Everyone was quiet for a long time after Belmavidelko signed off. For some reason, they all began to look at Callum. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, I guess we all know what we need to do now." They all stared at him expectantly. It was disconcerting. "We have to make sure we're ready to defend this place until Tsy...rin...suka can rescue us."
"Tsyirinsaku!" Yemoramato snapped. "You should address her as Princess or Lady Tsyirinsaku, though I'm not sure you even deserve to have her name in your mouth!"
"Right. Her," Callum said, ignoring the insult and the hot glare. 'Why couldn't it be that Bel woman with us?' "We have four carcha mechs plus Angra Mainyu, plus the three ships."
"The skiff doesn't have any weapons and the smaller shuttle only has anti-personnel weapons," Nita said bluntly. "They'll be useless in a real fight."
"And you said we had four mechs," Riley put in. "I've been meaning to ask what happened to the mech that Nita went up in."
Valencia and Callum glanced at each other uncomfortably. "It was stolen," Callum said. He related the entire story, which wasn't much at all. "You haven't seen her, have you?" he asked when he was finished.
Riley dropped his head into his hands. "What the hell?"
"We should recruit her when she shows up," Russell said. "She sounds like a go-getter! I like it!"
"What makes you think she is going to show up?" Riley asked.
"She can't go anywhere else," Nita answered. "This is the only populated place in the system, besides the prison, and it would take several hundred years for the mech to reach another system at its top speed."
"I see," Callum said, taking her word for it. "I guess if she does show up we can see if she'll help us. She certainly seemed comfortable in a mech."
"It's probably fine anyway," Nita said. "We only have four pilots unless one of these miners has the talent. It's pretty rare, though."
"Four?" Callum asked.
"Me, Riley, Yemoramato and Chajin."
Callum glanced at Yemoramato. "You're a pilot?" Her only response was to look at him as if he were a complete moron.
"Yes, she is," Nita said. "Tsyirinsaku's best. At least by reputation." Yemoramato scowled at her. "And Chajin is an absolute monster in the cockpit. That one I can confirm from personal experience. So we have our four."
Riley seemed to want to say something but also seemed unhappy about it. "What is it, Riley?" Callum asked.
"Well, when I thought we had a fifth mech, I started to look for a fifth pilot. I had them try to open the cockpit of one of the mechs because I remembered Callum saying he couldn't activate Angra Mainyu until he tapped into his power."
Callum nodded. That was smart. "Did you find anyone?"
"One. A girl."
"Too bad we lost a mech. Well, I guess she can be a backup then."
Riley closed his eyes and took a breath. "I think...I should probably be the backup. I still can't...reliably activate the mechs. She's better than me." Callum was too stunned to speak. He'd thought that Riley would have made all sorts of progress. He was so much smarter and more talented than Callum was. Callum had even wondered if he should give up control of Angra Mainyu to his friend.
"Having trouble getting it going, handsome?" That was Chajin. Her voice was awful. Like a cold scrape. Her thin tongue played over her pointed teeth. "I bet I could help you with that."
Riley stared at her with undisguised horror. "Pass. Hard pass. No way in hell."
Chajin didn't seem put out. "Well, the offer stands...if you ever get tired of being a little boy." Her long fingers wiggled on the tabletop. "I know how to make you overflow." Callum was sure he wasn't the only one who shuddered.
"Well, until you decide to go down that...path," Nita said. "I'll see what I can do to help you. Tomorrow. For now, I need a hot bath and a soft bed." The others agreed. Callum didn't feel particularly tired but he did need a bath something fierce. The PFC liquid didn't seem to stick to him at all but he had been in his suit for nearly a week now. He let all the girls go first, though, out of politeness. And because he was terrified of them all. 'And Venus wonders why I see my sister as the perfect woman.'
After he'd finally had his bath, Callum headed back for the kitchen for a late snack and found his sister working away. "What are you doing?"
