Sunday Snippet: Uniform Differences

December 30, 2018

I hope everyone who celebrates had a terrific holiday. Mine ended up being lovely; very low-key and quiet with family. The days after have been filled with catching up with friends. I got to spend time with my two best friends from high school last night and we had the best time. So nice to catch up after such a long time.

It's been a slow week for television. My focus is off right now and background noise gets distracting sometimes. I did catch some Classic Who while catching up on the dishes and doing some cooking. I'm into the web planet episodes right now.

Started the Thanksgiving episode of The Flash. Really hope to get caught up on my CW shows soon. Watched Midsomer Murders's final episode of series thirteen. Nice to see how Barnaby the first retired.

I also caught another episode of Babylon 5. I'd forgotten about this one and it was nice to see Dr. Franklin fight a moral dilemma. Also watched an episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles. As a standalone episode, it worked well.

And that's pretty much it for my light week of viewing. Tonight's post is from Uniform Differences, a novella that started with a two-word prompt of "respect me".

Here's the mini-blurb:

When it comes to respect, Tegan Gruss and Ellsworth Boshuk have a few uniform differences when defining how to show it. Ellsworth is tired of her constantly busting his chops—he's her superior officer—but Tegan doesn't care about rank when someone isn't worthy of her time or effort and Ellsworth is very worthy.

And a sneaky peek…

Ellsworth flung his hand out. "Respect me, Tegan. Me. Not the rank, not the uniform. But the man inside it." Not too much to ask, right?

Her brows knit. "I do, Ells. Why would you think differently?" She shook her head.

He made a garbled choking sound. "You disobey orders, berate my decisions, and ignore protocol. How can you possibly respect me?" If she defined respect by those actions, he needed a new dictionary.

She sighed. "Look, Ellsworth, do you see me doing any of that with Tipton?" She waited a beat. "No. And why don't I?" A rhetorical question because she continued. "Because I have zero respect for the man and could give two shits if he gets anything right." She got up and moved closer to Ellsworth. "Everyone knows how I feel about him. So think about it, Ells. Why do you think I give you crap?" Her eyebrow arched.

He started to get a general idea. Didn't mean he agreed with her analogy.

She poked him in the chest. "I do it because you're worth my time and effort." Holding his gaze, she finished. "Tell me you get that."

Ells thought about it for a few moments. She made a good point even if it sucked balls. She didn't give Tipton anything more than she had to and avoided interacting with him unless necessary. His promotion didn't sit well with her but she couldn’t do anything about it.

Ellsworth conceded. "Okay. I guess I do understand. But, geez, Tegan, can you tone down the obnoxious stuff?" He lowered his voice. "Seriously, we don't have to butt heads all the time, do we?" Maybe five times a day instead of a dozen.

Tegan shrugged. "Can't make any promises, but I'll attempt to be less abrasive." She added one small concession. "Especially when I don't have to be."

Ellsworth cracked a smile. "And when would that be? I think I'd better nail down some specifics so we're not hitting this wall again." He made a show of reaching behind him to get a notepad.

Tegan waved a finger back and forth. "Uh-uh. You know I can't be pigeonholed into a commitment. I work on the fly." Her laugh bubbled up. "But nice try."

Ellsworth joined her mirth. "Hey, at least give me points for the attempt."

She sobered. "I don't have to. You're already off the charts." Her breath hitched a little. "And you can forget I said that."

He could… but he wouldn't.

This poor story sat neglected and forgotten for the longest time. I haven't even featured it on the blog yet. Welcome to the universe, my friend.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Unexpected Surprise

Happy early holidays. I hope everyone has a wonderful season full of love, laughter, and fun. If not, I hope the trauma is limited and as painless as possible.

The past week flew by with a lot of crazy running around. I did manage to get a ton of work cleared and got in some television viewing while doing so. Caught another episode of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Seriously, I love this show so much. I think I'm about halfway through the season. Also caught another episode of Strike Back and, damn, the CO pulled a twisty move I didn't anticipate. Gotta say, I'm kind of pissed and sincerely hope she gets what's coming to her. Can't wait to watch the next episode and see some familiar faces.

Caught an episode of Chicago Fire and thoroughly enjoyed. I like Christopher as the new lieutenant and it was so nice to have the weasel-like commissioner dude not around. I'm not down with that plot point at all. Caught episode nine of Luke Cage and loved the little twists. Glad to see Bushwhacker get his ass handed to him for once.

Watched Mr. 365, a Passionflix original holiday movie. I liked it a lot. Looking forward to the holiday quickie, which I might not get to until after the actual holiday. LOL

Murdoch Mysteries's sixth episode will need a rewatch. I'm not actually sure what the hell happened. LOL

I'm finished with the first season of Penny Dreadful. The last episode ended up having quite a few surprises. Good ones. I'm ready for season two. Also caught an episode of Wynonna Earp. This show never fails to throw in a crazy twist and get really messy. I like that.

Watched episode twelve of The Dresden Files and remembered this one from my original viewing. I liked having Murphy's dad in the mix. Also started episode two of Underbelly: Razor. I'll try to finish it up soon.

Watched another episode of Classic Who and finally finished the fifth episode of Doctor Who. It ended up being better than expected.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Between work and getting the final shopping stuff done, I ran out of steam.

