Sunday Snippet: Yank the Chain

Ugh… we're going to hit the fifties this week, meaning my sinuses are going to go on a full scale revolt. LOL

So, I enjoyed the first two episodes of The X-Files and look forward to the remaining four. :D I could totally get behind short-term revivals of my favorite shows.

My general rundown of my weekly must-sees starts now. Skip ahead if you're not interested. The Flash turned in a great episode. Looking forward to seeing if I'm right on a few things. I do wish Harrison wouldn't turn out to be a bad guy this time around, but I have a feeling I'll be disappointed.

Arrow had a terrific show with Felicity battling her old self. I love the subtle nuances in this show sometimes and having her let go of the angry, young woman she once was and accept her current incarnation juxtaposed so well with the underlying theme of accepting her current circumstances and it did it without getting completely maudlin. I love this show!

Legends of Tomorrow amped up the repercussions of traveling through time, but still delivered on the witty banter between the characters. I do have concerns about the show devolving into gimmicky shtick when they're in a different era, but so far, I'm loving what they do.

Agent Carter… Love this show! I have so many theories and ideas of how things will play out. I really, really want Jack to get his head out of his ass and see how easily he's being manipulated. I think it's going to happen, but who knows. I love how much Peggy doesn't hesitate to call Jack on his shit. Seriously, good stuff there.

Even though Teen Wolf feels so discombobulated, I like where everything seems to be headed. I don't know, the flow is choppy and maybe that's being done on purpose, but I'm a little cranky about it. I do love having some familiar faces popping up again though.

I have a new show I've started to binge watch, X Company, a Canadian offering which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I might not rank it up there with Murdoch Mysteries, but I'm only three episodes in. LOL

And that's it for my viewing pleasure rundown this week. The Walking Dead returns soon and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Tonight's post is from Yank the Chain, a novella that got its start with a prompt from another writing community. I seriously owe a lot to those comms and the wonderful ideas they spark.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When pilot Riley Wang refuses to cave in and sleep with an arrogant major, she ends up in hack a week before graduation from flight school. Moss Mordecai bails her out, but keeps her from going after her superior officer. If Riley wants back on the roster, she needs a plan and spending more time in the brig isn't a good one.

And a sneaky peek…

Riley hopped up off the cot and moved to watch Moss enter the outer hub of the brig. Finally… she could get the hell out of here. He stopped to hand over the personal recognizance form.

Lance Corporal Sam Shriver flashed a smile. "She'll be glad to see you, Sir." He stamped the form then split the page, handing Moss his copy and filing the other one.

Moss huffed out a harsh breath. "Right. Maybe not. This is the last time I'm getting her out of hack." He followed Shriver into the holding area.

Riley frowned, especially when Moss wouldn't meet her gaze.

Sam held up a hand. "Riley got locked up because she decked the major." He leaned in, keeping his voice low. "Hear her out, Sir." Her turned and gave Riley a commiserating glance.

Moss grunted. "Yeah and she calls me to save her ass. Again." He turned toward the cell. "Someone always seems to yank your chain and I'm the one who gets stuck bailing you out." He nodded and Shriver went to unlock the door.

When the bars swung open, Riley stomped past Moss but turned and faced him. "Not someone, Moss. Major Cabella. The god damned asshole tried to have me grounded." And she didn't need Moss being all judgmental right now.

Moss quirked an eyebrow. "What did you do to piss him off?" He followed her to the guard station.

Sam rolled his eyes and handed Riley her personal belongings. "You'd better fill him in, Riley. Tell him what the major tried to pull on you. And don't leave anything out." He handed her the clipboard to sign for her stuff.

Riley initialed the appropriate spots and shoved the papers back toward Sam. "I will, Sam. Thanks for calling him." She walked to the hatch and exited into the corridor, not really caring if Moss followed or not.

They did need to talk, but his attitude stung more than she expected it to. Moss said his farewells to Shriver and finally fell into step beside Riley.

He waited a moment, then asked. "What's going on, Riley? What did you do to the major, aside from punching him in the face?"

Riley shook her head. "It's what I didn't do. Or won't do." She risked a glance in Moss's direction.

Understanding flared in Moss's eyes. "Are you saying"—he broke off and glanced over his shoulder before lowering his voice—"he revoked your flight status because you won't sleep with him?"

Riley snorted. "He's not after sleep, Moss. But yeah, that's what I'm saying." Riley strode forward but only got a few feet before she stopped. "Wait… you said revoked. He actually filed the papers?" The son of a bitch.

