Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 123

TURNABOUT: Phoenix Fan Fiction

For August, we're going waaaaay back to some really sentimental (maybe semi-mental) Phoenix fan fiction. I must have been going through a maudlin, depressed stage, because so many stories have someone dying in them .... and none of them were Preminger!

If you don't know who Preminger was, maybe you should watch the series first, then come back and read the fan fiction for the Phoenix. Honestly, some fans were really, really nasty to poor old Justin, who would have locked up Mulder as a basket case and advised Scully to get a lot more skeptical or she'd lose her badge.  Anyway ...

TURNABOUT IS NOT FAIR PLAY takes place after a number of stories were written in fan fiction where Preminger decided he was better off helping Bennu, rather than hunting him down to put him in a cage as the ultimate illegal alien.

As always, the full story will be available on Wattpad.

Preminger felt himself dozing off, his head tipping forward and the paper coffee cup slipping from his fingers, and for a moment he could do nothing about it. With a jerk, he pulled himself upright, shaking his head to get rid of the cobwebs of sleep. He looked around himself, sitting on a bench in a deserted park, late at night. Now was not the time to nod off. Time was running out. He had to --
"Waiting for someone?" a quiet, familiar voice asked out of the dark mass of trees behind him.
Pulling out his flashlight, the agent whirled around and turned it on, pointing it at the speaker. Bennu put up his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. He stayed in the relative shelter of the trees until the flashlight was turned off.
"You came," Preminger said, half unbelieving. He prepared himself for the torrent of words he felt he would need to convince Bennu to help him.
"Yes. It seems our adventures together have linked us closer than I suspected. I could sense you wanted and needed my help." Bennu shrugged, spreading his hands; "Here I am."
"Just like that? No questions? What if I was leading you into a trap?"
"We both know you wouldn't do that -- not now. Your impatience and worry are rolling off you in waves. Shall we get going?"
Shaking his head, Preminger gestured back the way he had come, and led Bennu to his car. Mentally, he sorted through the long list he would have used to persuade Bennu, throwing most of it out now that the other was obviously willing to help. He felt lost -- he had always had to fight for assistance before. Nothing ever came this easily.

Book of the Week: THE TALON

A breath of chill, stone-scented air drifted across his face, and Edrian opened one eye to see a thin, flickering beam of light come out of the wall, right where his floor-to-ceiling bookshelves should have been. Oddly, in the soft moonlight spilling through the sheer screens, the bookshelves were almost a meter to the right of where they belonged, and the light came from an opening between bookshelves and stone wall.
“Grandfather?” he whispered, understanding, and sat up quickly. Edrian grimaced as his mattress creaked. He preferred the old-fashioned bedstead, with ropes and natural cloth and fluff-bush filling in the mattress. That would have to change if he wanted to get up without alerting half the building.
“First lesson, my lad.” His grandfather held up the cylinder that produced the soft, flickering glow. It wasn’t a candle or a lantern or lamp, and the source of the light shimmered from gold to green to soft amber-orange and back again, pulsating just enough to be visible.
“The passage or the light?” Edrian asked, once he had followed Elbarto through the opening and the bookshelf slid softly back into place.
“Many things to make up one lesson. And here’s something it takes people their whole lives to realize -- the older you get, the more you realize you spend your whole life learning.” Elbarto handed him the cylinder. “Light without heat. How can that be?”

In the soft glow, a passageway extended in both directions behind the wall of Edrian’s room. His grandfather gestured to the right, where another opening revealed a narrow passageway filled with steps going up and down. They started downward. Edrian studied the light, which was soft enough that he could look directly at it and still see well enough to make his way down the steps without having to wait for his eyes to adjust. That pulsation … was it breathing? He hefted the cylinder. That was liquid surrounding the thing … a living thing?

Book of the Week: THE TALON

“Now,” Elbarto said, turning to look across the wide expanse of flat ground, where Government House perched, a massive, sprawling building that had been the first habitation on the colony world. It had grown beyond that, exponentially, so it was the government offices, the center of learning, the center of healing and science and military activity. And in times of fear, it provided shelter for refugees, both in the multiple layers of building dug down deep into the butte, and even in the caves. “Let’s see what we can do to frustrate the too-obvious minders the Council has set over us, shall we?”
“Booby-traps and bombs and sleeping drugs in their food?” Edrian whispered, leaning closer and glancing toward Government House, as if he feared someone would come running from over six hundred meters away and slap them in restraints.
“Hardly. And not half as much fun. Although some nasty potions in their food to make them sick might be a good idea.” The elderly man chuckled. “Or at least a good start. No, our duty is to defend our colony and our people and most especially our home. It’s a given the Council has called your father and Eryk away to try to … hmm, shall we say … re-educate them? Try to plumb the recesses of their minds and determine their loyalty, if nothing else. And while they’re away, these babysitters set over us, to ostensibly help me act as governor --“
“You don’t need help, Grandfather. None of us need help.”
“Hmm, yes. We’ve done just fine without the Central Allied Worlds for generations, but anyone who tries to convince them of that gets re-educated. We’ll just let them think they’re helping us, and we don’t suspect anything. When they’ve relaxed and become even more oblivious and obvious than they already are, that’s when we strike.”
“And do what?”
“We’ll figure that out when the time comes. For now, though … you’re in charge of protecting the Nightskimmers.”
“What are you going to do?” Edrian asked, while his pulse tripled and he could barely restrain a howl of delight. He had known since infancy that restraint was a matter of survival when it came to the spies the Central Allied Worlds inflicted on them on a regular basis.