Tonight's post is from Unexpected Surprise, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt of write a scene where a parent shows up unexpectedly on a second anniversary. This one might turn into a novella.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Roma Dobbs and Case Havensworth, two soldiers with a long and storied history, finally tie the knot, but keep it very low-key and don't tell anyone. Case's dad shows up without warning on their second wedding anniversary and gets an unexpected surprise—a not so new daughter-in-law.

And a sneaky peek…

Roma's mind tripped back to the moment she met Case. Such an ugly scene that at least garnered something good in the end.

Her husband.

Case ran a hand through his hair. "Well, our story begins at Matt's funeral." Matt Havensworth, younger brother, Roma's former fiancé.

Cal's eyes went wide. "Wait. You've been together since your brother died? That's over five years ago." He sat up straight again, disbelief warring with agitation.

Case hand-waved his dad's concern. "No. No. You said start at the beginning. Roma and I met at Matt's funeral." Under less than stellar circumstances.

Cal grunted. "Fast forward to when you got together."

Case quirked an eyebrow. "Dad, if you want to know how we got together, you need patience." Because the story almost ended before it began.

Roma finally entered the conversation. "It's important, sir." She sobered and Case grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together.

Cal caught the vibe and nodded. "Sorry. Go on." He settled back against the chair cushion and gave them his full attention.

Roma slid Case a sideways glance. He squeezed her hand, understanding her silent request. He needed to tell the story, because the bulk of it happened out of Roma's sphere of grief.

Case put an arm around her and began the tale…

Five years ago

"I walked into the funeral home to find Miriam being Miriam. And it wasn't pretty."

"Get out. You have no business being here. I don't want you here." Miriam grasped Roma's arm in a hard clinch, pinching her skin in a death-like grip.

Roma blinked at the verbal tirade not quite certain how to respond. The woman started dragging Roma toward the exit, ready to throw her out of her fiance's funeral.

Case came around the corner and stumbled on to the scene. "Mom! What the hell are you doing?" He hissed the words as quietly as possible.

Miriam whirled on him. "Get her out of here. Escort her off the premises. She killed your brother." Her voice rose with each sentence spoken.

Scott gently removed his mother's hand from Roma and refused to do her bidding. "I don't think so, Mom." He offered Roma his elbow and guided her to her seat in the second row, ignoring Miriam's spluttered outrage. "I'm sorry for the scene she's creating. Sit tight. I'll get her calmed down. You have every right to be here." He straightened and went back to Miriam.

She all but shook with rage. "What are you doing? She doesn't belong here."

Case laid things out for his mom. "Yes, she does. Do you think Matt would approve of this? He'd never want you to trash the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with."

Miriam's lip quivered. "It's her fault that he died. Always dragging him out and about in that stupid car."

The car Miriam bought for him because he wanted something flashy.

Case didn't back down. "Don't you mean she dragged him away from you?" And out from under Miriam's thumb.

His mother's lips thinned. "She wanted him to enlist. Did you know that?"

Case lifted a shoulder. "He needed discipline, Mom." Something he'd never get living under Miriam's roof.

She rolled her eyes. "He would've outgrown his willfulness." Her lips quivered again. "He was mine. You followed in your father's footsteps joining the military. But Matty was mine to guide and influence." In other words, mold and manipulate into doing her bidding for life.

Case quietly took her hand. "None of that changes the way he felt for Roma. She stays. You can either behave with decorum or taint your son's memory. It's up to you." He held her gaze, daring her to keep creating havoc.

Miriam put her nose in the air and took his arm. She didn't say a word when Case directed her to her seat in the front row beside husband number two and settled in beside her, two seats down from his dad. She didn't utter another thing to her oldest son throughout the entire service, the ride to the cemetery, or at the graveside.

  Case found Roma after the coffin had been lowered into the cold ground. "I think my mom made sure you wouldn't have a way home."

Roma glanced up at him and shrugged. "I had no idea she hated me so much."

Case shook his head. "She hates not having my brother to pin her hopes for the future on. That has nothing to do with you and everything to do with her. But she can't blame herself. She's the one who bought him a car he couldn't handle."

Roma met his gaze. "Do you blame me?"

Case frowned. "No. I'm one of the few who knew Matt's propensity for going overboard. You were good for him. Kept him grounded in a way our mother never could."

Tears welled in Roma's eyes. "Didn't do much to keep him safe. He still drove like a maniac."

Case took her hand. "Which has nothing to do with you and everything to do with his own personal demons." He nodded toward the parking lot. "Can I offer you a ride home? Seems like my mother made sure no one waited for you to say your goodbyes."

Roma blinked and looked around. They were the only two left.

She gave him a sad smile. "A ride would be lovely, thanks."

When Case walked her to the door, he apologized again. "I'm sorry about Miriam. She's got issues only she can work through. Not that she'd ever admit to being in the wrong."

Roma gave him a genuine smile. "I always wondered how your dad got tangled up with her. He's the polar opposite."

Case chuckled. "Matt and I gave up trying to figure out what brought them together for the ten years they were married. I have a feeling it was Mom being pregnant with me."

Roma laughed. "You're exactly how Matt described you." She sobered. "I'm so sorry we didn't meet before he died. He loved you so much." Her eyes welled with tears again.

