Catalyst (Insignia Trilogy)

Tom Raines and his friends return to the Pentagonal Spire for a new year, eager to continue their training for the elite Intrasolar Forces. But they soon discover troubling changes. Strict new regulations, suspicious agents in positions of power, and the revelation that the Spire is under military control. The trainees are now cadets. What begins as an irritating adjustment soon reveals a dangerous shift in reality. Those in control are aligned with corporate sponsors who have ruthless agendas. And when the military academy begins welcoming new cadets with suspicious neural processors, they reveal the first step in a plan with horrifying worldwide ramifications. Tom is desperate to stop it, even if that means keeping secrets from his closest allies, and it seems he is not alone: the other Ghost in the Machine also begins fighting against the Corporations, but with methods even Tom finds shocking. And when the enemy comes for Tom, how much can he endure in the battle to save himself?