by
Size: 6.00 x 9.00 in
Pages: 150
Pages: 150
You don’t need to reach Mars to reach your dreams.
Robbed of their chance at leaving Earth to pursue green-energy innovations, Ryn embraces new dreams—fighting deep sea threats in conjunction with a giant cephalopod. It’s 2139 in the Cali-Coastal Corporate Zone, and Ryn struggles with their own body and brain as they fight to survive five days locked up with academic rivals and the military-backed billionaires who’ve misled them all since their teenage years.
Ryn needs an exit strategy but doesn’t know whether to trust Akira, the hacker-spy who may have saved their life, or Jay, the geeky military rebel with a secret stash of hot chocolate. Not to mention, Jay keeps falling asleep in their bed, and Ryn’s not sure if either of them is interested in more—but at least they like the same shows!
Five Days. One Ocean. Unlikely allies connect to Dream the Deep.
Publisher: Atthis Arts
Editors:
Cover Artists:
Narrators:
Genres:
Tropes: Band of Misfits, Found Family
Word Count: 38000
Setting: California, Pacific Ocean
Languages Available: English
Tropes: Band of Misfits, Found Family
Word Count: 38000
Setting: California, Pacific Ocean
Languages Available: English
The door was unlocked, as it had been whenever Ryn came for paper or an extra blanket. Now they pushed past a disused desk and zeroed in on the boxes at the back, covered with old military stamps. They found a case of twelve chicken stew MREs, their second favorite after pizza, and carrying it in both arms, headed out.
This time, a lone figure leaned against the wall outside the supply room. It was a military man in a tight black tee shirt and the pixelated camouflage pants all but the Space Force military now wore. The key card at his belt confirmed his Ocean Force rank of Commander and his pronouns. He raised one dark eyebrow below messy dark hair and asked, “Hungry?”
READ MORE“Very.” Ryn practically growled. “Think you’re funny? Someone poisoned me today.”
“Huh. I didn’t realize things were that bad up here.” Then the guy did a doubletake and said, “Seriously?”
“I don’t find jokes about anaphylactic shock funny. And pointless questions are a waste of my valuable time.”
“Is that so?” The guy half smiled as he stepped away from the wall and rolled back his shoulders. His tight black shirt pulled even tighter around his muscular chest, in a way that could be either flirtatious or threatening. “Let me make it up to you by grabbing a couple more boxes.”
Ryn worried it was a setup of some kind, but the guy came back with two more boxes of MREs and said, “Name’s Jay. I just got assigned to guard this floor. How about you?”
“Ryn. Lab 1. Evidently not going to Mars.”
“Me neither. Better company here.”
Author Clara Ward will be donating 100% of their royalties from Dream the Deep to conservation efforts for our global ocean.