Case wrapped his arms around her. "He felt the same about you. And I'm glad I finally got to meet the woman who made him happy." He eased away. "I'm just sorry my time here is short. I have to ship back out the day after tomorrow."

Roma nodded. "Will you get to spend some time with the colonel?" Meaning his dad.

Case lifted a shoulder. "I'm going there tonight. No way can I be around Miriam right now." He took a step back. "Would you keep in touch? I'll understand if you'd rather not, but I'd like to and I'm sure Matt would want me to make sure you're doing okay."

Roma fished her keys out of her purse. "I'd like that. You have my address. I'll be here at least another six months for training."

Case started down the steps leading to the sidewalk. "I'll send a letter when I get back to base."

Present

Cal shook his head. "I had no idea Miriam confronted you. How did I miss that?"

Roma's lips twisted in a sad smile. "You were grieving, sir. Case kept the uproar to a minimum. There was no need to drag you into the fray. He pretty much had everything under control." As much as anyone could control things when Miriam got involved.

Cal gave a nod; he got it. "And that's how things got started with you two?"

Roma chuckled. "If you call exchanging letters and calls for a year starting something." But it did give them the opportunity to get to know each other through their memories of Matt.

Case picked back up. "I didn't see Roma again until the anniversary of Matt's death when I bumped into her at his graveside." His lips curved in a wry smile. "We went to dinner and caught up. She was shipping out the next day."

Roma nodded. "Yeah, I'd finished up my first leg of training for off-planet assignments then followed up with a stint in the base comms center. They needed people who could translate written correspondence." The next part would blow Cal's mind. "I deployed to Armantia."

His eyes narrowed and he glanced at Case. "Did you request a transfer there?"

Case laughed. "No. Sheer dumb luck I got sent in with my unit two months later."

Roma snorted. "Sheer dumb luck he arrived when he did." Not long after everything almost went to defcon one on the clusterfuck scale.

Cal quirked an eyebrow. "I sense another story here."

Case shot her a quick look. "Oh, yeah. And it's a doozy."

I'm having a lot of fun with this story. I enjoy writing retrospectively and mixing the past with the present.

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

ML Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Understanding Truth

Well… I appear to be almost over the cold from hell. The scratchy throat from last week lasted about three days and then it all went to my chest. Those mucus busting tablets work wonders for clearing out the crud and getting lots of sleep helped a ton. I think I'm on the road to recovery, so yay!

I'm still behind on my regular viewing shows but I did catch the episode "The Icicle Cometh" on The Flash. Actually quite enjoyed that one.

Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles. My Crackle app started misbehaving and I finally got it back to usable form. I'm about halfway through the second season now.

I have one episode left of series thirteen of Midsomer Murders. Looking forward to starting the next one. Also caught episode nine of Babylon 5. I'd forgotten how truly remarkable the first season of B5 ended up being.

Watched another episode of Birds of Prey. I think I have five left. That show was a little ahead of its time. If they shot it now, it would probably be well-received. Also started a rewatch of Roswell. If the new reboot gets picked up, I want to have the memory of the original in my mind. Not sure they'll be able to pull off a decent new show.

Caught episodes of Pensacola Wings of Gold and Lexx. I've discovered I'm not as fond of Lexx on my rewatch. The episodes are very hit and miss.

Caught a few more episodes of Classic Who and started the fifth episode of Doctor Who's new season.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Understanding Truth, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of writing a story that involves a lie. I put a bit of a different spin on it, but I'm hoping it works well.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Perdix Plane and Brock Halliwell are soldiers who finally understand a few simple truths. They're not normal people, they don’t follow standard operating procedure, and they'll never have a conventional relationship—and maybe that's perfectly okay.

And a sneaky peek…

Perdix hovered outside the Brock's alcove. She paced. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Heaving a sigh, she paused. "Why can't anyone give me a simple update?" At least let her know if he might be awake.

She could grill him about his wound and fill him in on Jonesett's condition. The asshole would live. Unfortunately.

Dammit. Her frustration warred with the knowledge of what seeing Brock down and bleeding did to her. The very idea she could've lost him hit hard. Way harder than it should have.

She started pacing again. "We're not a couple anymore." Her fault because she let past failed relationships guide her current ones.

But, dammit, she cared about him so much more than she realized.

The medic that brought him in rounded the corner and stopped short. "TS Plane? What are you still doing here?" She grabbed a clipboard off the side of the wall.

Perdix almost pounced on the woman. "What's his status? Is he awake?" She stopped talking, dragging in a deep breath.

She'd get answers if she gave the medic, Jess Able—according to her name tag—time to respond.

Jess's eyebrow quirked. "Are you family?"

Perdix rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not. He's a colleague and I'm the one who shot him. Cut me a break here, will you."

Jess put the chart back and folded her arms over her chest. "He's not awake and won't be for at least an hour. We're getting ready to move him for a procedure but he'll be back in his alcove as soon as we're done." She relaxed a little, unfolded her arms, and placed a palm on Perdix's shoulder. "Why don't you get cleaned up, grab a shower or something, then come back?" Her gaze swept over Perdix when she spoke.

