Internal Conflict Blogfest – Steam Palace

Internal Conflict Blogfest – Steam Palace

Thanks to Jessica Bell at the Alliterative Allomorph for hosting The Internal Conflict Blogfest. Click to see the other entries! She says, “I want to know what's going on in your characters' minds.” Well, maybe we really didn’t want to know this much, as you shall see:

In this scene, Thomas is suffering from a hangover, opium withdrawal, and a gunshot wounded knee. All this suffering has awoken his baser desires, which must be fought…

The last thing Thomas wanted was to speak of was flying, but he demurred to her wishes. “It was more work than thrill, and dirigibles have this unhealthy habit of dropping out of the sky or exploding. Frankly, I should have explored the Cavalry where I could have ridden mechohorses for a living.”

“And then this,” she said, nodding to his knee. “Well then, we both are in similar straits. We are starting our lives over. Isn’t it thrilling, Thomas?”

She turned around in the saddle. Her lips inadvertently touched his as he slumped. Her face turned red, her eyes went wide, and she whipped back around. A hand covered her mouth.

“Oh! I am so sorry Thomas! I had no intent—I didn’t mean—I could never kiss—”

He thrilled to see her squirm. Her small, lithe body caressed him with each step of the horse. In his mind, he grabbed her and covered her face and neck with hot kisses, plunged himself into her essence, and drank from her depths. But his broken body stayed. “You could never kiss a cripple?”

“What? No! I mean—yes, I—” She balled a fist and then relaxed it. “I fear you play with me, Mr. Putnam.” She rubbed her brow. “Which I am most grateful for, I confess. You strike me as a man with intellect balanced with humor, rare qualities in these times. I am eternally thankful it was you who came to my aide.”

She relaxed just a trifle against him. If she only knew the battle raging inside him. Her manner quieted his urges. Perhaps that had been his baser motive in trailing her—to capture her. She had always been so haughty, so distant and mean. A prize to be taken, not lured. Something to distract him from his pain, from the termination of his career and life, a quick moment of escape from hard reality.

Something about her soothed his raw desires. She was strong, and had set out alone into hostile country. She battled the wolves, unafraid, then challenged the airfleet. Sophia was no longer this thing, this creature. Yes, he desired her, to push her from the horse and have his way with her like a brute, but more than that, he wanted to protect her. Strong as she was, she was woefully unprepared to face the world. He opened his mouth to offer his support.

“Look,” she cried, “the Ferry! It departs!” The forest cleared to provide a view down to the wide Connecticut River, where a long white paddleboat waiting against a dock. She forced the animal into a gallop. Pain knifed from his wound as it banged against the horse’s flanks. Sophia waved. Fortunately, the ferry had barely begun to untie. She directed the horse over a plank and into the hold of the ship.

I hope that didn’t cast too bad a light on Thomas. He’s going through a really hard time right now…

Bad Girl Blogfest Wrap Up

Bad Girl Blogfest Wrap Up

 

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who participated. We wound up with 41 enthusiastic entries, with bad girls of all shapes, sizes, and dispositions from the mildly annoying to the insanely cunning. I read through each and every one of the entries and was impressed by all of them. You are all wonderful writers and I had expected no less. Thank you so much for making the Bad Girl Blogfest a success!

Special Thanks!

Special thanks goes to those intrepid individuals who actually read and commented on all six of my Bad Girls (and probably most of the other entries as well). You guys are amazing. Please check out these dedicated commenters:

1. Roland D. Yeomans –  http://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/2010/05/bad-girl-blogfest.html
2. Eric W. Trant –  http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/2010/05/bad-girl-blogfest.html
3. Tara – http://feelofsomethingnew.blogspot.com/2010/05/payback-starts-out-as-b.html
4. Just Another Sarah – http://sciensmulier.blogspot.com/2010/05/bad-girl-blogfest.html
5. Donna Hole – http://donnahole.blogspot.com/2010/05/bad-girl-blog-fest.html

Extraordinary Entries You Might Have Missed

Here are some of my favorite entries. They didn’t receive as many comments as others but they completely rock. Go read them now!

