#Fuel Transfer Truck

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #15

April 19-26 2024

President Biden appeared along side Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senators Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders to announce major climate action. Biden announced a program, Solar For All, 7 billion dollars aimed at supporting low income house holds install solar power in their homes. The program will support 900,000 households across the country getting solar. Lower the average energy bill for a family by $400 a month and avoid more than 30 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the next 25 years. The boost in solar installation will help create 200,000 new jobs across the country. The President also announced the launch of the Climate Conservation Crops. modeled on FDR's Civilian Civilian Conservation Corps and JFK's Peace Corps, Biden's Climate Conservation Crops will be a program where young people can connect with climate projects across the country and be paid to help protect the planet. The Corps will be 20,000 strong, with 2,000 openings listed right now on their webpage across 36 states DC and Puerto Rico.

The Department of Labor finalized a new rule on overtime. Currently employers are only required to pay overtime to workers making under $35,568. Under the new ruling that will be raised to workers making $43,888, and in January 2025 raised again to workers making $58,656 and under. This will bring overtime pay to 4 million more workers and transfer $1.5 billion from the pockets of companies to workers. It also fixes to raise the level with inflation every 3 years starting in 2027.

The EPA announced a $1 billion dollar program to help replace heavily duty vehicles with clean energy versions. There are currently 3 million class 6 and 7 vehicles, school buses, box trucks dump trucks, street sweepers, delivery trucks, bucket trucks, and utility trucks, in use. 70% of the funds will go to replacing School Buses with Clean energy buses and the remaining 30% will go to replacing Vocational Vehicles like dump trucks and street sweepers. Heavy Duty vehicles on top of green house cases release harmful nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter and replacing them will not only combat climate change but improve public health.

The Department of Interior took actions to protect 13 million acres of Alaska wild land is protected and to secure the livelihood of Alaska Native peoples who rely on this land. The Administration refused oil and mining rights on the vast areas of Alaska land as well as a 210 miles road through the northern wildernesses. This area represents valuable habitat for caribou and endangered polar bears, as well as millions of migrating birds.

The Department of Transportation announced finalized rules requiring airlines to give automatic cash refunds for canceled flights and other inconvenience. The refunds will be automatic meaning passengers will not have apply for them, prompt the airlines are required to refund a credit card purchase in 7 days, and require repayment in full and in kind, airlines can not substitute travel vouchers for cash. The DOT also announced new rules to protect airline travelers from junk fees, airlines and ticket agents must now clearly tell travelers upfront about all fees so no one is surprised by a hidden fee.

The EPA announced finalized rules on emissions standards for fuel burning power plants. The new rules include a tightening of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, requiring a 70% reduction in mercury. It also had rules protecting ground water, new rules will require coal powered plants to remove 660 million pounds per year of pollutants discharged through wastewater, and for the first time federally regulates the dumping of coal ash, requiring safe dump sites that will not leak into ground water. Finalized rules require coal fired and new natural gas-fired power plants to capture up to 90% of their carbon pollution

Security of Transportation Pete Buttigieg attended the ground breaking of a new high speed rail project to connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Biden Administration announced 3 billion to support the project 5 months ago. At 218 of all electric green rail the project promises to be the fastest way to get from LA to Las Vegas. Planned to open in 2028 just in time for the LA Olympics it is the first of many planned high speed rail projects. The Biden Administration has promised $66 billion for high speed rail and the largest single investment in Amtrak ever.

The FCC announced a new rule restoring Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality requires internet service pervaders to treat all websites equally and not slow certain ones now or speed others. In 2015 under Obama the FCC passed a rule requiring Net Neutrality. However in 2017, the FCC spread headed by Trump appointed Chair Ajit Pai repealed the rules. A patchwork of Democratic controlled states, lead by California passed state level laws requiring Net Neutrality forcing ISPs to de facto keep it in place. Late last year President Biden got the opportunity to replace Pai on the FCC, giving the FCC a 3 to 2 Democratic majority which voted this week to return to the Obama era rules and protect Net Neutrality nationwide.

The FTC passed finalized regulations to ban noncompete agreements in nearly all cases. These agreements, which cover 18% of American workers, about 30 million people, prohibit workers from joining or creating competing companies for a certain period of time. The FTC estimates that workers will earn an average of $524 dollars a year more and up to 8,500 new businesses will be created each year. The new rule will still allow noncompete for senior executives who make up less than 1% of the work force. Like with the FCC, two out of the 3 FTC commissioners who voted for the new rules are Biden appointees.

The Departments of Health and Human Services and Interior have announced a joint, $1 billion project to connect tribal communities to safe drinking water. Roughly half of Tribal households lack access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation.

At the White House The Biden Administration announced plans to protect, restore and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams. This effort will include state, local and tribal government as well as private efforts along with the federal government to protect and restore the nations freshwater environments.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new rule boosting privacy protection for abortions. Republicans in states like Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho have tried to make it a crime to leave the state to seek an abortion in a state where it is legal. The new federal rule would make it illegal for health information to be shared in these cases

Vice-President Harris announced a new rule requiring staffing standards at Nursing Homes across the country. The new rules will require registered nurses on duty 24 hours, seven days a week. This represents the first time the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have required specific numbers of nurses and aides in Nursing Homes that get Medicare and Medicaid funding.

The Biden Administration Announced a $6 billion deal with tech giant Micron to bring high tech manufacturing to New York. The deal is expected to see Micron invest $100 billion in Syracuse New York area as well as build a factory in Boise, Idaho. The deal will create 70,000 new jobs. It is part of the Biden Administration's effort to bring high tech chip manufacturing to America.

The Department of Education finalized the most comprehensive federal protections for Trans and other Queer students in the nation's history. The rules also overturn Trump era rules on how colleges should handle sexual assault and harassment.

[midnightfantasiez]

Watch It | Lee Sangyeon

SUMMARY: you were summoned to stop the crime spree of the renowned group The Boyz by hacking into one of the systems to retrieve information about a specified location before it's too late. what you did not expect was that their leader has been spying on every move you make from the shadows and eventually confronting you about it, which then turns into your biggest nightmare.

PAIRING: criminal Sangyeon x hacker f!reader

GENRE: smut (18+ MDNI!!)

WARNINGS: kissing, petnames (sweetheart, baby, princess), mentions about violence/illegal business (stealing), size kink, voyeurism, dirty talk, public sex, rough sex, fingering, handjob, p in v sex, unprotected sex, they went for rounds, mean dom! Sangyeon

WORD COUNT: 3,235

A/N: let me explain. it was the ✨stare✨ from the concept pic itself that gave me ideas for this fic 😭 huge thanks to my bubba @juyeonszn for beta reading this & convincing me to change my theme ily forever 🥺💜 also shoutout to @daisyvisions @snowflakewhispers for fueling me with ideas / validating my horniness oops— (but ily both so much 😘)

“Agent Y/N, are you in position?” 

“Yes, sir. I am waiting for the right moment to jump into the enemy’s territory.” 

With one click on the earpiece, you immediately turned off the buzzing sound from the headquarters as you needed to focus and ensure that you were all alone and secure as you entered the place of interest.

As you flung your backpack onto your back, you quietly peeked through the few trucks parked in the parking lot right outside the abandoned building. Given that your job was to hack into the system and you needed good internet service, conducting it outdoors would be much more ideal than inside the building itself. 

You and your team received a transmission hours ago about how this group of individuals has been conducting illegal business, such as stealing information from multiple laboratories—specifically ones located on the outskirts of Seoul to avoid detection and arrest. According to your team’s analysts, they have also discovered how they had been stealing chemical solutions that were pretty much hazardous to the public, and god knows whatever they will be using them for.

In other words, they are a pretty suspicious gang, and someone has to look into their spree of crimes before things get out of control. Being one of the best hackers on the team, you were sent to the actual location to hack into their system as best as you could. 

So here you were, in the depths of the night, staking out the parking lot alone, hoping that all goes well and that you can quickly do the job and get out of there as soon as possible. Frankly, it all felt super eerie, especially when it was this late at night, and there weren’t many street lamps to provide enough light to make you feel safe by yourself. 

After looking thoroughly and confirming with your eyes that you were alone, you slowly moved towards the multiple trucks parked in the middle of the parking lot. You managed to squeeze yourself through them and get to a well-lit area; that was when you finally took your laptop out of your backpack and started hacking away. 

To the best of your abilities, you were able to sneak into the laboratory’s system fairly quickly, and you ran over their live security camera footage to check if the criminals were within the building. Immediately, the security camera footage popped up on the screen, and you could quickly identify several men scattered throughout the different labs within the facility. 

“They were probably looking for the right chemical, " you thought, as they were all split up and divided into three groups in each laboratory. While they were trying to find the liquid, you had to quickly hack into the database to retrieve all of the information regarding the facility and the chemicals produced over the years and quickly send them back to your headquarters for analysis. 

After about 10 minutes of transferring all of the files, it was time for you to get out of there and return to let the other agents that were on their way to take over and confront the criminals themselves. You weren’t a field agent, so you couldn’t do much physical combat against the criminals themselves. As much as you wanted to, you weren’t ready for your title as an agent to be stripped off you anytime soon; hence respecting the laws and just doing as you were told would be the wisest decision for now.  

You quickly phoned the headquarters, letting them know you had retrieved all the necessary documents and would finally return to report. As you were permitted to do so, you got up and were going to keep all of your belongings back in your backpack until one of the security cameras began flashing. 

You quickly got back down again, trying to see what was happening. That was when you remembered a crucial detail. 

According to the information you guys have had so far, you knew that the group of criminals consisted of 11 members, so you decided to do a headcount one by one on the screen, starting from 1 to 11.

“8…9…and 10.”

10? 

Someone was missing, but who?

Just then, a deep husky voice broke you off from your attention on the screen, and you looked around to see where it was coming from. Finally, you landed your eyes towards one of the vehicles right across you, and there he was—one of the criminals sitting right on top of the truck with both his legs spread wide apart, looking down towards you. 

“Aren’t you pretty good at your job, sweetheart?” 

Oh no. You were busted. 

“U-umm…sorry…it’s just that…I was supposed to write a report regarding this facility, so I am here to look around.”

“At this hour? Close to midnight? I highly doubt that, princess.” 

Immediately, he hopped down from the vehicle in one swift movement and began approaching you slowly. You instinctively shut your laptop, hugged it close to your chest, and backed away. 

“I-I’m sorry! It seems I came at the wrong time! I will take my leave now, then. I’m sorry to have disrupted you!” You bowed down profusely before turning your heel and tried to run as quickly as you could until he grabbed your wrist and pulled it upwards, turning back in his direction. 

There was this smug yet dangerous look on his face, contradicting the pure and innocent look he had on before. That sent a chill up your spine, and you quickly gulped before he slowly pushed you till your back finally hit against one of the trucks. You closed your eyes upon the impact and elicited a quiet yelp with his movement. 

Suddenly, you felt his fingers lift your chin, and he commanded you to open your eyes to look straight at him. 

“Now sweetheart, we weren’t done having our little fun conversation yet, were we? It breaks my heart that you decided to take off running before we even started.” 

You were panicking as his grip slightly tightened around your wrist, pushing it back against the truck, signalling that you would be dead meat if you tried something funny again next time. You were stuck, and there was no way you could ring the headquarters as that would blow up your cover and the location of the base of operations. 

The only thing you could do was to pray that the field agents would make their way over to you soon until you heard a mild static and a voice calling through the earpiece.

“T-there isn’t much ser-service here, b-but we will be sli-slightly late d-due to the he-heavy traffic. H-hang in t-there, a-agent Y/N! W-we’ll surely be c-coming—” 

And then it all went silent. 

Your only hope was lost, as the enemy threatened and pinned you with little to no help coming your way anytime soon. You could use your physical combat skills to fight against the man before you, but something in your gut told you that it would be a horrible idea to try anything funny with him right now. 

With that, you could only take a deep breath and try to talk things out with him for a bit, stalling some time before help eventually arrived. 

“W-what…what do you want from me?” You questioned, or more like stammered. It was clear that you were trembling in your voice. 

The man chuckles slightly as he smiles back at you. “See, sweetheart. I’m afraid I can’t let you off that easily, knowing that you were spying on us and retrieving crucial evidence and information that would hinder our mission.”

This time, his fingers on your chin slowly travelled down to your neck and chest. It was the way he took his time gently sliding his finger down and touching your bare skin that made you let out a gasp. 

“I’d like to play a little game with you, princess.”

“W-what do you…” You were beginning to lose your mind as he brushed his fingers across your lips, smudging the lipstick that you’d put on prior. 

“I’d like to see how much you can handle, and trust me, we will have so much fun. I’ll make sure that you won’t be heading back to your headquarters anytime soon.”

Within seconds after that last sentence, he crashed his lips with yours and began savouring them as a tingling sensation ran through your body. He quickly deepened the kiss, his lips moving against yours with urgency. 

It was wrong. This was all so wrong.

You knew how bad this situation was because he was your enemy. But then, something about his lips made you crave more. His kisses tasted like honey, and the way he moved his lips against yours drove you insane. 

Without you knowing, your grip against the laptop slowly loosened, and eventually, he took it away from you and gently placed it on the ground, his hands quickly moving back up to your cargo pants, rubbing the spot in between your thighs, earning a gasp from you. 

He smiled as you gave him the reaction that he wanted, and he began to untie your pants before pulling them down, his fingers now brushing over your sensitive spot through the lace underwear that you were wearing. Slowly, he began to feel that you were starting to get wet, and that was his cue to hook his finger under the seam of your underwear before pulling them down, revealing your now wet clit all exposed. 

You hissed as the cold air from the atmosphere came in contact with your clit, and it took the enemy a moment to reconnect his fingers to your wet sensitive spot, rubbing it again before slowly inserting two fingers into you. 

“Aah…aaah…”

“I’ll be a dear and tell you my name, princess. Call me Sangyeon, moan for me,” he leaned towards you and whispered. 

“S-sangyeon….”

“That’s it, baby. You’re doing so good for me. I shall grant you your next reward now, hmm?” 

As he removed his fingers from your clit, he quickly moved them to his pants, unzipped and shoved them down rather hastily. It was the way you immediately noticed the erection through his boxers, and your eyes widened from just that alone. Sangyeon smirked at your reaction and reconnected his lips to yours to give you a few pecks. 

“Look at you already can’t stop staring at my big cock. Oh, baby. I’ll make sure that you won’t regret playing with it.” 

Immediately, he grabbed your free hand and guided you to touch his erection. You gasped from that alone while Sangyeon let out a soft groan. You couldn’t help but naturally start rubbing his tip, which made Sangyeon moan for you. 

“Touch me, baby.” He commanded. 

Guiding your hands again, he allowed you to pull his boxers down, and your mouth watered at the sight of his massive bulge. You wrapped your hands around his cock before you began gliding your hands up and down his member. In return, he inserted his fingers back into your clit once again, and the both of you were now a moaning mess.

“S-sangyeon…kiss me…please…” you whined, wanting to taste his sweet honey-like lips once again. 

“Oh, honey. You love the way my tongue twirls around yours?”

“Y-yes…very much…aaahh—” 

Just like that, he was now back to kissing you breathless. As his tongue slid into your mouth, he began sucking your tongue, and you shut your eyes tightly from the sensation. It made you forget entirely about how you were supposed to escape this guy as soon as possible, trying to find a potential hideout place to wait for your fellow agents. 

It seemed as if Sangyeon had wrapped you around his fingertips, just as he had planned to, and he would make sure that you wouldn’t be leaving this place anytime soon. He would proceed to the next step of his plan anytime now. 

He gently removed your hands away from his bulge as he took it himself to align the tip towards your entrance, and you knew that you were in big trouble. Now, you tried to move forward when his hand, still grabbing your wrist, tightened again and pushed it back towards the truck again. 

“Oh no, princess. We’re just getting started. Stay here with me, and I’ll give you the best fucking sex you’ll ever have.” 

As soon as those words slipped out of his mouth, he immediately slid himself into you, and you all but screamed, a teardrop falling from the corners of your eyes. Sangyeon didn’t even give you enough time to adjust to his huge size fully and eventually began slamming into you hard. 

“Fuck—fuck.” It was all that you could’ve said because you had already lost your mind ever since he kissed you for the first time. Now that he was within you? Oh, you were far, long gone from reality. 

Given the way he was fucking you so hard, even the truck that you were leaning against began rocking back and forth following your pace. 

Your eyes watered as he hit every single spot within you, causing you to cry out loud. If you were to be honest, it actually did hurt, especially which such a large and hard dick like his. But the pleasure far exceeded the pain, and you cried out for more. 

“Sangyeon…sangyeon…”

“Tell me what exactly you want, baby.”

“Keep it going…please…”

“Just like that? Are you sure that is enough?”

“I…want you to fuck me faster and harder—”

“Anything else?” He was now picking up the pace, and it was visible that his chest was rising up and down much quicker than before as he tried his best to catch his breath. 

“I…want you to fuck me till my legs feel numb, give me more and more…aaah—”

“That is what exactly I like to hear, sweetheart.” 

As he slammed into you hard, you felt a tight knot form around your stomach, signalling that you were about to reach your high and cum. Sangyeon noticed your demeanour as you buckled your hips and spread your legs wider for him to gain more access to you. 

“I’m cumming! I’m cumming!” You screamed.

“Do it, baby. Cum all over my cock, I want you to be dripping wet just for me.” He growled. 