Perdix didn't want to leave but caught the medic's meaning. She had Brock's blood on her and probably looked like a wreck.

Nodding, she accepted the advice. A shower actually sounded damned good.

Once home and under the water, Perdix replayed every moment of the fizzle out end with Brock. He accused her of letting her demons haunt her. The demons being the shitty guys she'd spent time with before meeting Brock on the job.

"You're always caught up with your ghosts, Perdix. There's no room for anything else." He'd shaken his head in disgust. "You exhaust yourself in the past because it's easier than dealing with the present or looking toward the future."

She'd refused to believe he might be onto something. But she had to admit he nailed her modus operandi.  

Man, Brock has it right. I do better with my ghosts, always playing the would've, could've, should've game.

A truth she finally understood. "Living in the here and now is so much harder."

She thought about the hard fact all the way back to the hospital. Maybe the time had come to start facing life and stop living moment to moment. And she wanted to move forward with Brock.

Another truth that took her way too long to admit.

While approaching his alcove, voices carried in low tones out to the hallway. She peeked around the corner, not wanting to disturb the doctors if they were examining him. But doctors didn't greet her. Instead, Dionne McNair, a perky little dispatcher, sat at Brock's bedside, pretty much hanging on his every word. She'd heard whispers about Brock going out with her. And, dammit, they'd be great together.

Perdix ducked back, slumping against the wall outside his space. "Shit." Another truth slammed into her.

He's gonna move on. Without me.

The bit of truth followed right behind.

It's better this way. I'm not good for him.

Hadn't she proven that by shooting him?

And the idea Dionne would be perfect for Brock, being there for him, taking care of him after he got home, blah, blah, blah… really smacked Perdix in the face.

And she faced the first truth of living in the present.

It hurt to let him go.

And admitting to the pain might be the hardest thing she did.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped away from the wall and started to head right back out the way she came in. Luck not being on her side, she knocked a rolling stool in the corridor. Shit. Glancing up, she got pinned by Brock's gaze before she made a hasty retreat.

He called her name. "Perdix. Hey, wait."

Dammit. No quietly getting out of life.

Drawing in a deep breath, she entered his alcove and nodded toward Dionne.

Brock shifted his position, rubbing directly below the wound area. "Did you need something?"

What to do? She definitely couldn't be honest. She didn't have the balls to own the reason she truly came. So… big lie time.

She shook her head. "Nah. I stopped in to check on Jonesett and figured I'd come down on my way out." How lame did that sound? "Looks like you're in good hands, so I'm gonna head out." Turning, she waved over her shoulder. "Take care, Brock."

Once outside the hospital, she let out the breath she'd been holding and made the short trek across the parking lot to make a hasty retreat. Blindly merging into traffic, she drove on autopilot and ended up at her favorite watering hole, The Pissing Pig.

Her lips curved and she snorted. "Perfect. Best place on Mars to get over myself."

I'm pretty excited to see where this one goes. I like having an established couple go through something like a breakup then find their way back to each other.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Under a Crescent Moon

Ugh. The saying when it rains it pours definitely applied to me this week. All three of our vehicles ended up needing something crucial and important RFN. Luckily, one of our local car dealers is a friend and he let us borrow a car. Yes, I said borrow. Saving the expense of renting a car helped a lot! Then… I ended up with a nasty cold. The kind where I literally couldn't be more than an arm's length away from a box of tissues because my nose wouldn't stop running, my eyes wouldn't stop watering, and I coughed and / or sneezed every few minutes. Thankfully, I’m at the stage where my voice is gone and my throat is a little scratchy, but otherwise, I'm tissue-free. Whew!

I'm so behind on my regular television shows. Arrow is probably my favorite and I'm at least two episodes behind. I'm hoping to catch up this weekend.

I did get to watch Penny Dreadful and I'm one episode away from the end of the first season. I kind of like the jagged direction this show takes sometimes.

Wynonna Earp continues to be a favorite. The "Undo It" episode ended up being way better than I expected. This show is so good.

Watched another episode of The Dresden Files and I think I'm close to being at the end of the one season we got. So much promise for this show.

Started a new season of Underbelly: Razor. 1920s Australia is a great setting.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Between dealing with all the car drama and the cold symptoms, my brain took a vacation. LOL

Tonight's post is from Under a Crescent Moon, a sexy short that started with a writing community prompt of someone tells your main character a secret about another main character.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tyra Blanc, a top military pilot, harbors a secret love for classic old romance movies. When she's not paying attention during a briefing, her superior officer, Dev Dravenish, reveals her weakness and Tyra is caught between wondering how he discovered the information and how to deal with the all-out ribbing coming her way.

And a sneaky peek…

Tyra rolled out of bed at 0555. She'd barely make the briefing but every last moment of sleep counted.

She used a dry toothbrush with a minimal amount of paste and a bottle of water to get rid of the sticky morning mouth she hated with a passion. Swallowing the remnants, she vowed to get one of those personal one-shot coffeemakers to get rid of the minty aftertaste and jolt her system into go mode.

Dragging on her uniform, she muttered curses. "Stupid effing morning briefings. They oughtta be outlawed." She jammed her feet in her boots and exited quarters to make a semi-mad dash for the briefing room.

She skidded in at 0558. Not bad if she had anything to say about it.

