The Beginning / Apollo Communications (ePub)

The story is packed with action, suspense, romance, and corporate intrigue. The protagonist is Michael Strackston who has recently graduated from trade school studying architecture and was running a local youth center. He is randomly approached by a Mr. Callahan, who offers him a position investigating a business conduct and becomes involved with the company International Commercial Propulsion, or ICP.

This causes Michael to gain interest in ICP, and although he realizes ICP could be being set up, he does not think the evidence is planted and he very quickly becomes skeptical about their corporate objective. He is not completely ignorant of the ways of the criminal world, as he was often consulted by the local police on matters such as how to make buildings more secure from thieves.

ICP claims to be in the import/export business of selling parts to many different countries, but Michael sees through their façade of legitimacy and guesses that they are selling weapons and drugs to enemies of the United States.

Michael enlists the help of all the students and parents using the youth center, and turns the center into an impromptu headquarters in the investigation into ICP. Things start heating up when they focus all ICP's activity on the warehouse in town, and a woman working there named Jackie manages to retrieve a disk of information about their plan, which apparently will take years to execute.

Michael asks Laura to help keep Jackie safe, as Laura has some experience with the witness protection program. Michael is unaware that Laura is working with ICP's top security guy, Jared, and informing him of everything she knows. Laura is bitter about the death of her parents and boyfriend, which she blames it on ichael, and she wants to get back at him.

Things become even worse when Jared has one of his henchmen impersonate a police officer and kidnap Michael's girlfriend, Adrianna, under the guise of taking her to the station for questioning. Michael knows that he must act quickly if he is going to attempt to protect the many people in danger while getting to the bottom of ICP's sinister scheme.