• Ian Thomas Healy – His Angel from “Troubleshooters” entry was a great intro to a bad girl assassin. Now maybe the problem is that it’s hard to register for his site, but he has a ton of great material up there.
• F – She is a writer from Nigeria! I don’t know if she still lives there. Her Bad Girl Aisha is a Goldigger Extraordinaire.
• Kiah via Charity – This is an entry from a twelve-year-old girl! Her unnamed 5th-grade Bad Girl is super mean. And it is awesome! Kiah has a bright future. Check it out!
• Stu's Place – This one had me ROTFLMAO. Livia will go to any lengths to…well you have to read it. Very funny, with a wicked twist.
• Haley – Bad Girl Opal has her way with men. What I liked is that Haley had the guts to put up graphic material. Some of you cut the scene off right before the good bits but Haley went for it! Nice!

And there’s more that I loved, but I can’t remember right now. You know who you are!

My Next Blogfest…?

This was fun, but a lot of work. I do hope to host another blogfest at some point. I may announce something in July and host it in August. I promise it will be at least as fun as this one, so keep tuned.

I hope to keep up with blogfests, but they are so close together now that it’s hard to keep up.

Deleted Scene Blogfest Today!

Since I didn’t have any time to come up with my own scene for the Deleted Scene Blogfest, I’m going to post my favorite “deleted scene” of all time…the newly discovered real ending to Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

See you next blogfest!

Welcome to my Bad Girl Blogfest!

The Bad Girl Blogfest

Okay. Maybe I’ve gone a little bit Bad Girl Crazy. After all, I’ve had a month to prepare. I present to you six of my baddest Bad Girls, ranging from one I created during the Summer of 1985 to one I created for last year’s NaNoWriMo in the order I created them. Don’t feel you have to read them all. For your convenience, I’ve created a summary of each one, so if one character is of particular interest, go ahead and check out her entry. But if you only have time for one, scroll down to the bottom and check out Viola from my current WIP Steam Palace. I will give special recognition to anyone who reads and comments on all six next week on this blog.

BTW, the girl on the left of the banner is Cassandra “Cassie” Hack from the Hack/Slash graphic novels, and the middle is Callisto from Xena: Warrior Princess. They are both very bad girls. Trust me.

I hope everyone had fun creating their entries for this Blogfest, and I’ll be checking out each and every one of them. Now here come the Bad Girls!

CLICK ON AN EXCERPT TO READ THAT BAD GIRL’S STORY!

And then leave me lots of comments! :)

BIO – Alexandra

• Name: Alexandra Toykalelova
• Novel: New America, Book One, Part One
• Role: Ally, Love Interest
• Created: 1985
• Setting: 2015, Martian Empire
• Aliases or Nicknames: Alex, A. Toy.
• Nationality: Martian, previously Russian
• Position: Major, Martian Imperial Army
• Age: ~30
• Synopsis: Alexandra is an ex-Russian super-spy with two special abilities. The first is emotional enhancement, where any attraction you feel to her is multiplied many-fold until she become irresistible. Second, she can heal like Clair Bennett on Heroes but over the course of weeks. She wants out of the futuristic KGB, but needs the help of an honest and reluctant enemy to sever her ties with the past.
• Excerpt: Alexandra closed her eyes and stretched…READ MORE

BIO – Mary

• Name: Mary of Archa
• Novel: Wild Mary’s Way
• Role: Main Character, Hero
• Created: 1998
• Setting: Future post-apocalyptic wasteland.
• Aliases or Nicknames: Wild Mary; Mary, Warrior of Archa
• Nationality: Citizen of Archa, Kingdom of Calph
• Position: Warrior
• Age: ~18
• Synopsis: Wild Mary was brought up in a military academy by her father, and far surpassed his abilities by a young age. She holds her sword in her left hand, and refuses to fight with her right. A deep-seated anger runs through her veins, and woe be to anyone who crosses her path. But sometimes, in the heat of battle, a Weakness overcomes her, leaving her feeble and sick.
• Excerpt: The sun shone grand, warming Mary’s naked limbs…READ MORE

BIO – Elena

• Name: Elena Galistina
• Novel: 30 Days: The Infinity Event, The Singularity Matrix
• Role: Ally, Love Interest
• Created: 2007
• Setting: Modern Day San Francisco
• Aliases or Nicknames: Agent Ellie
• Nationality: Dual Russian/Chinese Citizenship
• Position: General in People’s Secret Army
• Age: ~26
• Synopsis: Elena (“Agent Ellie”) started her assassination career in a young age as a Russian immigrant to China. She turned upon her masters, and rose high in the ranks of the People’s Army secret service. Tiring of that life, she moved to San Francisco to take up simple corporate espionage where nothing is as simple as it appears.
• Excerpt: Ellie surveys her prisoners in front of the cabin…READ MORE

