[ChicletPrime]

Chapter 7: Unexpected 

• okay, so apparently in a previous chapter, Zayne and I came to the conclusion that the black crystal infection thing is not caused by an aether core in and of itself, but that "someone" is responsible for the disease.
  
• I vote Grandma.
  
• ooh, Zayne is silent on the other end of this whispered little phone conversation.  ah, William. poor William. at the end, i don't even think he could scream. 
  
• okay, so at Mt Eternal "we" (I'm guessing Zayne and the rest of his team) learned that under 'extremely special circumstances' a Wanderer's strike can cause energy crystals to grow in the area struck, corroding the body and encasing it in crystal. victims can lose their sanity in seconds and attack anyone near them.
  
• yas girlfriend, lets drag Dr Noah's research into it and Zayne's involvement with same.
  
• Zayne has to have some idea of how to treat it by this point, even if its not a cure. 
  
• okay, Operation: Extract Kevi To A Real Hospital Not This Skyhaven Bullshit engaged.
  
• yes Zayne, i will be super careful of any Ever agents lurking around the playground waiting to do me harm. thank you for your concern, it is warmly received.
  
• onto the real problem: how to keep all of this from Caleb. 
  
• we... we just don't tell him? 
  
• the skies turn dark and gloomy, and thunder rolls. Oh my god, Rafayel, did you burn the spaghetti again? 
  
• "my phone has several unread texts from Caleb."   oops.
  
• aaand he poked me and tried to call me too. 
  
• i am a terrible, terrible sister. 
  
• aaaand now it starts to rain. apparently the tomato sauce is also unrecoverable. Raf, just order out!
  
• huddling under the overpass, i am approached by A Mysterious Stranger named "?"
  
• woah, explosion! A Wanderer Appears! 
  
• the mystery man isn't it though, he's still here and ... nice. "forked tongue and white slit pupils". what the hell? 
  
• are they... shit, is Ever making STABLE hybrid human-Wanderers? 
  
• eek, his fingers change to blades and he swipe at my cheek. then he whirls and goes for my throat.
  
• CALEB! NOW WOULD BE GOOD TIME TO SHOW UP.
  
• hang on, do i have my guns? a "borrowed" knife from Sylus, even? 
  
• oooh. "I pistol whip him, narrowly avoiding the silver blades."  nasty, girlfriend, i approve.
  
• what, huh? he was a robot? construct? cyborg-thing?!  well, damn, i was definitely not expecting THAT. i guess shearing off some plate metal isn't really that much of a handicap.
  
• and the metaflux chooses this moment to surge and there's now several -weird- Wanderers around.
  
• "my hand moves behind my waist." (searching for a knife? i have such a knife fetish.) "amidst the dirt and rain, a bright red flash materializes." a Wanderer goes flying several meters and...
  
• (an apple?)
  
• oh wow. gravity assisted fruit projectile to my rescue! HIII CALEB!
  
• honestly, Magneto would have nothing on this guy, eeeee. 
  
• "Cradling his phone between his ear and shoulder, Caleb grabs an apple from the paper bag he's holding. He throws it up and catches it in his right hand."
  
•  * swoon * 
  
• "I raise my gun and swiftly position myself beside him."  Battle Couple, Best Couple.
  
• oh man. Level 15 cards. on the plus side, I love Caleb's armaments. those really look like hand cannons all right.