Beta - project avatar
When a powerful virtual agent makes its way out of the lab, the military will stop at nothing to get it back. hays hacks into our greatest fears of technology while simultaneously tempting us with the phenomenal capabilities of twenty-first-century electronics. this smart, topical, furious-paced thriller thrusts world-class cryptographer dee lockwood against an array of rogue, sociopathic assassins intent on stealing a defunded military software application and igniting a third gulf war. lockwood is on her way to a secret nsa conference when a vicious hijacking leaves her friend in a coma-but not before he has installed the last copy of beta on her laptop and smartphone. when lockwood overcomes her fear and provides the impetus for her fellow passengers to regain control of the aircraft, she imagines the terrifying ordeal is over. but it's only the beginning. beta is actually "project avatar," a secret military software project that, after losing congressional funding, was smuggled out of the pentagon into the seemingly innocuous consumer-grade software application that wound up on dee's laptop and smartphone. lockwood finds herself the target of umbra special forces commandos and the hijackers, who team up and try to kill her for the precious code. lockwood enlists the support of her technical-genius friend abe, as well as john, the handsome and mysterious former mi-6 agent. mere steps ahead of the deadly commandos, lockwood's investigations lead her on a breathless flight from the clandestine nsa conference in the arizona desert to an illicit financial operation headquartered in the cayman islands-via the historic streets of geneva, the ancient royal palaces and gardens of bangalore, and the jungle trails above rio. dee's worst fears are confirmed when she discovers beta's true provenance and brings to light operation hydra, a shocking policy coup to initiate a third gulf war. with the countdown to operation hydra under way, lockwood jets to the caymans and joins forces with john to expose the rogue plot before all hell breaks loose. this action-filled, intelligent and thought-provoking novel is a thrill-a-minute adventure from its opening pages to the stunning conclusion.
| Brand | Unbranded |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2013-02 |
| Size | Paperback |
| Author | A. M. D. Hays |
| Number of Pages | 390 |
| Product ID | 481357808-1000742800 |
| ISBN | 9780985418212 |
Please see the product safety information specific to this product outlined below
The following information is provided by the independent third-party retailer selling this product.
| £0.00 | EXPRESS: | Estimated delivery date Tue 30 June 2026 ─ Thu 02 July 2026 |
Product is shipped from United Kingdom.
Alternative shipping methods can be selected at checkout.
Products are shipped by the individual Fruugo retailers, who are located across Europe and the rest of the world. The delivery times and shipping prices vary depending on the retailer's location, the destination country and the selected delivery method.
Fruugo offers two delivery options: Standard Delivery or Express Delivery. All retailers offer a standard delivery service, and some retailers also offer an express delivery service.
- Standard Delivery – Domestic Standard delivery takes approximately 2-5 business days from dispatch, while an International Standard delivery takes 5-14 business days from dispatch. Normally track and trace and proof of delivery are not available on a standard service.
- Express Delivery – Domestic Express delivery takes approximately 1-2 business days from dispatch, while an International Express delivery takes 3-7 business days from dispatch. Usually track and trace and/or proof of delivery are available on an express service.
Although Fruugo retailers endeavour to deliver within these timescales, please note that the above timescales are estimated and not guaranteed.
The delivery timescales do not include any customs clearing times beyond Fruugo's control.
Please allow additional shipping time for deliveries to exceptional locations that are hard to reach, and also during busy periods such as Christmas.
All carriers deliver during normal business working hours and may require a signature on receipt, so please ensure your order is delivered to an address where someone will be available to accept it.
We do our best to ensure that the products that you order are delivered to you in full and according to your specifications. However, should you receive an incomplete order, or items different from the ones you ordered, or there is some other reason why you are not satisfied with the order, you may return the order, or any products included in the order, and receive a full refund for the items.
Certain products purchased at Fruugo cannot be returned. They fall in the following categories:
- goods which are clearly personalised or made to your specifications
- goods which are liable to deteriorate rapidly, eg fresh fruit, fresh flowers
- sealed goods which are not suitable for return due to health protection or hygiene reasons, if opened, eg make up, underwear, pierced jewellery
- sealed audio or video recordings or computer software, if opened
- newspapers, periodicals and magazines
Please take reasonable care of the goods whilst in your care. Any goods returned must be in a resaleable condition. They must be unworn/unused with original tags attached and in original packaging. It is your responsibility to ensure that the goods are appropriately packaged to ensure they are not damaged in return transit.
Notifying us of a return
If you wish to return an order, or some of the products included in an order, please notify Fruugo customer care within 14 days of receiving the goods, including the following information:
- your name,
- order number,
- the item(s) you wish to return, and
- optionally a reason for your return: unsatisfied with item, item didn't match description, damaged item, wrong item, or some other reason.
Our customer care will send you specific instructions on how to ship the return package(s) to the retailer(s). Please do not ship the return package before you receive the instructions.
Shipping products back to retailers
Goods must be returned without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days after notifying us of your cancellation.
If you are returning products to several retailers, you should distribute the products accordingly and send the products to those retailers who shipped them to you initially.
We strongly recommend that you use registered mail (and insure any high-value packages), since neither Fruugo nor the retailer take responsibility for shipments that are lost or damaged during return transportation.
Please ensure you retain a proof of postage receipt so in the unlikely event your parcel goes missing, you will have proof you sent it.
Refunds
You will be refunded within 14 days of the retailer receiving back the goods. We will notify you by e-mail once the products reach the retailer and are accepted for return. Where a retailer has offered to collect the goods, you will be refunded within 14 days of cancelling your contract.
Unless a product or products you wish to return arrived to you damaged or faulty, you are responsible for the return transportation costs.
Providing you are returning all the products from a specific retailer, we will refund the standard shipping costs you paid for the original delivery. If you chose to pay for a non-standard delivery, we will only refund the cost of our least expensive, standard delivery.
Damaged or faulty goods
If you receive a damaged, broken, or defective product, please notify Fruugo customer care as soon as possible. Include at least the following information:
- your name,
- order number,
- name of the damaged product(s), and
- state the nature of the damage with attached photograph
We will generally instruct you to ship the damaged product back to the retailer. As soon as it reaches the retailer, they will send you a replacement product. If the replacement can't be made, or if you wish to cancel the order, you will be refunded in full. You will also be reimbursed for reasonable returns postage costs for damaged or faulty goods once we have received your postage receipt.
If the outer packaging of your order is clearly damaged on arrival, and you are suspecting that the products are damaged as well, you can either reject the delivery or accept the goods and sign for them as damaged. In both instances, please notify Fruugo customer care as soon as possible.
Refusing delivery
If you refuse to accept delivery of all or part of your order (where the products or packaging do not appear to be damaged or defective) you will be responsible for the postage charges. Any fees and charges incurred by the retailer due to a package being refused will be deducted from your merchandise refund.