Time froze at 04:00. The crew stopped moving. And something began broadcasting through their minds.

Security officer Rafe Cordero is used to long, quiet shifts aboard Titan Delta Station. But when the station's clocks lock at exactly 04:00 and half the crew goes silent—frozen mid-motion—he knows something is very wrong. The AI won't respond. Neural implants have gone offline. And in the static, a signal begins to pulse.

It doesn't come from Earth.

With the help of medic Elen Vark, Rafe traces the signal to a ship that vanished forty years ago—a vessel long presumed destroyed. But it's not just back. It's broadcasting. And what it carries isn't a distress call. It's an answer to every signal humanity ever sent into deep space.

Now the station is failing. The message is evolving. And something that was never meant to hear us… is already inside.

The Zero Hour Mind is a standalone science fiction horror novel filled with psychological tension, dark mystery, emotional depth and a touch of humor. For readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers with a creeping sense of dread, corrupted AIs, and the terrifying consequences of first contact.

Book 1 in the Beyond the Hull: Sci-Fi Shorts series.

Finish it in one sitting — if it lets you go.