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The Cortex Protocol
In a city where focus is mandatory and chaos is a crime, the only weapon left is a broken mind.
Neo-Veridian is the perfect city. Crime is zero. Productivity is absolute. The citizens walk in silent, synchronized lockstep, their minds perfectly focused, their bodies perfectly still.
They are compliant. And they are trapped.
The Cortex Protocol-a neural implant fused to the brain's basal ganglia-has eradicated distraction, cured impulsivity, and suppressed the chaotic noise of the human mind. It is the ultimate cure for neurodivergence.
But the architect of the Protocol, a brilliant, burned-out neuroscientist named Aris Thorne, knows the it didn't cure humanity. It lobotomized it.
When Synapse Corp prepares to broadcast the "Lobotomy Update"-a permanent severance of the brain's capacity for divergent thinking-Aris is forced out of hiding. But to infiltrate the most secure fortress in the world, he needs a team whose brains the Cortex network cannot filter.
The Kira "Jolt" An underground hacker with severe ADHD and Tourette's. Her chaotic, hyper-focused mind is the only thing fast enough to breach the Cortex firewall. A non-verbal, dyspraxic savant. He can't walk a straight line, but his brilliant, terrifying spatial-mapping mind can navigate a shifting, dynamic labyrinth in seconds.Elias A high-masking, psychopathic executive. He is Aris's former partner, and he claims he wants to help take the company down from the inside.They have four minutes to break into the Neuro-Correctional Facility. They have one night to infiltrate Synapse Corp. And if they fail, millions of minds will be permanently erased by midnight.
The Cortex Protocol is a heart-pounding, neuro-punk sci-fi thriller that What if the greatest threat to a compliant society is the neurodivergent mind they tried to cure?
Neo-Veridian is the perfect city. Crime is zero. Productivity is absolute. The citizens walk in silent, synchronized lockstep, their minds perfectly focused, their bodies perfectly still.
They are compliant. And they are trapped.
The Cortex Protocol-a neural implant fused to the brain's basal ganglia-has eradicated distraction, cured impulsivity, and suppressed the chaotic noise of the human mind. It is the ultimate cure for neurodivergence.
But the architect of the Protocol, a brilliant, burned-out neuroscientist named Aris Thorne, knows the it didn't cure humanity. It lobotomized it.
When Synapse Corp prepares to broadcast the "Lobotomy Update"-a permanent severance of the brain's capacity for divergent thinking-Aris is forced out of hiding. But to infiltrate the most secure fortress in the world, he needs a team whose brains the Cortex network cannot filter.
The Kira "Jolt" An underground hacker with severe ADHD and Tourette's. Her chaotic, hyper-focused mind is the only thing fast enough to breach the Cortex firewall. A non-verbal, dyspraxic savant. He can't walk a straight line, but his brilliant, terrifying spatial-mapping mind can navigate a shifting, dynamic labyrinth in seconds.Elias A high-masking, psychopathic executive. He is Aris's former partner, and he claims he wants to help take the company down from the inside.They have four minutes to break into the Neuro-Correctional Facility. They have one night to infiltrate Synapse Corp. And if they fail, millions of minds will be permanently erased by midnight.
The Cortex Protocol is a heart-pounding, neuro-punk sci-fi thriller that What if the greatest threat to a compliant society is the neurodivergent mind they tried to cure?
76 pages, Hardcover
Published September 25, 2026
About the author
A.J. Cross
24 books94 followersA.J. Cross is a forensic psychologist and frequent court-appointed expert witness. She obtained her Masters Degree and PhD at the University of Birmingham, the latter relating to children as witnesses within the criminal court system. Her professional experience has included consultancy work for the Probation Service within its sexual offender unit in her home city. She currently lives in the West Midlands with her musician husband.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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