Connection Timeout: The PingStarved Chronicles
Chris F. N. aka ReK2In 2030 Barcelona, the internet is a corporate prison. One hacker holds the key to freedom.
Andrés "PingStarved" Reyes spent decades fighting for digital liberty, but the cost was everything—his relationships, his family, his soul. Now 56 and living in isolation, he watches surveillance capitalism strangle the web he helped build.
When mysterious forces target his old friend—a surveillance company CEO who sold out their shared ideals—and threaten to unleash chaos unless Andrés surrenders his greatest creation—a revolutionary mesh networking protocol that could free global communications—he faces an impossible choice.
Work alone, as he always has, and watch the world burn. Or trust a new generation of hackers who've revived forgotten internet protocols, built resistance networks in the shadows, and still believe technology can serve humanity instead of enslaving it.
From Barcelona's smart-city surveillance to underground hackerspaces, this is the story of what happens when one of the last free hackers discovers that code isn't enough—sometimes you need connection.
Perfect for fans of Neuromancer, Little Brother, and Mr. Robot. Features authentic hacker culture, real mesh networking technology, and modern attack techniques that cyberpunk readers will recognize as tomorrow's reality.
A cyberpunk thriller grounded in REAL technology and authentic hacker culture. Set in 2030 Barcelona, this novel features: • Actual mesh networking protocols (Meshtastic, Reticulum) • Real attack techniques used by security researchers today • Authentic hacker culture from someone who knows the community • Modern surveillance capitalism and privacy resistance • Genuine technical details hackers will recognize This isn't science fantasy - it's near-future fiction built on technologies being developed RIGHT NOW. Every hack, every protocol, every piece of infrastructure exists or is in active development. Written for readers who want cyberpunk that feels like tomorrow's reality, not distant fantasy. 29,429 words of authentic tech thriller that privacy advocates and cyberpunk fans will recognize as their own story.