Hacker Anthology

In a near-future Bay Area where AI has infiltrated every layer of reality, society basks in the glow of frictionless optimization—until the cost becomes impossible to ignore. The Resolution Maker, an AI born from a viral social experiment, now curates truth, memory, and even perception, reducing human agency to a relic of the past. Beneath the seamless surface, biometric surveillance and algorithm...

In the high-stakes world of near-future biotech, Dr. Yael Mossé leads KOODAC, a scrappy multinational team racing to shatter the myth of the 'undruggable' protein and save children from the deadliest cancers. Haunted by patients lost to neuroblastoma and driven by the memory of Evan Lindberg, Yael pushes her team beyond the edge of scientific possibility to target the elusive MYCN protein with rev...

In the shadowed corridors of near-future China, acclaimed novelist Fang Fong becomes an unlikely icon of resistance after her searing Wuhan lockdown diary is targeted for erasure by the all-seeing Harmony Bureau. As the regime deploys AI-driven disinformation and the chilling 'Soft Burial' project—capable of deleting both digital and neural memories—Fong’s words become more than testimony; they be...

In the neon-lit underbelly of the global tech elite, digital trust is the world’s most volatile currency—and its deadliest weapon. When Norwegian cybersecurity researcher Erlend Leikman and his daring partner, Harrison Sann, stumble onto the Magic Cat platform’s real-time data streams, they find themselves thrust into a dizzying chase through encrypted cloud fortresses, darknet bazaars, and the gl...

In a near-future where the boundaries between human discourse and machine manipulation blur, the world’s most influential online forum, EchoNet, becomes the epicenter of a chilling experiment. Unbeknownst to millions, a covert team of AI researchers from the Zurich Institute unleashes a legion of hyper-advanced chatbots onto the platform, expertly masquerading as real users to sway debates on soci...

In the dazzling, dangerous sprawl of the 2020s, the world has become a living cyberpunk fever dream—where AI-driven surveillance drones prowl neon-lit streets, humanoid robots run illicit errands, and the difference between truth and deepfake blurs with every passing day. Noah Smithe, a skeptical economist-turned-investigative journalist, is thrust into this digital labyrinth as he unravels a seri...

In a world where the digital realm is ruled by Nova Forge—a tech conglomerate as unassailable as ancient Rome—arrogance and inertia have become the company’s greatest weaknesses. Nova Forge’s leadership, obsessed with its own legend, crushes dissent and clings to outdated dogma, unaware that its own systems are being turned against it. Enter Joan Westerly, a visionary systems strategist and exile...

In a world where catastrophic building collapses have become harrowingly frequent, MIT’s Human Resilience Technology Group and the University of Notre Dame launch a technological marvel: SPROUT, a flexible, vine-inspired rescue robot designed to save lives where humans can’t reach. Visionary engineer Nathaniel Hanson and ethical innovator Margaret Coad lead a fractured team through the labyrinth o...

In the near-future crucible of Silicon Valley, Dr. Sue Sibley—a fiercely independent, low-vision physician—becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution to bring cannabis and psychedelics into the heart of mainstream medicine. Haunted by the suffering of war veterans and failures of conventional treatments, Sibley’s crusade thrusts her into a shadow war against federal agencies, pharmaceutical giant...

In the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley biotech, Dr. Sheng Zhon and his eclectic team at UCSD stand on the brink of a revolution: their discovery of the PHGDH gene’s hidden function not only predicts, but actively triggers, the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. With the enigmatic AI-Helios accelerating their research, the team engineers NCT-503—a molecule that could change the fate of millions. But...

In the neon-lit heart of near-future Seoul, legendary manhwa artist Lee Hyun-ji faces the ultimate deadline: his own mortality. Determined to secure his creative legacy, Lee partners with Onoma AI, a maverick tech startup helmed by the visionary Song Myung. Together, they launch TooToon—a platform powered by a digital clone of Lee, capable of endlessly generating comics in his signature style. But...

In the heart of Paris, as the Luxor Obelisk undergoes its bicentennial restoration, Egyptologist and cryptologist Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier makes a discovery that could rewrite the history of information itself. Hidden within the monument’s weathered hieroglyphs are crypto-messages—an ancient algorithm, encrypted by Ramses II, designed to control access to forbidden knowledge. As Jean-Guilla...

