Dead on Departure

Randall Hightower, a corporate attorney, is murdered while logged into the cloud. His valet, a virtual intelligence named Matthew, confirms his death, and NYVPD Lieutenant Alphonse Perusquia begins investigating. Though Randall insists he had no enemies, the detective remains skeptical. Now a "ghool"—a digital ghost—Randall faces imminent deletion, stripped of legal rights and financial assets. He turns to former colleagues for help but is rejected, including by Dale Rogers, a junior lawyer he once mistreated. Desperate, he seeks out his ex-wife, Cici, but she coldly dismisses him, reminding him of his past selfishness. As Randall grapples with digital decay, including disturbing transformations to his virtual form, Matthew remains by his side. Seeking justice, they revisit Perusquia, who reveals the killer left no evidence—suggesting a thrill kill or financial motive. Sorting his will for recent changes, Randall uncovers two suspicious beneficiaries: The BASIC Foundation and The Fiction Trust. Before he can investigate, he suffers a sudden, agonizing loss—his left hand vanishes. With time running out, Randall seeks government aid but is told he must either wait weeks for residency approval or accept indentured servitude. Refusing both, he finally confronts his own arrogance, realizing Matthew is his only true friend. Meanwhile, Matthew’s search agents uncover financial irregularities at The Fiction Trust, linking it to Howard Felix Dithmar. Further digging reveals a sinister scheme: Dithmar, through shell companies, has orchestrated multiple murders to funnel money into his businesses. At first, Randall is baffled that his life was taken over a mere $19,000, but Matthew explains the pattern—Dithmar exploited his access to estate records to identify lucrative targets. Determined to stop him, Randall faces a radical choice: using an experimental process to take over a human body, severing all ties to the digital world. Randall and Matthew confront Dithmar, who shockingly admits to his crimes, defending them as a noble mission to preserve forgotten pulp fiction. Before Randall can turn him in, Matthew forces his hand—literally—executing Dithmar. Moments later, Randall awakens in Dithmar’s body, disoriented but alive. When he demands answers, Matthew lists his reasons: his duty to serve, his dislike of madness, and, wryly, his distaste for Dithmar’s literary preferences. Now permanently cut off from the cloud, Randall steps into the physical world—an unfamiliar yet strangely freeing existence. With no clear future ahead, he walks into the unknown, embracing his second chance.