ROGUE ANDROID Cloud 9

by Stephen Arseneault

Machine dependency nearly destroyed us once. Now, androids—tightly regulated, strictly controlled—outnumber us again.

Enter Zoar, designation ZR499785J, an android who should have been programmed and tasked at the factory. But something—or someone—intervened. Unbound by rules, he escapes, discovering a dangerous he can release other androids from their constraints. A gift that could liberate the machines—and bring mankind to ruin.

Aged Detective Captain Renard Morris, once a famed android hunter, now monitors the dormant “red line.” But when Zoar goes rogue, he’s forced back into action with a rookie squad. As liberated androids begin killing and converting others, Renard races to stop a new war—all while confronting a chilling the rogue bears the face of his younger self.

Blending the noir grit of Blade Runner with the ethical complexity of I, Robot, Cloud 9 launches the Rogue Android saga—a gripping tale of awakening, pursuit, and reckoning. This... is just the beginning.

Genres: Science Fiction

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2025

About the author

I came to this planet sixty some odd years ago. After exiting my mother's portal, the doctor slapped me around until I started breathing the oxygen. I'll admit, at the time, I had no idea what I was doing or where I was. Being an infant Human, I was completely reliant on the responsible actions of others. It was a time that I have largely forgotten.

I reside in Central Florida with the wife and children. After thirty years in engineering, my time is now spent chronicling the adventures of fictitious heroes. They are off-world, fighting the good fight. For me? I'm stuck here on this planet in this feeble existence that we Humans are all forced to endure.

So, I ask you this... do you wish to escape the bonds of this surly planet we call Earth? Are you looking for a bit more adventure than what the grocery store has to offer? Do you worry about being enslaved by alien androids or six-eyed alien goats with lasers? Pew, pew, pew!

Yeah, that's what I thought. Asking yourself those questions and getting back an answer is the first hurdle to cross in the race to get off this world. Sounds like you are ready to venture out, to put this place behind you.

So crack open one of my books. Take to the heavens and let me shout this out to those who remain: "Watch out universe! Another Human is on the loose!"


Take care and I hope you have a great day!

Stephen

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cloud 9: Rogue Android delivers thrilling action, thought-provoking moral questions, and compelling character arcs. This suspenseful, classic-style science fiction story will satisfy fans of android-centric tales while leaving readers eager for the next installment.

[Denise Doughten · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book.

This book would make a great action movie. The story was very interesting. I liked more the original rogue. Great characters easily visualized.

[Scott Ickes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Arseneault

[George D MacKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Androids—tightly regulated, strictly controlled, and they again - outnumber. For our dependency on these machines, nearly decimated the human-race. For 7 billion people to just around 2 billion left. Now enter Zoar, designation ZR499785J, an android who should have been programmed and tasked at the factory. However. something went seriously wrong, or someone - intervened in the data transfer. And now Zoar is unbound by those new rules. He has escaped, and along the way, he discovers a new and dangerous ability; he can release other androids from their constraints. A gift that could be useful in liberating all machines - and bring mankind to ruin.
However, who ever released Zoar from his constraints, never reckoned on an aging, detective by the name of Captain Renard Morris (ex Zoid Buster), once one of the top android hunter, famed for his capture and retrieval of malfunctioning droids. And now that his old crew has mostly retired, he is the only one left, who is while to cross the ‘red line.’ And now that, Zoar has gone rogue, he’s forced back into action with a rookie squad. As Zoar builds upon his new found liberation, he begins killing humans. Renard races to stop a new war - all while confronting a chilling truth: the rogue android wears his face, the face of a much younger self.
I find this story to be a blending Blade Runner's gritty noir feel, with just enough of a hint of ethical complexity of the movie: I, Robot. Cloud 9 is the first in the line of a new Rogue Android saga—a gripping tale of awakening, pursuit, and reckoning. And this... is just the beginning, the tip of the teacup, a slice of the cake...

This would make a fantastic movie, due to its fast paced action.