In his late teens, Ray Higgins experienced an alien abduction at a bush party. Now, fifty-two, Ray is indifferent to his failed marriage, his mediocre job as a photocopy technician, and life in general.

Decades later, the aliens are back with a proposition that threatens to shake the very foundations of his reality. As Ray grapples with their return, he is tasked to train an AI robot named Tera.

Tera is unlike any machine Ray has ever known—intelligent, curious, and eerily human. In the midst of training, Ray discovers that Tera might hold the key to understanding his abduction.

Hard Copy is a tale of rediscovery, cosmic intrigue, and the unexpected paths that lead us back to ourselves. It’s a story that asks the ultimate question: what does it mean to be truly awake?