BIO – Carrie

• Name: Carrie Park
• Novels: 30 Days: The Infinity Event, The Singularity Matrix
• Role: Villain
• Created: 2007
• Setting: Modern Day San Francisco
• Aliases or Nicknames: Shelly White
• Nationality: American
• Position: Director of Software Development, Infinitae Corporation
• Age: ~25
• Synopsis: After spending years in hospitals reconstructing her body after a devastating car crash, Carrie has changed her face, changed her name, and now plots revenge against the perpetrators of the wreck. Her stranglehold on the world’s financial system nearly brought down the economy and contributed heavily to the recent financial crisis.
• Excerpt: Now to find Carrie. She’s going to pay…READ MORE

BIO – Amelia

• Name: Amelia (surname unknown)
• Novel: The Immortals
• Role: Supporting Character
• Created: 2009
• Setting: America 2400 to the year ~5300
• Aliases or Nicknames: The Sky Goddess, Amy, Ames, Sky
• Nationality: American
• Position: Sky Goddess, one of the Twelve Immortals created by Death Angel
• Age: yes (she doesn’t age…hence the “Immortal” tag)
• Synopsis: REDACTED
• Excerpt: REDACTED

BIO – Viola

• Name: Viola Willimante
• Novel: Steam Palace
• Role: Ally, Mentor, Sidekick
• Created: 2009
• Setting: Alternate History New England, 1901
• Name, Aliases or Nicknames: Vi
• Nationality: New Britannian
• Position: Dome Girl on the Steam Palace
• Age: 23
• Synopsis: Viola carries a secret that links her to a woman whom she has never before met. She plots that woman’s ultimate destruction: to bring her into the horrid sorrow of Viola’s life, a quagmire of humiliation, self destruction and abuse, and soul-crushing wickedness.
• Excerpt:  Viola eyed the poor woman hiding under the bench…READ MORE

Various rankings of these women, which is probably only of interest to me.

Now if I had to rank these from Baddest Bad Girl to not-so-baddest, it would be:

1. The Sky Goddess – She’s a genocidal maniac with god-like powers.
2. Carrie Park – No morals, and the financial means to carry out her evil plans
3. Alexandra Toykalelova – She has the power to bend men to her every whim
4. Viola Willamante – She doesn’t care who she hurts, but she longs for a normal life.
5. Elena Galistina – She wants to correct the mistakes of her past and start fresh.
6. Wild Mary – She has a strong moral code.

Now who is the most skilled?

1. Wild Mary – She’s been trained in martial arts since birth.
2. Elena Galistina – She’s a trained assassin. But not since birth.
3. The Sky Goddess – No training, just massive power.
4. Alexandra Toykalelova – Just basic training.
5. Viola Willamante – What she lacks in skill she makes up for with pure cat-like aggression.
6. Carrie Park – She couldn’t fight her way out of a paper bag. But she could hack up a remote air-strike on your house.

Who is the prettiest?

1. Alexandra Toykalelova – She’s been billed as “The Most Beautiful Woman in the History of Mankind”
2. The Sky Goddess – She has the power to change her own appearance.
3. Elena Galistina – Exotic looks coupled with a fit body.
4. Viola Willamante – The Queen of makeup and corsets.
5. Wild Mary – She wants to look masculine but she can’t hide her assets forever.
6. Carrie Park – No amount of cosmetic surgery can fix her ugliness.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to check out each Bad Girl’s blog post!

Bad Girl Blogfest – Alexandra

Bad Girl Blogfest – Alexandra

BIO – Alexandra

• Name: Alexandra Toykalelova
• Novel: New America, Book One, Part One
• Role: Ally, Love Interest
• Created: 1985
• Setting: 2015, Martian Empire
• Aliases or Nicknames: Alex, A. Toy.
• Nationality: Martian, previously Russian
• Position: Major, Martian Imperial Army
• Age: early 30’s
• Synopsis: Alexandra is an ex-Russian super-spy with two special abilities. The first is emotional enhancement, where any attraction you feel to her is multiplied many-fold, until she become irresistible. Second, she can heal like Clair Bennett on Heroes but over the course of weeks. She wants out of the futuristic KGB, but needs the help of an honest and reluctant enemy to sever her ties with the past.

Excerpt

Mars Tithonium Base, 2015. Alexandra has a prisoner to interrogate.

