cherry fission.

No. You… you’re not! You’re one of them, you knew it was coming an’ you didn’t stop it!

*When he touches her, she wrenches her arms away, revulsion overpowering her.*

Calvin wouldn’t let this happen!

-This time, Calvin see's the rock coming. He hardly moves, though; whether it's because he can't or because he no longer wants to is up for debate. Tess... she doesn't believe him. She thinks he's the fake. And he knows now that there's no use in trying to convince someone who doesn't want to be convinced. He's not sure where the rock hits this time, but it's enough to make his vision foggy and dark, and he can feel blood starting to drench various parts of his head, his shoulders. Sputtering a little, he falls backward and collapses on the ground in a heap. The pain in his back doesn't even bother him now.

He supposes it was going to end like this no matter what.

Weakly, he reaches for her again, he's words muffled and strung together.-

I'm... I'm sorry, Tess, 'm sorry, I love you, 'm sorry. Sorry...

-His fingers brush skin. He's about a minute from blacking out, maybe less. He has barely enough thought process to realize that even if he made it out of this, they'd never let him resume him life. He was right. Calvin... he was right from the start. What an idiot he'd been.

*She’s sure of that, right now at least. How could anything be normal ever again, when she’d escaped from that inferno, and everything she knows is burning? And for all his comforting words Tess knows he’s not the same, he’s not the Calvin she knows. Maybe that Calvin’s dead, hell he probably is. But it doesn’t matter.

He’s so close to her now; she whimpers a bit, shying away. Finally, her fingers curl around something; it feels like a rock, jagged and rough, but with a good amount of heft. She glances up at him and away again.*

I… I’m not…

*Gritting her teeth, she swings her arm around, gripping the rock tightly, her intent to smash it into the side of his head.*

It's me, Tess!

-Whimpering and wincing through the pain, he reaches out for her again and makes the mistake of touching her with his (once-again) blood soaked hand. He's not thinking of the consequences though. She can't kill him, she won't... they're friends. They're there for each other. She's supposed to trust him! He tries to talk through the pain, his voice coming out broken and quiet.-

That… that was…

*Dread mixed with guilt washes over her. It had all seemed so strange at the time; she’d excused Calvin’s odd behavior and requests as him being worried about an illness or injury he was trying to keep quiet about, so he wouldn’t lose his job. How could she have been so stupid? She’d already heard about the other supplies and things going missing, she’d seen these things happened before… and now the bases have been practically demolished, and people are probably dead, and she didn’t warn anyone.

It feels like a punch in the gut. She continues to stare at him, her shaking getting worse.*

Th’ bases? You wanna go back theah? But… that’s wheah they are, an’ it’s all destroyed an’ ruined… everything…

*Feeling like her legs can no longer hold her up, Tess slides down the tree into a sad little heap, her shoulders shaking. The tears are flowing freely now and she can’t even do anything to stop them because it hurts too much.*

I… I think Bradley’s dead, an’ I can’t find Wally, h-he was just with me an’ now he’s not…

I-It's okay. I'm sure they're all fine, Tess, we can... we can go back n' find 'em. N' we'll take out all da people dat don't belong here n' everythin' will go back t' normal.

-He's not sure anymore, though, if he's saying it to try and comfort Tess, or to convince himself that it's true. He's almost beside her now, and he crouches down to her height, keeping himself propped up with his good arm.-

*Her voice is loud and panicked, and her back hits a tree with a jolt.*

You… you stay back, okay? You just fuckin’ stay back! 

*Fresh tears sting at the corners of her eyes, because though she’s sure he’s an impostor the look on his face cuts deep. 

He’s her friend, isn’t he, and just look at him, he’s in pain!  

But that’s what he’d want, isn’t it? Gain her sympathy, get her guard down. Her pain and nausea only serve to fuel her paranoia. She can’t let him get to her. Shaking, she holds her hands out in front of her.*

He was, he looked like Bradley but he tried ta kill me, an’ l-last time I got a fuckin’ bite taken outta me so, so you just stay wheah you are alright!?

