Sunday Snippet: Voltage

September 20, 2020

Kind of a crazy week. Honestly, 2020 can hurry up and be done. Thankfully, only a few more months.

Not a bad week for television. I finished up the first season of Silent Witness and got a running start on the second. I'll have it finished up this week.

I got to catch the behind the scenes video for Dirty, Sexy Saint. Really enjoyed the actors in that movie.

Also started a series of videos about casting runes. It's a topic I've long been interested in and I'm having fun learning about the practice.

Last but not least, I finally got to watch the series finale of Strike Back. There's so much I want to say about this episode! First and foremost, a heist. Seriously. That was actually a lot of fun. The double cross was also a nice little wrinkle. Breaking things down from the beginning. I loved how Coltrane got out of the gulag. Having Wyatt there and their banter was so awesome. I mean, who else but Coltrane would take a detour during a carefully planned escape? And horses! Excellent. Having Novin take on the entire casino security force also proved to be a wild ride. I'm going to miss her a lot. Loved the beats between the characters when she got back to the apartment and almost took out Wyatt.

The heist itself ended up being an awful lot of fun, with the exception of Gracie getting shot. The boat ride out ended up being beautifully filmed. Then, to find out the big reveal about the, well, I guess it's not really a double cross for the section twenty team, more a double cross of the Russians and Albanians and I love the double meaning behind the comment, "They'll never stop looking for us." Anyway … probably in my top five moments is when Coltrane blithely takes Arianna out then strolls nonchalantly past the pool boy. But my favorite moment is at the very end when the trio heads out to go their separate ways. I mean there can't be a heist episode without the going-off-in-different-directions pan out. Very reminiscent of shows like Leverage or Hustle. Good stuff. Seriously good stuff.

Some final thoughts … the only thing I would have loved as much as the actual ending would have been Coltrane finding Zarkova and / or Wyatt and Novin heading out for lots of adventures. The shipper in me will definitely let my imagination run wild on that front.

Also thoroughly enjoyed the Strike Back Declassified for the series end. I love shows that put behind the scenes or inside looks together for their fans. Having those extras is always a lot of fun, especially when the characters have become like second family.

And … that's pretty much it for television. Tonight's post is from Voltage, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tess Truvient, Gentry Malloway, and Hunter Keepman use their meta-human abilities for the cause of justice by working with a covert organization with a global reach. Tess and Hunter have a volatile relationship, on one day and off the next. Enter new recruit, Gentry, and Tess finds a much needed distraction—if only for a few months—except something about Gentry draws her in and she's caught off guard when it's time for him to ship out to his permanent post.

And a preview snippet…

Hunter strolled into the shower area and propped his shoulder on the row of lockers in the changing space. Tess emerged from the stalls and his gut clenched at the sight of her. Then jealousy kicked in.

He pushed away from the wall and folded his arms over his chest. "Looks like you've moved on with Malloway. How's that going?"

Tess whirled around, her hand drawn back to release a zap of energy. "Geez, Hunter. You gotta stop doing that. Sneaking up on someone with meta powers could get you killed." Then she cocked her head to the side. "Wait, what did you say?" A note of anger flashed in her gaze. "Did you just accuse me of something?" She planted her feet and fisted her hands on her hips.

Hunter opened his mouth to respond but Tess blasted him with both barrels instead.

She spoke slowly, a clear sign of her simmering temper. "I haven't moved on, as you so prettily put it." She waited a beat. "Not yet anyway. Since when would I sneak around behind your back?"

Okay, never. Tess always gave him fair warning if she planned to take a walkabout. He did the same for her. He'd fucked this whole situation up in a big way.

Tess pushed onward. "For that matter, when I have I ever been anything but honest with you? Or you with me?" She relaxed her stance but not her anger when she stalked to the lockers and yanked the door so hard it clanged outward to smash into the neighboring unit.

Hunter held up his hands. "You're right. You've always been truthful." His face flushed hotly. "Sometimes brutally so." Like now.

Nothing like having his ass handed to him.

She sent him an eye roll. "Exactly. So, what the hell, Hunter? Flinging accusations instead of stating a simple question like whether I'm interested in Gentry…" She angled her head to face him. "Which I am. But there's been no moving on because I do have the courtesy to talk to you first." Done for the moment, she dropped her towel and pulled a shirt over her head.

Hunter sucked in a breath. Damn. She wouldn't turn the tables on him. He needed to know where they stood.

He pushed back. "So … you want the new guy. Guess I should've expected some hot young stud to catch your eye sooner or later." Not like either of them had a lock on turning heads or having their heads turned.

Tess yanked her pants up. "You asshat. He's my age…" She turned and jabbed her finger in his shoulder. "Three years younger than you. Not like I've resorted to robbing the womb." Spinning back around, she shoved her shower gear into her duffel bag. "And I've never had my head turned before this, so shut up."

Okay, she had him there. No one—not any new recruit or veteran—had caught her attention before Malloway.

But Hunter didn't think he and Tess were done yet. He loved her, even when he couldn't be in the same room with her. That had to count for something.

He went for broke. "Look, you're right and I'm being a dick." He grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "But I love you and want you to think about that." He captured her face in his hands and meshed their lips together.

Writing metahumans is so much fun. I like to explore the pros and cons of having superpowers in a relationship.

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye