Faith

By Archie Hellshire

Tuck is switching dorms. He's had enough of his roommate's odd hours, strange behavior, and teasing from his football teammates, who think there's something more between them. He's just put the last pad into his duffel bag when the campus goes on lockdown and the police swarm in.

They say that Tuck's roommate, Sam, is a wanted man, but Tuck knows better. Sam is no criminal; he won't even let Tuck kill spiders. Tuck takes a risk and helps Sam escape from the clutches of the authorities, and together they try to make it off the campus. As they try to evade the search parties, it becomes clear that they're after something more than Sam; a secret project Sam's been working on that has billion-dollar implications.

Tuck's not sure what's going on. He's not sure what the truth is or who to trust. He's not sure they're going to make it out of this. And as the night wears on, he's not sure how he really feels about Sam anymore. Sam is always sure about Tuck, though, and Tuck isn't going to let him down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
• Release date: Oct 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781949340952

Book preview

A NineStar Press Publication

Published by NineStar Press

P.O. Box 91792,

Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87199 USA.

www.ninestarpress.com

Faith

Copyright © 2018 by Archie Hellshire

Cover Art by Natasha Snow Copyright © 2018

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at the physical or web addresses above or at [e-mail].

Printed in the USA

First Edition

October, 2018

eBook ISBN: 978-1-949340-95-2

Faith

Graphene, Book Two

Archie Hellshire

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

About the Author

For Jen

Chapter One: Detained in a Dorm

WHEN HUMANS LACKED knowledge, they made do with having faith. Our ancestors ventured into the uncharted wilderness, armed only with pointed sticks and confidence that they could fight off anything with pointed teeth. Generations later, someone made a gamble that if a plant grew where it fell, then it should grow where it was planted and be just as edible, thus giving birth to agriculture. The age of exploration dawned when the first mariners set sail for the horizon, fairly certain it wasn’t a waterfall. As history progressed, people attempted more daring and complex endeavors, fueled by the belief that they would, at the very least, survive. Knowledge may be the substance of progress, but faith is the duct tape.

More than anything else, we have, as a species, progressed because of our faith in each other. Our ancestors hunted in packs to bring down larger prey, trusting that the guy they were hunting with wouldn’t kill them so they didn’t have to share. Legal systems were constructed on the premise that enough people would obey the law that sorting out the remainder wouldn’t be a problem. Civilization is built on the basic philosophy that people will be good to each other, people will help each other, and people won’t kill each other when it suits their interests, not usually at any rate.

Unfortunately, faith has a dark side. Wars have been started because one side believed they could win. The different religions of the world have been in an ongoing disagreement about who’s going to heaven and why; sometimes these disagreements have escalated to the point where they found out the hard way. People have murdered, pillaged, and swindled when they thought they could get away with it. Careless hearts have fallen in love with uncaring people.

Faith is a power that lends itself to good just as easily as it lends itself to bad.

IT WAS IN the early evening in one fair city, the power of faith was being abused to its breaking point as a group of UFO researchers was convening on the rooftop of a warehouse. On the spacious tar flats high above the city, with a few of the more ambitious stars already visible in the failing light of dusk, men and women set up a complex array of antennae and computers. The less technically minded among them set up a craft services table featuring on-theme menu items like Cattle-Mutilation-Sloppy-Joes and Little-Green-Men-Guacamole.

They were motivated by a bone-deep belief that if they set up their mobile receiving station at just the right time and listened carefully, they would win the electrodynamic lottery and hear a broadcast from an alien world. Tonight, their faith was rewarded by a brief jolt of excitement, followed by a slow stab of inevitable disappointment.

Oh, lordy! cried Calvin, looking at the monitor, where the interface displayed a wildly jiggling radio wave. This is it! We’re receiving a signal! He reached over to a different machine and flipped some switches with well-practiced speed.

We’re recording! he announced, pressing is face up against the screen to make absolutely sure he wasn’t missing anything. Oh, lordy! This is incredible!

