The time: the not-so-distant future. The place: Earth. Governments have collapsed. Traditional borders have vanished as rival currencies and corporations battle for dominance. Poverty is rampant. Climatic upheavals have rendered much of the Earth's surface uninhabitable, and space is being colonized as an alternative environment. Thousands already have migrated to the Moon looking for work ... or just a way out.Meet Charles, a.k.a. Chigger. Charles does not exactly have what might be described as the All-American family. His father has been a no-show most of his life. And his mother? Well, let's just say she's no Betty Crocker. His adolescence has been like a minefield - always just one step away from an explosion.One day his father appears out of the blue and suggests that Charles and his brothers take a vacation trip to Beanstalk City - a euphemism for the high-tech elevator transport that ferries passengers between the Earth and the Moon.But too late Charles discovers that his father may have other motives - and destinations - in mind. In fact, Charles suspects that his father is smuggling a form of synthetic intelligence that a rival corporation would kill to obtain. As authorities on the Orbital Elevator close in, Charles is faced with a dilemma: Should he abandon his father and return to safety on Earth or cross the legal Rubicon and continue on to the Moon? Either way, his life will never be the same. Read Less