Moss caught up with her before answering. "He must have. You're not on the roster for the rest of the week." He tugged her arm and ducked down an empty causeway. "He's playing it smart, Riley. You turn him down. He goads you into a physical altercation. You cool your heels in the brig and he goes through with pulling your quals. You get out and either do what he wants, or don't fly. Either way, he wins." The last part came out as a snarl.

Riley growled. "That's not smart. It's fucking abuse of rank. And no way in hell will he win." She spun around and charged down the corridor.

Moss grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back. "Uh uh. No way. You go after him again and it's not just brig time, it's court martial and hard labor on some remote planet with no amenities. No flying, no freedom, just digging and mining for crystal ore." He pinned her with his gaze. "Is that what you want?"

Riley wanted to scream, but refrained from doing so. "I want his balls in a vice. And a hard labor might be worth it." Not really, but if it came down to putting the major on notice, she'd consider anything.

Moss winced and swallowed hard, but recovered quickly. "No, it won't. You need a plan, Riley. You can't be the first he's tried to coerce. Expose the major and he can't do it again." He folded his arms over his chest and blocked her path.

Riley narrowed her eyes. Leave it to Moss to nail the problem's solution on the first try. She relaxed and let the wheels turn in her head, a plan formulating right away. "You're right. I think it's time for someone to yank the major's chain." She lifted her gaze to meet Moss's. "I'm gonna need some help. Think you could bail me out again?" Only this time not from the brig.

Moss cocked his head to one side. "Do you even have to ask?" He reached out, grasping her hips. "I've always got your back, Riley."

She smiled for the first time in two days. "Good. You can start by scrubbing it in the shower. I wanna wash the brig stench off so I'm in top form when we plan."

Moss dropped a kiss on her head. "I can definitely do that."

The major isn't going to know what hit him when Riley and Moss get through. Gotta say, this one is a lot of fun.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: X-Ray Tango

Well… Winter Storm Jonah, or whatever its name is, missed my part of Ohio. I'm not complaining in the least. For everyone else dealing with the massive snow dump, I hope you're all safe, warm, and enjoying the blizzard as much as possible. J

One thing though… why are we naming winter storms now? I mean I was alive for the Blizzard of '78 and referring to it the Blizzard of '78 works just fine for me. Is there a reason we have to give names to snowstorms? I get naming hurricanes and tropical storms, typhoons, etc., but eh, giving monikers to snowstorms seems like something a bored Weather Channel employee decided to cook up to brighten their day. Just saying. LOL

Let's see… big X-Files revival premieres tonight. I'm super-excited! One of my all-time favorite shows is coming back and I don't even care if it sucks huge ones. LOL I'm watching a marathon on Chiller right now, so my day is going really great. J

The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow had kick ass episodes. I kind of love Legends, the snarky banter makes me happy. I could watch an hour of nothing but the characters trying to out snark each other. That said, the jury's out on how well this group with mesh together, but I'm all in to see what happens.

Agent Carter's two episode premiere didn't disappoint. I've got some hopes for what happens with the New York contingent. I also loved meeting Jarvis's Mrs. Very cool and awesome character. J

Last, but not least, Teen Wolf's episode entertained, as usual. It might just be me, but the last few episodes have something of a choppy feeling, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a little confusing.

That's it for television this week…

Tonight's post is from X-Ray Tango, a novella that found its roots from a story suggestion in a writing community I belong to.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kellan Gates and Josh Robertson do not get along, constantly vying for top position in their squadron. But when they're transferred to another ship, Josh is targeted by a former nemesis that uses program X-ray Tango to keep Josh in check, which fires up Kellan—no one is allowed to give Josh a hard way to go except her.

And a sneaky peek…

Kellan Gates strolled into the pilot's briefing room, adding some extra swagger when she spotted Josh Robertson. He stood in the front of the room, chatting with a small group of green pilots. She couldn't wait to give him the news.

She strode down the middle aisle and walked up to the dais. "Greetings, boys and girls, let's get this briefing underway." Nothing like starting her week's tenure as lead pilot by getting in everyone's face. "CAG's on deck, so take your seats."

Josh rolled his eyes but took a spot in the front row. He paid attention during the CAG's bullet-pointed rundown of the weekly schedule and managed to keep his grumbles to a minimum. Kellan gave him props for not disrupting the briefing.

When the CAG dismissed the group, she stuck around for the inevitable barbed exchange she'd have with Josh. He snapped his notebook shut and met her gaze. His piercing eyes never failed to steal a little air from her lungs, but she'd learned to bury her reaction under snark and sarcasm. Worked pretty well, for the most part.

