by J. N. Chaney
When at last we came to a large set of double doors, the businessman activated a wall-mounted screen and another man’s face appeared. I couldn’t see it exactly because of the glare, but I thought I made out a thick black beard.
“I have the boy,” the businessman said.
“Come,” said the man on the screen.
The screen went black and the doors slid slowly apart. Inside, I saw a cavernous room with a small desk on the far side. There were no windows, no other doors, just me walking with the businessman, heading toward the desk. A single lamp sat on the desk and cast a small triangle of light. I looked for the man I saw on the screen, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Leave us,” said a booming voice that reverberated into the space above my head. The businessman bowed and then turned back toward the door. I watched him leave and then saw the doors close. I was alone in this room with a man I could not see.
Suddenly, a face appeared behind the desk as a black chair swiveled around. It was the face from the screen. His blocky bald head had a thick black beard that hung off it like moss hanging from a tree in one of my stories. He clenched a cigar in the corner of his mouth so that when he spoke, his words were mottled. But his voice was still deep, presumably from the thick chest beneath his tight black t-shirt.
“What’s your name, kid?” he asked.
“Telmont,” I said. I swallowed, and then took another step forward. Whoever the overlord was, I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me. “What’s yours?”
“Ha!” the man barked, producing a small plume of smoke that leaped from his mouth. “I like you, kid. Com’ere.”
I stepped forward, hesitantly at first. But when I realized it would take way too long to cross the room at my current rate, I picked up the pace.
“Let me look at you,” he said, sizing me up with big dark eyes. “Telmont, eh?”
“Yes, sir. And your name?”
“You’re a persistent son of a bitch, I’ll give you that much.” He sucked on his cigar and then blew out another cloud of smoke, this one thicker than the last. “The name’s Oswald, but you can just call me Ozzie.”
“Nice to meet you, Ozzie,” I said.
The man smirked and blew air through his nose. “Son of a bitch. It’s nice to meet you too, kid. So,” he said, leaning across his desk, the sound of his pants squeaking on his leather chair. “What d’ya got for me there?”
I looked down at the box. “I found it in the mine.”
“Did you now?”
I nodded. “And I’ve come to sell it to you for my and my mother’s freedom.”
“Freedom?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the box in my hands.
“Yes, sir. I’m told that finding something of value means we can be released.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, sir. And I believe this has a lot of value.”
The man glanced up from the box and looked in my eyes. He smiled, but I could tell there wasn’t any joy in his face. Just darkness.
“You’re right, Telmont,” Ozzie said as he leaned back into his chair. “That box looks like it has a lot of value. May I see it?”
I instantly pulled the object to the side of my chest.
“Oh, ho-ho,” the man laughed, “not to worry, dear boy. I’ll give it back if I don’t want it. And if I do, you’ll be compensated.”
“Do you promise?”
Ozzie rolled his eyes. “Gods, what do they teach you down there?”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Never mind. Yes, I promise.”
“Okay.” I took a few steps forward and then rested the box on the table.
For his part, Ozzie seemed completely infatuated with the item I’d brought him. He didn’t even touch it at first. He just stared at it, like it was sacred or something. Then, at last, he scooped up the box and held it up, as if admiring it against some strange light that I couldn’t see. He took a long breath on his cigar and then blew out a giant ring shape that went around the box in his hand.
“Where have you been all my life, beautiful?” he murmured, speaking to the object. Apparently, this box was not only something he’d been trying to find for a long time, but he thought it could hear him too. Adults were weird like that. Unless, of course, his question was just rhetorical, in which case I still thought he was weird.
“Where did you say you found this?” Ozzie asked at last, directing the question at me without looking my way.
“In the mines, sir,” I said, trying to be vague. If there was one thing I learned from the stories my mother told me, it was that you don’t give up your sources unless you’re sure you’re going to get what you want.
“In the mines, he says,” Ozzie replied.
“Yes, sir.”
“And where in those mines did you find it?”
“A tunnel.”
Ozzie raised an eyebrow at me, a wisp of smoke curling up from the corner of his mouth. “And this was just, I don’t know, sitting at the end of a tunnel, waiting for you?”
“No, sir. I found it inside a metal box.”
Ozzie sat up a little straighter. “A metal box?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And were there—and I’m just talking out loud here—more of these smaller boxes inside that metal box?”
“No, sir. Just this one.”
Ozzie’s shoulders gave the subtlest impression of sagging. “I see,” he replied as he held the object back up, examining it.
“So, you like it?” I asked.
Ozzie glanced over at me. “Like it? Yeah, kid. In fact, I just had a few of these…” He paused, twisting the box in his hand. “Go missing. So finding one here in my own mine, well, let’s just say you made my day.”
“I’m happy to hear that, sir,” I replied, eager to get to the next part of the deal. “Then what’s it worth to you, Ozzie?”
