The Midnight Signal

By Raziel Penn

In the neon-drenched streets of New Detroit, 2075, where skyscrapers shimmer with holographic art and nanotech adinkra symbols pulse to the rhythm of Afrobeat and futuristic RnB, a cultural rebellion brews. NexusCorp, a tech giant, strangles energy, data, and media, suffocating the soul of the city-but underground venues glow with defiance, alive with American music, dance, and culture. Enter Zara Coleman, an 18-year-old Black woman known as "Z-Star," her cybernetic streaks etched with Sankofa symbols glowing like stars. With a voice that fuses soulful RnB with futuristic resonance and an anime-style charisma-expressive eyes and dynamic stage presence-she sings in secret clubs, her songs a weapon against the regime's sanitized grip.

Zara's not alone. Malik Jones, her wiry best friend, hacks with a cybernetic eyepiece and spins Afrobeat-synth beats, dreaming of an AI startup. Kiki Adu, a vibrant dancer, lights up the stage with her sneakers flashing adinkra symbols, her joyful moves amplifying Zara's performances. Guided by an ancestral AI humming through her grandmother's old radio, Zara seeks the Nexus-a lost energy source tied to her lineage. But NexusCorp's polished star, Jalen Carter, stands in her way, his manufactured sheen clashing with her raw power. As neon-lit cityscapes set the stage, Zara's journey intertwines with her twin brother Kai, a digital painter in Neo-Atlanta, whose art triggers an ancestral reunion that will change everything.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FC7SWG4F
• ISBN13: 9798287033071
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 56 Pages
• Weight: 0.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"