The Gilded Cage

In the Federated States of Arcadia, a disgraced ex-detective is hired to look into the suspicious death of John Carter, a state prisoner known only as "Inmate 3" from a notorious civil rights lawsuit. The investigation peels back the gleaming facade of Prometheus Cryonics, a biotech giant that promises genetic salvation to the ultra-wealthy. As the detective descends into an underworld of clandestine labs and engineered fugitives, he uncovers a chilling truth: the immaculate lives of the elite are sustained by the invisible suffering of those society has disposed of. Written in the vein of Ross Macdonald, this is a story of generational guilt and the hidden cost of modern perfection.