Sunday Snippet: Wasted Credits

I'm finally pretty much through the worst of the respiratory nastiness. It's so nice to breathe semi-normal again. It's amazing what a difference it makes to take a deep breath on not end on a coughing spasm.

Not a bad week for television viewing. I finished up Endeavour's second episode of the fifth season. Also caught an episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I rather like where they've put things with Brackenreid.

Finished Luke Cage and, honestly? I liked where the series ended. I'd love to see more and I'm disappointed I won't be able to. The biggest drawback to all the streaming options now is how proprietary they're all becoming. Makes me a little sad.

Watched some Classic Roswell, third episode of the first season, which ended up dovetailing in an interesting way with the second episode of Roswell, New Mexico. Isobel using her powers to freak Maria out in the classic version played against Michael and Isobel using theirs to mess with Liz in the reboot. I'm invested way more than I thought I'd be in the new version. It's moving up the list of shows I don't want to miss.

Caught the Killjoys episode where they rescue the kids and blow up the RAC… and lose one of their own. Seriously, this show grabs me every time I watch. There's so much going on but the emotional beats always shine and don't get lost in the action. I'm looking forward to finishing out season four.

I'm through the halfway mark of Underbelly: Razor. The death toll keeps rising and the "Blood Alley" episode added to it with one of the major players going down. I'm loving the odd little beats of inner betrayal and turmoil, too.

On the sci-fi front, I watched an episode of Painkiller Jane and The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Each episode had a theme of painful past memories. Also caught an episode of Birds of Prey and had forgotten this one. I think I'm at the next to last episode before the series ends.

Finally, I watched the season one ender of Pensacola Wings of Gold. It's a to-be-continued-in-season-two thing and I guess I'll watch the first episode to see how they resolve getting rid of the entire team and starting from scratch. After that… eh… not sure I'll watch more.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wasted Credits, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of setting a story around one of the main characters paying for sex. I actually liked the challenge of that prompt and decided to set it to tie in with the Furlough 99 universe.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Valora Prime can't figure out why a smart, attractive man like Hackett Barnes pays for sex. When she corners him to find the answer, his response catches her off guard and she has to make a quick decision. Let him in or let him go.

And a sneaky peek…

What the hell happened to me? Valora Prime happened. Not that he could admit his problem out loud.

Valora narrowed her eyes. "Not like you to copout or dwell. You're the most put one foot forward and keep moving on person I know." Her head tilted to the side and she studied him with a curious stare.

Hackett waved a hand. "Look, forget I said anything. I've got too much time on my hands right now." He turned, putting some space between them. "For the record, I'm not doing anything others haven't done. And contrary to what you think, I can't just have anyone." Living proof stood right in front of him. "I'm a supervisor, meaning I have to act like it." Sleeping with anyone in a subordinate position created complications. "That means keeping things simple. No fucking crewmembers." He might one exception and only one.

And he'd rather she not find out because she'd totally call bullshit.

Valora frowned. "That's ridiculous. The work around is to not sleep with anyone you directly supervise. There are more than ten crews, Hack."

He snorted. "Right. With constant transfers. What happens if I'm hooking up with someone and they get transferred to my unit?" Donovan would hand Hackett his ass on plate—something he wanted to avoid.

Just like he wanted to avoid this conversation.

Valora's mouth thinned to a straight line. She crinkled her nose, a habit she used when she didn't have a ready comeback. Or when she couldn't argue a point.

Hackett drove his reasoning home. "What else is there, Val? I really don't have time to dedicate to a full-on relationship. And aside from recently, it's not like I take a lot of downtime to find someone else." No one interested him anyway… except Valora.

She quirked a brow. "Your lack of R and R is on you. You earn the time but don't use it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "There's more to the story here. You're just not sharing."

Well, hell. She nailed it in one.

Fine. If she wanted truth, he'd give it to her. Let her wallow in the honesty she valued above all else.

And… holy shit. A factoid dropped in his mind and crystallized into something akin to a bizarre certainty.

Valora's outrageous indignation had nothing to do with Hackett using the sex dens… or the idea he'd been paying for his female companionship. Could she possibly be… jealous?

He wanted to find out. "Again, Val, why do you care?" She wouldn't answer before, maybe she would now.

She opened her mouth. Closed it. Almost literally bit her tongue to keep from commenting.

Interesting.

