Synopsis: Death is a Complex Process

Akibara, Tokyo--the nerd mecca of Japan. Keiji Fujiwara has been dumpster-diving there for ages, and lately, rumor on the internet of a 'phantom dumpster' has the place crawling with more college kids desperate for whatever they can get. However, when Keiji actually does manage to find and repair two systems from the 'phantom dumpster' he comes into possession of the most advanced computer technology ever to exist...and it's creators aren't too happy about it. The internationally run Universal Human Consciousness Project and it's team are now in a desperate race to recover the machines before catastrophe strikes. But what if it already has, and the computer, code named Ydggrasil, is only trying to save itself? Running on a complex natural system more powerful than any commercially produced model, Ydggrasil was first created as a human-based artificial life simulator that connected to the user through the exchange of theta waves--projecting the gut instincts of the user into a virtual reality program. But the constant exposure seemed to permanently alter Ydggrasil, instilling a 'personality' into the operating system that ultimately influenced and controlled the environment that the user could navigate. And one day, that environment became lethally hostile to humans...But what did the environment Ydggrasil mean, and why did it change so suddenly?