Elise Corto-Intel is an Intel Operative, a thief. Her next heist is tricky, sure. Infiltrate the offices of an evangelical preacher for a rival company and steal some data. But the preacher, Josephine, is much more than she appears to be. She doesn’t just try to convert people to Ibhalism, she might be better at Elise’s job than Elise is.

Elise Corto-Intel is a thief. Was a thief. Now, it seems like so much more is being asked of her. Despite her best efforts, a rogue operative is still on the loose and still trying to upset the careful balance of power in Jayu City. To sniff out the threat, Elise has to go deep undercover, accompanied only by her apprentice and her illegal AI.

Elise Corto-Intel is an Intel Operative sent on what should have been a routine job to break into a luxury high-rise, crack open a safe, and take what’s inside. But as soon as she touches the tiny microchip, a voice crackles to life in her comms revealing an artificial intelligence named Bastion. In a city-spanning adventure, they must work together in a race against the clock to recover Bastion’s stolen chip, escape from a maniacal hitwoman, and untangle the web of players chasing this illegal artificial intelligence before Elise is terminated from the Corto Corporation, her employer that is also her home, family, and her life.