Ghost Hacker, Zombie Maker

Ghost Hacker (noun): an individual that uses programming knowledge and social engineering to repair or alter the virtualized neural duplicates of the deceased (commonly called "ghosts").

Zombie Maker (noun): bullets with a biological payload that makes their victim compliant and malleable for a short time before causing catastrophic damage to the neural tissue resulting in a painful death.

Boss used to have a career as the lead animator for a high-end virtual actress. Boss used to have a life, and a name, and the face he was born with. Now that is all gone and he makes his living fixing the virtualized neural duplicates of the dead. He's a Ghost Hacker.

But now, even that is at risk. Somebody is shooting Zombie Makers at him and he's afraid he's been found. All he's got is his wits and his best friend Lucy--a virtual of Boss's creation--to figure out how to save what he has left.

Ghost Hacker, Zombie Maker is a sci-fi thriller.

This is a novelette (approximately 10,000 words or 40 pages long). This ebook also contains "Hacking the Ghost," a short Ghost Hacker story.