Alexandra closed her eyes and stretched, inhaling through her nose. Hmm…need to kick some heads about that sour odor in the air filtration system. She opened her eyes to the distant sun which hung low in the ocher sky and cast a bloody pall to her office. No more delaying the inevitable—it was time to make the prisoner talk. She honestly preferred the mundane tasks nowadays—sifting through requisition sheets, coaching new personnel—well, the female personnel. The male recruits crumpled at her feet and became useless lumps under her aura. Yes, her days of espionage were mostly behind her. She texted her assistant to join her and secure a weapon…just in case. The woman was a post-op tranny whose unique physiology proved immune to Alexandra’s power.

She checked her look in the cam. The image revolved while she adjusted her long black hair. She fingered a few commands and the nanostrings relaxed. Her hair straightened and lengthened, and then she ran a comb through it. A wipe of lipstick and dash of mascara completed the look. She adjusted her black uniform, nodded, and unbuttoned it down to her navel, revealing the black lace push-up bra underneath. Not that she needed such props.

“You go, girl,” said Gary-now-Geri from the door, winking. She followed Alexandra down to the brig.

The man in the holding cell actually impressed her. He had a fine physique and thick salt-and-pepper hair, and crouched in the corner like a hungry tiger. His eyes didn’t waver when she arrived. Good, he’s a tough one. Maybe he’ll be a challenge for once. Geri stood guard just outside the cell. Alexandra left the gate open behind her, daring the man to make a mad dash—to where, she couldn’t fathom. This base was as secure as any. The chase might just break up the monotony—and provide her with a week’s worth of exciting paperwork. She raised her eyebrows to the man and turned up her aura a notch…just enough to tingle.

“Please, sit. Ve have no reason to be unsociable, no?” Alexandra extended her hand to the metal bench. He nodded and sat as far away as possible. She pulled out her reading glasses and examined her iPad. She glanced over the materials, swiping through the various charges and the information he reputedly possessed. A gleam of sweat graced his brow and he clenched his teeth. “Oh, come now, General Taylor, relax. I like you.”

She made eye contact and turned her aura up. He bent at the waist and growled. His hands trembled and clenched.

“You are really trying to fight me, aren’t you? Vell, you’re doing better than most.” She opened her jacket a bit more and leaned forward. His gaze fastened on the curve of her cleavage. “Yes, good. You vant to touch me, to run your hands over my body.” He forced his eyelids shut but then they popped open, teary. His hands crept towards her. His tongue lolled from his mouth.

“Please,” he said in a husky whisper. “Please, stop. You don’t know…”

She snatched his hand. He gasped. “You tell me what I vant, then you can have this. All of this.” And she meant it. How long had it been since she held a worthy prisoner? She would give him the pleasure he sought—that they both sought. His will wavered. She glanced over at the iPad. “All you have to do is one little thing for me. Just give me those silly little passcodes to the Norad-Cimeria connection—”

His brain changed. His face grew slack, his pupils dilated. Alexandra had heard of it—an implant, triggered by a combination of duress and certain keywords. “Geri!”

Two hundred pounds of machine-articulated fury slammed into her assistant. The thing in the room was no longer human. It snatched the gun from Geri, fired a slug into her brain and two in Alexandra’s chest and ran off. Alexandra staggered against the wall, blood pouring down her belly, pain exploding from the wounds. The room spun and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

So this is a modern update of something I wrote literally 25 years ago. Somehow I don’t see us colonizing Mars in five years. The original was omniscient so the reader could see both of their POV’s but I changed it to hers. It was also almost completely telling instead of showing. Writing a 30-something woman as an 18 year old kid is a lot different than writing her as a 43-year old adult. I hope I did a better job this time.

Bad Girl Blogfest – Mary

Bad Girl Blogfest – Mary

BIO – Wild Mary

• Novel: Wild Mary’s Way
• Role: Main Character, Hero
• Created: 1998
• Setting: Future post-apocalyptic wasteland.
• Aliases or Nicknames: Wild Mary, Mary of Archa
• Nationality: Citizen of Archa, Kingdom of Calph
• Position: Warrior
• Age: ~18
• Synopsis: Wild Mary was brought up in a military academy by her father, and far surpassed his abilities by a young age. She holds her sword in her left hand, and refuses to fight with her right. A deep-seated anger runs through her veins, and woe be to anyone who crosses her path. But sometimes, in the heat of battle, a Weakness overcomes her, leaving her feeble and sick.

Excerpt

Post-apocalyptic future, former San Fernando Valley. Mary has just escaped the Archa Military Academy and now faces her first day of freedom.