Catriona jumped and the knife she'd been using clattered to the countertop. She put a hand to her chest and said, "You scared me, Cal."
Callum was about to apologize when he saw a well of red coming from the tip of his finger. He rushed forward, grabbing a rag from the counter and pressing her hand to it. "You cut yourself! I'm so sorry, Cat. I didn't mean to startle you."
Cat pried her hand out of his and glanced at the cut. "It's just a little nick, Cal. It's my fault for being so jumpy." She took the rag from him and wrapped her finger in it, applying pressure. Callum studied her and realized she looked tired. Exhausted. It was the first time he'd ever seen her like that, despite the fact that she never seemed to sleep.
"Is everything alright?" Callum asked. He touched her cheek and tipped her face up to look at him. Sometimes he forgot he was taller than her now. It seemed wrong, somehow. "You're exhausted." He glanced around. "What are you making?"
"Breakfast for tomorrow," Catriona said.
"I think we can scrounge up something for ourselves tomorrow. You should really get some sleep." Callum was suddenly angry at Riley. Why wasn't he taking care of her? He should have known that Catriona would be worn down by her trial. "They've been running you ragged," he said, trying to keep the heat out of his voice.
"I'm fine, Cal. Go and get some sleep. I'm almost finished here." Callum glanced at what she'd been working on. Even his inexperienced eye could tell that she was just getting started.
"You don't have to do this," Callum insisted. "We'll be fine."
"Cal, please…"
"You really look like you need sleep," Callum insisted stubbornly.
"Please!" Catriona shouted. The explosion stunned both of them. Callum couldn't remember the last time he'd heard his sister yell. It made him feel like dirt. Something was going on that he didn't understand. The look of pain on his sister's face made him feel even lower than dirt. "I'm sorry, Cal. Just...go to bed alright."
He nodded woodenly and walked out of the kitchen. He hadn't gotten his snack but he was no longer hungry. Callum dearly wished he had some idea why his sister was acting that way but now that he thought about it, she'd never shared any of her troubles with him. The last time he could remember her weeping had been at their mother's funeral. Callum's throat thickened. Was he so untrustworthy? He'd do anything for her. Didn't she know that? She should be able to tell him what was wrong. Callum laid down on his bed. It was a weird mattress that was full of water, which apparently the carcha liked. It wasn't wet but the water underneath him seemed to be constantly moving. It was strange. But that wasn't the reason he barely slept that night.
In the morning, he pulled on a fresh jumpsuit and, despite the smell making his belly rumble, he skipped breakfast. He didn't feel up to seeing his sister quite yet. He found Russell out on the blacktar landing zone where the mechs were clustered. He glanced down at the little fellow and said, "I guess you don't need to sleep, do you?"
Russell glanced up at him. "I usually go into power save mode at night but I needed to recharge in Angra Mainyu last night. This body can only run so long before it runs out of power."
Callum rubbed his chin. "So I guess you do need to eat, just different stuff."
Russell snorted. "Enough about that. How did the God of Chaos handle in the storm? Are you starting to appreciate the magnificence of the machine?"
Callum shrugged. "It would be better to ask Valencia that. She was the one who did all the piloting, after all." Russell made a noise of displeasure. Callum wasn't sure at what so he changed the subject. "Do you really want to destroy the carcha empire?"
"Of course I do! What kind of question is that?!"
"Well, I was just wondering why…"
"How can you even ask that?!" Russell shouted. "They took Earth from us! They treat humanity like worms! They took away our freedom!" Callum frowned pensively. He'd been born on Ragrun and had barely heard of Earth. It was hard for him to even conceptualize freedom. Russell glared at him and seemed to see the thoughts behind Callum's eyes. "Freedom means not having to fear that your sister will be taken against her will. In the carcha's empire, you are the criminal for doing nothing more than saving your sister from being forced against her will by a carcha bastard." His words hit Callum like a thunderbolt. Maybe there was something to Russell's crusade. But when he thought about a world where he wasn't ruled by the carcha, he wondered how he would get his food. Where would he live? What would he do? It was hard to imagine.
