Sunday Snippet: Vice

More weird weather this week. And some great news for the daughter. She ended up with three scholarships and two awards for her sophomore year. Amazing!

Solid work week with ongoing edits on two projects. I'm doing some new nonfiction work and I'm enjoying it so much.

Pretty good week of television also. I finished up the second season of Snoopy in Space: The Search for Life. I'd be happy if they did another run of episodes with this show.

Caught an episode of Cuffs and actually enjoyed it a lot even though the personal lives of the characters are all falling apart.

Watched two episodes of Silent Witness. I'm beginning to really enjoy Jack's tenaciousness. He won't let go when his hunches are biting down hard.

Enjoyed two episodes of Classic Who. I'd forgotten how the quality of the show suffered so much during Seven's tenure, which isn't a bash on the actors. They do an excellent job considering what they're given to work with.

Finished up Aliens in Alaska and really enjoyed the season. Wouldn't mind if they did more later.

Caught two episodes of Hawkeye and I'm sold. Love the interaction between the characters and enjoy the overarching plot point. Great show.

Finished up the second season of Harrow and I enjoyed it so much. One thing that really hits hard is the fact that Harrow has now murdered two people and as much as I love the character, I kind of want him to suffer some consequences for his actions. We'll see if season three offers any up for him.

Watched the Peak Practice season seven finale. Looks like some big changes for the next season with a new location for the practice. I'm looking forward to seeing where things go.

Started a quirky series with The Laundry Guy. Enjoyed seeing what he uses to bring stained items back to life. I'm definitely going to learn a lot from this show.

Caught an episode of Blue Heelers and enjoyed it. Really feeling the topic of the week vibes during this season, but it's not deal-breaking.

Consumed another MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson and liked learning about the scientific method. As with Nye, Tyson has a way of putting information out there that doesn't make me feel stupid.

Watched another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow. I'm very invested in this season already and I kind of love where things are going.

Enjoyed two more episodes of Classic Rugrats. This rewatch definitely lets me find my happy place.

Also caught another episode of Chicago Med and I'm kind of still hating the new head of the ED. We'll see if that continues. I love that Rhodes is actually on to Ava and isn't really being duped … yet.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Vice, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mercy Flynn and Bishop Hiller, two of Space Station Titania's brightest employees, have many vices, but the biggest one for either? Each other. They have to live and work together and avoiding the temptation to take things into personal territory wears on each, making the thin line of professionalism very blurry.

And a sneaky peek…

Mercy muttered under her breath. "Security detail, my ass. This is more like event coordination."

Bishop gave her the bullet-point details. Ivan Lemig, thirty-one, and newly elected as the youngest member of the Macrudite planetary delegation, the ultraconservative government of the planet Darbin. Coming from that background, Ivan spent two years dancing to the tune of the collective senate. Now he embarked a tour of the galaxy, starting with their space station.

Mercy shook her head. "And this particular dignitary is a flaming hedonist."

Ivan loved the sinful side of life—as he'd proven on the transport flight from his home world by engaging one of the flight attendants for a tryst. Being away from the prying eyes of his fellow elected brethren meant Ivan could spread his wings.

The man of the moment turned and faced Mercy. "Would you be available to spend the night in my quarters?" His tone left no room for doubt that sleep would not be on his agenda.

Mercy bit back a rebuke … no need to piss Lemig off and make her job that much harder.

Bishop made an angry sound and stepped in. "No way. Her number one priority is your security and protection, meaning she's not available for anything else." His hands balled into fists.

Mercy moved in front of her superior officer. "What he means is, as much as I'm sure I would enjoy spending time with you, I can't split my focus. It's much better if I blend in the background and manage your schedule instead of becoming part of it." She sent a narrow-eyed glance in Bishop's direction all but daring him to say more.

If he ruined the rapport she wanted to establish with Lemig, she'd punch Bishop.

He frowned but said nothing.

Mercy took that as a good moment to duck out and start setting up arrangements for Ivan's itinerary. "We're going to let you get settled for the night and I'll check in with you in the next hour or so. If you can get a list together of anything you'd like to experience on the station, I'll make the arrangements tomorrow." She paused. "The galley staff will bring your dinner whenever you're ready."

Ivan waved a hand, clearly unhappy with the idea of eating alone.

Mercy nudged Bishop toward the door and made a quick exit.

Once outside, she whirled to confront him. "What the hell, Bishop?"

His brow furrowed. "Meaning?"

Mercy quirked a brow. As if he didn't know. Being a dick to a visiting delegate didn't look good.

Bishop lifted his chin. "Oh, I see. Hey, if you wanted to stay, you could've said something."

She could do without the snarky tone.

She sighed. "Geez, Bishop. It's not about wanting to stay. I'm a little tired of you riding my ass." She put her hands on her hips. "Why pull me in if I'm such a problem?"

He paused mid-step. "You're not the problem. I trust you to get the job done." He continued forward. "I'm sure you'll handle Lemig, but I don't trust him not to try sneaking out to find some company."

Okay, he didn't doubt she could do the job. So … what had him in a lather? Eh, she'd figure it out later.

She gave a nod. "Look, I'll find some nubile companions and make sure Ivan is happy for the evening. Then I'll take a post outside the door." Wouldn't be the first time she'd literally played guard dog for the job.

Bishop grunted. "Make sure whoever you use, they're certified and locked into a confidentiality agreement." He made a left at the juncture but angled his head around. "Seriously, Mercy, tread carefully with him."

She didn't get a chance to respond because his comm unit buzzed. They parted ways and she studied him for a long moment before his warning sank in.

Then the light bulb went off in her mind. "He's worried about my stints in the dome. Probably wonders what I might do with Lemig if given the opportunity."

Wouldn't Bishop be shocked to know Ivan stood zero chance of ever gaining a foothold in her fantasy world?

I'm pretty pleased with how this story is coming together. I had several scenes that sort of came to me but they needed to be stitched together with some cohesive threads that pulled everything together. So far, so good.

 

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

ML Skye