Sunday Snippet: Hand of Fate

Wow. August snuck up on me. I need someone to slow time down a little so I can catch up. I did have a great week with work projects and I'm hoping that trend continues through the end of the year.

Had an okay week with watching television. I'm going through a weird phase where I'm feeling kind of blah about everything I'm viewing. Not because the shows aren't interesting … more because my attention is very scattered and it's hard to focus right now.

I started and ended the week with episodes of Strangest Things. Seriously, there are some truly weird and bizarre items featured on this show. People are strange sometimes.

Caught another episode of Classic Rugrats. Both featured fun bits with Grandpa Lou (Lew? I honestly can't remember how it's spelled.) They also had an in loving memory of David Doyle, the actor who voiced the character. Nice reminder of his work.

Watched another episode of Madame Blanc Mysteries. We're an episode away from the end of season two and I'm not sure if I'm interested in whatever the creepy lady has in store for Jean or not. I'm on the fence about whether I hope there's a resolution to wrap this part up or if it should continue through season three, if there is one.

Enjoyed another episode of Cannes Confidential. This show is so much fun even with the dark theme swirling in the background. I really hope there's another season of this.

Started a new two-part Silent Witness. Very interesting premise. I'm not completely sure I have this one figured out, but I think I do.

Caught another Death in Paradise, which finished out the first season. Looking forward to starting season two this week.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with "Black Market." I have so much love for this episode even though it has a lot of flaws. Getting action-hero Lee is kind of worth having some thrown-in plot devices.

Watched another Fantasy Island episode and, again, I'm cautiously optimistic with how they're handling the personal lives of the characters. Also really enjoyed the fantasy of the three women. Such a great episode!

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hand of Fate, a novella that brings a couple together after one of the character's has a fateful injury.

Here's the miniblurb:

Ada Kurtz and Clark Wellington are great at their jobs, and either could pull off an upcoming mission. But when Ada gets injured, she's relegated to the sidelines, planning the operation and calling the shots for Clark. He has to take out an enemy satellite which won't be easy without Ada flying his wing.

And a sneaky peek…

Clark read over the mission parameters.

"Holy shit. Leave it to Ada to come up with something completely out of the box." They'd be lucky to pull it off.

The asteroid might be the size of a dwarf planet, but its surface was nothing but rock and toxic gases. Blowing the relay station to cut communications had to happen. The first two towers wouldn't be a problem. The darker side of the asteroid had limited defenses and the comm stations should be easy to destroy.

The other two? "Much more of a risk and harder to blow."

Directly on top of the outpost used as a base for mining operations, the squadron had fortified armaments to get through. The asteroid had pipelines running through at least half of its interior. The ore brought out kept the power going and the excess shipped out via heavy transport every four weeks.

Ada's crazy-ass plan relied on them selling the idea the latest pickup was a week early. Rather brilliant, and the element of surprise would definitely be on their side, but so many things could go wrong.

A pang of guilt settled between his shoulders. She blamed him for being grounded. Not really his fault, but he got why she did. Their constant back and forth kept them in a state of heightened emotion. Ada pulled a stunt—one that usually bit him on the ass—and he chastised her for it. Openly, the more people present, the better.

In the air, Ada went unmatched. Her intense skill and razor instincts pulled him and everyone else out of the fire more than once. He could man up and admit the fact.

She challenged him out of the cockpit, too. But on a way different level. Mercurial and often exasperating, he sometimes had no idea where he stood with Ada from one moment to the next. It became part of what made her an easy go-to example. She had zero fear of rank and stated her opinion whether solicited or not. A prime measuring device for exactly how far to not push the CAG.

He huffed out a breath. "But holy hell, what a brilliant mind." Ada had killer looks, but her intelligence drew him in and held his attention.

Even when she reverted to juvenile tactics, the weird mix of never taking herself too seriously combined with an uncanny on-the-spot decisiveness made for a heady attraction. Clark often wanted to peel back on the layers and reveal what she hid beneath. Something they hadn't had time for when they'd gone out for a while.

Too bad the timing sucked, and a war needed to be fought right now.

Shaking his head, Clark turned his attention back to the op specs. He pictured each parameter, watched it play out in his mind, and rewound to start over. Ada left very little room for error.

He'd be lucky to pull it off. He flew by the book. Didn't go for the seat-of-his-pants stunts the way Ada did. Her idea contained a hard mix of both and the whole thing hinged on him. Didn't help most of the crew knew Ada could jam this mission out in her sleep. Him … they couldn't be so certain of. Granted, everyone had doubts, they'd be stupid not to. But he wouldn't, couldn't focus on them. He had to get his head in mission mode. Everything else got shoved to the side.

Sort of. A niggling thought hovered and wouldn't go away. They could really use Ada out there. And Clark wanted nothing more than to have her on his wing. Made him a glutton for punishment, but they'd all be safer with her out in the mix. She drove him mad, took insane chances, but he'd never fault her ability.

His lips twisted. "Too bad she's probably got some grave reservations about mine." The thought stuck and he let it sink in.

Rising, he grabbed the file to head for the briefing. "I'll just have to prove her wrong, won't I?"

I'm getting close to having this story wrapped up and ready for launch. I love Clark and Ada so much!

 

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

ML Skye