The War Room

Got an INCREDIBLE 5-star review from Long and Short Reviews for my most recent Neighborlee, Ohio fantasy novel, "Growing Up Neighborlee." It tells the story of my semi-pseudo-superhero and soon-to-be-sit-down-comic, Lanie Zephyr -- whose story is also featured in the 3rd Crossover Alliance anthology, SUPERHEROES.
Long and Short Reviews

Book of the Week: THE TALON, THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Commonwealth Universe
Colonies
Downfall/Era I

The Talon is, basically, Zorro set on a futuristic, alien colony world. Plain and simple.

Except this masked vigilante rides through the sky on a winged ... well, not a horse, that's for sure!

THE TALON
From Writer's Exchange

It is a time of turmoil in the Central Allied Worlds when the governor of Rensler, his wife and eldest son are forced to attend a "conference" of colonial governors, leaving his youngest son, Edrian, in the care of his grandfather--the former governor--who must now take charge of the planet.

The two begin a secret project: befriending the sentient, nocturnal Nightskimmers.

As Edrian grows up, and unrest intensifies, he learns real heroes sometimes operate in secret, and that his position as younger brother of the next governor requires him to present a false face to the world, against the day when he must strike out on behalf of the colonists if they are to keep their freedom.

When the expected revolution does erupt, Edrian's father and grandfather are taken away, accused of treachery. His older brother flees to the wilderness to lead the rebels, and Edrian and his mother become hostages.

Edrian hides behind his false reputation of being sickly and studious, allowing him to move freely at night, freeing prisoners and striking in defense of the colony. He is only a boy on the verge of manhood, but the Talon's reputation has already taken root.

Off the Bookshelf: FOOL MOON, Jim Butcher

Book 2 of the Dresden Files.

Moon refers to werewolves.
Lots of werewolves.
It's like a crash course in the types of werewolves, how someone becomes one, and especially how to fight a werewolf -- and survive.

Our hero almost doesn't.

Regulars in the series are being established -- the spirit adviser residing in a skull. The reporter for the newspaper specializing in arcana. The tough lady cop stuck in a rough situation, caught between the FBI and Internal Affairs. The big-time, heavy-handed mob-type boss who wants Harry to be his personal specialist in the weird and otherworldly.

It's the full moon and people are dying. Just like people died last month. There's a pattern. Harry goes investigating, and because people are keeping secrets and manipulating others, of course he walks into dangerous situations where people are immediately out for his blood. Literally. Along with large amounts of his flesh.

He goofs up. He hacks off people. Potential allies turn out to be the worst possible enemies he could ever have, and someone he's trying to help nearly kills him. Plus some dollops of more of Harry's interesting back story -- and things he never knew about dear old Mum.

It's gonna get interesting for Harry Dresden. I'm really looking forward to finally having time to watch the TV series based on the books. One of these ... decades, maybe.

GIZMOS, Beauty & the Beast fan fiction

Robin smiled as she took in Mouse's chamber, filled with gizmos all sparkling and clicking and whirling and humming. She walked around, her mouth hanging open, eyes sparkling. She didn't give him puzzled, exasperated looks like some people did and she actually understood what he was talking about, when he explained what each gizmo was supposed to do.
"And him?" Robin asked, spotting Arthur sitting among all the spare parts on one table.
"Arthur. Helps me."
"Uh huh." She sank down on a stool and looked around, grinning. "I can't believe this place." She laughed. "You're so lucky, I'm positively green."
"Jealousy -- green-eyed monster." He smiled, glad to be in territory he understood.
"Mmm-hmm. Shakespeare." She rubbed at her eyes.
"No. Vincent," Mouse corrected without thinking. His mind whirled around all the things Mary said a proper host should do when entertaining.
"Huh?"
"Need things." Mouse wracked his brains. Robin was his guest, so he had to take good care of her. He decided he needed a girl's help. Jamie would keep Robin a secret if he asked. "You wait here. Gotta get someone. Don't leave?" he nearly pleaded, pausing in the doorway of his chamber.
"Where would I go?" she responded with a chuckle. "Why would I leave, anyway? This place is fantastic." Her laughter followed Mouse as he hurried down the passageway to Jamie's chambers.

