A Hard Science Fiction Novel Set in a World Where Killing is Always Punished
Monday August 17, 2026 [8/8 +9] Washington D.C., United States of America Twenty-seven hours later, Marius Johannsen touched down in Washington D.C. He wondered what he was getting himself into. During the long flights and interconnections getting him from an obscure island off the coast of India to the seat
Saturday August 15, 2026 [8/8 +7] Above the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, off the coast of India The twin-engine helicopter roared towards Port Blair International Airport, located on the largest island of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, off the coast of India. The immunologist, Marius Johannsen, was getting briefed on the
One Month Earlier In the Middle of Nowhere Saturday August 15, 2026 [8/8 +7] Andaman Islands, off the coast of India Marius Johannsen carefully tilted the child’s head back, squeezing the life-saving polio vaccine into her mouth. He then took the needle proffered by one of his field nurses and
Saturday September 17, 2026 [8/8 +40] Chicago, United States of America Matthew McBride couldn’t sleep. He was lying in bed, his detective fling/source snoring loudly beside him. 4:07 A.M… Matthew did not have to report to work the next day at The Daily Post and Register; however, he had planned on
Tuesday September 8, 2026 [8/8 +31] Chicago, United States of America Matthew McBride carefully entered the crime scene, plastic bags on his feet and latex gloves on his hands. Once past the threshold of the apartment door, he saw what had transpired just four hours earlier. Blood… so much blood…
Tuesday August 25, 2026 [8/8 +17] Chicago, United States of America One week later, Matthew McBride was famous the world over. Matthew had found the cause of the Coma Imprisonment, and also gave the phenomenon a name. His previous work in the Middle East covering the Iraq Insurgency had been
Tuesday August 18, 2026 [8/8 +10] Chicago, United States of America Matthew McBride was very busy. Ever since the Coma phenomenon hit, the Daily Post and Register was in the global spotlight. Matthew’s paper was the first to identify the reason behind the phenomenon: killing another human being puts you
Monday August 17, 2026 [8/8 +9] Washington D.C., United States of America “My fellow Americans. I address you in these times of vast uncertainty. “On Saturday August 8th, the world was a witness to the most unexpected and unexplainable phenomenon to ever strike humanity. On that day, every person who has
ONE WEEK LATER Saturday August 15, 2026 [8/8 +7] Washington D.C., United States of America Sheridan Kelly, the newly sworn-in President of the United States of America, blearily stared at the briefing reports in front of her. She had had a hell of a week. It turned out that nearly all
Saturday August 8, 2026 [8/8 +0] The Warden Chicago, United States of America Sam Walmont was having a difficult day. As prison warden of the Chicago Metropolitan Corrections Centre, he was responsible for the well-being of the inmates under his watch. Unlike many of his peers and colleagues, Sam took
