Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Midas Files: Live Readings, recorded live from Midas Files Mission Control. In this episode, author Matt De Reno reads “The Gold Box,” the complete opening chapter of his science-fiction thriller, The Midas Protocol.
It is the beginning of a story involving a murdered scientist, a mysterious golden device, secret government projects, and discoveries that could alter humanity’s understanding of history—and reality itself. Join Matt each week as he reads The Midas Protocol chapter by chapter, sharing the story in its original sequence and occasionally offering insights into its characters, mysteries, and creation. The Midas Files: Some files were never meant to be opened.
The Midas Protocol · Recorded live August 09, 2026
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