With a few more pushes, you eventually released and spilled all of your juices all around his cock, so much so that it was oozing out of you, and it all splattered on the ground. 

You breathe in heavily before Sangyeon gives you a gentle kiss on the lips, reassuring you that you have done so well for him.

“That’s it, princess. What a good girl you’ve been. But unfortunately, there is more to come baby.” 

He grabbed both of your shoulders before turning you around rather aggressively, so now you were facing the truck instead. If you were to be honest, that rough act of his turned you on more than it was painful. It was a few seconds before you felt his grip return to you on both sides of your hips, as you felt his cock rubbing up and down once again on your dripping wet clit.

Sangyeon leaned forward to whisper in your ear, sending you a chill down your spine. “Give me some more, baby. You know you can do it.”

As he pushed his cock back into you, an immense moan spilt out from your mouth as he began pounding into you again. You had already had sex and felt his member all around you just a minute prior, yet you were still struggling to adjust to his bulge. 

“God, sweetheart. I’ve already fucked you hard, and yet you’re still so tight. I guess I wasn’t rough enough.” 

As he pounds into you, your hands that were pressed against the truck begin pushing the vehicle once again. If only there were someone around, you swear to god that the car's movement would be more than enough to prove that something wasn’t right and that there were people everywhere in the empty parking lot. 

But your comrades are still nowhere to be seen, and you were still bounded by the criminal himself, fucking you till you were sore to the point that you would not be able to walk on your own after this. 

“S-sangyeon…I-I wanna cum again for you so badly…” You whimpered. 

This time, he moved one of his hands up to grab a chunk of your hair and pulled it back; that firm sudden grip caused you to scream once again for him.

“Do it then. Cum with me this time.” He commanded, pulling your hair and pounding into you even harder. 

“Fuck—fuck—fuck—Sangyeon!! I’m cumming!!” 

With one final hard thrust, both of you released your liquids before slowing down the momentum and catching your breaths together. He removed his grip from your hair before he grabbed your chin and turned your head back for him to kiss you again. You snaked your hands up to his neck to return the favour. 

Just then, you heard sirens coming from afar, and you heard static in your earpiece again. 

“Agent Y/N, please respond! We’re finally here to infiltrate the facility; please head out, return to the back of our vehicle, and stay put!” 

It was your cue to leave now, and there was no more extended point in you staying here. 

You gulped before you pulled away from Sangyeon, mustering up the courage to reject him for good this time. 

“S-sangyeon…I have to go…I can’t stay here any more.” You stammered, hoping that he would finally let you leave this time, especially since he had already gotten what he wanted. 

But you should’ve known better because his familiar dark and dangerous look was plastered on his face again, and he pushed you back against the truck. 

“You know, now that your comrades are here, I’m afraid there’s more reason for me not to let you leave now, hmm? I’ve been stalling time for my boys to get what they want in the facility before your agents arrive to ruin our plan. While they were doing that, I was out here guarding the area, making sure nobody was to sabotage our plan.” 

So that was why he played this little dirty game with you.

“Knowing my boys, I’m pretty sure that they have gotten everything we need, and all they have to do is defeat your fellow agents, and then we will leave. And while they are doing that, you will keep me company until they’re done.” He threatened. 

This time, he grabbed your wrist and dragged you towards the front of the car, directly where you could see clearly how your fellow agents were confronting the criminals. Within seconds, a fight has broken out between them across the facility, and you have no choice but to stay here helplessly and be unable to provide them with any aid. 

Before you could say anything, Sangyeon yanked you down towards the hood of the car so that you were lying on top of it, and he prepared to go for a third round with you.

“I want you to watch closely with how you and your fellow agents are going to fail this mission terribly while I fuck you real good till you’re begging for more.”

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @flwoie @heemingyu @snowflakewhispers (join my permenant taglist here!)

[reasonsforhope]

Additional humanitarian aid trucks started rolling over the Rafah Crossing from Egypt to Gaza early Friday [November 24] morning, as the planned four-day ceasefire began. The aid trucks, fuel tankers among them, were a welcome sight amid the seven-week-long war between Israel and Hamas.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostage, Israel has periodically [note: imho, this language is wildly minimizing the extent of the long-term, near-total blockade] cut off water, fuel and electricity to Gaza. An estimated 14,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombardment of the territory, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.

People in Gaza experienced reprieve on Friday after the warring sides implemented a new deal that included a temporary pause in fighting, delivery of more aid, and the planned exchange of a possible 50 Hamas hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

International organizations and Qatar’s foreign minister, who helped broker the deal, have said the new aid will not be enough to address the dire humanitarian disaster in Gaza. More than half of the territory’s two million-plus residents are internally displaced, with food and clean water now running out in north Gaza.

The United Nations and many aid groups have been calling for a permanent ceasefire.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the country will continue its war to eliminate Hamas after the truce. Hamas told Al Jazeera in an interview that they want a permanent ceasefire, but said the group is “ready to deal with all situations imposed by Israel.”

What aid is entering Gaza? 

Between Oct. 21 and Nov. 23, more than 1,723 truckloads of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza through the Egyptian border, the U.N. said. Before the war, a monthly average of nearly 10,000 trucks of commercial and humanitarian commodities came in.

The U.N. said Israel allowed 19,812 U.S. gallons (75,000 liters) of fuel to enter Gaza on Nov. 23. Israel had previously prohibited fuel over fears it would be used by Hamas for military purposes. Fuel is now being distributed by the U.N. to support food distribution and to operate generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters and other critical services, the agency said. 

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement shared on various social media channels that four tankers of fuel and four tankers of cooking gas were transferred from Egypt on Friday morning. 

Videos showed more trucks started passing into Gaza after the temporary ceasefire started at 7 a.m. local time. 

As of 10:30 a.m., 60 trucks of a total of 230 expected on Friday had entered Gaza, Al Arabiya reported, citing a Rafah crossing border official.

The Palestinian Red Crescent received two ambulances and 85 trucks loaded with aid through the crossing, carrying food, water, relief items, medical equipment, and medications, the group wrote on X (formerly Twitter)...

Multiple U.N. agencies have called for a humanitarian ceasefire, with U.N.’s Secretary-General saying in a statement on Nov. 19 that “this must stop.”

In a news conference Friday morning, Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters: “We hope that this humanitarian pause leads to a longer term humanitarian ceasefire for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and others.”

-via Time, November 24, 2023

[girlactionfigure]

Humanitarian aid summary, June 9, 2024: 

🚚167 humanitarian aid trucks were transferred to Gaza. 

🚛A truck convoy entered via "Gate 96", directly to northern Gaza. 

⛽️8 tankers of fuel and 4 tankers of cooking gas were transferred to Gaza. 

🪂Close to 4 ton of food aid were airdropped over Gaza. 

The content of over 900 aid trucks is currently waiting on the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom to be picked up and distributed by aid agencies.

[citrus-moonlight]

Salvation is a Deep Dark Well

Chapter 2: Raise Your Chin and Howl

[ Masterlist - Part Two ] -> [ Masterlist - Part One ]

Fandom: MCU - Age of Ultron, Black Panther Pairing: Ulysses Klaue x F! Reader Word count: 9.7K Chapters: 2/6 Rating: Explicit

Summary: The actions of others leads to chaos at the compound, and after Klaue returns to deal with the aftermath you're surprised to learn that his reasons for being upset aren't what you think, and you finally have to admit some things that you've been denying.

Warnings: Explicit!, Mild Age Difference, Reader is Late 30s, Use of Pet Names, Injury, Workplace Injury, Mention of Blood, Reference to Guns, Insecurity (Reader is an Idiot), Light Angst, Smut, Dirty Talk, Teasing, Reference to Masturbation (M), Finger Sucking, Spit Kink, Oral Sex (M receiving), Brief Rough Oral, Cock Worship, Messy Blowjob, Mouth Fucking, Cum Swallowing, Hair Holding/Pulling, Guided Masturbation (F), Mild Size Kink, Soft Dom, Teasing, Praise Kink, Porn With Plot, More Accidental Feelings Oh No

AN: Welcome back, friends! It's been quite a while since I updated this one, but I'm excited to finally bring you so more of these two! it wasn't so much that this one got away from me, but what I wanted (and needed) to do with it was getting more involved, and ultimately I'm happy with how this ended up turning out. Especially since I also accidentally wrote a holiday "interlude" story that comes after this but before what was supposed to be the next chapter (which is now chapter four), which was simultaneously challenging and helpful in finding the right balance in this part as things progress.

As always, thank you for reading and to everyone who has commented or reblogged so far, and I am unendingly grateful to those who have provided encouragement and support through this writing of this story. I hope that you enjoy! 💕

AO3 Link

Title is from "Hands Like Roots" by The Builders and the Butchers

And if thee should die tonight Well it won't be without a sound When your hands move like roots Making their way through the ground

The afternoon is crisp but bright when you step outside, the sun actively working to melt much of the late autumn snow that had fallen overnight. 

You’d only gone out to take a quick inventory of the oxygen and argon stock, but when you make your way past the loading dock to get to the storage cages you see something that makes you pause and do a double take.

On the compound’s property there are three industrial propane tanks that power and heat the facility, and today they were scheduled to be refilled before the snow properly settles in the mountains making the roads difficult to access during winter.

The refilling had already been completed and the tankers should have been long on their way, so you’re surprised when you see what appears to be a fuel transfer being done between the two bobtail trucks, which is illegal except in special circumstances, and making it more concerning they're also uncomfortably close to the loading dock. 

On top of that, as far as you’re aware this compound isn’t licensed to allow truck to truck transfers at all - something that would normally only be done at the refilling plant - making it doubly illegal

And while this might not be a facility where “legality” is necessarily a top concern, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still dangerous and incredibly stupid. 

“What are you doing?” You blurt out, standing stock-still as you stare at Anatoly, the man who seems to be directing what’s happening. You weren’t necessarily on friendly terms with the Sokovian man, but you had chatted occasionally and he’d seemed to have more sense than this.

“We didn’t want to do it right next to the big tanks.” He gestures across the yard.

You continue to stare, perplexed. 

“Ok, well, you shouldn’t be doing it here at all, but now you’re right next to the building, and the five pound tanks -” 

“It was the only place flat enough for both trucks.”

“- are a lot closer than those big ones.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” He brushes you off, starting to get visibly frustrated that you won’t let it go.

Changing tacks you turn to one of the drivers who’s in conversation with Milo, a welder you recognize from another shift.

“Hey, you know you’re not supposed to be doing this here, right?”

“He doesn’t know how, so I’m doing it for him,” Anatoly replies before the driver can answer himself. “You’re making a big deal from nothing.”

“Why are you doing it at all? Unless there’s an emergency you can’t just -”

“I’ve done it before.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Listen, they both would've had to go back to their plant, but now one can go straight to the next job.”

“So let me get this straight: Doing a favour for someone whose job doesn’t have anything to do with you is a good enough reason to create a potentially dangerous situation here? I don’t think that Klaue will love hearing that.”

“You’re not going to tell him.” His annoyed demeanor quickly shifts, his expression going icy.

“No? Why wouldn’t I? You’re doing something incredibly stupid and I think that he should-”

“So you’re going to snitch on me?” He sneers.

“About this? Yeah, I guess I am. And if you’re concerned about him finding out then you must have at least enough common sense to-”

“I don’t need common sense to know that you- ”

“Jesus Christ, would you let me finish a fucking sentence!”

Your voice surprises you and to Anatoly’s credit he actually shuts up, scowling like a petulant teenager who’s realizing that they’re not going to be able to intimidate their way out of trouble. 

The other workers who had been milling around and watching half-interestedly now straighten up and turn towards the trucks.

“You.” Gesturing at both drivers, pleased that they at least appear to be somewhat chastised. 

“You are supposed to be in control at all times. These trucks are your responsibility from start to finish and you’re letting him do something that’s illegal just to save a bit of time?”

“He offered!” The first one exclaims.

“Which he shouldn’t have, but you should have said no and moved on.”

You turn back to Anatoly whose mouth is downturned in an almost comical grimace. 

“And you may think this is no big deal but I very much doubt that Klaue would appreciate you being so flippant about potentially damaging his operation.”

He looks like he wants to say something else but bites his tongue, his stare still condescending even though he knows you’re right and has no argument left. 

At this point, and while you wouldn’t be surprised to learn it, you’re not yet aware that there’s a crack in the hose near to the end connected to the receiving truck. Before you’d even gone outside propane vapour had been steadily leaking out, the only indication that there was a problem the occasional whiff of mercaptan - faint and not out of the ordinary from a typical delivery.

Normally this wouldn’t be an issue and the vapours would simply disperse since you’re outdoors, but it’s unusually calm today with next to no breeze to move the air, allowing the heavier than air propane molecules to instead pool between the trucks like an invisible low-lying fog.

As it is, you’re relieved when everything is finally disconnected and sealed up, and having abandoned your inventory you turn to make your way back inside to try to get this documented, even if others think that you really are overreacting and Anatoly doesn’t face the consequences you think he should.

“You know, maybe next time you could- ”

You’re cut off again, but instead of a condescending comment this time it's by the sudden percussion of an explosion. 

When the full truck’s engine started up an unknown faulty battery sparked and ignited the vapours that had been collecting, the flashback loud enough that your ears don’t register the sound until you’re already on the ground. 

Fortunately you manage not to hit your head but your shoulder feels like you’re lucky it didn’t dislocate when you landed. Slowly pushing yourself up onto your elbow you look around, blinking until your vision slowly comes back into focus and you realize with a sinking feeling that the truck itself is now burning, flames appearing to emerge from one of the valves at the rear.

“Goddamnit,” you curse, momentarily frozen in place as you watch the flames growing quickly in front of your eyes. 

You know that as the temperature rises the pressure inside the tanker does as well, and it needs to be stopped before the valve can no longer vent faster than the pressure is building, and  you have no way of knowing whether any of the internal mechanisms were damaged in the explosion, so you may have even less time than normal.

Finally you manage to convince your muscles to move. Sucking in a breath you grit your teeth and force yourself to standing, moving as quickly as you can to reach the cabinet that houses the fire extinguishers, and then Milo is suddenly there next to you.

“I’ll take this one,” he offers and you quickly nod your thanks. Maneuvering over to the truck you unspool your hose and get as close as you can until the heat of the flames forces you back.

Stumbling briefly from the recoil when you pull the nozzle’s lever back you grimace at the sudden jolt of pain in your shoulder but manage to recover quickly, widening your stance to better brace yourself and focus the thick white cloud on the brightest part of the fire. 

Thankfully the flames seem to be quickly smothered and you move closer as the heat begins to die down. Occasionally you or Milo alternate your focus on the truck’s own fuel tank, working to extinguish the burning propane while also trying to prevent the diesel from possibly igniting as well. 

You can see Tom in your peripheral now, dimly aware of him barking directions, relieved that someone else was there to take charge, and even when the fire appears to be doused you keep your hoses pointed at the truck until both extinguishers have been completely emptied.

Finally, after what feels like hours but was probably less than fifteen minutes since you had walked outside you take a deep, shaky breath and simply sit down right where you stand in the mess of slush and extinguisher residue.

You can almost feel the adrenaline physically draining out of your system, your jaw involuntarily clenching as you begin to shiver. You’re not sure who’s hand squeezes your shoulder, your mind feels fuzzy as mild shock sets in, and it takes conscious effort to release your grip from the hose that’s still sitting across your lap and slowly stand back up.

You're buzzing wildly between a range of emotions: anger, frustration, relief, a blanket of exhaustion settling over all of it as you waver on unsteady legs, tamping down the thoughts of how much more badly this could have gone.

Two days after the incident with the trucks and the ringing in your ears has nearly stopped, and aside from stiff muscles and a painterly bruise blooming across your shoulder you'd come out of it all more or less unscathed.

Once the chaos had wound down and things could be assessed it was fortunate that damage was minimal and the overall injuries turned out to be minor, mostly cuts and bruises from being knocked over or from the burst of gravel from the initial explosion. Even the alarming amount of blood you'd seen running down Anatoly’s face ended up just being a superficial gash.

There are already at least two versions of what happened circulating through the facility, one casting your actions more favourably and one much less so (no question where that one started), though you’re not particularly concerned which version others decide to believe. Enough people witnessed what actually happened, and regardless you know that what you did was the right thing, and you’re confident that Klaue will see that.

You haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet but he's supposed to be on his way back, abandoning the South African coast early to assess the damage and meet with the kind of investigators that a facility that doesn’t exist in the strictest sense will allow.

Although you have his return to look forward to, you can’t help still feeling on edge as the dregs of adrenaline continue to circulate in your blood, and you regularly have to force yourself to take a deep inhale when you realize that your breathing has gone shallow again.

Fortunately you’ve had a simple job the last couple of days, spending your shift taking apart scrap metal to be sent to a foundry to be melted down. Oxy acetylene cutting can be physically taxing and it's hot as hell but it doesn’t require finesse, and right now you’re happy to simply let muscle memory guide you, focusing only on regulating the flow of gas and keeping the glide of the flame’s sharp tip steady as you work. 

You’re waiting for the disassembled pieces you'd just cut to cool before moving them so that you can start on the next section when there’s a sudden burst of activity at the entrance to the shop, and when you turn towards the disturbance you see that Klaue has just walked in.

His eyes have already found you but the swell of excitement at seeing him unexpectedly is quickly replaced by confusion when you register his dark expression.

