reused « Robin Writes

Thought I’d post a few exerpts from REUSED, due out in December – that’s next month, folks!

“At ease, Major Blake.” The older man lowered himself carefully into a chair and turned to study the younger officer. As Colonel Barton’s recent replacement in St. Louis, he was familiarizing himself with the new command and had requested Major Blake, specifically, for this detail. He busied himself for a few moments with a stack of papers on his desk, while covertly watching the newer recruit for any signs of recognition or remembrance.”

And so it begins….

“She awoke with a start. Damn. Strange dream. She shook it off, realizing the car had stopped. The young corporal opened the door and she scrambled out and took her bag from him. She strode purposefully towards the waiting chopper; it wouldn’t do to show any kind of weakness even though her legs were trembling a bit. Taking a deep breath, Alison climbed into the seat and strapped herself in, willing the dream to disappear as she focused on what lay ahead.”

And continues….

“Out of habit, she clicked off the flashlight and crouched behind a display, gun at the ready. The sound became louder. After a few minutes, Abby let her breath out in a rush. The sound faded as they circled and flew away. Taking a moment to relax her clenched muscles and steady her breathing, Abby realized the damn things had been hovering directly over Barnhart. She wondered if they’d seen her truck, if they’d noticed. Surely they’d picked up her presence, through infrared if nothing else. Then she remembered: that didn’t work, for whatever reason, on VADER survivors.”

Colonel Barton has been replaced, and the new commander is sending his henchman, Major Blake, to scour the outlying areas and remove any insurgents. Abby and the girls have remained in the cave at the camp, relatively safe for now, but plans are underway to eliminate all of them…for personal reasons, known only to the commander himself.

Soon, however, worlds will collide as Captain Alison Hinson is transferred in from Chicago. In spite of her background, Alison is horrified by the tactics of her superiors in the field and begins to question her own stance on the new government. As she puts together the pieces of the past, she realizes that she and Abby are kindred spirits, faced with a mission not of their own choosing but of circumstance.

Across the country, while officials and mercenaries live the high life, the citizenry are faced with more sanctions, more regulation, and fewer necessities. Pockets of rebellion are quickly quelled, but incidents continue to increase as more people make the decision to go underground. Literally.

From abandoned caves below St. Louis itself to a subterranean river winding north into Illinois, REUSED will tell you more, perhaps, than you truly wish to know about the potential for the utter collapse of our civilization.