Hi guys! I’d be lying if I said the writing of Rory Mackay didn’t influence our approach to Gyaros. I had Alex read Rory’s short story Artan’s Night before we began writing as an example of a well written action sequence. And The Royal Runaway definitely inspired Book Zero: Cry Wolf. I loved Rory’s idea of crafting a short story that is set some time before the full length novel and sets up a number plot lines and mysteries to be explored later on. Gyaros Book Zero: Cry Wolf is set one year before the events of The Mice Eat Iron and follows Ryker, Wolf and a number of old and new characters as they embark on a shady mission for The Machine. It sets the scene for Book One nicely I think and provides further back story for those who’ve already read Book One! Book Zero is a short story, even slow readers should read it within an hour, and costs $1.20.
Click Here to sample or purchase Gyaros Book Zero: Cry Wolf
I’ll paste the full synopsis below along with the first chapter but before that some announcements. Rory Mackay wrote a really wonderful review for The Mic Eat Iron and posted it on his blog. You can read it HERE. Be sure to keep an eye out for his novel Eladria which will be released later in May, it’s sure to be quite awesome, I personally can’t wait! One of my favorite WordPress poets Cookie also wrote a really positive review this week which you can check out by clicking HERE. Thanks so much to both of you, it means a great deal to get such positive feedback!
Click Here to get The Mice Eat Iron totally free! Or share the link to spread the word.
Finally I just want to say a huge thanks to everyone who has read and is reading The Mice Eat Iron, your feedback has really blown us away! It’s given us the confidence to work hard, improve and make the next book better than the last
Gyaros Book Zero: Cry Wolf – Plot Description
The year is Unification +60. When Ryker Phelan returns to his birthplace of Elissa he is tasked with a simple job by The Machine: Escort a mysterious weapon across the Yellow Districts and don’t ask questions.
A short story set one year before the events of Gyaros Book One: The Mice Eat Iron, Cry Wolf sets the stage for the epic Gyaros Trilogy.
Follow Ryker, Wolf and a host of new and familiar characters as they embark on an action packed adventure through the dystopian, futuristic city of Elissa!
Ryker won’t forget his first week back, no matter how much he’d like to…
(Cry Wolf is approximately 14,000 words/50 pages long)
WARNING: This book contains adult content including violence and course language. It is recommended for Young Adults 17 and up.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
Year: Unification +60.
Location: Elissa, capital city of the unified corporate planet Carthage.
The heavy rain battered the busy streets of the darkened South West Yellow District. A panicked young man sprinted through the dense crowds and the puddle covered roads under the dim red glow of powerful lights high above, set to their night time phase. His short blonde hair was soaked, his clothes completely drenched and his back ached with a piercing pain from the procedure undergone only minutes before. He thought hard, trying desperately to recall the directions hastily shouted at him as The Enforcers broke down the door. It all looked the same to him, the tall sky-scrapers that stretched almost to the roof of the Yellow Districts, the bright, multi-coloured neon lights advertising everything from strip clubs to sketchy law firms. And of course the vibrant masses of exotic men and woman from every corner of Carthage. He had been here before but that was a long time ago. He was unsure if The Enforcers were behind him or if they’d even seen him escape but he wasn’t going to wait around to find out. He scrunched his face against the pounding rain and the pulsating pain, and continued to run as fast as his tired legs would allow.
“Take a left off Milton Road into the back alleys…” he mumbled quietly to himself between laboured breaths as he came to a narrow lane. He ducked into the back streets and off the main road. The dark back alleys were far less populated than the busy commercial streets of the South West, inhabited almost solely by drunks, junkies and other shady characters.
“Then take the first right…” he turned sharply around another corner and continued rushing through the damp backstreets. His mind was occupied by little more than finding his destination, there was no time to take in his surroundings or even think more than a few seconds ahead. The wail of Enforcer Patrol Vehicle sirens could be heard in the distance. It was unlikely that they were after him but he wasn’t prepared to take that chance.