But when he arose and moved forward, she had to glance away. The way the muscles moved under his uniform made the garment seem tailored to make a woman weak in the knees. A ridiculous notion since the quartermaster didn't allow anything but regulation duds on his watch.

Josh draped an elbow on the podium and pinned her with his gaze. "You know you only beat me out for squadron leader by two tenths of a point." His lips thinned, the only outward indication of his disappointment.

Kellan smirked. "What can I say? I outdid myself on our last run." She'd also busted her ass in the simulator to make sure she could.

Josh quirked a brow. "Why can't you outdo yourself when it comes to paperwork?" He flipped his notebook open. "Did you miss the CAG's comment about turning in illegible scrawls and calling it a report?" He pointed to a neatly written line item on his list.

Kellan's face flamed. "As a matter of fact, I didn't miss that pearl of wisdom." She also didn't miss the CAG's sideways glance in her direction when he made his statement.

Okay, paperwork didn't count as one of her top level skills.

Josh snorted. "Too bad it won't stick." He snapped the book shut. "And it's too bad we're not rated on overall performance."

Kellan let a slow smile cross her face. "Oh, yeah? Why is that?" She crossed her arms over her chest, ready for the answer.

Josh turned and started back up the aisle. "Because I'd always be in the top spot."

Kellan bit back a laugh. Exactly what she'd expected he'd say. And, quite honestly, a very true answer.

But she couldn't let him have the last word. "Really? You think you're that good?" She followed right behind him.

Josh stopped, angled his head around, and met her gaze. "No... I think the way you do everything is that sloppy."

Kellan lifted her chin and blasted him with both barrels. "Except the way I fly."

Hee hee. Kellan and Josh are fun to write. And I'm looking forward to getting deeper into the story where they end up having to bail each other out.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: XO on the Warpath

Ugh. Got hit hard with a nasty cold / flu something. It's been a miserable week trying to hit editing deadlines and maintain my sanity at the same time. LOL

This week's Teen Wolf brought back an old, well… I can't really call the character a favorite, so let's say a familiar face instead. I like having some old school peeps back on my screen. Nothing wrong with the new crew, but eh, I think a lot can be said for taking care of the roots, too. Hopefully, I'm not being too spoilery.

My shows are back this week. The Flash, Arrow, the premiere of Legends of Tomorrow, and maybe even Agent Carter. Not sure about the premiere date for X-Files, but I'll be checking to make sure I don't miss it.

And that's it for this week on the TV front.

Tonight's post is from XO on the Warpath, a novella that got its start with a two word prompt and has my hero ready to burn a lot of bridges. LOL

Here's the mini-blurb:

Garrick Mellark, executive officer of the Methone, is on the warpath. His crew is bucking orders and he's not going to deal with it anymore. Shay Vamper gets elected to soothe the snarly XO into his usual jovial self, which shouldn't be hard considering she's his current flame.

And a sneaky peek…

Shay Vamper grabbed the armrest of the chair and lifted her hips to meet the tongue flicking over her clit. "Garrick, gah! So close."

Her lover, Garrick Mellark, increased the pressure then sucked the hard nub between his lips. Shay groaned, bucking hard against his face.

The overhead comm pinged."Pass the word. XO Mellark, report to the pilots' briefing room, RFN. Pass the word. XO Mellark, report to the pilots' briefing room, RFN."

Garrick growled and settled back on his haunches. "Dammit." He quickly buttoned his shirt.

Shay went limp, frustration oozing from every pore. But she couldn't beg for release. RFN meant right fucking now. Perfect. And she'd been moments away from a mind-numbing orgasm.

Garrick shook his head. "Sorry, Shay. Gotta go see what the hell is so all fired important I have to be paged over the comms." He turned and headed for the hatch. "I swear we'll finish this…" His gaze held regret when it met hers. "Soon." He exited, pulling the door shut behind him.

Reaching down, Shay gathered her pants from the deck and shoved her legs through. "Soon. Right." Yanking the garment up, she fastened the fly. "Seventh time we've been interrupted this week. Not gonna hold my breath we'll finish anything… ever." Shivering, she dragged her shirt from the back of the chair, shrugging into it and doing up the buttons.

She settled down behind the desk, heaving a sigh. She'd known when she got involved with Garrick their time together would be hit and miss. The XO wore a lot of hats and played mediator between everyone. Scooting back, Shay stood up, figuring she'd better head to the briefing room. Anything involving pilots affected her… sooner or later. And with the CAG's poor health, she kind of wondered if maybe they'd be looking for a replacement in the near future.

Not a job she'd want to have. Not that anyone would ever be brave enough to offer the position to her. Her severe allergy to paperwork pretty much guaranteed she'd never have to worry about bucking for a promotion to an executive rank.

