Dead Man's Switch

In the humid, neon-lit corridors of Manila's digital underworld, data is the only currency that matters-and the only one that can get you killed.

Earnest Ibarra is a quiet university librarian who prefers the company of archived manuscripts to people. But when he discovers a "glitch" in the national medical database- a life-saving clinical trial that has been systematically erased from existence-he inadvertently steps into a crossfire between corporate giants and the ghosts of the past.

The study was buried by Scribe Corp, a tech empire led by the brilliant and ruthless Gustav Milenyo. To protect his billions, Gustav has perfected the art of "digital sanitization," silencing anyone who dares to look for the truth. But Gustav has a blind spot: his late brother, Jason, a programmer who died in disgrace years ago, leaving behind a hidden, fail-safe encryption protocol known as a Dead Man's Switch.

As Earnest and investigative journalist Maya Dizon race to decrypt Jason's final legacy, they realize the switch isn't just a file-it's a weapon. To activate it, Earnest must choose between his own safety and a global revelation that could dismantle the architecture of corporate silence forever.

In a world where the truth is a commodity, Earnest is about to prove that some secrets are too loud to stay buried.

Berns Pen writes literary and speculative fiction that explores belief, power, and the fragile line between faith and control.

His stories dive into philosophical questions about morality, identity, and systems that shape human behavior-often placing ordinary people inside extraordinary moral dilemmas.

Blending symbolism, realism, and speculative thought, his work speaks to readers who enjoy fiction that challenges assumptions rather than offering easy answers.

When not writing, he explores ideas at the intersection of spirituality, psychology, and human resilience.