2016 is finally over! May 2017 be full of hope and Opportunity for everyone! And now, take this opportunity to respond to this prompt!

An excerpt from a WIP entitled Chains of Command: "Fire in the hole! Everybody rendezvous back at the Phoenix!" "Not now, Jason," Mark muttered through clenched teeth as he slapped one gloved hand over his communicator to muffle the hail. Too late: Zoltar heard the sound, glanced about in alarm, and broke into a flat sprint. Mark was running after him within a heartbeat, but the alien had a lead of a good twenty metres and was motivated by terror-inspired adrenalin. Another five seconds and I would've had him cold! Zoltar bounded up a metal staircase, boots clanging against the chequer plate steel. "Skipper! Where are you?" There was urgency in Jason's voice. Mark looked up through the gantry: above, Zoltar disappeared through a hatch which slammed closed behind him. Mark skidded to a stop, fists slamming into the hatch in frustration at an opportunity lost, then turned his attention upward to belatedly comprehend the main feature of the chamber he was in. He was standing directly underneath an exhaust port. A very large exhaust port. Attached to a rocket booster. Of course. The escape vessel. This was not good. Mark spun and sprinted back the way he had come. A detonation shook the base and the floor lurched, flinging him sideways. He scrabbled frantically to his feet and threw himself forward. A low rumble sounded behind him, spurring him onward. The walls were moving, their metal supports warping under the pressure of the charges Jason and Princess had set. A great roar like the rage of titans filled Mark's ears and he lurched, then flung himself face down as the heat and force of the escape ship's boosters sent a fireball roiling through the corridor. Mark screwed his eyes shut and held his breath, muffling his face with his cape and trusting to his G-Force uniform to protect him from the worst of what was to come. He clenched his teeth as the heat rolled over him, feeling oddly cold at first, then hot. Time stood still, stretching out into an eternal, suspended moment of exquisite suffering. Mark held on. His cerebonics kicked in and he held his breath, counting the seconds in the searing dark. Mark's lungs screamed for air. He held on for another second and cautiously peered over one arm. The corridor was black with soot and the floor and he could just make out the walls and ceiling that sagged and groaned with fatigue. He risked an in-breath, and gasped with the effects of the increased amount of carbon dioxide in the air. His throat burned with the fiery, astringent air and he choked, his attempt at a cough turning into a strangled gurgling noise. His head swam and his vision blurred. "Mark?" It was Princess on the channel this time, her voice tugging at his awareness. "Mark, where are you?" Mark tried to speak, but could make no sound. As consciousness tumbled away into a swirling, spinning blackness, he pressed one finger to the touch sensitive face of his wrist communicator and prayed that his team would find him.

I'd love to read more of this! (Just how many WIPs do you have tucked away, anyway? I've fallen in love with so many!)

I think I've got about half a dozen actual WIPs lurking on the hard drive plus a file of snippets arising from brain farts and writing exercises. I'm trying to get the BotP:2163 arc finished before I die of old age. The dam is currently clogged with a novella-length story which has been with my beta-readers since May 2016. Daniella's trying to ease the load by doing the proof-reading for me. I've got eight stories completed to first draft stage but don't want to post them until the big one is finished since it's an important pivotal story in the overall arc. Once it goes up I'll be desperately seeking beta readers again. Last year I decided I'd try to write at least 300 words a day as an exercise in trying to coax my creativity back on line. The result is a backlog.

Oooh, intriguing, would definitely read more!

Love it!

Excellent as always And, guys, a tip: if you become a beta/ proofreader, you get to read GGO's stories before everyone else

GGO: I second all comments above! Your WIP's are very impressive and I can't wait to read the complete stories.

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