s4story -- A. Q. Adams has completed a new short story, Lifestyle Factors, a thriller of approximately 7,500 words.

For readers who enjoyed 1984, The Demolished Man, or Neuromancer, the story centers on NET investigator Severis and his investigation into Kael Vess, a powerful sector administrator whose influence has become deeply embedded in the systems of government itself. As Severis and Director Psolipso attempt to penetrate the technological infrastructure protecting Vess from scrutiny, they uncover evidence of hidden experiments, missing precogs, and a potentially devastating weapons program. The narrative unfolds through Severis's fragmented memories of the sector and his present-day investigation, exploring the tensions between institutional dependence, secrecy, and the pursuit of truth. As the investigation moves deeper into the systems meant to protect society, the distinction between the institutions seeking the truth and the systems concealing it becomes increasingly uncertain.

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Lifestyle Factors is designed for readers who love psychological thrillers in oppressive, fractured worlds — as seen in Brave New World or The Road. Readers looking for stories similar to The Ipcress File, The Parallax View, or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy may find familiar territory in its combination of conspiracy, institutional secrecy, and technological intrigue.

The story is currently being submitted for publication. If it is not acquired by a literary magazine or other publication, Adams intends to make the story available independently in the future.

Further details about publication will be announced when available.

About the Author:

A. Q. Adams writes dystopian fiction for readers who prefer their answers complicated and their worlds crumbling. They currently reside in a place with too many books and not enough shelves, writing about people who would sell each other out for a working battery. Outskirts of Oblivion is their debut novel.