“Wolf’s Den…Wolf’s Den…” he repeated under his breath as he frantically scanned the buildings of the backstreets for the small steel sign. His heart skipped when finally he spotted it, hanging loosely above a sturdy looking metal door, illuminated by a small flickering light bulb as it swung gently. It read “Wolf’s Den” in elegant yet faded black writing. He picked up the pace, rushing even faster to the door and banging on it loudly with his fist.
“Hey, open the door!” He waited anxiously for an answer, his eyes darting back and forth down either side of the narrow alley, searching for any pursuers.
The door opened with a loud creak, revealing a tall, attractive woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties with short, scruffy dark hair that reached just below her ears. She wore tight blue jeans, a white t-shirt and held an expensive looking leather jacket over her left shoulder. Her arms were almost completely covered in exotic and colourful tattoos and she had a surprisingly calm and collected expression on her face.
“Get in here quick,” she said in a relaxed manner and she pulled the soaking wet man into the doorway. The interior of the building was brightly lit and empty other than the young man and the serious woman. It seemed to be some kind of club. The floor was made up of dark, polished wooden planks and there were several round tables, each accompanied by two to four seats. There was a small wooden stage to the left of the doorway and an ornate bar, lined with red leather bar stools, traveled half way across the cosy inn. Behind the bar were several bottles containing a variety of alcoholic beverages as well as a wide selection of nuts and potato chips.
The young man stood panting violently from the long sprint, water dripping from his clothes and face and splashing on the hard wood floor. A few seconds of silence passed before the woman spoke again.
“So you’re the guy they sent?” she began, her voice was calm, deep and had a natural sense of authority to it. “Ryker, isn’t it?” The exhausted man nodded his head.
“Huh, for some reason I thought you’d be a little…” she paused briefly, searching for the right word, “older.”
Ryker finally caught his breath, swallowed and spoke, “and you’re Clara?”
“Wow,” she said with a chuckle, “haven’t heard that name in a while, most people just call me Wolf these days,” her eyes narrowed slightly as she added, “and you should too.”
“Right, Wolf…”
“So why the rush?” said Wolf, pulling a nearby chair towards herself and taking a seat.
“Enforcers,” replied Ryker between heavy breaths, “there was a raid, I managed to get away but I don’t know what happened to the others.”
“Ah shit,” Wolf mumbled as she calmly tossed her jacket quite a distance, landing it solidly on top of the bar counter before crossing her legs and leaning back on the chair. “Well, no big deal I guess,” she added. Ryker’s eyes widened.
“No big deal?!” he shouted, his panicked voice wavered, “this is biometrics forgery we’re talkin’ about! And they must have seen me, they’re probably out there right now lookin’ for me!” Wolf let out a soft laugh.
“Everything’s got a price around here kid, even The Enforcers,” she explained nonchalantly, “we’ll take care of it.”
Ryker relaxed slightly but was still on edge and out of breath.
“So,” Wolf continued, “how are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Ryker replied unconvincingly, Wolf rolled her eyes and scoffed.
“Bullshit, you just had a forged bio’ chip drilled into your spine, you must be hurtin’ like hell right about now.” With that, she stood up, turned her back to Ryker and lifted her shirt revealing, right between two blue floral tattoos, a long vertical scar down the center of her back. An indelible remnant left by the same operation some years ago.
“Well, now that you mention it,” said Ryker wincing. Placing his hand over the sharp pain in his own spine, he continued, “I could use some pain killers or something.”
Wolf pulled her shirt back down and turned to Ryker with a sly smile.
“This is a bar, baby. Got all kinds of pain killers here.” She began making her way towards the many bottles across the room and added, “so what can I get ya?”
“Somethin’ strong I guess,” Ryker replied, walking over to join Wolf at the bar.
