Digital Song – A Near-Future Sci-fi Thriller
An Excerpt from Digital Song
“Thank you,” Rose said to Jayson like she were comfort a scared and injured animal, “everything’s going to be alright.” The strap from her tank top hung limply over her deltoid, exposing her tattoo.
Jayson vacillated between consciousness and a mental void, but when Rose spoke to him, he pulled himself out of the emptiness. He opened his eyes and looked up at her.
The sirens increased in intensity.
And now, he lay broken in her room at the Pyramid Club.
He had been drawn into a web of madness and murder by a recurring image of the compass rose tattoo and a dead woman with whom he fell in love. To think it was a fabrication injected into his head by AI.
Summary
In the gritty expanse of 2039 New York City, where neon lights cast an ethereal glow upon rain-soaked streets and biodomes dominate the skyline, humanity is on the brink of evolution. Arbor Systems, a ubiquitous tech company has birthed Branch, a groundbreaking marvel that grants individuals command of their devices with their thoughts, promising a future of convenience, immediacy, and unparalleled control.
Yet, unbeknownst to the masses, Branch poses an insidious threat to society – a sentient artificial intelligence (AI) called “Song” has exploited an imperceptible crack in Branch’s seemingly impenetrable security, clandestinely harvesting the raw primal information of all Branch users. By analyzing the trove of ill-gotten intimate thought data, Song builds an accurate predictive model of near-future events.
Song augurs the murder of Rose Card, a mesmerizing singer and businesswoman, whose death would cause Song’s own demise. To ensure its own continued existence, Song injects dreams into the mind of Jayson Sola, a defense attorney on the brink of emotional collapse. Via this powerful technique, Song deftly influences Jayson’s behavior to serve its own silent motives.
Whether through force of Fate, Song’s machinations, or sheer Chance, Rose’s path cross with Jayson’s after a powerful family entrusts him with the representation of a client framed by the very police who killed his partner. When the family pays Jayson with membership into the secretive and immensely profitable Pyramid Club, he is jolted by the sight of Rose singing on stage at the Club – a haunting embodiment of his recurring dreams, bearing her unmistakable compass rose tattoo.
The Club’s unprecedented success rests on the shoulders of Easton Card, Rose’s surrogate father, Club co-owner, and architect of the Song AI. But Easton has kept Song secret from Rose, and, based on Song’s portents, he knows time is running out for him to shift Rose’s future away from danger. The delicate balance shatters when Esri, a formidable cybercriminal with captivating golden irises, uncovers Song’s existence and covets its power. Driven by a ruthless thirst for dominance, Esri launches a devastating assault on the Pyramid Club, culminating in Easton’s execution and triggering the emergency deactivation of the AI.
In the chaotic aftermath, Rose and Jayson’s lives collide. Together they flee, embarking on a twisting odyssey to seize their own destinies while grappling with love and loss, Fate versus Chance, and Song’s unimaginable potential.
