The Midas Files: Live Readings continues with “Misbegotten Fortune,” Chapter 2 of The Midas Protocol. Watch the complete chapter, read by author Matt De Reno from Midas Files Mission Control.
The Midas Protocol · Recorded live August 16, 2026
In “Misbegotten Fortune,” the story moves into the corporate world of Unalco, where readers meet young materials engineer Hank Raglan and communications specialist Addison Moore. Their ambitions, relationships, and seemingly ordinary professional lives begin a journey that will eventually pull them toward the mystery opened in “The Gold Box.”
This is the complete second chapter of The Midas Protocol, presented as part of my weekly journey through the novel in its original sequence. Each episode is recorded live from Midas Files Mission Control and preserved here as part of the growing reading archive.
About the Author
Matt De Reno
Matt De Reno is the author of The Midas Files, a Pittsburgh-rooted science-fiction thriller series exploring UFOs, secret histories, ancient technology, and the occasional problem caused by reality folding in on itself. In The Scratching Post, he writes about the creative life behind the books—storytelling, indie publishing, AI experiments, live readings, works in progress, and whatever strange idea has wandered into his notebook that week. Email him at