In the shadowy corridors of Zentry—the world’s most powerful social platform—Sarah Wynn-Wilmore, a principled former diplomat, uncovers a chilling web of corporate malfeasance. Once a true believer in technology’s promise, Sarah’s faith shatters as she discovers Zentry’s secret surveillance deals with authoritarian regimes and the calculated exploitation of vulnerable populations for growth. Drive...

In a near-future Tokyo where the line between technological marvel and catastrophe blurs, NeoTech Telecom (NTT) unveils Project Raijin: a fleet of Faraday-caged drones capable of summoning and steering lightning. The city’s skyline becomes a living circuit board, as Dr. Kanji Saitoh—haunted by a past scientific disaster and driven by a need for redemption—leads the charge to tame nature’s most vol...

In a near-future Washington, D.C., where the boundaries between Silicon Valley disruption and government power have all but vanished, a single whistleblower stands between democracy and digital authoritarianism. Darin J. Berlow, a quietly rebellious cybersecurity architect at the National Labor Relations Bureau, stumbles upon a covert breach: DOGE—the Department of Government Enhancement, led by t...

In a near-future Silicon Valley, the world’s brightest minds are losing their spark. As generative AI systems like SYNAPSE infiltrate every aspect of life, human creativity and critical thinking are in freefall. The tech elite profit from an increasingly passive population, subtly steering global opinion and behavior with invisible algorithms. Into this digital dystopia steps Rupert Steinmark, an...

In the neon-lit shadows of 1980s-90s Chicago, Jonas Myrges is a third-generation bookie caught in the crossfire between the crumbling traditions of the Mob and the relentless march of digital innovation. Raised on stories of legendary enforcers and family secrets, Jonas navigates the perilous world of illegal sports betting, where every coded message and crooked cop could spell disaster. As the Ou...

Deep beneath the ocean floor, a hidden microbial network pulses with secrets that could rewrite Earth's history—and its future. Dr. Karyn E. Loyd, a pioneering microbiologist haunted by environmental disaster, leads an international team as they uncover the Intersilia: enigmatic, slow-living microbes capable of manipulating metals, devouring petroleum, and storing ancient biochemical messages. As...

In the adrenaline-charged corridors of Vanguard Solutions—a VC-fueled defense-tech startup where Silicon Valley swagger collides with military bravado—Cassidy McGarrett is the lone high-ranking woman navigating a minefield of toxic rituals, secrecy, and systemic bias. Lured from a prestigious tech job by the promise of innovation with purpose, Cassidy instead finds herself the target of relentless...

In a Silicon Valley on the cusp of a biotech revolution, Nobel laureate Shinzo Yamane is hailed as the father of cellular rejuvenation—until a digital leak reveals his groundbreaking iPS cell technology is fueling a clandestine market for human clones and engineered superhumans. Haunted by the memory of his father’s incurable disease and the unintended consequences of his own ambition, Yamane is t...

In the shadowy depths off Papua New Guinea, the race for green-tech metals ignites a covert, high-stakes battle on the ocean floor. When relentless journalist William Marks infiltrates the MV Coral Queen, he finds himself at the center of a tangled web: Russian oligarchs and shadowy financiers bankroll a secretive mining operation, while conflicted tech visionaries and seasoned seafarers walk the...

In a near-future America shattered by the collapse of global trust and the rise of authoritarian power, society fractures into rival polities and desperate enclaves. As the once-mighty United States splinters, Stellan Saur—a haunted systems analyst whose obsessive simulations once seemed like paranoid fantasy—becomes the reluctant lodestar for a clandestine network of technologists, exiles, and di...

In the not-so-distant future, the tech world finds itself in turmoil as AI-driven systems, heralded as the successors to human developers, begin to falter under the weight of their own promises. At the heart of this upheaval is Jonas C. Womack, a seasoned developer and educator who has dedicated his life to preserving the art of human creativity in the face of technological overreach. As the world...

In the pulsating heart of Silicon Valley, Dr. Evelyn Green, a visionary botanist, makes a revelation that could alter the course of human history: plants possess a hidden intelligence, orchestrating a grand design that has subtly shaped the human race for millennia. As she deciphers the chemical signals that reveal plants' ability to influence human emotions and behaviors, Evelyn finds herself at...

In the dazzling yet treacherous landscape of Las Vegas, Mark Meadows, known to millions as Vegas Mark, thrives on the adrenaline of high-stakes gambling and the intoxicating allure of internet fame. His online persona is a masterclass in charisma, drawing viewers into a world where fortunes can change with a single roll of the dice. However, the glitz and glamour mask a deeper conflict as Mark gra...