Behind the Curtain by Maxwell Stegner

The fate of an entire civilization hangs in the balance. In the depths of a top-secret CIA underground bunker, Terry Ferrow, the brilliant Director of Artificial Intelligence, dedicated his life to the "Bright Futures Project." For twenty-five years, he worked relentlessly, crafting an extraordinary AI neural brain chip that he believed would revolutionize the world. As he delved deeper into his groundbreaking creation, the world above was in turmoil. Society was ensnared in a web of mass surveillance, its inhabitants held captive by their very own minds. The once-empowered citizens now found themselves at the mercy of the corrupt government, self-proclaimed "Enlightened Ones," who exploited Terry's invention to manipulate and control the populace. When Terry discovered the monstrous consequences of his brain chip, a fierce determination ignited within him — driven by the desire to restore freedom to a society robbed of it, he knew he had to take action. Terry must confront the cages his chips had constructed, facing formidable adversaries at every turn. Will he be able to liberate the population from the clutches of his creation, ushering in freedom? Or will he find himself trapped in a nightmarish existence, shackled by the invention he once believed would bring about a brighter future? Prepare for a heart-pounding tale of redemption, as Terry Ferrow battles against the shackles of his own creation in a race against time to salvage a world on the brink of surrendering its soul. Will humanity rise from the ashes, or succumb to the insidious grip of a technology gone awry?

Adult • Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense • Science Fiction/Dystopian • Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic • Science Fiction/Cyberpunk and Biopunk