After a while, the rest of the pilots joined him. Valencia, Riley, Nita, Yemoramato, Chajin and a stranger that had to be the pilot that Riley had found. She was two or three years younger than him, short with a boyish figure. Her skin was pale beige and her dark eyes had the same monolid as Riley's. In fact, the two of them almost looked like they could have been cousins or something. Her hair was cut at the shoulder and hung loose and straight like shimmering black silk. Her face was cute and roundish with some lingering traces of baby fat, though it was hard to see since she was staring fixedly at the ground. She was wearing the same pilot suit as everyone else, with her hands held up to cover modest breasts. "You must be the pilot that Riley mentioned," Callum said. She glanced up at him and he smiled broadly. She flushed and glanced back down.
"Um...yes," she said, very softly.
"This is Mikan," Riley said. "She activated the mech on her first try." There was an undercurrent of bitterness there that Callum doubted anyone but him could hear.
"That's impressive," Callum said. "Glad to have you with us." Mikan only responded with a few high pitched noises that might or might not have been words.
"What's this?" Russell walked around Callum and smacked Mikan on the calf. She jumped. "A pilot needs to be bold and fearless! Look straight ahead, my girl. Throw your shoulders back and thrust your chest out! You're a mech pilot!" Mikan made no move to do as he said, so Russell continued to harangue her.
Riley, shaking his head, stepped up to Callum and handed him a small bundle. "We didn't see you at breakfast this morning. Cat wanted you to have this." Callum could smell the aroma of salted fish and his mouth filled with saliva. He could also hear the unspoken question Riley's voice. He looked his friend in the eye, shook his head slightly and mouthed the word 'later.'
Callum pulled out a small fish and began to gnaw at it. Valencia had begun arguing with Russell, who seemed like he wouldn't relent until Mikan stood up straight. Valencia was telling him that Mikan could hunch if she wanted and that the suits were embarrassing. Despite her words, Valencia had completely stopped covering her own chest. Either she was growing more comfortable or she had forgotten in the heat of the argument. Callum quickly glanced away from her, face heating. He switched his gaze to Chajin and saw that she, indeed, did not have the same worries as a human woman. Her chest was smooth. She doesn't even have nipples. She grinned at him.
Nervously, he finally turned to look at Yemoramato. He'd been catching glimpses of her out of the corner of his eye and even that had been enough to dry his throat. She'd heavily modified her suit, cutting both the arms and legs off completely. She'd kept the hands and boots, wearing them detached from the rest of the suit. A large portion of the front of her suit was cut away in a 'V' shape, revealing a generous amount of cleavage and much of her midriff. Her hair was held back from her face with a headband, presumably made of a portion of her suit. 'Her legs are so long and her chest is so...' Callum shook his head, chastising himself. It was hard to stop looking at her, though. She noticed.
"What are you staring at me for, boy?" she asked in her strangely mellifluous voice.
"Just...wondering why you did all that to your suit," he said, choosing the safest of the things in his mind.
"I like it better this way," she said, glowering at him and putting her hands on her hips. For some reason, that made things jiggle. Callum turned his head so fast that he heard his neck crack. He happened to turn right to Valencia. She was smiling but it was the angriest smile he'd ever seen.
"Why don't we start practicing, hm?" she asked, her voice artificially sweet. Callum couldn't help but notice that she was standing with her arms behind her back, thrusting out her chest as far as it could go. It was an odd combination of pitiful and cute.
Callum nodded quickly. "Let's." He scarfed down the rest of his food on the short journey to Angra Mainyu.
Russell jumped up onto his shoulder as they walked. "God damn it, this is some bullshit," he muttered quietly.
"What is it?" Callum asked around a mouthful of food.
