Sunday Snippet: Explosive Situation

I'm a little surprised May is at an end and I shouldn't be. Then again, I spent the entire week getting days mixed up so there's that.

Pretty decent week of television viewing. I started out by finishing the Roswell, New Mexico episode and, frankly, loved it. I like that Maria didn't let Liz off the hook. I'm so glad she knows what's going on now. I also hope she gets over the betrayal and becomes an ally for the alien side. I'm very cautious about Cameron's appearance. Something tells me she's going to be doing a lot of backstabbing but for a good reason. I don't for a moment believe Jesse is as bad off as he makes out to be and we'll be seeing his evil ways rear their ugly heads again. And, finally, Isabel. What a terrific episode for her. I enjoyed the way her connection to Max was explored and explained. I'll look forward to more of this type of storyline for her.

On a fun note, I got to watch my daughter's graduation via YouTube. I can honestly say it was rather nice to sit in a cool house to see her get her diploma rather than sitting in a hot stadium. The circumstances might not have been ideal, but the school put a ton of effort into making the graduation special and I appreciate their work.

I started an episode of The Heart Guy and, well, didn't finish it. The show isn't grabbing me the way I'd hoped. I'll probably come back to it later.

Also caught another episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed it. For a show that's well over twenty years old, some of the storylines are very relevant to today's circumstances.

Caught the beginning arc of the fourth doctor on Classic Who. Four has a long, long run for the show and I'm excited to get started on his tenure.

Watched one episode of Gargoyles and it's another one I didn't remember from my initial viewing. Pretty decent episode with some cat and mouse maneuvers.

Was able to get in another episode of Strike Back and quite enjoyed it. The team now knows what's going on with the blood vendetta and I'm excited for the final three episodes. Can't wait to see how the series ends. The declassified behind the scenes also ended up being really enjoyable.

Caught another episode of The Witcher and I'm getting sucked deeper into the mythology of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed all three storylines, two of which converged together in this episode. I'm interested to see what happens next.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. I'll be starting a new Passionflix movie sometime later tonight and look forward to seeing the first part of Gabriel's Inferno.

Tonight's post is from Explosive Situation, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Hadley and Tab are the go-to people for explosive situations. They work in tandem and haven't lost anyone, or each other, yet. When Tab gets caught in the crossfire on their latest mission, Hadley digs deep to save him and finally faces her feelings.

And a sneaky peek…

Tab settled against the pillows in his berth. "Wonder what crawled inside Hadley's head earlier?" She'd gone a little pensive on him.

Grabbing a book from his shelf, he flipped it open to the page marker. After reading the same page three times, he put the tome away and folded his hands behind his head. The whole situation with Hack took up the ready space in Tab's mind.

He'd meant it when he said he'd make a career change, but he'd start with a transfer. "And I'd ask to stay with Hadley if I did." Of course, he didn't speak that part out loud. "Because it should be a known fact." They had a good rapport, worked well together, and their teammates from other units meshed with them with little acrimony.

So not the case with Aldus's four-man crew.

Tab snorted. "Then again, Hack struts around like he owns the world and expects recompense for gracing it with his presence." Seniority didn't equate to being a good leader.

Tab tried to give the man the respect due to a senior member of the negotiating team. Hacksure had fifteen years in when Tab came up the ranks and started in the unit. Fresh out of training, Tab hoped to learn and hone his negotiating tactics from Aldus.

Tab rolled his eyes. "Instead, Had and I got an up-close and personal view of how to not do shit." And Aldus didn't like how much their team got called in for sensitive situations. "Maybe if he didn't always revert to blazing guns and head bashing, his team would be the go-to instead of the last resort."

Tab got how much of an ego blow it would be to have a young team come in and usurp the honors and accolades. Then again, Aldus did nothing to change the status quo. He fully expected to have the plum assignments simply because he'd been on the job the longest.

And because he cultivated powerful friendships.

Tab frowned. "I swear those relationships are the only reason Hack is still around." Anyone else would have been shuffled to another department or a remote quadrant of the galaxy that didn't require much in the way of negotiations. But Hack's friends in high places kept him in the thick of things.

A niggle of concern for Hadley settled between Tab's shoulders. "Maybe that's why she went a little quiet earlier." She'd be looking in shadows for the unexpected for a while.

Unless Tab had spooked her with his ready and willing comment.

He shook his head. "Nah. I think we're pretty clear it's a when not if thing. It'll happen when it's supposed to." And neither would let a personal thing get between them and their work.

Settling down, he punched his pillow and turned off the lamp. "I'll catch her tomorrow and make sure she knows I've got her back with old Hack."

 

I like writing Hadley and Tab. They have a great rapport and I always enjoy kind of letting readers in on the fact a couple have been dancing around their attraction for a long time.

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

ML Skye