When the mundane becomes mindbending… A visionary new SF novella from acclaimed author Nicholas Mennuti and legendary artist Howard Chaykin.
Do you ever feel adrift, that your life lacks purpose and meaning?
Do you ever feel unfulfilled at work, questioning how you've spent years at a job that was supposed to be a short-term solution?
Do you ever feel that the social boundaries of your existence are shrinking, that you live through a series of interactions with aps and media?
Do you ever worry that you've become completely irrelevant?
You're not alone. And if you raised your hand to any of the above, you might be in danger. Don't think so?
Meet Travis Schrader. He works a night job at a data center housing the most secret and sensitive information on the planet. Which might sound exciting on the surface. But in practice, Travis is just a glorified midnight watchman with an advanced degree in engineering plodding along on a temporary contract for fifteen dollars an hour. In short, Travis isn't exactly changing the world.
But who knew that aimlessly wandering through life meant you can be purchased by the highest bidder in the year 2431?
Travis is about to find out, when he's whisked from the data center to the future, where he is now the property of the world's most powerful corporation, and forced to do their bidding with no questions asked. Informed that he's unwittingly stepped outside of the core progression of the space time continuum just enough that his life can be manipulated without initiating a butterfly effect, Travis has been 'conscripted' as their literal property, sold like corporate scrap, and sent out on dangerous missions to protect the interests of an elite super-class warring for the few remaining unplundered spoils.
If Travis has any hope of surviving, he must realize that playing it safe in the future is no longer an option, if he wants to stay alive in the present.
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All artwork (c) copyright Howard Chaykin, 2021. All rights reserved.