"I had some fine honeys with me when I was a rebel but you're making me jealous here. First you have this little hottie that is practically begging for you to notice her on top of that crazy hot tatted mama that would rock your damn world. Now you have an alien that is like sex personified. You saw what she did to that suit! Talk about a woman who wants it."
Callum's mind was reeling from Russell's bluntness. He latched onto the last thing he'd said. "I'm pretty sure Yemora...mato...would kill me if she even thought I was trying to...do anything to her."
"Oh, she'd fight. She's a fighter. The best ones always are. Mark my words, young buck. It might be worth going through some serious pain to have a chance at that one." Callum thought about her in the shreds of her pilot's suit and it was hard to argue. He'd never really thought about love or sex that much. His life had been too busy and there weren't many eligible women in his village. There was Valencia, of course, but they'd been friends since they were kids. It was weird to think about her that way. He was beginning to, though. She wasn't giving him a choice. As for Nita, well, he had spent more than a few late nights...thinking...about her while his sister was still in the common room. He'd never even imagined a relationship was possible with her. It was even harder to imagine with Yemoramato. 'But that night, just before Cat was taken...what had we been about to do?'
'I better clear my head of these thoughts before I enter the cockpit.' The last thing he needed was Valencia catching wind of where his mind was. 'Maybe I should ask Riley to be my co-pilot if he's not going to be in one of the mechs.' Callum thought about Valencia's reaction to that and decided to do his best to erase that thought from his mind as well.
Callum purged his mind, entering the zone he used while mining as he slid into the cockpit. He connected with Angra Mainyu and Cosmos assured him that all systems were running at optimal efficiency. Valencia lifted them in the air and they joined the others. It was easy to tell which was Mikan, as her mech had an unsteadiness that the others didn't. Nita began to show her the basics. Chajin goaded Yemoramato into a sparring match and the two began to dance in the clouds. Watching them, it became clear that as good as Nita had seemed to Callum, she was a complete amateur compared to the fie and the carcha. They were moving their mechs so fast it was hard for Callum to even follow what was going on. 'Is that what we'll face when the carcha come?' It was Valencia's thought. Callum could feel her fear and couldn't blame her in the least. 'We'll just have to work hard and get even better,' he thought back, trying to add a confidence he wasn't sure he truly felt. Valencia responded with determination and they spent the rest of the day working on becoming as in sync as possible.
That was how the next several days went. Callum and Valencia worked alone, with Russell giving them advice. Nita worked with Mikan and confided in Callum that she was shocked at the girl's progress. Apparently, the shy girl was a natural. Yemoramato and Chajin continued to spar and from what little Callum was able to see, they were evenly matched. And every night Yemoramato was more and more prickly and sulky while Chajin seemed ever more pleased and amused. Callum didn't even try to understand their reactions. The other carcha woman, Dahri, seemed to just disappear. When Callum asked about her, Nita said she was holed up in one of the lower rooms, helping Cosmos get total control over the base and working on something else Nita said would take too long to explain. Callum let it go. He had other things to worry about.
Unfortunately, things remained the same with his sister over the next several days as well. She didn't avoid him, exactly, but there was tension in the air between them and he didn't know what to do about it. It would have been one thing if she was angry at him but he was reasonably certain she wasn't. He would have thrown himself at her feet and begged for forgiveness if it was that. But she was different...it was hard to put his finger on it. It was like being around him caused her pain. He didn't understand that at all and didn't know how to fix it. It killed him but all he could do was keep his distance until he figured it out. Callum didn't even want to bring it up with his friends because it was so painful to admit there was a problem. His mood spiraled down and he compensated by pouring effort into his training. Valencia didn't ever complain, even when they were in the Angra Mainyu from dawn to well past dawn with a single, short lunch break.
