Rex Ex Machina

As death approaches, a father writes one final lesson to his only son—an account of the secret work that earned him a mysterious government citation. Decades earlier, he was an Army captain and language instructor in Monterey when alarming reports emerged from behind the Iron Curtain: a physicist had developed a machine capable of hypnotizing vast portions of humanity.

Trained in physics, psychology, and espionage, the captain is sent undercover into Russia to locate the scientist and destroy the device. His mission leads him into a hidden laboratory, where he confronts a brilliant inventor determined to use this unprecedented power for personal domination. Faced with a choice between obedience and control over the fate of the world, the captain makes a decision that will shape his life—and perhaps the future of every thinking creature. Part spy thriller, part cautionary tale, this short science-fiction adventure explores the perilous boundary between benevolent rule and absolute power.