The sun shone grand, warming Mary’s naked limbs with morning heat. She squatted at the side of the road, resting after her ten mile jog that started at first light. Her limbs had complained at first, not used to the weight of her pack, but they warmed to the task. She swallowed water from her skin, then chew some lamb jerky. Ahead lay Calph, the seat of the Kingdom. Behind her Archa, and the Academy that had been her only home. In the distance, farmers tended their fields, while closer, cows lowed in their pastures.

Sated, Mary stripped off her chest harness and tied it to her pack. Her only garments consisted of her waist harness and a fur to keep the pack from chafing. The fur didn’t quite cover her chest, but she thought little of it. Why should she dress differently from any male warrior? She strapped on the pack and hit the path at a practiced gait she could maintain for hours.

A few miles later, the road passed through rolling hills capped with small wooded glades. In one of these glades, Mary sensed something amiss. Years of training had prepared her to spot the bent grasses along the road’s edge, the biting scent of men and horses, and small scratchings of feet on leaves. The pack flew off her back and her sword flew from its scabbard, sinking into the chest of a man who had launched himself from a rock that hung above the road.

A half-score of ragged men, dressed in torn leather and linen, jumped from the forest. As quick as thought, the sword drank from their lives, slipping in and out of their bodies in a surgically precise attack. Six men lay dead before their fellows paused. Mary waited, blood dripping from her sword, her right hand held high to ward off the sun.

Rustling filled the forest as additional men crept into the battle, armed with rusty old swords or dull knives. Mary would be trapped against the rock. She needed open space. She feinted in one direction, then charged in another, nicked a man’s carotid, and sprinted down the road. The other men pursued.

The road descended into a river. Where was the bridge? Mary stopped at the edge of the river, facing the onrushing attackers. Yes, she could doubtless outrun or outswim them, but she needed her pack. The open riverbank was as good as any to make her stand.

“Come on, girl,” said one man, panting. “You put that little stick down and we’ll be real nice to you.”

Mary squinted. I am the attacker. Their taunts shall not alter my strategy. Twelve men faced her. She recited a litany of forms used when faced with overwhelming odds. Press the attack. Don’t wait for them. Her hand trembled, begging for action. Who is the strongest? Who poses the least danger? She chose her victims. With a scream, she launched herself at the men, her weapon forming a maze of metal as it flashed among their ranks. Their swords found her, but she deflected the bulk of their efforts. Her metal did not fail. Blood filled the air, splattered into her hair and eyes, and dripped down her breasts. This was war. This was fighting. At last.

The last two men, the weak ones, armed with puny knifes and skinny frames faced her. Not worth the effort of killing, she slaughtered them nonetheless, their heads rolling onto the ground, life pouring from their severed necked. She raised her sword and screamed to the sky. She kissed her sword and then ran it against her tongue, tasting the blood of the men she had dispatched. A dizziness seized her, and she dropped to her knees in the midst of the carnage.

Here it comes. “The Weakness,” she called it. Women wailed and keened as they stumbled down the road towards their lifeless husbands. Mary’s stomach clenched and she vomited. She hated the Weakness. The sight of blood and severed limbs—a true warrior should not be affected, but a part of her rebelled, the cursed female part. She turned from the corpses, covered her face, and breathed, spitting the bile from her tongue. The women pawed through the bodies, shuddering and clinging to one another. “Get away from me,” growled Mary, not wishing to injure further. The women stayed.

Mary jumped up and sprinted down the road until she recovered her pack. She hoisted it upon her shoulders, and then returned to the scene. She stripped naked and bathed her wounds in the river as flies spread among the corpses. She swam to the far side to continue her journey. One woman called to her.

“Who are you that you dare murder our men in cold blood,” she screamed.

Mary considered. “I am Wild Mary, Warrior of Archa, and woe to those who cross my path!” She turned and ran.

There you have it. Wild Mary in a nutshell. Her struggle is coming to grips with her two sides to become a whole person. I literally dreamed the entire novel and wrote it in a couple days (it’s only 35K words).

Bad Girl Blogfest – Elena

Bad Girl Blogfest – Elena

BIO – Elena

• Name: Elena Galistina
• Novel: 30 Days: The Infinity Event, The Singularity Matrix
• Role: Ally, Love Interest
• Created: 2007
• Setting: Modern Day San Francisco
• Aliases or Nicknames: Agent Ellie
• Nationality: Dual Russian/Chinese Citizenship
• Position: General in People’s Secret Army of China
• Age: ~26
• Synopsis: Elena (“Agent Ellie”) started her assassination career in a young age as a Russian immigrant to China. She turned upon her masters, and rose high in the ranks of the People’s Army secret service. Tiring of that life, she moved to San Francisco to take up simple corporate espionage where nothing is as simple as it appears.

