The Empathy Circuit

What is the price of empathy? A revolutionary brain implant called CIPHER has created a new world of instant communication. It has ushered in a new era of scientific and engineering progress while creating a world of have and have not's. Gareth Williams is determined to ride that wave of progress, determined to not be left behind. His wife, Cathy, sees the dark side of CIPHER, as many succumb to a mysterious illness. Unable to reconcile, they separated. Now a successful "Experiencer" with a rare beta implant, Gareth becomes the target of CIPHER's creator, a dying tycoon who sees his unique brain implant as the vital key to achieving her own twisted version of digital immortality. For a mysterious woman, they are the key to creating intimate human connections in a way never thought possible. On the run, Gareth must go to the one place his pursuer can't easily reach: an anti-tech colony on Mars. There, he must reconcile with his estranged wife and find the brilliant, reclusive scientist who started it all. Together they battle to save not only himself, but the very definition of what it means to be human.