Treachery on the Dark Side [Paperback]

Through chapped and broken lips Fornax Nehrengel silently cursed his plight. He was not a brave man. Indeed, he found it curiously ironic that he should be fighting to defend a flag he paid scant allegiance to. Fornax resented being there and desertion was on his mind . . .

Now, join Fornax Nehrengel on an intense, light-speed adventure that zooms from the moon to Mars and back again. With him is an undercover Secret Service agent, a crusty old economics professor, a nefarious brother, and a hot-blooded young woman. And chasing them? A power-hungry elite intent on stealing what could be mankind's most important invention since the internal combustion engine. Who says science fiction can't be sexy and fun at the same time?

And when you're done discovering Treachery on the Dark Side, check out Steven Burgauer's other future-history adventures: The Brazen Rule, The Last American, In The Shadow of Omen, and his bestseller, The Grandfather Paradox. Available from amazon.com

He was being held prisoner, held against his own will. Behind him in that narrow passageway was a burly guard. Fornax turned to address the man, thinking that perhaps he could talk his way out of this.

No sooner had he twisted his head to speak to the man though, than his weary eyes caught the glimmer of an upraised blade. Suddenly horrified, the adrenaline shot through his system like a bolt!

Fornax spun to face his attacker, raising his arm to deflect the impending slash. But the man was already in motion, thrusting his blade at Fornax with evil intent.

Trapped inside that narrow corridor without any room in which to maneuver, it was impossible for Fornax to avoid being cut by his assailant.

The killer's knife ripped through his shoulder, its point penetrating deeply, all the way to the bone. Yet, even before the searing pain had a chance to hack its way through his central nervous system and on up to his brain, Fornax gave free rein to his self-preservation instincts.

Using the only thing available--the toothbrush in his pocket--Fornax responded with extreme violence. He plunged the hard plastic hilt of the instrument into his attacker's left eye like a dagger.

The gelatinous orb popped bloodily, its milky-white contents spewing like a geyser into the zero-g atmosphere around them.

Stunned by the attack, the assassin staggered backward, releasing his grip on the blade still jutting out from deep inside Fornax's flesh.

When the pain from his ruptured shoulder was finally acknowledged by his beleaguered brain, Fornax screamed icily. Only it wasn't over, not yet anyway.

Drawing on his last ounce of resolve, Fornax took a deep breath and jerked the blade from his upper arm. Then, summoning all his strength, he rammed it into the belly of his opponent. It was a deep and lethal blow, and just for good measure, he gave it a vicious twist.

Grimacing, the man collapsed in a heap on the floor, the toothbrush still protruding from his head where his eyeball used to be. Droplets of blood filled the air between them.

Fornax sank to the floor as well. On Earth, even with the helpful tug of her one-g of gravity, arresting the flow of blood from a deep laceration was tough. But in space, with no gravity whatsoever, it was difficult raised to a power of two. He had but seconds to live . . .