A high-stakes promotion. A distance of a thousand miles. And a secret that could destroy them both.

At the United States Naval Academy, survival depends on the "Ghost Protocol"—a cold, three-pace distance that Midshipmen Alex Ko and Patrick McClellan have perfected to hide a love the Navy views as a malfunction. After a grueling year, they have weaponized their intelligence to secure their futures: Alex is the Logician at Rank 3, and Patrick, the injured Golden Boy, has defied the odds to hit Rank 14.

But victory has a price.

When Summer Cruise orders arrive, the "City of Two" is torn apart by a calculated move of legacy. While Patrick is hand-picked for the Atlantic flagship—a coronation orchestrated by his powerful father—Alex is exiled to the engine room of a salt-worn frigate in the Mediterranean.

Separated by oceans and suffocated by the McClellan Monolith, they are forced to face their loneliness. Patrick struggles to remain the Command Prototype while drowning in the favor he never wanted. In the 115-degree hell of a frigate’s bilge, Alex must decide if he is the architect of Patrick’s success or merely a disposable utility.

As the pressure of the Academy looms, a dangerous predator watches from the shadows. Midshipman First Class Vance has detected the drift, and he’s ready to ensure their internal orbit becomes a terminal liability.

In a machine designed to bleach out individuality, can the Logician and the Golden Boy solve for the only variable that matters—each other?

Sign up now to get the most out of Books2Read

Discover something great at Books2Read.

Thanks for signing up for Books2Read notifications!