He advanced and she backed up. Retreat from Valora? Almost unheard of.

Hackett pressed onward. "Val? Why. Does. It. Matter. Who. I. Sleep. With?" He spoke each word as a sentence, driving home the question.

Val's eyes widened when her back hit the wall. "It doesn't. Not really." She glanced away.

Hackett grasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Bullshit. Try again."

Valora swallowed hard but met his gaze head-on. "Because you matter, Hackett. To me."

Finally. But now what?

I'm having some fun with this story. I love the dynamic between Hackett and Valora.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Wait No More

That raging upper respiratory ick from last week is still going strong. I'll be very happy to see the end of this one. But… it made for a good week of television. And my daughter's seventeenth birthday ended up being pretty great.

I started the second episode of Endeavour's fifth season. I truly love this show and I'm enjoying the guest stars also. Caught another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles too. I seriously miss that show.

I went ahead and watched the first episode of Roswell, New Mexico. I'm intrigued and it should be fun to watch the reboot and the classic show at the same time. I hope.

Caught a few episodes of Classic Who this week while catching up on dishes and laundry. Also got to watch another episode of Birds of Prey. It's back on the CW Seed app.

I'm almost done with the first season of Pensacola Wings of Gold. I'll probably watch the first few eps of season two and decide from there if I'm going to continue. Caught another episode of Lexx, too.

Watched Gotham's second episode and, man, this show. It really found its footing and embraced the crazy. I'm going to miss it a lot.

Finished the week out with Strike Back and Chicago Fire. Gracie is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She's an amazing character. Also really great to see some character bonding on Chicago Fire.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Wait No More, a novella set in Queen City Mars universe with a tie-in to Furlough 99.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zoey Blythe pushes Cash Mateson out of her life when she sees how much good he can do as an elected official. Ten years later, their paths cross again and Zoey realizes she should have fought a little harder to stay by Cash's side. Heading up the security detail for Cash's campaign, Zoey feels the spark again, but marriages and careers are on the line, even if she doesn't want to wait anymore.

And a sneaky peek…

Zoey Blythe entered the venue for the political rally and glanced around. Hot guy alert, twelve o'clock. She'd ask him where to find the person heading up this so-called debate between Queen City's two mayoral candidates.

Politics. Definitely not her top choice for a first assignment. Bleh.

She tucked her cover, still bright and shiny, under her arm and crossed the floor, dodging workers that were setting up chairs, and made her way to the incredibly handsome guy. "Excuse me, can I ask a quick question?"  He finished his conversation then turned to face her.

Whoa, boy. Seriously blue eyes gave her a brief once-over. She'd love to see if they changed color during sex.

Stop it, Zoey. You're here to work. Get your head on straight.

He gave her a quick smile. "Hi, can I help you with something?" His voice rumbled from his chest.

Zoey resisted the urge to fan her face and got down to business. "Yeah, I'm looking for a Cash Mateson." The campaign coordinator for one of the hopefuls.

What a boring job. Maybe as dull as working security detail.

The man's smile went lopsided. "It's Ma-te-son." He met her gaze and held it.

I could stare at him for days.

Zoey blinked. "What?" She really needed to stop daydreaming about this guy.

He chuckled. "The name. It's Ma-te-son, not Mate-son." He made the correction with affable grace, like he probably had to often.

Slightly embarrassed, Zoey shrugged. "Oh, um, whatever. I'm Constable Zoey Blythe, here to check in before I start my shift checking badges for the evening's debate." Maybe if she did a decent job, she'd get moved to a more exciting post.

The guy's smile grew wide again. "You're new, right?" He motioned for her to walk with him in the direction of a long table with clipboards littered across the top.

Zoey liked his casual informality. "Gold star for you. Graduated the ISP academy a week ago and got stuck with the shit job right out of the gate." Although, meeting him didn't suck.

He lifted a brow. "Not interested in politics?" He snagged a clipboard and glanced at the list of names on the top page.

Zoey wrinkled her nose. "Hell, no. When I want backstabbing drama, I head down to the wharf and find all I need. Out in the open all nice and neat." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "You can also tell who the good guys and bad guys are without a playlist." Hoping she didn't go too far with the observation, she waited for his reaction.

Her handsome new friend snorted. "Okay, you've got a valid point, there." He checked her name off on the clipboard and thrust his hand forward. "By the way, Cash Mateson. It's good—and refreshing—to meet you."