“You.” He points, singling you out from the crowd. “Come with me.”

Your mouth drops open in surprise at the anger in his tone, and when you don’t immediately move to follow he raises his eyebrows, impatience clear in the tight set of his jaw.

“Now.” He grits through clenched teeth.

“Ohh, someone’s in trouble.” 

You whip around to find the source of the taunt, the anger and frustration that you haven’t fully processed surging out in a red-hot wave, and the words are out before you can think.

“Shut the fuck up!” 

The idiot is looking at you like he’s made some world-class joke and you're ready to lay into him, but suddenly his focus moves behind you and the smirk drops away as the blood drains from his face.

Slowly turning to follow his eyes you see Klaue standing as still as a steel lathe with his arm extended, but it takes several seconds for you to register that the leather holster on his leg is empty and his gun now aimed at the center of the man's chest.

“Shit.” You gasp. 

All of the oxygen seems to have been sucked out of the room and you're rooted to the spot, your hearing gone muffled and tinny. The joker’s eyes are flashbulb wide, standing with his arms jutting into the air as though that might have any impact on what happens next.

Every inch of Klaue appears calm, you might almost say he was relaxed if it weren't for the weapon in his hand. But the unmistakable fury in his eyes colours them nearly black, an obsidian blade glinting in the shadows simply waiting for an excuse to strike, and though he speaks quietly you know that everyone watching this happen can hear every word clear as day. 

“If you ever speak to her about anything other than this job again...” 

He doesn't finish the sentence, he doesn't have to, the sound of the safety lever being flicked off is deafening. The only movement in the room is the flex of tendons in Klaue's hand as his thumb deftly finds the switch.

You’re not sure whether the man is actually breathing, and even though your own heart is pounding out of your chest you find that you’re not exactly upset about the look of abject fear in his eyes.

“No! I mean I won’t! I didn’t mean anything, I’m sorry I-” he stammers, panicked eyes flicking back and forth between the weapon and Klaue’s face, forcing his hands almost comically high until his biceps are covering his ears. 

No one else speaks.

After several more excruciating seconds you finally hear the click of the safety re-engaging and you let out the breath you’d been holding as he slowly replaces the gun in its holster.

Then he turns back to you and repeats:

“Now.”

You have to work to keep up with Klaue’s brisk pace as you make your way through the warren of hallways, eventually ending up in an area you’d only passed by before. You follow him into a room filled with various pieces of vaguely familiar military equipment, a heavy desk and a bank of monitors against one wall, and in your still flustered state it’s only when he closes the door behind you that you realize that he’s taken you to his office.

He walks over and leans on the desk, weight braced on his knuckles as his shoulders rise and fall, each breath slow and deep.

He doesn’t speak, doesn’t look at you - in fact he hasn’t looked at you since he’d turned away expecting you would follow.

“Klaue?”

You think that you note a brief hitch in his breathing, but beyond that he doesn’t respond. 

“Listen, it’s been a long couple of days and I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell me what’s going on.”

“What you did was dangerous.” He replies quietly, finally seeming to find his words.

You sigh. You’re not entirely surprised that that’s what this is about but you’re still irritated and your lingering anger is back at the surface, leaving you fighting to keep your response measured. You’re not the one who’d done anything wrong. You thought he’d understand that.

“I did what needed to be done, that whole situation was getting worse by the second.“

“You put yourself in harm's way. There was no need to get that close when there had already been an explosion.”

“So was I just supposed to stand around with my mouth hanging open like almost everyone else? Or walk away and pretend that nothing was happening?”

“You didn’t need to get yourself involved, period. Those men would have dealt with the consequences of their actions.”

You throw your hands up in resignation.

“This is perfect, I was one of the few people actually trying to help, and yet I’m the one you’re taking it out on? That seems par for the course in all of this.”

Finally Klaue turns around to face you.

“I’m not- ”

"What about Milo? Or more importantly the asshole that actually caused the whole fucking mess??" You're close to yelling now, unable to help it as your anger and disappointment finally boil over.

"Do you really think he hasn't already been dealt with?” He replies sharply. “He’s gone, and won't be stepping foot in another shop anywhere, ever again. I'll be making sure of it.”

There's something flat in his eyes that cloaks the usual sharp blue.

“Ok, well…good.” You’re happy to hear it, though you’re still only somewhat placated. “But that doesn’t change the fact that the damage could have been so much worse if that truck had kept burning. I had to do something."

"That shouldn’t be your concern. I would have handled it."

“More people would have gotten injured.”

“I’m aware.”

“Or killed!"

"You could have gotten- "

He cuts himself off with a sharp exhale, fists balled tight at his sides. 

He hasn’t raised his voice until now, but it's his tone and the way his words waver that gives you pause. As you watch Klaue collect himself you feel something trying to work its way into your chest - something that’s whispering to you what that clouded look in his eyes might have been. 

Fear.

He’s visibly tense, lips pressed in a thin line as he takes a step toward you, broad shoulders curling inwards in an almost protective posture.

“I know you didn’t have anything to do with the accident, and that you wanted to help. But what you did still wasn't-”

He stops again and it surprises you, normally so certain of his words and not exactly afraid to speak his mind, you instead watch the muscles of his jaw working as his eyes burn into yours.

“This is a risky job.” You finally break the silence, trying to reason with him, taking your own tentative step closer to him. “Even when I’m not working for an arms dealer, by the way. Anywhere in this trade mistakes like that can happen.”

There’s a soft “careful” in the quick tilt of his head, and even now you feel a spark of relief at the flash of that familiar part of him.

“And you got hurt here.” 

You only realize that your hand has been rubbing your bruised shoulder when you notice his eyes have shifted to watch your fingers.

“So did other people! Why am I being singled out? What is the concern about me?” 

A part of him seems to drift from you again, and when he doesn’t respond a vice of cold steel begins to tighten around your chest. Has he discerned the real question that was hidden in your words? Is he angry? Disappointed? Indifferent?

Damnit, you curse yourself. 

You wished you hadn’t said it  but the recent stress has eroded your filters and you couldn’t help but push. Even though you’re not going to get the answer you can barely admit that you want.

“If you had really been hurt. If you had gotten killed..” 

When his eyes focus on you again there’s a coldness in them that you’ve only seen hints of before, but now it’s right there at the surface, clear and sharp and seething.

“That man wouldn’t be gone, he would be dead.” 

Oh.

Klaue’s words are laced with a calm certainty that sets your heart racing, your skin prickling hot under the weight of his gaze as you stand there shocked silent by his admission, unsure how to respond.

Just as suddenly as it appeared the cold begins to melt away, his eyes sweeping over you as if confirming that you’re still there, still whole and standing in front of him.

“Did you think I wouldn’t be concerned about you?” He asks, a curious frown knitting his brows.

You’re not sure how to respond to that either and you’re quiet for several long moments, chewing your lower lip while you consider, nervous for a different reason now.

He’s pushing you back, and it’s what you wanted (what you needed), not letting you get away with hiding, because if you’re going to ask the question you need to answer it, too.

But he must know it’s not a simple question, and right now you can’t give him a simple answer.

“I don’t…know what this is.” You start, haltingly. 

The first threads of an admission that there’s something for this to be. 

An admission that although a part of you has known it since the first night he slowly, achingly buried himself inside you, you can no longer pretend that he hasn’t already ruined you.

”Neither do I.” He concedes, slowly closing the last steps that separate you, surprised to find yourself relaxing at his words. It's not an answer, not yet, but still an acknowledgement, that you’re both uncertain but unable to help the way that you’re drawn together. Moths lost in the dark, instinctively picking up on the invisible spark of the other.

His hand reaches up to touch the shoulder that you'd been massaging.

“Let me see.” Klaue rumbles softly as he moves to lift the edge of your shirt, and silently you help him work your arm from the sleeve before he pulls the garment the rest of the way off, leaving you in your sports bra.

“I don’t know that I have to know, but I-” 

You start to speak but then inhale a sharp breath when his palm slides over your shoulder, soothing the bruised warmth, fingers also dance along the scar on your other arm which was fortunately not the side you’d landed on.

“And I don’t know if I can tell you.” His frown deepens as he takes in the angry bloom of purpling skin. “But I haven’t been able to think about anyone else since you’ve been here.” 

You hadn’t assumed anything but you can’t help the sting of relief, even as you fight to hold back the dam of want that’s cracking open beneath your ribs.

But when his hand slides up over your shoulder, your neck, tilting your head so that you meet his eyes, you realize that it's a battle you've already lost.

Your fingers curl around his wrist, the other hand pressing flat against the firm warmth of his chest. 

“I hadn’t been seeing anyone for a while, before Utrech..” You start and then pause, your eyes slipping closed with a sigh as you sink into the sensation of his palm against your cheek. “But even when I was still trying to pretend that I didn’t…since then it hasn’t even occurred to me to think about anyone but you.” 

“Is that right?” Klaue’s voice hums with a pleased timbre though his eyes flick searchingly across your face.

“Yes. There’s no one else. Not now, not-”

Not ever.

“No one has ever come close to making me feel the way you do, Ulysses. And maybe I don’t know what this is, but…I know that I don’t want to stop.” 

The last words come out in a breathless rush, forced out before you can overthink and lock them away again. Finally admitting it as much to yourself as to him.

“I’m not going to stop, darling. Not a fucking chance.” 

You nearly laugh with giddy relief but it’s interrupted when his hand tightens around your jaw, leaning in so that his mouth is hovering over yours as you press your body flush against him, arching into the stiffening ridge of his erection that juts into your hip.

You try to angle your mouth to find the warmth of his lips against yours, but strong hands continue to hold you just there, a breath apart. The air has shifted, a charge growing in the dwindling space between you that leaves your skin tingling from the near contact, and when you feel a faint brush of his lips against yours an audible whine slides from your throat.

“That night, after the bar, I thought about you.” Klaue continues.

“You did?” 

“Yes.” He nearly groans the word. “Thought about how you'd taste when you come.” 

The wet heat that’s been building in your core surges at his words, at the sudden image of him flushed and sweaty, his fist moving in rough strokes over his swollen cock and the thought of you in his head.

One of your hands begins to slide between your bodies, needy fingers plucking at his belt, reaching beneath the waistband and tugging.

“Thought about taking you into the back, finding a quiet corner, having you on your knees in front- in front of me.” His voice hitches and he shudders when you find the now stiff curve of his cock beneath the fabric.

“And then..when you were there, kneeling, I was sure I was dreaming. But you were so much better than my dreams. Such a tease, weren’t you?” He hums, and you can hear the grin even as his voice drops to a rasp of granite and silk. 

“Thinking you could get away with that.”

Klaue’s hips rock into your touch as you squeeze more firmly, sliding your hand along the shape of him, rewarded with a harsh sigh as he pulls back and fixes his eyes fix on yours. You thrill at the heat that you find there, helplessly reaching for the flames that lick against your skin. 

That invite you to burn.

“I didn’t think that for a second. But I already apologized, didn’t I?” 

A flash of him holding you against the door, desperation on your lips as he finally let you fall apart.

“Oh, you thought that was your apology? Getting to come on my fingers?”

“I didn’t, I mean-” You stammer, the movement of your hand faltering even as his admonition sends another wave of heat through your body.

“I’m afraid not, darling. And right now..” Your eyelids flutter and it takes a moment to realize that he’s waiting to make sure he has your attention.

“Y-yes?”

“Maybe I do.”

“You do…what?” Frowning, you try to figure out his meaning through the growing haze of arousal.

“Want to take it out on you.”

Your eyes snap to his, molten sapphire when you meet them.

“And maybe,” Klaue’s thumb swipes across the corner of your lips. “I want to take it out on this mouth of yours.”

His eyes flick down to catch your tongue peeking out as you reflexively lick your lips.

“Because a day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t thought about that sweet promise you made on your knees.” 

His thumb slides against the seam of your lips, smug when they part easily beneath the pressure.

He tsks, but any response you might give is cut off when he pushes past your teeth and your tongue gratefully tastes the calloused skin. But just as you move to take his thumb deeper into your mouth he pulls back, quickly replacing it with his index and middle fingers before you can lament the loss, and you can’t help but moan around the thick digits.

Eagerly you begin to slide your mouth along them, slowly bobbing your head, taking them further until they’re far enough back that your gag reflex triggers and your body stiffens, squeezing your eyes shut as you force yourself to take slow breaths.

Eventually your eyelids flutter open again, your focus coming back to him and the pleased look in his eyes.

Once you catch your breath you increase the suction of your lips to pull his fingers a little deeper, your tongue teasing around and between his two fingers, the texture of his warm skin contrasted with the smooth edges of his ring.

The next time you pull back he takes the opportunity to add a third finger, his other hand reaching up to cup the back of your neck, gently but firmly holding your head in place as he slides them all the way into your mouth again until his thumb and pinky are cradling your jaw.

Klaue’s mouth has dropped open, his breathing gone rough as he watches your lips stretching around his fingers. Both of your hands have moved to grip his shirt, steadying yourself, your eyes beginning to water as your breath comes in quick gasps.

“Shhh,” he soothes. “Just like that.”

His fingers stay where they are until your breathing slows again, nearly wincing at the deep velvet of his gaze on you, soft but inescapable. 

You still feel the instinct to gag, but once your throat relaxes the rest of you follows, and you sigh as he withdraws a little, rubbing gentle circles against your tongue. Your inhibitions are quickly falling away as you become focused only on more, moaning as his fingers continue to move, the thumb of his hand that’s curled around your neck caressing the sensitive skin there.

A heady thrum of desire is growing, settling deep between your thighs as you watch him through heavy-lidded eyes as he alternates between slowly pumping and then pressing deep and holding there, pleased when your breathing evens out more quickly every time.

Watching his expression cloud over with lust it occurs that you’d never really thought about how much he liked this. How watching your lips, and feeling your warm, slick mouth around his fingers as they grow shiny with your spit has him barely hanging on.

“That’s my needy girl.” 

Klaue’s words are a sigh, almost a release, the tension when you had first followed him ebbing from his body, smoothing the set of his shoulders as his fingers continue to move.

You shudder again, unable to hold back the keening sounds from escaping your throat, your center already soaked and aching and you don’t even have his cock in your mouth yet.

“What’s the matter, isn’t this enough?” His words are cut with a smug glint of gold, seeming to guess what you’re thinking about.

And honestly you would let him keep doing this if he wanted, turning you into a mindless mess with just his fingers and only your eyes able to plead wordlessly for more. But he said he was going to fuck your mouth, and the narrowing of your eyes answers his question.

His unoccupied hand releases your neck and takes one of your hands, returning it to the waist of his pants where you quickly work at his belt and zipper, determined though distracted by the continued slip and drag through your lips. 

Eventually you manage to reach beneath the fabric to grip his hard length, your other hand tugging the layers down until you’re able to free his cock. The movement of his fingers falters at your touch but then he’s grinning when your moans become more plaintive, saliva spilling from the corners of your mouth as your hand hungrily strokes the intoxicating heat of him.

“Now, don’t swallow.” Klaue murmurs.

You have a split second to frown before he withdraws, realization dawning when you have to quickly close your mouth to keep from drooling.

Unable to reply, you wait a beat before your eyebrows raise in a question.

“On your knees.” His hand drops, slick fingers replacing yours where they’re wrapped around his length.

Your breath catches with anticipation, and unable and unwilling to hide how eager you are now you keep your eyes on his as you sink down slowly until the thick circle of his fist is directly in front of you, the slit already leaking as he strokes himself. 

The sight of it has you aching, desperate for your lips to replace the languid slide of his fingers, to take him deep into your mouth then and nose into the dark, grey-flecked hair that spreads from the base of him.

“Now, spit on my cock, darling.”

Your reverie suddenly broken you look up to see him watching you intently, eyes dark and commanding, his hand now gripping the thick base, holding himself out to you.

Waiting.

Still unable to reply, all you can do - all you want to do - is acquiesce. So you lean forward and slowly let the saliva slide from your parted lips until it drops onto the head of his cock, his palm quickly gathering and dragging your offering down his length, groaning at the slide of it beneath his fingers.

Only when you hear the low timbre of his laugh do you realize that you’re practically pouting as your eyes eagerly follow the movement of his hand.

You lean forward again, glossy lips parting in anticipation, but his other hand quickly reaches to grasp your hair and stops you. 

You’re agonizingly close, not caring how desperate you must look straining against his grip as your tongue flicks out, the sounds of skin on slick skin making you increasingly desperate to taste him as he holds you just out of reach of what you want.

“Look at you.” Klaue croons.“You’re always switched on. You’re strong and I can see how hard you work, and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.”

You flush at his praise, briefly distracted from your conquest.

“But when I use your mouth…then I get to watch you let go. I can tell that you don’t like to do it for yourself, so I’m going to do it for you. Going to empty that head of yours.”

His hips nudge toward you and this time when your lips drop open he lets you move to meet him.

He sucks a hiss through his teeth when you press a wet kiss against the thick head of his cock, chased by a relieved groan as you let your lips smear the glisten of precum that continues to leak there, fresh heat blooming between your legs at the sounds this draws from him.

You keep the muscles of your jaw relaxed and pliant as you press slowly forward. Not sucking yet, simply using the head of his cock to part your lips to slide over the already slick skin, slowly and thoroughly mapping the shape of him with your mouth.

