About the Book:

The Burned Bridges Protocol by Abigail Borders
238 pages, young adult, science fiction

Seven hundred years ago, disaster forced humanity to abandon Earth. Life on the colony ship New Edinburgh is all sixteen-year-old Lilliane, the best programmer in her year at the Institute, has ever known.

A week ago, Lilliane woke up in a life-pod. Its destination? Earth itself. Because it’s time to rebuild. It’s up to Lilliane and the four other survivors of the New Edinburgh to reclaim humanity’s ancestral home.

Today, the life pod arrived at Lady Diana–the lunar holding station that was once the luxury holiday destination for Earth’s super-rich. It’s supposed to be a good place. A safe place.

Not anymore.

Today, Lady Di is a battlefield. Because while Lilliane and her friends thought they they were the only humans left, somebody else got to Lady Di first.

And he will stop at nothing to keep Lilliane from ever getting to Earth.

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So I am currently working on how Lilliane can escape an angry and possibly armed mob without hurting anyone. No backup. Lemon just shot his mouth off in public and started a riot.

My research assistant, who goes by the singular name Google, tells me about Nitrous Oxide – a gas used for anesthetic purposes.

The upside: it is a non-legal gas and takes about five minutes to kick in. The downside: Lilliane only has two, at most three minutes before the metal strikes the meat, so to speak. The gas takes too long.

Well, Lemon can suck all the oxygen out and replace it with pure nitrous oxide, which should speed up the process.

Upside: The action takes place in an enclosed environment (the Lady Diana), so this should work. Downside: the human body cannot metabolize the gas. How long does the human brain need to be in a state of oxygen deprivation before permanent brain damage ensues?

Google is spouting medical gibberish. Attempting to decipher –

Oooh look! I still have a few sticks of butter in the fridge. Maybe I should make some cake. Cake would be good about now. There is also ice cream in the fridge, which would go great with cake. And coffee. Cake, and coffee, and ice cream. Yummmmm! Reading through all this medical stuff would be better if I have a slice of freshly-baked cake next to me.

Yes, that is an excellent idea. I shall make cake.

I wonder if I have enough eggs…? *Looks in fridge, then fist pump* Yes!

*Flips through handwritten recipe book. A batter-stained page flew out* Hmmn… madelines. Oooh! Madelines! Forget cake, I’m making madelines!

Ingredients:

1 ½ sticks of butter, melted and cooled (the health conscious might be persuaded to cut it to 1 stick of butter)
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff, please)
The zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cups of sugar
2/3 cups of flour

Method:
1) Beat the eggs and salt until they double or triple in size, and are gooey and ribbony.
2) Pour sugar in a slow, steady stream, while still whisking the eggs.
3) Keep beating, and add in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
4) Sprinkle in the flour and fold it in with spatula.
5) Pour butter in, fold in with spatula until they’re all just combined. The longer you mess with the dough, the tougher your madelines will be. The magic words to chant while folding the batter are “light and quick”
6) Pour into buttered madeline tin (muffin tins will work if you’re in a pinch) and bake in 350 over until the tops are golden brown.
7) Serve as is, or sprinkle the tops with confectioners’ sugar.

*munching on second Madeline* Wait, wasn’t I supposed to be reading something?

About the Author: 

Abigail is fluent in three languages, grew up in Asia, studied History in the UK, and now calls sunny Southern California her home. When not working with flowers (and daydreaming about what a ranunculus flower fairy looks like) she sings about Winnie the Pooh while baking treats like pineapple tarts and sand dollar cookies for her son, El Kiddo. She has an-going love/hate relationship with all things chocolate, although coffee will always remain her first love. She also holds graduate degrees in International Management and Special Education. 

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