Terminal Connection

In a setting reminiscent of THE MATRIX and in the man-verses-science spirit of JURASSIC PARK, the players in this mystery and suspense techno thriller novel move between reality and virtuality, finding danger, death, and betrayal in both worlds. 

What if a terrorist were a computer virus, its weapon a defect, and its target the U.S. military’? Welcome to the present, where the lines are blurred between terrorists and governments, virtual worlds and reality. In a war of information, everyone is on the frontline. 

Steve Donovan, founder of NEXUS Corp, has developed a virtual technology that could help his daughter walk again. Riddled with guilt over the accident that crippled Brooke, Donovan buries himself in developing the Nexus. But when a young girl dies using the Nexus and a defect is discovered, NEXUS CEO Austin Wheeler decides lawsuits are cheaper than a recall. Exploiting the defect that triggers fatal seizures, a hacker introduces a deadly virus in the form of a virtual serial killer. Torn between his conscious and his invention, and distracted by a sexy federal investigator and a bottle of scotch, Donovan chases the killer through uncharted virtual worlds, where nothing is as it seems. He discovers a conspiracy that threatens U. S. security and Brooke’s life. As two superpowers face off in global confrontation, Donovan realizes that in order to stop the killer, he must break the TERMINAL CONNECTION.

Dan Needles is a master of storytelling in the science fiction and urban fantasy genres; but his stories aren't all fiction. His professional experience as an early enabler of the information age at the dawn of the dot com boom and his continued work with fortune 500 companies, government agencies and secret military projects means that Needles places his characters in situations that read like fiction, but often exist in the reality of some of today's top technological, and often secret, corporate and government projects.

Needles' stories draw from the complex tapestry of his career and personal life. As a developer in the early 1990s at Oracle and VISA, Needles was at the forefront of development in the infancy of the information age. He quickly learned that building the complexity necessary in such hi-tech environments required working with people, culture clashes, hidden agendas and the drama of the human condition. His writing reflects this complexity, weaving the inexplicable wonders of new age technology with the relationships and conflicts of the people involved.

On a personal level, Needles has faced similar complex challenges. Having lived with undiagnosed autism since childhood, Needles describes his interactions as one of "decoding" the human condition and everyday situations. As a father and husband he has challenged the medical establishment and sought alternative treatments for his wife's terminal illness and his son's diagnosed autism. His efforts have been rewarded in that his wife's illness has been cured, and the "curable" aspects his son's autism have been successfully treated.

This personal journey mirrored his professional experiences. The ability to break through denial, accept reality, and take responsibility and maintain independent thought regardless of others' pedigrees and accolades is exactly what is required in the information age and modern global economy. At a personal level he discovered his need to ground in reality, face the truth, however ugly, and stand up for the greater good. This personal philosophy was rooted in his own undiagnosed autism and to what he attributes his personal and professional success.

Needles is a consultant for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and secret military projects. He weaves people, process, knowledge and technology into complex solutions to solve the pressing problems of the Internet age.