Devastation — Gloria Skurzynski

This pair of riveting dystopian bind-ups tells of an Earth whose population has been decimated by disease and natural disasters. Survivors live in domed cities, sealed off to prevent the spread of further ruin.

In Devastation, there is to be a bloodless virtual war between the few remaining world powers. At stake is a remote tropical island in the Pacific -- the only place where it's safe to live in open air -- and Corgan is slated to be the ultimate warrior for the Federation. Conceived in a test tube, Corgan has been genetically engineered and conditioned with physical superiority and high intelligence. He's never known the touch of a human, or even met one -- until Sharla, Corgan's teammate in battle. She's bold, she's rebellious, and she's about to show Corgan all that the Federation has been keeping from him….

The virtual battle spills into the real world in Afterwar when Corgan is challenged by Brigand, the product of a clone experiment gone wrong. As Brigand launches an attack to eliminate his rival, Corgan learns that even battles fought with mind-controlled avatars can have intensely personal consequences….