Future Proof: A Beam-World Prequel. The Beam, #7

Future Proof is a stand-alone novel written in the world of The Beam: a disturbing philosophical exploration of the future of hyperconnectivity. In a world where the rich hold all the power and the poor struggle to make ends meet, Ryu and his team of rebels are determined to even the playing field. Breaking into Xenia Labs, they hope to steal a code breaker that will give the poor access to technology previously only available to the wealthy elite.
But things go horribly wrong during the heist. Two team members are killed, and all the others get away with is a mysterious black box. As the countdown on the box ticks down and resets repeatedly, Ryu and his team start to suspect they may have activated something dangerous. Each time the countdown on the box resets, a black ship appears and pursues them. The box also seems to have a way of getting inside people's minds to exploit their fears and insecurities. As the team members get picked off one by one, and the survivors begin to turn on each other, it becomes clear that they may have made a fatal mistake in their quest for equality.