leads from figures like Dr. 909 and the streamer Popcorn Wizard send Lazarus across Istanbul, sinking islands Skinner purchased, and secure facilities as INSCOM deploys an assassin. With casualties rising and time expiring, the team splits and regroups toward a final chase for Skinner before Hapna’s first mass deaths begin.