Tales of Fortune: For Violent Fires That Soon Burn Out

By Derrick Ferguson

From the waterways of Sovereign City and the explosive imagination of author Derrick Ferguson comes a Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series of digital singles featuring characters from Ferguson's The Adventures of Fortune McCall! Tales of Fortune is a recurring series of stand alone tales that will spotlight the team of friends that work side by side with Fortune McCall in his sanctioned crusade to save Sovereign City from its criminal element. From the decks of McCall's floating casino, The Heart of Fortune, to the darkest parts of Sovereign itself, the men and women who support McCall in his fight against evil now shine on their own in Tales of Fortune!

The debut story in this series, For Violent Fires that Soon Burn Out, focuses on Tracy Scott, McCall's cousin and probably the second most dangerous person on the Heart of Fortune. When McCall is asked by the head of a local organization to look into possible arsons of tenement buildings in the worst part of Sovereign, Fortune gives the duty to Tracy. With her own prejudices as well very negative feelings about playing detective, Tracy takes to the streets of the city to learn who is striking out at Sovereign's poor and helpless. As brick and steel burn around her, Tracy finds herself confronting corruption, deceit, and a madness most heated.

For Violent Fires that Soon Burn Out, the first digital single in Derrick Ferguson's Pro Se Single Shot Signature Series- The Tales of Fortune! From Pro Se Productions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pro Se Press
• Release date: Jan 28, 2015

Derrick Ferguson

Much like removing a band aid I suppose the best way to get through this is to rip it off as quickly as possible, accept the pain and move on. I'm really not all that good at talking about myself and can't imagine why anybody would be interested in the extraordinarily quiet life I live but... My name is Derrick Ferguson and I'm from Brooklyn, New York where I have lived for most of my still young life. Been married for 28 years to the wonderful Patricia Cabbagestalk-Ferguson who lets me get away with far more than is good for me. My interests include radio/audio drama, Classic Pulp from the 30's/40's/50's and New Pulp being written today, Marvel/DC fan fiction, Star Trek in particular and all Science Fiction in general, animation, television, movies, cooking, loooooong road trips and casual gaming on the Xbox 360. Running a close second with writing as an obsession is my love of movies. I'm currently the co-host of the BETTER IN THE DARK podcast where my partner Thomas Deja and I rant and rave about movies on a bi-weekly basis. I'm also a rotating co-host of the PULPED! podcast along with Tommy Hancock, Ron Fortier and Barry Reese where we interview writers of the New Pulp Movement as well as discuss the various themes, topics, ebb and flow of what New Pulp is and why you should be reading it. That’s it for now. Anything else you wanna know, just ask!

Book preview

FOR VIOLENT FIRES THAT SOON BURN OUT

A TALES OF FORTUNE adventure, featuring Tracy Scott

by Derrick Ferguson

Published by Pro Se Press

Part of the SINGLE SHOTS SIGNATURE line

This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters in this publication are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. No part or whole of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing of the publisher.

For Violent Fires That Soon Burn Out

Copyright © 2015 Derrick Ferguson

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

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It hadn’t taken long at all for The Heart of Fortune to become a renowned entertainment as well as tourist attraction in Sovereign City. Visitors to the city were urged that they should partake of the activities provided aboard the huge ship which was virtually a floating hotel, nightclub/restaurant, and casino. In the three months since Fortune McCall had brought his ship to Sovereign City he had earned a reputation for running an honest ship with honest gambling, terrific food, no watered down booze, and one of the world’s best orchestras playing for him. Fortune McCall himself impressed all he met as being clearly a man of breeding, class, respectability, and honor who took pride in his ship and the reputation preceding him. Long before he had come to Sovereign City his name had been connected to many adventures both strange and exotic.

Sovereign City had become hailed and renowned from coast to coast as being a bright and shining jewel of the American spirit. It prided itself on being a progressive city of the future, leading the way in engineering, science, finance, art, culture, and industry. But for all that, Sovereign City’s level of crime and corruption was startling. In addition, a new breed of criminal plagued Sovereign City, criminals that used technology in new and innovative ways to carry out their schemes.

Sovereign City boasted among the citizenry a number of individuals with extraordinary skills, talents, and abilities. Those names were already legendary in Sovereign City and much of the country as well. Doc Daye. Lazarus Gray. Machine McQueen. ‘Rocket’ Mann. Aura O’Neill. The Scarf. Captain John Lawman. And now, Fortune McCall counted his name among theirs. In return for a privileged status bestowed upon him by Mayor Byles, Fortune and his loyal associates volunteered their time and talents to investigating and solving crimes that for one reason or another Mayor Byles did not want handled by the police. So far, the arrangement worked out just fine for all parties involved.

The Heart of Fortune rested at anchor three miles from the shores of Sovereign City. A remarkable ship from the outside and even more impressive on the inside. Within the bowels of the ship there were hidden decks and rooms not found on any plans for the vessel anywhere in the world and were known only to Fortune McCall, his associates, and select members of the crew.

One of these rooms presently rang with the sounds of combat. Regina Mallory stepped into the room her friend Tracy Scott referred to as her krithey yistham. When asked for a translation Tracy’s reply