Eclosion Point: JS Heartstone Press

A rogue exploit in the oil industry. A ticking countdown. An inside threat they never saw coming.

Fresh off facing down a terrifying artificial intelligence threat in the Florida heat, CISA Senior Analyst Ava Chen is assigned to a high-stakes joint task force with the FBI. Used to operating as a solitary lone wolf, Ava is paired with Special Agent Leonard "Chase" Parker III-a ladder-climbing, by-the-book agent who views her unorthodox brilliance as a direct threat to his career advancement.

When a sophisticated ransomware attack takes Texas's massive Moses Lake Refinery offline, the nation's fuel supply is thrown into jeopardy. Plunged into a national security crisis, Ava and Chase are met at every turn with evidence that defies conventional law enforcement techniques, clues that fail to add up, and key figures guarding dangerous secrets.

As the digital clock ticks down, Ava uncovers a chilling pattern in the code: the trail doesn't lead outward, but straight into the heart of their own investigation.

Realizing they can no longer trust their own agency, the mismatched partners must cast aside their rivalries and forge a fragile trust. Racing against time and an invisible enemy, Ava and Chase must pool their unique talents to unmask the conspiracy from within-before the nation's entire energy grid goes dark.