DarkTrench Shadow Series by Kerry Nietz

ThreadBare is a debugger. He’s property, one of the Imam’s vast pool of implanted servants. He lives in a smelly, greasy garage on the boundary of the battlefield known as Delusion. All he wants is to complete his tasks, exceed his rival BullHammer, and stay alive. Possibly get a promotion. When an atypical chore brings Thread into contact with Sandfly and HardCandy, things get complicated. Day by day and task by task he struggles with the life he’s always known... moreThreadBare is a debugger. He’s property, one of the Imam’s vast pool of implanted servants. He lives in a smelly, greasy garage on the boundary of the battlefield known as Delusion. All he wants is to complete his tasks, exceed his rival BullHammer, and stay alive. Possibly get a promotion. When an atypical chore brings Thread into contact with Sandfly and HardCandy, things get complicated. Day by day and task by task he struggles with the life he’s always known. Ideas plague him, brutality vexes him, and women distract him. Then there’s the list of offline debuggers, those who’ve quietly disappeared. Through datamixes—dreamlike records of their lives—Thread tries to uncover the truth. Where did they go? What does it all mean? And what can one forgotten debugger do about it anyway? less

Debuggers have one purpose, to obey their masters. The implants in their heads ensure they can’t forge their own path, can’t disobey or even fall in love. But after ThreadBare’s master is assassinated, his implant goes haywire, terrorizing his mind with unpredictable pain.  He's in love despite the implant, with Damali—a woman who's disappeared from his life. In addition, he hears rumors of a plot to end debuggers forever. To end his single purpose... moreDebuggers have one purpose, to obey their masters. The implants in their heads ensure they can’t forge their own path, can’t disobey or even fall in love. But after ThreadBare’s master is assassinated, his implant goes haywire, terrorizing his mind with unpredictable pain.  He's in love despite the implant, with Damali—a woman who's disappeared from his life. In addition, he hears rumors of a plot to end debuggers forever. To end his single purpose. ThreadBare finds sanctuary in a school for future debuggers. He hopes a teaching position will give him time to investigate Damali’s disappearance, and for his fraught brain to heal. Time is exactly what he doesn’t have, though. When an act of terrorism puts the students in danger, Thread is forced to do battle. He needs a miracle, or his purpose—and his love—may be ripped from him forever. less