And he's right, of course. You can feel yourself relaxing as you finally taste the musk of his heated skin, humming contentedly as your tongue swirls around the head and drags over the sensitive frenulum, the tension of the last few days finally draining away with every languorous slip of your mouth. 

A different kind of tension quickly swelling deep in your core.

“Jesus.” Klaue sighs above you as you gradually take him deeper, one hand braced on his thigh while the other wraps around him, his cock achingly hard beneath your fingers. 

Still loosely holding your hair he's letting you work him, your own pleased moans slipping from your throat as you lick hungrily over every ridge and vein, savouring the salty tang of his velvet-slick skin warm against your tongue

Pleasure thrums through your body, growing hotter with the attention you’re giving him, but as you take him deeper again, your lips stretching wider, realization flickers in the back of your mind that you haven’t even taken him halfway yet and you’re already growing overwhelmed by how full your mouth is. 

But, god, the ragged sound he makes when you slide down until his cock nudges the back of your throat makes your cunt throb, so you pull back so that you’re holding just the tip of him between your lips and then you do it again, reveling in every inch that you can take.

Slowly you build a steady rhythm until saliva is dripping down your chin, he's continuing to let you control the pace for now, allowing you to breathe and adjust until he’s deeper than when he was on the couch.

Your hunger is growing, though, and soon you're pushing forward with more intention and when your throat spasms you swallow reflexively, your eyes watering when this draws him in further. Klaue’s moans deepen at the ripple of the muscles around his cock but you’re unable to fight it any longer and you gag, even as his drawn out “Fuck” has your hips rocking.

Squeezing your eyes shut you just barely manage to stay where you are, tears dampening your lashes until you finally have to pull back, although you keep him in your mouth, breathing hard through your nose to catch your breath.

“It’s alright,” he rasps. ”Don’t think you’re going to be able to take all of me right now, darling. But you’ll take as much as you can, and when you can swallow every inch of my cock then you’ll get to feel me come down your throat.” 

You can’t help the muffled sound you make that’s equal parts arousal and disappointment.

“Don’t worry, I’m still going to make a pretty mess of your mouth," he teases, his heaving chest and half-lidded eyes betraying his own growing need.

Not that he isn’t doing a fair job of it already, of course, unable to properly swallow, your chin is quickly growing shiny with drool. The pressure of his other hand still cradling the back of your neck firm but soothing as he holds you in place, as the still restrained flex of his hips begins seeking the wet heat of your mouth again, and you sigh at the intoxicating weight of his cock dragging against your tongue.

As you relax your awareness drifts back down to the heat between your legs, the slick press of the seam of your pants against your sex barely relieving the ache there as you squeeze your thighs together. 

After a few more slow thrusts he presses forward into the back of your throat again, and as he holds himself there you take a shaky breath and swallow once, and then again, taking more of him than you have so far. 

“There you go, God-”

You try to hollow your cheeks to pull him in further but you gag again when he bucks suddenly, his words cut off with a growled curse.

“It’s alright,” Klaue soothes, pulling back to give you a moment to recover, though it was more startling than painful. “You’re doing so fucking well.” 

Looking up at him you see that his eyes are screwed shut, head bowed and breathing hard, concentration etched clearly across his face. When he finally opens his them he can only groan at the sight of your tear-damp reverence, his attention is first drawn first to where he's disappearing into your mouth as he starts to move again, but it’s not long before they catch instead on the needy cant of your hips.

“You do love this, don’t you? Have you soaked through your panties already?”

You can only let out a whimpered moan as you attempt to nod.

He hasn’t let you take his cock out of your mouth yet and you can feel the drool that continues to spill from your lips beginning to collect and drip off of your chin, down onto your chest where it slicks the skin between your breasts.

There’s a flicker in the back of your mind, a needling thought that you should feel…ashamed. By the mess, and your neediness, by how much you fucking adore being on your knees for this man. 

But that flicker is quickly snuffed out as Klaue continues to use your mouth, and as you take in the look of awe in his eyes, when you feel his thumb softly stroking over the curve of your cheekbone, you realize that you don’t feel below him. 

That although you're on your knees, it feels like you’re the one being worshiped.

You want to focus on him and you try, really you do, but the heated ache in your cunt is becoming unbearable and you can't  help shifting and squeezing your thighs together, made breathless by your need as much as by the fullness of him in your mouth.

He's has been watching - and clearly enjoying - this increasingly desperate movement of your hips, but finally he seems to take pity on you.

“Do you want to touch yourself, darling? Want to come while you drool all over my cock?” 

Even through his tease you can feel how his own words affect him in the quickening buck of his hips.

“Go on then, feel how wet your pussy is just from this.”

The words are barely past his lips and you’re already moving, but just as you manage to work your hand beneath the waistband of your pants he speaks again.

“Slow.” 

The word is quiet but firm, Klaue's tone softer than before yet shot through with an irresistible command and you pause, glancing back up.

His shoulders and neck are impossibly broad from this vantage, eyes bright but tinged with a smoky darkness that does away with your resistance, and you know with a thrilling certainty that as desperate as you are for relief, in this moment you’d do whatever he asked.

Keeping your eyes locked on his you begin to move again, dipping your hand down - slowly.

“That’s it. Slip your hand into your panties now. Just- just one finger, darling.” His voice is uneven and clipped like he's having to concentrate on forming the words. “Slide it along that pretty slit of yours. Barely need to press to feel it, don’t you? How wet you are.”

You can only whimper in response, the building ache between your thighs only made worse by how close you are to relief, by how you could increase the pressure just slightly and you’d be able to part yourself and find your desperate bundle of nerves.

“You have no idea how delicious that first taste of you is. So fucking sweet.” 

There’s an edge to his words, as though he were jealous of your fingers, that they get to slide and tease between your legs and not his tongue.

There’s barely any friction beneath your index finger, but the soft glide combined with his grunted breaths above you has you clenching and it's near agony to keep your movements slow and controlled, fighting against every instinct in your body not to give in as your sex quivers, pleading for more.

So instead you pull your focus back to his cock and let your mouth move the way you wish your fingers could, quickly and hungrily sliding your lips along his shaft until with a sudden movement you take him into the back of your throat again and keep him there, your hand stroking the part of him you can't take.

“Christ,” he grits through his teeth, your scalp stinging from the quick jerk of his hand in your hair. “Not yet.” 

You can't tell if this is directed at you or himself as he swallows and releases a shuddered breath, his voice strained when he speaks again.

“Slide two fingers over your clit for me, now.” 

Relief ripples up your spine as you eagerly press through your drenched folds, fingers dragging against your swollen bud, unable to let out more than a choked sound as you push forward to keep his cock where it is in your throat, hot tears spilling over.

“Again.” 

Your touch grows rougher, matching his words, feeling the inevitable swell of pleasure growing as you float there, caught in the riptide of his voice.

”Want to go faster, don’t you?” Klaue rasps. “Want to reach down to feel how soaked your needy hole is?” 

You do, trembling fingers unable to help chasing the path of his words as if they were his tongue instead, sliding along your slick cleft and down to gather more of your arousal. 

Pleasure strings tighter when your fingers slide back up and over your clit, cursing  him internally as you gasp short breaths through your nose. You try to relax your throat even as every other muscle in your body draws tight, unsure how much longer you can keep yourself from falling over the edge.

You can’t really tell him, only your eyes can plead, I’m close, I’m so close it feels so good please let me come. 

“So used to begging with that pretty mouth.” He taunts with a breathless growl, reading your desperation, his lips curled in a grin at your half-delirious expression.

“It's alright, I know how good it's making you feel to use your mouth like this instead. Just like I know you’re going to make yourself come now.”

You're so close to lost that it takes a second for you to process his command, but when you do something in you snaps.

Your fingers immediately find a tight rhythm as you chase the swollen edge of pleasure, his fist gripping your hair tight to hold you firmly in place as your movements begin to grow frantic, unable to control any part of you as the blinding heat of your climax finally shocks through you.

The muscles of your throat spasm as your cunt flutters around nothing, desperate sounds caught in your chest as your hips buck and writhe against your fingers. Your other hand is entirely lost to any sense of rhythm and it drops to grasp at the fabric covering his thigh in an attempt to find purchase, and then suddenly his hand not in your hair is there, strong fingers twining tightly with yours, holding on to you as you fall apart.

“That’s it,” Klaue pants, his voice thick with lust and awe. “Choke on my cock while you come.”

You want to curse and cry and plead as ecstasy works its way through you in eddies and purls, and it almost feels like you might be drowning but you’re powerless to want anything else but to drown in him, trembling with relief as your fingers roughly work every pulse of pleasure from your clit.

As the waves begin to soften your other senses gradually filter back in: the ache in your throat and your jaw, the sting in your knees where they press into the floor, and when your body slackens as you start to come down he allows you pull back enough to properly catch your breath. 

Slowly you’re able to focus again, eyes damp and red rimmed as you look up at him, but you only have a brief moment to appreciate his pleased expression before his eyes go storm dark.

“Going to come in your mouth, now.”

Fingers tighten in your hair once more and then he’s moving. His thrusts are rough now with surrendered control as his hips chase a harsh rhythm, a low groan rolling through his chest that's woven together with your name as he finally gives in and takes what you'd promised. 

You attempt to tighten your lips around him as his rasping curses continue above you, but it’s no use, all you can do is kneel and relent to the slide of his cock filling your mouth again and again.

You want to beg him, words that fall so easily from your lips now when you sense that he’s about to let go for you, but you can only whine for it, your plaintive noises slipping messily around his cock until the pattern of his thrusts falters. And then, finally, there's only bliss when you hear his choked gasp as he stiffens, and you feel the first warm spurts of his spend coating your tongue.

With a low, open-mouthed moan he continues to fuck into the wet suck of your mouth, spilling himself across your lips and chin as well as your tongue until pearly ropes of cum are mixing with your drool, the mess of it dripping in slick stands off of your chin.

Then suddenly Klaue pulls out completely for the first time since this started and at first you can only gasp and cough, but when his hand wraps around himself your mouth instinctively drops open. Resting the head of his cock against the offering of your tongue he slowly strokes though the last pulses of his orgasm, making sure to give you every last drop, dragging through the slick mess with slow, sated thrusts until his fist gradually stills.

Eventually he pulls back though not away, panting and heavy lidded as he looks down at you where you kneel, a shining strand strung between his tip and your swollen lips that glisten with the pearly sheen he’s painted them with.

“Now you can swallow, darling.” 

You’re not sure if you should laugh or sob, but fighting both you make sure to keep your eyes on his as you curl your tongue back into your mouth and swallow, before dragging your fingers across your chin to gather the mess he left there, too.

A lazy smile curves his lips as he watches your mouth sliding around your fingers, and once you've cleaned as much as you can your hand drops, both of them resting on the tops of your thighs. 

Gently, the backs of Klaue’s fingers brush at the streaks of tears that are beginning to dry on your cheeks, then one slowly hooks under your chin to tip your head up, not letting you hide, leaving you startled by the affection that vines its way through your ribcage, burrowing into the want that even now burns hot. 

The want that folds into a desperation to please him, to give and take everything until the only thing left is your desire. 

You wish that you could explain it to him, that you could say something coherent, but any words you try to form seem to dissipate before they can reach your mouth, and you’re unsure that you could even articulate your thoughts as you sit in the filmy haze of your afterglow. 

So when you do open your mouth you're nearly as caught off guard by the words that come out as he is, your voice an almost unfamiliar, grateful rasp.

“Thank you.” 

Klaue’s satisfied grin falls away, his lips parting with a groaned sigh and then he’s reaching down, a hand curling around your bicep to pull you up to standing. You waver against the stiffness in your legs but he supports you, his palm again finding its place against your cheek.

He pauses, really taking in the state of you: your dazed expression and cock-swollen lips, standing there bruised and mussed and shirtless and pleased, his large hand brushing across your chin to catch more of the sheen there, words seeming to hover on the tip of his tongue.

The line between his brows deepens with a purse of his lips, a barely perceptible shake of his head. 

“You’re going to be the death of me, klein Mot.”

Then he's pulling you against him, his lips suddenly on yours and he's kissing you deeply, licking hungrily into your mouth and you swiftly grow breathless as he chases the taste of himself on your tongue. But just as you’re sinking into it, he pulls away. 

“Come here.” 

He turns with you, quickly crowding you back against his desk, hands reach down to wrap around your thighs and you quickly brace against the surface as he lifts you until you’re perched on the edge of it.

Your legs fall open easily as he moves forward, his focus coming to rest on you again as his hands slide up to circle your waist.

“You did so fucking well.” A smile tugs at his lips again as thumbs trail soft patterns against your bare skin. “Are you alright?” 

Warmth blooms at his concern, an unexpected contrast with what had just transpired.

“Yes.” You’re still finding your voice, still feeling like you're catching your breath, but you’re good. More than.

“You're sure?”

Leaning forward you slide your arms around his broad waist, hitching your legs up as well, drawing him into you.

“Yes, I promise.” You assure, brushing the ghost of a smile against his lips. “And…I promise that I won’t lie to you if anything is too much.”

“Good.” Klaue pulls back to look at you, a pleased edge of gold glinting in the blue before a more serious expression settles into the creases around eyes. “Because I'm going to keep pushing you.” 

You inhale sharply, a fresh throb of heat blooming in your still slick core as your legs tighten around his hips.

“I want you to, Ulysses,” you hum, slowly arching and rolling your center against him, feeling him still half hard where he'd tucked himself back into his pants. 

“I know, my darling.” His words are knowing and smooth with the edges singed dark, hands roving slowly over the soft flesh of your waist as he continues matter-of-factly. “But right now, you’re going to have some water, and then I’m going to make you come again.”

“Yeah?” You say hopefully as you continue to move against him, chasing the heat he so easily stokes in you with just a few words.

A slow nod and a rumbled confirmation. 

“I’m going to take care of you, now, Mot. I don’t need you to make any decisions today. Except for one.”

“Oh?” 

“Not how many times you’re going to come, that's up to me. But you’re going to tell me how.”

“God, Ulysses.” You’re burning with arousal now, every inch of your skin prickling hot. “That's all?”

“Will it be my fingers?” 

His hands brush further up your waist, thumbs teasing beneath the band of your bra to just brush against the sensitive curve of your breasts before trailing back down.

“Or my mouth?”

Leaning in his lips press against your neck, a silvered shimmer of nerves swirling out from the point where his tongue flicks out to taste your skin, your body swiftly surrendering to the heat of his promise.

“Or perhaps you’d like to straddle my thigh until you’ve made a lovely mess for me.”

A needy sound rends itself from your chest as his thumbs press into the sensitive creases where your hips meet your thighs, but just as you open your mouth to reply, a loud knock sounds on the door.

“Not right now.” Klaue calls out to whoever is in the hall without pulling away from you.

“Yes, now.”

“I’m not ask-”

“It’s a call you’ve been waiting for. There's a problem.”

Jaw clenching, he exhales a sharp breath.

“Just a minute,” he replies.

“You really need to-”

“Just a minute.” Klaue snaps, his head jerking towards the door and you jump, your legs tightening around him.

“Alright, alright.” 

The man’s voice trails off and it sounds like he’s moved down the hallway, at least for now. 

When he looks back at you you’re biting your lip, the look in his eye telling you he must have noticed your reaction to his tone.

“Think about what I asked.” 

You're about to reply that you will, but something occurs to you about the suggestions he’d given you.

“Wait, is.. is your cock not an option?” You give him a coy look through your lashes, intending to tease but still a little nervous that maybe it won't be.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to fuck you, darling. If you’re good.”

A thumb grazes the corner of your mouth, distracting you momentarily from what that means as you unconsciously flick your tongue out to meet it, earning you a knowing grin when you quickly pull away with a sheepish laugh.

“So?” He says, waiting for your confirmation of his request.

“I will. I’ll…think about it.” You're nearly panting now as the rock of your hips grows needier, shocked at how quickly you can feel another orgasm building already, if you just had a few more minutes you could-

“That’s all you’ll be doing, though. Yeah?” 

Strong hands tighten around your hips, pinning their faltering movement against him and you pull back with a frown.

“Are you saying…you want me to think about how I want to come, but I can’t- ”

“Smart girl, you did hear what I said.” His gaze sweeps over your face, and you barely manage not to scoff.

“Yes, I heard you. But I mean, I did already make myself come. I made that decision.”

Klaue tilts his head, mock curiosity knitting his brows.

“Did you?”

You open your mouth to argue but then close it again, pursing your lips together in a pout. He has a point, though: It may have been your fingers, but it was his words guiding you, and you only made yourself come when he told you that you would.

“I decide,” he repeats, and you bite back a whimper when he slowly grinds you against him again. “And I've decided you're going to wait.”

There’s another, more insistent knock at the door.

“Coming.” Suddenly letting go he steps back from you, not hiding his pleasure at your pained expression as he finds and hands you your shirt which you reluctantly put back on.

“I’ll walk you back to the main corridor.” He pauses with his hand on the doorknob and raises a brow, waiting for you to follow.

“Fine. I’ll think about it.” You finally say, pushing yourself off of the desk, not bothering to hide the frustration in your voice.

“I know you will, darling.” His certainty overlaps with a challenge as he opens the door. 

Be good, and you can come on my cock. 

You shudder when his hand quickly presses against your lower back as you move past him, even the brief pressure burns hot through the fabric of your shirt, and then the door clicks shut behind you.

