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.
-
-
-
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.
100 years ago, amidst WW3's nuclear bombing, a deadly virus was released in the atmosphere and nearly wiping out the humanity.
It lives inside the human brain thriving on the empathy receptors, leading to irrational behaviour and ultimately brain death. To slow the damage, scientists created L.O.V.E, short for Living Off Vital Emotions, a nanovaccine that numbs the virus and switches off all strong emotions.
As a last resort and with a dying planet, the Supreme Government created the City, a place to contain the infected survivors suitable for the experiment. Those in the first stages of illness became ideal candidates to receive the neuroinhibitor. Having their feelings restrained and their memory altered, those who come of age are designated a life partner through a Selection process, thus preserving the humankind.
A few decades after the trial had started, scientists had a major breakthrough. The nanites, which are highly chemically reactive organisms, are changing their bio-engineered purpose when dopamine levels are high. With a new generation of nanoids, stronger and smarter to fight the battle, the virus doesn't have a chance. Many attempts were made to create a man-made version of synthetic dopamine and each time the outcome was a disaster.
Their goal is to create new generations, immune to the virus. These are called Purebloods, the offsprings of those who find pure love, the only cure to save them from a violent death.
Running out of time, the Experiment entered in its final stages. To minimize the threats, the Colonies have sent their best soldiers to oversee the trial and protect its key subjects. If only things were going according to plan, or better...stay hidden.
With Iron Guard, the resistance outside the walls, hunting the Purebloods too, will the trial save human race before it's too late?
#3 in #dystopianfuture (27.06.2020)