Excerpt

Thanksgiving Day, 2007, at a cabin outside of Lake Tahoe. Alex Ross and Ellie have just fought off mercenaries with the help of Chinese agents. Ellie is now interrogating them. This was posted to by Alex to his blog a couple days afterwards.

Ellie surveys her prisoners in front of the cabin. An army of trucks and Chinese men winds its way up the smoking path. The first tackle the small fires in the forest and then they round up the corpses. Twenty-three dead and six captured. Ellie’s men dump her gory kills in front of the prisoners. The cabin looks like something out of “The Guantlet,” riddled with hundreds of bullet holes.

“I want you to tell me everything.” She paces before them, her visage caked with drying blood. The men stand with bowed heads, their hands bound with plastic cable ties behind their backs. “Take a good, hard look as these fools. A similar fate awaits you. We are not American citizens, and we are not subject to the rules of this country. You dared attack a foreign agent, and now you will pay the price. We can make you disappear, so that your friends and families will never hear from you again. I want to know who’s behind this and I want to know now.”

The men shuffle and glance amongst themselves. “We didn’t want any of this,” says one dressed in desert fatigues. “This was supposed to be clean, get in, get out, you know?”

Ellie stops and smiles. “You’re one of the leaders, I take it? Good. What are you, a Guardsman or something? Do you have any real experience?”

“Recon over in Iraq.”

“You people are pathetic.” Ellie stomps at them. “If you are the product of the American military, then I don’t think my country has much to fear.” She strips wires and a headset off the man. “Is this how you contact your commander? What’s your call sign?”

The man hesitates. Ellie’s men push guns against his neck but she waves them off. “Please,” she says.

“Foxtrot Delta. My contact is Charlie Papa.”

Ellie dons the headset. “Come in, Charlie. I know you’re listening. Elena Galistina here. I really appreciate you sending your friends to the Ross’s Thanksgiving dinner. I’m so sorry that so many of them chose to be unruly and act inappropriately. I’m afraid that I’ve had to excuse them from the table. Are you still listening, Charlie?”

She winks at me. What is Ellie up to?

“Well, Charlie,” she continues, “I’m sorry you won’t respond. No matter. Your friends have decided to stay. They’re telling me all about you. Foxtrot Delta has been extremely helpful. You’ve just made yourself a terrible enemy. I’m not the kind of person to acknowledge niceties, or the rules of war, or even laws of common decency. Hmm. I think a demonstration is in order.”

She places the wires back on Foxtrot’s head and leans in. “Tell them everything that’s about to happen. I want Charlie to hear every detail. Now choose one. Choose one of your men.”

“No.”

She lays a hand on his shoulder. “Foxtrot. It’s either you or one of them. You remember what I did in the house, don’t you? The teeth? Do you really want to die that way, choking on your own blood?”

He points to one of his men. The dude screams. I’m worried that Ellie has snapped.

“Good. Bring him over there.” Her men drag the struggling merc back behind a Hummer over on the edge of the yard. She walks past me, holding her knife up to the sun.

I shiver. “Don’t.”

She winks at me and grins, then hands me the knife. “I won’t need this.” She disappears behind the vehicle. Her victim screams.

Foxtrot talks into the headset. “She’s behind the truck. He’s screaming, can you hear that? Blood is flying everywhere. Oh my god, she’s a monster. Please, send us some help! Wait—she’s coming back, covered with blood. I’m going to be sick. God help us all.”

I wander over and glance behind the truck. The man is unconscious, but unharmed. Blood lies everywhere, but also a can and a baster. The same baster we were using for the turkey. Where did the blood come from?

I walk back over, holding my stomach, acting the part. “God, Ellie, not again. Please, no more. I can’t stand it.”

Ellie snatches the headset. “Now Charlie, I’d hate to do that to the rest of your men, but once I start, it’s hard to stop. I’ll give you a piece of advice. Get the hell out of town. I will track you down, and I will kill you in the most brutal fashion that our culture has ever produced. I will create a river of blood so thick that you’ll drown in it. If I even feel a breath of yours, I will stifle it so quickly that you’ll be watching you body fall away while I hold your severed head. Now I need to go and finish off these men. Have a nice day.”

She pulled off the rest of the unit and stomped on it, smashing it to bits.