“I got just the thing,” Wolf said with a wink. Ryker took a seat on one of the red bar stools and as he did so an electric pain shot from his coccyx to his skull. ‘Holy shit that hurts,’ he thought as he tried to get comfortable. Wolf retrieved several different bottles from behind the counter and began quickly and skilfully preparing a drink. Ryker watched on as she poured a variety of different coloured liquids into a shiny, silver cocktail shaker. Her hands were a blur but she didn’t spill a single drop. She topped off the concoction with three ice cubes before screwing the lid onto the shaker and mixing the drink. Wolf shook vigorously and occasionally tossed it into the air, which was really more for show than anything else. After about ten seconds, Wolf placed a round cocktail glass in front of Ryker and carefully poured the mixed contents of the shaker into it.
“Drink up kid, that’ll kill just about any kind of pain you can think of.” Ryker took the glass in his right hand and consumed the drink without thinking twice.
“Feelin’ better?” Wolf asked, leaning casually on the bar counter.
“Uh, yeah I think so,” answered Ryker as the strong cocktail immediately started to take effect.
“Hey, so I gotta check your biometrics, make sure they wired you up properly.” Wolf pulled a handheld electronic device from beneath the counter and made her way back around the bar to join Ryker on the other side.
“Yeah alright, how do we do that?”
“Well,” Wolf began, “first you gotta pull down your pants for me and bend over.”
“What the fuck?!” Ryker exclaimed loudly, almost falling backwards off the bar stool. Wolf burst out laughing at Ryker’s reaction, wiping a tear from her eye. ‘What’s this girl’s deal?!’
“I’m just fuckin’ with ya,” she said as her laughter subsided and she held out the small device which now displayed a blank blue screen. “Here, put your hand on this,” Wolf explained, still giggling softly. Ryker obliged, placing his hand, palm down, on the scanner.
“Processing,” read a message at the top of the screen for a few seconds before being replaced by another; “Identification successful”. The device then displayed several lines of information as well as a small, front on image of Ryker’s face. Wolf began examining the data now displayed on the screen, mumbling quietly to herself as she carefully read over the details of Ryker’s profile.
“Name: Ryker Phelan, Age: 18, Gender: Male, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Blonde…” after several seconds, Wolf placed the device on top of the counter and turned back to Ryker.
“Alright, looks good, you’ve got full access to the public data network and five thousand credits.”
“And there’s no way to tell that it’s forged?” Ryker asked.
“Nope,” replied Wolf confidently before reaching over the bar and plucking a small bag of nacho cheese flavoured corn chips from the rack, “that ain’t some cheap counterfeit bio chip you’ll get from any of the local street gangs, it’s genuine Carthage Corp tech. That stuff’s right outta the Green Districts,” she explained as she opened the bag of chips. “Want some?” Wolf held the open bag out to Ryker who politely declined the offer.
“Nah, I’m good. So wait, you guys have blank Carthage bio chips? How do you get your hands on shit like that?” Wolf shrugged her shoulders.
“Who knows, that’s a whole other side of the business, the important thing is that we have ‘em,” she said through a full mouth. She paused for a few seconds, swallowing before she spoke again, “so how was the ride over? This is a pretty big deal!” Ryker leaned his elbows back against the bar and replied, “I wasn’t sure I’d make it there for a while to be honest. I’m amazed they got me here in one piece.”
“Hehe yeah, me too,” Wolf snorted, “crazy times we live in right?”
“So uh, what now?” Ryker asked, his heart rate finally returning to normal after the recent events.
“Well, it looks like you got here just in time for tomorrow’s job,” Wolf replied before putting another corn chip into her mouth.
“Tomorrow?” Ryker repeated, sounding a little surprised, “they’re sending me into action that soon? Fuck me…”
“Yup, it’s a delivery job,” Wolf scrunched up the unfinished packet of chips before tossing it into the trash and dusting her hands together, “which means you’ve gotta get some rest. I’ll show you to your new apartment, it’s pretty close.”
“Yeah,” replied Ryker, standing up off the bar stool, “I could use some sleep after all this crazy shit.”
Wolf took her leather jacket from the counter of the bar and threw it on over her plain white shirt, pulling the zipper up about half way.
