Sunday Snippet: Jammed In

Whew. Very busyweek and we had crazy weather to top it off. I'm not a fan of the back andforth super warm one day then very chilly the next. Wreaks havoc on my sinuses,which is never fun.

Also had a busywork week with multiple projects in various stages of completion. The sagesalso picked this week to start chattering in my ear, which is excellent becauseI got a lot of writing done. I'm almost finished with two projects and soexcited! Brings me one step closer to getting my new venture launched.

Had a very lightweek of watching television. With so many irons in the fire, TV took a backseat to everything else. I'm honestly in a bit of a weird place with content Iwant to watch. I've been in the mood to binge shows, but I hate to do that whenI have subscriptions to a number of streaming services. Then again, I haven'twatched anything on Netflix in forever and I pay for that monthly. Thankfully, otherfamily members watch a lot of that streamer.

I finished up the VIPepisode from last week and kind of enjoyed the Tasha backstory. I love televisionfrom the late nineties.

Caught another episodeof My Life is Murder. Alexa is growing on me a little. She often grates,which I think is a character trait. Blunt honesty is fine, but there's a crueledge to hers sometimes and I'm not a fan of that in a main character.

Enjoyed another episodeof Agatha Raisin. The cast of characters is so much fun. I love when thesidekicks get in on the action. I kind of pegged the murderer early in this one,but I like being able to pick them out then see how they actually committed thecrime.

Started a newtwo-part Silent Witness. I'm enjoying the slightly different format inthis season, but I miss having the team function as a team together.

Watched another episodeof Death in Paradise. One of my favorites that I got to watch all theway through the first time. I agree with Humph … the genius of the murder kindof blew me away.

Also caught anotherepisode of Battlestar Galactica. The opening eps of season three are so,so good. Actually, the first twelve episodes are pretty terrific. After that,things kind of go slightly sideways, but this show is still one of the bestI've ever watched.

That's pretty muchit for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Jammed In, anovella that brings a couple together during an emergency situation.

Here's themini-blurb:

A simple clean up goes awry when a junior officer mixesthe wrong chemicals together, leaving senior officers, Barrie Scott and WalshClinton, to sort the mess out. The two ranking members have to fight theirfeelings when they're forced to double up and share a bunk until thecontaminant is cleared.

And a sneaky peek…

Two hours after Walsh left, Barriehad a good schedule ready for him and headed up toward his office.

The alarm klaxon sounded for achemical spill—a series of low tones in rapid succession.

The overhead communication systemkicked on. "Attention all decks, pass the word. Lieutenant Scott and CaptainClinton report to junior officer quarters." The alert repeated and the klaxoncontinued.

Barrie took on at a dead run."Dammit, Washout." Her gut screamed he'd be behind whatever happened.

The guy could fly like a dream buthis common sense out of the cockpit left a lot to be desired. A chemical spillcould be a nonevent or a major catastrophe. With Ford Callis, aka Washout, involvedshe'd lean toward catastrophic.

She charged down to the juniorpilots' quarters and pushed her way through the growing crowd. "Make ahole, people." She stumbled to a halt beside the drop door.

Sure enough, Washout paced back andforth, his gaze pointed upward as if seeking divine inspiration—orforgiveness—from the universe.

The drop door confirmedcatastrophic. "What did you do, Washout?" She really didn't want toknow.

Callis started to explain, butBarrie caught sight of Walsh and held up a hand. "Hold up. Captain Clintonis making his way through the spectators. No need to explain twice." Shegazed at the black tar-like mess in the bunk room, her nose burning and eyes stingingeven though the six-inch thick, hydraulically sealed hatch did its job keepingthe toxic fumes at bay.

The contamination level gauge stillregistered in the red, but slowly crept down. Judging by the crawl ofprogression, at least another twenty-four hours would be needed before the allclear to unseal the hatch. Who the hell knew how long before they could geteverything back in order for use?

Walsh finally arrived and heaved asigh when he got a look inside the space. Barrie nodded, indicating Washoutcould begin his explanation.

Callis flung an arm out."Look, basically I was busting out the cleaning, but I came in aftersomeone else had already put sealant on the deck." He frowned. "I usedthe Exceliclean, and, well, you can see what happened." He waved a handtoward the window.

Barrie cringed. Geez. He mixed apowerful cleaner with the still-wet sealant, which created the tar-likesubstance covering the deck. To top everything off, the interaction causednoxious fumes that could burn skin on contact, harm nasal passages and lungs,and irritate eyes. All of which created major problems.

Walsh nailed Washout with a hardglare. "Callis, what's the first rule of working with chemicals?"

Ford flushed. "Check the logto see what's been used before." He squirmed under the scrutiny ofeveryone there.

Walsh didn't relent. "And thesecond?" His eyebrows arched.

Callis sighed. "Confirm thereare no hazardous interactions when going with something new?" His faceflushed deep red.

Walsh got up close and personalwith Washout. "Did you follow the rules?"

A round of snorts and laughterfollowed the question.

Washout mumbled his reply."No, sir." His red-rimmed eyes filled with fluid.

Barrie stepped in. "And nowwe've got twelve pilots cut off from their racks and their gear until thecontaminant levels are in the green and the mess can be safely cleaned. Do youknow how hard it is to remove that tar crap?" Not that she had more than apassing knowledge of the difficulty, thank the universe.

Callis sighed again. "I have afeeling I'm going to find out."

Walsh slapped him on the shoulder."You're damned right. But first you're going to the infirmary to getchecked out and cleared for duty." He turned to address everyone."Quarters are off limits. Check the ready room after 1500 to get temporarybunk assignments. Until then, the rec areas and gyms will have to do." Hisvoice rose over the outburst of displeasure. "See the quartermaster forgear and uniforms."

People started to disperse, butBarrie stayed back. Her mind spun, trying to picture how to manage thissituation on top of the update project.

She met Walsh's gaze. "So,what's the plan?" She had no doubt he'd be roped into solving this crisistoo.

Having a lot of funwriting this one. I love having a random catastrophe bring a couple together.

 

That's it for thisweek. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye