Damage Control - ARC

This book is an Advanced Reader Copy–a
pre-publication proof. You may find errors in this copy, and some
details may be different in the final version.

Also by Mary Jeddore Blakney:

Resist the Devil

When Terry Caulfield uncovers evidence that
his town is the target of a terrorist plot, he puts over a decade
of his life into trying to stop it. Only when the attack finally
comes–a huge explosion leveling several blocks and nearly killing
Terry along with countless others - do police finally show an
interest in what he's learned. And that's when Terry finds out who
was really behind the attack all along.

Resist the Devil
highlights the
growing pains experienced by much of America and the world as
demographics change and cultures clash. Based on research, it gives
us a candid view of Christians and Muslims from several walks of
life and answers commonly-asked questions on topics such as jihad
and the trinity.

theefletcherrvariablee

The Fletcher
Variable

___________________________

damage control

by

Mary Jeddore Blakney

___________________________

theefletcherrvariablee

Copyright 2015 by Mary J. Blakney

Cover design copyright 2015 by Luke
Bellmason

This book, its stories, characters, settings
and names, are published under a Creative Commons Share Alike
license. Please join me in adding to the lore of the Chuzekk world.
Just be sure to give credit for its creation and maintain
consistency with the original works. For more information on the
Share Alike license, see
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/legalcode
.

This book is based on the short stories "The
Mammal Cage," which won first place in the Spring 2008 New
Hampshire Writers Short Story Contest, and "Pleased to Beat
You."

Horace Miner for his inspiring essay “Body
Ritual Among the Nacerema.”

Beta readers Joe Lore, Peya Urena, M. Joseph
Murphy, and others who do not wish to be named.

Laura Lee Romage for content editing.

Benjamin Blakney for his help in
worldbuilding, and for proofreading.

Luke Bellmason for designing the cover.

This is a different kind of book. It’s a
preview of the
Fletcher Variable
series, a taste of what’s
coming. At the same time, this book tells its own story. Each
chapter is taken from one of the books in the series:

THE ERRATIC:
When an experiment in
quantum physics transports American college student Piper Craven to
a distant planet, she awakens in a village where the people keep
her as a pet. Her efforts to tell them she’s not an animal only
seem to convince them that she is. And her time is running out, as
hidden forces are preparing to destroy the village and everyone in
it. (Chapter 1)

THE CHAOS BROTHERHOOD:
When promising
cadet Zuke Gevv tries to rescue a kidnapped friend, he discovers
that she’s being held by the government. Turning to a criminal gang
for help, he soon finds himself in the middle of a power struggle
between two rival superpowers and a terrorist group holding a
300-year-old grudge. (Chapter 2)

16,000 NIGHTS:
Gretchen Rogers is
alone, broke and hundreds of miles from home when a stranger offers
her a chance to make a quick $5,000. Wary of legal trouble, she
makes up her mind to find a safer solution. In spite of her
efforts, she realizes she’s still been set up to face life in
prison without parole. With a defense team convinced she’s guilty,
a prosecution focused on winning the case, a judge intent on
following procedure and a jury that sees nothing but the witness
box, it’s up to Gretchen and a small band of amateurs to uncover
the truth. (Chapter 3)

THE CLAW AND THE EYE:
When a rogue
operative makes unauthorized contact with an alien species, he sets
off a chain of events that threatens all the planets in the region.
To save the world, Chegg Jaigg must break the rules he’s always
lived by. But even that may not be enough, as an elusive figure
called Fletcher interferes nearly every time he makes a move.
(Chapters 4-18)

theefletcherrvariablee

The Fletcher
Variable

___________________________

damage control

by

Mary Jeddore Blakney

___________________________

theefletcherrvariablee

The first time, it was a rock.

Nobody saw how it got there, or even exactly
when, but one day there was a knee-high hunk of grey rock sitting
in the Gogue desert where it didn't belong.

The Gogue Quantum Research Laboratory had
been in operation for only about five years at the time, and when a
safety officer from the nearby village found it on her morning
patrol, it never occurred to her to inform the Lab. She figured
somebody had put it there for some mundane and useful reason, so it
was more out of mild curiosity than any sense of concern that she
started asking questions.