Sunday Snippet: Major Issues

I'm loving the fall weather! Mild temperatures are so lovely and the pretty colors popping on the leaves are incredible.

Another great week in television. I completely forgot to mention Riverdale's premiere. Man… I love the show. I had so many questions after the premiere my head spun for a while.

But first… let's get to this week's shows. The Flash had a great episode. I like the new Cisco. I'm definitely looking forward to more of how Barry and Iris work out their issues. Legends of Tomorrow also had a great showing. I do truly enjoy the character's interactions.

Okay, Riverdale. Loved, loved, loved the premiere. I like where things are going and while I could do without Hiram, I'll be interested to see what kind of havoc he'll create. Having Archie take a darker path is also going to be fun. And whenever Dark Betty makes an appearance I notice. I loved her giving the lowdown to Cheryl. Speaking of… wow, Cheryl's got some issues, yeah? All in all, I'm excited to see what else happens. The dark hood killer will hopefully not take out any of my faves. I'm already a little miffed one of the characters I like might not be with us anymore.

Gotham keeps getting better. It always seems to throw in a twist I'm not expecting and I love it. Nice to see Lee back, whatever her drama might be.

Arrow is also throwing some nice twists into their plotlines. I'm down with Oliver being a dad, but I was very much hoping he would make Raisa William's guardian so he can still do his second job.

Continuing on with Midsomer Murders and also got my holiday movie and show list started. I plan to completely overdose on holiday fare this year.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Major Issues, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of having a conflict with a military person with a higher rank.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Ellis Wright, a damn good pilot who works hard at her job, runs into an old nemesis—Major Anton Burnhard—and he tries to put her on the defensive again. But Ellis isn't the same raw cadet from five years ago. This time around she'll bring in her backup—Trey Shuttleworth—if she can convince him the rumor about her affair with the major isn't true.

And a sneaky peek…

Ellis Wright entered the sim room and turned the recorder off. "Don't want a log of the time I spend here." Mainly because she didn't have the okay to use the flight simulator.

But… she wanted to fly, to try and beat her current times, see if she could improve her on her excellent scores. Her competitive streak extended well beyond vying with her fellow cadets in flight school. She loved to surpass her personal bests, too.

She slid into the cockpit and started the program—her favorite—the smooth beginning quickly gave way to complex maneuvers that would often put seasoned pilots through their paces.

She flashed a smile, her adrenaline pumping. "Here we go." With her hand on the joystick, she let out a breath and fell into the simulation.

An hour later, she laughed, giddy over beating her former record. She didn't care if the time didn't actually count for her course work. The fact she'd shaved another few minutes off her time and increased her target efficiency thrilled her. She climbed out of the plane and wrote her final marks down. Putting everything back and flipping the recorder back on, she let herself out of the sim room, closing the door quietly behind her.

She started down the corridor and almost jumped a foot when an oily voice sounded behind her.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I've caught a little bird whose wings need to be clipped." Major Anton Bernhard emerged from a shadowy recess.

Ellis groaned but tried to play off being in the training center after hours cool. "Er, I'm sorry, sir. What do you mean?" Damn her guilty tone for betraying her.

Bernhard's lips twisted in a smirk. "Oh, I think you know, cadet." He held a video card between his thumb and forefinger. "You didn't know about the security cameras, did you?" His eyebrows hitched up and down.

Shit. Shit-shit-shit. Busted.

Heaving a sigh, Ellis owned her mistake. "No, sir, I didn't." So much for thinking she covered all the possible problems.

Bernhard grasped her arm and dragged her into an empty classroom. His fingers dug into her skin, but Ellis barely felt the gouging. Her mother had done much worse.

The door closed behind them and the lights flickered on to their lowest setting. A fission of fear skittered along her spine, but Ellis pushed it back. Bernhard might be a man who liked to throw his weight and rank around, but he had a standard to adhere to.

But when he turned to face her, Ellis didn't like the calculating gleam in his eyes.

He tucked the video card in his pocket and advanced toward her. "You've violated protocol, which is grounds for expulsion." His continued approach backed her into a corner. "I might be able to overlook your transgression… but it comes at a price." A slimy sneer left no doubt what he had in mind.

Ellis shook her head. "Look, I'm sorry. I just love to fly. There has to be something else I can do to avoid getting kicked out." She sat at the top of the class… that should count for something.

Bernhard snorted. "It's obvious you love to fly, you have the top scores in this recruit group. I'd say all the extra practice gives you an added edge, wouldn't you?"

Ellis frowned. "I've earned those scores from day one. I didn't have any extra time in the simulator the entire first two weeks. I proved I've got the chops first." Her skin crawled and anger boiled in her gut at letting herself get trapped like this.

The major quirked a brow. "You've also got a file of youthful transgressions, many of which could've helped you get into a room early to practice a bunch of runs." He placed a hand on the wall beside her head. "It would be easy for me to make a case for kicking you out." The other hand landed on the wall, effectively boxing her in.

Her juvenile record came down to being under her mom's thumb and along for the ride whenever she went off the rails. The thought of crawling back to Louanne Wright after walking out almost a year ago made Ellis's blood ran cold. Bile rose in her throat. She would not return to the abusive and dangerous home she grew up in.

But the major could make it impossible for Ellis to maintain her hard won freedom.

Ellis used a final defense. "I'm in a relationship with someone." She embellished only a little, her status with fellow cadet Wyatt Germaine tended to be on uncertain footing most of the time.

Bernhard quirked an eyebrow. "Is that what they're calling flight school hookups now? Germaine is destined for greatness. His family name guarantees he'll move up the ranks." The major's gaze slid downward coming to a stop at her chest. "You, on the other hand, might be required to use your personal assets to move ahead, not to mention stay out of trouble." His arm lowered to her shoulder, his fingers gripping her. "You should think about starting now if you want to graduate." He pushed his groin forward, leaving no doubt as to what he expected. "It'll be our little secret, Cadet Wright."

Ellis wanted to heave her guts up. She didn't see a way out of the tricky spot with Bernhard. No way would she survive going back to Louanne's. Flight school represented everything Ellis ever wanted. A way to be close to her dad—who died serving the fleet—and freedom from the crazy life her mother led after his death. Ellis cringed but ultimately accepted her fate.

Slowly lowering down to her knees, she reached up to loosen the major's belt.

How bad could buying his silence with a blowjob be?

I'm pretty sure Ellis won't be thrilled with how things play out with Bernhard. But she'll have the last word with him, I have no doubt.

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

ML Skye