“Let’s go for a walk,” she says nicely to Foxtrot. “Nice and slow. We’ll eventually wind up behind the truck. You don’t want to go behind the truck. You see, I kill with my bare hands. I can make it fast or slow, it’s really up to you.”

They walk towards the truck. Ellie says not a word. Halfway there, Foxtrot hesitates. “What? What do you want to know? Say something. Say something!” She keeps walking, her blood-stained face expectant. “Stop staring at me! What the hell is wrong with you?!” They reach the truck, she cocks her head, eyebrows raised. She motions for him to move.

“Okay! Stop! We received our instructions online. The entire transaction, plans, names, maps, everything. Except for today, no one even ever talked to them. And their voice was scrambled, sounding like a frog or something.”

Ellie just stands there, staring at him.

“What? I’ve told you everything. Say something!”

Ellie points around to the back of the truck. The man’s face is all shades of red.

“No! What do you want? Will you fucking say something!? Shit! Listen, we just get paid. We’re nobodies. I can show you anything. Our website, our IP logs, our servers, the logs for the headsets, everything you need to track them down. Just don’t make me go back there, please.”

Ellie nods at me. I hope for his sake the man is telling the truth.

So I wrote 2 blogvels about Elena. You can find the links on my blog main page (look for 30 Days). Her journey is really only begun, because her parents are still held hostage. Some day I hope to resurrect her character, because she’s a lot of fun.

Bad Girl Blogfest – Carrie

Bad Girl Blogfest – Carrie

BIO – Carrie

• Name: Carrie Park
• Novels: 30 Days: The Infinity Event, The Singularity Matrix
• Role: Villain
• Created: 2007
• Setting: Modern Day San Francisco
• Aliases or Nicknames: Shelly White
• Nationality: American
• Position: Director of Software Development, Infinitae Corporation
• Age: ~25
• Synopsis: After spending years in hospitals reconstructing her body after a devastating car crash, Carrie has changed her face, changed her name, and now plots revenge against the perpetrators of the wreck. Her stranglehold on the world’s financial system nearly brought down the economy and contributed heavily to the recent financial crisis.

Excerpt

November 29, 2007. Alex Ross has been framed by Carrie Park for blowing up Infinitae’s Building Four. He now seeks revenge and to clear his name.

Now to find Carrie. She’s going to pay for destroying Building Four.

I drive around San Francisco. Carrie’s smart. She’s probably somewhere monitoring everything. She’ll want to know the second that suspicions are cast in her direction. She’ll want to have direct access to Infinitae’s data gathering prowess.

She had mentioned “south.” Where? There’s Stanford. She might have access to some servers there.

What about the datacenter warehouse in Santa Clara? Infinitae has blocked it, but that wouldn’t pose much of a challenge to the woman who wrote the blocking code. I head there.

I stop near the warehouse. The streets lay quiet and dark. I have no idea how to get in. I’m not a spy. How would Ellie do it? She’d probably bust a door down. The back door. I drive around and check it out. There’s no handle, only a lock. I get out, put my ear against the door, and I’m rewarded with the roar of still-active servers. Something’s up.

I get back in, line the car up with the door, and slam the gas. It impacts with a crunch. I pull the car away. The door’s frame is loose, and with some wiggling I’m able to pull it completely off, frame and all, probably triggering an alarm.

I draw my gun and remove the safety. I have no intention of killing Carrie, unless she fires first. I head towards the front, searching for the office. I spot it, but it’s empty. A dozen large monitors in the office display newscasts, surveillance footage, and various readouts. One monitor displays my damaged car. The cold business end of a gun presses against my neck.

“Drop it or I’ll drop you.”

Carrie. I toss my gun away. My mouth goes dry.

“Put your hands on your head.” She pats me down and swipes my emergency cell phone, pocketing it. She laughs. I cringe.

“Wow, Alex, you never give up. Where’s you friend Elena? Too hurt to make the trip? What a shame. Move it.”

She shoves me into the small office at gunpoint and sits opposite me. “What are you doing here, Alex? Come to kill me?”

“If I have to. You’ve done some bad things.”

Carrie shakes her head. “Hey, I didn’t make anyone suffer for years. Every person I killed died with very little pain.”

You tell yourself that. ”So now what, Carrie? Are you going to kill me?”

She picks up my phone and studies it. “Maybe I should call the news stations. I could be a hero. I’ve already tied you and Ellie to this datacenter. It wouldn’t be a stretch to get them to believe this is your hideout. Hero today, goat tomorrow. And I come out smelling great.”

