Sunday Snippet: Breaking Through (Book two of Mind Games)

Happy holidays to those who celebrate. We had a lovely day, even if the temperatures were in the mid-teens. It's way better than the minus ten degrees we had earlier in the week.

I had some catching up to do with a work project and didn't get much watched, but I did catch a couple more episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. I guess I'll be watching all next month also because it's going to be removed from HBOMax.

I got to catch a couple of good episodes, featuring The Joker and Harley. Bane made his first appearance and the Clock King showed up again. Harvey and Two Face along with the Riddler both had episodes. And the episode with Baby Doll ended up being better than I remembered.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Breaking Through, a novella in what I'm calling the Mind Games series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Race Markington finally has Echo Dart, the woman he wants to spend the future with. His one problem? She's been brainwashed by the enemy and he has to find a way to break through and get his Echo back.

And a sneaky peek…

Race followed Echo into the cockpit. "I don't like this. Trussing you up for the flight back to the carrier sucks on seven different levels." They didn't have much choice, but didn't mean he liked it one damn bit.

Echo settled in the copilot seat and slid her gaze in his direction. "Having me as a captive audience? How can that suck?" Her lips twisted in a wry smile. "You can't take the chance I'll go off the track again. Crashing would not be on my list of things to do today. I wanna get the hell out of here." She nodded toward the base of the chair, indicating what he should do.

Heaving a sigh, he approached from behind and used two tether strips to bind her legs to the metal rails. "At least it's a short trip." Unless they encountered enemy fire before they cleared atmosphere.

Echo lifted her chin. "There is that." Her features softened. "Never thought I'd get to go home … even if the welcome won't be warm." She kept her gaze straight ahead.

Race strapped in and started the preflight process. "No one knows the sitrep yet. Not even the old man." They'd have to handle her arrival with some caution.

Echo twined her fingers together then straightened them out. She couldn't do much else with the zip cords around her wrists. Race didn't envy her limited mobility … even if two days ago he'd have been close to thrilled to have her under lock and key.

She finally glanced toward him. "We won't be able to keep anything from anyone when I walk off this ship with my hands bound. The whole saga of Race and Echo is going to begin all over again." Dejection filled her tone.

Race's lips quirked. "Probably. But the sequel's gonna have a different ending this time." He wouldn't give up on her anymore.

Echo tsked. "It might. But there's no guarantee it'll be a happy one." She lifted her bound hands. "We might not be able to figure out how to keep me from maiming and killing people."

Race shook his head. "That's true. But we'll exhaust all options and, if we fail, I'll still be there." He made a controlled liftoff into the lower atmosphere then continued. "Could be interesting to have dinner every evening with a lance corporal standing guard over us."

Echo reacted the way he wanted her to. She sputtered out a chuckle then threw her head back and laughed.

The sound filled him with hope.

This series is taking some twists I didn't foresee and I'm totally okay with that. I think there will be one or two more follow-ups, but the sages are keeping me guessing about that.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Breaking Point (Scorched Galaxy)

Think I'm finally over the hump with the ear infection and tooth issues. Feeling much more clear-headed and able to function. Low-grade discomfort is such a distraction.

Had an okay week watching more Batman: The Animated Series. I finished up season one and got started on season two, which is much, much shorter than the first one.

Enjoyed the opening of season two with "House and Garden." Ivy can be very intriguing and watching her playing normal family ended up being fun.

Also enjoyed Ra's Agul's return. I like the fact he isn't part of the usual rogue's gallery and doesn't haunt Gotham like the rest of the villains do.

I'm hoping to finish out the year with the rest of season two and three, then maybe dive into some of my favorite Justice League episodes with Batman.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Breaking Point, book three of the Scorched Galaxy series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Molly and Sloan are rock solid until the fleet reaches its breaking point and their relationship is one of the casualties … or so they want everyone to think.

And a sneaky peek…

"The explosion is just the beginning. The initiative is everywhere … and nowhere…

And we have nothing to lose."