“I’m guessing you didn’t bring an umbrella?” she asked, somewhat rhetorically, as she zipped her jacket up a little over half way. Ryker shook his head.
“Well don’t worry, we can share one. You ready to go?” Wolf added as she pulled a large blue umbrella from behind the bar.
“Yeah, I guess so, thanks,” replied Ryker. The two of them made their way to the exit and as Wolf pulled open the heavy door, the sounds of the city returned, the howls and rumbles of monorails high above the streets, the distant chatter of a million voices and the constant roar of the heavy, unending downpour that relentlessly assaulted the South West Yellow District night and day. Wolf opened the umbrella and stepped through the doorway underneath an awning. Ryker did the same and Wolf locked the door behind them before taking a left and starting off down the narrow back alley.
They had walked for about a minute through the, all but deserted, back streets before Wolf broke the silence.
“What’s it like being back in the ol’ South West?” she asked as the two continued to stroll.
“Not really what I was expecting,” said Ryker. “Guess the last time I was here I was too young to realize how depressing this place is. It really rains like this all the time?”
“Hehe, yep, those Green Districters need a lot of water to keep their big beautiful garden alive and the easiest way to get rid of it when they’re done is to piss it down on us, that’s Hannibalism for ya,” replied Wolf with a cynical smirk and adding, “you’ll get used to it though.”
“I guess I’ll have to.”
It wasn’t much longer before the dark backstreets opened into a larger main road and the bright neon lights once again added a variety of colours to the dim red glow of the Yellow District’s night phase. Ryker and Wolf pushed through the masses of pedestrians as they continued on toward their destination.
“So where’d you get the name Wolf anyway?” Ryker inquired, almost shouting over the cacophony of sounds that filled the busy street.
“It was a codename from a job a long time ago, guess it just stuck. Everyone seems to think it suits me,” replied Wolf with a soft laugh.
“It does,” Ryker agreed dryly. “So where’s this apartment you’re talkin’ about?” Wolf pointed to a tall, brick building across the street, “right over there.”
They slowly made their way through the dense crowd and toward the apartment building. The structure looked like it had seen better days with several cracked and broken windows and a heavily damaged metal fire escape, which looked like it would be more of a danger in an emergency than the fire itself. To the left of the building was a small twenty-four hour convenience store and to the right, across a narrow lane, stood a cheap looking adult video emporium. Directly opposite; a dilapidated children’s playground hid behind a chain link fence. Three hooded characters were lounging on the swings and seesaws drinking. ‘I don’t like the look of the neighbors.’
“I’ll take ya up to your room,” Wolf said as they reached the large wooden door. Big flakes of discoloured red paint fell to the ground as she pushed the door open. She stepped inside with Ryker following, and folded the blue umbrella back up, shaking off the excess water. The lobby of the apartment building was quite small with two elevators to the right of Wolf and Ryker, one of which was plastered over with a large yellow sign that read “Out of Order.” On the far side of the room a carpeted staircase rose up and around, the pastel green wallpaper winding up with it. Behind a wooden desk sat a lone security guard in his winter years who stared with tired, disinterested eyes at the two as they entered. ‘Yeah, I feel safer already with Captain Sleepy keepin’ watch. But watch out for his arch nemesis, a thief with the ability to walk on tip toes!’ Ryker though sarcastically to himself. Wolf gave the man a nod and a smile before making her way to the operable elevator followed closely by Ryker. She pushed the call button and they waited several seconds for it to arrive with a soft *ding* before both stepping inside through the sliding doors. Wolf thumbed the number 5 on the somewhat worn out keypad and the elevator began it’s ascent to the fifth floor.
“Not exactly a palace, I know, but it’ll have to do for now,” Wolf conceded as the elevator rose to its destination.
“Shit, it’s better than what I’m used to,” replied Ryker. “The elevators actually work in this place,” he added with a smile, seemingly enjoying the simple luxury of a functioning lift.