*Her voice gets more emotional as she goes on, ending in something like a sob.*

-His voice cracks a little when he says her name, because he can tell that she's made up her mind. He vaguely remembers now, she's seen them before. The other clones. She's been through this. But... how could she not recognize him? He's not a clone! Blinking back frustrated tears, he stops moving like she requests and holds himself up with a nearby tree. She's scared, and hurt. She just needs to calm down... there has to be a way that he can convince her that he's the real Calvin.-

I'm not gonna hurt ya, I'm... I'm different. I ain't a copy, I'm... you know who I am, Tess! I'm Calvin! I'm yer friend, we've worked t'gethah fer years now! We- we just talked, ya got my supplies cuz ya were worried 'bout me! 

-He swallows thickly, his voice starting to waiver again. Another cautious step closer. She has to see that it's him. She just needs to see his face better, that's all.-

And something about this just feels wrong. Calvin looks injured, sure, and a lot of it looks fresh. But he also looks different, not like he did the last time she saw him. Gaunt, like he hasn’t been eating properly, and his hair wasn’t that long before, was it? Gulping, Tess backs up a few more steps, shaking her head.*

No, no, I... No, I'm real, Tess. Ya know me.

-He's closing the distance between them a little faster than he intended, but it's out of panic and he can't help it. That's evident by the pained, confused look on his face. He can't lose her too, not after all they'd been through.-

C-calvin?

She looks like hell, though, and it looks like she's frightened. She must've had a run in with one of the more violent ones... shit. Swallowing, he reaches his arm out to her, taking a couple caution steps forward.-

Tess... Tess, yeah, it's me. It's Calvin.

I… I dunno if it can.

*He sits back heavily, releasing the clone. Shoulders drooping, he puts a hand up to gingerly touch the bruise growing around his eye; it hurts, and it’ll probably hurt worse, soon enough. He glances back at Calvin and max, then to the clone again.*

Leaning against a tree, he gives the trio a last look. Was this really it? He was really going to let them walk away like nothing happened? Like his life wasn't... well, maybe it's not. Sniffing, Calvin discards the jacket, leaving it in his place as he starts to step backward.-

...Don't take it fer granted.

Well now she knows she must be seeing things, because there’s no way that’s Betty-Jane.

He let them go, though. He simply... gave up. After all that work. He figured there were only two remaining choices for his next step. One was get out of dodge, ASAP. The other was find a gun.

He doesn't have much time to dwell, though, because he's being approached. Or rather, he's approaching someone, a person who looks like they've seen just as much- or more- damage than he has. He takes a nervous breath, standing still until they get close enough to recognize.-

But the clone is just relentless, and in’t giving him time to process his guilt. He’s back up again, trying to choke him. Donny does his best to deflect that hand, trying to shove him away.*

I don’t want to kill you!

*Panting for breath, he grabs at the clone’s good arm, trying to hold it down to the ground.*

Donny's words bring him to a halt, though. A very sudden, painful one. He's so angry though that he doesn't quite process why the words hit him so hard... he stops struggling, breathing heavily as the pyro holds him down. He flops against the ground, wincing at the sharp pains in his back. After a few seconds, he coughs and spits blood sideways, trying to hide the fact that he's crying like a baby for more than one reason.-

I just want everythin' t' go back t' normal.

-Drawing a shaky breath, he looks toward Max and the other him, still lying on the ground. He doesn't want to kill Donny. Or Max. Or himself. Moreover, he doesn't want to never see them again. He just wants to be back on base doing his job, and he wants to be able to go home and see his mom. He wants his back to stop hurting. He wants his life back.

Upset and in pain, he struggles weakly against Donny's grasp.-

I didn’t mean t-

Go ahead, Donny.

-He's sputtering now, talking through blood and tears and heavy, exhausted breaths.-

Kill me again.

