A soldier without a memory. A secret government project pushing the frontiers of neurology and psychiatry. A nation rebuilding from the ashes of revolution, still torn by social and political strife, in a future where the boundaries between technology and society are blurring. Doug Berman is a murderer, or so everyone tells him. He paid for his crime by forfeiting his past and starting over. Now he's a file clerk for an isolated scientific community dedicated to psychiatric research and treatment, and he makes installments on his debt to society one dull, drudgery-filled day at a time. When he's offered the chance to play tour guide to the community's newest group of clients and volunteer test subjects, he jumps at the chance for a little extra pay and a big break in routine. But within seconds of meeting his first volunteer he suspects he's made the second biggest mistake of his life. Michael "Hook" Martinez doesn't know his own full name, where he is, or how he got there, but he's certain of one thing: his enemies want him to fail in his mission. Now, if only he can figure out what that mission is before someone gets killed... For those interested, this story takes place shortly after the Restoration of the United States, after the fiery violence of the Revision Years died down, but before the chip rot plagues began.