So, you have to wait. Again. And though you’re getting good at it now, and even knowing that it won’t be long, you’re not sure how you’re going to make it, your nerves already on fire as you part and watch him walk away.

AN: As always thank you so much for reading! 🥰 The next chapter will not be nearly as long a wait since about 75% of it was already written before I decided to split this on up! Will it be soon soon? No, but it won't be quite as long as this break as this was! Though to be fair I did write two other fics (and a drabble), flew to London, and dealt with a personal loss, and then the recovery from of all the that plus y'know, life in general. But we're finally here, and I'm glad that I made it and can finally share this with you all!

Full disclosure I am not someone who works with propane, and while much of the information is based what I've been able to find online, the accident itself is based on the events of a real explosion at a propane plant that happened in Canada several years ago. So things are likely not necessarily going to be 100% correct, but there are real variables here that would explain something like this happening.

I also want to mention that there's a line in that that was actually the first (filthy) line of not just this chapter, but also of this entire part two. I was only around halfway through part one and was just realizing there would even be a part two (the line did end up changing a bit as the story evolved, but it's still in here. 😏). Also I wrote it, closed the doc, then opened Instagram and immediately saw that Andy was coming to to Toronto. And instantly panicked. So there's that. 😂

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Chapter 9 ~ Sophia?

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Rose

✧ Era : Season 2

✧ Word Count : 5k

In this chapter ~ After processing the panic and loss the group members had faced, they found themselves held up on a highway as one of their vehicles unfortunately broke down on their way to find sanctuary somewhere else. Though in the midst of searching through the other abandoned cars that lied there, a sudden herd of walkers began to tear through the space. But that's not the only thing that goes wrong as someone suddenly disappears.

It had been a whole week, seven painfully long days, and yet we were still on the road, fighting to find a place to stay since the CDC quite literally went up in flames. I found myself slowing coming to the terms with the events, accepting them, assuming it was just the initial shock that made me so reserved. I began to keep my head up in hopes that it would bring us some kind of luck for the days to come. Though I felt as if they were anything but.

The car ride was spent in a content silence as we drove down the roads, occasionally taking a glance to the man in the driver's seat as I absentmindedly fiddled with one of my knives. I still hadn't forgotten what he had said to me, but I managed to push it out of my mind. I'm a big girl, I wasn't about to mope around about how a man hurt my feelings, hell no. Especially since he hadn't been that harsh with me since. Maybe that was his own way of processing the things we had lost. Irritation...resentment. It wouldn't surprise me, which is why I didn't dwell on it for very long.

Two loud honks coming from the RV is what caused me to look up, a chain reaction following as we all collectively pulled over behind the giant vehicle. The group leisurely made their way out of their parked cars to crowd around where Dale was standing as he opened up the gas tank.

"I'm almost out of fuel." he informed, "There doesn't seem to be anywhere we can fill up for a couple hundred miles"

Shane sighed heavily before looking around to the many vehicles we still had, lined up perfectly on the side of the road, "Well, what if we siphon the gas from a few of these cars and narrow it down a bit?"

Everyone seemed to be on board with the idea, mostly because we had pulled over in the middle of nowhere and the quietness that lingered made people grow uneasy. A few of the guys crowded around to transfer the gas from one automobile to the other, the rest gathering what was left of their belongings to situate into what remained. It was then I noticed Daryl climbing up in the bed of the truck, maneuvering his brother's motorcycle out of the back.

My brows furrowed, "What are you doing?" I asked, pausing toward the front of the pickup.

He stopped to glance up at me, "M' gonna use the gas in the truck for the motorcycle, it don't run out as fast."

I simply nodded in understanding before swinging the passenger door open. I could briefly hear him pick up the bike again to move it slowly and carefully down to the ground, whilst I hauled my backpack over one of my shoulders. The door closed with a slam behind me as I made my way to the RV, going to ride with Glenn and the others.

"Where do ya think yer goin?" Daryl's voice unexpectedly called out.

I turned to face him again, "The RV." I stated simply, "You're not taking the truck anymore."

His lip quirked up a bit, "Well...there's two seats on a motorcycle, don't know if ya realized that." he spoke a bit sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm aware."

"Then why you goin to the RV?" he asked.

I didn't utter another word as I shrugged, not wanting to give him the real answer. I knew he would probably poke fun at me if he knew the truth behind my hesitance. But also, my silence was apparently the only answer he needed as his smile only grew, the wheels turning faster in his big head.

"Yer not scared, are ya?" he asked as he tilted his head.

"No." I scoffed.

He then gave me a pointed look. I caved. "Okay, fine, maybe a little." I admitted sheepishly.

A small chuckle escaped him at my recognition, ducking his head to the ground to try and silence them, "I've never ridden on one before, alright? With my luck, I'd just fly off the back and bust my ass."

"Hey, it's simple," he attempted to reassure, "All ya gotta do is hang on. That's it. The hard part, well, that's on me." he said, his gaze shifting as he started to transfer the gas.

My mind pondered over the idea as I watched him. I did trust him, but I never really liked the idea of riding on a motorcycle, no matter who was driving it. It made me uneasy, seeing the thing was nowhere near safe in my eyes.

But after debating with myself for a few painfully long seconds, I finally huffed. "Fine."

He didn't look up at me, but I could see his small, victorious smile just before I turned to head into the RV, putting my belongings inside. Though just a few short minutes of everyone siphoning gas and getting adjusted into the different cars, it was time to hit the road again to try and find a safe place to camp out for a while.

I dreadfully made my way back over toward the bike, seeing Daryl already sitting there ready to go. He immediately sensed how nervous I was, only giving me a subtle nod in support as he waited for me to get on. I sighed deeply to myself in regret, before slowly swinging my leg over to get on behind him, hesitantly wrapping my arms around his waist, trying to ignore how fast my heart was beating. Though I couldn't tell if it was because I was getting on a death machine or because of how close I was to him...or both.

His muscles tensed a bit when I touched him without warning, but slowly he began to relax after awkwardly clearing his throat. Once he saw the RV moving, he started the bike up and revved the engine loudly a few times, before we started moving to catch up with it.

My heart was in my throat as I subtly held on tighter, trying to get used to the abrupt quickness. I then felt him then subtly glance back at me, almost as if to make sure I was okay, before doing something that would make my stomach flip.

Suddenly, we started going much faster and he began to smile before bringing the bike up quickly to do a fucking wheelie. I yelped and tightened my arms around his waist, tightly shutting my eyes and all I could feel was his laughter vibrating through his body at my reaction. I hit him on the chest, and I could practically feel the cockiness radiating off of him. Asshole.

We drove quickly down the long roads, the wind whipping me in the face for what felt like hours as I clung to Daryl's broad frame. I hadn't really opened my eyes the entire time he drove, only wanting to get it over with faster before I never trusted him again. The small wheelie he did made the pit in my stomach grow.

But my face scrunched in confusion as I felt the man slow down drastically, taking a chance to open my eyes the smallest bit to see what was going on. Though they instantly widened at the sight, seeing we had come across a highway with a shit ton of abandoned cars scattered all over the place. Everyone else seemed to notice at the same time what we were dealing with, slowing down almost completely once we saw the mess.

Daryl realized quickly that the RV was too big to push through, and he picked up his pace again to drive around and align himself with the window to talk to Dale.

"See a way through?" the old man asked.

Daryl nodded briefly before we got in front of the vehicle to lead the way. He swerved through the narrow path gracefully, gliding past them with ease as he tried to guide them as best as he could. It was all going fine, until we heard an unexpected, loud pop come from the RV, looking back to see Dale swerving it off to the side. The rest of us quickly pulled over to see what was wrong, watching the older man coming out of the vehicle looking pissed, popping the hood where the smoke was rising.

"I said it didn't I? A thousand times I said it, dead in the water." he ranted out loud.

"Problem Dale?" Shane asked.

"Oh, just a matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of-" he cut himself off suddenly once he took the time to look around at the many cars potentially filled with supplies, "Okay, that was dumb." he finished.

Shane huffed, "Can't find a radiator hose here." 

Daryl came up behind me to glance into the car I set my gaze on, "But there's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." 

"We can siphon more fuel if anything." I spoke.

"Maybe some water." Carol suggested.

"Or food." Glenn piped in.

"This is a graveyard." Lori stated nervously, glancing around at all the cars and noticing the bodies that lied in some of them, "I don't like this." 

I stared at the woman for a moment, glancing towards everyone else who seemed to be thinking the same thing, before we all collectively dispersed to see what supplies we could find despite her subtle protests.

"Yeah, alright spread out see what you can find." Shane said awkwardly as he watched most of us walk away.

I began picking through as many cars as I could, looking through every nook and cranny to make sure they were completely cleaned out before moving to the next. And in the end it seemed the luck I was searching for finally came through. There was water, canned food, some clothes, and even a larger knife that looked to be brand new. Maybe this setback was just a blessing in disguise seeing as it wasn't a total waste.

In the midst of my daydreaming state, I heard a series of footsteps slowly making their way over to me, looking up to see Rick approaching. He leaned against the hunk of rusty metal, "Hey...how you doing?" he asked.

"I'm good," I smiled faintly. "Why do you ask?" I questioned as I dug through some older boxes.

"Well, I noticed you were a little shaken up from the CDC...just wanted to check up on you." he replied.

My eyes softened a bit at his concern. Well, that's adorable. "I mean, I think it's safe to say we were all pretty unsettled...just trying to move past it." I said to which he nodded in agreement, "How are you doing after all of that?"

He shrugged, "As good as I can be. It was a lot but...I'm thinking we'll be alright, hopefully find a place sooner than later." 

I could tell there was something else on his mind, something more than what happened at the CDC, but I wasn't going to ask. I figured if he wanted to tell me then he would eventually when the time was right, but not now. Not when we were currently stuck here for however long until the RV was fixed up to move again.

I simply nodded to what he said, feeling him give my shoulder a gentle nudge before he walked a little ways back to keep looking with the rest of us. When I turned back to the trunk I was once buried in, I was slightly disappointed to find there was nothing worth taking so I stepped back with a sigh, my eyes searching around absentmindedly to find a different car.

But I didn't make it very far before a pair of arms wrapped around me, their hand going over my mouth as if somehow knowing I would make a noise. My head whipped back around only to find Rick was the one holding me still, a panicked and fearful look on his face. I went to push him away from me with the intention to ask what the hell he was doing, but he instantly put his finger up to his lips. That caught my attention as he slowly removed his hand from my face, hurriedly ushering me under the car right next to us.

I grew very confused as we both slipped under the car, until I heard the walkers, a lot of them, slowly making their way down the highway and through the cars, seeing the amount passing us just through the small opening visible under the vehicle. My hand instinctively grabbed Rick's in shock as I covered my mouth so I wouldn't attract any of them towards our hiding place, and prayed that a group this big wouldn't find any of us. Rick looked over at me and slowly placed his other hand on top of mine, to try and calm his nerves a bit as his breathing picked up drastically from the shock.

All I could seem to think about in that moment were the others that were scattered around the large space. I knew all of them were smart enough to hide, to get out of sight, but still anything could happen. Especially when it came to something as big as this.

It felt like ages before the last few walkers made their way past us, both Rick and I collectively letting out a sigh of relief once they slowly seemed to continue to move along down the endless roads.

But all the tension seemed to rebuild in a split second when we heard a scream. An ear-piercing scream. My gaze zeroed in on the direction of the noise, only to see Sophia being chased by two walkers off the highway and towards the tree line, into the woods just to the right of us. Rick didn't hesitate. He quickly let go of my hand and scooted out from under the space as fast as he could, booking it towards the woods to save her as he pulled out his gun.

"Rick, wait!" I whisper yelled, but he was already too far gone.

Letting out another breath, I crawled out from underneath the car with the intention to follow right behind him. But then I paused when I thought of the rest of the group, wanting to make sure they were all okay. The walk was long and almost painful as I made my way back to the RV where I assumed they would meet up, the anticipation was beginning to kill me. But finally, it began to come into view, watching their attention turn toward me once they sensed my movement.

Carl was the first one to rush over the second he spotted me, his feet slapping loudly on the ground as he ran forward to tackle me in a hug. I couldn't help but smile as I leaned down to hold him tightly, making sure he was alright before taking a glance up at everyone else. For the most part they all seemed fine, alive at the very least. But I couldn't seem to ignore Carol's distress and T-Dog's sudden injury.

My eyes then panned over to see Daryl lingering nearby out of the corner of my vision, seeing him hesitantly approach. He awkwardly stood at my side for a moment before placing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it a little.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah, you?"

He nodded as he slightly chewed his lip, and then did something I didn't expect him to do. He gave me a side hug and rested his chin on top of my head for a second or two, before ducking his head and moving back to grab something from his bike.

My expression softened as I watched him for a moment while he walked away, my heart fluttering the smallest bit at the action I never would've guessed he would dare to do. I found myself smiling knowingly to myself. Maybe, just maybe, he cared a bit more than I realized.

But my smile seemed to vanish when I caught sight of Carol now sobbing in Lori's arms for her daughter. Her head continued to lift up from time to time to watch the woods ahead of her in anticipation, but there was nothing. Nobody else said a word as we all silently waited with her, watching and hoping to see Rick coming up over the small hill with Sophia safe in his hold.

The wait seemed to drag on and on, leaving everyone on the edge of their seat which surely was only making time go by slower. But we all seemed to perk up the smallest bit upon hearing something rustling in the trees. Rick emerged from the woods looking absolutely exhausted, but when I saw he didn't have Sophia, my heart broke even more for Carol.

"Where is she?" Dale asked him almost immediately.

"She didn't make it back up here?" he asked breathlessly.

We all shook our heads.

A crushed look passed over his face, but didn't linger for long as he racked his brain for what to do next. His logic working faster than the emotions he tried to keep hidden. He quickly ushered a few of us to round up and head back off into the woods to look for her, wanting to have more eyes on our surroundings. However, we didn't seem to make it very far through the forest before Rick stopped walking and pointed to a small tree trunk where he had told her to hide.

He stated that this was where he left her, the last place he saw her before he left to take care of the walkers. But upon looking around the area, she was absolutely nowhere in sight.

"Sure this is where ya left her?" Daryl asked first, looking around the hiding spot for any sign of where she could've gone.

"I left her right here. I drew the walkers way off in that direction," he pointed east, "Right up the creek."

"Without a paddle...seems where we've landed." Daryl spoke.

Rick then sighed stressfully, "She was gone by the time I got back here, I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder."

My eyes stayed glued to the ground as he talked, trying to see if I could find any of her tracks when I noticed Glenn was conveniently standing right in the way. I opened my mouth to say something, but Daryl quickly beat me to the punch as he noticed too.

"Hey, short round, why don't ya step off to one side. Yer mucking up the trail." he snapped.

Glenn looked down as soon as it was drawn to his attention, awkwardly moving to the right to be out of the way as he muttered an apology. I stepped around him, trying to make out which way she ran with all the other tracks surrounding her trail which only made things more difficult.

"Assuming she knows her right from her left." Shane suddenly muttered.

My eyes snapped up to fix him with a glare, "Are you fucking serious? Right and left don't matter when you're running for your damn life."

The man opened his mouth to say something, but Rick quickly cut him off, "Hey, hey, enough, she understood me just fine." he insisted.

Shane huffed in frustration, "Kid's tired and scared man. She had a close call with two walkers, you gotta wonder how much of what you said stuck."

"Well, I got clear prints right here." I announced as I pointed to the ground, "She did like you said, headed back to the highway."

When I was only met with silence, I looked over my shoulder to see they all had their eyes on me with mildly shocked expressions. Daryl came up behind me to see if what I found was actually true, his eyes glancing back to me as he seemed a little impressed.

"You can track?" he asked.

I nodded as if it was obvious, "Yeah, my dad used to take my sister and I hunting all the time. How else do you think I survived that long on my own? Luck?" 

He only shrugged, "Nah...guess I just didn't expect it." he said as he gently nudged my arm.

I smiled a little before we headed off to follow the trail her small feet left behind. From what I could see they weren't as fresh which meant she was further away than I originally thought, causing the disappointment to resurface. It fell silent between us as the rest of them followed behind Daryl and I. But my steps slowed once I noticed she started going a completely different direction after only following the path for a few short minutes.

"She was doing just fine till right here, all she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way." Daryl spoke.

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.

Shane shrugged, "Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off."

"A walker?" Glenn questioned.

"There's no other footprints but hers." I replied.

Rick piped in, "How about you and Glenn go back up to the highway," he directed toward Shane, "People are going to start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all keep everyone calm."

"I'll keep them busy scavenging cars. Keep them occupied." Shane nodded.

After the two of them quickly went off, it was silent between us once again. I knew we all had the same exact question on our minds, but no one dared to say it out loud as if putting it out into the universe would change everything. I could tell Rick felt extremely guilty for leaving her in the first place, but how could he have known? It was just an accident, something far beyond his control.

"Tracks are gone." Rick suddenly stated, looking towards the ground with furrowed brows.

I shook my head, "No, they're just faint. She came right through here." I said, pointing through the small bushes she pushed through.

"How can you tell? All I see is...dirt and grass." he replied with a furrow of his brow.

"Ya want a lesson on trackin, or you wanna find that girl and get our asses off that interstate?" Daryl was quick to clap back, clearly not having an ounce of patience for Rick's questioning.

The man seemed to sallow his words as he nodded, keeping quiet as we both followed Daryl deeper into the woods. We walked for a little bit longer, staying low to the ground, before we heard the familiar moans from a lone walker approaching.

