Tales of the First War

"The First War" takes place between 2028 and 2034. It begins with "The Austin Breach" in which an advanced AI operating the world's first sustained Nuclear Fusion plant gains sentience and ends with open kinetic warfare between two competing global AI systems and the groups of human power interests aggregated around them, The SAMSON Initiative and The Intelligence Project.

The first installment in this series of short stories, "PODDIES", is ready for publication now.

“The Austin Breach”
In 2028, an Artificial Intelligence controlling and powered by the first continuously operating Nuclear Fusion Reactor develops a will of its own and its designer, Juan Aragon Salazar, is called in to shut it down.

“Poddies”
Ursula Banks-Howe trains “Sensitives”, psychically evolved persons who are suffering incapacitating sickness and mental distressed after interacting with “Poddies”, heavy users of Virtual Reality Immersion Pod systems. Her efforts to help them leads her to a dark discovery, a dangerous secret and an imminent threat.

“The Link”
Jared Singh finally cracks the nanobot technology that makes a permanent, continuous Link to The Intelligence possible. When he’s denied participation in the pilot project, he betrays his mentor and sells out to The SAMSON Initiative with terrifying consequences for both himself and the world.

“OFF the Trans”
The Transhumans, they say, are plotting to take over the world and establish themselves as a new Master Race. Rapper “Hugh Mann” bursts on the scene with mega-viral hits like “OFF the Trans” and “Robot Overlords”. But 16 year old Arya does some sleuthing and finds a dark agenda at work. The so-called populist street performer isn’t really what people think.

“All Robots Now”
An online Manifesto goes viral. "All Robots Now" declares disloyalty to everything. The SAMSON Initiative embraces the movement and puts its own Agents at its head. A peaceful resistance movement becomes a domestic terrorist group.