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"Hayley, any luck? We need that signal stopped. Now!"
Preston's desperate call comes through just as Hayley jogs into a room and finds the gigantic, unmistakable satellite dish. A beam is firing from it directed out of a large open bay, sending that mind-control ray to everyone watching Galaxy Warriors. And it's up to her to stop it, to save all the victims, including Calvin, wherever he is.
"I found the satellite dishes," Hayley reports.
She frantically looks around for a control panel or something to turn the damn thing off, her heart absolutely racing with the adrenaline of such a do or die situation. She doesn't even know what kind of mess her teammates back on Earth are in, but Preston had a hint of pain and fear in his voice, not to mention she's pretty sure she heard the familiar sound of combat in the background. Things are terrible everywhere, but she can help, she just needs to find…
"There it is," she crows when her eyes fall on what has to be the control panel.
Hayley rushes for it, hand outstretched to slap whichever button looks like "off", all her attention focused on her goal.
She's taken completely by surprise as a hand clamps too tightly around her wrist and jerks her around. She has just a second to recognize Calvin before he spartan kicks her in the stomach sending her sprawling backwards. She rolls with it the best she can, comes up on one knee with a hand to the spot he hit because damn that hurt. He's not holding back like he would during all their many sparring matches, because he's not in control of himself.
"I can't let you do that," her boyfriend says in a very unlike him monotone, almost drone. It's such an awful contrast to his normal vibrancy.
He's standing between her and the console with his sword out, stance ready. His face is twisted into a fierce glare the likes of which she's never seen before, especially not directed at her and she feels sick to her stomach. Worst of all though, is the red glow in his normally beautifully expressive eyes.
"Cal, you don't want to do this," she pleads even as she pulls her own sword. "I don't want to fight you."
He says nothing, simply charges at her soundlessly, not even a battle cry. It's so odd, so different from her Cal, a chill slithers down her spine. It's so wrong. All of this is so wrong.
And yet, there's nothing she can do except fight him, because Preston and the others are relying on her to stop that signal. Hell, Cal is depending on her. She can't let anything stop her, not even him.
She rises and meets his downward swing, twisting just a little to send his sword into the floor, but he uses the momentum of his charge the shoulder her backwards. She stumbles, but catches her balance enough to deflect his upwards swipe at her. He doesn't give her a second and they get into a pattern of blocking, parrying, and clashing back and forth.
They've sparred like this so many times in the past, usually with an air of competitive playfulness between them. They would tease and taunt each other, trying to make the other slip up. It's always been a delightful challenge for either one of them to one up the other.
This is very much not that. There's a deadly seriousness to his every movement, to the snarl of his lips. It's all too much, makes her heart hurt to see him like this. Yet, she can't go easy on him, she has got to get to that console and shut down that beam.
"Hayley, hurry," Preston's voice chimes through her comm.
It's only the slightest distraction, she barely shifts her attention, but it's enough and she's not expecting it when Calvin drops into a leg sweep. She yelps as she hits the ground, head smacking the metal floor just enough to momentarily daze her. He pounces on her, his full weight driving her into the floor and the breath out of her lungs.
"Gotcha," he snarls, none of the warm teasing that would usually accompany that.
She just barely interjects her sword between his and her neck, grunting as the impact forces both blades toward her neck. He's straddled her chest far up enough that she can't easily kick him or get her legs around his neck to flip their positions. And as he starts pushing on the other end of the blade with is other hand, it's all she can do to keep him from succeeding in slicing her throat.
"Cal, please," she gasps out, muscles already burning with the exertion. They're both strong, but he's got the leverage to put his whole weight into it. "I love you, please."
"I don't love you," he intones back, but it's that same kind of hollowness that she knows isn't him speaking.
"I'm sorry I got mad at you for just telling me the truth," she goes on. "After our anniversary disaster we promised to be honest with each other, even if we didn't think the other would want to hear it."
"You wanted my opinion and I gave it."
"I know, I know you did, and I should've respected that. I'm so sorry for breaking up with you for that."
The red flickers in his eyes, the pressure let's up just slightly.
"I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me?"
For a second the red blinks out and he pulls his sword back ever so slightly.
In that instant, Hayley draws her ninja blaster and fires at the satellite dish. Her target explodes, shrapnel flying in every direction, a big chunk bounces right by her head.
Calvin reels back, dropping his sword as his hands fly to his head. He groans, presses the heels of his palms to his eyes like the ray may have physically hurt them. Then, just as suddenly, he gasps and yanks them away, frantic as they fall on where she's still just laying on the ground panting.
"Hales!"
She welcomes his arms around her, returns the favor in a hug that could probably break a normal person's ribs with how tight they clutch at one another. He's babbling an apology he doesn't need to give, so she silences him with a quick kiss that deepens with a flare of desperation and adrenaline still pumping through them both.
When they pull apart, they simply rest their foreheads together.
"I'm sorry—"
He puts his finger to her lips. "I could hear everything you were saying. I love you too and of course I can forgive you. We probably do need to talk more, but we've got bigger problems to deal with."
She kisses his fingertip and then pulls back. "You're right, let's go make Odious regret messing with us."