That would be the day. ”Then what? What’s your big plan? You can’t go back to Infinitae. You can’t escape suspicion forever.”

Carrie points around with her gun. “See all this? Do you know how many emails and IM’s and chats and voice communications I’ve collected? I’ve captured trillions of conversations waiting to be mined. Even as we speak, I’m transcribing all kinds of voice conversations. The NSA would kill for a system like this.”

She’s insane. “Why? What’s it all for?”

She leans forward and rubs the butt of the gun on her forehead. “God, Alex, you idiot, do I really need to spell it all out for you? Think of all the corporate insider information I’d have. I’d know about every earnings miss. I’d know how senators are about to vote. I’d know what the Fed is planning. Within a few years, I’d be the richest person on the planet. I could run for office, buy a few campaigns, and who knows? I could be President. Imagine that, President Park.”

“You mean President White, don’t you?” Bitch.

She glares and aims her gun in my general direction. “Shelly White is dead. That loser no longer exists. You made sure of that. Maybe I should thank you. You know, we’re really not that different, you and me. Maybe that’s why I liked you so much back then. I was a loser, and you were a loser, too. But guess what? I’ve grown up, and you’re still a fucking loser.”

I snort. “We’re nothing alike. You’re a murderous, psychopathic bitch with delusions of grandeur. You’ll never get away with any of it. They’ll trace everything back to you.”

Carrie shakes her head. “Forget it Alex, I’ve covered my tracks too well. They’ve got nothing on me. Look at this screen. I’m monitoring the entire world for any mention of my name. The moment it pops up, I can be prepared to defend myself.” She waves at the consoles.

I shrug and look around. My leg shakes. Carrie studies my face. “Alex. Are you expecting someone? Oh my gosh.” She looks at my phone, then rips it open. “Alex, I’m surprised at you! This phone has been transmitting this entire conversation, hasn’t it? But it looks like it’s off. Let me see. Ahh, here it is, the battery is it’s own transmitter. I can take it out and it’s still going. Genius!” She smashes the whole thing with the butt of her gun, then points the gun at me.

I can’t help but smile at her. I won. “They’ll be here in a minute. It’s over, Shelly. You’ve confessed to everything. It’s all been transmitted and—oh yeah you’ll like this—posted on the internet!”

Her face grows dark. “Get up. Get up or I’ll drill you.”

Alarms chime all though the building. On the monitors black cars pull up from every street. The entire building is surrounded.

“Come on, move it.” She pushes me ahead of her. I look back as she grabs a device off her desk and pulls out an antenna. Shit.

“What is that, a detonator?”

“Move your ass, Ross, or I’ll set it off right now.”

She pushes me through the datacenter to a metal railing that leads up to a ceiling panel. “Remove the panel, and don’t try anything funny.” The railing leads up past the panel to the roof about thirty feet up. “Climb!”

At the top I push through a hatch. Up on the roof, hidden from the street, stands a small gyrocopter. “Stand back,” cries Carrie. Lights flash in every direction. She jumps into the single passenger aircraft. She pushes some buttons, and the blades spin. I notice that the roof of the building has been cleared out like a runway.

“Hey Alex,” she shouts at me through the growing din of the gyro’s motor, “the moment you stepped inside, I detected your transmission. You think I can’t dampen a cell signal? You’ve lost, Alex, and I’ll make sure you get blamed for this explosion too. Goodbye.”

She revs up the motor and taxies down the roof of the building. I run after her and grab one piece of the rear wing. I hold on for dear life as I’m dragged along the roof.  I can’t hold on and I roll right to the edge of the roof. I have about two seconds to jump off before the whole building explodes in a huge burst of flame. I hit the ground and roll under a car as a deluge of servers and wires and cinder blocks rain down all around me. Once the debris stops, I run, blood oozing from a dozen painful wounds. I spot a car where some people had stopped to look at the fire, leaving it running. I hop into it and speed away.

Well, I’m back at Ellie’s hideout now. There are videos on the web connecting me to the scene. None of my secret transmissions got through. I can’t beat Carrie. She’s just too smart. Her gyrocopter disappeared to who knows where, and I have no way to clear my name. Wherever you are Carrie, know that you can’t escape, and I’ll be chasing you.

Carrie is the most certifiable anti-social megalomaniac I’ve ever created. She’s brilliant, resourceful, and highly manipulative. She’s a classic mad scientist, surrounded by incompetent boobs. And she always gets away in the end.