Book excerpt: At the end of the 21st century rising oceans and advancing deserts crowd survivors into the New North. There, the all-powerful Aztec Conglomerates is on the cusp of the greatest technological upgrade in history. They promise hope and they will stop at nothing to see it launched while there are those that will die to stop what they believe is humanity's greatest threat. When Aztec's lead scientist behind the Upgrade disappears after the murder of his family, four people, four stories, will collide: A homeless man finds what everyone is desperately searching for. And it's a heavy burden. Will he give up the little he has left to protect it? An ex-cop is promised his freedom if he finds a missing scientist. But he must choose - find and deliver his target to Aztec or save the woman he loves. A psychologist by day and terrorist by night is torn between her desire for revenge and doing what's right by the people she's sworn to protect. The ancient chairman of Aztec is dying and he's invested everything into the Upgrade. But this salvation is becoming ever unstable and dangerous. Will his ego and his desperation push him to gamble everything? Autumn's End is a chilling and fast-paced, scifi dystopian thriller of a world on the brink. Will the Upgrade signal humanity's next evolution, or will it be our final tool?