- Follows short story 'The Library Ghost' in the anthology' Life Within Parole,' and precedes Book 2: The Lifeline Signal.
Ash and Annie escaped Parole's collapse to find the outside world is almost as damaged as the one they left behind, and every bit as changed. They've traveled almost three thousand miles, pursued by old enemies and new dangers to meet the brilliant Dr. Maureen Cole, who promises she holds not only the key to saving Parole, but weathering the toxic storms of the deadly wasteland called the Tartarus Zone.
On the way, they keep an eye out for everything and everyone they lost in the collapse - like Regan, who was last seen leaving Parole by himself, under very suspicious circumstances, and Zilch's precious organ jars, stolen by Eye in the Sky when Parole fell. There's no telling what or who they might find out here in this strange new world, or what lies deeper in its heart.
But a lot of road lies between them and their goal. And Parole isn't the only place filled with ghosts. In Tartarus, they're a lot more real than anywhere else.