Sunday Snippet: Luck Runs Out

The shortest month went by really fast. I can't believe we're headed for March again. It's been such a weird year and I'm actually kind of blown away that it feels like the last twelve months have flown by yet also seemed to last a decade. Seriously.

Had a somewhat busy work week and didn't get a lot of television watched. But I got a few things viewed. Started with Silent Witness and finished up the first episode of season nine.

I actually got two arcs of Classic Who watched. I think I'm almost finished with season thirteen. I like this season. There have been some interesting episodes and I love Elisabeth Sladen a lot.

Caught an episode of Peak Practice. I had to do some downloading with the IMDBTV app to get back into this one. That's what happens when I take a longish break.

As usual, I caught my mystery shows on Ovation and some Classic Perry Mason. Also caught a binge marathon of Hawaii Five-0. I'm hoping to see the last two seasons at some point.

That's pretty much it for television. Tonight's post is from Luck Runs Out, a novella that started with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Domino Montgomery and Webb Wellesley are totally different personally and professionally, but they work seamlessly together. When they land an off world transport assignment, they have to babysit a condemned prisoner and deal with an impish captain who's hiding a wee bit of a secret of his own.

And a sneaky peek…

Domino Montgomery loved her job with the Inter-Stellar Emergency Services Unit. Based out of Queen City, Mars, her work could take her to a penthouse at the top of a skyscraper or down to the tent squats where communal living took on a whole new meaning. Sometimes she even went off planet, when the ISP needed an assist.

Seeing such a broad spectrum of life always held Domino's interest, especially since she grew up around it. "I mean half my family works in the care-giving sector." Domino used to wonder if the thrill and adrenaline rush would taper off or she'd experience burnout. "But I haven't."

Nothing got her juices flowing faster than hearing the tones drop from central dispatch when a call came in. Hell, she'd been almost seven before she realized most normal people ran from burning buildings and the wail of sirens instead of toward them.

"Then again, normal depends on the way a person defines the word." Domino prided herself on not fitting the mold for the standard description. "Who wants to be the same as everyone else?" She sure as hell didn't.

In fact, she'd just returned from an out-packing trip to Mars's equator. The guys on station thought her plan to spend two weeks trekking around and transporting to and from the location in a stripped-out military plane completely insane. Whatever. Domino learned at an early age to enjoy downtime and live life. To the very fullest if possible.

Hence the reason she took her allocation each quarter and found something fun, exciting, and different to experience. "Even if one particular person tries to shit all over my party." Namely Webb Wellesley.

He'd blinked in surprise when he heard her plans. "Do you have a death wish? The equator is half a planet away from here. What if you get stranded?" He'd looked to the other guys, seeking backup.

They all shook their heads. The general consensus being she could do whatever she wanted on her vacation—even if it sounded really out there. Kind of standard for Domino.

And, hey, she made it back with time to spare.

Entering the station, she greeted two of her coworkers and made a beeline for her room, stopping short when she got there. "Oh, hell, no. This will not do." The space had been cleaned to within an inch of its life and the sickly, disgusting green carpet made Domino want to heave.

She dumped her bag and crossed over to the small dresser along the windowless wall, pulling open drawers and flinging clothes out.

Her captain poked his head inside the room. "Montgomery, welcome back." He stepped in and his lips twitched but he said nothing. "Go check your gear. You're up for a prison transport drop run but you'll need to sign off on the equipment first." He started toward the door. "I'll send your ride-along partner to get you for the briefing." He didn't wait for a response.

Domino frowned but grabbed her rucksack and headed out to do as ordered. A prisoner transport should be straightforward. Why did they need a briefing?

This one is going in a direction I didn't expect and the captain isn't playing as much of a role as I thought he would. I love it when the sages throw me curveballs. LOL

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

ML Skye