Wh-no I don’t I ju-

*But the clone’s not going to let him explain himself. He’s coming right at him and swinging a stick at his head and Donny has to act. He stumbles back a few steps, putting an arm up to block the stick; it doesn’t entirely do the job, and he comes away with a painful cut over his eye. He ignores it though, for now, and makes a desperate grab for the stick, trying to wrench it away from the clone. Without thinking he sends his elbow around in an arc, aiming it for the side of his opponent’s head. Gritting his teeth, he fights to get the words out.*

You son of a bitch!

-Knocking the stick away, so that it clatters on the ground nearby, Calvin  takes a few rogue swings at his opponent.-

It's your fault I'm like dis! It's all your damn fault!

Well we’re not letting you take him.

*Donny hesitates. He doesn’t really feel right about lying to the clone for some reason; he doesn’t get the feeling that the relationship their clones had is anything like the one he has with Calvin and Max, but they were some sort of allies, apparently. But telling him the other two are still alive could make him feel like he can hold out. Lifting his chin, he tries not to let his indecision show on his face.*

They’re gone. They won’t help you. If… if you want him you’re gonna have to get through us first, alone.

-Calvin stares him down for a few minutes, shocked. In fact, he's convinced that Donny is lying. But... if there's any indecision on his face, Calvin doesn't see it. Immediately he assumes the worst- they've killed them, his Max and Donny. His last hopes of resuming his normal life. Suddenly, he's angry. Angry because these two are trying to ruin his plans, angry because he should have known that his allies were going to let him down, and he shouldn't have put so much faith into them. More than anything, though, angry because he's staring Donny down and he suddenly remembers how he ended up out here in the first place. Maybe, he thought, he could forgive him... but here he is, acting like the three of them deserve life more than Calvin himself does. Treating his clone's life like it's worth more. It's infuriating. And he's not going to let them take that away from him, not after he'd lost so much already.

Raising the stick slightly, he takes a step closer and raises his voice.-

Fine. Ya wanna fight, huh? Just like back in da tournament? Well guess what, ain't nothin' t' kill me with dis time, Donny! I ain't gonna let ya win again!

Oh god…

*It doesn’t look good. Biting his lip, Donny runs a hand lightly through that blond hair, watching as Max checks him over. He doesn’t start breathing again till she announces that the Scout still is, letting out a sigh of relief. But that’s when he catches Max’s glance, and follows her gaze.

He shouldn’t be surprised that the clone is still there; they knew what they were running towards. But it’s still a little shocking, seeing someone so like a person he cares about, yet so different. But he’s also someone that tried to hurt the person he cares about, and right now, Donny figures that’s the most important thing.

Standing again, Donny squares his shoulders and strides forward, putting himself solidly between the clone and Calvin and Max. He tries to ignore the pounding in his chest; the clone has a weapon, crude as it may be, and he has nothing. But maybe for a little bit, he can ignore his fear.*

I ain't leavin' without him.

-He ushers to his other self, still lying quietly on the ground. As if he was really going to just hand him over when they still had so much to do. Holding his ground, he points the stick at Donny's chest.-

Where... what happened t' da othah two? What did ya do t' 'em?

Calvin!

Come on! I… I think it was this way!

Calvin grumbles, trying to hook his good arm around his clone in the same fashion he did earlier. The task seems exponentially more difficult now though; his arm is starting to get tired from moving the other around so much, plus he's completely dead weight at the moment. At least when Calvin was dragging the other version of himself to the clearing, he'd been in and out of consciousness and had made a weak attempt to stumble along.-

Come on, you-

-Suddenly, he hears noises. Footsteps. Yelling muffled by the trees... at least two people, maybe more, and they're getting close. Shit. Calvin can handle one person on his own, but more than that? Shit, shit, shit. And if it's those on his side, there can't be a good reason that they're coming to find him.-

Shit.

That sounds like my kinda plan. 

-At least if the other two take off for now, it’ll give Max a chance to tend to her wounds a little more thoroughly, maybe even verbally abuse her counterpart a little more. Nodding lightly, she points in the general direction of where she’s got the other Max tied up.-

What happens if yer half blind?

-Smirking, Calvin rocks on his heels a little.-