Hello everybody! I am literally moving from Alabama to Nevada right now, but there is no way I am going to miss the SFR Brigade's 3rd Annual Blog Hop. Funny, because I was moving during last year's blog hop as well. Oh, the military life. Hopefully there isn't a pattern here... Nah, we'll be in Nevada for a few years, at least, so next year I'll finally be stationary for this very awesome blog hop.
For this year's Starry Nights theme, I have an excerpt from my work in progress Fracture Series. There are a few snippets from this series throughout my blog. My story, 'The Stranger,' that was published in "Tales from the SFR Brigade" is set in the future of this scene. Without further ado:
Alexander Maddox walked into the barn, into a scene that he would never forget, on a night full of scenes that he would never forget. There, pinned against a support beam by none other than Bazin, was the mella; he couldn't remember her name to save his life. Her chest lay open with the same bright burning ball of icy blue fire he'd seen in Bazin's. She was emitting noises that sounded like whimpering and her body was shaking. Bazin was holding her wrists behind her back, his injured leg shaking against her as he struggled to keep his balance. His own chest was open, but, from this angle, Alex couldn't see his core. However, Alex couldn't miss the large humming cannon pointed his way.
"Maddox!" Bazin bellowed. "If you do not get out of here, I will shoot you where you stand!"
Alex backed up, shocked to see a weapon, even more so about the prospect that Bazin would actually shoot him.
But the mella. What was going on? Actual concern for her kept him from going too far. Suddenly, he remembered her name.
"Um, Miaxa?" he swallowed.
"Get out!" they both yelled in unison and Alex could not oblige fast enough.
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Alex ran out of the barn and shut the door, leaning his forehead against it as he couldn't imagine his night getting any crazier.
"What's going on?" Lynn's voice came from behind him, and he jumped high in the air.
"Lynn! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He raised his head towards the sky, the winking stars surely mocking him.
Lynn ignored him. "I want to meet her."
"You can't right now…um...I think he's about to screw her," Alex stated matter-of-fact.
"What? Can they do that?" Lynn tried peaking through the cracks in the door, apparently ignoring his crude statement in her curiosity.
"I…I don't know, but he threatened to kill me," Alex said excitedly and described what he saw. They went silent as they heard noises coming from within.
"It sounds like he's killing her," Lynn said worriedly. "What should we do?"
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It was Ander who answered the phone. "Alexander Maddox," he exclaimed in greeting. "We have been looking for you. We have been trying to locate Bazin."
"Well, he's here," Alex said and before he could get anything else out…
"He's there? Kelyan was getting worried that the new arrival might be a Skellyd that he couldn't handle, possibly broadcasting a Gathon signal to lure us into a trap. Why didn't he bring him here? Where is he now? We need to speak with him."
A who? Why would they be luring them into a trap?
"That's why I'm calling. I think we need your help. Bazin said the new arrival's name is Miaxa..." and Alex launched into the story of his day and how they are now out in his barn and his concern. Miaxa could be dead already.
There was silence on Ander's end.
After some length, Alex finally asked, "Ander, are you still there?"
Alex heard a whooshing sound and then, "Yes, well, that explains why he has not been answering our calls." Another moment passed, another whooshing sound. "So, why do you need our help?"
"You never said he was armed," Alex said. "He threatened to kill me."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that," Ander commented. "But don't worry. He would never harm any of you."
Alex wasn't really worried about Bazin harming him or his family. He knew Bazin better than any human. It wasn't the threat that worried him; it was the fact that these aliens had weapons. So many questions rose to the surface that he didn't know where to start. Were all of them armed?
"And he's not hurting her, Alexander Maddox," Ander continued, completely oblivious of Alex's inner struggle.
"I keep telling you guys that you can just call me 'Alex.'" With the current circumstances, Alex decided now wasn't the time to push about the weapon.
"He's not hurting her, Alex," Ander repeated. "They are both in considerable pain due to the amount of time they've been separated and they need to join."
"What? What does that mean? Do you mean they're having sex in my barn? My grandfather built that barn!" Of course, he and his wife had defiled it a time or two, but that was beside the point.
"They cannot have sex, Alexander, er, Alex. We are not like organics. We lack the organs for such a function," Ander said. "As far as their reaction upon first contact…That is very interesting."
"Interesting? You mean, you don't even know?" Alex couldn't believe it. Not only did he not understand them, but it seemed there were things they didn't understand about themselves.
"Coremates have never been separated this long before, so it's new to us too. I will record your accounting and then ask them more at another time. But for now, you had probably better give them some space. Those two are about as trigger-happy as a couple of Skellyds."
"Yea, I gathered," Alex retorted. "Are you sure they're not?" There was silence on the other end. "I'm just kidding, Ander. I don't even know what a Ske-lad is."
End Scene.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Since I'm moving, I don't have any prizes to offer. The only thing I can offer right now is a free book, which is always free and also part of all the main prizes: "Tales from the SFR Brigade." There is no requirement to comment here, but you are definitely welcome to say something if you'd like. Entry to the grand prize is via Rafflecopter below. The prizes this year are amazing!
Thanks again!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
