Absolute Zero: You can't escape your past...even in space

by Don Franke

It is 2073, and Wyatt Ogg has damaged lives because of the bad choices he's made. A lifetime of substance abuse has left him divorced and abandoned by his only child. When things turn their darkest, his only friend Orla pulls him off the streets. She runs an overdose prevention clinic and gives Wyatt an opportunity to use his training and experience as a medic to seek redemption. Work at the clinic gives him a second chance, and after a year he is running the place with Orla. And they become more than friends.A corporation provides a substantial grant, and an ability for the clinic to expand their outreach to addicts beyond Earth's crumbling atmosphere. The non-for-profit is gifted a ship, which Wyatt pilots as best he can.He roams the inner system, providing wellness checks to solo travelers called "nomads." These people have traded their life savings for a retrofitted cargo container to start life anew in space. But time moves much slower in the void, and many fall victim to a powerful narcotic that provides the stimulation they crave. Wyatt's mission is to rescue as many nomads as possible before they overdose, where their body shuts down and their ship is turned into a floating coffin.A chance encounter reunites Wyatt with his estranged daughter. As both struggle to get past their differences, they try to prevent a prolific assassin who spreads death among the stars for fun and profit. If the two can work together, they may be able to save the lives of system dwellers…and learn how to be a family again.

186 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2023