When the River Ran Dry

Earth, 2180. A century after the Fall, city-states soar above the wreckage of a distant past as the second rise of humanity nears its centennial. On the crowded streets of a sweltering, urban colossus, Ricky Mills runs the hustle, slipping past the police and Behavior Regulators to deliver illegal treasures his clients cannot find for themselves. But the numbing grind brings little joy, and a second existence—lived inside a powerful simulation—has become an unbreakable habit. When his money runs out, and faced with certain death in a callous game of survival to absolve his debts, Ricky’s life is forever changed by desperate fear, the sacrifice of another, and a promise to fulfill an old man’s dream.