Susie walked over, shaking her head in exasperation.

Are you sure it’s extraterrestrial? she asked, trying to get a view of the graph from around Calvin’s head.

Of course, I’m sure!

It’s just that you were sure last month, she said. When you spent four hours recording a Finnish talk show.

This is different! he protested.

And the week before that, when you followed a UFO with your car.

This is completely different!

And you followed it to the state line before you realized it was a crack in your windshield, she finished.

This is…ow, ow, ow, he cried, as an older, bulky man pulled gently but firmly on the tuft of hair on Calvin’s temple, prying his face away from the monitor.

The newcomer surveyed the image for a second before a look of disappointment settled on his grizzled face.

Is it extraterrestrial, Moe? Susie asked, a faint note of hope in her voice.

Nah, that’s terrestrial, Moe said finally. I saw it before, when I was in the Air Force.

At Area 51? asked Calvin.

I keep telling you, I was stationed in Britain.

Well, that’s what you say…

It’s a frequency jamming signal, Moe finished. They broadcast noise over various bandwidths and try to block transmissions.

Isn’t that illegal? asked Susie, eyeing the monitor suspiciously.

Because they’re trying to cover something up! declared Calvin.

Or some jamoke is trying to keep people from using cell phones in his store, said Moe. But keep recording, he added, before walking away. This night won’t be a total loss if we can document a felony.

But this story isn’t about them. It just occurs near them. This story is about faith. The faith one man had in another, what that faith led him to do, and how that faith changed the person it was bestowed upon.

TUCKER ALBANY STOOD alone in the locker room. With mechanical indifference he reached into his locker, pulled out an item, folded it, and stowed it in his athletic bag. He even packed his pads and football jersey, which he normally kept in his locker at all times; better there than his cramped dorm, to which it would bring their ingrained aroma of sweat and mildew. Reaching into the locker one final time, his hand collided with the smooth metal bottom. Turning to look, he saw that it was, in fact, empty. He stared at it and absently worried at his bracelet. Unless he wanted to unbolt the locker door and pack that, too, he didn’t have any more excuses not to go back to his dorm.

Heaving a sigh, he zipped up his bag and hauled the overpacked duffel onto his shoulder. A smaller person would have fallen over from the weight. He exited the locker room, ducking slightly to avoid the lintel, and made his way outside.

Stepping out of the gymnasium, he was greeted by a blazing sunset. Red light painted the sparsely filled parking lot. Above him, the sky faded to purple, the sheet of night slowly covering the University of Northumberland.

After taking it all in, he turned and started walking to the dorms. Once he got there, he wasn’t sure what to do. He had enough time to start packing, but he could also use the time to wonder what he was going to say to his roommate. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to check if he had any messages. When the screen turned on, it alerted him that he wasn’t getting a signal. His brow furrowed in confusion; he couldn’t remember ever having less than full reception anywhere on campus. A sense of mild panic settled in as he wondered if he hadn’t paid the bill.

Hey, Tuck! someone yelled behind him. He swiveled around to see Andy, his teammate, bounding up to him across the athletic field.

I was waiting for you, Andy said exasperated. You took forever in there. He stopped when he caught sight of Tuck’s duffel. Why do you have so much stuff? You aren’t quitting the team, are you?

That last question came out with a tone of panic. The team’s whole strategy was built around Tuck, who, at his height and weight, was the closest you could legally come to driving a snow plow down the field.

No, said Tuck, reassuring Andy with a deep grumbling voice. I was just, he cast about for an excuse, cleaning.

Andy looked a little dubious but shrugged it off.

Cool, he said, you can just drop it in my room.

Um, Tuck grumbled, I’m going back to my dorm first. He kept walking with Andy following behind him, running slightly to keep up with Tuck’s long strides.

We finally get to share a dorm room! Andy cheered. You and me, just like we planned in high school.

Yeah, Tuck agreed half-heartedly.

No more asshole roommate, Andy continued. "No more… Hey, what did Sam say