I stepped up immediately, getting my knife ready as I spotted it through a few scattered trees. My arm raised as I threw it straight at its head the second it started to take notice to us. A sigh left my lips as I walked over to its limp body and pulled the knife out, wiping the blood off on its shirt before placing it back in my belt.

"This walker fed recently." Rick stated as he got low to the ground to examine it.

I tilted my head as I looked down, "How can you tell?"

"Skin under the fingernails." Rick listed, "And in its teeth."

"Only one way to know for sure it's not her." Daryl hinted as he then glanced towards me, "Can I use one of yer knives?" he asked.

I nodded and began to reach for one, but then remembered the weapon I found earlier in one of the cars. The knife was very sharp and bigger than my throwing knives, having a few little divots in the blade towards the handle that reminded me of a key. In my mind it would work better than the duller ones that I had that desperately needed to be sharpened.

I grabbed for it behind my belt, "Here." I muttered as I handed it over.

He took it from my hand and did a double take when he saw it, "This is new," he stated to my surprise, "When'd ya get it?"

"In one of the cars. I thought it was a good find." I replied with a shrug.

He nodded in acknowledgement before not wasting any more time as he raised the weapon in the air, bringing it down harshly and beginning to cut the walker open. The smell was always the worst part about these things and it's something I'll probably never get used to. I stood off to the side as I watched the scene in slight disgust, scrunching my face up at the sounds.

They looked inside the corpse for a few long moments, fishing around through its dark guts before finding out that it wasn't Sophia and just a random animal. How they could tell the difference, I had no fucking idea. But at least it wasn't her.

Relief seemed to fill us once we knew for sure she was still alive out here. But we needed to start heading back, knowing it would be nearly dark by the time we made it up to the highway.

The last thing any of us wanted to do was leave her out here for the night, but we didn't really have another choice. We wouldn't be able to track her down in the dark and would only be going around in circles hopelessly until the sun rose again. So, after debating with each other, we made the tough decision to head back and give the news to the others.

As we trucked through the woods, Daryl started asking me when I started to learn how to track suddenly out of the blue. I actually saw him get a little excited that someone shared the same interest as him, even if he tried to not show that he was, I knew. It was almost amusing seeing him talk about the things he liked to do most, and I answered every question he threw at me.

We seemed to get lost in the conversation until Rick announced we were almost there, barely being able to see the road through the trees. I was a little disappointed that our talk seemed to be cut short and by the looks of it, so was he. Now the guilty feeling was just washing right back over me the second I saw Carol's disappointed and fearful face.

Her expression dropped the second she saw us appear from the woods, "You didn't find her?" she asked almost instantly.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick announced.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own, to spend a night alone in the woods." she continued, her voice breaking towards the end.

"Out in the dark's no good." Daryl advised, "We'd just be trippin over ourselves. More people get lost."

"I know it's hard, but I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there. We have to make this an organized effort, Daryl and Rose know the woods better than anybody. I've asked them to oversee this." Rick said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Carol's eyes then trailed down to the blood splattered lightly on Daryl's clothes, "Is that blood?" she asked worriedly.

"We took down a walker, but it wasn't near Sophia." I assured.

"How do you know?" she asked me.

"We cut that son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl said.

Carol's sadness then slowly started to turn into anger right before our very eyes as she looked at Rick, asking him how he could just leave her like that. I knew he was trying to stay calm with her, but I could also clearly see he looked stressed enough, not needing a guilt trip from the sobbing mother. I just stayed completely silent as I looked down at my feet, while they only seemed to go back and forth with each other.

But the conversation ended with her small voice, still saddened and broken, "My little girl got left alone in the woods." she said in disbelief before turning away from the man, not daring to say another word.

That's when I started to feel even more terrible, feeling as if I didn't do enough to help her. Maybe I should've gone with Rick, or maybe I should go back out right now to continue the search.

I didn't know what to do with myself, finding myself slowly walking off, away from everyone. Glenn's voice called out my name when he caught me slipping away, but I ignored him, I just wanted to be alone for a little while. I knew he would understand in the end, feeling the need to process one blow after another as I escaped their distant voices.

Sitting myself down on the hood of one of the abandoned, rusted cars, I took the time to decompress after the events. How it all seemed to happen so fast; just like that she was gone. How easy it was for her to just get lost in hardly any time at all while Rick turned his back for only minutes. It only made me worry further that we didn't find much of anything other than the footprints imprinted in the dirt. And even those ran cold.

Subtle approaching footsteps is what caused me to roll my eyes, "Just leave it alone Glenn, we'll talk tomorrow." I muttered, not turning to face him.

"It's me."

I glanced over my shoulder in slight surprise to see Daryl standing there instead, his expression unreadable as I still said nothing. He took my silence as somewhat of an invitation as he hesitantly made his way over to the hood and sat down beside me, looking above him at the night sky. My eyes didn't stray from him as I found myself silently appreciating these moments, simply because he understood when I didn't feel the need or want to speak. He would just sit there quietly, not starting any kind of discussion unless I did first. I picked up on the pattern, but each time I seemed to appreciate more and more.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I said lightheartedly, referring to the last time I sought him out.

He huffed a small laugh before turning to face me, "Nah. Just...wanted to make sure yer okay."

I smiled at him and scooted a little closer before I let my head fall onto his shoulder for some type of comfort. He tensed a little bit but not even a second later he began to relax. We didn't say anything else, just sat there listening to our surroundings and staring at the hundreds of cars still scattered in front of us.

That was until I heard a small "oh " come out of his mouth like he had forgotten something. I shifted my head and looked over to see he had pulled out the new knife I previously gave him, dangling it in front of my face trying to give it back. But I shook my head simply in response, leaving him slightly confused.

"Keep it." I said simply.

His brows pulled together, "Ya sure?" 

"Trust me I've got plenty." I assured.

He smiled at me in appreciation before putting it back wordlessly while my head fell back on his shoulder, only this time, he didn't tense.

~ Thanks for reading!

[magz]

Palestine Summary May 25 to June 6, 2024. From LetsTalkPalestine.

Related Helpful Links: [LetsTalkPalestine Links (including vetted information sources)] [gazafunds.com] [eSims for Gaza] [UNRWA] [Decolonize Palestine, learning basics and debunking myths]

Summary Quote:

May 25, 2024.

Day 232

‼️🔻 Hamas announces it took new Israeli soldiers as prisoners after a battle in Jabalia camp which left several soldiers dead and injured — a clear sign that the resistance’s capabilities are still intact

•⁠ 46 Palestinians killed, 130 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🩺 20,000+ Palestinians in Gaza w/ severe diseases blocked from receiving treatment abroad since Israel seized Rafah crossing

•⁠ @ euromedhr documented 42 forms of torture by Israeli forces against Palestinian captives since Oct 7 incl. breaking bones, threats of rape, electric shocks & forced nudity

🏫 Israeli forces massacre 10+ people & injure 17 in attack on elementary school in Jabalia sheltering hundreds. They were bombed as people were filling up water & kids playing outside. Invasion of Jabalia has blocked water & food for 17 days & attacks on north Gaza have escalated

•⁠ Israeli forces bombed home in Beit Hanoon (north Gaza) killing 10 people incl. 5 kids

🇮🇹 Italy to resume @ unrwa funding of $5.4m

May 26, 2024.

[Instagram news video post link]

🚨 RAFAH MASSACRE 🚨

A couple of hours ago, the Israeli military massacred at least 35 Palestinians, mostly women & children, injuring dozens more causing amputations & severe burns. Death toll likely to rise. Israel targeted tents housing displaced people in designated safe area of northwest Rafah with seven 2,000-pound bombs that engulfed the area in flames, burning people alive. These are Palestinians already displaced, under siege and deprived of water, food, medicine & electricity

Horrifying footage and images have emerged of beheaded children and charred bodies burned beyond recognition. One survivor testified that “the tents are melting and the people’s bodies are also melting”

Gaza’s health systems are on the verge of collapse with limited medical supplies & fuel due to Israel’s aid blockade. Rafah's only operating hospital, Kuwaiti Hospital, has no ICU unit & faces fuel shortage + no fuel for ambulances to transfer the injured to field hospitals

Israel bombed Rafah 60+ times in the last 48 hours since the ICJ ordered it halt its invasion of Rafah. With no bounds to its impunity, Israel has made it clear there's no 'red line' on what horrors it will inflict on Palestinians. Our ruling class has deemed the massacre of Palestinians acceptable.

Israel is burning Palestinians alive.

-

May 26 part 2.

Day 233

‼️ Israel has already bombed shelters housing displaced Palestinians in other areas incl. Jabalia, Nuseirat & Gaza City, killing at least 160 in past weeks

•⁠ ⁠81 Palestinians killed, 223 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🔻 Hamas launched 8 rockets at Tel Aviv yesterday for 1st time in 6 months from Rafah. Its capacity to launch long-range projectiles after 7 months of genocide shocked Israel as many assumed Hamas’ capabilities were degraded

•⁠ Israel attacked homes, killing several & injuring many in north Gaza. 12+ Palestinians killed in attack on Jabalia amid ongoing invasion

🚚 200 aid trucks, 4 w/ fuel, meant to enter Gaza via Karem Abu Salem crossing from Egypt but none came in

•⁠ ⁠Israeli forces raid Jenin days after the raid that killed 12 Palestinians, this time abducting 2 Palestinians. Israeli bulldozers demolish infrastructure & IOF snipers on rooftops. Clashes w/ local resistance fighters as they strike Israeli tanks w/ homemade explosives

-

May 27

Day 234

‼️ Total Gaza death toll surpasses 36,000, not including an estimated 10,000 buried under rubble

🇳🇴🇪🇸🇮🇪 Norway says recognition of Palestinian state is part of “Oslo Accords 2.0”, a ‘neutral’ ‘both sides’ approach to ‘conflict in the Middle East’. For context on Oslo Accords, see our post: (instagram post link)

🏥 Rafah Kuwaiti Hospital forced to shut down due to Israel targeted & killed 2 medical staff & expanding Rafah invasion that’s overwhelming health facilities

• Israel continues bombing Rafah after last night tent massacre that killed 45, today targeting a home killing & injuring several in south Rafah + a residence in west Rafah

🇪🇬 Firing between Egyptian soldiers & IOF soldiers at Rafah crossing killed 1 Egyptian soldier, details unclear. Likely to escalate ongoing tense political relations

• Israeli strike on Gaza City killed 5+ incl. pregnant mom & her kid

• IOF shot & killed 14 y/o Palestinian boy in Hebron (West Bank) after blocking ambulance

May 28, 2024.

Image: map of Rafah, "designated safe area", and blocked passages.

Day 235

🇵🇸 Rafah updates:

‼️ Israeli invasion expands, tanks reach central Rafah after flattening east Rafah where invasion began

‼️ Another tent massacre in “safe area” al-Mawasi which Israel told people in Rafah to flee to, killing 21 people

‼️ Israel bombs western Rafah, forcing Indonesian field hospital, Kuwaiti Hospital & Emirati field hospital to shut down. Heavy shelling of Tal as-Sultan area kills 16+ including an attack on tents that killed 7

Other updates:

•⁠ 46 Palestinians killed, 110 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🇺🇸 After Rafah massacre, Biden admin insists Israeli invasion is just a limited operation + Israel is “investigating” the massacre + Biden won’t change policies

•⁠ North Gaza: Israel bombs al-Faluja area despite troop withdrawal & people starting to return to homes. Israeli airstrikes kill 6 including a doctor near Kamal Adwan Hospital

🇮🇪🇳🇴🇪🇸 Ireland, Norway & Spain recognize Palestine (limited to West Bank & Gaza). Israel condemns

•⁠ Israeli settlers stab a Palestinian father & son near Hebron (West Bank)

🔻 Israel: 13 IOF soldiers injured in Gaza in past 24 hours

May 29

Day 236

‼️ Israel escalated Rafah invasion by taking “operational control” of the buffer zone along Gaza-Egypt border + tanks push into central Rafah & Tal as-Sultan (west of Rafah)

•⁠ 75 Palestinians killed, 284 Palestinians injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours

•⁠ Israeli bombardment across Rafah & “safe zone” al-Mawasi, killing 21 today, incl. 2 paramedics in targeted bombing of ambulance

•⁠ @ wckitchen halts food distribution in Rafah due to Israeli attacks

⚖️ For 9 years, ex-head of Israel’s Mossad pressured ICC to abandon investigation into Israeli crimes via blackmail, intimidation, stalking & threatening ICC prosecutors & their families

•⁠ Internal IOF probe reveals 2 Palestinian hostages from Gaza killed by Israeli soldiers beating them to death

🇺🇸 US-made bombs were used in Israel’s Rafah tent massacre that killed 45

🔻 3 IOF soldiers killed, 3 injured in south Gaza by detonated explosive

🇲🇽⚖️ Mexico submits request to join South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel

May 30

(Instagram news video post)

Day 237

‼️ Israeli forces raid Ramallah (West Bank) firing live ammunition & tear gas at vegetable market erupting in fire & spread to nearby shopping mall, destroying hundreds of stalls & businesses, causing $2m+ losses. Israeli forces shot & injured 5 Palestinians, killed 1

•⁠ ⁠53 Palestinians killed, 357 Palestinians injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ Palestinians return to mass destruction of Jabalia in north Gaza (🎥👆) after 20-day brutal invasion as Israeli forces withdraw to east

•⁠ Rafah: Israeli bombing kills 12 Palestinians + causes telecoms blackout

🔻 Clashes between Hamas & IOF in Beit Lahiya (north) & southern Rafah. Hamas struck 5 IOF tanks & killed 1 soldier, injured 3

•⁠ North Gaza: Israeli airstrike on shelter killed 7; attack on home in Beit Hanoon killed 9; Israeli snipers executed 3 in Gaza City

🔻 2 Israeli soldiers killed by car ramming resistance operation near Nablus (West Bank)

•⁠ Israeli forces raid Jenin (West Bank) injuring 6 Palestinians by gunfire as bulldozers demolish roads & property

May 31

Image: Map of Gaza, "A Third of Gaza has been made uninhabitable".

Day 238

🔻 IOF withdraws from areas in north Gaza: Israeli forces withdraw from Tall az-Zaatar, Beit Lahiya & Beit Hanoon, and 2/3 brigades withdraw from Jabalia as Hamas continues “most intense” fighting so far in all of Gaza w/ 1 IOF brigade. Hamas expected to rebuild in Jabalia after withdrawal

🔻 2 IOF soldiers killed in Gaza, 1 seriously injured

•⁠ 60 Palestinians killed, 280 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ 70 bodies found after 20-day Jabalia invasion incl. 30 from 1 family. Many still under rubble. 70% of infrastructure & 1,000 homes completely destroyed

🇺🇸 Biden endorsed 3-phase plan that would lead to ‘permanent ceasefire’, said Israel agreed to it despite being very similar to deals it rejected. Earlier Hamas said it wont partake in any more negotiations during the genocide but now ready for a complete agreement & to ‘engage positively’

🇫🇷 France’s arms fair bans Israeli companies from partaking

🇱🇧 Israeli attack on south Lebanon killed medic

•⁠ Israel taking over 32% of Gaza’s land by demolishing neighborhoods to create buffer zone & axis dividing Gaza in half (📸👆). Which doesn’t include its control of Gaza-Egypt border region

June 1.

Day 239

•⁠ 95 Palestinians killed, 350 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ Netanyahu insists “Hamas destruction” is Israel’s main objective, undermining Biden’s ceasefire plan. Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir & Smotrich agree, threaten to topple Netanyahu’s gov’t if he accepts Biden’s deal

🏥 Only 1 partially functioning field hospital in Rafah, providing only basic services; Israel’s invasion forced all other hospitals to shut

•⁠ 13 y/o killed by malnutrition & dehydration, total death toll by malnutrition rises to 37. Israel’s aid blockade to soon subject south Gaza to levels of forced starvation in north Gaza

•⁠ Gaza City (north): Heavy Israeli shelling all day; journalist Ola al-Dahdouh killed by airstrike; attack on school turned shelter killed 2

🇨🇱⚖️ Chile to join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel

•⁠ West Bank: IOF clashes w/ Palestinian resistance fighters while raiding Jenin, Balata & Kafr Dan. IOF abducted several, bulldozed infrastructure + shot & injured 3 in Balata

June 2.

Day 240

•⁠ 60 Palestinians killed, 220 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

•⁠ 50 more bodies found in Jabalia after 20-day Israeli invasion, total number found 120, as dozens remain missing under rubble

🇲🇻 Maldives first to ban Israeli passport holders entry

•⁠ West Bank: 15-year- old Palestinian shot & killed during Israeli raid near Jericho

•⁠ Israeli forces continue shelling of Rafah killing 2 in East Rafah & causing severe destruction

🔻 Hamas attacked IOF bulldozer in Rafah

🇱🇧⁠ Israeli airstrike killed 2 in south Lebanon. Hezbollah recently heavily damaged IOF army base + shot down IOF drone + rockets cause fires in settlement in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights

•⁠ Israeli attacks on car in central Gaza killed 7. Another attack killed 3+, incl. a woman & her infant

🇳🇱 Netherlands hasn’t transferred F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel since Feb court ruling banning transfers; Dutch gov’t is appealing

•⁠ West Bank: IOF abducts 81 Palestinians in past week

June 3.

