Sunday Snippet: My Best Friend Is a Cyborg

Man. What a crazy-busy week. Our weather is still being contrary. Warm and spring-like a couple of days followed by another blast of winter. My sinuses are not thrilled.

I didn't get through a full round of television this week. I had way too many irons in the fire and needed to focus. My brain doesn't want to cooperate at all. Thankfully, I have three current projects, which lets me bounce around when I can't concentrate on one specific thing.

I did get a holiday episode of My Life Is Murder watched and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's interesting to see how the southern hemisphere celebrates the holiday in the middle of their summer.

I tried to watch the behind-the-scenes Agatha Raisin, but it wouldn't play. That's two seasons now that I can't access the specials. I'm kind of bummed about that.

I started the new season of Midsomer Murders and loved the episode. I'm excited to dive back into this series. It's fun to see an older Betty.

Silent Witness continues to be very intriguing. I really want to know who's behind the curtain pulling the strings.

Caught another Death in Paradise and remembered some of this one. Mainly the beginning and the end. Not sure what happened to the middle part and why I missed it the first time around but it's nice to finally see the whole episode.

Enjoyed an episode of Elementary. I like the slow progression of trust being built with Sherlock and Watson. I have a sneaking suspicion that Sherlock now knows Joan isn't being paid by his father anymore. I'll be interested to see how that plays out.

That's as far as I made it for viewing this week and that's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from My Best Friend Is a Cyborg, a novella that explores what happens to a couple when life throws them a curve.

Here's the miniblurb:

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 pilot briefing room acted as a refuge even if safe havens might never exist again.

Ibby's throat swelled with unshed tears. "What the hell is going on?" She paced back and forth, trying to wrap her head around the last hour of her life.

"Did I really try to choke out my best friend?"

Okay, former best friend. She couldn't count Art as a best anything now. No way.

Big droplets leaked from her eyes. Memories whizzed through her brain. Art picking her up after a particularly brutal argument over who got the next ride on the tilting rockawhirl … which Ibby lost. Art stepping in when her date for the formal dance bailed at the last minute. Going through basic training then flight school together…

Ibby swiped at her cheeks. "I will not cry for mecha-human cyborg." The betrayal cut deep.

How could he keep his status a secret from her? How could he let them alter him?

She paused and slammed her fist into her palm. "How could he lie to me?" That wound would stay raw and open for a long time.

Phil strolled into the briefing room. "He technically didn't. He had orders not to say anything." He snarled the words out.

Ibby whipped around. "Are you fucking kidding me? All mechs have to register. Who the hell ordered him to not—" She broke off and shook her head. "No. No way. Are you telling me the council ordered him to say nothing and didn't make him update his status?"

Phil snorted. "Oh, it's worse than that, Ibbs." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Art didn't have a choice. The council didn't give him one. They made the call before Art even regained consciousness…" His voice trailed off and his head jerked back and forth.

A cold chill slithered down Ibby's spine. "He didn't consent? Then that means…" She couldn't speak the rest. That means anyone could be a cyborg.

Phil grunted. "Yeah. Exactly." He lifted his chin. "From what Art told me. He's not the first and definitely not the last. This is the first stage of a new standard operating procedure." His lips twisted in a grimace.

Ibby sank down onto one of the cushioned seats. "Fuck. The hits just keep on landing, don't they?" Her shoulders slumped. "How? How can they think this is a good idea?" Stupid question … it didn't matter if the concept sucked when could keep boots on the ground and butts in the cockpit.

Not when they needed soldiers to win a damned war.

Phil settled beside her. "Oh, it's a terrible decision. And it's going to bite the convening authority on the ass. But they're banking on having enough of their enhanced soldiers in the mix before having to go public." He paused a moment then added his conjecture. "My guess is they're starting small. Something Art said is pinging in my brain. They didn't replace his brain. He's still got his memories, feelings and all that." He huffed out a breath.

Ibby shook her head. "Not sure that helps. Any way you look at it, the idea sucks." Her heart hurt, thinking about what the council had done to her friend. "I mean, look at me. Art's been in my life for over a decade. But I can't forget what I know now. How can that not change the dynamic between us?" And how could she be feeling so much pain for he'd gone through?

