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by James W. Salkeld (Author)
What is the price of empathy?
CIPHER technology promised ultimate connection. Instead, it delivered the Fugue-a digital coma trapping millions in synthetic realities. Gareth Williams didn't care. As a professional Experiencer, he was happy to let his neural implants numb the pain of his failed marriage. But his complacency shatters when he receives the CIPHER 3 beta-an implant capable of perfectly simulating human empathy. Suddenly, Gareth is the most valuable man in the solar system. Manipulated by radicals, he is lured to an isolated Mars colony where his estranged wife, Cathy, now lives. But they aren't alone. Isolde Phillips, the dying architect of CIPHER, has followed them to Mars. She doesn't just want Gareth's tech; she wants his mind to anchor her digital immortality, built on the backs of the Fugue victims she enslaved. In a desperate war waged across physical space and virtual clouds, Gareth and Cathy must find a way to unplug the monster, or lose their minds forever.
Number of Pages: 420
Dimensions: 1.04 x 9 x 6 IN
Publication Date: March 18, 2026
