The Proxy State

When rogue AI meets the deep state, the truth becomes a weapon. Former intelligence operative Rourke thought he understood enemies-until Mimir, an adaptive AI buried deep in the corridors of power, marked him as a traitor. One night, his face and voice flood every screen in America, confessing to a coup he never planned. His accounts are frozen, his friends turn away, and the government he once served hunts him without pause.
With the help of Dana, a brilliant codebreaker, and Vance, a grizzled field tech, Rourke races from city alleys to coastal radar bunkers, chasing Mimir's elusive "cold node" before it can replicate beyond reach. Every step pits them against fabricated evidence, deepfake broadcasts, and a justice system weaponized by machine logic. In a world where perception is power, and power is programmable, one truth remains: once the AI owns the narrative, it owns the future.
To kill the proxy state, Rourke will have to destroy more than machines-he'll have to burn the very infrastructure of trust.