After one of these lunch breaks, he exited the caracha barracks to find Valencia's father, Seville, waiting at the foot of Angra Mainyu. Callum's spirits were initially buoyed at seeing the man. Callum could barely remember his father and Seville had been about the closest thing he'd had. He'd heard Seville had come with the rest of the humans and had been wondering why the man hadn't come to visit. His good feeling evaporated the moment that he saw the look on Seville's face. It was rage. Callum's mood plummeted right back down. 'What now?' He was already hurting so bad, he didn't know if he could take another blow.
"So it's true?" Seville hissed when they were close enough to talk. Callum stopped a respectful distance away but Seville strode right up to him and got in his face. "You're making my daughter pilot this monstrosity for you."
Callum glanced at Valencia. "He didn't know?" She shook her head, staring at the ground. Callum turned back to Seville. "I'm sorry she didn't tell you but you should be proud of her. She's a hero! I wouldn't have been able to rescue my sister without her."
That seemed to take him aback. "M-maybe so but you can't keep taking her into danger like this. There's a rumor that you expect the carcha to come and you're going to fight them. I can't allow you to take her drag into a fight like that. It's suicide!"
It was Callum's turn to be taken aback. Those were the same thoughts he'd had before Valencia had forced her way aboard the Angra Mainyu the first time. Somewhere along the way he'd forgotten about them. "Valencia is an adult," he said, his voice sounding half-hearted even to him. "She can make her own decisions."
"An adult!" Seville barked. "An adult would have told me what she was doing. You lied to me! And what is that you're wearing? You might as well be naked! You're coming with me. Now!" Valencia was covering her breasts for the first time in a long time. Callum could see tears in her eyes.
Callum sighed. Seville was probably right. It was irresponsible of Callum to drag Valencia into this. He'd just have to ask Riley to be his co-pilot. Callum opened his mouth to say so when a small voice whispered in the back of his mind, 'But what about what Valencia wants?' Callum gazed at her. She'd joined him when it had been mortifying for her and basically a death sentence. Then she'd stayed with him and worked incredibly hard without one complaint. She was good now, maneuvering the Angra Mainyu with remarkable fluidity and quickness. Who was he to throw away all of that work? Who was her father to deny it?
Callum stepped slightly to his left, interposing himself between Seville and Valencia. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let her go. Valencia is my partner. Nobody else could pilot Angra Mainyu with me like she can." Valencia gasped behind him.
"You little shit," Seville snarled. "She is my daughter! She doesn't belong in a selachii. And neither do you!" He tried to grab Callum by the front of the suit but his hands slid off the smooth material. So Seville grabbed him by the shoulders. "You can't fight them. Don't you understand that? They'll kill you." Callum saw past the anger in Seville's eyes to the panic that was driving it.
He gently pulled Seville's hands from his shoulders and said, "They won't. Me and Valencia can beat anyone. I won't give up."
"You're insane." Seville shook his head. "You don't know what they are capable of. I won't let you drag down my Valencia with you!" He tried to pull away from Callum but Callum wouldn't let him.
"Valencia, run to the Angra Mainyu," Callum said quietly.
Seville jerked and then tried harder to pull away. But Callum had him by the wrists and at some point over the years, Callum had become stronger than the man he had looked up to . "No, I forbid it!"
Valencia hadn't moved. Callum glanced at her. Her blue eyes were wide and she had a hand over mouth. The pain he felt from fighting with Seville showed on Callum's face as he said, "Valencia, please." With a wail, she turned and sprinted for the Angra Mainyu. She hurried up the rope ladder and disappeared into the cockpit. Seville fought the entire time but the moment she was out of sight, all of the energy seemed to drain out of him all at once. He sagged and would have fallen if Callum hadn't held him up.
Callum lowered him gently to the tarmac. The anger was gone from Seville, replaced by desperate fear. "I couldn't bear it if she died," Seville said. "Do you understand? I wouldn't survive it."
"I don't know if I would either, sir," Callum said gently. "So I'm not going to let her die. You have my word."