The doors once again slid open as the elevator reached its designated floor and the two stepped out, proceeding to make their way down the long corridor.
“Here we are, room 503,” announced Wolf as they reached Ryker’s apartment. She pulled a key from the back pocket of her jeans and used it to unlock the wooden door before stepping inside, followed by Ryker.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked, placing the key onto a small wooden table beside the door. She folded her arms and grinned broadly.
“Pretty good I guess, yeah not bad at all,” Ryker replied. “So what’s the deal with rent?”
“Five-hundred a week, we’ve got ya covered for this month and after that you should be able to pay it yourself.”
“Cool.” Ryker walked over to the red sofa that sat in the middle of the main room and took a seat.
“Hey, so about this thing tomorrow,” he started, fidgeting with some loose fabric on one of the sofa cushions.
“What do you wanna know?” said Wolf, leaning against the armrest of the sofa.
“Well,” continued Ryker, “what exactly do you need me to do?” His voice was serious, he sounded worried.
“I told you, it’s a delivery job. Basically, we’ve gotta escort a package on a freight monorail headed outta the Central District, easy money if you ask me. You’ll pretty much just be there to make up the numbers, to ease you into things you know?”
“Are there gonna be other guys with us?” Ryker asked.
“Yeah, a big guy called Grizzly and an old…” Wolf paused briefly, her eyes dropped to the floor, “acquaintance of mine, Gator,” she added. Ryker could feel from the way she talked about Gator that some degree of bad blood must have existed between her and the latter accomplice.
“I don’t know about this,” said Ryker, staring down at his soaked shoes, “if they’re sending so many of us, it’s gotta be pretty dangerous, right?”
“What’s the matter, Ryker?” Wolf said quietly as she took a seat next to the concerned young man on the sofa. “You’re not afraid of a little danger are you?” she whispered in a husky voice. Ryker looked up at Wolf to see a soft and slightly suggestive smirk spreading across her face as she leaned in closer to him.
“You know, I was kinda hoping a cute young guy like you might be a little more adventurous…” Ryker was unable to utter a word, his concerns about the next day replaced by a combination of confusion, arousal and a heart rate well over 100 BPM. Wolf’s suddenly seductive behavior took him completely off guard. ‘Is she fuckin’ for real?!’
“Tell you what,” Wolf continued, now running her fingers through Ryker’s wet hair, “you be a good boy tomorrow and maybe I’ll consider givin’ you a little ‘extra payment’ for this job.”
“Uh…” Ryker struggled to form words as he felt Wolf’s warm breath on the side of his neck. ‘She smells like nacho cheese,’ he thought as his eyes were drawn to her cleavage. He blushed heavily and gulped hard, finally finding his words.
“I-I’m in!” he said a little louder than he had planned to, “I was never that worried anyway,” he added trying – unsuccessfully – to play it cool.
“Great!” said Wolf with a grin. Instantly returning to her usual self, she stood up quickly from the sofa and checked the digital watch on her left wrist.
“There’s a monorail station a couple of blocks east, meet me there tomorrow at twelve midday and don’t be late.” She stretched her arms above her head, yawned and began making her way to the front door adding, “I’d better get goin’.”
“Wait,” said Ryker, quickly standing up, flustered, “y-you could always, you know, stay here for the night…I mean, if you wanted to,” his nervous voice shook and cracked slightly as he spoke.
“Oh, well I…” Wolf began with an awkward looking smile on her face, “I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to take care of so uh…we’ll catch up tomorrow! The bar’s not gonna run itself you know.” Wolf had made it to the door, pulling it open and looking back at Ryker a final time.
“Bye now!” she said, smiling and giving a cute wave before closing the apartment door behind herself.
‘Oh man, why the hell did I go and say that? Stupid Ryker!’ he thought as he collapsed back onto the red sofa, his cheeks burning red. ‘What the fuck’s up with her anyway?!’
To purchase the book and continue the adventure CLICK HERE!
Thanks for reading, all the best!
Rohan.