Perfectly okay with her. Especially after having an inside track with Garrick's headache inducing nightmare of a job.

Crossing to the hatch, she nudged it open, checking to make sure no one hovered in the corridor. She and Garrick didn't hide their relationship, but they didn't flaunt it either.

Not that they had much of one lately.

Frowning, Shay exited Garrick's office and made her way to the briefing room.

Yeah, Garrick definitely has one foot on the warpath and he'll make his irritation clear in the very near future. LOL

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Xanthic Flu

A quick break from discussing television to talk about the crazy weather in Ohio. Okay, make that the weird weather everywhere. If you're experiencing it, let me know. LOL

Finally watched The Abominable Bride and thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the back and forth and I'll leave it there so I don't spoil anything. But I'm looking forward to seeing a new season, whenever that might be.

Excited to have my shows return but also so busy I'm struggling to keep the dates straight. LOL Nothing like having a ton work to plow through. J I did catch the winter premiere of Teen Wolf and I'm glad to have that bit of crazy to look forward to each week, especially with a familiar face returning.

Tonight's post is from Xanthic Flu, which is very much a working title at the moment. It's a novella from another writing community prompt and my main characters are going to have a mix of horrible and happy. LOL

Here's the mini-blurb:

Rowan Buel and Fuller Beckett are competitive by nature, but when they contract the Xanthic flu—a nasty virus that turns the skin yellow—at the same time, it takes their game of one-ups-manship to the extreme. Isolated and quarantined together, they duo learns working together can actually be fun.

And a sneaky peek…

Rowan Buel dug down to the root of a banta tree. "Ha! I have my final sample. How many more do you have to get, Fuller?" She smirked, because he needed at least one and she knew where he could find it.

And knowing meant she'd win this round of their continuous game of one upping the other.

He grumbled under his breath. "Why do ask when you already know the answer?" He tossed his spade several feet away.

It landed tip down in the ground and Fuller walked ahead to pick it up. Rowan carefully bagged the root specimen along with some of the dirt and sealed the pouch. Rising, she stretched out the kinks in her back.

Fuller glanced over his shoulder. "You gonna show me where to find the silica root?" His lips twisted in a wry smile. "You know where to find it, don't you?"

Her shoulders slumped. "I hate it when you take the wind out of my sails." Stowing the precious sample in her backpack, she crossed the small distance to Fuller's side. "Now I can't give you all kinds of crap because you're holding up the progress." Jerking her head to one side, she started off in the direction of the silica bush.

Fuller snorted. "Why the hell would you want to be down here any longer than necessary?" He fell into step beside her.

Rowan lifted a shoulder. "It's kind of nice to be on solid ground. We don't get to head planetside very often." She enjoyed a nice break from flying sometimes.

Fuller frowned. "We're pilots. We're not supposed to be on solid ground." He spied the bush he needed to get his remaining sample from.

Rowan laughed. "I know, but you're not bitching because we can't fly. You're all pissed off because we had to do the grunt work for the lab geeks." Orders were orders and they didn't have the time to bring a full team down to collect the samples.

Fuller crouched down and started digging through the dirt. "Why did I let you talk me into taking that stupid field test training?" He cleared a nice chuck of debris and finally exposed the roots.

Rowan gave him a wide grin. "Because I would've had more qualifications than you if you hadn't taken the course with me." And she would've reminded him every chance she had. "But, hey, you didn't have to take the same class. You could've gone for the advanced emergency medical course instead." Hearing him try to pronounce the terms correctly would have been worth it.

Fuller snorted. "Right." He glanced over his shoulder again. "I could have practiced my bedside manner on you." A smirk twisted his lips before he went back to getting his sample.

Rowan kept her mouth shut and fanned her face. The thought of his hands on her always made her hot. And not because she had any experience with Fuller. She didn't. But the idea fueled her active imagination on a regular basis.

Fuller made a confused hum. "There's some kind of pouch on the root system." He shot her a sideways glance. "Wonder if I should take it back with us." He dug around in his pack to get another bag.

A loud buzzing sound acted as their only warning before a swarm of javla bugs descended from the trees above their heads. The stinging insects dive-bombed them to protect their progeny, still in larvae stage. Rowan dashed forward, swatting at the plethora of flying nightmares trying to jab any exposed skin they could find. Helping Fuller gather up his equipment, she followed when he made a mad run for the transport carrier. The horde gave chase and landed more than a few nasty welt-raising barbs on each before they cleared the hatch and got it sealed.

Fuller stumbled into the cockpit and fired up the engines. "Dammit! I'm covered in red bumps." He swiveled around. "Rowan? You good?"