Phil kept his gaze straight ahead. "Honestly, it does change everything. Of course, it does. Yet … how we let this revelation play out is up to us. Mech aside, do we trust Art? If his memories and feelings haven't been altered? Do we raise a big ruckus? Make it clear to the convening authority we won't accept this bullshit?" He finally turned to meet her gaze. "If we do that, what does it do to the people that didn't have a choice? Do we have a right to blow up their lives when they didn't consent to the enhancements?" He sighed. "I'm pissed off because the council trashed any kind of good option by starting this program under a veil of secrecy." His eyes flashed with anger.

Ibby blinked, the rapid-fire commentary swirling in her mind. "Damn. You're right. They basically took any form of choice of acceptance out of our hands, but they also put soldiers like Art in an impossible situation." She got up and paced back and forth. "Shit. I can't deal with this right now. I just can't." Her heart rate spiked, and she itched to punch something.

Phil reached out and caught her hand, tugging onto his lap. "Then don't. Focus on something else." He caught her face in his hands.

Yeah, she could do with a distraction. Phil had a knack for giving her exactly what she needed. And right, she needed him.

She leaned forward and meshed her lips with his.

This story took a turn I didn't expect and that always excites me. Looking forward to finishing this up and launching it!

 

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

ML Skye

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

Sunday Snippet: My Best Friend is a Cyborg

Whew. What a crazy week. I'm still in the throes of trying to get the house cleaned up so we can decorate our tree. We usually wait until Christmas Eve to add the ornaments, which is a good thing because I've misplaced a package I bought to go along with our superhero theme this year.

I'm behind on my shows again. Between shopping, editing, and writing, I need about four more hours each day to get stuff done. LOL That said, I'm almost through the first season of Chicago Fire and, yeah, I really love the show. I'm going the DVD route because I never watch first run anything on NBC. I'm in about year twenty of a boycott and don't see that changing anytime soon.

I've also been enjoying holiday episodes of my favorite shows. There are so many classic television shows with themed episodes and I'm trying to build my collection. I also discovered a new to us channel on my local feeds and it shows a lot of old favorites. I won't complain. It's fun to revisit stuff I loved back in the day.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from My Best Friend is a Cyborg, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt that suggested writing a story about a best friend who ends up being either an enemy or someone not trusted anymore.

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…

Phil glanced at Art. Offered a hand then remembered Art wouldn't need assistance if he had cybor-tech installed.

Phil shied away from examining the squeamishness churning in his gut. And the kick of guilt that threatened to flare up. He didn't owe a cyborg any consideration.

But Art's been a friend for years. So what? The betrayal cuts a lot deeper for that reason.

Art got to his feet, shaking his head and running a hand along his throat. His skin had the beginnings of discolorations and would probably sport brusing in the next twenty-four hours. Ibby did a number on him.

Phil met the cyborg's gaze. "You'd better have a good reason for not registering as mecha." And it better not be to inform on humans.

Art rolled his eyes. "I did register. They put me under a different name." He started for the exit, clearly done with the conversation.

Phil quickly caught up. "Why? Why would the council list you under an assumed name?" Frankly, he didn't want to think too hard about the reasons.

Art slowed his gait and angled his head toward Phil. "Because of what just happened with Ibby. And before you ask, I told them it was a stupid idea. That if they wanted my friends to accept me and let me continue working with them, nothing but the truth would do." He snorted. "As you can see, I called that one right down the middle." He glanced away, but not before the pain registered in his eyes.

Phil's emotions battled for dominance. He wanted to write Art off, forget they even knew each other. But another side understood too well the sticky place the council put Art in.

Phil nodded toward the small alcove by the door. "Look, this whole thing sucks and I'm pissed as hell for what Ibby's going through right now, but maybe we need to sit down and have a conversation. Find common ground if that's possible." Which he couldn't believe he actually suggested.

Arthur narrowed his gaze. "Why? I'm the enemy now, right? What are you really after?" Distrust marred his features.

A good question. "Clarity for Ibby." Phil dropped down onto on the bench seats. "Unless you don't care about her anymore?" Which Phil doubted because Art could have easily escaped her chokehold.