Sloan sat going over the tape again. He'd made a full pot of strong coffee—not because he needed it to wake up—hell, he'd slept a solid six hours. A deep, dreamless, dead to the world, much needed rest.

His body ached in the best way. Molly had wanted more than a repeat performance. She demanded several encores, not that he'd complain. Something about physically exhausting himself with sex made his head very clear.

His lips quirked. "Leave it to Molly to know exactly what I needed." Somehow being replete, spent, and sated made his energy level even out and knocked the cobwebs loose in his overtaxed mind.

He heard the words on the tape with different ears, picking up on nuances he'd missed before. The speech had been practiced and designed to carry weight and have impact on a group of weary travelers. The initiative would gain momentum and, if Sloan didn't miss his guess, make a move to gain power and take over the fleet.

Molly staggered out of the bedroom and made her way to the coffee, pouring a mug then blowing across the top. Sloan sat back, watching her take a tentative sip, her slow, blissful grin drawing a quick one from him.

She turned and made her way to the desk, leaning down to catch his lips in a toe-curling kiss. "I love you." Planting a hip on the edge, she brought the cup to her mouth again.

Sloan chuckled. "You love the coffee." His fingers trailed playfully down her thigh.

Molly laughed. "Well, there is that. But I love you more." She settled more comfortably on the desk. "Now play the tape and let me listen to it."

I love writing this couple. At some point, I really do hope to get this saga out into the universe because Molly and Sloan are so much fun.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Baracas File

Had a rough week with an ear infection and a cracked tooth. The antibiotic is definitely helping but functioning with a fuzzy brain from discomfort is not fun.

I did get a lot of Batman: The Animated Series episodes in. I started with season one number forty-eight and ended with sixty-four. I'm not all the way through "Paging the Crime Doctor" yet but should finish it up today.

Again, there were a few forgotten but so good episodes. "The Mechanic" and "The Man Who Killed Batman" are two that were excellent. Interestingly, Sid the Squid is mentioned later but it's not the same character from "The Man Who Killed Batman."

Two of my favorite two-parters were in this bunch, "Robin's Reckoning" and "Shadow of the Bat." I loved both. The first because it dives into Dick's backstory and shows how much Bruce and Batman care for Dick / Robin. The second because it introduces Batgirl. Another two-part arc with Ra's and Talia, "The Demon's Quest," is also pretty solid.

I also forgot about the second concluding (I think) episode "Day of the Samurai" that wrapped up Bruce's history with his instructor and rival.

"Zatanna" is another one I always enjoy. I love seeing the journey Bruce took to become Batman. I also enjoyed "Read My Lips" that introduced the ventriloquist. One I forgot about is "Fire From Olympus," which feels a little out of place in the Batman realm but I kind of like it because of that.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Baracas File, a novella that puts the characters in a precarious position when they go after corruption.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Briggs Felderzon, an investigative reporter, will stop at nothing to discover what's in the Baracas File, the contents of which results in his brother's death. Myrrh Gold, his brother's partner in the Inter-Stellar Police, decides to help him … but Briggs isn't sure he trusts her.

And a sneaky peek…

Myrrh spent the two days following a departmental debriefing about Zell's death reading the entire contents of the Baracas file.

Two things became very clear. "He died because of me." Inadvertently, but the burden didn't lessen because she'd walked away from her not so straight and narrow family business.

He'd been right about being targets. Obviously. But she'd been so certain no one could possibly know they had the file.

Her fingers practically burned holding the assortment of reports, court documents, and communiqués. "Yet less than five hours after I liberated it, Zell is targeted and eliminated." Only someone in the department would miss it.

The big question? Who? Unless someone did a daily check—and that had to be the case—the file shouldn't have been missed. The plan had been she and Zell would scan the contents and return the bulky package to the evidence room.

Rising from her couch, she paced back and forth. "I got away clean. I know I did." She'd learned from the best and put her skill to use from the age of eight to seventeen.