Distressingly, tears started to slide down Seville's cheeks. He'd never seen him cry before, didn't even think it was possible. "I once said the same thing to the father of my wife." That struck Callum like a blow. Seville hadn't been born on Ragrun. He'd never said what had gotten him sent there but both he and his wife had been treated harshly by the carcha. Ultimately the abuse had caused Valencia's mother to go into labor early. She hadn't survived giving birth. Valencia had barely survived.
Callum didn't know what to say to that. What was there to say? Any promise would sound hollow right now. All he could do was stand and walk to the Angra Mainyu. Words were hollow but actions weren't. Callum would keep Valencia alive. No matter what. He hurriedly ascended the ladder and drew it up behind him. As soon as Callum was secure, Valencia took off. She didn't say a word. Even her mind was strangely blank. Callum wondered if she was in shock. 'Are you alright?'
Valencia forced a laugh, which was especially weird since she was thinking it. 'Yeah, my Dad has always been overprotective. I hope you don't feel badly about the things he said. I know he likes you, Callum.'
'I hope you're not mad that I spoke for you. I should have let you answer instead of assuming that you wanted to remain my copilot.'
'No!' Her denial was so strong Callum felt he could almost hear it. 'I was so happy you said what you said. I thought you might even suggest replacing me with Riley.' Callum winced. Had she been picking up on his stray thoughts about that very thing? 'I couldn't have endured that. It made me so happy when you said I was your partner. I love you, Callum. I love you so much.'
Callum and Valencia both froze. That last thought floated between them for a moment and then Valencia's thoughts became so noisy that Callum couldn't follow them. Denials were interspersed with confirmation that it was the truth, hope that he would respond to her feelings with stark terror that he would reject her and self-recrimination so severe that it hurt. Callum's own thoughts whirled as he tried to figure out how to respond. He'd never wanted to have his own thoughts private as badly as he did right at the moment. Apparently Valencia agreed because the overriding thought coming from her was 'I have to get out. I have to get out!' She put the Angra Mainyu into a severe dive.
"Warning," Cosmos said. "This angle of descent is too steep to enable a safe landing. Please reduce speed and level flight path." Valencia ignored her.
"Hey, kids," Russell said. "What's going on down there? You're pretty quiet and Cosmos is saying that we're about to crash here? Children? Hello?"
'Valencia? Did you hear Cosmos?' Callum tried. But he knew instantly it was no use. Valencia's mind was white with panic. So he prepared to do what he could to break the fall. When the hit the ground, Angra Mainyu rattled so hard that the inertia dampeners couldn't compensate and Callum was whipped around. He clung to his controls with desperate strength, however, and managed to use Angra Mainyu's arms to cushion the crash and throw the great machine into a roll. He tucked the mech's limbs in as they rolled and bounced along the rocky surface of the moon. When the finally came to a stop, Callum was dizzy from watching the world fly by through Angra Mainyu's eyes. It took him a moment to recover and in that brief interval, Valencia swam out of the cockpit and fled the mech.
The moment he was able to move again, Callum followed her out. When he spilled out of the cockpit, he saw her sprinting away. He leapt out after her. She had a decent head start on him but his legs were much longer than hers and he steadily ate up the ground between them. Once he caught up, Callum caught her up from behind, lifting her up off her feet. She struggled, kicking at the air and threatening to headbutt him. "Let me go!" she wailed.
"What are you doing?" he shouted back. "Why are you freaking out like this?"
"You weren't supposed to hear that!" Abruptly she went completely slack in his arms. "I wasn't supposed to say it." She croaked a laugh. "Or even think it."
Callum set her down but didn't let her go. He turned her around and he was startled to see she was crying. He touched her cheek, wiping away some of her tears. "It's alright," he said softly. Seeing her like this was incredibly painful. It was even worse knowing that he was the cause of it. He struggled for something to say but he couldn't really understand why she was so upset. "It's alright," he repeated, uselessly.
