What happens when success is impossible and failure isn’t an option?

In the ninth installment in the best-selling Mad Mick Series, several months have passed since Walter Lightspeed demonstrated he could restore power to the United States using his innovative wireless power delivery system. After a year in the dark, America was finally on the rebound. Optimism soared as people imagined an end to the most difficult period in modern American history.

Lightspeed’s success allowed him to take the office of President and gain the support of the military. With their backing—and the assistance of Conor, Ricardo, and their team—Lightspeed’s efforts to restore power were accelerated. He was making regular radio addresses to the American public to keep them updated and raise their spirits. He made Wi-Fi available to regions with power so people could use their phones to catch up on news and monitor the progress of power restoration. Jobs and aid were available for those who wanted them.

But Lightspeed underestimated his enemies.

The political establishment would rather leave the nation in ruin than allow an outsider to sit at their table. There were new enemies rising from outside of the country, but also from within its borders. There were the Luddites who decided that a year without power had restored balance and purpose to their lives. There were the foreign actors determined to strike in this moment of national vulnerability. There were even those within Lightspeed’s own organization who had become disillusioned with the way he was doing things and conspired against him.

These attempts to sabotage his national recovery effort are raising serious questions for Lightspeed and his team. Is destruction of the enemy more important than compromise?

Is it more important than saving the nation?