Manny Ramsey blinked at the sight of her. "Damn, Tyra, who'd you tangle with last night?" He nudged Natalie Janis who chuckled when she got a good look at Tyra.

Tyra rolled her eyes. "Obviously it wasn't you." As if she'd share any details of her sex life with the leading male gossip on the ship.

Nat quirked a brow. "At least you made it on time. Bleary eyes and bedhead are a good look on you." She winked and added a smirk for good measure.

Tyra got off a shot at the duo. "You two are on a roll. Did you come up with this stuff before or after you hooked up on the hangar deck?" She pushed another round into the chamber. "No, wait. It was during, wasn't it?" The guilty flush staining each pilot's cheeks almost made Tyra's day.

Nothing like confirming a rumor about the notorious Manny, and having a little dirt on Natalie could be useful the next time Tyra needed a favor. All in good fun, of course.

She dropped into the first seat in the last row while Manny and Natalie headed toward the front. Dev entered and called the briefing to order, giving the rundown on the previous night's watch. Tyra yawned and settled back in the seat, listening with half an ear. They were flying through a neutral part of space and aside from a malfunctioning craft every once in a while, not much changed in the reports.

She yawned again and propped her head on her hand. I'll close my eyes… just for a moment. Bad idea. Vivid imagery of her night with Dev played out in her head. Damn… she loved the terrific sex. Morning briefings after, yeah, not so much.

Her chin dropped and she jerked upward. Shit. Power nodding through the briefing would get her in trouble.

Her eyes closed again after another yawn. Never again would she encourage a triple round of bed romping when they had an early briefing. Yeah, right, who am I kidding? I wouldn't trade a full night with Dev for anything.

Her chin dropped off her hand again and she slumped further down in the seat. She'd only leave her eyes closed for a few more moments.

Writing the scene where Tyra can't quite keep her eyes open ended up being loads of fun. I can't wait to writes Dev's response.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: To V or Not to V (A V-World novella)

Hello, December. Per usual, the weather in Ohio is crazy back and forth. Super cold for several days then sixty degrees then back to super cold again. And rain. Lots and lots of rain. Bleh.

It's been another busy workweek with a rush job for a holiday release and finishing up another manuscript. Throw in car trouble on Friday with not one but two vehicles and, yeah, lost the whole day. LOL

Television was a mixed bag of viewing pleasure. I finished out last week with Pensacola Wings of Gold watching a pretty interesting episode where one of the marines got set up by another government worker. Lexx's second season is at the wobbly part where one episode is great and the next is not so much. Also caught a Hallmark movie, An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving, which has three of my favorite actresses. Should be following up with the Christmas movie this week if my schedule doesn't blow up again.

I have to take a moment and rave about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. This show always ends up making me smile, even when the storyline is somewhat sad. The fifth episode ended up making laugh out loud and I needed it this past week.

I followed up the funny with some serious emotional drama in Strike Back. Almost through season five, which should catch me up for season six. I gotta say this show does a great job at not letting the members of section twenty save the day in an easy fashion. Two steps forward and five steps back is things usually go for them.

Chicago Fire is kind of losing me with this whole deputy commissioner bullshit. Kind of like Chicago PD lost me with sticking someone in just to put a leash on Hank. I'll finish out this season but if there isn't a big change, I'll be skipping the next with the exception of crossover episodes. I love crossovers.

I'm almost finished with Luke Cage's second season. I'll be honest, I'm really disappointed there won't be more and supposedly it's because of the whole Disney + streaming service that's not even launched yet. I'm all for choice and options, but when services get overly proprietary, they sometimes shoot themselves in the foot. I hope that doesn't happen here.

Passionflix debuted another Quickie with Dry Spell and it was funny and sweet but not sugary. I enjoyed it.

I also caught Murdoch Mysteries and liked seeing Terence back again. Finished out the night with a Christmas Belle, a holiday spin on Beauty and the Beast.

Not a bad week of viewing. Tonight's post is from To V or Not to V, a V-World novella that dives in the world of virtual reality and puts my main couple in danger.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mallory Biden and Surge Tempest work side by side to police crimes in V-World, a virtual reality recreation area where anyone can live out their wildest fantasy. But when Surge goes rogue to track down an old nemesis and enters the Void Zone, a dangerous, untraceable place he helped create, Mallory will risk getting trapped inside to pull him out.

And a sneaky peek…

"Hey, Mal. We got him."

The voice came from outside the office and Mallory Biden looked up from the report on her desk expecting to see her brother Rex in three, two, one…

He burst through the door, winded, and skidded to a halt.

"You tracked Surge?"

Rex nodded, breathless. He must've hauled ass from the monitoring station, two floors down.

"Where the hell is he?"

God, they'd been trying to find Surge for days. She'd been so prepped for bad news she didn't know how to respond to the good.

Rex sucked in air and gave a quick shake of his head. "Uh, you're not gonna like it." He pulled out a chair and collapsed in it.

Okay… not so good then. At least she knew how to deal with that.

Then it hit.

"Dammit. He's in V-World, isn't he?" Virtual World could take him anywhere and her job, hell… their job... gave him jurisdiction to do whatever he wanted. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Rex grimaced. "Worse. Surge is in the VZ."