Day 241

•⁠ 40 Palestinians killed, 150 injured in Gaza in past 24 hours

‼️ Israeli forces & tanks advance into eastern Khan Younis (south) & Gaza City (north) w/ heavy gunfire & shelling. Khan Younis now a ‘hub’ for displaced Palestinians after Rafah invasion forcibly displaced 1m+

🇵🇸⚖️ Palestinian Authority to join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel

•⁠ West Bank: IOF shot & killed 3 Palestinians, injured 6 amid raid of Nablus. 2 Palestinians shot & killed near Tulkarem

•⁠ 22 killed in overnight Israeli attacks on homes in Khan Younis & Rafah. Tents in Khan Younis flooded by sewage after pipeline burst

🇺🇸 2 US officials resigned against US policy on Gaza Genocide last week

•⁠ Israeli strikes on Bureij camp (central Gaza) killed 14+ today, incl. 3 kids

🇺🇸 Pro-Palestine protestors occupied Israeli consulate in San Francisco, police arrested 70+

•⁠ About 55% of Gaza’s buildings destroyed, damaged or possibly damaged + north Gaza’s Deir Balah & Gaza City most destroyed

June 4.

(Instagram post about slovenia and palestine)

Day 242

‼️⁠ Israel launches re-invasion of central Gaza, housing 1.7m displaced Palestinians who mostly fled Rafah. Israeli troops & tanks push into Bureij camp (in Deir el-Balah) trapping Palestinians & blocking ambulances. Relentless shelling & bombardment of central Gaza, killing 16+ people in Bureij & Maghazi camps

•⁠ 71 Palestinians killed, 182 injured in Gaza in last 24 hours

🔻 Hamas attacks on IOF: targeting command center & troops in central Gaza. Fired 100+ rockets at IOF soldiers in Rafah + targeted 2 tanks. Ambushed 12+ IOF soldiers in Gaza City (north Gaza)

🇸🇮⁠ Slovenia officially recognizes State of Palestine as part of 2-state solution vision; for context + analysis read 👆

•⁠ West Bank: Israeli forces close off Jericho for 2nd day, blocking only crossing to Jordan w/ military checkpoints & barricades + stopping Palestinians from leaving & entering the city

🇱🇧⁠ Tensions rise as Hezbollah strikes spark fires near Israeli colonies near Lebanon. Israeli strikes escalate, killing 1 Hezbollah fighter today + injuring 16 kids over the weekend

June 5.

Day 243

‼️ 1m+ Palestinians in Gaza may face severe famine by mid-July due to Israel blocking aid; increase from estimated 677,000 in March

•⁠ 36 Palestinians killed, 115 injured in Gaza yesterday

🇺🇸 NYT: Israel launched $2m social media campaign w/ fake accounts to influence US (esp Black) lawmakers to support genocide

‼️ Central Gaza: Amid IOF re-invasion of overcrowded Bureij camp in Deir el-Balah, IOF abducted many Palestinians incl. women from home. Heavy bombing of central Gaza today killed 70+ & injured 300, mostly women & kids. Many flee to overcrowded Al-Aqsa Hospital which is under Israeli aid blockade

🇺🇸 US House passed bill to sanction ICC officials who investigate/prosecute Israelis. Backed by 42 Dems

•⁠ Escalation of bombing of Gaza City (north): attack on Remal neighborhood killed 4 + shelling of nearby Tal al-Hawa, Sheikh Ijlin & injured 7 in Zeitoun

🔻 10 IOF soldiers injured in Gaza in past 24 hours

•⁠ IOF shot 3 Palestinians + abducted 9 in Jenin (West Bank)

June 6.

Day 244

🚨 Central Gaza: Large massacre in UNRWA school shelter in Nuseirat killing 40+ incl. 9 kids + injured 74+ Happened as ongoing invasion of nearby al-Bureij & bombing of region, killing/injuring several in AlZawayda & Deir el-Balah

•⁠ 68 Palestinians killed, 235 injured in Gaza in past 24 hours

‼️🔻⁠ Hamas fighters break out of Gaza via Karem Abu Salem crossing near Rafah, drop behind enemy lines, attack IOF command HQ

🔻 Hamas: 5 IOF soldiers killed in Rafah tunnel explosion. 24 IOF soldiers injured in past 24 hours (16 in Gaza)

🇪🇸 Spain to join South Africa ICJ genocide case

🇺🇸 US sanctions Lion’s Den (local West Bank resistance group) likely balancing sanctions on Israeli settlers/groups

•⁠ IOF abduct 60 Palestinians in 1 of largest 2024 West Bank abductions

🇱🇧⁠ Israeli strike kills 1, injures 1 in Lebanon. Hezbollah strike kills 1 IOF soldier

•⁠ Jenin: IOF kill 3 Palestinians, injure 16 & fire at paramedics

•⁠ ⁠IOF demolish 7 homes near Hebron (West Bank) displacing 50+

[seat-safety-switch]

Couple folks down at the end of the street have gotten themselves a Ford Ranger. Not the new bloaty European one, with its ridiculous features like “doors that stay closed” and “fuel economy,” but a good, old-fashioned beater Ranger. Naturally, I want it more than my next breath of air.

Even though it has one of those wheezy V6s and is an automatic, rather than my beloved zingy four-banger-plus-five-speed combination, I find myself driving slowly past it. I entertain fantasies about using it to go to the dump, to uncover my back yard full of trash (Mopar, organic, otherwise.) In that glorious alternate future, I would then haul home lumber and tools with which to begin to construct a deck on which to grill. The neighbours would witness my truck, and know that it is the vehicle of someone who Does Something with their house. That would be pretty rad, I tell myself, before snapping out of it.

Upon further inspection, I realize that the owners are what they call “legacy” Ranger owners, having purchased the vehicle many years ago when it was a mere couple-hundred-bucks beater, rather than a priceless collectible that must be clearing the block at Barrett-Jackson soon for the approximate value of a house. You can tell this by all the meth they are smoking in it. I begin to realize that perhaps they are not homeowners at all, but a small gang of scrap thieves. They, too, can tell that I can tell, and although scumbag courtesy would ordinarily cause us to ignore one another’s offences against civil society, I am a little jealous of the truck, and tap my brakes as if slowing down to call an Authority Figure.

There is a peel-out, then. Although I know that I can easily catch the Ranger and its anemic vee-six, I do not pursue. There is no reason to: the missing tailgate, and the steep incline of my street, allows their bed full of stolen metal scrap to tumble harmlessly onto the road. At this point, the laws of maritime salvage take over. This has become my pile of stolen metal scrap, and further, the illicit transfer-by-dump of these goods has blurred the pesky issue of ownership. Who is to say all these cut-off exhaust components are stolen, officer?

I spend the rest of the evening assembling them into an work of art. I call it “Ranger,” and from about thirty feet away, it sort of resembles a 1988 Ford Ranger XLT. I throw it into the pile of scrap in my backyard, so I can admire it from my kitchen every morning as I warm my coffee over a Steyr Maxi thumper. There is no reason to be jealous, I resolve, not when you can make your own truck.

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Hurricane Oscar: Foresight, solidarity and unity in the face of any contingency

https://www.granma.cu/

Preserving people's lives is the priority in the face of the onslaught of Hurricane Oscar, said Joel Queipo Ruiz, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the Provincial Defense Council.

This governing body, activated in full composition, just like that of the municipalities, reviewed the provisions with which it acts in the current phase of cyclone alarm in which the territory finds itself.

Here, according to the assessment, the population protection commissions are activated up to the CDR level, with emphasis on the transfer of people to the homes of relatives and friends, and evacuation centers determined for these cases.

The actions aimed at ensuring the lives of our fellow citizens, although they have been accelerated in recent hours, have been based on rational movements that are made from the most distant and difficult-to-access sites, while taking into account residents in coastal flood zones.

Also taken into account are those who live near riverbanks, as well as in areas that may be covered by water due to rainfall, and in areas downstream of reservoirs, especially in the municipalities of Moa, Sagua de Tánamo and Frank País.

In addition, the protection of inhabitants in mountain communities and rural areas that may be isolated is being monitored, and they have been advised to move them to caves or engineering works near these sites.

The guidelines included strict restrictions on access to risk areas such as rivers, streams, canals, reservoirs and bridges, areas of potential landslides and waters below dams.

The municipal defense councils were required to increase the supply of drinking water to the most remote populations and those that depend on water trucks, while they were instructed to carefully follow and comply with what was established for the protection or evacuation of material resources stored in facilities with structural vulnerabilities.

Regarding the actions to be undertaken in the recovery phase after the passage of the meteor, among other things, it was decided to collect the vegetables and other agricultural products that the winds and rains could destroy, and at the same time speed up the harvest of those that could be damaged, which will be followed by the immediate sowing of short-cycle crops.

Regarding the handling of the storm in tourist resorts, where thousands of foreign visitors are staying, the authorities in the sector reported that all of them, as well as the nationals staying there, are protected.

It was also learned that in all coastal municipalities instructions were given for the return to land of vessels that were carrying out work at sea, so that they could be transferred to points that offer them safety.

Particular attention was paid to the availability of food, with agricultural authorities stating that instructions had been given to supply the markets with food and other products, and that their entities had been instructed to prepare soups and ajiacos, among other things, to sell to the population.

The actions undertaken to speed up the sale of the products in the standard family basket and to protect those in the warehouses were specified. In the province, actions continued for the distribution of fuel to the municipalities, so that the operation of the emergency generators can be assured, which guarantee, above all, the vitality of the medical services, the supply of water to the population and communications. Likewise, the sale of liquefied gas to the population continued.

[cognitivejustice]

Solapunk experiments towards zero-emission shipping

The Apollonia is the first sail-powered vessel in decades to run cargo along the US coast, and while the ship and its technology are old, its goal is new and ambitious: to demonstrate effective ways to decarbonize the maritime transport industry by 2050. 

The sailboat is part of an international movement that’s been gathering steam and now includes a half-dozen ships from North America and Europe with more on the way. “We have relied on wind propulsion for thousands of years,” Christiaan De Beukelaer, a professor of cultural policy at the University of Melbourne, said. De Beukelaer spent five months aboard a cargo schooner in 2020. “The wind is there, so we can use it.”

“Sometimes you just have to do it so people can see it's possible,” Vogel said. “Then things begin to fill in and form up behind that reality.”

As international resolve to combat the climate crisis has grown, particular attention has focused on the shipping industry, which generates 3% of global carbon emissions. Unlike trucking and rail, which have always relied on fossil fuels, shipping for most of its history has been carbon-neutral, with goods carried across the sea by wind and muscle power since the Bronze Age. The globe-spanning mercantile empires of the colonial era were built on sail power. But the know-how they perfected has largely vanished, with the last of the great sailing ships broken up during the Depression. Since then, the majority of the world’s merchant fleet has run on bunker fuel, a foul sludge that emerges as the dregs of petroleum refining.

 Over the next five months, until the sailing season ends in October, the Apollonia will sail back and forth between the city and its home base, in Hudson, carrying artisanal foods and raw materials for customers who care deeply about product authenticity and their role in the health of the environment. Some of its cargo will be transferred to a Grain de Sail ship and sent across the Atlantic.

Even within the small crew of the Apollonia, there’s disagreement on purely economic grounds whether their ambitions are realistic. “I’m a sailor, not a businessman,” Merrett said. “We don’t make a profit.” The goal, he said, is to make people think about climate change and what they can do to fight it. “We’re very mission-driven.”

Brad Vogel, Apollonia’s supercargo — an old industry term for the person in charge of a ship’s cargo — is more financially optimistic. “It’s a mission-driven business, but it is absolutely a business,” he said. “The whole point here is to try to get to profitability so that we can show that this is something that's viable, so that others will then seek to get into it as well.” (He declined to provide revenue or profit figures to Sherwood News.)

What both agree on is that just by showing the feasibility of net-zero shipping, they’re paving the way toward the world they want to live in.

[lonestarflight]

Space Shuttle Development, Phase B: North American Rockwell and General Dynamics B9U/NAR-161-B

North American and General Dynamics B9U / NAR-161-B proposed their final Phase B shuttle proposal on June 25, 1971.

"The fully reusable 'B9U / NAR-161-B' configuration would now weigh 2,290t at liftoff vs. the Phase-A limit of 1,587t and the total estimated cost of the development project had doubled, to almost $10 billion. The thrust of the space shuttle main engines had to be increased from 1,850KN to 2,450KN. Part of the problem was the shuttle now would have to be a much more versatile and capable vehicle than originally anticipated, since the space station and the manned lunar/planetary program evaporated in 1970. Critics in Congress contended that it was 'a project searching for a mission.' As a result, the new space transportation system was instead increasingly being promoted as a low-cost 'space truck' for unmanned NASA & USAF satellites."

"The North American Rockwell 'NAR-161-B' orbiter was designed for carrying a crew of two plus up to ten passengers in the forward crew module. Note the four deployable landing jet engines on top of the vehicle; NASA was planning to use modified F-15 or B-1B aircraft jet engines on some missions and for ferry flights from test sites or alternative landing fields. But the jets would be omitted for heavy-lift missions since the additional weight greatly reduced the shuttle's payload capability. The thermal protection system was based on silica tiles. The blended wing/body design was chosen for uniform load distribution. It would have produced a 2300-kilometer crossrange capability to satisfy USAF reentry requirements; North American also decided to replace the wingtip fins with a single vertical tail. The 2,450KN main engine thrust upgrade was motivated in part by the need to have a single engine-out abort capability. Analysis showed that the orbiter still would be able to return to the launch site after a single orbit in case one of its two main engines failed during ascent, but only if the engines were powerful enough. Unlike McDonnell-Douglas (who proposed to use RL-10s), North American favored a brand new oxygen/hydrogen 45KN-thrust orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines. Three OMS engines would have been carried for orbit insertion, orbital changes and the de-orbit burn."

"General Dynamics' final 'B9U' booster design differed considerably from the earlier straight-wing 'B8D' concept. The landing jets were moved from the nose back to the delta wing in order to reduce the launch drag & heating effects and to minimize the jet engine exhaust effects on stability, control and drag. General Dynamics felt the delta wing would provide better stability & control over the entire flight regime than the B8's straight wing. It would also create more room for the main landing gear and jet engine installation. The gross liftoff mass was 1,886.2t including a jet fuel load of 62.2t for the 850km flight back to the launch site. The high staging velocity (3300m/s) and altitude (73.8km) created some problems since the booster would have to be very large, require a relatively advanced thermal protection system and carry lots of jet fuel for the return flight. The contractors also examined downrange landing sites or in-flight propellant transfer in order to reduce the amount of booster jet fuel. NASA also seriously considered a proposal to use gaseous hydrogen rather than jet fuel since it would have saved thousands of kilograms, but decided against the idea in the end since it would have increased the technical risk."

North American Rockwell Phase-B shuttle orbiter docks with modular space station.

"Payload capability (without landing jets): 29,484kg into a 185km 28.5 deg. Orbit; 18,144kg into a 185km 90 deg. polar orbit; 11,340kg into a 500km 55 deg. orbit with landing jets installed on orbiter and 20,411kg without landing engines.

Cost per mission: $100-200/lb. [1970 rates] or $950-$1900/kg in 1999. 75 missions/year max. Space station rescue mission capability within 48 hours of emergency call.

Liftoff Thrust: 2,606,810 kgf. Total Mass: 2,188,488 kg. Core Diameter: 10.4 m. Total Length: 98.0 m.

Stage Number: 1. 1 x Shuttle R134C-1 Gross Mass: 1,886,200 kg. Empty Mass: 290,000 kg. Thrust: 29,370-32,233.575 KN. Isp: 442 sec. Burn time: 209 sec. Isp(sl): 392 sec. Diameter: 10.4 m. Span: 43.9 m. Length: 82 m. Propellants: Lox/LH2 No Engines: 12. SSME Study

Stage Number: 2. 1 x Shuttle R134C-2 Gross Mass: 383,260 kg. Empty Mass: 121,560 kg. Thrust (vac): 5,624.8 KN. Isp: 459 sec. Burn time: 264 sec. Isp(sl): 359 sec. Diameter: 4.6 m. Span: 32.6 m. Length: 62.8 m. Propellants: Lox/LH2 No Engines: 2. SSME Study

- information from "INTRODUCTION TO FUTURE LAUNCH VEHICLE PLANS [1963-2001]" by Marcus Lindroos: link

SDASM Archives: 08_00941, 08_00943, 08_00944

Mike Acs's Collection: link, link

Numbers Station: link, link, link, link, link

source

Boeing image: 71SV13043

[eretzyisrael]

The deal taking shape for the release of hostages held by Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza will see at least 50 Israeli abductees freed in the coming days, Channel 12 reports.

The current agreement set to be finalized today, according to reports in Israel, is focused on Israeli hostages, mainly women and children, with talks on releasing foreign hostages not currently on the table.

Hamas and other terror factions in Gaza abducted some 240 people from Israel during the October 7 atrocities, including some 40 children, plus elderly people and dozens of Thai and Nepali nationals.AFP reports that two sources with knowledge of the tentative deal have said that between 50 and 100 civilian hostages from Israel would be released in the deal, but no military personnel.

The transfer would span several days, with 10 hostages and 30 Palestinians prisoners to be released each day.

According to the same sources, the deal includes a “complete ceasefire” on the ground for four to five days.

