The provided text consists of excerpts from a novel titled "The Digital Plague" by Jeff Somers, with a dedication and table of contents. The story follows a protagonist named Avery Cates, a "cop killer" in a futuristic, dystopian New York. He is betrayed and captured, leading to a series of intense encounters with various factions, including corrupt government officials, psionics, and a mysterious plague. The narrative switches between Avery's first-person perspective, detailing his fight for survival and search for a cure, and a diary-like account from a woman named Tricia, who chronicles her rapid decline due to the spreading illness. Ultimately, the excerpts illustrate Avery's reluctant alliance with System Security Force (SSF) officers to combat the plague's architects, while Tricia's entries offer a grim, personal perspective on the devastating effects of the "digital plague" on the general populace and the deteriorating city.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.