Free Zone

by Andrew Knights

Set in a hard-edged alternate-history world, Free Zone opens in the underground city of Alexandria, part of a loose, surviving belt of ports, markets and military remnants known as the Free Zone. The story introduces Major, Static and Ghost as they work and live in the ruins beneath the Mediterranean, where scavenged Imperial technology, improvised infrastructure and constant vigilance shape daily life. When a Federation emissary arrives with a request tied to Gibraltar and a mysterious device, the tension between the United States Empire and the Chinasian Federation comes sharply into focus. The manuscript suggests a story of covert operations, contested territories and uneasy alliances, grounded in a world where old war machinery has become the basis of survival. Free Zone will appeal to readers who enjoy speculative fiction with political intrigue, atmospheric world-building and a strong sense of place, especially stories set in reconstructed cities, militarized borders and postwar landscapes.