Brass in the Waste Valve

About this book

In the tiered coastal metropolis of Cinderreach, 24-year-old salvage diver Jax Vance survives by stripping condemned boiler yards for proprietary pressure valves and selling them on the black market. Bearing chemical burns from leaking coolant lines and a deep cynicism born from his father's abandonment, Jax views loyalty as a depreciating asset. When a catastrophic cascade failure threatens to superheat the city's submerged labor districts, Jax initially seizes the opportunity to weaponize municipal schematics and extort the corporate overseers. However, his extortion scheme uncovers a silenced whistleblower's file detailing engineered negligence—a file directly tied to his absent father. Forced to collaborate with Ren, a union medic dealing with chronic nerve damage, and Sloane, a rival machinist drowning in medical debt, Jax's isolated survivalism is tested. After a makeshift bypass vents scalding vapor into an apprentice housing block, the devastating consequences force Jax to abandon his defensive walls. Pivoting toward collective accountability, the trio faces escalating corporate sabotage. Ultimately, Jax must make an irreversible, physically devastating choice during a catastrophic valve rupture, permanently trading his mobility and illicit savings to prevent the labor districts from boiling alive.

Book details

Genres:

Drama, Steampunk, Dystopian Sci-Fi

Language:

en

Published:

2026-05-09

Content rating:

R