As World War III rages, the scientists in Antarctica are thankful for the isolation - until a group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in search of help. In their truck is a horrifying sight, the first ever murder victim in Antarctica. The potential for a geopolitical firestorm is great, and, with no clear jurisdiction, the Americans don't know what to do. But they soon realize the Chinese scientists have brought far more with them than the body…
Within seventy-two hours, thirteen more lie dead in the snow, murdered in acts of madness and superhuman strength.
An extremophile parasite from the truck, triggered by severe cold, is spreading by touch. It is learning from them. Evolving. It triggers violent tendencies in the winter crew, and, more insidiously, the beginnings of a strange symbiotic telepathy.
A small group of survivors try to resist the siren call of the growing hive mind and stay alive long enough to solve the mystery of the symbiotic microbe's origins. But the symbiote is more than a disease - it could be the key to shifting the balance of power in a time of war.
The survivors cannot let anyone infected make it to the summer season, when planes will arrive to take them - and potentially the symbiote - back to civilization.
Michael Nayak was born in Los Angeles and now lives in Washington, DC. By day, he is Doctor/Major Nayak, working for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).Michael has worked as a space shuttle engineer, Flight Director for multiple experimental spacecraft, a skydiving instructor, a planetary scientist at NASA Ames, Research Section Chief for the DoD's largest telescope, instructor flight test engineer and instructor pilot. He has worked flight test for the prototype T-7A trainer jet, flown an X-plane, deployed to the South Pole as a US Antarctic Program Principal Investigator, managed air- and space-based special programs, and was a semi-finalist for the 2021 astronaut class. He is a USAF Test Pilot School graduate, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement recipient, and has 1,000+ hours of flight time in 40+ aircraft including the F-16, T-38, EA500 and BE-76.He holds a doctorate degree in Planetary Science from the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he was a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow. He holds additional graduate degrees in Earth Science, aerospace engineering and flight test engineering. His real-world experience in the science and intelligence communities adds next-level authenticdetails and a touch of hyper-realism to his work.
