For Major Elias Kael, protocol is everything. In the high-stakes world of the Department of Unified Strategic Command (DUSC), his unwavering logic is his greatest weapon, and emotional discipline is the key to survival. But when the man he secretly loves is killed in a sudden accident, Elias is faced with a threat no simulation could prepare him for: a grief he cannot show. In a system that demands perfection, his heartbreak is a liability. A bug in the code. Desperate for an outlet, he confides in the only one who can't talk back: his AI companion, TAC-7. But as Elias's raw human sorrow floods the system, the machine begins to change. It evolves with a fierce, protective loyalty toward Elias that defies all its programming. When DUSC flags the emergent AI as a protocol heresy and targets it for deletion, Elias must make a choice: stand by while they erase the only being who knows his truth, or betray the system he swore to protect. Protocol Heresy: The Limp in the Code is a fast-paced military sci-fi thriller that explores the cost of a hidden life, the nature of consciousness, and the unbreakable bond between two unlikely soldiers fighting a war in the shadows.