The urge to punch something took hold of her. "Son of a bitch." What the hell, Surge? Did the man want to drive her mad?

Her best friend, fellow soldier, and lover couldn't just go off the grid in V-World for a few days. Nope. He had to really screw shit up by hitting the Void Zone—something he had no business doing. Not when he recently battled with an old employer—the Nemesis and hadn't quite recovered yet.

"Stupid, stupid man." Mal got up and paced the area behind her desk, worry mixed with anger, and concern merged with frustration.

She stopped abruptly and looked at Rex. "Wait. How did you track him in the VZ? That's not possible."

Her brother's smile was grim. "It is now."

Well… hell.

Rex had finally done it. Cracked the wall that made it so bleeding hard to find anyone once they hit that particular virtual setting. In V-World, they traced people via their log in… not an easy thing. Back tracing took time. Lots of it.

But the VZ didn't use a log in… users entered via hacks. And once in, they could go anywhere, either by jumping on someone else's stream and splitting off from it or by simply hi-jacking it out from under them when they stayed idle too long. If that happened, the hi-jacked user only had to log back in, none the wiser to the theft of their data.  

The process made it very, very hard to trace or monitor anyone's activity in the zone. And the VZ users wanted it that way. They didn't want to be tracked or watched… it defeated the purpose of the Void Zone.

But her genius brother found a way to do it.

Shit.

She'd have to deal with that crisis later. They had some time… but not much. Once word got out, everyone, everyone would be after Rex for the knowledge. The government. Corporations. Criminal gangs.  

And word would get out. Somehow it always did.

Right now though? Surge came first.

Mallory put her hand on Rex's shoulder. "Okay… show me where he is."

I'm having fun with this story. I started it over five years ago and I'm loving how far VR has come in those five years!

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Top Honors

I hope everyone who observes Thanksgiving had a terrific one. The fam and I went to my dad's for a very low-key dinner and quality time together. It's been a few years since we've been able to do that, which is weird because he only lives two miles away from me. LOL

I can honestly say this year I'm so thankful that my family and work life is on an even keel and I some majorly great ideas popping for both my writing and a business venture I hope to pursue in the new year. My editing work keeps me busy and I get to read new books all the time. For a book nerd, there's nothing better.

Television took a back seat to some work commitments and the holiday. I caught a bunch of Classic Who episodes. I'm in season two during the Rome arc. Thoroughly enjoy watching the first doctor.

I’m almost finished with season one of Penny Dreadful. There are times when the show seems to plod along a little. I hope that smooths out with the next season.

Legends of Tomorrow had a great Thanksgiving episode. I kind of like Nate being with the time bureau. Of course a huge showdown with his dad is inevitable. Sadly. I also kind of love Ray getting a little tarnished and being so uncertain about some of his decisions. Makes him a lot more interesting.

Wow. Wynonna Earp keeps getting better. They never quite do what I expect them to do and I love it. Messy relationships playing out on screen is highly entertaining.

Got in another episode of The Dresden Files and I remember watching this one. I hope the new incarnation stays with some of the interesting details of how Harry became a wizard. Also got the last episode of Underbelly's first season. Gotta say it started out pretty slow but ended up being pretty decent.

I watched Midsomer Murders while getting caught up on folding laundry. The entire episode… so yeah, I had a crap ton of clean clothes to fold. Also got an episode of Babylon 5 in on the same day.

To round out the week, I caught episode seven of Birds of Prey on CW Seed and then followed up with The Flash's All Doll'd Up. While I like Nora, she can be a little whiny sometimes. Hope that changes soon.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Top Honors, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of "academy graduation". So many possibilities for that topic.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Katie Beal and Hilton Hillion have a very messy breakup after she fails him from basic flight. Two years later, Forbes Hillion bumps into her at Hilt's graduation from the academy and sparks fly, but Katie won't go down the same road again… after all, her career can't withstand another setback from Forbes's dad.

And a sneaky peek…

"Nothing like a late transport flight to almost miss graduation." Forbes Hillion arrived just in time to see his brother accept his certificate and receive his rank insignia. "Way to go, Hilton." Tucking his cover under his arm, he added his applause to the others in the auditorium.

Glancing to his right, his gaze landed on a woman lieutenant standing in the shadows clapping for his brother. She looked familiar but Forbes couldn't quite place where he'd seen her before. Before the admiral announced the next name, she stepped out of the darkened alcove and started for side exit, the one Forbes had entered through. The dim light illuminating the aisles gave him a better look and recognition hit Forbes.

His brother's ex.

Forbes automatically leaned to open the door at the same time she put her palms out to push the handle. She stumbled a little and shouldered into Forbes's chest. Startled, she glanced up with a quick muttered apology before ducking out into the hallway.

Forbes followed her into the corridor. "Hey, sorry about that. It's Katie, right?" He'd almost forgotten then name… over two years had gone by.

Her head whipped around and she paused a moment then nodded. "Yeah, um, hello, Forbes." A wary note crept into her gaze.

Forbes frowned. Maybe she didn't want anyone to know she'd been here. He could understand; the breakup had been rather public.

But what better time to get reacquainted. He'd always liked her.

Moving to the side, he let the door to the auditorium close. "What brings you here today?" He shouldn't assume she came for Hilt's ceremony.

