In the very near future, superhuman artificial limbs have become a mass-produced technology. Despite strong bilateral trade in the prosthetics industry, China and the United States are embroiled in a proxy war in Eastern Europe that has grown devastating through the heavy use of enhanced soldiers. Rico Moretti is a young, overconfident agent in the Defense Clandestine Service, an arm of the Defense Department responsible for espionage against China. When a top American official is killed in Japan under Rico's watch, he begins a hopeless investigation with no leads. A mysterious woman named Angelica, unpredictable but highly capable, offers him help for unclear reasons. As they uncover an intricate web of criminal activity gripping East Asia, Rico questions Angelica's motives and discovers that the mastermind behind the assassination may be closer to him than he had thought. Weaving together everything from neuroscience to robotics to geopolitics, Mercury is a fresh, modern take on the technothriller. Genre-bending and philosophical, it builds a nuanced plot driven by dark, troubled characters on an unstoppable collision course.