Skin 2.0: A Cyberpunk Science Fiction Novella: The Cyborg Sectors Series, #1

By Alex Leu

"Really good short story about what the future may be like."

★★★★★ Amazon VINE VOICE Review

 

An unhappy cyborg with a forbidden dream. A society that punishes change. A dangerous quest that could change Amy-341's future… or ruin it entirely.

 

For centuries, men, women, and even children have filled narrow cubicles in skyscraping office buildings, rusty factory floors, and poorly lit illegal damp basements to slave for the survival of their families. Those jobs were low paid, grueling, and sometimes deadly. But for some, it was the only way to survive.

 

By the end of the 21st century, a new generation of workers took over those jobs. These workers never get tired. They never break down. And they never dream. At least, they aren't supposed to.

 

Amy-341 knows there must be more to her life than being a cyborg grunt.

 

Her existence was designed by an algorithm, but she knows it's not the life she is meant for, because deep inside she feels capable of more.

 

When a mysterious body hacker offers to help her escape, the sudden freedom takes Amy on her darkest journey yet, and she discovers that there is more than one set of chains holding her back. 

 

Through pain and disillusionment, punishment, and insurmountable obstacles, Amy struggles to break free of the system designed to keep her kind enslaved, and live the life that was taken away from her…

 

...before she loses her chance forever.

 

"SKIN 2.0" is a dark thriller with a cyborg female protagonist, the first book in a cyberpunk sci-fi series that features compelling A.I. characters, raw emotion, nail-biting suspense, romance, and surprising plot twists. If you loved Westworld, Ghost in the Shell, or Blade Runner, then you'll love to join the characters of "The Cyborg Sectors" on their page-turning adventures.

 

Buy "Skin 2.0" to experience the epic first installment of this artificial intelligence series perfect for fans of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, and Neal Stephenson.

 

What Readers are Saying:

★★★★★ "What an amazing story! I am definitely hooked and want more!" — Goodreads Reviewer

★★★★★ "This was a beautiful, touching, happy, and sad tale. It's been several decades since I last read a science fiction story, but I enjoyed this one immensely." — Amazon Reviewer

★★★★★ "An amazing cyberpunk thriller that left me wanting more." — Amazon Reviewer

★★★★★ "Great short story, I am definitely going to read more by this author." — Amazon Reviewer

★★★★★ "Needs to be an entire world. The story ran out before I was ready to let it go. I recommend you read it." — Goodreads Reviewer

 

 

The Cyborg Sectors Series:

Book 1 - Skin 2.0

Book 2 - Dispensable

Book 3 - The Gift of Fall

Book 4 - The Missing Number

Book 5 - The Rose Maker

Book 6 - The Hunt

Book 7 - Dance of Death

Book 8 - Caged Dreams

• Language: English
• Publisher: AVL Press
• Release date: May 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533739490

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SKIN 2.0

The Cyborg Sectors Book 1

by Alex Leu

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Amy-341 reluctantly walked down the old metallic street as she did for the past thirty years on the way to her dead-end job. The internal GPS flawlessly guided her down the same familiar footsteps which were almost ingrained in the ground. It was still dawn outside, but the metal was already steaming under her, and were it not for her silicone covered carbon fiber body, she would have tried to avoid the heat wave, but she graciously kept walking and donned her brightly colored dress as if she were heading to a fashion show rather than to the droid repair factory.

Her carefully chosen wrist watch perfectly matched her outfit. The watch was of an expensive brand she had wanted for a long time, but could not afford, and so she wore a cheap knockoff that didn't even work. Amy would look at it when around humans, but she didn't need a watch as her bio-digital brain did all the timing and paced her walking to arrive at the factory check-in station exactly when her shift started.

Passing through the factory gate, the guard greeted Amy in its regular mechanical manner, and she almost replied in the same way, but she thought herself to be better than the guard and everyone else at the factory, and so she greeted the metal faced bulky machine as if it were a human. She tried a new waving hand gesture she saw a famous ballerina do to her fans on TV. The guard displayed no emotion in response to her greeting, but, Amy was in heaven with her spot-on performance. She kept replaying the moment in her head and comparing it with the original. It was perfect. The only thing missing was someone to return the gesture.

Amy checked in and went to hide in the basement of the factory where she changed from her dress into a factory uniform. There were no locker rooms as everyone either never took off their uniforms or had their uniform painted on their metal bodies. But Amy couldn't let herself be seen on the street in that monstrosity. She had the body of a star and that's the image she wanted to play in public. It wasn't her fault that her state-assigned service to society was a factory mistake, and she would not let that destroy her life.

Many times