PROJECT HALO is a YA sci-fi thriller taking place in near-future Norway. It has speculative elements and will appeal to fans of dystopian works such as DIVERGENT, THE MAZE RUNNER, LEGEND, and BLACK MIRROR.
All seventeen-year-old Charlie Walker wants is to be free of his father's stupid expectations. Stay in school? No thanks. Get a job? Nope. Stop cursing? Hell no. But if he knew his petty rebellion would result in his own kidnapping, he might've reconsidered.
When Charlie wakes up at Norway's largest intelligence agency, the NIC, with a biochip in his brain, he faces problems bigger than his father's disapproval. Charlie is their first successful experiment, and when activated, the chip will give the agency unbarred access to his vital signs and location. So much for freedom. But before his biochip can be activated, a rogue doctor offers Charlie a chance to escape. In return, he has to find and keep a flash drive hidden from the NIC.
At first, agreeing to the deal seems obvious. But when NIC sends agents to hunt Charlie down, he realizes the flash drive might be more important than he thought. He's faced with an ultimatum: hand over the flash drive, or a lethal virus will be released onto the population. If he obliges, his chip will be activated and he'll lose his freedom forever. If he doesn't, people will die-including his ex-friend-who-he-totally-still-hates. Including the charming hacker he has a crush on. Including his demanding father. Including himself.
In a race against time and his own selfish thoughts, Charlie must decide who to trust with his deadly secret-and exactly how far he's willing to go in the name of freedom.
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Trigger warnings: Death and dying, blood, swearing, syringes/needles, hospitals, alcoholism, anger issues, nightmares, kidnapping, being drugged against one's will, suicide mention, terrorism/terror attacks, guns/weapons.
In the beginning, there was death.
The darkness flows from hues of purple and orange, the moon rising to kiss the sun's rays one last time as the darkest cloud of night I've ever seen falls over our tiny haven. I catch Will's face from the side of my vision and my heart tightens slightly. The tick of his jaw wouldn't be noticeable for anyone but me. His best friend, his lifeline. A solemn tear forms in my eye as he wipes his face, another tear falling for the family he lost. I love him. Utterly and desperately so, but, there's nothing I can do about that. The ultimate forbidden fruit, if you will. I reach to comfort him and he doesn't respond. I open my mouth to speak and he looks my way, but the gleam in his dark brown eyes hits the moonlight just right and I fall. My voice escapes my throat and I can't do it. I've tried for years to tell him. 10 years, actually. All this time, I hopelessly remained devoted to a ghost who had given the best of himself to a fiery red-head with a sassy personality and the body of a supermodel. For 10 years, I held to the desperate thought that maybe, just maybe, he'd be someone I could count on. Instead, I watched him marry my best friend, smiled as they welcomed their son. Stood, holding that beautiful boy as his mother was in the first round of executions after the beginning of the Revelation. Helped heal Will's wounds in the aftermath. Cried, clutching the tear-stained shirt of my best friend as his son took his last staggering breath in that first harsh winter. The guilt of my emotions crawl through me. My heart twisting in regret, guilt, desperation, and grief. I loved my best friend. She was so much more than that; she was my family.
In this dystopian quick read, join a group of people desperate to recapture their freedom and end a tyrant's reign.