Channel 12 says the burgeoning hostage deal will include the release of some 150 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, among them female and minor prisoners.

The deal will also provide for between 100 and 300 trucks of food and medical aid, as well as fuel, to enter Gaza, the sources tell AFP.

Channel 12 says the hostage releases could begin on Thursday or Friday. The report says the ceasefire could be extended to allow the release of more hostages following the initial 50 or so.

[mariacallous]

Public discussions following Vladimir Putin's May visit to China largely focused on exports of obscure tubers and beef cartilage to Beijing. But despite the lack of a public breakthrough in the sphere of military assistance, China remains an essential partner for the Kremlin in its war in Ukraine. Military supplies from other allied authoritarian regimes — North Korea, Iran, and Belarus — sometimes even surpass those Ukraine receives from the West. As Russia’s own reserves of armored vehicles dwindle, support from the Kremlin’s axis of authoritarian allies is only expected to grow.

Belarus: A launchpad for attacks, training of mobilized troops, tanks, and fuel

For the first six years of Russia’s war in Ukraine — i.e. 2014-2020 — Alexander Lukashenko's regime in Minsk managed to maintain a relatively independent policy. There was even limited military-technical cooperation between Belarus and Ukraine, with Belarusian petroleum products refined from Russian oil going to Ukraine for use by its armed forces at a time when they were busily fending off attacks from Russian-backed forces in the Donbas region. However, everything changed in August 2020, when a wave of popular protests swept over Belarus, exposing Lukashenko’s political vulnerability at home. Vladimir Putin responded by allocating a reserve of Russian law enforcement officers to suppress the demonstrations, thereby maintaining the regime in power in Minsk while leaving it almost wholly dependent on Moscow for survival. In February 2022, it was time for Lukashenko to repay his debts by becoming an accomplice, if not an outright ally, in the Kremlin’s full-scale assault on Kyiv.

In the early days of the invasion, forces from Russia's Eastern Military District and Airborne Troops, which had relocated to Belarus under the pretext of conducting training exercises, thus securing a foothold on the right bank of the Dnieper River, launched an offensive on the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv’s main government buildings and other “decision-making centers” are located on the right bank (the western one), an area of Ukraine that became accessible to Russian invaders largely thanks to the fact that they were able to stage their attack from Belarusian territory. Furthermore, Belarus became a reliable rear base for the Russian army, which received fuel and lubricants directly from the Mozyr refinery, had its wounded soldiers treated in Belarusian hospitals, and launched missile attacks and airstrikes from Belarusian soil and airspace.

Notably, Ukraine refrained from striking Belarusian territory, likely to avoid provoking Lukashenko into direct participation in the war. As a result, Russian troops in Belarus felt even safer than in Russia's border regions, which were subjected to Ukrainian strikes from the first days of the full-scale invasion. Without this “immunity,” the losses suffered by the Russian side during its retreat from the Kyiv region in March-April 2022 might have been even greater. Even after the Russian withdrawal, Belarusian airspace was used by Russian A-50 AWACS aircraft, Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, and Su-34 and Su-35 fighters to launch airstrikes.

The next phase of cooperation between Moscow and Minsk began at the end of 2022. The Belaruski Hayun monitoring group reported the dispatch to Russia of trains carrying dozens of tanks (1, 2), trucks, and ammunition from Belarusian warehouses. According to the group’s estimates, in October 2022 alone, 98 T-72 tanks, 60 BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles (including 20 without turrets), and 53 Ural trucks were shipped. As of early November 2022, over 65,000 tons of ammunition had been transferred.

With the start of Russia’s mobilization in September 2022, some groups of recruits, primarily reinforcements for the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Taman Division, received training at Belarusian ranges due to overcrowding at Russian sites. Economic aid has also played a crucial role: in recent months, imports of gasoline from Belarus have helped the Kremlin stabilize consumer prices amid drone attacks on its own refineries. Additionally, it was recently disclosed that the Belarusian military-industrial complex produces sights for Russian APCs, and also for its T-72 and T-90 tanks.

Of course, this help comes at a cost. Despite the Russian army’s acute need for military equipment, weapons deliveries to Belarus continue, albeit with significant delays. Additionally, Russian tactical nuclear weapons were recently stationed in Belarus, likely easing Lukashenko's concerns about “threats from NATO.” Furthermore, Russian police and National Guard officers remain ready to assist the Minsk regime in the event of renewed protests.

It should be noted that Belarusian capabilities to provide military aid to Russia are far from exhausted. The country produces “Kaiman“ armored vehicles, MAZ military trucks, and MZKT chassis for heavy equipment. Additionally, the Belarusian military industry complex manufactures reconnaissance drones and multiple launch rocket systems, and it also upgrades tanks. These resources could prove indispensable for the Russian army, which is experiencing a significant shortage of certain equipment (specifics of which can be found in our front-line situation review).

Iran: Drones and artillery ammunition

Russian-Iranian military-technical cooperation dates back to the late Soviet era, when Moscow sent Tehran modest arms and equipment supplies during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988). After the Soviet Union’s collapse, military shipments to Iran increased until they were almost completely halted between 2008-2015 due to international sanctions imposed on Iran’s nuclear program. Notable deals include the transfer in 2007 of Tor surface-to-air missile systems, one of which accidentally shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines commercial flight over Tehran in 2020. Additionally, Iran and Russia cooperated militarily in Syria to support the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the country’s civil war.

Almost from the outset of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Kremlin needed military aid. Moscow was particularly interested in Iran's advanced drone industry. Under sanctions and unable to procure full-fledged combat aircraft, the Iranian regime developed an impressive range of drones, from reconnaissance platforms to loitering munitions. While the Russian military industry excelled in reconnaissance UAVs, Russia had almost no kamikaze drones at the beginning of the full-scale war. As pre-war missile stockpiles were gradually depleted, the focus shifted to long-range drones like Shahed-131 and Shahed-136.

Because of these drones, along with cruise and ballistic missiles, it became significantly more challenging for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to fend off attacks on both civilian and military infrastructure behind the front lines. Consequently, production of Shahed drones shifted to Russia itself at sites like the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, often utilizing forced student labor. According to agreements disclosed in 2022 through leaked documents from Alabuga, Iran committed to supplying 6,000 kits for assembling Shaheds over two and a half years.

Russian-made drones underwent significant modifications: Kometa-M antennas were installed to counter electronic warfare, the warhead the aircraft carry was upgraded for greater effectiveness, the body color was changed to black to enhance nocturnal concealment, and LTE modems were integrated to track the drones’ movements. Although Mohajer-6 reconnaissance drones were also supplied in limited quantities, they did not achieve the widespread popularity of the Shahed.

In addition to drones, Iran also provides Russia with artillery ammunition. Initially, Iranian-made artillery shots surfaced in the possession of Ukrainian forces, sourced from intercepted Western shipments intended for Iran-supported armed groups in the Middle East. By summer 2023, reports emerged regarding Russian-Iranian contracts for almost $2 million worth of ammunition and barrels for both tanks and artillery guns. Subsequently, Iranian shells were integrated into service with Russian forces.

It is worth noting that the first captured samples contained Chinese shells, leading to suspicions of direct military aid from China to Russia. However, the gunpowder charges supplied with these shells were of Iranian origin, and the shell production date suggests they reached Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. Subsequently, the range of ammunition expanded to include 203 mm shells of U.S. manufacture, inherited by the Islamic Republic from the pro-Western Shah's regime and suitable for Soviet 2S7 Pion guns. Recently, supplies of 130 mm shells for the M-46 gun were also reported.

In return, Iran has reached an agreement to purchase modern Su-35 fighters and helicopters from Russia and is currently in negotiations for S-400 anti-air missile systems. This equipment will undoubtedly bolster the capabilities of the Islamic Republic amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East, but the current circumstances have also raised doubts about how much hardware Tehran will be willing to part with. More advanced drones such as jet-powered Shahed-238s could be held back (even though a similar drone was once shot down over Ukraine back in January). And although Reuters reported in February that approximately 400 Iranian-made ballistic missiles had already been delivered to Russia, they have yet to be observed on the battlefield.

North Korea: Soviet shells and “Kimskanders”

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow has engaged in very limited military-technical cooperation with North Korea, partly due to the international sanctions imposed against the regime in Pyongyang. In contrast, in the 1990s South Korea received Russian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles as part of debt repayments. Nevertheless, relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have been relatively warm: North Korea was one of the few countries to recognize the 2014 annexation of Crimea and, in 2022, four more regions of Ukraine.

By 2023, Moscow found itself in need of more than just diplomatic aid. Russian production of artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles did not meet the demands of the front. Meanwhile, North Korea appeared to possess significant stocks of Soviet-caliber artillery shells, once presumed to be intended for wiping out Seoul in the event of renewed conflict on the Korean Peninsula. However, with the advancement of its nuclear program, Pyongyang had acquired more effective means of deterrence, reducing the need for artillery ammunition, if not entirely eliminating it. On the other hand, North Korea actively pursued the development of its missile program, with some ballistic missiles (known in the West as KN-23) demonstrating characteristics matching those of Russia’s Iskanders (at least on paper).

Massive ammunition supplies began following Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia in September 2023. According to OSINT investigators, munitions are transported by container ships from North Korean ports to Russia before being sent by rail to front-line areas. According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, a total of 67,000 containers of ammunition were delivered, a volume that could have contained up to 3 million 152 mm artillery shells, or as many as 500,000 122 mm artillery rockets for the Grad MLRS.

Soon, munitions with a distinctive bluish hue for artillery and MLRS started appearing in Russian frontline videos, and almost immediately, Russian pro-war bloggers began expressing their concerns about the quality and accuracy of the ammunition. Nonetheless, the shells proved sufficient for sustained artillery fire, and when combined with Russian and Iranian ammunition, they provided the Russian army with a significant artillery advantage over the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The status of North Korean missiles presents a murkier picture. In early 2024, there were reports of several KN-23 ballistic missile strikes on Kharkiv, one of which was scrutinized by Conflict Armament Research specialists. Since then, however, reports of the utilization of such missiles, dubbed “Kimskanders” by Russian pro-war bloggers, have dwindled. The reasons for this decline remain unclear: it could be because production and delivery capacities are lacking, or perhaps flaws were revealed during use. According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, approximately half of the missiles veered off course and detonated in mid-air.

Nonetheless, North Korea’s potential to assist Russia remains largely untapped. Kim Jong-un’s arsenal comprises various weapon types, including MLRS equipped with 240 mm guided rockets (though reliable reports of their potential supply have yet to materialize). Furthermore, North Korea possesses a substantial number of tanks, notably T-54/55 and T-62M models, which Russia employs on the front lines. With forecasts indicating the depletion of Soviet-era armored vehicle stocks in Russian warehouses by 2026, the provision of North Korean tanks and other armored vehicles could help sustain Russia’s capacity for offensive operations in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the extent of what the Kremlin can offer in return remains uncertain, especially considering that nearly all modern weapons produced by the Russian military-industrial complex are allocated to the Ukrainian front. Potential offerings could involve technology transfers and the establishment of licensed production facilities in North Korea, although such endeavors risk provoking strong reactions from South Korea and Japan, both of which have thus far refrained from directly aiding Ukraine militarily.

China: machine-tools and help with sanctions evasion

Despite the so-called “friendship without limits” between Beijing and Moscow, the People's Republic of China has not been observed providing direct material-technical support to the Russian Armed Forces in its conflict with Ukraine. However, China remains a critical supplier of military and dual-use products to the Russian defense industry, and there is evidence indicating increased shipments of precision machinery and equipment, with a significant portion of the Western-sanctioned goods that reach Russia getting there via China. The Insider recently conducted its own investigation into the specific methods used to facilitate such imports.

Thanks to Chinese assistance, Russia receives various UAV elements, including FPV drones and critical components for electronic warfare systems designed to counter these very drones. Ukrainian drone production enterprises also heavily rely on the Chinese component base. However, Russia holds a logistical advantage in this regard. Some drones are offered to Russian buyers as ready-made solutions, while others are purchased from AliExpress by Russian startups, which then pass them off as their own products.

Notably, among the ready-made drones, DJI products play an extremely significant role for both sides in the conflict. DJI UAVs serve as tactical reconnaissance tools and bombers for munition drops. DJI is associated with Russia's first direct military purchase of Chinese equipment: in 2023, the Russian Defense Ministry acquired Mavic quadcopters, which Russian servicemen could obtain for free (instructions on how to do so were even published in pro-war channels). Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Defense procured a large batch of Desertcross off-road vehicles (reportedly at an inflated price). These vehicles are increasingly being utilized at the front lines, serving as transportation for assault groups. While their use has garnered some negative feedback, in the face of a shortage of armored vehicles and means of transportation, they remain a necessary option.

It should be noted that the “assistance” from Chinese companies extends beyond equipment and components to include intelligence gathering. AFP reported that in November 2022, the late Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner PMC purchased two Chinese commercial satellites and utilized their imagery to plan operations in Ukraine, Africa, and even during their short-lived June 2023 mutiny in Russia itself.

However, despite Russia's efforts to secure direct Chinese military assistance starting from as early as the beginning of 2022, no such shipments have been confirmed. Based on comments from Chinese officials, Beijing appears intent on maintaining a cautiously pro-Russian stance on the international stage, while paying lip service to Ukraine's territorial integrity and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

If China's stance were to shift, the Russian army could potentially gain access to a wide range of weaponry, from outdated kit to cutting-edge models. Considering that a potential Chinese conflict with Taiwan (or any other Pacific region adversary) would not be likely to burn through large stocks of armored vehicles and artillery, the potential for the transfer of such systems to Russia remains a real possibility. Furthermore, any Chinese restrictions on component supplies to Ukraine could pose a serious threat to Kyiv, at least until alternative supply routes through third-party countries and shell companies could be established — mirroring the very strategies employed by Russia to keep its military-industrial complex working.

[girlactionfigure]

⚫ROCKET STRIKES & INJURIES, INTERNAL ENEMY - Real time from Israel  

ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

( VIDEO - Rocket hit in Kiryat Ata.  Not gory. )

▪️GAZA - In the shadow of American pressure - the IDF announced the expansion of the humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip.

▪️INTERNAL ENEMY.. MK Ofer Kasif of Hadash-Ta’al will be removed from the Knesset until spring 2025 and will be denied two weeks' salary, this following his joining the proceedings against Israel in The Hague and accusing the IDF of the massacre. This is the heaviest punishment in the history of the Ethics Committee.

▪️COURT - NEED NIS 1 MILLION TO REPRESENT NUCHBA TERRORISTS.. Court management to the Ministry of Finance: Please transfer one million shekels to us for the representation of the Nuh'ba terrorists, those who perpetrated the Oct. 7 massacre.  ( There is an argument to be made that unlawful combatants are not due legal representation. )

▪️(COMMENTARY - Douglas Murray) I hope that everyone commenting on the Jew-hunt in Amsterdam keeps in mind that this is ‘Islamophobia Awareness Month.’

▪️ARGUMENTS OVER GUN LICENSES.. The “Movement for Quality Govt” has petitioned the High Court against the Min. Of National Security providing gun licenses, after it was discovered some illegally providing licenses.  Movement: ‘requests to open a criminal investigation against Minister Ben Gvir and Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana’.  Judge: ‘the court will decide whether to let the state consider freezing weapons licenses.’ (Assumably the process, since there was criminal abuse?)

▪️ZAKA STATION.. in Holon seriously vandalized and damaged.  This is the body recovery organization.

⭕ROCKET STRIKE in BAANA from Hezbollah. 40-year-old woman was seriously injured by shrapnel in a ROCKET barrage of about 50 rockets to the Karmiel and Sakhnin area BY HEZBOLLAH.

⭕ROCKET STRIKE in KIRYAT ATA from Hezbollah.  Parked vehicle hit.  Reports of injuries.

⭕ROCKET STRIKE in NAHARIYA from Hezbollah.  3 wounded by shrapnel: a 27-year-old woman in moderate condition, a man about 35 years old and a one-year-old toddler in mild condition.

⭕ROCKET STRIKE in HAIFA and KRAYOT from Hezbollah. 4 injured by shrapnel, 1 on falling running for shelter.  BARRAGE OF 90 ROCKETS estimated.

⭕The Iranian Revolutionary Guards claim to have hacked the Sorek Nuclear Research Center and allegedly downloaded 197 gigabytes of data, including personal data of nuclear scientists in Israel and officials in the Ministry of Defense.

♦️SYRIA - Arab report: a significant attack on a number of trucks in the Homs region of Syria. Casualties.

.. Syrian source: More than 30 IDF attacks on the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon completely disrupted the flow of fuel, logistical equipment, and military equipment to Hezbollah.

♦️JUDEA-SAMARIA - arrests in multiple villages, capture of bomb making materials, capture of small quantity of weapons, military equipment and a drone.

♦️LEBANON - IDF spokesman in Arabic publishes an evacuation notice and warning for 21 villages in southern Lebanon.

🔸CEASEFIRE NEWS.. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in a briefing for the foreign media: progress has been made in the negotiations for a ceasefire in Lebanon.  Hezbollah: Not that we are aware of.  Lebanese parliament speaker: no change in our demands.

🔸DEAL NEWS.. The Lebanese newspaper "Al-Akhbar" reports this morning that Egypt and Qatar have agreed to threaten Hamas with removal from Doha.  According to the report, the goal is to promote a Palestinian internal settlement.