She kept up with the latest safeguards and equipment, too. As an inter-stellar police officer, she had access to the newest technology. Zell used to challenge her to test her knowledge.

She paused. "Testing my knowledge got him killed." And put her in the line of fire … unless her family connections gave her cover.

Several distant relatives were listed in the file. The ones with ties to organized crime. And one or two appeared to have connections to bigwigs in the police department hierarchy.

She huffed out a breath. "That's new info." And the one person she'd normally share the intelligence with, the only one she trusted, no longer existed.

Sinking back down onto her sofa, she fought a wave of grief. I'll bring down the person who murdered you, Zell. Justice will be served.

If she lived long enough to mete it out…

I like how this story is coming together even if it's a little slow going. We might also see a character or two pop up from other books set in the Queen City universe.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Banter and Brawling and Sex, Oh My

December is off to a roaring start. We got some interesting and good family news and I think I'm very close to being finished with my holiday shopping. I might have one or two last-minute things to figure out but that's it.

As noted in my last post, I continued with my Batman: The Animated Series rewatch and started with episode thirty-one and ended with episode forty-seven. I had forgotten a couple of those episodes, in particular "His Silicone Soul" and "Off Balance," which introduced Talia and Ra's Al Ghul.

There were also several of my favorite episodes in this bunch. "Beware the Gray Ghost," "Christmas with the Joker," "Almost Got 'Im," and "Harley and Ivy." Christmas with the Joker is one of my all-time faves and I usually watch it on a yearly basis.

I'm enjoying the rewatch so much, I'm probably going to continue through the end of the year. I have a lot of love for this show.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Banter and Brawling and Sex, Oh My, a probably bonus read from the Top Dog Pilots series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Max Cutter always goes along for the ride with Maggie Harper. He pretty much has to … she always gets into the most interesting situations and someone has to cover her ass.

And a sneaky peek…

A commotion drew Maggie's attention away from the conversation. A fellow military man, probably a grunt patrolling the mine, got caught in the crosshairs of a two groups of rowdy miners having a major disagreement.

The guy should've known better than to hit a watering hole filled with the people he kept in line all day. But it sucked to be off-duty and not really have any place to go. Cutter had a notion of how important blowing off steam could be—he and Maggie certainly figured out a way during the flight qualifications and readiness training. His lips quirked, but he focused hard to not get too caught up in the memory.

Maggie nudged his arm and shot him a look.

Cutter shook his head. "Oh, no. You don't really wanna get involved in this, do you?" He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "After the week we just had?"

Maggie shrugged. "How can we not? A dozen to one? Not very good odds, Cutter." She turned her attention back to the ruckus. "The guy needs some help."

Max did a quick scan of the bar. Two crewmen from other ships sat over in the corner and about twenty more miners filled the place. Once he and Maggie got involved, the odds were sure to go from bad to beyond fucked. But … what the hell? The lone guy didn't stand a chance otherwise.

Cutter sighed, dropped his arms, and scooted his chair away from the table.

Maggie grinned. "Knew you'd see it my way."

She got up and spun her chair around, grabbing the backrest and lifting it off the ground. She charged forward and jabbed it into the first beefy guy she came across.

Cutter followed her into the fray, punching the miner in the face and watched him drop like a stone.

Maggie glanced back, a wide smile splitting her face. "Nice one, Cutter." She jerked her head to the left. "Let's even things up a little and take out the giant over there."

She didn't wait for a response. She hefted the chair over her head and brought it crashing down on the shoulders of the second biggest guy in the room. His head whipped back and forth and he turned, cocking his arm, the muscles bunching up under the flesh. Cutter made a flying leap and kicked out, catching the man under the chin with his booted foot. The burly guy went sailing back into the wall and dropped to the floor.

Maggie let out a whooping yell. "Holy shit, Cutter. That was beautiful!" Her laughter rang out and she ducked, a pool stick narrowly missing her head by an inch or two.

This couple is so much fun. I love dropping in to visit with them and work in a little backstory at the same time.

 

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

ML Skye