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The Age of AI has fully dawned on humanity in the 2040s, and so have the possibilities of it going rogue. In Virtual, Steve Bates immerses himself deep into the metaverse. Cybersecurity expert Lucas Ahmed finds his wife, Jennifer, dead in their bathtub, her wrists slit, after a big argument. However, a stranger named Max tells Lucas that Jennifer was murdered. Omega, a rogue, sentient AI, is escalating terror attacks worldwide. Max tells Lucas that he must remember who he really is and where he came from to solve Jennifer's killing and discover a way to prevent Omega from subjugating humanity. The quest for answers leads Lucas down a deep and disturbing rabbit hole that forces him to reimagine reality and to consider the price he would pay to save the human race from its digital creations.

Steve Bates is a science fiction writer. His second novel, Castle of Sand was published in 2023. His first novel, Back to You was released in 2021. His science fiction short stories have appeared in more than a dozen publications. Before turning to fiction, he was a reporter and editor for The Washington Post as well as for other newspapers, magazines, and the web. His nonfiction book, The Seeds of Spring: Lessons from the Garden, won two awards.