[ChicletPrime]

Chapter 10: Heart's Crossing

• another vaguely ominous chapter title.
  
• i didn't notice before really, but back wall of Caleb's apartment looks like it has a projection of the Deepspace on it. data points, what looks like mapped areas...
  
• oops, girlfriend caught a common cold. ah-choo!
  
• Caleb's moving stuff in or moving stuff out? What's with all the boxes, gege?
  
• you decided your apartment needed more stuff. because... i'm here? and i need more stuff? but i won't be here for more than a few days, remember? oh yes, i do plan to visit, for sure. as if i'd leave you alone to eat your own cooking.
  
• and all is right in the world. 
  
• okay, now we have an apartment robot! ready to bring us snacks and drinks as needed.
  
• i have such a guilt complex because Caleb's smile is so warm. how could i possibly suspect that face of wrongdoing.
  
• (flashback to the remnants of Viper's face. yikes.)
  
• i am.. so terrible at lying. 
  
• aaaand its not going to work anyways because brotherly intuition (and my froggy throat) says i'm getting sick and i guess its back to bed for me? 
  
• whoever designed his sweater should be taken around back of the fashion house and shot. 
  
• aha? there's a weird fluctuation in the Tunnel, the Wanderers are all riled up and Skyhaven will be under lockdown tonight while "we" do a clean. I assume Fleet.
  
• yeah, that's MY job! isn't the Fleet supposed to be flying or something? Doing Fleet things? 
  
• yeah, lets not try and lie our way out onto the streets tonight, i just cannot handle Disappointed Caleb face when I get caught out. 
  
• oh, i CAN'T go out, hey? who died and make you my bos... ooooh. bad sister, no cookie.
  
• "Nothing's more important than your safety."  oh, that is such a good line of doublespeak. you continue to impress Caleb. "Please stay here {name}. I can't do any more than this."  whoever is writing this dialogue should get a pat on the back.
  
• at least i'm catching on that he's a little too cheerful and hiding something. LIKE EVERYTHING.
  
• ooh, finally i get a little serious! grab Caleb by the chin, make him look at me and directly accuse him of lying.
  
• wow. okay. forceful little girlfriend. you get a little sick, you get a little impatient? 
  
• aaaand the volley clears the net on the return! "What about you then?"  
  
• really Caleb, the gun is just to make me feel better when I have to raid the fridge later.
  
• "Do you remember what I said? Leave it to me. I won't break my promise to you." 
  
• i do trust you gege, i do. but so far everything you have said to me has at least three layers. 
  
• For some reason, this version of Caleb feels like a stranger.  I WONDER WHY.
  
• oh man, pinky swear.  this is so grade school, i love it. i can just imagine the cross talk on a battlefield between these two. "Caaaaleb, slow dowwwn! You're going too fast!"   "C'mon pipqueak, stretch those little legs of yours, I know they reach the ground most of the time!" *picks her up with evol so she's not touching anything for a hot moment*  "Oooh! When I catch up, I am going to shoot you in the ankle, see if I don't!" Meanwhile, guns and evol are going off in a nearly unseen blur and the two guys back in the ops centre can't even track the kills, they're happening so fast. Caleb is not in the lead, but its close.
  
• so we're still stuck in the apartment and can't see a way to leave just yet to go get Kevi and meet with Zayne. and the phone service is out, this is a pretty big lockdown.
  
• ooh, creaking door at 11pm? nobody's in the living room though. let's find our gun.
  
• ack. Caleb! um.
  
• ohhh shit. he's in his uniform.  (so hot)
  
• we lie about wanting a glass of water, so one assembles itself, floats over and arrives with two white pills. uh oh.
  
• i don't think the lie worked, girlfriend. i am pretty sure you know it too. right? 
  
• aaaand she just swallows the "meds" because she doesn't want him to worry about her. 
  
• i am so dumb sometimes.
  
• snoozing the snooze of the drugged and somehow still trusting
  
• He reaches for her face, hesitates and then touches her hand instead. "If I kept you here with me like this... would you think I'm being too selfish? But it's only us now." 
  
• oh, Caleb. i am pretty sure that your gravity is her gravity. she just hasn't accepted it with her awake brain yet, like you have.
  
• PUT A RING ON IT IF YOU'RE GONNA HOLD HER HAND SO GENTLY LIKE THAT
  
• i think this is the first overt moment we've had and i'm unconscious for it.  sounds like a perfectly natural basis for our situationship going forward, to be honest.
  
• "Let's say I had noticed these threats that were lurking around you earlier... knowing then what I know now... none of this would've happened, right?"   uh, i don't think you're talking about Viper from yesterday are you? 
  
• very VERY cool shot at what i guess is his transport arriving.
  
• HOLY SHIT. okay, a lovely highlight on the back of his uniform jacket and there's red stitched wings in the design! I SAW THE COSMOS TRAILER i know what those are or will be! eeeee, fan-freaking-tastic. nice little homage.
  
• okay, it was really hard, but i got a screenshot of the message coming in on Caleb's wristband and "Cleanup operation begins shortly. Awaiting Colonel's orders."  oh, noes. not only is he involved, he's in charge. i knew it but i didn't want to know it, you know? 
  
• good god, he loves her so much. 
  
• "Don't worry. This nightmare will come to an end. I promise."
  

and we're onto the second chapter of Homecoming Wings. i bet you thought we'd never get here. i have all day off tomorrow though, so be prepared for five chapters at once.