“Ha! I really like you, kid. You’ve got smarts, you know?” He tapped his temple with his middle finger. “Real smarts.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“So here’s what I’m gonna do for you.” He pulled open a drawer and placed the box within it. “This box isn’t worth a lot on its own, unfortunately. But combined with two or three more—” he pushed the drawer shut— “and then you might have something.”
I felt my heart sink in my chest. This couldn’t be the truth, could it? I mean, I knew people who’d escaped the mines for finding something far less valuable.
“So what are you saying?” I asked.
“I’m saying you go back down there, dig a little more, and bring me two or three more of these. That’s all. Hells, I bet there might be a few more of those around the very spot where you found this one. A day’s work, maybe two. And then you’ll be right back here and we’ll close the deal. You and your father—”
“My mother.”
“You and your mother can go on your merry way.”
“You promise?”
Ozzie laughed, pulling his cigar from his teeth for the first time. The end of it was mangled, and his teeth and lips were littered with bits of the tobacco. “I promise, kid. You have my word.”
As I walked back toward the door, I felt like I’d been betrayed. I could tell that Ozzie wasn’t telling the truth. That box meant more to him than he was letting on. And I could also tell that when he said he promised; he didn’t mean it. Not one word.
If I was going to get my mother and me out of the mines, I’d have to find a different way. And I would find a way. I promised myself that. And unlike Ozzie, I meant every word.
FLINT, RACHEL, LARS, and TINY will return in RESONANT ABYSS, coming September, 2019.
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Renegade Star Universe
The Renegade Star Universe
Click the titles below to reach the book’s Amazon page
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They say the Earth is just a myth. Something to tell your child
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But when Captain Jace Hughes encounters a nun with a mysterious piece of cargo and a bold secret, he soon discovers that everything he thought he knew about Earth is wrong. So very, very wrong.
Climb aboard The Renegade Star and assemble a crew, follow the clues, uncover the truth, and most importantly, try to stay alive.
The Last Reaper Series
When a high value scientist is taken hostage inside the galaxy's most dangerous prison, Halek Cain is the only man for the job.
The last remaining survivor of the Reaper program, Hal is an unstoppable force of fuel and madness. A veteran amputee-turned-cyborg, he has a history of violence and a talent for killing that is unmatched by any soldier.
With the promise of freedom as his only incentive, he’ll stop at nothing to earn back his life from the people who made him, imprisoned him, and were too afraid to let him die.
The Orion Colony Series
Humanity’s Exodus is about to begin.
When half of mankind revolts and demands more opportunity, those at the top decide on a compromise: they will build the first colony ships and allow those who are willing to discover new worlds to leave and start over.
Twelve ships are built, the first of which is called Orion. Many are eager to go, but only one hundred thousand are chosen for each vessel. Far from Earth, a new life awaits, and it promises the prosperity they’ve always wanted.
But still, resistance stirs, eager to sabotage this new expansion effort, threatening the promise of a new life. As Orion moves through the void of space, towards a distant world, its passengers must fight for survival in an unprecedented conflict.
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The Fifth Column Series
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Together with the unit's medic, Eva finds herself branded a terrorist and enemy of the State, hunted by two opposing governments.
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But what do you do when every secret begets another? And how far will you go to find the truth?
Nameless (Abigail’s Story)
Abigail and Clementine were just a couple of orphans looking for a home.
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The Constable (Alphonse’s Story)
My name is Alphonse Malloy, and I see everything.
From a simple glance, I know your hobbies, what you ate for breakfast, how well you slept, and whether or not your wife is secretly seeing the high school biology teacher when you're not around.
I can't explain how or why I get these feelings, only that I know they're true.
All the little secrets you're too afraid to tell.
Sometimes, that means helping people. Other times, it means staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.
I wish I could tell you I was using this ability for good.
I wish I could tell you a lot of things.
The Constable Returns
Alphonse Malloy may just be the smartest man alive.
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Lucia is one of these colonists and the daughter of the tribe's leader, the Director. Together with several other candidates, she must soon undergo a trial to decide her father's replacement. The winner will shape the future of the entire colony.
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Resonant Son Series
30 floors of nightmare fueled action. An ex-cop with nothing left to lose.
After losing his job and family, Flint Reed finds himself in the middle of a terrorist attack. With nothing but his wits and experience as a former Union police officer, he must do everything he can to stay alive.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to our awesome beta readers.
Susan Saxild Smith
Tracey Beattie
Geoffrey Morse
Drew Drentlaw
Alan Sparling
Ken Weinert
Tony Reynolds
Mauricio Longo
David Seaman
About The Authors
J. N. Chaney has a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing and fancies himself quite the Super Mario Bros. fan. When he isn’t writing or gaming, you can find him online at www.jnchaney.com.
Christopher Hopper’s novels include Resonant Son, The Sky Riders, and The Berinfell Prophecies. He resides in the 1000 islands of northern New York.
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J N Chaney, Resonant Son