Zoey shook her head. "Aw, damn. Where's the magic hole that opens up in the floor when I need one." She grasped his palm, giving it a firm shake. "I hope refreshing isn't a code word for 'how soon can I transfer this constable out of here'."

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I love the challenge of writing a story about people who find their way back to each other.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Victory is Hollow

Ugh. Another week of crazy back and forth weather. We went from sixty-two degrees on Thursday to twenty-five on Friday. Every time I took the dog out starting on Thursday evening, I added a layer of clothes. And… I now have a raging upper respiratory ick thing. LOL Never fails.

Not a bad week for television. I caught the premiere of Strike Back and loved it. One of my favorite actors is starring this season and I'm very excited to see what he does on the show. I'm also kind of caught between the old style with Stonebridge and Scott and the new style with Wyatt, Mac, and Gracie. The former cast had more time to build the relationship between the leads and I liked how that spread over the four seasons they helmed the series. The new cast feels like they had to skip a lot of the nuance and I kind of miss that. And none of this is to say they don't gel together, because they do.

Also caught an episode of Chicago Fire and ended up being an ugly-crying mess by the end. Benny's sendoff didn't disappoint. I tend to get very emotional over signing off a fallen firefighter. With a retired fire chief dad who's still active with a volunteer department, those things hit home for me.

I'm almost finished with Luke Cage's second and final season. I'm pretty sure I'll be satisfied if Mariah goes down hard. I'd like Luke to have a resolution with his anger issues too and I think he's come a long way. Misty is just awesome no matter what so there's that.

Also caught Classic Roswell on a different app where I can watch single episodes. I'm looking forward to comparing the new reboot with the classic series.

Caught a few episodes of Classic Who this week and the Daleks are back, creating trouble as usual. I love how long this Whovian villain has been around.

Watched Murdoch Mysteries and Midsomer Murders. I love both of these series and how long they've been running.

Penny Dreadful had an interesting episode with Vanessa meeting the cut wife. The icky witch woman annoys me in ways I can't begin to describe. I do love Ethan and Vanessa's interactions so watching the creepy woman be evil is a small price to pay I guess.

Finally finishing up season four of Killjoys and, man, the "It Takes a Pillage" episode rocked on so many levels. Great character development and growth, a family reunion, betrayal, and Zeph being awesome. Can't ask for more than that.

Worked in another episode of Painkiller Jane, one I don't remember watching during the original run of the series. The show makes me nostalgic for La Femme Nikita and Mutant X. I miss the crazy creative style of that era of television.

Also started another episode of Underbelly: Razor. I'm about halfway through the series and continue to enjoy watching life in Australia during the twenties and thirties.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Victory is Hollow, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of "duel gone wrong". A fun one and I've enjoyed coming up with story for this one.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Patience Clew and Del Mindhapel are elite arms instructors for their training academy and have a lot of tension bouncing back and forth. When two of their cadets go head to head in an illegal duel and one ends up with a mortal wound, the top teachers are confined to quarters and that's when the tension really goes out of control.

And a sneaky peek…

Del walked the perimeter of the training area at the range. Snatches of conversation gave him insight into what the cadets took away from Patience's class yesterday. Patience called the reaction correctly; the students did indeed spend a lot of time field stripping and reassembling their weapons. But also, as Del expected, no one came right out and questioned their instructor's training from the previous day.

He shook his head. "They're not getting it." Damn Patience and her unquenchable thirst for fucking things up.

Del called the group to the center of the facility. "Does anyone have questions before we begin?" Not a single hand shot up or voice raised.

He sighed. The one thing Patience failed to account for… the lack of will recruits had to be seen as anything less than their counterparts. No one wanted to question their coursework, to instigate conflict. Too many years of ingrained programming for them to get past to really question the authority of their teachers.

Del picked up a P20 and turned it over in his hands. "You're all confident you know this weapon inside and out? You're sure you've got the—"

Patience cut in. "Are you going to let them test their knowledge or what?" Steam all but rolled out of her ears.

Del pushed back. "Who's day is it, DI Clew?" He quirked a brow, almost daring her to keep going. "If memory serves, it's mine. So back off." The interruption irritated him, especially since he held back yesterday until she'd dismissed the group.

Patience fumed, her mouth thinning to a straight line. "Fine. But you and me… we're not done here." She stalked to the back of the facility and paced back and forth.

