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Coded For Silence: In A World Ruled By Silence, The Truth Is Treason
In 2103, the New Republic of Halix rules every aspect of life. Neural link implants monitor and correct thoughts before rebellion can form. History has been rewritten, all books destroyed except the Halix Bible, and every citizen is assigned a zone and status at birth.
Seventeen-year-old Juno Rusk lives in Zone E-0, the poorest sector, where obedience is survival. She's never broken a rule - until her childhood friend Mickey Dean returns from Republic service visibly shaken, clutching a secret that should be a real book from the "Before Times."
Its contents speak of open borders, free elections, and a world without the Republic - a truth so dangerous that mere possession is treason. When Mickey disappears, Juno and her best friend Greta Morris search for him, following rumors of the Outzones, territories beyond Republic control.
They uncover more than they Cyrus Mathers, Juno's guardian, reveals the Republic's true structure and confirms the Outzones exist - home to outlaws, exiles, and possibly the last free people. Patrol drones and "Grey Suits" begin shadowing them, confirming they are under surveillance. The girls steal Cyrus's hidden map and make a dangerous escape toward Outzone G-12, hoping to find Mickey before the Republic does.
In the Outzones, Juno navigates a dangerous landscape of scavengers, abandoned settlements, and Republic hunters. She eventually reaches a hidden resistance settlement - and finds Mickey alive but injured, having escaped the Arena where "subverts" are executed for public entertainment.
Through Mickey and the Outzone leaders, Juno learns that President Halix is a figurehead, kept alive in a Vitality Chamber since 2030. True power lies with Alix Halor, son of the tech mogul who created the neural link system. Alix secretly wants the Republic's regime to fall and leaves covert clues to aid the resistance. Norrix, the ruthless Chief Regulator, seeks to implement POLARIS, an AI-driven expansion of neural link control to crush all dissent permanently.
The resistance plans to infiltrate the Republic's neural relay hubs to broadcast the truth - including the contents of Mickey's book - to every citizen. Juno volunteers for the mission, knowing Greta's fate in the Arena depends on the Republic's downfall.
The climax unfolds as coordinated rebel teams Mickey leads a tunnel raid beneath the Arena to free prisoners. Wren, the resistance's trusted voice, rallies citizens in the capital. Juno infiltrates a neural hub, disrupting POLARIS before it can come online. During the chaos, Alix kills Norrix, then enters Halix's chamber to disconnect him from life support. Alix dies at the hands of enraged rebels, but his sacrifice ensures the Republic's leadership collapses. The Arenas are overrun. Rebels pour into Halix Tower. In the final moments, the truth about the "Before Times" is broadcast, shattering decades of propaganda. Greta is freed. In the aftermath, Juno reflects that rebuilding will be harder than the revolution itself - but silence will never again be the law.
Seventeen-year-old Juno Rusk lives in Zone E-0, the poorest sector, where obedience is survival. She's never broken a rule - until her childhood friend Mickey Dean returns from Republic service visibly shaken, clutching a secret that should be a real book from the "Before Times."
Its contents speak of open borders, free elections, and a world without the Republic - a truth so dangerous that mere possession is treason. When Mickey disappears, Juno and her best friend Greta Morris search for him, following rumors of the Outzones, territories beyond Republic control.
They uncover more than they Cyrus Mathers, Juno's guardian, reveals the Republic's true structure and confirms the Outzones exist - home to outlaws, exiles, and possibly the last free people. Patrol drones and "Grey Suits" begin shadowing them, confirming they are under surveillance. The girls steal Cyrus's hidden map and make a dangerous escape toward Outzone G-12, hoping to find Mickey before the Republic does.
In the Outzones, Juno navigates a dangerous landscape of scavengers, abandoned settlements, and Republic hunters. She eventually reaches a hidden resistance settlement - and finds Mickey alive but injured, having escaped the Arena where "subverts" are executed for public entertainment.
Through Mickey and the Outzone leaders, Juno learns that President Halix is a figurehead, kept alive in a Vitality Chamber since 2030. True power lies with Alix Halor, son of the tech mogul who created the neural link system. Alix secretly wants the Republic's regime to fall and leaves covert clues to aid the resistance. Norrix, the ruthless Chief Regulator, seeks to implement POLARIS, an AI-driven expansion of neural link control to crush all dissent permanently.
The resistance plans to infiltrate the Republic's neural relay hubs to broadcast the truth - including the contents of Mickey's book - to every citizen. Juno volunteers for the mission, knowing Greta's fate in the Arena depends on the Republic's downfall.
The climax unfolds as coordinated rebel teams Mickey leads a tunnel raid beneath the Arena to free prisoners. Wren, the resistance's trusted voice, rallies citizens in the capital. Juno infiltrates a neural hub, disrupting POLARIS before it can come online. During the chaos, Alix kills Norrix, then enters Halix's chamber to disconnect him from life support. Alix dies at the hands of enraged rebels, but his sacrifice ensures the Republic's leadership collapses. The Arenas are overrun. Rebels pour into Halix Tower. In the final moments, the truth about the "Before Times" is broadcast, shattering decades of propaganda. Greta is freed. In the aftermath, Juno reflects that rebuilding will be harder than the revolution itself - but silence will never again be the law.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2025
1 person is currently reading
About the author
H.M. Jones
33 books76 followersH.M. Jones is the B.R.A.G Medallion author of Monochrome, to be re-released by Feminine Collective in Aug. 2016. She is also responsible for the Attempting to Define poetry quartet and has contributed a short story to Master’s of Time: A Sci-Fi and Fantasy Time Travel Anthology, entitled "The Light Storm of 2015." A bestseller only in her mind, Jones pays the electric bill by teaching English and research courses at Northwest Indian College. Jones is also the moderator for Elite Indie Reads, a review website for Indie and Self published books.
Besides buying enough second-hand books to fill a library, Jones loves to spend time helping her preschoolers grow into thinking, feeling citizens of this world, run, weave, pull with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Canoe Family and attempt to deserve her handsome husband, who is helping pay the other bills until his wife becomes the next big thing.
Besides buying enough second-hand books to fill a library, Jones loves to spend time helping her preschoolers grow into thinking, feeling citizens of this world, run, weave, pull with the Port Gamble S’Klallam Canoe Family and attempt to deserve her handsome husband, who is helping pay the other bills until his wife becomes the next big thing.
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