Sunday Snippet: My Best Friend is a Cyborg

Hello, May! I'll be honest, I had a momentary freak out when I realized we're a month away from being halfway done with the year. It's so weird how time seems to fly by so fast but it also drags on for what seems like decades. Geez.

Had an okay week of television. I started a new to me show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which I enjoyed. It's pretty creepy and I'm intrigued enough to keep watching.

Watched the penultimate episode of Picard. It went in a direction I didn't expect and I'm not quite sure how I feel about where things are at the moment. I'm looking forward to the finale.

Caught another Passionflix holiday Quickie. Sexy Scrooge ended up being pretty good. I liked the couple's chemistry and the Uber driver was fun.

Started another new episode of Blue Heelers. I'm almost finished with this one and I'm interested to see where things go. They're starting something of a serialized continuation and I'm down with that.

Watched Chicago Med and enjoyed it. I'm four episodes in and I'm getting a better feel for who the cast is. It's helpful to have some experience with the Chicago crossovers.

Caught another episode of No Offence. Things are moving along at a good clip and I'm pretty interested in seeing where the new boss lands where Viv is concerned. I kind of love the feud between Nora and Viv.

Started the first part of Silent Witness. This one is very twisty and I can't wait to see if I'm right about who the killers are.

Watched another arc of Classic Who. I'm kind of amazed at how a show from thirty years ago manages to kind of hit on things that are happening right now.

Ended up getting in another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one featured segments on death-bed confessions from government officials and military people.

Also managed to finish the first season of The Muppet Show and I'm getting ready to start the second. First guest star is Don Knotts, which should make for a fun show.

That's it for the weekly update. Tonight's post is from My Best Friend is a Cyborg, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Ibby Stoke finds out her best friend is a dreaded and reviled cyborg and it sends her into a tailspin, making her wonder if the man she loves is a mecha-human. Phil McNulty is everything she's ever wanted, but if he's not all man, Ibby isn't sure she can deal with the reality.

And a sneaky peek…

The ramifications blasted through Phil. If Art could be believed—and why would he lie—more mecha-humans were within their ranks. That meant anyone could be part cyborg. Fuck.

Phil met Art's gaze. "So, that means…" He couldn't say the words.

Art lifted his chin. "Yeah, get used to it, because this"—he swept his arm from his head toward his toes—"is going to be SOP. Mark my words." He got up and delivered a parting shot. "Welcome to the new reality of this war." He strode across the room and exited without another word.

Phil leaned back, shock and dread warring for prominence. He didn't doubt Art—why would he lie? His version of events had the awful clang of truth when it came to the military brass making sweeping decisions without regard to the consequences. Who cared if being a mecha-human carried an inescapable stigma? If it helped win a war, so be it. The personal lives of the recipients could be damned as long as the tide turned.

Phil's shoulders slumped. "Geez, what are they thinking?" Putting mecha-tech in wounded soldiers who couldn't consent and then expecting them to live with the consequences smacked of short-sided thinking.

Follow that questionable action by covering it up and not letting said recipients inform their closest friends and allies? Yeah, someone's head would roll eventually. But probably not the right person. And the secret would get out. Art more or less opened the door there. In a big way.

Phil heaved a sigh. "A shit storm waiting to happen." He had no idea if or when official word would come down about the military adding mecha-tech to their arsenal. But he did know one certain thing—

Ibby would lose her mind when she found out their convening authority gave full authorization.

Phil shook his head. "I wouldn't want to be on that board right now. Hell is coming for them."

I'm still in the planning stages for this story but I like how it's coming together. There's going to be some humor mixed in the moral quandary of what the military hierarchy is attempting to do. Fun stuff.

 

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

ML Skye