Arthur frowned. "They replaced my eye, part of my hand, and my left leg. They didn't touch my brain. Of course I care about Ibby, you ass." Reluctance in every step, he crossed in front of Phil and sank down onto the opposing seat. "Don't ever question my friendship for her." The pointed look took on an eerie edge considering Art had a mechanical eye.

Phil shrugged. "Not sorry for asking. She's gonna have a really hard time getting her head around this whole cyborg situation." Leaning forward, Phil rested his forearms on his knees. "Why? Why would you let them overhaul you?" Phil struggled to comprehend.

Art heaved a sigh. "Not like I had a choice, man. They didn't ask permission when they patched me up after that skirmish." His voice took on a hard edge. "I didn't ask for this. And I sure as hell didn't want to keep it a secret." He slumped against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

Phil straightened, sick dread filling his gut. "You were ordered not to say anything?" Rapid-fire connections filled his head.

Art gave a nod. "Do you really think I wanted to keep this from you guys?"

A lick of shame lashed at Phil. "No. I guess not." Ibby in particular, since she'd practically grown up beside Art.

Arthur relaxed slightly, unfolding his arms and planting his hands on the bench. "This whole thing sucks monkey balls. Especially since it colors the way people see me now." He pinned Phil with a hard gaze. "And by people I mean my friends."

Another stab of almost guilt cut into Phil. "You're not wrong. It's a bitter pill to swallow." The worst kind because the aftertaste lingered.

Art snorted. "I've got news, buddy." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I'm not the first nor will I be the last. What happened to me is the shape of things to come." He paused and let Phil digest the bombshell of information.

Phil So, that means—

Art: Yeah, get used to it, because what happened to me is going to be SOP. Mark my words." He got up and delivered a parting shot. "Welcome to the new reality of this war."

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 be damned.

Phil's shoulders slumped. "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 shit when she found out.

I had so many bits and pieces of this one and I think they're all finally starting to come together. Here's hoping it ends up as great as I hope.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: My Best Friend is a Cyborg

Ugh. I've hit the nasty cold wall and did not bounce back. Bleh. I can happily say it's the first really icky cold I've had this winter.

Anyway, on to fun stuff. The third episode of Bitten rocked. I'm looking forward to seeing how different the elements play out from the books. So far, I love the changes. The Flash and Arrow each turned in solid episodes. Have to wait until mid-March for a new episode of The Flash, which is probably a good thing. I'm probably in the minority, but I actually want a lot less Iris. She's not my favorite character.

Tonight's post is from My Best Friend is a Cyborg, a fun little novella where a long standing friendship is tested and a new relationship almost bites the dust.

Here's the tagline:

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…

Ibby snarled. "Why aren't you fighting? Using your super-strength to put me down?" Her grip tightened around Arthur's throat.

He put his hand over hers and gently squeezed. "Because you're my best friend." His words were garbled due to lack of oxygen.

Ibby didn't relent. "I’m not anything to you. Not anymore." She pushed harder against Arthur's windpipe.

"Ibby! What the flaming hell are you doing?" Strong fingers grasped her bicep, jerking her away from Arthur.

Phil. Dammit.

Art slumped to the floor, dragging in huge gasps of air.

Ibby whirled, facing Phil. "He's a cyborg. A cyborg." She spit the words out, hating the bitter aftertaste they left in her mouth.

Phil's eyes widened and his head whipped around, taking in the sight of Arthur, a tangled heap against the wall.

A stab of satisfaction hit Ibby when Phil's lip curled in a grimace, but it didn't last long.

Phil directed his attention her way again. "Okay, he's a mecha-human. Doesn't give you the right to kill him." He grabbed her arm and spun her toward the exit. "Get out of here, cool off, and pray he doesn't press charges against you."

Ibby stopped short. She hadn't thought about legal repercussions. Then again, she never dreamed her best friend since childhood would turn out to be something she loathed.

Squaring her shoulders, she nodded. "Right. Leaving now." She paused at the exit. "Sorry to leave you with the clean-up." She ducked through the doorway and walked away, finally letting the pain of betrayal and loss take residence in her mind.

My best friend is a cyborg.

Ibby's got some issues and they're only just getting started. J

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

ML Skye