Jamie was skeptical, when Mouse told her. Something in her voice made him think she didn't like Robin -- but that was ridiculous, because Jamie hadn't even met Robin yet. He explained about getting new clothes from a Helper and going Above to attend the symposium, how Robin explained things to him, about Robin's reservation getting lost, and the man waiting in the hotel.
"Gotta help. Friends. Almost as good friends as Jamie and Mouse," he added, voice softer. "Please, Jamie?"
"It sounds like you already did everything." Jamie shrugged. She didn't sound happy -- but she didn't sound upset anymore, either. "What do you need me for?"
"Girls know what girls need. Robin needs friends. You're my best friend. Share."
Mouse couldn't understand why, but those words worked better than all his pleading had before.

Book of the Week: THE SADDLE AND THE SLEUTH

            Soon after the arrival of Inspector Kreeng, Randi had bigger problems than distracting and keeping track of a bruiser-turned-dandy and his gang of powder-puff thugs. The Talon’s network of informants usually sent information in regular pulses, and she worried when rumors trickled in separately, instead of in bundles. It meant the people sending the rumors, stories and fragments of confirmed details were worried enough to bypass the routine established when her father and uncle were younger than her. Randi sent out a request for more data to the older men who acted as clearinghouses for information sent to the Talon. The request went out less than twenty minutes before Inspector Kreeng’s ship came into orbit around Rensler, so Randi didn’t have time to let Uncle Eryk know about this newest development. The welcoming dinner and formal meeting of the governor’s cabinet exhausted him. Organizing the schedule of tours for Kreeng and his assistants took up all the rest of Randi’s time, so that it was two days later before she was able to slip away to the series of caves under Government House and check her messages.
           Borderline folk vanishing. Twenty rumored. Eight confirmed. Six found dead. Eleven missing short while but gaps in memories. Suspect testing. Set’ri.
            Randi cursed when she got to the last word, the worst word anyone could use or hear in these unsettled days. To call someone a Set’ri was an insult almost worthy of death.

            The Set’ri were purists, dedicated to preserving the pure Human genome. The only problem was, they considered themselves intelligent and moral enough to determine what belonged in the Human genome and what didn’t. They worked through the government whenever possible to have defective genetic traits stamped out, through forced sterilization. And when the government wouldn’t cooperate, they resorted to midnight raids, killing children and sterilizing adults who had something ‘valuable to contribute to humanity, despite their defective genetics.’ Usually that meant a slave labor force.

Book of the Week: THE SADDLE AND THE SLEUTH

            Erianda Rensler’s world, and apparently the fate of the Human race on the colony world of Rensler, changed just a few Lunars after her twenty-third birthday. The change started simply, innocently enough. Crises had arisen, drastic enough for the Council of the Central Allied Worlds to call a meeting that included the governors of the colony worlds. Her uncle, Governor Eryk Rensler, had been suffering from some illness that wouldn’t go away, and changed symptoms on a semi-regular basis. He sent his younger brother Edrian, Randi’s father, because his physician didn’t recommend Wrinkleship travel, with strain on every major organ.
            Her mother Aura, who usually acted as hostess for Government House, went with Edrian. That left Randi the task of looking after her uncle, double-checking his security, and running a few discrete tests to make sure the physician was still a friend and not in the pay of some new enemy. She accepted her assignment with minimal grumbling. She was needed at home; she just didn’t care to be saddled with the onerous duties of acting as hostess.
            “On the bright side,” her uncle said, when she grumbled to him over an after-dinner game of Strategems, “with the way I’m feeling, you won’t have to suffer through any ridiculous parties for a while.”
            Randi knew she had been acting and feeling like a child. She let her uncle win two of their five games, to make up for her attitude. He felt bad enough by the end of the evening that he didn’t seem to notice, and retired to bed before his usual midnight.
            The reprieve from social obligations was short-lived. Less than two days after her parents’ ship left orbit, a Council starship slid into orbit and the Honorable Inspector General Asmondias Kreeng shuttled down to the colony.

Book of the Week: THE SADDLE AND THE SLEUTH

Commonwealth Universe
Colonies
Downfall/Era I

As mentioned last week, PIRATE and SADDLE are novellas, about the daughters of heroic men -- based on two of my old-time movie heroes, Captain Blood and Zorro.

THE SADDLE AND THE SLEUTH
From Writers Exchange

On a remote colony world, the daughter of the Talon, the defender of the people, takes over her father's mask and identity. At the same time, an investigator comes to the colony in search of the Set'ri, to stop them from hastening the disintegration of the galactic civilization.

Can the two work together for the sake of the future, or will their necessary deceptions push them apart forever?