She gasped for breath but slowly made her way to the second seat. "Compared to what?" Her fingers itched to scratch at the welts. "I'm breathing and not being chased, but good? Not so much." Focusing, she started the pre-flight checks.

By the time they'd finished and got airborne, she counted at least two dozen stings—and those were the ones she could see. When they cleared the atmosphere, she finally relaxed, trying to imagine how utterly stupid they looked making a frantic run to the carrier. Her lips twitched and a laugh escaped.

Fuller shot her a narrow-eyed gaze. "Glad you've found some humor. Care to share?" He set the autonav and leaned back, rubbing a patch of bumps on his forearm.

Rowan shook her head. "Just glad we didn't have the scan-cam operating. Can you imagine what we looked like?" Another bark of laughter rumbled in her chest.

Fuller's eyes widened. "Geez, you're right. The XO would've had a field day with the footage." He unlocked the seat and angled it around to face hers.

Rowan tilted her head to one side, studying him a moment before biting back more laughter. The entire side of face had a map of red bumps littered from chin to forehead.

Fuller quirked a brow. "You don't look much better." His knee nudged hers and she winced.

He'd hit a spot where she couldn't see the javla stings, but, holy hell, she sure did feel it.

Shoulders slumping, she resisted the urge to scratch. "I'll bet I've got more bumps than you do." Why not find the positive in the sucky situation?

Fuller rolled his eyes. "I'll take that action. When we get back, we'll do a full count." His fingertips scratched at his cheekbone.

Rowan smiled. "You're on. Get ready to lose."

Gotta admit, this one is fun to write so far. Still in the very early stages but the full story is outlined and ready to go.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wounded Birds

Happy 2016 to everyone!

I'm looking forward to a new year filled with reading, writing, and blogging. And, of course, sharing fun commentary about my favorite televisions shows.

Speaking of… I have the Sherlock special on tap to watch in the near future, hopefully tonight. Can't wait to tumble back into the wild world of deduction and keen intelligence. Also caught A Very Murdoch Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed the extra-long episode. Nicely done!

Agent Carter is starting in a few weeks and I'm crazy excited. Also waiting patiently for Arrow and The Flash to return. It's finally getting cold in Ohio and I want some hot shows to kick back and relax with.

Tonight's post is from Wounded Birds, a novella written from a theme prompt challenge, in this case sickness. I love trying to see what happens when I'm given a word or theme. Sometimes the results are terrific!

Here's the mini-blurb:

When weeping sickness hits a space carrier hard, pilots Minka Kovak and Channing Santclar are two of the first to go down, which creates a problem since the fleet relies on them to keep the planes in the air. But when the duo gets through the worst of the virus—without killing each other—they end up working from their isolation alcove to shuffle the schedule and fill the flight roster.

And a sneaky peek…

"Minka, cut it out. We're supposed to be gathering data and scanning it to the computer on the Delphius." Channing Santclar would much rather be getting hot and heavy with his fellow pilot, Minka Kovak, but orders were orders.

Minka squeezed his ass with both hands. "Yeah, yeah, okay. But it's boring going through the outpost logs. We should at least take advantage of being away from the ship, right?" She uploaded another file. "You know, a reward for doing stupid troll work a bot could do, but we're stuck doing it instead, because this outpost is so damned old, the bots aren't compatible with the comm systems." She yawned and cracked her neck.

Channing didn't disagree. "Fine. We finish our scans, find a semi-comfortable location, and achieve a mutually satisfying conclusion." Definitely a good reward for getting shuttled down to do stupid tasks.

Minka snorted. "Why can't you just say we'll have wild, hot sex? Because you and I might define mutually satisfying in completely different ways." She scanned several more panels.

Channing's lips quirked. "What makes you think we define wild, hot sex in the same way?"

Minka smirked. "Because any way we have sex is hot and wild." She waggled her eyebrows.

Channing rolled his eyes. "And mutually satisfying doesn't mean the same?" He loved pushing her buttons.

Minka huffed. "No. Because self-pleasuring provides a mutually satisfying conclusion, but it's not sex." She stuck her tongue out.

Channing scoffed. "Details." He waved a hand. "But I'll give you that one."

Minka paused in her scanning, reached over and palmed his erection. "But I want this one." She rubbed her hand over the stiff ridge of flesh.

Channing leaned close and nuzzled her neck. "Later, Minka. I'll give it to you later." He bit down on the column of her throat.

Minka shuddered. "Damned right you will." Blowing out a harsh breath, she went back to work.

This one is actually coming together nicely. Can't wait to finish up and see where it ends.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye