In 2050, three years of devastating El Niño have plunged the world into famine. THE BEAST, an AI quantum computer ruling the New World Order, controls food, technology, and a single digital currency. Only citizens bearing a forehead barcode can buy or sell. Those who refuse registration face hunger and exclusion. Aira, an unregistered scientist, secretly develops a food printer that provides meals without permission. She then discovers how to restore fertile seeds from THE BEA