💿 Disco Mode: Denied (But Not Really)
An Alleycat Crew Short
Kash was sitting at his desk, idly scrolling the cyber-web, when a familiar incoming comm lit up the screen.
“Plekish, my friend,” Kash greeted, smiling. “How are you?”
“I am well, my friend,” Plekish replied—but his voice had an edge. Not angry, exactly. Suspicious.
“You aboard your ship?” he asked.
“I am…” Kash replied, his smile fading. “It’s unlike you to skip the pleasantries. What’s going on?”
Plekish didn’t hesitate.
“Straight to the point, then: What is Disco Mode, and why does it need access to your intercom system and ambient lighting array?”
“Calynn!” Kash shouted, swiveling in his chair.
She was already there, standing in the doorway with the world’s most suspiciously innocent expression.
“Why?” Kash asked, exasperated.
“Because I want to dance,” Calynn said, arms going limp at her sides in melodramatic surrender. “Is that a crime?”
“So dance,” Kash replied. “Why do you need to reprogram the ship to do it?”
“Shall I permit the change and leave you two to discuss?” Plekish asked.
“Yes,” Calynn said immediately.
“No,” Kash said just as fast.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Please?” she said, tilting her head.
“Calynn…”
She crossed the room in a blink, plopped herself onto his lap, and began peppering his face with kisses. Kash leaned back with a sigh, already losing the battle but refusing to surrender outright. He had a reputation to uphold… and more kisses.
“Pretty please?” she whispered between kisses.
He didn’t answer. He simply slid a hand beneath the front of her shirt—not for anything scandalous—but to trace the edges of her birthmark. She sucked in her stomach, just like she always did, giving him better access without a word.
And that’s when his poker face crumbled.
“Did you break him yet?” Plekish asked, clearly amused.
“I’m starting to think his protests are just part of an elaborate ruse,” Calynn said, smirking.
“I suspected as much,” Plekish laughed. “In the future, just let me know before you rewrite any of the ship’s protocols.”
“Will do,” Calynn promised cheerfully. “See you soon!”
The lights aboard the Alleycat Savant began to pulse and shimmer in time with a gentle thump of bass. A slow-burn dance mix filtered through the intercom, thankfully at a low volume.
Kash gave her a flat look.
“Why is everyone always on your side?”
Calynn grinned. “
Because everyone loves me.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone. Especially you.” She placed a finger on his lips before he could argue.
Then she jumped up and began gyrating her hips in a completely ridiculous way.
“This one’s called the Marching Pear,” she declared, waddling side to side and bobbing her head like an offbeat fruit with rhythm issues.
Kash groaned. “Oh, I am definitely banning you from the cyber-web.”
He turned back to his monitor, muttering, “How do I link the self-destruct sequence to any search containing the word dance...?”
Calynn swatted his shoulder and giggled.
“That better not be a new dance move,” Kash said.
She swatted him again.