Katie's lips kicked up in a brief smile. "Despite our somewhat spectacular breakup, I wish nothing but the best for Hilton."

Forbes propped a shoulder on the wall. "I never got to thank you." Her confused look had him clarifying. "For failing him. He never had the will to fly but he let Dad push him into enrolling in the program." Something Forbes tried to talk Hilton out of.

Katie shrugged. "I only did what Hilton asked. He's got a good head on his shoulders and he's scary smart. He'll do well in intelligence."

Forbes snorted. "Unless he goes with cryptography. They're in a bit of a battle to see which one can offer the most incentive to get Hilt to sign on with them." His brother had serious skill when it came to languages and codes.

 Sadness drifted into her gaze, but she covered it quickly. "It's good to have options. And he's got plenty." She gave a small nod and started down the corridor toward the main lobby.

Forbes didn't want to let her leave. Where did the balls-to-the-wall instructor go? He'd like to find out.

He caught up with her. "Are you busy this evening? I'd love to have dinner and catch up with you." And maybe discover what took the fire out of her eyes.

Katie blinked and shook her head. "Aren't you celebrating with family?" She moved to the side of the corridor, staying out of the flow of traffic.

Forbes chuckled. "Nope. Hilt's got a late flight out to meet with a base commander. One of the ones pulling out all the stops to impress him." No doubt there would be a veritable feast provided on his brother's flight.

Katie gave him a long, studied look. "Dinner sounds great. What time—" She broke off the question when his dad rounded the corner from the main auditorium doors.

Walsh Hillion cut an authoritative figure. He strode forward with confidence, gave a curt nod to Katie, and clapped Forbes on the back.

Walsh directed his gaze toward Katie. "Lieutenant Beal. Did you have students graduating today?"

She schooled her features into a pleasant mask. "No, admiral, only a former one."

His dad's eyes narrowed and a long moment passed in silent exchange. Forbes didn't have a clue what the hell pinged between the two of them but the vibe took an awkward turn.

Walsh glanced away and turned toward Forbes. "Glad you made it. What kept you?"

Forbes kept his gaze on Katie but answered his dad. "Late getting in. The transport had a delay waiting on a colonel to make the connecting flight." Katie fidgeted and looked ready to bolt.

Because of his dad? But why?

She made a move toward the door. "If you'll excuse me. I'll let you two catch up."

Forbes stepped away from his dad. "Where can I meet you? What time?" He wouldn't let her get away without nailing down the details.

She gave his dad a quick side eye, named a restaurant and time, then pushed through the exit. Forbes stared after her. His head spun from her hasty retreat.

His dad cut through the fog. "There'll be trouble if you take up with her." His voice had a warning edge to it.

Forbes quirked a brow. "For her? Really?" He faced his dad. "And why is that?"

Walsh's brows furrowed. "You don't think your brother will have a problem with you starting something up with his ex-girlfriend… the one who failed him?"

Forbes rolled his eyes. "He might if he hadn't started dating his current girlfriend ten minutes after he publicly split with Katie." Something else had the admiral in a twist. "It's been two years, Dad. Why are you making an issue?" Seriously, what the hell had he missed?

Walsh backed off. "It's your life, son. But you could do better."

Forbes opened his mouth to respond but Hilton came around the corner, his arm wrapped around Margo James, the current girlfriend.

Walsh moved away and greeted his youngest son, leaving Forbes to ponder exactly what his dad meant by the comment about Katie. Personally, Forbes rather hoped Katie wouldn't think she could do better than her ex's older brother.

Maybe he'd find out at dinner.

I'm pretty pleased with how this scene came together. And Forbes? Well, dinner might not go the way he wants it to. LOL

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: To Create a Spy

Geez… what a week. I can honestly say I've never worked harder on a copy edit than I have for the past twelve days. I've actually never taken twelve days to complete a copy edit before. TLDR… it's a long manuscript and there were a crap ton of glitchy little things that needed review. My brain kind of hurts right now. LOL

To top the long work week off, my daughter had three nights of after-school events.  National honor society inductions on Tuesday, golf awards banquet on Thursday, and the holiday parade on Friday, which we made five gallons of hot chocolate for the choir kids to drink and keep warm while riding the float. Seriously… it's not as easy to make five gallons of a hot drink as one might think. And… my daughter's also in band so she doesn't even ride the float with the choir. She marches and misses all the chocolaty goodness.

Needless to say, I'm now behind on my television viewing. I actually couldn't watch the finale of The Last Ship. I'm not ready to say goodbye to this show yet. I'm going to miss that damn ship and its sailors so much.

I do have brief rundown of what I did get to see. Caught another episode of Strike Back's fifth season. I'm starting to like this group a lot. I do miss the instant chemistry the previous cast had, especially the leads. That said, the dynamic is different enough with this group that I'm interested in where things go. And they're completely pared down, carrying on with how the previous incarnation ended. The commander is rebuilding and restoring the reputation of Section Twenty. So… they get lots of wiggle room.

Caught the Chicago crossover event with Fire, Med, and PD. Thoroughly enjoyed all three shows. I've lost some love for Chicago PD. The fifth season kind of lost me with all the sneaky snitchy bullshit. I really want to watch Chicago Med from the beginning. Here's hoping that happens in the near future.