Del ignored her and turned back to the group. "As I was saying, you're all confident you have a handle on how this weapon functions? No one has questions?" He laid the sidearm on the cart and glanced at the cadets. "The time to ask is before you start firing at targets."

Several hands went up. Del breathed a sigh of relief. He patiently answered the concerns and gave credit to the group. Patience did get one thing right. They figured out she omitted some information in yesterday's session. The problem? If hadn't pushed them, no one would have asked about it. The risk of one of their cadets having a weapon jam ran high, which meant anything from lower marks to the possibility of losing a hand… or a life.

If Patience didn't understand that very real possibility she shouldn't be teaching, dammit.

Del ran the group through the series of practice scenarios. Armed with the new information, most made a decent showing on the targets. Patience took the time to congratulate the cadets, outwardly showing support for their work. Inwardly, Del had no doubt, she plotted his death along with at least two ways of making it slow and painful.

She could do her best. He'd take anything she'd throw his way.

After handing out the target sheets, he dismissed the class. "Take the weekend and get geared up for the moving series of targets starting on Monday. DI Clew will have a few surprises for you when you go through the practice rounds." Usually something fun like faces on the sheets.

The cadets moved out and Patience moved in. She invaded his personal space standing almost toe-to-toe with him. Her chest heaved with anger.

She planted her hands on her hips. "What. The hell. Was that?"

Del folded his arms across his chest. "That was me saving your ass from getting a ten-day rip for encouraging an accident on the training field." He snorted, waiting for the inevitable comeback.

Patience didn't disappoint. "Right. More like saving your ass. I didn't ask you to save mine. And I don't appreciate—"

"Mindhapel! Crew!" The company commander bellowed their names. "What the hell are you two trying to accomplish? Showing your cadets how not to conduct yourselves?" His booted feet ate up the distance of the training area. "Lock that down, now. And march your collective asses into my office forthwith." He stabbed a finger in the direction of the next building over.

Shit. Del had forgotten Colonel Bellamy would be making spot inspections today. Didn't change how Del would've conducted the class, but he might have walked away before Patience got a good head of steam going.

The colonel followed them into the command office and jabbed a finger at two chairs. "Sit. And don't speak." He marched around his pristine desk and planted his palms on the flat surface. "You're supposed to set the example for the new recruits by showing them how a team functions under pressure as well as during regular drills." He gave each a pointed look. "Both of you are failing on epic levels right now." He paused, his narrowed gaze going back and forth between them.

The colonel had a point. But Del could argue strong discourse between instructors often made cadets better soldiers. Of course, he wouldn't dare attempt an explanation while the colonel's veins throbbed in his forehead. And Patience would take that as a sign Del supported her lame ass methodology. He'd keep his mouth shut, thanks very much.

Bellamy spread his fingers on the desk and leaned forward. "I don't care what's going on with you two. This is your warning to shape up or face the consequences." His gaze shifted between the two again.

Patience leaned in a little. "What're the consequences?"

Gah! Shut up. Doesn't matter what they are. They'll suck no matter what.

Bellamy gave her a wide smirking grin. "Whatever the hell I want them to be, Crew. But it won't be anything you find fun. Got it?" He straightened and dismissed them with a wave toward the door.

Del hotfooted it outside, Patience nipping at his heels. Neither spoke on the way to quarters but once they got inside, Del rounded on her, arching an eyebrow. What the hell were you thinking? He didn't attempt to speak. Not yet.

Patience lifted a shoulder. "What? I like to know what I'm dealing with." The fact he didn't have to ask the question running through his mind probably said more than he wanted to examine right now.

He blew out a harsh breath. "Right. Maybe wait until the cords aren't jumping in the colonel's neck before you ask next time." Did she always have to push boundaries?

Patience's lips curved in a wry smile. "Yeah. I'll own that bad choice." She turned to her locker and yanked the door open. "And, for now, I'll follow the course book, even if it pisses me off to work with outdated material." She slammed the metal door shut, tucking her shower kit under her arm.

Del fought off the image of a wet, naked Patience taking a long, hot shower. "And I'll work harder to communicate better." He blocked her path, hoping to clear up the earlier misunderstanding. "They weren't talking, Patience. No one was sharing information or asking questions about the stuff you didn't include. If they had been, I would've let things play out." He met her gaze and held it. "I won't apologize for putting everyone's safety ahead of letting them learn the hard way, but I'll agree your point about the outdated material is valid and learning by mistake does stay with you a lot longer." As concessions went, it might not be enough to sway her.