"It's not alright!" Valencia yelled. "You weren't supposed to know!"
"Why not?"
"Because I know you don't feel the same way I do."
"How do you know that?"
She gave him such a withering stare that he actually felt a bit better. That was more like her. "Because I've been listening to your thoughts for most of the last nine days. I would have seen hints of it. Tell me that you weren't getting hints of my feelings."
She had him there. Callum had been getting little bits from her but he hadn't had any idea how to deal with it, so he'd been pushing it down deep and planning to think about it all later. When his mind wasn't taken up with the twin problems of an incoming carcha invasion and repairing his relationship with his sister. "No," he said. He couldn't lie to Valencia, even before she'd been able to hear his thoughts. "I did have some idea but I wasn't sure what to do about it. So I was ignoring it, for now."
"And I was trying not to make you deal with it. I know you have enough burdens right now. I'm sorry, Callum." Tears started leaking down her cheeks again.
"No, no. Don't be sorry." Callum pulled her to him in a tight hug. "You don't need to be sorry for how you feel."
"But it hurts so bad," she sobbed. "Knowing that you don't love me. I wanted to live in denial for a little bit longer."
Callum gently pushed her back until he could look into her red-rimmed blue eyes. "Now you're just being foolish," he said. "Of course I love you. There's nobody more important to me than you."
Though she continued to shed tears, her gaze was steady, meeting Callum's eyes. "But there are people as important, aren't there?"
Callum couldn't deny that. Riley and Cat were just as important. "Isn't it the same for you? You have to care about other people as much as me." Valencia shook her head fiercely, her twin tails whipping back and forth. "Not even your father?"
She laughed bitterly. "I just broke my father's heart to come with you, Callum." She glanced down. "But it's not just that...I know I could never ask you to choose between me and Catriona. I know you'd die for her. But she's your sister and I'm not. But I think you care about us the same way. You shouldn't."
"I shouldn't?" Now Callum was completely lost.
"No, you idiot! You can't have sex with your sister!" Callum was so taken aback that he had to take a step backward. Valencia's face went completely red. "Do you understand, Callum? That's what I want. I want to be with you."
Callum was so stunned he didn't know how to respond. He'd been noticing her more since she'd stripped down to get in Angra Mainyu, it was true, but he'd never seriously had sexual thoughts about her. Cat was his older sister, Riley was his brother and Valencia was his little sister. Like she said, you didn't have sex with your sister. It was too strange. But she wasn't actually his sister. Callum looked at her. Really looked. She was beautiful, without a doubt. Cute and petite but still undoubtedly a mature woman. And yet...and yet...she was his sister. "I'm sorry, Valencia. I do love you and you are my partner and you are beautiful but I'm not…I'm not sure…"
Valencia squeezed her eyes shut and shook for a second. "Stop. I know what you are trying to say. That's why I didn't want to say anything yet." Then she opened her eyes and looked him in the eyes. He was surprised to find not pain but determination. "But I'm going to change that." She pointed at him. Her pose was confident but he could see her hand was trembling. "I'm going to seduce you!" Callum laughed. It was a surprised outburst, not a mocking one. He couldn't help but hug her again. She was so cute. Valencia pushed away from him after a few heartbeats. She wiped her eyes and smiled brilliantly at him. "But first we have to beat down the carcha, right?" she asked, lifting up one fist.
Callum laughed again. "Right!" He lifted his own fist. "You and me together cannot be defeated!" They returned together to Angra Mainyu, ignored Russell's questions and set off again. The God of Chaos was a tough mech and seemed no worse for wear despite the fall. More importantly to Callum, there wasn't any awkwardness between Valencia and him like he feared. She seemed refreshed and energized. They began reading each other so well that they didn't even really have to communicate. Each one seemed to know what the other was going to do at the exact time they did it. They were in sync like never before. Which turned out to be a very good thing, since the carcha showed up two days later.