I'm almost finished with Luke Cage. Disappointed there won't be a third season but maybe we'll see the character is something else. Who knows.

Got an episode of Murdoch Mysteries in. I like how this show weaves current topical events into the storyline, showing how often history tends to repeat. Not necessarily a great thing, but it's fun to see how they work it all out.

Watched a couple episodes of Classic Who. I'm behind on the new season but should get caught up soon. Started a new episode of Penny Dreadful and should finish the first season by the end of the month.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from To Create a Spy, a novella that pays homage to one of my favorite shows, La Femme Nikita.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mariah St. James isn't what she appears to be when she's recruited by a covert black ops group hell bent on using her supposed skill set. But when she finds an ally in Matthew Jamison, she thinks she might actually survive the rigorous and deadly training… until he betrays her by leaving her alone in a dangerous situation.

And a sneaky peek…

The nightmare had her snared in its tangled depths. Thrashing on the cot, trying to fight the onslaught of images crashing through her mind, Mariah St. James battled physical restraints, too. But she didn’t know that.

Caught up in the terror, she had no idea she was strapped to a cot wearing only thin cotton clothes drenched with sweat. Twisting, writhing she flinched with pain and memories. The horrific flashes tumbled around, churning, pushing her deeper into the darkness.

Flash!

She answered for made up transgressions on the receiving end of her mother's pounding fists and verbal tirades.

Flash!

Forced out and abandoned at age sixteen, living on the streets, scraping by however she could.

Flash!

Enjoying her freedom, making her home with people in similar circumstances. A made up family, when it suited their purposes.

Flash!

Dragged out of a rave, doused with chemicals, and held against her will.

Flash!

Lights and darkness. On and off. Faces obscured by shadows and masks. Cruel eyes and garbled voices.

And pain. Excruciating and torturous pain.

Each new image a tether, which held fast and wouldn't let her go.

Then came the swirl of color and numbing calm, followed by droning voices humming with suggestions, elusive and out of reach.

And then the worst. The screams of agony, her own and many, many others. Trapped inside herself, a living hell filled with brutal killing, senseless violence, and gripping bloodlust.

Drowning in the depths of her own depravity, Mariah had been leg go, set free, dumped in an alley and left to her own devices. Still in the thrall of an altered state, she had no concept of real and imaginary anymore. No idea of anything she'd done.

Dragged in for questioning by the police, she babbled incoherently, trying to tell them what happened to her, but couldn't get the words out. By the time her head cleared, it became too late. She'd been charged with seventeen counts of murder.

The evidence against her irrefutable, everything happened so fast she barely had time to breathe before—

Clang!

The cell door closed on her new home. The one her mother swore she'd live in one day.

Not even she would've believed her daughter would go down for murder—not in Mariah's nature.

But the right cocktail of psychotropic drugs could alter anyone's make-up. Force them do unimaginable things at a whispered command.

In the time it took Mariah's body to expel the last traces of the drug, she'd only begun to weave together tiny bits and pieces of the things she'd done.

The nightmarish specter of her dreams had, in reality, been her. She watched the undeniable proof of her actions in court, throwing up afterwards. Not that it made a difference.

Convicted.

Sentenced.

Life in prison, no chance for parole.

A death sentence would have been better.

Once word of her horrific misdeeds got out, she became an open target in the detention center. Everyone wanted to take down the crazy, insane killing machine known only as Mariah.

The courts and prison system stripped her of her last name to protect her family. She'd tried to tell them it wasn't necessary… she had no one who claimed her. Her mother had written her off years ago.

She suffered a vicious beating her first week on the cell block. Someone—she had no idea who, her eyes were swelled completely shut—dragged her to the infirmary for treatment. The nurse kept her overnight then released her to go back to her six by nine home. The fact she peed blood for the next week either deemed unimportant or overlooked.

The second week, she got stabbed in the arm with a shiv. Fourteen stitches, another overnight stay and a refusal to take any kind of pain medication saw her back on the block. Keeping a low profile didn't work. She had to fight back.

Engaging her attackers failed miserably. Her third week resulted in a trip to the prison hospital ward. A cracked skull and fear of brain matter swelling kept her out of reach for forty-eight hours. Mariah didn't know how much more she could take and not end up dead.

Worse, she didn't know if she cared.

The fourth week, tactics changed. No one touched her, snarled at her, or messed with her. She ate alone—for once—and actually finished all her meals. But by the third day she understood why. Sluggish and out of sorts, her ears hummed and her brain revved at ninety miles a minute. Her hands shook and she couldn't focus on anything. By day five, she started hallucinating, seeing the violent images of her handiwork everywhere she turned.

Rocking in the corner of her cell, Mariah prayed for death, if only to escape the terror of not having control. When the nurses came for her, her mind saw the men in white, cruel eyes flashing behind the protective goggles they wore. She fought, kicking and screaming, refusing to go back to that place. Terrified they'd make her do more horrible and destructive things to others.

A prick against her skin and everything went black. She sank blissfully into the ether.

I'm truly enjoying this story and fleshing out the other two or three books that should follow. Mariah and Matthew are doing a slow, dangerous dance toward something terrific. I hope.

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

ML Skye