She tilted her head, studying him a long moment. "Not what I hoped for, but apology accepted. At least you get it even if you don't feel the frustration the way I do." Her lips curved in a smile. "That's something." She glanced over his shoulder, indicating she wanted to hit the head.

He moved aside, letting her make her way around him. They might not agree on methodology but at least they found some common ground. The next five weeks should go a lot smoother.

He hoped.

I'm excited to see where this one goes. The outline is complete and so far the characters are sticking to what's on the page. We'll see if that holds true to the end. LOL

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Victory

Brrrr. The past week ended up being a wild ride of crappy weather and really cold temperatures. Of course, we're warming up for a few days then back to the icy tundra again. I predict lots of colds and other nasty viral illnesses in the near future. Bleh.

It was a good week to stay in and watch television. I finished a 77 Sunset Strip marathon binge watch. I love the classic show, even the last season that only had Bailey as the detective. Completely different tone but good episodes.

Caught another episode of Pensacola Wings of Gold. Kind of fun to have them in a different location. Also watched an episode of Lexx. This is one I didn't remember seeing the first time around. Nice to have something unexpected.

Started the fifth season of Endeavor. I love this show. I'm kind of looking forward to maybe doing an entire start-to-finish watch of Inspector Frost once the Endeavor series concludes. I can follow it up with Lewis. Started episode two of season fourteen of Midsomer Murders. I'm quite enjoying the new Barnaby and somewhat different tone of the show.

Finally got to watch the fifth season premiere of Gotham. The app on my streaming device was being contrary and kept stopping before the opening credits even rolled. Played the stupid ads though. Loved the opening episode. Between this show and Riverdale, the batshit crazy can't be topped. Just saying.

I caught some more Classic Who, finishing up the space museum episodes and starting on the next Dalek arc. Also binge watched a day of Mod Squad.

That's it for television. A little lighter than I originally thought. Tonight's post is from Victory, a sexy short that started with a scene prompt of writing about the metal decking of a ship and how it plays into the story.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nevin Fram and Chase Barlow put everything on the line when they wager who can get the drop on the other first with a hot kiss. Nevin executes a plan to catch Chase during a sparring match but he turns the tables on her and wins. Nevin wants to go double or nothing, but first her brain has to start functioning again.

And a sneaky peek…

"You know what? You're on." Chase Barlow stood toe-to-toe with his coworker and current girlfriend.

Nevin Fram quirked a brow. "Are you serious?" Disbelief rang in her tone.

How did this conversation spiral out of control so quickly?

Chase didn't back down. "Dead serious." He folded his arms across his chest. "Not thinking of backing out, are you?" He'd bet his next pay grade she wouldn't.

Nevin didn't know the meaning of quit while being ahead.

Of course, he apparently didn't either.

How did this conversation get out of control again?

Nevin thrust her hand out. "You know me better than that." She wiggled her fingers for emphasis.

Chase grasped her palm, squeezing gently before tugging her forward. "You know what this means, right?" Just to be clear… Nevin didn't always play by the rules.

She smirked. "Of course, I do." She tilted her chin up, bringing her mouth thisclose to his. "It means no more sneaking around to lock lips. The next time your mouth touches mine, it'll be on full public display." She backed away quickly, the tease.

Chase still had her hand and didn't let go. "And whoever gets the drop on the other wins, which means the loser has to follow through on their wager." And after what she made him promise to do…

He didn't plan to lose. No way in hell.

Nevin pulled free of his grasp. "May the extra, most bestest person win." After giving him a mock salute, she turned and started for the hatch. "Which will be me." Her hips wiggled and shimmied before she ducked into the corridor.

He loved the way her ass moved, which she absolutely took advantage of. And became the reason he extracted the promise of what she'd do if she lost their bet.

He couldn't wait. "We'll see about that, Nev."

Following her out into the corridor, he came up with the perfect plan to win.

His lips curved in a wide smile. "When you're least expecting it, Nev… expect it."

But she wouldn't. She never did.

Nevin and Chase's go big or go home wager is a lot of fun to write. Here's hoping I can get this one finished up and out into the world soon.

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

ML Skye